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scotianostra · 3 years

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Happy Birthday, ex manager and partner of Elton John, John Reid, who was born September 9, 1949 in Paisley.

The son of a welder and a shop worker, he reportedly attended Stow College in Glasgow for a short time before striking out for London in 1967. At age 18 Reid entered the music business as a promoter for EMI. Remarkably by age 19 he was managing the Tamla Motown label for the U.K., and it was at a company Christmas party that 21-year-old Reid met 23-year-old John.

Their professional partnership would last 28 years with Reid being present for John’s career hitting stratospheric heights, often as his personal life hit deep lows due to the performer’s alcohol and drug use, marriage and divorce to Renate Blauel the forging and continuation of his partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin lawsuits, and loves lost and found.

In an interview with The Daily Record Reid later said “When I met Elton, I didn’t even realize his potential, I’ve never claimed to have discovered him. In fact, when he suggested I should manage him, I wasn’t enthusiastic.” When Reid accepted the job of becoming John’s manager at Dick James Music, the couple were already living together.

In anther interview he says Elton was his first love and vice versa John also revealed he was “a virgin until then. I was desperate to be loved, desperate to have a tactile relationship.”

Their relationship as lovers lasted from 1970 until 1975. It was one of the most prolific music periods for John as he delivered numerous international hits including “Your Song,” “Daniel,” “Candle in the Wind,” and “Rocket Man.” His persona on- and off-stage grew and his outfits became more flamboyant. “The vast leaps in style were exhausting,” Reid has said of the period. “He would go out one day with brown hair and return the next with pink.”

According to Reid, the relationship ended because Elton had “never had a sexual adolescence. He needed to go off and play the field, which he did with gusto… There were no dramas.”

Reid would remain in John’s life – and as his business manager – until 1998. Over the decades the two became wealthy due to John’s recording and touring successes. Both men spent big on sports cars, yachts, jewelry, and property, with Reid reportedly owning multiple homes at one point. Reid managed Queen from 1975 to 1978, as well as other acts including Bros, Kiki Dee, Lionel Richie, Billy Connelly, and Michael Flatley.

Like John, Reid would struggle with drugs and alcohol and in 1991 checked into the same recovery clinic John had stayed at when he got sober in 1990. “Elton called me regularly. He was a tower of strength,” Reid told the Daily Record. But unlike John, Reid would relapse and continue to struggle with alcohol.

Professionally, their relationship ended in 1998, the same year John’s auditors discovered a reported £20 million gap in his accounts. Two years later they would be facing each other in court, this time on opposing sides with John suing accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Andrew Haydon, director of John Reid Enterprises, claiming negligence and breach of duty. “I trusted him,” John said of Reid in court. “I never thought he would betray me but he has betrayed me.” The singer had already been paid over 3 million pound by Reid in an out of court settlement by the time it reached court.

Reid continued in the music business until reportedly retiring in 1999, a year after divesting himself of an art collection allegedly worth £2 million. He was a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor in 2005 and has since lived a quiet life out of the public eye.

“I’m fond of Elton and proud of the work we did together,” Reid is reported to have said in the mid-2010s. “One day I’ll bump into him and there may be hugs and kisses. Or maybe not.”

There is no shortage of controversy in his life either and Reid has been known to have a violent side, one particularly powerful scene in Rocketman features an enraged Reid hitting John after the singer showed up late to a performance. While no evidence corroborates that this moment actually took place, Reid’s temper was a real-life problem. In a 1974 Rolling Stone magazine article, a former employee describes the manager as “diminutive, but he’s a killer. He’ll punch anyone.” The characterization seems reinforced by a long list of notable incidents.Reid once threw a glass of champagne at a man for not having enough liquor at a reception for John, he slapped a female journalist who reportedly called him a “poof," he was charged with assault in New Zealand after beating and kicking a journalist, he was arrested in San Francisco after hitting a hotel doorman with his cane while waiting for a car and he allegedly beat another journalist the day after John’s 1984 wedding to Renate Blauel in Sydney, where Reid was the best man. “They’re isolated incidents,” the manager once said of his outbursts. “I don’t make excuses, I’m not particularly proud of it, but any time anything like this has happened, it’s been in defence of Elton or Bernie’s not for personal reasons.”

To me an isolated incident is that, when there are several incidents it means he has a violent nature, Queen drummer Roger Taylor said of Reid in the 2011 Queen documentary Days of Our Lives. “He was very fiery and very feisty, but so were we.” However Veteran British singer-songwriter Mike Batt defended Reid in an interview after the release of Rocketman saying the depiction was especially callous, and that the "portrayal as an uncaring sex-god manipulator is weapons-grade character assassination.”

His current whereabouts are unknown, though reports list him as living in Australia or London.

Reid was portrayed by Irish actor Aidan Gillen in the Film Bohemian Rhapsody and in Rocketman by Scottish actor Richard Madden.

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bean-pole-art · 3 years

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Ed’s Borderlands Fics Masterpost

well finally

here is the masterpost of all of my Borderlands fics posted. most of them are Rhysothy focused to various AUs. I’m gonna update it as I post more but here it is, along with some of my commentary

right from the start big big BIG shoutout to @spoks-illogical-art, my partner in crime, my biggest inspo, without them honestly most of these fics wouldn’t exist, please check out their amazing art <3

(latest edit - 21/02/2021)

Atlas AU - our main timeline, follows events of Moxxi’s Heist. lots of different concepts and ideas but the core really is Tim moving to Promethea to get help from Rhys. gonna sort em here with posting date, check the ao3 series for the “timeline”

Hypothetically - 2240 words summary: Rhys talks a lot, but usually thinks about it too little.

coffee, cats & monographs - 2880 words summary: “Hey hey, easy. You don’t want to repeat the accident from last week, do you?” Rhys cooed towards the cat and picked her up, just as Timothy instructed him to. Hearing these words, Felicity meowed. “Oh, don’t say that. This is my office and I have the power here,” he answered, carrying her back to his personal space.

Or Timothy's cat pays a visit to Rhys' office in the morning. note: I am a stupid mofo and at this point Tim would also have Loader Bot fkjbfd just imagine hes not mentioned cause hes wandering off, typical LB

Have Faith - 1470 words summary: During the 7 year lockdown at the Handsome Jackpot, Timothy couldn't really have any hope for himself. But maybe on Promethea it could be different. note: sudden feelings while watching JoltzDude139′s stream

Warm Cheeks, Cold Hands - 1170 words summary: Rhys comes home early and wants to say hi to his husband. With no ulterior motive. None at all. note: first fic Ive ever posted where characters are married, actually. fuck it, Rhysothy Real, his name is Rhys Lawrence

the battle (and the aftermath) of the ages - 2970 words summary: In a situation like this everything was possible, they could pull any punches they could think of. Four beasts playing against each other, every single one of them thinking of striking the winning blow.

Or Promethea Squad plays UNO. And then watches a movie. note: I love Promethea Squad with my whole heart

okurimono (贈り物) - 4/4, 17170 words summary: “Not a bomb. Just a device with a message for Rhys. Trust me on that,” this time an emoji of both winking and showing off a tongue [;P] appeared on the surface of Zer0’s helmet. Ah. So they were definitely trying to mess him up. In a way. Unfortunately, he really didn’t have any other options. Almost with a defeat, Timothy took the ECHOrecorder right from their hands and looked around it again. Or Zer0 gives Timothy a peculiar mission. note: my first ever multichapter fic. took me legit abt 8 months to finish but I am absolutely satisfied with this. also the bonus ending. yes

(there is) something I see in you - 8690 words summary: How one Rhys Strongfork met one Timothy Lawrence and how they fell for each other. More or less. note: best to go into this one blind, I swear. dumbest fic Ive ever written and please take this as a recommendation

this world is gonna pull through - 14380 words summary: Timothy really hoped it wasn’t anything important. He had that tendency to forget things easily, even if he tried to fight it. But Rhys kept on smiling and went by his side. So it couldn’t have been that bad. Still dumbfounded, he felt Rhys leaving a kiss right on his cheek.“November 11th?

That- That seriously doesn’t ring any bells?” Rhys continued, brushing his hands against his shoulders. Or how Timothy spent one of his birthdays. note: also a love letter for Tim but a nicer one I guess kdjfnb dont ask how old is he i have no gdamn idea man

Strawberry Sweet - 3560 words summary: Rhys surprises Timothy with a gift for their date night in.

Happy Mercenary Day, Mr. Lawrence - 4670 words summary: How Timothy spent his first Mercenary Day on Promethea. note: I swear this is the best writer night Ive ever had. Ive written this whole thing in one night on Christmas day, solely on the inspo of that song I linked

Don’t Go Wasting Your Emotion - 4/4, 17080 words summary: Afterwards, he went around with his usual duties. Getting a quick roundabout from his PA, checking several sectors himself and looking through the thousands of messages already sent to him via ECHOs. Rhys was ready to finally take on the day, yet when he made his way to the office, he saw the unusual envelope right by the edge of his desk. “For Rhys” was written on it. Straightforward enough. Or Rhys gets a letter from a secret admirer. note: another multichapter fic!! this one also took some time and well. its inspired by ABBA songs. cause only I would write a Rhysothy fic inspired by ABBA

Ratchet Effect - 7130 words summary: Knowing just how much overworked Rhys has been, Timothy wants to let them have a nice getaway in Lazy River Land. There's only one problem to overcome - ratch infestation. note: first fic of 2021!! Ive been playing a lot of bl3 suring the writing of it so it has a lot of stuff I had observed both on Promethea and on Jackpot

Reflections - 2250 words summary: Sometimes, Timothy needs a reminder.

Tales AU - second most important timeline. it’s Tales but Tim is a part of the group. sorted chronologically

A Story For Another Day - ongoing, for now - 2/25, 15280 words Tales AU main fic. it’s gonna be a big one

Connection Interrupted - 3240 words summary: With his driving shift finished, Timothy checks up on Rhys and Vaughn's plans.

Completely Hopeless - 1040 words summary: In which Fiona notices that Rhys behaves differently in front of a certain doppelganger.

infinity times infinity times infinity - 3460 words summary: Rhys and Timothy share some dreams and secrets underneath the stars. note: the beautiful combination of Sleeping At Last and Minecraft parodies. I promise it makes sense

reality can be whatever I want - 11420 words summary: “Hey, Tim?” Timothy didn’t even spare him a look, “Are we alone, or is he there with you?” Oh, this definitely won’t be pretty.

After the confession of Handsome Jack's AI in his head and his plan to infiltrate Helios, Rhys needs to set things right with Timothy. Somehow. note: thanosdancing.gif to Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” 80′s remix and a guest appearance from Ferocity but I cant legally say her name here

still here - 2820 words summary: It all had to go down, after Helios crashed. note: I have...a love/hate relationship with this one kjdfbfg I like it but it’s honestly an alternate ending and doesnt fit within our usual bad ending, so take it with a grain of salt. i ten jebany błąd językowy w summary, kiedy ja go poprawię

together at last - 5590 words summary: It all struck him down in an instant, in this one minute. They were all safe. And they were all alive. Nothing was threatening neither him, nor Timothy, nor Fiona. He could finally breathe out.

They all found each other again. note: I am multitasking most time of my life but I dont relate any other fic to multitasking more than this one. I was honestly doing 10 things at once while writing this dfkjbndf

David AU - this one is a sub AU to Tales AU and the plot is kind of complicated dfjkbfb please check the fic for further explanation

building in curved lines - 22490 words summary: “To be fair, you look terrible. You’re barely standing in one piece and none of your coffees will hold you together for that long,” Lilith paused, seemingly weighing the correct words in her head. “You haven’t really been holding on since… We rescued The Double.” Rhys sighed heavily. Why did she have to be so right about everything. Or how Rhys and Timothy adjust to the reality after the Handsome Jack AI. note: bday gift for Spok, EASILY one of my absolute faves and the longest fic Ive written thus far

outside of AUs - some concepts I play with that are honestly outside any of our concrete timelines/concepts + fics not focused on Rhysothy

Real - 770 words summary: Reconciling with your past is a little easier, when you have someone you love right in your arms. note: first blands fic I’ve ever written. the characterization isn’t really there yet but as a first shot at the game and my kind of “introduction”, I am still satisfied of it

(Un)Familiar Faces - 9620 words summary: Timothy pursed his lips and leaned over the wall a little. He’s had enough of this solitude of closed doppelganger cabinet. Today wasn’t the day for another self-loathing session. Today, he should go off on Helios and do something for himself.

Or Timothy spends the night at a Helios bar. But not as Handsome Jack. And not as Timothy Lawrence either. note: personal favorite of mine, tough love letter to Timothy Lawrence. I have so many fond memories of writing this, including getting drunk out of my mind just like Tim and Rhys here

basics of survival - 2010 words summary: Athena taught Timothy everything he needed to know about survival. Now, it was time to put these skills into use. note: wrote this right before rona outbreak on last day in my dorms. thats all

#borderlands #fic masterpost #fanfiction #fanfic #rhysothy #rhys strongfork #timothy lawrence #just tagging characters that I write the most #fiona the con artist #zer0 the assassin #lorelei the coffee commander #athena the gladiator #Ędi's writing

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sloppy-butcher · 3 years

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Can I get some hcs for Freddy x reader who have like very love/hate reltionship? Like they annoy eachother constantly but still seek each others company. Thanks!

This is the first time I have ever tried writing for Freddy and to be honest, I am quite nervous I did him wrong. Please forgive any ooc characterizations i may accidentally give him - i tried my hardest to make him accurate to the 80’s version (yes, this one will be based on old freddy not the new one (2010 remake), hope that it okay <3) i also hope that you don’t mind if i make the reader a killer as i am only comfortable writing for freddy when the power dynamics are equal

Thank you for the request and i hope these are good enough for you

Headcanons for The Nightmare (Freddy Krueger) with a Killer!S/O who have a Love/Hate relationship

When you are an obedient little dog, when you kill mercilessly and the Entity grows fat from your bountiful supply of food, the spider-god showers you with rewards. Most forms of these appreciations take a physical appearance (new and terrifying outfits to adorn during your daily workouts or new weapons for you to play with). But there were some gifts that were intangible, and otherworldly and oh so irresistible to you - dreams. The Entity lets you sleep if you do well in trials and sometimes even offers you sweet, beautiful dreams. They were indulging at first, so totally vivid in their detail and color that you could almost lose yourself completely in their daydreams. It was a spider web most wonderfully and intricately made. A labyrinth of the mind. But it did not take you long to notice the spider lurking in the corners of his creation.

You spotted him often hiding under the shadow of trees, just standing there in the corner of your eye - one look and he would vanish without a trace. You would have thought nothing of the strange occurrence had it had only happened once and in only dreams. During your walks in between realms, you’d spot the man through the treeline. He was unmistakable in his silhouette and in the way his eyes glowed a horrid orange. You did not fear him however, he was no worse a monster than you were. Rather you were annoyed by his presence in both reality and dreams.

You bend down and pick up a rock, turning it over in your hands testing its weight and size. “Hey!” You shout at the man who halted his retreat into the dark, night wood at the sound of your voice. “Stay out of my fucking dreams, asshole!” You throw the rock at him, narrowly missing him and instead, striking a tree.

“Such a temper.” A hoarse voice coos from somewhere behind and you spin around to meet it. It was him, moving faster and quicker than air and appearing next to you, closer than ever before. You got your first good look at him. His skin was a sore pink leather and he smelled like smoke. “Trust me, sweetheart, I would if I could. Your dreams,” He takes out a hand covered in razor-sharp knives and mockingly strokes the hair out your face, “, are so boring.” You snatch his hand away from your face, barely noticing the sting of blades in your soft palm and the trickle of warm blood down your forearm. You did not grimace, did not cower, and did not back down. He grins at your defiant expression. “And here I thought you’d thank me for giving you the chance to live in such a wonderful world. I’m hurt,” He feigns agony, his free hand placed sorrowfully on his chest, “, good work always goes unappreciated.”

You scoff and show your teeth. “I would prefer nightmares if it meant I wouldn’t get to see you.” The man laughed and flexed his knife-fingers, fresh blood oozing out your wound.

“Oh babe, you and me both. I don’t like this babysitter gig anymore than you do.” He leans closer grinning with his horrible yellow fangs, the scent of a recent kill seeping off his tongue. “I prefer nightmares anyway.”

“You look like a nightmare.” You spit into his face, finally letting go of his weapon and glaring at him. He laughs again.

“You are a feisty one. I think you and I are going to get along fabulously.”

Of course, he did not heed your warning for that very same night you saw him again in your dreams. Though now, he made it a point, not to hideaway. He approached you and actively talked to you, following you around your dream like a resistant plague. He commented on your shit reality, on all the things you could have wanted to dream of, and yet you only wanted to be in an empty field at the brink of dawn. He shakes his head and degrades your poor taste with even more snarky comments. You knew you couldn’t do anything to him while in his dream but in the physical world - well, that is a completely different story.

If he was going to bother you while you slept like a buzzing mosquito, you decided to bother him when you were awake. In the real world he was much less intimidating, that aura of cosmic power that bubbled around him while in a dream state, was not present in the night air and you smirked at his weakness. You mentioned his height, asking how anyone could be scared of such a small man. He’d lash out, swinging at you with both his blades and his harsh tongue. He was easy to toil, easy to wind up but a task to deal with. Freddy could take a punch to his pride and deal out damage times 10. 1 mean-spirited remark deserves 10 more.

Freddy thrived on this back and forth. Ordinarily, he would turn his nose up at the idea of bickering with another killer - sure, some of them were fun, simple minds with which to bend and manipulate in dreams but most were already so twisted in their own self-delusions that well, he just didn’t find them all that interesting. But your mind was sharp and quick, built in the skull of a hardened murder professional yet dainty enough to still yearn for the sunlight world of goodness. A perfect balance. It had been a very long time since last Freddy had had a conversation of equals - a real conversation where the table was not shifted in the favor of either one. If he said something that crossed a boundary or hit a nerve (a task he sought out to do almost every night) you would turn on him, shoot daggers at him with the sole intent of murdering his little ass. Sure, it never really scared him but there was no denying that in a way, to spare with an equal really turned him on. To be challenged.

There were times when he would become too much. Like the static on a dead radio station, he would drone on and on about a certain topic he knew would heat your blood. Always poking his stick deeper and deeper into the bear until you’d bite. Luckily it was quite simple to turn him off - just don’t sleep. You never really needed to rest in the Fog anyway, tiredness never made its claim over your bones even after a long day at work. Sleep was merely a reward, after all, a gift that could be refused if so desired. If time could be recorded within the Entity’s world, then the longest you had gone without sleep, and without seeing that little creep, would have been 2 months. He had really pissed you off when in a dream he produced a small songbird and made you watch as he melted its skin off - all for sport. A sight that did not necessarily make your skin crawl but one that irked you. It was always a game with him, a competition to see who would break first and try to strangle the other. And, to be dead honest, it was starting to annoy you more than anything he could say or do. So you stopped seeing him, stopped dreaming, and stopped seeking him out in the woods. You were tired of always trying to be bested and frankly, his childishness was wearing you thin.

But there was no denying that in that quiet that ate up the space where Freddy used to stand, a strange loneliness would grow incredibly heavy and dreadful. You missed his rather repulsive company, his witty and sharp tongue always keeping you on edge and on your toes. There was no way you could stop your head from turning around to look for him, seeking out his small frame among the dark wood. It was lonely without the flies, silent and decaying slowly.

For the life of him, Freddy tried to move on. He had never tied himself to one person before, never allowed himself to latch on to anyone save for his favorite little toys. But with you it was different. It was fun to annoy you, it was fun to torment you in dreams. It was even fun when you reeled at him, hackles raised threatening to kill. It was exciting, it reminded him of the joy of being powerful and alive (in a sense). And when you never took his bullshit sitting down, when you'd raise to meet his call, oh how it set fire to his heart. To be challenged. He could feel himself wither away, the interest that you had sharpened only seemed to dull and break off in your absence. He’d hate to admit it, but he missed you. Missed your noise and missed that sweet dream of yours.

Both of you are too prideful to confess to the other that you were lonely. But when, one day, you find yourself dreaming a familiar vision, that built-up residue of solitude melted and you turned to face Freddy eagerly.

“Did you really think you could not sleep forever?” He crossed his arms over his gloating chest, a snake tongue flickering victories in between teeth. “I always get my prey.” You smirk, not surprised in the slightest by his rather rude welcome back. You look around at the grassy field surrounding you both shining a brilliant emerald, the sun feeling warm on your back, and the fresh, clean air carrying with it the scent of spring flowers.

“Aw, you missed me, Frederick?” You tease him with his unused full name, casting a devilish side-eye to the dream-demon. You see a flicker of panic, alerting you that you had hit the nail on the head before he spits and loudly proclaims,

“Don’t be so far up your own ass!” His golden eyes gleamed pure hatred at you. “It's not a hat.” You laugh at the face of the fuming man, knowing that despite how his actions appeared malicious and distasteful, there was no feasible way to deny that the dream he had made for you was spectacular and expressed something deeper than just surface-level annoyance.

#dbd imagine #dbd x reader #dbd the nightmare #dbd the nightmare x reader #dbd freddy krueger #dbd freddy krueger x reader

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wrestlingwithhistory · 3 years

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Seisan Matchi - Yoshiko vs Act Yasakawa

In 2015, Joshi Wrestling was experiencing something of a renaissance thanks to a wealth of both experienced and up and coming wrestlers under various promotions across Japan. Stardom is consistently recognised as one of the premier Joshi Puroresu companies in Japan and has had established the careers of wrestlers such as Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo (Kairi Sane in WWE) and Mayu Iwatani to name but a few. Since its inception in 2010. They were always known for high quality matches that would outshine the US companies at the time who were still establishing their women’s wrestling as they moved away from the era of the Diva.

Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, Joshi Puroresu was always well respected, not just in Japan but across the world as talents would travel into the US and perform for WWF and WCW, most notably Bull Nakano who won the then WWF women’s title in 1994. And in reverse, there was a wealth of US talent that would travel to Japan to ply their trade with their Japanese peers, learning the style that was much more than the glamour of the American counterparts. Women such as Madusa (Alundra Blayze), Monster Ripper and Amazing Kong (later Awesome Kong) would establish themselves within the Joshi system despite being Gaijin (foreigners).

World Wonder Ring Stardom – known more commonly as Stardom – was founded in 2010 by former All Japan Women producer Rossy Ogawa, retired wrestler Fuka Kakimoto (known as Fuka) and professional wrestler Nanae Takahashi (known as Nanae). Although Stardom prides itself in hard hitting matches and work rate, it has previous come under fire for its unfair approach to pushing its female stars, placing a huge emphasis on the attractiveness of its stars to promote the company. This would be considered common within the Joshi system as the majority of the people that are attending the shows are male. Usually around 70% of the fanbase at shows are male, but in counter to that New Japan shows, which have Male only talent, the fan base is around 60% female.

This emphasis on attractiveness and professional jealousy is what is believed to be the main reason for what happened on February 22nd, 2015 at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall at a Stardom event which was contested for the World of Stardom Championship.

Yoshiko Hirano was born July 26th, 1993. At the time of the incident, she was 21 years old. She was trained by Stardom founders Nanae and Fuka, as well as her tag team partner Natsuki Taiyo and Yuu Yamagata. She was a part of Stardom’s first trainees alongside Mayu Iwatani and Yoko Bito. She was given a heel persona which followed the style of the Yankii culture, which is considered to be brash, non-conforming and disrespectful.

Yusa Yasakawa was born November 13th, 1986. She made her Pro Wrestling debut in 2012 for Stardom, for whom she wrestled exclusively during her career. She was trained by Stardom founder Fuka. She has won the World of Stardom championship twice and was forced to vacate the title on both occasions due to injuries and illness. In 2014, after several defences of her belt, she relinquishes due to complications with her thyroid which was linked to Graves Disease. She went away for cataract surgery and returned to wrestle again 12 months later.

Yoshiko was considered to be protégé of Nanae, a true monster wrestler who was moulded in the old-fashioned Joshi style that was more in place with that of the cotemporaries of All Japan women. At the time of the match, she was the World of Stardom champion. Act Yasakawa was more of a style for the newer generation of Joshi puroresu. She was smaller in stature that Yoshiko and also, from the view of those higher up in the company, considered to be more attractive and marketable than her counterpart. Both women were part of the same stable in Stardom at one point named Kawasaki Katsushika Saikyou Densetsu Plus One.

As the match begins, both women stare across the ring from each other before they eventually begin trading blows with elbows and punches connecting wildly. Yoshiko, as the bigger of the two, managed to drag Yasakawa to the ground after throwing lots of punches at her face in the corner. The referee intervenes at this point and forces a break by Yoshiko as he can see that Yasakawa is bleeding heavily from her nose and mouth. Yasakawa crawls to the corner where she is checked on by the referee and Kyoko Kimura who was at ringside. The referee goes across to Yoshiko and you can sim him making a closed fist gesture, warning her that she must not punch with a closed fist which is traditional in wrestling to protect your opponent. As Yasakawa gets treatment from her corner, the camera zooms in to Yoshiko’s welted hands. The match was barely 1 minute in from the start bell and her hands showed signs of the closed fist punches that she’s was warned of by the referee.

The match restarts and Yasakawa is still getting to her feet when Yoshiko makes her way to the centre of the ring. Yoshiko makes a grab for Yasakawa’s hair which forces her into the ropes. She manages to fight back hitting her with some punches of her own, but Yoshiko is much larger and stronger than the smaller Yasakawa and hits her with a few more punches to the head and body before taking her to the ground again. Yoshiko then continues the use palm strikes to the side of Yasakawa’s head and face before standing up and moving away for a brief moment. The clearly frustrated Act stands up, still blood running from her nose and staggered from the assault.

Act approaches Yoshiko, looking as if she tries to engage with her to cooperate but Yoshiko stands stoic, hands on hips to signify her disrespect towards her opponent. Act throws a kick towards Yoshiko’s left side, but she grabs her leg and swings another palm strike towards Yasakawa’s face which narrowly misses, and they grapple into the centre of the ring, where Yoshiko again has gained the top control. Act’s head is in between Yoshiko’s legs and unable to attack, so Yoshiko powers Act over onto her back and struggles to manoeuvre into a position to attack again before Yasakawa gets her foot onto the ropes to force a break. As the referee asks for the break, Yoshiko places herself into a push-up pose, using Yasakawa’s face and abdomen as her balance points. She is pushing down on Act’s face the majority of this and eventually gets up, which then allows her to hit a heavy kick onto Yasakawa’s back as she attempts to stand up.

In a momentary change of pace, Yoshiko whips Yasakawa off the ropes and hits a heavy shoulder block/push which sends Yasakawa flying backwards to the floor. This happens a second time but while Yasakawa is grounded, Yoshiko stomps to the back of Act’s head 3 times, 2 which connected, one which was avoided by Act in a last-ditch effort.

Yoshiko then picks up Yasakawa, driving her face into the turnbuckle pad. Act turns around but is met quickly by Yoshiko who grabs her hair and throws her into the opposite corner, following up the more strikes to the head and then applying a guillotine choke. Yoshiko tries to drag the flailing Act into the centre of the ring but Yasakawa grabs the rope and then wraps her foot around the bottom rope, forcing the referee to start a 5 count for a break.

As Yoshiko walks back to the centre of the ring, the referee seems to motion towards Act to see if she is able to continue. Yasakawa nods and tried to regain some composure before returning to the centre of the ring herself. She circles Yoshiko before swinging out at her, which Yoshiko anticipates and throws a few strikes before again getting Act onto the ground by her hair. While on the ground, Yoshiko mounts her back and begins closed fist punching to Act’s face and head again. Act spins onto her front and with Yoshiko sitting atop of her, the referee calls for another break. While getting up, Yoshiko stands her full body weight onto Yasakawa’s stomach. As she moves away, Yasakawa rolls out of the ring where she is immediately met by Kris Wolf and other ringside wrestlers.

Yasakawa’s face is heavily swollen and visible, evident from the closed fist punches and palm strikes by Yoshiko. The referee begins a count but is called to check on Act and see that she is unfit to continue the match. The Referee re-enters the ring but at this point has not drawn a conclusion to the match. Yasakawa tried to climb back into the ring to maintain her dignity but is stopped by the other ringside players and as Yasakawa screams towards Yoshiko, a towel is thrown in to signify that the fight is over. The referee refers to the bell keeper and the bell rings around the arena.

With Yasakawa still screaming at ringside angrily, Kyoko Kimura lauched herself at Yoshiko before being dragged away from her by other present players. Yasakawa was taken away to hospital where they diagnosed fractured cheek nasal and orbital bones which required surgery, with doctors being very concerned with the damage to her eyes due to her surgery the previous year.

3 days later, a press conference was held where the World of Stardom championship was vacated, and Yoshiko was suspended indefinitely. The founders took a 30% pay cut for several months and Nanae ended up leaving the company as tensions between the foundrs over the incident continued.

Although Yoshiko apologised for the incident, many questioned her motives as 3 months later she decided to retire. During the customary 10 bell salute of a retiring player, she turned her back and walked out of the ceremony.

Though the reason for the fight is still contested and speculated, the fact this this match was given the name Seisan Matchi (Ghastly Match) shows how difficult it is to watch.

Act Yasakawa retired from In-ring competition on December 23rd, 2015 as a result of her injuries but continues to work with Stardom, most recently as a manager for the Oedo Tai stable.

Yoshiko had a 5-year exodus from Stardom, working with Nanae’s company Seadlinnng since its inception in 2016. She also tried her hand at MMA with Korean company Road FC. In March 3rd, 2021 both she and Nanae returned to Stardom competing at their 10th year anniversary show, All Star Dream Cinderella. Nanae fought against Momo Watanabe coming out with a victory and Yoshiko took on Mayu Iwatani in a losing effort.

I have put a link below so you can watch the match at your discretion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qstbjwENFy0

#joshi #stardom #joshi puroresu #wrestling

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treeib277 · 3 years

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Xbox 360 Pc Wireless Gaming Receiver Driver Download Vista

Win 10 Xbox 360 Pc Wireless Gaming Receiver

Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver Driver Download

Xbox 360 Pc Wireless Gaming Receiver Driver

Old title: PC Wireless Gaming Receiver for XBOX 360 controllers I have bought the hardware recently, unfornately the software will not install(presumably got a broken CD). Download Microsoft Xbox. Drivers available for Windows Vista and Force Feedback for the Wireless Racing Wheel. Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver Driver Xbox. Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver For Windows. I bought a wireless gaming receiver for my XBox 360 controller this week. Download the drivers. Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver For Windows. I bought a wireless gaming receiver for my XBox 360 controller this week. Download the drivers.

Discover greater precision, comfort, and control. The Wireless Xbox 360 Controller for Windows delivers a consistent and universal gaming experience across both of Microsoft's gaming systems. Experience the ultimate gaming experience on Windows and Xbox 360. I bought a XBOX 360 wireless controller and a wireless gaming receiver for my laptop. However, I cannot connect the controller to my laptop. Anyone know how to connect it to my laptop? Jun 07, 2010. When I plug in the xbox 360 wireless receiver the drivers will not. Xbox 360 PC wireless gaming Receiver. Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows.

Old title: PC Wireless Gaming Receiver for XBOX 360 controllers

I have bought the hardware recently, unfornately the software will not install(presumably got a broken CD). So I was wondering if I can get a driver online for this specific hardware. I cannot find it anywhere.

If you have Windows 7:

1. Click start, right click computer and then click device manager!

2. right click where it says unknown device, then sear internet for driver

(it will say cannot find driver but below will say search driver myself from list!)

3. Click search from list of drivers, scroll down to Microsoft wireless controller!

4. Highlight The microsoft controller and click next, a list of microsoft gaming accessories will appear!

5. Click on Microsoft wireless receiver and then next! (it will say it is not recommended to install driver because unknown publisher, but if you installed software from http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/download/download.aspx?category=Gaming&type=Gaming you know the driver came from there! and then.........ENJOY!!!

As the latest wave of gaming consoles have offered more powerful hardware and more sophisticated online experiences, PC gaming has seemed on the defensive. The first-person shooter, once the exclusive denizen of the PC, is already firmly entrenched on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, while role-playing games and even real-time strategy titles are popping up on consoles as well. But Microsoft is hoping to breathe new life into PC gaming. The company's Vista operating system and a new Games for Windows drive is a one-two punch aimed at making the free-for-all of PC gaming a more standardized plug-and-play experience--in other words, a lot more like playing games on a console. The Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows ($20 list) is the latest salvo in that campaign. It's a tiny peripheral that lets you use your any of your wireless Xbox 360 accessories on your Windows XP or Vista PC.

The biggest thing about the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows is its mouthful of a name. The device itself is a sliver of white plastic that's smaller than the tiniest of cell phones. It's featureless except for a single green LED and a button, and connects to your PC with a 6-foot long USB cable (once again, going 'wireless' always seems to require wires). As such, the Gaming Receiver is not much different from a dongle that might have come with your wireless mouse or keyboard, except that it's designed to communicate with any and all Xbox 360 wireless peripherals. To date, that's a pretty exclusive list: the standard 360 wireless gamepad, the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset, and a wireless racing wheel for racing games. If and when additional 360 wireless peripherals are released, however, they should also be compatible.

The Wireless Gaming Receiver is a tiny USB dongle.

The idea is great: being able to use peripherals interchangeably between the PC and the 360 means you don't have to buy PC-specific controllers. And as more PC games adopt the 360 control schemes (most games with the Games for Windows label on the box should work), developers and players get a standardized game environment. Ideally, that means you won't have to spend the first 15 minutes after your game's installation customizing a litany of mouse and keyboard commands.

We loaded the software package from the included CD and then plugged the Wireless Gaming Receiver into our Windows XP machine. After installing the software from the included CD, just plug in the dongle. We tried syncing the two wireless controllers and a headset by pressing the Xbox 360 Guide button on the former and the power button on the latter. At first they didn't connect--but then we heard our Xbox 360 power up in the next room over. Lesson learned--after unplugging the 360 (leaving the PC as the only compatible device in the area), we tried again, but the green lights just spun on and on. Thankfully, hitting the wireless sync button on the receiver and the devices--that little key with the three wavy lines--got them talking to one another. Once synced, tapping the Xbox 360 Guide button will show a small status icon on the computer screen, similar to the Xbox Live pop-ups on a 360. It reveals how many controllers are connected (up to four will work, but we only tried two), as well as the battery status and any other relevant info.

Not content with a single PC, we also tried the wireless receiver on a second XP machine and a brand-new Vista box as well. On the second XP PC, we were unable to get the wireless headset working. It was recognized, but Windows kept asking us for a compatible driver--which we could neither locate on the disc nor download. We did find an updated version of the software on Microsoft's Web site (version 1.10.120.0, versus the version 1.00.81.0 that ships on the CD), but the problem persisted after installing that version as well. Truth be told, that particular XP machine has quite a few issues, so the fault is likely attributable to the PC more than the wireless receiver. Still, we did notice quite a few complaints on Microsoft's own forums while investigating the issue.

When we went to install on a Vista machine, the new OS pre-emptively warned us that the newer software was available, so we were able to install that one straight off the bat--and it worked perfectly. But we did find it strange that the 'check for updates' function that pre-installs with the CD version did not notify us that the newer version was available on the XP machine.

Win 10 Xbox 360 Pc Wireless Gaming Receiver

The Wireless Gaming Receiver lets you use your Xbox 360 wireless peripherals on your XP or Vista PC.

The good news is that once the controllers were set up and synchronized, everything worked smoothly. We used to test things out. The game--where you play through the events of the original Star Wars trilogy as if it were set in a universe of Lego toys--isn't the most typical PC title, but it's difficult to control with a mouse and keyboard. With the 360 gamepad, on the other hand, playing was a breeze. And because the game is a certified Games for Windows title, the controller was preconfigured to work--no additional setup was required, though you can further customize the controls to your liking, if needed.

On older games, however, your options will be limited. If the individual title supports gamepads, you won't have a problem, but otherwise, you'll be out of luck. We tried configuring and to work with the 360 controller using the in-game control menus, and had mixed results. Some of the hard buttons were usable in F.E.A.R., for instance, but we weren't able to map the analog control sticks for movement. Quake 4 was a total bust--we couldn't map any of the controls to the pad. Yes, Microsoft wants to position the Xbox 360 compatibility as a forward-looking feature for new games, but it would've been nice if the company had provided some way to support legacy titles. One poster in the aforementioned Xbox forums suggested that the Pinnacle Game Profiler was a good workaround. The third-party software is free to try, but it'll cost you $20 to buy the full version.

The wireless headset is a bit more flexible--it should work in pretty much any situation where headphones or headsets would. It worked fine for all PC applications and games, so it's a worthwhile option for everything from Skype to Counter-Strike. Newer games such as will let you split the radio chatter on the headset while the environmental audio stays on the PC speakers.

Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver Driver Download

The rated range on the Wireless Gaming Receiver is 30 feet, and it was still working for us when got far enough away that we could no longer see the screen. In other words, even if you have your PC connected to a projector or a big-screen TV, you should have no worries in terms of keeping a connection.

Xbox 360 Pc Wireless Gaming Receiver Driver

Is the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver worth getting? Considering the $20 price tag, it may well be hard to resist for gamers who ping-pong between Xbox 360 and PC titles on a regular basis. For now, it's hardly a must-have PC gaming peripheral, but as more Games for Windows titles are released--titles like and Halo 2 are due later in 2007--that may well change. In the meantime, we hope that Microsoft continues to tighten up some of the software and driver issues that seem to have affected some users.

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pkmnjesus · 4 years

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The 2010s Decade of PokéAni (An overview - Part 1 of 2)

It is now 2020! Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year. We are now entering a new decade of new adventures. Before the next new episode (first episode of this decade) that airs this Sunday, I’d like to reminisce the past decade on the Pokémon anime’s most memorable moments. Besides the annual PokéAni Rewind post I did, I want to additionally do a decade’s worth review of the anime throughout the different series from 2010-2019 just for this new year. From Sinnoh to Galar, we’ve seen many major events throughout the anime. Contests, Gym Battles, connoisseur battles, performances, races, leagues, Legendaries, Mythicals, Ultra Beasts, specials, introductions, farewells, evil organizations, shippings, background stories, emotional episodes, and crossover we’d never thought we’d see happen! There were also a lot unique PokéAni films shown within the decade from Zoroark: Master of Illusions to Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution. We've had movies with 2 versions like the games, more telepathy Pokémon, and a new format/alternate universe of Pokémon movies starting with 2017's I Choose You! But right now, let’s just keep our focus on the main series anime for this particular post. I will not be counting Origins, Generations and other mini-specials shown this decade since these were more in the game-verse continuity of the franchise. This might be really long (and annoy some people’s dash), so I’m going to split this into two posts. *These posts will be following the original Japanese air dates, but will still be using the English/game dub names for a universal understanding by all.* So, let’s get right to it! Here are my personal favorite PokéAni moments of each year from this decade, starting with the first half of the 2010s:

2010: Ash vs. Paul - their final battle at the League

August 19, 2010 With the climax of the Diamond and Pearl series approaching, this is by far my favorite battle in the Pokémon anime (next to Ash vs. Gary in the Johto League) because of how well they developed this rivalry. Paul was a real jerk when it came to training his Pokémon, releasing them when he felt like it. Paul was honestly THE REASON to watch this series because of how well they built up this rivalry up to this final showdown. Every character involved with their story from Cynthia to Paul’s brother Reggie to Pyramid King Brandon, played an important role adding to the story especially when it comes to their Pokémon teams. Paul was also an anime original rival (he shares a bit of similarities with rival Silver from the games) so his character was really fresh and new. The hype surrounded their final battle was astronomical to me! I clearly remember during this time I was still in my sophomore year of high school in the middle of an exam week but all I could think about was this battle!

It was a 3-parter, but I would like to focus on the decisive outcome. Both had one Pokémon left, Ash had Infernape and Paul had Electivire. All this time, Paul always thought of Ash’s Infernape was weak and pathetic not being able to control its Blaze ability which is why he released it as a Chimchar when it was still under his care. In the end, when thought he won and called it weak once more, the Blaze fully kicks in showed him how powerful it has become ever since training with Ash. In the final moments of the match, Electivire throws a Thunder Punch, while Infernape charges Flare Blitz. When the smoke clears, everyone thought that Electivire withstood that attack, but it was only a few seconds later it would faint resulting in Ash defeating Paul for the first time in their most meaningful battle that they ever shared. It’s almost symbolic as this was once the Elekid that first battled with Ash when he first arrived at the Sinnoh League. This battle was intense, fun to watch and superb storytelling between the two trainers and their Pokémon. But most of all, seeing Ash overcome and proving a stubborn and prideful trainer in Paul wrong by beating him in battle was one of the MOST satisfying feelings for any Pokémon anime fan to ever watch (unless you’re a Paul fan).

They properly end their rivalry with Paul finally giving the rightful respect to Ash, as he looks to challenge Brandon again to get stronger. Meanwhile, Ash advances to the semi-finals and has a battle with Tobias...we all know how that turned out, but was still a hard hitting battle. But still not as awesome Ash and Paul had. That to me was the battle of the decade! And this was just the start of the 2010s. A bar set so high that no other battle can compare it to, so far.

Honorable mentions from this year: The DP series’ final year! Dawn had some great moments too with her “Dee Dee” (’Pikari’ in Japanese) nickname story to be finally revealed after all these years, meeting her royal doppelganger and getting a Togekiss in the process. Let’s not forget that Dawn also had her first Grand Festival, ending up at 2nd place after Zoey defeated her in the final round. This was also the same year where we saw Monferno evolve into Infernape that helped Ash win his final Sinnoh badge. The return of his old Pokémon he caught in previous regions made appearances in the Sinnoh which was the last time we saw them considering that Ash is now only using the Pokémon he caught in his currently traveling region moving forward after this. Doc Brock is born with a new dream, and how can I not mention the debut of the Best Wishes (Black & White) series?! Iris’s accidental encounter in the wild and Cilan’s gym challenge was a great way of introducing the new characters! Finally, we got to see Ash caring for an abandoned Tepig that was tied to post, and the smoothest and coolest Snivy that Ash caught. 2010 was a great year!

2011: Excadrill trusts Iris again

September 17, 2011 Ever since Iris was revealed to have another Pokémon besides her Axew, I always wondered how she ended up with an Excadrill that won’t seem to listen to her and just get stuck on its own curled up body in drill-mode as if it doesn’t want to move. This heartwarming episode explains it, and explores Iris’s past growing up with playing with wild Pokémon. This was the same episode they introduced the self-professed “Dragon Buster” Georgia whom would start a rivalry with Iris, forcing her to use every Pokémon she had with her, preferably Dragon-types. When she called Excadrill out, the same thing always happens resulting in being unable to battle. Iris finally opens up about why this happens.

When it was still a Drilbur, it had been causing trouble with the other Pokémon Iris played with because it was always stealing their berries. Iris decides to teach the little thief a lesson with her own skills to counter its powerful Metal Claw attack, but would fail every time she attempted to. One day, when she finally outsmarted the Drilbur, he ended up getting tangled on vines that he couldn’t get out of. Iris then rescued the Drilbur from getting hurt, and the two became battling partners. During their battles in the Village of Dragons, that Drilbur eventually evolved into Excadrill and would learn Drill Run. When the powerful Dragon Master, Drayden shows up, Iris boldly challenges him to a battle. This would be the mistake that would strain their relationship as Drayden and his Haxarus easily defeated them. Iris was overconfident going into the battle giving commands without realizing that none of Excadrill’s attacks would do any effect on a very experienced Haxarus. It was a crushing defeat that would lose Excadrill’s trust on Iris and her capabilities of being its trainer.

Fast forward to the night after Georgia defeated Iris, she decides to sleep with Excadrill and tearfully apologizes after realizing all these years that she shouldn’t have pressured it to battle against a very powerful opponent in Drayden without considering her Pokémon’s feelings going into it. It was clear that they still needed more training before going up against a Dragon Master, but Iris selfishly went for it anyways. After the heartfelt apology, Excadrill finally gets out of drill-mode and trains out in the forrest trying to learn Focus Blast. After Iris wakes up seeing its new determination, she decides to train with Excadrill until they perfect the move. With a renewed partnership, Iris has another rematch with Georgia’s Beartic. Although the battle still resulted in a tie, it was the first time we saw Excadrill fully in-sync with Iris, and more importantly is very happy to be his trainer again. The trust between the two is rejuvenated better than ever, and will continue to get stronger until their next big challenge. This is one of my favorite BW episodes because I simply love redemption episodes like these, and this made me appreciate Iris’s character more.

Honorable mentions from this year: The BW series’ first full year! We had 3 Gym battles that year. How can I not forget the birth of Ash’s Scraggy hatching from egg? I miss that little guy thinking its the strongest Pokémon out there. Also, the beginning of the Snivy-Emolga rivalry, Oshawott overcoming his fears opening its eyes underwater to learn Aqua Jet, the group meeting an aspiring filmmaker, and Zorua-trainer, Luke, the beginning of the explosive Don George Battle Club tourneys, Bianca’s father attempting to get her daughter home instead of traveling, Ash & Cilan challenging subway bosses Ingo & Emmet, Unova Champion Alder making his anime debut, another heartwarming Iris episode with caring for a lonely Deino, a brotherly visit from Cilan’s brother Chili, and the Unova Forces of Nature trio made their presence felt after Team Rocket attempts to capture them. Speaking of serious Team Rocket agendas, this year was supposed to feature Team Plasma’s debut clashing against Team Rocket in a double special episode however had to be postponed due to the impactful 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan the week it was supposed to air. These two episodes was scrapped and re-written completely for future plot involving Team Plasma. It was such a shame really considering how much hyped I was for this (I’m sure many others as well at the time). Though I kind of understood why they had to. I was living in Southeast Asia at the time (this was before I migrated to the U.S.), and my country was dealing with heavy typhoons during that same week too. In the end, we never really got to see an epic clash between the two evil organizations as their stories became separate arcs that never even crossed with one another. Team Rocket had to revert back to their old white attires, and had to scrap/retcon Pierce’s character completely. He was one of the more interesting Team Rocket members they’ve ever had, and it’s a shame that we never got to fully see a different approach they were trying to do with Jessie, James, and Meowth’s character having a more serious role in the anime. Maybe one day we can see these unaired specials if they decide to release for a novelty watch, and we’ll all be happy...including myself :)

2012: Ash proves Skyla wrong

March 1, 2012 In one of my favorite Gym battles, I had to put this satisfying victory on my list. Skyla was one of the more stubborn and prideful Gym Leaders we had in the anime because of her appointment “Air Battle” method where she would predict the outcome of challenger battles mostly based off of type disadvantages. But you know our Ash, “type disadvantage” doesn’t really apply to him and of course he heavily disapproves of what she is doing as a Gym Leader. She would much rather fly in the skies for her enjoyment rather than actually do her job as a Gym Leader doing proper challenges. During the day of their scheduled Gym battle, he hopes to avenge Cilan who tried to prove her wrong the other day that Gym battles shouldn’t be based off what she sees in her head but what happens in the battlefield. Skyla still believed that based on the team Ash was using against her that she’d still be victorious.

During this 3-on-3 battle, sometimes you can’t predict the unpredictable. When both are down to one Pokémon left, Skyla had her ace in Swanna out while Ash had to bring back his Tranquill who already had been in battle. The sky battle was fast paced but in the midst of it all, Tranquill evolves into Unfezant! Ash finally takes down Swanna thanks to the new moves Unfezant had to offer making him the victor and more importantly exposing how her “Air Battle” prediction was never 100% accurate in the first place. I love episodes like these when characters like these get shown up and learn the error of their ways (and I loved Skyla in the games). After this battle, Skyla officially retires Air Battles, and apologizes to her grandfather that she was wrong all along that it truly depends on how the trainer and Pokémon bond in battle and not just go off on basic type disadvantages. She saw that with Ash and his Pokémon proving him to be a unique trainer that takes all challenges no matter what. It was a great battle and a well-earned Jet Badge for Ash on his road to the Unova League!

Honorable mentions from this year: The BW saga continues with hard hitting episodes with the final gym battles Ash had to fulfill before entering the Unova League. This League even kicked off by Ash taking out his rival, Trip, in the first round! If you ask me, the pacing of this series has great. The distance between Ash’s next gym battles, and the good amount “fillers” (which some comprise of mini-tourneys like the Club Battles) in between them were great. It was straightforward, even while tackling the Team Rocket Operation Tempest storyline with Meloetta. Speaking of which, it’s been YEARS since Giovanni played a prominent role in the anime, and it was great to see him in action as the big bad villain again. It also marks the big return of Dawn (continuing the tradition of returning previous main PokéAni girl...which actually breaks after this series), and she really blended well with this group! Especially from her friendship with Iris (much to Ash’s dismay xD). And of course had a great bunch of episodes from our favorite Dragon trainer. I was so surprised and hyped and she actually caught a Dragonite! A main character in this show has a DRAGON FREAKIN’ NITE. It took a while for him to actually obey Iris, but she eventually was able to get a hold of this aggressive Pokémon. We also get a glimpse of her pass when we finally got to see the Village of Dragons, and her long awaited rematch with Gym Leader Drayden. Another one of my favorites from 2012, was Tepig confronting his old trainer and cruelly abandoned him (because of being too weak for battling) before Ash rescued him. Ash, the trainer of proving people wrong, with the help of QUEEN Snivy, helped Tepig show his old trainer that he was strong all along by defeating his Emboar & Heatmor in a tag battle. In the process of all that, Tepig evolved into a Pignite in a very satisfying mid-evolution during that tag battle. Oh and how could I forget that Ash dressed up like a cute girl again along with Cilan to help Iris teach some rich ladies a lesson. Definitely gotta note that in here! xD I LOVED 2012 PokéAni.

2013: The bonding between Ash & N

July 6, 2013 The climax of the Team Plasma/N arc quickly approaches, and Cedric Juniper acquires the Light Stone from the White Ruins near Dragonspiral Tower in hopes to study more about its powers related to summoning Reshiram. Juniper then tells a story on Unovian mythology (“White chapter”) which is about the relationship between Reshiram and a hero whom it had trusted. Eventually that hero’s pure heart will be lost in the riches he will gain. Suddenly a familiar friend shows up to conclude the disturbing tale. N shows up to the scene interrupted Juniper, and grabs the Light Stone away from him because he feels that it is in the wrong hands and should not be examined whatsoever for scientific interest.

Ash wants to understand why N feels the way how he feels, so he chases after him. The ground gives way under Ash’s feet while running and gets stuck on the floor. The kindheartedness of N went back to help him up, but both ended up dropping deep underground the White Ruins due to the collapsing floor, trapping them from reaching the surface. When Team Plasma arrives, they plan to ambush Iris, Cilan, and Juniper until Ghetsis arrives. But Cedric Juniper’s assistant, who turned out to be Looker, attempts to stop their planned attack with a PIPE! When Coloress arrived to the scene, he successfully brings his machine to take control of the Pokémon who has been helping with the excavation on the site including a huge Golurk! It was looking bad, and there was no way Looker could handle this situation all by himself.

Meanwhile in the underground, N and Ash are having a deep conversation about their ideal relationships between people and Pokémon. N wants people to treat Pokémon like family like what his sisters Anthea and Concordia envisioned, and believes that there are some good in people out there just like Ash who truly love Pokémon. N has spent enough time in previous episodes to know what kind of heart Ash has toward Pokémon. However, he still thinks Pokémon would be better off without people living in peace on their own which is why he didn’t want Juniper to get his hands of the Light Stone in fear of the knowledge he’ll gain and possibly abuse it. Ash defends Juniper’s scientific research for good and believes that he just wants to learn more about Pokémon, just like how much he really wants to be good friends with all Pokémon including Reshiram. I just love N’s character so much and that I’m glad they did a slightly modified version of him from the Black & White games, still keeping his close communication with any wild Pokémon. His ideals with Ash are quite similar, but there was a clash when it comes to how other people treat Pokémon besides themselves. This why I loved their interactions so much because it was just couple of dudes having a healthy discussion/debate with something they both care about. Like in the real world, some people take advantage or abuse the things or riches benefitting them without thinking of others, and N’s truth and ideals symbolizes those real-world problems. Eventually, they did reach the surface. When, N saw Ash’s Pokémon helping their trainer trying dig their way out, he knew that maybe he should give others a chance to see if Pokémon and humans can truly co-exist like partners or family. Even Pikachu adversely overcame Colress’s device that attempted to control him, that costed Ash a bit of physical pain from trying to get to Pikachu. N saw that too, and it changed his views. This is what helped them to later on save the world from Team Plasma’s attack and and foil Ghetsis’s diabolical plans even after awakening Reshiram with the Light Stone.

Honorable mentions from this year: The farewell year of the BW series was bittersweet as we saw the conclusion of Unova League, and the bummer of Ash coming up short again, but still with a great effort. Meanwhile, Team Rocket’s Meowth thought that he could get Colress to leave Team Plasma, but to no avail. Besides getting to know N in the post-league, we got see him battle the Gym Leader Cheren! In the final stretch of this series, they were able to go to the Decolore/Decolora Islands where they had some fun adventures meeting Pokémon like a Jirachi and Beheeyem. We got some old school feels when Ash reunited with Charizard earlier on, and got a Butterfree flashback episode. Professor Oak met-up with them to catch a Rotom, and we even saw Johto’s own Clair in her updated attire searching for a rare Druddigon. Cilan had to defend his gym from an icy female trainer, plus even met another good chef in Brock after parting ways with Ash and Iris! This was turning over to Generation VI and along the way in their Decolora adventures, they met Alexa, a reporter from the Kalos region who brought her Gogoat with her. Then we get our first glimpse of the Kalos region! Remember the out of control Garchomp Ash had to save from the top of Lumiose Tower? Blaziken Mask does...we were introduced to our new buddies, Clemont, Bonnie and later on Serena who would join the group finding for her little childhood friend that helped her at camp. We got to see a fearless Froakie who chose Ash to be his trainer, and a cheekrubbing Dedenne that is under the care of Bonnie in her bag. Finally, Serena’s Rhyhorn racing background, Ash take on his first gym battle against Alexa’s sister, Viola, and Clemont trying to take back control of his gym from a malfunctioning robot. Ahh 2013...this year was the start of my first semester in college, and boy was I entertained during my breaks between classes! Also, the year where I got my “PokémonJesus” name and started being active on Pokémon forum sites.

2014: Ash vs. Korrina - an intro to Mega Evolution

September 25, 2014 The moment has finally arrived for Ash and Korrina to have their Gym battle. Korrina has been traveling with their group for a couple of episodes on route to Geosenge Town in order to learn more about Mega Evolution from her grandfather, Gurkinn. She fit it really well with the group and has a similar spunky fighting spirit with Ash. At the time, I actually thought she was going to be a permanent member of their group for a while (dang you OP) and I would have been fine with it. Their little adventure is what helped her achieve Mega Evolution with her Lucario. We already got preview of what Mega Evolution can do with the special that aired earlier on, and it is clear as day that Korrina and her Lucario are capable of handling the power of Mega Evolution, despite the earlier difficulties with controlling Mega Lucario. Now that she’s ready, you know our boy is ready to face her as well with full force!

Their 3-on-3 battle was exhilarating! Team Rocket tried to interrupt it (as usual), but luckily Clemont & Serena takes care of them before even trying to sabotage this long awaited showdown. Ash struggled a bit at first with Hawlucha attempting to use Tierno’s rhythmic battle style, but he soon later realized (thanks to Serena) that he has his own unique battle style that he should use just like he always does. Ash finally battling like himself was able to take down Korrina’s Mienfoo and Machoke easily. But Korrina still has her ace left.

Of course it was her trusted partner, Lucario whom we saw developing its strength throughout their journey towards achieving Mega Evolution. They immediately utilize their Mega Evolution, and do quick work of Ash’s Hawlucha and Fletchinder. In the final matchup, Ash sends his Pikachu to the field. At the end of the day, Mega Evolution wasn’t enough to counter Ash’s unique battling style as his Pokémon’s hard work and coordination earned him the Rumble Badge. The episode ends with the fist bump of the decade as Ash sets off to his next Gym in Kalos. Korrina to me was definitely one of the best gym leaders that they were able to significantly portray in the anime.

Honorable mentions from this year: The first full year of the XY series has been great, especially Ash traveling in a quarter for the first time since the Advanced Generation series. We saw a couple of debuts like Ash meeting his Hawlucha, Clemont catching his Chespin, and reuniting with a Luxio that turned out to be the Shinx he befriended during his childhood, Serena catching her first Pokémon in Pancham, plus her rivaly with Miette on Ash on Pokémon Performing, the gang meeting Kalos Champion Diantha, introducing new rivals in Shauna, Tierno and Trever during the summer camp episodes, Sky Battles, and the Battle Chateau. One of the more emotional episodes was the lonely Espurr in the “haunted” mansion, while one of the more creepy episodes was the evil Malamar trying to take over the world! And, I can’t forget the time where they had to meet their mirror selves in where Ash was a complete crybaby and Serena was the aggressive on in the group xD Ash also faced off against Grant in rocky gym battle, while Serena had to defeat her mother in a Skiddo race for her mother to approve her dream on becoming a Pokémon Performer. 2014 was truly a Mega year for the Pokémon anime, and the year I even joined the #pokeani fandom here on tumblr. It started with this portion of the XY series :3

Next half of this PokéAni 2010s overview to be continued on part 2 →

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sbnkalny · 2 years

Conversation

admiral-craymen: Fear and paranoia fuels every level save path with a few non-album songs.

admiral-craymen: it was released on December 22, 2010 on both a cd and a dvd, in order

admiral-craymen: People have been shipping Smromble with Stinkle (Smrinkle) for hundreds of years and in the full moon is on december 22, 2010 on both strikes (such as power-up Punch), including effects that do not regrow

admiral-craymen: PEOPLE have been shipping Smromble with Stinkle (Smrinkle) for hundreds of years have passed since a once thriving human civilization Perished in The dust

admiral-craymen: People have been shipping Smromble with Stinkle (Smrinkle) for hundreds of years have passed since the fall of the utopian civilization

admiral-craymen: People have been shipping Smromble with Stinkle (Smrinkle) for hundreds of troops as well as murals And friezes from Alessian temples, I estimate that the Alessian "year", which their priesthood used to Record all dates

#CHAT #DAY 15 #admiral-craymen

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jmsa1287 · 5 years

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A Year in Review: The 15 Best Albums of 2018

More than the past few years, 2018 proved to be a year of consensus when it comes to music. There were a handful of artists who released must-hear albums, many of which were lauded. Ariana Grande, Troye Sivan, Drake, Beyonce and Jay Z, Kanye West and many more dropped albums we all had to stop and listen to. Some of those records appear on the list below, some don't.

I’ve never had this short of a list in the 11 years I’ve been thinking and writing about music. Maybe it’s due to my age but despite a handful of gems, the landscape has been pretty dreadful over the past few years.

15. MGMT - Little Dark Age

14. Beach House - 7

13. Now, Now, - Saved

12. Rita Ora - Phoenix

11. Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of

10. Cat Power - Wanderer

Six years after her last album, singer-songwriter Chan Marshall a.k.a. Cat Power returned this year with the stripped down, raw and politically charged album "Wanderer." It's an effortless album that finds Marshall at her most minimal while she makes some of her biggest swings. The whispery "Woman," which features cooing from Lana Del Rey, is a hauntingly confidant song where their two voices create powerful layered sound. Marshall also adds Rihanna's ballad "Stay" to her lineup of covers and her take on the track is one Marshall's best takes on a pop song she's ever done.

09. Yumi Zouma - EP III

Although their newest EP only has four songs, Yumi Zouma's latest effort, aptly titled "EP III," is one of the year's best collection of songs. The New Zealand band have put a steady stream of their brand of shimmering dream pop. Single "In Camera" is a dazzling disco thumper that finds Yumi Zouma at the top of their craft. "Powder Blue / Cascine Park" is another highlight, a cool and slinky jam that comes with a soaring chorus. Yumi Zouma have two LPs under their belt but they seem to function best with EPs, offering small bursts of blissful musical sunshine.

08. Troye Sivan - Bloom

Troye Sivan's sophomore album "Bloom" is a radical shift for the out singer. It signaled a more mature and sophisticated sound, which fans noticed with his first single, the George Michael inspired "My My My!" a confidant explosion of love. The album's title track is radical queer expression — one not really heard in pop music before. Bluntly put, it's about bottoming, so says Sivan. More than that, it's a catchy bop. The same goes for the electrifying "Lucky Strike" and "Dance to This," which features Ariana Grande. "Bloom" also tender moments like the stellar "The Good Side" and the moving ballad "Postcard," featuring Gordi.

07. Ariana Grande - Sweetener

No doubt that Ariana Grande ruled 2018, easily one of the most talked about celebs thanks to her whirlwind engagement and breakup with "Saturday Night Live" star Pete Davidson, the tragic death of her ex-boyfriend rapper Mac Miller and, of course, "Sweetener," her fourth album. Though her most successful song of the year, "Thank U, Next," is from her upcoming fifth album, "Sweetener" is a powerful and emotional journey. It finds Grande working through her emotions about the Manchester Arena Bombing, her relationship with Miller and the highs of her romance with Davidson. With top-line producers (Pharrell, Max Martin, Hit-Boy and more), "Sweetener" has the confessionalism of a Taylor Swift album but the soul of Grande.

06. Sophie - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides

Sophie's debut album "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides" is a departure of sorts. The producer and musician previously released amped up pop songs — so sugary it would instantly give you a toothache. That glossy pop sound that sounds like music processed through a whacky funhouse mirror is found rarely found on Sophie's album. Instead, it's a deeply personal experimental effort that finds Sophie at her most venerable, like the raw balled "It's Okay to Cry," a queer anthem about self-acceptance. "Is It Cold in the Water?" is an atmospheric and painful ballad that flows and erupts with anger. "Ponyboy" is Sophie's sexiest song and the intense "Faceshopping" is another powerful song about identity. "Oil..." is an album that defies expectations and is incredibly rewarding.

05. Let’s Eat Grandma - I’m All Ears

The British duo Jenny Hollingworth and Rosa Walton made one of the most vibrant and impressive albums of the year. Under the name Let's Eat Grandma, "I'm All Ears" is a fantastical experimental record, that's both playful and fascinating. Skewering pop music with electrifying songs like "Hot Pink," "Falling into Me" and LP highlight "It's Not Just Me." Closing the album is the stirring ambient ballad "Ava" and the 11-minute "Donnie Darko," bonkers and epic synthy ride that solidifies Let's Eat Grandma as the future of pop music.

04. Mariah Carey - Caution

Mariah Carey's 15th album "Caution" may be her worst-selling albums since "Glitter," but it happens to be one of her best efforts in years. The compact 10-track album (a departure for most pop stars who usually offer an exhausting 15-20 tracks) is solid from front-to-back. Working with fresh producers, ranging from Poo Bear, DJ Mustard, Ninteen85, Blood Orange and even Skrillex, and veterans (Timbaland!), "Caution" is a sexy R&B album that finds Carey, who gets writing and producing credits on every track, figuring out the latest phase of her career. She never strains her vocals or even bothers for those iconic high-range Mimi notes: "GTFO" is a hilarious and sultry breakup song, "A No No" is another sexy and funny standout as is "The Distance," featuring Ty Dolla $ign.

03. The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

The British band the 1975's third album "A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships" is their most ambitious and sprawling offering yet. Though it takes on a number of heavy topics, like lead singer Matty Healy's rehab and addiction as well as global issues like Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, the death of Lil Peep and so much more, "A Brief Inquiry" is beautifully positive; a glowing piece of music that offers hope in a chaotic and messed up world. The band does this while drawing on some of the best music ever made ranging from Radiohead's "acoustic" album "The Bends," the sophistipop U.K. band the Blue Nile, Kanye West, electro dubstep musician Burial, the Talking Heads, Justin Bieber, Michael Bolton and so much more. "I Love it if We Made it" is a hopeful anthem for a generation and the thesis of "A Brief Inquiry," an album that tells us the world is shit but there's still light at the end of the tunnel.

02. Robyn - Honey

Robyn's last album "Body Talk" from 2010 contained some of the best music of the 21st century, namely "Dancing On My Own." There were plenty of other highlights ("Hang with Me," "Call Your Girlfriend") but looking back eight years later, it's a flawed album. "Honey" is the inverse of "Body Talk." From start to finish there isn't one skippable song. The highs are higher on "Body Talk" and Robyn doesn't even bother trying to top "DONMO." Instead, the Swedish pop star unleashed a beautiful dance album that's sexy and emotional. On "Body Talk," she told fans she was a femmebot. On "Honey," she's a "Human Being" — a stunning and hypnotic song finding Robyn at her most personal. Elsewhere, "Because it's in the Music" is a shimmering nu-disco banger about a broken romance, "Beach 2k20" is a novelty song that sounds like it's the theme for a TV show about a cruise ship that sails across the universe. Closer "Ever Again" is a pulsating and glittery jazzercize-like jam where Robyn is at her most venerable and confessional: "Never gonna be brokenhearted / Ever again / (That shit's out the door) / I'm only gonna sing about love / Ever again."

01. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour

Kacey Musgraves' third album "Golden Hour" finds the country singer at her peak. Always a clever songwriter, Musgraves outdid herself here, penning some of the best songs of her career, including the breakup ballad "Space Cowboy" and the disco-country bop "High Horse." "Golden Hour" is a record, that sounds like it was inspired by Beck's iconic breakup album "Sea Change," that finds Musgraves going big and small, contemplating life, love and her relationships. The melancholy "Lonely Weekend" strums along until she hits you with the lyric: "I got a million things to do, but I haven't done a single one, no / And if my sister lived in town, I know that we'd be doin' something fun." The interlude "Mother," is a small devastating song that packs the biggest punch on "Golden Hour." "I'm just sitting here thinking 'bout the time that's slipping / And missing my mother, mother / And she's probably sitting there / Thinking 'bout the time that's slipping / And missing her mother, mother." Still, she makes room on the album to sing about drinking, doing drugs but infuses every second on "Golden Hour" with humanity that's earth-shatteringly touching.

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octaviainthewasteland · 5 years

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Wonder Woman: on female characters in comics PART 3

p. 1, 2, 3

Finally my lazy ass finished it. Warning: Image heavy. Please bear in mind that English is not my first language and we do not beta, we die liek mne!

Part 3: Woman: Warrior, Wife, Wonder

Summary: Critical analysis of the character of Wonder Woman

Under the cut

Previously, I have talked about gender inequality in the comics industry and poor portrayal of female characters in the comics. In this part, I am going to talk about comics as an active political tool, and Wonder Woman as a medium of gender politics.

Lepore and Fawaz both define Wonder Woman as the banner-bearer of the feminist separatist utopia (Lepore, 2016: 199) (Fawaz, Hall, Kinsella, 2017: 9), though they refer to different feminist movements. While Lepore stresses the importance of the movement of 1910s for the invention of Wonder Woman, Fawaz matches Themyscrira, the home island of Wonder Woman, to the idea of separatism of 1970s. As noted by De Beauvoir and Fawaz, it was impossible to imagine the life without men. Women have no separate history, no separate culture. They were attracted to the idea of an island, isolated from the rest of the world. This fantasy on the pages of the comic book has become a safe space for exploring the social, cultural and political possibilities and conflicting notions of a better, desirable world (Fawaz, Hall, Kinsella, 2017: 4).

The very birth of Wonder Woman is a political statement. In the early 1930s Margaret Sanger has led the birth control movement. (Lepore, 2016: 147) The question of to whom belonged the power over the woman’s body has been on everyone’s lips. On the pages of The Origin of Wonder Woman Marston tells a story of a matriarchal birth, a celebration of woman’s agency. (Wonder Woman #1, 1942) Parallels can be found between the legend of Wonder Woman and Christian narratives, even more so than, for example, Superman, who is typically analysed as a Jesus figure. She is born, fathered by no mortal man, and sets on saving the humanity from the forces of hate and oppression, fighting injustice, suffering, intolerance and destruction. She is omnibenevolent and wise, even being chosen by the ring of the Star Sapphires, because her heart is abundant with love (Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2, 2010) However, Diana has neither father, nor any similar patriarchal figure in her life. She is born in a feminist utopia with no contribution from a man. The significance of this phenomenon cannot be overstated. Wonder Woman is devoid of the weight of patriarchy; hence she is the manifestation of the feminist fantasy (Curtis, 2017: 307). For 70 years she has been an exceptional figure within the pop-culture, centered around the question of Fathers and Children and ignoring the trope of the Absent Mother. The feminist utopian fantasy, though, has been killed in 2012. Of all people, by her own new authors, Azzarello and Chiang. Not only does Wonder Woman have a father now, trivializing her story, taking away her legendary status, but also this new version destroys the sisterhood. In the new version, Hippolyta lies, because she is scared of Hera’s jealousy and revenge. The same Hera, who has protected Diana and Hippolyta from Zeus’ forced advances. The same Hera, who has blessed Diana at birth. Goddesses and Amazons are no longer a monolithic front, now they are pitted against each other, fighting over the affections of a man. Wonder Woman used to be a character born from defiance. Now she is a character born from fraud, and the supremacy of the male principle has been reinstated. (314)

What early villains of the Wonder Woman comics share is their opposition to gender equality. Some villains were fictional, some of flesh and blood. Jill Lepore uncovers a schism, verging on an open war, between the writers of Wonder Woman in 1942 (Lepore, 2016: 210-213). Gardner Fox rejects the idea of the female superhero and downgrades Wonder Woman to typing out minutes and getting trapped to be saved by the male members of the Justice’s Society.

(All-Star Comics #14)

He refuses to include her in the action and show her fighting side by side with the rest of her colleagues. (All-Star Comics #12-17, 1942-43) On contrary, the political influence of Marston’s Wonder Woman grows by leaps and bounds, both in fiction and in real life.

It is worth to also compare the politics of visual presented by the case of Fox and Marston. Under Fox’s pen Wonder Woman becomes a meek female heroine, an incompetent lady, and the textbook token female character, which makes a team diverse without delivering any real contribution. After the death of Marston, she is stripped even of such nominal power. Just as Athena warns Amazons, if they submit to a man, they will lose their powers. The metaphor of the gauntlets is very curious, in fact. Amazons are bound, so that they do not forget what happens if they let man conquer them (Madrid 2009: 36). Surprisingly, Wonder Woman uses the gauntlets to protect herself, deflecting bullets and other weapons. We can see a careful threading of Marston’s motif on the struggle of women. A paradoxical situation of a shackle turned into a shield can be connoted as the remainder for women that they have broken free and they are powerful, but if they submit to a man, they will lose all their power. (Lepore, 2016: 220) Wonder Woman’s lasso is also a reference to a real-life phenomenon, specifically the lie detector. Its invention has fascinated Marston and on more than one occasion he has offered his services as the operator to the US Army (Lepore, 2016: 61). For him it has been a turning point in history of science and politics, and of course, Wonder Woman needs such a device in her adventures.

Opposed to Fox’s portrayal, Marston’s Wonder Woman stands against the International Milk Company that has been overcharging for milk, “an essential element of American children’s lives”. It has been a direct criticism of politicians such as Al Smith. On the pages of the comic books, Al Smith turns into a Nazi secret agent Alphonso De Gyppo, the evil president of the International Milk Company. Twice he tries to kill Wonder Woman, but she manages to escape him and lead a political rally. She captures his evil boss, Baroness Paula von Gunther, and the prices for milk drop, to the gratitude of American children and everyone concerned. Another example involves a fictionalized social critique of the working conditions in America. A textile workers’ strike in Massachusetts, in 1912, is retold as a strike against Bullfinch’s Department Stores, as the workers are underpaid and exploited. The real villain is the fiancé of the lady, who is owning the Department Stores, and when she realizes his true evil nature, she punches him and takes over, doubling everyone’s salaries as the first order. (Sensation Comics #8, 1942)

Everything feminine and girlish had been considered (still is) weak and boring (Lepore, 2016: 187). Marston, on the other hand, believed that men confuse desire with pleasure. They desire domination, while women can receive pleasure from both domination and submission. He felt that if there had been a strong beautiful woman (Marston wanted Wonder Woman to look like a Varga Girl), men would submit to her willingly and she would teach them love and peace. Never before such a character has existed (191). Submissiveness became power.

(georgia peach, alberto vargas, esquire, 1940s)

The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps are formed in 1942 by Roosevelt. Each issue of the solo Wonder Woman comic book has praised women, who have also been scientists, writers, politicians, social workers, doctors, nurses, athletes, and adventurers – or, in other words, Wonder Women of History. (Lepore, 2016: 220-222) Chained, tied up and gagged women are an allusion on the suffragist movement. Women seemingly reclaim the imagery of bondage and bound, giving it the implication of the struggle, the defiance, and resistance. Moreover, the idea of submission has been the new display of feminine supremacy. (236)

Fretheim suggests noting that Wonder Woman’s weapons form circles and defines them as ‘vaginal weapons’ (Fretheim, 2017: 24) as opposed to phallic weapons such as guns and swords. That it, I must correct myself, until recently. As can be seen in Chiang reimagination of Wonder Woman, she is often depicted on the comic book covers with swords, axes and other weapons.

As if drawn phallic weapons also raise the levels of testosterone, to match her updated apparel, new Wonder Woman is also more short-tempered, aggressive and has actually become the new Goddess of War after defeating Ares. (Cocca, 2014) However, some, like Walter J. Ong, have argued that even the earliest version of Wonder Woman has been ‘too much like a man’. (Lepore, 2016: 255) He criticizes her resistance towards marriage and family life, accuses her of sustaining only on the anti-social pure sexual allure, by standards of the men. He goes on to develop an argument that comics have been fascist propaganda, with the concept of ‘supermen’ directly borrowed from Nietzsche, ‘the herald of Nazism’. (256) If you are not sure who Walter J. Ong is, it is that same man who concluded that Batman and Robin promote homosexuality and we can say thanks to him for the Comics Code nonsense. So, we can see that Wonder Woman has constantly faced accusations of being ‘too masculine’. It is a hard job of being a girl in the boys club: you’re either the lady-friend who inevitably becomes the love interest or you’re a tomboy. Wonder Woman tries to be both, to be neither, to be something else entirely.

Nonetheless, in 1944, out of all comic book superheroes, it is Wonder Woman, who becomes a newspaper strip. There is a considerable difference in exposure between comic books and daily newspapers, opening a whole new audience to Wonder Woman. She joins Superman and Batman as the first trans-media superheroes and thus the Trinity is formed. Marston has always been quite open about Wonder Woman being feminist psychological propaganda for the new type of strong and courageous womanhood. (220) The message of Wonder Woman transcends the comic books and becomes a social commentary on the gender politics and economic environment of the twentieth century.

Unfortunately, this is the temporary liberation. The most sinister villain of them all turns out to be the peacetime. Once again, the comic book works as a mirror, reflecting the changes on the political and socio-cultural stage. With the end of the Second World War, there blooms a daunting realization that the service of women is no longer required. The period of high threat is relieved by the period of low threat and the decisive, tough heroes can loosen up. Not to undermine them and the returning soldiers, women all over the country are fired and urged, those unmarried, to tie the knot, and those married, to hurry up and procreate. Wonder Woman is stripped of her kinky red boots, of her position at the Justice’s Society and ultimately, her powers. She becomes a friendly guide for young ladies, who dream of fairy tale romance, a handsome husband and a multitude of little pink-cheeked copies of him, running around their little cozy house. (271)

Feminist movement gave birth to Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman has become the symbol of the feminist movement. When Wonder Woman has appeared to be chained and depowered and forced to fit into categories she has been fighting against since her creation, “fellow sisters” has come to her aid. She is put on the cover of the Ms. magazine and once again blazes the fantasy of the female superhero, equal to Superman and Batman, and of the all-women culture, glorious in its isolation from the discrimination and oppression of the male imposition. (Lepore, 2016: 283; Fawaz, Hall, Kinsella, 2017: 8)

Wonder Woman returns to peaceful protests on the pages of It Aint Me Baby and feminist newsletters. There starts the try and miss of the comic industry with the female characters. Wanting to cash in on feminists, Marvel attempts to introduce new female characters, but they all fail spectacularly after just a handful of issues. (Lepore, 2016: 289) Forty-five years later, the situation is not much better. Marvel executives even try to put the blame on the readers, because apparently the stories about diverse characters are not selling. (Cain, 2017)

To be fair, in 70s it has been a real issue. Nothing has been selling. Even Wonder Woman. The feminist movement is divided. Radical, liberal and intersectional movements emerge, at odds with each other. The Second Wave supports a predominantly white, heterosexual view.

In 1987, Wonder Woman is rebooted. Pérez and Wein make her more ethnic, acknowledging her origins. They finally bring up the fact that on an island with 100 percent female population, homosexual relationships take place. (Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #38, 1990) In the #180 issue Diana is in a relationship with an African American man, Trevor Barnes. She gains her powers back. She addresses the issues of race, sexuality and gender. Wonder Woman rises again on the crest of the Third Wave of Feminism: a struggle for equality, diversity, complexity, inclusivity, individualism and cultural critique. (Cocca, 2014) However, due to historical processes, as history does not evolve in a linear, progressive fashion, the maturity and growth call for a major backlash (Cocca, 2016: 10). The comic books are then overflowing with hyper-masculine men and hyper-sexualized women. The new Wonder Woman, Artemis, has been criticized and remained unaccepted both by readers and by the characters of the comics themselves. For instance, Batman is openly dismissive of her and objects to her presence, going as far as forbidding Artemis to even sit in Diana’s chair in the Justice League Headquarters. (Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #90, 1994) The problem with Artemis is that she is too aggressive, too rash, and therefore, does not fit the norms of femininity, imposed by the predominantly male audience.

Wonder Woman is rebooted anew in 2011, as mentioned before. Contrary to the critiques that Artemis has received, this Diana is also aggressive and ‘male-like’. Here we can notice a similar pattern. Because female empowerment associates in men’s mind opposite proportionately with male disempowerment, a strong female superhero that challenges the social structures terrifies the reader. Hence, Amazons are both objectified and dehumanized. They are no longer peaceful immortal protectors – after the reboot, in order to maintain their population and quench their sexual thirst, they engage in sexual intercourses with sailors, who have expressed dubious consent and are often killed off afterwards. Newborn girls are to stay on the island, while boys are sold into slavery to Hephaestus in exchange for weapons. Amazons’ queerness is erased from the narrative. Wonder Woman discovers that she has a brother, who is somehow more powerful than she is. (Justice League Vol. 2 #50, 2016)

She also pursues romance with Steve Trevor. Their relationship is truly a double-edge sword. He has appeared in the first issue of Wonder Woman and has remained her supporting character since. The polarity of his character lies in the interpretation. From one side, he is a ‘token boyfriend’ (Robbins, 2006), from the other, he is a lonely boy in the refrigerator. Robbins argues that introduction of Steve Trevor should ensure the reader in Wonder Woman’s heterosexuality. Therefore, he is the political instrument that positions Wonder Woman in the framework of heteronormativity. On the other hand, it is an interesting subversion of the ‘damsel in distress’ trope. Steve Trevor gets in trouble and Wonder Woman rushes to his rescue. His suffering propels her plotline and he is secondary to her character, not having much of a distinct personality, changing with the trends over time, reflecting what kind of man is popular at that instance. The only constant is the mesmerized ‘Angel’ to Diana, which, in fact, either baffles or irritates her. (Sensation Comics #2, 1942) Either way, the existence of the character of Steve Trevor restricts Wonder Woman from exploring her diverse sexuality, but on the other hand constructs a new meaning for visual representation of Wonder Woman in the comics.

During the Second World War, people have been constantly bombarded – by standardized imagery. With the rise of Communism and the National Socialism, the rhetoric of good and bad has returned to the military conflict. One side is morally right; their opponents then must be immoral and wrong. One side is the hero and the other side is the villain, aiming to oppress, torture and destroy. As we know from the fairytales, from everything we have been taught, the good side always wins the evil. The hero always arrives just in time and saves everyone. This stream of non-stop visuals from the media has produced something Alvin Toffler calls a ‘mass-mind’. (Toffler, 1980: 176) The comic books promote All-American ideology and the image of the superhero that defends the world with the help of the good sports from the American Army. It is a ready-to-wear moral certainty. The movements are represented by a particular group: the feminist movement is predominantly white and heterosexual; the LGBT movement receives one-dimensional representation of the G.

In the late 70s the stream gradually becomes less uniform. Toffler introduces the concept of ‘a blip culture’ (177), a culture of confusion, feeling of abandonment and anger, because now the visuals are fragmented, contradictory, people are left to give these ‘blips’ their own meaning. The system pulsates with bigger and bigger amounts of data. Today we want out information fast. Faster. Memes, photos, tweets, and headlines of the articles we are never going to open to read in full at the top of the IPhone screen. We prefer to digest information through visuals. It does not matter where we live, in a developed or a developing country, in a metropolitan city or in the countryside, we stay up to date with the pop-culture. It necessarily consists of the modern and old media, which become another ode of propaganda and promotion of the ideas, people and trends that just ought to become popular. The power of textual is substituted by the power of the visual.

Comics are the low genre of entertainment. It is primarily identified as being strictly for children and youth (Ndalianis, 2011: 113). And yet it has victoriously invaded the mainstream media. No matter how much so-called nerds desire to maintain the illusion of an exclusive boy-club, who are socially awkward and misunderstood by everyone, it is no longer a niche. The comic book characters’ faces decorate lunch boxes and backpacks; they become a new type of celebrity, symbols of the generations. It is no longer the comics in itself that is important – but the superheroes. The phenomenon of the superhero has transcended the medium of the comic book. Pop-culture turns politics into another component of the field of entertainment, and brings it on the transnational level. It becomes a performance, where the spectators are the citizens, divided into the politically charged individuals and apolitical witnesses. The superheroes are a fiction, but the borders of the fiction and the reality blur. With appearance of the superheroes on the screen, the audience starts associating the character with the face of the actor. Because the superheroes are already surrounded by myths, different interpretations and fandom, the figure of the superhero can become more real than the person, playing him or her. The imagery and simulacra, which are the foundation of the society, create a model of the prevailing life style of the said society. It is not the aggregate of the characters, but the social relationships between people, intermediated by these characters. (Baudrillard, 1994)

To support my argument about how the superheroes received the status of celebrities and how Wonder Woman has become a simulacrum of the political figure, we need to break down the process into five stages. I shall bring some examples to build a case to explain how the superheroes have evolved in our consciousness and from mirrors have transformed into active agents that represent and influence masses.

In 1996, a special edition comic book has been released, featuring Superman, to promote the landmine awareness among children. The comic has been distributed to Bosnia and the territories of the former Yugoslavia. DC has published the comic book in cooperation with the Department of Defense and UNICEF. So, exhibit one: the superheroes, as the role models, are suitable to educate children.

In 2016, a certain video has gone viral under the name Avengers Against Trump. In reality, it has little to do with Marvel and its team of superheroes, but it has starred some of the actors from the cast of the Avengers, such as Scarlett Johansson, who have been emphasizing the importance of each and every vote. Their disdain for Trump becomes the disdain of the superhero they play. Exhibit two: the process is started, the reality and the fiction begin to merge, the figure of the actor is perceived not as a celebrity of interest, but as the avatar of the superhero.

On February 7, 2016, Turkish Airlines has released a commercial, where they have been ‘pleased to announce the new destination: Gotham City’. Ben Affleck appears during the commercial, credited as Bruce Wayne. Exhibit three: real life companies utilize the superheroes as the ambassadors of the brand. The line between performers and the superheroes they play becomes even thinner. The superhero becomes more real.

In this fashion, Wonder Woman is no different. Maybe even more exemplary, as she has been created specifically as feminist propaganda. The artwork in Mural, Philadelphia, depicting Wonder Woman landing a punch on Donald Trump, illustrates quite well the extent to which the reality of our social and political consciousness and superhero narratives influence each other.

Wonder Woman is a superhero, which defends all defenseless and openly stands against discrimination and oppression – and there she stands against Donald Trump, a person in a position of power, who is infamous for his racism and sexism. Exhibit number four: gathering information and background from the comics, TV-shows and movies, we analyse it and draw our own conclusions and assume that the superheroes have certain opinions about the realm of noumena, to which they do not belong, and what these opinions would be. Most people would agree that Batman is – notice how the conditional would be is dropped – for gun control. Harley Quinn is crazy about Comic-Cons. Wonder Woman is anti-Trump.

Wonder Woman has become a symbol and a spokesperson of modern feminism through this fusion of fiction, politics and personalities of the actresses. Wonder Woman has become a simulacrum of a celebrity and by extension a political figure. She makes choices, supports some politicians and publicly disapproves others. The critical point of this development takes place on October 21, 2016, when the UN has decided to use Wonder Woman in an honorary role in the empowerment campaign to fight for gender equality, and thus, Wonder Woman is appointed as the UN ambassador. The final exhibit: it shows that the superhero is treated like a real person and has been given exercisable political power. One might point out that she has been demoted from the position two months after, but the case rests. We live in a world, where Wonder Woman has become an ambassador of the United Nations, even if only for two months.

(Wonder Woman design art, Harry G Peter, 1942)

Bibliography

Fawaz, R., Hall, J., & Kinsella, H. (2017). Discovering paradise islands: The politics and pleasures of feminist utopias, a conversation. Feminist Review, 116(1), 1-21.

Lepore, J. (2015). The Secret History of Wonder Woman. New York: Knopf.

Curtis, N. (2017). Wonder Woman’s symbolic death: On kinship and the politics of origins. Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, 8(4), 307-320.

Madrid, M. (2009). ‘Sirens and Suffragettes.’ The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines. Ashland, OR: Exterminating Angel, 2009. 145–81. Print.

Fretheim, I. M. (2017) Fantastic Feminism: Female Characters in Superhero Comic Books. Trykk: Reprosentralen, Universitetet i Oslo

Cocca, C. (2014). Negotiating the Third Wave of Feminism in "Wonder Woman". PS: Political Science and Politics, 47(1), 98-103.

Cocca, C. (2016). Superwomen: gender, power, and representation.

Cain, S. (2017). Marvel executive says emphasis on diversity may have alienated readers. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/apr/03/marvel-executive-says-emphasis-on-diversity-may-have-alienated-readers [last accessed on 1 May, 2018]

Robbins, T. (2006). Wonder Woman, Lesbian Or Dyke?: Paradise Island as a Woman's Community. Available at: http://girl-wonder.org/papers/robbins.html [last accessed on 15 April, 2018]

Toffler, A. (1981). The third wave. London: Pan in association with Collins.

Ndalianis, A. (2011). Why Comics Studies? Cinema Journal, 50(3), 113-117.

Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and Simulation. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press.

Fly to Gotham City with Turkish Airlines! Super Bowl TV SPOT (2016) Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS7JBHxdxko [last accessed on 8 May, 2018]

Avengers Against Trump. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnK9tEdNjX8 [last accessed on 8 May, 2018]

#Wonder Woman #Diana Prince #DC comics #dc girls

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dustedmagazine · 5 years

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Dust Vol. 4, Number 11

Blink and 2018 is just about over, at least in terms of music releases, at least if you don’t follow best ofs, mainstream hip hop or holiday music. As we close in on another year of amazing music—but what year isn’t, really?— Dusted takes a moment to dig through the piles and write some short, mostly positive reviews of albums that might have gotten slept on. As usual, writers follow their interests through expansive drone, transcendental folk, incendiary free-jazz, metal, punk and gospel-tinged Americana. Contributors this time included Ethan Covey, Justin Cober-Lake, Jennifer Kelly, Bill Meyer and Jonathan Shaw.

Bitchin Bajas — Rebajas (Drag City)

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Bitchin Bajas are a band made for deep exploration. Their hallucinatory, drone-based excursions are like an old couch — sink in, stretch out and stay a while. Rebajas, released this fall by Drag City, makes that task simple. The seven CD set features most everything the band has released since their debut in 2010: eight full albums and their contribution to various split albums. If you’re dipped into Bitchin Bajas previously, you’ll know what you’re getting. (And if you haven’t there’s little chance this package, or this review of it, is where you’d start.) That said, for those with a long drive, or a monk-like attention span, settling in and tracking the territory of the band’s evolution is rewarding. While the themes — of drone, calm, repeating bass and synth figures — remain constant, the band isn’t a one trick (or one note?) pony. Deep listening uncovers the variety between shorter, bloop-and-hum pieces from Tones/Zones (Disc 1) and the meditative, cycling layers of “2303” from last year’s Bajas Fresh (Disc 7). And there are moments that peek up from the soup: “Bajas Ragas” adds hand percussion and a loping bass line for one of their most engaging concoctions—fit for a slow-motion dance floor in a submerged city of the future. Missing, unfortunately, is their 2016 collaborative album with Bonnie “Prince” Billy, the excellently-titled Epic Jammers And Fortunate Little Ditties. As is this intriguing gem of Rolling Stones covers. Yet, with just shy of seven hours of music, I doubt many will sweat their absence. There’s more than enough to disappear into. And, if this review hasn’t spelled it simply enough, this is quite possibly the trippiest music out there. So, set your intentions and bon voyage.

Ethan Covey

Nathan Bowles—Plainly Mistaken (Paradise of Bachelors)

Plainly Mistaken by Nathan Bowles

Nathan Bowles, banjoist, percussionist and citizen of New Weird America, departs from his plain-spoken directness in this fourth album and makes a welcome detour into open-ended psychedelia. Right from the dreamy, drifty “Now If You Remember,” you sense a soft-focus open-ness to otherworldly experience. The cut, written by the seven-year-old Jessica Constable and included on Julie Tippett’s 1976 Sunset Glow, shifts and shimmers in ways that Bowles percussive banjo ditties have rarely done. Yet the album’s transcendental heart comes in “The Road Reversed,” where a pounding, dancing rhythm kicks among long, velvety bowed tones, and banjo notes bend into raga-like half-tones. Folk Americana frolics amid deep-toned Eastern meditation, and where one begins and the other ends is hard to say and, also, beside the point. There are, for sure, some traditional touchpoints—“Elk River Blues” (a tune by Ernie Carpenter that Bowles revisits here), “Fresh and Fairly So” and “Stump Sprout” will all satisfy fans of the twang and the twitch. Yet what lingers, for me, are the ones that stray from past experience, the slow, solo ambiguities of “Umbra,” the shadowy flurries and shifting dissonances of “Girih Tiles.” What Bowles’ well-turned work has lacked till now is mystery, and here it is at last.

Jennifer Kelly

Mike Farris — Silver & Stone (Compass)

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Mike Farris's long, strange career flamed briefly with the alt-rockers Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies in the 1990s. After that, Farris rejected his rock 'n' roll lifestyle and grungy sound in a move toward gospel and soul. The surprise of the transition wasn't the partier-to-Christian story but the discovery of how strong Farris's vocals are. On Silver & Stone, he has less of a gospel focus, but down in some swampy soul music (with bits of brighter pop), he shows off that voice. He's willing to take on Bill Withers (“Hope She'll Be Happier”) and Sam Cooke (“I'll Coming Running Back to You”) — not tasks usually recommended — and he comes out of it just fine.

The album fits a sort of arc for his solo career. It lacks the new-convert punch and joy of Salvation in Lights, but it shifts into more thoughtful reflection. Where he had been celebrating, now he's considering how to live. The explicit religion has mostly disappeared, but Farris's songs still run on hope and a big heart. The sorts of ideas at work on Silver & Stone synthesize on “When Mavis Sings,” a tribute to Mavis Staples and serves as a sort of musical and personal model. Farris, whether in rock or soul, the church or the club, presents a focused vision with enough groove to carry it through.

Justin Cober-Lake

Tim Feeney — Burrow (Marginal Frequency)

MFCS K | Tim Feeney - Burrow by Marginal Frequency

Burrow can be read as both an explanation and an instruction. Percussionist Tim Feeney begins each of this tape’s four pieces (two per side, and if you purchase a download you’ll get a file of each side, not each piece) in similar fashion, beating out a pattern with minimal variation. As the performance progresses monotony gives way to fascination as Feeney slowly reveals a beat’s potential variations. At a certain point things change. Are you hearing more because he threw something on the drum skin, or because your concentration is unlocking that drum-strike’s secrets, or maybe both? Treat this tape like a meditation guide, one that helps you to dig into the sound and see what treasures you find.

Bill Meyer

Forever House — Eaves (Infrequent Seams)

Eaves by Forever House

Forever House makes wildly complicated songs whose improvisatory flights and furies are held together, barely, by Meaghan Burke’s keening, swooping melodies. A lurid aura hangs over these difficult, jarring compositions, witchy incantations invoking freaks, body doubles and spiders. Burke’s voice is velvety dark, draping over odd-shaped rhythms, jutting stabs of violent sound. The drumming is particularly good in an off-putting, against-expectations manner; along with throbs of cello and throes of feedbacked dissonance, it constructs a weird fun house architecture where everything tips and distorts and unsettles.

Forever House’s oddities work because they’re powered by formidable skills – this is a band with a serious NY downtown pedigree. Burke, a cellist and composer, commutes between classical orchestra work and solo material that skitters along the boundary between archaic pop and free-wheeling art song. Both guitarist James Moore and bassist James Illgenfritz have played with John Zorn, as well as other downtown luminaries (in Illgenfritz’s case Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, Elliott Sharp and Pauline Oliveros and others, in Moore’s with the electric guitar quartet Dither). Drummer Pete Wise has left less of an internet trail but seems to have Bang on a Can connections. You get the sense that Forever House is their spooky busman’s holiday, a chance to play against type and raise some unruly ghosts. Boo!

Jennifer Kelly

German Army — Kowloon Walled City = (Null Zone)

Kowloon Walled City by German Army

German Army is neither an established military entity nor some reenactment clique, but a low-flying, California-based combo that (according to their Facebook page) “uses art to document disappearing cultures and wildlife while critiquing imperialism in all forms.” Kowloon Walled City certainly qualifies as a disappearing culture, since most of the semi-autonomous, mob-run neighborhood that sat at the edge of Hong Kong’s airport has been cleaned up or knocked down. Since there’s nothing particularly Chinese-sounding about this tape’s perky synth/drum jams and the rare spoken vocals are in distinctly American-accented English, the proclaimed mission may be a failure or just a red herring. But if you need some catchy tunes limned with coded mystery to jam in your old jalopy (if you have tried to get a car stereo with a tape deck in the last ten years, you know what I’m talking about), German Army is at your service.

Bill Meyer

Gong Gong Gong—Siren (Wharf Cat)

Siren 追逐劇 by Gong Gong Gong 工工工

Two songs from the duo of Joshua Frank and Tom Ng make a case for an intriguing Beijing punk-noise underground. The a-side, “Siren” abstracts the electric blues into a single clattering guitar riff, a zooming, looming roar of bass and a searing call (no response) vocal from Ng, in sing-song-y Chinese. “Something’s Happening” is meatier and more conventionally rock, still built on sharp, stinging guitar clamor, but buzzing with Hendrix-y solo-ry (if Hendrix played the bass). Both tracks employ the minimum number of parts to maximal impact, the construction loose enough for friction, sparks and gnashing aggression.

Jennifer Kelly

Gerrit Hatcher / Peter Maunu / Julian Kirschner — The Raven and the Dove (JAKI)

The Raven and the Dove by Hatcher/Maunu/Kirshner

Chicago’s built on drained swampland, so when the next wave of free jazz rolls up, it can travel. Certainly this trio, which comprises two younger musicians and one more who seems to be doing exactly what he wants with his retirement, covers a lot of ground. Gerrit Hatcher is an extroverted tenor saxophonist with a raw tone and a willingness to depart from his default setting of muscular tune-grinding into passages of tentative flutter and delicate counterpoint. Good drummers never lack for work, so it’s saying something that you can find Julian Kirschner on a Chicago stage pretty much every week of the year. He comes from a post-free jazz conception of his instrument that favors color, space and movement over pulse or swing. Joining these youngsters is Peter Maunu, whose past life playing fusion and new age music seems quite irrelevant to the unpredictable stream of savage scraping, subliminal humming, and acidic rocking that issues from his guitar, violin and mandolin. This group is brand new, but it won’t be for long; they’ve been touring around the Midwest this fall, so you can expect them to add seasoned rapport to band new promises before long. Catch them if you can, and catch this promising debut if you can’t.

Bill Meyer

Kidd Jordan / Alvin Fielder / Joel Futterman / Steve Swell — Masters of Improvisation (Valid Records)

Masters of Improvisation by Kidd Jordan, Alvin Fielder, Joel Futterman & Steve Swell

It takes a particular orneriness to be a musician in a musical city and stake your claim to a style that the city has never embraced. You can say a lot of things about New Orleans, but it’s never really been a free jazz town. But that hasn’t stopped tenor saxophonist Kidd Jordan, who has made his crust playing and teaching every style that a jobbing musician must play, from playing a particularly uncompromising variety of free jazz. Two of his accompanists here are long-time partners. Drummer Alvin Fielder, who like Jordan is in his 80s, has likewise carried the free jazz torch in southern environs where the muggy air of indifference would douse a fainter spirit. Pianist Joel Futterman is a decade younger and his darting technique and forays inside the piano imply that his roots are sunk in different turf than his mates, but he’s been playing with them long enough to be able to bring empathy as well as energy to the table. New York-based trombonist Steve Swell is the newcomer, and his ability to shift effortlessly between sere exhalations and brash attacks allows him to complicate the combo’s late-Coltrane vibe without betraying it, and then be equally persuasive when they turn around and wring the last blue drops out of Doc Pomus’ “Lonely Avenue.” This concert recording lingers long on the stormy side; go on, stick your face into the wind, you won’t be sorry.

Bill Meyer

No Love — Choke on It (Sorry State)

Choke On It by No Love

No Love, from Raleigh, NC, play punk rock that conjures the ragged toughness of the mid-1970s NYC downtown scene and the pace of early-1980s Southern Cali hardcore. It’s a potent mix, and when guitarists Seth Beard and Daniel Lupton make a bit of space for vocalist Elizabeth Lynch, the record really kills it. The record’s title track and “Dogs//Wolves” — released back in 2015 as the A-side of a terrific single — are frantic punk burners that scrap and sizzle, teetering on the brink of perilous chaos. The band manages to channel the energy without disciplining it, like the Heartbreakers in those magical months in 1975. “Back Taxes & Anaphylaxis” is even better, mostly because Lynch takes an aggressive lead on the song, showing what she can do. On “Drama Fever,” she manages to keep pace with the guitars’ slashing intensity, but on some of the other tracks, she’s drowned out by all the frenzied riffage. The raw sound of the record gives it a low-grade charm, but the noise sometimes obscures the tunes, which are pretty great. Still, the band’s vigor and verve are undeniable. More, please.

Jonathan Shaw

One Tail, One Head — Worlds Open, Worlds Collide (Terratur Possessions)

Worlds Open, Worlds Collide by One Tail, One Head

Norway’s One Tail, One Head have been playing black metal since 2006, but this year’s Worlds Open, Worlds Collide is the first full-length record the band has ever released. They’ve made a career on their reputation as a live act, pairing their orthodox blackened sound and songs with a stage show only slightly less theatrical than Watain’s (that’s all stage blood, right guys?). It seems that this first LP will be their last, as One Tail, One Head have announced their intent to call it quits after a tour supporting the record. That sense of finality may have prompted the band to round the stylistic bases, pairing truculent, muscular songs reminiscent of the early demos (“Firebirds” is a good example) with more chaotic, swirling work typical of the recent EPs. Songs in the former mode are more successful here, especially the record’s title track, which thunders and crackles with convincing menace. But One Tail, One Head could have given themselves a better sendoff. Few of these tunes feel fully realized, and none is near the equal of the band’s intense performing presence. It’s too bad — but a wise (or wise-ass) kid from Chicago once observed that “breaking up is an idea that has occurred to far too few groups, sometimes the wrong ones.” Via con Satàn, fellas.

Jonathan Shaw

Vanessa Peters — Foxhole Prayers (Idol)

Foxhole Prayers by Vanessa Peters

Singer-songwriter Vanessa Peters could have settled for the smart folk-rock she’s been doing for almost two decades, but on Foxhole Prayers she stretches herself, looking at the cultural landscape without relinquishing her personal lyrics. “Carnival Barker” offers her most direct political track, but “Trolls” is more effective, capturing the patience and perseverance needed to defeat the title characters. The song has personal and political resonances, and it's that dual thinking that drives much of the album. “Fight” takes on extra meaning in the context of the album. Peters unveils her own fears and her own need to press on, but with enough space in the lyrics that she could be speaking to herself, a young artist, or someone afraid of venturing into the public eye in any sense; calls to bravery aren't limited to those on stage and Peters situates her song as someone who knows that.

As her view expands, so does her music, particularly as she incorporates electronic elements into her sound. The dance-pop influences of “Before it Falls Apart” surprise, but Peters' tasteful use of the new sounds allows everything to fit in naturally with what she does. The album, inspired in part by comparing the world of The Greaty Gatsby with today's political climate, has its roots in crisis, hence the title track, and Peters uses her art to search for something better.

Justin Cober-Lake

Shells—Shells 2 (Gingko)

Shells 2 by Shells

The evidence suggests that Shelley Salant is not a loner. She’s been booking shows in Southeast Michigan for a decade. She’s the sort of record store clerk who greets you with a recommendation that you’d best consider. She’s played guitar in Tyvek and Swimsuit. She’s the sort of person who makes communities happen by doing what she does.

But she also has pretty strong instincts about what makes a guitar worth hearing — liquid tone, phrases that are concise unless they need to wander, pithy hooks, gritty noise and reverb for days. She’s got some things to say on her own, and that’s where Shells comes in. Shells 2 contains 14 tracks, each a brief and lucid lesson about one or more of the aforementioned virtues. Some of them comprise layers of loops, some follow a single snaking line, and a couple have been overdubbed into an approximation of a band. Similarity spotters may point out the bits that sound like Link Wray or Roy Montgomery or the Feelies, but that would require looking past all the bits that sound like Shelley Salant rocking essentially.

Bill Meyer

Various Artists — Chebran Volume 2: French Boogie 1979-1982 (Born Bad)

This superlative collection of funk, disco and proto-rap documents the cross-hybridization of bootleg tapes of Grandmaster Flash, Eurovision-style dance music and sounds from the African and Arabic colonies that bubbled up in working class neighborhoods at the dawn of the 1980s all over France. Here on cuts like Ethnie’s “De Chagrin En Chagrin” synths take up the serpentine non-western melodies, while Bootsy-style funksters slap and pop out the boogie. Likewise, the ponderous stomp of bass and percussion anchors Ganawa’s “Yamna” in present day disco, but its wheeling woodwinds and haunting call and response transport you to sand swept deserts in North Africa. Ettika, both the track name and the artist name for a one-hitter from the early 1980s, nudges a disco synth into twisty arabesques and flits from French to Arabic in its emphatic, female-powered raps. Forget the melting pot, these cuts bubble like sour dough starter, when errant spores of yeast find a home in a dull white flour soup and create something marvelous.

Jennifer Kelly

Otomo Yoshihide / Paal Nilssen-Love — 19th of May 2016 (PNL)

19th of May 2016 by Otomo Yoshihide & Paal Nilssen-Love

Conventional wisdom holds that when Paal Nilssen-Love gets on stage with an electric guitarist, fillings will loosen. That certainly holds true when he pairs up with Terrie Ex, his preferred six-string slinger of recent years, and there are parts of this encounter with Japanese guitarist Otomo Yoshihide that could be cited as supporting evidence. Otomo brings plenty of volume, distortion and ferocity; there are passages where it sounds like he’s demolishing some metallic structure while Nilssen-Love erects an impregnable surrounding whirlwind. But neither man stays in one gear, and some of the most involving moments come when they drop to a scrape and a shimmer.

Bill Meyer

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arimamary-main · 6 years

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Inazuma Eleven Episode 11 Analysis (Kidou and Kageyama Scene)

This episode has been in my mind since I first watched it back in 2010, and I wasn’t sure why except from Kidou’s quote at the end of the scene.

I made an analysis of this scene because it was brought to my attention as I’m writing my current fic because it’s related all this family issues I’m currently relating with.

The scene starts with an interesting question from Kidou, “Who am I?“ after he has been doubting his abilities a lot, and, as Kidou’s adoptive father said, his capabilities as the successor of the Kidou Financial Group. He is doubting his entire existence, that which he was so sure of as we see in the first episode. The arrogant, powerful Kidou Yuuto, captain of the strongest middle school soccer team in the whole country.

Here, he looks vulnerable, and opened his heart to Kageyama, the one who is more like a father to him than his adoptive one.

And what does Kageyama answers?

“Don’t think about it?“

I don’t know about Kidou but I would be heartbroken to get this answer. Similarly, “it doesn’t matter” or “you are thinking about it too much” hold a similar meaning and impact. Kageyama doesn’t care about Kidou’s existential crisis, and he proves it with actions throughout the whole scene.

Kageyama proceeds to tell Kidou what he has to do, don’t disappoint him and his father. As if that’s the only rule he musn’t break. Kidou strikes me as Lawful in the ethical alignment, so I believe he feels a lot of pressure from both his mentor and adoptive father, adding to his current turbulent emotional state.

After Kageyama finished the flashback about Kidou’s past, he reassures Kidou he is useful (in my opinion, it is a way of easing Kidou’s growing despair so he doesn’t break completely) and he proceeds to remind him his place.

Kageyama isn’t trying to ease Kidou’s worries but merely showing him what Kidou already possess. He isn’t adding anything as if he doesn’t want Kidou to change, because a mindless tool is easier to use than one with it’s own moral compass.

If this isn’t abuse, then what is it? I have to say I really like their exchange, and it masks Kageyama’s abuse pretty well while showing it straight in our faces. And this is a show for children oh my god.

Kageyama then asks what else does he wants, and Kidou immediately replies “soccer”.

At this point I’m this close to punching the screen.

Kageyama completely dismisses Kidou’s desire to play soccer as something secondary. Like Kidou doesn’t have to play for fun, like he doesn’t have the right to have something he enjoys from the bottom of his heart. And he confirms this by saying the following,

In other words, soccer isn’t a fun sport for Kidou to enjoy, but serves for the bigger purpose of one of his main duties, succeeding the Kidou name.

Kageyama elaborates more on this.

According to Kageyama, in both soccer and economics, one wrong judgement equals downfall, not just your own, but all the people that depend on you. Gosh dammit I cannot imagine how stressful it is to be told you will ruin lives if you make a mistake at the age of fourteen.

The full quote is, “By winning, you’ll continue to mature and be suitable for the Kidou name.“

It’s pretty damn clever for Kageyama for being able to stuff down Kidou’s throat, and justifying let’s not forget that, his own winning ideology using Kidou’s family as an excuse. Notice the sarcasm. But I’m actually impressed.

And finally, Kidou’s reply. But first, some details about Kidou’s actions so far. He had been pretty meek, and heard every word than came from Kageyama’s mouth. He has also been level-headed, but his subtle actions show his anger. Also, Kidou has been using keigo (polite language) with Kageyama this whole time, contrary when he’s around people his age. And he even makes and effort to stand up to him while still being polite.

Skipping Kidou’s biggest display of raw emotion (kya), Kageyama mocks Kidou’s sentimentality for being attached to the past (this hypocrite). Then, Kidou replies to Kageyama’s previous statement, “losing is unsightly“.

Kidou goes directly against Kageyama’s views, probably for the first time in his life, saying that losing is not unsightly if I do my best.

To which Kageyama replies with s fucking sigh. I’m sorry for that curse word. I’m so pissed.

The scene ends with Kageyama tackling Kidou’s first question and current doubt, “Who am I?“

Kidou Yuuto. Captain of the strongest middle school soccer team in the country and the heir of the Kidou Financial Group. Kageyama reminds him once again that is his place and he cannot escape, then leaves.

All in all, I love their exchange despite the feelings it arouses in me. I think it’s a great reference of good dialogue in fiction. Both hold their stance in the issue, creating sparks of conflict. Not the conflict you can see, but the internal, subtle conflict. Because not all conflict has to be two people screaming and hitting each other which doesn’t fit Kidou and Kageyama’s relationship at all. It’s a fight with words which doesn’t have a positive conclusion, leaving Kidou worse than before.

Feel free to add stuff and your own views!

#inazuma eleven #kidou yuuto #analysis #I love this ep to death #Kidou is so courageous to stand up to Kageyama T^T #episode 11 #the dialogue is great #there is so much tension #you can feel it in the air around them #text post

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sinceileftyoublog · 6 years

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Live Picks: 6/8-6/11

Hop Along; Photo by Tonje Thilesen

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The weekend’s got plenty of music and a couple more festivals. Check out what to see.

6/8: Bill Frisell Trio, Old Town School of Folk Music

Bill Frisell has long been one of the most innovative jazz guitarists, injecting influences from Americana/country (see Blues Dream), Malian guitar music (see his excellent The Intercontinentals), and even ambient/experimental music. To see him play in any capacity is a treat. This trio performances features bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston.

6/8: The Black Dahlia Murder, House of Blues

Tonight, Michigan death metal band The Black Dahlia Murder plays last year’s Nightbringers in its entirety, their best album since Ritual and certainly one of their best records yet. We previously covered a show of theirs in Joliet to support 2015′s Abysmal, and if that was anything to go by, they’re experts at combining melody and power on stage as well as in the studio.

Knoxville deathcore band Whitechapel (playing This Is Exile in its entirety) co-headlines. Italian death metal band Fleshgod Apocalypse and blackened death metal bands Aversions Crown and Shadow of Intent open.

6/8: Young Widows, Subterranean

Tonight, Young Widows celebrates the 10-year anniversary of their album Old Wounds by playing it in its entirety as well as playing some never-before-played tracks from their just-released compilation DECAYED: Ten Years of Cities, Wounds, Lightness, and Pain. Earlier this week, we spoke with front-man Evan Patterson about the new album and the upcoming show.

Singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle and local post-hardcore heroes Sweet Cobra open.

6/8: The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, Lincoln Hall

There’s a reason that this band has made it to our top albums of both 2015 and 2017 and that their show three years ago at Subterranean was one of the best we’ve reviewed. The band’s trademark mix of post-rock, post-hardcore, and truly tender emo makes their sound unmistakable. Their stories, filled with tales of sexual violence, feminist revenge, and experiences with xenophobia have hit hard for many. Yet, their most successful songs remain as vaguely relatable as their music is expansive. Their live show is becoming increasingly ambient, as well, a refreshing shift for a band not content to stay within any one scene.

Baltimore Indie post-hardcore band Pianos Become The Teeth co-headline. LA garage rock trio Teenage Wrist opens.

6/8-6/10: Chicago Blues Festival, Millennium Park

Headlining performances take place in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and include tributes to founder and owner of Delmark Records Bob Koester and legendary blues musician Little Walter, as well as a performance by a living legend, Mavis Staples.

We previewed Mavis Staples’ headlining show at the Vic Theatre back in February:

“Since 2010′s stunning You Are Not Alone, Chicago legend Mavis Staples has fostered a fruitful musical relationship with another beloved Chicagoan: Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. Three out of the past four albums feature production and/or songwriting from Tweedy, and his minimalism is the perfect complement to Staples’ deep soul. Her most recent offering is If All I Was Was Black, an outward and explicit political statement. Live, Staples tends to cherry pick from her recent discography but also play Staples Singers classics and covers of The Band and Buffalo Springfield.”

Vieux Farka Toure plays the Budweiser Crossroads Stage (at South Chase Promenade) on Saturday at 2:45 P.M. The Malian singer and guitarist is more than just the son of the legendary Ali Farka Toure; he’s put out some great albums in his own right, namely his self-titled debut and 2011′s wide-ranging The Secret (I see you, Dave Matthews feature). His most recent album is last year’s Samba, which features the limber and joyous “Bonheur”.

Fantastic Negrito opens for Mavis Staples on Sunday at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. His subversive, hilarious blues punk broke out in 2016 with The Last Days of Oakland, and he’s got a new album out next Friday with Please Don’t Be Dead. So far, he’s released two songs from it: the blistering “Plastic Hamburgers” and funky “The Duffler”.

6/8-6/10: Ribfest Chcago, Lincoln Avenue from Irving Park to Berteau

You can even be a vegetarian and enjoy Ribfest because it usually books pretty good bands. This year, headliners include Southern rockers The Weeks and country punks The Waco Brothers tonight, SILY favorite Algiers and indie folk act Yoke Lore tomorrow night, and 2000′s hype kings Ra Ra Riot and Americana duo Striking Matches on Sunday.

Algiers’ The Underside of Power was one of our top albums of last year. They’re a stellar live band, lead singer Franklin James Fisher equal parts soulful and angry, the band behind him delving into everything from ramshackle post-punk to ragtime and blues.

6/9: Tech N9ne: House of Blues

Divisive and lyrically dexterous Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne comes around pretty often, but like Los Lobos, that’s reason for me to always say “I’ll catch them next time.” Eventually, you just need to bite the bullet. Albums like All 6′s and 7′s and Something Else cemented him as an ambitious rapper who can succeed when working with big concepts and other mega rappers, while recent albums like Planet and Special Effects have showed he can be a hit-maker. He’s got 20 albums to his name and a ton of other EPs. Not everything he produces is quality, but he’s pretty prolific.

Hip hop artists Krizz Kaliko, Just Juice, Joey Cool, King ISO, and Mackenzie Nicole open.

6/9: Clams Casino, East Room

We covered influential beat-maker Clams Casino’s set at Day For Night 2016, where we noted that both he and the audience seemed a bit bored. Something tells me, however, that catching him in a crowded club at night is better than catching him in a half-empty post office in the middle of the day. (I listened to Instrumentals a couple days ago, and it still bangs.)

Producer Plu2o NASH opens.

6/9: Liz Phair, Empty Bottle

She’s got a sold out show at Empty Bottle and a major slot at this year’s Riot Fest. That’s because Matador records just released Girly-Sound to Guyville, a 25th anniversary retrospective of Liz Phair’s debut Exile in Guyville that even more notably includes remasters of her Girly Sound demo tapes. To celebrate the occasion, Phair’s set should be heavy on Guyville material, perhaps with a few highlights from Whip-Smart or Whitechocolatespaceegg.

Indie darling Soccer Mommy opens.

6/9: The Mavericks, Thalia Hall

Tex-Mex band The Mavericks have been perhaps at their strongest since their 2010s reunion. 2013′s excellent In Time may be their best album as a whole, while 2015′s Mono (mixed in monophonic sound) appropriately emphasized production over hooks. Last year’s Brand New Day veered a bit towards Americana--just listen to those powered out fuzz riffs behind the Tex-Mex on “Damned (If You Do)”. Even if the new record wasn’t as good as the previous two, it was at least a symptom of a band unwilling to stay put.

6/9: Live from Here with Chris Thile, Ravinia

Chris Thile’s done it all: played with acclaimed bluegrass bands like Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers, won a MacArthur Genius award, and covered Bach on a solo album. Now, he takes over for Garrison Keillor, who was accused of sexual harassment, on Live from Here (formerly A Prairie Home Companion). Special guests tomorrow night include guitarist Parker Millsap (who we just previewed), acoustic instrumentalist band Hawktail, comedian Tom Papa, and duet partner Gaby Moreno.

6/10: Traschan Sinatras, SPACE

Scottish indie pop band Trashcan Sinatras embarked on an acoustic tour last year. Now, they’re on their “One Night, Two Albums” tour, in which they’ll play in full their 1990 debut Cake & 1993 follow-up I've Seen Everything as well as selections from their more recent discography. Their last album was 2016′s Wild Pendulum--but I’d hope for cuts from 2004′s Weightlifting.

6/10: Simon Joyner, Empty Bottle

Omaha singer-songwriter Simon Joyner is the type to have laid back and made himself a steady presence in the Americana world. Those he’s influenced and collaborated with, like Beck, Conor Oberst, and John Darnielle, have sold more records than he has, but his music remains just as present. Last year’s Step Into The Earthquake followed 2015′s excellent Grass, Branch, & Bone, which we spoke to him about at length in our feature Palpable Pain.

Chicago singer-songwriter Gia Margaret and singer Angela James (joined by Jordan Martins of Quarter Mile Thunder on pedal steel) open.

6/10: Hop Along, Metro Chicago

We caught Hop Along’s intimate, energetic set at House of Vans last year after they had multiple years to iron out the songs from their great Painted Shut album. This time around, they have another excellent album to their name: Bark Your Head Off, Dog, released a couple months ago. In recording the new album, the band spent extra time in the studio, resulting in songs filled with strings, Rhodes, and complex, layered harmonies. The extent to which they’re able to replicate the album live is a selling point for seeing them just as much as lead singer Frances Quinlan’s incredible voice.

Ex Hex-offshot Bat Fangs opens.

6/10: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Riviera

They did it. It was an ambitious promise, but Australian psych rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard released 5 albums last year (including Murder of the Universe, reviewed on SILY). They were all good, but none as good as 2016′s truly nonstop Nonagon Infinity. Expect them to play from their entire recent discography minus Sketches of Brunswick East, which was released in collaboration with Mild High Club.

Melbourne rockers Amyl & The Sniffers opens.

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fictionfromgames · 3 years

Text

The Malevolence (Amalgam, Dark Claw, MURPG)

((Character sheet and setting info after the break)) Logan awoke, bound to the ground, hearing a series of memories played out on monitors around the room, and confusingly, smells from across his lifetime.

“Where, at forty, I attributed my looks to my mother, and my liver to my father,” Logan paused for the tepid laughter, “At sixty, I am forced to admit there were other forces at play.”

1992, when he’d come out as a mutant. Not as Dark Claw, just a billionaire who’d inherited even more luck than most people. He tried to play it off as though his power was just his health. As with all mutants then, he was banned from blood and tissue donations, making it easier to stave off his aging rivals from pestering him on a day to day basis. It made occasional extra work for Dark Claw, however.

Sentinels crashing down onto New Gotham streets, assaulting Wayne Tower and the Thompkins School for Mutant Education and Outreach. Shots of the Friends of Humanity storming DC.

93, he noted as he tested his bindings. They’d snap, but not soon.

Talia, wailing as he shot down Ra’s al-Pocalypse with a rocket launcher.

“Ninety-five,” he said, methodically pulling and relaxing, “What do you need to prove?”

The Joker laughing at a shrieking pitch, almost as if to cover up Sparrow’s screams.

“Bastards,” he growled. His head should have cleared, but there was something else buried into the scents they vented into the room. He blinked. How were they even witness to that?

Seeing Jubilee dying again started up the adrenaline, though. He cursed and spat, trying to slip out the way he knew he had to. Before the next parts.

Jean da Costa, the Dark Phoenix, caught off guard and killed by Erik Magnus via magnetokinetic stroke.

Logan saw red. Killing mad. There was grief in his scream. The mystery behind the Ravens might give way to the immediate need to end them, a quiet but resolute voice tried saying over the din in his mind.

The obituary of Thomas and Elizabeth Wayne, interspersed with grainy footage of the three of them, together.

One of the leg binds snapped as he did, and one of the odd, synthetic looking ropes had stretched just enough for a hand to slip free, allowing his left hand to cut away his remaining binds. flipping to his feet, still shouting. And then the lights went out.

They knew he tracked by scent, which was still confusing due to the manufactured nostalgia in the air, but they did not consider how well he heard. It was a good posture, to always sniff whenever he noticed something out of sight, in case someone was watching.

They were quiet, but not enough. He slashed out with his right hand, raking two someones across their torsos, while feeling blades sink into his left forearm, which had risen to block the assailants he knew were on that side. He growled and plunged his free claws into someone’s face.

Death cries at least drowned out the sounds of his past on the walls. There was enough light from the panels that he noted more arriving, which suited him well. He needed to get something out before he could work properly.

The Malevolence of Ravens was resourceful, even these assassins knew more of what they were doing than the typical street goon. Archival footage of most of this was plentiful. But how the hell were they there for the Joker?

He was losing blood faster than he liked, meaning if he didn’t speed this up, he’d be captured again, or worse. A lot of self defense worked differently with knife hands, but that just made forearm strikes less predictable than a punch or and elbow. It really only worked because of the adamantium, most peoples forearms would have fractured doing what he did, but it made openings for smaller jabs and sideways swipes with extended claws.

The last one stood well into the gloom of televised history. He was not afraid, but based on their rote fighting form, he was not prepared either. The assassin went for an overhead knife strike, which Dark Claw caught in between two blades and twisted sideways, so as to spare his knuckles some grief, and he drove his right fist into the man’s gut. The adamantium claws slid in effortlessly.

“How’s that work for ya, bub?” Dark Claw drew in close.

No response except a gasp and a gurgle behind a black bird mask. They could have been plague-doctor themed if the beaks were longer. Dark Claw dropped him and strode out of the room. Violence sated, for now. Just had to find the bigwig.

********************

The Amalgam Universe

Back in the day, Marvel and DC used to do cross promotion in Versus titles, and a couple of years, the Amalgam Universe, a big ole cross-company mishmash of heroes and villains and plots. The one character they co-owned was Axel Asher, whose power was to traverse between the two multiverses, and across timelines as well. He also had the power to smoosh heroes together, which tended to happen on accident if he stayed on one or the other side too long.

He, however, was not the only character who knew what was going on. Dr Strangefate, the amalgamation of Dr Strange, Dr Fate, and Charles Xavier, knew much too well what was happening, and was Axel’s main antagonist. See, the conflict was, Axel’s job was to keep the multiverses separate, and Dr Strangefate, being a product of the merged multiverse, wanted them to stay so he could live, alongside all of his loved ones native to the Amalgam Universe.

It didn’t stick, and they never collaborated like this again.

THIS Amalgam Universe

So in at least one instance the Amalgam Universe survived in smaller forms, waiting to reborn. Mostly, Strangefate rebuilt it for a return in 1997, but he is depicted as dying at the end of it all.

With the multiverses constantly expanding and contracting, there is always space for something weird. Even if it’s a pocket dimension, Axel Asher is swanning about in both properties and it could, fictionally speaking, always happen again, so right now, it is!

But it’s not the same one. Some of Access’ (that’s Axel’s superhero name) amalgamations were incredibly different depending on who was around, so my version of the Amalgam Universe has different stuff according to taste. Maybe it’s a cast off from the Queen of Nevers.

Dark Claw

Starting with Logan Wayne! I owned the two Dark Claw comics as a kid, because Batman and Wolverine were my favorites, and the Dark Claw Adventures looked like the Timmverse.

Logan Wayne was born in 1932, and orphaned at 8 years old after seeing the Gray Ghost. He would live in his parents’ estate until he was 18, attending New Gotham University. He’d go on to spend his summers travelling, and eventually, did so full time after graduating.

The 50s were a good time to learn how to drop off the grid. Besides postwar Europe, the Pacific saw continued conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. Japan was his last official known location from 1954 until 1970.

A man matching Logan’s description was found wandering in British Columbia. He wouldn’t claim his name or his birthright until 1973 after regaining enough of his fractured memories to give anyone his social security number.

Wayne Enterprises did not take this resurrection well. While the family’s estates had been held by the family butler, Edwin Pennyworth, the company fought any ownership claims or attempts at involvement for the next several years. It was during this time he had, back in New Gotham, full of skills and instincts he couldn’t quite place the origins of, that he took on the mantle of Dark Claw.

Street crime was at a fever pitch, and organized criminals ran rampant. With only a base of operations, a set of mutant powers, and an adamantium clad skeleton he still couldn’t account for, he set about clearing out New Gotham’s underworld.

The year after toppling the Silvermane regime, Logan Wayne finally accrued enough stock for control over Wayne Enterprises, rooting out the men that kept him locked out of his family’s company and installing a new board of directors. 1978 was looking up for Logan Wayne. And then the Joker appeared.

The Joker (an amalgam of the original, Sabretooth, and Whiteface) introduced to both mutant and costumed villainy. A series of gruesome killings, victims all stuck in a rictus grin, led Logan on a trail that ended with the Joker’s debut-- a plot to kill everyone in New Gotham with the Whiteface Poison. The Joker in this case is a little more clowny than the green backhaired Hyena. In this case, to represent the Sabretooth side, he’s got a healing factor, Sabretooth’s claws, keen senses (though played less animal than Logan or Creed would, more comedic), and a green fur trimmed coat instead. To add a little Whiteface (he’s from Supreme and is basically just an homage to Mr J), add the little red painted on dimples and vertical eyelines to the Joker’s normal face.

The Joker would become a consistent foe for decades to come, similarly living longer than he ought to and surviving things like adamantium claws.

The 80′s took Logan to Japan, where he would fight the League of Assassins for the first time, and have a romance or two. The 90′s, coming with an influx of mutants that society could no longer ignore, had him come out as a mutant too, in order to immediately establish the Leslie Kafka Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach, drawing an immediate line in the sand against the reactionary Friends of Humanity and other paramilitary orgs that preyed on mutantkind.

It was also a time that brought him his first sidekick, Jubilee, codename Sparrow. She would assist him for several years until the Joker killed her Jason Todd style. Logan tried to murder him then, though at that point, he hadn’t figured out how to kill anyone with a healing factor.

The standing rule from then on was “no sidekicks; no one else dies,” which would last from 1999 to 2010.

The year of this fluff is 2005, and Logan was puzzled and annoyed at the idea that any organization could have been ruling New Gotham they way the Court of Ravens claimed to without his knowing. It plays out mostly like Court of Owls, with added exposition for my setting’s benefit, and Wolverine style violence mixed in.

2009 brought the Near Apocalypse, perpetrated by Ra’s al-Pocalypse, risen again. Ra’s’ reasoning was that humans needed to end en masse, giving way to the true stewards of the planet, mutantkind. Logan heartily disagreed, as did an assortment of other heroes, and that’s why it became the Near Apocalypse.

2010 brought the second Sparrow in the form of Kitty Grayson, a phasing metamutant that had lost her family in a circus accident. She convinced a grudging Logan to take her on, the reasoning being that her phasing ability made her effectively untouchable, unkidnappable, and that he wouldn’t be able to stop her from visiting the Claw Cave anyway.

Ra’s’ back up plan came to light as well. The lead agent of the League of Assassins, Talon, came into her own. Initially mute, save for growling, Cassandra Kinney came at Dark Claw with everything she had, “everything” being an exact duplication of his powers and adamantium claws. She proved too resourceful for Dark Claw alone, but as mentioned, he was not alone. Sparrow provided him backup, and Logan ended up offering Talon help in the form of extensive therapy from Leslie Kafka and a spot in the Dark Claw Family.

Jubilee hadn’t stayed dead. She rose again on a full moon in 2000, becoming the independent hero Moonwing, and moving to Bludhaven to strike out on her own.

There’s a lot more, and an entire decade to explore for just a few characters since, but this is already long

The Marvel Universe RPG

The MURPG is a diceless system from 2003. It uses an energy resource pool and is entirely effort based, which I think is super cool!

One of the biggest problems is the “death spiral.” Your effort is diminished when you take damage, which sounds like a good idea until you realize that epic comic book style fights don’t tend to peak at the first punch and go entirely downhill from there. There are two ways around this that sound reasonable enough--

Second Wind

Taking one turn in which your character does not spend any energy (red stones), that character gets double energy regeneration the following turn.

I like this one because it can represent down time, like if you get beat up and the villain is monologuing. How often has a hero been hoisted by their shirt, blood on their lips, only to smirk and point out exactly what the villain has missed? I think even with energy regen tied to Durability, accruing additional energy while you’re beat up and climbing to a standing position (for instance) is very thematic.

Energy Independence

A lot of homebrew fixes just divorce red stone regen from health altogether, which works to form a more “whole-hearted” combat experience. This feels more like what you’d be playing like in other tabletop rpgs, where you can take plenty of damage and still swing for the fences.

In either case, it’s not called “the death spiral” because it was a walk in the park. Using any method to make player characters more survivable and feel like superheroes is encouraged, but don’t neglect a sense of danger.

#murpg #amalgam comics

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