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piscesseer · 1 year

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Jupiter in Taurus ✨🌸

May 16, 2023 is a lucky day! Jupiter is moving into Taurus. Jupiter is associated with growth and good fortune, and Taurus is associated with material possessions and stability. This is a combination that can bring us long-term comfort, stability and happiness! This cosmic event only happens every twelve years, so enjoy this nearly year-long transit.

Jupiter is the planet of growth, expansion and optimism. It blesses us with good luck and fortune. Jupiter is about expanding our wealth as well as our minds. This planet is associated with the higher mind, philosophy and religion, giving us a larger lens to view the world.

Jupiter will shift into the fixed Earth sign of Taurus, bringing opportunities that are related to patience, building and strengthening efforts and focus on pleasure, stability and longevity.

Over the last year, Jupiter has traveled through Aries with active, action-packed developments. This transit helped you get new projects off the ground and allowed you to get the ball rolling. As Jupiter changes course, you might be prompted to slow down to ensure what you’ve built can stand the test of time.

There’s a calming effect on boundless Jupiter when it moves into Taurus. Jupiter might be ready to expand, but Taurus adds some stability to this. Jupiter had big-picture ambitions, but Taurus might help to slow down to a more realistic and patient pace. If used correctly, this energy can allow us to turn our dreams into attainable goals! This is a real chance to move toward dreams and long-term goals. We’ll find energy to make practical, planned to-do lists and start checking items off until we get to the end result. Jupiter’s desire for growth and Taurus’ patient, headstrong demeanor encourages us to trust the process.

We must practice patience with this transit, and with the Sun, Mercury, Uranus AND now Jupiter in Taurus. This sign is slow-moving. Results require you to work hard and sometimes wait. Trust that results are coming!

Jupiter in Taurus’ Past

Fields that prosper during this transit tend to be agriculture, food, building, music, luxury comfort items and natural or earthy beauty products. In Jupiter’s once a decade transit through Taurus, we often observe the debut of pop icons and artists that define the decade to come. It often signals a boom in progress.

In 1928-1929 Mickey Mouse was introduced, the first movie with sound was released, Joseph Stalin forever changed the life and economy in Russia, and Wall Street crashed.

After a grueling Great Depression, Jupiter returned to Taurus in 1940. WWII initiated the surge of industry like jet planes, computers, and even McDonalds.

Fast-forward to 1976-1977, when ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’, Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors album filled the radio airwaves. We had Star Wars, Saturday Night Fever and the founding of Apple computers.

1999 - 2000 was similarly explosive with The Matrix, X-Men, Fight Club and well, what movie didn’t come out during this era? Britney and Christina were pop icons, Buffy and Charmed battled evil.

Then finally, in June 2011 - June 2012, Lena Dunham’s Girls debuted, iPhones became essential, and artists like Lana Del Rey, Florence and the Machine, and Frank Ocean filled our earbuds.

Jupiter in Taurus influence this time

For the first time since 1941, Jupiter will join Uranus in Taurus. It’s likely that those in positions of power will make riskier decisions, building Jenga towers that can only go so high without crashing. New idols will sweep the imagination, joining Jupiter in Taurus icons like Mickey Mouse and Darth Vader. In the summer of 2023, Venus will retrograde in Leo, which can reboot iconography of the Hollywood machine and influencer culture. A new era of stars will mesmerize and inspire.

Personal Effects

While Jupiter is in Taurus, focus on enjoying life! We can be happy with a simple, good life during this time. Taurus in Jupiter urges us to enjoy, appreciate and build on what we already have.

We can be more realistic and practical. We need clear goals and strong plans, but we take pleasure in pursuing our goals in a more leisurely fashion. Jupiter will remain in Taurus for the next year, making plenty of time to develop the security you have been craving. We attract the most good fortune when we observe wisely rather than jump too quickly into something new.

Life can be prosperous during this transit. Since Jupiter is also seen as the planet of abundance, this can be a period of growth, prosperity and luck in the form of tangible resources like money, food and livelihood. These things can be acquired by using a practical approach with the help of Taurus.

We will have an easier time with practical decision making. We are able to rise above pettiness, mundane concerns and inconveniences.

It’s a good time to look at our financial standings and find a change for growth. Long-term financial investments are in favor and investments may even start to pay off. We can happily watch our profits and possessions slowly, but surely accumulate. We attract good fortune when we are charitable and patient. Make sure that basic needs are met before pursuing more goals.

While there can be some good fortune when it comes to money and personal possessions due to resourcefulness, we can also get caught up in our possessions that bring comfort and pleasure, so be wary of an unhealthy focus on material items or the joy of buying. We can become possessive. Negative manifestations can give us a “wait and see” attitude that leads to us not being motivated, and we can be stubborn with our opinions and beliefs.

It’s a great time for your creative release. Feed, strengthen and style yourself as a powerful vessel to bring the future.

It’s beneficial to keep in mind that Jupiter is about higher minded thinking. We can take advantage of this transit by making sure that our morals and ethics are up to date and meaningful as our attention to material objects. With Jupiter and Taurus coming together, we’re reminded that the answers we seek are with us all the time. Spirituality is not something outside of us that we aspire to, but the always present buzz of daily life. This transit gives us the opportunity to push past distractions and tap into wisdom within ourselves.

Here are some journal prompts you could find helpful during this transit:

What does abundance mean to me?

How do I want to cultivate more abundance in my life? What real steps can I take to achieve this?

What are my values and how do they shape my relationship to material possessions? How can I align my spending habits with my values?

How do I prioritize self-care and pleasure in my life? How can I incorporate this into my daily routine?

What brings me a sense of stability and security? How can I ensure that I am cultivating these feelings into my life?

How can I find the resources to support the people that matter to me?

In what ways have I experienced growth and expansion in my life? How can I build on this momentum moving forward?

How can I find balance between my desire for comfort and my need for growth and new experiences?

#jupiter #jupiter in taurus #current astrology #astrology

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rjzimmerman · 4 months

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Excerpt from this press release from the Center for Biological Diversity:

The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect Olympic marmots under the Endangered Species Act. The rare marmots are found only on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state.

“These giant, fluffy denizens of alpine meadows are icons of the Pacific Northwest, but if we don’t protect them, they could disappear,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center. “Climate change and the loss of wolves from the Olympic Peninsula have changed things in the mountains, and our beloved marmots are paying the price.”

Olympic marmots are a unique species of large, ground-dwelling squirrels that live in alpine and subalpine meadows and rocky slopes, with most of their habitat falling within the Olympic National Park. They spend up to eight months hibernating each year and then double their body weight during the summer.

Olympic marmots have the smallest range and population of any marmot species in the United States. Just 2,000 to 4,000 of the marmots are thought to be alive today.

A severe population decline was observed in the 1990s. By 2006, 60% of known Olympic marmot colonies were unoccupied. Predation by coyotes is believed to be the main reason for these declines. In one study, coyotes accounted for 85% of all documented marmot predation events.

While the marmot population has stabilized since the mid-2000s, climate change and coyotes remain serious threats.

Coyotes were historically absent from the Olympic Peninsula, but moved in after wolves were eradicated from the area in the early 20th century. Coyotes hunt at higher elevations than wolves, including above the treeline, where marmots live.

Facilitating natural colonization or reintroducing wolves to the Olympic Peninsula from British Columbia, where coastal wolves likely represent the closest living relatives of the wolves formerly found on the peninsula, could give marmots a better chance at survival.

Olympic marmots are also threatened by climate change, which is predicted to wipe out most alpine meadow habitat across the United States over the next century as trees move uphill to adapt to a warming climate. This will reduce and fragment the remaining meadow habitat where Olympic marmots live. Climate change is also resulting in less spring snowpack, which allows coyotes to occupy higher terrain, placing the marmots at even greater risk.

#Olympic marmots #Olympic National Park #Endangered Species Act

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kurtskrow · 3 years

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⠀ ⠀ ⠀𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦

⠀ ⠀ ⠀> Tap for better quality

⠀ ⠀ ⠀> Episode: Hope Falls

- Like I promised in my last post. I’d say why I have a love hate relationship with this episode. So yeah.

Another thing I love about this episode is that we get to learn more about Frank, and we get to see that Scott does indeed have a heart, and that he does learn from his mistakes. For those who don't know, at the beginning of the show. Scott is supposed to be seen as a stone cold stoner who just likes getting high, and has no heart. But past episode 3, we get to learn Scott does have a heart. This episode, Hope Falls, shows us that he does have a heart, and feels bad.

When Scott learns about Franks son, and that Franks son overdosed and died. When Frank says. "I never got to say goodbye." You can see how hurt Scott is. He looks down at the ground, speechless, he feels some sort of guilt, then looks back at Frank to listen to him.

This episode shows you that even though the Cliff Hangers are fucked in the head, they still have a moral compass, they still have pride, and honor. Even though they've seen and experienced things a child should never go through, they still have some sort of direction. Even Scott, the most fucked up (mentally) he still has something, he still has his moral compass. That is something I admire.

We learn that everyone in Horizon at one point has problems. Even the teachers and counselors have problems. Frank, the head master, the principle, even he has problems. He couldn't save his son, and he has some sort of guilt because his son, Tommy I believe, couldn't be saved.

Another thing I love about this episode. This may sound fucked up. But I love how there is this kid who OD's, and tries to off himself by overdosing. I absolutely LOVE this. Not because he tried to off himself, but rather because of how real it is. Often times when kids are sent off to a ranch, such as Horizon, so they can get better. Instead of wanting to get better, they try to off themselves. This is the most real part of Higher Ground. The fact that kids will always try to off themselves.

This kid doesn't wanna be at Horizon, not to mention he hates his home, his life, and most importantly, himself. Due to this, he tries to off himself at the ranch. A ranch where nobody knows him, a ranch he knows damn well where nobody will miss him, so he tries to off himself.

I like that, it's so realistic, I just- man, I love it so much. Not to mention the kid looks like a Chinese knock-off of Scott.

Another part I liked was when Scott at the end apologizes to the kids mother, he clearly doesn't know what to say. But, you can tell he does feel bad for her, so he apologizes to her. It's a little detail of Scott that I like. Shows you, he does have a good heart deep down.

Also the way Scott rejects Shelby is just chefs kiss.

I love how Scott chops wood at the wood station. Later in the season it’s basically established that chopping wood is something Scott just does. The guy is always chopping wood. In episode 8- it’s like 5AM, and this boy is over here finding some wood to chop. It’s great. He just owns the wood station and I love it.

Now for the stuff I didn't like:

SHELBY. I hate Shelby in this episode. I like her most of the times cause she does a great job at being a special bitchy bitch. But my GOD was she incomprehensible. She tries so hard to hook up with Scott to the point where it is just unbearable to watch.

Now I'm not a smart man myself but believe me when I say, I understand what "no, I don't wanna hook up with you." means. And for some reason, Shelby doesn't understand what, "you're a skank." means.

The most memorable thing about Shelby in this episode, is her purposefully provoking Scott because he tells her, "I quit smoking." Shelby gets pissed at Scott, because he says, "I quit smoking." And it is BEYOND retarded. She literally goes up to his face and is like. "Oh yeah? Well when I lived in the streets you took what you could."

As someone who raised in a ghetto ass area. Yes, in the streets or the hood, you would take whatever you could get, but, you had the opportunity to say no. Nobody forced me to do meth, heroin, cocaine, none of that shit when I was in California. They would offer it yeah, but they wouldn't force it upon me. When I would reject, they'd leave me alone, they wouldn't pressure me for shit. So the fact that Shelby says this, is so stupid to me, because if you say no, TRUST ME, they will leave you alone. Trainspotting is a great movie that displays this. None of the drug addicts force their non-druggie friend to do drugs. In fact, it was all his choice to do drugs. Which is exactly what happens 8 times out of 10.

People always act like most drug dealers will pressure you into taking drugs, or smoking, when the reality is, they won't. They really won't. You say no, to your druggie friends, or to a drug dealer, they will leave you alone. You know how I know this? Because every time I rejected an offer to do some sort of drug, they would leave me alone right after. So Shelby saying this, IS STUPID beyond belief.

Another thing I hate, is how Shelby doesn't understand the words, "No." because she borderline harasses Scott from episode 1-9. She never leaves him alone. She's always like. "Scott, I want your dick."

Scott goes. "Uh... no thanks."

Shelby proceeds to get mad. And it's so stupid. Yes, Scott said no, too bad. He doesn't want you, move on. BUT SHE DOESN'T. She doesn't move on, she continues and continues and continues, even though he says no multiple times. Scott even acknowledges that Shelby is no good for him, he basically tells her. "You're no good for me, Juliette is better, she's loyal, she loves me, and I love her." But Shelby pursues him, she still tries to make him cheat on Juliette.

I hate this so much. He said no. HE LITERALLY TELLS HER NO, and for some reason, she STILL tries to get him to cheat on Juliette. I hate it so much. But Scott, our loyal boyo, rejects her every time.

And so, Shelby, tries her best to make Scott doubt Juliette. What sucks is that she succeeds because she says. "Auggie was all up in Juliette's pants." This works, and Scott starts doubting his relationship with Juliette and it sucks ass, because, she was also loyal to Scott and was very healthy for him, but whatever I guess. I don't fuckin know.

Another thing I hate about this episode is Isaac's mother. Her acting is just deplorable. It's atrocious, it is genuinely hard to watch her acting. It's awful. It is downright awful. It is hard to watch, it really is. I'm not kidding. So, that is one thing I despise about this episode.

The other thing I hate, is I DON'T KNOW IF SCOTT IS DATING JULIETTE. This is the one fucking problem with Juliette and Scott. It is never established when these two officially started going out. Yes, in Episode 2, Juliette gently pecks Scott's lips, and it makes him shy, and that's it. That's literally it. You don't ACTUALLY know that's when they started going out, but that's when it's established they had a thing for each other.

Shelby talks about how Scott only has Juliette but- you're still confused if they're dating or not. You're always left assuming. "Are these two dating? Or are they actually friends with benefits?" I've watched this show 37 times now, and I STILL for the life of me, do not know when Scott and Juliette started dating. And this episode, doesn't help in the slightest.

Instead, this episode makes you assume that they started going out in the episode prior, but in the episode prior, they weren't really talking, so in this episode, you are assuming they are a thing, but you still don't know beCAUSE, IT ISN'T. FUCKING. ESTABLISHED.

Yes, Scott did fight Auggie because Auggie kissed Juliette. But if you loved a girl, and some other fuck came in, and kissed the girl you loved, you would be pissed and tell them fuck off cause you want that girl and you don't want competition.

You know when they break up but you don't know when they officially started dating, and it sucks ass cheeks.

My rating for this episode: 8/10.

8 because the plot is good. But, 1.5 is taken away due to Shelby, and the other .5 is because of all the other stuff. That's it, bye.

#icons #higher ground #higher ground hayden christensen #higher ground icons #hayden christensen #hayden christensen icons #scott barringer icons #scott barringer #higher ground scott icons #higher ground scott barringer icons #2000 higher ground icons #2000 higher ground

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fatehbaz · 3 years

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On August 15, 2020, the summer monsoon finally rolled into California’s East Mojave highlands. But the thunderstorm did not bring rain. Lightning struck near Deer Springs, igniting fine fuels -- in the desert, mostly grasses --that had flourished since cattle grazing permits were retired in 2002. When the Dome Fire started in the Mojave National Preserve, it was only one of many fires in the largest wildfire season in California history. Because fires were raging elsewhere in Southern California, requests for assistance were denied.

When the fire was fully contained on August 24 [2020], it had burned 43,273 acres, killing approximately 1.3 million eastern Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia var. jaegeriana).

The news outlets that covered the desert fire focused on the death of this charismatic species, which had become the poster child for the effects of climate change in the Mojave Desert. The Dome Fire story fit neatly into narratives about California’s “new normal” under climate change. [...]

Yet, what these stories missed -- in their love of Joshua trees -- was the historical ecology of the East Mojave, a story in which more than a century of grazing desert understories erased centuries of what had preceded it: Nuwu (also known as Nuwuvi or Southern Paiute) landscape management. As I dug into historical archives for my research on land use policy and conservation in the East Mojave, it became clear how grazing reshaped the landscape in ways that made people think the Eastern Mojave should never burn.

The Joshua tree is a popular culture icon, reflected in music videos and Instagr*m posts. The plant’s rising fame has been accompanied by a tourism boom for Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP) and the California desert more broadly. Between 2013 and 2019, visitation to JTNP doubled. The Park’s sudden popularity seeded worry among park managers that JTNP was being “loved to death” [...]. In 2019, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the federal government to protect western Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia var. brevifolia) under the Endangered Species Act. [...]

When Cima Dome (itself an impressive geological feature) burned a year later, media coverage unsurprisingly focused on the impacts on the charismatic flora. The fire destroyed a quarter of Cima Dome’s impressive stand of Eastern Joshua trees so dense that some had called it a “forest.”

Cima Dome rests in the East Mojave Highlands. Unlike the rest of the Mojave and much of California where winter rainfall predominates, the East Mojave Highlands has a bimodal rain distribution with a precipitation peak in both the winter and summer. The bimodal rainfall, including summer monsoonal thunderstorms, also shapes plant communities, creating a unique ecology that sweeps across the higher elevations of what is today Mojave National Preserve. Botanist Joseph McAuliffe calls these areas the East Mojave Highlands. [...]

The East Mojave grassland is similar to other Nuwuvi homelands in present-day Nevada and Utah, where Native fire use in sagebrush plant communities has been documented. In the 1930s, Nuwuvi people told anthropologists that they used ground fires, cutting off lower branches of trees to keep fires small and managed [...]. Nuwu people persist on reservations and in communities from Utah to southeastern California despite the ongoing impacts of colonization. The southwesternmost band of Nuwu peoples are the Chemehuevi, whose reservation is south of the East Mojave along the Colorado River.

Chemehuevi elder Matthew Leivas, whom I’ve known for years through our work for the Native American Land Conservancy, told me about how his own relatives have managed the landscape. [...]

Leivas’s cleaning practices today mirror the Chemehuevis’ patch burning of the past, both clearing small areas and managing plants. But the Chemehuevis’ fires -- Leivas described them as “well-controlled and limited” -- all but disappeared during colonization and as cattle came to the Eastern Mojave.

Native fires, and all large fires, came to a halt in the East Mojave between 1890 and 2000. Widespread grazing played a key role in this shift. [...] When cattle eat grasses, shrubs thrive with the decreased competition. [...]

This question has often been hidden inside an ecological debate about what to call the plant community currently living on Cima Dome. McAuliffe argues that contemporary ecologists have been classifying the East Mojave incorrectly for years, in part because they use the visual presence of Joshua trees to indicate a plant community as a woodland or shrubland, “with little regard to the actual dominant species that independently occur in compositionally distinct assemblages.” [...] Ecologists using standard surveying practices were likely confounded by the impacts of grazing. When cattle are grazing, they chomp many perennial grasses down to the base, making it harder for botanists to identify them. Further, since many biological surveys are conducted in the spring to identify plants that grow in the winter, surveyors miss C4 perennial grasses, which grow predominantly during late summer. In contrast to these analyses, McAuliffe offers a fine-grained analysis of the understory to call the plant community a Mojavean Joshua tree mixed shrub savanna, where grasses play a prominent role in the plant community.

By ignoring the grasses that form the understory, these designations -- woodland, shrubland -- naturalize what was largely the impact of a hundred years of grazing history and its interactions with ecology as the natural result of ecology alone. Focusing on the historical effects of only the last one hundred years as the natural baseline for understanding desert ecologies, names like woodland and shrubland also erase the historical effects of thousands of years of Nuwu management of the East Mojave landscape that had helped keep the East Mojave grasses alive. Such erasure mirrors the impacts of Euroamerican settlement on Nuwuvi life, such as when homesteaders and miners guarded springs, preventing Nuwuvi people from returning to their villages, or when the federal government attempted to force Chemehuevis and Southern Paiutes onto reservations in Arizona, Nevada, and California.

Last year’s Dome Fire, then, raises questions beyond how to save the Joshua trees. It necessitates examining how regimes of the past century -- like grazing -- have shaped what ecologists thought the Eastern Mojave should be. Without the impacts of grazing today disappearing from the East Mojave landscape, it’s likely that lightning-ignited fires will return, but under new circumstances including a century of brush growth and the unpredictable effects of climate change on fire regimes.

While mourning the loss of the charismatic Joshua trees, it also becomes possible to reconsider the ecology that brought them to popularity as not simply “natural” but as shaped by histories of ranching and Native dispossession.

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Headline, images, captions, and text published by: Julia Sizek. “Seeing Beyond the Joshua Trees in the East Mojave.” Edge Effects. 11 May 2021.

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paradise-creator · 4 years

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Than,, thank you?? So much for the match up?? It warms my heart bby ;-;

Anyhow, here’s my description!!

She/her, Taurus, INTJ, slytherin

Personality: the first thing people notice about me is that I am less of a feeler and more of a thinker. I do have an IQ of 125, but my emotional intelligence is quite low, so I have trouble sympathizing with others. But I learned through experience, so I don’t SEEM emotionless. I can (and will) help my friends through tough times if they need me. I’m pragmatic, so I always go for the facts instead of the feelings during decision making or tough situations. I hold a lot of perfectionist traits that make it really hard for me to be satisfied with my results if they aren’t higher than the norm. I also have a slight issue with saying no, so sometimes I’ll offer my help or enrol myself in long-term projects while knowing I legit do not have time for more stuff on my schedule. Being a bit smarter than average, I sometimes feel like I’m obligated to help others so that they can do good too (however, I do like helping people with their hw to a certain extent). I’m working on those issues though!! I’m also an introvert, and I can get rlly tired if I have to be interacting for more than four hours straight with people, especially if their persona isn’t rlly compatible with mine.

However, when I’m surrounded by friends (or generally people who aren’t my superiors), I’m very energetic, loud, silly and I have a sharp tongue. My sense of humour goes from absolute nonsense to almost mean spirited sarcasm, but it all depends on who I’m talking to. I’m a MAJOR memer, I have a bunch of files filled with them, and I couldn’t bear be with people who didn’t understand my meme references. When I start liking something, I can get easily obsessed. I’m stubborn, therefore very passionate about the things I care about. I also have a slight case of the Endorphin Junkie, meaning that I really, really like the high you get after sports so I do crossfit training like five to six times a week. I’m unapologetically myself, and I will not ever change who I am to fit within the norm. I’m sometimes told that (that I’m odd, I mean), but I usually thank the people who tell me. I have a really, really big love for music and I have a tendency to break into song sometimes when people say a line from a song I know.

Appearance: I’m around 5’6”, with hazel eyes and brown hair that goes around to my shoulders. It gets curly out of nowhere. I can either wake up with straight hair or wake up with a freakin perm, it’s funny. My body isn’t exactly the lean type, I’m somewhere around the buff area of the scale instead, but as long as I seem visibly strong, I’m satisfied. When I’m not going anywhere significant, I usually just wear sport shirts and sweats, but I have a penchant for Dark Academia so I like /looking/ like I’m smart sometimes. And I have glasses bc apparently my eyes are assholes and they work too hard and it hurts my brain all the time

Likes: music (DavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBow-); I have a really wide range of music that goes from early 2000’s pop to 1700’s requiems. I enjoy studying theoretical fields, reading, and I like talking about Absurd Theories About Reality That Make Little To No Sense. I like sports, and I love joking around with friends in the most exaggerated ways. I also love the colour green and I’m more of a cat person

Dislikes: dogs (they’re cute but keep them away pls), ignorant people, irresponsible people, spiders, things I’m not good at from the beginning, having to deal with strangers being upset, crying (me. I don’t like crying; I mean me, I’m fine if my friends cry)

Other fun facts!!

- my goals for the future are all over the place; I want to work for Disney, I want to get a musical composition degree, I want a biomedical engineering bachelors degree, I want an astrophysics doctorate, I want to study languages, I want to be a foreign English teacher... I can’t ever decide.

- I have a long history with getting crushes on guys who turned out to be gay. It happens so often and I HATE IT, it makes me feel terrible.

- I!!love!!70’s!!music!!so!!much!! I was raised on that stuff, my dad wouldn’t let us listen to anything else

- Lol my favourite playlist name is Drugs Playlist But I Don’t Even Do Drugs it’s just a bunch of Pink Floyd and David Bowie songs

- My favourite movies are 80’s or 90’s comedy classics!! Like Wayne’s World, or Airplane!, or Night at the Roxbury. I keep quoting Wayne’s World and no one understands :(

Lol it’s very long I Apologize

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Hello and Welcome my Starlight!

The Haven box includes:

- Match up

- Sun drop

- Dreamscape

- Study date

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

I'd match you up with

Kuroo Tetsuro, The captain of Nekoma

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Sun drops

The reasons why I paired you

-Honestly it took me a while to think on who you would match with (You just remind me so much if my best friend that I ship with Yams-)

- I had Sugawara or Kunumi in mind but I decided that Kuroo would be a perfect match! (THAT HEIGHT DIFFERENCE THO)

- Kuroo is a very smart man and he's also very observant.

- So you might lack in the expressing emotions, Kuro's got you (He'll buy those flip plishies to know your mood or smth like that)

- And though Kuroo is the outgoing type, he will definitely respect your boundaries

- I mean Kenma is a major introvert so Kuroo will know what to do

- Not only that! Kuroo has this sense of protectiveness and motherly vibes (Canon Kuroo that is-). So he will definitely take care of you

- He has his iconic hyena laugh, Meme exchange is a must! And you both would often have laughing fits.

- Did I mention that he'll take care of you?

- He absolutely and I mean absolutely adores your passion for music like yes

-He loves your style and the two of you would often have matching couple outfits.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Dreamscape

(A surprise drabble!)

"Out of everyone, YOU GOT A GIRL FIRST?!?" Yaku yelled as his eye twitched. "Got that right, Yakkun," Kuroo then said with a smirk. "And you are still as single as ever, docosahexaenoic acid. Still chasing after the same girl, huh?" He added as he patted the shorter male's shoulders. "And so what?!?" Yaku yelled back. "And the Demon-senpai strikes again," Kuroo stated as he backed away. "Kuroo-senpai! Can you tell us about her?" Lev asked enthusiastically. "You seem enthusiastic," Kenma said. Then Lev restarted back and it became a one sided argument.

Soon enough, the drama died down and Kuroo started to talk about his one and only. "She's amazing~" He started. "She's a bit odd but I love her nonetheless. She kinda reminds me of Kenma and Bokuto in a way. She loves music and would often send me some songs to listen," And that was the start of a half hour rant of his girlfriend. Right then and there, Lev regretted his decision.

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Study date

Kuroo and his Oxytocin (lover), were having a small study date. They were in Kuroo's house and were enjoying their little date time before they study. The Mario team song was playing as the two were racing. "YES! I'M WINNING!" His lover yelled as she was in front of him. "Not for long~" Kuroo stated as his focused was on the screen. As time passes and the gap widens, Kuroo turned to his plan B. He then looked at his Oxytocin and kissed her out of nowhere. The girl immediately responded to the kiss and stopped pressing the buttons. Soon enough, Kuroo passed the girl with ease and won. His lover looked at him with a betrayed look and then scowled. "You cheat!" Hse said as she pointed a finger to him.

"C'mon my Oxytocin~ I didn't cheat in Mario carts!" Kuroo declared as he gazed at his lover. "Didn't cheat?!? Didn't cheat?!? YOU KISSED ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME!" She yelled as she hit his shoulders gently. "And? We didn't lay any ground rules so what's the point?" Kuroo then stated. The girl huffed and played the controller down. "Should we start studying?" She asked as she picked up a book. The book was a chemistry book taht wasn't even for their curriculum. It was just an extra book to fulfill Kuroo's love for chemistry. She placed it down and picked up her book instead. "We still have a bit of time," Kuroo started as he patted on his bed. He then stood up and gazed at the book she took. And English book to be exact, he took the book and placed it down. "Let's cuddle for a while," He added as he pulled you to his bed and cuddled you.

"And I wonder if your team mates know how much of a cuddle monster you are?" She said as she chuckled. Kuroo placed his arms around her body and nuzzled his head on her hair. "Yes, of course. I won't shut up about you," he added as he pulled you closer. "So are we studying or not?" She then said as she kissed his cheek.

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Author's note

Thanks for complying with my request! I hope it wasn't much of a bother. 👉👈

I had fun writing this! I hope you enjoy this one~

#match up requests #anime #fanfic #fiction #haikyū!!#haikyuu!!#matchup #match ups #☁️matchup

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shanastoryteller · 6 years

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shana’s thoughts on the dragon prince

now, i did like it overall, but there are a bunch of negative opinions i have about the show, so if you don’t want to read someone saying mean things about your new favorite show, that’s totally fair! but then this post isn’t for you

i’m putting this under a cut, and if the cut doesn’t work bc you’re on mobile ... scroll really fast? i can’t help you.

1. first and foremost, what the FUCK was that frame rate?? i’m sorry, i’ve seen smoother motion in early 2000s video games. that was literally painful to watch at times. i get they’re trying to save money, but please ... the two different animation styles are distracting enough, especially what the people are animated to be so flat. the animation, while beautiful in parts, is definitely not the strongest part of the show, but could be infinitely improved by a higher fps

2. so many “jokes” that just aren’t funny. they’re trying for everyone to be wry and it actually very rarely works. or even when the line is funny, it disrupts the flow of the story. “say hello to my little friend” as the trigger word for bait completely took me out of the story, but they didn’t even keep it as a trigger phrase, so it was pointless. rayla pausing to say goodbye to the ground before climbing the tree could have been very funny - but she paused!! people are in danger, this is time sensitive, why are you stopping to say something funny to no one? this thing in particular happened multiple times, where the line was funny, the delivery was funny, but the way everything stops so they can say the funny thing ruins it. i’m certain people can walk and talk at the same time, so let them.

3. holy shit there’s so much exposition. like straight up, that whole intro scene? worthless. everything gets covered again later on. it defs shouldn’t have been more than 30 seconds. there’s a lot of explainy moments where characters talk about things they should already know. there are also lots of clever moments where information is conveyed deftly and well, so more of that, less hitting the audience over the head with it. i found the first 2 episodes to be pretty boring because of this, and it wasn’t until 3 episodes in i was like, oh good, something interesting is happening. because of the long explanation in the beginning, the opening scene of reyla sparing the guard had less weight for me, because i was still trying to figure out what the fuck was going on, instead of accepting a fairly straightforward scene between rayla and the guard that would have been a fantastic starting point for the show

4. on a similar note, please some exposition about how magic works. what are its rules, its limits, how does it work?? we know about the six sources of magic, but that’s pretty much it. there’s laughably little information about how the rules of magic work in this world, and because nothing is ever explained, we have no idea how impressive something is, or what the stakes are, and its very frustrating

5. there was an awful lot of hype for how moon shadow elves were unstoppable only for them to be ... kind of invisible and really strong and fast? but like clearly very stoppable.

6. lots of “plot twists” were incredibly obvious, but this is a kids show, so i’ll let that one slide. but it does mean that as an adult viewer i’m less surprised by a big reveal than i am just waiting for it to happen so something else can happen

7. ezran’s animal speaking came out of almost nowhere, and it definitely should have come up like, 4 episodes in, not in the last episode when convenient. wtf. also, like, if this is a thing the king can do too, which would make sense with his bird and all, why is it a secret? why didn’t ezran just find a better way to prove it to callum before this whole thing started, instead of oh i tried with the raccoons now i’m done? his brother clearly listens to him at least sometimes.

8. rayla’s hand. oh my fucking god, her hand. she should have lost it you cowards. the line about her not understanding sacrifice in the beginning, having to take responsibility for bad decisions like the king said, the whole subplot with the giant wolf only having three legs and how he was just fine that way, literally like ten minutes before. and absolutely no mention about dragons being able to bite away the binding, or about royalty being able to break the binding. just oh good the dragon has bitten the binding off in the last two minutes of the show, all that set up and overarching themes we set up? pointless and worthless.

now for thing i like

1. the characters are genuinely likable and multi dimensional (excluding viren who’s pretty cookie cutter). they all have flaws and doubts and are all badasses in their own way. it’s 100% how i like to see characters written, and so rarely do, and it’s absolute pleasure that this show is full of them. it makes all the things i dislike about it so much easier to swallow

2. callum and his conflicted relationship about being in the palace and being the step prince are so incredibly obvious and real and wonderful, and i can already tell i’m going to write a fic, because it was done so well and i adore it. his conversation with the king was a masterpiece. definitely a high point of the show

3. callum’s relationship with ezran is so pure and loving and good. he loves his little brother so much, with no bitterness or resentment or anything at all. he just loves him. and he gets irritated by him, because they’re brothers, but it’s clearly a very good relationship.

4. claudia and soren get the runner up for best sibling relationship. they also clearly care about each other and get on each others nerves and make fun of each other.

5. soren is surprise fave. he’s a big dumb idiot who’s kind of a jerk but i love him. like one second he’s making fun of callum for being a step prince, and the next he’s pretending to get beaten by him so callum can impress his sister. it would have been so easy for him to make fun of callum instead, or to humiliate him for his crush on claudia, but instead he’s like “yeah i’ll help you look cool in front of my sister, even though you ruined my fun and didn’t let her walk into a tree” he’s dumb and a jerk and a good person. he’s great.

6. reyla’s internal struggle and her relationship with runaan is fantastic, and i wish we’d gotten to see more of it. she’s trying so hard all the time to do the right thing and make everyone proud and i love it.

7. amaya is fucking iconic. “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” i love her. shes’s amazing and wonderful in every way. also the way she refuses to take the throne is badass.

8. the show is clearly trying so hard to be diverse and inclusive, and it really is like a breath of fresh air to see. there’s so much obvious care going on here, and the clear love in which all of it was done is another thing that blunts the edges of the many things i dislike about the show.

9. the landscape and background animation is very well done, and often beautiful.

look, i watched the whole first season in one sitting when i wasn’t planning to, so obviously it’s a net positive. i liked, i’ll watch a second season, but there are things which i really dislike about the show, and to be completely honest, if the characters weren’t written so incredibly well, i would probably drop it. but they are, and while there are other, smaller things about the show that make it good, the well written characters alone make it worth watching

#this is your granmda talking #tdp #tdp spoilers #there were a few more little things that bothered me but i didn't want to make this post too long and negative #also i've heard the fandom is already overrun with antis which makes me hesitant about getting into it #but still a good fun show #even if the animation sometimes falls below code lyoko standards

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thecourtreportersportedjorts · 6 years

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The Top Ten Best Hit Songs of 2018

In December of each year, Billboard publishes its list of the 100 biggest hit songs of the last 12 months. In response, I take it upon myself to decide which of these songs were the real hits, and which were the biggest misses. Last time, I tackled the worst, so we'll be looking at the highlights this time. Let's get started:

10. "Stir Fry" by Migos

Like Drake’s Scorpion, I decided to sit out Culture II. And just like that album, I was actually excited to hear what the Migos had to offer, before discovering that the album would consist of 24 tracks. Reports that the Atlanta trap purveyors only spent 20 to 45 minutes in the studio for each song only made me less interested in what would surely be a slog of an album. I figured that hearing the numbingly repetitive “Walk It Talk It” would be a perfect microcosm of the album. But just like Drake (who I will be discussing later on this list), there were singles that gave me hope, especially “Stir Fry.”

Sure, “MotorSport” was a great lead single that saw Offset and Takeoff holding their own against some excellent guest verses from Nicki and Cardi, but “Stir Fry” found the group advancing on all fronts. The flows were faster and more dynamic, and Quavo’s multiple hooks were among his stickiest to date. Of course, the song isn’t really about anything besides cooking and dealing hard drugs, but the wordplay and rhyme schemes are more advanced than usual, especially coming from Offset.

But the most interesting thing about “Stir Fry” comes from its production. The Pharrell-crafted beat is apparently a leftover from 2008, but the track nevertheless sounds refreshing, even futuristic, amidst the unending wave of boilerplate trap bangers. The whistles, buzzing synths, and boom-bap-adjacent drums are totally uncharacteristic of Migos’ usual style, and just like “Slide” last year, it’s evidence that these guys put in some of their best work when accompanied by more uptempo instrumentation. It may not be “that trap sound,” but if more artists take Pharrell’s cues, it very well could be.

9. "Call Out My Name" by The Weeknd

As much as I’ve been singing The Weeknd’s praises on these lists since his mainstream breakthrough in 2015, it may be surprising that I’ve never talked about his first solo hit “Earned It.” There’s a good reason for that: I just don’t feel strongly about the song one way or another. Sure, the song was good enough that it could make you forget it was on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, but it didn’t quite match up against the harrowing atmosphere of “The Hills” or especially the infectious groove of “Can’t Feel My Face.” And now, after the release of “Call Out My Name” in 2018, the Fifty Shades hit even got an update!

To be fair, “Call Out My Name” only bears similarity to “Earned It” in its musicality. It’s a recasting of the earlier song as a more melancholic ballad that gives credence to early claims that My Dear Melancholy, would return to Abel Tesfaye’s original sound. The song is built around a well-utilized sample of “Killing Time” by Nicolas Jaar (who, by the way, dropped one of the year’s best albums with Against All Logic's compilation 2012-2017) that builds to a fever pitch with its pounding drums, mournful synths, and vocal distortion. Fitting of a track with Jaar’s imprint, it’s some of the most inventive production work in 2018’s pop landscape, and yet another entry into the canon of great singles by The Weeknd.

Oddly enough, “Call Out My Name” also recalls “I Feel It Coming” in that it subverts the persona that has become integral to The Weeknd’s music. Tesfaye, who normally plays the heartbreaker on cuts like “The Hills” or “Angel,” finds himself in the opposite situation, which was undoubtedly informed by his well-publicized breakup with Selena Gomez. The result is one of the singer’s most captivating vocal performances in recent memory. While the similarities to “Earned It” may keep this song from ranking higher, I can’t deny that “Call Out My Name” is still a worthwhile song that encapsulates everything a good Weeknd song is about.

8. "King's Dead" by Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake

It may have been a year since its release, but it's worth reiterating that Black Panther was every bit as good as anticipated. The film featured stunning visuals, dizzying action sequences, profound messaging, and an especially strong performance by Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger. But since I’m not a film critic, I’d rather discuss the film’s soundtrack, which was expertly curated by none other than Kendrick Lamar. Fresh off the monumental success of 2017’s DAMN., the soundtrack could easily be dismissed as a victory lap where the Compton rapper highlights some budding talents, but the album is stacked with great pop songs and thrilling bangers.

“King’s Dead” immediately cements itself in the latter category with its infectious hook, where Lamar repeats key phrases like “miss me with that bullshit” and “this ain’t what you want.” Top Dawg labelmate Jay Rock, who makes his Billboard Hot 100 debut here, takes the first verse with a delivery that’s repetitive, but his flow is also hypnotic in its speed. Future takes the mic next, using his trademark Autotuned crooning before suddenly bursting into a creaky falsetto where he references iconic the rap tracks “La Di Da Di” and “Slob on My Knob.” It’s utterly bizarre, and perhaps very Not Good™, but it nevertheless captures the attention and gets a smile out of me every time.

Then, two minutes in, something amazing happens. James Fucking Blake sings a brief interlude, and the no-nonsense trap beat transforms into a freewheeling trunk-knocker with a bass that rivals Lamar’s own “DNA.” in its size. Lamar finishes the song off with a mind-altering verse that somehow works with the beat despite their decidedly off-kilter rhythms. He also refers to himself as “King Killmonger” after seemingly aligning himself with the Black Panther antagonist’s ambitions throughout his verse. It’s an absolute journey of a track that still hits hard, even well after the film’s release.

7. "Be Careful" by Cardi B

A lot of people expected Cardi B to fall off after the runaway success of “Bodak Yellow.” After the follow-up single “Bartier Cardi” treaded the same ground (with some help from 21 Savage), it seemed entirely possible. Surprisingly, the Bronx rapper continued to notch great guest verses on songs with Migos, Bruno Mars, and even G-Eazy, and her album Invasion of Privacy turned out to be the sort of all-killer, no-filler rap album that is a growing rarity amongst the likes of Culture II and Scorpion. “Bodak” was just the tip of the iceberg, and “Be Careful” immediately follows it on the album’s tracklist, further complicating the entire phenomenon that is Cardi B.

Taking cues from the flute-laced beats that were in vogue around 2016 to 2017, master producer Boi-1da approaches “Be Careful” with the same keen ear that defined earlier tracks or “Work” and “The Blacker the Berry.” On top of this, Cardi proves to be a charismatic singer in her own right, whether providing her own hook or interpolating the legendary bridge of Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor.” It’s this particular reference that causes the track on the whole to sound slightly out of step with the mainstream, bearing a welcome resemblance to the pop-rap of the late 90s or early 2000s.

All of this makes “Be Careful” a standout in Cardi’s catalog, but the songwriting only enhances its quality. Where a song like “I’m Upset” or even Cardi’s own “Bartier Cardi” might feel more awkward in light of recent events, “Be Careful” and its verses about infidelity only ring even more powerfully after her particularly uncomfortable split from Offset. The second verse is one of her strongest so far, highlighting how her partner (who she apparently claims isn’t Offset) is affecting her mental health and exacerbating her insecurities. Anyone who dismissed Cardi as a one-dimensional artist after hearing “Bodak Yellow” and some spare guest verses may find themselves surprised at the vulnerability she displays so fearlessly here.

6. "God is a Woman" by Ariana Grande

Even a cursory look at 2018’s year-end chart will reveal that the genre of pop wasn’t nearly as significant as it was in a year like 2012 or 2015. You could probably tell just by reading this list, as it’s been dominated by rappers and The Weeknd, who took a turn back to his darker, alternative R&B sound. The sound of trap music doesn’t exactly lend itself well to a pop sensibility, which is why artists who attempt for some sort of middle ground (i.e. Post Malone) only end up sounding really wishy-washy and unimpressive. Of course, there are exceptions, and it comes as no surprise that one such example would come from Ariana Grande.

“God is a Woman” is a best-of-both-worlds marriage of the two sides of Sweetener: the bubbly trap crafted by Pharrell, and the massive Max Martin-produced pop that has become Ariana’s signature sound. In other words, the track has the hard-hitting drums of a Travis Scott song, paired with the momentum of songs like “Can’t Feel My Face” or “Style.” Nothing about the song feels compromised, especially as the song builds to a triumphant climax featuring Ariana’s whistle notes and a grand backing choir that make for one of music’s best moments in 2018.

The title of “God is a Woman” alone indicates that Ariana isn’t holding back here, even as she tackles the same forceful, sexually charged pop that characterized “Love Me Harder” or “Into You.” This time, she takes the familiar subject matter and infuses it with a sort of spiritually-informed feminism that’s just gleefully blasphemous enough to win me over instantly. All the while, she exhibits her full-bodied lower register, the aforementioned whistle notes, and even a delivery that transforms the Migos flow into something bigger and more portentous. In the pop landscape of 2018, Ariana Grande easily delivered on her title, easily claiming god status with this magnificent song.

5. "SICKO MODE" by Travis Scott

When I included “Love Galore” on this list in 2017, I feared that I may have given the impression that I dislike Travis Scott. I admitted that I didn’t like the song quite as much as “Drew Barrymore” or “The Weekend” (which could have topped this chart had it performed better), but it ranked relatively low on the list because I thought his verse was detrimental to the song as a whole. That said, I’ve actually been a fan of Travis ever since he refined the trap aesthetic on his debut album Rodeo, and it’s been a pleasure to see the Houston rapper continue to expand upon rap’s hottest sound to increasingly lucrative results. In 2018, he released ASTROWORLD, his biggest and best album to date, and he managed a surprise chart-topper with “SICKO MODE,” the cornerstone of the album.

The first minute of “SICKO MODE” might seem unsuspecting. Sure, the synth chords might be foreboding, but you’re soon greeted to an uncredited Drake singing about a friend struggling to make ends meet in a seemingly patronizing way. But he sounds better here than nearly any other song he made this year. The drums kick in, Drake adopts a faster flow, and as soon as he introduces Travis, the beat changes to a blend of hypnotic synths, fat bass, and whirring sound effects and samples. Travis’ flow is at its most infectious to date, and he cements his unique curator status with the iconic line, “who put this shit together? I’m the glue.”

After a cameo from Swae Lee, the synths glitch, and we’re treated to yet another sudden beat switch, this time to a more subdued, organ-laden production by Tay Keith. Drake also returns, seemingly motivated by Travis’ performance as he delivers one of his coldest flows since If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. The resulting verse is a thrill to listen to, but Travis finishes off the track by building on Drake’s “out like a light” hook and using the same flow. Sure, Travis may be the one who put this shit together, but “SICKO MODE” proves that he knows how to make the most out of his collaborations.

It’s also worth noting that in a rap landscape ruled by the likes of Lil Pump and XXXTentacion, the five-minute runtime of “SICKO MODE” seems a little excessive. But the fact that the song is essentially a suite of much smaller trap bangers proves yet again that Travis Scott has an uncanny knack for upgrading the current sound. In a way, it’s also an answer to “Te Bote” in that Travis and Drake can at least justify the song’s length with a wealth of captivating musical ideas. When this shit is way too formal, y’all know Travis Scott doesn’t follow suit, and it’s a blessing to see him continue to innovate.

4. "Delicate" by Taylor Swift

Last year, I omitted what should have been an obvious pick for my Worst Hit Songs List: Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.” Maybe it’s just because anything Jack Antonoff touches immediately sounds good to my ears, but I couldn’t really muster up any sort of hatred for the song. On first listen, it registered as campy and nowhere near as self-serious as so many people made it out to be. That said, I understand why “Look What You Made Me Do” wasn’t so well-liked, and I still hold that it was a terrible choice for Reputation’s lead single.

Much of this belief has to do with “Delicate,” the song that – for whatever reason – precedes “Look What You Made Me Do” in the album’s track sequence. Much like that song, “Delicate” tackles the subject of fame, except in a return to the relationship-oriented format in which Taylor excels. She finds herself anxious that anything she says can be misinterpreted and used against her, realizing that her “reputation’s never been worse.” Thus, when she finally meets a guy who’s interested in her despite all the drama, it sparks a subtle kind of joy in her that builds as the song progresses.

“A subtle kind of joy” is also a good way to describe the instrumentation on “Delicate,” which always reminded me of the sounds The xx explored on their 2017 album, I See You. It shares a lot in common with that album’s subdued tropical synths, gently building dance grooves, and vocal manipulations. I See You was widely regarded as an expansion of the low-key, intimate sound that became the group’s calling card, and the same can be said about “Delicate,” which is only given deeper meaning with the firestorm of controversy that surrounded Reputation’s rollout. If this were released as the lead single rather than “Look What You Made Me Do,” perhaps the album would have been much easier to swallow.

3. "Nice for What" by Drake

Since writing my worst list this year, I’ve tried listening to Scorpion again, and with only a few exceptions, the album confirmed pretty much all the fears I had when I heard “I’m Upset.” If VIEWS was considered a decline in quality for the Toronto rapper, this album walked right up to the line of self-parody, seeing Drake moaning half-heartedly about women and fame on top of some of the sparsest, blandest instrumentals his producers have offered up to date. In other words, I know shorty, and she doesn’t want know slow song, which Scorpion offered up in smothering abundance. And while there are some songs on the album that succeed despite their obvious formula, the only song that breaks out of the mold is “Nice for What.”

If anything, the greatness of “Nice for What” only puts the its parent album’s failings into sharper focus. With every successive project, it seems that Drake tries adding a new style of music to his repertoire, whether it’s trap on Nothing Was the Same or dancehall on VIEWS. This time around, he’s trying his hand at the energetic, largely underground style of New Orleans bounce. The genre is known for its heavy use of samples, so it’s only fitting that the track not only samples bounce legend Big Freedia’s voice, but the second sample of the bridge of Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” to hit the charts this year. Where “Be Careful” only interpolated the bridge as a hook, producer Murda Beatz makes the sample the foundation of “Nice for What,” and it sounds absolutely blissful.

Then there’s the lyrics, which have been highly celebrated for their message of women’s empowerment. Given that this is by the same guy who made songs like “Hotline Bling” and “Child’s Play,” it could be easy to dismiss “Nice for What” as a textbook example of pandering, but I’d much rather hear Drake pandering than hear him say another goddamn word about child support. Furthermore, the song forgoes the usual trappings of female empowerment anthems written and performed by men by not harping on how badly he wants to have sex with the women he writes about. Top this off with Drake sounding the most energized he's arguably ever been, and it’s hard not to believe every second of the song.

2. "I Like It" by Cardi B, Bad Bunny, & J Balvin

In case it hasn’t been abundantly clear by now, Cardi B had an absolutely tremendous 2018. Looking over the year-end charts, she made eight appearances on the list, tying with Drake for the most spots occupied by one artist. Sure, one of those was “Bodak Yellow,” and half of them were guest appearances for the likes of G-Eazy and Maroon 5 (sigh), but the fact that she managed to churn out three more hits from Invasion of Privacy is still remarkable. I already discussed “Be Careful” at length, and “Bartier Cardi” was fine enough for what it was, but it was “I Like It” that landed her a second number one hit, and possibly the most important song of her career.

For starters, it’s worth noting that “I Like It” does something successfully that far too many hit songs don’t: it uses a sample of a well-known song to a benefit rather than a detriment. The song samples “I Like It Like That,” a 1967 track by boogaloo legend Pete Rodriguez that’s become a staple of Latin music in its half-century of existence. The resulting track is a mix of traditional Latin music instrumentation with a shuffling trap beat that’s just as lively as the music it’s referencing. In a year where reggaetón had a much greater mainstream presence than usual, it’s surprising that none of the songs that landed on the charts sounded quite as good as this.

While the production is certainly some of the best I’ve heard all year, you'd first go to Cardi B for her verses and her personality, which “I Like It” delivers in spades. The beat serves as the perfect backdrop for Cardi’s verse, where she brags about her taste for luxury goods, all the while referencing her enjoyment of things like NYC street food. It adds dimensionality to her well-documented rags-to-riches narrative, highlighting her Bronx roots while also celebrating her current success. A pair of excellent guest verses by reggaetón stars Bad Bunny and J Balvin show that she clearly plans to use her success for good, giving a greater platform to other Latinx artists.

It may not have been the near-record breaker that “Despacito” was in 2017, but the fact that “I Like It” was a smash hit further cements Latin music’s place in the American pop landscape. Make no mistake, considering how hostile the current administration and its supporters have been to Latin American immigrants, this is incredibly significant. Obviously, Cardi B is a more conventional rapper rather than a reggaetón artist, but she’s still a woman of Dominican heritage who’s using her music to show solidarity with her community, and if there’s any justice in this world, it could suggest a true cultural change in the near future.

But before I unveil my choice for the Best Hit Song of 2018, here are my Honorable Mentions:

“All the Stars” by Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA, “Pray for Me” by The Weeknd feat. Kendrick Lamar: Befitting of the Black Panther film, Kendrick delivers sharp verses about responsibility and fame, SZA and The Weeknd deliver fantastic vocals as usual, and the production combines cinematic swells with glitchy electronics. The only thing keeping these songs from the list proper is that the artists’ personalities feel slightly compromised.

“Boo’d Up” by Ella Mai: Since dominating the charts in 2014, DJ Mustard has been experimenting with his 808-driven sound. Here, he crafts a gloriously retro R&B track with London singer Ella Mai, creating a joyful, lovesick track that could be best described as “Boom Clap” for 2018.

“Sky Walker” by Miguel feat. Travis Scott: It’s been way too long since I’ve been able to talk about Miguel on this list. The 2017 album War & Leisure saw the R&B virtuoso coasting by on effortless vocals and charisma, but the blissed-out vibe of “Sky Walker” proves that’s still a lot of fun in its own right. Travis does his thing pretty well, too.

“Finesse” by Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B: I was wondering when someone would revive the new jack swing sound of the early 90s, and leave it to none other than Bruno Mars to be up for the challenge. It’s no surprise that he sounds as great as always here, but what does surprise me is how perfectly Cardi B’s flow fits.

“MotorSport” by Migos, Cardi B & Nicki Minaj: I can’t be the only one who thinks this song is pretty awkward to listen to now, considering the split between Cardi and Offset, as well as Cardi and Nicki’s feud that erupted later in the year. Still, everyone but Quavo puts forth a great performance, and Murda Beatz crafts one of this year’s most hypnotic bangers.

“In My Blood” by Shawn Mendes: Look, credit where it’s due, Mendes wrote a really good song about his struggles with anxiety, and he finally has organic-sounding production that compliments the song’s structure really well. I’m still not completely sold on him as a singer yet, but he puts forth enough effort for me to like “In My Blood” quite a bit.

“This Is America” by Childish Gambino: If I were including music videos in my placement of the songs on this list, this could have contended for the top spot. The song itself, while admirably direct in its lyricism and its freewheeling instrumental, works better as an accompaniment to the stunningly layered visuals that Glover assembled to put forth his commentary about race relations and gun control.

“LOVE.” by Kendrick Lamar feat. Zacari: Well over a year after its release, Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. is still a phenomenal album. “LOVE.” still stands as a highlight from the album, boasting melodic flows, serene production, gorgeous vocals from Zacari, and one of Kendrick’s most poignant hooks to date. It may be the most pop-oriented track Kendrick’s put on an album to date, but at least he sounds like he’s actually putting in an actual effort.

And now, here's my pick for the Best Hit Song of 2018:

1. "No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

In my 2017 lists, I made a recurring observation that popular music doesn’t exist without context. That mentality definitely crossed over into my previous list, where I didn’t choose the worst four on the list just because they were made by abusive people, but because most of them actively reminded me of their heinous acts. Of course, that also means that great art can be made in the wake of significant life events. It’s partially for this reason that Kesha’s triumphant comeback “Praying” topped this list last time, and in 2018, Ariana Grande made an equally powerful return with “No Tears Left to Cry.”

I don’t need to explain the circumstances that led up to this point, but since the release of “No Tears Left to Cry,” Ariana has made one thing abundantly clear: she wants to use her music to spread positivity into the world. The song starts off with soft, humming synths and Ariana’s heavenly voice, boldly stating that she’s ready to move on from her past trauma. As she repeats “I’m pickin’ it up,” the tempo follows suit, percussion begins to swell, and the song becomes a shot of pure UK garage-influenced joy.

The verses feature these stabs of synths, a persistent, dusty groove, and gentle strings that have all coalesce into a somewhat tense arrangement. During the first verse, Ariana opts for a more hushed delivery, somehow suggesting that it’s difficult to try and put forth that positive energy when everything around you is so overwhelming. And yet, she puts forth a real effort, climbing up in her vocal register. Now, the chorus introduced earlier hits even harder with the help of the quicker tempo and the fuller backing. “I just want you to come with me, we on another mentality,” she sings, implying that it could be just as easy for you to adopt the same mindset and charge forth in life.

Since its release, Ariana’s put out plenty of singles with a similar message. “The Light Is Coming,” “Breathin” and especially “Thank U Next.” Had it performed well enough, “Breathin” could have easily taken this spot for its massive buildup and its lyrics about coping with anxiety. But where that song may speak to the personal struggles with anxiety I’ve had in the last few years, I believe “No Tears Left to Cry” represents something broader, a new way forward of sorts. With so much lifeless, depressing music by repulsive human beings clogging the upper echelons of the charts, somebody needed to create something to challenge it. "I just want you to come with me," indeed.

Thanks for reading!

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bigskydreaming · 6 years

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You will never catch me saying a single positive thing about some ‘progressive move’ Marvel editorial makes in an X-Men comic until every single decision maker of the past ten years is out of those offices.

Individual writers, yes. Editorial, the ones handing down the creative mandates? Hell no.

This means Northstar and Kyle’s wedding, Bobby, Rictor and Shatterstar’s outings, Storm’s solo series, etc, etc.

Because Marvel editorial does not actually give a single fuck about any of the messages embodied by the X-Franchise, and spent the last ten years proving it.

Marvel as a company was happy to profit off the X-Men movies after they sold the rights to save themselves from bankruptcy. But from the second Iron Man became a success and the movies they churned out featuring characters they still had all the rights to started making profits they got to keep fully, they actively torpedoed the X-Men franchise both in the comics and outside of them. Because now the X-Men were technically competition, at least in the arena of movies, which is where the real money was being made.

Like, it seriously pains me to remember how HUGE X-Men fandom was in the eighties, nineties and early 2000s. Across the comics, various cartoons and the movies, X-Men was one of THE biggest fandoms, back when the fandom juggernauts of today like SPN, HP and the like were still wee baby fandoms.

And Marvel actively, deliberately killed it. Because they didn’t want people focusing on X-Men characters and reading X-Men stories and buying X-Men action figures instead of Avengers ones. It’s why they made no effort to resolve the issues blocking Wolverine & the X-Men from getting a second season. Even though the first season got ratings that more than justified a followup that would be guaranteed to be profitable for them. And why there hasn’t been another X-Men cartoon since. Even though Marvel always held the rights to make more cartoons while Fox held the movie rights.

It’s why Marvel editorial set out to do House of M and Decimation...those storylines aimed at essentially ending the possibility of new mutant characters were created specifically to do that. They literally did not want new mutant characters that might end up being breakout hits that fans wanted more of in place of more Iron Man, Captain America or Avengers-related properties like Young Avengers. Quesada, the EIC at the time, said it was because writers were getting too lazy with their origin stories as long as they had the concept of mutants to fall back on. All they had to do with a new character was say ‘oh they’re a mutant’ instead of coming up with a unique angle for where they got their powers.

Except then Marvel turned around and reconfigured Inhumans into the new mutants, tweaking their decades old concept to make it so suddenly there was no limit to how many new Inhumans could be created, unlike the limit they’d imposed on new mutant characters. And suddenly you had dozens of new characters with electricity powers and flight and super strength and shapeshifting and who looked no different in any meaningful way from any new mutant character introduced ten, fifteen years prior...except now, all of those dozens of new characters ‘unique angle for where they got their powers’ was oh, they’re Inhumans instead of oh they’re mutants.

And it wasn’t even like Marvel made Inhumans the new mutants because they had active, important plans to incorporate their concept into their live action universe....again, it LITERALLY was done simply to make the X-Men franchise less necessary. They pushed the Inhumans movie back year by year by year until finally scrapping it altogether, and put barely any effort into the TV show they made of it instead. The only evidence of Inhumans in the MCU is still just in Agents of SHIELD, the show they barely do any promo for and honestly don’t care all that much about. The Inhumans’ sole purpose over the past ten years has basically just been to be an alternative to mutants, should anyone want one....not even BECAUSE the MCU actually wanted one.

And then you had shitty events like Avengers vs X-Men where it was never in question that it was going to be at the X-Franchise’s expense. And in the aftermath of that, they claimed to be making a big push to incorporate the X-Men more into the Marvel universe, do stories showing that the other heroes cared about mutant issues.....all by folding the X-Men into Avengers titles. Books like Uncanny Avengers were launched, with X-Men on lineups with Avengers and calling themselves Avengers....but no new X-books were launched with Avengers in their stories. Because that was never the point. The point was that it basically got X-readers who didn’t give a shit about Avengers comics to pick up Avenger titles in order to read about Storm and Rogue and other favorites....without marketing having to acknowledge the X-brand label in any actual way. Literally just to use X-characters to sell Avengers books, without actually doing anything for the X-franchise.

Not to mention the way the X-franchise’s direction has dramatically shifted every one, two years over the past decade, with no clear oversight or shepherding of it....because it basically became the place for writers to do whatever the hell they wanted, because Marvel as a company DID NOT CARE what happened with the X-books. All the terribly thought out storylines to appear in X-titles of the last decade happened because pretty much any pet project a writer Marvel valued wanted to try out got the green light for them to do in the X-books, because they didn’t have anything they wanted out of the X-brand, other than for it to not siphon fans away from their preferred properties. So you had things going one way one year and then pull a complete 180 the next year when a hot new writer at Marvel wanted to do something completely different.

Not to mention the way Marvel’s consistently funneled their low-selling writers into writing X-books, except for when high profile writers wanted on an X-title. The X-books became a testing ground for new and unproven writers, which occasionally did result in some good stories, yes, but I don’t really think Marvel deserves props for the efforts of those writers when they only got to do those stories because Marvel didn’t actually care.

And the most obnoxious thing about all of this is....they were still making money off the X-Men the whole time. From their comics, from repeated viewings of their older cartoons, from toy sales, etc. The X-Men have continued to turn a profit for Marvel even as Marvel actively drove them into the ground....because as long as it wasn’t ever going to be AS MUCH profit as Marvel could make off the movies of characters they had all the rights to....they didn’t want the X-Men ever even potentially overshadowing the Avengers in current readers’ eyes.

So it honestly pains me to see Marvel given any credit whatsoever for various progressive moves they’ve made with X-characters over the past decade. Because while all companies are in it to make money and I don’t expect otherwise, I can’t think of any other occasion where I’ve so clearly watched a company spit on one of its most profitable and iconic properties and all its fans, for the crime of....making money. They literally crashed and burned the franchise with full knowledge of what they were doing, and actively drove away one of the biggest fandoms out there, turning it into a wasteland compared to what it was, because the well established success and visibility of the X-franchise and fandom was in their eyes a threat to the MCU franchise and fandom they were trying to cultivate instead.

And given that on a meta level, the X-Franchise has always appealed more than most to readers from marginalized communities because of the allegories inherent in its core concept....its honestly kinda insulting whenever I’d see mainstream headlines and news stories giving Marvel editorial kudos for a high-profile gay wedding or making a founding X-Man gay or other well-received moves over the last decade....knowing full well how little regard they actually have for the readers those moves mean so much to, given that pretty much every other decision they make around it is meant to keep the X-Franchise from overtaking the Avengers in popularity again.

Like, don’t get me wrong because Bobby Drake has been one of my three favorite superheroes of all time for most of my life, in part BECAUSE I always read him as gay or bi.....so I love love LOVE that he’s officially a mlm in canon and has gotten his own solo series. But at the same time, its obnoxious as hell to be aware that people have been speculating about his sexuality for decades and making references in canon even, and outing him only actually happened BECAUSE he’s an X-character. You notice that for all the positive praise Northstar’s wedding and Bobby’s coming out garnered Marvel, they haven’t been in any rush to make a high profile Avenger gay, have they? Like....yes, the X-franchise has always been the franchise to make social commentary in, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only reason big creative alterations like making one of the oldest Marvel characters gay was only happening in the franchise Marvel didn’t give a fuck about.

So it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the comics now that the X-Men movie rights are back with Marvel and under the Disney umbrella. And I do hope and think that means the comic books will start to get a more cohesive direction again with the X-Men taking more pivotal roles in the comics and getting higher profile treatment again.

But fuck ever giving any of the current Marvel editorial staff credit or recognition for any progressive stories in the X-books. Because they very much do not care about the concept of the X-Men or the messages the X-Franchise is capable of sending with its stories. You can’t dedicate ten years to actively minimizing the franchise that means so much to marginalized readers and still claim to actually give a crap about any of the representation that franchise provides for those readers. Like, lol, you just can’t.

#long post

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olivereliott · 3 years

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Speed Read, September 12, 2021

We’re launching into this week’s round-up with a radically reworked Moto Guzzi Bellagio, and finishing off with a look at the upcoming Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello. Wedged in between are a garage-built Honda CB450, a rescued Harley-Davidson Sportster 883, and a Royal Enfield 650 from XTR Pepo.

Moto Guzzi Bellagio by Guzzi Motobox Custom shops that specialize in a particular marque have a habit of pulling out all the stops—and Guzzi Motobox in Catalonia is probably one of the best examples. After all, how many workshops could turn the laid back Moto Guzzi Bellagio into a fire breathing cafe racer?

GMB’s work on this Bellagio is a double whammy; they’ve not only dramatically changed its silhouette, but also given it a boost under the hood.

Using cylinders and pistons from specialist outfit Radical Guzzi, GMB took the motor from 935 cc to 1,500 cc, with four valves per cylinder instead of two. The team also converted the bike from fuel injection to a carbureted setup, and ditched the air box for a pair of velocity stacks. The stock exhaust headers were tweaked to run a pair of HP Corse mufflers.

The running gear’s been upgraded too, with the Showa forks from a Kawasaki ZX10R up front, and a custom built Öhlins shock out back.

The wheels are stunning 17” spoked units from Kineo, and the brakes are Brembos, complete with carbon fiber cooling ducts on the front discs. It wasn’t all plug-and-play though: GMB boss Manel Segarra reports that matching up the front forks, wheel and brakes took a lot of fiddling.

Higher up, GMB built a whole new subframe to sharpen up the Bellagio’s lines. The fuel tank and tail section, plus the front fender, are all custom pieces. “A close friend, German Dervidson, made them for us,” explains Manel. “We made the pieces in a special foam, and German replicated them with aluminum.”

The Guzzi also wears new rear sets and foot controls, with clip-ons, Beringer levers and switchgear from Renard Speed Shop up top. Other add-ons include new yokes, a small GMB speedo and an LED headlight. A custom carrier at the back holds the license plate, along with a pair of combo taillight and blinker LEDs. [Guzzi Motobox]

Honda CB450 by Scott Loyet There’s something special about hobby builds, and the blood, sweat and tears that are poured into them. This tastefully stylish Honda CB450 cafe racer is Scott Loyet’s first build—a project that took him four years to complete, because he resolved to only work on it when he “felt like it.” And it’s a pretty remarkable first effort.

Scott picked up the 1973 CB450 around the same time that his friend, Cory, also started working on a 70s-model CB.

“Cory has been my ‘Yoda’ throughout this project,”says Scott, “a man who has been around engines and motors all his life. My dad was a grease monkey, and I always admired the way he could fix anything on our family cars—and frankly, anything around the house, including hair dryers!”

“With no mechanical experience and new time on my hands since my kids had gotten older, I embarked on ripping apart my first bike. As my dad said to me, ‘you learn more from your mistakes’ and I learned A LOT. With parts and assistance from not only Cory, but also Dime City Cycles, Common Motor Collective and lots of YouTube videos, I was able to get over the finish line.”

Scott first stripped the bike down, then sent a bunch of parts off for fresh powder coating. The engine was refreshed with new valves and top end gaskets, and is now hooked up to Mikuni V32 carbs with velocity stacks from Speed Moto. Sparck Moto supplied a new wiring harness, and Scott installed an electronic ignition, new coils and plugs, a rebuilt starter, a Lithium-ion battery and a new regulator and rectifier.

Scott refreshed the front forks, but replaced the rear shocks with a new pair of Progressive units. The brakes were rebuilt, and the wheels re-laced with stainless spokes from Buchanan’s. Up top are new bars with wrapped Trip Machine Co. grips, and new dials. And all the lighting’s been replaced with LED units.

Scott had help along the way. CJ at Pullman Fabrications handled the custom battery box, rear loop and frame reinforcements, and built the new exhaust headers, which are connected to Lossa Engineering mufflers. Aaron at Pleasant Hill Auto Body massaged the fuel tank so that it’d transition with the seat better, Brian Jennings handled paint and Armand’s Auto Upholstery covered the seat.

“This bike was therapy for me,” says Scott, “with endless hours cleaning, shining and building. In the end, it is a tribute to my dad and an heirloom for my son or daughter.” [Images by Shirley DeFrancisci]

Harley-Davidson Sporster 883 by Minority Custom At a glance, this 2000-model Sportster 883 from Indonesia’s Minority Custom doesn’t break any major new ground. But it is very pretty and extremely tidy—impressive, when you consider that it started out as a wreck.

“’Simplicity is beauty’ is what our garage strives to show in our designs,” explains shop boss, Jonathan Evan. “We found this motorbike in a dull and damaged condition. Some parts of the engine were leaking and broken, oil was everywhere, and it had malfunctioning rear brakes and broken pistons.”

Minority rebuilt the Sporty inside and out, making a number of changes along the way. The crew wanted to give it a slight chopper stance—so they stretched the front forks and swapped the front wheel for a 21” hoop. There’s a solid 16” rear wheel at the back, hooked up to a custom-made sprocket.

Next, the OEM fuel tank was cut-and-shut to shrink it, and to make it sit tighter on the Harley’s backbone. Behind it is a custom leather seat, and behind that, a hand-made mini sissy bar that adds a touch of chopper sass, without going overboard.

Up front, tucked under the standard-issue Sportster headlight nacelle, is a smaller-than-stock light mounted on a custom-made bracket; a neat touch that most eyes won’t notice. The handlebars are one-offs too, as are the stainless steel slash-cut exhausts.

Top marks to Minority for the lush color scheme too—the frame’s been done in turquoise, with some green hues mixed in on the bodywork, and a smattering of chrome. The tank bears the shop’s own unique take on the typical Harley eagle motif, and was completely executed by hand. [Minority Custom | Images by Val Willson]

Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 by XTR Pepo A number of custom builders have already shown that Royal Enfield’s new generation Continental GT 650 is ripe for remodeling. But in the hands of the mad scientist Pepo Rosell, it’s really come alive.

This 2019-model Continental GT 650 is sporting a number of signature XTR Pepo touches—not least of all its heavy endurance racing vibe and protruding headlights. They’re mounted just forward of a custom fairing, which in turn sits on custom brackets.

Tucked behind are a CNC-machined top yoke from Riga Billet Parts and XTR Pepo clip-ons. The quick-throttle and right switches are from Domino, the brake master cylinder is a Brembo item, the clutch assembly is from a Suzuki GSX-R, and the levers are CNC-machined XTR Pepo parts. There’s also a new oil temperature gauge, and foot pegs and controls from K-Speed in Taiwan.

The custom fiberglass fuel tank lightly mimics the original design, but has a transparent strip on the side for checking levels, and an aluminum filler cap from ACC Endurance. The solo seat is Pepo’s design too, and the subframe’s been modified to match it.

Pepo replaced the rear shocks with new ones from YSS, swapped the 18” wheels for 17s, and shod them with Continental Road Attack tires. The exhaust headers have been shortened and now exhale through a pair of Turbokit megaphones.

Elsewhere, Pepo’s added LED turn signals, a custom license plate support, and a CNC-machined chain tensioner and sprocket cover from Riga Billet Parts. Artenruta handled the cheeky red livery—the perfect finishing touch for this rapid-looking Royal Enfield. [XTR Pepo | Images by Belen Piqueras]

The new Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello No, you’re not looking at a modern reinterpretation of the iconic Yamaha TDM850. This is the new Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello—a brand new ‘tall rounder’ with a brand new motor, that’ll make it’s official debut at EICMA in November.

Moto Guzzi have revealed nothing more than images and a teaser video [below] that desperately wants to remind you that the marque’s logo has an eagle in it. But there are a few dead giveaways and easy speculations. The engine looks to be all-new, with liquid cooling and an assumed capacity of 1,000 cc, and power is still directed via a shaft drive.

The video also reveals air channels on the fairing that open and close, and a windshield that moves up and down. It’s not clear whether these will operate automatically or not, but we’ve seen the term “active aerodynamics” bandied about, so make of it what you will.

Guzzi specialists Classic Co. either have inside info or are master speculators. They’ve pointed out a large airbox where the tank would go, an under seat fuel tank, and a four-valve-per-cylinder engine layout that can be bumped to 1,300 cc and used in a wide variety of applications. They’ve also cleverly noticed that the air intakes sit above the cylinder heads, and the exhaust ports below, unlike Guzzi’s current V-twins.

Looking at the red and green bikes that Guzzi have shown, it’s also clear that the V100 Mandello will most likely come in two models. Both are sporting Brembo brakes, but the green version [above] also has Öhlins suspension at both ends.

Overall, we’re digging the slightly 80s aesthetic, and it looks like it’d be a fun ride—as long as it delivers enough power in a decent weight class. Color us curious. [Moto Guzzi]

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luxenvulpies · 6 years

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[Blog] Asks

Answering all of July’s asks here to reduce the number of posts.

okay this is ridiculous last month I made it to tier 16 round 400 without even hitting a wall (I mean besides the mental wall of grinding coli) and this month I’ve almost hit a flat brick wall at mid tier 15??? my most powerful medals only deal 1 damage and that’s including maximum buffs and +60% guilt

The base defences for the enemies were increased dramatically due to the strength of 7* medals. You’ll need those and medals with ground/aerial defence.

Now we're adding raid bosses with 15k health in Union cross so nobody can play alone, I see. Because scree you if your internet connection can't hold a group in Union cross I guess? Like I could turtle it but it's clear they're making it not worth anyone's time to play it alone and I'm really annoyed.

Once again, due to the 7* update, they’ve made everything incredibly bulky for the same rewards. We’ll just have to make do, I suppose.

I’ve seen tons of people saying that because of kex+/xex+ overwriting buffs that ea/dc aren’t good for them because they’ll overwrite the pet buffs you get on first cast but that’s actually not the case at all. I’ve noticed through watching people play and through pvp that people still retain all the positive buffs they get even after using them. They only overwrite buffs/debuffs that are detrimental to the player, thus making ea ideal with them for +counter and gauge restore

That’s right, the ability doesn’t affect the pet buffs or if the buff you already have is higher than what Kairi/Xion does. Yes, the real reason for getting extra attack on them is for the non-buff effects.

Do you know at which quests jewels start being distributed every 15, 10, then 5 quests? The new fast forward feature of story mode helps speed the mode up but also makes it harder to ensure you’re getting all the free jewels

Unfortunately, no. I think for 5 quests, it’s 1, 3, 5? Sometimes I think it’s been 1, 4, 5? I don’t know 10 at all. 15 quests is every 5 but you get 250 jewels each time which still adds up to 750.

You should have a rating on the banners on how good you think they are. It can help with people asking your opinion. Just a suggestion.

I’d rather not. Reasons include...

My rating will not apply to everyone.

I have bad judgement.

Got new phone so is it faster to install hd first or low quality then go over to hd? Thank.

The game will only download the assets you choose, else it will delete the set of assets that you don’t choose. Only download the quality you want. Don’t waste your bandwidth.

Hi! I have been wondering... if I pull a 6* Prime Medal and evolve it, it will be able to get 2000+ Chips and Dales like the mercy 7* one? Or only the last one? Thanks:3

It doesn’t matter how you get the 7* Prime medal for them to be upgraded to +2k strength/defence. Mercy, non-mercy, evolving, whatever.

Is the Phantom medal going to be reprinted?

I’m sure every non-time limited medal will be available again at some point.

do u kno where we can get deck advice in general for the org 13 events? i hate having to bother u about this ever month

Hard to give general advice when all the fights vary quite a lot. People often post their set-ups on Twitter, the KHUx subreddit and its Discord.

The toy story booster isn't being added to the bonus. Before the boosters were added to the percentage. Was something changed or is their an issue with that booster?

I haven’t seen anyone discuss this. The boosters aren’t added directly to the medal’s guilt. They’ll appear beside the guilt percentage with a blue flame icon.

can someone else challenge your position in pvp when you’re in the middle if a match?

No.

any idea if it’s possible to get puppy 7 without spawning trickmasters? their really hard to spawn

Besides the one time(?) Union Cross event, no.

Would you be so nice to translate the requirements for the new Daily Time Attack? Normally I get them by trial and error but when you have to unlock them all at once this gets confusing. Thank you.

Sorry, I didn’t do them because I didn’t think anyone would bother lol. I’ll post today’s in a following post.

#ask #anon #letsrootbeer123

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kurtskrow · 3 years

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⠀ ⠀ ⠀𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗘

⠀ ⠀ ⠀> Tap for better quality

⠀ ⠀ ⠀> Show: Higher Ground

⠀ ⠀ ⠀> Episode: Hope Falls

- This episode- I like but also dislike. I’m gonna make another post explaining as to why I have a love hate relationship with this episode but yeah.

#icons #higher ground #higher ground icons #hayden christensen #hayden christensen icons #scott barringer icons #scott barringer #scott icons #higher ground hayden christensen #2000 higher ground icons #2000 higher ground

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nightmareonfilmstreet · 6 years

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SCARY MOVIE: Flattering Imitation or Tasteless Copycat?

Horror and comedy have always had a…fascinating relationship, to say the least. One could debate that horror-comedy is the most divisive sub-genre in horror, specifically parodies. On one hand, it can make a horror movie more fun and accessible to the everyday movie fan. It can also upset horror purists, who already have a hard time bringing legitimacy to horror without films poking fun at it. Parody films usually end up going one of two ways: a loving homage to the material being parodied (Young Frankenstein) or a clever subversion of the material (What We Do in the Shadows). 18 years ago, one film managed to be neither and both, bringing spoof/parody films back to the mainstream. Let’s talk about Scary Movie.

A year after disposing of the body of a man they accidentally killed, a group of dumb teenagers are stalked by a bumbling serial killer.

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Good Intentions

The Wayans Brother project roared on to the scene in 2000 to mixed reception, but was a box office smash hauling in over 278 million dollars worldwide. The success was a surprise, as director Keenan Ivory Wayans had no prior experience in the horror genre. He did have experience in the parody department with I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, so what was his motivation for crafting the film? The spoof goes back and forth between paying homage to classic slasher films with hilarious scene recreations and poking holes in horror movie logic. Though it riffs on many horror movies, the film primarily serves as a parody of iconic 90s slashers Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. So when trying to classify Scary Movie between the two types of parodies I described above, it leans more to the homage side. But does the fact that it is parodying a movie already satirizing the horror genre make it a clever subversion? Again, it’s kind of both which makes this movie unique.

The screenplay, primarily developed by Shawn and Marlon Wayans, is fairly lighthearted. Though it pokes plenty of fun at classic stereotypes, it never attempts to really deep-dive the standard tropes that have plagued the genre. It’s more about the ridiculousness of the characters and situations, specifically its prime targets. Upon a re-watch of Scream, my appreciation of Scary Movie grew when I realized the accuracy it did with its scene recreations and mirrored characters. The jokes of the film weren’t designed to make fun of the Scream or any of the other films, but more to compliment them. The homage to a scene was used as the set-up, with the punchline coming in the form of a slight humorous alteration. The execution could be hit or miss, but the jokes (or the film in general) never came from a place of attacking horror movies or really praising them either. Scary Movie was literally in it just for the gags, and this movie provides a lot of them. The “let’s play psycho killer” scene is absolutely hysterical.

The Reluctant Trailblazer

Scary Movie as a film has a bit of a tarnished reputation due to its sequels, which eventually lost its identity after the three Wayans brothers departed after Scary Movie 2 and grew increasingly outlandish. The appeal of the first two, where they had a sense of focus and narrative (as thin as they may have been). The franchise eventually would become a third type of parody: a soulless, cinematic vomit of poor pop culture references without any thought or intent. They were no longer about fun, only money. And unfortunately, the latter never stopped as every sequel made substantial profit. This successful run of the franchise led spoofs outside of the horror genre, such as Disaster Movie, Epic Movie, and Superhero Movie to name just a few.

But revisiting this film 18 years later, I almost feel bad as it was indeed a loving letter to the horror genre rather than the comedic low points its sequels were. But this has been somewhat lost over the years, driving a wedge further between the dynamics of comedy and horror. Some of this has been somewhat repaired in recent years, with higher concept parody films such as Cabin in the Woods or Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil. These parodies would go on to add layers to iconic horror movies and tell new stories, rather than build off previous ones. Today, there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground anymore. It’s either you’re a masterful satire or a tasteless rehash. Scary Movie was one of these films that fell in the middle and is severely missed.

Fond Memories

Looking back, Scary Movie best serves as a hilarious time capsule to the state of horror at the time. Being in a recent horror renaissance, we sometimes forget the dark days of the 90s. This movie poked fun and shed light on horror tropes still being used today, so the satire of the film definitely holds up. From successfully recreating one of the most iconic cold openings of all-time to keeping the names of most the characters the same, Scary Movie was subversive without even trying. The movie also birthed a comedic star in Anna Faris, who would go on to dominate the early 00s. With like movies Deadpool finding success, another cool aspect of this movie was how meta it was which doesn’t get enough credit.

Scary Movie wore its influences on its sleeve, being unapologetically original and unoriginal at the same time. The spoof remains a paradox in the horror genre that deserves to be revisited. It has become cool to take everything serious in the horror genre, but kick back and relax to what I believe to be a classic in its own unique way. Scary Movie was released on July 7th, 2000!

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kathleenseiber · 3 years

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Where’s my flying car?

The Jetsons cartoons gave a boomer generation a vision of seemingly magical powered flying vehicles. Are we any closer? Mark Pesce wonders if aero-autos are finally ready for takeoff.

Backed by billions in venture capital and a recent IPO, one startup aims to have its flying taxi on the market in three years. While they may be ahead of the pack, they’re not alone. Is this the decade we finally get our Jetsons car?

The most obvious reality check draws on our experiences around the original flying car – the helicopter. Helicopters are really loud. They transit CBD skylines every day, and from 100 metres a launching helicopter has a volume of 90 decibels – about the same as a power lawn mower. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands, and it’s immediately apparent that a world full of flying cars would be deafening. Conversation in public would become impossible. Birds, already adapting their song to the higher ambient noise levels in urban areas, would fall silent, unable to compete. We wouldn’t be able to hear ourselves think.

Archer’s battery-powered two-seater demonstrator. Credit: Archer

The Jetsons’ flying car, with its soft and satisfying electronic putt-putt-putt sound, is iconic, but right here right now a quiet flying car looks like a physical impossibility. To keep a heavy bit of kit airborne requires the movement of lots of air – either through propellers or jets. Even if an aircraft were to completely eliminate engine noise (and that day is coming) it would still be pushing a lot of air around, and moving air is sound in its rawest form – a wave of compression through the atmosphere. So a quiet flying car might need to rely upon some sort of magical “anti-gravity” technology not even glimpsed in our wildest predictions of physics. Unlikely.

Even if we could solve the noise problem (give all the people and animals noise-cancelling headphones to wear?), we’d immediately run into another problem: scale. The skies over any Australian city hold only very few flying objects, measured in the tens, or, at the most, the low hundreds. Managing even that number of aircraft requires fully crewed air traffic control centres scattered around the country. Presuming a one-to-one substitution of flying cars for ground vehicles – because, of course, everyone would want one – there would soon be hundreds of thousands of flying cars above our city skies every morning and every evening.

Joby Aviation’s sky taxi. Credit: Joby Aviation.

All drivers know that, at best, other drivers on their roads can be inattentive – at worst, downright reckless. Drivers tolerate that risk where a collision means little more than a prang that can be buffed out. But even a glancing blow at speed and altitude would likely create multiple fatalities as both vehicles fell from the sky, crashing into the dense cityscape below. Given the number of prangs on an average day in our cities, our flying-car-filled skies would become a shooting gallery, raining carnage down onto an undefended population.

Operating in such a crowded and dangerous environment may simply be beyond the capacity of even the best pilots. Although millions around the world hold flying licences, all of them are taught to operate aircraft within far less crowded environments than those that will accompany the introduction of flying cars.

ASKA plans for a hybrid electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) that works as an aircraft and ground car. Credit: NFT Inc.

A pilot does their utmost to continuously scan the volume of space they’re operating within, maintaining awareness of all the aircraft (and weather conditions) that could force them into a rapid reaction. Make that a hundred times harder – as it certainly would be during peak hour – and it falls so far beyond the cognitive capabilities of any human being as to make it effectively impossible. Pilots would never be able to maintain the awareness they need to guide their craft safely from takeoff to landing.

Despite all of these fundamental roadblocks, this year looks set to mark the birth of a realistic flying car. Toward the end of February, super-secretive startup Joby Aviation unveiled the first model of its own “flying taxi” in a YouTube video narrated by the firm’s founder, JoeBen Bevirt. The video starts off normally enough, with Bevirt talking about the decade-long research and development efforts that led to the aircraft sitting on a landing pad behind him. It’s an aircraft that looks like it has more in common with a $2000 UAV – a drone – than anything you’d see in the skies today, with six large propellers mounted above the aircraft, but parallel to the ground, just as they would be on a drone – or, for that matter, the main rotor of a helicopter.

youtube

About 95 seconds into the video, something extraordinary happens: the propellers begin to spin, as the aircraft slowly powers up. Although you can see Bevirt’s hair being tossed around as the propellers send a wash of air in his direction, he continues to speak in relatively measured tones.

Within 15 seconds, that aircraft has risen vertically above the landing pad, while Bevirt continues to speak. In terms of live demos, it’s as impressive as anything Steve Jobs ever came up with; in a single stroke, Bevirt shows that Joby Aviation has created an aircraft that’s both quiet and has VTOL – vertical take-off and landing capabilities. All of the best qualities of a helicopter, with none of the drawbacks.

Although mounted on a fixed wing, those propellers themselves are not fixed in place. Once the aircraft has attained sufficient altitude, they can rotate 90 degrees, facing forward, just as you’d see on a normal propeller-driven aircraft. That gives it both excellent range – more than 250 km – and a top speed of well over 300 km/h. The final kicker: just like a drone, it’s battery-powered, and 100% electric.

Kitty Hawk recently revealed their plans for a single-seat electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Credit: Kitty Hawk.

The weight and size of the batteries needed to get an aircraft airborne made electrically-powered flight the Holy Grail of 21st century aviation. For 120 years, energy-dense petroleum fuels have been the only real option to generate the necessary thrust. Advances in electric vehicles have come to the aid of the flying car: the same batteries that make electric vehicles cheap and reliable make it possible for Joby Aviation to create an electric flying taxi. They, and other flying car ventures like Archer Aviation, Kitty Hawk and Lilium Jet, could crowd our skies with quiet(er) flying cars.

A recent report on Advanced Air Mobility from consultancy LEK noted more than 200 similar designs in development, with 30 seeking FAA flight certification in the US. Report author Natasha Santha reckons flying taxis “will not be commonplace globally in the next five years… However, the industry has tremendous potential to scale and deliver services at the cost of a taxi today at the fraction of the time.”

The Lilium Jet’s first prototype flew in 2019. Credit: Lilium

Could these new aircraft reshape our cities? The pandemic has seen the rise of the “supercommuter”, travelling more than three hours each way to reach the office, doing so only a few times a month. Flying taxis could make such journeys fast, and cheap enough that flying becomes the obvious choice. With the urban advantage already eroded by high-speed broadband, we might see a new generation of rural residents, each with their own landing pad, ready to fly to the city at a moment’s notice. “For the regional market,” Santha says, “costs could be as low as around 40 cents per km… materially changing the transport landscape.”

What this means for air traffic control remains an open question. Santha warns that lots of flying taxis create “another set of barriers, which are related to how we can integrate larger volumes [of air traffic]… moving to remote and autonomous piloting”.

In the long-term, a “fly-by-wire” solution similar to that on commercial aircraft could see these flying cars piloted by artificial intelligence. Will that be enough to avoid mid-air prangs? Look to the skies for the answer.

Where’s my flying car? published first on https://triviaqaweb.weebly.com/

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groovygladiatorsuit · 4 years

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This vehicle can be operated by up to two players. If two players are operating it, one (the driver) controls movement, while the other (the gunner) rains down missiles and shotgun shots.

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Over time, we have added many mobility options, both itemized and map-based. We feel that Season X is better experienced with a reduction in mobility. As with all changes, we’ll keep a close eye on how this affects the player experience.

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The Storm Scout Sniper Rifle no longer has perfect hip-fire accuracy after aiming down sights.

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Daily Challenges have been replaced by Limited Time Missions.

Each Limited Time Mission contains Objectives that unlock over the course of a week.

One Objective unlocks each day, even if you don’t log in, and the Mission expires after 7 days. So make sure to finish all your Objectives in that Week’s Limited Time Mission before the 7th day ends!

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Bug Fixes

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Arena Game Mode updates!

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Hype will be reset at the start of Season X, with a new scoring structure in place.

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MOBILE

Auto-fire system improvements:

We’ve re-tuned Auto-fire for every weapon with this update and would love specific and detailed weapon feedback so that we can continue to improve it.

If you want to try it out and don't use Auto-fire already, go into your HUD settings and enable Auto-fire.

Added a new setting: Tap to Search/Interact for Controllers.

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Players would unintentionally return to the Home screen due to this setting being active.

We’ve increased the size of buttons and icons in the following areas:

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Exiting a vehicle won’t reload the player’s weapon.

The button for skipping cutscenes is now visible on Android.

Vertical black lines aren’t displayed on the Challenges page.

The Settings Menu will properly display when language is set to Spanish.

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Quick Heal button won’t appear when falling or after opening the map.

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Build mode button will correctly change to the Weapon mode button when pressing it on Android.

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Graphical improvement of CloudBreaker outfit.

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lindoig1 · 6 years

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Kazakhstan City Day 12

We awoke and looked out the window at a whole range of heavily snowy mountains - maybe 50 kilometres long - just a few clicks away. They were glistening in the sunlight with rugged dark valleys contrasting with the brilliant white. Absolutely beautiful, but within a couple of hours, they had disappeared into a blanket of cloud, with just an occasional peak peeking out the top.

This was a really great day and made so partly by our guide, Svetlana. She spoke excellent English with an obvious Russian accent, and was utterly passionate about her city, her country and her job. She was up there equal with Nino from Georgia and the best guide we have had this trip.

She collected us from the hotel at 10am for a city tour - we had a late night the previous night after our train journey, so we were glad of the extra hour, but it was still a full day and we didn’t get back to our hotel until about 7:30.

First stop was a big sports store to buy new hiking sticks to replace the ones we lost in Xi’an - and they have already been a great boon. We are not quite cripples, but the sticks really help, particularly on rough ground.

Second stop was the museum: a place that warrants a full day, but we could only stretch it to two hours. They have 4 main halls, plus a few more special exhibitions where you have to pay an additional fee. We spent over 90 minutes in the first hall and jogged through the second one, but by then we were already late for lunch. The first hall had displays focussing on the early Kazakh history, but Svetlana used the costumes of some of the models on display to draw a vivid picture of so much more than was on display. Without the explanations, we could have given it all a cursory glance and moved on, but she brought it all alive and we learned so much by hearing the meaning behind a lot of the symbols. We had a quick look in the archaeological hall, but unfortunately, we simply ran out of time.

On the way to lunch, we stopped at a square opposite their local Parliament. There were several large sculptures and a long frieze in the form of a relief commemorating many historical events, ancient and recent. Svetlana had stories for all of them, often referencing things she had told us in the museum. She also told us a little of her own family history, originally fairly well-off in business in Kiev, but translocated by the Soviets to Kazakhstan (the lucky ones) or to the gulags. They lost everything, but started again and have done reasonably well, despite the struggle, and she has a level of admiration for the Soviets notwithstanding the hardship they suffered. She is quite political, but in an abstract sort of way, aware and thoughtful, but I can’t see her as an activist - she is too committed to her job as a guide.

We went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. It was a buffet, and as usual had heaps of choices - and also as usual, we ate heaps too much.

We went on to Kok Tobe, literally Green Hill, and it was certainly green and quite a hill overlooking the entire city. We rode the cable car up but came down by bus so we saw a different set of scenery each way. Apart from the fabulous view of the city, there is a ferris wheel and all sorts of games and sports sideshows up there as well as playgrounds for the kids, a few tourist traps and a small zoo - including 2 emus!!! We felt quite at home.

Svetlana is a great storyteller and has a huge repertoire of historical and geographical facts to draw on. She is a true patriot, but has travelled quite a bit and is full of interesting information and stories about everything we see - and entertains us with lots of other anecdotes, all of which I was happy to believe, when we are driving from one site to the next.

We ended up in the second biggest park in the city. I think she said it was 37 hectares. It was beautiful and green with a little drizzle setting in as we walked around. She took us to an Orthodox Church, one of only two buildings that survived the second massive earthquake in 1911 - nothing survived the 1887 one. Both building survived because they are made entirely of wood and even the parts that are not jointed were fixed with wooden nails. The main part of the church sits on a sand pillow and it has air cushions embedded somewhere to protect it further. It is under restoration at present, but despite the scaffolding and cladding, it is obviously a beautifully ornate structure, matched only by its interior. Most of the religious icons in Kazakhstan were destroyed by the Soviets, but an artist had covered most of the beautiful pictures and wall art in this Church with huge sheets and when the Russians came to desecrate the place, they took one look, said ‘nothing to see here’ and walked away. Some sort of service was in progress while we were there so we didn’t stay long, but there was a feeling of quiet reverence inside that was quite wonderful. We walked through a grove of trees planted by the 15 presidents of the Russian Federation who attended a conference 30-something years ago and they have become a series of jokes for the locals - the crooked one leaning at an odd angle, was planted but a known drunk, the tall thin one and the short fat one by presidents sharing those characteristics, the one losing all its higher leaves by a bald president and so on. The path past this grove led to a wonderful war memorial, with great symbolism in all the sculptures, the eternal flame (that disappeared a few weeks ago under the many thousands of floral tributes left there by local patriots on their ‘ANZAC’ Day - 9 May). The wreaths were stacked almost 3 metres high over the entire granite plinth containing the flame - maybe 70-80 metres long and at least 20 metres wide. They honour their veterans from both their Patriotic Wars and the World Wars in a big way.

It was getting a bit cold and wet by then, so it was back to the hotel, with a stop very close to the parking area to see a section of the original Silk Road uncovered when the government decided to repave a section of road and convert it to a pedestrian walkway. When the workers started to remove the asphalt to repave the area, they discovered several cobbled areas that the Soviets had covered to create the road and investigation established that it was a 2000 year old section of the very early caravan route.

Svetlana suggested a few places we could eat, but we had walked ourselves to exhaustion so ate in the hotel and I used the Wi-fi to pay some bills and make a couple of posts to my blog.

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