#yes the 'lens flares' are present in the original

[indigozeal]

Final Fantasy VII Halloween doujinshi stationery by Suishou Gekka.

[ckcker]

Stress Discovers the Wind

‘EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE’ I yelled in head. It was possible for Rob and Gail to be missing, it was also possible for them to be found. It was possible for them to both be found dead, or both found alive, or one dead and the other alive, and in the other configuration as well. Why did I have hope. It emerged from somewhere untrained and beyond my critical forecast. I ripped open a deluge of conclusive sentences in my head about a situation in which two people go missing. I was well informed by all the true crime folk tales. And so I cycled despairing scenarios through my mind with all the virtuosic grace of a forensics analyst who is later shown to also be quite neurotic yet appealingly damaged in their personal life. I couldn’t help but summon images of Rob and Gail’s heads in skull form. But sploshing far beneath the grotesque stitching of my ‘what ifs,’ and even under my long-term badass exploration of revenge, I observed a feeling, unconstrained and without footnotes, that did not make any rational assumptions on a series of events, but only lingered on all sides with a dumb imprecision. I looked to the sky and saw the clouds had advanced a new cosmetic angle, they had begun to turn green. So unused to feeling hope was I, that it scared me. No known execution to be practiced with this information. Simplicity was incredibly difficult, the clouds did seem to be entering a highly creative period.

I looked to Q.C., whose fat kestrel-snatched eyes were also on the changing sky. And Bianca, swollen with ancient agency, remarkably gargoyle-ready. Her eyes teeming with inflexible gusto for justice, for the truth, for the protection and the return of the friend she loved.  I wanted her as a spiritual advisor. Instead, I inwardly sprinted from myself with the gauche gazelle as my inspo, simply because of my fear that I could experience hope. 

Perhaps this was one of those times in which I was supposed to reassess my beliefs, to try to understand what I called my instincts, and to investigate the fundamental truths I had decided to take for granted. The cue indicated that here, I was supposed to do something like go deep into myself and confront something. But I simply didn’t want to. That did not seem conducive to being an impenetrable wraith who courageously juggles the pursuit of low stakes vengeance with a part-time job at an arts and crafts store. Still, I was getting a bit tired of using the words “revenge,” “possible” and “old,” and even a bit tired of how seriously I took the concept of “vengeance,” and I didn’t know why, and this burp of thematic intolerance gained even more traction in its timing, being simultaneous to an unconventional gust of wind that threw recycling at me. I had already begun to grow tired of the ultra-magnification of my past, and an empty container of canola oil immediately brought my attention to the present.

“Are you okay?” Bianca asked. “The sky’s very green.”

“Maybe we should go inside,” Q.C. said.

“Maybe we should even go to the basement.”

“Ok,” I agreed.

I wondered if an empty bottle of canola oil, quickly organized into my head, was capable of unlocking a third eye; yes I must be on the precipice of the sacred switch that moves despair into clarity, healing and acceptance. I “felt” internally for a new presence in my forehead that might immediately change my outlook and bring me to peace activation. Watching Q.C.’s back and the submerged suggestion of muscle in front of me as it descended the basement stairs, I waited, wondering if my irresponsible daydreaming of Q.C. was an early indicator that one fateful day, out-of-control recycling was destined to shred open my great spiritual journey and turn me away from gerontomania. However if my third eye was open, it seemed open only for the camera’s sake. ‘My third eye is open and it sees mostly lens flare’ I thought-declared and through the basement window I also saw with my original eyes that it had begun to hail.

Bianca made a loose sound of great sadness, “just what we need when the cops are on their way.”

“Will there be a tornado?” I asked in mid-slither through the deeply un-reno'ed basement, moving towards the far back left corner and away from the hanging light. I decided I did not want them to see my face.

“I don’t know, look at that sky.”

But I was still so impressed that I did not automatically expect the worst. For many years, day in and day out, I struggled to change my behavior. Then, caught in the rot of my repeated failure to do so, I discovered and developed my evil plan. Now that real calamity had come again, I saw my belief in that plan — once the spinal athame of the most dazzling meaning and ferocious truth — bent by tiny serrations of unevaluated good omen. I was lost within hope. Even my senses cracked in shock; the hail entered my visual feed almost at a different speed than normal. There were micro-tremors in the head akin to what I thought might precede a fainting episode. Without bearings, I watched in outwardly calm deadface as the diffuse light of the storm swathed the basement window in its recognizable green. The far back left corner of the basement also announced what it had been experiencing via the delicate landing of slow-rotating cobweb upon my arm. Q.C. looked at me.  I did not pull the cobweb off. I stood still and looked at the floor.

“The siren,” he low-toned, and Bianca said she heard it too. “Should we be worried?”

“When the storm is over we need to call Rob’s work I mean his internship.” Bianca was intent on moving forward.

Downpour dropped in all directions. I looked out the window, I observed its slop. Other faces from the building appeared in the basement, projecting fear, extreme fear, calm-under-the circumstances, and unbothered resignation. I watched the hail, the wind, the rain and the clouds, which were interesting and, I would say, worth watching. I wanted to access them as the cooling vector for my brand new optimism-charged confusion. The elements produced a mood, fully of the present and gab-free, radiating in open aggression and yanking repetition, with exceptional visual tricks and verifications of the grandeur of nature, which soothed me.

“Why are you standing all the way over there? Come talk to us.” My partially-soothed vision fixed on Bianca, whose face projected upset. I did not know how much they had noticed of my altered appearance when I spoke to them earlier on the apartment complex steps. Shockingly, in the context of now having two missing acquaintances, I could only feel uselessness and shame at my diabolically awkward convictions and the high-key startling debut of my makeolder. I did not want them to know about what I considered my true self. But I had no pithy-thus-acceptable response for why I was alone in the far back left corner of the basement and not next to the people I more or less knew. I had a novel idea, actually I would just not answer. “You shouldn’t be standing by the window anyway.” I did not embrace the unexpected scoot of suddenly nomadic street sign through my neck.  So I found myself in between Q.C. and Bianca, imagining how softly dispersed pea green hues would or would not highlight my stunning transformation.

Bianca did not care about my face. “Did you notice anything weird with Rob this past week?”

“He didn’t go out as much,” I said.

“Anything else?”

“I didn’t really see him enough.”

“I didn’t see him at all. He didn’t text me back this entire week.”

Silence as Bianca recalculated her questioning. Not silent outside, where the possibility of things that could happen had been greatly maximized.

“And Gail? Did you see her?”

Drifts of a far off voice from across the basement entered me. The voice had made the universally recognizable proposal, bow chicka wow wow which indicated the traditional music of American porn, “no I didn’t see her,” and I looked to know from where the voice had sprung. I observed two middle-aged men I’d never seen before, standing under a degraded watercolor depicting a gentle prairie sunset, who were in conversation and in laughter. But nothing sailed clear enough to reach me as did the sniper scope precision of one their voices beaming, bow chicka wow wow.  A reference I seemed to have always known and hoped would always be able to hear throughout my entire life, though crushingly I knew the phrase would soon fall out of use and widespread relatability, “I have been laying low this week, so…”  I concluded my explanation.

Bianca looked away. But Q.C. seemed to be looking directly at me, which I determined through peripheral vision. He was for sure gawking at the cuntiness of my cosmetic redemption. I turned to him with a smile of rodent-imbued embarrassment and genuine apology on my face, only to discover my peripheral mapping had been quite ragged and janky. In fact he was looking with at least a 45 degree angle away from my face, eyes directed at the escalating wind observable through the basement window, that I also then followed and wondered about. 

Thoughts bounced between fear of death by tornado — the novel emergence of tenderness and hope in my emotional programming — if Gail and Rob had shelter — if Gail and Rob were alive.  If Q.C. would ever become aware of all that I had secretly designated my true self.  And if he would like being aware of that. Bow chicka wow wow I considered, wondering if the middle-aged men also hiding in the basement would be the last people I’d ever hear having fun and laughing with this extremely important sound effect. Their bodies and faces indicated much use, which I still found aesthetically inspiring, despite the typical twists of my emetic desire, which brought new and confusing feelings of wanting to be desired by others, and so of wanting to eject from my carefully scheduled revenge. I watched the storm, which did not seem to be receding, it was very loud now. No one spoke. I zoomed through the window to a fat ash tree that I knew well from living in the apartment complex, it was an attention-seeker. It now showed almost everything that was possible under the concept of wind. I felt a fourth eye open wait what about the third. The bombast of nature further roiled the gabba-steeped whiplash and wobble of my belief system. I looked to the weather for guidance. To be honest there wasn’t much else to think or talk about when the storm was being sooo loud. It had extreme close up. I felt its soothe and its terror, which unloaded a wordless spiritual extension into me. Though it was closer to the feeling of discovering on the wall of a parking garage an apparent number of the occult, expressionistically scrawled in what seems to be very recent blood and accompanied by an inexplicable and amateurishly transferred neon green humanoid handprint, sowing excitement of the supernatural and the suggestion of an endless continuing world beyond, only later to determine when buying a slice of banana bread and then needing to pee that the number is actually the security code for a nearby Starbucks bathroom.

[questersrest]

question, is dq11s hd on pc or does it have switch graphics? I'm thinking of getting it but if it's the same as the switch I can spare myself the trouble of getting the same game twice

see that’s what i was wondering, i was only playing the demo to have a look

i did some comparisons and the short answer seems to be yes

first of all, i haven’t played the original pc/ps4 edition, i’ve only looked at some footage on youtube for comparison, i can’t get a proper feel for it without playing it so say things for certain

the switch version i believe runs at 30fps and obvs the handheld screen is 720p and docked it supports up to 1080p. i have a 1440p 144Hz monitor which is all supported as is the original if i understood correctly, and it is stunning, i imagine it supports 4k too as most newer pc games do so if you have a 4k monitor, go nuts

now the texture quality is that of the original, not the switch version and that’s pretty noticable. having played through the switch version twice, it’s nice to look at the finer details.

okay here’s the bit that trips me up

this is a screenshot of the original edition i took from youtube

this is a screenshot i took myself in the pc version of the definitive edition

if you compare this with the switch version, you’ll notice in the switch version eleven’s shirt texture is far more blurry bc like i said the textures are the original in this version but then the lighting looks different and the shadow of the tree is not on him which looks like switch version

but then again look at this screenshot i took

i’m pretty sure that lens flare is not in the switch version and then there’s this

pretty sure shiny floors (and certain still pools of water) did not actually reflect objects on switch? i went to this spot on switch to compare and no, this floor at least does not reflect even the tockle’s light

in the lp of the original version i looked at they didn’t really stop and look around enough to compare so i have no idea if it had lens flare or if the reflection was present

is this version higher quality than the switch version? yes. is it as good as the original edition? for the most part yes, for the lighting i’m not 100% sure, i think it’s different but whether or not it’s as good as or even better is dificult to say.

all i can say is that the demo that was on switch is also available for these versions so you can always have a look for yourself

[whitleyschn33]

RWBY7 Soundtrack

Should I be reviewing/giving my thoughts on the OST when I have plenty of asks in my inbox to answer and have no musical authority at all? No, probably not. Am I doing it anyway? Yes.

This is just going to be in what (I assume) is the track order. Let me know if I miss any; I’m going off a YouTube playlist.

1. Trust Love

Initial thoughts: Eh.

It’s okay. It’s not my favorite opening, that honor goes to When It Falls, but it’s competent. Very optimistic, which is a trend for this volume’s soundtrack despite how dire the tone of the latter half is, so I don’t think it fully fits the volume it opens for, but it’s by no means a bad song. It’s easy to sing along and bop to, just doesn’t seem as impressive as the other opening songs. It feels like a different sort of sound than what RWBY songs have been in the past, which is also a running theme for the OST this volume - new artists singing, a lot of experimentation in the style. That’s not a bad thing; the tracks I like the most on this album are the different sounding ones, but it’s very.... noticeable, and didn’t go in the direction you would think for Atlas. 

2. Touch the Sky

Initial Thoughts: Why is the best part of this song the ending?

No, but seriously, that outro is a very different sound to the proceeding song and it’s so good. Other than that, I’ve got questions. Like, whose song is this? I’m leaning towards Team RWBY as a whole, but I’ve seen people suggest it’s Weiss’s, it’s Blake’s, I could see an argument for Yang - it’s very unclear. Also, why is the POV character(s) so happy? Their situation isn’t all that much better in terms of Salem and the Relic and all that; they should still be weighed down with that knowledge, shouldn’t they? They don’t trust Ironwood to help make things all better, they still have to carry the Relic (for plot reasons), the only thing that’s changed is that they’re going out on missions. Well, fresh clothes and a distraction are always nice, and it is a chance to put all that stuff on the back burner. I’ll give them that, then.

3. Brand New Day

Initial Thoughts: From the writers that make every Blake song a duet, here’s her volume 7 song; a duet with.... Qrow?

Have Blake and Qrow ever even spoken to each other? And, is there actually no solo Blake song, or am I beating on a dead meme? Actually, to be completely serious, these two actually work well in a song together. Their character directions compliment each other in this volume - both trying to reinvent themselves some and become better (Blake with her new hair and outfits, Qrow with a new outfit and a resolve to recover from alcoholism), it’s just a shame that, you know, this kind of talk or relationship never happens in the show. At all.

Someone in the YouTube comment section said this song sounds like a 90′s sitcom opening, and I have to agree. It really does, mixed with a bit of 50′s doo-wap. It’s not bad, I actually like the doo-wap, but it also has bits of the usual RWBY style rock, and they don’t mix as coherently as I would like in some places. The guitar bridge after Qrow’s verse is pretty nice, though.

Overall, it’s another good song to bop along to, but like the songs before it, I’m not sure it’s one I’ll be listening to over and over.

4. Let’s Get Real

Initial Thoughts: So, even the song thinks they should talk - why didn’t they?

Here’s something you may not know about me. I don’t romantically ship Renora. I’ve always preferred them as a brother/sister pair - probably in part because I’m a sucker for found family. I’ve never really had anything against romantic Renora, though... but this volume definitely made me go from neutral to dislike. Ren’s confused, he’s worried, he’s having doubts about their relationship that he’s not sure how to vocalize. He admits as much. And instead of, I don’t know, respecting that and letting it be for the moment, or pulling him aside to try and help him talk it through, she... kisses him. Instead of stopping to let them work through where their relationship is at the present (which would be nice, to clue the audience in on what exactly their status is), she pushes their relationship to the next level, presumably. It leaves a very bad taste in my mouth, that Ren’s emotions about his relationship with Nora are just shoved aside and aren’t brought up again. Hopefully it does in the next volume (Nora and Ren are notably split for, like, the first time ever in the Volume 8 preview), but still - I thought Tumblr had decided that “guy shuts a girl up by kissing her” trope was sexist or something - shouldn’t this be similarly scrutinized?

Putting that aside, I actually really really like this. It’s very reminiscent of Shine, but a Renora version; it’s got a great beat, the lyrics do a great job in character insight (something I love from RWBY songs, which are probably why Touch the Sky doesn’t do a lot for me), and it’s just a very fun, peppy song. It also feels very at home in Atlas with it’s more techno-leanings. The ending chorus chant of “Is it love?” is also a nice touch.

5. Celebrate

Initial Thoughts: The better Brand New Day (musically speaking).

And by that I mean, it leans all the way into this different style than the half/half approach Brand New Day did, and it’s all the better for it. Once again, another good dancing song, easy to listen and bop to, but it feels... oddly generic. For one thing, there’s no character tied to it, no character insight - I guess you could make an argument for Robin or the Happy Huntresses, but... not really? For another, while as a song I really enjoy the genre of music, it also makes it feel very much not like a RWBY song (something not helped by name-dropping Vegas). It’s fun, but it doesn’t feel like it adds much to the show.

6. War

Initial Thoughts: Wow, I didn’t think you could make me hate the AceOps fight more, but look at that.

Probably the first RWBY song I just flat out hate, and that’s a crying shame considering the excellent music and vocal performances. Those lyrics, though.  Just - I hate them. I hate them so damn much. I refuse to give this song more than that.

7. Hero

Initial thoughts: Hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah HELL YEAH - 

Best song on the album probably. It has all the usual RWBY flare, gives us a great insight into Ironwood’s thoughts and motivations, and is a fantastic performance by Caleb Hyles. The operatic section at the beginning is wonderfully chilling, and the rock section is very epic. 10/10 song even though I’m not rating these.

8. Until the End

Initial thoughts: Time to play “Who does this gorgeous song belong to?”

Actually, I really, really enjoy this song. It’s creepy in its melancholy, but I love it for that. The piano and subtle strings are beautiful, and the way Casey’s voice echoes gives the illusion of solitude in an empty place, perfect for the tone this song conveys.

Now, the matter of whose song it is. The consensus seems to be Ruby and/or Summer, and that’s pretty likely (and letting Ruby actually have a song would be nice). However, I heard a rumor before the album dropped that this was an Ozpin song, and going through it with that lens makes a whole lot of sense - the repeated “I’ll be here until the end”, the constant use of “we”, “our” and other plurals, the lines “ In waves of shame, we’re desperate to make amends / But through a simple soul, we lie complacent” could refer to him lying dormant in Oscar or other souls in the past instead of actively working to defeat Salem, and in the lines “ As light fills my eyes / I’ll picture me beside her / And pray that I’ll inspire”, it could be him thinking of Salem when he dies, and then praying that he’ll be able to inspire others to fight for humanity, for the light. 

I could see it either way, honestly, but no matter which it is, I love this song.

9. Fear

Initial thoughts: Fire whoever was in charge of sound mixing, otherwise, not as preachy as I was fearing.

This is actually the first time I’ve listened to this. I was pretty pissed at the ending of the finale so I didn’t stick around for the credits, and hearing that it was called “Fear”, I was not in the mood for more Ironwood bashing or “You’re just as bad as she is if you act in fear” or whatever BS Oscar said. So, yeah, wasn’t looking forward to this track.

Thankfully, though, it was not another War. I actually enjoyed the lyrics, and the music was top-notch. Don’t really have much more to say about it other than it was difficult to hear the lyrics over the music in some places, but that could be a factor of the video I was listening to. All in all, pleasantly surprised.

10. I May Fall (Acoustic)

Initial Thoughts: Can someone tell the Williams that “acoustic” doesn’t always mean “depressing?”

Like, acoustic doesn’t have to be a super slow, piano/strings, somber rendition, right? It’s just the instruments and the singer without any added computer editing/layering/whatever, if I’m not mistaken. That style of acoustic works alright with songs like Time to Say Goodbye, but not so well with more upbeat songs. This version isn’t bad, per se, but I’d like to see an acoustic version more in line with the original. 

That aside - the original I May Fall is my favorite RWBY song, bar none. This rendition was always going to be something I liked, and I do appreciate a lot about it. The strings are absolutely beautiful, particularly the cello(? I think, again, I’m not much of a music person, just have a sister that plays violin), and I love the way the violin/viola picks up for the second verse and gives the song a second wind, implying more strength and resolve. I love the music cutting out completely to let Casey sing, with the instruments slowly coming in to join as she gets louder and stronger, as if standing with her - beautiful, it’s all insanely beautiful, and this is one I will probably buy.

Closing Thoughts

This album was... average, to me. Only a couple songs really jumped out at me, while most were good, but not something I was dying to listen to again, or were dragged down by the context.

What’re your thoughts on this volume’s songs? I’d love to hear them! Until then, have a good evening, and stay safe!

[wishthefish916]

Chase Is So Goddamn Lucky

Ok, not really. He’s been through hell and back, but what I mean is, Chase tried to shoot himself, in the head, and lived to tell the tale. This theory will establish how and why that was, so if you’re sensitive to suicide and the analysis of, maybe be careful about proceeding.

How did Chase survive a bullet to the head? Well the simple answer is that he missed. Going back to the frame just before he pulled the trigger in his Power Hour, you can see exactly how the gun was positioned, the angle his gun was at, approximately how high up against his head it was, as well as how far forward his hand was, as he pulled the trigger. 

As he was putting the gun to his head, it bumped towards the front of the brim of his hat, which tells me it must’ve been lined up more with his hair floof than with his actual temples. 

Also, look how steep an angle that gun is at. In premeditated suicide with a handgun, the weapon is commonly parallel to the floor, but here, its closer to 20° from X, placing the trajectory in the little nook where hat and head meet.

So, judging by both the steep angle of the gun and the distance he holds the gun in front of him, if we were to follow the path that the bullet would have taken, we’ll see that it wouldn’t pass through his head at all. The worst the bullet would do is whiz through his hair and deafen him temporarily. 

Great Wish, but what does this have to do with anything? Well, it brings into question his motive for trying to kill himself. Yes, Stacy just left him and took the kids, and yes his work was struggling. But would that be enough? I mean, his last words before pulling the trigger were “Stacy I love you, please don’t go”, which, might I add, were said with a strange smile on his face.

You don’t say something like that and then immediately try to kill yourself. He didn’t even take the time to pause before pulling the trigger, which you’ll see in just basically every suicide attempt. It’s the brain’s last dose of self preservation, an unstoppable reflex to keep you from doing what you’re about to do because it’s ultimate job is to keep you alive. Because of this, I find it hard to believe this was premeditated, which you’d expect in any suicide attempts. Hell, when doctors screen for depression they'll ask both is you’re feeling suicidal and also if you have a plan because they usually go hand in hand. Chase is very depressed, that much is clear from TIE. But he wasn’t always. In fact, I’m willing to go so far as to say that Chase did not have depression before he tried to kill himself.

That’s a bold statement, I know. After all, we’ve seen him actively being depressed, so much so that it’s his most well known character trait. Why would he try to kill himself if he didn’t want to die? I’d better have some evidence to back this up, right? Lucky you, that’s what I do best.

Take a look at all the other Ego’s first videos before this point. It always starts off with the bright and shiny new ego, trying hard to show off their individual skill set, and over the course of the video their original character starts to chip away until their left with a broken version of themselves. Jackieboy Man coming in as the courageous hero and giving into cowardice at the end. Marvin the Magnificent, a magician who wants to show off his skills and ends up giving up on his entire career by the credits. Henrik the wise doctor who over time accidentally and also intentionally kills his patients and forgets everything he once knew about human nature. Jack, filming normal videos and over time, growing sick and paranoid before Anti makes him kill himself in a pumpkin carving video. Then look at Chase. This happy go lucky dude who makes jokes in his videos to make others smile, who by the end has turned a gun on himself. There’s this recurring theme of character decay that I’m seeing, and I think we all know where it’s coming from. Anti.

Don’t buy it yet? Look to the thumbnails. Which thumbnail? All of them. Egos, gameplay, vlogs, you name it. As we established back during Mayhem2k18, leading up to and after any Anti video, tracing all the way back to his beginnings, there’s a huge concentration of lens flares in video thumbnails, followed by a significant drop off in intermittent periods(more on that in another theory). This also rings true following the different Ego’s videos, Chase’s included, which tells us that Anti must be present in those videos as well.

And of course, the video that even brought this question to my mind in the first place, Dude Simulator. I’m really surprised I haven’t heard anything about it before, all things considered. Take a look at the thumbnail.

Anti, staring directly at us with a smile, RGB lens flares everywhere, holding a gun. Why is this relevant, you ask? It otherwise wouldn’t be, just another cryptic Anti clue in the sea of pre-existing cryptic Anti clues, if it weren't for it’s upload date. 

April 11, 2017, exactly three hours after Chase’s Power Hour. You ask me, that sounds a hell of a lot like Anti sending a message. One we all apparently missed. 

And the final nail in the coffin for me, what sold me absolutely beyond a doubt that Chase almost shooting himself was Anti’s fault, can be seen in the moments just as he pulls the trigger.

Looks pretty average, right? Take a closer look.

A small shadow of green, right next to Chase’s neck, the exact moment he pulls the trigger, and only the moment he pulls the trigger.

Way I see it, Chase did not pull a gun on himself because he wanted to die. I think that Chase was an otherwise content dude before he came onto the channel. I believe that over the course of his Power Hour, as Chase’s life started to crumble around him, Anti got more and more into his head until eventually the virus was strong enough to make him cause harm to others(Chad and that drive-by scene), and almost to himself, but in a moment of quick thinking, Chase pulled the trigger before the gun was lined up enough to do any real harm. That’s why there wasn’t a pause before he pulled the trigger, and that’s why Chase was able to get right back up after “shooting himself”. 

Chase is very lucky. He could have died, he should have died. He was under Anti’s control, where he was forced to try to shoot himself, and he came out physically unscathed. The man must’ve had one hell of a four leaf clover in his pocket; almost nobody has that much pure Irish luck on their side. For everything else that followed, well. Everybody’s luck runs out eventually.

[douxreviews]

Star Trek: Discovery - ‘If Memory Serves’ Review

Spock: "I am not here to absolve you, Michael Burnham."

By nature I love brevity: Star Trek: Discovery plays to its strengths here, delivering a well-paced, measured episode that hits on the nostalgia factor in just the right ways. 'If Memory Serves' is a noticeable improvement over the rest of this season, which was in turn already an improvement over the previous season.

The first and probably most notable quality of this episode is the nostalgic air it has. From the very retro 'Previously on Star Trek' segment at the beginning, bringing us up to speed on the events of 'The Cage,' to the well-placed sound and music cues from the same episode, 'If Memory Serves' displays a clear and respectful knowledge of what's come before. Yet there is the distinct sense that something new is being accomplished, that we're not just uselessly retreading the past. This can be seen in the technical upgrades given to the Talosians, their singing plants, and the planet itself. Not only this, we're going deeper, if not to new places, with Pike and Vina. Anson Mount and Melissa George effectively recapture the old dynamic that Jeffrey Hunter and Susan Oliver brought, but they also lend new aspects to the relationship. Vina, it seems, is happy with the illusory Pike that she's been provided, as 'The Cage' and 'The Menagerie' implied, yet throughout Melissa George's performance there is a tinge of longing for the real thing. Pike can't seem to get Vina out of his head, and his deep-seated desire to return to her is clear in this episode. This new connection to the characters also makes 'The Menagerie' all the more resonant.

We'll get to Burnham and Spock in a moment, but first I want to explore the stuff with Culber and Stamets. I've said for a while now that Culber's character in Season One existed really only in service of Stamets' character. Culber wasn't really all that much of a character in his own right. But here, since his return, the writers and Wilson Cruz have given Culber a depth and an arc that he never had before. I'm just sorry that poor Stamets has to suffer the consequences of this. I can definitely see where they are both coming from here. The loss of Culber was so devastating for Stamets, and his return so filled with joy and hope, that of course he would be overeager and take things too fast or too far. Another viewer pointed out to me that Stamets is very good at helping other people with their emotional and relational problems, but he doesn't seem to have the same clarity when it comes to his own. This is all too human. Likewise, Culber feels like a stranger in his own skin. The need to be himself, combined with the feeling that he's not himself anymore, would of course compel him to make changes and shifts in his life. Despite the temporary rift, I don't think it's over for Stamets and Culber. The good doctor will have to figure out who he is now that he has returned, but once he does so, I expect he will return to his love.

Poor Ash Tyler is becoming more and more a victim of his circumstances as time goes on. First he had to deal with the fact that he had betrayed his entire crew without his knowledge, and he's still reaping the consequences of that. He must also face the fact that another person is lurking inside his psyche, just waiting to come out. This is visible in his defensive fight with Dr. Culber. If Tyler had been more aggressive, if he'd attacked Culber more directly, it's possible that Voq would have come out, and he has no idea what will happen in that case. Let's just say for now that it's a bad idea to proVoq him, and leave it at that. And now he must deal with the mistrust of the entire crew, for something he didn't do. Though I don't expect it to last long, as evil Airiam's reveal appears to be next episode, this will have to really damage the tentative trust he's built with Captain Pike all this season.

It doesn't help matters that his superiors at Section 31 are becoming less trustworthy by the minute. Leland and Georgiou seem to be headed for a substantial standoff, and I'm honestly not sure whose victory would be worse for the crew. Georgiou is upstaging Leland at every turn, even garnering more respect from the Admiralty, and Leland has to be frustrated. I wonder if the boiling point will be reached this season, or if we'll have to wait for the Section 31 series to see the conclusion of this storyline.

This brings us to the main event - Burnham and Spock. Their relationship has been set up as the focal point of the season since 'Brother,' and so far it has not disappointed. The scene where young Burnham hurt young Spock felt very real, and every word hurt because of how we know it must have damaged Spock. Burnham represented Spock's human side, and when she burned him to get him to stay away from her, he rejected his humanity also and dove deep into his Vulcan, logical half. Now that logic has failed to help him make sense of what the Angel showed him, Spock is a broken man searching for something to ground him. I expect that in the end, Burnham will be right; her relationship with Spock will be the thing that ties him to reality. In time, Spock will realize that his relationships in general are his guiding star, with the help of a certain up-and-coming young starship captain and his crew.

I have to give props to T.J. Scott for his direction here. Unlike many of the recent episodes, Scott's fancy camerawork and effects serve a legitimate artistic purpose, like the tilting, twisting camera during the Section 31 sequences to emphasize the uncertain and shifting world of 31, or the lens flares that accompanied Talosian illusions. The episode also spends an appropriate amount of time on the key emotional moments, something that episodes like 'Saints of Imperfection' have failed to do. The pace here is slow and measured, which is a relief after the frantic and rushed feeling of the last few episodes.

Strange New Worlds:

Talos IV first appeared in the unaired pilot of TOS, 'The Cage.' The rendering of the planet in this episode looked very similar to the painting used for it in the original episode.

New Life and New Civilizations:

The Talosians had a huge war on their planet, which drove them underground. When they developed their remarkable mental powers, they became addicted to the pleasures illusion could provide and forgot how to interact with the real world. The illusions they present to anyone who approaches Talos IV help them to relearn, and they are still searching for someone to learn their technology and save their race.

Pensees:

-According to Melissa George, she recorded some of Vina's original lines from 'The Cage,' which were then dubbed in alongside Susan Oliver's voice in the recap at the beginning.

-I'm pretty sure this is Pike's first Captain's log. Come to think of it, I don't think Lorca ever did it either.

-Dang it, more Vulcan Admirals. Look, guys, if Spock was the first Vulcan in Starfleet, and the only one at the time of TOS, there can't be Vulcan admirals.

-I loved Tilly leaning out of her 'office' on the bridge.

-The sound effects for the singing plants and the Talosians' illusions, as well as some of the music cues, were taken from 'The Cage.'

-Spock has been experiencing time as fluid due to the Red Angel.

-Spock mind-melded with the Angel, revealing to him that whoever is in the suit is human.

-The ships that blew up all those planets in Spock's vision looked an awful lot like the upgraded probe from 'Light and Shadows' last week. Hmmmm...

-Mental hospitals in television shows should really give their patients paper in addition to writing utensils. Just a thought.

-Of course, Spock didn't kill the people he's accused of killing. Did 31 kill them when they got there?

-Were those Reno's drones cleaning up from Culber and Tyler's fight?

-Starbase 11 is two lightyears from Talos IV

-I don't think we've seen two ships get a transporter lock on the same person at the same time before.

-I liked Burnham cocking the eyebrow at Spock's smile.

Quotes:

Georgiou: "Why would I lie?" This was only funny because of who was saying it.

Vina: "In some ways, Captain Pike never left."

Stamets: "I think what you're experiencing is a form of neutralizing shock." Culber: "It's not that simple, Paul!"

Spock: "Is there a valuable question in your arsenal?" Burnham: "Yes. Do you really think the beard is working?"

Pike: "This is real." Vina: "As real as it needs to be."

Culber: "I'm not letting anyone fix what I feel."

Illusion-Burnham: "Say goodbye, Spock." Illusion-Spock: "Goodbye, Spock." Anyone else glad this was an illusion? I saw it in a promo, and it didn't feel right. That's more of a Data line.

Georgiou: "Those Talosians tried this trick with me in the Terran universe once, and I blew them, and their stupid singing plants, off the face of the planet."

Best of the season so far. 5.5 out of 6 stupid singing plants.

CoramDeo is an ugly bag of mostly water, and proud of it.

[supersherlin]

Regarding your Bridgerton post, if you don’t mind, I wanted to add my two cents as well. I admit, I liked the TV series for the most part, but only if I was watching it not as a serious take on history but at the same time enjoying the historical setting, flare, and “culture” of the regency period.

Usually, I am the type of viewer who enjoys “historical accuracy” in things; however, I watched Bridgerton with the same lens I did while watching Hamilton, Cinderella 2015, or Roger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella movie (Brandi/Whitney Houston Version).

I do not want to speak over black voices. All I can do is talk about watching Bridgerton from the perspective of a non-black POC. After initial being taken aback by POC playing royalty and gentry in regency England, I actually quite liked seeing the diversity on screen. It was nice to know that these capable POC actors were able to show their range and talents in roles that were otherwise closed to them. I know show business is cut throat, and there aren’t many opportunities for POC in general. So I was hyped in that aspect. As a viewer, watchin Bridgerton, for me, was just to sit, eat chocolate and ice cream while turning my brain off for a moment.

I try to keep up with current events, I know r@cism is alive and well in many places. As a POC, I deal with some level of micro aggression everyday. So, for me, I didn’t want to focus on this horribleness I see everyday. I wanted to enjoy watching for the purpose of entertainment, to overlook the obvious historical inaccuracies, the writers overlooking of cultural and racial nuances to just enjoy the regency romance setting of Bridgerton.

That being said, I think the show handled issues of race very poorly. I almost wish that it didn’t address the issue at all. So that way the show was just more fantastical than grounded in realism.

I was especially uncomfortable when they implied that r@cism was a thing of the past because the king fell in love with a black woman and thereby integrating the society. As a real life example, Prince Harry fell for Megan Markle, and I felt that the extreme reaction towards Megan was in part due to her being a black (biracial) woman.

Not to mention, all these high society people are rich, yes, but what part of that wealth was built off the backs of slaves or colonization? I admit, I don’t know that much about this particular part of history, so feel free to correct me. This was another reason why the integration of diversity in such a serious tone made me uncomfortable. Such strong connections to these types of trauma do not fix within a generation or however long the King and Queen have been married at this point.

Not to mention if they are implying that the POC were originally from the country that they hailed from (not England), the diversity feels disingenuous. That is to say, if the show tries to go for a more serious tone in the approach to diversity, it almost feels like by stating “we’ve integrated societies, our difference are a thing of the past” it feels like the POC are the ones who are conforming to English culture. For example, I’m a first generation American, but there are little parts of my family’s culture that we still practice here in a western country. The POC in Bridgerton seem to be very regency English in culture, so seems like the diversity is presented only skin-deep (literally) and not through other aspects such as culture and customs.

That’s why I watched Bridgerton from an artsy, creative perspective that the creative team was aiming for, so that I may enjoy the hint of modernity and sweeps of diversity. I also enjoyed romance novels and love stories set in the regency period. So it would theoretically be kind of cool to see actors from my ethnic background to possibly be portrayed as love interests in western cinema in a romantic, regency setting. If that makes sense.

Thank you for reading. I know a lot of people loved Bridgerton when it blew up last year. And I like it too, but like others, I do have some problems with the way some of it is presented as well.

You know I often like it when people actually put my words in a perfect way because I'm not very good with expressing my opinion , sometimes it may come off as a little cruel or a little judgemental but I don't mean it that way it's just that I'm not very good with expressing my opinion so you actually did that perfectly for me. I enjoyed the show very much I enjoyed it as a romantic or artsy thing but it's just had a little bit of twist that I didn't understand, why it was put there exactly? like why the queen just get married to a king and that's it everything got better like you should at least make a good back story about this but that wasn't happening also how did just people go from lowest ranks in society possible to rich people and nobility out of a blue because a woman married a King that's not possible how do you even have this wealth where did it come from it's just never had a good backstory to it but you are right I mean I enjoyed the show very much it's just I had a little bit of criticism over it because it's felt like it was a little bit insulting if it was meant in a historical way especially since like you said they put it in a way that poc or black people were already there in England at that time which was not true. they made them look like they are purely 100-percent English and have been their entire life when they weren't, they had cultural differences but this was never pointed out it was like all of us were the same. maybe that was to put it in an 'all equal ' way but it got a little bit annoying and just confusing

Someone stated that it's supposed to be about equality and imagining world where everything was perfect and we were all equal but that's not true in the show like you can see the difference between men and women and it's very very pointed out in the show so why? why do this but ignore that ? it's like focusing on a cause but ignoring the other if you're going into a 'we're all equal and the same ' world that why don't you just do this with everything? make women do whatever they want and not even care , make women not being judged more than men do ,make them have a voice but that was not the case in the show it was actually criticized in the show so it was clearly not about equality so much so I just got confused that they're focusing on something but making the other look like it's not a big deal and it can be solved very easily by just a marriage so that was a little bit annoying to me but maybe if you look at it in an artistic way it's a little different

But anyway you have a good point really. I just think it might have been better if they just put a disclaimer or note in the beginning of the show saying that this isn't historically accurate and this is a fantasy just to avoid all this confusion and to avoid angering anyone

[namelesslake]

A Quiet Place

3/5

Few genres owe as much to sound as horror does (Nosferatu not withstanding). While crucial for war films and comedies aplenty, the ratcheting of tension and thematic discoveries are so often triggered by sound, noises and jumps are what excites us as horror filmgoers. John Krasinski weaponizes sound and harnesses it to elevate viewers’ heart rates in A Quiet Place. Frequently aided by heavy orchestration, Krasinski cuts storytelling corners by telegraphing how the audience should think and feel from music and newspaper headlines. But when the film really does fall into silence, A Quiet Place proves a nimble, fun thriller destined for drive-ins.

As the unnamed family adapts to life in a near future monster filled world, everything the viewer needs to know is presented in newspaper headlines littered around the screen. Monsters have arrived and they’re attracted to sound. The family silences their moves with sand walkways and communicates with sign language but the slightest sound triggers monsters viewers have seen before. A cross between Cloverfield and Signs, Krasinski doesn’t spend long hiding the monsters from screen as in the former movies, he presents them in their gray, predatory glory. As the monsters move, we hear similar creaking wood sounds used in every horror movie and trailer in the world. For the inventiveness of the story, the monsters here lack originality. Yes, they’re ferocious and the audience tenses when they’re near, but part of the terror of a xenomorph is that we’d never seen an alien monster like that before it came on screen. Its design, sound, and teeth are all part of the horror show and these monsters feel as if they came from a bulk horror warehouse.

Stealing the show is Krasinski’s real-life wife, Emily Blunt, the stoic, caring mother. Krasinski gives her the lion’s share of the best moments. Her particular encounters with the monsters are the most prolonged, white knuckle sequences. Even without iconic bloodcurdling horror screams, we empathize with the tension and fear from her eyes.

We’ve seen more than a handful of moments borrowed from other similar genre films. The monsters move through cornfields as we’ve seen in Signs. As the children wait in fear in the foreground, we see the monsters on the prowl just like Jurassic Park. Few of Krasinski’s best moments feel entirely his own but the film, as whole, feels confident. Everything runs as we’d expect it to, it’s only afterwards that we realize how little of authentic Krasinski we’re seeing.

Marco Beltrami’s score invades nearly every scene of the movie telegraphic how the audience should feel from moment to moment. For a film whose central niche is silence, every scene feels overplayed with music. The most intense moments come out of silence, and the vast majority of bumps in the night come in the form of jump scares. Had Krasinski omitted music as a whole, his storytelling challenges would’ve been higher but the payoff and sustained tension would feel more earned. The music helps tell a digestible story but never makes the audience feel as if they’re living in the world as well, merely watching it.

The story moves quickly and A Quiet Place never overstays its welcome. Some plot holes emerge but nothing that envelops the piece. Krasinski takes a massive step forward from his uneven but promising debut, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. Its clear from Krasinski’s acting roles as of late, that he was paying attention to the choices being made from behind the lens as well. He paints the sentimental scenes of the family with lens flares and paints them like an LL Bean ad eerily reminiscent of how Michael Bay props up America in his films. Aside from a brief moment or two of gore, A Quiet Place seems destined for summer drive-ins which makes its early spring release questionable (but a question for a studio, not director).

[gameplayandtalk]

Tetris Effect: Connected - Review

2020 hasn't been the greatest year for... well, humanity. But it is shaping up to be a great year for Tetris players.

The last decade has had some ups and downs as well: Tetris Ultimate from Ubisoft was destined to be the new mainline Tetris game of choice, but was plagued by issues early on and failed to excite the fanbase. The popular “Tetris Friends” website was phased out in the middle of 2019, leaving a hole in the multiplayer online scene. Then there are some bright points: Tetris 99, the collaboration between Arika and Nintendo, brought Tetris into the battle royale scene for Nintendo Switch players free of charge (as long as you had an online membership.) Fan-made Tetris “inspired” clones (essentially Tetris in all but name) such as JSTris and Tetr.io have also sparked a resurgence in the online multiplayer scene with robust customization options and stat-tracking.

Another bright spot (like, REALLY bright — think lens flares and supernovas) was Tetris Effect, a VR Tetris experience. It’s safe to say nobody really asked for it, but there it was, and it was beautiful. It wasn’t simply Tetris with a new coat of paint though: Tetris Effect had plenty of new modes that kept veteran players coming back.

In Tetris Effect, the main single player campaign known as “Journey Mode” featured a new signature mechanic: the “Zone Meter”. This meter charges up as you clear multiple lines or perform combos, and once activated, the action freezes on-screen, allowing you to rack up as many line clears as you can before the meter runs out. Instead of disappearing, the finished lines sink to the bottom and glow. The resulting clears are named depending on the number of lines cleared, such as Octotris (8), Decahextris (16), Perfectris (18) and the very-difficult-to-achieve Ultimatris (all 20 rows). Unless you’re working your way from the bottom to the top, you will quickly run out of room as the clears push your board out of playable range, meaning your placement to achieve an Ultimatris must be perfect.

This board clearing mechanic, along with other great new single-player modes such as Purify, solidified Tetris Effect among fans of all types who had previously seen it all. However, Tetris Effect had no real multiplayer mode, and when Tetris 99 arrived on the scene about four months later (seemingly out of nowhere), it grabbed the spotlight in a big way.

Now, almost two years after Tetris Effect was initially released, Tetris Effect Connected brings back everything that made the original great, along with some of the most innovative multiplayer the series has ever seen. And the long wait was so incredibly worth it.

Let’s get the unfortunate news out of the way: People who already own Tetris Effect on PS4 or the Epic Store release on PC won’t be able to play Tetris Effect Connected on the legacy versions until the summer of 2021. In another casualty of timed exclusives, you will need to play Tetris Effect Connected on either Xbox One (and above) or on PC via the Microsoft Store, where Tetris Effect is appearing for the first time. Yes, just in time for the Xbox Series X/S launch.

I can’t imagine fans of this game will want to drop full price again to play it on a different platform, new modes or not. Luckily, the game is included with Xbox Game Pass as well as its PC counterpart. PS4 owners will likely be stuck shaking their fists until Summer, but for those of us who have already been playing on PC, I really recommend you go with this option and just install it again. Xbox One and new Series S/X users have absolutely nothing to lose.

Getting “Connected”

The centerpiece of Tetris Effect Connected is the new “Connected” mode. This mode actually isn’t competitive at all, but cooperative. While this isn’t the first time a version of Tetris has adopted a co-operative mode (Tengen’s version of Tetris for the NES and Tetris the Grandmaster 2’s Doubles mode come to mind), this mode is balanced in such a way that avoids that overbearing “too many cooks in the kitchen” feeling. Teams of three are matched together to take on several AI controlled bosses named after zodiac signs.

The action starts with each of you controlling your own boards, trying to charge a shared meter between the three of you by making clears. As you do this, the AI is charging its own meter that hits all human players with various status effects. These can range from things as simple as dropping random junk onto your screen, all the way to making your entire playfield temporarily invisible. Oh, and it is as hard as it sounds (Luckily, you can still see about where your piece will land in relation to the board thanks to the still visible “ghost piece”). Nevertheless, this is what tends to wreck most Connected players, if limited online experience up to now is any indication.

Your best chance against these zodiac-themed killer CPUs is to get your shared meter up to full charge and enter this mode’s spin on the “Zone” mechanic. The music motif will ramp up and prepare you to get in the zone, which happens automatically within a few seconds of maxing out the meter. Then, your boards collapse down, leaving no gaps in the columns, and all player boards are combined into one giant board.

The objective, much like elsewhere the Zone mechanic is used in the game, is still to clear as many lines on the board as you can, but this is much harder considering the now huge width of the board, and the fact that each player takes turns placing their own blocks. The first time you see it, you’re likely to feel completely stunned, but it’s important to keep dropping blocks. You’re likely to get a few third wheels on your team who take all the time in the world looking for the perfect spot, but the perfect placement rarely exists. The best strategy is just to keep moving, and if someone does accidentally foul up your progress placing over a gap, there are shining purple blocks randomly given out to the players that will push down all columns under them to iron out the kinks in the board. You’ll likely have to get your meter back up several more times to make each AI boss top out, so it’s important to stay diligent.

If that wasn’t enough, log in during what the game calls a “full moon” phase. Tetris Effect players might remember that on Saturdays, playing “Effect Mode” games online had a special collaborative leaderboard feature for a subset of the game’s many special modes, and if enough people sent in their high scores, a special goal would be met. Tetris Effect Connected also has a special feature for you on Saturdays: Connected Vs. mode. This time, a fourth human player takes the place of the boss AI character. Human bosses are even harder to take down, and there are special unlockable avatars for players who can rack up boss wins with the different types of zodiac characters.

Of all the modes on offer, “Connected” seems to take it home: Co-operative Tetris play has rarely been tried, and yet it just works here. The shared torment of all the status effects raining down on you and your teammates, combined with the rush of taking turns completing a giant board, brings about a feeling of camaraderie that is unmatched. That is, when you’re not yelling at the slackers to “JUST DROP IT SOMEWHERE!” You’ll also have, like in all modes, a letter grade and stats waiting for each player after the match, to show just how much you were carrying your team. It’s as competitive as co-op can get.

The game’s take on the standard “versus” mode is also something you can’t get anywhere else. You’ll be sending garbage to your opponent like usual, but you’ll also be building up a zone meter to use against each other. This mode is named “Zone Battle”.

Admittedly, the first time I saw the zone mechanic in single-player, it was charming but felt a bit supplementary. However, nailing a Perfectris in a match against another player (I’m sure some are crazy enough to try an Ultimatris in a heated match, too) is akin to the rush of pulling off a “Fatality” in Mortal Kombat. The feature makes so much more sense in this context. When you hear your opponent beginning a zone attack, going a note up the scale each time a line is cleared, you know something big is coming, and you’d better have something to counter it, preferably starting your own zone attack. Being a master at traditional versus Tetris isn’t a guarantee you will succeed here, as a well-timed and effective zone attack can quickly change the tide of battle.

The last two modes are Score Attack and Classic Score Attack. This might be what ends up sealing the deal for most Tetris maniacs. Amazingly, Classic Score Attack feels just like watching a match of Classic Tetris World Championships on Youtube. With the help of CTWC veteran Greentea, the developers were able to adapt the feel of NES Tetris to Tetris Effect, while still being its own thing.

It’s important to know just how different Tetris is between these two generations. In modern Tetris, the pieces are handed out in what is known as “7-bag”: You’ll get some configuration of the seven pieces randomly dispersed and then handed out again. This means another long block is never more than 12 pieces away. No such thing in classic Tetris: the pieces can feel truly random here, and you could be waiting forever in what competitors call “droughts”. Your longest drought will be counted up and presented at the end of the match along with your rate of “Tetris” clears as a percentage, among other info.

Obviously, there is no holding pieces, but also no hard-dropping (instantly dropping your piece), and your pieces will lock into place nearly as soon as they hit another piece. Most important to remember is the dramatic difference in scoring between “Tetris” clears and all other line clears. As the game gets faster, “Tetris” clears are worth more and more. It’s good to start stacking for Tetris’ early and often if you want to win. All of this is made even more foreboding by the spine-chilling remix of the classic theme.

If you wanted the feel of competitive NES Tetris at home, you would have to set up two systems and tube TVs back to back, whereas this mode truly brings the experience home by counting up the points for who is currently in the lead and by how much. It was wholly unexpected for Tetris Effect to try to tackle classic Tetris, but they completely nailed it. If this sounds like hell, and you’d rather be setting up Triple T-Spins, the regular Score Attack is also available to settle the score with other players.

As far as complaints are concerned, matchmaking in the “Connected” mode seems to have dropped off since launch. This is perhaps because tackling the hardest modes is best suited to a proven team of online friends.

Also, as of this writing, in both score attack modes, the game has been designed to let a winner continue playing even after the loser has topped out and is no longer able to play. This is leading to a lot of people closing the game out of impatience, as they have no other option but to let the winning player keep playing while they watch for the final results. If a topped-out player does this, the remaining player does not get credited a win, and their score ranking also goes down! I’m hopeful this will eventually be fixed, but in the meantime, be sure to top out once a losing player is no longer able to play. This is the best way to ensure that they will not try to disconnect and essentially take the win from you.

Another concern is more a request to developers for future updates than a warning for players, although it can be both. As I mentioned, it has become increasingly difficult to get matched up in the “Connected” mode. It’s easiest to find players at the first difficulty level, the only one available upon first entering the mode. However, some of these beginner players don’t seem to understand that your move once entering “the zone” isn’t complete until hard-dropping the block. I realize that some might not even know the default button for this, so from a design perspective it would be best to prompt players how to drop their block (along with the button assignment), especially if their move has taken an excessive amount of time. This will move the action along for the other players.

I would also like to have seen a multiplayer take on “Purify”, the game’s garbage clearing mode where you are tasked with clearing as many purple blocks as you can before the infection spreads. However, what is here is such a surprise.

Tetris Effect Connected is a labor of love by Tetris fans for Tetris fans, much like the many fan games out there. Certainly Tetris 99 was an upheaval of what people expected from Tetris, but thanks to this game and the popularity of CTWC and fangames, a complete resurgence of the game has finally been cemented. I may be preaching to the choir at this point, since most people reading probably already know of Tetris, but if it’s been a while, time to check back in. It’s better than ever to be a Tetris fan, and it seems we are here to stay. To those angry about double-dipping, yes, it is unfortunate. If you do take the plunge, however, I think you’ll be extremely pleased. I’m also confident the game will only get better from here on out!

See you on the battlefield. Thanks for reading!

Hi-Res Screenshots

[retroufo58]

June 22, 1966

An article from the Jehovah's Witnesses magazine "Awake!" from June, 1966. UFOs are hoaxes, swamp gas, planets, or maybe even demonic in origin, apparently.

Transcribed below:

Awake! "It is already the hour for you to awake." - Romans 13:11 Volume XLVII Brooklyn, N.Y., June 22, 1966 Those Mysterious Flying Objects From coast to coast, springtime in the United States brought with it a rash of reports concerning strange unidentified flying objects. Hundreds of people, including many in responsible positions, reported seeing them in different parts of the country. Their shapes were variously described as saucers, balloons, cigars, or footballs. Some were reported to have pulsating lights of different colors. Among the most extraordinary observations were those in Michigan. The first sighting came from an area around Ann Arbor, where at least forty persons said they saw a strangely lighted vehicle that appeared to glide through the air and then land. Next, a group of police officers observed strange lights in another nearby area. They stated: "We would not have believed it if we had not seen it with our own eyes. These objects could move and fantastic speeds, make very sharp turns, dive and climb and hover with great maneuverability." A few days later, another police officers photographed two of the strange lights, using a telephoto lens and a distance of about five miles. At nearly the same time, a father and son approached to within 500 yards of a strange lighted object that had settled in a swamp. They described it as being football-shaped, about as big as an automobile, with pulsating lights and a surface "pitted like a coral rock." On another night eighty-seven Hillsdale College coeds saw similar lights in a swamp near their college. These sightings and others like them in the spring of 1966 were not the first. For almost twenty years now, hundreds, yes, thousands, of such objects have been reported and investigated in various parts of the world. Many of them have been seen by responsible persons, including persons trained to detect, observe, and classify flying objects. Some years ago two airline pilots reported a mysterious object flying near their aircraft. The object was able to reverse direction instantaneously and fly at great speeds. The pilots said it was cigar-shaped, as large as an airliner, with a white glow at the bottom. In the United States, the government has not publicly admitted producing or experimenting with any "flying saucers." But if these appearances are not of some military or spacecraft under development, then what are they? One source of answers to this much-asked question is "Project Blue Book," the United States Air Fore's investigations that track down reports of unidentified flying objects. Since 1947 the Air Force has checked on 10.147 sightings of these mysterious objects. A report on the finding states: "In 1,240 cases, there was insufficient evidence to complete an investigation. In 646 others, the sightings remained unexplained. In the remaining cases, the UFOs [unidentified flying objects] were attributed to astronomical causes, to planes, balloons and missiles, to hallucinations and psychological reasons. After these thousands of investigations, the Air Force has concluded: No UFO 'has ever given any indication of a threat to our national security'; there is no evidence that any object went 'beyond the rage of present-day scientific knowledge'; 'there has been no evidence that sightings categorized as unidentified are extraterrestrial vehicles.' " This report notes that the majority of these sightings can be explained. For example in one case of "flying saucers" that the Air Force investigated, two mysterious lights on a photographic plate were "without any question" a time exposure of the planet Venus and the rising moon. In another, witnessed by hundreds of residents of Los Angeles, the explanation proved quite simple. Onlookers had reported various colored lights moving at a "fantastic" speed. But the entire affair turned out to be a hoax. Two students at Pasadena's California Institute of Technology had filled polyethylene balloons with gas and suspended beneath them rotating flares. On four different nights they released the balloons, and in came the flood of "flying saucer" reports. In the case of the lights that descended in the Michigan swamp, a top Air Force Investigator waded out into the area where the object was reported to have been seen. He admitted that the reports were more consistent than other sightings he had studied. After a thorough investigation, the scientist concluded that the lights "were produced by spring thaws releasing the swamp gasses, which produced a strange glow - the phenomenon known in folklore as the 'will o' the wisp' and the 'jack-of-lantern.' " He added: "A dismal swamp is a most unlikely place for a visit from outer space." In some cases the objects have been merely reflected light. Also, in many other instances imaginations have run wild. As Science Digest of June 1965 said: "The greatest flying saucer activity in the U.S. coincided with a great boom in science fiction pulp magazines and science fiction films." While balloons, aircraft, missiles, gases, clouds, light reflections, perhaps even ball lightning, and individual imaginations account for most of the sightings, in other cases there is simply no satisfactory answer as to what was observed. Some have strongly suggested these objects are from outer space, from other planets, but there is no evidence to substantiate this theory. Others feel the objects and light may be of demon origin. While this is possible; nonetheless, there is no evidence that could establish the certainty of this at present. So investigation has proved that the vast number of "flying saucers" have a natural or man-made origin. However, the fact remains that a small proportion are without satisfactory explanation. The course of practical wisdom is not to be unduly concerned, but to await an increase in knowledge that someday may explain those mysterious flying objects.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The Big Idea: Tal M. Klein

Teleportation: A great idea, but with some practical… problems. It’s a physics thing. In this Big Idea for The Punch Escrow, author Tal M. Klein wonders, what if you could solve those problems, not with physics, but with another branch of human intellectual endeavor entirely?

TAL M. KLEIN:

F#*%ing transporters, how do they work?

It was the Ides of March of 2012. I had just started a new job and was chatting with a co-worker about lens flare. Specifically, I was ranting about J.J. Abrams’ penchant for gratuitous lens flare, using the Star Trek reboot as an example, when all of a sudden the conversation was interrupted by our CEO.

“It’s bullshit!” he shouted.

(He wasn’t talking about the lens flare.)

Our CEO wielded a PhD in Computer Science and was using it to fight with Star Trek, or more specifically its transporters. He went on to monologue about Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, explaining that the position and the velocity of an object couldn’t both be measured exactly, at the same time, even in theory, and in the highly improbable likelihood that somehow someone did manage to circumvent the uncertainty principle, they’d still have to contend with the no-cloning theorem, which stated that it was impossible to create an identical copy of any unknown quantum state.

Here is what I heard: “Teleportation is impossible because physics.”

Now let’s be clear, I’m not a scientist. What I am is a product man. I build and market technology products for a living. Having bet my career on startups, my brain senses opportunity where others see impossibility. In fact, whenever anyone tells me I can’t do something, my mind automatically appends a “yet” to the end of their statement.

My favorite author growing up was Larry Niven. This fact is germane here because the first thing that came to mind during the CEO’s aforementioned monologue was a Niven essay entitled Exercise in Speculation: The Theory and Practice of Teleportation, part of a collection called All The Myriad Ways. Niven’s spiel on teleportation explored the pros and cons of the myriad ways (see what I did there) we might achieve commercialized human teleportation. The science was interesting, but what I remembered latching on to as a kid was his take on the anthropological impact of teleportation.

Niven’s itch was akin to what angered my CEO: If we discount for Star Trek’stechnobabble and defer to actual physics, then every time Scotty teleported Captain Kirk he was actually killing him in one place and “printing him out” somewhere else.

This destructive teleportation variant of the twin maker trope has been explored almost ad nauseum. Though there are several good stories and movies that address the existential problems teleportation could introduce should it ever become a viable transportation mechanism, none have adequately presented a marketable solution to that problem — at least none that might pass muster with an anthropologist.

How come nobody ever discussed how society might come to adopt teleportation in the first place, I wondered. Science fiction seemed to lack a scientifically plausible teleportation mechanism that could be deemed safe enough to commercialize in the near future.

So, I decided to solve the teleportation problem — with marketing!

In my day job as a chief marketing officer, when I’m asked to play out this kind of go-to-market strategy problem, I use a game theory methodology known as Wardley mapping; an augmentation of value chain mapping. The “product” came in the form of the Punch Escrow. It’s the MacGuffin that makes teleportation safe and thus both scientifically and anthropologically plausible. The value of mapping in predicting the future is based in pragmatism. If we can assess what components of tech will become commoditized in society, we can envision innovations that build on those commodities in alignment with basic needs, making their commercialization more plausible.

Consulting with a real life quantum physicist, I used the Wardley mapping approach to understand the teleportation problem and then solve for it: When someone teleports, the Punch Escrow is a chamber in which the they are held — in escrow — until they safely arrive at their final destination. That way if anything goes wrong during teleportation, the “conductor” could just cancel the trip and the traveler would safely walk out at the point of origin as if nothing happened.

But how does one market this scenario given the very obvious twin maker issue?

A capitalist society will always want to get from point A to point B faster and on-demand. I don’t think anyone would argue that safe teleportation is a highly desirable mode of transport. The Punch Escrow makes it possible, and International Transport (the company behind commercial teleportation in the 22nd century) effectively brands it as “safe.” To wit, critics of early steam locomotives avowed that the human body was not meant to move faster than fifty miles an hour. Intelligent people with impeccable credentials worried that female passengers’ uteruses might be ejected from their bodies as trains accelerated! Others suspected that a human body might simply melt at such speeds. You know what? It didn’t matter. People wanted to get from point A to point B faster, train tycoons marketed to that desire with implied underpinnings of safety, and trains took off.

Just as locomotives didn’t transform our world into a dystopia, it stands to reason teleportation won’t either. Yes, people die in train accidents (not because their organs fly out of their orifices, I should add), but the benefit is anthropologically perceived as greater than the risk. Same goes with commercial flight. Of course you’ve heard the axiom, “If God had meant man to fly…” — that didn’t seem to stop droves of us from squeezing into small flying metal tubes in the sky. Today, we face similar fears with autonomous vehicles, but I’m certain that the marketers will calm our nerves. I believe within a generation the notion of manual driving will seem as esoteric a means of getting around as a horse and carriage. Maybe the same will be said of teleportation a century from now?

whatever.scalzi.com/2017/07/25/the-big-idea-tal-m-klein/

[mattsagervo]

Interview: Tal M. Klein, Author of 'The Punch Escrow'

The Punch Escrow has been a huge critical and commercial success, author Tal M. Klein's debut novel has garnered praise from everyone from NPR to Felicia Day, and with good reason. Set in the year 2147, Escrow combines a compelling story and cast of characters with masterful world-building - transporting the reader to an all-too believable future, constructed from a mix of imaginative fiction, and speculative extensions of real-world science and sociological trends. 

It has garnered many favorable comparisons to Ready Player One, which does it a bit of a disservice, since it's a work of breathtaking originality. The only similarities I note are that it successfully integrates, and updates, some beloved science fiction ideas, and that it has been fast tracked to the big screen; a film adaptation is already in development at Lionsgate.

I had the opportunity to interview Klein about the book's origins and influences, what to expect from him in the future, and how he masterfully constructed the world of 2147 - from science, to music and more. 

Matt Sager: Like a lot of great science fiction, The Punch Escrow has several themes, and is clearly about a lot more than a future of human replication and teleportation. How would you describe the book's plot and overall themes - or more bluntly, "what is your book about?"   Tal M. Klein: I like to say it’s a hard sci-fi technothriller with a love story at its core. Joel Byram, an everyday guy in 2147 New York is duplicated en route to Costa Rica as a result of a teleportation mishap, the company that runs teleportation wants to “fix the bug” by killing one of the duplicates, religious zealots want to use his circumstance as propaganda, and his wife is kidnapped by a rogue scientist. Now Joel is fighting to save his life and in his wife in a world that has two of him. The core elements of the story are rooted in identity: Are we who society says we are? Or who we think we are? Or who those who we love believe us to be?  

MS: You’ve attained huge success with The Punch Escrow - you’ve attained massive critical and commercial success, the book has been optioned by Lions Gate, and as of this writing it’s number 1 on Amazon’s Hard Science Fiction charts. Did you envision this level of attention and success for your debut novel?  TMK: I set out to tell the best version of my story. That was my criteria for a “job well done.” I’m thrilled people are digging it. The credit for its success is equally shared by my wife, my editorial team of Robert Kroese, Matt Harry, and Adam Gomolin, and Howie Sanders at United Talent Agency.  

MS: I’ve been told that the concept for the book came about over an argument over the plausibility of Star Trek transporters - can you elaborate on how that led to a book about teleportation and cloning? TMK: What you’ve been told is true! Back in 2012, I was complaining to a co-worker about J.J. Abrams’ over the top use of lens flare in the Star Trek reboot, when suddenly, our CEO interrupted our conversation by shouting “It’s bullshit!” It turned out he wasn’t talking about the lens flare, but Star Trek’s transporters. He was an expert in quantum physics and went on to explain that nobody in the right mind would ever step into a transporter if they knew how it worked. It was then that I realized that there wasn’t a good origin story for the commercialization of teleportation. The fact is, I initially set out the write The Punch Escrow as a textbook from the future, with scribbles in the margins by a smartass named Joel Byram. That was the first draft. By the time the final draft was done, Joel’s story became the focus on the book, and the “textbook” was relegated to liner notes, explaining the world Joel lived in.  

MS: I’m very aware that you're not a fan of J.J. Abrams' lens flare. Cinematography aside, are you a fan of the new Star Trek franchise? Other than the transporter argument, has it had any influence on your writing? TMK: Hah, well, discounting for his penchant for lens flare, I’m a huge J.J. Abrams fan, the first movie of the Trek reboot was great. I didn’t really care for the second or third. MS:  J.J. Abrams aside, I know that you’re a huge fan of Star Trek - which is your favorite franchise, and how has it influenced you as a writer? TMK: I’d qualify that by saying I love Star Trek, but I’m not a Trekkie. I say that because I learned my lesson at San Diego Comic Con. If you tell a Trekkie that you’re a Trekkie, they expect you to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the entire Trek cannon, which I do not possess. So, yes, I am a Star Trek fan. My favorite franchise was DS9, but my favorite season of all time was TNG Season 6. MS: Which other science fiction television shows, films, books and writers would you cite as your biggest influences?   TMK: Larry Niven, Scott Meyer, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and, because The Martian undeniably catalyzed me to write my book, Andy Weir. As for television shows, I think it’s fair to credit modern detective shows like Psych and Monk for helping me wrap my mind around Rube Goldberg plot devices. Most influential was my favorite show of all time, the X-Files spinoff The Lone Gunmen. I think they really nailed the technogeek persona. Influential movies run the gamut from The Princess Bride to Donnie Darko and everything in between, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention District 9, Looper, and Gattaca. MS: The Punch Escrow strikes me as a book that's in equal parts hopeful and fearful for the future. There are themes of utopian technology corrupted by corporate interference. How much of that - the good and the ill - do you see unfolding in the present? Is your fictional vision of 2147 similar to your actual view of the future? TMK: To borrow a phrase from The Jester, There's an unequal amount of good and bad in most things. The trick is to figure out the ratio and act accordingly. I don’t think future is dystopian or utopian, it’s just us progressing along our evolutionary path. MS: Music plays a major role in the book. I understand that we have a music industry background in common. What was your career in music like, and how did it contribute to the Joel's soundtrack, and the new genre of redistro? TMK: I never think of anything I do artistically as a “career” — music and writing are my hobbies. I’m very serious about my hobbies, but I pursue them for the sake of pure joy rather than income. MS: One of the most original ideas in The Punch Escrow is the brilliant, if gross, race of genetically engineered mosquitoes. What was your inspiration for these bugs that eat lighting and crap thunder, so to speak? TMK: Everyone loves the mosquitoes! The near-scandal is that I cut the mosquitoes in the third draft of the book because I learned about bacteria that eat methane and excreted oxygen, but my beta readers freaked out on me, so I put the skeeters back. The reason the mosquitoes are there is because I wanted to solve for air pollution but in a very messy, human way. Humans tend to to opt for quick fixes and shortcuts, I think it’s because we are a breed largely driven by the pursuit of instant gratification. MS: Hard science fiction like The Punch Escrow seems to grow more relevant by the day as AI and robots are, to varying degrees, infiltrating the workforce and performing tasks that were once the sole domain of humans. Do you see this as a growing issue, and if so, need it be a threat? Is AI really capable of supplanting people, and is that really what corporations as a whole want?  TMK: Will apps and robots take the place of people? Absolutely. But if we look at what happened in the Industrial Age, people were prophesizing similar doom and gloom scenarios, and that’s not how the future turned out. There will be plenty of human jobs after AI, it’s just that those jobs will be different than many of the jobs we have today. MS: How did you come up with the idea of a machine language - that is, a language by machines, for machines, cars talking to one another, etc? How surprised were you when Facebook had to shut down it’s AI because it had created a secret language for itself? TMK: If you’ve ever played with AI, it makes sense that two pieces of semi-intelligent code might form a more optimal method of communicating than our cumbersome language. I was a bit taken aback by what happened at Facebook, yes. But it wasn’t shocking. I also understand why they pulled the chord, but I kind of wish they hadn’t.   MS: What do you think machines are saying about us, and if AI continues to advance, do you think that they are going to develop an opinion of us? Do you think it will be favorable, and/or within our ability to influence?    TMK: Code will likely always be subservient to its programmer. As such, I think we need to add ethics to the list of engineering core competencies. If engineers exclusively focus on successful code execution without regard for anthropological outcomes in the age of AI, we may very well end up with evil robots.   MS: Are there sequels in the works? What’s next for the Punch Escrow universe, and for you as a writer? TMK: I’m contractually obligated to deliver two more books that take place in the world of The Punch Escrow. One of them will likely be a sequel of sorts in that we’ll get into matters unresolved in The Punch Escrow, but the other is shaping up to be a standalone novel with a narrative that is ancillary to that of The Punch Escrow. But who knows, both are at the very early formative stages.

[willmeiertext]

Will Photography Survive Its Art-Historical Karma?

via One Good Eye (Denver)

“I wanted to learn at all costs what Photography was ‘in itself,’ by what essential feature it was to be distinguished from the community of images.” – Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida, 1980                 

Month of Photography is just about over, and again, it was a great set of shows, with a diverse array of aesthetics and concepts. But going around and looking at these shows, I can’t help but skew every single one of them with this train of thought, which was at the forefront of my mind even during the last MoP. What I’m talking about is this funny notion that like, what photography did to painting oh-so-many years ago, it’s now suffering itself next to the infinite scrollability of the internet, and as a fine-art discipline is now sort of scampering in painting’s footsteps, conceptually.

Okay, so what do I mean, exactly?

I remember a few years ago suddenly realizing, with everyone talking about how ISIS was using Instagram as their new principal recruitment vehicle, that this was the same Instagram that was in my pocket. Sure enough, a few copy-pasted arabic hashtags (who knows) later, and I was seeing the frontlines of the mythic War On Terror through the eyes of the enemy. Graphic Stuff. Not something many people would want to see, and yes, I definitely worried about the NSA liking my Facebook statuses in the future, but just pause and think about what I’m getting at here. If you can have an experience that shockingly unique on Instagram, an experience also by most accounts not-at-all-Art, where does that leave Photography, the medium of imagery, in its fine-art gallery context? Where does it find meaning anymore?

Without diving too deep into a conversation that is largely played out, this is just so obvious an echo to me of the art-historic birth of the photograph (among other technological revolutions) planting the modernist seeds of conceptual art in painting. Like, ‘okay, well, if we can’t just be images anymore, what can we be?’ Self-reference begets itself.

Today, it’s likewise the case that photographs in a gallery rarely seem to hold up merely by the merit of their imagery. Some do, sure. But as a whole, how much of the representative body of MoP 2017 were ‘just photos’, vs. how much seemed to raise the question of the taxonomical boundaries of Photography? Coincidence?

It’s interesting because much of the best work that was ‘purely photographic’ seemed to reference its own flatness (see: the sort of iconic moment of painting’s departure from photography, denying the illusionistic depth of the picture plane and calling attention to itself as an object). Take, for example, Michael Borek’s really wonderful series in the entry alcove of Redline’s Between the Medium, in which various immediately identifiable landmarks suddenly ‘freeze’ flat as you notice that they’re just photos of photos of the landmarks, applied as vinyl to the sides of buses or some other sort of metal industrially-paneled surfaces. These defining, contrasty fissures in the images’ surfaces carve their own space up like a Mondrian, referencing the perpendicular edges of the picture plane. The fact that multiple images wind up in a single frame in this body of work only further adds to the feeling that these things are really about themselves being viewed.

Even further down the line of the ‘Expanded Field’ trajectory of painterly dialogue, another really exceptional body of work belongs to George Perez at Alto’s Denver Collage Club group show. Stacks of home photos with their centers carved out, like tunnels through remembrance of a vacation or something, are curled from being wrapped tightly in rubber bands. They become objects, almost. At least more than they would simply as a stack of images, which would read as a presentation strategy more than a state of being. The tension in their form, though, sort of snaps you out of viewing their content, and all you can pay attention to is the density of them together, in the room. There’s something very real and here-and-now that happens from this – it’s what Rauschenberg was seeking, on a humble scale.

This ‘in the room’ feeling seems to be one of the most prevalent trends for Month of Photography shows this year, in one way or another. At Leon’s Skins, Tya Alisa Anthony sheds the frames from her images, letting the prints ripple in the air conditioning, the texture of the images breathing the same air as us, getting us all the closer to the skin of her models, the face-value subject of the show.

A similar sort of relationship-to-the-body occurs in the best pieces at CVA’s Presence: Reflections on the Middle East, a series in which the ornately decorated windshields and interiors of various public transit buses fill the frame, life-sized, allowing us to sort of sit directly in front of these things, contemplating them as stand-in portraits of who might be driving them. You feel empathy for the ghost of the driver purely for the sake that you could almost step in there. Tableau-vivants.

I mean, I’ll admit, I’m definitely putting a spin on all of this, framing all this work this way. I’m biased, I’m a painter. But let’s take a step back from the as-painting conversation, and talk about MCA’s Ryan McGinley retro. Here is an utterly ‘just photo’ show, and what’s more, it’s totally the kind of thing that you would see on the internet. But where the show is interesting is that it’s there in physical space with you. It’s the fact that an art museum is willing to put blowjobs, pissing, coke-sniffing, and projectile-vomiting on their walls, larger than life. The difference between a computer screen and an art museum was really driven home here when a circa-eight-year-old girl ran ahead of her parents into the porniest room of the exhibition as I was leaving.

The most successful show this past month, in my opinion, was David B Smith’s Penelope Umbrico solo, because it really brought all of the things I’ve mentioned together in a dialogue that felt very nuanced and high-level. At first glance, it’s certainly the most painterly show, with large, manipulated images in various forms of prints and frames, repetitiously referencing fluorescence in various ways. As well as themselves, rather explicitly. But from the serial, tiled arrangements, even overlapping, of the photos, to the most resonant moments – rows of polaroids of lens flares and fireworks, hung just high enough so that the track lighting reflects into your eyes, the show is about the entire thing together, there, in the room. Which is why the way that these polaroids, sparklingly activated by their surroundings, are so much more interesting than the superficially similar arrangement of McGinley’s at MCA. When I asked a gallery attendant if Umbrico always made photography, I got the response that photography was her subject, not necessarily her medium. Nice.

Plenty of these shows had politically or otherwise relevant content, but let’s face it, none of them really dug into anything in a way more significant than what you’d get from a few seconds of googling their themes on your phone. There’s plenty to say about various work that was successful that I didn’t touch on, as well, sure. But at the end of the day, the only work that really felt like it was alive and thriving and not just there because it’s the biennial was the work that was aware of itself. Maybe aware of its own mortality. Which is where I go back to my original point — that the ‘aura’, the ineffable thing that was supposedly the last stand of painting in the face of photography, may be all that photography has left to set its fine-art status aside from the unending stream of images we see every day.

“Even the most perfect reproduction … is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be.” –Walter Benjamin, Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, 1936

[jinlian]

Next season’s themes and resulting program music: Victor and Yuuri edition

Okay, obviously next season’s programs are going to use original music for the show, and of course they’re unlikely to be much what I’m going to say here. But using music that we do have available, and born of a mix of personal desires for Victor’s and Yuuri’s character arcs next season, a lot of time listening to music while imagining one of them skating to it, and some joke posts that turned serious, here’s a post about what I’d like to see. I’m including music, long-winded explanations, and ideas for costumes, because I enjoy indulging in YOI a little too much maybe.

We’ll start with saying that Yuuri’s going with the theme of triumph and Victor, to what should be no one’s surprise, life and love.

Yuuri Katsuki: Triumph.

This is only natural, considering where we left the end of season one. He already knows that he’s surrounded by love - he said as much in episode 4 and announced it on national television in episode 5. What he needs now is confidence in himself, confidence in his ability, and, yes, that winning gold medal. “Triumph” isn’t just going to represent his determination to win (which it will, and which is important! He won’t just be admitting to himself that he wants to win, he’ll be telling the world he’s out for blood); it’s also going to be a triumph of the self, when Yuuri acknowledges all that he’s capable of achieving and sees that within himself.

Short Program: a cut of Game of Thrones.

This started as a total joke, but hear me out. Yuuri needs to be entering this season knowing what he wants and ready to take it. The other competitors need to know he’s coming for them. I want him to know that he’s coming for them. I want him hungry. I want him to be open with everyone, including himself, about how much he wants it. Because Yuuri Katsuki is a force to be feared.

So enter Game of Thrones: when you play the game of figure skating, you either win or you die. He’s got knife shoes and he’s not afraid to use them.

The primary theme of his monologues during the short program would be about his desire to win in competition specifically, but this would absolutely include the underlying purpose of having him believe in himself and how much he wants it. To get in the right mindset for his performance capability, Yuuri needs to want to slay and know that he can slay. He can. He has a world record. He’s engaged to living legend Victor Nikiforov and he’s going to beat him, too. No mercy, he’s not fucking around!! Fear him.

Costume thoughts: All I know is that I want Yuuri in a crown. It’ll probably have to be a thin gold circlet to make sure that thing stays steady on his head through jumps and doesn’t slip or get too heavy - tbh it’d probably just be an elastic band full of glitter and sparkles and pinned to his head, it just looks gold - but still. I want him in a crown. The rest of his costume should evoke the image of dragons. It doesn’t need wings, maybe patterns and cut-outs on his back and the sleeves extended into gloves, but a nice dark red and black would be lovely. 

Free Program: Les Miserables, On My Own/Who Am I.

This program opens to triumph and command, drifts into love and longing, and finally ends to a theme of self-assertion and the blaring trumpets of confidence. Musically it’s good. And thematically, we get back to triumph in Yuuri’s life overall.

“On My Own” is about desperate, unrequited love, and considering Yuuri’s feelings of anxiety towards his own relationship and upcoming marriage - even if I’m sure he knows deep down that he’s secure in Victor’s love, he also still feels that anxiety, because there’s no cure for anxiety. But as it transitions back into “Who Am I,” as Jean Valjean proclaims who he is and that he has no shame in it?? That gives room for Yuuri’s own self-assertion, assurance in himself and everything in his past, all the answers that he’s found. He’s Katsuki Yuuri, world record-holder, engaged man, who loves his fiancé, loves figure skating, and he has every right to be proud of himself and to wish for his own success and know it.

More subtly, it’s Yuuri’s triumph over the self. Where his short program is more obviously triumph in the sport, Yuuri’s is triumph over anxiety and self-doubt and he’s come for what he deserves.

Costume thoughts: This one can be much simpler and rather more traditional, modeled after the costumes in the musical on which it’s based. He could go for a look reminiscent of Marius or just the general French Revolution aesthetic. Another option would be to pay tribute to Yuna Kim, who was lovely when she skated this program in this outfit, and make a modified male version of it.

Victor Nikiforov: Life and Love.

This is pretty self-explanatory. He’s rediscovered these. It’s going to bring a whole new dimension to his experience on the ice and to his performances. Let him just live it up skating tributes to his fiancé and the new joy he has in life.

Also I’ve changed my mind on these SO MANY TIMES because ngl it is really fucking hard to think of music that already exists for Victor Nikiforov

 Somebody to Love by Queen. 

He’d just be so fucking cheeky and I’d love every minute of watching him just have fun. Plus it seems like it would be a different kind of program than what he usually does, which I would honestly really like to see. Think about him just skating this whole thing directly for Yuuri??? Winking and grinning and ring-lens-flaring and just having the time of his life??? Presentation score off the goddamn CHARTS

Because look, I’m not convinced Victor’s returning to figure skating because he just looooves competing so much. But I am also convinced that he’s perfectly capable of just enjoying himself for the first time in years. And this would be the height of that. This would show off his renewed joy, his energy, his love for his fiancé and his love for the sport that brought them together. The most important thing is that it would be fun, and it would get both “life” and “love” thematically into his program. Let Victor skate to Queen

Costume ideas: Rock and roll. Flamboyant. Glitter and sparkles fucking everywhere. Some gay plunging cleavage. Let’s fuckin go.

Free Program: Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz.

OR:  O Mio Babbino Caro, from Gianni Shicchi (or with lyrics). 

I struggled a lot with his free program, because nothing really fit quite right for me. It either fell flat thematically, or I just couldn’t see Victor skating to it. Or the music was never just quite.... right. I was also trying to imagine Victor having a consistent skating monologue through them, and how it would sound/fit in if he and Yuuri get into an inevitable Conflict.

The Sleeping Beauty Waltz is musically a pretty good piece, even though I find that motif a little too repetitive. He would totally intend to be about himself and how he’s the Sleeping Beauty woken by his Prince Yuuri out of the dreamless sleep of years into a new happy life, but we all know why his skating to a piece titled anything to do with Sleeping Beauty would be hilarious. Also, he could definitely work with Yuuri on adding in a lot of balletic elements and we could have a romantic dance scene in a studio at sunset 👀

As for O Mio Babbino Caro: this piece is just gorgeous. Flowing. Loving. It sings. Just imagining Victor skating to it in any context gives me chills.

But the lyrics? The singer is appealing to her father to help her be with her lover. “O my papa, I love him. He’s handsome. I want to go to Porta Rossa to buy a ring! I want to go there! And if my love is in vain I will THROW MYSELF INTO THE ARNO RIVER” she wants to be with him so badly. I mean this is basically Victor @ Yakov going “*Little Mermaid voice* But Daddy I LOVE him” and honestly? The emotion he could bring to it remembering just how goddamn much he loves Yuuri and wants to be married to Yuuri gets me going. Hell yeah he wants to go buy another goddamn ring.

Costume ideas: For the Waltz, something like this or this. It’s got that hint at ballet, but there’s still an element of fantasy and whimsy. Light colors, definitely gold trim, definitely want that white and gold at his calves.

For O Mio Babbino Caro, the color scheme would be the same, but it would be a lot more flowing and sheer. More like the second costume I linked, definitely.

[thingstodoinfrederickmaryl-blog2]

Valletta, Malta

Solid Advice About Photography Which Can Help Anyone

Visit this website A lot of people that take plenty of photos, find yourself always trying to find more methods to increase their technique and capture better shots. It is possible to get lots of great pictures throughout the journey, despite the fact that it can be a never-ending quest. This informative article contains a few ideas that can, hopefully, help you on that quest.

Compose your photograph carefully. Sometimes you may have to actually move things around to get the proper contrast or light you desire. If you are taking pictures of objects, turn them to have the proper angle. Become familiar with how to make a scene look natural if you compose it, while you progress.

A fantastic photography tip is to get a tripod. Possessing a tripod is very important because it will allow you to require a clear and focused picture. Don't assume you could require a clear picture just by using your hands. Avoid blurry pictures through getting a tripod.

An excellent photography tip is to invest in a tripod. Using a tripod is vital because it will enable you to have a clear and focused picture. Don't assume that you can take a clear picture just by utilizing your hands. Avoid blurry pictures by getting a tripod.

Be certain your photo features a solid focal point. With no good centerpiece your photographs will turn out looking empty, leaving the eye with nowhere to rest. In case you are shooting a landscape or any other wide setting, your viewers will be more appreciative of a photo that has a clear focus, even.

Avoid using the flash which you find of all cameras nowadays when possible. It has a tendency to supply the subject 'red eye', and yes it removes many of the shadow that may create depth inside a picture. When you have to make use of a flash, for example an inside nighttime shot, keep your subject clear of walls. This way you won't end up getting an ugly black shadow that resembles an outline.

Consider receiving a tripod. An effective tripod provides more stability and enables you to invest some time composing your picture. Get a tripod that give you flexibility in height and positioning. Tripods really are a great tool for several types of pictures only. Usually do not use a tripod if you are searching for a unusual angle.

You should think of receiving a tripod. A good tripod provides more stability and lets you spend some time composing your picture. Get yourself a tripod which provide you flexibility in height and positioning. Tripods are a great tool for certain forms of pictures only. Do not make use of a tripod should you be looking for any unusual angle.

Only choose the best shots that you may have if you are planning on showing your pictures to someone. This will assist them form the highest possible opinion of your so you work, which happens to be desirable in case you are seeking to land work. Always present your best work to others.

Mess around together with the settings on your camera and produce different compositions for your photographs. A high quality photograph fails to require a unique subject. It really requires an original method of thinking. An effective photographer makes even insignificant objects look interesting. Try various things to see what matches your needs.

One great tip for photography is to try using the flash as soon as the sun is out. Sometimes direct sunlight creates nasty shadows and makes the main topic of the photograph not look just like they might. A number of the shadows will be filled in and the subject will appear better, through the use of flash.

When framing your photo, always look at the rule of thirds. This should sometimes be the rule of ninths, simply because you are envisioning your photo space into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Make an effort to place your subject left or right, top or bottom, instead of dead center inside the picture. This may cause the viewer's eyes maneuver around the picture as an alternative to stareing directly into it.

When you want to get tack sharp shots using a tripod, you need to get a remote to be able to eradicate camera shake. Also, you can use the timer on the camera. You'll need to have a stable surface to create it your camera on, though even though you don't use a tripod, this will work great.

An excellent photography tip that can help you plenty is to avoid getting lens flare. Lens flare typically occurs when you are trying shooting in bright light. A great way to avoid lens flare is to use a lens hood or to position your hand to block it.

An excellent photography trick that will help you is usually to aim lighting from your subject. You don't usually have to aim lights right at the subject. You are able to aim the sunshine away to generate a considerably more subtle and diffused light. Try this the next occasion you shoot.

Compare camera prices when you find yourself searching for a fresh one. An effective rule is to decide first what make, model, and features you need. Then you can certainly proceed with finding the optimum deal about the camera. Make sure you check local camera retailers and also big online outlets.

Position your subjected to face from the sun should you be shooting in poor mid-day sun. Hard light in the sun can cause shadows that may likely ruin the photo. Putting your subject in a way that they are facing from the sun puts their face within the shade and then you can over-expose the image hence the face is definitely right.

When shooting a memorable occasion, say for example a wedding or birthday or sporting event, understand that among the best stories are told about the sidelines. It's most of the intimate, unrehearsed moments that portray the actual emotion in the occasion, although the main action is obviously crucial that you capture.

Shoot and aim quickly. In case you are taking a picture of any object that is certainly moving, or could move suddenly (for instance a perched bird) go ahead and take first photo as quickly as possible. Should it be not perfect, this means have one or more photo of your respective subject, even. When the subject allows for it, you are able to go on a second, more carefully aimed picture, once you grab the original shot. It is best to get several images from which to choose rather than spend precious seconds framing the first shot merely to have your subject disappear.

When you go on a photograph, you want to make certain it's a high quality one. In today's era of photo editing and digicams, everyone can take a superior quality photo. It's just a matter of learning how. Because of the advice in this article, you need to be taking better looking photos right away. Modern Travel Techniques For A Well Used Fashioned Vacation

Traveling is something a number of people want to accomplish around they can, among the finest ways to achieve that is usually to discover ways to efficiently travel. Whenever you learn to travel efficiently you learn how to save money and time, so take the time to read through through the tips on this page to view what you are able learn.

Travel can be a fun-filled activity, but remember to understand at the very least a few words in the native language. 'thank and 'Please' you' certainly are a must, but phrases including 'I'm lost' and 'Where is definitely the train station? ' will prove invaluable should you must have them. It's much simpler than seeking to act out complicated activities!

When packing, ensure you split up your valuables. Should you be packing multiple bags for any trip, spread your more costly items out between the two. Always avoid putting your valuables in just one bag in the event this bag is lost or stolen. Losing just one bag is still terrible but may not ruin your vacation.

Trust locals on the concierge. Unfortunately, many hotels as well as their concierge services have agreements with certain businesses to steer guests to them, no matter whether or otherwise it really is to your advantage. Instead, scope out a location seems just like your style and request other customers for extra recommendations.

Something you must never do is place a vital document in the pocket from the seat before you. Probably, it is going to slide down to where you will be unable to view it anymore and you will forget about it. Then you will definately get away from the plane and realize too far gone that you simply don't get it.

Consider investing in a wi-fi detector prior to travel over a road trip. Not needing internet connection can easily make a road trip seem a bit lonely. A wi-fi detector may help you look for a hotspot even when companies are not advertising they have it available. You can find these signal detectors on almost everything, including keychains.

Most people areraised and born, live all of their lives and die within the same place. If a person is afforded and allowed the ability to travel and explore the globe outside their hometown then this advantage needs to be taken. Understanding new things, people and places allows someone to grow and learn about different lifestyles, ways of living, ways of viewing the entire world.

Everybody knows that airplane food is not really gourmet. An effective tip is usually to take along your preferred spice or hot sauce, and dress the rather bland meal. It would bring that extra kick to your food, and can help it go down a bit easier.

Don't count on ribbons and bows to make your luggage differentiate yourself from the other pack. These adornments can quickly be torn off in transit. Instead, choose luggage in a bright, unusual color or vivid pattern that stands out by itself and can't be removed.

Before leaving to your trip, be sure you double as well as triple check your reservations. Just call the hotels you might be staying at or make certain none the events you have been intending on planning to got cancelled. You don't wish to be left stranded without having the best places to stay or disappointed that your favorite band isn't gonna play within the city you are likely to visit in order to see them live. There's no problem with checking your plans to your trip.

Compare and contrast multiple flight options utilizing a mega-search website like kayak.com. Sites like kayak.com save you lots of time by pulling intelligence through the biggest travel sites into one convenient location. Furthermore, it can save you a lot of money simply by making sure you obtain the best price entirely possible that your tickets.

Pack a travel mug along if you're having a cruise. They're just the thing for filling up with coffee or tea while you're wandering the ship from the mornings. They are able to also prevent you from spilling your drink in the buffet line. Of course, if you're likely to be sitting by the pool, they'll maintain your drinks nice cool for you.

Be up front if you buy travel insurance. Tell the carrier if you have medical ailments. Should you really discover youself to be starting to be more ill in your trip, you ought to realize that the provider will discover it a pre-existing illness and deny the clam. It will likely be under your control to come up with the funds for the bill.

Utilize a broomstick to lock your sliding door. Sliding doors take time and effort to securely secure. Their locks aren't always the very best however you can fortify them by placing a cut-off broomstick in the channel behind the sliding panel. Cut the broomstick so that it is for enough time to achieve from the inside side of the sliding door towards the opposite door frame. It's simple, and it's cheap. Just explain it to all the individuals the household - you do not want it to become a fire hazard either.

Usually do not schedule your time and energy too closely when traveling by car, specifically if your passengers needs a potty break. Any additional 10-20 minutes won't totally ruin your plans or trip. This will likely also help you avoid grumpy or whiny travelers in the trip.

Be flexible about your travel dates. You will likely see that prices can vary provided you can look for a day before and a day right after a particular date. You could possibly save cash by flying out per day earlier or later. These savings could easily add up to more than, one hundred dollars.

A fantastic travel tip is and also hardwearing . accommodation information to yourself when you're traveling abroad. A potential thief might hear you and also they'll understand specifically where it is actually that you're staying in the event you mention where you're staying. It's best to keep quiet with regards to your hotel.

As noted initially of the article, travel doesn't need to mean a long, extended tour from the continents. It may simply mean each day trip to a different town or perhaps a camping trip up inside the mountains. This short article may help you get ready for your journey, regardless how big or small.

[danielviza]

The “Have” and “Have-not’s”

"So who here has been arrested? Please raise your hand."

Not one student raises there hand; feeling vexed, I chortle inside.

"Has anybody served in the military?"

A brawny and bearded, "soon-to-go-grey" individual by the name of Austin proudly raises his hand and interjects.

"I've dated women that have aggressively turned me down and have called me a 'baby killer' in disgust. I thought I was doing my country a service by putting my life on the line, but not everybody see’s it like that“

The well poised, undeniable stylish, African American gentleman, son of a registered nurse, builds upon the discourse.

"I'm sorry but the violence that happens out here in the streets is condoned, but the killings over seas are claimed to be heroic? Not my cup of tea.”

In response, I relate to Austin’s comment:

"I too have encountered difficulties in courting people within social circlres. This is all thanks to the ignorant and persecutory rhetoric of 'Our President'. Upon dating an "undocumented" person, whatever the hell that means, I had the chance of seeing life through another lens - one I was completely oblivious of.”

My blood starts to boil; the invisible hairs on my indigenous arms are consumed in static. My mind is flaring, the chills are running down my spine as I recall the last 3 years of my life getting to know a person I so dearly cared for as my own. These in depth conversations of society have been whispered in my ear before. My memory flares up as I recount arguments and rhetoric previously experienced. The entire class is at attention, they can feel the quiver in my tones. I often remember this former friend of mine passionately expressing her love for teaching and how minds can be shaped in the classroom. 

That’s when I sensed a moonlight piercing through my soul. 

Citlali, the grounded and sensible classmate next to me looks into me with eyes of admiration. I recognize her prudence, her spirit has been with me before - I know.

“To answer our group presentation’s question: Yes, “We” in America, are free as a society, if you are to correlate freedom with safety. But the reality is, Mexico is truley free, and I can proudly say that through my immigrated Peruvian eyes. The freedom in America comes in our safety. The fact that we can come together as several different cultures from different parts of the world and safely work towards our goals supported by capitalism and individualistic ideology is what makes America beautiful, but we’ve designed a system for the underprivileged to fail and stay failing.  To better reframe the question,  'Am I free in America?' No, the odds are against me personally. The mass media has harassed and have put all Mexican’s in danger and indirectly affected me due to cultural and racial ignorance. I am safe here and destined to make the choices that will ultimately create my fate, but no, I am not free, not in this social concious”

These talks of society, deconstructing the social construct, the intimate passion of all these different experiences’ bring a burning look into my peers eyes. I've only experienced such in-depth cultural talks with one other person in my life, now, I am blessed to share my acquired knowledge with a group of 30.

The timid Asian girls quietly addresses the fear in communist China of killing the educated and denotes how in America education is blessing to her.

The emboldened Armenian gentleman proudly orates his views of free speech and how America give him the opportunity to start a business with his family, without the criminality and misconduct of his native land.

Citlali introduces herself to the class as “Lali” and makes an analogy of taking a long hike how cultural perception and biophysical forces differ amongst people

“To a normal person, this hike may seem long, but, to a person from Peru, comfortable and familiar to the Andes Mountains, it might not me much of a struggle.”

We smile at each other. Her cultural reference warms my heart, but I quickly divert eye contact. I have problems looking into peoples eyes now a days, call it the betrayal of my trust. As of late, I can only identify with the broken and lack the courage to delve into the innocence of another’s reality.

All I can do is silently express my angst towards the natural enemy.

Im familiar with the people I gravitate to. They are not your definition of pleasing or law abiding - because normal people bore me, I need a challenge. Who will help guide and influence my thoughts during my evolving adult hood? What values will I uphold? Who are the people I will protect and refuse to give up on. If my time is limited on this earth, every second must be vigorously and passionately fulfilled. Ideas and values I hold true must be held.

Upon returning to her seat I remark to Citlali. 

“Your name is far too beautiful to be watered down. The phonetics of your identity are very unique“

These are the only words of wisdom I can personally share with her, all my communications and friendships have critically developed under an impersonal level. The thought of "what's in it for me” has left my mind since the moment I walked into General Hospital. Originally, the job felt like a death sentence. Following the footsteps of your entire family, working for the government earning a pseudo sense of stability, status, authority, and honor. I was born into that; I understand but I want more out of my life. My role was handed on a silver platter, but dammit I want more.

As the years inside the the chaotic Emergency Room of the Western Front pass, I find my only pleasure to derive from empowering the powerless - To give legs to the person who has lost them. (Metaphorically and literally)

To give back to my community, I have recruited a young apprentice from El Monte, CA by the name of David. Being 11 years younger in adolescence, I cordially engage in a warm conversation and the retelling of my experience as he exchanges his dreams of succeeding in the entertainment world.

The night ends with a vigorous conversation with Rick, owner of the high end Wine Bistro in beautiful Old Town Pasadena. We talk heart to heart, of the cruel realities of the world and how recently graduated kids from college come to a sick and drastic disillusionment.

“I feel really bad for those 23 year old graduates, they think they know it all and then they grow into a very rude awakening”

“True Rick, but I’m always going to fight for their ideals. There lies the beauty in life.”

I will never give up on dreams, especially, on the dreams of the people I love.