#{its like the aliens from season 1 came back with a vengeance so now everyone is gearing up to fight again}

[the-pretty-mozart]

“I know my shirt says ‘fuck you’ but I can’t win a fight, please don’t hurt me.” (Nico)

Nannerl turned to Nico, so did the giant floating skull behind her.

“Nico, I would never hurt you. You could never bring yourself to pick a fight with me in the first place.” 

The large skull behind Nannerl nodded in agreement.

“These aliens seem worse than last time so either get your cute butt over here and help me out or find some cover.”

[easyhairstylesbest]

Taurus Monthly Horoscope

MONTH OF January

Monthly Snapshot 

At last! For the past six months, you may have struggled to shine, and at moments felt outright invisible. That’s all changing as January opens and the hangover of #canceled holidays fades into the rearview. Ready for your cosmic coming out party? The first month of 2021 will happily host it!

  On January 6, energizer Mars blasts into your sign after six interminable months stuck in “sleep” mode, and it’s game on. Then electrifying Uranus rouses from a five-month retrograde in Taurus mid-month, and you’ll be an unstoppable force. Yes, Bull, you’re baaaaa-aaaack. 

  But you won’t just be stampeding at the first metaphorical matador’s cape. Your passionate awakening will be anchored by the heavy-hitting presence of lucky Jupiter and master builder Saturn, which recently relocated to Aquarius and your tenth house of career, achievement and public acclaim. Not only will you have innovative ideas to share, but you’ll also start getting the recognition you deserve. It’s about damn time!

  Just get plans underway before Mercury turns retrograde from January 30 to February 20. As the cosmic communicator backspins through Aquarius and your professional zone, you could experience a few slowdowns or setbacks. But with the right amount of advance planning, you’ll be buffered against the mischief maker’s mayhem. Back up your data and devices and make sure everyone’s clear on their marching orders as soon as possible.

  Week 1: January 1-10

Finally, your time to shine

Wake-up call! This Wednesday, January 6, is the day you didn’t know that you’ve been waiting for. But it is, Taurus, because your focus, confidence and energy are about to return with a vengeance. Since June 27, 2020, motivator Mars has been in Aries, slogging through your twelfth house of rest, sacrifice and illusions for an extended stay—FOUR times longer than its usual visit!

  During this surreal time, you may have become more spiritual, vulnerable or deeply in tune with your emotions. But you also could have felt confused and adrift, as though nothing you attempted quite came together. There was plenty of magic and divine serendipity—which Taurus folk don’t always let themselves dabble in. But in the mundane day-to-day realm, it might have been hard to find your footing. As a stability-seeking sign, you could emerge from this cycle feeling pretty disoriented. But you may also have met a soulmate, grown more emotionally in tune with yourself or discovered how to consciously root into a state of divine grace and acceptance. There are all things that will carry you through any future rough patches!

  Your surreal haze gives way to inspired action this week when Mars blazes into Taurus, activating your confidence, charisma and clarity. Mars is here until March 3, a once-every-two-years visit. All that feisty Mars energy will have you raring to go, and its methodical Taurean flow will suit your style of getting things done one item at a time, AND to your exacting standards. You’ll start to feel like your old self again—only better. Thanks to your long twelfth-house “meditation retreat,” you’ll approach your goals with more wisdom and depth, a silver lining that will pay dividends over the long haul. 

  With all the attention Mars could bring, you’re ready for a style refresh. A new look (or even just a hair, makeup and wardrobe mini overhaul) will help you feel sharp again, inside and out. Any transformations you undertake are sure to enhance your confident glow. And keep up the good work with social distancing for just a bit longer—all of your persistence will pay off.

  Week 2: January 11-17

  Should you stay or should you go?

  Is it time for a bold coming-out party—or should you keep some plans under wraps? The answer is “both” this week as go-getter Mars and disruptor Uranus both make waves in Taurus while tangoing with the other planets. 

  After feeling suppressed and subdued for the last six months, you’re eager to shout your message from the rooftops. Mars is finally in your sign, and you’ve got something to SAY. But not so fast, Bull. On Wednesday, Januaclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” ry 13, rash Mars will lock into a tense square with tight-lipped Saturn in Aquarius and your conservative, career-driven tenth house. 

  There will certainly be occasions to speak up boldly, but you’ll need to do so tactfully and tactically. Aside from “just wanting to be heard,” how can you position yourself as a trailblazing leader rather than a hotheaded disruptor? Strike the right balance and you could earn the respect and allegiance of key power players. You’ll want them in your corner this year, Bull! You don’t have to suppress your truth to earn their trust…but know that this is a process, so play the long game. 

  Besides, on Thursday, January 14, pioneering Uranus will end a five-month retrograde backspin in YOUR sign that began on August 15. As the planet of radical change turns direct (forward) in Taurus, some of your passion projects or cherished personal goals gain momentum…or head in a thrilling new direction. Have you been pondering a new look or waiting to debut a style update? Uranus direct gives the all-clear for you to start turning some heads. 

  Fun fact: For the next two weeks, there will be ZERO retrograde planets, a great time to make decisive moves. Do it quick, before Mercury turns retrograde on January 30 in your career house. Thursday is also ideal to “go big or go home” because the bold Sun will conjunct transformational Pluto in Capricorn and your visionary ninth house. Swing far out of your comfort zone, Taurus, and try something wildly new and different. 

  The weekend could bring some bumpy moments as you break out of that shell. On Sunday, January 17, expansive Jupiter and disruptor Uranus lock into a tough square, which only happens every seven years. When these freedom-seeking planets connect, the urge to liberate yourself from any limitations becomes impossible to ignore. But since they’re at odds with each other, you could be pulled between dueling desires to blaze your own trail and move up the career ladder. Jupiter in Aquarius and your career house pushes for professional expansion while Uranus in Taurus prompts you to put your own dreams first. You may need to do a bit of both! 

  The last Jupiter-Uranus square was in 2014, so look back to that time for any major plot twists. This time around, Jupiter and Uranus are in different signs and parts of your chart. But once again, you’ll feel the urge to break out of anything confining, whether it’s your career path, an image you present to the world or your life direction. 

  Week 3: January 18-24

  Raring to go

  Get those ambitious plans ready! Aquarius season begins this week as the Sun joins Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn in the Water Bearer’s domain on Tuesday, January 19, staying until February 18. Aquarius rules your tenth house of career and success, and you’re more than ready to tackle some lofty goals, especially after a long, dragged-out holding pattern for the second half of last year.

  You’ll be fired up to make radical changes, possibly a complete pivot, especially on Wednesday, January 20. That day, go-getter Mars and pioneering Uranus will unite in Taurus, awakening your inner trailblazer. Do you have an innovative idea, perhaps one that involves cutting-edge technology? Hire that app developer or start scouting Fiverr wizards who can help you make it a reality. You might also have a vision for how the world can be better and more equitable. Don’t hold back—this outspoken starmap urges you to take a chance and speak up!

  Warning: With these two unpredictable planets melding their energies, you could be a bit volatile, especially if someone challenges your vision. You’re eager to move things forward, but this rash energy could tempt you to force your hand. Pro tip: Remain open to feedback instead of adopting a “my way or the highway” attitude. Even if you’re convinced that your approach is best, steamrolling others will only alienate crucial supporters instead of turning them into allies. Keep your ego and temper in check today.

  On Saturday, January 23, Mars will lock into a heated square with expansive Jupiter in your career sector. More impulsive and temperamental behavior could be triggered by this week’s second Mars aspect. While it’s great to break out of any limiting beliefs, watch that you don’t shoot yourself in the foot when doing so. Professional pressures could compete with your desire to launch a solo venture or do things your way. Should you play by the rules or flagrantly break them? This Mars-Jupiter square demands that you stick to the plan, at least to some extent, before throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

  Also on Saturday, the ego-driven Sun gets put in check by mature Saturn (the only adult in the cosmic room today, it seems) as the two make their once-a-year meetup. While this is normally a sobering and even pessimistic day, the Sun-Saturn conjunction provides the pause that could save you from self-sabotage. Step back and take a hard look at your long-term goals rather than just the immediate impact. Where would you like to be a year or two from now? Taking a little time to reflect on that could pay dividends.

  Week 4: January 25-31

A boost in the middle

  Ups and downs: incoming! The last week of January is bookended by challenging days—with a huge positive boost in the middle. On Tuesday, January 26, the Sun in visionary Aquarius and your tenth house of reputation squares off against troublemaker Uranus in stubborn Taurus and your first house of personal identity. Your desire for stability may be disrupted by parts of your life that are in flux—or your own shaky mood. 

  If a tempting offer comes your way today, you’ll face a tough decision: Which path forward is best? Work hard to hold your temper if the pressure feels extreme. Take a deep breath and ask yourself what’s most important: the way you’re seen by others or the way you feel inside?

  Things heat up in a wonderful way on Thursday, January 28. Considered the “luckiest day of the year” by many astrologers (and recently dubbed the Day of Miracles) this annual conjunction of the Sun and expansive Jupiter will shine a spotlight on your work-life balance, with abundant energy ruling the day on both fronts.

  Adding to the day’s fire is a full moon in gregarious Leo and your fourth house of home and family. Is a possible move or some other reshuffling of your living situation on the horizon? This could be a banner day for career and achievements, but it could be hard to find time to indulge in the Leo full moon’s pampering perks. Perhaps a toast with your inner circle is in order?

  You’ll want to polish up your public persona/front-facing materials (headshots, website, etc.) earlierclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” this week because on Saturday, January 30, communicator Mercury turns retrograde (https://astrostyle.com/mercury-retrograde) in Aquarius and your tenth house of professional endeavors. This backspin will persist until February 20, so don’t be surprised if a job offer is delayed or presents some plot twists.

  Read the fine print and don’t sign on the dotted line just now if possible. Be careful about clashes with clients and authority figures. Any disagreements could be simple crossed wires, but if things get too overblown, you could find yourself stuck making amends or rebuilding a burnt bridge. Hold off on any big announcements and hunker down to work behind the scenes. You can unveil your big plans and projects in late February under more favorable skies.

  LOVE & ROMANCE:

At last! Taurus, you could NOT be more ready to put 2020 behind you when it comes to love. Not that it’s been all bad, but you’ve definitely faced some cosmic struggles. Back in the middle of May, your ruling planet, Venus, went retrograde for six weeks. And right as it corrected course at the end of June, the other love planet, Mars, slipped into Aries and your twelfth house of illusions, transitions and hidden agendas for an extended six-month stay (four times longer than usual). 

  From June 27, 2020, until this January 6, 2021, Mars slogged through this hazy part of your chart, making you unclear about where you stood, fanning the flames of insecurities and blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. While you may have had some wild and windswept romance, the roller-coaster ride of emotions was a lot to bear.

  You can reclaim your power as the randy red planet blazes into YOUR sign, staying until March 3. Your confidence, charisma and mojo return with a vengeance. Shake off those sleepy or frumpy vibes and get ready to get back in the game! We understand the timing or a camera-ready debut is inconvenient with so much of the world being shut down now. But we trust that you’ll find safe ways to let the world see your swagger again.

  Meanwhile, the other love planet, Venus (your galactic guardian), will be in Sagittarius and your sultry and intimate eighth house until January 8. This should bestow a sexy vibe, but with the galactic goddess in this internally focused sector, you might be feeling a bit insular, which will be easier for attached Bulls than those trotting solo. 

  But that intensity won’t last long. Once Venus soars into Capricorn and your adventurous, expansive ninth house from January 8 to February 1, nothing can bring you down. Your positive energy will be irresistible, and you’ll feel ready to try something new.

  And the next day, January 9, Venus and Mars form a golden trine (120-degree angle of harmony). A long-distance connection could spark for single Bulls. Couples might experience that rarefied and glorious sensation of anything being possible. Do it safely, and it just might be!

  Key Dates:

January 9: Venus-Mars trine

Bring on the lasting love! As affectionate Venus and passionate Mars harmonize in stable earth signs, you could have true romance with all the trimmings—sensuality and stability. Skip the “come here now go away” players and their mixed messages. A partner who makes you feel secure is suddenly the most attractive catch in town. Coupled? Mark a long-term relationship with a thoughtful gift to let your mate know how much you cherish them.

    MONEY & CAREER:

  Dear Reader: To bring you cutting-edge financial and career astrology, we’ve replaced our monthly Money & Career horoscope with an expanclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” ded new offering. And we’re bursting with excitement to announce it!

  We invite you to join the waitlist for our Astropreneurs community, where we’ll be sharing tools, trainings and cosmic career coaching in 2021 and beyond! Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a dreamer with a side hustle or just looking for deeper satisfaction from your work, we’ll guide you to your path and purpose by the stars.

  2021 Vision Board Experience: January 28 with The AstroTwins Ready to designclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” a path that truly fulfills you in 2021? Join us for a star-powered live online event to create success, leadership and impact on January 28, 2021. Tickets available at https://astrostyle.com/visionboard21

Love Days: 3, 8

Money Days: 24, 13

Luck Days: 21, 11

Off Days: 19, 6, 10

  See All Signs

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Taurus Monthly Horoscope

[omniversalobservations]

Marvel Age Vol. 1 No. 124 (May 1993)

Crossovers!

In other entertainment media, this refers to bringing an audience that likes one genre (like country-western music) to another, hybrid genre (country-western-rock) usually through the strength of a given performer's performance. This broadens their base of appeal, giving the artist a more mainstream audience. Hip-hoppers dream of crossing over and attracting a pop audience. Action stars like Jean-Claude Van Damme dream of crossing over and attracting more women to his pictures. In comics, the term has a different meaning. Crossovers are done within the same genre, and the one doing the crossing over is not the artist or the work, but the characters in the story.

Imagine Clive Barker characters making guest appearances in Stephen King's books. Imagine the kid from Home Alone meeting Problem Child. We occasionally see some of this. Seinfeld's Kramer did a guest shot as Kramer on Mad About You earlier this TV season. On the rarest occasions you'll even get genre-crossovers on TV, the classic example being when a few doctors from the dramatic series St. Elsewhere showed up on Cheers.

But when it comes to character crossovers, the comics medium in the champion, Marvel is the champion's champion, and there's no end in sight as long as you readers demand we keep doing them. Make no mistake, the vast majority of you do demand them, and they still do their magic, attracting readers to try a certain title they ordinarily would not buy. And crossovers can still be a lot of fun for us creative-types, too.

Industry jargon time. There are two different types of crossovers. A closed crossover is conceived of as involving specific titles where each title is equally important in advancing the storyline. Recent examples are "Operation: Galactic Storm," in seven different AVENGERS titles; "Dead Man's Hand" in NOMAD, DAREDEVIL and PUNISHER; and "X-Cutioner's Song" in the core X-titles. An open crossover is one which has a basic storyline told in one major series, but its ramifications and complications can play out in any title that chooses to get involved. Recent examples include the INFINITY trilogy (GAUNTLET, WAR, and CRUSADE); "Inferno" in X-MEN and "Acts of Vengeance" in AVENGERS.

The merits and demerits of the two types of crossovers? Open crossovers are more difficult to coordinate, due to the greater number of titles usually involved. On the other hand, they are more creator-friendly: no one is barred from participating ("Sorry, fella, this crossover is closed."). Open crossovers also enable the readers to pick and choose which tie-in issues of which they wish to partake. They pick up the key elements of the story by reading the keystone series, and the rest is just gravy.

Tom DeFalco has a theory that every other open crossover has lots of participants. Writers and artists get involved one year, discover all of the coordination headaches involved, vow to never do it again, and so pass up the chance to participate the next year. Months later, they get their sales incentive checks, realize the benefits and, forgetting the aggravation, agree to participate in the next one, having missed the intervening event. So it goes, year after year, according to the Chief.

The merits and demerits of a closed crossover? Each part of a closed crossover is essential, so to buy one is to commit to buying them all, or else the storyline is not going to be intelligible. They're creator-unfriendly, not allowing others to jump in if they have an inclination. Taken as a whole, they are probably more coherant, since more centralized scrutiny is given to every integral part. Participation in a closed crossover is probably a better sales boost for a title, since every part of a closed crossover is equally important to the advancement of the storyline.

In a crossover, there's usually one editor who's in charge of the whole magilla, and that's the person who's the regular editor of the main title character around whom the crossover revolves. The editor in charge, of course, has a supervisor (one of the executive editors) to look over everything in an advisory capacity, but the editor in charge has to do all the hands-on work: distributing the rough outline to everyone involved, answering continuity questions, and reviewing all the tie-in plots to make sure they conform to the details of the overall storyline.

Sound complicated? I'm not done yet. All the participating editors of the crossover must also submit their book's plots to the other participating editors if there's so much as a cameo of a given editor's character in their story. And once the art is done, photocopies of the artboards must also be distributed to fellow editors in the crossover so they can make certain that costume details and so forth are consistent. We're talking major league coordination here, folks, and it's never any wonder to me that try as hard as we might, there is always a detail that is a little off in one title or another.

I've initiated major storylines in closed crossovers. I've participated in open crossovers whose premises I had nothing to do with. I've read and supervised crossovers for which I had no input or participation. Let me bend your attention span a bit with some of my specific experiences.

"Operation: Galactic Storm" was based on a plot germ growing out of my QUASAR continuity. Quaze is supposed to be the Protector of the Universe. What would happen, thought I, if some aliens wanted to enlist his aid in a war with some other aliens? How would he decide which side to assist? Would he try to prevent the whole thing from happening, or would he turn his back on the whole murky affair? Well, when Bob Harras, Fabian Nicieza, and I were casting around for premises big enough to involve all the AVENGERS titles, I offered my QUASAR idea. Obviously, if the war infringed upon Earth in some way it could be "opened up" beyond the QUASAR title. Bob, Fabe, and I then thrashed out a raw outline of key events in each of the nineteen (ulp!) chapters that comprised the crossover. This took a lot of lunches.

Then we held an AVENGERS summit meeting with all the writers and editors, in order to debug and flesh out the outline. The writers were required to cover the events that were slotted for their issues of the storyline, like it or not. In most cases, there was plenty of room for the individual writers to make their portions uniquely their own, but it was still a far greater imposition upon their titles than usual. The net result, in my opinion, was pretty successful.

Last year I also participated in the open crossover INFINITY WAR. I had nothing to do with the basic premise-- the extent of my influence on the core storyline was "Since this story's so darn cosmic, and Quasar has a unique role in the cosmos, make sure he's got something special to do, please." And so he did. Writer Jim Starlin had the mad Titanian Thanos choose Quasar, of all the assembled multitude, to wield the Ultimate Nullifier. Unique enough for me. And when I wrote my tie-ins, I was obliged to deal with events in the limited series. In one issue, Quasar's role was to "find Eternity." I relished this, since I have long been interested in exploring the means by which omnipotent abstract entities acquire humanoid forms. I used my assignment to do a real offbeat story. I was happy.

For my second crossover issue, I was a little more hamstrung. My issue came between two issues of WAR and, at the beginning of the second issue, Quas was in exactly the same predicament he was in at the end of the first. I had an issue of QUASAR where he couldn't do anything! I managed to get around this as best I could by having Q go on a fact-finding quest that no one knew he went on. Whew. Then for my third crossover issue, Quas got nullified in WAR and never came back in the course of the story(!). Obviously, I had to tell what happened to him after he got nullified, and bring him back to life. This challenge was compounded by the fact that, in his own series, Quasar had already spent a few recent issues being "dead," so it was incumbent upon me to make this new experience as different from the previous one as possible. Truth to tell, I would never have chosen to do another "after death" storyline in the course of the book if I hadn't been obliged to. I now find that having had a character come back from the dead twice makes the threat of corporeal harm pretty empty.

So that's my side of the story on the subject of crossovers. They sometimes seem like a necessary evil, and sometimes like an unnecessary good! I would be interested to hear from you what you think our best and worst coordinated mass crossovers have been (I have my own theories). But as long as the idea of crossing over from one title to another remains a way to boost interest among you readers, we're going to keep doing it. And hey, maybe one time we'll get it absolutely right.

Source: Internet Archive

(image via Trusty Plinko Stick)