#Django Views

[tipsforgeek]

أنواع العروض views في جانغو

تعد عروض Django واحدة من أهم المشاركين في MVT Structure of Django، وفقًا لوثائق Django فإن دالة العرض هي إحدى دوال Python التي تأخذ طلب الويب وترجع استجابة الويب، يمكن أن تكون هذه الاستجابة محتويات HTML لصفحة ويب ، أو إعادة توجيه ، أو خطأ 404 ، أو مستند XML ، أو صورة ، أي شيء يمكن لمتصفح الويب عرضه. تعد طرق عرض Django جزءًا من واجهة المستخدم – وعادةً ما تعرض HTML / CSS / Javascript في ملفات…

[vampirecorleone]

Appreciation for YELLOW fashion in TV & Film: The Kissing Bandit (1948) | Coming to America (1988) | View from the Top (2003) | How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) | The Gang's All Here (1943) | Clueless (1995) | Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) | To Catch a Thief (1955) | The Aftermath (2019) | The Stepford Wives (2004) | Rupaul's Drag Race (2024) | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) | The Love Witch (2016) | Django Unchained (2012) | The Cher Show (1975) | Hello, Dolly! (1969) | What a Way to Go! (1964) | Marie Antoinette (2003) | War & Peace (1956) | The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) | The Nanny (1993) | The Band Wagon (1953) | Sailor Moon S (1994) | Pal Joey (1957) | Gossip Girl (2007) | Reign (2013) | Legally Blonde (2001) | The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) | La Femme et le Pantin (1959) | The Legend of Zorro (2005)

[frankieunscripted]

My 2025 Superbowl Halftime Show Analysis

Welcome back to my blog! I ain't forgot about y'all, and I'm still cooking up a deep dive on the Kendrick vs Drake beef (and when I say deep, I mean I'm tryna take it way back to the origin, cause y'all know this shit been simmering in a green cauldron). Anyways, here are my thoughts and ideas (an analysis, if you will) of Kendrick's 2025 Superbowl Halftime Show performance. Note that you have to have seen it in its entirety alteast once in order to take stuff away from this. Let's get this shit!

Bleachers: loading screen going up to 100 like on a video game Stage: Playstation Buttons: Square, X, Triangle, Circle • "The Great American Game" • The Superbowl = biggest American sports event, football being a literal game • The American Game as in chasing The American Dream, the game being rigged; some people have better chances than others, it ain't fair play • Not only the American dream (aka making it big out of nowhere) but just living your life in America can also be seen as "The American Game", especially with games often being connected to pure luck (if you play with dice) as opposed to skill > metaphor for the black experience in the US (ties in to FEAR. (2017) from 17 y/o Kendrick's perspective; I'mma get back to that for the record)

Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam: • SAMUEL L. JACKSON!?!?!?!? • same first name makes it even better • Samuel being one of the biggest Afro-American actors of the century. Our parents grew up watching him, we grew up watching him • usually has roles in movies dealing with racism > "No better than Samuel L on the Django" in i (2014) • previous points make him somewhat of an authority figure in the black media culture (think of Oprah as another e.g.) • Uncle Sam is usually white, a Black version of Uncle Sam is unheard of, because black people don't really represent America "like that"

Lights on bleachers say START, Kendrick starts standing on top of Buick Grand National GNX • Car his Dad drove him home in from the hospital the day he was born > car he started the Great American Game in (game as metaphor for living in America) • Album cover of latest album GNX: Kendrick leaning on the hood of the car; also Grand National Tour starting right about now (National as in USA + 2 Toronto stops, just to claim Drake's city as "part of the Nation") • "all I ever wanted was a black grand national" now he has it > making origins and wished meet your accomplishments

Tiramisu (/Bodies): • GNX album teaser. Kendrick posted that nameless snippet as a teaser for his album on a random Friday morning (morning itself is weird, bc everyone else posts during prime time/at midnight) then half an hour later we got the album. boom. no further roll out, cause he doesn't NEED to do more at that point. But Tiramisu isn't even on the album. We don't know how & when we'll get it, we don't even know what it's called. Some call it Tiramisu, others call it Bodies • Tiramisu started the album roll out > Tiramisu started the halftime show

Hood/Gang: • more people jumping out of the car than fit in it: Back in the day, the homies would just pack into a car and ride around town. No matter where you were going (the hood, the club, some other place), you'd squeeze in all of your friends into that one car > that old 90s cat shit, like when they show you a tape record and ask "whachu kno bout dis, huh?" - cultural/generational differences compared to today's generation > maybe a way of Kendrick connecting to his older audience

Colors: blue, red and white • American flag (stripes n stars) • Gang Symbolism: Bloods (red) vs Crips (blue) • Republicans vs. Democrats (> "Democrips and Rebloodicans/ red state vs. blue state/ which one you governin'?" on Hood Politics (2015) - AND THE COLORS EVEN FUCKING MATCH IN THAT LINE) • bottom line: divide, fight between 2 opposing camps that simply cannot be united (opposing views: politics)/ reconciled (bad blood & pride: gangs) • >some BBC article claimed the stage is a tictactoe field, which yeah, I see why (big field with square-shaped compartments, circles and Xs, if you don't look close enough to notice the triangle and square) = also a game and a game that only two partys can play at that (analogy between red vs blue = x vs. o), as opposed to a playstation that could be a multiplayer game

"The revolution 'bout to be televised, you picked the right time, but the wrong guy" • Drake picked the wrong opponent • Trump was watching > political "revolution", atleast a heavy statement with a clear message: blackness (*I'mma get back to that for the record) • "the right time" as in everybody will see this performance, the whole country is watching The Great American Game right now and every single one will atleast hear about it online/ at work the next day • "the wrong guy" as in Kendrick is not just some Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Usher type performer. He will try and make a point and not just give us a few hype songs

"No, no, no, no! Too loud, too reckless, too... ghetto! Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up!" • first of all props on SLJ for delivery without cussing, because you know he wanted to! And it might've been even more impactful with cussing • "too ghetto": This is a black halftime show. All his people (I'll say his community) jumping out that one car (that has been the dream car of many people in Kendrick's life) and squabble up as a whole have been too ghetto, too black • "do you even know how to play": aka you're doing it wrong! this is not what you should be doing, you shouldn't act this black around here

HUMBLE. & DNA.: • obviously: the American flag, but it's divided. "America tried to make it a house divided" on i (2014) referring to the House Divided Lincoln speech. Paraphrased: "America is a house divided, which cannot continue to stand divided; it will fall. It has to become either this or that in order to be secure." Lincoln meant North vs South in the slavery conflict, Kendrick put his spin on it about the black community in i, meaning the culture itself is divided (through generational trauma, gang culture, internalized racism, etc). Today we can put that extra spin onto America and the 2 parties because the colors fit so well and the last election ain't too long ago. Plus everyone was fucking devastated = divide --- Now, does him standing in the middle mean he knows how to unite them? Or is it him standing in the middle on neutral ground?, like with the gangs? Kendrick himself has ties to certain gangs and friends in gangs (Top Dawg (from his former label TDE) was a blood, but Snoop Dog is associated with the crips), but has never officially claimed to belong to any of the two • divide between gangs: July 2024 pop out concert in LA. Kendrick brought different hoods and gangs onto the stage for that concert. For us it's just westside shenanigans, but people who grew up in that environment and who live in these parts knew exactly: "okay wow, he brought some people unto the stage together who normally cannot be seen in the same hood without shots getting fired". > reincarnated (2024): "I put 100 hoods on one stage/ I'm tryna push peace in LA" This obviously doesn't mean he "solved" gang violence, but for many higher ups in the gangs that was a sign of being able to find a common denominator within hating others (people especially in the hiphop scene who disrespect the westside and Drake and his camp in general). Call it United in Beef instead of United in Grief (2022) (y'all should really pay me at this point for the educomedy I give you For Free? (2015)).

Costumes (HUMBLE.): • Context: 2022 Half Time Show: black suits, blonde hair, "Dre Day"-Sashes. Everyone looked the exact same back then, so Kendrick would stand out more. It's him and then one intelligible mass as background dancers • individuality in unity (at least for the guys): they have different hairstyles (beanies, durags, braids, cornrows, fros, top fades, ...) It's Kendrick as the big star and then it's the culture. Every one of them looks a bit different, but they're unified by their colors and their clothes • female background dancers all look the same (all wear the same wig): I feel like that must've been intentional. Sth sth women being undermined in hiphop/the black community and especially in America rn • Kendrick's outfit: • Gloria on the front of the jacket: closing track on his latest album, tells story of how he fell in love with writing and lyricism > boasting "his pen's name" on his jacket as a way of priding himself with his lyrics and wit and knowing that that is mostly the reason people listen to him. We don't stick to Kendrick because of his fashion, his lifestyle, his instagram or sth like that. We heard of him because of his music and his storytelling and that is what we know and love him for - and he knows that as well • peakaboo (2024) on the sleeve: Song he performed in the x button of the game (I will also get back to that later on) • "Keep them away from me" backprint on his shirt: "don't lay your life in these weird n-words' hands" on tv off (2024): referring to every weird rapper/celeb in the industry right now (there's some other bar on GNX that fits, but I forgot what song it was on - I shall update if I find it) There's a video of Kendrick celebrating after the show in which he's not wearing the blue varsity jacket anymore so you can actually see the words on his back. • not a fan of the 68k Rahmaninov broche on his cap cause it's literally just a wing and you could have spend 68k better, but who am I, the man gives back all the time, let him have his stuff. There's other rappers who spend more on more atrocious shit

HUMBLE. & DNA significance: • Humble (2017) one of his biggest hits that everyone, who has ever heard of Kendrick through the mainstream (pre-May 2024 and not just through their friends), knows • DNA (2017) off the same album, deals with pride, confidence in blackness and upbringing, values: "I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA" (music video is Kendrick in cuffs being interrogated by a white officer > implications of racism as always), but in the end there's a beat switch, where he's out on the streets with his posse, so also blackness and hanging around outside type shenanigans can be associated with the song) • both songs are among his most played songs, especially off that album (probably also the most played album because mainstream), so that is his effort to make it more "party anthem"-y like all the other halftime shows. But he did say they chose the wrong guy for this. He won't give us maad city or Alright (again), he won't bust out Backseat Freestyle or N95 just for us to get hype, even if Uncle Sam might've hinted at that being the way to go about the Great American Game

bleachers: Warning Wrong Way • I could see the www alliteration meaning something too, idk • "warning within the game": aka hey, Sam told you not too be loud, reckless and ghetto and you continued with HUMBLE., DNA. and now euphoria - choose sth more... tame? > wrong way to play the game • or "warning outside of the game": keep doing your thing and don't switch it up now (don't become less ghetto because they told you to) wrong way to go about your blackness • or "warning about not starting to mention the beef": you better not play euphoria cause this is the Superbowl, why would you mention beef on here? That's unheard of > wrong way to deal with this platform • or "warning against Drake himself": you woke up the boogeyman and this is your warning to not make it worse than it already is right now. > Wrong way to handle your career (cause you lost the beef) and wrong rapper to challenge (cause kendrick is the boogeyman and you underestimated him)

euphoria: • why exactly that part? hype enough and pg enough probably, but with K.dot there's usually more to it. Making a point of how Drake sucks and in what ways he's different from him ("Oh you thought the money, power, fame would make you go away"-line?) • "have you ever hunt your enemy down with a pokerface": playing into the fact that kendrick never loses face. That man steps into the booth, does his thing, makes us marvel at it and goes home. Stays offline. You can't say shit that will make this guy record an aggravated insta story on the lies you've spread. As opposed to Drake who literally does the exact opposite on every level. And that mischievous smile into the camera in that moment - gold!

man at the garden: • makes me wanna cry • doesn't usually have this acapella theme, so the fact there's multiple male background singers supporting his flow to me is a brotherhood thing again • person chilling on the streetlamp as a call back to the Alright music video (2015) in which he flies through the streets and also chills on top of a streetlamp • vibing with the gang, everyone looks hood: like he's sitting at the corner store with his posse. typical black stereotype: troubled youth on the street who don't know anything but how to linger around • "keep these bums away from me" call back to the print on the back of that shirt he's wearing and the line on tv off I mentioned earlier • "did it with integrity, these boys tryna hate on me" applies to a lot (the beef, being offline all the time/ his long hiatus, the grammys), but lets apply it to the halftime show: critics say it was too black, heavy, symbolic and not party enough. he did it with integrity and now him making a clear and much needed statement isn't good enough for many critics • "I deserve it all, cause it's mine/ tell me why you deserve the greatest of all time, mf" (he said in an interview that that was the song off the album he wanted everyone to hear and really listen to and understand) > he deserves everything the last year has given him - Not Like Us being successful, being hailed as the Drakenslayer, dropping an acclaimed album, winning 5 Grammys and performing at the Superbowl

"Ohh, so you brought your homeboys with you? The old culture cheat code. Score-keeper, deduct one life!" • The "culture cheat code" = against the rules of the Great American Game • hanging around the corner on the street with the homies ("shit I'm with the homies, just riding, just ridin" The Art Of Peer Pressure (2012)) is the wrong way to play it. You should go to school, go home, do the work and be nice, calm and collected aka "white" • the culture cheat code: within the Game, we're aware of the discrepancy between certain, opposing camps. The culture cheatcode would be bringing your friends and unifying people so they stand as one and are ready to battle. If that is not allowed and gets you fined, that means you have to play the game on your own = you play against a bot, an end boss, an AI, whatever: an NPC that is the same for every game (as opposed to multiplayer where you can play against each other). That Game's end boss could be too hard to beat, everytime you try to beat the game (aka in every life you live - "reincarnated" > implying mulitple lifetimes- you lose against the Game's entity, because it's rigged and you're on your own against a boss you can't control or foresee (the industry, society, a construct, the monopoly) • "deducting 1 life" = taking one life? metaphore for gang violence, losing friends on the street just like that, because you played it wrong. Possible call back to FEAR. (2017): "I'll prolly die anonymous, I'll prolly die with promises/ I'll prolly die walkin' back home from the candy house/ I'll prolly die because these colors are standin' out/ I'll prolly die because I ain't know Demarcus was snitchin'/ I'll prolly die at these house parties - / I'll prolly die from witnesses leavin' me false accused/ I'll prolly die from thinkin' that me and your hood was cool/ Or maybe die from pressin' the line, actin' too extra/ Or maybe die because these smokers are more than desperate/ I'll prolly die from one of these bats and blue badges/ Body slammed on black and white paint, my bones snappin'/ Or maybe die from panic or die from bein' too lax/ Or die from waitin' on it, die 'cause I'm movin' too fast/ I'll prolly die tryna buy - at the apartments/ I'll prolly die tryna diffuse two homies arguin'/ I'll prolly die 'cause that's what you do when you're 17/ All worries in a hurry, I wish I controlled things"

>So many ways to die, because you went against the rules (playing the game on the street with your homies /being seen around the wrong people and falsely accused). This has been part of his life forever and part of his music since atleast fucking 2012 >"I done lost too many friends, 16 to be specific" wacced out murals (2024): could be friends in the industry being shady and turning away, or actually him mourning over "the dead homies" (2015)

peakaboo: • Now. Hold my hand cause shit is turbulent, okay? Get your tinheads out, I need you to follow me • 2018, rapper XXXTentacion dies in a shooting. Shooters still haven't been found to this day, although there were suspects. X was beefing with Drake at the time. Just a few months before his passing, X made the Helping Hand Challenge, where he basically told his fans to do something good (spread kindness, yada yada) in their environment and to post it, so he could see and repost it. Iirc, he also mentioned you should do nice things for strangers even if you don't end up posting it. Drake ripped off his challenge for the God's Plan music video (2018) and posted a similar challenge to his followers on Instagram as well, which X saw as a jab at him. The peakaboo sample in the beginning features the words "Helping Hand", which if you listen to the lyrics seems out of place, if you don't pin it to this theory • There are rumors about Drake having sent his shooters after X and basically ordering to kill him ALLEGEDLY. (We don't know shit, but Drake's name did come up in court; allegedly). If you've seen my previous "My Reasons To Hate Drake" post from May 2024 (which: y'all showed me so much love on this, thank you), then you'll know I already hinted at this even back then. (If you haven't seen it, but are interested in the beef: whatchu waiting for, dawg?) I'll spare you more details, because there IS more, but right now it's just important that you know that that's a theory that has been floating around ever since X died at 20 fucking years old. The boy was just as old as me writing this. During the beef it came up again because it's one more reason to hate Drake for and when people heard peakaboo, they spun the theory further. Kendrick had a rapper from the same area as X, Kodak Black, on his 2022 album and he apparently made some subliminal hints on the song Silent Hill. Peakaboo is also big on the whole "i got money and I got friends in the hood who will definitely gang bang and take someone out - so you better watch ya back" energy, which parodies Drake's songs shortly after X's passing, which obviously made people pipe up even more. Kendrick refers to and parodies a bunch of shit Drake said on his tracks in 2018 that can be linked to X • he performs peekaboo in the X button of the game. the X. for XXXTentacion. Shit is always intentional with this man, so for this to be a coincidence... idk man • saying "peekaboo" and him coming into frame from below is fucking hilarious • Kendrick performed the AzChike's verse (the rapper featuring on the song) and not his own, which made the rapper and his crew really happy.

"I wanna perform they favorite song, but you know they love to sue" • Drake has been tryna sue Kendrick over Not Like Us, but he doesn't want that to be the reason he doesn't play it. It's a whole can of worms I'll tackle some other post

SZA on luther and All The Stars • SZA in all red while Kendrick's wearing blue • SZA is going on tour with him, they've collabed since 2017 • SZA used to date Drake in like 2009 • All The Stars is part of the Black Panther soundtrack and one of his most acclaimed songs in the mainstream > that's why we get Uncle Sam's positive reaction • "fuck you and all your expectations/ I don't even want you congratulations. (...) Ion even like you" someone spinned that unto Drake because back when All The Stars came out, Kendrick won an award over Drake and he tried to play it cool and Kendrick was like "ugh wdym, just stfu, don't even act like you care"

"That's what I'm talking about, this is what America wants! Nice and calm. You're almost there! Now don't mess this-" • SZA as the mainstream entry for the halftime show, the things you'd expect/want on there • someone said "Oh yk sza was also there and she looked great, anyways then this happened" and I was like... she LOOKED great...? Have you HEARD her? Are you on drugs? She's out here doing her job, busting out the double string harmonies and you say "she looked pretty"? ugh. men. > That ties into it. They just hear the performance, but don't listen. They watch, but they don't look. That's why Samuel wanted that, because it's nice and calm and not dangerous. It doesn't say anything

Not Like Us edging: • "it's a cultural divide" > back to the divided point I made before • "40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music" ties into the line that comes up again and again on tpab: some civil war shit from 1865 (black history) where some families were freed and allotted 40 acres and a mule, so now it's become a saying for reparations to black people. Kendrick has been playing with this saying since 2015. Now it's bigger than just music. This is a black Superbowl Halftime show, he's making it bigger than just music, he's trying to give back to the community, trying to shed light on the culture that has been dominating the world's trends but is always overlooked, underappreciated and pushed aside in their own country • "they tried to rig the game but you can't fake influence": he's got the influence and he will use it the best he can for the things he finds important, even with someone trying to sue him over a song

NOT LIKE US: • "Say Drake" and smiling into the cam mischeviously • calling out the people (PARTYNEXTDOOR, chubbs, baka, Drake) • If you thought the Grammys "A Minor" was wild, you haven't heard the 5 Pop out concert "A Minors". If you thought those were as big as it gets, you haven't heard the whole Superbowl shout "A MINORRRRRR" yet • Serena Williams, tennis star in all blue (crip affiliations) crip walking on the side as her ex (back in 2011) gets called a pedophile is wild. She once got fined at a tennis match for crip-walking, so her doing it at the superbowl is a power move for her as well • Yes, they did indeed date, and drake started beef with another rapper (Common) over her after they broke up - (drake behavior, just look at him not being able to let go of Rihanna), and apparently talked shit on social media. some say he even stalked her, but that's YouTube comments, I don't have sources yet

TV OFF: MUSTAAAARD: • necklace: capital M for Mustard • but Kendrick's necklace is a lowercase a aka A MINORRRRRR (it's actually his record label's pgLang logo, but still) • and if you put both of their necklaces together it says aM, like A MINORRRRRRRRRR • also Mustard reppin Cali fashion with his baggy jeans (BBC said they're "the baggiest jeans in the world", lol) • mustard yellow accents on his jacket cause it's Mustaaaaard! • why is he here? - giving mustard his flowers: This wouldn't have been possible without him. Mustard has been a renowned LA producer for years, but producers hardly get any recognition for their work (if you aren't Timbaland and have your own studio albums, multiple verses on other people's records you produced, you're bound to fly under the radar. Take MetroBoomin e.g. I've been listening to Metro's beats for years!, but I only found out what he looked like when I saw him live at Rolling Loud, only to forget again, until the beef kicked off last May and I saw more pics of him). Kendrick had Mustard in the Not Like Us music video and on stage for the pop out concert they had in LA in July (they played Not Like Us 5 times back to back, yall dont fucking get it). The Pop Out concert has even bigger implications for LA itself (refer back to "I put 100 hoods on one stage/ I'm tryna push peace in LA" on reincarnated), but just know that Not Like Us and in turn also Mustard who fucking made Not Like Us happen was a big part of that. Kendrick had him come up stage at the Grammys because again: those 5 grammys might've been a few less if it hadn't been for Mustard's typical LA production. This is a Westside anthem, just like TV Off, so of course Mustard must also join at the halftime show. Also aspeaking of the LA, Westside: a lot of lesser known LA rappers featured on gnx, because Kendrick wanted to give them a platform which is really sweet. At this point kendrick could've asked literally anyone for a feature. I'm sure 2Pac would spit some heat over an ouija board if he only could, but kendrick chose to support his people and the brobros from the hood

TURN THIS TV OFF: • smiles into cam, mimics remote and then Game Over flashes on the bleachers - YALL FUCK MAN, I CANT, I LOVE IT because the game is over, we can turn the tv and the playstation off now • What would've happened if we were to turn the TV off at that exact moment? We wouldn't have seen the rest of the game which... it was clear the eagles were gonna win because it was the first time a team had failed to score a single point before halftime (I know that doesn't mean anything, but still). So yeah, we wouldn't have seen the game's end. We wouldn't have seen the following commercials, so our thoughts would've been on the performance still. People usually watch the superbowls together, so turning your tv off could've resulted in some family quality time, best case scenario, we could've discussed the Halftime show more, gotten people's opinions and analysis (from the first watch ofc, thats usually not that deep)

•"Turn the TV off": the game is literally over, turn the TV off, stay away from the media, the destructive culture that has been using and oppressing Black people for ages.

MORE THOUGHTS: • breath control be crazy, HAVE YOU HEARD HIM RAP!? fucking goated. • this was for the culture. I see people not liking it because they don't get the cultural impact behind it, because they don't like heavy statements during their fun and games Halftime show, but this is just what it is: This was for the culture and it was much needed. We're gonna have to look past the "but there was no party anthem in that performance" (you clearly don't know anything about squabble up, HUMBLE., DNA., Not Like Us and TV Off, if you couldn't dance or get hype to that) "You picked the right time, but the wrong guy": he is not gonna put his principles past him and go into a whole different direction just to appeal the masses, just to get hype when that is not what he WANTS to do. • the bad game probably had many fans demotivated already, so the pre-requisits for the halftime show were perhaps a bit different from what they might have been if both team would've scored better

RECORD BREAKING SHIT:

• This Superbowl was the most watched Superbowl of all time

•The Halftime show was the most viewed Halftime show EVER. This also means Kendrick broke THE Michael Jackson's record for performing the most watch halftime show in 1993 and his performance is now the most watched event in US TV history since the fucking MOON LANDING. Do you fucking understand what that means for the country???

• The halftime show had MORE viewers than the fucking game itself, meaning many people ONLY tuned in for Kendrick Lamar and quite literally turned their TVs off after his performance.

•Kendrick was the first rapper to ever perform solo at the Superbowl, the first one to ever play a disstrack at the superbowl (two in actuality), the first rapper to ever win a grammy for a disstrack (5, count 'em!), and the first rapper to ever win 5 grammys for a single song (previously only Up, Up, and Away (1968) by The 5th Dimension won 5, and 3 other songs won 4 grammys, but none of them in the genre of hiphop, because it hasn't been mainstream for "that" long).

•Kendrick broke the record for Monthly Listeners on Spotify for a rap artist. We got 11 more months to go in this year and this year is already insane for him and if you take 2024 into account, shit just gets wilder. I remember saying hiphop is back in May last year and it truly is.

AND WITH THAT I'll let you rewatch this banger of a performance again. Lawd knows I was already on my 6th rewatch in the first 24 hours. Please comment about literally ANYTHING that comes to mind, hit me up about details, ask away if there's more to explain and please also school me if I'm wrong (but be nice about it!).

I love interacting with y'all on here, so yeah: gimme your thoughts, while I hide away after I literally forgot about this blog lmao

[hero-of-doom]

Gonna do some Djangoposting today! He's my Monster Hunter Stories OC (specifically within @ammoknightsofficial's Strangequest canon), and the protagonist of Stories 1. This post is gonna be focused just on his character in Stories 1, too. I haven't finished Stories 2 yet, but once I do, you'll get another post about him ;)

Character Info:

Born in Geo-Fulkright and moving to Hakum Village at around age 8, Django was the daughter of a single blacksmith father. He was a bit too young to fully remember his life in Geo-Fulkright, but has a vague memory of being lost inside the Dovan Mines and encountering a massive, shiny monster... In addition, he keeps in touch back home by sending occasional letters to his uncle Dommel (yes, the random NPC you talk to in the Dovan Mines plot thread). Upon moving to Hakum, he quickly became close friends with Lilia and Cheval, forming an especially strong bond with Cheval in particular.

Django is autistic, being a naturally loud, boisterous and carefree person, yet struggles with judgement from his father because of this. For most of his life, his father has (in a way) intentionally tried to stifle Django's emotions. Telling him that people won't like him if he's too aggressive, too talkative, too... annoying. Django's learned to contain his true feelings around his father and others, but knows he can trust Lilia and Cheval to see his true colors. Despite this, he worries his father is right, seeing as how Lilia and Cheval are pretty much the only friends he has during his childhood, and everyone else seems to be turned away for one reason or another...

His passions lie in smithing like his father, and also cooking, especially regarding grilled meats. Autism be damned, my boy can work a grill. All the armor he wears and weapons he uses he forges himself, and lives by a very no-waste lifestyle. When killing a monster, every piece of the biological puzzle has its purpose. He truly doesn't like waste or needless death.

When the Blighted Nargacuga attacked Hakum Village, not only did it take Vlau's life, but also Django's father's. Django and Cheval, now two orphaned children, cope with the situation in extremely different ways. While Cheval closed himself off from the world and refused to let anybody back in, vowing to kill every last blighted monster, Django became... more reserved and detached. He understood that, truly, it wasn't the Nargacuga's fault: it was just being controlled by something it didn't understand. But the scars still remained, and he had a considerable shift in his personality. He did what his father had instilled in him for years: hid everything away underneath a mask. Amongst the rubble of his home was the helmet that his father always wore, paralleling the mirror pendant from Vlau. In addition to this, he pairs the helmet with a modified pair of smithing gloves. He doesn't want to 'burn' or push anyone away again, so he covers up his hands. His demeanor is much more mellow now, and to most people he probably just seems like really laid back guy. But, for him, the facade is a performance he's forcing himself to keep up. You can't push anybody away if they never get to see who you really are.

Despite it all, Django is still extremely dedicated to his most important goal: finding Cheval. His closest friend, up and vanishing one day, after being so destroyed by the death of his mother... it's the least he can do. If Cheval has nobody left in the world, then Django will be by his side. Which, when they meet each other again, Django's a little... surprised, to say the least. Cheval also underwent a massive shift in his personality: a once kind and caring young boy, to a hateful and revenge-bent hunter. Cheval's views on murder without mercy regarding the blighted monsters contradicts so strongly with Django's own views that they can't help but clash every time they meet. Despite all his efforts to push down his emotions, Cheval is still his best friend, and is therefore privy to the strongest of Django's true feelings: his anger. Angry that Cheval can't just understand, that they can't just work something out together. Come to a compromise, anything- but Cheval never seems to listen. Django's angry, but he's also scared. Scared that this rage inside his best friend will completely overtake him, and he may lose the last thing he has left, too...

Monsties:

His main Monsties, both listed above and including some extras, are:

Ratha, his Rathalos, his longest standing Monstie and close companion. Their kinship is unparalleled, and they'd both lay down their lives for each other.

Fritas, his Uragaan, whom he treats like a little princess. Django was always fascinated by Uragaan since his chance encounter as a child, so it feels like a dream come true to finally have one as a Monstie.

Molcajete, his Barroth, his giant dirty puppy. Loves belly rubs, and loves Django even more! Could you image getting a big lick on the cheek from a Barroth?

Tajín, his Brachydios, and the biggest powerhouse of the team. The two formed almost an immediate bro-like bond with each other. (I knew from the moment I saw the Brachydios's Kinship Skill that I had to keep him on Django's team. Absolutely flawless.)

Champorado, usually shortened to Champ, his Nargacuga that he obtained to act as exposure therapy to get over his fears. It worked surprisingly well, as Champ is extremely kind and cuddly. Never quite grew into his ears. Babbles like a baby sometimes.

Longanisa, his Basarios, who Django swears has the soul of a human man and can perfectly understand human speech. The truth of this is dubious.

...And that's about it, for now at least! Will Django and Cheval ever reconcile? Will Django ever figure out the truth behind his Basarios's unnerving human face? Will we ever know why he names everything after food!? Find out next time, on Dragon Ball Z!

(And feel free to shoot some asks my way if you have anything you wanna know! I love to yap.)

[wearethekat]

Anticipated New Releases of 2024

**As anticipated by Me. Mostly SFF. Links are to goodreads because that's what I use, sorry. Anything marked "new to me" I haven't read anything by that author before and therefore can't vouch for the quality. I just think the premise is neat.**

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, Heather Fawcett (16 January)

Sequel to the charming novel about the fairy anthropologist.

Exordia, Seth Dickinson (23 January)

Well, it isn't a new Baru Cormorant, but this modern SF about first contact may be the next best thing.

City of Stardust, Georgia Summers (30 January)

New to me. A young woman descends into the underworld in order to break her family's fatal curse.

The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett (6 February)

New to me. A sherlock holmes flavored duo solves the mystery of the murder of an imperial official in a labyrinthine fantasy realm.

What Feasts at Night, T Kingfisher (13 February)

The sequel to the mushroom horror book What Moves the Dead.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden (13 February)

A ghost story set in WW1 about a woman searching for her missing brother.

The Fox Wife, Yangsze Choo (13 February)

New to me. A detective in 1908 Manchuria investigates a young woman's death in an area full of mythical foxes.

Redsight, Meredith Mooring (27 February)

New to me. Unpowered priestess and Imperial pawn is set on a collision path with a pirate with a grudge for the Imperium (Gay romance).

Sunbringer, Hannah Kaner (12 March)

Sequel about the professional godkiller Kissen.

Jumpnauts, Hao Jingfang (12 March)

New to me. A SF novel in translation from Chinese, with three scientists joining forces to deal peacefully with a first contact situation.

The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo (19 March)

I liked Mandelo's debut novel very much so I'm excited to read this queer horror novella set in 1920s Appalachia.

Floating Hotel, Grace Curtis (19 March)

New to me. A series of cozy character vignettes on a space cruise ship after a murder has occurred. One of the four (!) space hotel murder crimes books coming out this year.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace, Justinian Huang (26 March)

New to me. Reincarnation gay romance set in 4 BCE China, the 1740s, and modern-day LA.

Alien Clay, Adrian Tchaikovsky (28 March)

Far future space xenoarchaeology by a man trapped on a prison planet.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell (2 April)

New to me. Bizarre lesbian cannibalism monster romance from the point of view of the monster.

The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo (9 April)

Glad to see Bardugo writing more adult fantasy, and this one is especially exciting because it's a fantasy set in early modern Spain with a Jewish main character. Fun to see a more original historical period.

A Sweet Sting of Salt, Rose Sutherland (9 April)

New to me. Lesbian selkie romance.

Death in the Spires, KJ Charles (11 April)

Charles branching out from romance into historical Oxford murder mystery about a group of friends with dark secrets.

Audrey Lane Stirs The Pot, Alexis Hall (22 April)

The new Hall thinly veiled british baking show romcom. Libby says it's releasing in April but I've heard nothing from the author so I think it may be Alecto'd (shifted to next year)

Necrobane, Daniel M Ford (23 April)

Sequel to the dungeons and dragons-esque low fantasy lesbian necromancy book.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep, Sylvie Cathrall (25 April)

New to me. Sweet underwater epistolary academic romance.

How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, Django Wexler (21 May)

New to me. A young hero caught in a fantasy time loop gives up and tries being the villain in an attempt to escape.

Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel (21 May)

Another woman-centered retelling of Hindu mythology, this time based on the river goddess Ganga.

Escape Velocity, Victor Manibo (21 May)

New to me. Evil and toxic private school alumni jockey for position in a space hotel event in an attempt to escape a dying Earth.

The Fireborne Blade, Charlotte Bond (28 May)

New to me. Gay dragon slaying knight novella.

Evocation, ST Gibson (28 May)

New to me but looks very cool. Attorney and medium David attempts to escape his deal with the devil with the help of his ex boyfriend and his ex boyfriend's wife (Poly romance).

Service Model, Adrian Tchaikovsky (4 June)

In an SF future, a robot kills its human owners and ventures out into a world where human supremacy is beginning to crumble.

Lady Eve's Last Con, Rebecca Fraimow (4 June)

New to me. A con artist seeks revenge on the man who hurt her sister, who's coincidentally also on a space cruise ship (Sapphic romance subplot).

Triple Sec, TJ Alexander (4 June)

An actual mainstream published poly romance (!!) by trans author Alexander.

Running Close to the Wind, Alexandra Rowland (11 June)

Gay! Pirates! Scheming! Alt fantasy world! Monks! I liked Taste of Gold and Iron a lot and I'm very excited for this one.

The Knife and the Serpent, Tim Pratt (11 June)

New to me. Space opera about an interdimensional organization. Also, there's a sentient starship.

The Witchstone, Henry Neff (18 June)

A childhood favorite of mine's adult debut, featuring a demon who suddenly has to shape up at his curse keeper job after eight hundred years of slacking.

Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (18 June)

VERY excited to read more weird queer sff from this author after a fantastic debut. Looks weird. I'm in.

Foul Days, Genoveva Dimova (25 June)

New to me. A witch in a Slavic fantasy inspired world flees her evil ex, the Tsar of Monsters. There's also a plague and a detective.

Saints of Storm and Sorrow, Gabriella Buba (25 June)

New to me. Filipino inspired anticolonialist fantasy novel about a nun who is secretly practicing the religion of her goddess.

The Duke at Hazard, KJ Charles (18 July)

A queer regency with an incognito duke by one of my particular favorite romance authors.

Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan (30 July)

!!! Very excited to see a new adult fantasy by Brennan. A reader is dragged into a fictional world and finds herself the villain.

A Sorceress Comes to Call, T Kingfisher (20 August)

A retelling of The Goose Girl from reliably good fairy tale stalwart Kingfisher.

Buried Deep and Other Stories, Naomi Novik (17 September)

Collection of Novik's short stories.

Swordcrossed, Freya Marske (8 October)

VERY excited to see a new book by talented writer Marske. A man falls in love with the duelist hired for his arranged wedding. MEANWHILE. details of the fantasy world wool industry.

Feast While You Can, Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta (29 October)

New to me. Small town queer cave horror.

The Last Hour Between Worlds, Melissa Caruso (19 November)

Multiple reality murder mystery spy vs spy type antics, with lesbians.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Would Wanda & Pietro have been homeschooled by Marya & Django?

Possibly, but I can't really attest to what that would look like. Homeschooling, at least in modern America, still involves, like, textbooks and stuff. Education inequality for Roma is a serious issue, and we know that the Maximoffs were extremely poor, so they probably wouldn't have had access to those resources.

In looking back on Wanda and Pietro's childhood, I'm reminded of Peter David's racist remarks about Romani families, which were made at NYCC '16 in response to a question from Roma activist Vicente Rodriguez, regarding David's work with Romani characters like Quicksilver. David invoked an unfortunately common narrative about Romani culture-- that our children are routinely abused, kept out of schools, forced to work or beg at a young age, and pressured into early marriages. These are social issues that have more to do with poverty, segregation, and discrimination than actual Romani cultural values, but it has been very convenient for a very long time for racists to place the blame on us while obscuring the true history of our systemic oppression. This is a fundamental device of anti-romani rhetoric.

I'm bringing this up because I think a lot of people, whether they realize it or not, have internalized this view of Romani culture. While many traditional communities may seem closed off or insular, I think that the relationship between Roma and outside culture is misunderstood. Families like this don't want to stifle or harm their children, and it's not like we're behind the times-- we have feminism and other social movements. But it's hard for that kind of change and growth to take root in communities that are deeply oppressed, ghettoized, and routinely displaced. This is a documented issue, and you can see the same thing play out across race and poverty lines in America.

So, I feel very strongly that characters like Django and Marya can be used to combat this prevailing, harmful narrative. When we see families like the Maximoffs, I want to really emphasize the fact that these are people who would do everything in their power to protect their children and give them a happy childhood. Same thing goes for the von Dooms, and even Margali when she's at her best. Maybe they didn't have the means to give Wanda and Pietro an education, but I believe that Marya and Django gave them as many opportunities as they could afford to learn, and play, and grow, and I think that's why they grew up to become the intelligent, studious people we know them as today.

[oneictskills]

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[robomad]

Implementing Role-Based Access Control in Django

Learn how to implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Django. This guide covers defining roles, assigning permissions, and enforcing access control in views and templates.

Introduction Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a method of regulating access to resources based on the roles of individual users within an organization. Implementing RBAC in Django involves defining roles, assigning permissions, and enforcing these permissions in your views and templates. This guide will walk you through the process of implementing RBAC in Django, covering user roles,…

[could-they-be-a-pro-wrestler]

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS EPISODE OF FRIDAY NIGHT PUNCHGROUND

THE HOST FOR “BASH IN BERLIN” IS…

The next ABW pay-per-view / special event poll series after Summerslam will be…Bash in Berlin! Since this is a German-themed event, it’s revealed that the special guest host of the event will be…

[izicodes]

woah! just saw your bio change to software engineer. how did you transition? is it any different than web dev?

i also went on a TikTok rabbit hole and people are saying it’s useless to learn html/css and it’s not an actual language. honestly idk why I thought it would be easy to learn html > css > javascript > angular > react and somehow land a good paying job…

it’s gonna take YEARS for me to have a career, i feel old… especially with no degree

Hiya! 🩶

This is a long reply so I answered your question in sections below! But in the end, I hope this helps you! 🙆🏾‍♀️

🔮 "How did you transition?"

So, yeah my old job title was "Junior Web Developer" at a finance firm, and now my new title is "Frontend Software Engineer"! In terms of transition, I didn't make too much of a change.

After I quit my old job, I focused more on Frontend technologies that were relevant, so I focused on React.js and Node.js. I used YouTube, books, and Codeacademy. My first React project was >> this Froggie project <<~! Working on real-life projects such as the volunteering job I did (only for a month) where they used the technologies I was learning. So basically I did this:

decides to learn react and node 🤷🏾‍♀️

"oh wait let me find some volunteering job for developers where they use the tech I am learning so I can gain some real-life experience 🤔"

experienced developers in the team helped me with other technologies such as UI tools, and some testing experience 🙆🏾‍♀️

I did the volunteering work for both fun and learning with experienced developers and... I was bored and wanted to feel productive again... 😅

So for transitioning, I focused on learning the new technologies I wanted to work in and got some work experience (though it was volunteering) to back up if I can work in an environment with the tech. I still live with my family so I could do the volunteering job and have time to self-study whilst being okay financially (though I was tight with money haha) 😅👍🏾

🔮 "Is it any different than web dev?"

The old job was focused on using C# and SQL (including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript but fairly small) to make the websites, they were fairly basic websites for clients to use just to navigate their information needed. They weren't fancy cool web design because they didn't need to be, which was what made me bored of the job and wanted a change.

I am only a week into the job and have been working on small tickets (features for the site), but I think after a month or two into the job I will make a proper judgment on the difference~! So far, it's kind of the same thing I did in my old job but with new workflow tools, React-based projects, and funny people to work with 😅🙌🏾

🔮 "People are saying it’s useless to learn HTML/CSS and it’s not an actual language."

Yes HTML is a markup language and CSS is a stylesheet but they are the foundation of like 90% of the websites on the internet, I wouldn't ever call them "useless". Frameworks such as React, Django, Flask, etc still require HTML and CSS code to make the website's structure and styling. CSS frameworks like Tailwind and Bootstrap 5 still use CSS as their base/foundation. Not useless at all.

Don't focus on what other people are doing and focus on your own learning. I repeat this all the time on my blog. Just because one or a couple people online said one technology is useless doesn't mean it is (this is applied to most things in tech). Someone told me jQuery was entirely useless and no bother learning it - I did it anyway and it helped me better understand JavaScript. Anyhoo, try things YOURSELF before listening to what people say - make your own judgment. Not going to let a random Tech bro online whine about how annoying Python or C or whatever is to ruin my want to learn something. (This is all coming from a girl who loves web development very much's point of view :D)

🔮 "I thought it would be easy to learn html > css > javascript > angular > react and somehow land a good paying job"

Web Dev route, I love it! That's literally the same steps I would have taken if I had to start again~! For each new tech you learn, make a bunch of projects to 1) prove to yourself that you can apply what you've learned 2) experience 3) fill that portfolio~! 😎🙌🏾

With Angular and React, I would pick one or the other and focus on being really good at it before learning another framework!

I also recommend volunteering jobs, freelancing, helping a small business out with free/paid m

Lastly, you do not need a degree to get a job in Web Development. I mean look at me? My apprenticeship certificate is the same value as finishing school at 18, so in the UK it would be A-Levels, and I completed it at the ripe age of 21! I have no degree, I applied for university and got a place but I will give that space up for someone else, I'm not ready for university just yet! haha... (plus erm it's expensive at the end, what? even for the UK...). Sure, I used to avoid the job postings that were like "You need a computer science degree" but now if I were job searching I would apply regardless.

People switching careers in their 40s going into tech instead are making it, you can switch anytime in your lifetime if you have the means to! (everyone's situation is different I understand).

I'm not too good at giving advice but I hope in the rambling I made some sense? But yeah that's all! 😎

[shadow-words]

Book Review: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler

_Book Review: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler_ In which Our Protagonist decides to join them since she can't beat them. #fantasy #bookreview

Our Protagonist is a woman named Davi. She has been conscripted via Portal Fantasy into becoming a Chosen Hero. Unfortunately for her, she has also been stuck in a All You Need Is Kill style timeloop which always ends with her horrible death at the hands of the Dark Lord (if she doesn’t do it first). She has suffered through a very high number of deaths for centuries and finally comes to the…

[eroz-codes]

Education_Developer Project Lifecycle

I see a lot of people here on codeblr want to start some project but, not really know the best way to get started. To rectify this, hear is my very in depth guide on how to get started. Read this entire post (some of these are started early but its milestone is later).

Note, I highly suggest the use of Github and will be referencing some things that are specific to it (like Wikipedia pages). If you prefer some other method that's fine just be aware you may be making your life harder than it needs to be.

Milestone 1: Form Teams

Find your people, exchange contact information and determine a time to meet up, consistently. If you are working solo, ignore some of the instructions for this section. That is not to say ignore the parts about consistency and time management. In fact, because you are working solo that should be even more important.

At the first meeting establish chat service (teams, slack, google chat, discord). Establish the frequency of the meetings and how often everyone should check their messages (ex: every 24 hours). Discuss the options about the project.

Platform: Android, django, iOS, react native, etc.

IDE: Xcode, WebStorm, VSCode, etc. Note that modern IDEs now have built-in methods for sharing your editor view with teammates: code together, code with me, etc.

Backend: firebase, postgresql, not needed, etc.

Libraries

APIs you will access

Package manager: npm, yarn, gradle, etc.

Finally, discuss the roles you all want on the team, what should one person focus on, who is the manager, editor, client rep, tester, researcher, repo master, master of specific tech, analyst etc.

Deliverables:

Add a wiki page (or more) to your repo titled "Team Organization" and list there the decisions you made from above, along with any pother pertinent information for the team.

Add a page to your wiki titled "Project Description" which should be kept updated as you make decisions about your project. It should contain these sections:

Description: a short description of your project,

Technologies: a list of the technologies you plan to use: frameworks, libraries, hosting services, etc.

Client: your client's name and contact info, if you have one, otherwise just say "Startup."

Milestone 2: Personas and User Stories

If you have a client who wants you to build the app, or you have identified a group of users for your app, then try to meet with them. Ask them what they do? (that is relevant to why they will use the app), why they want the app? how do they currently do the things they want the app to do? etc. If this is a startup answer those questions and more.

The point of this section is to better understand the users of this website. You need to make personas and user stories and record them so that you can reference them as you complete this project. It is very easy to loose sight of who will be using your product and assume they know more than they actually do.

Deliverables:

Add at least three personas to your wiki. These should cover 3 distinct user-types for your app. Each Persona must have a name, photo, and personal history.

Add a "User Stories" wiki page with at least 9 user stories covering the most common use cases for your app. They should all be of the form: As <the name of one of your personas> I want a <feature> so that I can <satisfy a need>.

Milestone 3: Design

For those that are more artsy than everyone else, now is your time to shine. Use a tool like Pencil, figma, justinmind, balsamiq, mockflow.com to design your product.

Your design should include:

An image for each of the major screens and dialogs of your app. Show all the widgets in their proper placement. Name each screen and write some text to explain how actions in one screen will lead to other screens.

In the case of a widget-free apps, you should include diagrams for all the major 'areas', animation stills that detail the most common animations and game mechanics (for example, Super Mario would have a set of drawings showing Mario jumping, punching up, and landing on a Goomba's head), as well as story boards if they are more relevant to your game.

A goal of the design is for you to think about the usability of your app. Try to 'use' the app in your mind: simulate how a user might use the app. Printing the screens into sheets of paper of the correct size and shuffling them as you pretend to use the app is a very common way to test the usability.

Another goal is to save you time. Remember that making a change now, like adding or deleting a screen, is a thousand times easier than if you wait until after you have written the code.

Deliverable: Add one page to your wiki called "Design" and add the images of your design here, along with some textual description of each screen and what it is used for.

Milestone 4: Requirements

This will be the main requirements document for your project. If you were charging a client for your work, this document would form part of that contract, specifying exactly what features your software will implement. The other part of the contract would be the payment details.

The document includes the design you made before (so, embed or add links to those images) but extends on that with detailed descriptions of all the desired features.

You will also mark each feature with one of:

Required: Core functionality of the app. Must have these for it to even start working.

Desired: Added functionality, usability, features, cosmetic features.

Aspirational: Other cool stuff you would like to add

Remember: all good programmers should understate what can be done and then over deliver. If you think something is going to take you 4 weeks, tell the client it will take 8. Then, when it inevitably takes you 6 weeks, you will seem ahead of schedule. On a similar note, if the client is asking for a lot of shit, say no. Now is not the time to be a people pleaser. If you want to please them, do it as a surprise addition, after basic functionality has been achieved.

Roughly the required features are those that need to get done first before anything else can even get started: things like logins, navigation menu, connection to backend, etc. They lay the foundation for building the app. An app that only implements the required features will at most get a passing grade in the class: 70.

The desired features are what make your app worth using. They make the app functional, attractive, and easy to use. Roughly, an app that implements all the desired features gets a 90 in the class.

The aspirational features make your app a professional-quality app. Implementing some of these moves it towards 100.

Deliverables:

Make a Requirements wiki page and list your requirements there.

Each item should succinctly explain a feature.

Each one will have a number. You can add sub-numbering, 1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1, etc. if you want.

Each one will be marked as either: Required, Desired, or Aspirational.

Add all the Proof of Concept Issues to your GitHub Issues with label:enhancement, milestone:Proof Of Concept. These are what you will implement first.

Milestone 5: Research

As a developer, you need to be intimately familiar with the technologies you are or could be using. You need to understand the pros, cons, and requirements of each library and platform that is relevant to your project. Thus, you need to be up to date on technology and, since technology seems to be always changing, this will be something you need to do throughout your career.

Specifically, you need to

Know about the various platforms available to you: their options and limitations.

Know about the various libraries that you can use to make your work easier.

Download, install, and build sample 'Hello world' apps using the most promising technologies. It is not enough to just read about it, you have to do it in order to learn.

Learn how to use the specific framework+libraries you choose to use for the project by building little apps with them.

Learn to use your package manager.

All of the above needs to be done before you start coding together with your team. Do not assume your teammates will teach you. You are responsible for learning.

This milestone will take a lot of time and work, which is why you should start working on this milestone as soon as that first meeting occurs where you discussion options.

Deliverable: Create a separate repo (I suggest naming it research-<projectname>) where you will place your sample project built using your team's chosen framework. The project will be more than just "hello world", or cut-n-paste from a tutorial. Start with tutorial code but, add you own code to their code. The app should have some minimal interactivity: user enters some data, program does something with it and shows the user.

Milestone 6: Architecture

Now that you are comfortable working with your chosen framework, you will write a document that roughly describes the big parts of your code. The structure will depend a lot on your chosen framework.

If you are building a webapp then you will probably list the set of database tables (models, for example: rails:ActiveRecords, meteor:Collections, etc), the set Views, and the set of Controllers. For webapps you should also list the of your URLs app, and what lives at each one.

If you are building an Android app then you will list your Activities or Fragments, along with their corresponding Views, as well as your model Java classes. You will also list your database tables (firebase, sqlite, localStorage, etc) if you need persistence, which almost everyone does.

Think deeply about your design. Go over the most common use-cases and check how those will be accomplished in code: which methods will be invoked? do the methods have references to all the objects they need in order to perform their job? Remember that your main goal is *de-coupling** the various classes: the fewer references (method arguments, global variables) they need, the easier your life will be.

Deliverable: Add architecture document to the wiki containing:

List all the languages/frameworks/libraries/services/APIs you plan to use. Explain how they will tie together. For example: This will be a native Android app written in Kotlin, using the android.graphics library, using firebase real-time database for cloud data, and firebase authentication for user accounts.

What package/build manager will you use? npm, gradle, yarn, flutter, pipenv, etc.

List what each person will work on. Everyone must make significant code contributions, or they will fail the class, see Syllabus.

Make sure all the images (if any) are embedded in the wiki page and hosted at GitHub.

Make sure the wiki page is easy to read.

If you are building a webapp:

Deployment How will you deploy? Which hosting provider(s)? Automation? Scripts? Explain.

Are you using Virtual Machines (vmware, vbox, etc) or Containers (docker) for development or deployment? Explain.

Is it a SPA or traditional? or mix? Explain. (My web application development lectures explain the difference.)

List of URLs you will implement. Explain any search arguments in English. Link (actual hyperlink) each URL to the page it shows in your Detailed Design milestone.

If implementing a REST API, document it. List all methods, parameters, and give English description of what they do.

The Views of your app. Embed the images from your Design Milestone. Typically, a webpage includes multiple views. For example, this webpage has a Header, Menu, and Content views (at least).

The Database schema: set of tables/documents with list of attributes and their types. Describe each table and attribute in English.

List of common queries you expect will be needed. Do any of then need to join tables?

If you are building a mobile or desktop app:

Release: How will you create and deliver a binary to testers? Explain. Note that the testers include us (the teachers of this class, when we grade your app). You must deliver a simple to install app: double-click to install.

Are you using Virtual Machines (vmware, vbox, etc) or Containers (docker) for development? If so, explain.

The Models for your app. These could be UML class diagrams, or just models with attributes (with type) and descriptions (in English).

How will your app maintain state? in memory? or database? or both? Note this in your Model Classes.

If you are using a db-backend (say firebase) then include the Database schema: set of tables/documents with list of attributes and their types.

List of common queries you expect will be needed. Do any of then need to join tables?

The Views of your app: name, describe. Embed the images from your Design Milestone. Typically, one page in the app is composed of multiple View elements.

Below will be complete as I do for my Capstone project.

Source Control

Ethical, Legal, and Security Considerations

Proof of Concept (PoC)

PoC Demo

Testing

Beta Release

RC1 Release

Quality Assurance

Website

1.0 Release

Final Demo Video

[hero-of-doom]

How would you compare Cheval and Django’s dynamic from before the Nargacuga Attack vs After? I know you mentioned them butting heads afterwards, but I’d love to know more of what that entails!

Before the attack, you practically couldn't separate them. They were tight knit as ever, and would pretty much always be hanging out unless Django was busy shadowing his father.

I like to think Cheval used to be pretty afraid of thunder, really hating when it rained and keeping himself cooped up inside. That is, until Django came around and had the two of them go outside to play during a thunderstorm. Cheval clung to Django's arm like a vice grip and jumped every time the sky above them boomed. Django, happy as a clam, assured him that it couldn't hurt him, and hearing how confidently Django asserted this immediately started to make him feel better. They'd run and jump in puddles, pretend to be big, huge monsters controlling the storm, and over time Cheval really started to love it when it rained. You could always count on Django to be right at their door the second the first boom of thunder sounded. Sometimes, they'd just lie down in the grass under a tree, eyes shut and listening to the pitter-patter of the rain itself and taking in the smell.

Another scenario I keep thinking about is Django, Cheval and Lilia playing the whole 'knight saves the princess from the dragon' game. Django declaring he wants to be the knight, brandishing a big stick. Lilia thinking for a minute, and saying that she doesn't really want to be the princess. Instead, she'd rather be a big, scary Rathalos, and grabs the edges of her cape and flaps them around like wings. Cheval then, offers to be the princess. Django, without skipping a beat, starts running and grabbing all the dandelions he can see, and starts weaving them together into a flower crown. He gently places it atop Cheval's head, and kneels down in front of him. He takes one of his hands, kisses it, and pledges his faith and loyalty to his princess, before quickly getting back up and running at Lilia to whack her with his weapon. Cheval's hair is frizzing out like a Ghibli character.

Long story short, they were very close to each other, and couldn't dream of anything coming between them. They were each other's light in the darkness, the sun to the moon.

However, after the attack, it was their differing views on life and death, monsters and humans, and revenge versus acceptance that tore them apart. Cheval is firmly under the belief that the bonds between Riders and monsters should have never been made, and that these beasts aren't meant to be trusted. (Which, despite this, he holds his Rathian so close to his heart...) Cheval sees it as his duty to avenge the death of his mother by personally hunting down each and every blighted monster, not stopping until they're wiped out. That way, nobody can ever be hurt by them again... especially not the only few people left in his life. He's blinded by rage, grief, and everything in between- a broken child with a broken heart trying to fix something completely destroyed.

Django, on the other hand, can see the complexities of the blight- the blight itself is the force that needs to be eradicated, the infected monsters are simply a byproduct of it. He knows that the monster didn't chose to be blighted, or that it's seeking to hurt out of malice: it's just an animal. When Django finally gets the chance to kill the Nargacuga that attacked the village, he doesn't feel catharsis. He just feels... empty.

These conflicting viewpoints make it so every time they cross each others' paths, they're almost certain to butt heads. At first, Django was just so happy to see Cheval alive: but the joy quickly shifted to heartbreak upon realizing Cheval's new course of action, and then deeper into anger as he just couldn't fathom or understand his point of view after everything they had been through together. Words weren't seeming to work to make him understand, so they ended up resorting to beating the shit out of each other to get it through their thick skulls. The big scars over Django's face: those are from Cheval. Not Rathi, mind you- they're fighting each other one-on-one.

TLDR, it's not good. It's wearing them both down in different ways, but neither of them will admit it.

[saucy-mesothelioma]

October 24th: George A. Romero | Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead was released in 1985 and was directed by George A. Romero. Zombies have taken over the world, leaving humanity scarce and seemingly a thing of the past. But hidden away in an underground bunker, scientists such as Dr. Sarah Bowman (Lori Cardille) and Dr. Matthew Logan (Richard Liberty) are conducting experiments on the walking dead in attempts to find a way to pacify and cure them. They are guarded by a group of military personnel such as Pvt. Miguel Salazar (Anthony Dileo Jr.) and Capt. Henry Rhodes (Joseph Pilato) who have a different view on the matter of the zombies: kill them all. Even with those who believe in more peaceful resolutions like chopper pilot John (Terry Alexander) tensions between the two groups are quickly reaching a boiling point. But when the zombies break into the bunker, they become each-others only chance of survival.

George A. Romero is the man we have to thank for the depiction of zombies in horror films. Although he wasn't the first to create a zombie flick, his Night of the Living Dead series contributed strongly to the sub-genre and archetype of the modern zombie. He helped to make horror movies culturally relevant for the modern age, having social commentaries on subjects such as class and consumerism. Romero not only found success with his indie films in regards to zombies, but he also made several other successful horror movies such as Creepshow, Monkey Shines, Bruiser, Season of the Witch, and The Dark Half. Without him, horror films, especially with the zombie archetype, would be far different that it is today. Rest in peace, sir; you were gone too soon.

It can be watched for free on Tubi, Pluto TV, PLEX, Crackle, Xumo Play, and Sling TV

Content Warnings for the Film (may contain spoilers): violence, a lotta gore, racial slurs, sexual womanizing comments

This movie has some beautiful practical effects given to us by one of the masters of make-up Tom Savini and I highly suggest watching this great Behind the Scenes video. This movie has some kickass kills and I will forever be thankful that Romero didn't let the executives pressure him into dropping the R rating the movie got. Even though that led to their budget being cut in half it doesn't look it one bit, it's that stunning: the zombie in the opening credits that's missing his jaw is a fucking PUPPET THAT'S HOW GOOD THEY ARE. Also another fun fact, this movie is where special effects artists Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger met. The two would later go on to found their own company KNB EFX; you might have seen their work in The Walking Dead, Scream, The X-Files, Jennifer's Body, The Green Mile, Transformers, Misery, Django Unchained, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, Bride of Re-Animator, Evil Dead 2, The Hateful Eight, House of Wax, The Chronicles of Narnia, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Reservoir Dogs, Army of Darkness, Men in Black, Texas Chainsaw, Hostel just to name a few.

[scarlet--wiccan]

I wonder about your thoughts on a certain element of the recent scarlet witch as a loki fan (I’m less familiar with their familial status quo). I realize I’m over thinking this so like, advanced warning

During the truth-off loki refers to Laufy as their “true father” and Wanda uses the same term to describe magneto. Laufy is Loki’s bio dad as far as I’m aware but mags is maintained in-issue as Wanda’s “adoptive dad”. Maybe that was just distinguishing max from Joseph, but even so, it’s a strange line. True doesn’t need to mean bio imo but it reeks of Django erasure. Who of Loki’s fathers is his “favorite”? Who had the most impact on her overall? (Magneto can claim that title for Wanda probably, without him she might never have become an avenger and had kids with vision, hom wouldn’t have happened, etc)

I've been meaning to post about this, actually, so thank you for reminding me.

Throughout Scarlet Witch, Orlando has identified Magneto as Wanda's "adoptive father." This is not literally true-- Magneto never adopted the twins, or had any hand in raising them. In this case, I think Orlando is using this language to work past the awkwardness of the AXIS retcon-- Wanda spent years developing a familial relationship with Magneto based on the belief that he was her birth father, but since that's no longer the case, the best we can do is recontextualize it as a "chosen family" thing.

The thing is, as you pointed out, Wanda had an actual, literal adoptive father, Django Maximoff, so it feels a little clunky to apply that label to Magneto. I think describing their relationship as foster family, or chosen family, would make more sense.

I understand Loki calling Laufey their "true," as in, "birth" father, but you can't apply that same framework to Wanda and Magneto anymore, so it's very strange that Orlando does, even though it's only one line. This feels like an editing error, more than anything else.

Django Maximoff raised Wanda, risked everything to provide for her and her brother, and ultimately, he gave his life to save her from Chthon. That's her true father, and in the previous Scarlet Witch series, Wanda does affirm that she views Django and Marya as her parents, regardless of their actual relationship. I don't care what anyone says-- I love Magneto, I love their relationship, but he's not the dad that stepped up in this story.

Loki has a fraught relationship with all of their parents, but in recent years, the only person they demonstrate any real loyalty to is Freyja. The All-Mother has her failings as a parent, and she screwed Loki over bad in Agent of Asgard, but Jason Aaron put a lot of nuance into their relationship during his time on Thor & WoTR, and I think it shines the strongest.

Interestingly, we've seen flashbacks and references to a genuinely loving relationship between Odin and Loki when they were a child. I'm not super familiar with earlier Thor publication, but that's the impression I get from the current versions of the characters. That relationship has certainly eroded now, but it's still miles above Loki's feelings towards Laufey.

[jazzdailyblog]

Django Reinhardt: The Virtuoso of Gypsy Jazz

Introduction: In the vibrant tapestry of jazz history, one name stands out as a symbol of innovation, resilience, and sheer musical brilliance — Django Reinhardt. Born into a caravan in Liberchies, Belgium, one hundred and fourteen years ago today on January 23, 1910, Django’s journey from a Romani camp to the world stage is an extraordinary narrative that echoes through the annals of jazz. This…