#‘what kind of a monster would sentence themselves to a life like that’ or w/e the actual quote is

[lightyakami]

something something something the yotsuba arc as a play-within-the-play about death note as a whole because at heart death note is about a boy who dooms himself to die, on purpose, then fails to remember that he has to actually walk the path and die the death. he forgets he’s going to be there the whole time. or he just doesn’t care, because he sees himself as a chess piece and not as a person. sending the lamb of himself off the slaughter, refusing to realize he won’t be able to consume the meat. selflessness as cruelty rather than a virtue.

[heartfullyferal]

How would you describe Lizzy's morality? What kind of factors in her life lead to her having that morality?

I cannot pinpoint Lizzy's morality to one thing, because like some of us, it absolutely fucking changes like the wind.

But for her it's a little more extreme than your normal p e r s o n, because we don't look at murder choices every day, and we aren't balancing immortality and hybrids breathing down your n e c k.

Her morals hinge on her survival, SO much like her mother, which has never really been touched upon before.

Lizzy will stand with the winning team until they look like they're losing.

But above all, the factor in Lizzy's life that makes her far too easygoing on committing absolute felonies, is this family of Originals who have absolutely normalized murder and violence for her.

Lizzy has a strong sense of right and wrong.

But it's deluded.

Murder to her, isn't in the balance of right or w r o n g, it's a utility and an appropriate response to a problem. Human life is so small and insignificant to her at times, that if she watched herself, she would think she didn't have her humanity with her.

But she does.

It just l o o k s entirely fucked up because it's coded differently.

When you take a child and you teach them their base moral code before they've been exposed to anyone else, they're going to believe the objective truth is what is right in front of them.

And that's Klaus ripping hearts out, and Elijah ripping ten people apart before lunch because they touched her pushchair.

What they didn't do soon enough for the toddler watching them, was remind her that she shouldn't be comfortable with this sort of violence. People often forget how quickly babies can absorb information and process it, even if they can't articulate themselves.

By the time Elijah tried to teach Elizabeth right from wrong, she already believed he was just s a y i n g it to sound Good. Deep down, she felt that if she had to kill, it was going to be entirely justified. And impressive.

At this current era of Lizzy's existence, she's been spending almost her whole waking d a y around Stefan, and Elena, and BonnieCarolineDamonMattTylerJeremy THE LIST GOES FOR MILES.

But the point I'm heading for is this total pivot away from the uppity ruthlessness she was raised with in New Orleans. Damon is the ONLY one who comes even c l o s e to it, and even he's s o f t in the shadow of Klaus.

her morality was identified as a problem the s e c o n d she opened her mouth, because almost every other sentence pulled this horrified reaction from people who aren't u s e d to a girl shorter than them suggesting they massacre the entire building until someone s t o p s acting like a problem.

It's not o k a y.

Since coming to terms with the fact that her blood runs with the Salvatores, critics might suggest the child has s o f t e n e d. And this is definitely in favor of leaning towards Stefan's love and care, because since witnessing the horror in people's eyes, Lizzy doesn't really w a n t to be a monster.

She wants to be a d a u g h t e r.

What then makes it difficult to come OUT of that head space again, is when she's been handed tales of her mother doing horrible things and appearing to accept those actions, because now there's a new angle. It's not murder for the sake of murder, and it's also not the end of the world.

Because everything Katherine has done, is out of necessity.

She's back to the necessary acceptance of bloodshed.

[legaciezzz]

Lizzie Saltzman Fluff ABC’s

A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)

Lizzie loves that you’re confident.

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?)

That’s not on Lizzie’s list of things at the moment. She’s more focused on making the most of her teenage years.

C = Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)

She likes almost every position where she’s on your lap and your arms are around her.

D = Dates (What are dates with them like?)

On the days you can’t go into town you always find somewhere quiet for a candle lit dinner.

E = Everything (You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world…))

Prince charming.

F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?)

Although, she always kind of knew she was in love with you, it was her sixteenth birthday. When you two were dancing at the party you put so much time and effort into, she realized that no one else do all that just for her.

G = Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)

Contrary to some people’s beliefs, Lizzie isn’t a total bitch, but let’s be honest the most gentle she ever is is when she apologizing to you after a fight.

H = Hands (How do they like to hold hands?)

Lizzie more so clings to your arm than hold your hand.

I = Impression (What was their first impression?)

Lizzie had  the BIGGEST crush on you and it was obvious to everyone and you thought was cute.

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous?)

You know that’s she jealous when she gets extra bitchy and has to mention the fact you’re dating almost every second sentence.

K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?)

You were the one to first kiss her. She was busy being a complete mess as she tried to finally admit her feelings for you and kissing her was a polite way of shutting her up.

L = Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?)

Around the 3 month mark, she began dropping tons of hints. “She wants you to say it first, Y/N. You know that, right?” Josie told you. You then planned a romantic date which got interrupted by a monster before you even got the chance. After that a week went by without you saying until you said it softly as you were walking her to class. She couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day.

M = Memory (What’s their favourite memory together?)

This is not her favourite memory but it’s the first memory of you that really stuck out to here. You guys had only talked someone times and other than that you said hi whenever you saw each other. It was after she had an episode and she walking by and saw you cleaning up the mess she had made. 

“Y/N, you know don’t have to do that.” she said from the door way.

“I know.” you said, giving her a kind smile before going back to cleaning up.

She watched you and began to feel a mix of guilt and embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”

You looked up at her. “Hey, you don’t have to apologize for anything. I totally understand. How are you feeling now?”

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

As power couple of the Salvatore school,  she accepts nothing but the best for you.

O = Orange (What colour reminds them of their other half?)

Red, because one time when was wearing red you said that it was a nice colour on her.

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?)

Baby

Hottie

Q = Quaint (What is their favourite non-modern thing?)

When you’re studying Lizzie some how always manages to bring you some baked goods that she may or may not have gotten to make for her.

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

Rain always seems to ruin whatever plans she had for the day. She pouts for a bit until you propose movies and cuddling, which in the always makes her forget why was upset set in the first place.

S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/others up?)

Episodes are inevitable from Lizzie, but one of the things that helps calm down is talking to you.  When it comes to you, she drops whatever she was going to rant about and holds you.

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?)

Lizzie loves the fact that she can vent to you about anything.

U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?)

Whenever she's being over dramatic or overthinking about a situation you are always there to tell her that she is and she needs to chill.

V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)

As part of the school’s power couple, it’s you she likes showing off. Especially around Dana.

W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?)

You guys went on a trip to Europe, somewhere along the Mediterranean, to see her mom and you had to bring Josie and Alaric as well. The first night there at dinner, having a good time and enjoying the food, Caroline could sense something was up and asked you what you were really doing visiting her. You smiled nervously before turning to Lizzie and getting on your knee as you professed your undying love for her.

X = Xylophone (What’s their song?)

Juice by Lizzo  (No one can convince that Lizzie doesn’t love Lizzo)

Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?)

Lizzie, again, is focused on enjoying living in the present, but she always had this image of her with someone rich and successful.

Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?)

She’s the type of girl to get a French bulldog.

tags: @arrow359​ here you go

[my-creative-hell]

A cryptid meeting

The two demons were inside their cave as they normally were this time of the day, huddled as they finish eating the deer they had managed to find earlier in the day, though it wasn’t much of a feast for being of their size, it would have to do.

Arazabeth huffed as they finished their piece of meet, looking towards their bigger brother, Furrorfall as he seemed to finish his too, giving Arazabeth what passed for a smile between them.

Their internal conversation was disrupted when Arazabeth’s ears twitch, sound filling them, caused from a creature that was decidedly not a normal animal. Chirps and beeping noises could be heard amidst the crunching of leaves and twigs under what sounded to be big padded feet.

Furrorfall could hear it too, the fur on his elongated neck hackling slightly in worry as Arazabeth moves to the exit, looking out to try to find the source of the noise. It seemed to be a bit away, but their curiosity was peaked now. They had to know what it was.

“I n v e s t I g a t e .” They say simply, reaching to their brother as they tilt their head. “C o m e .”

Furrorfall nods, getting up from his perch on the floor, timidly following his twin out of the hidden entrance to their cave, crunching the leaved beneath their hoofed feet as they move slowly, ears swivelling as they listen to the noises that were progressively getting louder as they approached their source.

Arazabeth took the lead, the more confident of the two demons, despite being the smaller counterpart, standing at nine feet while their brother was easily eleven.

Furrorfall became worried when Arazabeth stopped suddenly in their tracks, breath falling silent.

Before them stood a creature, unlike either of them. It had dark black skin, too many eyes to count, and all a dark grey colour with multiple pupils. It stood taller than both of them, twenty feet at least, with bear like feet, which were moving as it padded surprisingly gently through the forest. No facial features except a mouth and eyes could be seen as it shifted and moved.

Furrorfall made a small noise of concern, causing the much larger creature to turn and see them, all of its eyes focusing on them. Arazabeth stood defensively immediately, blocking their brother as they made a noise of warning, eyes low and downcast.

“W h o   a r e   y o u ?” They question with a low voice, watching the other creature as its eyes seem to shift to an unknown emotion, before its mouth opened, surprising the twins when a series of beeps and held notes emerged, revealing the morse code the creature was using to communicate with.

“.. / -.. --- -. .----. - / ..- -. -.. . .-. ... - .- -. -.. -.-.— ”

“I don’t understand!” The creature spoke in these noises, looking at the two significantly smaller demons as it spoke. Arazabeth tilts their head. They had never met another creature capable of communicating in only morse code. Huffing slightly, they mimic the noises being produced, forming their own sentences.

“.-- .... ---/.- .-. ./-.-- --- ..- ··--··” ”Who are you?” The question rolls off their tongue once again, this time registering in the mind of the taller being, as the response is almost immediate, no thought needed.

“.. / .- -- / --. .-. .- ...- . .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- ..--..” ”I am Grave. You?” Grave asks in return, head tilting, as it seems to be examining the smaller counterparts in front of them, making Furrorfall make a small defensive noise, worried. Arazabeth shushes him with a growl of her own, position still defensive as they reply.

“-- -.-- / -. .- -- . / .. ... / .- .-. .- --.. .- -... . - .... --··-- / - .... .. ... / .. ... / -- -.-- / -... .-. --- - .... . .-. / ..-. ..- .-. .-. --- .-. ..-. .- .-.. .-..” ”My name is Arazabeth, this is my brother Furrorfall” They reply in a low tones voice, staring into the face of the creature in front of them, who still appeared to be studying them.

Arazabeth decides to push their luck slightly, questioning the creature in their mimicked language.

“.-- .... -.-- / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / .... . .-. . ··--··” ”Why are you here?” They ask, directing the question clearly as they watch the other creature. They are looking up from their crouched position, clearly protective around this new creature. Grave looks down at them before speaking

“-- /..- / … / …. / .-. / --- / --- / -- / … / .--.-.. / ..- / --. / … .-.-.-” ”M u s h r o o m s  and   b u g s.” Grave elaborates. As they do that, a long static noise seems to emerge from their mouth, disorienting the twins. Arazabeth thinks quickly, wanting the noise to stop.

“-.-. .- -. / -.-- --- ..- / ... .--. . .- -.- / - .... .. ... ··--··” ”Can you speak this?” They ask before quickly transitioning into speech composed of noises, beeps and chirps you might hear a bird do. “.... . .-.. .-.. ---” (hello). The creature seems to light up slightly at this.

“.-- . ... .-.-.- / .... .. -.-.—” (Yes. Hi!) Arazabeth almost smiled, almost as they continued to look at Grave in front of them, taking in their enormous stature.

“-.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / ...- . .-. -.-- / -... .. --. --··-- / .-- .... .- - / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- ··--··” (You are very big, what are you?) They ask, head tilted in curiosity as their defensive position starts to falter. Grave barely thinks before they respond in their own chirps and beeping noises.

“-. --- - .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- .... ..- -- .- -. .-.-.- / .-- .... .- - / .- -... --- ..- - / -.-- --- ..- ..--..” (Not…human. What about you?) Grave questions the smaller demons. Arazabeth takes longer to think about this, not knowing if the truth was a good option.

But then again, what would it matter? They couldn’t die, so why not just say it.

“-.-. ..- .-. ... . -.. / ..-. --- .-. / . - . .-. -. .. - -.-- / - --- / -... . / - .... .. ... / .-- .- -.--” (Cursed for eternity to be this way) They say bluntly, watching the reaction of the much taller being. Something seems to shift within them, but they couldn’t know what. The shift seemed too subtle.

“.... / -- .-.-.- / ..-. ..- -.-. -.- .-.-.-” (H m. Fuck.)The beeps seem different this time, angrier? The smaller demons couldn’t tell.

“.. - ... / --- -.- .- -.-- --··-- / .-- . ...- . / -... . . -. / - .... .. ... / .-- .- -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / ... --- / .-.. --- -. --. / .-- . / -.. --- -. - / -.- -. --- .-- / .- -. -.-- / --- - .... . .-. / .-.. .. ..-. .” (Its okay, we’ve been this way for so long we don’t know any other life) Grave definitely seems upset by that, brow bones coming down to form a slight frown on their forehead as they listen to Arazabeth speak.

“- .... .- - .----. ... / .-.. .. -.- . --..-- / - .... . / . -. - .. .-. . / --- .--. .--. --- ... .. - . / --- ..-. / --- -.- .- -.-- .-.-.-” (That’s like, the entire opposite of okay) Grave elaborates as they look at the smaller demons, who shuffle out of their defensive positions even more. Arazabeth shrugs as well as they can when answering, their voice dull and devoid of life.

“- .... . .-. . ... / -. --- - .... .. -. --. / .-- . / -.-. .- -. / -.. --- / .- -... --- ..- - / .. - / -... ..- - /. -. -.. ..- .-. . / .. - / .- .-.. .-..” (There’s nothing we can do about it but endure it all) And they were right, this was never going to stop. They were monsters, and humans wanted them dead. The curse would never break, and they would never be given rest. But Grave shifted again, their eyes seeming to show sadness, which shocked the smaller demons, they were unused to this.

“--- .... / -. --- / ---... -.--.” (Oh no) Was what Grave said, their facial features appearing sad for the smaller demons, who have no idea how to react to this. The only emotions they ever got to see from creatures other than themselves were anger.

“.. - ... / ..-. .. -. . --··-- / .-. . .- .-.. .-.. -.-- --··-- / .-- . / -.-. .- -. / -.. . .- .-.. / .-- .. - .... / .. - ·-·-·- ·-·-·- ·-·-·-” (It’s fine, really, we can deal with it…) They had been their entire existence, their bodies covered in all the scars to prove it, some deep, some small, some dark and angry, some healed and light.

“.. / .... .- ...- . / -.. . -.-. .. -.. . -.. / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / -- -.-- / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. .-. . -. / -. --- .-- .-.-.-” (I have decided you are my children now) Came the blunt reply that made Arazabeth and their twin jolt in surprise and slight fear. They stare up at Grave with wide eyes, posture lowering as their fur stands up.

“.-- . .-. . / .-- .... .- - ··--··” (We’re what?) Arazabeth questions, their voice lower and slightly shaky. They didn’t understand this concept, and it scared them. The only ‘parent’ they knew was the God that had cursed them to be this way.

“-.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . .-.-.- / -- -.-- / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. .-. . -. .-.-.- / -- -.-- / -... .- -... . -.-- ... .-.-.-” (You are. My children. My babeys.) This stops the demons dead in their tracks, blood pumping in their ears and skin going cold. They had heard right, and that terrified them terribly.

“.. -····- ..” (I-I) The two demons bolted, the fear too much for them to process the kindness behind the action, their hooves creating divots in the soil below them as they ran into the forest.

“.- .—” (Aw) Grave looks sad as they run, though she doesn’t run after them, getting the feeling it will do more harm than good for them, instead standing and watching them go.

Though Grave heard nothing for a while, eventually noises started making their way through the forest towards her, sinking into her ears like knives into flesh.

The sounds of humans yelling at something, voices angry and scared pierced into her ears as she listened, body stirring as she realised who they might be yelling at.

Two shot sounds went off, the echo ricocheting off of the trees around her, the heart dropping sound being followed by the muffled cheering of humans mixed with yelling.

It was enough for Grave, she moved quickly, her huge feet thumping angrily through the forest as she runs with all her might towards the source of the sound, arriving as swiftly as possible, moving immediately into the view of the humans, who quickly back away from the smaller demons in fear.

Looking down, Grave can see some humans backing away from the small demons, who were laying on the floor, their faces vacant and empty, eyes barely open, breathing slow and shallow, becoming drowsy and weak from the darts Grave could see sticking out of them.

Rage filled the huge creature, crackling like a fire inside of her. The humans had to die now, attacking her children.

A scream flooded out of her mouth, the static flowing out onto the humans, slowly engulfing them and tearing them apart within the noise. Unpleasant and painful, exactly what they deserve.

The ones closest to her got kicked, the spikes covering her shins impaling them swiftly, like a knife through butter, and she smiles wickedly at their screams, pulling them off of her legs and snapping them in half within her giant hands.

The scream continued, ripping the rest of the humans apart as the demons heard it too, the noise disorienting them further in their dazed state, eyes open just enough to se Grave protecting them, her form stood in front of them defensively, face contorted in a terrifying manner. Her eyes burn with anger, her teeth sharp and all too many in entirety, twisted into a grin as the static she screams takes out the rest of the nasty humans who attacked her children.

One human closest to the demons remained, eyes wide and body frozen in fear. A hard throw snapped their neck in a moment, Grave directly beside the small demons before they even hit the ground.

The darts were swiftly pulled out by Grave’s massive, yet delicate fingers. With the darts removed, she looks at the small demons in worry.

Their eyes were barely open, looked faded and tired, with a shine over them that want there before. Their chests still moved, but the pace was slow and their breaths shallow as they struggle to fight the effects of the darts.

Frantic beeps tumbled out of Grave’s mouth, her worry turning her words into strings of noises as she tries to figure out how to help the demons she had so proclaimed as her children not long ago.

The demons watch her in her franticness, Arazabeth managing to twitch her hand slightly, in an effort to gain Grave’s attention so they could speak before they could no longer fight the tranquillisers.

Luckily, it appears Grave saw them, as the frantic beeps stop as suddenly as they had started as she looks down at Arazabeth intently.

“-.-. -····- -.-. .- ...- . ·-·-·- ·-·-·- ·-·-·-” (c-cave…) Arazabeth raises their hand slowly, using all of their strength and will to get it to move, to get it to point Grave in the direction of the cave, hoping she understand what they mean.

“.--. -····- .--. .-.. . .- ... .” (p-please) They ask Grave, fear dripping into their glassy eyes slightly. Being left in the open meant more humans, and more pain. They couldn’t die, but pain was never nice, regardless of the circumstances.

Grave carefully scooped up both demons in her arms, holding them tightly against her chest as she runs back through the forest, her feet pounding the floor once again as she makes her way swiftly in the direction pointed out to her, reaching the cave quickly.

Though the entrance was hidden, Grave managed to find it without assistance. The cave was big enough to accommodate her; the walls smoothed down from years of touch, an indicator of how long the small demons had been there. The floor was glassy too, Grave’s large feet padding almost silently as she enters.

The demons are almost gone now, limp in Grave’s arms as she holds onto them, heads resting against her chest gently, breathing even slower now. In a fit of worry, Grave gently presses her fingers into their necks, checking for a pulse. The ones she finds are slow in the demons drowsiness, but unmistakeably there.

A small wave of relief washes over Grave, but the panic is still there and prevalent as ever. A small sensation on her face makes her look down at Arazabeth, who has placed her hand on her face and has a lopsided smile on her face, trying to calm her somewhat.

Grave calms as Arazabeth and Furrorfall both press their heads against her own in a soft touch before lying back in her arms, burrowing themselves into her fur gently, giving her complete trust as they start to fall asleep fully.

Grave’s eyes widen as they do this, surprised by the sensation of having two babeys in her fur, watching them as they both curl themselves up as their drowsy eyes finally shut tight, breathing evening completely as Grave sits down with the, watching her newly proclaimed children sink into sleep safely in her arms.

[moviessilently]

When a railroad paymaster and the $25,000 in cash he was carrying disappear, returning WWI ace Billy Stokes is put on the case. This independent feature has an all African-American cast and is the only complete surviving feature of the Norman Film Manufacturing Company, a Florida-based studio that specialized in so-called race films.

Home Media Availability: Released on DVD and Bluray.

Up, up and away. Ish.

Richard E. Norman is not a household name these days but he left his mark on motion picture history. Like so many filmmakers operating outside the studio system, Norman tried various approaches until he found one that worked. He started with “home talent” pictures—that is, films shot by itinerant filmmakers in smaller cities and towns that made use of non-professional local talent (you can read my review of one such picture, The Lumberjack, here) but then discovered his niche in making films aimed at African-American audiences.

Poster for the film touting its cast.

Norman was a white Southerner but he did not seek to include the sort of insulting, dangerous, condescending stereotypes that D.W. Griffith was spreading in his films. Black audiences of the day were sick and tired of seeing white performers in blackface acting like monsters, fools or infants; they wanted to see themselves as they really were. There was a strong demand for positive African-American pictures and Norman sought to fill that demand. The Flying Ace is the only extant Norman film and it was the second-to-last feature he made. Like so many independent concerns, the cost of converting to sound proved to be a fatal blow.

Movies were mad for airplanes and Norman aimed to join the fad.

(If you would like more detail on Norman’s life, career and place in African-American film history, I recommend Richard E. Norman and Race Filmmaking by Barbara Tepa Lupack, which traces Norman’s career through personal correspondence and shooting scripts.)

The story opens with three disparate men standing outside a railroad station. Finley Tucker (Harold Platts) is a local sheik with a mysterious source of income, Dr. Maynard (Sam Jordan) is a respectable dentist and Jed Splivins (Lyons Daniels) is the buffoonish local constable. The trio observes the arrival of Blair Kimball (Boise De Legge), the railroad paymaster.

A dentist, a cop and a sheik walk into a speakeasy…

It seems that Kimball has decided to deliver the payroll early. Because no one will be expecting him, he has left his guards behind and is carrying $25,000 in cash all alone. Kimball waits for the next train with stationmaster Thomas Sawtelle (George Colvin).

The stationmaster has a charming daughter, Ruth (Kathryn Boyd), and she is just crazy about airplanes and flying. Tucker has been courting her and he offers to take her up in his plane but nefarious deeds go down while she is home changing into her flight suit.

He wants to get serious but she’s having none of it.

Sawtelle is knocked out by some mysterious substance and both Kimball and the cash disappear. This looks like a job for… Captain Billy Stokes (Laurence Criner)!

Stokes is an ace pilot who has just arrived back home from service in the First World War. Before the war, he was a railway detective and his old job is open to him; he heads over to Sawtelle’s station with orders to solve the mystery. He is assisted by engineer Peg (Steve Reynolds), a fellow veteran who lost a leg in the war. (Reynolds really was an amputee and his ability to still move with balletic grace was a popular feature of his stage show. It’s refreshing to see a disabled part played by a disabled performer, something that modern Hollywood would do well to learn.)

A decidedly unimpressed Stokes.

Stokes asks Peg to disguise himself as a hobo and reconnoiter the situation. Meanwhile, Stokes takes the more direct approach and introduces himself to Sawtelle as the railway detective on the case. Ruth is interested in the dashing pilot while Tucker tries his best to use reverse psychology to throw the blame on Sawtelle. You see, this is not really a whodunit as the film makes it very clear that the money was stolen by Tucker, Dr. Maynard and Jed. The fun is watching Stokes and Peg unravel the clues with tidy efficiency. These fellows are great at what they do!

Impossible in the real world but this is the movies!

The story of The Flying Ace can be viewed as existing in an alternate 1920s, one that contains no white characters, no racism and absolutely no content that would have been considered political (interracial romance, passing, Jim Crow, and so forth). Norman chose to avoid overt political statements in his films (and complained when other filmmakers, such as Oscar Micheaux, did) and instead sidestepped the topic entirely by attempting to portray aspirational African-American characters, heroes and heroines who would never have been allowed within a hundred yards of a mainstream Hollywood production. Captain Stokes certainly would not have been able to earn the title of ace in the heavily segregated U.S. military of WWI. Norman’s approach has been variously described as utopian, savvy and cowardly. Perhaps it was touches of all three.

Stokes knows his stuff.

Now we will compare The Flying Ace to other mystery/adventure productions of the time and see how it holds up in direct competition. First, the bad news.

When viewing any independent silent production, there are usually a few pitfalls to watch out for. In order to save money, low-budget films would often use an enormous number of title cards—it was cheaper to write more cards than to shoot more movie. The Flying Ace uses this trick with cards here, cards there, enough cards to open a casino. They also lack the professional snap of Hollywood intertitles and instead have stiff, formal sentences with plenty of semicolons and an honest to goodness, unironic use of the “I have you now, my beauty!” chestnut. Oh my. Further, there are clunky moments of exposition, like when the film screeches to a halt so that Tucker can show Ruth the mechanical workings of an airplane.

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While the title cards are about as poor a lot as I have ever seen, I am delighted to report that the actual plotting of the film is excellent, if hardly original. Far too many movie mysteries of the period would force their investigators to be stumped by a puzzle that the audience solved an hour before. For example, many mystery films would have had Stokes fret about just how Sawtelle was knocked out, stretching it out for a big reveal. Meanwhile, the audience is shouting, “The dentist! He has all kinds of drugs! The dentist!” Well, Stokes walks in, figures out that drugs were used on Sawtelle, finds a small vial on the floor, meets Dr. Maynard and puts it all together. It’s highly satisfying to watch a detective keep pace with the audience and even get ahead of us.

Don’t take your eyes off Jed!

I was also a bit worried about the characters of Peg and Jed as they are both introduced as broad comedy stereotypes. While this is not entirely done away with, both prove to have more depth than I expected. Peg is shown to be a clever gadgeteer who can innovate new uses for his crutch on the fly and ends up capturing two villains single-handed. Jed soon shows that his Keystone Cop routine is all an act and he proves to be the wiliest of the conspirators with his concealed handcuff key and trusty pistol. I would have preferred the dialect title cards to have been eliminated but at least the characters have some dimension to them.

Peg and his versatile crutch.

Norman had been in talks with Captain Edison McVey, a pilot who billed himself as the King of Stunts, and with famed aviatrix Bessie Coleman. However, McVey pulled out of negotiations and Coleman was killed in an accident before a deal could be closed. Norman finally cast a group of experienced stage actors to serve as the lead performers in the film.

A real charmer!

Without a doubt, the standout of the cast is Kathryn Boyd, who is a perfect charmer as Ruth. With her cute body language and infectious smile, she is exactly what the doctor ordered for a 1920s heroine: sporty, sweet, flirty and loyal. Laurence Criner (Boyd’s real-life husband according to Lupack) is fine if a bit stiff as Stokes, the two-fisted railway detective. He certainly throws himself into the fight scene with Harold Platts, which is always appreciated.

That’s gotta hurt!

Good though the cast turned out to be, the loss of experienced pilots meant that Norman’s options were limited. (Assuming he ever had the budget to include much airplane stuff, which is doubtful.) The Flying Ace rather famously shows no flying. Tucker and Stokes both taxi their planes around the airfield and then we are shown closeups of the cockpits against a sky backdrop but very few shots of planes in the air. It’s not really a dealbreaker but it’s another element that exposes the picture’s micro budget.

Totally up in the air.

In fact, Peg’s pursuit the villains on bicycle is far more dynamic than any of the airplane stuff. He peddles with his crutch and once he gets a good speed built up, he fires at the fleeing car with the gun he has concealed inside that same crutch. It’s exciting and the scene is unusually well-shot and edited for a budget picture. Great work there!

All in all, The Flying Ace is a fine bit of unpretentious silent entertainment and even without its historical importance, it works as a diverting detective yarn. This is a must-see for nerds and casual fans alike.

Where can I see it?

The Flying Ace was released on DVD and Bluray as part of the Pioneers of African-American Cinema box set. It’s accompanied by a fine score performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

The Flying Ace (1926) A Silent Film Review When a railroad paymaster and the $25,000 in cash he was carrying disappear, returning WWI ace Billy Stokes is put on the case.