#yet again I deliver bugs playing instruments

[froggo-tea]

Music in Hallownest is everything

Aghhh I couldn’t wait to share these doodles, look at the bugs playing instruments!!! Again!!! I absolutely adore to draw them playing an instrument, plus it helps me improve on drawing stupid hands lol

Ok so we have PK playing a pipe organ (that is stored in a big ass room cuz that organ is big asf), Cloth playing the ukelele and Tiso playing drums, Quirrel playing the flute, PV playing the piano and Dryya playing the cello!

While I was daydreaming I thought of Hornet admiring Dryya’s ability with the Cello and her asking her mother to buy a Cello for her. Herrah probably agreed but didn’t let her play cuz the Cello is a big instrument, but she did let Dryya teach hornet how to play the Cello. I should probably save that with the many notes I have about hk lol-

[lovemesomesurveys]

Disney Animated Theme Asks

Snow White & the Seven Dwarves: Which one of the seven dwarves are your favorite? Dopey and Sleepy. Pinocchio: How often do you lie? Why do you do it? I downplay things more often, but sometimes I lie. It’s generally about how I’m feeling. Dumbo: Have you ever been to the circus before? When I was a kid. I’d never go now. Bambi: Are deer your favorite forest animal? If not, which is? Sure. Cinderella: Have you ever broken your curfew when you were younger? What happened? I never had a curfew, my parents never had to set one. I was a homebody as a teenager, too. I didn’t have much of a social life. I had friends, but we just hung out at school. 

Alice in Wonderland: What would you do if you fell down a rabbit hole? I mean, I do in the sense of I get caught up videos or reading stuff online all the time. I go from one thing to another. If I literally fell down a rabbit hole, well, I can’t imagine it’d feel too great. I don’t what I would or could do. Peter Pan: Are you all grown up? In which ways do you still remain child-like? Technically, yes. I’m almost 31 years old. But I don’t exactly feel grown up. I have a lot of growing up to do still. And besides the fact I have bills to pay, I don’t really feel very adult like. But then I always say how I’m so old and feel old in some ways. I don’t know, it’s complicated. 

Lady & the Tramp: Have you ever shared a piece of spaghetti with someone before? No. Sleeping Beauty: What’s the longest period of time you’ve ever slept for before? Hmm. When I’m really sick I pretty much sleep all day. I mean, I get up at times to try and eat and drink, take my medicine, and use the restroom, but most of the day is spent just sleeping. There were also times when I wasn’t sick that I slept for like 12 hours or so. Then there’s the times after I’ve had surgery where I sleep full days away. 101 Dalmatians: Do you like Dalmatians? Which breed of dogs do you prefer, if any? Dalmatians are beautiful dogs. My favorite breeds are Labs and German Shepherds. Those are the dogs I’ve had and I just love them. The Sword in the Stone: Have you ever tried your hand at jousting before? Nope. The Jungle Book: Have you ever wanted to visit a jungle before? No. The Aristocats: What is your favorite type of cat breed? Black cats are cool. Robin Hood: Who is your trusty sidekick? My doggo. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Who is your favorite character from Winnie-the-Pooh? That silly, willy, nilly ol’ bear. The Rescuers: Have you ever been rescued before? From what? Well, when my accident happened I certainly was. The Fox and the Hound: Do you prefer foxes or hounds? Why? Hounds. I just love doggos. The Black Cauldron: Have you ever wanted to become a knight? No. The Great Mouse Detective: Have you ever wanted to become a detective before? I loved books like Nancy Drew as a kid and I love reading murder mysteries now and trying to figure out what’s going on, as well as with mystery shows and movies. I wouldn’t want to actually be a detective, though. Oliver & Company: Have you ever seen a lost kitten before? What did you do? I’ve seen many stray cats.

The Little Mermaid: Do you enjoy swimming? No. Beauty and the Beast: Have you ever fallen for someone unattractive before? The guys I’ve liked were all attractive to me. Aladdin: If you could be granted three wishes, what would they be? An end to this virus and pandemic, good health (mentally and physically), and money. The Nightmare Before Christmas: Do you prefer Halloween or Christmas more? I love Christmastime, but I really get into ~spooky~ season as well. The Lion King: Have you ever been tricked before? Yes. A Goofy Movie: What’s the most outlandish thing that you’ve ever promised a crush before? I don’t think I’ve promised a crush anything outlandish. I don’t know if I’ve promised one anything. Pocahontas: Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who was in the army? No. Toy Story: What did your parents do with your toys once you got to be too old for them? Do you still have any toys from your childhood? We gave a lot away, but I still have my Barbies and some other things. The Hunchback of Notre Dame: How have you established your own independence? I don’t really feel like I have... Hercules: Has there ever been a scenario in which you were a hero to someone? I’m no hero. Mulan: Have you ever fought in a war or know someone that has? I’ve known some people, yes. A Bug’s Life: What’s your favorite bug/insect, and why? Ew, NONE. Tarzan: What is something you’ve discovered about yourself? Nothing good... Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Where would you like to go exploring? I want to travel all over. Monsters Inc: Have you ever scared children before? What did you do? Aww, no, I wouldn’t do that. Lilo & Stitch: Have you ever had an unusual pet before? What was it? Nope. Treasure Planet: If you could create a planet, what would you name it, and what would life be like there? Uhh. I have no idea. Finding Nemo: Have you ever visited Australia before? Would you want to? Why or why not? No, but I’d love to. Sounds and looks like a cool place to visit. Brother Bear: Have you ever gone hunting before? For what? No.

Teacher’s Pet: Have you ever wanted to be something you’re not? A functioning, happy, successful adult. Home on the Range: Have you ever been to a farm or lived on a farm before? I’ve been to one, yes. The Incredibles: What would you like your superpower to be? Teleportation. Valiant: Have you ever been delivered a message via a homing pigeon? Uh, no. Chicken Little: Have you ever had your reputation ruined? By whom? I’ve ruined my own the past few years because of the shitty person I’ve been. The Wild: Have you ever been to Africa before? Would you like to go? I’d love to see Giraffe Manor. Cars: Have you ever watched races before? My dad loves Nascar, but I never could get into it. I just find it very boring. Meet the Robinsons: What would you do/where would you go if you had a time machine? I’d love to go back to my childhood. Ratatouille: Have you ever wanted to be a chef before? What would be your signature dish? Ha, no. I’m no cook. Although, I think I make a pretty good bowl of ramen. haha. Wall-E: If you were able to build a robot, what would you want it to be able to do for you? Get me coffee and food. Bolt: Have you ever gone cross-country? To where?   I’ve flown to Georgia from California, which are opposite sides of the country.  Up: What is one place that you’ve always wanted to go to that you haven’t had the opportunity to yet? A lot of places in the US and other countries. The Princess & the Frog: How many frogs did you need to kiss in order to find your current prince/princess? I haven’t found him, yet. Tangled: Have you ever spent your entire life somewhere, feeling as though you were unable to escape? Yes. I feel that way in life, in my mind, and in this city. My family and I have wanted to move for several years, but we haven’t been able to. Mars Needs Moms: What would you do if you ever came face-to-face with a Martian? Uh, I’d be terrified to say the least. Arjun: The Warrior Prince: Do you have any experience with archery? Are you any good at it? Nope. Brave: Would you consider yourself to be a brave person? Why or why not? No. I’m weak and scared. Frankenweenie: Have you ever had to deal with the loss of a pet? Yes, a couple times. Wreck-It Ralph: What is your favorite video game? Have you beat it? I love Mario Bro games, many of which I’ve beat. I’ve also been enjoying Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I don’t think it’s the type of game you beat. Planes: Have you ever been in an airplane before? Where did you go? Yeah, a few times. To Georgia and back and to LA and back. Frozen: Do you prefer the ice and snow to other weather elements? Yes, and rain. I love cold weather. I despise summer. Big Hero 6: Do you have anyone in your life who is your hero? Who is someone that you look up to? My mom. Inside Out: Which emotion do you experience most frequently? Sadness, moodiness, irritability. The Good Dinosaur: What is your favorite type of dinosaur? I don’t have one. Zootopia: What is your favorite zoo animal? Giraffes. Moana: Do you ever feel as though you’ve been cursed? I don’t believe in curses. Coco: What instrument would you like to learn how to play? I wish I kept up with piano and took it more seriously back when I played. It’s been over 10 years since the last time I played. :( Onward: If you could bring one person back to life and spend the day with them, who would it be? If nothing weird happened and they’d be the same person they were before in terms of personality and such and she wasn’t sick or in pain like she was, then I’d love to spend a day with my grandma again. It’s been almost 15 years since she’s passed, SO much has happened. She and I were very close, I’d love to be able to talk with her again about things. I’d love to hear her stories again and her jokes. She had the best sense of humor. I’d love to just hear her voice and her laugh again. [a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse]

[interesting-blog-name]

LOOSE REVIEWS (It Looks Sad., Pablo’s Paintings, Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Steve Lacy)

Just a bunch of very quick, very throwaway reviews that I put together while I’m writing the Björk discography post (I’m currently at Vespertine, so this shit is gonna take a while). Mostly slightly underground bands, all very short projects and one of them don’t even have a project, but you should check them out. Anyway.

It Looks Sad. – Songs For Quarantine

Not much to say about this. It is a 9-minute EP, obviously not meant to be taken as a serious, ambitious release, but it’s from a band I wanted to check out: It Looks Sad.. They’re categorized as emo, but their style reminds the listener a lot more of shoegaze and dream pop, at least from what I’ve heard by them (right now, this and Drool, which fits cozily in my Summer playlist).

If you want some moody music for the quarantine (if it’s still going on by the time I post this) and you don’t care if the songs sound like they were recorded in an underwater cave, then go ahead and listen to this I guess. It’s average as fuck but whatever, that’s the point.

 WORST TO BEST: Eyes, Love, Waves, Bug

 bedroom music/10

“*insert shoegaze mumbling here*”

 It Looks Sad. - Kaiju

2015 EP. Two tracks, one sucks and the other is tolerable. Like I really don’t know what the fuck the singer was trying to do with Creature, he’s hollering all over the place, and the delivery would be more at home in maybe some poorly-recorded punk song, but the instrumental is nothing like that, as it’s pretty much indie-rock 101; not to mention the lyrics, which are the blandest broken-hearted songwriting I’ve heard yet, probably. I now understand how truly emo they were.

For Nagoya, I can at least say the hook is pretty cool, but that’s it really. I guess I’m grateful they changed their style.

 2.45/10

“Best friend this is terrible. You know it’s inevitable. I hope you come back, I hope he comes back.”

 Pablo’s Paintings

Just wanted to give a shoutout to the underground Leeds, Yorkshire band Pablo’s Paintings. I had listened to Lizard a long while ago, and loved it, so I decided to check out the rest of their stuff today (May 25th), and it’s very solid. The track You’ve Got A Long Way To Go draws heavily from a psychedelic influence, while Paint’s Gone Dry and So Long (All Your Friends) sound like something The Beatles would maybe write.

I guess you could call them formulaic, but their mixing and distinct sound are all pretty good for a band that hasn’t gotten a song with over 2000 streams on Spotify. Their songs can be a little to bubblegum-ish, such as So Long (All Your Friends) which doesn’t really stand out as many others, but for the most part, they deliver. Can I Draw You Something? has a slight edge to it, in comparison, but still sporting cute lyrics about just drawing for someone, and Ghost In The Machine has a great progression to it, and a very cool cover art to accompany it. It’s clear the band has a taste for visual arts, from the lyrics to the band’s name.

In short, they do have a long way to go, and I hope they release an album soon, considering all but two of their Spotify singles were from last year; I’d be the first to listen to it.

 WORST TO BEST: So Long (All Your Friends), Paint’s Gone Dry, You’ve Got A Long Way To Go, Can I Draw You Something?, Lizard, Ghost In The Machine

 good band check them out/10

“I draw these lines and take them for a walk. I find that I say things better when I don’t need to talk”

 Vancouver Sleep Clinic – Winter

Contrary to the name, the band Vancouver Sleep Clinic is from Australia. Led by ambient singer (a term I didn’t know existed until today) Tim Bettinson, from my understanding, the band have partly built their audience by reeling people into the music by putting having the songs feature in TV shows and movies and whatnot, since there’s a hefty list of times their songs have appeared in this type of media on their Wikipedia page. I decided to listen to Winter because I discovered Stakes from the fact that the $uicideboy$ sampled it on the song Sold My Soul To Satan Waiting In Line At The Mall, and liked it a lot. The EP as a whole, however, not nearly as much.

To start off with the main problem I have with Winter, the tracks are all the same. Seriously, I cannot distinguish one from the other; all the songs are soaked in reverb and mainly center around simple acoustic guitar chords and generic pianos, mixed with Tim’s head voice and sometimes the dumb decision to include a synthesized drumming track, like in Vapour, where the fast-paced hi-hats sound so out of place and clip so badly in your ears, it sounds like your earphones are having a mini seizure, but not in a cool way. Meanwhile in Flaws, there’s this unnecessary, wack finger-snapping that makes it sound like I’m listening to some techno song with around 3000 views on YouTube (I do like his backing vocals in the track though).

At its best, tracks like the opener, Collapse, offer an actually powerful passage, in that song’s case, the hook breakdown, where the 808 drum patterns are actually very welcome, and the synths under it are very beautiful and harmonize really well. The final track, Rebirth, also attempts a grand breakdown of sorts, but falls flat because the song is so unnecessarily stretched out and weirdly segmented, and it’s so unexpected: the song is a slow piano/guitar ballad as usual, and then, around 3 minutes in, after the song fades out almost entirely and tricks you into thinking it ended, the drum kicks start rising and all of a sudden there’s... something? I don’t even know what instruments are playing apart from the  superimposed drums and what I think is an electric guitar, because it sounds like god knows what, an overheating computer mixed with some shrieking sound, which I assume is the guitar, way off in the background. And then Tim sings a last verse and the song suddenly ceases to exist. Same thing happens with the shortest track here, (Aftermath), consisting of 4 lines, your average piano and strings, and of course, the reverb. It builds up an epic instrumental, and after the brief singing section, just ends. No further instrumental work, just woosh. It’s gone.

I will give credit to Tim’s verses. Even though they’re always delivered with the same intonation, his lyrics are alright, and at least in Stakes, he employs some backing vocals that really make the track, and the hook is magnificent. They tend to blend into one another, with constant themes being metaphors for words he should have or regrets saying, the cold (obviously, given the EP title), sometimes drowning/large bodies of water, and of course, all tracks are about melancholy and heartbreak. But in some parts of the EP, his verses really do feel like some alright poetry, such as the awkward last verse in Rebirth (“I’m starting again, tearing my flesh, stripped to the bone, the all that I’ve grown. Leaving behind, breathe like a child. It’s taken the winter to find who I am”) or the already mentioned beautiful hook in Stakes. In most of the songs, however, I find his themes to be too repetitive and, I wouldn’t say uninspired, but run-of-the-mill.

So overall, the EP doesn’t amount to much. All the tracks attempt to go this emotional route, but they’re very repetitive, and that numbs them and robs them of their emotion a lot. Listen to it if you want to relax, or maybe even sleep to it if you want to take their name literally.

 WORST TO BEST: Vapour, Flaws, (Aftermath), Rebirth, Collapse, Stakes

 4/10

“I sunk in oceans blue, now they’re all frozen over. I should have took your hand, we should have crossed the border.”

 Steve Lacy – Steve Lacy’s Demo

Member of The Internet, singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, drummer and producer Steve Lacy is an artist I’ve wanted to check out for a while. I have at some point in my life heard his song Looks, off this demo, but thankfully I forgot how it went so I can check it out again. It’s gonna be a quick listen and review, but I’m curious (and while looking him up I found out he won a Grammy with Kendrick’s DAMN., for producing, backing vocals and songwriting, so that’s cool, congrats Steve).

Right away, I’ll just mention this project is very lo-fi. As in, the drums and his voice are poorly mixed. I’ll give it a little bit of a pass because this man played all the instruments in here and I appreciate the fuck out of that, but anyway. You can tell right at the first track that singing isn’t Steve’s forte, at least in this album, at this time. The hook in that song is just bad, the good part are the instruments, the guitar riffs and the very dynamic bassline, plus the fun little bongos. However, just like all songs here except Dark Red, this is waaaaaaaay too short. It has two short hooks, the verse, and that’s it. The songwriting, I feel, is one of Steve’s more substantial talents; this song I just mentioned is mainly about how a relationship can’t progress because the two involved don’t like much about each other apart from their looks, and Ryd is all about taking a girl to your backseat, but even though these themes are very simplistic, Steve fleshes them out into something more interesting and melodically rich. In Ryd, his smooth vocals surf over the sunny riffs, but what takes away from it are the weirdly mixed drums, as they sound like they’re playing way louder than they should be. The track is groovy though.

The most focused song here, Dark Red, tells the story of a man who’s worried his girl might leave him soon. The instrumentals are nothing special, very basic, and same with the vocals, even though they’re more rooted and solid in this song. The next song, Thangs, emphasizes its bass way more than other songs, but once again, Steve’s voice is not pleasing to listen to, specifically his high-pitched backing vocals, they’re awful. The lyrics are the most basic here, and this song just goes by without leaving any impact after ending pretty abruptly.

Haterlovin is weird. The vocals are way too low, but I like how they differentiate themselves by not going the melodic route, instead Steve chooses to rap them, and his flow in the verse is impressive, but at the same time the hook is way too repetitive for the song to work, and even though it’s nice he switched up and focused the track on the drums, it still leaves it pretty bare.

To close it up, Some brings some promise, with a pretty funky bassline and hook, but then ends out of nowhere and starts a hidden track, Snaily, which I admit has nice falsetto vocals from Steve, but I don’t know why I couldn’t be a separate track. Overall, the album isn’t great, but I appreciate how organic and talented Steve is. Throughout the songs, his creativity is pretty noticeable, so I can’t hate his efforts, but unfortunately his ideas don’t find the right light to shine here.

 WORST TO BEST: Thangs, Haterlovin, Looks, Some, Dark Red, Ryd

 4.5/10

“Next thing I know she was feeling on me, and I was in the M double-O D when she said park my car down the backstreet”

[clutterberry]

Where Can You Find Cheap Ukuleles available to be purchased?

Is it accurate to say that you are searching for modest ukuleles available to be purchased? You are positively not alone. Numerous individuals are partial to these superb Hawaiian guitars. They are incredible for kids (however not just for kids), delivering huge tone with an extremely sweet stable. I will expound on where you can get them on markdown price in a second, first I might want to compose a couple of words about the ukuleles themselves.

Ukuleles - the Hawaiian guitar

The ukulele is a little measured guitar with 4 strings. The word Ukulele implies in Hawaiian "bouncing bug". The legend goes that there was an English armed force official who was a serious master in playing this instrument. Since he was little and dapper, he was nicknamed "Ukulele", and that is the manner by which the ukulele got its name.

An alternate clarification is that the fingers of the ukulele achieved player would be flying agilely here and there the fretboard, with the goal that their development will be like that of bouncing bugs.

The Ukuleles come in 4 sizes: The littlest is the Soprano, which is likewise alluded to as the standard size. At that point there are the Concert size, the Tenor and the Baritone. For a starter uke, it is normally prescribed to get a soprano measured instrument. At the point when you feel adroit enough you can get your next greater uke in one of different sizes.

Get yourself additionally some great uke tunes books, so you can appreciate the pleasantness and lavishness of its sound.

Where would you be able to discover modest ukuleles available to be purchased?

You truly don't need to spend a lot of cash on a ukulele. At a truly sensible cost you can get a stunning ukulele with an awesome sound. A decent uke will for the most part not need to be tuned over and over again - you may need to tune it a couple of times in the initial hardly any days, yet then it will keep tuned for quite a while.

You don't need to head out to Hawaii to get a sensibly priced uke. You can discover generally excellent and modest ukuleles available to be purchased online. You simply need to ensure you are getting it from a dependable spot, which will send you a unique ukulele with a guarantee. Before purchasing anything online you ought to consistently do some examination and price-looking at, to be certain you have discovered a decent purchase. Continuously make sure to check the certifications of the online shop you are purchasing from. This may require some extra exertion, yet this is certainly justified regardless of your time, else you may feel cheated and baffled.

[jccnwoos]

hello all !! hope you’re doing well, i am pandora, and i’m so so excited to be here !! this is my newest kid kang joonwoo, otherwise known as above’s leader, main rap & self-proclaimed dad ! you can catch him stressed 98% of the time, but he’s a true sweetheart and wants everyone to be happy ! i have yet to make him a plot page, but you can find some trivia and wanted connections for him below. if you want to get a thread started, like this and i’ll come give you love ! i’ll be drifting around for the rest of the night, i can’t wait !

background !

so he’s from a seoul, south korea ! he appreciates the countryside so much & loves the peace and quiet but he’s a city boy through and through !! it’s his home for life !!

son to a mother, kang chorong ! known for her roles in k-dramas ! she was quite the 80′s star, playing the pretty backstabbers lol !! her roles switched to more mature ones eventually, until she decided to call it quits and step out of the limelight. it shocked everybody because instead of marrying a fellow celebrity she fell back in love with her high school sweetheart ! who was....not famous oidoiewjfoe

so much of her life had attention focused on her, so now she wanted to live a quieter life ! so she was a little older to just start having children but she was like f it ! at 40 she got a surrogate mother to have her baby and boom ! joonwoo was born !

this is how he got to be so nurturing ! being an only child to a wealthy family, he was covered in love and ever since has vowed to pass it on to others !

she was kept out of the spotlight for a little bit, but the second they heard of him they were like ooh ?? hollywood’s next film baby !! so this began the spiral of his high expectation’s & people-pleasing tendencies !

her legacy was over, but to chorong, her son’s was just beginning ! so there began her attempts at introducing him to the acting scene ! 

it was quickly evident he was much, much more interested in music ! when he’d be sent to auditions as a kid, he’d just spend his time listening to his favorite songs as he waited !

his mom started picking up on this, and at 15 she started getting him into vocal & instrument lessons ! all that was good & he knew she meant well but he wanted to rap more than anything and he was like mom...i don’t like attention like that !!

but ?? she didn’t really listen to that part ! flash forward, and he became a trainee for abve ent. at nineteen. he still thinks a lot of it has to do with his mom being famous & that she pulled a few strings for him, so when he got there he kept that part as lowkey as he could but !! word spreads quick. anyways he was v interested in showing his talents opposed to letting his family name get him places.

worked v hard until debut !! a very nurturing personality even when he was a trainee, so they saw that and named him leader ! debuting with above was...surreal to say the list but he was so v excited to make his own name for himself !

things have been going great, but joonwoo really really wants to start to step out the spotlight. sure, he loves above and performing, but he was always more of the brains & more than anything wants to become a lyricist / producer ! also reeeeally wants to go to college since he never did after becoming a trainee sigh

onto his personality / lifestyle !

he is....a very loving soul ! be it platonic or romantic, he cares a lot for anyone he meets v fast ! sure it gets him hurt a bit but he believes everyone deserves care and has made it his mission to deliver it to anyone who never got it.

he can be loving, but when it’s work-time he’s in grind mode ! very passionate about whatever he does so even though he likes to have fun, he knows when to focus.

he can also be a bit serious ?? more towards his members, but when he knows their out of line he steps in as the parent like everyone stop !! asks everyone when they’re going out & for how long, probably gets called overbearing / a party pooper behind his back but it’s because he caaaaares ! 

you can catch him always striking up conversation with staff & the other members !! very talkative & thankfully has not caught that rude celebrity bug

he is over-ambitious, and with that comes a load of people pleasing !! he just wants to make his family proud because he’s a momma’s boy and loves her v much so he wants to make her proud by getting famous ! often he overestimates his energy which is never good but he’s trying his best !

he can speak korean, english, & is sadly attempting at chinese and japanese ! he’s native in the first, near fluent in the second, and wants to learn the last 2 to better connect with international fans. 

has baby & puppy fever omg !! he’s so soft for them and for sure is the type to get all giddy when babies are brought to fansigns ! also he has a white puppy suni who he treats like his true daughter ! when they’re promoting she stays w / his parents !

sidenote - his niece, eunah, is always in ig pictures with him lmao !! she’s like a little sister, tagging along & he’s such a kid person so he’s always like yay !! 

the fanservice type for sure - he’s so okay with the boyfriend personality they market him with so he’s always doing vlives and talking to the cameras all sweet & doing cute little things ! he’s genuinely thankful for their fanbase bc he never expected to have like a “fandom” of his own so !! super stoked.

wanted connections !

besties ofc !! he needs someone to joke with and confide in !

a messy friend ! someone who joonwoo has to always care about just a little more bc they’re always getting themselves in trouble. let him parent you !

a fling, give me the on-again off-again tension !

exes, maybe even as trainees ? plus if they’re staff for above & have to always be around each other !

joonwoo’s such a lovebug so a crush would be great !! 

performing buddies !! someone joonwoo can always look for to practice with !

childhood friends perhaps ?? as a reference he’s from seoul !

someone please take hm out so he can de-stress

roomies ? roomies !

competitors ! either they’re often compared or they’re just at each other’s throats all the time, somebody who would make joonwoo not-so-nice would be great !

[adelindschade]

A Little Rivalry

Dedicated to @lynyrdwrites who proposed I write something like this. 

Elijah and Caroline are at each other’s throats because someone is insecure about the fact both of them slept with Katherine at some point - and the question remains - who’s the better lover> 

Caroline was a firm believer she could not be friends with her exes.

It was a rule she mainly derived from her experience with Damon.

Who could be friends with that?  

Forget Stefan! She once considered him a best friend – and then they foolishly crossed that line – ugh! And as per typical Stefan, further endorsing the whole Caroline-is-always-second-best, runs to Elena the first sign she and Damon’s relationship started to disintegrate... again.

Then there’s Tyler who, as much she hoped it would work (because the break-up was mutual), realized she could not salvage a decent kinship after Tyler found himself finagling with that harlot Hayley. Anyone but Hayley! That trifling, back-stabbing, no good bitch!

That rule had two exceptions:

Matt Donovan and Katherine Pierce (or Katerina Petrova, in her native tongue).

Matt was her first – in everything really. Just like Stefan, Caroline was merely an Elena-substitute, so to say they parted on good terms was far from the truth. However, when Matt removed himself from the never-ending drama that held Mystic Falls captive, he and Caroline reconnected in a non-romantic way when she, too, followed his footsteps – and far, far away from her hellish hometown. Maybe Caroline had a tendency to be too forgiving but she was happy to give him the benefit of the doubt. Mainly, she was a lonely, and he was a familiar face. And she was kind of drunk. But it was a meeting by chance and surprisingly, she didn’t regret it. The reunion was unexpected but blossomed into a fond friendship – made possible by the fact they weren’t constantly dealing with their friends’ endless drama.

Katherine made her wonder if girls were just less trouble than boys. By no means was Katherine the easiest partner but after they came to terms they weren’t end-game, they still could salvage parts of their relationship that nurtured a strong friendship surviving even to the present! It helped Katherine actually understood her – all the parts of her that Caroline tried so hard to suppress because that’s what everyone else told her to do. Not Katherine though. Katherine liberated her and for that, Caroline was eternally grateful.

As if the game of six degrees couldn’t get any more complication, the two girls got themselves entangled in a game of dating brothers. Err, flirting, really! (Eventually it got there!) Caroline had sworn off boys as part of her New Years’ Resolution. Katherine loved a game of chase but nothing more. Her age was finally getting to her, she joked, but they both knew she was still reeling from the whole Silas debacle.

 Then the inevitable happened. Klaus won over Caroline after five years of endless wooing. Elijah succumbed to Katherine’s charm (and begged on his knees for her forgiveness after a dalliance with – you guessed it – Hayley!)

The latter did not win him any points with Caroline who already was not amused with his Stefan-like-Savior complex. What Katherine found appealing about the stuffy-suited-old-croak was beyond Caroline’s comprehension.

Then again, Katherine wasn’t too fond of Klaus either, mostly because they were too competitive for their own good…

Yet, they all co-existed with some civility. Abet, aided by their mutual man, Kol, who happened to be dating Caroline’s best friends Bonnie-and-Enzo (because the three were very attached to each other that polygamy was the only viable option) long before the girls agree to commit to his older brothers.

Hell, even Rebekah got her happy ending by dating Matt – much to Caroline’s chagrin – but it got the bitchy blonde off Caroline’s back, and slightly irked Klaus but not to the point he was willing to sabotage his sister’s relationship at Matt’s expense because doing so meant offending Caroline – which he wanted to avoid at all costs.

 When Elijah learned that Caroline and Katherine were once involved, he about lost his mind. He didn’t let it show but his snarky comments escalated to the point they could not be ignored. Caroline was more than happy to let bygones-be-bygones but she would not, ever, be disrespected by some ivy-league-douche who thought he was better than everyone else because of some self-appointed pedestal over petty jealousy and fragile masculinity.

How do you knock down a man without coming to physical blows? (Which she could do – totally within the realm of possibility because she may be average-height but she ain’t weak. Her mom didn’t raise a damsel-in-distress.) You hit him where it hurts – his ego – and according to Katherine, he could be a little bit of a freak, and prided himself on his sexual prowess.

And his control – which Caroline was going to break.

That’s where Caroline started to up the ante.

 “Do you even know how to play that?” Elijah pitched skeptically from across the lounge.

Caroline was poking keys on the piano, reminiscing on old show tunes while Klaus tried to convince her to enjoy something more classical – like Bach. Bach was boring. Phantom of the Opera was not.

“Yes,” Caroline replied haughtily. It was a half-truth. She knew the keys but to extent that prick did? Not really. She didn’t do instruments. She liked accompaniments. Where they fed her cues and she could continue serenading without losing pitch. She learned from her high school’s theater club, not some top-not-over-priced ivy league school.

“Oh, well, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to hear some Chopin,” Elijah smirked.

Tickle her irked. Caroline was not one to take bait but today was not that day.

She started with a scale, ending on a high pitch. Elijah quirked a brow, unimpressed.

“Hey, Kat,” Caroline smirked, “remember when I made you scream this note in Cabo?”

She got a variety of reactions.

Kol and Bonnie gaped, the latter more mortified than the former who was positively beaming. Enzo clapped a hand over his chest, letting out a booming laugh.

Rebekah nearly snorted, covering her nose. Matt paled, averting his eyes from the sharp tension that budded instantaneously.

Klaus had uncharacteristic bug eyes, not expecting that.

Katherine whooped, utterly amused. Elijah was not – and that was the exact reaction Caroline had expected – and it felt so vindicating.

Then little Henrik, bless his soul, asks, “oh – did her scare her really badly?”

Oh, the innocence.

His interruption prompted a whole new reaction, with all the adults erupted in roaring laughter. Kol had to leave the room heaving. Elijah stomped away like a wounded dog. Rebekah may have swiped a tear from her eye. Klaus shook his head but his grin convinced Caroline he may not have been as disapproving as he was trying to project.

 The second time Caroline one-upped the douche was a bit extreme but she was irritated being stuck in the SUV with Elijah controlling the entire three-hour ride home from the rural estate. Klaus tried to apologize for Elijah’s mood but Caroline’s was ruined because he refused her help. He was not a native of Georgia – she was! No good deed unpunished, huh?

His fragile masculinity needed to go – now.

“I do not need your assistance,” Elijah huffed. “I can navigate just fine without your input, Ms. Forbes.”

“I’ll believe you when you show me you can actually drive without having to do U-turns,” Caroline seethed.

It just so happened Kol and Rebekah were on the speaker phone, as Elijah was trying to coordinate with them. Bonnie knew the way and Kol gladly took her advice – which is why they were forty-five minutes ahead of them.

“I’ve been all over the world, I know how to drive – on both sides of the road, thank you very much,” Elijah retorted.

Klaus was pleading with her with his eyes. An hour ago, it was ‘just deal’ but now, after forty-plus-unnecessary minutes stuck with his arch-nemesis Kat, he was all for her to go for the kill-shot.

She was more than happy to oblige.

“Oh please,” she snarled, “as you could get there any faster. I guarantee you, we’d be ahead of the three-stooges if it was me.”

“Should we hang up?” Bonnie pitched uneasily.

“No, just wait,” Kol urged.

“Someone is going to say something,” Rebekah added, amused.

“It’s going to be nuclear,” Kol assured.

They were muted by Elijah-and-Caroline’s tense exchange.  

“And to what record can you provide to back such a claim?” Elijah puffed.

“According to our histories,” Caroline hummed, “let’s see. We have the Paris flat, New Richmond, New Orleans, all of which you claim to be an expert on, yet I still beat you to it… oh, wait, forgot one, Katherine’s g-spot.”

The silence was deafening for a good minute.

Klaus was speechless. She did promise she’d deliver the kill shot. Katherine covered her mouth with a hand but her eyes desperately wanted to explode laughing.

Elijah… words could not do his expression justice. Cold rage combined with mortification.

The other line exploded. It was a roaring sound, mainly composing of Kol’s hooting and Rebekah’s screech. Caroline was pretty sure Bonnie was the one who disconnected the line before Enzo could regain his breath to join in the commotion.

The rest of the drive was eerily silent. Klaus kept casting her looks – equal combinations of amused and shock.

When Caroline rejoined the rest of the family at the mansion, she was certified Goddess in Kol’s eyes. Rebekah actually gave her props.

Elijah… well, it was game now.

[wall-krawler]

Spidersona Week! Day 5: Archenemy (Minor ish spoilers)

“Every hero has an opposite. The yang to the yin. The antagonist to the protagonist. Basically the big bad pulling the strings behind the curtain. And even though I’m a newbie I was no exception to this universal rule.”

Marcus recalls the many times he’s gotten laid out by Peter’s original rogues galley. Electro fried his brains once, sandman got himself all cozy in Marcus’ boots, and even Mysterio gave a strong right hook with floating boxing gloves. But those were joke villains, they never actually tried to kill him until he met Tombstone...

“L. Thompson Lincoln. Pale skin, sharp teeth, and a strange taste for dark suits. He’s the white shark who runs illegal activities while playing dolphin with the press. He’s fooled the whole city with donations and forced smiles but they weren’t enough to fool me.”

Marcus had taken notes on the whispers he heard throughout the city. The goons too scared to say the name of the man they feared. It took multiple nights and a few torn up bars to figure out who was in control of the underground businesses. With Peter worrying about Fisk Marcus figured he’d take down Lincoln and prove his worth. If only he knew it wouldn’t be easy...

“With a name like Lonnie I thought he’d be easy pickings. A pale guy in a suit shouldn’t be able to handle someone with spider strength. But I learned the hard way that Lincoln didn’t enjoy playing games.”

🕷🕷🕷🕷

The penthouse was nice. Large open living room, a piano in the far corner, and expensive paintings hung all along the walls. Marcus expected something fancy but this wasn’t what he envisioned.

Scaling up the building was easy and getting inside the home was even easier. The window was simply unlocked, meaning Lincoln must feel pretty comfortable in his own home. But when Marcus though he’d gotten in without tipping anyone off the main doors slammed open to reveal two beefy guards. They wore matching suits and carried some type of batons. Apparently they were the sparking kind.

Marcus glared at them but easily avoided their random swings, using his lean body to slip through the gaps between themselves. But not wanting to fool around Marcus quickly grabbed one of the men and webbed his hands together before throwing him towards the ceiling, firing more webbing to keep him up there. As for the second guard Marcus flawlessly jumped over him just fire two more Web lines at their back. As he was coming down he used his momentum to pick the guard off his feet and harshly slammed him into his stomach, knocking him unconscious.

“I’m not here to put the kids to bed. I want to know where Lincoln is.” Marcus demanded the first guard after jumping to the ceiling to start questing the outmatched goon. But before the man could get a word out a more deeper but calm voice spoke up, drawing in Marcus’ attention.

“You know I do take appointments. I dislike making people search for me.” Lincoln walked out from a corner with a blank expression. Unlike the guards he wore a more sleeker and expensive black suit. The rings on his fingers shined as the light reflected off them. Even from on the ceiling Marcus could tell this man was tall.

Abandoning the webbed up guard Marcus dropped to the ground to crouch a few inches away from Lincoln. “Yeah, and I dislike having to chase goons down on a weekend but here I am.”

Lincoln’s expression didn’t change as Marcus sassed him. His patients was one of his best traits. “What do you want Spider-Man?”

“The thugs on the streets gave you up, they revealed the true crime lord you keep hidden behind those fancy suits.” The young hero tried to make himself sound older and intimidating but it wasn’t exactly working the way he wanted. Even as he stood up to face off against Lincoln he realized that being 5’10 wasn’t really that tall. “I want you to cut all ties with the criminal empire. Including ones with Wilson Fisk.”

Lincoln actually reacted to that in a subtle way. He raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised that Marcus would know about their secretive partnership.

“This is the only warning I’m giving you Shark Bait. Back off or I’ll take you down.” Marcus clenches his fists and steps closer, letting himself become fully serious.

Lincoln’s sharp teeth pop out as he clenches them together, a glare forming onto his face. “I’ve been called many things throughout the years,” he too steps forward which makes Marcus take a step back, “but my favorite is Tombstone.” And with that being said he lunges at Marcus!

Even with spider sense going off Marcus wasn’t quick enough to avoid the right hook that had him seeing stars. Even as he stumbles back two more hits blindside him enough for Tombstone to kick him across the room.

Landing on a couch Marcus eyes widen as he sees Tombstone lift the entire thing up just to throw him across the room again. Luckily though he springs off the furniture to go into a swing, sticking out both his legs to kick the larger foe. But instead Tombstone grabs both his legs out of mid swing and slams him against a wall, sending cracks trailing up it. Without wasting time Tombstone did it again but this time slamming the poor hero right on top of the piano.

“I’ve had tougher men threaten me. Every single one of them thought they could cap me.” Tombstone released his grip on Marcus to tower over him yet again, cracking his knuckles. “The only thing they had in common was how they perished by my hands.”

Marcus winces but gets the energy to fire a shot of webbing into Tombstone’s face, blinding him for a hot second. With a strong push he’s able to jump out of the dent his body created in the instrument and deliver a more successful double kick. Tombstone falls into a wall and Marcus uses the opportunity to get in a few of his own hits. He gets in one good hook and uppercut before Tombstone slams his head against Marcus’.

“You just don’t get it kid.” Tombstone rips the webbing from his face before delivering a ground pound on Marcus, dropping him onto all fours. “I’ve gone toe to toe with the real Spider-Man and he’s never defeated me.”

Marcus tries to throw a punch but it’s caught by Tombstone easily. He squeezes hard enough to cause the hero to yell out in pain but not enough to break it. After all, this was the warning.

“Agh...shut up, I can beat-“ Marcus was interrupted by Tombstone heel kicking him through the air just to be stopped by the patio’s glass doors.

With body going numb Marcus simply went limp when the villain grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the glass door, causing it to crack on impact. He would have lost all the air in his lungs if Tombstone wasn’t squeezing his neck so tightly.

A small grin forms when Marcus claws at Lincoln’s arm, trying hard to escape. Like a trapped bug. “Stick to the sidelines kid. Rough up a few bullies and save cats from Trees. Because as far as I can tell, you’re out of your league.”

With one last grunt Tombstone pulls Marcus back and slams him through the glass doors, shattering it into a million pieces. With little effort he tosses the young spider into the night sky to let him tumble through the air. He watched until the darkness swallowed up the defeated Spider-Man...

🕷🕷🕷🕷(Headcanons)

- Tombstone just as danger as Wilson Fisk. Due to playing the “victim” card the public doesn’t suspect illegal activities to be linked to him.

- Tombstone’s very daughter is secretly a villain as well, following in her fathers footsteps but not becoming as ruthless.

- His daughter actually has a minor crush on Marcus (whaaa spoilers)

- Tombstone doesn’t have the unbreakable skin like Luke cage but he is in fact overly strong and durable.

- Tombstone did in fact take down peter multiple times but out of respect he did hold back on doing violent crime. He’s now strictly a business man avoiding getting too much blood on his hands.

- Marcus only goes after Tombstone because he wants to help his mom rest up on some very draining cases.

🕸🕸🕸🕸

A/N: Sooo Tombstone has always been one of my favorite villains. Every since I was a kid Lonnie Thompson Lincoln was the coolest pale faced-leather wearing mercenary ever. I only began to love him more after the spectacular Spider-Man cartoon which I based this version of him off of. Except here he’s more violent and deadly, matching Fisk’s brutality while keeping his calm personality. But in the end I can only thank @spideymultiverse so much for making this week amazing. You’ve helped me construct this Spidersona with your prompts and that’s the best thing ever. I hope everyone reading this enjoys the story, I wouldn’t be anything without you guys.

[mittensmorgul]

I’ve been thinking a lot about Lucifer in s13, specifically related to themes of fatherhood and parenting. I mean, it’s obvious he was one of the more massive Fails in the entire series at this, but it was a fail in a very specific way, framed with a very specific set of themes for a good chunk of the season.

Specifically, Lucifer’s “failure” as a father was more often than not framed around the fact that Jack “takes after his mother.”

Let me back up here, because there’s a lot (probably too much) to say about this not from Lucifer’s point of view, but from Jack’s.

Jack’s early season goal to know and understand his mother was all but supplanted in the last run of episodes where he all but demanded to get to know his father for himself, to come to his own conclusions about Lucifer. I’ve already talked some about how his adoptive family tiptoed around Jack regarding Lucifer (to everyone’s detriment, but in the name of protecting him from painful truths):

http://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/174707010300/i-find-it-a-little-odd-no-ones-talked-about-jack

But in the earliest episodes he was already asking questions, and trying to find answers. With Kelly dead, Jack could only know her through the videos she left him supporting him and believing in him, and the leftover feelings and impressions he picked up from her before he was born.

And after that, everyone and their uncle continued to remind Jack that he was good, because Kelly was good, you know? Even when people (and often it was Cas) talked to Lucifer about Jack, he always reminded Lucifer that Jack was more like his mother. First in 13.07:

LUCIFER: Jack. Wow. Is he... [Chuckles] awesome? I mean, is he a chip off the old block? CASTIEL: Thankfully, no. No, he seems to favor the mother.

And then in 13.12:

CASTIEL: You want truth? How ‘bout I tell you a few truths about your son? LUCIFER: Did you just have an angel stroke? CASTIEL: Did you know that he loves movies? Fantasy movies, movies with heroes who crush villains. LUCIFER: [scoffs] Well, that’s – that’s – that’s nurture. That’s not nature. CASTIEL: And he’s thoughtful. He’s emotional. Remarkably intuitive. You – you know, he, uh, he resurrected me just out of instinct. Isn’t that a beautiful gesture? LUCIFER: [pacing angrily in his cell] Yeah, that’s, uh, that’s beautiful. CASTIEL: Jack would rather kill you than hug you. Seems relevant. Did you know he doesn’t – he doesn’t even really look like you? And he reminds me so much of his mother. LUCIFER: [whispers] Wow.

And through all of this, Jack held true to that. He was duped by Lucifer, just like his mother was. In fact, the way Jack was warned about Lucifer bore a lot of parallels to the way Kelly was warned by Lucifer, and they both decided they knew better than the well-founded yet poorly delivered and not terribly convincing advice everyone else tried to give them.

So I was thinking about all of this yesterday, and then I woke up this morning to this conversation with angstphilosophy (sorry, not tagging because I’m not sure tumblr has figured out the ridiculous notification bug yet):

angstphilosophy It's funny and depressing to think that Team Free Will is always united somehow by Daddy Issues. We've got John's A+ Parenting, we've got Chuck (whose situation was understandable but still left his thousands or so angelic kids in bad shape), and we've got Jack whose situation with his own biological father is ironic because Lucifer's own father was Chuck Then if you consider other major players in TFW like Bobby and Mary, whose own fathers were abusive in their own right It's no wonder why they're all doing their best to make up for what their own fathers didn't do and give their care something they never got

mittensmorgul this is all true I was thinking of making a post yesterday about how all through s13 Lucifer kept SAYING he wanted to play the role of Jack's father because he was his biodad, but every time he was confronted about this, Cas didn't come back with "we're raising Jack" or "he thinks of ME as his father figure" it ALWAYS was about Kelly-- "his mother" Heck I need more coffee then I'm gonna write that post *after coffee >.>

angstphilosophy Ooh I'll await~

angstphilosophy But SPN has a big Daddy Issue theme going on :P (Which I'll expect for them to resolve with TFW)

mittensmorgul yeah

angstphilosophy Not so much with the past and blame but more with doing whatever they can to move on and give each other the healthy support that they didn't really get Because like you said, the blaming stuff was over in s11 (at least for TFW... not sure about Lucifer >.> but you know he's a fuckface)

And this was like 12 hours ago and I wish I could remember everything I was gonna add to this, but I could go on for hours.

But Mary had issues with her own father being too controlling over her, which I think influenced how she handled Jack’s interest in hearing out Lucifer in 13.22. I mean, no reasonable person would’ve left that conversation entirely in Jack’s hands. Sure, Mary was right about it ultimately being up to Jack, but it’s so easy to forget that in a lot of ways he really is still naive and often childish in his thinking. He’s easily manipulated by emotions, so Lucifer played to his emotions. Much like Azazel had played to Mary’s emotions, giving her everything she ever thought she wanted with such a vague and nebulous future price tag attached...

I mean Azazel resurrected John for Mary as emotional leverage, similar to how Lucifer resurrected Sam for Jack... Mary hadn’t been willing to deal with Azazel until he threw John into the offer, and Lucifer knew Jack wouldn’t talk to him unless he sweetened the deal with Sam, and then with Maggie’s resurrection (reluctantly made after he’d been the one to kill her) in 13.23.

And Lucifer himself never had any real love for Jack, aside from what he thought he could do with Jack as his weapon. Strangely, the metaphor often applied to Dean with regard to how John raised him. Which only makes it clearer to me that the show acknowledges how John raised Dean (and Sam, but this language is typically applied only to Dean this way... Dean was the weapon, Sam was the object being guarded).

Oddly enough, Dean has finally claimed the pinnacle of his status as “Weapon.” He even used the phrase that made me cringe back in s5, that he’s Michael’s sword. (at least he’s upgraded himself from “blunt instrument” but this is a terrible upgrade)

The fact that Dean continues to “weaponize” himself in favor of protecting everyone around him instead is just... what he criticized Cas for back in s12, what he was upset with Sam for in s8, and yet what he himself does again and again (MoC, Soul Bomb, and now Dinkle).

So Dean’s self-weaponization here seems to be the central conflict of early s12, where he can finally lay down this notion that his only worth is as a sword.

But a lot of these father-related issues are potentially up for grabs, and where there are father issues there are mother issues.

This post goes in circles I think... There will be more on this subject in the future... this ended up just being a lot of random notes to bear in mind as s14 unfolds...

[onlymonica]

So, it’s official.

Folks, you can mark it on your calendars.  Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018 was Valentines Day -- AND -- the day Trump OFFICIALLY put it to rest that he is ‘totally opposed to domestic violence’.   Someone put a bug in his ear about this one, after the shit storm the White House has received over his aide Rob Porter’s now publicly-known history of wife beating.  Or should I say ‘wives beating’ (yep, married twice, smacked ‘em both...  There’s a pattern here:  why do so many women need to be hit?)

But, I digress.  The real focus was on our great Commander in Chief.  Would he, or wouldn’t he come out against wife & girlfriend beating?  It’s a toughie, politically speaking.  Staking out a position either way will cost you votes.  So he artfully dodged the issue during his campaign.  Sure, there was that slightly awkward moment during the campaign when a reporter pitched him the question:  ‘Mr. Trump - are you for or against domestic violence?’   He seemed caught off guard for a second, but recovered quickly.  ‘Am I for or against domestic violins?  Well, it depends.  If the violin player is good, and it’s not too late at night, I say let them play.  After all, that’s what made America great.  But if they’re a shitty player, then I think it’s a local issue, not something the federal government should be involved in.  And the same goes for any musical instrument.  Unless it’s an oboe, and then that’s a problem.  In fact, if elected, I will make sure that no child is ever again forced or coerced into learning the oboe.  It will vanish from civilization under a Trump administration.’

So that’s all we had on the issue for a long time -- a sort of half-baked, non-sensical answer from a candidate vying to be elected to the most powerful office on earth.  But, what the hell -- let’s elect him and see what happens.

Well, thus far, no action as of yet on domestic violins, oboes, or any other instruments.  White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders addressed that fleetingly a few months ago when stating ‘the President has no current positions on the playing of musical instruments in the privacy of one’s home.  This stands in contrast to the Obama administration’s secret plans to take away the public’s musical instruments, except for oboes since they knew they erode the human spirit.’  

But the issue finally caught up with him.  With one of his closest aides convincingly accused of wife beating (although Roy Moore is leading a ‘doubters’ movement’), Trump was once again hit with that troubling question.  ‘Mr. President: Are you for or against domestic violence?  And, sir, for clarification, I am not talking about the stringed instrument the ‘violin’;  I am talking about ‘domestic violenCCCCCCCCCe’   (the reporter made a long, hissing sound for dramatic effect).

Trump: ‘So, you’re not interested in my views on musical instruments?  Because they’re pretty tough, but not everyone can handle them.  I was just asking Mike Pence yesterday why do we allow shit hole instruments like the oboe to exist?  I mean, really?  Pencie just grinned that shit-eating grin he always does and said ‘beats me.’  Anyway, just to put your little snowflake liberal fake news media conscious to rest, I’m totally opposed to domestic violence of any kind and 

-- wait a minute -- (turns to staff).  Who wrote ‘of any kind’?   I told you guys, it’s situational, OK????!!!!  If she deserves it, you gotta deliver, or she’ll never know who’s boss!   Because when you’re in business, you can just tell a person ‘you’re fired!’, and that’s pretty much the end of it.  But getting divorced is messy, so you have to enforce things differently.  Trust me, I know a thing or two about divorces.

[cdnsolution]

A Guide For Entrepreneurs: Choosing Technologies for a Start-up

A start-up in itself is an extraordinary showcase of the qualities it pursues. “Start-up” enlightens us concerning thought and getting it up to more significant levels. Both of these components, in any case, completely rely upon an innovation that will be picked as an amazing beginning and further adaptability can’t be accomplished without a legitimate tool stash.

In wide terms, a tech stack is a rundown of software in addition to programming dialects that work in a similar climate to make sites and mobile applications and keep up their movement through server side and customer side support. It likewise incorporates libraries, structures, and data sets that will assist the groups with dealing with the items at any second in their lifespan.

At the point when I begin working with another start-up, particularly in alpha and development platforms, the issue of picking a decent, strong technology innovation that will meet all product targets won’t get outdated in two or three years is rising universally. Throughout the long term, I assembled a short rundown of counsel that will help business visionaries put their cash on the correct pony.

Talent Pool

With a colossal number of these tools accessible available, the stack decision can turn out to be a significant discussion and ought to rely upon a skilful unit for this situation. Such a choice ought to be assigned to an accomplished designer and not to the group of engineers as the designers may propose a tech stack that is the most appropriate for them rather than the best for the venture.

In any case, remember that this shouldn’t be taken as the gospel. You should attempt to locate a centre ground based on the time and costs you have — replacing a colleague can be expensive and tedious. Thusly, it merits getting some information about which devices they incline toward before settling on an official conclusion.

Putting a .NET engineer into a Java-based stack wouldn’t bode well. Yet, if it were some minor utilities where he/she had no insight, at that point that won’t be an issue.

The beneficial thing is, dedicated team model takes into account changing their list dependent on your requirements and can keep the undertaking significant at any stage.

The Platform

Like in a Shakespearean play, there are presently 2 significant, rival houses: web and mobile. This theme is useful for another dozen articles and will presumably never be settled; besides, the main alternative doesn’t refute the second one as they can exist together inside advanced gadgets.

The solitary right answer is to know your final product well. You should be completely mindful of a big motivator for it and how to utilize it: does it normally feel like a slick mobile application development that can be utilized through simple swipes (messengers, authenticators, taxi administrations, and so on), Or then again perhaps it is a tangled wreck that requires huge loads of alternatives, information filling, or exact snaps to take into account for best insight? Assuming this is the case, at that point “web” is the clear champ.

Albeit both of these platforms can exist together, you actually will conclude which ought to be directed first as it will characterize which crowd will utilize your product.

When in doubt, it’s a sure thing to do a web application or go with web app development services first: such arrangements are all the more sympathetic towards botches because of the more noteworthy chances for the client to dodge an item’s bugs (mouse accessibility, greater screen). Besides, online items aren’t as dependant on cross-stage accessibility: they’re normally open using various programs. The updates are likewise a lot simpler to convey when you have direct admittance to your application and don’t need to hang tight for mobile application stores to send it for you (at any rate fourteen days, generally speaking).

In contrast to the competition among Android and iOS, the web is a protected place for applications to be completely useful. At the point when you select to go the mobile way, you should pick between the local application and its cross-stage choice. Even though multi-stage applications give a more extensive crowd get a handle on and can be enticing, they never arrive at the quality level that local applications bring upon themselves. When in doubt, Swift (a typical iOS instrument) language isn’t the awesome Java (a typical Android dev apparatus) designers and the other way around, making in the reverse similarity a genuine test.

The decision here is pivotal and you ought to consistently pick the correct way — recall that it’s consistently less expensive to settle on the correct decision at the absolute starting point than to modify your project at the later stages when the tech stack has characterized its course.

Sort of project

There is a load of various tools, and how your product should run will be directed by which tech stack you pick. From a more innovative stance, there’s a solid reliance towards, for instance:

– projects that seek speed over high traffic loads, which would utilize Ruby or Node.js. Both of these advances award a sizeable lift on account of the balanced punctuation and the by and large laconic plan. Open-source libraries are additionally what makes it engaging for the devs to pick.

– projects with a high accentuation on AI and data science, which will be a fine counterpart for Python controlled by SciPy, NumPy, or Pandas libraries. Python can give you an edge when managing enormous information bunches because of the rankling preparing speed.

– Java, then again, is a widespread officer among the programming dialects and can be used by practically any kind of undertaking. Truth be told, it is viable with various side-devices or libraries that settle on it an undeniable decision for by far most top organizations, particularly when they need to build up a Top Android app development Service app.

– C/C++ would likely be the go-to decision while creating complex IoT Solutions or even a designs motor, not to mention an all-out AAA game.

Systems

When discussing the systems, this is far from being true, contingent upon how helpful it is for the engineers’ group. Contingent upon each undertaking, it seeks after similar objective of accumulating the practices inside the project however can be changed by the developer’s team. It likewise joins the various parts of huge activities yet still awards some adaptability by executing client augmentations and adjusting its code to a different degree.

The decision generally relies upon the similarity of every component, for example, AngularJS, when the venture has picked to go for JavaScript. Additionally, the decision of Zend, Symfony, or Laravel will be an intelligent advance to improve the advancement of PHP-based ventures; also, asp.net MVC or asp.net web API can prove to be useful when managing the .NET tech stack.

Server

The web-server area used to be a war zone of thoughts yet is at present a spot for two significant contenders: Apache and NGINX.

In addition to the fact that apache is free, it’s not difficult-to-get a handle on the APR work that helps in making modules. It likewise has an amazing similarity and an enormous wellspring of information to help its items. SSL and TLS encryption are additionally at your administration to take into consideration improved security on the web.

Despite what might be expected, NGINX is a fine alternative when the exhibition is set to turn into a foundation for the venture. It likewise requires significantly less memory and lessens the heap when supporting the customers by using a base string or none by any means.

This, notwithstanding, doesn’t imply that both of these choices can’t be utilized: by just moving NGINX before Apache as a converse intermediary, it will assist you with defeating two universes: NGINX for the static substance and Apache for the powerful substance to be additionally gotten back to the delivered page.

Trends

Regardless of a weighty assortment available, we can, in any case, see the propensities for specific instruments to be picked over the others with regards to effective tasks. According to the information, top organizations lean towards:

Programming dialects: PHP, Python, Java, Go, JS

Systems: Node.js, Angular.js, Django

Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL

Server: NGINX, Apache

DevOps: Docker, GitHub

Utilities: Google Analytics

Business devices: Slack, Trello

Conclusion Drawn

These overall remarks can contact a small amount of the conceivable software blends when forgoing a framework that will run your item. Regardless of whether it is .NET, RAR, LAMP, or MEAN, you ought to likewise consider the size of a future undertaking — once in a while it’s considerably more significant than the genuine advantages of every one of the previously mentioned stacks.

Reliability is additionally a key factor when picking a tech stack. Generally speaking, the more mature tools end up being the most reliable regarding execution and bring a greater tool stash to make designers’ lives simpler and additional time-productive. If an environment has a wide scope of consistent reconciliations and bug-tracking frameworks, it will be enormous exhibition support for your engineers while making your end product.

In any case, you need any assistance if you are going to start you start-up regarding IT Consultancy, Web Development, Mobile app development, Custom software development, E-commerce development solutions you can contact the CDN Solutions group. We provide all sorts of technology solutions in your budget.

[imagitory]

D-Views OFF TOPIC!: The Prince of Egypt

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another installment of D-Views Off-Topic! As stated previously, D-Views is a series primarily focusing on Disney-produced and/or owned films, but from time to time, we go “off topic” to discuss films that are sometimes mistaken for and/or were influenced by Disney projects, and that’s what we’re doing today.

I am super excited about today’s subject – it has been one of my favorite films since I was a child, and it is, in my opinion, the single best non-Disney-produced animated film ever made. This is The Prince of Egypt!

Before we talk about The Prince of Egypt, it is imperative to talk about the studio that created it, DreamWorks SKG. (As a side, get used to me calling it just “Dreamworks” from here on out – I’ve never been much one to capitalize the “W.”) Dreamworks was the baby of three media giants – David Geffen, Stephen Spielberg, and most of all Jeffrey Katzenberg. Katzenberg got his start in the world of animation at the Walt Disney Company during the Disney Renaissance, when he was head of the Disney animation department. Unfortunately Katzenberg was just one of three very big egos at the company in that period, and he butted heads with the other two – CEO Michael Eisner and vice-chairman Roy E. Disney – constantly. For a while Frank Wells, Eisner’s partner, was able to keep the peace and keep these three working toward the same goal, but when Wells tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in 1994, tensions began to rise. Disney and especially Eisner thought that Katzenberg had been promoting himself as the main face of Disney’s new-found success and taking all the credit for it, and so when Wells was to be replaced, Eisner pointedly passed Katzenberg over for promotion. Whatever one thinks about Eisner or Katzenberg as people, I think it is very clear that Eisner felt threatened by Katzenberg…and he had good reason, because when Katzenberg was forced to quit his position at Disney, he immediately turned around and enlisted the support of Stephen Spielberg and David Geffen to create Disney’s main rival in the world of animation in recent history.

Dreamworks Animation found most of its animators among Disney alumni and from Stephen Spielberg’s dead studio Amblimation, which had previously only worked on three films: An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, We’re Back!: A Dinosaur’s Story, and Balto. Despite their lack of experience, they were very talented, as is evident by Dreamworks’ first hand-drawn film. Yep – first hand-drawn film. Dreamworks released two films in 1998; their real first film, Antz, was released in theaters three months before The Prince of Egypt was. To be frank, I wish that The Prince of Egypt had been first – it would’ve made a much stronger first impression for the studio as a whole.

Fortunately The Prince of Egypt made a pretty good impression when it was released to theaters in December 1998. It earned over $218 million worldwide and received rather favorable reviews from critics for its animation and visual effects. It also won an Academy Award for Best Song and was nominated for two Golden Globes, two Grammy Awards, and five Annie Awards, and even tied with Pixar’s rival film to Antz, A Bug’s Life, at the Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Animated Film. Even at the time of its release, however, The Prince of Egypt was compared to Disney’s animated projects. Critic James Berardinelli said this –

“Like Fox (with Anastasia) and Warner Brothers (with the disappointing (sic) Quest for Camelot), Dreamworks intends to challenge Disney's reign as the King of Animation. The Prince of Egypt is a worthy starting point. It ranks alongside the Magic Kingdom's Mulan at the top of the year's traditional-style animated pile. (…)While last year's Anastasia managed to come close to Disney's visual elegance, The Prince of Egypt matches it. This impressive achievement uncovers yet another chink in Disney's once-impregnable animation armor.”

Now that I have effectively “prologued” you to death, let’s go ahead and talk about the film proper.

The very first thing we have to talk about when it comes to this movie is its music, written by film-scoring giant Hans Zimmer and lyrical god Stephen Schwartz. Just like in Beauty and the Beast and Anastasia, this soundtrack in my opinion is just flawless. Every single song hits your heart and stays with you long after they have passed, from the lyrical musical numbers to the instrumental tracks. The first one, “Deliver Us,” introduces us to the setting of the mature, real, passionate, epic story that is about to unravel. We hear the culture in the rhythms and instruments used and in the Hebrew lyrics sung by Ofra Haza, who plays Moses’s mother Yoheved. We feel the hopelessness of the slaves and the fragile hope of a young girl as she sees her baby brother being taken in by the Queen of Egypt. We watch this opening scene with almost no dialogue, being told solely with the images on screen and the wonderful music, and become completely emotionally invested in these characters by the end. With this opening, the film has already done what the best musicals do – introduce our story, conflict, and characters solely through song. And from here, the music only gets better.

After this prologue, we meet our main character again, as well as his adopted brother, the crown prince Rameses. Moses and Rameses are shown, in their youth, to be like two troublemaking college kids, constantly competing with one another and having no awareness of grim reality. They are two princes, born in wealth and affluence, and as of yet do not see their privilege. Once their fun is through, however, we are introduced to their father, Pharaoh Seti. In his first scene, we see Seti as a strict man, focused on his legacy and greatly disappointed in his sons’ misadventures, particularly on Rameses’s part. At this point, we can still understand where Seti is coming from – after all, Rameses and Moses did cause some damage and they should be setting a better example as princes – but that doesn’t make watching Seti viciously snap at Rameses and Rameses struggling to hold in his hurt any easier.

Like Anastasia as well, this film has an all-star cast. Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfieffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Stewart, Steve Martin, Martin Short…although I could argue in some future projects, Dreamworks focused too much on casting big names in a lazy attempt to get more butts in the theater seats (looking at you, Shark Tale), I think in this case, every casting choice made was pretty spot-on. My personal favorite casting is Fiennes as Rameses – Rameses as a character is much more complex than most “antagonists” in other mainstream family films, and I think it would’ve been hard to find someone better than Fiennes to portray that.

Rameses and Moses is my single favorite relationship in this movie, and it makes sense – it is clearly the one the filmmakers put the most focus and effort into. Rameses can be a serious, proud, ambitious cynic, while Moses can be a light-hearted, sympathetic, mischievous peacemaker. Basically it’s a bond between a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff – darkness and light – and the relationship between these two brothers is so well written that it alludes to years of history that justifies the strength of their trust. It’s why Moses tries to make peace between Rameses and Seti once Rameses storms out of the room. It’s why Moses tries so hard to cheer Rameses up afterwards. It’s why Rameses, upon being formally named Prince Regent, names Moses his Royal Chief Architect.

Speaking of which, at the party where Rameses is given that title, we meet the character of Tzipporah, who is given to Rameses as a gift, but who Rameses “re-gifts” to Moses. In this sequence, we see another hint of Moses’s compassion. When the guards try to capture Tzipporah, swords drawn, Moses immediately intercedes and tries to restrain her himself, so that she wouldn’t be hurt or killed by the guards. Admittedly he mischievously lets her fall into a fountain, but it is still an infinitely kinder way to halt her escape than the alternative would’ve been. Nonetheless, we see Moses regretting his action when he sees his mother’s disappointment and Tzipporah’s wrath. Later Tzipporah escapes from the palace, and Moses pursues her. When Moses spots that some guards are about to catch her escaping, however, he once again intercedes. This time he actually misdirects them, sending them up to his chambers and away from Tzipporah, who had been directly behind them. It gives a subtle hint that Moses, even before learning the truth of his heritage, does have something in him that sees the value of freedom. Moses then follows Tzipporah all the way to the border of Egypt, until she escapes off into the desert. It is here that Moses meets Miriam and Aaron – his real siblings.

GOOD GOD THIS SCENE. ALL OF THE FEELS FOR THIS SCENE. I swear, I can’t help but feel so much for Miriam here. The hope in her voice is just heartbreaking when Aaron tries so hard to shut her down and Moses retorts in ignorant outrage. Then Miriam starts singing her mother’s old lullaby, and everything just…stops. The music dies utterly, and the only thing hanging in the air is Miriam’s choked voice. (Fun bit of trivia: one of the film’s directors, Brenda Chapman, provided Miriam’s voice in this scene. You may also know Brenda Chapman as the brain behind Disney/Pixar’s film Brave.)

Miriam’s hushed reprise then dissolves into quiet, horrified orchestration that then slowly builds, until it stumbles back and charges into a run just as Moses does. This orchestration then leads us into my favorite song in the entire film, “All I Ever Wanted.” From the time I was young, this song could always get my heart pounding. I felt all of the fear, all of the longing, all of the denial, all of the pride, and all of the doubt that rippled through Moses’s voice and over his face. When I was in high school and I would listen to this in my headphones on my way to school, I would run down the streets just like Moses did in the film, plodding through all the emotions expressed in each note. Even now I think it is one of the most unique songs sung by a protagonist in a musical that I’ve ever heard. Most “I Want” songs are about wanting more, but this song is about wanting things to stay the same. Rather than seeking adventure, Moses seeks peace and happiness – to stay in this dream world that he’s only just seeing was just a dream. It reminds me of how I felt when the September 11th terrorist attacks happened. When you first see the fragments of your old life shattered around you, you first feel this instinct to grab them and try hopelessly to glue them back together. As time goes by, though, you see how painful such an effort is – it’s like even just clutching those broken shards of your childhood is making your hands bleed – and so you have no choice but to let go of them.

“All I Ever Wanted” dissolves into Moses’s dream sequence, which is entirely drawn in a hieroglyphic-inspired style. This is such a creative sequence – it’s so stylistic, and yet it doesn’t forget to make the stilted movements translate the proper emotions. When Moses wakes up from the nightmare, he also wakes up from his delusion, and decides he must learn the truth. This revelation scene is my favorite part of the entire film. Moses runs down the halls of hieroglyphics, combing wall after wall, until he finally finds what he’s looking for. He sees the image of his father, Seti, ordering his guards to throw babies into the Nile River. The young prince is horrified, heartbroken, at what he sees…and Seti brings a hand down on top of his head, trying to show him some comfort. Moses turns to look at him, pleading with him, “Father, tell me you didn’t do this,” but Seti cannot give Moses that “out.” Instead the old Pharaoh justifies the decision, and even worse, tries to excuse it. “They were only slaves.” Seti’s evil face is truly revealed – the face of callous, wicked ignorance, garbing itself in gold and silk. For more of my thoughts on this scene, you may read this post of mine analyzing it, but to sum it up here, this is the scene that taught me as a kid that evil is not always self-aware…and it even now chills me, just as much as it does Moses. That horrible shrieking of the strings that accompanies Moses’s facial shift from sorrow to horror as he slowly removes himself from Seti’s arms and backs away is a musical representation of everything I feel watching this scene.

After being counseled by his adopted mother Tuya, Moses tries simply to be happy with his fortunate circumstances, but now that he knows the truth of his birth, he can no longer not see the injustices and cruelty around him. He can’t block out the image of his people being worked within an inch of their lives. He can’t block out the furious shouts of an overseer and the horrible, pained cries of an elderly slave being whipped. And it is in this sequence that we get one of the best instrumental tracks in the entire film. The track is called “Goodbye Brother,” and it accompanies Moses accidentally killing an overseer to protect a slave and running away from home. I’ve also discussed this track (and a few others from this film) in another post, but like with Seti, I will restate my core points here. The best piece of this track is the middle, which happens just before Moses kills the overseer. It is a horrific, demented shrieking, one that sounds like what nails being driven into your brain should feel like. The sound is like the accompaniment of a nightmare that you can’t escape. And then just as suddenly, the nightmarish feeling is gone…to be replaced with a different kind of fear and horror, the kind that you feel when you realize it’s not just a horrible dream, the kind that gives way to panic. Moses running away is echoed in the music with every racing, plodding note, until it, like Moses, is brought to a rough halt. From here, a great sorrowful sound takes over – as if the music is mourning what could’ve been just as much as Moses is. Partner this with the tragic verbal exchange between Rameses and Moses, and I think just about everyone’s heart will break by the end of the scene.

So from here, Moses flees into the desert, shedding his identity as a Prince of Egypt, and joining Tzipporah’s tribe of Midianites. While there, we get another amazing song (“Through Heaven’s Eyes”) and see Moses grow from a boy into a man. Even though Moses has grown so much, however, there is still business for him to take care of, and that business becomes clear when he follows a lost sheep into a cave and finds a Bush alight with white, inhuman fire. The instrumental for this sequence, “The Burning Bush,” is in my opinion not only the best instrumental in the film, but also the best non-Disney instrumental I have ever heard. I have never been a particularly religious person – Hell, my parents are a non-practicing Christian and an Atheist. But whenever I encounter a particularly wonderful piece of art, landscape, or music, I think I feel what some people call spirituality. It is a sensation that makes you feel lighter and warmer, like a balloon slowly filling up with air, devoid of fear, worry, and pain. It is a dreamy feeling that makes you feel one with everything, and everything feel like it is as it should be…and once you know that feeling, you can’t imagine losing it. This track is a perfect representation of those feelings – it is enlightenment, in musical form, from its raindrop-like pattering to its slowly rotating tone like a globe spinning on its axel.

Something else interesting about this sequence is how God is depicted. Unlike in The Ten Commandments, which The Prince of Egypt is based upon, this God is depicted more like the New Testament God, being much kinder and gentler than the vengeful God that is more often found in the Old Testament. On top of this, this God is actually voiced by Val Kilmer, who also voiced Moses, making it so Val Kilmer is technically talking to himself in this scene. There are two ways I could read this – one, it speaks of how God is representative of Moses’s inner-voice, so this scene is a metaphor for Moses coming to grips with his own morality; or two, Moses is seeing himself in God, because Man was made in God’s image, and so by the end understands that he has God’s power inside of himself. Either way, Moses realizes that he can’t run away from his responsibility to his people and goes back to Egypt to confront the Pharaoh.

Alas, when Moses arrives, he does not confront Seti, but his brother Rameses. I cannot lie, Rameses and Moses reuniting is a scene that always makes me smile, even if my heart’s breaking at the same time. GODDAMN IT, MOVIE, HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME. After the “Playing with the Big Boys” song number by Hotep and Huy (which I suppose is the weakest of the songs, but is still pretty damn good), Rameses and Moses talk the matter over. Moses tries to explain his position to Rameses, and it is here that Rameses too finds his rose-colored glasses cracking. His idealistic hope that his brother was back and they could live as they had is flickering and dying. There is no going back for Moses. He is choosing the well being of Hebrew slaves over the brother he grew up with. And this betrayal hurts Rameses deeply. The animation on Rameses’s face in this scene – from heartbreak, to anger, to shock, to regret, to grief, to vengeance – is perfectly paced and spot-on. From this scene on, Rameses has officially become the anti-villain of the film – the reluctant rival to our reluctant hero.

On the face of things, Moses has made everything worse with his return. Rameses has turned against him and the slaves bitterly scorn him for his battle against Pharaoh. But one slave is with him from the start – his sister Miriam. She rallies the slaves behind Moses, and Moses stands with new strength. He commands Rameses again to “let his people go,” again, again, again, with multiple plagues, to the accompaniment of “The Plagues.” My favorite part in this song is the inner-monologues from our hero and our anti-villain that unconsciously mirror each other.

Once I called you brother; // You who I called brother,

Once I thought the chance to make you laugh // How could you have come to hate me so?

Was all I ever wanted… // Is this what you wanted?

And of course the ending –

I will not LET your/my PEOPLE…GO!

The Plagues play out one by one, before we reach the Plague of Darkness. Moses goes to find Rameses and tries one last time to convince him to relent before the next Plague arrives. I’ve talked about this scene and Rameses’s son in the past, and you can read that here, but I will just add that I love the parallels this scene makes to earlier scenes of Moses in the palace. Not only do some shots parallel the scene of Moses comforting Rameses at the beginning of the movie, but Moses also passes the pillar and statues that he runs to in the “All I Ever Wanted” sequence. It’s such a bittersweet juxtaposition.

Sadly Moses and Rameses cannot go back to the way things were, however much they wish it. The destinies that have been written for them and the responsibilities therein make it impossible…and this scene proves this once and for all. Rameses, refusing to drop his pride and refusing to bow to the pressure of someone who threatens the security of his empire, crosses the line and threatens the murder of Moses’s people. Moses cannot save him or Egypt from the final Plague now…and so the First Born are slain, with an inhuman light that literally breathes His victims’ last breath.  

The scene centering on the Death of the First Born is a very powerful one. A striking choice is having it mostly done in silence, with no instrumental music at all. The only sounds other than the Angel’s breathing are the blowing wind, some rattling of trees and roofs, crickets chirping, and finally the howls of despair from all of the parents upon discovering their dead children. The scene hits home when we see Rameses holding his dead son in his arms – Moses comes up behind him out of the white light beyond, and for a moment, he is the Angel of Death himself, bearing witness to the grief of the Pharaoh that was once his brother. And as much as I disapprove of Rameses’ sentiments in the last scene and agree that Moses’s people should be freed…I do not blame Rameses in the least for his inconsolable, furious withdrawal from Moses’s comforting hand. I don’t think I could forgive anyone who took someone I love from me…no matter how noble the person’s cause. This still does not make me feel any less for Moses when he walks off by himself, drops his staff, and then slowly falls to his knees, collapsing in on himself as he tries in vain to suppress his sobs.

At long last, the Hebrews have their freedom, and with it, we get our final lyrical number – the Academy-Award-winning song “When You Believe.” This song is a good example of how, even though this film can get so serious, those darker elements are mitigated perfectly with a lot of sincerity and heart. This song is like a beautiful sunrise after a night of thunderstorms. The mist is still clinging to the air and remnants of the rain are still falling from the shingles of roofs, but sunlight is bouncing off the droplets, sparkling like tiny diamonds, and the clouds are touched with pink. Then the children start their verses in Hebrew, and a new, youthful life is infused into the piece, ringing with the hopes and dreams of a new beginning. Where something has ended, something has now begun, and after the darkest of nights, the sun has returned.

Just when it seems the Hebrews have succeeded, Rameses does try one last time to circumvent them, by charging after them with his army. Moses parts the Red Sea, the Hebrews make it across, and the Sea comes back together just as Rameses and his army are charging through it. It is only after this that we come full circle – the music at last returns to the theme from the very beginning, “Deliver Us.” Moses has answered that prayer. He has delivered his people to freedom. And so as Moses comes down Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments in hand, I frankly don’t care about what happens next in the actual Biblical story – the ending is more than enough to fulfill me.

The Prince of Egypt is very special to me. As you can tell from all of the links in this post, it is a movie I love talking about and I think I will never stop talking about. It saddens me that this film is not more recognized by the world at large, like so many other great animated films are. Its soundtrack is in my opinion one of the best animated musical soundtracks ever recorded. Its animation is stunning, evocative, and detailed. Its characters are multi-faceted and real. Its story is epic, timeless, and emotional. Recently there was an attempt to bring it to Broadway, but that attempt was scrapped because of the backlash in response to its all-white cast (gee, I can’t imagine why *oh hai there sarcasm*). I sincerely hope that the project will be attempted again, however – maybe The Prince of Egypt can be brought back to the public consciousness again by going to the Broadway stage, as Anastasia has. In the meantime, though, we do have the original masterpiece, and I will always view it as the best film ever produced by Dreamworks.  

[yerbevan]

It doesn’t bother me...

alright...a big, whopping, comprehensive, no-holds-barred, in your face, out of your face, steal your face, to the left and right of your face, review...my very first! it's a thing! pardon my writerly predilections...i'm not into sentencing right now...and put your gavel away...that too

watch out...here we go!

my impressions of the ride, start to finish:

bass a little low in the mix during first four minutes, but corrected soon enough

vocals a little too prominent for my taste, but there is an upside: you can hear all the lyrics very clearly

this is a show that benefits from somewhat aggressive voluming, if it doesn't wake the neighbors

the aural picture shows some tweaking and improvement along about track three, which was not unusual at dead shows, drums and percussion benefitting notably

the sound reveals characteristics of the hall itself, it doesn't bother me

we're sliding into a nice groove here in Big River...clearly the band is in it all the way tonite, going for broke, not holding back, and ready to jam...the overall mix more cohesive

it's The Grateful Dead! let's not forget why we're here, campers...can't we have a little fun tonite? i'm into it...it's all coming together...onward and upward!

Bigfoot County is nigh, Vista Cruiser on...pass that over here, friend...Jerry the Singer is having a good night...singing like he means it, friends!

yer New Minglewood...the crowd is way into it, picking up on the energy...Bob delivering a nuanced vocal as well...remember those nites when the boys challenged each other, upped the ante? believe it, friends

Big Railroad rolling into the station, all aboard...the vocal amplificationism is tightening up, more presence, less reverb...instrumental amplificationism likewise...vocals tweaked down a bit, but still refreshingly clear

Who says this band can't Rock & Roll? not me...one a them not sit in the chair shows

Looks Like Rain is not usually one of my favourites, but this one has that little extra something that makes you sit up and take notice...the tempo a little more brisk than i recall from the shows i seen

Deal is one of my favourites...always ready for a good Deal...Jerry is ready for this one...i see the stars and moon coming out, friends! alright, all the bugs are out...set too here we come...an outrageous, exceptional, and totally fantabulous Deal! and it's only the first set, friends!

gonna have a leisurely, half-hour break, maybe get a beer, go out and chat with the people about the first set...okay with you? thanks...we're good

and umm...everybody here seen a real, live dead show, right? pardon me...just asking...you don't have to show me no I.D...forget i even brought it up

so there was two reasons i had to get this one: had to hear the 'Wang Dang Doodle', and 'Help/Slip/Frank'. i want anything that has help slip on it. and it's a good one. already out in deep jazz space...Jerry is in top form tonite as an instrumentalist

Franklin's Tower, the 14-minute version...i'm in Dead Heaven...done gone and went...Jerry is putting something unique into this one...tonite only...Brent is on it here, too...man, the energy just went up a notch, as if that was even possible! the Garcia instrumentalism tour-de-force continues...very interesting approach to the close of Franklin's Tower...tonite only

Estimated...always a pleasure, as everyone knows, got real funk in it and all over it...and under it and to the side...there's the Bob Dead and the Jerry Dead...providing alternate vistas, and welcome variety...about halfway through and i don't want this show to end...and it doesn't have to end...you start over and take it from the top...or just do the second set...or move on to that other show you haven't checked out yet...whatever you want! i mean it's freedom!

Eyes of the World...another iffy proposition for me...sometimes great, sometimes the vocals are a little too tough for that particular nite...good...i'll take this one...especially for more of Jerry's jazzy instrumental breaks

And there's the brief but necessary fill from an audience tape...alright, no problem...it's an exceptional show, so we're good

Drums into Space...most excellent and interesting...Space is in a minor key, fairly unusual...Bob's picking on this Space is most excellent...in his own way, Bob is as advanced an instrumentalist as Jerry...two different lead guitarists, two different guitarism flavours...blended and complimentary tho: you wouldn't expect anything less from The Grateful Dead, Grateful Dead, or even the Dead...it's all good

And now Space into Throwing Stones...you didn't see that every nite...all of our singers in good shape, tonite...more of Bob's distinctive Dead Funk

into Goin' Down the Road...you didn't see that every nite either...so now Jerry, the maestro, slows it down for Black Peter...all kinds of originalness going on tonite...another inspired Jerry guitar break...does it get any better? tearing it up on the vocals, too...excellent and gorgeous ensemble singing on this Black Peter...another one for the history books

Many of these aural differences are about various source tapes, i think, more so than i initially thought...the high-energy performance is why we're all here right now, tho...glad i got a ticket for this one, you know

and Sunshine Daydream rolls on in...more Rock & Roll for us campers...and i say again, play this one as loud as you can...and i don't often say that about Dead show recordings...and Sugar Magnolia comes to a crashing halt...now Bob Dylan's 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue'

now the Vista Cruiser returns to earth for a soft landing, no encore...it was worth the trip  

[koelc]

“People, can’t live with them, can’t live without them”

Sorry for modifying the world-famous quote, but that’s kind of what I feel for people around me. You see, you take occasional bouts of depression (since the last 8 years) and then add some anxiety, insomnia and dreadfulness to it, what you get is an adult perfectly incapable of doing anything productive, or even thinking straight. And as people already know about the “Winter blues” and what these can do to people all around the world, let’s not go into much details about that. Let’s just say, a overly talkative girl stops talking completely even with her family with whom she lives, she stops all contact with every friend and family and whoever else she knows, she cannot work, nor can play, her mind is numb and dazed throughout the day (without the influence of any external influences), and I guess you kind of get an idea.

Hence, for an round-the-clock anxious and timid adult like me, who has lost all her confidence to even ask for change from the shopkeeper, traveling solo  after a gap of two years meant frantic planning, continuous worries about the ways I can mess up things, anxiety attacks before the trip, thinking of and trying to cancel the trip at the dead of the night, and other unmentionable shameful pre-trip symptoms. But, when the desperation to get out of your despondent state bites you, (no, not a travel bug or something like that) you do not just stop planning a trip, even after waiting for 4 months. You see, you already know what it feels like to travel to a place alone…a place you have never visited before, and stay there where no one knows you, and you know how much this experience can cure you of your dementors.

And that’s the intro of How I Went to Shantiniketan

Yeah, for the first time in my life.

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery,” said Benjamin in We Bought a Zoo. Well, it took much more than that.

  Scene 1: Getting frustrated and anxious inside a bus on the way to the station, as quite unpredictably, there is a huge traffic jam at 9.30 in the morning somehow, on ALL the roads through which I traveled.

Scene 2: Running on the platform, aka Geet in Jab We Met, towards a train which had left (exactly on schedule, somehow ) on 10.10am, while you reached at 10.12am.

Sadly, my life is not like Jab We Met’s and there was no one in the train who found me beautiful enough to become a Raj. 😥

Also, do not always complain about a late-running trains all the time, they will start right on time when you actually need them to be late.

Scene 3: Getting aboard the next unreserved train to Bolpur, and having the most peaceful long journey of your life, as, throughout the 3 hrs, there were just 5-7 people in the entire compartment, which gives you space enough to treat your coach as a lounge-cum-drawing room.

A spot where the train was stalled for around 20mins.

Scene 4: Bolpur station, then a ride to your hotel,(which was disappointing again, but more about that in the next article), having a sumptuous Bengali lunch at 4 in the evening,  and then cancelling all your plans of going out, you promptly go off to sleep.

Scene 5: The whole evening, till night, is the start of the anti-depressant I needed. Well, Santana, doodling, sketching attempts, writing, drinking good ol’ Old Monk and smoking up (not necessarily in that order) should have helped anyway.

Add to that dancing in front of a life-size mirror and you get yourself a happy girl, with no more needs in life. 😀 😀

Scene 6: Getting out of your room the first thing in the morning (needs to be mentioned that I stayed in a single room with a portico in front of my room and just one other room in that wing), I meet A. A is a painter from Holland who rolls his own cigarettes (yeah that’s what I noticed the first thing about him), is staying in Calcutta since November, studying and painting, and has come to visit the art department of Visva Bharati. We started talking about our respective perspectives about the City of Joy, how so many artists  in the world have to work in unproductive jobs in order to earn their bread, and other miscellaneous topics throughout the morning.

I wondered to myself about my confidence while talking to a complete stranger from another country, while I run away from the ones I have known all my life in my own city. Mind does work in weird ways.

Anyway, A left that afternoon for Calcutta and I do not have any kind of correspondence with him.

Scene 7: Walking for almost 20-30mins on a warm and sunny winter morning to the Visva-Bharati Museum, and staring in awe at everything. A new place…with no one to disturb me…even if they do, I’m not obliged in any way to make communication with them. Such relief solitude can bring…such peace and saneness, and as a result self-confidence.

Scene 8: Spending almost 3 hours in Visva Bharati Museum, trying to take it all in.

You see, growing up in a Bengali household ruled by Tagore meant reading, listening, singing, dancing, performing, play-acting, day-dreaming, studying and uniting with him, almost every day of my life. But somehow, all the plans of visiting Shantiniketan had failed in my life, except this one. And the whole museum, with the letters of correspondence, anecdotes, sketches, models, memorabilia (the Nobel’s replacement didn’t fail to sadden me), pictures and paintings  represented the world I had mentally grew up in.

Specially the letters! I guess I read all of them, wanted to take photos of each of those so that I could take them back with me, read them all at my leisure, and then woe again at my own failure to receive a single hand-written letter. In short, a long fulfilled dream. ❤

Scene 9: While walking back from the museum, noticed a Sarod Player. He was sitting there in one of the campus grounds, playing his instrument and not giving a damn about anything else. It took some guts to go and sit there near him, but I did, and as expected, he did not care and went on playing.

After about 10-12mins, he finished his raag and we started talking. He is from Bangladesh, currently studying music in Visva-Bharati. Though he seemed shier than me initially, once he started describing his home town there was no stopping him. The weather, the celebrations, the people, the greenery, the simplicity, everything was given details of, and if it had not been for a call from his friend he might have talked a lot more, and I would have loved listening.

Maybe your interest in other people piques, once there are no obligations involved. You get that from very few people you know, and from everyone you don’t yet know. Most of the times, it’s hugely disappointing, but I have rarely met people on my solo trips who has disappointed me with their tales. You travel, you meet people, you listen to their stories, at times, share your own, and in the process, somehow you gain confidence about your own story, the one which is waiting for you to start writing. 

Scene 9: No plans in the evening, so let’s go and get booze. While getting booze, you talk to a friend who suggests Kopai.

So next stop is that, obviously. Kopai was something else, entirely. Nothing there actually, just a river, a littered river-bank, a factory chimney churning out thick black smoke, and meadows. But, for someone who has visited Murti previously, just to sit there alone at the river bank for two days, that’s hardly a disappointment.

Also, saw a couple meditating on the banks, and got instantly revved up about the place. Watched my dear sunset (dear, because I love watching it every day), sitting quietly on that river bank for about half an hour, and then walked back once the light had dimmed.

Scene 10: Well the booze was still left to be bought. On the way back from Kopai, noticed an FL Off shop. (But that is an experience best told later)

Scene 11: Well, not much to say about the evening, as it went almost the same way as the previous one…the only difference being my absence of anxiety to sing, sketch, smoke and drink on the open-air portico, alone. (The waiter delivering my dinner, later was very amused and understanding).

Scene 12: So, this is, obviously the hardest part. The return.

Well, nothing much to describe here in this scene actually, except the lack of financial resources to stay in that place for a week more, really hit hard.

But As Tagore said “মনেরে আজ কহ যে, ভালো মন্দ যাহাই আসুক. সত্যে রে লও সহজে।” I vowed to take heed, and try again to accept the reality a bit more…I will start with the small things, like re-starting the blog, for instance. 😉

Special thanks to Pratik Roy Choudhuri for his perseverance and pushing me constantly to go on the trip, in spite of a whimsical, anxious, depressive and moody me trying to push him off every time. Thank you. 🙂

  Saneness and Solitude "People, can't live with them, can't live without them" Sorry for modifying the world-famous quote, but that's kind of what I feel for people around me.

[brianwhitedarkdaily-blog]

January 2018 Listening List

This was Ayreon month. I started with, Into the Electric Castle and then became obsessed. Arjen Anthony Lucassen is such a great composer. All the Ayreon albums are awesome sonic epics and if you pay attention to the lyrics they tell compelling and complex stories, something that cannot be said about all concept albums. Where others have failed Ayreon succeeds, from excellent orchestration, composition, heavy progressive riffs, and some blazing technical displays of guitar shredding, each song building on the last creating a great musical journey. One of my criteria for great metal is a mix of styles and instruments and Ayreon delivers here as well incorporating multiple influences (Yes, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Blues, etc.) and instruments (flue, sitar, piano, violin, etc.).

I listened to some other music as well including the Horn and Dagger playlist while proofreading and some great new releases from Oranssi Panzu. So Here is the what I listened to in January.

Into the Electric Castle by Ayreon: One of my all-time favorite metal albums. I can listen to this over and over again. Damian Wilson vocals, a great story line, operatic composition, what’s not to love. Isis and Osiris, Tunnel of Light, and Evil Devolution are some of my favorites.

The Source by Ayreon: Another great album with a complex story and signature Ayeron sound. Sea of Machines, Star of Sirrah, and Aquatic Race were my favorites.

Universal Migrator Pt 1&2 by Ayreon: This was the first time I had listened to this particular album, not sure why, except to say that whenever I get the Ayreon bug I usually run directly to, Into the Electric Castle. This also has some Damian Wilson vocals which prompted me to pull myself away from Electric Castle. Definitely a great album but I haven’t given it the time it deserves yet or paid attention to the story but I’m looking forward to getting into it.

Catharsis by Machine Head: Preface, I have been a Machine Head fan for many years. I only gave this album a cursory listen thus far but from that I can say I was disappointed. Unto the Locust and The Blackening are two of my favorite metal albums which they followed up with Bloodstone and Diamonds, which I wasn’t real happy with. I was hoping that with Catharsis the band was going to return to their awesome ways. Unfortunately, some of these songs seem to attempt a pop feel, and much of the lyrical content seemed forced as if the band had ideas they wanted to express but couldn’t seem to find the music to fit it. Bastards and Grind You Down instantly gave me hope that a turnaround was beginning sounding like songs from Burn my Eyes, but unfortunately these songs were the exception and not the rule. Still love the band just have not been able to appreciate their last two outings.

Farmokologinen and Kevat/Varimyrsky by Oranssi Pazuzu: Awesome! I can’t believe that I had never heard of Oranssi Pazuzu until I was working on Horn and Dagger and was exposed to their Varahtelija album which played an vital role in some of the pacing of the novel. These two EPs continue their journey, exploring their brand of surreal experimental metal. Closing my eyes and listening to these songs resulted in an instant consciousness change. The stead thrum of bass leads into the resonant whine of guitars that transports you into another dimension unveiling surreal landscapes and beautiful monsters. Can’t wait for more.

Horn and Dagger Playlist – Sunn O)), Vildhjarta, Meshuggha, Oranssi Pazuzu, Bach, etc. etc… I will soon update the website with the playlist which breaks the songs down by chapter. In addition I plan to have the last installment of Horn and Dagger DarkTunes Part 4 available soon. Please stay tuned for updates.

That is it for this month.

Enjoy!

brianwhite@darkrevmedia.com

www.darkrevmedia.com/thedarkdaily

tumblr:  http://brianwhitedarkdaily.tumblr.com/

[jesusvasser]

Dream Day: 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS and 2020 Porsche Mission E

The track is still moist in spots, the marbles on both sides of the racing line shout “caution,” and the maintenance squad has begun to steam clean the roadside drainage system. Tension is in the air as we approach today’s subject. Only three people have driven this car so far without a watchdog in the passenger seat. I’ll be number four.

Over the last 24 months, Porsche’s hand-built, electric-powered sport sedan—the metallic white Mission E that’s charged fully and ready to roll—has clocked less than 200 miles, most of them until today on the Portimão circuit in Portugal. To drive it, you need permission from the board of directors and a highly specialized crew trained to deal with the bytes and possible bugs that could befall the one-off, high-voltage prima donna.

The four-door Mission E is more compact than the Panamera, but it’s still quite comfortable for passengers in the back seat.

This is no stripped-down test mule. It has electric doors, windows, and seats. Its cockpit features five animated round instruments and a center stack tiled with one big touchscreen. The classy, glossy all-black electronic altar (not functional at the time of our encounter) is seamless, curved, and conveniently arranged, and it will be intuitive to use, according to Porsche. Today its functions are restricted to the push-button parking brake and the tiny three-step R-N-D gear-selector toggle. The ambience is clearly more iPad than rotary-dial telephone, but designers also applied classic luxury touches including supple leather with matching wood and metal accents.

The Mission E aspires to blend speed and effortlessness, a real-life range of 300 miles, and the ability to recharge to 80 percent in 20 minutes or less.

Despite the car’s low H-point and sloping roofline, the position of its two comfortable rear seats is surprisingly relaxed thanks to the so-called foot garage, a deep recess in the floorpan that splits the battery tray. “The production version is in essence a C-segment sedan with an almost D-size interior,” explains project leader Stefan Weckbach. “Visually, the car combines 911 overtones with fresh proportions and very good space utilization even though the Mission E is notably more compact than the Panamera.”

Step into the future: While its suicide doors are concept only, the luxe leather, wood, and metal accents will make it to the production version of the Mission E.

The Mission E also has a lap timer. “Why not?” says project engineer Michael Behr. “This car is smog-free but is also a hoot to drive thanks to the low center of gravity, the dedicated air suspension, and the precise steering. Make no mistake: This is a proper Porsche through and through.”

Speaking of proper Porsches, the all-new 911 GT2 RS production No. 0001 we’re also getting a chance to play with at the brand’s Weissach test facility is a brand-defining car. One look at its massive, single-decker rear wing, flared carbon-fiber sills, and protruding horizontal front spoiler is all it takes to understand that this is definitely not your neighbor’s 911. Its black and red color scheme and its three huge nasal air intakes are bound to guarantee more overtaking prestige than a pair of cop cars with lights flashing. All those louvers, ducts, splitters, aprons, skirts, and air blades scattered like a rash across its muscular body are designed to befriend the wind and placate the heat.

Inside this particular GT2 RS is a driver-focused environment. The ultimate 911 has no rear seats, which are swapped out for a standard titanium rollcage. The manual seat adjustment doesn’t even extend to the backrest, but the fragile-looking, thinly padded single-piece bucket feels tailor-made in the way it holds the torso and supports the thighs. There’s no radio or air-conditioning, no navigation or Sport Chrono bubble on the dashboard. All of that is more than OK with us. (Most options can be added if you so desire.)

It’s a car that can practically be operated with your eyes closed for anyone who’s driven a modern 911. The shift paddles made of carbon fiber instead of cold metal are part of the Weissach pack, fitting given the day’s location. They’re tucked behind the fully adjustable Alcantara-swathed steering wheel, which sports a much thicker rim and enough clearance for the longest legs. The two red stripes on the polished PDK transmission shifter gate were used before on the 911 R, and there’s a silver Weissach plaque affixed to the glove-box door. The dashboard layout might be ancient, but everything is still exactly where it should be.

Phenomenal midrange punch and explosive full-throttle acceleration in fourth and fifth gear.

While the man with a laptop runs final tests on the ECU of the Mission E, can I please go play with the GT2 RS? Yes, I’m going to take it easy—at least until the tires reach their working temperature.

Runnin’ down a dream: Unlike what is found inside the well-appointed Mission E, the GT2 RS cockpit is decidedly spartan, but there’s still plenty of room for two.

The red belt snaps into a buckle that sticks out like a small plastic tongue. The dashboard is pure 911 with a twist: When you start the engine, a GT2 RS pictogram shows up briefly in the display to the right of the rev counter. Treading lightly for three laps provides a welcome opportunity to reacquaint myself with the Weissach track, built in 1972. Even the long variant is a short circuit with 13 corners, but because of the great variety of crests, climbs, descents, radii, and surfaces, the roller-coaster drive invariably advances pulse rates.

I know all the numbers, and I’ve been in this car before. And yet flooring the accelerator for the first time in the most powerful 911 ever—managing its mighty forward thrust as the engine plays its delightful flat sextet through its titanium exhaust—is a challenge that requires the complete attention of all your senses. This is a car that couldn’t care less about mere progress, testing the midrange waters, cornering at 70 percent, or braking way before the experience gets interesting. It begs to be whipped—hard.

The nature of Weissach’s miniature Nordschleife layout makes it easy to warm up the massive ultra-high-performance tires. Early on, the front end likes to understeer when entering the circuit’s two tightest kinks, and the ABS feels compelled to step in early. Since it takes braver men than me to deactivate PSM, the rear end contributes only the odd exit wriggle during the temperature-building process. As near-maximum grip manifests itself, the handling balance becomes so sweet and subtle it gives you the chills.

I’m braking later and later now, moving ever closer to the apexes. The secret of superfast progress in the GT2 RS is to let the torque do its job, unwind lock early, keep the revs high, and trust PSM to sort things out on exit even if the second turbo hammer comes down with a bang. It’s also essential to keep a firm grip on the wheel through every transverse ridge, painted curb, and expansion joint. My biggest double dare of the day was to keep the hoof firmly planted from the exit of Weissach’s last bend to the point of no return prior to the first right-hander. Wide-eyed, I briefly saw 169 mph before stomping on the brakes. Next thing I remember was a flag, three stern-looking faces, and an unhappy cleaner who had to start all over again.

While the GT2 RS displays its brilliance lap after lap, the Mission E concept shows flashes of promise. Porsche just started road-testing the first two Panamera-based prototypes, and although the chassis of this rolling exhibition piece will bear little resemblance to the finished product, all essential functions are already working to rule. The steering is sharp, the suspension inspires confidence, the tires stick, the brakes are more than merely competent, and the solitary electric motor kicks butt up to 75 mph. From what we can tell so far, Porsche’s first all-electric vehicle will not compromise driving pleasure. The production plan is to make this car a more committed and rewarding drive than a top-spec Tesla Model S while exhibiting unconditional repeatability at the same time—meaning the batteries and the motors must not heat up excessively. The cell chemistry and single, highly complex cooling circuit must cope with recurrent full discharge cycles. And hourlong, high-speed autobahn driving sessions must not dramatically shrink the range.

It’s easy to get carried away in the GT2 RS at the Weissach test facility—as easy as it is to be impressed by the Mission E.

According to those in the know, Porsche is definitely considering three Mission E models tentatively rated at 300 kW/402 hp, 400 kW/536 hp, and 500 kW/670 hp with badging that will mirror current lineup offerings. All-wheel drive will initially be standard equipment, but Porsche might later offer an entry-level rear-drive version. The front-wheel-drive module reportedly delivers 160 kW/215 hp at 16,000 rpm with a constant peak torque of 221 lb-ft. At full boost, Porsche can briefly claim some 325 lb-ft. There are two different specifications in the works for the rear-drive unit. While the base motor is rated at 240 kW/322 hp and 251 lb-ft, the performance version is good for 320 kW/429 hp and 406 lb-ft, sources say. The two-speed transmission is being developed to allow for full-throttle upshifts, and an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential will be an option.

There’s nothing theoretical about the GT2 RS, which like the GT3 features rear-wheel steering, plus Porsche’s PASM active damper system (the Sport setting is too firm for all but perfect roads) and carbon-ceramic brakes. Its combination of power, torque, and amazingly impressive handling make it the most effective track car in Porsche’s lineup, including the other models that carry the GT designation. It’s a stark representation of everything Porsche knows about producing quick lap times, short of moving the engine in front of the rear axle as Porsche Motorsport has done with the latest top-dog 911 RSR race car.

Expect the Mission E to be priced between the Cayenne and Panamera and in the neighborhood of the least expensive Tesla Model S—in the $75,000 to $80,000 range.

Lap times aside, it is understandable that plenty of folks will focus their attention and excitement on the twin-turbo powerhouse that growls, roars, shrieks, and yells beneath a carbon-fiber lid. Despite the phenomenal midrange punch and explosive full-throttle acceleration in fourth and fifth gear, the real hell-breaks-lose effect concentrates on the final 1,200 rpm compressed between 6,000 rpm and the rev limiter. There is simply no letup from the flat-six as it beams the car toward 180, 190, 200 mph.

The Mission E, on the other hand, will never be a Vmax hero, although it won’t be a slouch, either, with 0-60-mph times in the mid-3-second range for the quickest model with a 155 mph top speed. This car aspires to blend speed and effortlessness, comfort and charisma, minimum noise and maximum response, a real-life range in the neighborhood of 300 miles, and the ability to recharge the batteries to at least 80 percent capacity in 20 minutes or less. The battery’s energy cells can be charged with an 800-volt capacity (a first for a production automaker) or 400-volt setup. Synchronous motors with permanent magnets will enable superior continuous performance and repeatability while weighing less with more compact dimensions.

Expect the Mission E to be priced between the Cayenne and Panamera and in the neighborhood of the least expensive Tesla Model S, so figure in the $75,000 to $80,000 range to start. While Porsche’s original goal was to build around 20,000 of the high-end EVs per year, the unusually from Performance Junk WP Feed 4 http://ift.tt/2pHwGoh via IFTTT

[eddiejpoplar]

Dream Day: 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS and 2020 Porsche Mission E

The track is still moist in spots, the marbles on both sides of the racing line shout “caution,” and the maintenance squad has begun to steam clean the roadside drainage system. Tension is in the air as we approach today’s subject. Only three people have driven this car so far without a watchdog in the passenger seat. I’ll be number four.

Over the last 24 months, Porsche’s hand-built, electric-powered sport sedan—the metallic white Mission E that’s charged fully and ready to roll—has clocked less than 200 miles, most of them until today on the Portimão circuit in Portugal. To drive it, you need permission from the board of directors and a highly specialized crew trained to deal with the bytes and possible bugs that could befall the one-off, high-voltage prima donna.

The four-door Mission E is more compact than the Panamera, but it’s still quite comfortable for passengers in the back seat.

This is no stripped-down test mule. It has electric doors, windows, and seats. Its cockpit features five animated round instruments and a center stack tiled with one big touchscreen. The classy, glossy all-black electronic altar (not functional at the time of our encounter) is seamless, curved, and conveniently arranged, and it will be intuitive to use, according to Porsche. Today its functions are restricted to the push-button parking brake and the tiny three-step R-N-D gear-selector toggle. The ambience is clearly more iPad than rotary-dial telephone, but designers also applied classic luxury touches including supple leather with matching wood and metal accents.

The Mission E aspires to blend speed and effortlessness, a real-life range of 300 miles, and the ability to recharge to 80 percent in 20 minutes or less.

Despite the car’s low H-point and sloping roofline, the position of its two comfortable rear seats is surprisingly relaxed thanks to the so-called foot garage, a deep recess in the floorpan that splits the battery tray. “The production version is in essence a C-segment sedan with an almost D-size interior,” explains project leader Stefan Weckbach. “Visually, the car combines 911 overtones with fresh proportions and very good space utilization even though the Mission E is notably more compact than the Panamera.”

Step into the future: While its suicide doors are concept only, the luxe leather, wood, and metal accents will make it to the production version of the Mission E.

The Mission E also has a lap timer. “Why not?” says project engineer Michael Behr. “This car is smog-free but is also a hoot to drive thanks to the low center of gravity, the dedicated air suspension, and the precise steering. Make no mistake: This is a proper Porsche through and through.”

Speaking of proper Porsches, the all-new 911 GT2 RS production No. 0001 we’re also getting a chance to play with at the brand’s Weissach test facility is a brand-defining car. One look at its massive, single-decker rear wing, flared carbon-fiber sills, and protruding horizontal front spoiler is all it takes to understand that this is definitely not your neighbor’s 911. Its black and red color scheme and its three huge nasal air intakes are bound to guarantee more overtaking prestige than a pair of cop cars with lights flashing. All those louvers, ducts, splitters, aprons, skirts, and air blades scattered like a rash across its muscular body are designed to befriend the wind and placate the heat.

Inside this particular GT2 RS is a driver-focused environment. The ultimate 911 has no rear seats, which are swapped out for a standard titanium rollcage. The manual seat adjustment doesn’t even extend to the backrest, but the fragile-looking, thinly padded single-piece bucket feels tailor-made in the way it holds the torso and supports the thighs. There’s no radio or air-conditioning, no navigation or Sport Chrono bubble on the dashboard. All of that is more than OK with us. (Most options can be added if you so desire.)

It’s a car that can practically be operated with your eyes closed for anyone who’s driven a modern 911. The shift paddles made of carbon fiber instead of cold metal are part of the Weissach pack, fitting given the day’s location. They’re tucked behind the fully adjustable Alcantara-swathed steering wheel, which sports a much thicker rim and enough clearance for the longest legs. The two red stripes on the polished PDK transmission shifter gate were used before on the 911 R, and there’s a silver Weissach plaque affixed to the glove-box door. The dashboard layout might be ancient, but everything is still exactly where it should be.

Phenomenal midrange punch and explosive full-throttle acceleration in fourth and fifth gear.

While the man with a laptop runs final tests on the ECU of the Mission E, can I please go play with the GT2 RS? Yes, I’m going to take it easy—at least until the tires reach their working temperature.

Runnin’ down a dream: Unlike what is found inside the well-appointed Mission E, the GT2 RS cockpit is decidedly spartan, but there’s still plenty of room for two.

The red belt snaps into a buckle that sticks out like a small plastic tongue. The dashboard is pure 911 with a twist: When you start the engine, a GT2 RS pictogram shows up briefly in the display to the right of the rev counter. Treading lightly for three laps provides a welcome opportunity to reacquaint myself with the Weissach track, built in 1972. Even the long variant is a short circuit with 13 corners, but because of the great variety of crests, climbs, descents, radii, and surfaces, the roller-coaster drive invariably advances pulse rates.

I know all the numbers, and I’ve been in this car before. And yet flooring the accelerator for the first time in the most powerful 911 ever—managing its mighty forward thrust as the engine plays its delightful flat sextet through its titanium exhaust—is a challenge that requires the complete attention of all your senses. This is a car that couldn’t care less about mere progress, testing the midrange waters, cornering at 70 percent, or braking way before the experience gets interesting. It begs to be whipped—hard.

The nature of Weissach’s miniature Nordschleife layout makes it easy to warm up the massive ultra-high-performance tires. Early on, the front end likes to understeer when entering the circuit’s two tightest kinks, and the ABS feels compelled to step in early. Since it takes braver men than me to deactivate PSM, the rear end contributes only the odd exit wriggle during the temperature-building process. As near-maximum grip manifests itself, the handling balance becomes so sweet and subtle it gives you the chills.

I’m braking later and later now, moving ever closer to the apexes. The secret of superfast progress in the GT2 RS is to let the torque do its job, unwind lock early, keep the revs high, and trust PSM to sort things out on exit even if the second turbo hammer comes down with a bang. It’s also essential to keep a firm grip on the wheel through every transverse ridge, painted curb, and expansion joint. My biggest double dare of the day was to keep the hoof firmly planted from the exit of Weissach’s last bend to the point of no return prior to the first right-hander. Wide-eyed, I briefly saw 169 mph before stomping on the brakes. Next thing I remember was a flag, three stern-looking faces, and an unhappy cleaner who had to start all over again.

While the GT2 RS displays its brilliance lap after lap, the Mission E concept shows flashes of promise. Porsche just started road-testing the first two Panamera-based prototypes, and although the chassis of this rolling exhibition piece will bear little resemblance to the finished product, all essential functions are already working to rule. The steering is sharp, the suspension inspires confidence, the tires stick, the brakes are more than merely competent, and the solitary electric motor kicks butt up to 75 mph. From what we can tell so far, Porsche’s first all-electric vehicle will not compromise driving pleasure. The production plan is to make this car a more committed and rewarding drive than a top-spec Tesla Model S while exhibiting unconditional repeatability at the same time—meaning the batteries and the motors must not heat up excessively. The cell chemistry and single, highly complex cooling circuit must cope with recurrent full discharge cycles. And hourlong, high-speed autobahn driving sessions must not dramatically shrink the range.

It’s easy to get carried away in the GT2 RS at the Weissach test facility—as easy as it is to be impressed by the Mission E.

According to those in the know, Porsche is definitely considering three Mission E models tentatively rated at 300 kW/402 hp, 400 kW/536 hp, and 500 kW/670 hp with badging that will mirror current lineup offerings. All-wheel drive will initially be standard equipment, but Porsche might later offer an entry-level rear-drive version. The front-wheel-drive module reportedly delivers 160 kW/215 hp at 16,000 rpm with a constant peak torque of 221 lb-ft. At full boost, Porsche can briefly claim some 325 lb-ft. There are two different specifications in the works for the rear-drive unit. While the base motor is rated at 240 kW/322 hp and 251 lb-ft, the performance version is good for 320 kW/429 hp and 406 lb-ft, sources say. The two-speed transmission is being developed to allow for full-throttle upshifts, and an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential will be an option.

There’s nothing theoretical about the GT2 RS, which like the GT3 features rear-wheel steering, plus Porsche’s PASM active damper system (the Sport setting is too firm for all but perfect roads) and carbon-ceramic brakes. Its combination of power, torque, and amazingly impressive handling make it the most effective track car in Porsche’s lineup, including the other models that carry the GT designation. It’s a stark representation of everything Porsche knows about producing quick lap times, short of moving the engine in front of the rear axle as Porsche Motorsport has done with the latest top-dog 911 RSR race car.

Expect the Mission E to be priced between the Cayenne and Panamera and in the neighborhood of the least expensive Tesla Model S—in the $75,000 to $80,000 range.

Lap times aside, it is understandable that plenty of folks will focus their attention and excitement on the twin-turbo powerhouse that growls, roars, shrieks, and yells beneath a carbon-fiber lid. Despite the phenomenal midrange punch and explosive full-throttle acceleration in fourth and fifth gear, the real hell-breaks-lose effect concentrates on the final 1,200 rpm compressed between 6,000 rpm and the rev limiter. There is simply no letup from the flat-six as it beams the car toward 180, 190, 200 mph.

The Mission E, on the other hand, will never be a Vmax hero, although it won’t be a slouch, either, with 0-60-mph times in the mid-3-second range for the quickest model with a 155 mph top speed. This car aspires to blend speed and effortlessness, comfort and charisma, minimum noise and maximum response, a real-life range in the neighborhood of 300 miles, and the ability to recharge the batteries to at least 80 percent capacity in 20 minutes or less. The battery’s energy cells can be charged with an 800-volt capacity (a first for a production automaker) or 400-volt setup. Synchronous motors with permanent magnets will enable superior continuous performance and repeatability while weighing less with more compact dimensions.

Expect the Mission E to be priced between the Cayenne and Panamera and in the neighborhood of the least expensive Tesla Model S, so figure in the $75,000 to $80,000 range to start. While Porsche’s original goal was to build around 20,000 of the high-end EVs per year, the unusually from Performance Junk Blogger 6 http://ift.tt/2pHwGoh via IFTTT