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starseedfxofficial · 5 days ago

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Moving Average Convergence Divergence: Discovering Hidden Opportunities in USD/JPY The Hidden Trading Weapon: Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) and USD/JPY Picture this: You've just cooked the perfect pasta, but you forgot to add salt. Feels incomplete, right? That’s how it is to trade USD/JPY without leveraging the moving average convergence divergence (MACD). Most traders think they understand MACD, yet miss out on its real power—just like skipping that pinch of salt that makes everything magic. Today, let’s unlock some under-the-radar ways to apply MACD to USD/JPY trades, and elevate our game far beyond the average JPY trader. A Brief Crash Course: What Is MACD, Anyway? Before we go deep-diving into advanced insights, let’s recap what MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) is all about—think of it as a personal trainer for your trades, letting you know when your market "muscles" are working hard or about to cramp. MACD is an indicator designed to identify changes in the strength, direction, momentum, and duration of a trend. The MACD line, signal line, and histogram combine to provide signals that can help decide when to jump in or out of a trade. Kind of like when to jump into that pool or avoid it when the water’s freezing. Secret Ingredient #1: Timing the Crossovers with USD/JPY Alright, here’s where the magic starts happening. We’re not just talking about waiting for MACD line and signal line crossovers, because — surprise, surprise — everyone does that. Let’s put on our ninja suits and sneak behind the usual curtain. Unheard-Of Technique: Focus on MACD Histogram Divergence A little-known secret is using MACD histogram divergence to predict the upcoming moves of USD/JPY. Instead of waiting for the actual MACD line crossover, keep an eye on when the MACD histogram makes a higher low while the price makes a lower low (or vice versa). This technique can give you a sneak peek into price reversals before the rest of the market catches on. It’s like being the first one at the buffet—you get all the good stuff before it’s picked over. Here’s a true case study: Back in July 2023, USD/JPY was taking a nosedive, and traditional traders were in panic mode. However, the MACD histogram divergence was subtly indicating that the downtrend was about to lose steam. The result? A sharp reversal that caught most traders off guard—but those using histogram divergence smiled as their profits skyrocketed. The Hidden Patterns That Drive USD/JPY with MACD Now that we’ve established MACD divergence as a game-changer, let’s talk about some specific market behaviors that MACD can reveal when trading USD/JPY. Pattern #1: Seasonal Influence Meets MACD Ever felt like USD/JPY has a mood of its own—like your friend that becomes a completely different person in winter? Well, you aren’t far off. Seasonality influences the behavior of currency pairs, and USD/JPY is no exception. Here’s a little trick: Combine the MACD analysis with known seasonal trends. Historically, USD/JPY tends to perform in distinct patterns across different times of the year, with August often being a month of lower liquidity and heightened volatility. If you’ve ever gotten in a trade that’s all over the place, you know what I mean—it's like buying a pair of shoes during a sale that just won’t fit. So instead of crossing your fingers, bring in MACD to understand the trend. When a seasonal downtrend is paired with a bearish MACD crossover, you’re in prime position to ride the down move all the way down. Don’t just react—predict. Expert Tip: Use Multiple Time Frames MACD really comes to life when it’s analyzed across multiple time frames. For USD/JPY, here’s what the pros are doing: Confirming their daily MACD analysis by cross-referencing it with the weekly MACD. Imagine you’re playing chess, and you’re predicting not just your opponent’s next move, but their next five. It’s all about seeing the forest, not just the trees. As recognized expert Kathy Lien said, "Cross-verification of MACD across multiple time frames offers a clearer picture, reducing false positives and maximizing entry points." Kathy’s point is crucial—one that a lot of traders overlook. How to Predict Market Moves with Precision Many traders make the mistake of treating MACD like a one-size-fits-all tool—like that New Year’s party hat that no one wants to wear. The reality? It’s more like a Swiss Army knife—multi-functional and adaptable. The Forgotten Strategy That Outsmarted the Pros Here’s a forgotten but powerful technique: using MACD divergence to confirm breakouts. Whenever there’s a consolidation period in USD/JPY and you see the price moving sideways, traders typically watch for breakouts. Here’s the kicker: Instead of blindly jumping on the breakout bandwagon, look at MACD. If the price breaks out of the range, but MACD doesn’t show the same strength or diverges, it’s probably a fakeout. In February 2024, the USD/JPY pair staged a bullish breakout after days of consolidation, and many traders went long—only for the price to reverse a few days later. However, those who checked MACD would have noticed a divergence that said, "Hey, maybe don’t put all your eggs in this basket." The market subsequently fell, and traders who paid attention saved themselves a ton of pain (and maybe even earned some good profit). Insider Knowledge: Navigating Through News With MACD You know that feeling when you get a notification about central bank news, and your stomach drops because you know things are about to get wild? Been there. MACD can also be used as your compass when navigating the stormy waters of major economic announcements. When the Bank of Japan makes statements, USD/JPY can have knee-jerk reactions—kind of like when you accidentally hit the "sell" button instead of "buy." What most traders do is either avoid trading altogether or take wild guesses. A more strategic approach? Check the MACD on the 4-hour chart before and after the news. It can help distinguish the real move from the noise. And as George Soros once said, "It’s not whether you’re right or wrong that’s important, but how much money you make when you’re right and how much you lose when you’re wrong." Why Most Traders Get It Wrong (And How You Can Avoid It) Here’s the elephant in the room: Most traders misuse MACD by waiting too long. They wait for the MACD crossover as if it's a Hollywood movie premiere. But here’s the thing: By the time the crossover happens, the train has often already left the station. The workaround? Use a leading indicator like the Relative Strength Index (RSI) to give you the heads-up, while MACD confirms your move. Let RSI yell "Get ready!" and MACD say "Go!" It’s like getting your shoes ready before the bell rings at a sprint race. Combine this with an eye on USD/JPY’s key levels (trust me, this pair loves repeating itself at certain levels), and you’re golden. Elite Tactics for Effective MACD Application - Double-check with Economic Indicators: Before relying on MACD alone, keep an eye on the Latest Economic Indicators at StarseedFX Forex News. It’s like having both headlights working on your car before driving at night. - Community Wisdom: Join trading communities like the StarseedFX Community to get expert analysis, because nothing beats collective wisdom from experts who've been in the trenches. - Automated Tools Are Your Friend: Use automated tools like the Smart Trading Tool to optimize lot sizes and insights based on MACD data. Trading Like a Ninja MACD isn’t just an indicator—it’s a way to see beneath the surface of the USD/JPY ocean. The key to using MACD is seeing its application through a different lens—histogram divergence, seasonal overlays, multiple time frame analysis, and using it alongside news. Remember, trading is like cooking a gourmet meal—adding the right amount of salt, using a hidden recipe, and knowing when to turn up the heat makes all the difference. If MACD is just another crossover for you, it’s like making pasta without salt—don’t be that chef. Be the one with the secret recipe. Now Over to You: Do you use MACD in your USD/JPY trades? What hidden tricks do you swear by? Comment below, let’s get the discussion started, and share some trade tales (good or bad—we've all been there!). —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article

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dreamsofandroidsndrones · 3 months ago

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Rules

Basics:

FIRST OFF: This blog may feature violence, gore, injury and sometimes body horror just due to the nature of the series. There are also some dark themes.

Recap I RP about anything that could be brought up. From shitposting to full out violence, gore and so on. Some more sensitive subjects might take place depending on the situation/plot, and so on.

If you are not sure about something just ask me, I hardly bite. I will tag some things the best I can and some may be put under a readmore.

NSFW content might be set as a side blog in the future.

I love AUs and other things alike though if there are to be crossovers it will depend I am not too picky. Does not mean I don’t want to RP with you otherwise.

I am a little weary of multi-shipping.

Family, Lovers or friends is a must unless we talked it out.

When it comes to shipping I will not judge what and who you ship with. To each, their own just do not expect me to ship something you do and vice Versa

I don’t always follow back everyone, so please take no offense I appreciate follows it just things clog my dash or your muse just might not be the type my muses would interact with but don’t feel too say to hit me up even if we are not mutuals.

As I have said I RP with just about anyone, this is a multiverse muse, OCs are welcome obviously. Just please have a bit of a background history so I can understand what kind of characters they are.

I would be happy to interact with more than one version of Canon characters, Au or not and such.

I AM open to constructive criticism about my muse, I am always looking to improve and correct errors.

No nos:

Do not kill my muse without having talked about the situation please. It would be rather rude to flat out kill my character. Having scuffles and fights can be spontaneous. If my character pisses yours off feel free to take a shot at them. Aware that Tessa might only be human, but even this little lady has some bite.

No Godmodding unless we chatted before on it.

Do not force my muses into a relationship unless both parties agree and there is chemistry. That means just because one ships it the other mun might not. Crushes and unrequited love are just as great.

I won’t RP mature situations with minor RPers and muses below the age of at least 18 so don’t ask. It does not mean i won’t RP with you otherwise.

New rule added that if we do not interact, IC or OOC in a month or two I will unfollow, simple as that. Unless said person disappears I’ll give it a while first before it seems they are not coming back then proceeded to do so.

About Mun:

Mun is a 30+ year old female. So in case of things needing to be “legal” there you go. But I wont RP smutty things with minors. So please don’t lie about your age.

As far as I have been RPing at least 11-12 years by now but my writing can still get hazy due to dyslexia. so excuse any grammar mistakes as I will try to make sure they are correct. Though as of late my details have been lacking due to health issues so if I sound off or does not make sense let me know and I will try to clarify.

I DO RP on Discord so if things seem to skip that is why. If you prefer to use one of the alternatives to RP then that is fine.

I hope I do not appear intimidating as I am actually a nervous cluster of anxiety, so i am more likely to be shyer than you and hope to make friends.

Your length is my length so it can go from couple of lines to long and detailed as i can get. But something of substance is great. One liners are mostly for crack RPs.

Mun hardly has triggers. Just do not get all political.

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loopingpyre · 8 months ago

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wasn't the waifu the last few episodes of zero-one, and the movie was that eden guy and hellrising hopper or whatever?

Ok, let's break this down for everyone because it's really funny. Aruto, the MC of kamen rider 01 has a robot secretary waifu named Iz. They have an AI in a satellite called Zea, which provides Iz with intel to support Aruto. The villains, Metsuboujinrai.net, are robots who serve The Ark, and want the extermination of humanity. The Ark is an AI made to help people and guide humanity, but a techbro CEO named Gai Amatsu, who is kind of like Seto Kaiba, injects The Ark with 'the evils of humanity' and takes control of robots to destroy a city. In the show's opening, Iz has a moment where she becomes evil for a second, eyes glowing red, the telltale in-show sign of someone being taken over by The Ark. This was in there because 'it looked cool' and not thought about it. Then COVID happened, and there were like 4 episodes of recaps in a row as they worked out the plot of the rest of the show as there were new restrictions developing. The Ark (no physical person form still, it just sort of exists digitally and in a little core in some ruins), then suddenly has it's own robot secretary, Az. The Ark steps into combat to eliminate Aruto by hijacking other robots with the Ark-Zero form, and is defeated by kicking it's ass with the new 02 form and then replicating the ending of Robotics;Notes DaSH. Az, now without a master, walks around with fancy Ark Gear, taking advantage of people with emotions in turmoil to somehow turn them into a new coming of The Ark, one attempt is the tv series finale (which rules), and then the film (which also rules), and then in her third attempt she gets shot and killed by some guy and the story ends. - AND THEN THE GOOFY CROSSOVER, 'GEMNS: THE PRESIDENTS' HAPPENS. Gai Amatsu gets a robot secretary, named Rin. Y'know, because Aruto has one. We skip a bunch of details, but Gai and Kuroto Dan have a fight over who will be in charge of the company. And The Ark suddenly takes over Rin. Because the Ark is back now, because it is just 'pure malice and will never go away'. So Gai teams up with The Ark. And Rin is just The Ark Vessel now. AND THEN OUTSIDERS HAPPENS. THE ARK IS NOW A PROTECTOR OF HUMANITY. THE ARK BORROWS THE BODIES OF BOTH HOROBI AND RIN BECAUSE SURE WHY NOT.

#ask tag #anon #kamen rider rambling #the ark is a genderfluid magical girl i dont make the rules

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slitheringblu · 2 years ago

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Guidelines

Basics:

Recap I RP about anything that could be brought up. From shitposting to full out violence, gore and so on. This is TF2 after all. Some more sensitive subjects might take place depending on the situation/plot, and so on.

If you are not sure about something just ask me, I hardly bite.

I will tag some things the best I can and some will be put under a readmore.

I love AUs and other things alike though if there are to be crossovers it will depend I am not too picky. Does not mean I don’t want to RP with you otherwise.

I am a ‘single’ ship blog. So when I say muse is taken, he’s taken.

Chemistry for either family, lovers or friends is a must.

When it comes to shipping I will not judge what and who you ship with. To each, their own just do not expect me to ship something you do and vice Versa.

As I have said I RP with just about anyone, these are multiverse muses, OCs are welcome obviously. Just please have a bit of a background history so I can understand what kind of characters they are.

I would be happy to interact with more than one version of Canon characters, Au or not and such.

I AM open to constructive criticism about my OC, I am always looking to improve and correct errors.

No nos:

Do not kill my muses without having talked about the situation, give a fair fight. You can fatally injure but NO KILLING unless there is an okay Please. It would be rather rude to flat out kill my character.

Having scuffles and fights can be spontaneous. If my character pisses yours off feel free to take a shot at him. Expect him to react the same way vice versa.

Don’t expect him to go down after one hit. Russet is literally a mass of muscle.

No Godmodding or try to OP my muses right off the bat. Unless it is a thing your muse can do as a power just give a head’s up in the tags or PM.

I won’t RP mature situations with minor RPers and muses below the age of at least 18 so don’t ask. It does not mean i won’t RP with you otherwise.

New rule added that if we do not interact, IC or OOC anywhere from three weeks to a full month I will unfollow, simple as that. Unless said person disappears I’ll give it a while first before it seems they are not coming back then proceeded to do so.

About Mun:

Mun is a 25+ year old female. So in case of things needing to be “legal” there you go. But I wont RP smutty things with minors. So please don’t lie about your age.

New Note that I am uncomfortable with RPing with people younger than 18-20 as I feel like a total creep otherwise.

OOC is [ ]

As far as I have been RPing at least 9 years by now but my writing can still get hazy due to dyslexia. so excuse any grammar mistakes as I will try to make sure they are correct. Though as of late my details have been lacking due to health issues so if I sound off or does not make sense let me know and I will try to clarify.

I DO RP in the PM box, so if things seem to skip that is why. If you prefer to use one of the alternatives to RP then that is fine.

I hope I do not appear intimidating as I am actually a nervous cluster of anxiety, so i am more likely to be shyer than you and hope to make friends.

Your length is my length so it can go from short to long and detailed as i can get. But something of substance is great. One liners are mostly for crack RPs.

Mun has NO triggers save not wanting to talk politics

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rocketjumpingfangs · 2 years ago

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Rules

Basics:

If you are not sure about something just ask me, I hardly bite.

I will tag some things the best I can and some will be put under a readmore.

I love AUs and other things alike though if there are to be crossovers it will depend I am not too picky. Does not mean I don’t want to RP with you otherwise.

I am a ‘single’ ship blog. So when I say muse is taken, she’s taken.

Chemistry for either family, lovers or friends is a must.

When it comes to shipping I will not judge what and who you ship with. To each, their own just do not expect me to ship something you do and vice Versa.

As I have said I RP with just about anyone, these are multiverse muses, OCs are welcome obviously. Just please have a bit of a background history so I can understand what kind of characters they are.

I would be happy to interact with more than one version of Canon characters, Au or not and such.

I AM open to constructive criticism about my OC, I am always looking to improve and correct errors.

No nos:

Having scuffles and fights can be spontaneous. If my character pisses yours off feel free to take a shot at them. Expect her to react the same way vice versa.

Don’t expect Lady to go down after one hit. She might be average size but she does have tricks up her sleeve.

No Godmodding or try to OP my muses right off the bat. Unless it is a thing your muse can do as a power just give a head’s up in the tags or PM.

I won’t RP mature situations with minor RPers and muses below the age of at least 18 so don’t ask. It does not mean i won’t RP with you otherwise.

About Mun:

Mun is a 25+ year old female. So in case of things needing to be “legal” there you go. But I wont RP smutty things with minors. So please don’t lie about your age.

New Note that I am uncomfortable with RPing with people younger than 18-20 as I feel like a total creep otherwise.

I DO RP in the PM box, so if things seem to skip that is why. If you prefer to use one of the alternatives to RP then that is fine.

I hope I do not appear intimidating as I am actually a nervous cluster of anxiety, so i am more likely to be shyer than you and hope to make friends.

Your length is my length so it can go from short to long and detailed as i can get. But something of substance is great. One liners are mostly for crack RPs.

Mun has NO triggers.

0 notes

handlewithkara · 4 years ago

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The evolution of Mon-El’s pessimism

Picking up a bit on what I said previously about Kara’s forgiveness of Mon-El.

I mentioned that I thought it was a fairly natural progression for Mon-El to feel "scared straight" and profusely grateful and appreciative of Kara's forgiveness. I wanted to elaborate on this a bit more.

I think that for all the claims that Mon-El acted entitled to Kara, I always thought that it was fairly obvious that Mon-El was pretty insecure and pessimistic about his relationship with Kara, but also about life in general and I want to talk about how this also affected his attitude towards heroism.

2x10

Once he realizes that he has feelings for Kara, he starts out thinking that there is no chance that Kara will ever return his feelings or that at the very least a very long shot. That is why he initially lies about having feelings for her and it's pretty much what he straight up says to her once he does confess his feelings.

Mon-El: "I'm not here to change your mind. I get that... I get that you don't care about me."

Kara: "I do care about you."

Mon-El: "But not in the same way. That's good, that's fine. It's okay. You know, just keep working with me. I've been honest about it, so let's just... Now we can ignore it, right? We can let it go. Let's put it behind us."

It can be argued that maybe Mon-El was at this point still hoping she would come around if he downplayed his feelings or that he was completely genuine in his cluelessness, but I do think it's still very obvious that at this point he thought that it was at the very least a long shot/not going to be easy, if he thought that it was possible at all.

2x13

After this, Kara eventually calls Mon-El up and tells him she does want a relationship. He is happy about it. Then Myxy arrives and Mon-El freaks out. I tend to read his attitude here as less than a guy who thinks like he already owns Kara, and more as a guy who is pissed that he was so close to getting what he wants with Kara and now is faced with the chance that it's going to be snatched away from right under his nose, when it was so close he could taste it. And he doesn't react well to that.

Still, to me the interesting aspect here is the nature of Kara's lie when she tries to convince Mon-El that she is going for Myxy.

Kara: Yes, I've thought about it, and you're right. You're gifted, brilliant, and together we can do anything. Take me as your wife.

And:

Kara: He makes an excellent point. He has limitless power that he can use to help me fight for justice. We'll make a great team.

Mon-El: I thought we were going to do that.

This is what she had to say to make it believable. Just saying she did it save Mon-El’s life would just get Mon-El to fight harder to save her. Saying she loves Myxy immediately wouldn’t seem believable. But this? Sounds totally legit to Mon-El.

I read this scene, this episode as an indication that there was at least part of Mon-El who thought or worried that the only reason why Kara sees potential in him is because of his powers. And that he worries that if somebody with bigger powers come along, Kara will see even more potential in them. Greater powers means that if turned to good, they can be an even bigger hero, can achieve even more good in the universe. And it makes just sense to him that Kara would want to optimize what creates the most good. Showing to me that maybe part of him thought Kara cares about his powers and not him as a person.

The other noteworthy moment of this episode is how Mon-El seems genuinely stunned that it was possible to resolve the situation they found themselves in without violence.

2x14

A lot of things could be said about this episode, but I'm going to mostly skip it for now. I'm just going to see that Mon-El's insecurity about how exactly he fits into Kara's life, his pessimism about people and life, him feeling like he needs to be useful to Kara somehow and again him struggling with the concept that he can be more helpful without aggression/violence are all very much present here.

Mon-El: So, what’s left for me?

2x16 + crossover

Mon-El's secret is outed, he makes last ditch efforts to win Kara back. He rejects his parents and reaffirms his intention to carry on some of the things Kara has taught him even when they are not together.

At the end of the crossover Kara forgives a distraught Mon-El and he vows to be good.

2x17

Here the most noteworthy thing is that once again Mon-El is deeply pessimistic that his mother is reachable, while Kara is optimistic. They eventually go with Kara's plan, leading to Mon-El being taken.

The most striking thing here is Mon-El's surprise/gratitude that Kara came to save him. Something that has to be considered in relation to Mon-El's sacrifice. Naturally, him surrendering to his mother to stop her from attacking Kara with Kryptonite is more meaningful if he really believed that he wasn't coming back.

Mon-El: You came after me.

We also see Mon-El for the first time applying Kara's lessons, not just in following her plan, but also in trying to Kara-speech his father.

Let's quickly recap Mon-El's surprises again:

Mon-El surprised that Kara can resolve the situation with Myxy without violence (2x13)

Mon-El surprised by Winn's assurance that he is more helpful being there for Kara than trying to fight her battles and actually trying that out (2x14)

Mon-El surprised and grateful that Kara forgave him (crossover)

Mon-El surprised Kara came for him (2x17)

Mon-El surprised that using Kara's methods were actually successful in reaching his father's heart (2x17)

In my mind, 2x17 was in many ways the culmination of Mon-El’s hero arc, as far as his journey towards learning to believe in heroism is concerned. He used to be doubtful, but this is where he truly accepts it.

And this is echoed by Kara meeting him there, by calling him brave, apologzing and acknowledging that he was right (” And I'm sorry I forced you to talk to your mom. I should have listened to you.”) and by giving him full credit for the save:

Kara: I'm not going to forget the way you sacrificed yourself for me. Ever.

Mon-El: So we saved each other today.

I want to quote two more significant statements from that conversation:

Mon-El: you were right to be hopeful. I think we could all stand to be a little more like you. More optimistic and brave.(because Mon-El despite his upbeat attitude actually was often a pessimist in regards to what to expect out of people)

and

Mon.El: You believe that people can change and you gave them a chance to do it. (because that’s what Kara did for him)

After that point, after seeing for himself that Kara's methods can be successful even when he was sure it wasn't possible, Mon-El is essentially won over to Kara's way of thinking and for the rest of the season we mostly see him trying to be a supportive boyfriend and applying the things Kara taught him, such as following Kara's orders and letting her go into battle alone (when Kara sends him away to confront Rhea after saving Mon-El and Lena) or being open to her about his feelings/worries (when he tells her that he thought he saw his mother in the street) or by just being there for her ("Better now")

This is not to say that Mon-El's journey towards herodom started with 2x13, there certainly were meaningful moments before that. Not limited to:

Mon-El being shamed by Alex reading him the riot act and by seeing how badly Kara got injured by Parasite, spurring him to try and confront Parasite.

Mon-El trying to help a homeless person and getting abducted for his troubles.

Mon-El seeing Kara submitting herself to Lillian Luthor's experiments to protect Mon-El and most certainly not wanting her to do it.

Mon-El experimenting with putting himself in harms way on Slaver's Moon and his admiring look when Kara heroes out.

The argument they had about protecting Kara versus protecting civilians.

Still, I feel his reaction in 2x13 is when we see him becoming a lot more emotional open and persuaded by her ideas and her world view, mostly because he sees them being put to work and actually succeeding.

#karamel #mon-el #supergirl #kara zor-el #kara danvers

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tfw-no-tennis · 4 years ago

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mtmte liveblog issue 30

30 issues wow...forget the fact that I skipped like 5 issues of crossover event nonsense

another big ole swerve recap omg

this trial is so messsyyyyyyyyy lmao

hvbajdfbahsjkfdbhjs starscream listening to meagtrons speech looking like ‘hmmmmmmm I may have miscalculated’

prowl looks pissed af meanwhile optimus just looks dead inside lmao

I mean. megatron kinda does have a point. this is like, the most biased, conflict of interests lookin trial of all time, in that all the major participants have some sort of long, complicated history with each other. what a mess

optimus, listening to megatron’s speech: wow this is worse than divorce court was

oh shit I totally forgot that those decepticons attacked the trial

MAGNUS HAMMER AYYYYYY

a guy saying ‘objection!’ as optimus prime punches half his face off...that pretty much sums up idw op lmao

op: oh thank god, I can punch shit now. I'm not cut out for this bureaucracy nonsense

megatron: thanks, random decepticon, for the attempted rescue, but I'm super old and I just want to nap so no thanks

random decepticon: wtf- [gets murdered by optimus prime]

I love op’s big ass antennae

meanwhile, brainstorm goes to a bar and instead of buying anything, pulls out his own drink. I feel like that isn't allowed in most bars, or is at least frowned up vbsjdhfbhjdkfn. ily brainstorm

also? big ass mood I was so broke last time I was on a barhopping vacation w/friends that I brought a cheap giantass bottle of mixed drink in my backpack and just drank that at all the bars lmao

WHIRLLLL I love his humansona sm. and also I love that whirl is into artsy french movies or w/e omg

brainstorm, drinking thru a wrist funnel: sorry I cant take my mask off rn it isn’t plot relevant yet

‘earthlets’ lmao

I love that rung is like, too pretentious to care that much about movies and would rather read earth books lol

and then bluestreak is like ‘yeah they have books...comic books’ can this man not read

I still cannot fuckign believe that the argument that got megatron out of a for-sure death sentence or w/e was ‘its not a war crime if we’re on the moon’ liiiiike what the actual hell lmao

also I love that, once again, we see magnus’s strict adherence to the law, technicalities and all

magnus: you cant really stop a trial and move it somewhere else where the laws are better suited to the outcome you desire

prowl: what are you, a cop? fuck off

also op being like ‘ok whatever all that doesn't matter...what DOES matter is that it would look bad for us to move the trial to cybertron in an obvious attempt to circumvent the rules, and public perception is what’s most important, fuck all that ‘morality’ bullshit’

meanwhile, rodimus is dead! and ambulon is also dead, which makes first aid sad, which makes ME sad

ayyy, rodimus is still alive! well, one rodimus is alive, at least

rodimus and megatron really have the vibes of ‘stepfather and stepson forced to work together on a family road trip gone wrong after dad decided to sit this one out’ lmao

ah yes, ‘malaise’ the medical diagnostic term for ‘I don't feel so hot and idk why’ that practitioners like to throw under the ‘diagnostic notes’ section of lab orders to explain why they're ordering every blood test under the sun for a patient

I love medical terminology. ANYWAYS

BE NICE TO MY BOY MEGATRON.

rodimus: listen I have to come to terms with the fact that there's another version of me right here, and he’s DEAD, which means we can’t fuck, which is super lame

I firmly believe that rodimus would be team ‘hell yeah id have sex with my AU self’ tbh

I find it interesting that megatron is often casting blame for his actions onto others - here, he says that rodimus made him realize he doesn’t want to stop doing stuff w/his life, and then says that starscream forced his hand w/the whole ‘luna 2 law’ thing, and previously he’s said how whirl beating him up in jail is what led to him abandoning pacifism - take responsibility for your actions and decisions dude!

though he goes on to say here that he resorted to violence because he realized that the system that was in place could withstand everything else he would have tried to use to change it, which is super interesting

megatron: okay, yes, I MIGHT have murdered billions, but I could help find us a new planet, which would be baller, sooooo...how about you co-opt your lame son’s frat boy ship and put me in charge?

op: sounds fair to me. now how about we do some more Big Speeches before I make you somebody else’s problem

vbhdjskfbhaskdjf the ‘team rodimus’ lineup setup reminds me so much of the ‘together we make the ______’ meme with the different members being like, ‘the power’ ‘the gay’ ‘the awesome’ ‘the guy with no ears’ hbvhjdkfbs

chromedome: if I do this I could die

rodimus: that sounds like a you problem bro

‘this one time’ YEA RIGHT c'mon cd honor your dead husband’s wishes

omfg I forgot abt brainstorms ‘early early warning system’ lmao

I love nautica soooo much oh man

ooooof drift :( :( oh no

dead future rodimus!! uh oh is right

rodimus, known himbo: I'm sure I can defeat the inevitability of future events! all I have to do is cut my own arm off!

tailgateeeee he’s so cute...I love that he can tell stories of his daring escapades, just like at the beginning of mtmte, but this time its actually TRUE

OH SHITTTT GETAWAY

he looks so fucking sinister there lmao how are we NOT supposed to realize he has bad intentions from the get-go

‘you’ll make a prime one day’ well, getaway, you’re right about that at least...

cyclonus in the bg like 🤨🤔 at getaway

seriously I cant get over how getaway has such a slimy kinda vibe to him, like specifically in his interactions w/tailgate - this is before things even really take off but I'm still like TG GET AWAY (lol) FROM THIS GUY

cyclonus: somebody flirting with my crush? better go stare out a window instead of communicating absolutely anything to said crush about my feelings!

honestly I feel like, while megatron renouncing the decepticons and becoming an autobot is certainly interesting, it would be equally interesting for him to remain a decepticon but try to change the philosophy of the movement

like, I get why op had him give that speech - to prevent the cons from trying to free megs again/thinking that he was being coerced into things (ironic considered he WAS coerced into giving that speech) - but it’s kinda the easy way our for megatron - being able to completely abandon the decepticon cause and not deal with it at all, and start over anew as an autobot

it would've been a lot harder to remain a con and try to reform what he has broken in the decepticon movement - but I think that would've been really interesting

though from a writing logistics standpoint, I get why jro didn't go for that bc we don't get a lot of other decepticons in the cast for that to work, and also megatron still definitely DOES have to face down all his mistakes w/the decepticons w/the djd and overlord and whatnot

anyways. I cant believe that all megatron had to do to join the lost light was make ONE speech denouncing the decepticons. like, they should've at least had him do a tiktok dance too or something, just to make it a really tough deal

I love the rodpod vbhjfsdkfbjaskjndfj

ok but I still don't really get the logic of making megs CAPTAIN like ouch. poor rodimus

I feel like making megs a bartender at swerves or st would've been WAY more useful in showing him humility or w/e. OR it would've made him evil again, which, fair,

ratchet: don't worry, we’ll medically poison him, it’ll be fine

ok but rodimus is right, this is SO messy, op wants to prove his ex husband isn't 100% evil so he’s like ‘ill let my rebellious son deal with him’ lmao god. I love this setup so much, its so wild

ratchet is also right, rodimus’s fuckup definitely pales in comparison to megatrons All That

OH BRUTALLLLLLLL when ratchet says the list is fake ‘because my name’s not on it’ FUCKING OUCHHHHH

‘only bad guys say ‘unhand me” rodimus ily

omfg ‘we’ve practiced this’ of course they've done evacuation drills...magnus ily

lmao it’s the panel where it looks like rodimus and megatron are doing karaoke or having some sort of rap battle

and the lost light is GONE! oh shit!!!!

and there closes issue 30! once again we’ve gotten a lot of setup and exposition - which, while definitely necessary, means I don't have too much to say

I will say, throwing megatron onto the lost light has definitely mixed things up, and it’s interesting to see new dynamics already forming

so, until next time!

#lj rereads mtmte

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theparanormalperiodical · 5 years ago

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The True Story Behind The Amityville Horror (1979) And The 9 Other Times Paranormal Evidence Was Used In Court

I can hear the birds singing.

I can see a brilliant blue sky as it bathes my small Kentish town in the year’s first rays of light.

And I can feel the first thawe of February.

F*ck off winter, and hello spring!

As I sit on my bed, looking outside my window at the resurrection of the once-green landscape of my hometown, I am reminded of the true meaning of this season: life.

The mating season begins for most small, furry creatures, daffodils stand proudly as the first flower to mark their territory, and, like, there’s something about Jesus but I don’t think that had that much of an impact on the world, did it?

But I’m not the first person who was eager to turn their back on winter - the season of death - and look forward to a brighter year.

I’m sure the Lutz family, having fled their family home in mid-January, were just as ready to quash their terrifying experiences that were only darkened by the brutal winter months.

“Lutz… I know that name.”

Unless you were only until recently within a cult and decided to turn your back on Almighty Zarp Goddess Of Destruction, you’ll probably have heard that surname before. But who were they?

Well, to jog your memory, they were a small All-American family who lived in a small All-American town known as Amityville.

Yeah, there you go, now you know where I’m heading with this.

(Or you read the title of this post.)

Amityville is a town in New York which set the scene for probably the most famous haunting the world has ever witnessed. And with several families undergoing intense happenings - from murders to manic paranormal activity - this house has earned its place in the history books.

Oh, and on the big screen, too; 16 feature films have retold the story, including one film which featured Mr Pool himself, Ryan Reynolds.

So, as your favourite paranormal blogger, I thought I’d devote an article to the insanity that was Amityville, and dissect how real the reality shown in the films was for the 2 families that once lived at 112 Ocean Drive.

And I’m not stopping there.

What made this haunting so iconic was how it planted its paranormal feet into the legal system as a result of the murder case the hauntings are linked to. But the thing is, Amityville is far from alone when it comes to legal courts having to deal with the supernatural.

There are actually 9 other prominent legal cases from which the courts have had to debate and discuss the paranormal.

And I’m gon’ tell you all about ‘em.

*Bangs gavel*

Before We Get Spooky, Let’s Summarise What The Films Had To Say About This Haunting

(And they’ve got a lot to say.)

Like I said, there are 16 films that claim they document the events witnessed by the Lutz family in their short stay. No, really, they were there for less than 28 days.

From 1979 all the way up to 2017, we have a variety of films that explore what went down in that house, and, given they are horror films, we also get a few laughs along the way.

Like the 1992 classic Amityville: It’s About Time, which sounds like it might star Vin Diesel in a Fast and Furious crossover.

Or maybe how in the same year Amityville: Playhouse and Amityville: Death House hit the theatres.

And even the rendition of the Amityville Horror from which the realtor having shown the new occupants around the house died in the driveway when he attempted to leave the property!

So, to cut out that crap, I’ve decided to just recap what occurs in the 3 most popular movies of this franchise:

The Amityville Horror (1979), The Amityville Horror (2005), and Amityville: Awakening (2017).

The Amityville Horror (1979)

Sharing the same title as the book supposedly based on the real events witnessed by the Lutz family, this film was the first to share the story of the DeFeo family and the following inhabitants of the house. . The film starts by showing us the final moments of the DeFeo family, from which some bloke kills all of ‘em. From there we bear witness to a new family moving into the home.

And things get spooky quickly.

A visit from a priest gives us the first signs of the supernatural as he experiences a variety of attacks from beyond the grave, whether its swarms of flies to a blistered hand when trying to warn Kathy, the mother of the family, about. An angry spirit then tells him to ‘get out’, triggering his complete mental breakdown.

The paranormal forces then encroach on the patriarch of the famalam - George - leaving him to split firewood to keep the constant cold at bay. Unexplained events begin to haunt the entire family:

The young daughter of the family mentions an imaginary friend, and a pig with glowing red eyes is seen by her bedroom window. The doggo then becomes cray-cray about the basement which is later revealed to conceal a small, hidden room that has red walls.

Things then get weirder. George begins to wake up at 3.15am every morning to check on the boathouse, and Kathy has nightmares which reveal details of what down in the first scene of the movie. A quick trip to the archives later, and she deduces that this house is built on a Shinnecock (Native American) burial ground, and that a satan worshipper - John Ketchum - once lived there.

If that wasn’t enough, she discovers the story of the DeFeo family, and notes that Ronald DeFeo - the murderer - looks uncomfortably similar to George.

It all comes to a head when blood oozes down the staircase and Jody (you know, the sweet adorable imaginary friend who is actually a pig) is seen through the window. Oh, and George tries to kill everyone with an axe.

Kathy brings him out of his trance, and they both get the f*ck outta the house.

We are told that they didn’t return for their belongings.

The Amityville Horror (2005)

For this modern retelling of the original film, the scenes are re-arranged, the hauntings are more minimalist, and just a dash of Ryan Reynolds is added.

And is he playing Ryan Reynolds? ‘Course.

But the major difference between the OG and this icon is that the basis for the hauntings is explored in a much more artistic and developed way:

We see the Native Americans that were supposedly tortured and killed by some guy called Ketchum, and we even see Ketchum himself! Well, for a very brief moment; he simply recreates his suicide and spews blood over Ryan Reynolds George.

This possesses him, and causes him to try and kill the rest of his family as they try to escape the house.

Kathy knocks Ryan Reynolds George out and takes him off the property to release him from Ketchum’s control.

Aside from the greater detail regarding Ketchum - that is, we discover that he was in a cult and was a reverend - we also see Jodie for the first time. No, she’s not the demonic pig we see in the first film. She’s a young creepy-ass girl instead.

What a trade!

The film ends just like the OG, with a title card explaining that they pissed off and never returned to the house. But once again, a divergence with the 1970s version is revealed.

No, not the questionable hairstyles and cinematic style that looks like it was filmed with a toaster:

The final scene shows Jodie scream in terror inside the house as the furniture rearranges itself. She is then dragged beneath the floorboards by two hands, and the screen fades to black…

This confirms that this movie - alongside the later renditions of the story - don’t necessarily point to a specific haunting, but rather look at the house as the source of the haunting. In fact, they just skip out the DeFeos altogether!

This is down to the fact that the movies are directly based on the book of the same name which was released in 1977. Based off 45 hours worth of tapes from the Lutz family, this book wasn’t necessarily written with the family, but clearly had enough information to brew this highly controversial book.

The events charted in the book will be discussed later in this post.

Amityville: Awakening (2017)

The latest film in this franchise swaps out one famous face for another - Bella Thorne stars as a teen that moves into the infamous house with her family and brain-dead brother.

But instead of retelling the Lutz’s story yet again, it explores the power of the house as it slowly begins to possess the brother until he begins to carry out the murders that plague the house.

It is even revealed that the mother brought them to the house in the hope that the demonic energy would help the brother. But, with a gaggle of friends who know the story of the house - and even show the main character the 2005 film - they help her defend against the powers of the house.

The film ends with the sister dragging her brother out of the house and beyond the magic circle she drew, ending the power of the house over the brother after he begins murdering various family members.

The final scene notes that the main character is being questioned by the police, bringing us back to the main point of this post:

This haunting set itself apart by roping in the legal courts.

But how true were these films to the real claims made by the family? And what really happened on November 13th 1974?

What Really Happened At 112 Ocean Avenue?

Whenever someone mentions Amityville, someone gets sued.

Some guy writes a book? They get taken to court. Another bloke makes a film? Lawyers get pissy about the new details added in.

But obviously, this all started in 1974, when Ronald DeFeo killed all 6 members of his family at 112 Ocean Avenue. The courts definitely got involved then, and they are still are - he is currently serving time having been convicted of second degree murder in 1975.

The DeFeo’s deaths were rather peculiar though, mirroring an almost ritualistic scene; each victim was found lying in their bed, face down. At first he ran out of the house and reported that his family had been shot, only confessing days later that he was the killer.

The family had lived in the house since 1965, and thus spent a decade in what many presume to be a haunted due to the experiences of the Lutzes. Could this have caused the murders?

According to some, the paranormal forces could’ve been at the house before the DeFeos moved in as the insanity defense pedalled by DeFeo’s lawyers claimed that he heard the voices of his family plotting against him.

"Once I started, I just couldn't stop. It went so fast" - Ronald DeFeo

I’m sure this mirrors the beliefs and actions of most murderers, but this sense of being out of control or maybe even not yourself certainly fits the bill of possession that the movies always pin on George Lutz.

The isolation of the George figure we see in the film and the voices heard throughout suggest this, but the DeFeo story is often skipped in the films and the books.

Yet despite DeFeo’s confession, the murders are still bathed in mystery. The police were puzzled by the fact that the corpses showed no sign of struggle, and were confused by the sheer scale and speed that the killings would have required. On top of this, neighbours didn’t hear the shots despite the gun not having a silencer.

Even the motive was uncertain.

Sure, DeFeo did ask about his father’s life insurance very quickly following his death, but many didn’t think that was reason enough to kill one’s entire family.

DeFeo’s story has twisted and turned overtime, but one thing is for sure: no haunting is ever mentioned in this side of the story.

None. Nada. Zilch.

This is why any retelling of Amityville focuses on the murders that took place there, but also tries to trace back the haunting to a satanic cause buried in the history of the house.

To this day the question still stands: what really caused the haunting of Amityville?

The book The Amityville Horror (1977) tries to answer this question, and charts each claim of the Lutz family. And unfortunately, it confirms that the films portray an uncomfortably accurate haunting.

The hauntings noted by the Lutz family are nothing short of incredible - however you interpret my use of that word..

The spooky goings-on reported include:

A priest being told to ‘get out’ and his subsequent telephone call warning the family to stay out of a room being cut short

George would wake up at 3.15am an check the boathouse - this was the estimated time of the murders

Flies would swarm the house despite their arrival in mid-winter

Kathy would have violent and detailed nightmares about the murders

The family members all began to sleep on their stomachs

Missy, the daughter, made an imaginary friend called Jodie, a pig with red glowing eyes

Green slime oozed from walls

Hoof prints similar to that of a pig were spotted in the snow

However, the most intriguing piece of the paranormal discovered at Amityville was that small room with red walls that was found in the basement - a room considered to be the source of the evil in the house. And, just like in the films, the family dog had severe reactions to it such as cowering and refusing to go near it.

It was only when they fled to a relative’s house and saw slime coming up the stairs towards them that they decided that they would not be returning to 112 Ocean Avenue.

Evidently the silver screen tapped into the nature of the hauntings, but the possession of George Lutz? According to the Lutzes, it only went as far as George noticing that he bore a resemblance to Ronald.

What about Reverend Ketchum? And the Native American burial ground?

Doesn’t exist and didn’t happen.

Well, okay, some bloke called Ketchum would have existed - this was a popular name for settlers from England. But there’s no evidence that he spent his spare time in a cult or murdered Native Americans there. And the Shinnecock Native Americans? Sure, they exist, but leaders claimed this was not a burial ground.

In reality, all we have is a chaotic level of activity.

Or do we?

The book has encountered a fair share of controversy, with most major details being overturned.

Hoof prints in the snow? It didn’t snow that day.

The red room? It was a closet, and it wasn't concealed.

The claims by the priest? He never said they were of paranormal origin.

"Nothing weird ever happened, except for people coming by because of the book and the movie." - The couple that lived there after the Lutzes.

The 9 Other Cases Of Evidence Of The Paranormal Being Used In Court

I love me a ghost.

The problem is, there’s a lot of ‘em.

You’d think Amityville was like the only case where the paranormal made their way into court cases, stamping the supernatural into legal files and sending shivers down the jury’s spine…

But unfortunately, that is not true.

It turns out that tales of haunting are actually clogging up legal archives. And no, I don’t mean cases where a woman would sneeze in the 16th century and they would legally have some right to burn her cause clearly she was a witch.

In fact, some of these mysterious mentions have founded laws!

“Alexa, play the Legally Blonde soundtrack.”

#1 - The Greenbrier Ghost

Woman dies. Husband acts suspicious. Husband acts more suspicious. Ghost tells mother the husband did it. Case closed.

No, seriously - that’s what happened.

Elva Zona Heaster was murdered in 1897 at the hands of her husband. Having broken her neck, he claimed complications with pregnancy killed her, and dressed the corpse to prevent people seeing the real cause of her death.

The grandmother was the first to become unsure of his story having washed the scarf that was tied around her daughter’s definitely-not-f*cked-up neck and being unable to wash out a blood stain. She began to pray, and her daughter’s spirit explained to her what occurred.

She even did an Exorcist and twisted her head round to confirm just in case her mam didn’t get the message.

She reported the sighting, and the deputies immediately questioned people of interest. The body was reinvestigated, and the husband arrested.

Boom. Ghosted.

#2 - The Hammersmith Ghost Murder

You’d expect most cases mentioned here to involve someone being murdered and their ghost being the problem, right?

This bad boy bucks the trend.

Its 1803, and we are in fair London town. A ghost is on the loose from, I don’t know, hell, and is wandering the streets. An armed patrol is in the area to protect the citizens when a figure emerges, wearing all white.

“Looks pretty ghosty to me, must shoot ghost” thinks one of the armed patrol guys. They shoot ghost, but ghost is actually a bricklayer.

F*ck.

The British courts thus debate whether attacking or killing someone out of a misunderstanding counts as a crime. It officially becomes a part of UK law that stands to this day that such an act is not worthy of a sentence as if the crime was intentionally committed.

#3 - Stambovsky vs. Ackley

Also known as The Ghostbusters Ruling, this takes us to the other side of the Pond, all the way to New York. Oh, and this time we aren’t in the 19th century, it's 1991, instead.

The story goes a buyer bought a house that was widely believed to be haunted, but they weren't aware of these claims. Thus, they asked for a recission of the contract and claimed that this sale was fraudulent as they concealed the haunting to avoid lowering the sale price.

The courts - after much mocking and deliberation - finally came to the conclusion that legally the house was haunted, and therefore houses that are supposedly haunted must be presented in this way.

#4 - The Devil Made Me Do It Case

This case does what it says on the tin, and is even set to be the basis for the next instalment of The Conjuring franchise.

The trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson has already been covered by this blog (that awesome post about The Conjuring 3), but for those not up-to-date on all the amazing articles I do, I guess I’ll just have to fill you in:

The story goes that whilst clearing out a house they just rented, David Johnson encountered an old man - who we now believe to be a demon - that began to slowly possess him.

David was only 12 years old, so, to protect him, Arne (his father) asked for the demon to possess him instead.

However, it was during an altercation with their landlord, Alan Bono, that the demon reportedly influenced Arne’s actions and assisted in his murder. In fact, it was Lorraine Warren that was the first to go to the police and make the initial claim that it was the demon that caused the murder.

The legal team roped in lawyers who had worked on similar cases abroad, and exorcism specialists were encouraged to speak up and defend Arne.

Their efforts did not prove successful, however, and Arne was handed a sentence of 20 years. He only served 5.

#5 - Booty vs. Barnaby

No, this isn’t the title of the next Cardi B album. Instead, it's another historic tale from my homeland.

Our story starts in 1687, when some bloke called Captain Barnaby is on holibobs in Stromboli. When he’s not busy shooting innocent animals, he’s watching his next door neighbour from London Town getting chased by a phantom into the mouth of an active volcano.

No, I’m serious.

The neighbour’s wife thought the story sounded ridiculous too, which is why she had him arrested for slander. But then 30 of his crew supported his claims, clearing his name, and leaving a rather peculiar tale clogging up our court records.

#6 - The Haunting Of Lowes Cottage, Derbyshire

For some reason, every person buying a house in the ‘90s was using the hottest new way to bag a bargain: just say it's haunted or somethin’!

And that’s exactly what happened in fair Derbyshire. The Smith family were keen to move into their new cosy ‘lil cottage, but the oozing walls, ghostly hands sexually assaulting family members, the pig faced boy and other strange occurrences were a cause for concern.

(Obviously.)

Having withheld payment for the property due to the events noted, they took the sellers to court, saying it should be reduced by £50,000. Even the vicar threw in his two cents, offering up the evidence which sounded a lot like a little house in a place called Amityville.

Ever heard of it?

The case was eventually thrown out of court by the judge.

#7 - Reed vs. King

Before the DeFeos were murdered, and before the Lutzes even made the mistake of telling their furniture movers to head to 112 Ocean Avenue, a court case regarding a haunted house first hit the legal scene.

Our story starts in Grass Valley. A family moved into a new home, but the estranged husband paid a visit one night, and murdered 5 of the family members and injured 2 others.

Many years passed, and the Reed family shacked up here. However, it was only when they were told of the true events that transpired that the new residents became concerned. Sure, no one mentioned a haunting per say, but they claimed that the house “retained an echo”.

Small bloody footprints, blood stains smeared on the walls - no, it's not the bathroom after I’ve emptied my Diva Cup - it’s what Reed began to see throughout the house.

Reed thus decided to sue the sellers of the house, claiming that they tried to conceal the murders to avoid a wowcher.com-esque deal. But, when the case went to court, Reed didn’t mention hide nor hare of potential ghosts - instead, the potential haunting was used against them to prove how ridiculous the claims were.

#8 - The Death Of Estefania Guitterez Lazaro

It’s been discussed, dissected, and even given a Netflix contract - the death of this Madrid teen in 1992 is officially one of the most prominent cases of possession to date.

Despite slipping under the radar, this tale is known not for its rather simple story, but because it was the first modern-day haunting that was verified by police reports.

The story goes that Estefania died following a session using a Ouija board with her friends in school. When interrupted by a teacher for trying to contact the dead, Estefania became possessed. A strange vapour began to enter her mouth and nose, and from there her seizures and hallucinations began.

After her death in hospital, the family claimed there was a variety of paranormal activity occurring throughout the family home. From the picture of Estefania catching fire of its own accord, to unexplained noises and a rather slimy, broken crucifix, the police had seen enough.

A report was filed citing the unexplained events and confirmed it was the paranormal.

#9 - The Exorcism Of Anneliese Michel

This is one of the most tragic tales I’ve ever had to write about.

Anneliese Michel’s story has been detailed on this blog many-a-time, and has received its fair share of attention in popular culture, including in the film The Exorcism Of Anneliese Michel.

But the main reason it’s been recognised as possibly the most famous case of possession is because it brought the paranormal firmly into the legal courts. Due to Michel’s extremely weak state at the time of her death - including weighing only 68 pounds at the time of her death - the priests that carried out the exorcisms were charged with negligent homicide.

However, it's not the fact that they were charged that puts the supernatural spin on this case.

To fight their corner, the priests used tapes that recorded Michel’s exorcism to bolster their claims of her possession and had her body exhumed.

Their mere 6 month stint in jail was down to the jury’s beliefs that they didn’t intend to harm her, nor neglect her. And the suspension of their time behind bars confirms that their case was backed up by their claims.

But let it not be mistaken: the jury weren’t convinced that Michel was in fact possessed - they were convinced that Michel’s belief in her possession could only be alleviated by the priests’ actions.

*Bangs gavel* What’s your verdict?

Is the jury out? Are you pissin’ on my leg and telling me it’s raining?

Or are you still awake at 3am and waiting to see the glowing red eyes of little Missy’s childhood bestie?

If so, why not fill the rest of your evening with the rest of my awesome articles on real paranormal activity just like this... Don’t forget to hit follow, too, to get a new ghost story in your feed everyday!

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sunnydaleherald · 9 months ago

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, February 25th

SPIKE: I don't wanna be this good looking and athletic. We all have crosses to bear.

~~Touched~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Treacherous Feelings by veronyxk84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

For Once, We’re the Only Ones Left by Hecate (Faith x Wesley, G, background character death)

Sparring or stripping? by Bl4ckHunter (Buffy & Faith, T, tags warn for embarrassing nudity)

Graveyard, a long while til morning by firemanwhenthefloodsrollback (Buffy/Spike, T)

adaptive strategy by CallMeVampy (Giles/Ethan, M)

Treacherous Feelings by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, anthology rated R)

All Kittens Go To Heaven by Arke (Anita Blake crossover, Spike, FR7)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Lost Angels - Chapter 25 by StillRose ("Supernatural" crossover, Xander/Spike, Angel/Dean, Explicit)

Fate Plans and We Laugh - Chapter 22 by Hermione2be (Batman crossover, Dawn/Bruce Wayne, Buffy/Bruce Wayne, Faith/Bruce Wayne, Dawn & Alfred, Faith & Alfred, T)

Ties to the World - Chapter 13 by TheDanishBird (Buffy/Spike, BtVS ensemble, Explicit)

Red on Red - Chapter 11 by Empire_of_the_Words (Buffy/Angel, Tara x Oz, Dawn/Connor, T)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Dawn Chronicles 1: Break of Dawn - Chapter 2 by PerfecterCell (Dawn/Glory, Dawn/Ben, multiple archive warnings, Explicit)

Amara Time - Chapter 11 by Joan963z (Buffy/Spike, Willow/Oz, Xander/Anya, M)

The End of Destiny - Chapter 8 by ConstantCommentTea (Angel, Cordelia, Connor, OCs, brief Doctor Who crossover, T)

The crosspost of "Worth Fighting For" COMPLETED at Ch. 71 by melodys_muse (Angel/Buffy, T)

same coin - Chapter 2 by The_Eclectic_Bookworm (Buffy & OC, Scoobies, G)

Worship the Rain - Chapter 2 by MyCosmicAlice (Angel/Cordelia, M)

Greatest Love Story Postlude - Chapter 6 by FalseGinger (Spike/Angel, M)

The Witch’s Gift, Ch. 33 by RavenLove12 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Neighbor's Point of View, Ch. 88 by the_big_bad (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Early One Morning, Ch. 17 by all choseny (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Cherry On Top, Ch. 31 by Maxineeden (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

A Vampire and a Slayer Walk Into a Park... Ch. 17 by holetoledo (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

Rebehold the Stars (Love from the Other Side of the Apocalypse), Ch. 8 by Asokatanos (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Afterburn, Ch. 17 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Lie to Me, Ch. 13 by In Mortal (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

Du fond du cœur, Ch. 3 by Miss Kitty (Buffy/Spike, PG, in French)

Not Just a Boy and a Girl (It's Just the End of the World), Chapter 8 by noctilucent (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Scoobies in Neptune, Ch. 29 by Buffyworldbuilder (Veronica Mars crossover, FR7)

To All We Guard, Ch. 6 by simmony (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Day After, Ch. 4 by Maldorana (Buffy/Spike, G)

Perfect Clarity, Ch. 24 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, R)

[Images, Audio & Video]

ily buffy summers by bugaboooooooooo (worksafe)

Buffy/Spike drawing by isevery0nehereverystoned (some artistic nudity)

Lindsey fanart by goodandpure (worksafe)

Drawings: favorite demons by JuniorAd3871 (loan shark, Sweet, Skip, worksafe)

Chibi Champions by girlpire (Spike/Angel, G)

[Reviews & Recaps]

Welcome to the Hellmouth and The Harvest by spuffybot

Buffy Season One Review by inconsistentlywrittensoul

I recently bought the Buffy tarot and a lot of the card choices are... so bad by winter--witch

Thoughts and feelings watching Angel for the first time with complete foreknowledge by AndHerSymbols

What is your most rewatched episode [of AtS]? by Pumpkins217 and others

What's Your Best and/or Worst of Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 3? by Big-Restaurant-2766

An example of ruining a twist. by oliverharry98

Done with season 3 of Buffy by Jarethjr

[Recs & In Search Of]

Spangel Saturday: Cryptic by Pet recced by spangel-fic-marathon

[Fandom Discussions]

every spike/buffy interaction in s2 is hilarious by mimsycohen

There's not a single dude in the cast that wouldn't become worse as a result of being The Guy Who Fucked Xander Harris by angelthemanspanker

Family - Is Season 5 confused? by vampmogs and others

Do you think Angel/Liam loved his father? by The Whirlwind and others

[I’ve always gotten the feeling like "Family" maybe wasn’t what was originally planned for Tara] by cre8ivemind

Riley Is A Raggedy Ho, But I No Longer Think He's A Bitch by Prometheus321

What BTVS quote needs a swear word added in it? by PristineSituation498

Buffy and Faith were perfect mirrors of each other by LightBlueSky55

Foreshadowing that I don’t hear brought up a lot by moxiecontin-

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

James Marsters Pensacon 2024 Reports, Pics & Videos via jamie_marsters

James Marsters' next scheduled con appearance is Lexington Comic & Toy Convention on Mar 7-10 - via jamie_marsters

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series

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program-800 · 5 years ago

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Exploring D:BH Fics (Part 6)

I continue investigating the text of DBH fics. Here, I talk a bit more about the word2vec model mentioned here.

Recap: Data was scraped from AO3 in mid-October. I removed any fics that were non-English, were crossovers and had less than 10 words. A small number of fics were missed out during the scrape - overall 13933 D:BH fics remain for analysis.

Part 1: Publishing frequency for D:BH with ratings breakdown Part 2: Building a network visualisation of D:BH ships Part 3: Topic modeling D:BH fics (retrieving common themes) Part 4: Average hits/kudos/comment counts/bookmarks received (split by publication month & rating) One-shots only. Part 5: Differences in word use between D:BH fics of different ratings Part 6: Word2Vec on D:BH fics (finding similar words based on word usage patterns) Part 7: Differences in topic usage between D:BH fics of different ratings Part 8: Understanding fanon representations of characters from story tags Part 9: D:BH character prominence in the actual game vs AO3 fics

Preface Before I start, do note that word2vec models (and the dimension reduction techniques in the visualisation, save for PCA) are still relatively unfamiliar to me versus the other stuff I’ve done. I’ll be writing what I understand so far, but I’m still doing readings and am far from an expert on any of this. Now that’s out of the way -

Relations between words come easy to us. We just kind of know that generally, words like ‘pain’ and ‘agony’ are more similar to each other than ‘pain’ and ‘apples’, for example. It’s not as easy for a computer though - text data has to be preprocessed into a numerical form to do any quantitative analysis; how would you tell a PC that ‘pain’ and ‘agony’ are closer to each other than ‘apples’?

Many applications still work off a bag-of-words model (i.e., some form of word count). It sounds crude but it really still provides a rather solid baseline! But for the purpose of this part (finding similar words), a bag-of-words won’t work at all. For example, the sentences: ‘There was blood, he was in pain and screaming’ and ‘There was blood, he was in agony and screaming’. ‘Pain’ and ‘agony’ would just be counted as different words (as with any usage of ‘apple’) - there’s no information encoded in the word count about their obvious similarity.

Word2vec models can help with this. By working with the assumption that words that share similar contexts (i.e., surrounding words) should have similar meanings, these models represent each word as a unique numerical vector (typically hundreds of dimensions), by either (1) learning to predict a word of interest based on its surrounding words, or (2) learning to predict surrounding words based on a word of interest. With these vectors (word embeddings), we can then perform calculations; for example, calculating cosine similarity to find the most similar words.

I’d like to highlight that an effect of this assumption is that we don’t necessarily get synonyms only in our eventual lists of similar words. The similarity derived from word2vec is far broader - antonyms would also be considered similar under this assumption.

Much code for this part taken from Gensim’s tutorial.

1. Preprocessing. Very simple preprocessing done here. Given that surrounding words are important to the training of the word2vec model, I did not remove names and stopwords. I just removed the chapter/work text and newline indicators.

Then, I tokenised (split) each fic down into its sentences. I then applied Gensim’s simple_preprocess function to each sentence to get word2vec-ready input. The function further tokenises each sentence into individual words, lowercasing them all and ignoring words that are too short/long (at least 2 characters, no more than 15).

There were 6,817,169 sentences for the word2vec model to learn from.

2. Training the word2vec model. I used Gensim for this. I did not set a maximum vocabulary size for the model to work on, but I did set a minimum count of 100 (i.e., the word has to appear in at least 100 sentences to be kept for training). This left me with 18,733 unique words from the original 133189 unique words.

I used the skip-gram model, which learns to predict surrounding words given a word of interest. The window size was set to 10; this affects the size of the ‘context’ that the model’s working with (i.e., look at the 10 words before and after each word of interest in a sentence). I set the vector size to 200 - each of the 18,733 words was thus represented as a 1x200 dimension vector at the end of training. The model was allowed to run for 20 iterations.

3. Visualisation. Since it’s impossible for most humans to visualise at a level of 200 dimensions (please contact me if you can), I used tensorflow’s projector to visualise the 18,733 embeddings in a 3D space.

There are three options for dimension reduction - PCA, tSNE, UMAP. This notebook from the authors of UMAP show how these algorithms differ in their final visualisation output.

PCA is linear and provides a lower-dimension representation that captures the most amount of variance possible from the original representation. It is deterministic and results don’t differ across runs.

tSNE and UMAP (from what I understand) are non-linear, will change across different runs, and are sensitive to hyperparameters. I’ve mostly seen tSNE used as a useful pre-work visualisation tool to check if there is actual separability in the data before going on with clustering, etc. tSNE is focused more on local structure and doesn’t preserve global distances (so you can’t say a further cluster is more dissimilar than a nearer one).

UMAP is a really new algorithm that seems to be a contending alternative to tSNE. I don’t know enough to comment - honestly I went with UMAP for this visualisation just because it ran faster. It does seem to generally put the words that have higher similarity (as defined by cosine similarity) in the same local space.

Feel free to try the tSNE setting on the projector, but do note it’ll take a while for the result to stabilise!

Final notes Regarding model training, I’m not too sure if 100 sentences was too liberally low a count and if a window of 10 was too large. I’d like to continue experimenting with this.

Also, while the model appears to find qualitatively intuitive ‘similar’ words, that’s far from the only way to evaluate it:

1) I read that one way to test the model’s quality is to look at semantic relations, e.g. ‘man’ is to ‘boy’ as ‘woman’ is to ‘girl’, ‘Moscow’ is to ‘Russia’ as ‘Washington’ is to ‘America’. I ran a few checks and they weren’t that great. I (currently) suspect two reasons. Firstly - more data and more hyperparameter tweaking needed. Secondly - fics may just have a rather different focus/relations from regular Wikipedia/news corpora, and it’s being reflected here.

2) Another way to evaluate the model is to see the performance of the learned embeddings on some downstream task like text classification. I haven’t thought of a follow-up task, but it would be interesting to pursue this.

#dbh #detroit become human #dbh fanfic #fandom stats #ao3 #text analysis

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emilybettsource · 6 years ago

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‘Arrow’ Post-Finale Media Roundup

How the Arrow finale said goodbye to Emily Bett Rickards' Felicity, teased 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' (Entertainment Weekly)

Overwatch just signed off on Arrow (hopefully, for now).

Emily Bett Rickards’ run as tech-genius Felicity Smoak came to an end in Monday’s season 7 finale, as the actress is leaving the show ahead of its eighth and final season. Not only did the finale give Felicity an emotional send-off, though, it also planted some major seeds for the Arrowverse’s next crossover, “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” Here’s how it all went down (We’ll have a full recap later tonight):

Emily Bett Rickards Says Goodbye to Felicity Smoak in Season 7 Finale of ‘Arrow’ (US Weekly)

So long, Overwatch! Emily Bett Rickards bid farewell to her beloved role as Felicity Smoak during the Monday, May 13, season 7 finale of Arrow, titled “You Have Saved This City.”

TV Line - Emily Bett Rickards Exits Arrow: How the Season Finale Wrote Out Felicity — Plus, Oliver's Future Fate Revealed!

Arrow gave Felicity’s portrayer Emily Bett Rickards not one, but two emotional exits during Monday’s Season 7 finale.

'Arrow' Says Goodbye to Felicity and Reveals Oliver's Crossover Bargain in Season 7 Finale (ET Online)

Arrow said goodbye to a beloved character on Monday's finale, as actress Emily Bett Rickards exited the show after seven seasons as Team Arrow's tech mastermind Felicity Smoak. But Felicity's emotional departure posed a whole new series of questions, calling back to this year's Elseworlds crossover and looking ahead to what may be coming in next year's multi-show crossover event.

‘Arrow’ Season 7 Finale: Emotional Farewell For Emily Bett Rickards (Deadline)

Game of Thrones isn’t the only series counting down to its big finish with a nasty war between Queens, plenty of long-lost sibling drama an uncommon level of commitment to both archery and earth tones. That’s right, there’s also Arrow, the bullseye center of the CW’s shared superhero mythology (aka, the Arrowverse) which has spread across space and time in more ways than one. Arrow and its sister shows — The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and the long-gone Constantine — have collectively aired 461 episodes to date and effectively expanded the Arrowverse canon with every single installment. More is one the way, too, with Batwoman premiering in the fall. Taken all together, it’s a somewhat staggering achievement and one that no one foresaw when Arrow notched its first episode in October 2012.

Here's How 'Arrow' Said Goodbye To Felicity Smoak During The Season 7 Finale (Just Jared Jr.)

We said goodbye to Felicity Smoak on Arrow last night in one of the best season finales ever.If you haven’t watched the episode, we highly suggest you skip past this post right now, because we’re going to go into everything that happened.

#arrow 7x22 #arrow spoilers #entertainment weekly #us weekly #tvline #entertainment tonight #et online #deadline #just jared jr #media #arrow #arrow season 7 #felicity smoak #emily bett rickards

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sebeth · 6 years ago

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Young Justice: Welcome To Happy Harbor, Drop-Zone, What’s The Story

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

Episode 3: “Welcome To Happy Harbor”

The episode begins with Speedy interrupting one of Brick’s shipments. Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad soon join the party.

Brick gets cocky and pays for it. I’d completely forgotten about Brick’s appearance in this episode. We see Brick in the trailer for the third season. I bet he appears in Arrowette’s origin/recruitment episode. It would be a nice callback to the first season.

The boys attempt to recruit Speedy to the team but he’s a manly man who doesn’t need to be part of a team.

“Recognized Robin B-01, Kid Flash B-03”

You know Batman programmed the codes and was all “Robin will be the first”. It’s also a nice nod to Robin’s status as the first sidekick.

“Mission assignments are the Batman’s responsibility.” – Yep, poor Red is the one who has to reign in their shenanigans. This Red doesn’t know how easy he has it – there should be a crossover between the Red of the cartoon universe and the Red of the comic book universe. Comic book-Red can terrify Cartoon-Red with tales of his Conner and Bart.

“This team is not a social club.” – Kaldur would be the one most adamant about assignments and not wasting time on socializing. He entered the Atlantean military at 12 years old. He’s had structure and duty drilled into him at a young age.

“I cannot read his mind.” – Ooh, foreshadowing of M’gann’s later abuse of her powers? That is a pretty clear violation of privacy for no other reason than convenience. On the one hand, I cut M’gann some slack because even at 45 years old she is still a teenager by her race’s standards. Teenagers don’t always make the best decisions and she’s obviously attempting to impress her teammates. On the other hand, J’onn is a very ethical telepath and I’m positive he would have coached M’gann on the proper uses of telepathy.

“We all know what you’re thinking right now.” – Wally the horn dog is taken straight out of his solo comic in the late 1980s.

Wally and Dick competing over M’gann’s attention is hilarious. I don’t think Dick event wants M’gann’s attention as much as he wants to annoy Wally. Meanwhile, Superboy is not amused by their shenanigans. At all.

Kaldur continues to be the only “adult” in the room.

“Granny Jones’ recipe from episode 17” – Subtle foreshadowing of an element that wouldn’t become prominent until much later in the season.

Wally needs to learn subtleness in his flirtations.

“Here, your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy.” – Wouldn’t that have been one of the first things J’onn would have gone over with her?”

Superboy would be highly sensitive to telepathic intrusions due to his experiences in Cadmus. If your entire upbringing revolved around telepathic manipulation, you are sure not going to want anyone randomly popping into your head.

“Helo, Megan.” – What we thought was a catchphrase is more foreshadowing.

The Martian bio-ship is cool.

“Fast with his feet. Not so much with his mouth.”

“Dude!”

Yep, Dick is having too much fun giving Wally a bad time.

Kaldur takes the lead and reaches out to Superboy. Even before it was made official, the writers did a great job laying the foundation for Aqualad to become the leader of the team.

“Mimicking boys is a lot harder.” – Would it be? Do Martians even have gender? Their natural forms – green or white – are basically androgynous.

“Are tornadoes common in New England?” – A pretty sensible question. Kaldur lives underwater, Conner’s a newborn, Megan’s an alien, and Wally’s from the Midwest. Dick is the only one who lives in New England area.

The team battles Mr. Twister and comes out on the losing end. I’ve always felt Red Tornado was one of the most formidable heroes around. How do you fight a tornado?

“That was quite turbing.” – Dick’s mangling of the English language is thrown back into his face.

Megan deduces (wrongly) that Mr. Twister is the Red Tornado. To be fair, it was an obvious guess.

“Stay out of our way.” – Is this Conner’s catchphrase? This is the second time in three episodes he’s stated a variation of it.

The rematch with Mr. Twister is going as well as the first round.

“First thing Batman taught me.” – Yeah, I can see Bruce believing “never be without a weapon” is a valuable life lesson.

Where did Dick hide the utility belt? It’s rather bulky.

Megan devises a plan and the team makes short work of Mr. Twister.

“Cool. Souvenir.” – Wally begins his collection of trophies.

The scientist at the end is Dr. T.O. Morrow – his search for Red Tornado sets up a future episode.

“Sorry. I’ll strive to be more accurate.”

“And more respectful.”

Yep, Dick and Conner could both use lessons in manners and tact.

Conner mutters an awkward “Sorry” to Megan. Judging from his expression, it pained him in his soul to do so.

Episode 4: “Drop-Zone”

For those curious, the first three episodes of the cartoon, along with the first five issues of the comic, took place from July 4th through the 12th.

“Drop-Zone” begins on June 19th – Kobra has forcibly taken control of Bane’s Venom-production facilities on Santa Prisca. Bane is not happy.

Bane battles Mammoth for control of the island and loses.

I like Kobra and his minions visual design. Very nice. I’m not sold on Shimmer or Mammoth (pre-transformation.”

We flip ahead to June 22nd. Two possibilities for why we are now in June – which is before July, not after. One – the creators messed up and put June in the captions instead of July. Two – we skipped a year between episodes 3 and 4. I’m going with the first option as the team still hasn’t elected a leader. Pretty sure you can’t have a year’s worth of adventures without an established leader.

That said, I’m pausing “Drop-Zone” and switching to the comic as the fifth issue takes place on July 20th. I’m trying to keep this in chronological order.

Issue 5: “What’s The Story?”

Wally is at the HQ – bored and flirthing with Megan. Wally suggest a camp fire. Megan enthusiastically agrees but dashes Wally’s hopes by inviting the rest of the team.

Tents are set, fires lit, and smores made.

Dick tells Wally to tone down his flirting as it’s “kinda bordering on the creepy.” Yeah, Wally isnt’ exactly smooth.

Conner’s not impressed with camping: “Sleep in these flimsy things called tents and sit around the fire?”

Dick scolds Wally again: “You’re about as subtle as a train wreck.”

Megan wants to learn more about her teammates.

Aqualad begins. Here are the highlights:

· Grew up in Shayeris, a city of Atlantis

· Atlantis has many people, many cultures

· Completed his education at 12 and began mandatory service in the Atlantean military

· At 14 years old - Transferred to the prestigious Conservatory of Science in Poseidonis

· Queen Mera is the headmistress of the Conservatory

· Met Garth and Tula at the Conservatory

· Garth Kaldur saved Aquaman’s life during an attack by the Ocean Master

· Aquaman offered the boys a chance to become his protégé and later carry on his “suface duties” while he focused on running the Kingdom

· Kaldur leapt at the chance while Garth continued his magical studies

Nice origin recap for Kaldur. I love the inclusion of Garth and Tula as it is a nice nod to Arthur’s original sidekicks.

Wally goes next. Highlights:

· Jay Garrick is still the original Flash! Yes! I love the nods to the depth of the DC Universe. Modern creators don’t seem to care about characters and continuity but Greg Weisman and company flawlessly incorporate all aspects and elements of DC’s history.

· Barry’s next.

· Wally desperately wants to be Kid Flash but Barry is “No! No partners! I don’t want the responsibility!”

· Wally’s all “Screw that. I do what I want.” and recreates the chemical combination that caused Barry to turn into the Flash.

· Wally as a science nerd is unique to the Young Justice universe but it’s a nice addition to the character.

· After a few weeks, Wally gains super-speed. He campaigns to be Barry’s new partner. Barry’s not thrilled but agrees as long as Wally does “exactly as I say, when I say it.”

The writers did an excellent job of establishing exactly why the heroes allowed the teenagers to run around in costumes:

· Aquaman is training a protégé to assume his role as surface world ambassador/protector.

· Batman doesn’t want Dick to turn out like him. Bruce doesn’t want Dick’s “inner light” to face out.

· Barry had no choice as Wally was hell-bent on being a hero. Better to have Wally by his side than face the danger alone.

Roy is too busy being a manly loner to discover Ollie’s reasons. Traditionally, Ollie doesn’t make the best life choices so it could have been the more typical “well, letting a kid run around in a mask and punch criminals seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Robin passes on story-telling time. At first, Wally ribs Dick about Batman not letting him say anything but realizes he’s rubbing salt in the wound and passes the story-telling baton to Conner.

Conner doesn’t say much. He mentions the G-Gnomes and the containment pod. Conner states he never thought for himself until his rescue.

Conner states the one thing that’s always on his mind is “Destroying Superman.

And with that bombshell, I’m off to work.

Up next, we continue story time and resume “Drop-Zone”.

#Young Justice #Wally West #Aqualad #Kaldur #Dick Grayson #Superboy #Miss Martian #Red Tornado #Kid Flash #Conner Kent #Robin #Kon-El #Roy Harper #Speedy

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fangzeronos · 6 years ago

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SDCC 2018 wrap up

Ok now that SDCC is over, I feel like I should do a little wrap up for the weekend. I got to sit and wait for all the trailers and news to come out since I couldn’t afford to go, so this is gonna be strictly from the “Nerd on the Couch” perspective. I’m putting a read more in case anyone wanna skip this.

Titans: The trailer was alright. Robin’s in a bad place because of Batman so his “Fuck Batman” line is justified. Starfire and Beast Boy could still use some work, but it was only the first trailer, so we’ll have to reserve judgement until the show comes out. I’m looking forward to it anyway.

Young Justice Outsiders: It’s actually real. I thought for the last two years we’ve all been thinking it’s not coming and that we’ve all been living in a dream about wanting it back. I was in the middle of the store when I saw the trailer and my heart stopped. Two minutes of Season 2 recap, including Wally’s ‘death’ (HE ISN’T DEAD ALRIGHT!? HE’S JUST IN THE SPEED FORCE AND NOBODY CAN CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE DAMMIT!!!) before we get the new footage. The new characters look amazing, Geoforce looks like he’s going to be a good character, hopefully we’ll get Terra since she’s “been missing for two years”. Still waiting to see M’gann, Kaldur, Beast Boy, and the rest of the season 2 cast, but I’m excited for this one more then Titans.

And since both shows above are going to be on the DC Universe Online service, I can see paying $75 a year for it if we’re going to get more Young Justice. With all the shows coming out on DCUO, like Harley Quinn, Stargirl, Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, and all of the older shows like Batman The Animated Series, Wonder Woman, the older DC movies and the comics, I can justify paying that much for a yearlong subscription.

Supergirl: Season 4 looks like it’s going to be interesting. Agent Liberty seems like a decent antagonist, but with the way this show has done in the past, hyping a villain for the first half and then swapping it with a generic bad guy for the second, I don’t have much hope. It looks like they’re toning down the relationship drama from season 2 and 3, which is good. I’m honestly thinking they’re going to screw Lena’s character development and have her go evil Luthor judging by how season 3 ended with her “We can begin phase two” line and having the Harun-El made up that she gave to Alura. A few quick shots of Alex as Director of the DEO sporting a new haircut, nothing too revealing except for the Supergirl spacesuit at the end. I saw it and my mind went to the first Injustice 2 game trailer from 2016 with the armored look. I’m looking forward to the new season, not keen on it being on Sundays before the Charmed reboot but have to get the viewers for a remake somehow.

Arrow: Oliver Queen in prison. That’s a hell of a concept for the season. We know something’s going to change and he’s going to be out by the fourth or fifth episode, possibly earlier. Decent shots of the other characters, Dinah wearing SCPD riot gear was a nice touch, Laurel-2 denouncing vigilantism makes for an interesting idea considering what the hell she’s done in the last seasons. Diaz is fine, not enjoying having him around again but since he didn’t get killed at the end of the last season, it’s fine. Longbow Hunters might make for interesting fodder, but we can’t be sure until the show starts. I’m sick of Felicity, but that arguments been done to death. We all know it was Roy in the Green Arrow suit in the end of the trailer. If it had been Diggle, we’d have seen his face and since we know Roy’s back, it doesn’t really give us many options to choose from. I’m glad it’s on Mondays now so I can watch it and keep up instead of being behind.

Legends of Tomorrow: It looks great. This one has become one of my favorites on the network and I’m glad to see they’re getting more episodes. Hopefully this season doesn’t get shafted and end up getting thrown to a different night or time or cut in the middle for a different show. Bringing Constantine back for a regular spot is a good move considering what they’re going to be dealing with thanks to the fallout from killing Mallus. Dragons, demons, all sorts of magical and mythical creatures. “Couldn’t we be heroes just a little longer?” made me laugh and it’s that sort of thing that makes Legends stand out to me. It can be dark and gritty but still lighthearted and fun. It’s what Flash started to be and it’s what Arrow needs to be. I’m glad it’s going to be on Mondays along with Arrow.

Flash: Coming off of the reveal that Mystery Girl is actually Barry and Iris’ daughter (which I’d had a feeling about anyway since she was so giddy at the wedding in the Crisis crossover), Nora seems to be a fun addition to the cast this year. I’m honestly looking forward to seeing what she messed up, why she came back, and why didn’t she learn from Barry’s mistakes about screwing with the Timeline. Cicada looks to be interesting, and I hope he’s going to be the main villain for the year. I want to know more about how Caitlin was Frost before the Accelerator and Flashpoint happened, or is it a side effect of Flashpoint two years later? Guess we’ll find out in October.

Aquaman: The trailer looked amazing. This might just be part of what the DCEU needs to get its shit together and stop being so grimdark. Wonder Woman proved DC movies can do fun and lighthearted and still hit some dark themes and notes, and this looks like it’s going to do the same thing. Jason Mamoa looks as badass as he did in Justice League, Amber Heard is beautiful as Mera. Atlantis looked amazing. I’m thoroughly excited and December can’t come quick enough to see this.

Shazam!: One of my favorite DC heroes, man. Zachary Levi just killed it in this trailer and I was laughing the whole way through. If the movie keeps that same energy up, I’ll be damn happy. March release for this one and I’m ready to go!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters: It’s frigging Godzilla, fighting his own list of bad guys. Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah, all classics that should have been in the first one instead of the MUTO. I’ve always been a Godzilla nerd, so when I saw this trailer I was geeking the fuck out. I’m definitely excited for this one.

Now, you’re probably wondering, “Hey, where’s Voltron in all of this?” and you’d be right that I haven’t talked about it yet. I have spent three days milling over the reveals from the Voltron panel and been trying the right ways to word things, so I don’t seem like I’m being an asshole and damning myself with what I’m going to say. Now, with that out of the way.

The season 7 trailer looked good. We’re going back to Earth, so who knows how much time really has passed since the only indication we’ve had was the week that Kuron was in the Galra fighter before Keith and Black found him back in season 3. I’m sad to see that season 8 is going to be the last of VLD, but I can understand why, since they were only approved for so many episodes. Going back to a 13-episode season is the best thing they could have done. Keith piloting Black still kind of irks me, but with Shiro only having one arm, I guess it makes sense. I would much rather have Allura in Black, put Lance back in Blue, and give Red back to Keith, but that’s a whole other post.

The big thing people took away from the panel was “You’ll meet Shiro’s significant other, Adam.” When I saw that on Twitter, I was…. I’m not gonna lie, I was disappointed. You’ve had six seasons of moments between Shiro and Allura, the Hand Touch, the way she looked at him when he said “You found me” at the end of the season, how adamant they are about saving each other every time they’re in danger, Shiro’s resolve to get her back in Season 1 after she threw him into the shuttle and got taken by the Galra. And now it’s all thrown out of the airlock?

No offense to the writers, Josh Keaton who gets mad credit for keeping this close to the chest and not revealing anything, the fans that are a fan of this plot point for the next season, but I’m not a fan. Don’t get me wrong, LGBT representation in animation/kids’ media has come a long way in a few short years. Look at Steven Universe. One of the main characters is a literal fusion of two she-pronoun using space rocks. I just feel like this is shoehorned in like a checkmark on an RPG character creation. “PTSD? Check. Missing limb? Check. Male POC? Check. What else can we check to make people happy? OH! Gay! DOUBLE CHECK!!” is what it feels like to me. To me, this feels like the writers have been shadow stalking Tumblr, AO3, FF.net, everywhere else Voltron is big and made their choice but what the popular ships were in the search results.

Make Shiro gay, fine. Make him bi, that’d be a better option because then we can ship him with whoever we want and not get comments that say that shipping Shiro with Allura or any other female member of this show is gay erasure. By saying “Shiro’s gay”, you’re shooting all of the other Shiro ships in the face. Shieth shippers are over the moon, Shallura shippers are sitting in a corner, Klance shippers are looking between the two going “WTF”, and the rest of the internet’s like “Why is it a big deal?”

I feel like I should stop there about this. This is already more then a page in my word doc.

SDCC 2018 was fun to watch from a distance. CW brought some good trailers, DC killed it with 8 trailers, and Voltron is what it is. Now begins the countdown for SDCC 2019.

#SDCC 2018 #Titans #Young Justice Outsiders #Arrow #Supergirl #Flash #Legends of Tomorrow #Godzilla #Aquaman #Shazam

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