#Jay Imperial Walker

[bawuoooooom]

hear me out guys…

[hezzabeth]

"I believe in everything," Jay replied firmly.

"Do you believe in everything? Do you even believe that the tundras of Mars are haunted by Vetala possessing the bodies of early Mars pioneers?" Sugafana asked.

"Well, I've never been there, but it's a big universe. Anything is possible," Jay replied as they reached the top of the hill, revealing the city.

MangalRajyapura, the capital city of Mangalrajya, glowed before them. Spiraling towers in the shape of human hands, created using Martian jasper and solid gold, waved towards the sky. Tiny machine-like droids buzzed around the fingertips like drunken butterflies. And below it all lay the paper-card slum towns for the humans who remained.

"I haven't been back since the purge," Jay remarked, and Sugafana briefly glanced at him.

"I thought you grew up in a village?" Sugafana asked.

"I did, a cloud village," Jay remarked, gesturing upwards at the sky.

"Oh," Sugafana replied flatly.

During the second year of the war, the cloud villages unified to block off the sun, cutting off appliances from solar-powered batteries. A legion of dehumidifiers attacked, sucking up all the clouds' vapor. Thousands perished as they rained from the sky. It was known as the Day of Red Rain. The cloud villages were destroyed by a militia of smart dehumidifiers that sucked up the clouds within seconds.

"Is that why you make me do all the ice deliveries?" Sugafana asked as Jay began to run his hand over the baby's head.

"It's hard to appreciate the imperial gardens when you once saw the trees covered in blood," Jay replied.

"Most of the imperial gardens have been converted into kinetic movement pads. The government insisted when it started to look like the volcanic winter would last another decade," Sugafana explained to Jay.

"Do you ever wonder what the world would be like if Mount Olympus had never erupted?" Jay suddenly asked.

"Yes, most likely the sun never would have been blocked, and there would have been enough sunlight for all the plants and power batteries. It would have been a lovely fairytale where nobody is forced to spend hours walking to generate electricity for homicidal hairdryers," Sugafana said.

"Wow, you really did think it through," Jay remarked.

"I taught speculative interdimensional history. There's probably at least a thousand universes where none of this ever happened," Sugafana said as they slowed down, approaching a checkpoint just in front of the city gates.

"That would be depressing. I would miss talking to you every day," Jay replied.

"You wouldn't even know me, you wouldn't miss me at all," Sugafana pointed out as they pulled to a stop.

It was Tuesday, and on Tuesdays, Sugafana always made sure to approach turnstile number four.

"Afternoon, Radiantguard," Sugafana said to a white hard-shell mask glowing a faint red color.

"Good afternoon, human Sugafana! Are you here to make ice deliveries?" Radiantguard chirped, floating towards the pod's windows.

"As far as Sugafana could tell, Radiantguard had been built as an artificially intelligent UV light face cleaning mask. 'Not today; this is my baby, I need to bring her in for a check-up and to get kinetic pads installed in her feet,' Sugafana lied, gesturing towards Jay.

"And is this your family unit partner?" Radiantguard chirped.

"Yes," Sugafana lied swiftly.

"Anything to declare for customs?"

"Nope," Sugafana said, this time telling the truth.

"Very good! Please turn on your kinetic feet implants and enjoy the city," Radiantguard giggled before floating off.

"That was surprisingly easy! I heard the appliances vaporized refugee humans at checkpoints," Jay whispered to Sugafana as they drove through the tunnel heading into the outskirts of the city.

"Oh, they do! But they're so desperate for walkers they'll let anyone in that looks mostly harmless," Sugafana explained as the tunnel vanished, and the vehicle suddenly stopped with a faint groaning sound.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Jay asked.

"Yep, the appliances want everyone to walk everywhere! It's why they burn down the teleportation hub whenever they catch humans using it," Sugafana explained as she opened the pod's door and climbed out.

"Luckdown trash and treasure markets," Jay said, reading a filthy sign hanging from a half-bent streetlight. The road before them was a depressing smidge of crowded cracked grey concrete, surrounded by black, partially destroyed buildings. Next to the rubble, people worked at makeshift market stands, selling small containers of creation sand, bits of old junk, and piles of rags. Around them, shoppers moved in a bustling, drab pattern, talking amongst themselves. No one was standing still; people eating snacks purchased from a vendor were walking around in circles. The ladies gossiping next to an empty fountain were also shuffling their feet in a funny dance. Even the vendors shifted from side to side, their feet pounding on the pavement.

Sugafana walked to the back of the pod, and with a hiss, it opened, revealing four bags of snow cubes.

"I thought we weren't making deliveries," Jay asked, balancing the baby against his chest.

"This is strictly bribery ice. Now let's get walking! We're heading to the end of the market," Sugafana informed Jay as she picked up a bag of snow cubes and slung it over their shoulder.

There was a sudden whistling sound.

"Move your feet," Sugafana hissed at Jay as a flying electric toothbrush suddenly appeared from behind one of the market stalls. One of the vendors had stopped shuffling for a moment, an older man trying to sell bruised kiwi fruit.

"Third movement violation," the toothbrush chimed.

There was no time for protests, no screaming, no shouting. There was a blinding flash, and the vendor was gone.

"Haree Ram!" Jay shrieked.

"I said keep walking," Sugafana merely replied, pushing him forward.

No one protested, no one whispered. It was as if the vendor had never existed at all.

By the time they reached the end of the tiny grim alley, stepping out into a blinding clean plaza, appliances were zooming about a massive fountain in the shape of a hairdresser. The air was filled with the chirping drone of washing machines and music players gossiping to each other in their hidden language of beeps and whistles. Glass-fronted shops opened up into the street, selling inhuman things such as "designer surface decals," "premium color spray paint," and gold wheel rims. Above it all, there was a racing track surrounded by glass, where fit muscular humans in jumpsuits ran around in infinite circles.

"Marathon runners, they move so much the appliances pay them," Sugafana explained.

[elocine25]

Do Celebrities Owe Us Anything ?

I love Beyonce just like the rest of you. I actually think there might be something wrong with you if you don't like her. I'm kidding. Ok maybe I'm not, but whether you like her or not that's not the point here.

The point is, is she (and celebrities like her) required to participate in advocacy ? I will not be answering that question per se, I'll leave it up to you instead.

Beyonce and her art has always been undeniably Black AF. Well, I can confidently say her work has mirrored the Black Liberation aesthetic since 2016. Beyonce stood on top of cop cars with her fist hoisted in the air in her Formation music video, she went to the Super Bowl dressed as a Black Panther and she proclaims in her joint album with Jay Z, "Bitch I'm Malcolm X!" on Black Effect. Examples of Beyonce using the likeness of Civil Rights leaders and Black Liberation is pretty perceptible in Lemonade, Everything Is Love, and in her latest album Renaissance, which specifically amplifies the black queer experience.

I almost forgot her most blatant example of using Black aesthetics, is her "love letter to Africa." (that in and of itself deserves its own post)

Anyway, I mentioned all of these things because fans and haters alike, are disappointed in Beyonce's screening of Renaissance in Israel. Beyonce, as of yet, has made no comment on the genocide taking place in occupied Palestine.

The reason why Beyonce was even mentioned in this on going conversation is because of her use of the Black Liberation aesthetic. People are wondering if commodification of liberation or the aesthetics of it is good enough to be depicted in art alone or should artists actually practice what they preach/sing?

As a reminder, Malcolm X and other Civil Rights leaders, adamantly supported Palestine and even Alice Walker prevented The Color Purple from being translated to Hebrew (to avoid distribution to Israel).

To some, Beyonce's silence is deafening and ironic.

It's important to keep in mind that Black and Queer Liberation is ultimately tied to Palestinian Liberation. The common enemy is white supremacy and imperialism, which is important to not lose sight of.

So with all of that being said, should people with unimaginable influence advocate for those quite literally undergoing a genocide or is the aesthetics of the art good enough?

The bigger question is, can we as a society simply let the art that celebrities make just be art?

[cap10froggerguy]

Tenth Anniversary recap

So, as my little celebration of the Ninjago 10 Year Anniversary, here’s a little recap of every single season, including the pilots and a few bonuses. I also added totally arbitrary scoring based on my own preferences. Ready? Here we go!

The Pilots:

Local man joins gang to save sister, gains awesome powers and dragons along the way. Featuring the Wise Old Mentor(C) and Generic Evil Overlord(C), as well as FIYAH, the main character with a firey temper, AT-AT, blue guy with motor mouth, Frosty, local “real boy” who is super aloof, and Bucket of Rocks, who is the “leader” and has a personality like a rock. Is that a compliment? You decide!

Choppy animation and okay storytelling, but excellent characterization creates a surefire laugh fest!

0/0, they were trying their hardest, so no ranking for you.

Season 1: Rise of the Snakes

Ninja team angers young and bratty boy, who unleashes snake army. Prophecy threatens to tear the team apart at the seams with contests to prove who is better. Winner ends up being FIYAH’s sister, but instead of becoming The Chosen One(C), young and bratty boy (henceforth known as Green Angst) gets the title. 

Animation is slightly better, and the storytelling style leads to an okay season.

3/13, Room for improvement.

Season 2: Legacy of the Green Ninja

Green Angst gains superpowers, ages up, and beats up his dad, who has become possessed with evil. Plot of Return of the Jedi ensues, dad is good, and everything wraps up. 

Thinking this was going to be the last season, the showrunners pulled out all the stops, and it shows. Good job!

5/13, This makes a good ending.

SIKE

Season 3: Rebooted

Series tries to pick up where they left off. Unnecessary love triangles and robot battles ensue. Frosty dies, totally for realsies. 

The whole atmosphere feels a bit rushed, and about half of the story is there for unneeded drama.

1/13, did not age well.

Season 4: Tournament of Elements

In stunning turn of events, Frosty is not dead. Ninja must battle in hunger games in order for Colonel Sanders to release him. FIYAH develops a crush on his daughter. 

A fun season with quippy writing and tons of lore, it works really well!

8/13, this season ages wonderfully.

Season 5: Possession

Ghosts are a thing now! Green Angst gets possessed, and so the ninja must learn ghost fighting to fight ghosts. Also, FIYAH’s sister (From now on called Water Girl) gains water powers. 

While a neat story concept, the fact that Water Girl has only NOW been told about her powers kinda starts to weaken the story for me.

4/13, could do better.

...

...

Oh, and Bucket of Rocks is a ghost now. But the writers don’t care, so lets move on.

Season 6: Skybound

AT-AT gets a season, where he had to battle a genie pirate while Water Girl tries to be a Strong Independent Woman(C) despite the love triangle fiasco. Season ends up retconning itself out of existence. 

While a good season pre-redesign, some of the story choices cause it to feel a bit drawn out in hindsight.

6/13, a fun season concept.

Day of the Departed:

Bucket of Rocks cant catch enough of a break to get a season, gets Halloween-ish special instead. In it, he becomes No Longer A Ghost. Hooray for... writing? 

There’s not much to say about this one, it is what it is, and for a while, this was the only content we got centered around good ol Bucket of Rocks.

0/0, a ranking of this one wouldn’t be fair.

Season 7: Hands of Time

Angst! Drama! Time Travel! Technology jokes! Old Mentor is dying from Too Many Secrets, so Green Angst must lead team. FIYAH and Water Girl find their parents. I bet that’ll be important later!

The story feels choppy, and leaves a lot of threads hanging. It’s still fun, but less so that what came before and what comes after.

2/13: Guys, you had one job.

Season 8: Sons of Garmadon

The ninja get a facelift, and Green Angst gets a girlfriend! Guess which one is permanent. Evil Ex summons Evil Overlord(C) 2.0, causing Green Angst to loose Green and gain Angst.

The animation bump is stellar, the new voice actor for Green Angst really shines, and the story, while not new by any stretch, is filled with plenty of twists and turns.

9/13, Stellar Season.

Season 9: Hunted

The OG 4 in Mad Max on one hand, while Green Angst and Water Girl resist against tyrannical overbearing ruler on the other. Now with even more daddy issues, inspiring speeches, and of course, ANGST.

The storytelling and atmosphere increases in quality, and the show does a good job of balancing angst and hope. Also, then end is really cool. 

12/13, Great Atmosphere.

Season 10/March of the Oni

Everyone teams up to stop faceless CGI army! Wait, does that count if everything is CGI?

There’s not much to say on this one either. It feels both too short and too fast, and many of the story beats don’t hit like they should.

(6 1/2) / 13, Pretty OK.

Season 11 pt 1: The Fire Chapter

Local team gets lazy, unleashes witch, FIYAH looses fire, Frosty dies again. OR DOES HE!?

Even better animation, and the voice actors are really having fun for this season onwards. It’s one of the weakest of the newer seasons, but the shorter episode time helps every episode pack a punch.\

7/13, Would recommend as a starter season.

Season 11 pt 2: The Ice Chapter

Frosty becomes Frostbite and commits genocide. Is redeemed by power of friendship and amnesia. Let’s move on.

Character development, great moments, and thought provoking storytelling!? This season has all that AND a good grasp on the aesthetic!

10/13, Please forgive Frosty. He didn’t mean it.

Season 12: Prime Empire

AT-AT gets his own season again, enacts plot of Tron Legacy, but better! Also, Frosty becomes a detective.

The obligitory videogame plot is done really well. Lots of fun is poked at videogame mechanics and it makes for a quippy and fast paced season. Just like AT-AT! 

11/13, videogame movie(?) done right. 

Season 13: Master of the Mountain

Bucket of Rocks finally gains own season, proves that he is the best character. Gains a best friend and beats her dad in combat. 

Beautiful set pieces, awesome character development, lore, jokes, and heartfelt moments, I consider this to be the single best season of the newer ones, and possibly even the whole show. 

13/13, amazing season

BONUS!

The Lego Ninjago movie:

Kung Fu High School AU with a dash of Star Wars. Different from the series? Sure. Super fun? Absolutely!

8 out of 10 Meowthras.

Wu’s Teas:

Wise Old Mentor(C) opens teashop. Shenanigans ensue.

10 out of 10, if you don’t laugh at at least one, something is wrong.

[shainlov]

Kai hc:

Kai is the shortest in the group. He's 168 cm.

Lloyd was 165 cm for a while but nowadays he's 173 cm and Kai has short person complex.

He's salty.

Nya is like 171.

Jay 174.

Cole is 178.

Zane is a whole ass 185 if he wants to. If Kai annoys him, he uses this as emotional warfare.

[thelordofdarkreunion]

The Worst Planet in the Universe

The “humans are weird/earth is space Australia” stories that are quite famous here usually have aliens reacting to how they think humanity or Earth is really strange and bizarre.  So, I got an idea: what if people could react not to Earth, but to one of the singular worst planets in all of science fiction?  Here, we have some of the characters of the Magnificent Scoundrels reacting to the planet of Krieg and its infamous Death Korps from Warhammer 40k.  

Death Korps is pronounced “death core” not “death corpse.”   Jeicher is pronounced the German way, as “yay-cur”, not “jai-cher.”  

“In life, war.  In death, peace.  In life, suffering.  In death, atonement.”  -Final litany of the Litany of Sacrifice, recited by the Guardsmen of the Death Korps of Krieg when entering battle

The shuttle slipped through the dead and polluted atmosphere, shields raised to their fullest capacity to avoid the boiling streaks of orange lightning.  The occupants of the shuttle stared warily out the window, still nervous even though their craft was in the hands of some of the best pilots in the universe.  

“I still don’t understand why we’re here,” said Commissar Cain from a strapped-in seat in the shuttle’s rear.  

“Well, we’re visiting planets from each other’s galaxies,” replied Admiral Vir from the cockpit as he and Solo desperately tried to avoid the lighting.  

“Yeah, I know that,” snapped back Cain.  “What I don’t understand is why we’re here.  Out of all the planets in the galaxy, you pick this one.”  

“You wanted to know more about populous Imperial Guard regiment homeworlds, and you said Krieg sounded like an interesting name,” muttered Solo as a particularly large blast lit up the cockpit window.  “Starting to regret that now?”

“I most certainly am!” screamed Dr. Kril from inside the heavy clear plastic compartment designed to hold him when accompanying Vir off the Omen.  “And I thought Earth was a death world!”  

“Radiation levels are approaching 3,700 roentgan,” said Vir, crisply reading off the cockpit instruments.  

“We’re all gonna die,” wailed Kril.  

The shuttle’s communication system crackled to life, and a dry, toneless voice sounded over it. 

“Shuttle B-77401, you are clear of the storm in twenty seconds.  Please proceed to landing pad RT-556 at coordinates 66579.  Radiation levels on ground are currently 1,500 roentgan.”  

“I remember reading up on your horrible human disasters, and that’s the level of radiation the Chernobyl disaster had right next to the plant as the fires were still going!” screeched Kril.  “I will not be stepping foot on this planet!  If you have a death wish, that's fine with me, but I won’t be leaving the shuttle!”  He crossed his arms and sat against the container wall.  Vir and Solo didn’t have time to respond.

“Breaking storm now.”  The lightning and horrible, swirling grey clouds cleared, only to reveal a scene of utter devastation.  The land below was an endless expanse of grey and brown.  Entire swaths of earth were covered with grey dust.  Other areas were endless seas of irradiated mud, with ancient and rusted barbed wire, empty concrete bunkers, and long abandoned and corroded gun emplacements sticking out from the infinite brown.  A few ossified trees, long dead, peeked up in places, the only signs of life, or what was once life, on the planet.  

“What happened here?” murmured Vir.  

“A tale of tragedy, and betrayal,” replied Cain softly.  “Once upon a time, some 1,500 years ago, Krieg was a massive city world.  The ruling oligarchy decided to turn their backs on the Emperor and rebel against the Imperium of Man.  The commander of the loyalist Guard forces decided that if the Imperium couldn’t have the planet, no one would.  But despite the unleashing of a stash of Dark Age nuclear weapons, the people of Krieg survived, and loyalist fought traitor in a five hundred year long war in the trenches of the wastes.”  The shuttle was silent, imagining how horrible such a war would be.  This singular civil war, on this singular planet, eclipsed even the most horrible of fights from most of their home galaxies.  “Eventually, the loyalists won, and rejoined the Imperium.  Ever since, the people of Krieg have fought in the deadliest of Imperial warzones to repent for their ancient betrayal.”  

“Wait, wait, wait.  There are people that live here?  This isn’t just a military base?” asked an incredulous Solo.

“Yes,” replied Cain.  “They live in massive underground cities, safely shielded from the worst of the radiation aboveground.” 

“My god… there aren’t really words to describe that,” said Vir.  

“Shuttle B-77401, you are cleared for landing,” came the voice of the controller.  “Please wear radiation-proof suits.  Commissar Jeicher will be present along with an honor guard to escort you.”   The brown of mud gave way to a large, circular landing pad sunk into Krieg’s dead earth.  The pad led to a set of stairs, travelling down into a set of heavy, sealed double doors, leading even further down into the ruined planet’s crust.  On the pad were two figures, clad in greatcoats and gasmasks, flanked by a double line of soldiers.  Vir and Solo set the shuttle down.  

In the back, Cain had already pulled the hood of a radiation-proof bodysuit over his head, and attached an anachronistic looking gasmask.  Over this, he donned an old and tattered Commissarial cap and greatcoat.  Vir and Solo also donned much more modern-looking gas masks over their bodysuits, and went to the shuttle’s rear as Kril screeched about the dangers of radiation.  With the quick press of a button, they activated the airlock and stepped onto the surface of the ruined planet.  

Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance as they stepped down the shuttle ramp and came face to face with what they presumed to be Commissar Jeicher.  He was wearing the same outfit as Cain, a Commissar’s cap and greatcoat covering his bodysuit and gas mask.  Behind him was a double rank of soldiers, wearing grey greatcoats and gas masks, clutching their las rifles in the ‘present arms’ position.  Next to Jeicher stood another figure, hands clasped neatly behind their back.  This one was dressed in much fancier boots, and wore a cuirassier’s breastplate.  A brown greatcoat was draped over the figure's shoulders, and Vir assumed it to be an officer.  Jeicher reached out to shake each of the trio’s hands in turn.  

“Admiral Vir.  Captain Solo.  Commissar Cain.  A pleasure to have you on Krieg.  I am Commissar Jeicher, and this is Captain Kust,” he said, pointing to the officer behind him.  Kust offered a single, curt nod.  “You wished to have a tour of the planet, and to see it’s capacity for making war.  I can assure you, gentlemen, that Krieg is one of the finest planets in the Imperium in that regard.  I trust you will not be disappointed.”  As he said this, Jeicher led them down the path leading away from the shuttle and towards the underground tunnels.  As they walked, a series of flashes lit up the horizon, followed by the booming of thunder.  Jeicher raised a gloved hand and gestured in the general direction of the noise.

“About twenty kilometers in that direction, we have the artillery and live-fire drills of the soon to be 712th Death Korps Regiment.  It is the be the newest regiment coming into Imperial service, and the thirtieth Death Korps regiment raised this month.  They will soon be shipping out to Warzone Viclius in the Segmentum Pacificus to break a massive ork siege of the Viclius sector.”  They reached the end of the twin lines of troopers.  

“Right shoulder, arms!” yelled Kust, her voice (Vir could tell it was a ‘her’ underneath the mask now) managing to carry through both her mask and Krieg’s stormy atmosphere.  “Left face!”  The Korpsmen spun to face the heavy blast doors in perfect synchronicity.  Jeicher inputted some sort of code, and, with a great creaking and grinding of metal, the doors slid open.  “Forward, march!”  

The group, followed by the honour guard, stepped into a large white room.  As the doors closed behind them, various nozzles sprayed radiation-retardant foam onto them.  The airlock process completed, the heavy set of double doors in front of them opened.  Despite the decontamination, no one took their masks off.

The halls were quite familiar to Vir, but unlike anything he’d seen as a civilization.  They were long, emotionless white and grey concrete bunker systems, lit by cheap yellow bulbs that still allowed him to see perfectly well.  Endless, emotionless bunker halls.  It saddened him.  What a terrible way to live and grow up.  

Through the long walkways, they passed seemingly thousands of Korpsmen, all wearing grey greatcoats, and staring from behind emotionless gas masks.   They all blurred into one, and Vir was grateful that at least Jeicher, Kust, and their honor guard he could pick out from the crowd.  

They reached another large double blast door, and the two Korpsmen standing guard outside snapped to attention.  The group walked through, only for the three offworlders to stop short.  The entire left half of the hallway was a massive clear window.  Far beneath them, a full division of Death Korps Guardsmen marched through an utterly massive, hangar-sized underground hallway.  It was an endless tide of grey coats and gas masks, the thud of their boots echoing up even past the glass of the observation deck.  Tanks rolled past, along with smaller, two legged armored walkers.  

“That’s the 122nd Siege Army.  Newly formed.  They’re shipping out to the southern part of Segmentum Ultima today,” said Jeicher.  He made another motion, and the group, still followed by Kust and her honor guard, left the observation room.  

They walked through more hallways, still stark and emotionless, until they got to another double door.  This area of tunnels and bunkers seemed to have more Korpsmen around.  Officers, wearing their higher, more polished boots and cuirassiers’ breastplates.  The double doors opened, revealing a much more polished and refined room, made mostly out of metal.  Computers clung to the walls, and workstations were filled with Death Korps soldiers, red-robed cybernetic tech-priests, and unmasked commissars.  

 “This is the central command room of this section of Krieg’s underground cities,” said Jeicher, continuing the tour.  “All the regiments and supplies that are raised and produced in section Alpha-Gamma-551 are tracked here.  As you can see, we have more than enough to outfit the two regiments this sector is raising.”  They went through the room, through another series of hallways, and down multiple sets of solid but plain corrugated steel stairs.  

“Here we have the underground munitions factories of Krieg,” said Jeicher, gesturing through another glass panel on an observation deck.  This time, the windows led onto an utterly massive factory floor.  Conveyor belts led to unknown machines, and churned out endless numbers of what seemed to be artillery shells.  “As you can see, everything is completely on schedule.”  Vir noticed workers, all wearing heavy grey suits and gas masks below.  Some of them seemed to be… off, and it took a moment for him to realize precisely why. 

“Wait a minute… are those children?” he wheeled around and demanded at Jeicher.  He was met with the empty lenses of a gas mask.

“Yes,” replied Jeicher.  “I do realize that many off-worlders not of the Munitorum or Mechanicus find the practice… distasteful, but-”

“Distasteful doesn’t even begin to cover it.  More like abhorrent,” snarled Vir.  

“If you cannot fight, you must serve,” intoned Kust.  “All infertile males serve in the Death Korps.  Most fertile males and infertile females serve in the Death Korps.  Most fertile females and some fertile males serve in the munitions factories.  Children cannot go to waste,” she finished, rattling off the practices of Krieg in a completely toneless voice.  Vir looked like he was about to explode.  Cain put a hand on his shoulder, and nodded towards the honor guard and their las guns.  Noticing the mood in the room, Jeicher went on.

“I think it’s best if we go on,” he said.  The group followed him through another set of hallways, and when Kust was out of earshot, Jeicher spoke to the trio of newcomers.  

“Please don’t antagonize the Kriegers,” he said.  “That’s why they have commissars, actually.  To ease the transition between them and any allied forces.” “They deserve to die,” hissed Vir, still shaking with rage.  Jeicher gave a mirthless laugh.

“Oh, they do.  Their entire purpose, their entire existence, is to die in the Emperor’s wars.  They want this.”

“Why?” asked Solo.  “Why would anyone want this?”

“They are driven by one of the most powerful motivators in the world.  Not anger, not love, not faith, but shame.  Shame of their ancient rebellion.  In the Emperor’s service, the Death Korps will pay any price.”  

The group reached another viewing balcony.  This one overlooked a much smaller room, where a group of children in grey overcoats drilled with small las carbines.  Vir clenched his fist in rage, but said nothing.  

“Present arms!” yelled an adult and fully uniformed drill sergeant from behind his gas mask.  The children held out their weapons in front of them, many with as much or even more precision than Vir had seen of new GA marine recruits.  Most of them looked to be no older than six or seven, making the workers in the factory even younger… 

No.  He did not want to think about that.  

The drill instructor moved along the line of recruits (or children, if you were fortunate enough to not be raised in a post-apocalyptic militaristic hellhole, thought Vir.)  The instructor spun and glared at one of the cadets.  

“P-44271930,” he stated.

“Yes, sir!” replied the cadet, with the enthusiasm of a fresh recruit.

“What is your duty, P-44271930?” asked the instructor.  

“To serve the Emperor’s will,” replied the cadet.

“And what is the Emperor’s will?” queried the instructor.

“That we fight and die!”  Vir clenched down so hard he crushed the balcony bar in the viewing room.

“What is death?” asked the instructor.

“It is our duty!” replied the cadet.  The instructor nodded.  

“Very good, P-44271930.”  He took a step back.  “Right shoulder, arms!”  Vir looked at Jeicher.

“They’re calling them by their serial numbers at that young of an age?” he asked, still fuming.  Jeicher inwardly cringed.  He suspected the esteemed Admiral would not like what came next.  

“They don’t have names,” said Kust, with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.  

“What?” asked Vir, in a ‘please, do try my patience’ tone.  

“None of us have names,” replied Kust.  

“You have a name,” pointed out Vir. 

“You only get a name if you survive long enough to become an officer,” replied Kust.  

“Really?”  Vir wheeled around to face the leader of the honor guard.  “What’s your name?” he asked.

“YH-5577933,” replied the man, in a completely emotionless voice.  Vir threw his hands in the air, completely done.

“Fine.”  He nodded at Jeicher.  “Continue the tour,” he snapped.  Jeicher nodded, and motioned them on.  I have to get off this place as soon as possible, thought Vir.  This is… beyond anything I thought possible.

I hope you enjoyed it.  I find Krieg and the Death Korps are one of the most interesting groups in science fiction.  Motivated by shame, they represent the worst humanity could ever become.  However, they are utter badasses in battle.  If you aren’t afraid to die, you can pull of some pretty heroic things.  If you have any questions, comments, criticisms, concerns, requests, or want me to continue this story, please tell me!  Have a great day!

It should be noted, of course, I do not own any of these characters.  Vir and Kril belong to starr-fall-knight-rise, Cain belongs to Games Workshop, and Solo belongs to Disney.

[only-lonely-stars]

(im not good at this) but for the fic title thing-y, "dangerous choices"(?) idk if thats how ur supposed to do it but yah :DD

Yours is next to be written! You did it completely right, so no sweat! <3 335 words.

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Safety: n. The condition of being safe; freedom from danger, risk, or injury.

If you were to read that definition to Jay Imperial Walker, he would laugh at you. What else was he supposed to do? Life was never safe for him, even if he wasn’t a ninja. Safety was boring. 

Now, risk… risk was fun. Risk was jumping headfirst into battle. Risk was testing a glider yourself, instead of with a crash test dummy. Risk was making dangerous choices, and if that wasn’t fun, then Jay would eat his hat. (Not that he had a hat. Hats weren’t his style.)

Jay shook himself from his thoughts. He stood on the edge of an apartment building’s roof, looking down at his intended flight path to the next roof over. He’d built a glider, years ago, but it had broken when he crashed through a billboard. Before he could even think about repairing it, Master Wu had recruited him, and that was that. Now he was trying again, with better materials and inadvised faith in his engineering skills. What could go wrong?

----

...As it turned out, many things could go wrong.

The leap off the edge of the building was easy. His canvas wings caught the air, giving lift and carrying him. The mechanical frame didn’t creak or snap, despite only being made of steel. 

Jay cried out in joy as he closed the hundred yard distance. The first test was going to be a success! He just had to pull up before he crashed into the roof... 

Ten seconds later, Jay fell onto the roof of the shorter building feet-first, barely skidding to a stop as he fell face-forward onto the concrete surface, slamming his hands into it.

“...Ow…”

Okay, maybe he should’ve made a soft landing pad first. 

After a minute of recovery, he sat up, groaning. He checked the wings– they were undamaged, and he cheered. “YES! Test one is a success!”

Maybe Jay’s choices were dangerous… but maybe that was the point.

--------

These drabbles are taking a good while to write thanks to IRL stuff, but I’m still doing them! Asks are still open. Thanks to everyone for your patience; I plan on writing every single one!

[dysfunctional-lego-ninja]

Into the Sword Again

Prime Empire Jaya oneshot - alternate ending to Episode 12: Stop, Drop, and Sidescroll (1464 words)

Nya and Jay didn’t leave the fighting arena right away. While Jay had taken the Yellow Key-Tana, he didn’t move for the end of the level. “I . . . I need a minute.”

He moved away from her, back to the doors to the level leading into the level. Finding the doors still operable, albeit leading to nothingness, he sat down in the open doorway, letting his legs dangle over the edge and into the cyber void. Concerned, Nya followed him.

“Jay?” She sat down next to her husband. “You okay?”

Jay sighed, absently running his fingers across the Key-Tana blade. “Not really,” he admitted quietly.

Nya wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head into his shoulder. “It’s about Nadakhan, isn’t it?”

The young man put the blade back into his inventory. He nodded. “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I wish I’d learned that before getting tangled up in this stupid video game.”

He slumped forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and his chin in his hands. “I just . . . I ran right into another dumb decision. And people all over Ninjago are getting hurt―including our team―because of my mistake. Even if no one but me and you remember it, I still feel guilty for the damage Nadakhan caused. And now . . . it’s happening all over again.”

Nya gently stroked Jay’s hair, holding him close. “You didn’t know that Prime Empire would turn into this, babe,” she said quietly. “While you could have been more cautious, you didn’t know what the game would do―none of us did. Any one of us could have made the same mistake.”

“But anyone didn’t―it was me―again.” There was a tremor in Jay’s voice. “This is the second time I let an unstoppable force loose onto Ninjago―the second time I had to watch the team get picked off one by one―and the second time I could do nothing to stop it.” A tear slid down his cheek. “Sometimes . . . I just . . . I just want to . . . I just want to wish it all away.”

“James Imperial Walker. Look at me.” Nya firmly turned Jay’s head toward her, clasping his cheeks in both hands. Her gray eyes smoldered in a way that anyone would have found terrifying―including Jay had he been in a different frame of mind. “Don’t you dare say that―don’t you ever say that you want to wish it all away―”

The Water Ninja’s anger extinguished itself just as quickly as it had flared up. Tears sprung unbidden to her eyes, now racked with pain. “Babe, please . . . don’t say that. I know it’s hard, but you’re better than that. You resisted Nadakhan under torture, even when you didn’t know whether you’d be rescued. Even with everything we’ve experienced, none of us have gone through the kind of physical and mental trauma he put you through, and yet here you are―still bearing the burden of those memories and managing to carry on with a smile on your face.”

More tears trickled silently down Jay’s face. “I can’t keep faking it. . .”

“Your smile isn’t always fake.” Nya thumbed away his tears. “I know you well enough to know when you’re truly happy. Which is a lot more often than you might realize.” She gently ran a hand through his curls. “I can hear it in your laugh―and I can see it in your smile.” A soft, sad smile of her own lifted the corners of her mouth. “Your sweet, innocent smile that I love so much. How do you do it?”

“Do what?” Jay quietly slid his hand over hers, resting his cheek in her palm.

“How can you be so childlike and so mature at the same time?” Nya gazed tenderly into his blue eyes. “You act so silly and kiddish, but you can be as confident, brave, and wise a leader as Lloyd or Cole.”

“I don’t know. . .” Jay murmured, looking down at his knees. “It’s not something I do on purpose.”

Nya’s slender fingers entwined themselves in his auburn curls. Her other hand gently tilted his chin up, her eyes meeting his again. “You’re so strong, Jay,” she said softly, admiring his face with a tender gaze. “Stronger than you’re willing to let on or believe yourself.”

“I don’t feel strong.” Jay couldn’t look at his wife. “Strong men don’t . . . you know. . .”

“It’s the strongest men that do cry, sweetheart.” Nya leaned forward and gently kissed his tearstained cheek. “It takes a lot of courage to express these kinds of feelings openly. There can be a lot of strength in being vulnerable.” As she spoke, she felt the urge to look away herself. “I wish I could do that as easily as you.”

Jay was quiet for a moment. Then, with a deep breath, he lifted his hand to Nya’s cheek. “You’re strong in your own ways, my love. While I might have been able to persevere through Nadakhan’s manipulation, you died because of him. But you faced that end with so much courage. And it’s fueled you. You’ve said so yourself before that you fight even harder to keep us―and yourself―from suffering that fate.”

“Well I haven’t really been doing a good job at that recently, haven’t I?” Nya forced a rueful smile, trying to ignore the tears pricking her eyes.

“Oh, Nya. . .” Jay gathered Nya into his arms and gently lifted her onto his lap.

In spite of herself, she felt herself shaking with hiccuping sobs. Wrapping her arms around her husband’s neck, she buried her face in his chest. Jay tenderly kissed her forehead, holding her close to him and rocking her gently in his embrace. “It’s okay, it’s okay. . . You don’t need to hold it in, baby girl, you don’t need to hold it in. . .”

Nya didn’t try to control the salty water flowing down her cheeks. She cried hard into Jay, her chest heaving with each harsh breath she took. Through her sobs, she could hear Jay murmuring to her. “You don’t have to carry this weight alone, Nya. You have me. Please let me share the load with you.”

She couldn’t answer him for a while, but his words were comforting. Finally, when she could speak again, she looked up at him, gray eyes shining silver with the film of her lingering tears. “Only if you don’t try to carry your own burden alone. I’m always here for you, Jay. Even when you can’t take it anymore, I’ll still be there.”

“What if Unagami takes you away too?” Jay’s voice was quiet again.

“If he tries, I’m not going down without a fight―just like the others. And just like you.” Nya’s face was serious. “If that happens, you’re gonna have to be strong for the team one more time. Wu, Zane, and P.I.X.A.L. are still counting on us. But for now, you don’t have to be strong alone.” Her gaze remained steady and strong on him. “If I get cubed, it’ll be fighting side by side with you to bring down this digital son of an Oni.”

For the first time during the exchange, Jay managed a weak smile. “Thank you, Nya. You mean so much to me.” He gently kissed her hand. “I love you so, so much, my warrior queen.”

Nya returned his smile. “I love you more, my lightning strike.”

“I love you even more than that, my Yin. . .” Jay leaned down, tenderly touching his lips to hers.

“My love is beyond even that, my Yang.” Nya returned his kiss passionately.

“My beautiful, courageous wife. . .”

“My sweet, strong husband. . .”

“My dearest Nya. . .”

“My darling Jay. . .”

They remained locked in this embrace for what felt like hours, murmuring words of affection and love in between kisses. Even in the tender moment, the salty sting of fresh tears intermingled with the sweet taste of their lips.

Jay’s tears had dried on his face as they pulled away. Hoisting his legs up onto solid ground once again, he took her hand. “What do we do now?” she asked softly.

Jay lifted her to her feet, a new resolve in his eyes. His expression had darkened into a determined, fierce scowl. “Whatever it takes.” He drew the Yellow Key-Tana from his inventory again. “We get our friends back.” He startled her by pulling her into another, harder kiss. When he drew back again, he looked her right in the eye. “And we stop Unagami.”

Nya nodded, a little stunned. They walked across the arena up to the doors exiting the level. Jay breathed deeply. “Into the sword again.”

“But this time, you’re not alone.” Nya squeezed his hand tightly. “You’ll come in with one - and you’ll leave with everyone.”

Jay gripped the hilt of the Key-Tana tighter. “Game on, Unagami.”

Then they stepped into the light.

[blursed-ninjago-ideas]

Jay Walker: Super Pirate (Characters)

Character time! (Oh man ninjago season 13 is making me question who I chose as Skullivar-)

The Bermuda 7 (The 7 Cs) (Cause out of the group only Cole starts with C so the pun be lost)

Jay Imperial Walker (replaces Conrad Zacharie Storm)

Yes his name is a pun

His parents both agreed on it

Uses his mom's last name so he doesn't get mobbed at school by fans of his dad

References his dad's movies a lot

Such a dork but a lovable dork

Did not deserve to end up in the triangle

Has no clue what he's doing, very insecure about being captain, doesn't feel cut out to lead

Inventor (built his eye cam, helps Zane with repairs)

Has a crush on Nya, duh

Will annoy his foes to no end with his banter

Did not sign up for this

Cole (replaces Clovis)

Not a ghost, just misplaced his body somewhere

All he remembers about losing his body is that someone named Yang was involved

Can use Earth Punch/Lava Arms

Weapon is a ghostly scythe that he can summon

Bound to the Bounty, can't go far from it

Basically is Jay's mentor/comfort buddy in the triangle

Jay feels Cole should be leader honestly

Still likes cake

The"serious" one, but not THAT serious

Friendly and helpful

Nya Atlantica (replaces Crysta Coraline Lejune)

Princess of Atlantis

Has a laser spear (as in it shoots lasers)

The actually serious one

Keeps her brother in check

Royal who actually does something

Freaking awesome

First mate

Best at navigating

Much more understanding than Cece was

Knows Jay has a crush on her

Kai Atlantica (sort of replaces Crogar)

The most different from who he's replacing

Nya's older brother and personal guard

Atlantis passes down the title as a Queendom

So he's not going to be king

But he doesn't mind

He just wants his sis safe

Has a freaking giant sword

The angry one but in a good way

The muscle of the group

Very smug at times

Zane (replaces Carumba)

Instead of an alien in a robot suit, is just a robot

The engineer/smart guy

Freaking adorable

Doesn't quite get humor but he tries

Think Zane in early season 1 basically

Prefers to stay back from the fight

But when needed he will protect his crewmates to the end

Main weapon is ice that he can generate

It's not as good as Sino ice but it works

He and Jay are engineer buddies

Lloyd (replaces Calabrass)

Magic taking sword

Basically gives Jay transformation sequences that grant elemental powers/weapons based on the seven seas

Cause he holds the eyes of the seas

Look it up please it's hard to explain

Personality is that of Lloyd from the recent seasons

So serves as the mature one

But still a dork

Cannot talk like a pirate

Why did he choose this kid he doesn't know

But he does like Jay

Knows a lot about the lore of the seas

Has Wu's problem of forgetting to explain things until they come up

Tomorrow's Bounty/Morro (replaces The Chaos)

Very moody magic ship

Can't talk but makes his intentions pretty  cheaclear anyways

Actually really likes Jay

Not too much to say, it's basically Morro turned into a sentient version of the Bounty

He's not bitter tho, thank goodness

The Villains:

The Overlord is Skullivar (tho now I'm tempted to use the Skull Sorcerer...if I I'll stick with the Overlord for now)

General Cryptor is Golden Bones

The Nindroids replace the Skeletons

[aslanjadecarlyle]

Master List of Black Creators, Owners, & Public Figures

Master List of Black Creators, Owners, & Public Figures

DISCLAIMER: I am fucking whiter than white. I compiled this list to boost black creators and public figures, but if I am overstepping at all PLEASE let me know! 

Also, I tried to research these in a timely manner. If anyone in these lists is problematic or should not be supported, let me know. :)

(Of course, this is only a TINY portion! Feel free to add more names, businesses, and creators!)

——

Activists:

•Naomi Anderson

•Maya Angelou

•James Baldwin

•Lillie Mae Bradford

•Mari Copeny

•Frederick Douglass

•Ruth Ellis

•Erica Garner

•Alicia Garza

•Ernest Green

•Fannie Lou Hamer

•Frances Harper

•Langston Hughes

•Marsha P. Johnson

•Alberta Odell Jones

•Quincy Jones

•Martin Luther King Jr.

•Audre Lorde

•Bree Newsome

•Huey P. Newton

•Rosa Parks

-Bayard Rustin

•Sojourner Truth

•Harriet Tubman

•Madam C.J. Walker

•Ida B. Wells

•Malcolm X

Actors/Actresses & Directors:

•Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

•James Avery

•Angela Bassett

•Halle Berry

•John Boyega

•Levar Burton

•Nick Cannon

•Michael Clarke Duncan

•Zendaya Coleman

•Terry Crews

•Viola Davis

•Idris Elba

•Jamie Foxx

•Morgan Freeman

•Whoopi Goldberg

•Tiffany Haddish

•Skai Jackson

•William Jackson Harper

•Kevin Hart

•Steve Harvey

•Jennifer Hudson

•Ice Cube

•Spike Lee

•Phill Lewis

•Bernie Mac

•Eddie Murphy

•Keke Palmer

•James Pickens Jr.

•Chris Rock

•Will Smith

•Raven Symonè

•Denzel Washington

•Jesse Williams

•Chandra Wilson

•Oprah Winfrey

•John Witherspoon

Authors & Poets:

•Elizabeth Acevedo

•Tomi Adeyemi

•Kwame Alexander

•Maya Angelou

•Rena Barron

•Paula Chase

•Dhonielle Clayton

•Brandy Colbert

•Jay Coles

•Dana Davis

•Tanita S. Davis

•Sharon M. Draper

•Paul Laurence Dunbar

•Akwaeke Emezi

•Sharon G. Flake

•Kristina Forest

•L.R. Giles

•Whitney D. Grandison

•Nikki Grimes

•Justina Ireland

•Tiffany D. Jackson

•Kimberly Jones

•Claire Kann

•Kekla Magoon

•Janice Lynn Mather

•Tony Medina

•Candice Montgomery

•David Barclay Moore

•Britney Morris

•Bethany C. Morrow

•Greg Neri

•Nnedi Okorafor

•Tochi Onyebuchi

•Morgan Parker

•Junauda Petrus

•Ben Philippe

•Jason Reynolds

•Debbie Rigaud

•Ilyasah Shabazz

•Nic Stone

•Liara Tamani

•Mildred D. Taylor

•Angie Thomas

•Brian F. Walker

•Booker T. Washington

•Renée Watson

•Alicia Williams

•August Wilson

•C.E. Wilson

•Ashley Woodfolk

•Jacqueline Woodson

•Nicola Yoon

•Ibi Aanu Zoboi

Black-Owned Bookstores:

•Grassrootz Bookstore (Phoenix, AZ)

•Eso Won Books (Los Angeles, CA)

•Malik Books (Los Angeles, CA)

•Marcus Books (Oakland, CA)

•Shades of Afrika (Long Beach, CA)

•Shop At Matter (Denver, CO)

•Pyramid Books (Boynton Beach, FL)

•For Keeps Books (Atlanta, GA)

•Bunnie Hillard (Decatur, GA)

•Challenges Games & Comics (Decatur, GA)

•Semicolon (Chicago, IL)

•Wild Fig Books (Lexington, KY)

•Frugal Bookstore (Boston, MA)

•Loyalty Books (Silver Springs, MD)

•Loving Me Books (Detroit, MI)

•Source Booksellers (Detroit, MI)

•Mind’s Eye Comics (Burnsville, MN)

•Eye See Me (St. Louis, MO)

•Source of Knowledge (Newark, NJ)

•The Lit Bar (The Bronx, NY)

•Cafe Con Libros (Brooklyn, NY)

•Megabrain Comics (Rhinebeck, NY)

•The Schomburg Shop (Harlem, NY)

•Sister’s Uptown (New York, NY)

•Fulton Street Books (Tulsa, OK)

•Third Eye Bag (Portland, OR)

•Amalgam Comics (Philadelphia, PA)

•Harriett’s Bookshop (Philadelphia, PA)

•Uncle Bobbie’s (Philadelphia, PA)

•Turning Page Bookshop (Goose Creek, SC)

•Black Pearl Books (Austin, TX)

•The Dock (Fort Worth, TX)

•Loyalty Books (Washington DC)

•MahoganyBooks (Washington DC)

Other Black-Owned Businesses:

•228 Grant Street Candle Company (228grantstreet.com)

•Aamir Graphics (jaizthedesigner.mystrikingly.com)

•Ailey Extension (aileyextension.com)

•Aminah Abdul Jillil (aminahabdujillil.com)

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•Brooklyn Circus (thebkcircus.com)

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•Sol Cacao (solcacao.com)

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•Unsun (unsuncosmetics.com)

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•Urban One Inc. (urban1.com)

•Victor Glemaud (glemaud.com)

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•The Wrap Life (thewrap.life)

•Yam (yamnyc.com)

•xN Studio (osxnasozi.com)

•Yowie (shopyowie.com)

•Zafa Wines (zafawines.com)

•Zou Xou Shoes (zouxou.com)

Book Reviewers:

•Black & Bookish

•Black Books Matter

•Bookaddict4real

•Brazen Babe Reviews

•Doddy About Books

•Fine Point Scribbles

•Kaybee’s Bookshelf, A Literary Blog

•Literally Black

•Ms. Shabria Gxo

•Sometimes Leelynn Reads

Models:

•Adwoa Aboah

•Adesuwa Aighewi

•J. Alexander

•Karen Alexander

•Leomie Anderson

•Alanna Arrington

•Yasmine Arrington

•Tyra Banks

•Corey Baptiste

•Tyson Beckford

•Yasmin Benoit

•Akech Bior

•Minah Ogbenyealu Bird

•Maria Borges

•Adonis Bosso

•Cindy Bruna

•Naomi Campbell

•Dorothea Church

•Yaya DaCosta

•Agbani Darego

•Bruce Darnell

•Khoudia Diop

•Nadège du Bospertus

•Jourdan Dunn

•Selita Ebanks

•Paloma Elsesser

•Cora Emmanuel

•Staniel Ferreira

•Malaika Firth

•Diandra Forrest

•Imaan Hammam

•Winnie Harlow

•Beverley Heath-Hoyland

•Marsha A. Hunt

•Broderick Hunter

•Chanel Iman

•Beverly Johnson

•Toccara Jones

•Grace Jones

•Liya Kebede

•Jayne Kennedy

•Janet Langhart

•Shakara Ledard

•Precious Lee

•Noémie Lenoir

•Damaris Lewis

•Sessilee Lopez

•Donyale Luna

•Anais Mali

•Eva Marcille

•Denny Mèndez

•Jillian Mercado

•Ariel Meredith

•Lineisy Montero

•Muna

•Katoucha Niane

•Mayowa Nicholas

•Emanuela de Paula

•Lais Ribeiro

•Valentine Rontez

•Shaun Ross

•Kimora Lee Simmons

•Naomi Sims

•Joan Smalls

•B. Smith

•Arlenis Sosa

•Sal Stowers

•Duckie Thot

•Jasmine Tookes

•Eugena Washington

•Veronica Webb

•Alek Wek

•Jessica White

•Slick Woods

•Kara Young

Musicians:

•Aaliyah

•Akon

•Louis Armstrong

•Pearl Bailey

•Harry Belafonte

•Chuck Berry

•Beyoncé

•The Black Eyed Peas

•Blackstreet

•B.o.B.

•The Bobettes

•Soulja Boy

•50 Cent

•Chance the Rapper

•Ray Charles

•Chubby Checker

•The Chords

•Ciara

•The Clovers

•The Coasters

•Nat ‘King’ Cole

•Zendaya Coleman

•The Contours

•Sam Cooke

•Taio Cruz

•Andra Day

•Bobby Day

•The Del-Vikings

•Jason Derulo

•Destiny’s Child

•The Diamonds

•Bo Diddley

•Daveed Diggs

•DMX

•Fats Domino

•Dr. Dre

•The Drifters

•Earth, Wind, & Fire

•Missy Elliott

•Flo Rida

•The Four Tops

•Aretha Franklin

•Bobby Freeman

•Marvin Gaye

•Gloria Gaynor

•CeeLo Green

•Billie Holiday

•Whitney Houston

•Ice-T

•Sharaya J

•Janet Jackson

•Michael Jackson/The Jackson 5

•Kamille

•Alicia Keys

•Khalid

•Sean Kingston

•Eartha Kitt

•Lenny Kravitz

•Patti LaBelle

•John Legend

•Leona Lewis

•Lizzo

•The Marcels

•The Masqueraders

•M.I.A.

•Mickey & Sylvia

•MKTO

•The Monotones

•Nelly

•Ne-Yo

•The Penguins

•Leigh-Anne Pinnock (of the girl group Little Mix)

•The Platters

•Prince

•Otis Redding

•Little Richard

•Rihanna

•The Ronettes

•Diana Ross

•Darius Rucker

•Run-DMC

•Travis Scott

•Shaggy

•Tupac Shakur

•Nina Simone

•Shirley & Lee

•The Silhouettes

•Snoop Dogg

•Jimmy Soul

•Jordin Sparks

•The Supremes

•The Temptations

•TLC

•T-Pain

•Ty Dolla Sign

•Usher

•Bill Withers

YouTubers:

Jackie Aina

Alissa Ashley

Yasmin Benoit

Berleezy

Raye Boyce

Patricia Bright

Marques Brownlee

Alyssa Forever

GlamTwinz

GloZell

Bri Hall

Todrick Hall

Aysha Harun

Alonzo Lerone

Oneika the Traveller

Shanna Malcolm

Shameless Maya

MakeupShayla

Chris Smoove

Nyma Tang

TheAjayII

AdrianXpression

[theabominableblogger]

Rewatching “A Fool’s Hope”

And he’s [Rex] wearing the Endor outfit!

Wait, didn’t they [the clones] criticize the AT-AT walkers in their first appearance?  And now they’ve occupied one?

Ketchup [my nickname for Ketsu]!

“But with such an odd collection of characters, I'm curious, how are we going to split the profits?”  Oh my God, of course it’s about money!

“Madam [Hera], for that boy, there is nothing I [Hondo] would not do.”  Oh God, Hondo with the feels!

“Something’s changed.”  *starts singing the first part of Defying Gravity*

The first time I saw this episode, I was so confused whether or not Ryder had actually turned or not.

“Thrawn will return soon, and if I [Pryce] do not have the rebels, I will be executed.”  Please do!

“Hello, Arindha.”  This whole bit here is just full of call backs back to the Thrawn novel

*Loth wolves on the hill*  Hellooooo….

Hi Jai Kell!  Don’t have any lines?  OK.

“Oh, karabast.”  Can I have a sweater that just says Karabast?  That would be awesome

“Make sure to take the Jedi boy alive.  We don't want to disappoint our Emperor.”  *flips off the screen with both hands*

Ooooohhh… that little trill the Imperial ship made when it made that sudden turn [to drop off the troopers]…

*Ezra’s jump*  WHOOOO!!

*Chopper falls off the ledge*  Hahaha!

Kallus!  I wish they gave you something more to do!

I kinda want a spin off between these three [Kallus, Hera, and Hondo].  Nothing would happen; it would just be them snarking at each other.

“I [Hondo] have done this many times and have only been struck...”  *muffles her laughter so that she doesn’t wake up the rest of the house*

“...I have done this many times!”  HAHAHAHA!

OHHH HERE WE GO! 

*Zeb with the gatling*  YESSSSS!!!

“Hera, where are you?” *starts singing “Do You Realize” by Ursine Vulpine*

Whoa…

No one even uses ladders on the Ghost properly.  They just use them like fire poles.

*Hera’s eye roll*  HAHAHAHA!

Oh my God, this freaking dude [Rukh]!

Three Stormtroopers just slid to their deaths like right there

I still can’t believe Warwick Davis voices Rukh.  They just did some heavy ass voice modulation because that sounds nothing like Warwick Davis.

*Hera blows up the Imperial transport ship*  Boom, bitch!

*smiles immensely when the clones join the battle*

“Fall back to the cave!”  Isn’t Kanan’s shrine in there?  Or is it another doorway?

OH THIS SCENE

YESSSSSSS!!!

OH MY GODDDDDDDD

NO BUT THE MUSIC HERE when the wolves just wreck everything!

GET YOUR EFFING DOG, BITCH!

It don’t bite.

YES IT DO GET-

So for this scene where the wolves just tear the crap of the stormtroopers, the behind the scenes people made a joke reel where all the Stormtrooper yells were replaced by squeaky toy noises and I demand to see this NOW

Ezra’s like “OH MY GOD!”

*Hera flips the Ghost over to take out the last ship*  BOOM!

“The wolves!  You [Wolffe] got your wolf pack back!”  “Yeah, they fight just like the boys!”  *smiles immensely* 

My friend:  The goodest of boys!

What’s on Gregor’s T-shirt or tank or whatever?  The Snitch?

And onto the finale, where my heart is gonna break!

*scats the ending theme*

[aion-rsa]

Best Movies Coming to Netflix in July 2021

https://ift.tt/2UQ1B1r

Movies are back. It at least feels that way when you see the numbers that films like F9 and A Quiet Place Part II are earning. But more than just the thrill of going back to theaters, July signals what is typically considered to be the height of the summer movie season. On a hot evening, there are few things better than some cold air conditioning and a colder drink of your choice while escapism plays across a screen.

That can prove just as true at home as in theaters. And as luck would have it, Netflix is pretty stuffed with new streaming content this month. Below there are space adventures, comedies, dramas, and more than a few epics worth your attention, either as a revisit or new discovery. And we’ve rounded them up for your scrolling pleasure.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

July 1

When the first Austin Powers opened in 1997, it was intended to be as much a crude love letter to the popular cinema of the 1960s as a modern day raunchy laugh-fest. Now with the benefit of another 20 years’ worth of hindsight, Mike Myers and Jay Roach’s spoof of Bondmania is itself an amusing time capsule of 1990s comedy tropes. There’s Myers’ cartoonishly larger-than-life characters—beginning with Powers but most dementedly perfected with Dr. Evil, the comedian’s riff on Ernst Stavro Blofeld—as well as the pair’s embrace of what they considered to be the defining trappings of the late ‘90s.

The film’s nostalgia for the ‘60s and its value as a piece of kitsch ‘90s nostalgia makes this Austin Powers (and to a lesser extent the second movie, The Spy Who Shagged Me) a fascinating relic, as well as a genuinely funny lowbrow symphony of sex gags, bathroom humor, and multiple digs at British stereotypes, including bad teeth. In other words, it’s a good time if you don’t take it too seriously. Just avoid the third one, which is also coming to Netflix.

The Karate Kid (1984)

July 1

1984’s The Karate Kid is the cultural apex of Reagan America’s obsession with martial arts movies and Rocky-style underdog stories. It offered ’80s kids the ultimate fantasy of learning martial arts to defeat local bullies and finding time to squeeze in a love subplot along the way. Granted, the Cobra Kai series has thrown a wrench into this film’s seemingly simple morality tale, but just try not to root for Daniel by the time you reach arguably the greatest montage in movie history.

There’s also something eternally comforting about watching Pat Morita beat-up ’80s thugs while validating parents everywhere by suggesting that you to can one day grow up to be a great warrior if you just sweep the floor, wax the car, and paint the fence.

Love Actually

July 1

Christmas in July? Sure, why not. This Yuletide classic likely needs no introduction. Writer-director Richard Curtis’ Love Actually is the ultimate romantic comedy, stuffing every cliché and setup from a holiday bag of tricks into one beautifully wrapped package. Perhaps its greatest strength though is it mixes in a touch of the bitter with its sweet, and doesn’t hide the thorns in its bouquet of roses. Plus, its use of “All I Want for Christmas” is still a banger nearly 20 years on.

Admittedly, we aren’t particularly inclined to watch this in July ourselves, but if you don’t mind the Christmas of it all, there are few better rom-coms in your queue at the moment.

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

July 1

This adaptation of the Arthur Golden novel of the same name was one of the highest profile literary adaptations of the early 2000s. It’s the story of a young girl sold to a geisha house in the legendary Gion district of Kyoto who then grows up to be the most famous geisha of 1930s imperial Japan… right before the war. The film (like its source material) had controversy in its day due to having a somewhat exoticized view of Japanese customs, as well as for the casting of Chinese actresses Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi in the roles of icons of Japanese culture, with Zhang playing central geisha Sayuri.

Read more

Movies

Black Widow Review: Marvel’s Most Feminine Film is a Brutal Action Movie

By Rosie Fletcher

Movies

How Underworld Mixed Werewolves, Vampires, and Shakespeare

By David Crow

But whatever its shortcomings, Memoirs of a Geisha is still an exquisitely crafted melodrama that provides an often delicate window into one of he most graceful and misunderstood arts. The film won Oscars for its costumes, art direction, and cinematography for a reason. Plus whenever Zhang and the actually Japanese Ken Watanabe share the screen, unrequited sizzle is hot to the touch.

Mortal Kombat (1995)

July 1

Look, 1995’s Mortal Kombat isn’t a great movie in the classic sense of the word. Those looking for notable ’90s schlock might even have a better time with 1994’s Street Fighter and Raul Julia’s scene-stealing performance as General M. Bison.

Yet at a time when video game movies still struggle to capture the magic of the games themselves, Mortal Kombat stands tall as one of the few adaptations that feel like an essential companion piece. It might lack the blood and gore that helped make 1992’s Mortal Kombat arcade game a cultural touchstone, but it perfectly captures the campy, shameless joy that has defined this franchise for nearly 30 years.

Star Trek (2009)

July 1

The idea of a Star Trek movie reboot wasn’t greeted with universal enthusiasm when it was first announced but then J.J. Abrams delighted many fans by creating a Trek origin story that was both familiar and new. Chris Pine shone as the cocky Kirk, bickering with Zachary Quinto’s Vulcan Spock while trying to save the universe from a pesky Romulan (Eric Bana). This was a standalone that could be enjoyed by audiences completely ignorant of the Star Trek legacy which also achieved the feat of not annoying many long-term followers of the multiple series. It was a combination of humor, heart, action and a zingy cast that won the day – it’s still the best of the three Star Trek reboot movies to date.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2005)

July 1

Alongside Step Brothers, Tallageda Nights remains a a biting snapshot of the 2000s zeitgeist from writer-director Adam McKay. Eventually he would drop (most of) the crude smirks in favor of dramedies about the excesses of the Bush years via The Big Short (2013) and Dick Cheney biopic Vice (2018), however Talladega Nights remains a well-aged and damning satire of that brief time when “NASCAR Dads” were a thing, which is all the more impressive since it was filmed in the midst of such jingoistic fervor.

So enters Will Ferrell in one of his signature roles as a NASCAR driver and the quintessential ugly American who’s boastful of his ignorance and proud that his two sons are named “Walker” and “Texas Ranger.” He’d be almost irredeemable if the movie wasn’t so quotable and endearing with its sketch comedy absurdities. There’s a reason Ferrell and co-star John C. Reilly became a recurring thing after this lunacy. Plus, that ending where adherents of the homophobic humor of the mid-2000s found out the joke was on them? Still pretty satisfying.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

July 1

This is the movie that changed everything. Filmmakers had been experimenting with computer-generated visual effects for years, including director James Cameron with 1989’s The Abyss. But Cameron, as usual, upped his game with this 1991 action/sci-fi epic in which the main character — the villain — was a hybrid of live-action actor and CG visuals.

Those of us who saw T2 in the theater when it first came out can remember hearing the audience (and probably ourselves) audibly gasp as the T-1000 (an underrated and chilling Robert Patrick) slithered into his liquid metal form, creating a surreal and genuinely eerie moving target that not even Arnold Schwarzenegger’s brute strength could easily defeat. There were moments in this movie that remained seared into our brains for years as high points of what could be accomplished with CG.

Read more

Movies

Terminator 2 at 30: How Guns N’ Roses Created the Perfect Hype

By Joseph Baxter

Movies

Aliens and Terminator 2: How James Cameron Crafts Perfect Sequels

By Ryan Lambie

This writer prefers T2 to the original Terminator. It’s fashionable to go the other way, but the first movie, while excellent, is essentially a low-budget horror film, Schwarzenegger’s T-800 a somewhat more formidable stand-in for the usual unstoppable slasher. The characters in T2 are far more fleshed out, the action bigger and more spectacular, the stakes more grave and palpable. It was the first movie to cost more than $100 million but it felt like every penny was right there on the screen. And Cameron tied up his story ingeniously, making all the sequels and prequels, and sidequels since irrelevant and incoherent. We don’t need them; we have Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Underworld (2003)

July 1

Is Underworld a good movie? No, not really. Is it a scary movie, what with the vampires and werewolves? Not at all. Well, is it at least entertaining?! Absolutely. Never before has a B-studio actioner been so deliciously pretentious and delightful in its pomposity.

Every bit the product of early 2000s action movie clichés, right down to Kate Beckinsale’s oh-so tight leather number,  Underworld excels in part because of the casting of talent like Beckinsale. A former Oxford student and star of the West End stage, she got her start in cinema by appearing in a Kenneth Branagh Shakespeare adaptation, and she brings a wholly unneeded (but welcome) conviction to this tale of vampire versus werewolves in a centuries-long feud. Shamelessly riffing on Romeo and Juliet, the film ups the British thespian pedigree with movie-stealing performances by Bill Nighy as a vampire patriarch and Michael Sheen (Beckinsale’s then-husband who she met in a production of The Seagull) as an angsty, tragic werewolf. It’s bizarre, overdone, and highly entertaining in addition to all the fang on fur action.

Snowpiercer (2013)

July 2

Before there was Parasite, there was Snowpiercer, the action-driven class parable brought to horrific and mesmerizing life by Oscar-winning Korean director Bong Joon-ho in 2013. The film is set in a future ice age in which the last of humanity survives on a train that circumnavigates a post-climate change Earth. The story follows Chris Evans‘ Curtis as he leads a revolt from the working class caboose to the upper class engine at the front of the train.

Loosely based on a French graphic novel, filmed in the Czech Republic as a Korean-Czech co-production, and featuring some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, with dialogue in both English and Korean, Snowpiercer is not only a truly international production that will keep Western audiences guessing, but it packs an ever effective social critique as we head further into an age of climate change and wealth inequality. Also, there is a scene in which Chris Evans slips on a fish.

The Beguiled (2017)

July 16

Sofia Coppola’s remake of the 1971 film of the same name (both are based on a Thomas Cullinan novel) is a somewhat slight yet undeniably intriguing addition to the filmmaker’s catalog. It’s the story of a wounded Union soldier being taken in by a Southern school for girls–stranded in the middle of the American Civil War–with salvation turning into damnation as the power dynamics between the sexes are tested. It is also an evocative piece of Southern Gothic with an ending that will stick with you. Top notch work from a cast that also includes Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Colin Farrell makes this a bit of an underrated gem.

The Twilight Saga

July 16

In July, not one, not two, not three, not even four, but all five of the movies adapted from Stephenie Meyer’s young adult phenomenon book series will be accessible on Netflix. Indulge in the nostalgia of Catherine Hardwicke’s faithful and comparatively intimate Twilight. Travel to Italy with a depressing Edward and Bella in New Moon. Lean into the horror absurdity of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2. Or marathon all five for maximal escapism into a world where vegetarian vampires are the boyfriend ideal, the sun is always clouded, and the truly iconic emo-pop tunes never stop. 

Django Unchained (2012)

July 24

The second film Quentin Tarantino won an Oscar for, Django Unchained remains a highly potent revenge fantasy where a Black former slave (Jamie Foxx) seeks to free his wife from Mississippian bondage and ends up wiping out the entire infrastructure of a plantation in the process. Brutal, dazzlingly verbose in dialogue, and highly triggering in every meaning of the word—including quickdraw shootouts—this is a Southern-fried Spaghetti Western at its finest.

Read more

Movies

Quentin Tarantino Still Wants to Retire Since Most Directors’ Last Films Are ‘Lousy’

By David Crow

Culture

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

By David Crow

Perhaps its other great asset is a terrific cast of richly drawn characters, including Foxx as Django (the “D” is silent), Christoph Waltz as German dentist-turned-bounty hunter Dr. King Shultz, Leonardo DiCaprio as sadistic slaveowner Calvin Candie, and Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen. While Waltz won a deserved Oscar for the film (his second from a Tarantino joint), it is Jackson’s turn as a house slave who becomes by far the most dangerous and cruel of Django’s adversaries who lingers in the memory years later… 

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The post Best Movies Coming to Netflix in July 2021 appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3A8JEeG

[fanfictionlive]

Ao3 back-up/archive? [ Ninjago ]

Fandom: Lego Ninjago

Pairing: Griffin Turner X Jay Walker

Premise: The element masters of speed (Griffin Turner) and lightning (Jay Walker) have a race to see who's the fastest. Griffin is forbidden from tapping into his elemental powers for this. Also at the end it was a tie, and Jay gets Griffin's glasses off to show he has heterochromia.

I'm hoping someone has a general Ao3 back-up since I doubt there's many people downloading fics about Lego people who fight in their pajamas. I haven't been able to find a readily available mirror online of this fic via "" in search or on FF.net. I last accessed it on Ao3 somewhere between 2018-2019. I'm unsure when it was actually posted.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. I wish I had thought of downloading fics directly from Ao3 for back-ups in case the writer ever deletes the fic and/or their account back then.

submitted by /u/DannyPhantomPhandom [link] [comments] from FanFiction: Where Magical Ponies battle Imperial Titans https://ift.tt/2CR4VQS

[thisisheavynews]

25 worst Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees ever

Simone Joyner

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s that time of year again for people to get enraged. That’s because the nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 are due any day now.

But before we get to whether newly eligible acts like Oasis, The Notorious B.I.G. and Weezer will make the cut, or if longtime snubs like Depeche Mode, Doobie Brothers or Kraftwerk will finally get in, let’s take a look back.

Like most Halls of Fame, the Rock Hall can be polarizing. While, you can make an argument for just about any artist that has been inducted, there are a few dozen fans will swear have no business in music’s hallowed ground.

In an effort to upset as many people as possible (Not really, but it’s inevitable), we ranked the 25 worst Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selections of all time. You know, the ones that had you scratching your head wondering why them and not [insert snub here].

This is just one man’s opinion, of course. Just remember: They’re all good, if not great artists. But were they Rock Hall worthy?

AP

25. Ritchie Valens

Inducted: 2001

Better option: Link Wray

Associated with “American Pie” (“The Day the Music Died”) after passing away tragically in a plane crash alongside Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, Valens is a legend. But digging deeper, his Rock Hall resume is pretty light. Yes, he was the pioneer of Chicano rock. And yes, “La Bamba” was a huge hit. But that alone should not have earned him induction when you consider other genre pioneers/one-hit wonders such as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Big Mama Thornton have never even been nominated. There were several better options for the Class of 2001 when it comes to 1950s rock and roll pioneers, top among them being Link Wray.

Victoria Will

24. Darlene Love

Inducted: 2011

Better option: Mary Wells

You’d be hard pressed to find a Rock Hall Inductee more lovable than Darlene Love. An essential figure in Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, Love was (and still is) a great singer. That, along with “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” are her two main arguments for Rock Hall Induction. But you can’t help but wonder why her and not The Marvelettes or Mary Wells, two essential acts for early Motown with bigger hits to their names.

Chris Ware

23. The Dave Clark Five

Inducted: 2008

Better option: Lonnie Donegan

Well, this is sure to upset a lot of baby boomers who still geek out to “Glad All Over.” The Dave Clark Five was a very popular British Invasion act of the 1960s, and the second British act after The Beatles to appear on the “The Ed Sullivan Show.” But The Dave Clark Five’s resume, even compared to just other acts of the 1960s, makes them a borderline Rock Hall candidate. Are they that different from The Crystals, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Shangri-Las or Paul Revere & the Raiders: All acts you could argue for or against? A better choice would have been Lonnie Donegan, the most influential recording artist in British history before The Beatles came around.

Getty Images

22. Cat Stevens

Inducted: 2014

Better option: Nick Drake

Cat Stevens had a great run during the first half of the 1970s, with two very essential albums and a string of hits. But you have to wonder how the Rock Hall landed on his name instead of a wide variety of 1970s acts that have never even been nominated, from Doobie Brothers to Emerson, Lake & Palmer to Jim Croce. Even in his own genre, you could make a better case for Nick Drake who, as time goes on, feels like a better choice than Stevens, given how the former’s influence continues to be felt in the artists of today.

Keystone Features

21. Small Faces/Faces

Inducted: 2012

Better option: New York Dolls

It’s easy to see why fans of bands like Mott the Hoople, J. Geils Band or Little Feat might cry foul that their favorite act isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Small Faces/Faces are. We’re dealing with a combination of two acts here, a la Parliament-Funkadelic (Though, far less significant). The talent and, to a lesser extent, influence are there. Both the Small Faces and, more so, Faces’ back-to-back to basics style and care-free attitude would influence several acts of the 1970s. But in that regard, the impact of, say, the New York Dolls was much greater. After all, Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood were going to get in anyway.

Getty Images

20. Donovan

Inducted: 2012

Better option: Phil Ochs

A lesser Bob Dylan? Sure. But you could say that about any folk artist really. Donovan’s impact runs deeper, primarily in his merger of folk music with psychedelic pop. But where Donovan falls short is in having just a handful of hits that resonated in the States. That’s not enough to justify his induction over artists who came before such as Phil Ochs or Judy Collins. And how the Nominating Committee saw fit to nominate Donovan years before Joan Baez is beyond me.

AP

19. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

Inducted: 2015

Better option: John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers

Let’s face it. Before being nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame multiple times, most mainstream music fans had never heard of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. That doesn’t mean the band wasn’t impactful. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was integral in bringing Chicago blues to white, suburban audiences in the 1960s. But the band’s lack of “Fame” and the fact that an landmark blues artist like Son House shockingly can’t get a nomination makes you question how The Paul Butterfield Blues Band got on the ballot, let alone chosen over Kraftwerk, Nine Inch Nails, Chic and others nominated for the Class of 2015.

Hulton Archive/Getty

18. Electric Light Orchestra

Inducted: 2017

Better option: Jethro Tull

When you take into account Jeff Lynne’s production legacy, then you can make a solid case for Electric Light Orchestra’s Rock Hall worthiness. But the band on its own — I’m just not seeing it. ELO got in as part of the Nominating Committee’s surge in recent years to include B (or maybe even C) level classic-rock acts. But nothing really puts Electric Light Orchestra ahead of other 1970s acts s like The Guess Who, Bad Company or Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Then again, I wouldn’t induct those bands either.

AP/Los Angeles Times

17. Laura Nyro

Inducted: 2012

Better option: Judy Collins

Laura Nyro is one of the first names that comes up when people list the least deserving members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And it’s easy to see why. It feels like her nomination was plucked out of thin air. That doesn’t mean she wasn’t a great artist. Nyro most certainly was. But she feels somewhat fringe compared to almost any other inductee. She’s sort of like a lesser Randy Newman, where as the Rock Hall could have opted for someone with more influence like the aforementioned Judy Collins.

Getty Images

16. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers

Inducted: 1993

Better option: Billy Ward and His Dominoes

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers were nominated for the Rock Hall every year since the beginning until they were inducted in 1993. Why did the Nominating Committee have the group on par with the greatest rock and roll acts of all time. Sure, Lymon has a compelling story as a child star who died young. But while the lack of noteworthy catalog has kept other influential 1950s acts out of the Rock Hall, namely Johnny Ace and Jesse Belvin, it didn’t affect Lymon. Maybe in the “Early Influences” category this makes sense. Otherwise, can most people name anything besides “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?”

Stephen Lovekin

15. Little Anthony and the Imperials

Inducted: 2009

Better option: Ben E. King (solo)

Little Anthony and the Imperials’ longevity is impressive. Of all the acts come out of doo-wop and move into R&B, few, if any, had a longer run. But the significance of that run is debatable, especially when you start rifling off the list of influential R&B artists that aren’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Joe Tex, Mary Wells, Junior Walker & the All Stars, Ben E. King (solo), The Crystals, etc.

George Konig

14. Del Shannon

Inducted: 1999

Better option: Chubby Checker

It must have been easy to get behind the idea of Del Shannon being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when artists like Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne practically worshiped the ground he walked on. But Shannon is one of those artists whose legacy is really built around just one song in “Runaway.” Yes, it was a No. 1 hit and Shannon had a distinct style. But why him and not someone like Chubby Checker or Tommy James & The Shondells.

Getty Images

13. Bobby Darin

Inducted: 1990

Better option: Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

Looking at the list of successful artists of the 1950s, Bobby Darin certainly has some of the deccade’s biggest hits, including “Splish, Splash” and “Mack the Knife.” But how much those songs resonated in the decades that followed? Darin was a famous star who became an actor. But musically, it would have benefitted the Rock Hall to have pushed for an artist with a more unique style and sound.

Ian Showell

12. Chicago

Inducted: 2016

Better option: Procol Harum

Saying Chicago was a successful band during the 1970s would be an understatement. But even after selling all those records, they never really felt like a larger than life act. And when they came close, they morphed into a lame soft rock act with songs like “You’re the Inspiration” and “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.” Yes, Chicago brought horns into rock in the 1970s. But they weren’t the first or, arguably, the best at it, considering the Mothers of Invention and Electric Flag haven’t been nominated.

Plain Dealer Historical Archive

11. The Lovin’ Spoonful

Inducted: 2000

Better option: The Shangri-Las

I’m okay with kicking The Lovin’ Spoonful out of the Rock Hall based on the band’s Induction Ceremony performance alone. Yes, the band had some hits during the 1960s. But they weren’t a game-changer the level of peers like Grateful Dead or The Mamas and the Papas. And in terms of the 1960s as a whole, you have to imagine the impact of act like Joe Tex or The Shangri-Las stretches much further. Heck, I’d take The Monkees over these guys all day, everyday.

Robert Cianflone

10. Bon Jovi

Inducted: 2018

Better option: Iron Maiden

If we’re talking just commercial appeal, record sales and longevity, by all means Bon Jovi belongs in the Rock Hall. Influence and authenticity? Not so much. I could get behind the band’s induction more had Desmond Child been included, since there’s something to be said for the songwriting on choruses to songs like “Livin’ on a Prayer.” As it stands, however, I don’t see any significant changes to the history of rock music if Bon Jovi never existed, other than the Goo Goo Dolls never becoming a band or there being fewer songs to sing along to at weddings. Why Bon Jovi and not Boston, Thin Lizzy or Bad Company?

AP

9. Journey

Inducted: 2017

Better option: Duran Duran

The arguments for and against Journey and Bon Jovi are the same. Only, Journey fans are even more passionate, and, thus, more likely to slash the tires on my car. Yes, “Don’t Stop Believin'” is an indelible pop song. But you know who else made at least one indelible pop song? Duran Duran, Whitney Houston, the Go-Go’s and INXS, each not in the Rock Hall despite having more influence on today’s music landscape than Journey. Whose getting in next: Nickelback?

M. McKeown

8. Gene Pitney

Inducted: 2002

Better option: Harry Nilsson

There’s a case to be made for Pitney in a specialty category, considering his work as a sound engineer and songwriter on hits like “He’s a Rebel” and “Hello, Mary Lou.” But as a “Performer” it doesn’t make much sense. His impact during the 1960s doesn’t measure up to other acts that aren’t in the Rock Hall like Love, Dick Dale or Jan and Dean.

Getty Images

7. The Moody Blues

Inducted: 2018

Better option: King Crimson

The Moody Blues made good (if not boring) music, some of it great. But this an example of the Nominating Committee and its Boomer voters preferring a second- or third-tier classic rock act rather than a top-tier band from a later decade. The Moody Blues certainly weren’t the kind of groundbreaking act snubs like T. Rex, The Jam or Kraftwerk were.

Plain Dealer Historical Archives

6. Bill Withers

Inducted: 2015

Better option: Lionel Richie and the Commodores

Bill Withers is a fine R&B act with a handful of great soul songs. But even within his own genre, maybe (MAYBE) he rates as one of the 100 most important R&B acts of all time and certainly isn’t in the top 50. The Nominating Committee seemingly pulled Withers’ name out of thin air and voters went for it, despite there being several better options in the forms of Chic, Luther Vandross, Kool & the Gang, Barry White, Rick James, The Commodores and The Ohio Players. I could go on.

Getty Images

5. Jeff Beck

Inducted: 2009

Better option: Dick Dale

If prior to 2009, Jeff Beck felt like a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, it’s because he was as a member of the Yardbirds, and rightfully so. But there was no reason for him to become a two-time inductee, other than the Rock Hall wanting to put together a guitar showcase at its annual ceremony. Beck is undoubtedly one of the greatest guitarists of all time. But his solo career leaves something to be desired in terms of significance.

Promotional Handout

4. The Dells

Inducted: 2004

Better option: Teddy Pendergrass

If you find something significant that separates The Dells from a large group of other like-minded R&B/doo-wop acts from the same period, please let me know what it is. The Dells have one (“Oh What a Nite”), maybe two (“Stay In My Corner”) essential hits, which somehow got them into the Rock Hall ahead of The Dramatics, The Stylistics, Harold Melvin, Teddy Pendergrass, The Dramatics, The Spinners, The Del Vikings and The Chi-Lites, among others.

Ethan Miller

3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Inducted: 2015

Better option: The Runaways

This concept of Joan Jett as the archetype of the female rock star is a bit weird. Yes, when you think of a woman with a guitar, she comes to mind. But she did not invent that or do anything with it that hadn’t been done before. In fact, her two biggest hits are cover songs. The fact that Joan Jett & the Blackhearts are in the Rock Hall and The Shangri-Las aren’t is a bit absurd. That’s not to say Jett doesn’t belong in the hall. She’s just in there with the wrong group. The Runaways were far more essential.

Timothy A. Clark

2. Percy Sledge

Inducted: 2005

Better option: Joe Tex

There’s a thought among some people that a push for Percy Sledge to get into the Rock Hall was made after he performed at Steve Van Zandt’s wedding. I’m going to ignore that, only because, if true (which it may very well be), it’s INSANE! Sledge has one hit. That’s not discredit his other work. That’s just a fact. “When a Man Loves a Woman” is all anyone knows. Does that make him influential? Sledge was an important artist in terms of southern soul in the 1960s or, better yet, “When a Man Loves a Woman” was an important song, one of the essential hits of the decade. But, in terms of body of work, there just isn’t much else there.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

1. Stevie Nicks

Inducted: 2019

Better option: Tina Turner

If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were to admit Stevie Nicks was nominated because she finished first in the “Voice Your Choice” in-museum fan vote, I’d let this go. However, the Rock Hall Foundation has said the vote had no influence on the committee. So we’re left to wonder why Nicks was worthy of becoming the first two-time female inductee. To say Nicks has more than one essential album or song would be a reach. And while she’s an influential figure, most of that (if not all of it) can be chalked up to her time with Fleetwood Mac. The list of women who have had better solo careers than Nicks is too long to list here. So, I’ll just list the women who would have made better two-time inductees, which includes Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Grace Slick.

from Heavy News https://thisisheavynews.com/25-worst-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-inductees-ever/

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RESERVES UPDATE

FACE CLAIM RESERVES

ADELAIDE KANE - shae

ALEXANDER DREYMON - kate

ALEXANDER VLAHOS - kate

ALICIA VIKANDER - iris

AMANDA SEYFRIED - kate

ANASTASIA TSILIMPIOU - shae

ANEURIN BARNARD - kate

ANGEL COULBY - laurel

ASHLEY BENSON - lee

ASTRID BERGES-FRISBEY - lyss

AUSTIN BUTLER - dolls

BELLA HADID - lyss

BEN BARNES - lyss

BEREN SAAT - iris

BERK CANKAT - halle

BOB MORLEY - iris

BOOBOO STEWART - halle

BRADLEY JAMES - laurel

BRIDGET REGAN - emily

BURAK ÖZÇIVIT - laurel

BYUN YO-HAN (1) - kate

CANDICE ACCOLA - halle

CAITRIONA BALFE - dolls

CHRISTIAN ANTIDORMI - lyss

CLAUDIA KIM - dolls

CLIVE STANDEN - laurel

COURTNEY EATON - joelle

DANIELLE CAMPBELL - halle

DAN JEANNOTTE - iris

DEEPIKA PADUKONE - laurel

DOUTZEN KROES - lyss

EOIN MACKEN - kate

ELIZABETH MCGOVERN - kate

EMERAUDE TOUBIA - shae

ESTELLA DANIELS - laurel

FAN BINGBING - dolls

FRANCOIS ARNAUD - iris

GABRIELLA WILDE - shae

GAL GADOT - emily

GEORGE BLAGDEN - laurel

HARRY SHUM JR. - sky

HOLLIDAY GRAINGER - kate

HOWARD CHARLES - halle

IVANA BAQUERO - halle

JAI COURTNEY - iris

JASON MOMOA - laurel

JESSICA PARKER KENNEDY - kate

JOE MANGANIELLO - halle

KELLAN LUTZ - dolls

KIT HARINGTON - laurel

KRISTEN STEWART - halle

LAMBERT WILSON - iris

LESLEY-ANN BRANDT - lyss

LILY JAMES - dolls

LOTTE VERBEEK - halle

LUKE EVANS - ani

MAHESH JADU - kate

MANU BENNETT - iris

MARIE AVGEROPOULOS - lee

MARIÉ DIGBY - dolls

MARINA NERY - shae

MARINE VACTH - iris

MATTHEW DADDARIO - halle

MAX IRONS - kate

MÉLANIE THIERRY - laurel

NATALIE DORMER - laurel

OSCAR ISAAC - ani

POLLY WALKER - kate

RANVEER SINGH - iris

RICHARD ARMITAGE - laurel

ROSIE TUPPER - iris

RUTH NEGGA - kate

SAM CLAFLIN - dolls

SAM HEUGHAN - iris

SIMON MERRELLS - laurel

SONAM KAPOOR - lyss

SOPHIE TURNER - shae

SUI HE - lyss

TOM HIDDLESTON - iris

TONY MAFHUD - lyss

ZHU ZHU - laurel

ZOE KRAVITZ - ani

ZOE SALDANA - halle

NOBILITY RESERVES

This list will be more subject to change as more lore and want ads are created. Currently there are some seats that are unnamed, and until the staff have come up with names and descriptions for them, members are more than welcome to come up with their own, as we want to give everyone a chance to reserve seats.

Families for each seat are up to the creation of the the person reserving them, so you can do what you want with them! If you see a house that has a want ad coming, feel free to contact the person reserving them on tumblr/discord to see if there are any slots that you could fill while you wait for a want ad.

More lore on already created seats will be revealed soon! I’m aware that this is very bare/messy for the time being but we do want to encourage player world building so we don’t want to dictate too much.

ELDURIAN SEATS

HOUSE GRÍMSSON of selurvík – reserved for halle, want ad coming! HOUSE VALDÍSSON of vorjfall – reserved for laurel HOUSE RUNISSON of hvalurströnd  - reserved for dolls & kate, want ad coming! HOUSE FALKENRATH of southgate – reserved for kate, want ad coming! HOUSE RAINIER of ravensreach – reserved for iris, shae & emily, want ad coming! HOUSE BRENHIN of deeplake  - reserved for laurel, want ad coming! HOUSE THORN  of goldhall – reserved for kate & halle, want ad coming! HOUSE HAXTHAUSEN of summerfield – reserved for iris & shae, want ad coming! HOUSE MONTFAUCON of longmeadow – reserved for iris, dolls, lyss & laurel, want ad coming! HOUSE ØSTERGÅRD of highkeep – reserved for iris, dolls & kate, want ad coming! HOUSE MORCANT of windemere – reserved for iris, kate, shae & halle HOUSE DARROW of oakwood – reserved for kate, want ad coming! HOUSE ANGHARAD of riverton – reserved for iris, laurel & lyss, want ad coming! OPEN HOUSE of westmoor - open HOUSE SHMONA  of dorsey – reserved for lyss, want ad coming! HOUSE HOWLAND  of oldport – reserved for ani, want ad here HOUSE ZANIN  of whitehaven – reserved for kate & shae, want ad coming! OPEN HOUSE  of stoneacre - open HOUSE ZUDAYNE of ashworth – reserved for laurel HOUSE CORONA of spurling – reserved for lyss HOUSE SANSONE of tavola – reserved for kate, want ad coming!

BAIZHENGESE NOBILITY

HOUSE CHEN, EMPERORS OF BAIZHENG – reserved for dolls, want ad coming! OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

GADHAVIAN NOBILITY

OPEN HOUSE of open, KINGS OF GADHAVI - open HOUSE MADHUR, LORDS OF AMRITA – reserved for laurel, want ad coming! HOUSE JOHAR, LORDS OF OPEN – reserved for iris, want ad coming! OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

UTAWALAN NOBILITY

MÜCEVHER HOUSE ZÜLFIKAR of fiqar, KINGS OF MÜCEVHER – reserved for laurel & lyss, want ad coming! HOUSE SADIK OF SAMARA – reserved for iris, want ad here OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

THIBIA OPEN HOUSE OF ANKHAIS, KINGS OF THIBIA - open OPEN HOUSE OF LYDO - open OPEN HOUSE OF KHABAI - open OPEN HOUSE OF SATIFH - open

OPEN COUNTRY #1 OPEN HOUSE of open, KINGS OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

OPEN COUNTRY #2 OPEN HOUSE of open, KINGS OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

OPEN COUNTRY #3 OPEN HOUSE of open, KINGS OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

VOLUBISIAN NOBILITIY

MYRMIAS HOUSE MEGALOS, IMPERIAL FAMILY OF VOLUBISIA – reserved for kate, want ad coming! HOUSE TIMAEUS, OF CAMBRIA – reserved for laurel & lyss, want ad coming! OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

LACEDAE HOUSE ATHANASIOS, KINGS OF LACEDAE – reserved for dolls HOUSE XENOCRATES OF OLIVETO – reserved for iris, lee & lyss, want ad coming! OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

SIPHNOS OPEN HOUSE, KINGS OF SIPHNOS - want ad coming! OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

AMMURIA HOUSE KATSAROS, KINGS OF AMMURIA - reserved for shae, want ad coming! OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

OPEN KINGDOM OPEN HOUSE, KINGS OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open OPEN HOUSE OF OPEN - open

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Science Fiction New Releases: 20 April, 2019

The titans of military science fiction rise to duel with mecha and starships in this week’s new release roundup.

Absolution (Blood Runners #1) – George S. Mahaffey Jr. and Justin Sloan  

In a futuristic New Chicago where justice is meted out via a barbaric system called Absolution, you can either level up or check out.

Nobody knows this better than Marisol, a super-powered tracker whose job involves hunting down “Runners,” people who’ve been paid bounties to become suspects in crimes committed by the wealthy.

On the verge of becoming the city’s premier Hunter, she stumbles upon a young Runner who holds the key to a conspiracy that could topple New Chicago’s dictator–and threatens everything she’s ever believed in.

“It’s a little bit Hunger Games with a touch of Running Man and just a sprinkle of Ready Player One.”–Amazon Reader Review

Armor World (Undying Mercenaries #11) – B. V. Larson

In a twist of fate that rocks the Galactic Empire, James McGill finds himself negotiating the future of a thousand inhabited worlds.

An artificial object made of compressed stardust is barreling toward Earth. Is it an invasion ship? A doomsday weapon? Perhaps it’s the final response of Squanto, the Warlord of Rigel who McGill has repeatedly humiliated. Or could it be from the Mogwa, sent to avenge McGill’s assassination of Earth’s Imperial Governor?

No one knows the truth of its origins, but the object is huge and unstoppable. Whoever hurled this rock at us isn’t answering our calls. Every weapon bounces off, and the people of Earth begin to go mad as they realize their destruction is only hours away.

The Colossus (Blood on the Stars #12) – Jay Allan

The Hegemony strikes again…

The Confederation and its allies have won their first victory, retaken their capital from he forces of the Hegemony. But the enemy is not beaten, far from it, and they are back, with an unstoppable weapon, a vast superbattleship, a deadly hybrid of imperial and Hegemony technology, called the Colossus.

The great ship is enormously powerful, nearly unstoppable, and in its armored depths it hides a secret, another Hegemony weapon, one that will change the dynamic of the entire war. One that will challenge Admiral Barron, and his officers and spacers, to the greatest test they have ever faced.

The battle for the Rim has reached its climactic stage, but even as the Hegemony moves forward to claim victory, an old enemy, a terror from the distant past, is about to return…and change everything.

Dropship (Forsaken Mercenary #1) – Jonathan Yanez

If they can’t control him.

They’ll try and kill him.

Daniel Hunt is the deadliest mercenary in the galaxy if he can just remember. Five years before he woke up with nothing more than his name. Now his present is on a violent collision with his past and the future of the galaxy.

The Earth is dead. Humanity has taken to the moon and Mars to have a chance. On what’s left of Earth primal gangs war for dominance.

A rebel force will discover a weapon of unimaginable strength, the wealthy in the galaxy will do anything to possess. As Daniel unravels the origin of his past he’ll realize he’s not the same weapon he once was. But does redemption exist for someone like him?

Dust of the Deep (Wings of Earth #2) Eric Michael Craig

Some runs pay better than others … Especially when there are pirates involved.

After almost losing his Shipmaster’s licenses, Captain Ethan Walker takes on three new crewmembers and the first job that will get him back into space. He realizes en route that the supplies and personnel they’re carrying make the ship a prime target for pirates. It’s too late. He has no option but to complete the run regardless of the danger.

Things get worse for the Olympus Dawn when they make a one hundred light-year detour to pick up an archaeologist who knows their actual destination, only to find that someone has kidnapped her.

While they’re waiting for instructions from the archaeologist who hired them, Walker learns that Captain Kendrick Jetaar will stop at nothing to capture their cargo. Captain Walker must escape the ruthless pirate lord before he and his crew become casualties in a war he didn’t know existed.

Fortunately, the load pays exceptionally well, if only he can survive to collect.

Earth Aflame (Earthrise #11) – Daniel Arenson

The Singularity has come. The machines have risen.

Our robots, once loyal servants, now slaughter us. Our cars, planes, and starships have become machines of death. Cyborgs roam the land, deforming humans, growing their twisted army.

Is a heartless, mechanized hell our future?

A faint hope shines. Heroes still fight. Famous names. Einav. Marco. Addy. Lailani. The heroes of the Alien Wars. Names etched in our history, in our hearts. Four friends. Four humans . . . against an army of metal.

A shadow has fallen. Humanity must shine brighter than ever before.

Gott Mit Uns (Terran Strike Marines #5) – Richard Fox and Scott Moon

Terran Strike Marines fight for victory. No matter the odds. No matter the cost.

The final battle against the Kesaht begins.

Lieutenant Hoffman and the exhausted Marines of Valdar’s Hammer are called upon to make a desperate assault against the enemy’s home world. But the foe is prepared, and their planet is a death trap.

While the Strike Marines fight for their lives, the fabled ship Breitenfeld remains captured by the Ibarra Nation, and the Ember War hero Valdar languishes in a cell. The ship and her captain are held on a strange world of the Ibarra’s design, and only the Hammers can free them.

Hoffman and his Strike Marines have fought from the icy wastes of Koen, to the jungles of Eridu, and even deep into the heart of a shattered moon, but their final mission will demand a price in blood.

The Lost Supernova (Lost Starship #10) – Vaughn Heppner

Androids used to mingle among us, pretending to be human. Then an alien puppet-master altered their programming. Unknown to us, androids began leaving human society, burning their clothes and peeling off their skin to reveal the chrome-colored bodies underneath.

They gathered in a system were a star had exploded, blowing away the atmosphere of a Jupiter-like planet. The supernova had hurled heavy metals against the remaining core. The androids are mining supermetals that can turn ordinary ship weapons and shields into invincible armaments.

The altered programming includes human genocide, which will start with a murderous attack on Earth.

Luckily, Captain Maddox finds the enemy system. But during a space battle, something happens to hurl Victory thousands of light-years away into the Scutum-Centaurus Spiral Arm. The crippled starship will take years to reach home again. Long before that, Earth will be a radioactive ruin.

Now begins a desperate journey in hostile space that will stretch everyone as Maddox strains to reach the Lord High Admiral in time with knowledge about the coming android attack.

With Your Shield (Four Horsemen Tales #10) – Chris Kennedy and Alex Rath

Come back with your shield…or on it!

Staff Sergeant Markus ‘Spartan’ Nicolos is one of the Intelligence Department’s best. A hacker who can beat any code, he’s in charge of communications intercepts for the Golden Horde’s Computer Operations section. When people can’t break a code, they bring in Spartan.

It wasn’t always this way, though. Spartan used to be a frontline CASPer pilot—someone who could be counted on to get the job done and bring the squad home safely…until he lost his entire squad in an ambush. He also lost his edge in the attack, and he swore he would never pilot a CASPer in combat again.

Everything changed, though, when he came up with an idea for a new type of scout CASPer—one that would prevent what happened to him from ever happening again. He’s been given a mech to convert and a team to help him bring his idea to reality. And he’s been given a chance to test it out on a Golden Horde deployment.

But in the time immediately before the events of the Omega War, forces are already moving behind the scenes, and nothing is as it seems…and they’re bringing along Spartan’s combat mech—which he said he’d never pilot in combat again—just in case.

Science Fiction New Releases: 20 April, 2019 published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames