#Elisha's transition

[igate777]

(via TRACKING THE SEASON WITH CALIBRATED PROPHETIC GPS. PART 3.)

[juniper-clan]

“You’ll never see him until he’s introduced to the clan.”

HE JOINS?!? Oh that’s so cool. Y’know, if he’s (they? She? Pronouns please) an easygoing guy, maybe he can be the medicine cat instead of Amberpaw? It’d be better since he’s a former kittypet and the transition would be smoother.

Elisha is he/him cis male :) and good eye, he does indeed join in the future. I may drop his sprite sooner though.

Also I noticed everyone theorizing Heron looks to be pregnant in this moon; that's my fault, I was using a housecat as a reference for that pose and it made her look thick 😵‍💫 you all will know when she's preggo trust me

[qbdatabase]

Hello!! I was looking for non-fiction books of butches and femmes that mention bisexual butches and femmes too! I guess that's a very specific thing and difficult thing to ask for but I was hoping if you knew some? In the end, I'll take any and all butch femme non-fiction books you know of please! 👉👈💖

Most of what I have for non-fiction butch/femme culture is centered around lesbians, with bisexuals being a chapter or discussion within a larger book, mainly because women-loving-women historically drew less of a distinction between lesbians and bisexuals (as that would have shoved out a lot of closeted/married women in a time when many women could not afford to not be married). But here's everything I have about butches and femmes, and I'll note if bisexuality is also discussed!

History of Butch/Femme Culture

Femme/Butch: New Considerations of the Way We Want to Go by Michelle Gibson - #1 recommendation, even if it is 20 years old

100 Crushes by Elisha Lim - contributions from butches and genderqueer folks

Challenging Lesbian Norms: Intersex, Transgender, Intersectional, and Queer Perspectives by Angela Pattatucci Aragón - more history of lesbian culture that looks beyond cisgender lesbians, discusses trans, intersex, gnc, butch, and bisexuality

The Life & Times of Butch Dykes: Portraits of Artists, Leaders, and Dreamers Who Changed the World by Eloisa Aquino - can't confirm if it includes any butch bisexuals, but it's from 2019, not twenty years ago!

Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion by Eleanor Medhurts - #2 recommendation for butch/femme culture, although I can't confirm if it includes bisexuals; published this year

Memoirs by Butch Authors

Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing by Lauren Hough - butch lesbian

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. - butch queer Muslim

Burning Butch by R/B Mertz - Catholic butch trans / nonbinary

Tomboy Survival Guide by Ivan E. Coyote - butch nonbinary

Pregnant Butch: Nine Long Months Spent in Drag by A. K. Summers - butch lesbian

Butch is a Noun by S. Bear Bergman - butch lesbian who later transitioned as a transgender man

Memoirs / Poetry / Self-Help by Femme Authors

Rust Belt Femme by Raechel Jolie - queer femme

Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance by Jessamyn Stanley - queer femme

You Grow, Gurl!: Plant Kween's Lush Guide to Growing your Garden by Christopher Griffin - queer femme nonbinary

HoodWitch: Poems / A Map of My Want by Faylita Hicks - queer femme nonbinary

[noirgasmweetheart]

"The Black Bird" (1975)

The stuff dreams are made of.

The kind of dreams you have when you pass out on the sofa after O.D.-ing on Cheetos, Mike's, and unrelated movies from wildly different eras.

If you're a fan of the film noir classic "the Maltese Falcon" from 1941, you may have heard about 1975's failed attempt at a comedy sequel, called "the Black Bird." Well, it's on YouTube for free, I watched it on Friday, and I actually enjoyed it.

Before you let this change your opinion, you should probably know that I also enjoyed "Meet the Feebles," "Leprechaun in Space," and "Lord of the G-Strings."

It's a '70s exploitation film (whether intentionally or not)

If you want a truly funny comedy worthy of Mel Brooks, you'll probably hate this movie. If you want a serious tribute to "the Maltese Falcon," you'll definitely hate it. But if you enjoy bad '70s exploitation flicks, you might actually find "the Black Bird" amusing.

If you're unfamiliar with the term, "exploitation films" were a genre from the '70s and '80s. Usually over the top (for the time) in violence and vulgarity, exploitation films pandered to things like shock value, or revenge fantasies for minorities (leading to the "Blaxploitation" genre).

"The Black Bird" is not a particularly violent movie. Instead of exploiting violence, sex or any minority group, "the Black Bird" exploits a famous classic. While there's no nudity and almost no blood, it has many other staples of a classic '70s exploitation flick: mismatched buddy-cop relationships, bad acting, awkward sound dubbing, face-palming racial humor, vaguely Disco-ish music (when there is any music), funky '70s fashion, and a Nazi dwarf (Felix Silla).

Lest you forget that this is a '70s movie.

If you're entertained by "Blackula," "Lisztomania," "They Saved Hitler's Brain," "Gums," or any of Ralph Bakshi's earlier films, "the Black Bird" might be up your alley.

The Plot:

34 years after the events of "The Maltese Falcon," Kasper Gutman is shot dead, after apparently living to be around 100 (and at his weight!). His dying words: "It's black, and long as your arm." Frankly, I can think of no better sentence to illustrate the transition from classic '40s noir to the new lowbrow grit of the 70s.

On the case is Sam Spade Jr. (George Segal), whose surname is the source of many a racial punchline. To be fair, Sam Jr. says in-universe that he's tired of hearing that joke every five minutes. Junior has herited his father's name, job and secretary. Lee Patrick revises her role as Effie, who Spade Jr. calls "Godzilla."

Her character is possibly the only thing that is unironically great about this movie. The sassy young Effie aging into a draconian old lady would be believable and wonderful even in a serious sequel.

Elisha Cook Jr. also returns as Wilmer, but only for one scene.

If you wanted Wilmer to live to a ripe old age....well he did. But if you wanted him to die in a cabin in the woods surrounded by birds, after having gone straight for the last 30 years of his life, this might disappoint you. But it's probably closer to how a gunslinger like Wilmer would've wanted to go.

The new femme fatale is Anna Kemindov (Stéphane Audran), daughter of the unseen general from the first movie. I can't say that her character's motivations made much sense, but she does sport some funky 70s fashion and one sweet-ass hideout.

The Good

Much of the dumb humor made me laugh, even when I saw it coming a mile away. The running gag about Spade Jr.'s old car entertained the Muppet fan in me, and the "stand up Spade" moment was worthy of "Blazing Saddles." The final ending gag was the most predictable and unoriginal joke in the entire film, but something about the shark's face and how it moved was just hilarious.

One thing I unironically really liked was how in the dark Spade Jr. was regarding the Maltese Falcon. He knows it was his dad's biggest case, but doesn't care. He isn't familiar with the names Wilmer Cook, Kasper Gutman or Admiral Kemindov, and can't keep them straight. And he doesn't recognize any of the Easter eggs Wilmer, Anna or Effie drop into their dialogue.

Missed Opportunites:

I would really have liked at least one reference to Joel Cairo, and can't believe a movie of this type passed up the opportunity to have someone do a bad Peter Lorre impression while recounting past events.

There's also no mention of Brigid O'Shaughnessy, nor who Spade Jr.'s mother is. Having Brigid give birth to Jr. in prison and then more or less discard him would have fit perfectly into Spade Jr.'s backstory, and the movie's style of black comedy.

With the movie's vulgar humor, I'm also stunned that the word "gunsel" never came up when Spade Jr. was dealing with Wilmer. On that subject, more than one cameos from Wilmer would've been appreciated. But maybe Elisha Cook Jr. was only available for one scene.

Cannon?

The literal events onscreen are too ridiculous to truly take place in the same universe as "the Maltese Falcon." But I could imagine that a caper similar to this occurred, and is being recounted by a very sardonic, bitter, and drunk Spade Jr., who is embellishing and maybe misremembering.

Like, maybe the villain was really just a very short man with a Nazi history, who Spade Jr. is sarcastically remimagning as a literal dwarf in an S.S. uniform. Maybe Anna Kemindov just seemed a bit off to Jr, and his drunk mind is exaggerating her antics. Maybe when the jailer said "Get up Spade," Spade's Black cell mates just gave the jailer a look until realizing in awkward silence that it was the white guy's name. "The Black Bird" certainly seems like the story a bitter drunkard would be spinning.

The one thing Spade Jr. is not embellishing or misremembering though is "Godzilla." Effie is every bit the firey old lady portrayed onscreen. That, in my head, is 100% canon.

[dazaiistoocuteforthisworld]

How I came up with my name 🏳️‍⚧️

First of all, happy pride month everyone!!! I kind of forgot…. But better late than never! So when I was nine, I was try to come up with names that suited me. It was always something like Noah, or Elisha. Those REAAALLLY didn’t fit me. Then one fateful day, I found a book on Leonardo da Vinci. (It was an audiobook, I don’t remember the name of it or I’d share) Such I weird guy- he dissected human body’s to learn human anatomy better… The moment i heard it I knew “Leo” was the one, and rather funny since I’m also an artist. It’s silly, I know, but It was the perfect name for me. Also I’m glad that part of my transitioning process is over, because it was difficult. Again, happy pride month!!!! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

[allthecanadianpolitics]

WARNING: This story contains discussion of suicide.  Elisha Dacey's 15-year-old is caught in a care gap: too old to be accepted at one gender transition Winnipeg clinic, too young to get in at another. "They were right in that sweet spot of technically not getting or qualifying for any kind of public health, so that was frustrating and demoralizing," said Dacey. "Since then we've still been just waiting." The Gender Diversity Affirmation and Action for Youth clinic (GDAAY) helps children and young teens transition. It used to help patients up to the age of 15, but has reduced the age referral criteria by one year to 14. That was in response to demand outpacing resources "owing to the fact that we are entirely unfunded," reads a GDAAY doctor's letter to Dacey's child's pediatrician in April of this year. The Trans Health Klinic, the only other program in the city, helps people 16 and up transition. Dacey was recently informed their child is now on that waitlist. They join the roughly 600 other youth and adults who remain in waitlist limbo amid a shortage of care providers outside the two clinics trained in gender-affirming care.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[players-of-intrigue]

In order to keep myself sane while I was studying for finals, I got around to making playlists for my three PCs, woe thee:

These are still WIPs but most of the songs that I want are in there — self indulgent blorbo jams ft gut wrenching songs that only i and a friend of mine have the context to

extra notes below the cut:

I apologize for the amount of The Amazing Devil songs, their discography works too well (and makes me cry, but thats normal)

Elio and Vox share some songs because thats intentional, thats their songs as a duo exclusively (and also the order of the shared songs match so, fun-fun.)

I did put a little too much thought in the order of songs for this (also why there’s some instrumental songs thrown in there, its for vibe transitions) so its gonna be at least a little more fun if you listen to it in order (or at least I hope so)

I may have put too much ouch-y songs for Elisha. My bad.

And also, most of these songs won’t really make sense if you don’t know these characters’ backstories I realize (my fault I’ll be honest, I’ll write it up in another day)

Everyone is open to send asks for elaboration on the songs and their stories btw, I’ve been wanting to ramble about these three but I need someone to enable it

[albertfinch]

MANAGING TRANSITION

YOU HAVE OUTGROWN YOUR CHURCH

This is often the case when God transitions you from one spiritual environment to another. In your current environment, you've experienced everything of God and the life of faith that there is capacity to express. For example, you may have been part of an evangelical church with incomplete scriptural teaching. You have come to a place where the "improve yourself" sermons are not working on your spiritual life. Each week after all the "making you a better person" sermons along with the Church programs and hoopla, you begin to see yourself running on a weekly hampster wheel going nowhere fast. This may be a signal that transition is in the wind.

COMING TO UNDERSTAND

You come to understand that God wants to expose you to a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. However, your current church simply doesn't have a paradigm for that. Something is being quenched inside you. God transitions you into a new environment where there is a much greater openness to things of the Spirit. You begin to encounter Him in new ways. It can almost feel as if you've been born again – again.

YOUR CURRENT ENVIRONMENT HAS BECOME TOO LIMITING OR RESTRICTIVE

When Elijah was taken to Heaven, his mantle was picked up by Elisha. This initiated a new phase of ministry for the younger prophet. Some of your old "coats" or "mantles" have expired. They were God's anointing for a specific assignment or purpose in a previous season. But now He wants to remantle you for what lies ahead. Picking up the new requires being willing to release the old.

DON'T LET THE PRESENT SEASON BECOME A PERMANENT HABITATION

God brought you into your current season for a reason -- now that season is over. The danger is that you settle and stay too long. You allow a temporary stopover to become a permanent habitation. In Genesis 11:31 we read, "One day Terah took his son Abram... and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran." Terah was called to Canaan, but instead he settled in Haran and died there. He stopped short of his destiny and finished up in the wrong place. There are Believers with great callings and dreams from God that get settled and stuck in a place they were only meant to stay for a limited time. They became too comfortable. They struggled with fear of the unknown. Disappointments and hurts from the past kept them from pioneering and taking new risks. In Deuteronomy 1:6–7, God tells Moses, "...You have stayed at this mountain long enough. It is time to break camp and move on..." That's a word for some Believers today. You've been here long enough. It's time to move on.

TRANSITIONING OUT OF A TOXIC ENVIRONMENT

Sometimes God transitions you because something has changed in your environment. A place that was once safe and welcoming has become toxic and destructive. A relationship has become abusive. A boss demeans and mistreats you. A job has become too isolating. A church or ministry has become controlling. To remain there will be damaging or detrimental to your well-being. Move on. Do whatever you need to do. You must protect yourself and those under your care.

BETWEEN TWO SEASONS

You could be in the middle of a transition, but until now, you haven't realized it. If you discover that you're in between two seasons start to dress for the season you're entering, not the one you're leaving behind.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[phantom-le6]

Ramble of the month February 2024: 90’s MCU phase 5 – transitioning from Secret Wars to Infinity Wars

Having spent much of last month and a fair bit of this one working on submissions to literary agencies for my autism book, this month’s ramble and the one for next month took a bit of a back seat, and as such I’ve still not been able to vary myself away from delving further into my hypothetical Marvel and DC film universes.  Apologies to anyone who, like me, were hoping to vary things more.  However, hopefully what we cover in this ramble and the next will make up for it, and as April will be Autism Awareness time, I can guarantee something different for then.

By this point, I’m sure readers don’t need as much of a recap on what these posts to do with my 90’s-based MCU are about.  Long story short, I’ve done what the meme makers don’t; looked at the comic book and real-world history of Marvel from that era to create an actual 90’s based MCU instead of putting 90’s actors into a present-day MCU.  However, as we’re into a fifth phase and well past the 1990’s, we should at least quickly review phases 1-4 first.

Phase 1:

1992: Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man

1993: Thor, Spider-Man, Ant-Man & The Wasp

1994: Captain America: Fantastic Four 2, Iron Man 2

1995: X-Men, Avengers, Daredevil

Phase 2:

1996: Spider-Man 2, Thor: Land of Enchantment, Silver Surfer

1997: Hulk vs Wolverine, Fantastic Four: Doomsday, Iron Man 3

1998: Captain America: Society of Serpents, Daredevil 2, X-Men 2

1999: Avenger 2, Spider-Man 3, Doctor Strange

Phase 3:

2000: Fantastic Four: World War III, Thor: Ragnarök, Daredevil 3

2001: Hulk: Rise of the Leader, X-Men: Fall of the Mutants, Avengers: Under Siege

2002: Doctor Strange 2, The Captain, Spider-Man 4

2003: Captain Britain, Fantastic Four: Enter the Negative Zone, Ghost Rider

Phase 4:

2004: Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Secret Wars: Part I

2005: Excalibur, Defenders, Ghost Rider 2

2006: X-Factor, Secret Wars: Part II, Heroes For Hire

2007: Namor the Submariner, Doctor Strange 3, Iron Man: Enter The Mandarin

As discussed in previous rambles, phase 1 was all about establishing the MCU and its characters, phase 2 was about the expansion and development of the continuity, while phase 3 was mostly about many characters and teams losing, being put on the back foot and so on.  Phase 4 then covered Secret Wars, which temporarily deprived Earth of some major MCU heroes to put them through a real alien war, and in the process also allowed some other heroes to come to the fore.  Phase 5 then becomes about following on from some of those plot threads while beginning the set-up for this MCU’s version of the Infinity War.  So, let’s quickly show you the phase 5 slate and then get right into the details of these would-be films.

Phase 5:

2008: Spider-Man 5, Fantastic Four: Unthinkable, Ms Marvel

2009: Elektra, Black Panther 2, Defenders 2

2010: X-Men: Proteus, Spider-Man 6, Ant-Man 2

2011: Silver Surfer 2, Avengers vs X-Men, Ghost Rider 3

Spider-Man 5 (2008) Directed by Matthew Vaughan

Peter Parker/Spider-Man = Wil Weaton

May Parker = Marg Helgenberger

Flash Thompson = Ben Affleck

J. Jonah Jameson = J.K. Simmons

Joseph "Robbie" Robertson = Denzel Washington

Betty Brant = Parker Posey

Ned Leeds = John Barrowman

Eddie Brock = Wentworth Miller

Randy Robertson = Taye Diggs

Harry Osborn = Ryan Phillipe

Mary-Jane Watson = Alison Hannigan

Herman Schultz/Shocker = Patrick Muldoon

Felicia Hardy/The Black Cat = Elisha Cuthbert

Roderick Kingsley/Hobgoblin = Michael Keaton

Quentin Beck/Mysterio = Nathan Fillion

Captain Jean DeWolff = Jessica Biel

Detective Stanley Carter/”Sin Eater” = James Marsden

In the first three Spider-Man films, we built up to Peter befriending the Osborns and dating Gwen, only for the Green Goblin/Death of Gwen story arcs to play out in Spider-Man 3.  The fourth film then gave Peter a clash with the Sinister Six as he struggles to come to terms with Gwen’s death.  Following Secret Wars, Peter now has the alien costume, and so film 5 is basically the alien costume story arc.  Sounding a little too much like the Raimi/Maguire Spider-Man 3?  Trust me, it’s not like that and for two key reasons.  Firstly, I’m not trying to shoe-horn Venom in for the third act, just set him up for another film.  Second, I’ve chosen Wentworth Miller of Prison Break and The Flash fame to play Eddie Brock, and that’s far from being our only change.

In this film, Peter’s occupied trying to stop a series of illusion thefts being committed on behalf of a new “kingpin”, who turns out to be the Hobgoblin, while also having to track down a notorious serial killer called the “Sin Eater”.  As the alien costume influences Peter ever more, the question becomes less will he stop all the criminals, but rather will he become one.  Matters are further complicated when costume thief Black Cat begins seducing Spider-Man and the alien costume pushes Peter to accept this despite his relationship with Mary-Jane.  The film culminates with a chance clash with the Shocker revealing the alien nature of Peter’s costume, forcing him to finally fight it off.  Eddie Brock gaining the symbiote is then handled in a credit’s scene.

Direction-wise, I picked Matthew Vaughan as he’s a proven superhero film director due to his work on X-Men: First Class.  He’s the fourth director to take a hand on Spider-Man solo film in this hypothetical MCU, with John Hughes having directed the first two, and 3 and 4 being handled by Frank Darabont and Martin Campbell, respectively.

Fantastic Four: Unthinkable (2008) Directed by Roland Emmerich

Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic = Tom Hanks

Susan Storm (Richards)/Invisible Woman = Meg Ryan

Johnny Storm/Human Torch = David Spade

Ben Grimm/Thing = Bryan Cranston

Alicia Masters = Heather Graham

Agatha Harkness = Angela Lansbury

Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom = Goran Višnjić

Hauptmann = Ronald Guttman

Nick Fury = Tommy Lee Jones

Black Bolt = Pierce Brosnan

Medusa = Elizabeth Hurley

Crystal = Dina Meyer

Gorgon = J.G. Hertzler

Karnak = Alexander Siddig

Triton = Orlando Bloom

T'Challa/Black Panther = Chadwick Boseman

Namor McKenzie/The Submariner = Christian Bale

Barbara "Bobbi" Morse/Mockingbird = Rebecca Romijn-Stamos

Jericho Drumm/Brother Voodoo = Doug E. Doug

Having had the Fantastic Four directed by Leonard Nemoy (films 1-2), Steven Spielberg (films 3-4) and Ridley Scott (film 5), this MCU closes out their share of films under the stewardship of Roland Emmerich, notable for such films as Independence Day, White House Down and Midway.  This film adapts the events of the storylines ‘Unthinkable’ and ‘Authoritative Action’, but leaves the events of ‘Hereafter’ to the comics and begins introducing the Infinity Stones.  Since non-comics fans and fans who haven’t read those stories won’t get those references, let’s do a quick summary.

In the comics, Doctor Doom turned to magic for an attack on the Fantastic Four, which resulted in Reed and Sue’s son Franklin being taken to hell, and the team having to storm Latveria to get him back.  During the incident, Doom scarred Reed before being dragged into hell.  Afterwards, Reed seized control of Latveria to dismantle Doom’s arsenal and craft a permanent prison for Doom, one in which Reed would serve as warden.  However, when the rest of the team tried to stop Reed, Doom somehow began to possess each in turn, ultimately forcing Reed to kill Ben Grimm just to stop Doom.  The events of the Hereafter arc involved a trip into the afterlife to bring Ben back, in the process healing Reed’s scars.

In this film, Franklin is kidnapped and taken to a demon dimension, and Sue leads a rescue team comprised of her, Ben Grimm, Brother Voodoo and the Black Panther to save Franklin while Reed and Johnny attack Doom, aided by the Inhumans and Namor the Submariner.  The attack seemingly defeats Doom, after which Reed leads the F4 to Latveria, seizing control of the nation.  Fearing Doom is somehow influencing Reed, Nick Fury of SHIELD intervenes along with Mockingbird, Voodoo, Namor and T’Challa, only for the seemingly captured Doom to begin telepathically controlling the other F4 members.  Ultimately, Reed manages to force a feedback that wipes Doom’s mind, but in the process, Ben Grimm dies as he does in the comics.  With Ben’s death, the Fantastic Four decide to step back from hero work, becoming a think tank called the Future Foundation.

The bulk of the film’s cast is from past films, with the only new addition being mystical nanny Agatha Harkness, played by Angela Lansbury in better keeping with the comics version of the character.  As for the Infinity Stone I mentioned, that would be the mind stone, which Doom uses to control the various F4 members until Reed works out Doom is channelling the stone’s power and creates the feedback.

Ms Marvel (2008) Directed by Gates McFadden

Carol Danvers/Ms Marvel = Melissa Joan Hart

Michael Barnett = Brian Krause

J. Jonah Jameson = J.K. Simmons

Frank Gianelli = Rory Cochrane

Tracey Burke = Kate Mulgrew

Tabitha Townsend = Kyla Pratt

Lynn Andersen = Amanda Seyfried

Mystique/Raven Darkholme = Connie Nielsen

Rogue = Anna Paquin

Avalanche = Alessandro Gassmann

Fred J Dukes/Blob = Vince Vaughan

Pyro = Hugh Jackman

Irene Adler/Destiny = Sally Field

When it comes to trying to tackle Carol Danvers in films, one story that’s yet to hit the big screen is the story of her downfall against the X-Man Rogue back when Rogue was part of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  Indeed, the 90’s animated series of the X-Men is the only adaptation to handle this, and they did it by neatly sidestepping some disturbing backstory.  Long story short, there was a story arc in the Avengers comics around the late 70’s/early 80’s where Carol (then codenamed Ms Marvel) was mind-controlled and raped by an extra-dimensional being so he could be reborn in a body compatible with Earth, then after fast-growing to adulthood, his presence caused a bunch of time disruptions.  When Carol then agreed to go with this being, the Avengers made no effort to prevent this.

When Chris Claremont wrote Rogue into Avengers Annual 10 and showed Rogue rocking Carol’s powers, the question that came to be asked was why Carol hadn’t sought out the Avengers upon returning to Earth, and the answer was made clear.  The team hadn’t shown any real concern for Carol during her strange accelerated pregnancy, and then let her go off with a blatantly mind-controlling rapist from another dimension.  As such, telling the story of Carol clashing with Rogue and the Brotherhood should never be an exact re-telling.  Claremont’s story in Avengers Annual 10 was as much about correcting what the writer of the main comics at that time had written, and with film adaptations, you’re better off just taking a different path entirely.

In this case, we’re showing Carol working as an investigative journalist for a Daily Bugle-owned women’s magazine, who uses the Ms Marvel identity to tackle crime where needed.  This is based on her original run in the comics, so we have Jameson borrowed from the Spider-Man films while using the magazine staff from the comics for supporting roles.  As for the villains, roles from past films like Mystique and Pyro are combined with newly cast actors to give us our second MCU Brotherhood.  The film draws in a mix of acting talent, with Melissa Joan Hart reprising the role of Carol Danvers, and Trek alumni Gates McFadden directing the film.  McFadden has played the mutant Plague/Pestilence for three X-films before this and has some directing experience, making her a good choice for this project.

Elektra (2009) Directed by Roxann Dawson

Elektra Natchios = Leonor Varela

Stick = Scott Glenn

Stone = Sigourney Weaver

Kirigi = Daniel Henney

Frank Simpson/Nuke = John Cena

Matsu'o Tsurayaba = Hiroyuki Sanada

Kwannon = Kelly Hu

Turk Barrett = Gary Dourdan

The story of Elektra following her death in Daredevil is one Fox didn’t quite get right, in large part because they tried to incorporate plot elements and tropes that didn’t tonally fit with the character.  Having used two Daredevil films to set her up before giving the character a one-shot solo film, I think the best thing is taking those bits out.  Instead, we get the Hand going after the Chaste with Elektra in the middle, and when Elektra proves more than they can handle, they bring in the pill-popping assassin known as Nuke.  It’s a straight-up martial arts action film initially, but then becomes a more Punisher-like action film when Nuke comes on the scene.

Trek alumni Roxann Dawson takes the helm because she’s one of the few women I know of that would be directing anything back around this time.  Considering that films with female leads are often better handled by female directors, it makes sense to try and make this the case wherever possible.  The cast is either retained from past films of picked to be more comic-accurate.  Case-in-point, picking American actor Scott Glenn to play Stick rather than English actor Terrence Stamp.

Black Panther 2 (2009) Directed by Tim Burton

T'Challa/Black Panther = Chadwick Boseman

Shuri = Tatyana Ali

Ramonda = Alfre Woodard

T'Chaka = Courtney B. Vance

W'Kabi = Chiwetel Ejiofor

Okoye = Nia Long

Zuri = Joseph Marcell

M'Baku = Idris Elba

Nakia = Lupita Nyong'o

Monica Lynne = Kerry Washington

Baron Macabre = Sterling K Brown

Jerome Beechman/Mandrill = Joaquin Phoenix

Nekra Sinclair = Toks Olagundoye

Kevin Plundarr/Ka-Zar = Chris Hemsworth

Shanna O'Hara = Scarlett Johansson

Zaladane = Jolene Blalock

Everett Ross = Martin Freeman

In Black Panther 2, T’Challa becomes allied with Ka-Zar of the Savage Land when it turns out his hidden jungle in Antarctica houses a cache of Vibranium to rival Wakanda’s.  Most would-be Vibranium hunters baulk at trying to gain the Antarctic variety due to the dinosaurs, but soon both nations are threatened when the woman-controlling mutant Mandrill, his adoptive sister Nekra, the Savage Land priestess Zaladane and Wakandan criminal Baron Macabre team up.  Due to the inclusion of some of these villains, I opted to switch from Tim Story to Tim Burton from a directing stand-point.  This film also features a change of role for a couple of real-world MCU alumni.

Defenders 2 (2009) Directed by Stephen Sommers

Dr Stephen Strange = Johnny Depp

Namor McKenzie/The Submariner = Christian Bale

Bruce Banner/Hulk = John Cusack

Silver Surfer = David Wenham

Valkyrie = Diane Kruger

Kyle Richmond/Nighthawk = Josh Duhamel

Patsy Walker/Hellcat = Mena Suvari

Wong = Will Yun Lee

Clea = Keira Knightley

Jericho Drumm/Brother Voodoo = Doug E. Doug

Dr Anthony Druid = Mark Strong

Daimon Hellstrom = James Van Der Beek

Dr Tania Belinsky (Belinskaya)/Red Guardian = Beatrice Rosen

Dr Arthur Nagan = Julian McMahon

Dr Jerold "Jerry" Morgan = Stellan Skarsgård

Ruby Thursday = Alyssa Milano

Harvey Schlemerman/Chondu the Mystic = Stanley Tucci

Shuma-Gorath = Geoffrey Rush

The Defenders, Marvel’s superhero non-team, return for a second instalment at this point, and I’ve picked Stephen Sommers as director based on him directing a live-action GI Joe film around the same time.  In this film, the few routinely active Defenders learn via immigrant Russian doctor and superhero Red Guardian that a team of scientists called the Headmen have stolen the Reality Stone from AIM in an effort to seize world power for themselves.  Allying with Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Defenders seek to stop the Headmen while Clea joins with Brother Voodoo, Dr Druid and Daimon Hellstrom to try and bring back Doctor Strange from the extra-dimensional limbo he sacrificed himself to in Doctor Strange 3.  At the same time, the Silver Surfer seeks the Hulk.  The whole team then comes together when the Headmen open a portal for Shuma-Gorath, in the process transforming into their strange comic-style appearances.

Everyone from Dr Druid on down in the cast list is new.  As for why we’re skipping over the original male Red Guardian and focusing on the second female iteration for this MCU, there’s two reasons.  First, the second female iteration served as a Defender in the original comics, and second, these MCU rambles are focused on the main film continuity, which in this version of the MCU is strictly cinematic.  TV shows, while allowed as tie-ins, are optional content, and while I’d happily allow a TV show to dive in on Black Widow and some other characters, I think a film was and is a bit much for a character with so little solo comics content.

X-Men: Proteus (2010) Directed by LeVar Burton

Storm/Ororo Monroe = Halle Berry

Polaris/Lorna Dane = Jeri Ryan

Wolverine/Logan = Tom Cruise

Peter Rasputin/Colossus = Henry Cavill

Remi LeBeau/Gambit = Zachary Levi

Cyclops/Scott Summers = Patrick Swayze

Jean Grey = Milla Jovovich

Warren Worthington III/Archangel = Neil Patrick Harris

Beast/Hank McCoy = Alec Baldwin

Robert Drake/Iceman = Michael Weatherley

Banshee/Sean Cassidy = Liam Neeson

Dr Moira Mactaggert = Olivia Williams

Mystique/Raven Darkholme = Connie Nielsen

Rogue = Anna Paquin

Avalanche = Alessandro Gassmann

Fred J Dukes/Blob = Vince Vaughan

Pyro = Hugh Jackman

Irene Adler/Destiny = Sally Field

Professor Charles Xavier = Patrick Stewart

Kevin Mactaggert/Proteus = Iain De Caestecker

Joseph Mactaggert = John Hannah

Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane = Bonnie Wright

Danielle Moonstar = Selena Gomez

Jubilee = Chloe Bennett

Everett Thomas/Synch = Christopher Massey

Douglas Ramsey/Cypher = Devon Bostick

With the third X-Men film Fall of the Mutants having split the X-Men up, and a combination of the Secret Wars duology, Excalibur and X-Factor films following events for the divided team, this fourth X-Men film is intended to reunite some of the scattered team into a new whole.  It also gives Rogue her defection from the Brotherhood following the events of Ms Marvel.  In this film, Moira Mactaggert’s son Proteus emerges as a dangerous mutant and begins a rampage across to Scotland.  With Excalibur unavailable, X-Factor is summoned while the X-Men pursue Mystique’s Brotherhood to Scotland.  The two teams meet up and reunite when they find Professor X is also with Moira, having been recuperating on Muir Island since being released from a SHIELD hospital (this is set-up over end-credit scenes for Fall of the Mutants and X-Factor).

Direction-wise, the X-Men have been handled initially by Jonathan Demme and then Jonathan Frakes in films bearing their team’s name, while Excalibur was helmed by Christopher Nolan and X-Factor by LeVar Burton.  For this film, I’ve put Burton back in the director’s chair.  Casting-wise, I imagine same fans will be perplexed by my choice of Chloe Bennett for Jubilee.  This is because Bennett is of a mixed ancestry that includes having a Chinese mother, and while the ideal is always to try for exact representation from the comics, there aren’t many actresses active in Hollywood around the time of this film with even one parent of Chinese descent, let alone two.

As such, the question becomes which do you compromise; Jubilee’s racial background or her nationality?  My choice, compromise slightly on racial background and bring in some plot threads relating to prejudice against people of mixed race.  Quite honestly, characters of mixed race are among those groups under-represented in film and TV, so if I have to compromise, let me at least try and do so in a positive way.

Spider-Man 6 (2010) Directed by Matthew Vaughan

Peter Parker/Spider-Man = Wil Weaton

May Parker = Marg Helgenberger

J. Jonah Jameson = J.K. Simmons

Joseph "Robbie" Robertson = Denzel Washington

Betty Brant = Parker Posey

Ned Leeds = John Barrowman

Eddie Brock/Venom = Wentworth Miller

Randy Robertson = Taye Diggs

Mary-Jane Watson-Parker = Alison Hannigan

Flash Thompson = Ben Affleck

Felicia Hardy/The Black Cat = Elisha Cuthbert

Sha Shan Nguyen = Grace Park

Captain Jean DeWolff = Jessica Biel

Anne Weying = Michelle Williams

Principal Harrington = Viggo Mortensen

Lance Bannon = Hayden Christensen

Gloria "Glory" Grant = Candice Patton

In the sixth of our Spider-Man films, and the last to both start and end with Peter Parker wearing the webs, we showcase Peter and MJ preparing for their upcoming wedding, but the pair are stalked by Eddie Brock, who has now joined with the Venom symbiote and seeks to make Peter’s life hell.  He attempts to manipulate the Black Cat into being his co-conspirator as well, preying on her jealousy after the symbiote-free Spider-Man resists her seduction.  The story ultimately culminates in Venom trying to force Peter into a no-win situation where he has to choose who to save; Mary-Jane or Felicia.  Matthew Vaughan returns to direct, and we get a few extra supporting cast members in lieu of the various villains of Spider-Man 5.

Ant-Man 2 (2010) Directed by Peyton Reed

Hank Pym/Ant-Man = Michael Douglas

Scott Lang/Ant-Man II = Paul Rudd

Maggie Lang = Judy Greer

Cassie Lang = Joey King

William Cross/Crossfire = Ethan Hawke

Taskmaster = Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Alex Gentry/Porcupine = Nick Offerman

Janice Lincoln/Beetle = Naya Rivera

Having left Ant-Man alone in terms of solo films since phase 1, phase 2 marks a return for Hank Pym, who by this point has been out of action since a mental break-down forced him to retire.  Now of sound mind again, he tries to deal with tech thief Crossfire, who steals the prototype for a new, more aggressive variant of the Ant-Man suit, the Yellowjacket.  However, Hank’s old suit is not safe to use as it clashes with his neuro-chemistry, risking more mental break-down.  Even worse, it’s been stolen.  In tracking down the Ant-Man suit, Hank encounters desperate divorced father Scott Lang, who stole the suit to get money to cover his daughter’s medical treatment.

With this film, the aim is to pass the mantle of Ant-Man to Scott Lang in a more comics-accurate manner, while at the same time preserving certain casting that the MCU got right, hence why Pym, Scott and Maggie are all retained from the real MCU.  In terms of Cassie, I switched to Joey King as she’s had a remarkably steady record of employment for a non-Disney child actress, and I think she’s a great choice to take up this role for the remainder of this hypothetical MCU.  Direction-wise, I figured it best to stick with the choices of the real MCU and go for Peyton Reed, having had to go with Sam Raimi on the 90’s-made first Ant-Man of this MCU.

Silver Surfer 2 (2011) Directed by JJ Abrams

Silver Surfer = David Wenham

Thanos = Josh Brolin

Mentor = Michael McKean

Eros/Starfox = Joel McHale

Gamora = Zoe Saldana

Drax the Destroyer = Dean Cain

Adam Warlock = Chris Pine

Pip the Troll = Peter Dinklage

Nebula = Emma Stone

Mar-Vell/Captain Marvel = Jude Law

Following the events of Defenders 2, the Silver Surfer finds himself drawn into yet more Infinity Stone adventures when Kree hero Captain Marvel and the android Drax the Destroyer come to Earth with Adam Warlock, keeper of the Soul Gem.  Hot on their heels are Thanos and Nebula, each of whom has begun to seek the Infinity Stones.  Worse still, Mar-Vell is dying of cancer.  The film is meant to advance the Infinity Stones plot while also adapting the death of Mar-Vell from the comics, not to mention setting up for the Guardians of the Galaxy to appear in the next phase.

For direction, I’ve picked JJ Abrams based on his Star Trek and Star Wars work making him a decent choice for a space-based hero like the Silver Surfer.  In terms of casting, we have a few reprises from past films in this 90’s MCU and from the real MCU.  However, some shifts have also occurred, most notably with Drax due to wanting to use his original comics origins over the revised MCU/later comics version.  The would-be autistic representation of Bautista and Gunn’s Drax quickly become so much farce, so as an autistic person, I’d just as soon avoid that and go down the android route, thanks very much.

Avengers vs X-Men (2011) Directed by Jonathan Frakes

Cyclops/Scott Summers = Patrick Swayze

Jean Grey = Milla Jovovich

Storm/Ororo Monroe = Halle Berry

Wolverine/Logan = Tom Cruise

Peter Rasputin/Colossus = Henry Cavill

Remi LeBeau/Gambit = Zachary Levi

Warren Worthington III/Archangel = Neil Patrick Harris

Rogue = Anna Paquin

Steve Rogers/Captain America = Brad Pitt

Thor = Dolph Lundgren

Janet Van Dyne/Wasp = Catherine Zeta Jones

Iron Man/Tony Stark = Tom Selleck

Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk = Lucy Lawless

T'Challa/Black Panther = Chadwick Boseman

Sam Wilson/Falcon = Will Smith

Peter Parker/Spider-Man = Wil Weaton

Professor Charles Xavier = Patrick Stewart

Carol Danvers = Melissa Joan Hart

Mystique/Raven Darkholme = Connie Nielsen

Avalanche = Alessandro Gassmann

Fred J Dukes/Blob = Vince Vaughan

Pyro = Hugh Jackman

Irene Adler/Destiny = Sally Field

Frank Bohannan/Crimson Commando = Harrison Ford

Louis Hamilton/Stonewall = James Brolin

Martin Fletcher/Super-Sabre = Peter Fonda

Dr Valerie Cooper = Malin Åkerman

Sebastian Gilbreti/Bastion = Bruce Greenwood

Congressman Rev. William Stryker = Eric Roberts

Forge = Jimmy Smits

There have been two occasions in Marvel comics where the X-Men and Avengers have been drawn into direct conflict, at least using multiple issues of a comic and to my knowledge.  The first is the 1980’s mini-series X-Men versus Avengers, where the Avengers attempted to arrest Magneto to resume his trial before the world court, while the Soviet Super-Soldiers sought to arrest Magneto for his actions in X-Men #150.  As Magneto was part of the X-Men at the time, this naturally put all three teams at odds with each other.  The second occasion was the AvX storyline in which Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus and Magik became possessed by the Phoenix Force, something the Avengers tried to prevent and later combat.

While this film draws on the basic concept of both series, that something sets the Avengers and the X-Men at odds with each other, it’s not about arresting Magneto or issues with the Phoenix force.  Instead, the issue is Rogue; her status as a mutant terrorist is used to convince the Avengers to apprehend the X-Men.  This is bad timing, as the X-Men are working with Rogue to help restore the mind of Carol Danvers.  The masterminds of the plot are rabid anti-mutant politician William Stryker and government advisor Sebastian, who in reality is a new form of sentinel in disguise.  Luckily, government advisor and secret mutant Forge is suspicious of Bastion and convinces NSA director Dr Valerie Cooper to set up a contingency plan.

As a result, the film builds to a climax where, after the intervention of Spider-Man ends a major fight between the two teams, Bastion unleashes his prime sentinels.  Enter Mystique’s expanded Brotherhood in their guise as community service government heroes Freedom Force, and the stage is set for a truly epic battle.  Direction-wise, I opted for Jonathan Frakes to helm this entry, and while many actors are reprising roles from past films, everyone from Crimson Commando on down is new to the MCU as of this film.

Ghost Rider 3 (2011) Directed by Mark Steven Johnson

Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider = Connor Trinneer

Roxanne Simpson = Jessica Alba

Eric Brooks/Blade = Jamie Foxx

Rachel Van Helsing = Cote De Pablo

Daimon Hellstrom = James Van Der Beek

Vlad Tepish/Dracula = Mads Mikkelsen

Lilith = Felicity Jones

Mephistopheles = Jeffery Combs

Phase 5 of our 90’s MCU closes out by bringing Johnny Blaze’s time as Ghost Rider to its conclusion, in a story where Johnny teams up with Blade, Rachel Van Helsing and Daimon Hellstrom against Dracula and his daughter Lilith, who are secretly in league with Mephistopheles.  The film is partly an original plot and partly an adaptation of the end of the original Ghost Rider run of comics, though it’s far from being the last Ghost Rider film of this MCU.  Just as the comics would have others take up the Ghost Rider curse after Blaze, so too will this MCU move onto those later riders in turn.  Having used Tim Burton on the first two Ghost Rider films in this MCU, I’ve picked Mark Steven Johnson who handled the 2007 Nicholas Cage Ghost Rider film to take on this third instalment of 90’s MCU Ghost Rider.

This wraps up our look into phase 5 of this 90’s-based MCU; next month, we’ll cover phase 5 of our alternate DC movie universe.  Until then, ta-ta for now.

[adultswim2021]

Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! #26: “Jim and Derrick” | September 1, 2008 - 12:30AM | S03E06

One of the all-time greatest. It’s somewhat of an in-joke; in that a literal first-time viewer might not pick up exactly on what’s going on (you’d hope the more observant would at least be able to infer it’s satiric nature). This episode of Awesome Show presents, without fanfare or even any preamble, an alternate-universe version of Tim and Eric named Jim and Derrick. Jim and Derrick are basically the versions of Tim & Eric whose post-internet career paths had them so desperate to get on television that they became willing to bend to every network note ever given to them. It's as if Tim & Eric’s artistic vision was easily compromised by MTV money.

What we get is a frenetic nightmare of rapid-cutting, sweaty, shallow signifiers of easily digestible coolness, fad-chasing, and lowest-common denominator humor that sells itself with attitude rather than anything inspired. Jim Heckler and Derek Whipple host the show from an MTV-style faux-industrial studio with a DJ and a corporate sponsor in Turbo Fuel. Turbo Fuel is an energy drink that is immediately shown to have negative effects even in the cold open spot (a man vomits with ‘tude towards the camera, and we see blood trickling out of his nose post-chug).

Jim & Derrick are coarse and lazy; so much so that they come off as heroin addicts or something like that. They speak in all manner of embarrassing/trendy vernacular. It screams early 2000s in a way that their show usually doesn’t. They do segments about buying bongs (with Tim’s quotable line “plus, I like frogs”), skateboarding, tattoos, and they frequently cut away to other things that have little to do with scripted sketch comedy.

The only thing that actually qualifies as an in-universe bonafide comedy sketch in the whole thing is cheap and dashed-off, and co-stars a guy who just screams “dude on the writing staff”.* The “sketch”, ends with Jim saying “that’s wack”, then a back-patty musical interlude with a bunch of comedy-related buzz-words rolls out (including Tim & Eric’s favorite: “RANDOM”). They both declare “You’ve been sketched!” into the camera. The entire sketch is encased in a metal border. It gives the impression that the Jim & Derrick Show was at one time way more focused on scripted comedy, but then that aspect shrunk so much that sketches became once per episode, and they eventually started shrinking the screen to diminish the sketches even further. It's a physical manifestation of the comedy being "contained."

*”dude on the writing staff”: It’s LA comedy stalwart Joe Wagner, who did indeed hold similar jobs on a lot of shows, some good, even! I remember he posted on a message board I was on and he hosted a podcast that I remembered being good, even though I don’t remember the name of it. 

Other touches include an announcer who is the same guy from the then-current Carl’s Jr. ads, which were very bro-ey and usually featured Playboy models eating large drippy hamburgers. There’s also transitions that look like they came directly from VH1’s I Love the 90s, featuring internetty imagery like folder icons and whatnot. There’s also frenetic cutaways to a “creepy” old man who makes googly faces at the camera with fake old-timey film effects covering it, to telegraph nasty jokes like when Derrick says he wishes Elisha Cuthbert was his daughter in a gross, suggestive way. 

She’s in this, by the way. Jim and Derrick interview her and it does not go particularly well, with Jim and Derrick rudely cutting her off when she’s about to actually get to say anything of substance. She rolls her eyes and says “great” seeming genuinely annoyed. This is an incredible bit of acting, because a significant number of people believed that her annoyance was genuine, and that the wool was pulled over her eyes. I vaguely recall (but unfortunately don’t have) a video commentary for this episode that aired on Adult Swim’s website. They assured the audience that she was in on the joke, and indeed, if you seek out the blooper reel for this season you’ll see the first time Tim cuts her off in the same manner, she bursts out laughing. 

Speaking of guest stars, John Mayer is in this episode during the fake commercial. I remember Tim & Eric discussing this almost as if they put him in here via process of elimination. Mayer wanted to be on the show and they had a little trouble finding a place for him. He also filmed a “you’re watching Jim and Derrick” bumper that didn’t wind up getting used. 

The commercial is for a GF Spooner, which is basically like a baby bjorn that you strap your girlfriend into. It comes with fake arms that she can cuddle with, keeping your arms free. It’s purpose is to wear at concerts so you can double-fist Turbo Fuels, and hold hands with your male friends. The woman in the commercial was vaguely familiar to me: She plays one of Howard’s girlfriends in the criminally underrated program Austin Stories. I remember Tim trying to make Doug Lussenhop squirm during the video commentary, suggesting that he tried and failed to hit on her during production. When Doug doesn’t take the bait, an exasperated Tim suggests that he’s just looking for ANYTHING to talk about that’s even a little bit interesting. AGAIN: I wish I had it!

Another segment of note is Bradley Needlehead, in the Viral Clip of the week. This is an alternate version of David Liebe-Hart, singing a song about being a crazy guy that believes in aliens. It seems to satirize the lack of respect an MTV-style network would have for a guy like DLH. Though Tim & Eric’s “respect” for DLH is a little questionable, I do agree that they are kinder to him than most would be. In that video commentary, they said DLH directed that segment himself, dashing any expectations of him being blindsided by it. To be a fly on the wall during that session. There’s no footage of this shoot on the DVD. 

Holly Brown makes another appearance on the show; her bit is sorta slight, and I’d wager that it was a gift they were giving her so she could put it on a reel to try and get on-camera announcer work. Her presence fits with the whole vibe; many of these shows will have hot women as correspondents or hosts. The main comedic takeaway from this one is the concept of Tordos Flavor Dust, which has little to do with the actual scene.

The show ends with Jim & Derrick doing a Turbo Boost chug contest, where a hot, but uh, artificial-looking woman, smiles and sprays a keg tap of Turbo Boost into both Jim & Derrick’s mouths. We eventually see blood coming out of their eyes and ears, and they succumb to the toxic beverage and collapse dead on the floor. The woman never stops smiling and spraying Turbo Boost. DJ Drez doesn't stop the beats, either. Then we get a slideshow of fake production logos, including, most memorably, Gregg Turkington saying “Egg Zackly” as a parody of their own “Abso-Lutely” 

This one’s not just in the pantheon of great episodes, but it also joins the ranks of episodes that I’ve watched over-and-over again, so much so that they sorta lost most of their power, so I have to go off memories of how good it was. I recall telling somebody that I laughed so hard at this episode that it caused me to punch stuff that I own while watching it. It’s only with that kind of hindsight that I can recognize that some of the sketches are a little more potent in their satire than others. But the whole thing works incredibly well, and even the weakest bits have inspired jokes and ideas.

A welcome respite from an otherwise lackluster season. Say what you want about season three, but one will forever be able to point to this episode and say "at least that season had Jim and Derrick".

EPHEMERA CORNER:

Jim and Derrick at Spring Break

I forget exactly when and why these were produced, but Tim & Eric did additional Jim & Derrick "spring break" sketches. It would make more sense for them to have been produced for Spring Break 2009, but I'm putting them here for relevance. I don't think they repeated Jim & Derrick on Awesome Show itself.

[curtiscroachblog]

Know the season you're in

Word for Today written by Bob and Debby Gass

Saturday 12th July 2025

'Everything...has its own time and its own season.' Ecclesiastes 3:1 CEV

God's purposes for your life are connected to specific times and seasons. In other words, they have a beginning and an end. Some of God's purposes can be fulfilled in a short time, while others take a lifetime. You won't always be able to do what you're doing today, or at least to the extent you're doing it now. The Bible teaches, 'As your days, so shall your strength be' (Deuteronomy 33:25 NKJV). That's why some of the world's best sports players transition into coaching.

Here's an interesting thought: Elijah passed his mantle of power to Elisha, but nowhere do we read that Elisha passed it on to anyone else. But when Paul passed his mantle on to Timothy, it didn't end there. Paul told him, 'The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also' (2 Timothy 2:2 NKJV). Instead of lamenting that he had run out of time, Paul rejoiced in knowing that God had helped him to fulfil his assignment. 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown' (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV).

Three important observations: (1) You must understand and maximise the season you're in right now. (2) When one season ends, you must transition graciously into the next. (3) You must learn to enjoy whatever season you're in. God only gives you grace for the season you're in. And when a season ends and it's time to transition, the grace lifts. So, pay attention and know when to move on!

[igate777]

(via ELISHA'S LEADERSHIP TRANSITION IS A TYPOLOGY OF THE PRESENT THIRD-DAY CHURCH. PT 8.)

[pastorhogg]

Fire, Faith, and New Beginnings

Lessons from Elijah and Elisha Thru the Bible in a Year The opening chapters of 2 Kings (1–3) usher us into a powerful transition season for God’s people. We move from the final acts of Elijah’s fiery ministry to the beginning of Elisha’s journey as his prophetic successor. Along the way, we encounter rebellion, miracles, divine judgment, and reminders that God’s plans continue even when His…

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2025

97/?: The Man Who Broke 1000 Chains (1987) - watched 5/3/25

This is the “true story” of the man who wrote the book that became the (great) 1932 film I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang. This essentially functions as a remake, because the earlier film stays pretty true to Burns’ story. This movie has the gift of hindsight, as it knows what ultimately happens to Burns and to chain gangs in general. It doesn’t quite rise above its TV movie trappings, although there are some nice shots and transitions. The cast is great — Val Kilmer is a good anchor for the film, and the supporting cast is full of interesting actors either at the beginning or end of their careers. (This is the final film of all-time great character actor Elisha Cook, playing weird little guys to the end.) This isn’t a stone-cold classic like the 1932 film, but it deserves more attention.

THE MAN WHO BROKE 1,000 CHAINS Robert Elliot Burns | 1987

[princeofgod-2021]

LIGHT OF LIFE 634

John 1:4

DIVINE ORDER 199: WORKING ORDER 94

2Ti 4:6-7 For i am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, i have finished my course, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. KJV

MAN MUST WORK 45: FINISHING WELL 16

Finally, Keeping the Faith implies that as you round off with your own part of the assignment, you leave the Project or Work in such a sound state that the next man has smooth start and very comprehensible assessment of the position of things.

The Transition from your Time to the next man’s time must be seamless and without controversies.

1Ch 29:1-2 David told the crowd: God chose my son Solomon to build the temple, but Solomon is young and has no experience. This is not just any building—this is the temple for the LORD God! That's why I have done my best to get everything Solomon will need to build it—gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, onyx, turquoise, colored gems, all kinds of precious stones, and marble. CEV

Solomon had no experience but his father David furnished him with enough to breed confidence and boldness in carrying out the Project. This is essential for us to peruse because sometimes, your time may be up and your may have finished your own part but the Project is still in development stage and supposed to be set up for the next man.

David even laid out the Plan for the Temple building for Solomon (I Chron 28:11-18). can you imagine how David got the Plan, which took Moses 40 days of fasting to receive?

1Ch 28:19 David said, "ALL THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR ME BY THE LORD'S HAND. HE MADE ALL THE DETAILS OF THE PLAN CLEAR TO ME." GW

That is the most thorough finishing I have ever seen: a Man knows he won’t be the one to build a structure, but he takes the pain and passion to wait on God and collect the blueprints for smooth handover to his successor.

Do you see the sharp contrast here with Elijah trying to leave Elisha empty-handed, in limbo and secretly?

2Ki 2:1-2 It was near the time for the LORD to take Elijah by a whirlwind up into heaven. Elijah and Elisha started to leave Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, because the LORD told me to go to Bethel." But Elisha said, "I promise, as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So the two men went down to Bethel. ERV

We are not treating HANDOVER again really but we must see together how the PROJECT and God’s Purpose is Central and hence, its Integrity must be intact. Keeping the Faith sees us upholding the soundness of the central Intent of God, throughout all Generations.

Why do we think God MAGNIFIES His Word above His Name?

Psa 138:2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth's sake; for YOU HAVE MAGNIFIED YOUR WORD ABOVE ALL YOUR NAME. MKJV

The WORD brought CREATION, which is for a Purpose, and all its fulfillment yet declared by the Word. So it’s God’s Integrity to ensure that the Word He’s spoken is totally fulfilled.

Isa 55:11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. ESV

So, to Keep The Faith means to ensure that the Projections of God are handed down through Generations, unblemished in Standard and preserved in its full Potential by the supply of all required implements.

For instance, your father did all to unite your extended family in hope of bringing them under God’s umbrella. Did you continue that vision; did you ever try to reach out to them with the message of Life or you just said: “only my father had time for such thing; I don’t”?

What will you do for your own children before you go?

Deu 11:18-19 Memorize these laws and think about them. Write down copies and tie them to your wrists and your foreheads to help you obey them. Teach them to your children. Talk about them all the time—whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning. CEV

Sadly, it’s the vomit of many fathers that Children meet and have to clean up. We have Drunkard, womanizing, polygamous, violently abusive and Idolatrous father, who leave only generational curses for us, because they either never met God or betrayed Him.

1Ki 15:12-13 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols his ancestors had made. He also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen mother because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her loathsome pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. NET

May our Children never have cause to be ashamed of our deeds, IN JESUS NAME.

See you on Monday, as we proceed with this interesting Subtopic.

Brother Prince

Friday, February 28, 2025

+234-8055125517; +234-8023904307

[theelevatorconsultants]

Elevators Before Electricity: How They Worked in the 1800s

When we think of elevators today, we imagine sleek, high-speed machines gliding effortlessly between floors at the push of a button. But before the invention of electricity, elevators relied on entirely different mechanisms. The 1800s were a period of rapid industrial advancement, and early elevators played a crucial role in shaping modern cities and industry. So, how exactly did elevators work before the age of electricity?

Early Elevators: Powered by Steam and Hydraulics

Before electricity, most elevators in the 19th century were powered by steam or hydraulic systems. These early designs were primarily used for industrial purposes, such as lifting heavy materials in factories, warehouses, and mines. However, as urbanization progressed, elevators became essential for moving people as well.

Steam-Powered Elevators

Steam power was one of the first major advancements in elevator technology. These elevators operated using steam engines that drove a system of belts, gears, or pistons. The steam created pressure that moved a piston or wound a cable, lifting and lowering the elevator car. While effective, steam-powered elevators were often slow, bulky, and required a dedicated boiler, making them impractical for small buildings.

Hydraulic Elevators: A Game-Changer

As technology advanced, hydraulic systems emerged as a more practical alternative. Introduced in the mid-19th century, hydraulic elevators used pressurized water or oil to power a piston inside a vertical cylinder. When water or oil was forced into the cylinder, the piston pushed the elevator car upwards. To descend, the pressure was released, and the car would lower smoothly. The major drawback of early hydraulic elevators was that they required large underground cylinders as deep as the elevator shaft itself, making them expensive and impractical for taller buildings.

Elisha Otis and the Birth of the Safety Elevator

One of the biggest concerns with early elevators was safety. Without proper braking mechanisms, a snapped cable or mechanical failure could lead to disastrous falls. In 1852, American inventor Elisha Otis revolutionized the industry by developing the first safety elevator. His design included a fail-safe braking system that automatically engaged if the lifting cable snapped, preventing the car from plummeting.

To prove its reliability, Otis famously demonstrated his invention at the 1854 New York World's Fair by standing on a platform and cutting the lift cable himself—only to remain safely suspended in mid-air. This innovation paved the way for the widespread adoption of passenger elevators.

Early Passenger Elevators: A Luxury for the Wealthy

With Otis’ safety system in place, buildings began incorporating elevators to transport people, not just goods. The first passenger elevator was installed in 1857 at the Haughwout Building in New York City. This steam-powered elevator made it possible to construct taller buildings, changing the landscape of cities forever. However, passenger elevators were still considered a luxury, found mainly in upscale hotels, department stores, and the homes of the wealthy.

The Shift Toward Electric Elevators

By the late 1800s, electrical power was beginning to replace steam and hydraulic systems. The first successful electric elevator, developed by Werner von Siemens in 1880, marked the transition to the modern era of elevator technology. Electric elevators were safer, faster, and more efficient, making them the standard in urban architecture by the early 20th century.

Conclusion

Before electricity, elevators depended on steam and hydraulic power, requiring complex mechanical systems and large infrastructure. While early elevators were slow and costly, they laid the foundation for the high-speed, energy-efficient elevators we use today. Thanks to innovators like Elisha Otis, the safety and practicality of elevators improved dramatically, enabling the rise of skyscrapers and the modern cityscape.