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lookismaddict · 2 years ago

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Lookism Chapter 439 Memes/Thoughts I Have:

(SPOILERS !!! I don’t own any of the Lookism panels and the translations. Only the memes that I made.)

God, I was looking forward to doing this chapter review today but then my day really started off not as good as I hope for. But it’s ok. I just hope that this review will be uplifting for me while it’s being made. Anyways, CH. 439 EVERYBODY!! WOOOOOOOO!!! I LOVED READING THIS CHAPTER. SO, LET’S GET INTO IT.

Um... Jichang? Try him. 😀

UMMM... SORRY JICHANG, WHAT WAS THAT? CAN'T HEAR YOU FROM THE SOUNDS OF GETTING YOUR ASS BEAT... 🙄

Wow. So it really has come to this, huh? I didn't wanna do a Master vs. Student comparison because Daniel was trained by Gun, not James. Although James didn't personally train him, Daniel did get some of his moves from him so he's clearly a beast... Damn.

Daniel Park, a model? 👀 I can't believe I made a clothing brand flyer out of these panels. 💀💀💀

Tbh the Allied shirt that Daniel is wearing looks so fucking dope. 🔥 If PTJ ever drops the actual merch for Allied, I really wanna purchase one so badly. The design is so sick, and you already know Imma stunt on them hoes if I ever get my hands on a shirt. 🤪

He's really just playing around with them, huh? Especially Daniel. 😭

I swear, Hudson and Jay are only in this chapter to provide reactions to the fight. They really do be representing the crowd. 🔥 THE CROWD SAYS :O

This shot of Jichang is so cool ngl... and hot. 💀💀

Bruh he really do be thinking this.

JESUS CHRIST- DANIEL IS GETTING SLICED AND DICED LIKE HE'S A STALK OF VEGETABLES. PEPPERS? OK! ONIONS? YOU GOT IT! GARLIC? I GOT YA COVERED!!! 😜🌶🧄🧅

Jichang looking all sinister, like he about to end Daniel with the most deadliest Karate chop of the century. BUT OH GOD, DANIEL NOOOOOOOOO!!! 😭😭😭😭

*inhales* Bro... you guys had no idea how much I was jumping at that first panel right here. Jumping and running around and shit. My reaction was literally, "No... Noooo wayyyy... Nooooo FUCKING WAAAAYYYYYYYYY... PTJ, YOU'RE LYING!!!!!! IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING????? OH MY FUCKING GOD!!! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! UI DANIEL IS BAAAAAACCCCCKKKKKK!!!!!!!" 😤😤😤😤😤😤😤

And not me anticipating a Gun Park memory because it always happens whenever Daniel is in UI... (or at least, Gun is mentioned whenever he's in the zone... Auto Zone. 😩 If you get the reference, ily.)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT'S GUNNNNNNN!!!! I KNEW IT, WE'RE GONNA GET ANOTHER SCENE WITH THIS HOT ASS MESS OF A MAN. 😩😩🔥🔥🔥🔥 UGGGHHHH IMMA CREAM ON HIM I SWEEEAAAARRRRRRRRR. HE CAN EAT ME UPPPPP AND BEAT THIS COOCH UP ANYDAY. GOT ME QUIVERING SHIIIIIII 😩😩😩💢💢💢💢💢 Also, is he NAKED??? 😳 Bruh. He's naked around Daniel, but he isn't naked around his previous successors. Hmmm... do I sense... favoritism? And why is Daniel kneeling down in front of him. Don't tell me they "fought". 👁👁 Or he gave Gun a good suck. Pero come on Daniel, tell us that his dick is huge. GINORMOUS. MASSIVE. LENGTHY. THICK. HEAVY??? LMFAAAOOOOOOOO OK, I'LL STOP.

Hehehe, if you aren't familiar with this by now-

*N S F W M E M E W A R N I N G*

(If you're not comfortable with inappropriate memes, then just scroll past them.)

This really is my mind 24/7. You should know me by now and how I want this man soooooooo badlyyyyyy. God, I want this man to ram me so goddamn good. Legs shaking, loud moaning, ass smacking, hair pulling, back blowing... AEUUUUGGGGHHHHH. 😩😩😩💗💗💗💗 I just wanna keep it real. I'm not ashamed or sorry. 🤷🏽‍♀️ If you don't want me to simp so badly, then you shouldn't have followed a Gun simp in the first place. 😤

OH MY GOD- OF COURSE HE'S INTO CHOKING. 😩😩 PTJ, YOU'RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE. MAKING ME EVEN MORE NEEDY FOR HIM, FUUUUUCCCCKKKKK.

"Leave your body to Lady Death." God, that gave me chills. 🥴HNNNNNNGGGGHHHH EVEN THAT SMIRK TOO. GOD, I'M GOING FERALLLLLLLL. HE'S SO SEXY!!! CHOKE ME, DADDY GUN. 😭😭😭 HE REALLY GOT ME IN A MENTAL CHOKEHOLD, I'M JUST SAYINGGGGGG.

CALL ME DELUSIONAL. IDC AND IDGAF. I WANT GUN TO CHOKE ME. 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️

Ok I'm done. *sighs*

*E N D O F N S F W M E M E S*

Man... I love psychotic men. Men who go crazy insane with power. Men who are overpowered. Men who can silence anyone. Men who can dominate others. Men who can beat the shit out of anything and anyone. MEN WHO CAN RUIN OTHER PEOPLE'S SELF-ESTEEM. MEN WHO CAN TAKE AWAY THEIR WILL TO FIGHT. MEN WHO CAN SLAUGHTER ALL OF THEIR ENEMIES ONE BY ONE WITHOUT CARING. MEN WHO- ok I'll shut up about my taste in men.

Oh my lord, look at UI Daniel fight so diligently and so swiftly too. AND DAAAANNNGGG DUDE, LOOK AT THE IMPACT HE HAD ON JICHANG'S BACK!!! He for sure is a menace, no doubt about it.

I love how hyped their fight was. LOOK AT JICHANG'S FACIAL EXPRESSION TOO!! HE REMINDS ME OF SAMUEL IN SOME OF HIS FIGHTS HAHAHAHAHAHA INSAAAAAAANE

BRUH, ISN'T THAT THE OLD MAN ON THAT TRACTOR??? 👀

I KNEW ITTTTT BRO. IT'S THE SEOUL GRANDPA. Also, I'd like to point out how interesting it is that UI Daniel suddenly faded away as if he doesn't exist anymore, when Daniel suddenly retreated from subconsciousness. I almost forgot that it took UI Daniel a while to cease due to the drugs that Daniel's other body was on in that room full of shrooms, back in that arc with Vivi's Club.

YEAH BRO, YOU BETTER RESPECT DANIEL NOW. And how did Jichang not notice that he looked like Jinyoung Park? Like... everybody did except for him. Come on sir, get with the program. 🧍🏽‍♀️

OMG...??? GAPRYONG KIM'S DRIVER??? 🤭🤭🤭 DAMN, EVERYONE WHO WAS A PART OF GAPRYONG'S FIST CAN BEAT ANYONE UP. EVEN HIS DRIVER CAN KICK ASS. 😧 Also... bro. Wtf. Does that mean that they fought for no reason? They got THEIR ASSES BEAT FOR NO REASON??? MAAAAAANNNN WHAT DID I FUCKIN TELL YOU, JICHANG AND DANIEL??? IN THE PREV REVIEW, I SAID THAT YOU COULD'VE SETTLED THIS THE CIVILIZED WAY, BUT WHAT DID Y'ALL DO? Y'ALL THREW HANDS. And poor Jay and Hudson. They fought their asses off against some people of Chungcheong and FOR WHAT??? 😭😭😭 WELL, I GET IT. IT'S FOR DANIEL. BUT COME ON MAN, THEY BEEN THROUGH SOME TRASH-TALKING AND SOME INJURIES FOR NOTHINGGGGG. Idk, that just pissed me off. But, the purpose of those fights was to show how much they improved. I admit though, they did improve A LOT and I'm proud of the both of them. Even Daniel too, who just fought with a First Generation King to the point that Jichang had to get into serious FIGHTING MODE. Here kings, your crowns. 👑👑👑 I keep saying this repeatedly, but we better get the full explanation of Jinyoung's backstory or else. Imma go over to PTJ, grab him by the collar, and- 😤😤👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽 /j

Not kidding. Oops-

#lookism #lookismaddict #lookism 439 #lookism spoilers #lookism spoiler #lookism webtoon #lookism manhwa #daniel park #park hyungseok #kwak jichang #jay hong #hong jaeyeol #hudson ahn #ahn hyunseong #gun park #park jonggun

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beardedmrbean · 8 months ago

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Sorry back to back anon, but the thing about relatability is who writing it. Because I totally relate to characters written by writers who are often

*Check the writers wikis*

Upper middle class or higher…diversity hires, oh was born in la or California, nepo babies, got into positions of influence via friend nepotism

Look I know Hollywood (like every industry ever) always has a nepotism problem

But these modern writers and showrunners are so incestous when it comes to connections. They make Jamie Lee Curtis, Carrie Fisher, and Drew Barrymore (yes I learned about the supposed Barrymore dynasty in Hollywood) have more individual wait

Okay in my Chimera Republic idea, it a fantasy America where we didn’t get the Social Darwinism plague so they became egalitarian much faster than in real life

But many marginalized and discriminated groups that suffer hardships including genocide in the old world was able to gain positions of power in the Chimera Republic.

When a huge war broke out in the old world, there are debate among the marginalized groups if they should save their former oppressors or let them be wipeout and treat their soon dead civilizations like we treat Egypt

Oops, projecting my recent bitterness towards African countries. If I was at a un meeting, I would give the Benin and Nigerian ambassadors the dirtiest looks known to man to give a clue that I know about the Dahomey now

Also I would propose a “No refunds” counter proposal to African countries want reparations

Fuck you people, you guys play a role in the suffering black Americans, Brazilians, Jamaicans, Dominicans, and so many other groups of African descent suffer in the Americas. We are also keeping the bronze items you used as payment

But I think what makes my writing ideas so interesting to other people is that i acknowledge my bitterness and negative side and don’t act self righteous about it. Vs a lot of modern writers who projected it into their works

But this whole idea that we need to make every protagonist relatable…um not everyone have unresolved daddy issues, drink the Marxist kool aid, went to college and got a useless degree, and decided to intentionally live in one of the most godforsaken cities in America

Also can the left stop fetishizing the working class in their writing?

I’m the embodiment of what they desire, but I would rather get laid by a hillbilly confederate flag wearing redneck than dealing with a rootless urbanite for 5 minutes

Wait I live right next to Indiana…

Hello boys, wanna recreate your ancestors favorite pastime in bed with me?….

There's a whole bunch more too, ya. For the most part that's how they wind up getting their first couple gigs after that if they suck even being a nepo hire won't help.

bit before and Also I would propose a “No refunds” counter proposal to African countries want reparations Fuck you people, you guys play a role in the suffering black Americans, Brazilians, Jamaicans, Dominicans, and so many other groups of African descent suffer in the Americas. We are also keeping the bronze items you used as payment

The more people that learn about all that the more people that will mover over to that line of thinking, bronzes were probably purchased since the african countries weren't paying us to take their slaves off their hands, they were selling them.

Which they were bought then they're ours now, cry harder.

Folks do enjoy honesty, semi rare commodity these days so it's refreshing when you get it in large doses.

They'll find a way to make anyone relatable, even if they have to change everything about them. Fandom be nuts like that.

Also can the left stop fetishizing the working class in their writing?

Doubtful, maybe if they decided to join them they could, but those are icky blue collar people and beneath them.

At least in my observation of leftists and leftist spaces it's what the majority opinion on them is.

I’m the embodiment of what they desire, but I would rather get laid by a hillbilly confederate flag wearing redneck than dealing with a rootless urbanite for 5 minutes

You're not the embodiment, you actually take responsibility for yourself and are doing ok in life, that's just what they say they want. As for what they actually want we've been over that before.

Again my take there at least.

Wait I live right next to Indiana… Hello boys, wanna recreate your ancestors favorite pastime in bed with me?….

Take it away Little Stevie

youtube

#zoomer huey anon

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tabloidtoc · 4 years ago

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Life & Style, November 16

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Reese Witherspoon’s divorce bombshell

Page 1: Photo Flash -- Adele showed off her acting chops and her slim new body as the host of Saturday Night Live

Page 2: Contents

Page 4: Twinning -- La La Anthony vs. Laura Dern, Kelly Clarkson vs. Gayle King

Page 6: Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom recently purchased a $14 million mansion in Montecito not far from where Meghan Markle lives with Prince Harry but Meghan has no interest in getting to know Katy whatsoever -- the trouble began in 2018 when Katy gave an interview to Entertainment Tonight criticizing Meghan’s wedding dress and saying she liked Duchess Kate Middleton’s wedding dress better -- it also emerged that Katy was the one who convinced Orlando to play Harry in a satirical animated series about the British royal family -- Montecito is a small town and Katy and Meghan have lots of mutual friends so there’s bound to be a few awkward run-ins

Page 8: Rebel Wilson has made a career out of playing characters like Pitch Perfect’s Fat Amy but after losing an impressive 40 pounds she’s ready to reinvent herself completely and she is set to star in The Almond and the Seahorse a heart-wrenching British drama with a prestigious cast and crew attached and her first non-comedic role -- she wants to be taken seriously as an actress and make her dream of winning an Oscar come true and she credits boyfriend Jacob Busch with encouraging her to reach for the stars, Kate Beckinsale is looking to find love again after splitting from Goody Grace, Tori Spelling is in talks to appear on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a friend of the Housewives after the Beverly Hills 90210 reboot was canceled and she’s hoping that a few appearances on the show will turn her into a fan favorite ultimately securing her a spot as a full-time Housewife

Page 10: The Week in Photos -- Beyonce sported several pieces from the upcoming Adidas X Ivy Park Drip 2 line

Page 12: Kim Kardashian at her 40th birthday vacation, Chris Hemsworth gave underwater meditation a try, Robert Downey Jr. posted for a pic with Fuzzy the Alpaca to promote his new Discovery series The Bond which explores the special relationship between humans and animals

Page 13: Nicole Kidman wished Keith Urban a happy 53rd birthday with a snapshot of herself and her husband floating around in a zero-gravity chamber

Page 16: Say What?! Tracee Ellis Ross on being single, Emma Roberts on visiting her famous aunt Julia Roberts at work, Oliver Hudson on looking like a villain after his first time trying injectables, Khloe Kardashian on always seeking beauty advice from her sisters, Cameron Diaz on loving to cook

Page 22: Khloe Kardashian is worried that history will repeat itself when Tristan Thompson becomes an unrestricted free agent in the upcoming offseason because the Cleveland Cavaliers center is being inundated with offers from teams like the Boston Celtics which would take him far away from the home he shares with Khloe and their two-year-old daughter True in Calabasas and Khloe’s terrified that Tristan will stray if he moves away just like he’s done before -- Tristan is in a sticky situation because Khloe’s begging him to sign with a California-based team but his decision depends on who puts the best offer on the table

Page 23: Anna Wintour has a reputation for being tough on assistants and celebrities and even her longtime partner Shelby Bryan and after more than 20 years together the two have parted ways because being with Anna was a nightmare with her diva demands and superiority complex and she treated Shelby like a second-class citizen ordering him around like he was one of her assistants -- shortly after the news of their split rumors began swirling that Anna’s found love with Bill Nighy

Page 24: Cover Story -- Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth at a breaking point -- problems add up for Reese and Jim as their 10th wedding anniversary looms -- her career has soared while his flopped plus being stuck at home together during L.A.’s coronavirus lockdown earlier this year was rough and now that things have started to open up Reese is relieved to have her freedom and be back at work again so that she can have the space she needs away from Jim

Page 28: Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton -- all the wedding details -- newly engaged Gwen and Blake excitedly gear up for two vow swaps

Page 30: Pregnant Mandy Moore’s fresh start -- expecting her first child Mandy is finally able to put previous relationship trauma in the past

Page 32: Ben Affleck sober and happier than ever -- a year after his last slip-up Ben is in a great place physically and emotionally

Page 34: Who Lives Here? LeBron James

Page 36: Beauty Beat -- just add glitter -- Lucy Boynton

Page 38: Entertainment

Page 40: Diva or Down-to-Earth? Irina Shayk does school pickup -- down-to-earth, Gwen Stefani has a glam squad -- diva, Artem Chigvintsev does garbage duty -- down-to-earth

Page 42: Social Stars Posts of the Week -- Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria and all five of their children, Nina Dobrev chooses lemons, Kaley Cuoco and her rescue pooch Dumps

Page 44: Horoscope -- Scorpio Miranda Lambert turned 37 on November 10, They’re Not Together But They Should Be -- Leo Marlon Wayans and Virgo Taraji P. Henson

Page 46: Made Ya Look! Sisters Nicky Hilton and Paris Hilton enjoy a day out in NYC

Page 48: What I’m Into -- Lauren Burnham-Luyendyk

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caitsbooks · 6 years ago

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THE DARK ELEMENTS SERIES BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT -- CLICHE BUT ADDICTIVE (3 MINI REVIEWS)

So, this series is a little old by YA standards (I feel like, after a couple of years, the majority of books are just forgotten in this community… but that’s a discussion for another post), but it’s getting the comeback it deserves with the release of Storm and Fury!!!

Anyway, before I go into my review- I need to admit my bias here. This is one of my all-time favorites from High School. That said- if I started it now, with no built-in biases, I probably would not be so kind. My standards have changed a bit, but this book series is still too special to me to not adore.

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Overall: 4.5/5 Stars Characters: 4.5/5 Setting: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 4/5 Awesomeness Factor: 5/5 Review in a Nutshell: Jennifer L. Armentrout writes 1 type of book: the swoon-worthy, light-hearted, banter-filled romances that you can’t put down even if you know exactly what’s coming. If that’s what you’re looking for- you’ll find it in The Dark Elements Series.

“People with the purest souls are capable of the greatest evils.”

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Read more for my thoughts on this series!

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Blog || Goodreads || Bookstagram || Twitter || Reviews

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// Content Warning: Violence, Death, Assault, Mature Content, Addiction, Slut Shaming //

PREMISE:

The Dark Elements series begins with White Hot Kiss, which follows Layla, who dreams of being an average high school student. Except, that’s impossible because she was born half demon and half Warden (a race of gargoyle created to protect the world from demons). Raised by Wardens, she has been taught to hate her demon side. But then she meets Roth, a demon who tells her things the Wardens never told her. When he tells her about trouble brewing in Hell, she knows helping him could get her branded as a traitor to the family that raised her, and ruin her chances with Zayne, the off-limits Warden she’s been crushing on, but if Roth is telling the truth, then her help might be necessary to prevent an apocalyptic scenario.

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WHITE HOT KISS: 4.5/5

“I lost myself the moment I found you.”

White Hot Kiss is just a really fun book. It’s such an entertaining paranormal romance, with plenty of high school drama and some fun action scenes that make the pages fly by. The plot is fun, and while it feels familiar and typical occasionally, it manages to always deviate from what I expect. Meanwhile, the writing is exactly what I have come to expect from Jennifer L. Armentrout. There's humor, heart, and plenty of odd but entertaining one-liners and pop culture references. Sometimes, they can take you out of the book, but most of the time they’re just fun.

The main character, Layla, is interesting but overall nothing extremely memorable. She’s kinda your basic paranormal romance protagonist. Stubborn, reckless, just wants to be normal but has some special thing about her that makes that impossible. However, where she does stand out is with her inner battles, what she was raised to believe and the reality of what she is.

The two main love interests, Zayne and Roth, also fall into your basic love interest types (Snarky and rebellious vs sweet and noble) but where they shine is in their personal journeys over the course of the series. In White Hot Kiss, Roth really undergoes some amazing character development, which gets better and better with every reread.

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[ Related: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Review) ]

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STONE COLD TOUCH: 4/5

“Love is a strange creature one thinks one has a grasp on and understanding of, only to discover later that it was only the barest taste of the real thing.”

Stone Cold Touch is probably my least favorite of the series, but that’s only because it has the least amount of Roth in it. That said, it’s still great. This book really helps solidify the side characters as whole people and has a lot of great moments. Stacey and Sam both step it up in this book, getting some moments in the spotlight, and, as you can probably guess, Zayne really takes center stage. Which is nice– his character gets some more development and he definitely became more interesting to me– but he’s no Roth.

The pacing is good, with only a couple of lulls. But oh my god are there some twists in this. This book really did get me on a roller coaster of emotions. You never know what’s true.

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EVERY LAST BREATH: 4.5/5

“When is there ever a right time to fully give your heart to another? There are always going to be obstacles. You just have to decide which ones are worth it.”

Every Last Breath is a great conclusion to this series. When it comes to endings, for me, they can be very hit or miss, but this one was a definite hit.

The beginning has a little less action than expected, with a slightly slower pace as the drama and romance plot lines are resolved, but it really picks up in the last half of the book. The stakes are high and everything that has been built up in the previous books comes together so well.

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CONCLUSION

Pros – Fun, lighthearted, adorable and sexy romance, really thoroughly entertaining Cons – This isn’t a dark and gritty, realistic story. If you’re looking for something life-changing, you won’t find it here. Overall – 4.5/5 stars. The Dark Elements series is pure fun. It will make you laugh, it might even make you cry. One thing is for sure: you’ll never be able to put it down.

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Okay, so these weren’t as “mini” as I planned, but what do you think of this format for series that have already been published? I love writing full reviews, but they take a lot of time, and in situations like this… I get lazy. Let me know if you think I should do more like this!

Also, have you read The Dark Elements? Are you going to read the new spin-off book, Storm and Shadow? I’m about 400 pages into it and I’m loving it so much!!

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Add To Your Goodreads Shelf Purchase Options

Blog || Goodreads || Bookstagram || Twitter || Reviews

#white hot kiss #storm and fury #stone cold touch #the dark elements #the harbringer #tde #every last breath #jennifer l. armentrout #jla #jennifer l armentrout #book review #books #book #book reviews #review #reviews #bookstagram #booklr

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vinylexams · 6 years ago

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Planet Score Records - St. Louis, Missouri

Today’s featured record store is none other than Planet Score Records (@planetscore) in St. Louis, Missouri! After hearing from so many of you that wanted me to feature your favorite shops in the land, Planet Score was the first to get back to me with lots of great pics of the shop and some great answers to a list of questions you all will become familiar with as more and more independently owned stores get featured here. The features on Instagram will be as lengthy as the word count will allow, but the full interview and features will always be available in their entirety on vinylexams.com so if you don’t have it bookmarked yet, do it!

Planet Score Records is a music store that’s been a St. Louis staple for years but was purchased and revamped in 2015 by long-time employee of the previous shop, Joe Stulce, and his friend from his years in the 2000s playing in bands around the city, Tim Lohmann. The Guided by Voices (@instagbv) fans here will probably recognize the name, but don’t worry, not only did they get Mr. Pollard’s personal approval, he’s even become a friend of the owners and the shop and is known to stop by from time to time (check out the pics above!).

Here’s the nitty gritty:

Hours:

Monday- Thursday 10am-8pm

Friday- Saturday 10am-9pm

Sunday- 12pm- 5pm

Planet Score Records

7421 Manchester Rd.

St. Louis, MO 63143

314-282-0777

And here’s the interview:

Tell us about your store and how it came to be:

Tim Lohmann (Planet Score co-owner) and I met in the early 2000's playing in bands together in the St. Louis music scene. I had been working at a long standing record store called Record Reunion since the late 90's (re-branded CD Reunion during the CD boom). It was always my favorite shop, long before I got a job there. My friends and I would hang out there almost every day after school, exploring the vast catalog and educating ourselves on all things music. Not long after I started working there, I was promoted to full time manager. In 2015 the owner of RR decided to retire and Tim and I bought the business from him. We really just wanted the stock and planned from the get-go to move the store out of the county and closer to the city (where we lived) and re-brand and re-vamp it. We quickly found a great location in the Maplewood shopping and restaurant district.

We chose the name Planet Score after a Guided by Voices song. Robert Pollard of GBV got wind of our idea, gave us his blessing to use the name, and has since become a friend, popping into the shop when he is in town. Being that Tim and I are both music obsessives and we grew up in record stores, we strive to create our ideal of the perfect record shopping environment. Fun, cool and friendly; the kind of place people will feel comfortable spending hours on end shopping, exploring and chatting about our collective obsessions.

Does your shop specialize in any specific genres of music?

We carry every genre: rock, pop, soul, jazz, blues, hip-hop, punk, metal, world, country, classical... you name it. We are personally really into psychedelic rock, punk, prog, jazz, funk, krautrock, post-punk, electronic, hip-hop, exotica, Indian, African, reggae... St. Louis is a big classic rock city, so we always have a lot of that on hand. LP's, 7"s, CD's, cassettes, movies, posters, even 8-tracks and reel-to-reel tapes.

If you had to estimate, about how much of your inventory is used vs new?

Probably around 70% used, 30% new. Reissues and new vinyl are cool and readily available, but there's nothing like the thrill of the hunt.

What do YOU think makes your shop special?

Customer service is really important. Either one or both (usually both) of the owners are running the shop every single day, and we make sure to interact with every person who comes through the door. We love getting to know our regulars, and keeping an eye out for records that we think they are into. You will never have to deal with a grumpy, clueless part-timer, or a pretentious record store snob here. We are music obsessives who are extremely passionate about what we do. We still get as excited about records now as we did when we were kids. We also try to stock stuff that we don't think is readily available elsewhere. The deep cuts if you will. We are a relatively small shop, and we are careful not to stuff the bins with filler and thrift store junk. Plus we love throwing events and parties: Record Store Day and special sales... our neighborhood will throw weekend events that we always take part in... Our secret weapon is our best bud Joey Bags, a chef who loves to cook for us and our customers. There is an amazing craft brewery, Schlafly Bottleworks, a couple of blocks from us and they always help us out with our parties. We are lucky to have some amazing friends, family and neighbors that always help us out behind the scenes.

What makes running a record store fun and exciting for you?

It's my one and only dream job. I've thought about it many times, and there is nothing else I would rather be doing. To be able to make a living listening to and talking about music all day is a dream come true. Exploring new and old sounds, digging through forgotten collections and bringing joy to fellow obsessives. Music lovers really are the best people to be surrounded by on a daily basis.

What is your most prized record?/Have you finally snagged your ultimate “white whale” yet?

Tim and I both kind of put our collecting on hold when we started Planet Score. We have even sold off large chunks of our personal collections to help build up the business. We get to play records all day, so having a huge collection sitting in our houses gathering dust is not as important as it used to be. We see records come through all the time that we would love to bring home (it hurts sometimes!), even stuff that I never thought I would see in real life. But seeing someone else find that record that they have been searching for brings just as much joy (well, almost as much...). Though, if I ever come across an original copy of GBV's Propeller that might change.

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Well, there you have it folks! Please, if you’re in the area, stop by and say hello to Tim and Joe and tell ‘em VINYLEXAMS sent ya!

As always, we encourage you to shop small and support the wonderful independently owned shops like Planet Score whenever you can. These stores make the scene exciting and fun and all of us started our love for our collections in dusty crates somewhere! Thanks Joe and Tim, I can’t wait to swing by!

VINYLEXAMS

#planetscore #planetscorerecords #stlouis #stlouismusic #stl #stlmo #vinyl #vinylexams #vinylcollector #vinylrecord #vinylrecords #recordstore #recordstoreday #rsd

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peterblairca · 4 years ago

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Condos for Sale in Calgary: Big Tips for First Time Buyers! Part 1

Calgary Condos: What to Know Before Buying – Part 1

In our decades of experience, the good agents here at Elite Home Real Estate have learned that summer is the #1 season for first time buyers. In fact, the number of first-timers that we help is consistently the highest during this season than any other time of the year… And for a whole lot of first time buyers, condos are the property type of choice.

Thing is, we’ve also learned that very few buyers – first timers or not – are 100% aware of the many ways in which owning a condo differs from owning a house or even a townhouse. It’s with this in mind that we write this blog series, “Calgary Condos: What to Know Before Buying”… Because a little bit of extra knowledge goes a long way!

The Benefits of Condo Living

Condos make a truly great home for many different reasons – from having your sidewalks shoveled for you to indoor parking, to low maintenance costs and property taxes – condominiums have become the property type of choice for an increasing number of homebuyers.

For a lot of first time buyers, these above factors are very attractive selling points! After all, the idea of property maintenance, taxes, home improvements, and utilities can be pretty intimidating for someone who has never owned their own home before (and sometimes, even if they have).

On the flip side, homeowners who are looking to downsize are also attracted to condo ownership for the very same reasons. After years of shoveling snow, cutting grass, taxes, endless property repairs and upgrades, and having to deal with your own plumbing and furnace emergencies, all these long-time homeowners want is someone to deal with this for them! (And, really, who can blame them?)

But owning a condo is not like owning a house or even a townhouse. In many ways, the responsibilities and duties of a condominium owner are much easier. In other ways, however, the obligations of condo ownership are more complex.

From the state and status of the condo building itself to the details of living in and insuring it, there are a number of things to consider when you look at buying a condo in Calgary.

Value vs. Workmanship

In Calgary’s last big boom, we saw the construction of literally thousands of new condos in Calgary These condos were built in a comparatively short span of time and sometimes by contractors who were stretched to provide the resources needed to accommodate all the building projects they were working on.

Ten years and many building code amendments later, many (but certainly not all) of these boom condo buildings are in need of upgrades and repairs. They’re still 100% habitable and have retained impressively strong property value, but their management companies and governance boards are now sending out special assessments. As a result, these condo unit owners are beginning to realize these additional costs.

This is why we always make sure our clients understand the difference and connection between value and workmanship.

Several months ago, we did about a blog post about a young couple that bought a home with some serious structural issues. In it, we emphasized the need for accurate and current home inspection reports. This same advice bears repeating here – but with a condo, you will want to have 2 types of thorough inspections:

A certified, professional home inspection • A thorough inspection of the condo documents

This is because unlike a home inspection of a house or townhouse, condo inspections only cover elements specific to the condo unit itself. These are unit-specific elements such as windows, appliances, cabinetry, fire and CO2 detectors, etc.

“Common elements” – like the plumbing, roofing, and electrical systems – are outside of a condo inspection’s scope and therefore cannot be included in a condo home inspection report.

This is why it’s crucial you have a trained eye review the condo documents. It’s in these documents that you’ll get a fuller story because they will reveal any problems or potential problems relating to the bigger picture and long-term issues.

A Bit More About Condo Documents…

These documents give you critical information on the condo’s overall status. This includes pertinent information on the building, the board’s financial resources, special assessments, insurance claims, condo fees, any legal actions taken against the condo’s builders or its board, and how the condo building is and has been managed.

Condominium documents also include the meeting minutes of the condo board, which is a great place to learn about potential issues that may be creeping up to cause serious headaches in the future.

Condo documents must be supplied to condo owners, potential owners, and their respective mortgage providers within 10 days of receiving a written request for them. You can find out more about condo documents from this incredibly handy Service Alberta info sheet.

Geographic Considerations (Prime Example: Floods)

Almost any Canadian who was around in 2013 will remember the devastating, overwhelming floods Calgarians endured that summer.

And while floods like that were previously considered a rare occurrence, the Government of Alberta itself has acknowledged that climate change will “result in long-term changes in temperature and precipitation, as well as increased frequency and severity of weather events such as droughts, floods, forest fires, and severe storms.”

With this in mind, reviewing flood maps and available flood insurance policies is a very wise idea for anyone who is considering condo ownership – especially near Calgary’s two rivers and inner city.

Don’t get us wrong here; we’re not trying to dissuade anyone from investing in a condo in these beautiful and established Calgary neighbourhoods! We are, however, pointing out that there are some unique considerations to keep in mind – regardless of where you want to purchase a condo.

As for floods, the vast majority of condo buildings will have water damage insurance that includes storm sewer back ups. This is important to know about because hundreds of buildings that were not directly affected by the flooding rivers in 2013 still suffered serious damage from over-flowing sewers, drains, and other infrastructure-related flooding damage.

However, if you are thinking of buying a condo near Calgary’s flood zone or flood fringe zone, then be sure to find out if the condo building has overland flood insurance (this information can also be found in the condo documents).

If and/or when the next big flood hits, you’ll be glad to know that you’re properly covered!

Insurance

Flooding and water damage insurance aside, owners of a condo unit will require a unique form of insurance known as “condo insurance”.

What a great many condo owners don’t realize (until they’re in the thick of it) is that condo insurance policies are very unique creatures in the property insurance world.

A condo insurance policy can be a confusing document to understand. That’s because a condo insurance policy needs to balance and complement the insurance that exists for the rest of the building with the coverage needs of your specific condo unit.

A prime example of this is a fire. If there was a fire in your condo, the condo building’s insurance would only cover the damage of the walls and ceiling outwards – so your carpets, fixtures, appliances, and furniture would be covered by a condo owner’s individual condo insurance policy.

Can Ya’ Do a Condo?

As you can see, there are some important things to think about when it comes to buying a condo in Calgary. What we’ve listed above are just 4 of the bigger considerations that potential condo owners need to be aware of.

There is definitely much more food for thought when it comes to being a condo owner, but luckily Elite Home Real Estate has some of the very best condo buying specialists in the province!

Stay tuned for our next installment of “Calgary Condos: What to Know Before Buying” where we’ll share more tips and helpful factoids about buying a condo in Calgary.

Want to know more, or maybe you have some condo questions that need answering? Then get in touch! We absolutely know our stuff when it comes to Calgary real estate and Calgary condos – and are always happy to help.

The post Condos for Sale in Calgary: Big Tips for First Time Buyers! – Part 1 appeared first on Calgary Real Estate.

Via https://www.elitehomerealestate.com/condos-for-sale-in-calgary-big-tips-for-first-time-buyers/

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elitehomerealestate · 4 years ago

Text

Condos for Sale in Calgary: Big Tips for First Time Buyers! – Part 1

Calgary Condos: What to Know Before Buying – Part 1

The Benefits of Condo Living

From the state and status of the condo building itself to the details of living in and insuring it, there are a number of things to consider when you look at buying a condo in Calgary.

Value vs. Workmanship

This is why we always make sure our clients understand the difference and connection between value and workmanship.

A certified, professional home inspection • A thorough inspection of the condo documents

“Common elements” – like the plumbing, roofing, and electrical systems – are outside of a condo inspection’s scope and therefore cannot be included in a condo home inspection report.

A Bit More About Condo Documents…

Condominium documents also include the meeting minutes of the condo board, which is a great place to learn about potential issues that may be creeping up to cause serious headaches in the future.

Geographic Considerations (Prime Example: Floods)

Almost any Canadian who was around in 2013 will remember the devastating, overwhelming floods Calgarians endured that summer.

If and/or when the next big flood hits, you’ll be glad to know that you’re properly covered!

Insurance

Flooding and water damage insurance aside, owners of a condo unit will require a unique form of insurance known as “condo insurance”.

What a great many condo owners don’t realize (until they’re in the thick of it) is that condo insurance policies are very unique creatures in the property insurance world.

Can Ya’ Do a Condo?

There is definitely much more food for thought when it comes to being a condo owner, but luckily Elite Home Real Estate has some of the very best condo buying specialists in the province!

Stay tuned for our next installment of “Calgary Condos: What to Know Before Buying” where we’ll share more tips and helpful factoids about buying a condo in Calgary.

The post Condos for Sale in Calgary: Big Tips for First Time Buyers! – Part 1 appeared first on Calgary Real Estate.

source https://www.elitehomerealestate.com/condos-for-sale-in-calgary-big-tips-for-first-time-buyers/

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nappainanotherdimension · 7 years ago

Note

☹ !

{For every ☹ I get I will show a sample of a muse I used to play but don’t anymore. Or send a ☻ for a muse I would like to play, but haven’t yet! || Open and Accepting!}

*cue another theme for this former muse o’ mine!*

Things were pretty dull lately for the God of Metal. No worthy dark ones to fight around these parts. They all were migratin’ away, heh, runnin’ away more like! It’s a shame the weaker ones scampered off. Coulda used their souls to increase his own power. Every little bit helps him get closer to his ultimate goal of overpowering his master, Lord Ozum.

Rumor has it there was a nasty Night Warrior coming this way. Yet here was Lord Raptor, laying around in his human façade waiting for this threat to come. “Bloody fools.” The Aussie rocker muttered to himself. “I’d recon if they’re really that strong, all the more reason to stick around and fight! I bet their soul’s both powerful and tasty!”

Sitting up with a light groan he continued speaking to himself out of boredom. “Been an awful long time since I’ve had a real challenge, and I’ve done my part terrorizin’ the locals. Doin’ my best not to take all their souls. Leavin’ just ‘nough behind to get the word out of a powerful darkstalker lurkin’ ‘ere.”

There’s another town up ahead. Tiny, with lots of innocent people runnin’ round. The souls of the wicked were much more delectable, but if this’d bring the highly anticipated Night Warrior to him sooner…

Conjuring up his electric guitar, the zombie transformed into his true self with the power he sacrificed a hundred of his own devoted fans – and his own mortal being – in order to gain.

Boney fingers stroked the taught strings to cut the silence of the night with electrifying wails of his instrument that were loud enough to awaken the dead from their nearby graves. Literally. What kind of rock star went around on a killin’ spree without an entourage? He might be dead, but he still had a reputation to uphold!

“Whaddya say we play another small gig before we hit it big, boys?” Raptor rhetorically asked his zombie troops.

Before they could shamble along to his side or even moan out in agreement, a blur spun into sight, choppin’ and cuttin’ ‘em all down! RUDE! When this challenger landed gracefully a couple o’ meters away from him, they turned out to be a downright gorgeous undead sheela! Greetin’ him with a pretty lil’ smirk and a cheeky “Ni hou.”

“Ni how are you doin’ love?” Raptor quipped as he eagerly posed himself for a scrap.

Looks like all the darkstalkers didn’t hightail it outta here after all! FANTASTIC! Maybe if he beats her, she’ll go on a date with ‘im! If not well…he could always add her soul to his own power. They’d be together forever then!

How ROMANTIC!!! ♥

That’d make a good power ballad too, come to think of it.

A Former Muse: The Looney Goon of DoomLord Raptor from the Darkstalkers franchise

Man is Lord Raptor fun to write! As you can probably tell from how long this sample got. Wish I could have fit in some more puns and jargon jokes into there, but no point in overdoing it. This dude is both goofy and terrifying at the same time! That’s not always an easy thing to balance, but since comedy and horror are my favorites, I feel like I do a good job portraying him whenever I have the pleasure of doing so.

When I first began to seriously play Darkstalkers, I was scared of him. He’s fast and twitches around like crazy, and if I wasn’t careful he’d beat me in a match. Didn’t even realize he was a zombie. Then one day I decided to play him and what’d ya know? He’s a perfect fit for my play style! Learning he was a zombie made him even more awesome to me. The rest is history.

As I mentioned in the last ask, I also played him in that Wreck-it Ralph roleplay. Few people were playing true bad guys, and even though he wasn’t up to anything evil, he was exactly the type of person that people could love to hate as an antagonistic presence.

I think it really shows how much I love this character. Even though I moved back into the DBZ and Tenchi fandom as my main focus and creative drive, still got a place in my heart for the Darkstalkers franchise, and this ghoul in particular. ♥ It also helps that currently Udon’s doing the Streetfighter vs Darkstalkers series which I’ve been keeping up with collecting by some miracle! (All the icons except the chibi one at the end came from that comic series.)

His English voice actor is one of my favorite voice actors, Scott McNeil aka, Ocean dub Piccolo and so many other characters. I just love it when my faves also get the same voice actor as other faves.

Also the Lord Raptor Rap from the dopey American cartoon always puts a smile on my face. Always.

youtube

#Misery Loves Company (asks)#bughammer #long post #Lord Raptor #OOC Post #Former Muse #(thanks for ask sent in friend!)#(been feeling a lot of writer's fatigue for my two muses)#(or maybe it's just mental fatigue in general for how my last two weeks in 2017)#(ended up being like)#(so it was nice going down memory lane and shaking things up)#(think it's obvious I have bad taste in fictional men)#(most of the times)#(other times I end up enjoying characters like Tasuki and Chichiri too!)#(gosh I can still gush about these characters)#(I tried to think of someone outside of Darkstalkers)#(but Raptor came outta me knocking on my head like)#('ello! c'mon you know you wanna write for me ♥ treat yo self!)

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fae-fucker · 7 years ago

Text

Shatter Me: Chapter 12-13

Chapter 12

5 full minutes under piping hot water, 2 bars of soap both smelling of lavender, a bottle of shampoo meant only for my hair, and the touch of soft, plush towels I dare to wrap around my body and I begin to understand.

They want me to forget.

They think they can wash away my memories, my loyalties, my priorities with a few hot meals and a room with a view. They think I am so easily purchased.

Or they just ... don’t want you to fucking stink like twelve rat corpses. Because you’ll be interacting with other humans now.

I’m sorry, does letting people shower mean they want to brainwash you now? Is basic hygiene yet another head of the Establishment Hydra?

YA dystopias have this uncanny and frankly impressive ability to make me side with the evil government, just because the heroines are such absolute morons.

I also want to touch upon the fact that not only did Juliette get out of nearly 300 days of solitary confinement with her shitty mind intact, she also somehow managed to keep her morals and “loyalties” (How can you have loyalties when you constantly whine about how alone in the world you are and always have been?) and is just too pure and good to fall prey for their devious manipulation tactics!

Unbelievable. Literally, I do not believe this. She should be crying of happiness at this point and forget all about eveyrbody else. Yeah, she wil have to remember eventually, but right now? Fuck no.

But I guess that would mean she’s “weak”, wouldn’t it? And we can’t have a weak, a human female character! She must be strong and dignified and always know right from wrong and survive solitary with her flawless mind and morals still intact!

Fuck off.

I didn’t want the clothes or the perfect shoes or the expensive anything. I didn’t want to be draped in silk. All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.

She’s not like OTHER GIRLS. She doesn’t want PRETTY CLOTHES. She just wants to TOUCH someone with her PURE HEART.

She angsts about how she never had any human contact and “grew up” through books, which would be sad if the “books are holy” wank was kept short, which it obviously isn’t. We gotta wax poetic about books in a YA book, how else will the reader know she’s special for reading? Also idk where she got these books since the Reestablishment supposedly destroyed everything, but ok.

Juliette angsts some more about the usual, nobody-likes-me crap. I love how despite the fact that people have treated her like shit and she doesn’t have any memories of ever being loved, she’s still such a pure-hearted wee angel that she’s not even a little bitter and still thinks of all the poor and starving people!

It just makes so much sense that she wants to protect those people who shunned and despised her! She’s just so good and pure!

They think I’m a doll they can dress up and twist into prostration.

But they’re wrong.

But ... Why? Who are you fighting for? What have you got to lose by joining them, and more importantly, what will you win by resisting?

I know that the main conflict comes from her resisting and being whiny about it, but even that needs a good motivation? Why is she doing this? What does she think she’ll do? Escape and live among the poor and helpless, who all hate her because of her Bad Touch?

What is Juliette’s motivation for literally anything she does?

Adam comes in and is stunned by how hot she is now that she’s clean, because of course.

I have no idea what to expect I have no idea what my life will be like in this new place and I’m being nailed in the stomach by every exquisite embellishment, every lavish accessory, every superfluous painting, molding, lighting, coloring of this building. I hope the whole thing catches fire.

The Reestablishment is evil for taking away art and beauty.

Art and beauty is evil also because the Reestablishment has it.

Aight.

Adam takes Juliette to Warner Bros. where he’s chilling at a big table with a bunch of other dudes, and Juliette notes that there are no other women so you know this properly evil and it’ll be time for Juliette to feminisms this place up.

Juliette is seated right next to Warner Bros. because drama.

I’m so thirsty I could inhale a waterfall.

I had to read that and now so do you.

I hate his smile.

Hate looks just like everybody else until it smiles. Until it spins around and lies with lips and teeth carved into the semblance of something too passive to punch.

I had to read that and now so do you: The Squeakquel.

Hey uuuuh Tahereh WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS MEAN.

This isn’t even purple prose anymore, this has transcended the boundaries of human comprehension.

“Are you not hungry?” Words dipped in sugar. His gloved hand touches my wrist and I nearly sprain it in my haste to distance myself from him.

I could eat every person in this room.

So this basically confirms that Juliette doesn’t believe the crap she spouts, right? Otherwise she’s literally considering cannibalism right now.

He licks his bottom lip into a smile. “Don’t confuse stupidity for bravery, love. I know you haven’t eaten anything in days.”

Something in my patience snaps. “I’d really rather die than eat your food and listen to you call me love,” I tell him.

FEMINISMS!

Also why the passive narration? “Something in my patience snaps”? This is like two layers away from your own person. Why can’t you just say that you snap? Too much agency for you there?

Also also: No. She hasn’t eaten anything in DAYS. She should be INHALING food right now. I don’t fucking CARE how PURE she is, unless she can sustain herself by sucking energy out of her high horse, she’ll forget all about the EVIL GOVERNMENT and EAT.

Hey YA? Can we uuuh ... let women be people please?

Warner Bros. is a deeply fucked up man who may I remind you will be Juliette’s fuckbuddy at some point, so he takes her rejection by shooting a gun into some food.

Don’t you just ... love all these extremely violent men in YA fiction being portrayed as hot? I know I don’t!

Warner Bros. goes all Christian Grey and threatens Juliette into eating some food.

Amazing.

Chapter 13

Adam has fucked off and Warner Bros. takes Juliette back to her room.

“I don’t want you to hate me,” Warner says as we make our way toward the elevator. “I’m only your enemy if you want me to be.”

“We will always be enemies.” My voice is cracked into chips of ice. The words melt on my tongue. “I will never be what you want me to be.”

Because reasons!

Warner Bros. smiles at her and of course he’s gorgeous, duh. He’s clearly a fucking asshole and a violent man but HOTDANG we have to know he’s bangable.

“You and I, Juliette—together? We could be unstoppable.”

I would call this foreshadowing but it’s actually more like spoilers at this point.

Juliette notices that Warner Bros. is covered everywhere except his face so she can’t touch him even if she wanted to. You can’t just Harry Potter vs Voldemort that shit and touch his face? Give him a Bitch Slap of Death? For someone who refuses to bow to the Man for reasons unknown, you sure give up pretty easily.

“What’s your first name?” I ask him.

We’re standing in front of my door.

He stops. Surprised. Lifts his chin almost imperceptibly.

Focuses his eyes on my face until I begin to regret my question. “You want to know my name.”

I don’t do it on purpose, but my eyes narrow just a bit. “Warner is your last name, isn’t it?”

He almost smiles. “You want to know my name.”

1) Is Warner Bros. fucking OK? Is he stuck? Do we need to reboot him?

2) What the fuck is this atrocious dialogue? Was Tahereh absolutely shitfaced when she wrote this?

3) Why doesn’t Juliette seem to have any sort of control over her own damn body? Why is this such a common narration tactic that’s used for NO REASON in YA books? Girls don’t even have agency over their own bodies in fiction, for God’s sake!

Warner Bros. shows off his inner masochist and tells Juliette he’ll tell her his first name if she shows him what she can do. She refuses to touch him (-why did you worry about being able to touch him before you dingus?) and Warner Bros. asks a man named JENKINS to take her to her room and not let go of her no matter what happens.

Juliette tries to escape but ends up getting caught by Jenkins and:

I feel alive.

I wish it hurt me. I wish it maimed me. I wish it repulsed me. I wish I hated the potent force wrapping itself around my skeleton.

But I don’t. My skin is pulsing with someone else’s life and I don’t hate it.

I hate myself for enjoying it.

I enjoy the way it feels to be brimming with more life and hope and human power than I knew I was capable of. His pain gives me a pleasure I never asked for.

Let’s be fucking real: This could’ve been such an epic, interesting concept and we’re stuck with THIS.

I’ll put this in my pocket and make sure to use this in future WIPs. I’ve always been a fan of Reaver type powers in Mass Effect and Dragon Age (where you drain an enemy’s health to refill your own), I think exploring that concept in a book would be super interesting.

Juliette starts screaming for someone to help poor Jenkins and we get this crap:

Warner’s gloves are back in place and he’s trying to hold me together, he’s trying to smooth back my hair, he’s trying to wipe away my tears and I want to murder him.

He’s a bastard abuser but it’s OK because he has a hidden soft side, y’all!

Juliette passes out for no reason. I guess that’s the only way we’d get a “smooth” chapter transition.

#eff reads: shatter me #book rants

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thecoffeepotau-blog · 6 years ago

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Cold Brew Coffee

Cold brew Coffee (or also known as Cold pressed Coffee) is the best way to brew Coffee for people with sensitive stomachs. The other benefit is that the flavours, predominantly for a medium roast Coffee, are bought to the forefront and highlighted in the cold brew Coffee. Cold brewed Coffee is not exposed to the same chemical reactions as a hot Coffee, during the extraction process. The natural sugars have time to dissolve in the water during the cold brew Coffee process, because its “steeping”, or “extraction” time is anywhere between 6 and 24 hours – sometimes longer depending on your preferred method.

You can also store cold Coffee in the fridge for weeks. BONUS!

So, what’s the deal with Cold Brew Coffee?

What is this Cold Brew phenomena that we’ve been seeing over this last year, and what is Cold Brew Coffee? It feels like it has a new cult following, along with the Pure Green Coffee, Turmeric Drinks, Purple Super Tea, Cold Brew Tea, Kombucha and other drink cults that are appearing, so what’s all the fuss???

When you boil it down (excuse the pun), it’s an amount of coarsely ground roasted Coffee beans soaked in water, until the water takes on the flavour of the Coffee and produces the cold brew Coffee. However, just as in conventional Coffee brewing, there are many ways of creating cold brew Coffee and there a few tweaks that you can complete to ensure that it’s the best flavoured cold brew Coffee for you.

Is cold brew Coffee good for you, why is cold brewed Coffee better than hot and are there any real Cold brew Coffee benefits??

I personally think it comes down to three key areas here - health benefits, flavour enhancements and last but certainly not least, it’s a really nice cold Coffee drink on a hot day!

Health Benefits

Ultimately, I think most of us are looking for that extra little piece of “healthy” in our life these days. With milk allergies on the rise and the introduction of A2 milk that removes some of the milk protein for the more sensitive bellies out there, food stuffs are becoming more and more under the microscope. I personally have a thing called Barrett’s Esophagus, I know.. This Barrett guy has a lot to answer for! Its where the acid build up in your stomach overflows and creates a burning sensation in your Esophagus, creating heartburn or acid indigestion. Nexium has been released to the market and available over the counter to relieve these heartburn and reflux issues, but some white papers say that this causes Alzheimer’s. What are we to do!!! Lower your acidity intake to take the more natural approach to alleviating these symptoms. 😊

During my own research it appears that Cold brew Coffee actually produces less acid content that normal hot Coffees. One study by Toddy states:

“Cold-brewed Coffee is 67 percent less acidic than hot-brewed. Without all that acid, the burnt flavour that plagues hot-brewed Coffee is eliminated. Plus, the reduced acid makes it healthier for your stomach and your teeth.”

Courtesy of “https://www.thedailybeast.com/Coffees-dirty-little-secret”

This is due to the slow process that cold brew Coffee extraction takes. It also removes the need to add sugar, for those of us who like a sweeter tasting Coffee.

Flavour

Playing with the flavours that you can extract form the roasted Coffee bean during the production of Cold Brew Coffee, has been the most fun for me. We roast our beans to a medium roast, really trying to draw out the natural flavour of the Coffee bean. Not going into too much detail but depending on where we procure our green beans from depicts the flavour profile that the bean will have. EG Some of the green beans purchased from Mexico have tones of caramels and spices, whereas beans sourced from Ethiopia will have the tones of fruits and chocolates. Being a foodie since I was about 7 and making Chill Con Carne with baked beans (much to the dismay of my mum – love ya mum) and thinking it was awesome, playing with Coffee’s flavour profiles are personally my favourite part of the of Coffee production process and why I got involved in the industry in the first place.

Its these flavour notes that are drawn out when producing a cold brew Coffee from a well farmed Coffee Bean.

What is the best way to make Cold Brew Coffee and how do you make the best cold brew Coffee?

The first thing to know about cold brew Coffee is that the brewing process takes a long time. Without adding heat to the extraction process, relying on cold water and potentially ice cubes, it takes much longer to draw out those flavours to form a well-rounded flavour profile. Ordinary sugar is harder to break down in cold water, and this is the same as the sugars and flavours that reside within the Coffee Bean. The cold brewing process really slows down the extraction of the flavours that are held within the bean and does so much, much more elegantly than any hot extraction process. What you end up with (depending on the method and process within the method that you choose) are notes of the actual flavours from the bean that are apparent from the growing, drying and roasting processes. You will see a rise in sweetness and the natural flavours of the bean but also that sought after 67% less acidic beverage. As a result of this, the bitterness normally associated with the cooling down of hot Coffee, particularly espresso Coffee, is greatly reduced. I personally will drink a Cold Brew Coffee with absolutely no milk or sugar. Its sweet enough, just like my Mrs. 😊

Fundamentally there are two methods of brewing Cold Brew Coffee.

Steeping/Immersion method – this is where you simply allow the coarsely ground Coffee to “sit” in a batch of water and let the Coffee and water simply bloom over a term. This normally takes about 12 hours and can be accomplished using a variety of equipment.

Drip method – this is where you place the coarsely ground Coffee into a filter and allow an extremely slow drip of water to pass through, allowing the water to extract the Coffee flavours and sugars on its way through.

My preferred method, and I’ve tried a few now and feel like a real Coffee Alchemist, is the cold drip method. I’m no scientist but can take an educated guess that cold drip Coffee processed over a 24-hour period produces a much rounder and fuller flavour. This is absolutely my opinion though, everyone’s pallete is different right! I’m also pretty sure that adding ice to the water at the beginning of the drip process slows down the chemical process too giving a bigger spectrum of flavour extraction – just my educated guess! 😊

Is cold Brew Coffee Stronger than Regular Coffee?

There is such a complicated answer to this question! Where do I start!! Well it is all a little bit Sciency so hold on to your hats!

There is a misconception that caffeine quantity per mg is higher in some brews/methods than others. For example that famous espresso cuppa that most of us drink every morning, is often touted as having the most caffeine content, but it isn’t if you’re judging by serving size! Dark roasts also are spruiked as having more caffeine content than lighter roasts and this is actually justified, as dark roast Coffee does in fact have more caffeine than lighter roasts!!

There is a lot of chatter that present cold brew Coffee as having a significant amount of caffeine to help you along in your day – but does that chatter have any credence??? Well it’s complicated!!

Caffeine content in Coffee is extremely variable. An average cup of Coffee can contain anywhere between 84 and 580 mg of caffeine. Many factors are attributable to the large variant of caffeine content - Coffee type, grind size, brew time, dwell time, roast profiles and the actual tree that the grew the green beans prior to roasting.

Despite these variables cold brew Coffee usually has less caffeine, but this isn’t clear cut! Caffeine generally extracts better in hot water than cold, meaning you get more caffeine in hot brews Vs a cold brew.

“Caffeine’s solubility is primary driven by temperature, such that at higher temperatures, significantly more caffeine will dissolve in solution than at cooler temperatures, if you are using the same brew-to-water ratios, the cold brew will definitely have less caffeine than hot.”

Courtesy of a comment made by Joseph Rivera of Coffee Chemistry

However, and this is where it gets less clear cut, cold brew Coffee is typically made with a higher ratio of Coffee to water, approximately 2-2 ½ times more. This means it is stronger than if made with a more conventional Coffee-to-water ratio. However, cold brew Coffee once fully processed comes in as a concentrate and should be then mixed with one part Coffee to one part water or milk, which brings that caffeine content right down. I actually drink the finished product with no added water or milk – such a caffeine junky!

As a commercial example, let’s take Starbucks. A 16oz cold brew cup from Starbucks is reported to contain 200 mg of caffeine, whereas a hot 16oz Coffee can contain anywhere from 260 to 360 mg, depending on the beans you choose.

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machinehead · 8 years ago

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PINEAPPLE, SUNFLOWER SEEDS AND MORE

PINEAPPLE: A) Semen taste enhancer? Or B) Cheap attempt by dudes to get blowjobs? As per our conversation last Friday on Facebook Live, what started out as a fairly mundane conversation, we somehow devolved into whether sunflower seeds make big loads for dudes. Ya see... I had read a story about how Vitamin E (which sunflower seeds are high-in), has this uh, enhancing, effect on men. Many folks weighed in on the subject, saying that they would do a test (and I believe it was 2 weeks before results would be *ahem* “seen”). Many folks offered alternate opinions about what makes big loads with the theory that both “celery” and "cucumber", contribute to big loads. But THEN, someone chimed in that eating pineapple, or drinking pineapple juice can make your cum taste sweeter!! News to me. I had/have never heard this theory, so the Facebook Live-ers and I agreed we we're going to try and convince their girlfriends/wives to see if that was the case. I failed to, uh, convince my wife to test the theory, so I’m relying on you guys. But it also raised the question, do big loads matter? Is slightly sweeter cum going to make your chances of getting a blowjob higher? I ran it past my wife who seemed to not give two shits about the size of a dudes “load”. “Who cares?” was her answer, and slightly sweeter cum was not-in-any-way going to inspire her to slob-the-ol’-knob (much to my chagrin). Ladies (or gentlemen I guess?) weigh in and let me know! Email me the results of your tests (not literally of course!) and I’ll post the funniest, most interesting ones. MUSLIM FRIENDS: Does anybody know any Muslims? I follow the rapper Immortal Technique on Twitter and he asked that very question. It made me think... do I know any Muslims? And if you’ve never checked out IT, do yourself a favor and listen to “Revolutionary Vol. 2”, one of the greatest hip hop records of all time. But back to muslims, yes I do know a few, our old babysitter was muslim, my Uber driver Ozan (a.k.a. “Gay Muslim Pizza”) is also muslim. He recently immigrated from Turkey, he's a funny motherfucker, slightly annoying, a die-hard metal-head, and yes, he is Muslim. We’ve had many deep discussions about religion, terrorism, what Turkish people think about that bullshit (most aren’t even very religious) the other countries that surround and often threaten Turkey, as well as what is was like growing up in Turkey. He's been living here in the US (legally) for the last seven years and he loves it. After reading that question though, it made me wonder… I don't really know that many Muslim people... in fact, he may be the only one that I know at the moment (other than of course "Dirt Junior”). There was a kid on the old MH Message Board The Frontlines named Tharsh that was muslim… other than that… not sure… though being non-religious myself, I don’t really ever ask, cause I don’t really care. Isn’t religion what got us into this mess? Regardless, do you know any Muslim people? Are you friends with any muslims folks? If your white and christian would you ever date a muslim if she/he was smokin’ hot? GAY FRIENDS: Anybody here listen to Howard? There was a hilarious episode recently where they brought in a professional lie detector test, and did it on Richard and Sal to see if they were gay. Holy fuck, the results were so goddamn hilarious. I could not stop laughing listening at this episode. As it turns out, both Richard and Sal are gay according to this test, (and while nobody knows for sure), it made me wonder the same thing as the Immortal Technique question... do any of you guys know someone who is gay? I mean, everybody's got that gay cousin, right? We all have that gay relative, right? Hell, I have two gay cousins, my older cousin Ronnie who’s an attorney for San Francisco, and my cousin Stacy. I knew Ronnie was gay since he was a kid, he lived with us for a while as a teen. When he was 12 he used to "practice kissing" on me. When he finally came out of the closet (at around 20) it was like, “well shit... saw that one coming a mile away! " So, does anybody here know any gay people? Is anybody here gay? Pretty uncommon/frowned-upon in the metal community, so it’d be interesting to know. Though if you don’t want to answer I fully understand. Let me know I'll share the most interesting responses KATHY GRIFFIN: Man there's a whole bunch of people still going crazy over this Kathy Griffin thing. I’m surprised that folks are as up in arms as they are considering the level Trump has taken thing to. I saw the picture, and I don't even get what the fuck it means… I thought she was re-creating the Brujeria album cover! I don't know…? Thank satan for the comedians of the world right now. They are literally and figuratively our guiding light. WAY more than any 2-dimensional musician, and certainly more than ANY rock/metal musician who’s more afraid of losing their spot at Rock On The Range and turning off a potential-republican-CD-purchaser than pushing any fucking boundary what-so-ever. Jim Carrey said this of the photo, “I think it is the job of a comedian to cross the line at all times — because that line is not real,”. Adding, “If you step out into that spotlight and you’re doing the crazy things that [Trump] is doing, we’re the last line of defense. And, really, the comedians are the last voice of truth in this whole thing.” And it’s fucking true. True for comedians. True for musicians. Artists, musicians, comedians hold a mirror up to the world, to society, and show us the uncomfortable things back, show us beautiful things back, allow us to process the hardships, and wonder of life… Whether it was George Carlin making us laugh that “Religion Is Bullshit". Whether it was Chris Rock breaking down the difference between “Black People and N*****s" Or Whether it was Black Sabbath singing about brain-washed minds in "War Pigs". The Beatles singing about Civil Rights in “Blackbird”. Bob Marley singing about freedom. Rage Against The Machine singing about all kinds of revolution. The Mirror Which Flatters Not… George Carlin - Religion is Bullshit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r-e2NDSTuE Chris Rock - Black People vs. N*****s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PJF0YE-x4

#thegeneraljournals

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petewentzdickpick · 8 years ago

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What's the difference between being pansexual or bisexual

(I started writing this answer on mobile and then I realized it was gonna be long as FUUUCK and I wanted it to be aesthetically pleasing but ANYWAY)

I’m super glad you asked anon! This has been something that’s confusing for a lot of people so I’m glad you gave me the chance to explain :)

Basically, there isn’t much of a difference at all in the way most people interpret the two today. Going by technical definitions, however, pansexuality is generally considered feeling an attraction to be regardless of or with little consideration of their gender and sex (bc yes they are different things). In short, they are attracted to all genders and gender expressions. Pan is Greek and it means “all”. So like a pandemic affects all populations, a panacea cures all illnesses, and a pansexual is attracted to all gender expressions.

Bisexuality is by denotation an attraction to two genders, but for probably about 90% of people identifying as bisexual those two genders are binary (aka male and female presenting) and non-binary (all the fun stuff in between and outside of the two binary genders). BIsexuality does not equal BInary. Now, the thought that bisexuality is trans-exclusive is complete bs and honestly? Y’all need to stop.

So if bisexuals are attracted both binary and non-binary people, doesn’t that just means they’re attracted to all genders?

Yeah! That’s what bisexual means for most people!

Then why don’t they just say they’re pansexual?

Because sexuality is up to the person feeling all the ~sexy stuff~ (or non sexy stuff you’re ace/demi @whats-todays-date hey gurl love you). Sexuality is up to the person to decide what label (if any) makes them feel the most comfy.

And the best part about sexuality and gender is that they’re both fluid, and they can change at any time and that’s okay. For me personally, when I first starting accepting that, okay maybe I’m not a straight as my parents wish I was, I did HELLA research and decided that at that time “pansexual” fit me the best, and that’s what I came out as (to like two people only but ya know). Since then, I’ve come out to a lot more people and decided that bisexual is just easier to use in most cases (plus like the bi pride flag is so much prettier than the pan one noah fence). As I’m growing though, I find that just simply using the umbrella term “queer” is what makes me feel the most comfortable. So do I use different labels for my sexuality depending on the situation? Hell yeah I do!

There are a ton of cool people at there that explain this so much better than I do so I’m gonna go ahead and promo my LGBT+ faves right now :)

If you every have any questions about LGBT+ life, I can almost guarantee you can find the answer from @ashhardell . I’ve been subscribed to their Youtube channel for years now. Like back when it was “heythere005″ and had funny skits with their family instead of the super artsy cool informative channel it is now (though both are gr9). I was gonna link one of their Youtube videos but they’re all so good so I’m just gonna link her page.

https://www.youtube.com/user/HeyThere005

I highly recommend you watch all their videos because it’s such an inspiration. You get to watch their struggle with their gender identity, how they deal with being LGBT+ in the work place, and their name change because they got married! Plus they have a bajillion cool videos about their bi/pan/queer identity.

AND you can buy Ash’s book The ABC’s of LGBT+, which we literally answer all of your question about this stuff. It is soooo informative and it has pictures!!

Purchase link (buy it please I’m begging you) : The ABC’s of LGBT+

Just look at that face I mean come on! (Plus they live with their wife in the Twin Cities and I go to school in the Twin Cities so points)

Another great bisexual Youtuber is Alayna Fender. Like Ash, she has hella informative videos, and she also offers the perspective of a bisexual woman who’s in a relationship with a cis straight man, and as a queer who’s dated like seven guys and only one girl, I really appreciate that dynamic. Here’s a super great video about that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv5HjbZVIEY

She also has a great series called “I Don’t Bi It” where she plays the part of an ignorant interviewer asking questions to different LGBT+ people and presents the questions as just what they are, totally ridiculous and invasive as fuck. Here’s a wonderful video of that (ft. Ash Hardell WHAAAAT): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MotDjRCuU4c&index=18&list=PL3XNHndL8cauRhmPHBohBmYaX5BZDzIkC

A super great, super adorable, bisexual friend of mine is @londonbridgefalling (or @linsnavi ). Y’all Victoria is so intelligent, especially about stuff like this, and she can totally answer any questions you have.

Some other great videos:

Is Bisexuality Real? by @stevieboebi (she’s a super cool lesbian Youtube and she’s so pretty I wanna die)

BISEXUALITY VS. PANSEXUALITY by GayWrites

TL;DR - Basically the two are very similar and it all depends on what each person wants to use and what it means to them. Also you should buy Ash Hardell’s book.

#bisexual #pansexual #bi #pan #queer #LBGT+#LGBTQIA #gay #lesbian #ash hardell #alayna fender #stevie boebi #lesbian youtube #Anonymous

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closetofanxiety · 8 years ago

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Show Review: Northeast Wrestling Live

“The card is subject to change,” as they say, and brother, did it ever change this time around, for a supershow that didn’t even have a name. But you know what? Life is a mystery, as Madonna reminded us. Everyone must stand alone. I hear you call my name, and it feels like ... home.

When: Friday, June 9, 2017

Where: Crosby High School in beautiful Waterbury, Connecticut

Who: A couple of hundred fans in attendance, not a sellout by any stretch of the imagination

Four-Way Tag Match: The Amazing Graysons vs. The Now (c) vs. Adrenaline Rush vs. Chris Battle and Some Guy

“Some Guy” is not the name of the wrestler who tagged with Chris Battle, but I didn’t catch his actual name. The Battle Brothers were scheduled to wrestle tonight, but only Chris was in attendance. This was the first sign of a Night of Improvisation, in which people who were supposed to perform did not, the matches got changed around, and I saw Teddy Long in the hallway before the show, but he didn’t actually do anything during the show.

This was your basic four-way tag match: some decent spots, but hard to “tell a story,” as it were, because the ring is pretty much a constant traffic jam. I was impressed by the Amazing Graysons, who are two high-flying cruiserweights. I can’t stand The Now, which probably means they’re doing their jobs as heel tag team champs. The crowd chants “Go Home NOW!” at them, which is great. They win.

Rating: Two Card Changes

Sam Adonis vs. Jerry Lawler w/Kelly Kelly

Another change! Sam Adonis is currently working a Trump-lover gimmick in Mexico (for which Brian Cage is stupidly angry with him, because Brian Cage apparently invented being a bigoted gringo heel in Mexico), and was going to wrestle Alberto El Patron. Instead, Adonis - who is Corey Graves’ brother - was pitted against 67-year-old Jerry “The King” Lawler, accompanied to the ring by former WWE Diva Kelly Kelly. You know her legit name is Barbie Blank? That’s such a great WWE Diva name (also would have been a great late ‘70s name for a punk rocker), and yet Vince McMahon personally decided she should be called Kelly Kelly, which is easily the dumbest goddamn name ever bestowed on a woman in the WWE. All those “I ironically love the WWE, which I call ‘New York’” choads on Wrestling Twitter who worship at the altar of Vince McMahon have to explain a decision this objectively brain-wrong.

Anyway, where was I? There was a guy behind us chanting “Fuck Trump! Fuck Trump!,” because of Sam Adonis’ gimmick in Mexico (he did not try this gimmick in Waterbury, where it would have made him a huge babyface). The chanting guy was also providing color commentary for every match, for the entire duration of the match, and acting as if he were speaking to Michael Cole. “Michael, it looks like the King’s in trouble here! He’s going to have to dig deep!” I mean, the WHOLE SHOW. He drove multiple people away from our section, including a Yale student. You know how many Yalies go to wrestling shows? This young 1 percenter will probably never go again, for fear of sitting next to Phantom Commentary Guy. Occasionally he would hold up a sign that said “Wrestling With Wregret,” like the YouTube channel, and would try to get the crowd to join him in chanting “Wrestling With Wregret.” You really meet all kinds of people at wrestling shows.

Anyway, the match: Sam Adonis gets the mic and says Jerry Lawler is too old, and that Kelly Kelly should be having sexxx with Sam Adonis, and not old Jerry Lawler. Ironically, of course, Kelly Kelly, at 30, is far too old to interest Jerry Lawler. Lawler jaws back, the match starts, punching, headlocks, very old school, Adonis gets the upper hand through treachery, Lawler throws a dropkick to a huge pop, and then sneakily gets the pin. I will say this about Jerry Lawler, in addition to looking great for 67, he throws a fantastic working punch, which is an increasingly lost art in wrestling. The European uppercut and the forearm have largely replaced the working punch, and as a result, most guys’ punches look like warm garbage.

Rating: Two and a Half Card changes.

Wrecking Ball Legursky and “Big Bacon” Brad Hollister w/Jared vs. Ron Zombie and Bull Dredd

Another card change! Multiple changes, in fact. Zombie was originally supposed to wrestle Legursky accompanied by his manager, “The Mastermind” Marshal McNeil, and Hollister was supposed to wrestle Vinnie Marseglia. Instead, commentary guy Jared came out to say that he’d finally gotten access to a trust fund, and he did what all newly-wealthy young men dream of: he purchased Wrecking Ball Legursky’s contract from McNeil, who was not at the show. And now it’s a tag team match!

Zombie and Dredd have been doing this for 20ish years, and are pretty limited at this point. Dredd is no longer working the “Sexy Beast” gimmick, and is back to just being a beast. Brad Hollister is a super capable power wrestler with an amateur wrestling look who could break out, except his gimmick right now is that he loves bacon. Wrecking Ball is a huge man who throws people. You can guess how this match went.

The heels cheated to get the upper hand, but Ron Zombie had brought Jake Roberts’ snake to the ring in a bag before the match. See, Jake Roberts was scheduled to make an appearance, but, uh, apparently something came up, and only the snake was ready to work.

“That’s not the REAL Damian,” the guy sitting in front of us said with genuine bitterness when Zombie finally brought the snake out of the bag. Buddy, how long do you think snakes live? That was more than 30 years ago. It’s a big fucking snake, that’s the point.

Anyway, Zombie uses the snake to terrify the heels, who run away. People in the crowd love the snake. The match ended with a double countout, which is huge for me. I love double countouts.

Rating: Two Card Changes.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mandy Leon

“Do you wanna see a LAY-DEE’S MATCH??” is the way the Northeast ring announcer always starts the women’s matches, and I hate it. I *do* want to see a lay-dee’s match, just not this one, because it has Mandy Leon. She seems like a nice person who works really hard and so it feels bad to say this, but I’ve been watching her in matches for years, and she doesn’t get a whole lot better. This whole match feels like half the speed of a normal match, with lots of clumsy exchanges and awkward moments, which is especially notable because these two have wrestled plenty of times before, so it’s not like they’re just unfamiliar with each other.

The nadir of the match was actually not anything that happened in the ring, it was sitting next to the host of a local online wrestling talk show who kept yelling “DEEEEE-ONNNNA!! I LUV YA!” Later he would take creepshots of women in the crowd. “It’s great to be me,” he said, inaccurately.

Rating: One Card Change.

Alberto El Patron vs. Jake Manning

There was a flurry of excitement before this match started, because exiled WWE Submission Sorority member Paige Paige walked out to take a front row seat at ringside, accompanied by a gigantic security guard. Creepshot Talk Show Host Guy had told us he “knew” that Paige comes to all Alberto’s shows, but that Alberto is allegedly insanely jealous and won’t let her come out from the backstage area. Another thing Creepshot Talk Show Host Guy was wrong about??

So, listen, this match tore the goddamn house down. There is the Jake Manning that many of us know - the comedy podcast host and goofy Boy Scout gimmick-haver - but there is also the Jake Manning of PWX and Pro Wrestling Revolver, where he is a fired-up asskicker, and that was the Jake Manning we saw in Waterbury. I like non-WWE Alberto about a thousand times more than I like WWE Alberto, but he has a tendency to take it easy on smaller shows. That was not an issue in this match, as he really raised his game to keep up with Jake, which seems insane when you say it. There was zero comedy stuff in this match beyond the expected spot with Jake’s rulebook, which they dispensed with early. Just a hard, fast sprint between two guys who really seemed like they were trying to win, and were unsure of whether they could do it. Every near-fall actually felt like a near-fall, if you know what I mean. After Alberto won, he cut a promo that sounded sincere, saying he’d never worked with Jake before, didn’t take him seriously because of the Boy Scout gimmick, but that Jake had kicked his ass and earned his respect. It was a post-match handshake that felt earned, for once.

Rating: Four and a half Card Changes.

INTERMISSION

This was a long intermission, like maybe 40 minutes. Too long, really, but nearly the entire crowd wanted to get their picture taken with Alberto. Not me, though, I bought DVDs from Sami Callihan, including that “Piledrivers and Pancakes” thing from Wrestlemania Week where Jake Manning wrestled Su Yung. I may be at the start of a Jake Manning, Secret Ace kick. Not sure of the temperature of this take, but it feels sustainable.

Keith Lee vs. JT Dunn

This match may have happened at Beyond before, but Beyond allows for self-indulgence in a way that Northeast doesn’t, so this was all killer, no filler. The story here is obviously that Lee is a freakishly agile giant and Dunn is not, and the first third of the match was Lee basically toying with the smaller man. Dunn started to go after Lee’s mobility and make it competitive, and the home stretch was full exciting reversals and unlikely highspots, including two Canadian destroyers (2017 is the Year of the Canadian Destroyer Renaissance). Lee gets the win after a Spirit Bomb, and they do the mutual respect. The crowd was fired up for this match, which really delivered.

Rating: Four Card Changes.

Donovan Dijak vs. Vinnie Marseglia vs. Flip Gordon

Another card change resulted in this three-way. It feels a little bit like Dijak, who is one of my favorite wrestlers, has plateaued here in the indies. He’s pretty much perfected the thing he was going for two or three years ago, and the only place left for him to really change and evolve is NXT/WWE, or maybe Japan. Contrast him with Flip Gordon, who’s gone from random high flying guy to his current Army gimmick (he’s legitimately in the National Guard, although I don’t think the tearaway pants are regulation issue) and has really honed his in-ring work, and Vinnie Marseglia, who was just kind of a guy with a lot of tattoos for years, but since joining the Kingdom has reinvented himself as an unpredictable wild man with a troubling hairstyle.

“He looks like a reindeer,” Mark accurately observed.

This was a good three-way, with the attendant issues that three-way matches almost always have, e.g. one guy just goes missing for huge stretches. Their styles mesh really well together, with Gordon being the high flyer, Marseglia the mat technician/strong style guy, and Dijak being the huge monster who can leap through the air if he wants. I liked this match a lot, although it had a tough act to follow, coming after the Lee/Dunn barn-burner.

Rating: Three and a half card changes.

Main Event: Sami Callihan vs. Penta El Zero M

I think that’s how you render the name of the man formerly known as Pentagon Jr. Why doesn’t he do the Jack Swagger thing and just bill himself as FKA Pentagon Jr.? Perhaps AAA is more litigious than WWE, I don’t know. That’s merely speculation.

It was almost 11:30 when these guys came out, and the crowd was tired, but they rallied, because everyone was excited to see Penta. This was my first chance to see him in person, and after my Drago Disappointment last week, I had high hopes.

They were not disappointed. These guys have wrestled a ton of matches over the 18 months or so, but they made the whole thing feel fresh. Callihan was at his best, as the deranged psycho throwing caution to the wind and trying to win as quickly as possible. I also don’t know how he wrestles in jeans. The chafing alone must be more intense than a slew of death matches.

This was a no-DQ match, so Sami started off by throwing folding chairs and a very bendable table into the ring. The table spot happened almost immediately, which was smart: table spots rarely live up to the anticipation, so if that’s payoff for a whole match, you’re always kind of let down. If you put a guy through a table in the first 90 seconds, the crowd immediately thinks MY GOD ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. At one point, Sami collected chairs from the crowd, and people ran forward to offer their seats up. It was like that famous ECW chair-throwing incident, but much more orderly. They literally formed a line, like a bucket brigade.

This was exactly what it needed to be: short, fast, hard-hitting. Lots of fun. Pentagon wins with that sick driver he does, then the customary handshake. Everyone shakes hands on the indies now. Doesn’t anyone hate each other?

Since it was midnight and I had to go to Salem in the morning, we left without getting a picture with Pentagon, which I now regret. Or, in tribute to the weird, loud guy behind us, wregret.

#Northeast Wrestling #show reviews

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entergamingxp · 5 years ago

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Nemesis vs. Mr. X — Which Iconic Resident Evil Villain is Superior?

April 3, 2020 1:00 PM EST

Both Resident Evil 2 and 3 feature their own iconic villains in Mr. X and Nemesis, but when comparing the two, which reigns supreme?

Resident Evil 3 finally hits store shelves today (for those stores that are still opened) and it brings back one of the series’ most iconic fiends to the forefront: Nemesis. For many, other than being able to play as Jill Valentine once again, Nemesis will likely be a large reason why they decide to pick the game up, as the tank-like creature has long-been considered one of the best villains in the history of the Resident Evil saga.

However, in this new era of Resident Evil remakes that we’re living in, RE2 ended up having an equally iconic mutated monster of its own: Mr. X. The top-hat-wearing, right-hook-throwing behemoth that ended up chasing you through the Raccoon City police station in a large portion of Resident Evil 2 proved to be the breakout star of last year’s remake and both scared and entertained fans endlessly.

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After playing through both games myself, it was hard not to immediately draw comparisons between Nemesis and Mr. X. Each character serves a similar purpose in each of their respective games, though the way they go about stalking the player is a little bit different. As such, the more I played through the newly released RE3, the more I started to question who actually was better in these remakes: Mr. X or Nemesis? Well, that’s what we’re going to break down right now to officially decide who reigns supreme when comparing these iconic Resident Evil titans.

Also, just to clarify, we’re only going to be comparing Mr. X and Nemesis here based on how they’re represented in each of their respective Resident Evil remakes versus the original games. Got it? Okay, good.

Strength and Abilities

Compared to every other enemy type that you come across in Resident Evil 2, Mr. X is a menace. Playing as either Leon or Claire, you can unload every shotgun shell and grenade launcher round that you have at him and he’ll still keep coming at you. Equipped with his raucous fists of fury, Mr. X can make mincemeat out of both Claire and Leon if he gets up close. Plus, that’s not even taking into account his final form, which sees him hacking and slashing with a gargantuan claw-like arm.

Nemesis, on the other hand, has way more tools at his disposal. At a baseline level, the main antagonist of RE3 can tie you up with his tentacles or beat you to a pulp with his fists. He’s also a weapons specialist and can utilize powerful tools such as flamethrowers and rocket launchers to make Jill Valentine’s life a living hell. Not to mention, he’s also nigh unkillable. Even if you think you have Nemesis beat, there’s a good chance that you don’t.

Mr. X is absolutely no slouch, but in a 1v1 fight, Nemesis dominates and it’s probably not even very close. Resident Evil 3‘s iconic villain is still one of the most powerful in the franchise’s history. Good luck with taking him down.

Edge: Nemesis

Scare Factor

Other than the zombie dogs, which all Resident Evil fans can agree are horrifying, Nemesis was likely considered to be the second-spookiest villain in the franchise’s history up to this point. While scripted in the original RE3, it felt like Nemesis always had the potential to burst in on Jill in any situation and immediately begin trying to kill her. Resident Evil 3 was an incredibly stressful game for a variety of reasons when it first launched in 1998, but Nemesis was what made you truly panicked while playing.

That said, in the RE3 remake, Nemesis doesn’t do much to really instill fear in the player. Sure, he explodes through brick walls a time or two just like the Kool-Aid Man, but he never feels as menacing as he did in the original. Part of this is likely because many of the moments that prominently feature Nemesis are much more scripted than they were even in 1998’s edition. In the moments where Nemesis is chasing you through Raccoon City, well, he’s really not that hard to get away from.

Mr. X, on the other hand, is perhaps the most terrifying villain that the Resident Evil series has ever had. The way in which he stalks you about the RCPD throughout a large portion of Resident Evil 2 makes you nervous about ever leaving a safe room. Even when you aren’t coming face to face with Mr. X, you can still feel his presence in the police station. Those large, size 22 boots that he’s wearing (I don’t actually know his real shoe size) can be heard stomping around and reverberating throughout the entire building. While Mr. X might not always know where you are, you always have a decent idea of where he’s at, adding a sense of constant dread to Resident Evil 2.

Nemesis might be the more iconic Resident Evil villain up to this point in time, but in these new remakes, it’s hard to consider him as someone that’s actually scary. Mr. X, on the other hand, is arguably one of the most iconic gaming characters in years purely because of how frightening he is.

Edge: Mr. X

Visual Aesthetic

Look, Mr. X might want to punch you to death, but at least he’s looking dapper while doing so. One of the main baddies of Resident Evil 2 has the decency to wear a nice leather jacket, a fedora, and comes equipped with some belts tightened around his neck. I don’t know why he has those belts around his neck, but hey, at least he’s trying to look fashionable. Not to mention, Mr. X clearly cares about his clothes. In RE2, you can shoot his hat off of his head as Leon or Claire, only for him to show up again later wearing it. Mr. X leaves no hat behind.

Nemesis, on the other hand, looks like he’s wearing a garbage bag throughout large portions of Resident Evil 3. While it’s technically a body bag (I think?), it’s still doing Nemesis no favors. I know I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something like that. Plus, Nemesis has also got this weird device hooked to his chest that I truly have no idea what it does. Is it something that’s helping to keep him alive? Is it the equivalent of a fanny pack where he stores snacks in case he gets hungry? Why on Earth does he have this?

Also look, Nemesis: I’m also not trying to be mean, but you should probably go see a dentist. And a plastic surgeon. There’s a lot going on with that face, pal, and you could use some help.

Meanwhile, Mr. X? Extremely handsome. If I had a daughter, I’d let Mr. X take her to prom.

This is an easy decision. Mr. X takes the cake.

Edge: Mr. X

Mods

Look, this might be a weird thing to compare, I know, but it’s important to look at how the Resident Evil community views both Nemesis and Mr. X. And what better way to do that than to compare the mods that are currently available for each character?

Last year when Resident Evil 2 launched, Mr. X immediately became the most-modded character of the year. Some mods saw him taking the form of Pennywise, while others let him stomp around the police station while DMX’s “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” blares.

However, despite being so new, Nemesis already has a fair share of mods that fans have created for him as well. Likely the most notable is the one that you see above, where Nemesis is stripped down to nothing but a speedo. You can also clearly see that he’s also been working on his abs and is preparing to hit the beach later this summer. Nice job hitting the gym, Nemesis.

It’s also worth noting that both Mr. X and Nemesis each have Thomas the Tank Engine mods as of this very moment. What exactly does that say about society? Well, I’m not really sure, but I think it’s a positive.

At this time, it’s still too early to see what the community might whip up for Nemesis. Heck, Resident Evil 3 just came out today, after all. As such, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see who truly has the edge in this category.

Edge: Draw

Verdict

While Nemesis will likely always be more iconic purely from his standing in the original Resident Evil games, Mr. X is officially the better character in these remakes that Capcom has released. Not only is he more intimidating, but he’s more fun to try and avoid and deal with altogether. By comparison, Nemesis, as our own reviewer Ricky Frech put it, is kind of just a nuisance in RE3 remake.

Mr. X will be remembered for years to come based on how Capcom executed the character in Resident Evil 2. Even though Nemesis will still always be beloved in the hearts of every Resident Evil fan, it’s very likely that Mr. X now will looked upon more fondly by many, myself included.

All hail Mr. X.

Winner: Mr. X

Resident Evil 2 and 3 are both available for purchase right now on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

April 3, 2020 1:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/nemesis-vs-mr-x-which-iconic-resident-evil-villain-is-superior/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nemesis-vs-mr-x-which-iconic-resident-evil-villain-is-superior

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arplis · 5 years ago

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Arplis - News: The Ultimate List Of Dorm Room Essentials For 2020

This post is all about all the Dorm Room Essentials you actually will use.

With my time in college coming to an end, I have experienced the best and worst of college with everything from living in the dorm rooms, getting a college apartment with friends, and taking exam after exam (at least that's what it felt like).

These last four years have allowed me to really discover the dorm room essentials I couldn't have lived without and the ones that I continued to use year after year even after I moved out of my college dorm room.

I am breaking down every single part of college for you and showing you all of my most recommended products (with advice from my friends too) with everything from my top dorm room essentials, dorm bedding, "cool" going out clothes, the most popular backpacks...literally EVERYTHING.

I really thought about what I would have wanted to know when I was going into college and included everything I could think of. This is a huge post so buckle up but it is seriously one of the best and most comprehensive posts on my website going over every single thing you will need for being a freshman in college.

This post is the ultimate and best guide on the internet for all the best dorm room essentials with products you will actually use throughout your four years at college.

Because this post is so long, I am including a Table of Contents below that you can simply click on to lead you to the section you are most interest in reading about.

Quick Navigation

All-Time Best Dorm Room Essentials:

Dorm Bedding Essentials:

Dorm Bathroom Essentials:

Dorm Closet Essentials:

Best Dorm Decorations:

Best Dorm Tapestries:

Dorm Furniture Essentials:

Dorm Kitchen Essentials:

Dorm Cleaning Essentials:

Best College Backpacks:

College Tech Essentials:

What "Cool" Girls are Wearing in College:

All-Time Best Dorm Room Essentials:

These are the top 10 absolute best dorm room products that I really recommend. The products that are so good I made sure all my friends in the grades below me had when they went to college and the things I have used even after moving out of dorm rooms.

There are some things I've included in this post that are "wants" but the next 10 things are the things that I think you NEED. Or at least I needed them ;).