Thursday 23 November 2023

Star Trek Uniforms (fanfic)

 




Red = Command

Yellow = Engineering / Security

Blue = Science / Medical

Green = Medical Specialist / Internal Affairs (internal police) / Botany Specialist

Orange = Specialist Technician / Star Fleet Music Corp.

Cyan = Psychological Sciences

Purple = Command Specialist

Brown = Xenobiologist Specialist

White = Dress Uniform

Black = Section 31/ Star Fleet Secret Service

Friday 18 August 2023

Dimensions..

1. length

2. breadth

3. height

4. time

5. potential

6. paradox

7. escape (collapse the wave function)

8. nullification

9. singularity 

Saturday 5 August 2023

Dava's Hitchhikers Guide to Akira..

 Hi random wanderer of the internet!

Akira

What is Akira?

It is a legendry anime, with ghosts and sci-fi.

What is Akira REALLY?

It is a overly complicated story .. that is full of mis-directs, confusion but ultimately legendry moments.

Spoilers from now on follow.. Here be Tetsuo!

Akira is the in my humble option the greatest slight of hand in anime storytelling.

The story pushes your focus towards Kaneda or Takashi at every opportunity.. all to filter your perception away from the *real* main lead of this story.. Tetsuo.  

Not even Akira can compete with Tetsuo's heart wrenching storyline. Tetsuo's not handsome, he has no money and his parents beat him.. Kaneda has the looks and coolness that Tetsuo craves. 

While the Espers play politics.. and Akira thinks himself a God.. Tetsuo endures in his agony and humiliation.

After this movie.. I read the subsequent anime's.. which really should be made in to a movie (Akira Part II). Equally as confusing.. equally as epic.

The upshot is.. don't believe the mis-direction.. Tetsuo is the main character of this story.

Thursday 27 July 2023

Why I think Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania bombed..

 Hi www

In very short.. Katy O'Brian's acting was so poor in her first scene, and so little was explained to Hank, who was us on this journey.. what where the names of the first aliens that helped us? what was the name of the cantina?

Katy O'Brian is *excellent* in the Mandalorian (excellent villain!) .. for Mando I'd give her 8/10. For Ant-Man QM.. 1 or 2 or 3.. 3 at best, no I'm being too generous!.. 1 or 2/10. 

5 being competent. No Oscars won, but in no way hurt the production.

1. Katy O'Brian miscast 2.Poor story layout 3. Too much 'glossing over' what is happening, at times where the audience needed that depth (see above for examples).

The rest was actually good.. especially Paul Rudd.. whose comedic acting was on point. I really can't fault the main cast.. even Corey Stoll raised a smile and didn't let the production down, even with the slightly awkward lines he had.. he just about pulled them off with decent comedy.. and yes FEELZ <3. Well done Mr. Stoll!

I'm a huge Bill Murray fan.. but his character just functioned as a plot device to betray the heroes. He had one comedic moment.. which *did* work.. but with the lack of exposition, the exposition we needed before we met him and J.Van Dyne simply brushing everything off when a explanation was called for.. no.

Ms. Lilly did not have any standout scenes.. however she (along with Ms. John-Kamen as Ghost) took a front seat in the previous movie, while Paul Rudd played for comedy.

I'd enjoy seeing a Goliath/Ghost movie. A pulp fiction of revenge.. think Kill Bill but with phasing superpowers.

Florida Man.. My (somewhat of a ) Review

 Hi

I watched the first episode of Florida Man on NF.. the thumbnail promo had shown Clark Gregg, so I was looking forward to him starring in this. nope.

By the second episode I had identified the problem with this show.. Edgar Ramirez.

Everyone else were putting in competent performances, Abbey Lee was a little shaky in the first episode but by the second she was really taking her stride with this little bit of fluff part and was acting the flip out it! respect.

I could tell Mr. Ramirez was really struggling to act in English.. I don't know if he is or isn't a good actor in Spanish, but I saw how poor and unengaging he was in English. It felt like he was a drama student with their first performance.

The plot was often over contrived for no reason.. If they had done this properly, they could have done it out of order and so made it a pulp fiction.. as this show so badly wanted to be a detective noir, both these would have fit together nicely if the writer/s were talented enough.

But what we got was meandering mess with no real direction.

Or if not a pulp.. throw in some decent music direction and the first two episodes could have been one, anything montage like to end the monotony of Mr. Ramirez's acting and the poor plot writing.

So.. I'm not going to finish episode 3.. I feel so guilty for reviewing something without seeing as a complete work.. giving those artists a chance to redeem themselves, like Ms. Lee did in the second episode. But I just can't force myself.. I can't do that to myself to watch more of Mr. Ramierez's 'non-acting'.


Dava

Wednesday 31 May 2023

Reality-Avengers (Euro-Avengers) Tri-Annual [Fanfic] : Part Three 'The Winner Takes It All'

Reality-Avengers (Euro-Avengers) Tri-Annual [Fanfic] : Part Three 'The Winner Takes It All


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This fanfic comic should be rated R21 in the USA. And is only intended for those over the age of 21 (except in countries such as Scotland or Cambodia where the legal age of adulthood is 16 or above). Will contain graphical descriptions of erotica and violence. You have been warned.

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A deafening silence falls over Lep and The Beyonder.. all we can hear is ABBA's album version of 'The Winner Takes It All'.

Behind Lep.. Widow Spider lays on the floor, his insides ripped out. Lep is crying..  locked in battle with the Beyonder.

Lep thinking : I-i-if I beat him I can undo it!!

We zoom out to see many of the team have been turned to stone.. many dead police officers, a few crashed police helicopters.. we are in the park next to the giant statue of the Beyonder.

Dave Shaw as the Silver Scotsman is keeping back the hordes of people trying to defend The Beyonder.
The Beyonder is also creating energy spears to strike Lep, but Kang is making the spears not exist.
Ares is on the other side of the planet, throwing fired nukes in to the sun.. because if he didn't, they would be hitting NYC. They would be hitting Lep.

'I Don't Wanna Talk'

6 days earlier.. 

Dave is meeting with Susan at the motel. Dave is nervous as the team have finished the Portal to take them to another reality.. and Dave wants to ask Susan if she will come with them.

Outside the motel Dave stands alone waiting.. it's around 2pm. Dave has dressed smartly, his hair is washed with vosene and brushed with brill cream. He is holding bouquet of flowers.

We take the perspective of an older gent sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of the liquor store across from the motel.

A black executive car rolls up and a lady with blonde hair gets out (Susan). She goes over and hugs the man (Dave). He gives her the flowers and they seem to speak. Suddenly she becomes angry.. we do not *quite* hear what is said but she is shouting.. she throws the flowers back and him and gets in her car.. he takes a few quick steps to chase the car.. but he slows as the car throws up dust and is gone.

'Minds As Cold As Ice'

The next day..We see through the motel security camera, Dave comes out of a motel room alone and walks to the public phone.. after a short phone call, we see he is upset.

That night..We see through the same motel security camera, Dave comes out of a motel room alone and walks to the vending machine, buys himself a drink.. has a drink and a smoke on the motel porch then returns to his room.

The next day again..We see through the motel security camera, Dave comes out of a motel room alone and walks to the public phone.. after a short time, we see he is upset again.

'But What Can I Say? Rules Must Be Obeyed'

2 days prior to the park.. 

From the perspective of Susan's cellphone.. late at night, Susan is in apartment bed tossing and turning, she keeps lifting her cellphone and then putting back on her bedside table.

Susan works up the courage to make the phone call.

Sitting on the police sergeant's front desk; Through a snow-globe of all peoples of the world surrounding the Beyonder in love.. we see Susan sitting on the bench at the police station alone, her mascara running, looking at her knees, her face; miserable.

'I've Played All My Cards'

4 hours before the Park.. a racket of SWAT Helicopters and a veil of police officers dressed in funerial black, weight down mourning the outer compound.

We take the perspective of the compound security cameras.. in the compound lobby camera, we see a flash then a helicopter crashes through the lobby windows, followed by Firegirl.

We then, silently, see Guillotine shouting at Firegirl, but Firegirl defending her actions.

On the canteen camera, many SWAT officers drop in from the ceiling, but Captain England fights them off.. Ultrahawk bursts in breaking the canteen entrance walls and begins stomping the SWAT officers, squashing them like bugs under a boot.. Cap looks shocked.

On the back garden compound camera; La Peregrine is wounding but not killing the herds of police officers. Kang appears next to Peregrine, the two seem to talk, and with a wave of his hand.. many of the police officers vanish.

In the Recreation Room camera.. Ares is asleep on the pool table. holding a bottle with his fingertips.

JJ is in the lower laboratory, we see he is on the phone, looking impatient.. the 'lobby' button on the phone is flashing.. as if he is calling the lobby to find out what the loud noise are.

Alan and Siobhan walk in the lobby.. Siobhan is wearing a summer dress, they seem bemused why a crashed helicopter is in the foyer. 

From the roof camera, we see the many many helicopters fire their missiles .. we can see Zero approaching the front of building from here. He is carrying a pizza. We see he looks up and has seen the missiles heading for the foyer. He drops the pizza box flat and waves his arms outward; stopping time throughout this reality.

In DC, looking through the reflection of a mirror in the oval office, we see the Beyonder feels this shift and becomes aware time has frozen.

We move to the lobby camera, Zero comes in and 'wakes up' Guillotine, Firegirl, Alan and Siobhan. Then we see Zero go through each room 'waking' each of the team members, except that, in the recreational room, even freed from the time freezing, Ares cannot be roused from his drunken sleep.

We see through the rec rooms camera.. Cap and Ultrahawk are arguing, they are going at it, almost at blows until Guillotine steps in and calms them down.

'You've Come To Shake My Hand'

A tourist was taking a video in the park, we see from this screen, the Beyonder summons all the team to the park, including Siobhan and JJ.. we see Siobhan mouth the words to JJ 'this guy is powerful!'. Siobhan changes herself and Alan into their costumes.

The Beyonder crushes his fist and at the same moment, time restarts again, but also Zero clutches his chest in pain and drops to the floor. Ares shouts Zero's name.. we barely hear it as this distance.

The Beyonder waves his hand and many SWAT Helicopters appear surrounding the park, firing missiles. Many police officers appear.. Ultrahawk flies up and throws one helicopter at another causing them to crash in to the police officers below.

The team go to attack the Beyonder, but with the exception of, Kang Ares, Lep and JJ, the Beyonder turns the group to stone.. which Lep undoes.. Widow Spider incensed attacks the Beyonder directly, who catches WS by his throat. And then rips out his lower organs and throws the body on the ground. The Beyonder turns the rest of the team back to stone.

The sky and the very universe itself goes dark.. even the Beyonder feels a quiver of fear race like a cold jolt up his back.

We see Dave say under his breath; his warm breath on the cold air:  'oh yuv done it noo!'.

A shaft of light lens flares upon the park.. upon the two.

We see JJ has teleported himself to a near by tree and has furnished himself with some toffee popcorn.. JJ turns to a little bird in the tree and says 'Don't worry.. I'm 'Plan B'.

'The Winner Takes It All'

The two clash and a blinding light engulfs the park.. inside the light.. 

We resume inside the light:

A deafening silence falls over Lep and The Beyonder.. all we can hear is ABBA's album version of 'The Winner Takes It All'.

Behind Lep.. Widow Spider lays on the floor, his insides ripped out. Lep is crying..  locked in battle with the Beyonder.

Lep thinking : I-i-if I beat him I can undo it!!

We zoom out to see many of the team have been turned to stone.. many dead police officers, a few crashed police helicopters.. we are in the park next to the giant statue of the Beyonder.

Dave Shaw as the Silver Scotsman is keeping back the hordes of people trying to defend The Beyonder.
The Beyonder is also creating energy spears to strike Lep, but Kang is making the spears not exist.
Ares is on the other side of the planet, throwing fired nukes in to the sun.. because if he didn't, they would be hitting NYC. They would be hitting Lep.

Lep begins to draw on other realities.. on other powers from other realities... shores of power wave over her, as we see these other realities in a chatoyant effect.. faster and faster like a DBZ power up.

Lep fuses with the Beyonder to overcome him and learns he was a renegade Watcher called Aron*.. then she sees all realities and learns that the original reality still exists.. Suddenly Lep becomes aware of Admiral David Haller, Legion in their original reality.. she whispers to him.. 'help me and I will fix this all!'

David Haller reaches in to the Beyonder's reality and vampirically absorbs the Beyonders power.. this weakens the Beyonder enough for Lep to use the Beyonder like a battery.

She imprisons the Beyonder in JJ's closet in the quantum realm. She along with JJ and Legion move 'Kobik Earth' to the 616 universe, but at the opposite side of the Milky Way. We shift the planet via Mount Olympus.. the 'pocket dimension'. ..They move the planet to a star in the new 616 reality, equally as far away to the center (but on a different arm) of the Milky Way.. she recreates the solar system.. and now there are two earths in the galaxy Sol 1 (616 .. shield) and Sol 2 (61311.. hydra)

A flash of light and 'Tempus Ex Machina' all the team are restored even all of Sol 2.

The team look up and see they are in the park and can see the statue of Liberty, they hear  a sizzling sound and look down, Lep's skin and body is black charred; cooking due to overuse of her powers. La Peregrine whips out a bottle of water and feeds it to Lep while holding her head.. WS is stunned. He looks down.. and even though she has passed out.. she is holding his hand tightly.

Guillotine: Let's recoup in the Marquis!

Cap: agreed!

THE END.

Part One : Reality-Avengers (Euro-Avengers) Tri-Annual [Fanfic] : Part One
Part Two: Reality-Avengers (Euro-Avengers) Tri-Annual [Fanfic]  :  Part Two


--------------------------

Next time on 'Sol-2 Euro-Avengers'..

Will Lep recover in time to save the team from an old returning enemy?

Will Dave ever get over 538-Susan? 



Wednesday 1 March 2023

The Fermi Paradox; The Horrors and Delights of Free-Will

 Hi .. 

Scottish Politics : Politics. Peace. Intersolar Travel. (scotspol.blogspot.com)

I'll write this in English as to reach out to a wider audience. (Although my first language is Scots) I also have a faith based slant, so that is in there too. I am Catholic and Abrahamic.

Why are humans the only civilization.. forgoing ecumenical spiritual beings*.. why are humans the only civilization we are aware of?

Shouldn't we have already made contact if an alien civilization exists? I believe that alien life exists, such as fish-like, plant-like, insect-like and cow-like.. but I do not believe that any alien civilization exists.. the Bible does not mention alien life, however omission is not a proof of a fact. And just because I suppose something; does not make it fact.. The Lord said He repented making Man.. but we are creating a '4th kind' in AI &  robot-kind. 

Now that's out of the way.. lets discuss why we don't have aliens summer vacationing in Florida.

The Horrors of Free-Will

As humans spread out and become more and more frontiers people.. law will recede and people will be more and more free to do whatever they want as there will be no one around to stop them.

Imagine something that would seems Sci-Fi to us just now but in 2000 years.. born on Earth, then buy a ship with the ability to go anywhere in the universe, own a galaxy/solar system where no other human will ever come as space is so vast; no one will ever find you.

Acting out forbidden horrors like Genetic Engineering and manipulation.. a reasonably intelligent human could create beings and rule over them.. making them slaves and making them worship that human.

Every evil we could imagine..

Now put this into the context of an authoritarian civilization.. an alien one.. imagine random aliens with alien morality coming and experimenting on life here.

Well.. if their government at least have the morality that those alien citizens shouldn't be doing that, they will keep those citizens most likely in places they control, such as their own solar system.

Prose: If aliens exist it is unlikely they allow their kind outside of their reach.

Everything is Trying to Kill Us

Everything from the radiation to the distances involved.. but even if we overcome these things, I posit even on arrival of an earth-like twin.. everything would try to kill us.

Basic biology of two systems in hostility; we would literally be entering an alien environment never designed for us.

Remember what killed the aliens in War of the Worlds? That's right.. Terran bacteria.

If we blindly go to other planets.. that planet will kills us. And likewise the thought occurs to me, if a alien civilization went to another planet.. it would, I think, mostly likely kill them too. That's a pretty good deterrent to leaving your own solar system.

Remember when Australia was overrun with rabbits?.. now imagine that but in an alien body with our bacteria.. or vice versa alien bacteria and our body.

The common cold could easily wipe an alien planet out.

Max Capacity 1600KG or 21 Persons

Staying in the solar system means you get to have children.. going off in to the unknown, means you are  unlikely to ever meet another.. you will be alone for the rest of your life, unless you take humans with you.

This is the same for an alien civilization.

Our solar system will be packed full of humans.. 10's of trillions of humans, on every moon and major planet and dwarf planet and asteroid giant.. in the solar system, in the Oort Cloud.. but outside endless space and self reliance and loneliness.

That loneliness can lead to madness.

Cheer Up And I'll Buy You An Ice Cream

To get to this point we would have had to solved all the worlds problems.. and that is a remarkable achievement. 

Humans are a mix of good and evil.. if we express goodness with consistency and teach our children to do the same .. then they are more likely to be good to any creatures they come across.

As we become spacial frontiers folk and resource mining based.. we become free and so long as we do not degenerate.. we are fit to inherit this Galaxy and all Galaxies.

The Delights of Free-Will

A life devoted to your own pursuits.
Never breaking another persons rules as you are always alone.
Robot-kind companionship.
You-do-you without interference.


Peace

Dava


-------------------------

*Angels & spirits.

*what if aliens have their equivalent of the common cold that would kills us etc.. if they are civilized they would not go to other worlds for fear of the chance of spreading the bacteria and killing whole planets

*4th kind.. either way you look at it.. Spirits, Angels, Man and Robotkind.. or Man, Woman, something inbetween, like Eunuch (trans) and then 4th kind AI/Robot

Thursday 16 February 2023

Squier Stagemaster/Showmaster deleted wikipage

Squier Stagemaster
V1 family.jpg
Different colors of the V1 Stagemaster
ManufacturerSquier
PeriodJanuary 4th 1999 - December 31st 2001
Construction
Body typeSolid
Neck jointNeck-Through and Bolt-on
Scale25.5 in (650 mm) ;V6 Baritone 27"
Woods
BodyAlder
Poplar
NeckMaple
FretboardRosewood
Hardware
BridgeFloyd Rose Locking, two-point tremolo, hard tail
Pickup(s)Usually one humbucking and two Single-coils or
Two Humbuckers or
One Single-coil and two Humbuckers
Colors available
Various solid shades of white, blue, red, green, black, gold, grey and purple. Blueburst, Redburst, & Blackburst V5 only

 




The Squier Stagemaster (discontinued) is a guitar made by Squier, which normally manufactures less expensive authorized copies of Fender's more popular guitars and bass guitars. The Stagemaster is similar in appearance to a Stratocaster with a few cosmetic and functional differences, and is typically classified as a Superstrat. Generally, these differences are:

A reverse headstock
tremolo system (Mostly Licensed Floyd Rose, with the Stagemaster HSS NLT model featuring 2-point standard tremolo)
Humbucker pickups combined with single coil pickups
A contoured neck heel (Rounded corner where the neck meets the body)
A slightly narrower body
24 fret necks (Early models had 22 fret necks)
One volume and one tone control
Also see the badge change of Fender Showmaster due to legal reasons.
Versions
There were six major versions of the Squier Stagemaster:
V1 - Introduced in 1999 and featured a pick guard, top jack, reverse headstock, licensed Floyd Rose tremolo systems and 22 frets & 25.5" scale. Versions were HH, HSS, and HSH. V1 Stagemasters did not come from the factory in HHH or SSS versions[1] .[2] Colors made were Black (506), Polar White (581), Cobalt Blue Metallic (587), Galactic Purple (591) and Frost Red (577). All V1 models were initially available with a natural wood color headstock; toward the later production months they were made with a matching painted headstock. All came with chrome hardware. Discontinued in March 2000. Very early versions had CY98xxxxxx serial numbers but were assembled in early 1999, not in 1998 per Fender Customer Service. V1 bodies & necks are interchangeable with Stratocaster guitars. The Floyd Rose tremolo uses a 37mm high tremolo bridge block held in with three 4mm screws. It uses a 6mm screw-in tremolo arm. The V1 can be converted to use genuine Floyd Rose 6mm screw-over or push-in tremolo arm types.

Early V1 guitars have string tuners that are held in place with a set-screw (Type A). Later ones have tuners that are held in place with a recessed pin (Type B). V1 guitars were made in China.


V1.0 Stagemasters are the original 1999 Stagemasters with tuners that have external screws to prevent tuner rotation.
V1.1 Stagemasters are the 1999 Stagemasters with tuners that have an internal tuner pin to prevent tuner rotation.
V1.2 Stagemasters are the 1999 Stagemasters that have matching painted headstocks.
V2 & V2.7 - Introduced in 2000, discontinued 2002. Has a side jack, back-routed control cavity, reverse headstock, licensed Floyd Rose bridge, bolt-on 24 fret neck & 25.5" scale, and a locking nut. Six string versions were available in HH, HSS, and HSH pickup configurations. These 2-octave models were made in three colors: Black Metallic (565), Cobalt Blue Metallic (587), and Purple Metallic (593). The V2 six string model Floyd Rose tremolo uses a 37mm high tremolo bridge block held in with three 5mm screws. The V2 six string models can be converted to use genuine Floyd Rose 6mm screw-over or push-in tremolo arm types.
The V2 models were also offered in HH pickup configuration in 7-string versions. The 7-string versions came in two models: a Floyd Rose bridge with locking nut (7FR) and a hard tail fixed bridge (7HT) with a regular nut. The 7-string models came in three colors: Black Metallic (565), Cobalt Blue Metallic (587) and Purple Metallic (593). The V2 7-string models are also depicted as V2.7 Stagemasters to distinguish them from the V2 six string models. The seven string Stagemaster can be converted to an HSH pickup configuration by a competent luthier. The V2.7 7-string guitars were discontinued on December 31, 2001. The V2.7 Floyd Rose tremolo uses a 34mm high x 70mm wide tremolo bridge block held in with three 4mm screws.
All V2 guitars were made in China and came with black hardware.
V3 - Introduced in January 2001, the Stagemaster HSS NLT (Non-Locking Tremolo) model number 032-2700 was the lowest priced Stagemaster sold listing for $349.99 (the street price was around $220 in 2001). Features a two-point bridge, back-routed control cavity, a bolt-on 22 fret neck 25.5" scale, and a regular type nut. Colors included Black Metallic (565), Cobalt Blue Metallic (587), and Purple Metallic (593). All came with chrome hardware. V3 bodies & necks are interchangeable with Telecaster guitars as it has a square neck pocket; Stratocaster necks will fit a V3 body but may have an exposed gap. The V3 guitars were made in China. V3 Stagemasters are the most common Stagemaster found today and sell for around $100 to $125 in 2019. The Stagemaster HSS NLT was renamed in January 2002 to the Showmaster HSS NLT with exactly the same features. The V3 Stagemaster uses a 35.6mm tall pot-metal Stratocaster type bridge block. Finding replacement steel or brass tremolo blocks is difficult as most Squier replacement blocks do not fit correctly. eBay vendor kevinh3324 does make steel or brass replacement blocks that correctly fit the Stagemaster HSS NLT. The V3 Stagemaster uses a 6mm screw-in tremolo arm.
V4 - Introduced May 15, 2000, The Stagemaster Deluxe versions with neck-through construction were made alongside these models and were available in HH and HSH configurations. The necks are 24 fret & 25.5" scale. The Deluxe HH neck-through came in three colors: Shoreline Gold Metallic (544), Atlantic Blue Metallic (569), and Wine Red Metallic (575). The Deluxe HSH came in three different colors: Pewter Gray Metallic (543), Black Metallic (565), and Emerald Green Metallic (571). No HSS or SSS neck-through models were made. All V4 models came with black hardware and were made in Korea. The V4 Floyd Rose tremolo uses a 34mm high tremolo bridge block held in with 5mm screws. The V4 models can be converted to use genuine Floyd Rose 6mm screw-over or push-in tremolo arm types.
V5 - In 2000 Squier made an exclusive run of six string Stagemasters for Mars Music. They came in HH configuration only and were available in three colors: Blueburst, Redburst, and Blackburst. A notable difference from the other Stagemasters is that they have regular headstocks that are not reversed. These guitars came with a bolt on 24 fret neck 25.5" scale, Licensed Floyd Rose tremolo bridge with a locking nut, black hardware, one vol/one tone knob, and a 3-way knife switch. These guitars are known as the "Mars Stagemasters" and are the only Stagemasters that have a burst finish. The V5 Stagemaster guitars were made in China. The V5 Floyd Rose tremolo uses a 34mm high tremolo bridge block held in with 5mm screws. The V5 models can be converted to use genuine Floyd Rose 6mm screw-over or push-in tremolo arm types.
V6 - In January 2001 Squier introduced the Squire Sub-Sonic Deluxe baritone guitar as a part of the Stagemaster Series. It is a neck-thru design like the V4 models but has a hard-tail bridge and a normal nut. It is tuned a forth below a standard guitar: B1–E2–A2–D3–F♯3–B3 (low to high). The Sub-Sonic guitar was made in Korea. It was only available as a dual humbucker (HH) and came only in Black Metallic (565). The scale length is 27" and the neck has 24 frets. Controls are a 3-way pickup selector switch, a volume control, and a tone control. Sub-Sonics with a 2002 serial number are technically Showmaster models but are identical to 2001 Stagemaster V6 models.
The V2 & V4 2nd generation 24-fret solid body Stagemasters featured many upgrades and were "designed to compete with guitars costing 4 to 5 times as much." One upgrade was wax potted pickups stock with the guitar. Another upgrade was a rear-routed control cavity for guitars lacking off a pickguard. The Deluxe models featured neck-through three-piece maple necks, while the Standard models featured a bolt-on one-piece neck with no scarf joint and a contoured heel. The reverse headstocks on the Stagemasters allow for completely straight string pull. Another nice feature is the inclusion of a brass bridge sustain block on the Ping licensed Floyd Rose bridge, unusual quality in a budget-priced guitar. In March 2002 the Stagemaster line was renamed to Showmaster due to a trademark claim from Kramer, who had made a guitar called the Stagemaster in the mid-late 1980s. V2, V3 and V4 model Stagemaster guitars are known to exist labelled as "Showmaster" (except for the V2 7 string guitars).
All Stagemasters came with rosewood fret boards. None were ever made with maple fret boards.
All Stagemasters have adjustable truss rod necks with a headstock accessible Allen truss rod nut. Allen nut sizes are:

V1 5mm
V2 5mm
V3 5mm
V4 4mm
V5 5mm
V6 4mm

If the Stagemaster was made in China, the truss rod nut is 5mm. If the Stagemaster was made in Korea, the truss rod nut is 4mm.
History
The Stagemaster line of guitars were introduced in the 1st Quarter of 1999. The first 1999 Stagemaster looked like Fender Stratocasters with a reverse headstock and the Stagemaster 22 fret necks are compatible with a Stratocaster. The V2 design of 2000 was essentially a superstrat with a 2-octave neck that is incompatible with a Stratocaster. In 2001 Kramer sent Fender a letter stating that Fender was using Kramer's trademark of "Stagemaster" for electric guitars and demanded that Fender stop using the Kramer trademark. Kramer had released a line of guitars from 1986 to 1990 that were branded as "Stagemaster" and had the trademark "Stagemaster". Fender agreed to stop using the trademark beginning January 1, 2002. The Squier "Stagemasters" were discontinued and some Stagemaster models (V2, V3, V4 & V6) were renamed "Showmaster" and were released on Jan 4th 2002. The 7 string Stagemaster models were discontinued and were not re-branded as Showmaster. There was never a lawsuit - Fender and Kramer worked the issue out between themselves and the case never went to court. The details of the settlement between Kramer and Fender were never revealed to the public. The Showmaster guitars were later discontinued in 2004 and were sold through 2005 until the stocks were depleted.
Identification of the Stagemaster guitars is quite easy. If it has a normal head stock it is a V5 Mars Stagemaster. If it has seven strings with chrome tuners it is a V1.7 model. If it has seven strings with black tuners it is a V2.7 model. If it has a pick guard it is a V1. If it has a back-routed control cavity and a bolt-on 24 fret neck it is a V2. If it has back-routed control cavity and a bolt-on 22 fret neck it is a V3. If it is a neck-through guitar with a 25.5" scale and has a Floyd Rose bridge it is V4. If it is a neck-through guitar and the neck scale is 27" and it has a hard tail bridge, it is a V6 baritone.

The Stagemaster guitar shares similarities with the Heavy Metal (HM) Strat which was produced by Fender and discontinued in 1992. It also shares similarities with the Squier Heavy Metal (HM) guitars made from 1989 to 1993.

Thursday 13 October 2022

Thoughts on Troupe Leads.. And Will She-Hulk Become a Defender and NOT an Avenger?.. (TL:DR)

 Hi

Firstly, a little background..

Background

I really have enjoyed She-Hulk.. a couple of times I got worked up and impatient waiting for Daredevil, but once that anticipation was met, I loved that episode. Looking back.. it is what it set out to be.. a comedy.

Acting troupe's have 'leads/captains'.. people who lead and set the tone for the other actors; for the larger MCU it was Iron Man/RJD, for AOS it was/is Coulson/Clark Gregg, for the Defenders it's Matt Murdock/Charlie Cox.

Think of them like a captains of a sports team.

I enjoyed seeing Daredevil/Matt in She Hulk's episodes.. it REALLY felt like a 'Defender's Blessing' on the show and Disney+ in general. But more than that..

The show also draws themes in to view for the audience.. and while I am very far from being a feminist.. 

(I believe in gender equality and third generation feminism is merely female supremacy, unlike second generation feminism which was women righteously fighting for the rights they deserve.. third generation feminism is about women having MORE than men. If people believe in gender equality they fight for men's rights also, which these feminists do not.)

I started to think about how few woman troupe leads the MCU has.

Right now, Marvel has two divisions that can have troupe leads.. I would argue Charlie Cox is the troupe lead for the TV side of things.. but if you wanted to point to someone else.. (cough Clark Gregg cough) I probably wouldn't disagree with you too hotly.. but there is however an open position for the lead troupe actor for the MCU movies..

While Tony and Steve shared this, both are now gone.

I think after watching She Hulk this should go to a woman.. 

Do I have any suggestions?.. many who would fit the bill either have left or have character conflicts..

My first choice would be Gweneth Paltrow as 'Rescue' / Pepper Potts.. it makes a lot of sense to me, equally she was there at the beginning, she is very intelligent and has a suit just like Iron Man, also when a family are grieving they often turn to another family member to fill the role of the one they lost. She has access to both Stark money and Stark tech.

But then again.. Pepper is SO very Anti-Super Suit.. how could that make sense for her character..? 
Even despite this, without a doubt she is my first choice to become troupe lead for the MCU, as the rest lines up to perfectly.

Could this be a character arc for her? She is torn between 'doing the right thing and suiting up' and 'resisting what the power makes her become'? And what of her grieving for Tony.. how could she ever don a suit again?

Questions I don't have the answers for..

Black Widow is gone.

Scarlett Witch.. while still alive is MIA. Elizabeth Olsen has earned the right to be troupe lead.. I don't question that at all, but her story arc is a mess right now, with her being half hero half villain. Perhaps if Ms. Paltrow took the lead for now they could have a joint lead in the future? I don't know.

You could say Brie Larson.. but the fact that she's new and the rumors surrounding her that she hates men.. adopting a brand of 'militant feminism' .. and on top of that she seems unpopular with the rest of the wider MCU cast.. no, I wouldn't put her in the forefront.

I do enjoy the idea that Monica/Spectrum (may) be the opposing voice to Captain Marvel.. and in a small way oppose the views of Brie Larson while giving others who oppose Ms. Larsons views a voice. But again Ms. Parris is too new. Excellent actress though! great in Wandavision and can't wait to see her again.

In conclusion for this section.. I don't have an answer.. not a perfect one anyways.. 
but after all the male captains it should rightly next go to a female.

I didn't want to go too deep in to gender politics.. and besides I'm from Scotland, we have ALWAYS had strong women and it's not a big deal here.. we are also the descendants of the Gaulish Picts who had gender equality (Gauls in Scotland 7000 BC to around 600 AD).. but She Hulk had many of these themes and so kindly, I felt pretty justified.

The Defenders

Is She Hulk really going to join the Defenders??.. I can't help but sqee like a valley gurl.. but really could she?

The Defenders are much darker in tone than She Hulk was.. MUCH darker! I don't see it all fitting together, at least not smoothly. Fourth wall break during a Daredevil episode? erm.. no, that doesn't work for me.

We already have Luke Cage doing the heavy lifting.. wouldn't She Hulk joining the team make him redundant?

I love all the Defenders series.. my favorite being Jessica Jones.. I recently watched it again for the fourth time from start to finish. The Punisher first series and the JJ first series being masterpieces in the art of not just television storytelling; but any storytelling.

I would enjoy She Hulk becoming a Defender instead of an Avenger.. striking out in her own way and not just following her cousin's path.. but I am short on answers on how that would work.

Daredevil/Matt Murdock is the closest we have to Spider-Man..  that Marvel can use without rights woes.. within the MCU, I hope Marvel expands this, but I do worry about them turning him in to a clown version in his upcoming series.

Those are my thoughts.. I hope it made you think also :)

Dava


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I'll take a guess.. stab in the dark..

Julia Louis-Dreyfus will be the lead for the Thunderbolts. The first time the MCU has make a female lead for an ensemble cast of supers.

Kristen Ritter is an excellent actress.. can't wait to see her for a fourth series! Ohw.. I hope Hellcat/Trica does a Dark Defenders.. :D (I mentioned this before in another post)

Monday 3 October 2022

New To NMS This Month.. a Few Thoughts

 Hi

I'm new to NMS.. so please keep that in mind and be gentle.

Firstly.. NMS has taken over my gaming life over the last 3 weeks with 175h of play, I'm about half-way through the main story.. I think.

NMS is a new favorite of mine and I have much high praise for the game in general. With that thought.. I also have some passionate criticism; in the hope that the Dev's listen to my voice.. which is equally as valid any other in a sea of voices a successful game with passionate players brings.

To be clear.. I think the game is *excellent*. I have my moments of malaise.. but that is true of many epic games.

I'm a generational gamer.. I left consoles in 2011 with the death of the 360 with my 30 games, moved to PC and had over a hundred games in the first year.. and never looked back. Being a generational gamer also means I play exclusively on PC with a gamepad.. playing with keyboard and mouse feels 'unnatural' to me.

So enough praise.. as a new player I also have some criticisms..

Exocraft

On PC with a pad.. the crafts don't operate in a way I would expect. I edited the buttons with Steam but still it is *very* weird.. I expected GTA but got a throwback to the early 2000s PC gaming. The controls for gamepad on PC don't make sense. And the Exosuit.. I expect it to work like Power Armor in Fallout.. but no. It controls like I'm riding a toaster with arms.

The Nautilus was better as we have full directional control underwater.. but still could use improvement.

Customization of Starships

As yet we have no 'mechanic's garage'.. to respray, redesign interiors, redesign exteriors..

We spend half (?) our time inside our ships.. it should rightly be a comfortable space for us to explore the universe.. with panels in the correct position.. correct being a matter of taste and so we should have the ability to visit a mechanic and have them installed where we want them.

Even internal cabins and being able to walk about inside your ship I think would be cool.

External features to our tastes.

Respray is apparently a long time coming.. as I gather the community desires this badly.. and as a new player I noticed it after 20h as the sore thumb it was.

The community is correct; repraying needs addressed. And the other ideas here are simple additions of my own desire.

Story
A few days ago I had the ending of the game revealed to me.. to be honest it didn't bother me. In the topic of spoilers.. I say 5 years minor and major 'spoiler lock' and a decade on major spoilers locked down. But this (and I won't spoil it for others) didn't bother me as I said.

I would like to see 'in universe'.. the 'Boundary Failure' machines leading to common galaxies.. such as the home galaxies of Korvax, Gek and Vy'keen.. each Traveller home galaxy.. as well as Human.

The 'quest' to find Earth fascinates me..

Imagine it like.. Post-Game Plus.. any sight of a traveller in say.. the Gek or Vy'keen home galaxy would be treated with upmost prejudice.. ultra hard combat mode. Freighters and frigates trying to kill you and stop you getting to their homeworld.

If you are one of those races... then you would be fine. But trying to reach Earth would be much much harder.

Each 'Boundary Failure' Machine leading to a specific galaxy.. and only *that* galaxy. Meaning you would have to go in to other peoples systems .. and once the ones to the Milky Way/Andromeda/Triangulum the person who's world that is.. can charge limited tax on usage*.. which leads me nicely to the next part..

While I'm not 100% finished the main storyline.. I have thoughts on an in-game backstory.. if yous will kindly indulge me..

Our 'races' have negotiated licences for Travellers.. each type of licence entitles races to do certain things.. but that doesn't matter to us, as we have the top licence.. I was asked in game if I was 'Baron' of this system.. which I was, so I said 'yes'.

A 'Baron Licence' meaning we own Star systems and planets... the other NPCs we meet have mining and exploration licences.. this is why they are there already. A Trading Licence for NPCs on the space station.

This explains why there are other lifeforms there.. but we are the first to 'discover' the system.

The NPCs don't have a 'Baron Licence'.. they have lesser licences.
To be clear.. I'm not suggesting we can have lesser licences or a system of licences.. only NPCs have them for the purpose of story.

When you are 'Baron' of a system.. you get taxes.. of which the Space Station takes 95% for 'operational costs'. The 'Stock Market' scanner could fill this purpose of paying you your dues.

Sentinels respect the Baron of a system.. and so after 24 hours all debits and crimes done within your own systems are wiped. But if you commit crimes in another Baron's system.. you either need forgiveness from the Baron of that system or you will be forever hounded by the sentinels in all that Baron's systems.

I see 'in universe' the sentinels .. as the police.. and I am happy for them to police my systems for me. (I know I know spoilers etc but even despite that.. )

The ability to build up trust with the sentinels (which I have been doing with the AI already and I think it's starting to work)..

The ability to create my own sentinels with my own colours would be cool too .. a workshop that I feed with components and it manufactures them, but instead of Atlas ones, our own with directives that WE give them.

We gather the all the things we need to create their ships etc..
I have more thoughts.. but that's enough for now :) Thanks for reading this rather long post, I hope you enjoyed.

Lost in space

Dava-naut

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Ohw this feels SO GOOD! glad to get this off my chest been thinking about it for weeks!

I also keep thinking what would The Outer Worlds meets No Man's Sky look like? :D

taxation: like the user gets 5% so say the cost to enter the boundary failure is 100,000 units then for each person who pays this the Baron of the system gets 5000 and the rest goes to upgrading the system.. meaning better and better classes of ships locally.. and better and better goods.

Can charge in multiples of 10,000 units up to a max of 100,000.

But also for resources.. 5% of everything another user takes from your system is converted in to units and given to you. copper gold tritium any resource.
5% of everything another user spends in your system you get back.

Star Trek Uniforms (fanfic)

  Red = Command Yellow = Engineering / Security Blue = Science / Medical Green = Medical Specialist / Internal Affairs (internal police) / B...