#ALSO JAMES LANCE GO OFF KING!!!!!!!!!!!!

[randomfandomss]

James Lance on the relationship between Trent Crimm and Ted Lasso Source: From this lovely interview by Lauren Coates - Article & Video

[autisticlancemcclain]

Okay so I haven’t read lance angst in forever and decided to read some and I have just binge read all of the Beauty and the Beast klance au you just made and I absolutely ADORE it!!! It is so amazing and I love it so much!

It did make me curious what the whole ‘rescue’ scene is going to be, is the three people in the family who didn’t want Lance to marry the prince try to save him? Or is it going to go the totally different direction?

Cause I can imagine a scene where the village sees that Lance and Keith are actually going to work out and the family gets worried that Lance is going to try to get revenge on them/the whole village so they try to take Lance away from Keith. Or try to make it so Lance wouldn’t become King when they actually get married!

But anyways yeah I love this story, and how you’ve changed it up a bit so it’s different that the original Beauty and the Beast! Thanks for listening to my rant!

anon i am kissing you for asking. you are the love of my life and the wedding is this spring.

HERE WE GO:

important to remember: lance’s family, although not conventionally, care for him deeply. he struggles to conform to what the town expects and they are scared for him, so they struggle to make space for him in a way that makes him feel loved and included. he can’t keep up with his fathers or brothers on the farm, he gets along with animals better than people (and as such refuses to hunt them, despite his stellar aim), he has no friends because he is an Odd Person, he gets obsessive over small things, he cries all the time, he’s headstrong, he argues with everyone, he’s a klutz, just…so many things. he has skills and they know that but his skills aren’t helpful in the context of the farm. he is, however, helpful in that he can send back money from marrying the prince, and if he’s married to the prince, his family knows he’s safe and cared for in a way they maybe can’t provide for him.

with this in mind it’s obvious that there’s a lot of tension and complication between lance and his family, but lance KNOWS that they love him. take the first chapter with lance and marco, for example. it looks bad and it is bad, and lance is hurt, and marco refuses to help lance do what he desperately wants — go home. but marco isn’t doing it without guilt, and he’s also doing his best to make lance’s transition easier: “You’ve always wanted to live in a castle, right?”. despite the fact that his home life isn’t perfect, lance is in that castle missing his family. he wants his sisters and nieces and nephews and brothers. he wants his mom. they may not understand him but they love him and he knows that, and in that castle with, and i can’t say this enough, NO OTHER PEOPLE, he is going to miss shit like getting hugged, for fucks sake. lance is a touchy person and as close as he and hunk are doing to become hunk is a Literal Block Of Wood, and keith is going to be too closed off to provide any tactile affection for a While.

my plan is that after a few chapters of slowburn and building friendships, lance is going to get all morose and miserable. and keith, who is well beyond whipped at that point, is going to want to help. so one day lance is going to muster the courage to ask to have his family for a visit (“They’ll stay outside! I swear! They’ll have no chance of even seeing you, Keith, please, I missed bothering my brothers so much —”) and keith won’t even come close to denying him.

and because chekhov’s gun is the only thing i’ve got locked and loaded, obviously one of lances family members (probably one of the kids) is going to go wandering inside. and lance is going to try to stop it but it will be Too Late. they’re going to see keith and freak out, and since keith’s freak outs are very scary, it’s going to make the whole situation worse, and they’re going to drag lance back home kicking and screaming and when they come back with with the town and pitchforks.

the gaston of the story is going to be james, i think, and i’m gonna change the story a bit bc i’m gonna spend longer with lance back in town and he’s sullen and furious and desperate to convince everyone that keith is kind and soft and loving, really, and they have him all wrong. which of course does not help his case. but you all know how the rest of the story goes

but yeah!!!! i’m really very excited i love this story too, and changing it was inevitable but it’s been super fun to plan how i’m gonna adapt it!! i’m rly looking forward to writing all the sappy falling in love parts teehee

[wrestlingisfake]

AEW Fake Rankings, 10/20/2024

Men's singles division - babyfaces

Will Ospreay

Darby Allin

Ricochet

Jay White

Mark Briscoe (ROH men's world champion)

Daniel Garcia

Orange Cassidy

Kyle O'Reilly

HOOK

Katsuyori Shibata

Men's singles division - heels

Jon Moxley (AEW men's world champion)

Kazuchika Okada (AEW continental champion)

Adam Page

Konosuke Takeshita (AEW international champion)

Christian Cage

Jack Perry (AEW TNT champion)

Chris Jericho

Kyle Fletcher

Shelton Benjamin

Roderick Strong

Unranked: Aaron Solo, Angelico, AR Fox, Atlantis Jr.*, Big Bill, Bryan Keith, Hologram, Jeff Jarrett, Johnny TV, Juice Robinson, Komander, Lio Rush*, Minoru Suzuki*, Nick Wayne, Rocky Romero*, Serpentico/Jon Cruz, The Butcher

Jobbers: Alpha Zo*, BEEF*, Chris Nastyy*, Cody Chhun*, Jack Cartwheel*, Joe Keys*, Marcus Mathers*, Matt Brannigan*, Olumide*, Ryan Clancy*, TJ Crawford

* Not listed on AEW's official roster webpage

Moxley has declared war on the AEW roster (or at least the men's locker room), and it feels like he'll spend at least the next six months clobbering wave after wave of "complacent" midcarders. Darby Allin is clearly being set up as a major destination for this saga, but I'm not certain if he'll be Moxley's first big challenger, or if he'll be saved for the end like Sting in 1997. There's also foreshadowing of Orange Cassidy and Daniel Garcia stepping up, and I think Hook and Kyle O'Reilly would fit in that role as well. But only one guy can get the rub of dethroning Mox, and we'll just have to wait and see who that will be.

Heading into Full Gear on November 23, the other top programs look to be Jay White vs. Adam Page, Ospreay vs. Fletcher, Takeshita vs. Fletcher, Jericho vs. Briscoe, Garcia vs. Perry, Swerve Strickland vs. Shelton Benjamin, and Adam Cole vs. MJF. I expect Hook vs. Christian Cage will be a thing too, but right now it's just an educated guess that Christian is the one who attacked Hook's father.

Men's tag team division - babyfaces

The Acclaimed - Max Caster & Anthony Bowens

FTR - Dax Wheeler & Cash Wheeler

Private Party - Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen

Dustin Rhodes (ROH trios champion) & Sammy Guevara (ROH tag team champions)

The Outrunners - Truth Magnum* & Turbo Floyd*

Men's tag team division - heels

The Young Bucks - Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW tag team champions)

Grizzled Young Veterans - James Drake* & Zack Gibson*

MxM Collection - Mason Madden* & Mansoor*

Matt Taven & Mike Bennett

Brian Cage (ROH men's television champion) & Lance Archer

Iron Savages - Bulk Bronson* & Beefcake Boulder*

* Not listed on AEW's official roster webpage

The state of the tag division is this: The Bucks are heel champions with no one to fight. The Acclaimed haven't ever gotten a clean two-on-two title shot all year, but they don't seem to be in a hurry to get it anymore. FTR and Private Party already lost to the Bucks. The Outrunners, MxM, and the Iron Savages are all cool as hell, but they're comedy acts that can't beat anybody. I don't think GYV have been around since they got upset by the Outrunners, which may be a sign that they aren't going to be back. Rhodes-Guevara and Taven-Bennett are big deals in ROH but off the radar in AEW. Don Callis has put Cage and Archer together to chase the tag title, but I don't see that going anywhere as long as the champions are also heels.

I'd like to see Private Party rack up a big win to get back into the title hunt, but I don't see why that should turn out any differently than the title match they just lost last week. So it feels like the division is going nowhere, marking time until the Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) are ready to feud with the Bucks. Which, I'd be fine with doing that feud, but not if it means keeping the division in deep freeze for a couple more months.

Men's trios division - babyfaces

Malakai Black & Brody King & Buddy Matthews

Action Andretti & Dante Martin & Darius Martin

Dark Order - Evil Uno & John Silver & Alex Reynolds

Men's trios division - heels

Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta & PAC (AEW trios champions)

La Faccion Ingobernable - Rush & Dralistico & The Beast Mortos

Premier Athletes - Tony Nese & Josh Woods & Ariya Daivari

Moxley's running buddies control the trios title, which works out well since all the undercard scrubs they keep beating up can then demand a match and get clobbered in a trios match. This seems to be giving Dark Order and Action-Darius-Dante something to work with, even if it's not much and they have no hope of winning. I think Daniel Garcia and Private Party would be a stronger trio to go after the title, but they're not done yet with Jack Perry and the Young Bucks.

The House of Black is remarkably well protected for a group that never figures into any major storylines. Are they being built up to take the belts from Claudio, Pac, and Yuta? Could Julia Hart return to counter Marina Shafir? Who knows.

I stuck LFI in the trios division because I really don't know what those three guys are going to do, now that they're all in the same team with Jake Roberts. I don't think AEW knows either, so that'll probably lead to a bunch of throwaway trios matches. Hopefully they can at least win those matches, which would keep them ahead of Neese-Woods-Daivari.

Women's division - babyfaces

Britt Baker

Willow Nightingale

Jamie Hayter

Kris Statlander

Anna Jay

Queen Aminata

Nyla Rose

Yuka Sakazaki

Lady Frost*

Trish Adora*

Women's division - heels

Mariah May (AEW women's world champion)

Mercedes Mone (AEW TBS champion, STRONG women's champion)

Kamille

Serena Deeb

Taya Valkyrie

Emi Sakura

Harley Cameron

Robyn Renegade*

Jobbers: Amira*, Brooke Havok*, Zoey Lynn*

* Not listed on AEW's official roster webpage

You'd think Marina Shafir would be running rough-shod over the women's division to lock up its top title the way Moxley has with the men. The problem is that moving the world title would disrupt the Mariah May/Toni Storm/Mina Shirakawa storyline. I guess Shafir could crush Mone, but I don't know if that would do either of them any good. Sooner or later, though, it will become clear that Marina is the woman to beat, which will get awkward if there are too many champions that can't beat her.

As it is, the big programs for the women right now are Mariah vs. Anna Jay, Mone and Kamille vs. Statlander, and, uh, Jamie Hayter vs. Penelope Ford? It feels like there should be more going on right now. But I don't know where Britt and Willow are headed, Deonna Purrazzo and Taya Valkyrie keep doing pre-taped promos about nothing, and Toni Storm is still roaming the world pretending she doesn't know who Mariah May is. After five years AEW's women's roster finally has some real depth, but that only gets the division so far when it only gets 3-4 matches per week.

No televised AEW matches in over 30 days: Abadon, Athena (ROH women's world champion), Brandon Cutler, Diamante, Lee Moriarty (ROH pure champion), Marhsall Von Erich* (ROH trios champion), Preston Vance, Red Velvet (ROH women's television champion), Ross Von Erich* (ROH trios champion), Shane Taylor, Shawn Dean

* Not listed on AEW's official roster webpage

Not much new to report about the wrestlers officially signed to AEW but almost exclusively appearing on Ring of Honor. They're on the shows, they're getting work, it's just that almost nobody hears about it. The worst part is most of these names can't even get booked on an ROH pay-per-view.

No televised AEW or ROH matches in over 30 days: Anthony Ogogo, Angelo Parker, Austin Gunn, Bishop Kaun, Bobby Dutch, Colten Gunn, Deonna Purrazzo, Griff Garrison, Hikaru Shida, Jay Lethal, Kip Sabian, Leila Grey, Lee Johnson, Marina Shafir, Matt Menard, Peter Avalon, Swerve Strickland, Thunder Rosa, Toa Liona, Toni Storm, Vincent Marseglia

The bad news is that I don't know why most of these wrestlers haven't been in the ring lately, but the good news is most of them haven't been completely MIA. Some were around in late August/early September, some are on the show right now but not wrestling, and some are booked for the next couple of weeks. That's what I like to see.

No televised AEW or ROH matches in over 90 days: Colt Cabana, Danhausen, Kiera Hogan, Madison Rayne, Mercedes Martinez, Penta El Zero Miedo, Powerhouse Hobbs, Rey Fenix, Ricky Starks

These are the wrestlers I'm worried about. Colt and Madison seem to be transitioning to backstage roles and/or semi-retirement, so that's okay. But I have no idea why Tony Khan would have Danhausen, Starks, Penta, and Fenix on the payroll and not book them. I realize Penta and Fenix are reportedly planning to go to WWE, but that doesn't mean you can use them to do a few jobs on the way out. Hobbs is supposed to be medically cleared, so I don't understand why he wasn't around for the big Don Callis Family promo on October 16. Hogan and Martinez seem to have fallen off the face of the earth.

No televised AEW or ROH matches in 2024: Adam Cole, Kota Ibushi, Michael Nakazawa, Miro, Penelope Ford, Scorpio Sky, Tay Melo

Cole and Ford just got back and should be returning to the ring imminently. Ibushi has already returned to the ring in Japan and I figure he'll be back in an AEW ring soon enough. I've heard Melo is training to return from maternity leave so it's probably just a matter of time. Nakazawa seems to just be a backstage guy at this point. It was recently reported that Miro requested his release, but evidently he hasn't gotten it. AEW was running hype videos for Scorpio a few months ago but then dropped it, so I have no idea.

Part-time/semi-retired: Alex Abrahantes, Karen Jarrett, Luther, Mark Sterling, Nigel McGuinness, Paul Wight, Prince Nana, Rebel, Satnam Singh, Sonjay Dutt, Stokely Hathaway

I suppose I'll have to move Bryan Danielson into this list, once he's gotten his neck issues worked out and if he can still go on a part-time basis.

Inactive

Adam Copeland (left leg - tibia fracture)

Angel Ortiz (right shoulder - pectoralis tear)

Bandido (left arm - wrist fracture)

Bryan Danielson (storyline injuries - probably to set up legit neck surgery)

Chuck Taylor (left ankle - necrosis)

Eddie Kingston (right leg - tibia fracture, ACL/meniscus tear)

Julia Hart (shoulder - unspecified injury)

Keith Lee (undisclosed injury)

Kenny Omega (diverticulitis)

Killswitch (double pneumonia)

Leyla Hirsch (elbow - dislocation)

Mark Davis (left arm - wrist fracture)

Matt Sydal (right foot - malunion fractures)

MJF (filming Happy Gilmore 2)

Nick Comoroto (hip resurfacing)

Riho (work visa delays)

Ruby Soho (pregnant)

Samoa Joe (filming Twisted Metal season 2)

Saraya (storyline - "incapacitated")

Skye Blue (right ankle - fracture)

The Blade (lower back - herniated disc)

Trent Beretta (neck - hardware removal surgery)

Wardlow (knee - unspecified injury)

I haven't heard any significant updates on any of these wrestlers. Lately it seems like a report will come out that so-and-so is medically cleared, and then so-and-so still sits in the twilight zone for months before they come back. So even if there was news I don't think it would help us estimate when a wrestler will return to the ring.

[privilege-rpg]

JESSE ST. JAMES

☆ FULL NAME: Jesse Christopher St. James ☆ GENDER: Cisman ☆ PRONOUNS: He/Him ☆ AGE: 33 (August 14th, 1991) ☆ BIRTH ORDER: First ☆ TYPE: Adopted sibling, solo (open to twin) ☆ HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, CA ☆ JOB: Artist in Residence, Voice Studio Professor, Musical Theatre Seminar Professor ☆ SEXUALITY: Bisexual ☆ FACECLAIM: Regé-Jean Page

ABOUT JESSE

Jesse St. James is and has been a plethora of things. As a chameleon, he has spent his entire life learning how to camouflage himself to be whatever someone else needed. For the majority of his life, it was as his father's puppet, ensuring that the "bloodline" of the St. James legacy continued and with the knowledge that failure was not an option. So when he was adopted by the St. James family, as a baby, Jesse was plucked from the unobscure nursery and placed into a family that expected-- no, demanded musical talent. It simply wouldn't be enough for Jesse to be a normal child-- no. He had to eat, sleep, and breathe musical theatre like he was a fish and it was the oxygen that resided in the water. Belting passed through his gills with minimum effort and maxiumum impact. He was doing the choreography of "The Press Conference Rag" with a correct triple time step at the age of five.

Jesse, like Maggie in A Chorus Line, was adopted to save his parents' marriage. Lance was desperate for a child to carry on the family name and to be his mini-me in ways that were beyond toxic, but it never fazed him. Jesse simply knew that he had a job to do and to be the best was in his DNA, even if he didn't share that DNA with his parents. He was enrolled as a child actor in several productions mounted in LA, including the Lion King, Billy Elliott, and Les Miserables.

As a good-looking man (read: what the fuck levels of hot) in musical theatre who also happened to be interested in women, Jesse is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants. It wasn't enough that when he attended Stage Door Manor as a kid that he was the cause of showmances being banned for the 2004-2005 summer stock season, but his high school theatre casting rounds were literally a bloodbath. Not only did Jesse indirectly beocome the cause of several students opting to transfer, but his parents paid off the director to select shows that would feature him as a star vehicle-- because of course they did. Broadway-bound, Jesse didn't even bother going to college and getting the BFA life because he knew it would be a waste of his time, which was the precious experience needed On Broadway in order to stay there.

Throughout his career, Jesse has been fortunate enough to play several major roles, but he is very far from a household hand outside the Broadway community. He's been compared to a young Leslie Odom, Jr. and he loves it that way. Jesse is a trailblazer in the Broadway community as a young Black actor taking on roles that have traditionally been played by non-Black folk. Some of his Leading Man credits include: Fiyero in Wicked (Broadway), Billy Bigelow in Carousel (Broadway), Harold Hill in the Music Man (regional tour), Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera (Broadway), Aaron Burr in Hamilton (regional tour), Judas in Godspell (regional tour) as well as the ensembles of Bring it On, the Wiz, Ragtime, and Into the Woods (all regional tours).

At PSU, Jesse was scouted by the university to serve as an Artist-in-Residence to help bulk up the musical theatre program. Between jobs, Jesse ultimately decided it would be a decent enough career move for him and moved back to LA to be with his siblings. He's in rehearsals for a production of Waitress at the Hollywood Bowl as Earl, but is hoping that he can trip the guy playing Dr. Pommater and steal the role for himself.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

The St. James family is well regarded among Hollywood circles for their undeniable talent and incredible work ethic. The St. James men have been acting in movies since the time of silent pictures and eventually the talkies. Marlon St. James, current great-grandfather of the St. James kids in game, was a Hollywood heartthrob actor and won several Oscars for his roles. Lance St. James has been known in the superhero universe for years in his role as Gambit. Recently, he took on a part as Walt Disney in a movie musical version of his life, showing the world that he could be fearsome in his Louisiana accent and throwing playing cards, but also sing the pants off of any Pasek and Paul harmony. His relationship with his wife, Genevieve, has been rocky since his fame skyrocketed and the rumor mill states that they're on the outs. Genevieve keeps popping out kids and adopting them in hopes of keeping Lance.

[rottenheaume]

　　　—————　　𝚂𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙺𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙴𝚂.𝙲𝙾𝙼/𝕳𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙾𝚁　...

Night was created so the gods had somewhere to hide: their sins; their sins; their sins. And us, made in their image – minus wing or cloven hoof – we follow suit.

— Scott-Patrick Mitchell, from "The Mourning Star," Clean: Faith, Abuse and George Pell

　　——　　𝙵𝙸𝔏𝙴　　𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙴𝚂.

𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕   𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎    :        hector jack lance 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜  :        tor 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎  :        march 30, 1954 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗  :        las vegas, nevada 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜  :        ares (god of war, battlelust, courage, and civil order),　barbara lance (the preacher's daughter who had an affair) 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜  :        telumkinesis (the ability to manipulate weaponry),　odikinesis (the ability to manipulate feelings and emotions of war) 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢  :        bisexual 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚕𝚜  :        zuko　(a:tla),　ronan lynch　(trc),　james st. clair　(dark heir),　hua cheng　(tgcf),　roman roy　(succession)

　　——　　𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙾𝚁𝚃𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃　　𝙾𝙵　　𝙵𝙰𝙲𝚃𝚂.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　——　　𝚃𝚆　𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚃𝕳,　𝚅𝙸𝙾𝔏𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴.

grew up in a strict, religious home.　(still can recite too many bible verses by heart.)　his mom had him out of an affair with ares (ig he likes to go after married women) and managed to convince her husband to let him grow up alongside their three children (ruining their perfect family of five).　ran away at the age of thirteen.　punched "dad" on the way out (after he kissed his baby sister on the forehead).　survived thanks to theo, another bastard ares-child, finding him in the streets of vegas and charting their way to camp halfblood.　(coincidence?　never.　however, he has not, and never will, thank ares for sending theo his way.)

only discovered his first name was hector when he laid eyes on his birth certificate for the first time, stolen "just in case" when he ran away.　he started going by it immediately.　still flinches at being called jack.

his first obsession was king arthur; he dreamed of becoming a knight.　later, after his mom secretly gifted him the odyssey for his tenth birthday, it turned into achilles (we love irony).

six years ago, theo died.　hector was the reason they left the safety of camp halfblood; he stormed off, hotly embarrassed, after losing a fight (bringing shame upon his father, himself, and his cabin), and theo, the most loyal dog in their pack, followed him out.　in an attempt to distract himself from his humiliation, he put all of his focus into shaking theo off.　the only good it did was distracting them both from the monster who was tracking their scents, sent by his father as a challenge to prove himself worthy after losing the fight.　he failed.　both as a son and a brother.　by the time hector realized something was wrong and came to fight, theo had delayed in using his gift to summon the dead against the stymphalian bird too long.　hector returned to camp alone - blood, sweat, and tears baked into his flesh like a new layer of skin - a fresh scar running down the left side of his face.　#rip.　theo facts in his honor:　grew up a pacifist (his uncles were all lost to the vietnam war), sparred better with words than swords, chivalry's last soldier, took kitchen knives way too seriously.

he shouldn't go to zoos as often as he does.　any animal in his range of sight goes wild with rage; bar excalibur, his two year old cat.　horses, the natural companions to battle, also calm in his presence.　perhaps a gift from his namesake as well as his father.

visualizes battle maps as he's falling asleep.

he's vulgar and intense, and enjoys the discomfort it brings to everyone around him.　frontrunner for cattiest man in new york.

nine times out of ten, he's wearing black.

his presence has an aftertaste.　like a gas leak.

starts training before a soul is up and goes to bed after everyone's asleep.　has a superiority complex about it.

cannot tan.　do not mention this.

defiance for defiance's sake.

　　——　　𝙿𝔏𝙾𝚃　　𝕳𝙾𝙾𝙺𝚂.

these are just some general ideas i had floating around, merely stepping stones to the real deal <33

a sparring partner　-　the person he goes to when he needs to train hard, whether as a challenge or a distraction.

the bark to his bite　-　he's not not a henchman. i'm joking, but in a totally real sense he is a dog that bites the hand that feeds him, as well as bites others in its service, and that hand needs an owner!! ref.

before　-　before the accident, before the rabid look in his eyes took over.

the kavinsky to his ronan　-　the person who hands him the match to light himself on fire.

his achilles heel (pun intended)　-　that tender spot that makes you ache.

conqueror　-　the person he lost to the night he ran away from camp (aka the night his brother died).

bad influence　-　he tries to make them worse.

[joelslegalwhrereads]

earhfairytale‘s masterlist

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new masterlist

♥︎ 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜

*.· 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚 ·.*

❥ I can help | 1.3k | geralt x fem!reader | Much to your fathers disliking, you not only serve a Witcher in his tavern, but you also leave with Geralt to find his child of surprise.

❥ Destiny | 1.5k | geralt x fem!reader | Geralt finds you injured in the woods

❥ Her Sweet Kiss | 3.2k | geralt x fem!reader | You’re a golden dragon and the king sent Geralt to kill you but he refuses in the end.

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♥︎ You‘re welcome, Gruffi | 530+ | august walker x fem!reader | You know who August is, who he really is, and even though you don‘t like his plans you help him

❥ softy on the inside | 1.1k | dad!august walker x (fem!)mom!reader | Hiiii! I saw that your requests are open! Can you please do one with August Walker, when Ethan Hunt and the team find out that he has a wife and son and they get to see how soft august is with his family but immediately shifts to his usual self with them?”

*.· 𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥 ·.*

❥ And just like that | 1.8k | henry cavill x fem!reader | You and Henry have known each other since you were both little. After his last breakup, you confront him which makes him realize some things

❥ Just us | 2.2k | henry cavill x fem!reader | (request) „Henry cavill request with paparazzi and age gap? Maybe finally going public or being randomly jumped by them“

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*.· 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐲 ·.*

♥︎ Confesions | 900+ | james aubrey x reader | You and Aubrey are married but because you don't work together very often, the team doesn't know it yet, which changes when you all meet at the royal diner after a case.

❥ files and surprises | 461 | james aubrey x fem!reader | Booth and Brennan are dropping off a file at Aubrey's place but they weren't expecting you, because there was one thing they didn't know. That you were not only dating him but also living together with him.

*.· 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 ·.*

❥ I‘m here | 750 | lance sweets x reader | after a boy dies in his arms, Lance needs someone. And you’re the only one he wants to be with.

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*.· 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰 ·.*

❥ moodboard

*.· 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 ·.*

❥ Drunk confessions | 1.9k | jake „hangman“ seresin x reader | You’ve had enough of hiding your feelings for Jake, so you drink yourself a little courage and just screw it

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*.· (𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭) 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐞𝐝 ·.*

❥ Look how cool this is | 1.2k | (adult) adam reed x fem!reader | You never had the chance to go to the cinema and see Encanto in 2022. But travelling back in time with Adam you get a second chance, and your baby bump turns out to be the perfect cup holder.

*.· 𝐍𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 ·.*

❥ Coming home | 422 | nolan booth x fem!reader | You‘ve been waiting for Nolan at your house in Bali when he comes home from Italy

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*.· 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐀𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐫 ·.*

❥ Little piece of bliss | 966 | frank adler x ofc | Where Lillie finds her happiness in Frank and Mary

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*.· 𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬 ·.*

❥ I love you | 380 | bucky barnes x reader | You thought you lost him, but years later the unexpected happens

*.· 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 ·.*

pete ‚maverick‘ mitchell moodboard

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[griff-us]

TITLE: Can't Pretend Part: One | Word Count: 2,608 NEXT: HERE

PAIRING: Knight!Bucky/Princess!Reader (Black Reader)

WARNINGS: Violence, character death, gore, depictions of violence and death. Smut, eventually. Drama. Run-of-the-mill toxic masculinity. I will update as needed.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

SUMMARY: A bastard knight. An heir to a throne. Both forced to abide by the rules of their station---the roles they were born into. Will they be able to maintain the flames of their love, or be burned by them?

NOTES: I love court intrigue, and drama. I also love the idea of knight Bucky. So here is a butt load of it. I intend this to be multiple parts, though I am not sure how many. But, enjoy! Let me know what you think!

The sun is brutal even from underneath ornately ornamented awnings. Women sit among the makeshift wooden stands fans in hand as they fervently gossip about the latest on-goings and affairs of court. Such drivel; devoid of imagination or spark---always the same lackluster accusations and rumors. Y/N had not come to chat about such things; the tourney always interested her far more. The fanfare, the sport, and on occasion, the bloodshed. Steeds tough as steel gallop the runway on which men with more gall than the average noble ride atop. Metal clatters, men hoop and holler, and another knight is knocked from his horse. Yes, far more interesting than who is bedding who, and for how much.

            Y/N claps along, back straight as a board. Tightly coiled locks pool from the crown of her head where they remained pinned. Gold adorns her skin in necklaces, earrings, and bracelets—her favorite choice as it accents her darkened complexion so tastefully. A perfect visage of her house; proper and fine. She watches with enthusiasm as the second round of riders enters. One catches her eye as he leads his horse toward her pavilion in a flashy show.  Blackened steel glimmers beneath the sweltering sun; Y/N notes the wolf’s head pressed into the metal, and her heart nearly shatters in her chest. She knows that sigil anywhere.

As he nears, the knight lifts his visor to reveal hues like that of the oceans so far off.  Y/N notes the beads of sweat that adorn his brow as he lifts his lance toward the bottom row closest to her. However, before the knight can speak, another woman stands. Y/N can’t help the curl in her upper lip at the sight of Lady Mistell. A crotchety woman so desperate to be wed again.

            “I presume you have come to ask for my favor, Ser James?” Lady Mistell inquires with an upturned nose, as though she may consider denying the request. Odd though, that she would assume someone of such high station would ask the favor of a widow with no coin. Silence grips the stands then, and Y/N watches with an amused sort of smirk as all unfolds. So typical of James to make a scene. A shame then, he had been absent from court all these years.

            “Apologies my lady—” Ser James bows his head, but his gaze drifts to Y/N who notices immediately, as she does with all things. “My princess…” A breath catches in the back of Y/N’s throat, and her mind reels with the implications of his coming request. Is he daft? “…it would be an honor to carry your favor.” All eyes turn to Y/N; there will be talk of this no doubt. There had been rumors of their budding romance much to the disdain of her father. In fact, the king had hated it so much he all but sold the knight into a fortuitous marriage of station and coin that sent him across the seas. To approach her in such a way, and after no warning of his impending return---well Y/N is sure the rumor mill is already churning. But… she must be seen as a gracious host. This is her tourney after all.

            Y/N rises as her hands work to smooth the skirts of her dress. Each step down from under her awning feels as though it adds another ten pounds to her shoulders, but they are calculated and careful. Eyes remain on Y/N as though she were the centerpiece in a show, and she often is.

            “Ser James.” The Princess nods to him once close enough, and slender fingers adorned with jeweled rings toss down the yellow ribbon that had been tied to her wrist---the color of her house. “Do well not to sully it, my knight.” Her tone is soft so that only he may hear. Y/N watches as the knight maneuvers to catch the ribbon and his gaze holds hers with a wide smirk as dexterous fingers quickly tie it to the end of his lance.

            “I would not dream of it, my princess.”

-----

The day wanes. The sun and her restless rays begin to dwindle, and Y/N walks the grounds. Nobles and soldiers alike make their approach, each bowing their heads and giving thanks for her hospitality or commenting on the exquisite taste of the food and drink. She responds in kind with smiles and equal thanks for their participation. This is the matter of her station she finds so---tiring. The politicking, the people pleasing when Y/N wishes for nothing more than a bath and perhaps a book.

            “You look rather bored, Princess.” That familiar voice brings her from her thoughts, and Y/N turns. Ser James stands, the bulk of his armor now removed, a tower compared to her rather small self.

            “There are only so many ways to give gratitude to those who would rather you dead.” Her tone is light despite the subject matter, and she does well to hold a simple smile despite the grin that threatens to break across her face at his presence.

            “From what I hear, my dear princess-“ he falls in step with her then, far enough apart not to gain the attention of prying eyes. “-they adore you, the people. Your people.” James peers down at her from the corner of his eyes, and Y/N’s signature smile drops to a frown.

            “If you ask my father—”

            “He is a fool.”

            Y/N halts her steps, neck craning to hold Ser Jame’s gaze. She does not falter, and the edge in her tone is rather commanding. “You will do well to remember he is your King, Ser James.” A pause.

            “Are you upset with me, princess? I do not remember you typically taking such a tone with me.”

            Y/N snorts; something far different from her typical façade. It always came so easy around him, the way her knight could break down walls and barriers meticulously crafted. Like a mason building the most exquisite of temples, only to be brought down by some greater force. It is sad really, how he still has this effect on her. “If I remember correctly you left, not soon after promising to ask for my hand. Off to marry another, or so I heard from rumors. How is your wife, Ser James?” venom drips from the tip of her tongue, and James does not falter. He deserves this. Even if she well knows the games they must take part in---no matter how much it wounds the heart.

            “Dead.” A simple explanation, still, he explains. “Not a week after our wedding. Consumption.” James tilts his head to the side while he watches Y/N’s face shift through a myriad of expressions.

            “I—am sorry for your loss, James.” The world is still around them for a moment, seconds really. He wants to remind her of his nickname, one bestowed upon him when they were children. To hell with titles and perpetuity and this blasted game they both have been forced to play! Yet, he reframes. Instead, James bows his head gently, hues turning soft as though that may convey how earnestly he means the following sentence. “You have nothing to apologize for, my princess.”

            “James---” Y/N reaches for him, only for the mindful knight to step back, severing any connection her mind may have imagined.

            “You’ve others to attend to—” another bow, this one so much stiffer. “—until later.”

Y/N stands hands held at her middle as the man she loves walks away from her for the second time in her life.

----

“You will scuff the floors if you keep pacing like that, my lady” Natasha hums from across the room her languid frame tossed over the crushed red velvet fainting couch as she thumbs through the pages a book. Y/N huffs; her mind racing and anger threatening to froth over like a pot left to boil too long.

“How dare he show his face, unannounced, to my tourney only to tell me of his dead wife and lament his apologies to me!”

“Lament is a strong word.”

Y/N heaves another sigh, what would seem to be the hundredth of that moment and throws her body down near her friend. “I wish to never see him again.” Natasha sits up just as Y/N’s head falls into her lap. The two women had become fast friends since her arrival at court as a foreign dignitary to Y/N’s father. It had not taken long for the woman’s talents in espionage to make themselves known. Within a month’s time, Natasha had cemented herself as the King’s spymaster, and the Princess’s closest of confidants due to the amount of time spent in one another’s company. Now, the two are nearly inseparable, and rarely seen without the other.

“You are being rather unfair, Y/N.” eyes rise, a firm slant set upon Y/N’s lips. But, Natasha continues. “The man was married off due to your father’s disapproval. He had no say in his marriage. And to become a widower after such a short time.” A pause. “James could have cared for that woman and still loved you. Two things can be true at once. We both know he is not a cruel man, Y/N. He is forced to play a game he has no control over. As are you.” Natasha presses a single finger against Y/N’s forehead for emphasis.

“Yes. Yes. Born to rule and tasked with the problems of the kingdom only for mine to be cast aside.” Y/N rolls her eyes.

“You are not simply a princess meant to be wed to some lord, or prince for political gain, my lady. You are heir to the throne; love has no room in your life. The throne takes precedence overall.”

“I wish you would cease reminding me, Lady Natasha.”

Both women fall into a comfortable silence. Beyond the thick walls of Y/N’s personal apartments birds sing and servants mill about their duties. Somewhere off in the distance, a lute plays a languid tune just as the sun begins her descent from the sky.

“I have missed him.” Y/N finally relents her voice barely above a whisper.

“I know, my dear. I know.”

----

The end of the week brings yet another gathering of nobles, and no sign of Ser James. Y/N sits to the right of her father at their table fingers merely toying with the now cold bread on her silver platter. A band plays a tune at the other end of the hall, the sound loud and obnoxious beneath tapestries meant to bring warmth to the room. Y/N finds it suffocating. A fact most evident by the rather sour expression painted on her face.

“Go and dance, daughter.” The King ushers her forward with both hands; fat fingers adorned in countless rings and shiny things. Spoils of war, and conquest. Y/N sighs gently but abides by her father’s wishes. His temper has been that of a wild dog as of late; content one moment and then rabid the next. She stands, golden gown of satin and lace cascading down each step toward the center of the hall. The band halts its tune in time for someone far off to announce her presence. All cease their movements for a moment to bow or courtesy in respect. Y/N nods solemnly in return, hands clasped at her front while she waits for one brave man to ask her for a dance. The others continue about their jig.

“I don’t remember these gatherings being so boring.” As if summoned by the Gods themselves, Ser James all but manifests from the crowd. Y/N smiles gently, not before correcting her features and donning her typical stoic glance.

“Perhaps because you spent all your time at court galivanting around and challenging noblemen to duels.” James beams at Y/N,  happy to hear her speak what seems so fondly of his time spent at court. His lips curl just so in that way they do before he laughs.

“Yes well….” He pauses, chin upturned, and brows taught at their center. “I don’t really have an excuse for that.” Y/N chuckles softly to herself, mindful of the eyes that watch over them. “Come, dance with me, Princess.” Ser James holds out a hand to her, and it is as if the world freezes for a moment.

There are implications to this dance; implications in everything Y/N is seen to do. To dance with a man all but sent from court for the fault of asking for her hand in marriage? To dance with a man who returns to court, unannounced, so shortly after the death of his wife? Scandalous. Salacious. But he stands before her in dashing attire; the sigil of his house forged by his own hands sewn into blackened tunic. His hair half pulled back to keep from his eye’s cascades down wide shoulders and stubble has begun to sprout since their last meeting at the tourney ground. Handsome indeed, and by Gods she want nothing more than to take his hand and dance as they used to.

“You are still in mourning, Ser James.” Words tumble from her lips before any thought can really be applied to them, and James’s lips turn into something akin to a frown.

“I am rather tired of all these unspoken rules, and I know you are as well, Princes. Once dance? As we used to.”

Y/N nods absently and slips her hand into his own, so massive in comparison. She wonders briefly as he tugs her deeper into the dance floor how they may feel against her skin. The band begins another song, one she and James had waltzed to plenty of times while hidden away in the gardens. Both fall into step with one another easily; Y/Ns palms against his own, the other pressed against the broad expanse of his chest. This close he smells of leather and grass. She levels her gaze past him while James sweeps her across the floor. There is no tell how much more of her demeanor she may lose were she to become lost in his eyes.

“I see you have not lost your touch.” He speaks suddenly, rocking the princess from her thoughts. Y/N peers up, her heart hammering in the center of her chest.

“Surprising. I have little time to dance between classes and lectures.”

“How boring. No more nightly escapes into the woods?” Ser James inquires with a knowing smirk, and Y/N can not help but roll her eyes.

“I am too old for such nonsense.”

“And who told you that?” his head dips lower, the point of his nose skimming the defined line of her cheek. His breath fans past her ear; Y/N sputters, brows creasing and jaw tight.  Everyone. From her ladies in waiting, to her father, to his advisors---you are too old to enjoy such things, Princess. An heir must always be seen as dignified. Heat envelopes her face; embarrassment evident. And after a moment’s silence the sudden realization of just how undignified she seems now grips her.

“Y/N….” James regards her with concern, and it is as if she is snapped back into reality. The princess pulls away suddenly, hands clasped at her front. James watches as sadness seems to overtake her.

“Thank you for the dance, Ser James.” She nods and begins her walk back to her seat by her father’s side. James bows stiffly and watches her retreat; not before the hardened gray hues of the King glues him to the spot. The king need not say a word. James can decipher enough from looks alone.

Leave.

And so, he does.

[asiandragonsports]

Basketball in East Asia

By: Jithin Manikonda

Growing up, basketball has been one my most favorite sports to play and watch! Although the sport of basketball has its roots in the US, globalization has allowed the sport to become popular all throughout the world, including as far away as East Asia. 

The history of basketball spans back to 1891, when James Naismith hoped to invent a game to help young men in Springfield College located in Springfield, Massachusetts find a way to pass time. This school had many different names, one of which was “YMCA.” Even though basketball was just slowly gaining traction as a sport in the US, it did not take much longer for the sport to spread to Asia as a result of YMCA missionaries. Specifically in China around the 1920s, the sport started to become popular and about a decade later was declared a national pastime. In fact, China created an Olympic team for the sport in 1936 and used the sport to spread ideas of team work and the “friendship first, competition second” among children. This importance of basketball beyond friendship is still practiced today: NBA Asia managing director Scott Levy and many other generous philanthropists frequently hold camps and other events in East Asia to enrich the lives of aspiring kids.

Similar to the National Basketball Association, there is a basketball league in East Asia called the East Asian Super League, or EASL. This year, the East Asia Super League’s season will tip off in October 2022, just like the National Basketball Association. The EASL, however, has eight teams representing much larger areas: Greater China, Korea, Philippines, and Japan. From these areas, professional teams, including TNT Tropang Giga, San Miguel Beermen, Utsunomiya Brex, Seoul SK Knights, Taipei Fubon Braves, Ryukyu Golden Kings, Bay Area Dragons, and Anyang KGC. These teams will face each other in a home-and-away fashion until March 2023, where they will have a Final Four playoffs in order to determine the victor for the basketball season. However, there are many other leagues and clubs where basketball is played at many different levels, showing the willingness of East Asia to feed the love for the sport for everyone.

Basketball in East Asia has even been expressed in popular culture, such as anime and manga. For example, there are three animes that many anime-lovers and sports-lovers may have heard of: Slam Dunk, Kuroko’s Basketball, and Ahiru No Sora. All these anime deal with the hardships, competitive nature, and teamwork that come with basketball. For many sports lovers, these animes have undoubtedly had an impact on the increasing popularity of basketball within East Asia.

There are many players of East Asian descent that have made an everlasting impact on the National Basketball Association, the highest level of professional basketball in the world. To name a few, Jordan Clarkson, Jeremy Lin, and Yuta Watanabe are a few players that are still playing today. Although he has retired, Yao Ming, who is often referred to as the basketball G.O.A.T. of Asia, has undoubtedly made an impact on basketball all around the world and is undoubtedly recognized as one of the greatest big men to ever play the sport. There are also many players from the NBA who join leagues in East Asia, such as Lance Stephenson, Jalen Green, and Jared Sullinger. 

There are so many more fun aspects to basketball that I can just keep talking on and on about! So if you love basketball like me, next time you visit East Asia for an elongated period of time, you should really consider going to one of the game of the EASL or see how basketball is played in different neighborhoods of East Asia and come back to this post and let me know how it went!

[blackswaneuroparedux]

The Great Drive: James Hunt and Niki Lauda at Fuji, 1976

I feel really sorry for Niki. I feel sorry for everybody that the race had to be run in such ridiculous circumstances because the conditions were dangerous and I fully appreciate Niki’s decision. After an accident like he had, what else could he do? Quite honestly, I wanted to win the championship and I felt I deserved it. But I also felt Niki deserved to win the championship – and I just wish we could have shared it.

- James Hunt on winning the Japanese Grand Prix 1976 to become F1 World Champion

James Hunt’s epic title battle with Niki Lauda, during what many see as the definitive F1 season, was topped off by a thrilling race in the land of the rising sun. It became an instant classic, one of F1’s Great Drives.

With everything to lose, in treacherous conditions, and with late drama, James Hunt's drive in the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix was one of the greatest of all time.

James Hunt delivered his greatest drive in spite of himself. It wasn’t just the peak moment of his career, but also a defining drive for F1.

The British gentleman racer conquering the world’s best in far away lands – Hunt embodied it.

Despite this, the Brit’s landmark drive came in the midst of late night escapades, mechanical disasters, psychological warfare and F1 politics.

As the ‘76 season approached its climax in North America and Asia, it seemed all might be lost for the McLaren team and its lead driver. Hunt had been duelling with Ferrari’s Niki Lauda throughout the year, but losing his British Grand Prix win to disqualification (announced by the FIA at Round 14 in Canada) seemed to have derailed his season for good.

McLaren team manager at the time Alastair Caldwell describes the state of affairs as they approached the North American leg of the season: “We abandoned the idea of winning the world championship. I let him misbehave in Canada and in Watkins Glen. On both occasions we were pissed on race eve, both of us in a bar after midnight getting rotten – me on alcohol and him on women, because he was always very successful with women.

“James met a girl – the leader of the band at the motel in Montreal – and so he came to the race dishevelled, in the same clothes as he’d been wearing the previous night – and he won the race!

“Even then we still thought we were out of it. Then we won Watkins Glen too! So suddenly we became serious again.”

Lauda had scored 4 points to Hunt’s 18 in this period. With the championship fight back on, the rejuvenated team and driver looked at the season finale in a new light. The championship fight was back on, and as a result, McLaren prepared for the Japanese GP with renewed vigour.

James Hunt had been in Japan a fortnight, ostensibly to test at a circuit  new to him. Delays at customs, car problems and bad weather had severely  restricted his running, but at least now he was totally orientated and, in his inimitable fashion, ‘relaxed’. That meant when he wasn’t  strutting his stuff on the hotel’s squash court, he was billing and  cooing with its latest migratory flock of pretty air stewardesses to bed. It beat  jogging.

Lauda arrived later, low-key and at a low ebb. The spirit that held  the demons at bay during his remarkable Monza comeback had evaporated in  Canada and America. Now running on empty, he was full of doubts. While  Ferrari team manager Daniele Audetto attempted to whip up retro oppo to  McLaren’s ‘illegal’ testing, his star driver looked the other way and  wished it over: Lauda was sick of Enzo and his minions, of a season in  its 10th month and of press intrusion.

McLaren’s earlier preparations were in sharp contrast to the rest of the field who arrived just for the race weekend itself. According to Caldwell, “The others all turned up on the Thursday, including Niki, you can see them all get off the plane knackered and then trying to find where this new racetrack was.”

It wasn’t just through testing and acclimatisation that Hunt and McLaren stole a march. Caldwell thought he might use interactions with the press to his advantage: “Just for a laugh we spread a rumour. A journalist said to me ‘what’s the track like?’ I said ‘It’s is good but it’s got a lot of loose gravel on it.’”

Enjoying the effect the track surface story had on the rest of the field’s preparations, Caldwell thought he’d develop the rumour into a full-blown design feature.

“Because we were bored and had nothing else to do, the mechanics made mesh covers for all the air intakes on the car, to “protect” the brake ducts and air intake.

“Then Niki (Lauda) came down to our garage, which he always did – he spent more time in our garage then Ferrari’s. He would joke with us and do mechanic’s repartee.

“Psychologically we had them on the back foot right from the start.”

“Niki had come to see what we’d done with the cars as he was also a spy. So I told the mechanics, ‘just by mistake’, to take the covers off the cars so you could see the mesh covers on all the intakes. They did this and then they put it back on in a hurry while I ‘looked displeased’.

“And so then Niki broke off the conversation, trotted back to Ferrari and said ‘f**king hell, McLaren have put vents near these grilles over everything in the car, we got to do the same.’

“The whole Ferrari organisation went out to find these grilles, find where they came from and make them for their three cars. Then we put our three cars in the pit road and took all the grilles off the T-Car. Niki came down and said ‘You f**king bastards!’ They came down the pitroad and Ferrari had this shit all over their car – these grilles all over the radiators.

“He had to tear back and tell them to take them all off. Psychologically we had them on the back foot right from the start, there’s all this psychological warfare.”

Niki was plastered across front pages because of his near-death  experience on the track; James was on them because of the life he led  off it. Their battle and clashing personalities, though they were good  friends, had made the world championship a global news shit-fight. Hunt,  outgoing but often lonely in a crowd, pretended to be okay with it.  Lauda didn’t.

Friday’s practice sessions provided blessed relief, therefore, even  though both men suffered understeer on the stickier Goodyears made  available to its faster teams because of the rare presence of  Bridgestone and Dunlop on one-off Japanese entries. The title rivals  finished the day one-hundredth apart on a provisional third row.

Each improved on Saturday – Hunt to second, Lauda to third – and  James, a notoriously slow starter who, by his own estimation, needed to  win the race in order to become world champion, was in a much-improved  mood. Niki’s never budged.

Then it rained. And rained. And rained some more.

The storm that swept in from China a day later than forecast was the  last thing Lauda needed: another element beyond his control. Mist  shrouded the snow cone of Mount Fuji, which supposedly bestowed good  fortune – when visible – and Niki felt hemmed in by circumstance.

The mind-games might well have been in vain, for the monsoon weather which rolled in on Sunday looked like putting the race in jeopardy. If the Grand Prix was cancelled, Lauda would be handed the World Championship.

Not that Hunt was enamoured with the situation. He spoke privately  with Lauda and agreed an attempt to have the race postponed – albeit not  before he stressed that he would take the start if necessary and race  as hard as Niki forced him to.

The Grand Prix Drivers Association had been formed to have some influence on such matters, to stop the interests of teams, the governing body and sponsors taking precedence over drivers’ well being. Hunt and Lauda were both members and convened prior to the race start in an effort to have it stopped.

“They were adamant the race wasn’t going to be held. Bernie (Ecclestone, Brabham team boss) and I were in the race control tower trying to convince them to hold the race.” says Caldwell “And James kept on saying ‘No no, we’re not going to race’. I tried to explain to him that no race meant no World Championship. He replied “No, no, no, it’s totally unsuitable, we can’t race”.

Alistair Caldwell, McLaren Team boss, resorted to more imaginative tactics to swing the mood towards starting the race.

“I was going down (to the pits) getting my car mechanics to start the engines every half an hour, which would make all the other teams start doing it – they didn’t know why. The engines were making this noise ‘woop, woop, woop’”.

The engineer then turned his attention to activating the spectators.

“I was trying to get some enthusiasm from the passive Japanese crowd, they’d been there for hours doing nothing. They weren’t even talking, just sitting in the rain – miserable.

“I said to our tyre man Lance Gibbs ‘Do you think you could get the crowd going?’ So he got up on the pitwall with his ACME Thunderer whistle, which had been given to the boys to use as a horn, for when they pushed the race cars around the paddock.

“He went ‘beep beep’ and hundreds of spectators did the same – got them doing a concert. We then did the business of slow clapping, when it gets to the end, people can’t keep up, they lose co-ordination and you get a huge noise.

“I went back to the tower and the geriatric Japanese officials and said, ‘Look, you’ve got a riot on your hands’ Bernie was there and he said ‘Yeah, you’ve gotta hold the race. Otherwise you’ll have trouble’. So they said ‘Ok we’ll have the race.’”

With the decision made, the cars finally lined up to start at 4pm. The deliberations had been going on so long that the light was now beginning to fade, reducing the limited visibility even further.

Hunt, nervously retching and hacking more than ever, was so  distracted that he took a leak in full view of the spectators. Cue  polite applause. Ominously, he then walked a plank laid across a puddle  and stepped aboard his McLaren M23. He tipped his helmet back against  its roll-hoop and closed his eyes in contemplation. Lauda, crushed by  all that had gone before, hunched forward in his 312 T2’s cockpit. Both  knew that fate was about to be sorely tempted.

Hunt made a blinding start and held a huge lead by the end of the  opening lap. As the rest pecked hesitantly in his rooster-tails, he was  out of sight, both physically and metaphorically.

Meanwhile, Lauda, unable to blink because of his burn injuries, was  drowning in the pack and questioning his sanity. He formulated an answer by lap two. The Ferrari – “a paper boat in a storm” – rolled into the  pitlane and drew up at its garage. Measured. The team descended while  designer Mauro Forghieri craned into its cockpit to ascertain the  problem.

After just 1 lap, Lauda had seen enough. Deeming the conditions too dangerous, and having already nearly lost his life at Nürburgring that year, the Austrian decided it simply wasn’t worth carrying on. He pulled his Ferrari into the pits and walked away from the 1976 World Championship. Lauda, the reigning world champion, had the skill but not the will to continue. It was “murder” out there – and life was for living.

Hunt, as drivers without a world title feel compelled to, pressed on  and kept his date with destiny. Hunt being Hunt, of course, he almost  missed it. Not until his post-race red mist lifted could he be persuaded  that he hadn’t.

With Lauda out the race, Hunt’s task was now a little more straightforward. He simply had to finish third, and the title was his.

The McLaren driver pressed on and by lap 10 his lead had doubled to over 8sec. Meanwhile, interesting movements were afoot further back in the pack.

Local hero Kazuyoshi Hoshino, driving a privately-entered Tyrrell 007, had made his up to third, from 21st on the grid!

More worrying for Hunt was that March’s Vittorio Brambilla had overtaken Andretti and was beginning to hunt him down. By lap 20, Brambilla had closed right up behind the Hunt.

On the next lap, the March driver decided to go for it. Brambilla, known for an erratic driving style, conformed to type on this occasion by inadvertently out-braking himself as he dived down the inside of the McLaren.

Hunt had been wary of Brambilla and was monitoring the situation constantly. In a moment of brilliant anticipation, he allowed the March to spin in front of him, performing the cutback and before carrying on as if almost nothing had happened.

Brambilla dropped to fourth, the danger to Hunt being over for now. Andretti at this point was gradually dropping back through the pack. It was Hunt’s team-mate Jochen Mass who was behind him now, with a McLaren 1-2 now looking very much on the cards.

Seeking to control the race from here on in, the team’s new concern was the drying line which was now appearing on the track. Caldwell put out a pit board sign telling his drivers to cool their wet weather tyres – this was done by searching for wet sections of the track, the water preventing the rubber from overheating.

To his team manager’s frustration, Hunt didn’t appear to be heeding the warnings: “As soon as Mass saw the sign, he pulled over in the water right in front of us. Then on the next lap he came down the right hand side of the track, splashing through the puddles, which cools the tires down, (while) James didn’t react.

“The next lap we gave it to Hunt again, the next lap again, he still didn’t do it. So we took away the pitboard, just gave him the ‘cool tyres’ sign and he still didn’t react. So then everyone in the team started pointing at it (the sign). Everybody in the team pointed, Teddy (Mayer, McLaren Managing Director) and everyone else and he still did nothing.”

Hunt carried on down the dry line, running his tyres way above their recommended temperature, seemingly oblivious to the warnings.

If Hunt wasn’t going to heed the warnings, then Andretti was: “Because we were emphasising this so much, Andretti saw it and started to cool his tyres. So he started running through the puddles. He didn’t have to stop (as a result).

“But James just resolutely drove down the middle of the dry track, and we could never bring him in, because he was never that far ahead. It was never possible to tactically stop him because there’s a big long pitroad at Fuji.”

Jochen Mass, benefitting from his team’s tyre advice, now began to reel in his team-mate. If he got past, he would have no trouble driving off into the distance to take the win.

However, the German’s diligence came to naught, as he spun off and out of contention on lap 36. This would have a huge bearing on the race later.

For now, Hunt was again in the clear. Another challenger, Shadow’s Tom Pryce, moved into second, but he too retired as his Cosworth engine expired on lap 46.

As the grand prix wore on, Hunt remained in a seemingly trance-like state as he stuck to his line, the situation became critical.

Whilst yet another to danger to Hunt had abated, the McLaren driver was now deciding whether to play the percentages. He could either pit to replace his worn tyres – and lose track position – or try and stick it out at the risk of losing so much grip he would be overtaken anyway.

Hunt took the second option. He could afford to drop to third, and this is indeed what happened. On lap 61, he was overtaken not only by Tyrrell’s Patrick Depailler, but also the resurgent Lotus of Andretti.

If Hunt managed to hold position, he would be world champion. For the next 7 laps, the plan appeared to be working. Then, on lap 68, disaster struck.

The McLaren driver suffered not one, but two deflated tyres – both on the left-hand side of the car. They were, as Caldwell puts it, “worn down to the air”. Hunt managed to drag his car round for half a lap before scraping into the pits.

F1 jacks at the time were not designed to lift a car with puncture at the front and rear of the car. While the jack was used to lift the rear of the car, TV shots show Caldwell and other team members lifting the other end of the car themselves to replace the front-left tyre.

It was a long pitstop, and once out, Hunt found himself back in fifth place. There were four laps left and Hunt was two places down on where he needed to be.

Two more laps passed and the Englishman was no further up the order. It looked as if he may have lost his championship chance.

Then, with two laps left of the race to go, Hunt started the fight back. At the exit of T1 he managed to get past the Surtees of Alan Jones. One more place and the championship was his.

Next up was the Ferrari of Clay Regazzoni. It turned out there were some Scuderia politics at play which would work to Hunt’s advantage.

Caldwell filled in the back story: “Ferrari’s reaction to Niki’s crash was to sack Regazzoni (for 1977). He had already been sacked (by Fuji).

“So he was pissed off at Ferrari. When James came charging along, he just stepped out of the way and let him by.”

After benefitting from Regazzoni’s apparent generosity, Hunt was suddenly back in the golden position, the third place he needed to clinch the championship.

The McLaren man just had to keep it on the road for two more laps and he’d take the title. The tension mounted, both in the team pit and back in the UK, where his family were watching the live television feed at 3am.

Despite two nerve-wracking final laps, the Englishman duly brought his McLaren home in third place. He was the new F1 World Champion.

Photographs show Hunt angrily remonstrating with his team as he climbed from the car. He hadn’t realised he’d got the job done.

Caldwell himself had mixed emotions about the whole affair, “He didn’t look at the board and when he came into the pits he started shouting at us, because he didn’t know what happened. He was incredibly annoying on the day. He did drive magnificently, he kept it on the road – that’s one point of view. From my point of view it was the most frustrating day – I could’ve hit him with a baseball bat! He could have won the race, just strolled the world championship. All he had to do was read this pitboard and drive in the water, which is what Andretti did, so he didn’t wear the tyres out and could paddle across the line with the same ones.”

In spite of Hunt seemingly making a championship-losing decision, he had still managed to pull it off.

However, such was Caldwell’s consternation, the two didn’t discuss afterwards.

I was so angry about it. We flew back to England and I wasn’t talking to him on the plane. He was pissed as a newt anyway – we were all pissed as a newt and totally exhausted. He just went to sleep.”

The two never discussed the reasons behind the events, but it didn’t change the result. Three years after making his F1 debut, Hunt was the world champion.

Ten weeks later Hunt arrived in Argentina to begin his title defence  feeling underwhelmed and under-prepared. A few celebratory cigs and tins with his friend Britain’s newly crowned 500cc motorcycle world champion, Barry Sheene, at Fuji and a riotous return flight had been followed by a  disorientating whirl of meetings, interviews and engagements. The  race-by-race title chase had been thrilling: a sequence of one-day  stands. Making it official had cooled the relationship. The love affair  was over.

Though both men would retire summarily during the 1979 season, Hunt  did so because he felt frightened and disillusioned, whereas Lauda did  so because he felt nothing, which frightened him.

Niki, though, had a system – plus a plan to run his own airline – and  ultimately would return to the F1 cockpit and be successful. James,  whose theories were sometimes somewhat scrambled, would not. He bred  budgies instead. You do what you have to do.

Lauda’s decision to stop at Fuji ensured that he would be able to  continue. Hunt’s decision to continue ensured that he would have to stop  sooner rather than later. One racing mind wiped clean, the other  cluttered – and racing.

In spite of his career’s decline, Hunt’s endeavours had captured the imagination of the wider world in a way no racing driver had done before.Hunt knew that life was for living, too. Tragically, however, he had just discovered how best to when fate too soon snatched it from him.

[southernvangard]

(Southern Vangard) Episode 329 - Southern Vangard Radio

BANG! @southernvangard #radio Ep329! Vangardians, we said we weren’t going to leave you hanging during our summer break, and we meant it. For the next four weeks we’re giving you that SUMMER MADNESS - a surprise guest mix every week while Doe & Meeks are taking a well deserved breather. We kick off our inaugural Summer Madness Series with the one and only TONE SPLIFF. You’ve heard him countless times in the mix here at Southern Vangard Radio, he’s been guest on our interview sessions series, and he also has his own weekly show - HIP HOP STACKS on DELICIOUS VINYL / DASH RADIO - that airs on Sundays from 1p-2p ET. For this guest mix, Tone drops off a gob of brand new joints as well as a WORLD EXCLUSIVE from his upcoming project with ZAGNIF NORI! Betcha by GOLLY wow, Vangardians….YOU WAAAAALCOME!!!!! #SmithsonianGrade #WeAreTheGard // southernvangard.com // @southernvangard on all platforms #undergroundhiphop #boombap #DJ #mixshow #interview #podcast #ATL #WORLDWIDE #RIPCOMBATJACK

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“For Paris With Love” - DJ Ronsha ft. Mike Titan & A7MC

“Feel My Pain” - Mo Rukuz

“Bodega” - Star & Lyphe

“Shoebox Kidz” BalacLava ft. Innocent?

“Str8 Shots” - Street Genius ft. Big Twins

“Coup D’etat” - Wais P ft. Eto

“Pie a la Mode (Medieval Remix) - A-Zone

“Leap of Faith” - C-Lance ft. Evidence, Big Twins & DJ Eclipse

“Lickin’ Off In Hip Hop” - Ricky Bats x Da Inphamus Amadeuz

“Cash Transactions” - Boldy James ft. Knowledge the Pirate

“Double Down” - Swamp Thing x DJ Uncle Fester

“My Way Home” - Priest Da Nomad

“Lil Derelicts” - Realio Sparkzwell

“The Alchemist” - The Bad Seed

“Highly Regarded” - Zagnif Nori X Tone Spliff ft. King Author ** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

“Coming For The Title” - Napoleon Da Legend ft. The Bad Seed

“The Culprit” - Sean Links x Jamil Honesty

“Riots By Masked Men” - C-Lance ft. Lord Goat, Recognize Ali & DJ Eclipse

“Rap Clowns” - Kool Taj The Gr8 x Tone Spliff

“Cold Blood Flow” - Zagnif Nori x Tone Spliff

“New Tricks” - Senor Kaos x Illastrate ft. 4-IZE & El Da Sensei

“Reflexion” - Brutal Caesar x Emskee

“Keep It Live” - I9ON ft. Nejma Nefertiti

“The Sequel Is Ill” - Mixed Meteor ft. Defcee

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[we-are-knight]

Famous Knights of History: Jacques de Lalaing

There’s not many people I’d compare to being a “European Musashi”, but this is a grand exception.

Enter, Jacques de Lalaing.

Jacques de Lalaing, the bon chevalier, a renowned jouster and military commander in the service of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, died in 1453, aged only thirty-two, at the siege of Poeke during the Ghent War. Some twenty years after his death, the Livre des faits de Jacques de Lalaing was commissioned to record his deeds.

Known for dueling pretty much everyone he could reasonably pit himself against, here’s some highlights of his storied life:

By the age of 20, he had distinguished himself at a number of tournaments. In the same year (on 22 November 1443), he accompanied the forces of the Duke of Burgundy as they made a surprise assault on the city of Luxembourg. Assembling 3 hours before daylight, they used scaling ladders to climb the city walls. Once inside, they headed toward the town square. At this point, says the chronicle, the burgers of Luxembourg issued from their houses, clad in armor and armed with staff weapons. Jacques was in the thick of the fighting, where he "...accomplished many magnificent feats of arms with both the lance and the sword. To see him, striking right and left, those who saw him could not but marvel."

Two years later, (1445) Jacques de Lalaing took part in a tournament at Nancy (in Lorraine) before the King of France, the King of Aragon and Sicily, and the assembled nobility of France. From his first encounter, Jacques was victorious. "For," as the chronicle says, "above all else, he knew the business of arms." Striking his first opponent squarely in the middle of the shield with his lance, Jacques "carried both man and horse so rudely to the ground that both the destrier and the man who rode him were stunned." His opponent was unable to continue the combat. He defeated his second opponent by striking him in the eye-slits of his helmet with his lance, ripping it off of his head. The second knight was too stunned to continue. The crowd was apparently quite impressed with this.

Striking a man in the most vulnerable part of the helmet? Not killing him? Yanking off his helmet in front of everyone? Not hard to imagine why everyone was impressed!

Later in life, when fighting his Pas De Armes:

Later, in Bruges, he fought an English squire, named Thomas, with pole-arms. The squire had brought a pole-arm he favored, but the judges were reluctant to let him use it. It was heavy, larger than most, and wickedly sharp.   Thomas whined that it was unfair, and he would be at a disadvantage using a weapon he was unfamiliar with. ​   Jacques couldn't be bothered to care. He allowed Thomas to use the illegal weapon, and they started the match. The squire swung at him with the back-spike, impaling Jacque's wrist, but it barely slowed the knight down. He beat the squire senseless, blood dripping from his mangled wrist. Even Thomas' illegally sharp and heavy pole-arm couldn't save him from the skill and savage tenacity of Jacques de Lalaing.

Later, as his Wikipedia article will tell you:

(God, such goals).

He also went to Scotland and fought members of the Douglas family:

In 1449, Jacques de Lalaing traveled to Stirling, Scotland, to fight with members of the Douglas clan before the King of Scotland. This was to be a combat of six. On the side of Hainault were Jacques, his uncle Simon de Lalaing, and a squire from Brittany named Herve de Meriadec. On the Scottish side were James Douglas (brother of the Earl of Douglas), another James Douglas, and John Ross of Halket. The combat took place on 25 February 1449. A crowd of five or six thousand gathered to watch.

Under the agreed-upon terms, the combat was to take place on foot, armed with spear, polaxe, sword, and dagger. At the request of the Scots, the throwing of spears was forbidden. The combat was fought with sharp weapons, and was to continue until stopped by the king. Each combatant was allowed to help his companions.

Jacques and his companions agreed in advance that as soon as the combat began, they would discard their spears and switch to their polaxes. When the combat began, they followed their plan; the Scots retained their spears.

Jacques came against James Douglas (the earl's brother) and swiftly disarmed him, knocking the spear from his grasp. James switched to his polaxe, but Jacques disarmed him again, just as easily. Irate at having lost both his spear and his axe, James drew his dagger and attempted to close, striking repeatedly at Jacques' unarmored face. Jacques held him at bay with his left hand, catching his fingers in the eye-slits of his helmet. Discarding his polaxe, Jacques drew his sword, "...which was a thin estoc, and grasped the blade near the point, so he could use it as a dagger, for he had somehow lost his own." Meanwhile, James had caught hold of his bevor (chin-guard); attempting to thrust at the unarmored palm of James' hand, Jacques lost his sword. Now completely disarmed, Jacques caught his opponent with both hands on his visor, and was in the process of throwing him to the ground when the king stopped the combat.

Jacques defeated all comers, in every tournament and duel he fought, and was semi-famous for dueling in armour while omitting segments of his harness for the sake of mobility or speed. 

Sadly, he died in 1453, cut down by cannon fire during an on going siege at Poucques, and mourned by pretty much everyone due to him being considered a stunning example of chivalry and a generally decent fellow.

Sources: 

- http://www.thearma.org/essays/Lalaing.htm - http://www.theknightshall.com/the-blog/archives/02-2016 - https://hnanews.org/hnar/reviews/a-knight-for-the-ages-jacques-de-lalaing-and-the-art-of-chivalry/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_de_Lalaing

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Thu, May, 13, 2021

April 30/May 13

The Holy Apostle James, Son of Zebedee

     The Holy Apostle James, Son of Zebedee, one of the 12 Apostles, was called by our Lord Jesus Christ for apostolic service together with his brother, the Apostle John the Theologian. It was to them and to the holy Apostle Peter pre-eminently over the other Apostles that Jesus Christ revealed His Divine Mysteries: at the Resuscitation of the Daughter of Jairus, on Mount Tabor (at the Transfiguration), and in the Garden of Gethsemane.      Saint James, after the Descent of the Holy Spirit, preached in Spain and in other lands, and then he returned to Jerusalem. He openly and boldly taught about Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world, and with the words of Holy Scripture he denounced the Pharisees and the Scribes [scholars], reproaching them with malice of heart and unbelief. The Jews had not the ability to refute the apostolic discourse and for money they hired the pseudo-philosopher and sorcerer Hermogenes, so that he would enter into a disputation with the apostle and confute his arguments about Christ as the Promised Messiah having come into the world. The sorcerer sent to the apostle his student Philip, who was converted to belief in Christ. Then Hermogenes himself became persuaded of the power of God, he burnt his books on magic, accepted holy Baptism and became a true follower of Christ.

     The unbelieving among the Jews persuaded Herod Agrippa (40-44) to arrest the Apostle James and sentence him to death. Saint James calmly heard out the death sentence and continued to bear witness about Christ. One of the false-witnesses against the apostle by the name of Josiah was struck by the courage of Saint James. He came to believe in the truth of the words about the coming of Christ the Messiah. When they led forth the apostle for execution, Josiah fell at his feet, repenting his sin and asking forgiveness. The apostle hugged him, gave him a kiss and said: "Peace and forgiveness be unto thee". Then Josiah confessed before everyone his faith in Christ, and he was beheaded together with Saint James in the year 44 at Jerusalem.

St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Bishop of the Caucasus and Stavropol (1867)

  He was born in 1807 into Russian aristocracy — his father was a wealthy provincial gentleman. From a very early age he felt strongly called to monastic life, but at that time it was almost unheard of for a nobleman to take such a path, and Dimitri (as he was called in baptism) entered the Pioneer Military School in St Petersburg. There he distinguished himself, and even attracted the attention of Grand Duke Nicholas Pavlovich, an event which would profoundly affect his later life.    Despite his excellent record at the academy, young Dimitri still longed only for the things of God. In 1827 he graduated from the school and was commissioned as an officer in the army, but soon fell critically ill, and was granted a discharge. This proved to be providential: when he recovered his health, he immediately became a novice, living at several different monasteries and coming under the spiritual care of Starets Leonid, one of the celebrated fathers of the Optina monastery. In 1821 he took his monastic vows and received the name Ignatius. Soon afterwards he was ordained to the priesthood.

  Soon after the newly-professed Fr Ignatius had entered the seclusion that he sought, Tsar Nicholas I — the former Grand Duke Nicholas — visited the Pioneer Military School and asked what had become of the promising cadet he had met a few years before. When the Tsar learned that the former Dimitri was now a monk, he sought him out, had him elevated to the rank of Archimandrite (at age 26!) and made him Superior of the St Sergius Monastery in St Petersburg. Tsar Nicholas instructed him to make the monastery a model fo all Russian religious communities. Though he had desired only a life of solitude and prayer, the new Archimandrite devoted himself conscientiously to fulfilling the Tsar's charge. The monastery did in fact become a kind of standard for Russian monasticism, and its abbot acquired many spiritual children, not only among his monks but among the laity in the capital.

   After twenty-four years as superior of the monastery, St Iganatius was elevated to the episcopate in 1857, first as Bishop of Stavropol, then as Bishop of Kavkaz. Only four years later (aged 54) he resigned and spent the rest of his life in reclusion at the Nicolo-Babaevsky Monastery in the diocese of Kostromo. There he continued the large body of spiritual writings for which he is well known. His printed Works fills five volumes; of these, at least two major works have been translated into English: On the Prayer of Jesus and The Arena: an offering to contemporary monasticism. Both are gems of spiritual writing, profitable to every serious Orthodox Christian.    St Ignatius reposed in peace in 1867. He was glorified in 1988 by the Moscow Patriarchate, during the millennial celebrations in that year. Saints Andrei Rublev, Xenia of Petersburg, Theophan the Recluse and others were glorified in the same observances.

All texts© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

ICON: Mother of God  “Of the Passion”

 The icon received its name because on either side of the Mother of God are two angels with the implements of the Lord’s suffering: the Cross, the lance, and the sponge.

There was a certain pious woman, Katherine, who began to suffer seizures and madness after her marriage. She ran off into the forest and attempted suicide more than once.

In a moment of clarity she prayed to the Mother of God and vowed that if she were healed, she would enter a monastery. After recovering her health, she only remembered her vow after a long time. Afraid and mentally afflicted, she took to her bed. Three times the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her, commanding the sick woman to go to Nizhni-Novgorod and to buy Her icon from the iconographer Gregory.

After she had done this, Katherine received healing. From that time on, miracles have occurred from this icon. The Feast day of this icon is on August 13, commemorating its transfer from the village of Palitsa to Moscow in 1641. A church was built at the place where it was met at the Tver gates, and in 1654, the Strastna monastery was built.

The icon is also commemorated on April 30, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man) in memory of the miracles which occurred on this day. Other “Passion” icons of the Mother of God have been glorified in the Moscow church of the Conception of Saint Anna, and also in the village of Enkaeva in Tambov diocese.

John 5:24-30

24Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth-those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

Acts 12:1-11 

1Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. 5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." 9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people."

[aros001]

Going in blind: Watching season 2 for the first time. Random thoughts.

Huh. Only 7 episodes. Not complaining necessarily. For series with an ongoing plot I've definitely become more in favor with their seasons only having as many episodes as they need rather than them having to stretch themselves out to full up a certain number of episodes, which can lead to padding and just bad character moments.

Episode 1: Jeez. Catra visiting Shadow Weaver's cell just to rub her success in her face and verbally abuse her back for once. It's like a twisted version of Zuko and Ozai from ATLA. Catra's upbringing under her was abusive but this is far from a healthy way for her to deal with it. She's basically deliberately swimming in her resentment.

Episode 2: It's not that I'm rooting for her but by-golly was it fun to watch Catra act like just the absolute worst she could while she was Glimmer and Bow's captive.

I touched on this in season 1 but part of the drama of the heroes feeling guilt over leaving Entrapta behind is kind of lost on me a bit simply because it was her own fault it happened. She deliberately went back into the purge room because of her machine obsession, which then closed on her and erupted in flames. It was more than reasonable to assume she was dead and no one but her was to blame, so I'm not really able to be invested in their guilt over it.

That said, weirdly enough I do like that her "abandonment" doesn't seem to be even a blip on the radar for Entrapta herself. She hasn't joined the horde because she resents the heroes or felt left behind, she simply is so obsessed with machines and experimentation that she'll be on the side of whoever lets her do the most of that. Like, it's selfish and irresponsible but it's very in-character and I'd far rather have a traitor motivation be based in that over something stupid like a misunderstanding.

Episode 3: I love the mental image of Shadow Weaver thinking up princess-themed ghost stories to tell Adora as a child.

So, if the previous She-Ra Mara separated Eternia from the other realms/planets/whatever she did and that's what cut off the She-Ra line for 1000 years, I'm guessing Hordak may be from the time before that happened, thus his drive to create portals and calling Eternia a backwards world. Either he's naturally long-lived or his technology is extending his life.

Episode 4: You know, you could maybe argue it was vague enough that it could be taken other ways but I'm definitely getting some vibes here that Scorpia is crushing on Catra. She literally refers to the two of them as soulmates at one point. I know she says she's trying to be friends but this feels a level beyond that.

Fun little reference to the original She-Ra cartoon thrown in there (and maybe Cowboy Bebop...? James Bond...? What was Glimmer's art style supposed to be?). I like how it is more like just playful ribbing than anything outright dumping on the original. Again, I've never seen original She-Ra but whenever remakes/adaptations go out of their way to trash to the original I always kind of wonder why they bothered doing an adaptation if the original is just that bad? Also, I was having trouble sleeping so it was about 2am when I watched this episode and the very Eartha Kitt Catwoman Catra made it very difficult for me not to lose my **** and stay quiet. With how much of a contrast that version is from the one in this series, that was hilarious. Bonus note, it's a nice touch that Frosta's version of Catra is a pretty crasher in that sweet suit, since that's the only impression of Catra she's ever had.

Adora being a chosen one is definitely elevated up simply by how much the pressure of what she's supposed to be is getting to her. I'm likely going to keep making Avatar The Last Airbender comparisons throughout the series but that's partly because I went into this series figuring it'd be at least structured similar to ATLA (season 1 being more episodic and a little more kid-friendly as it builds up the world before getting more serious later). Adora and Aang are interesting to compare here. Aang's worries early on were less apparent because he was more in-denial/choosing not to think about his problems that much, which fit with his character as a free-spirited Air Nomad. While Adora is much more military-minded. She can't keep herself from thinking about her problems and trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario. And jeez, that idea of who/how Catra is in her mind. Not only beating her but making her watch as she takes everything she cares about away. Not Shadow Weaver, not Lord Hordak, but Catra. That whole Lion King Mufasa/Scar moment between them in episode 11 and their fight in the S1 finale really did a number on her mental image of her old friend. Not reasonably so.

Minor note: I'm sure I'm the only one who got this impression but by the look of it, the way the robot's eye moved, and the music, after getting the soda spilled on it that little spybot gained sentience for half a second and then immediately died. It was so darkly comedic I had to laugh.

Episode 5: So that red disc is basically She-Ra's Red Kryptonite, having an effect on the mind rather than the body. The drunk Adora joke doesn't really do it for me but it did get some nice interactions going between Scorpia and Sea Hawk, two characters I certainly wasn't expecting to bond. I did really like Catra's panic when berserker She-Ra nearly beheads her. The implication is that is Adora really wanted to kill her Catra would already probably be dead. It's a thing I like about powerhouse characters like Superman or Aang, who could just demolish everything around them and don't simply because they're a good person...which in turn makes them the scariest person on the planet when they're well and truly ticked off. I'm not going to lie, I do kind of want to see a She-Ra version of Aang when Appa was stolen or when Superman fought The Elite.

Also, Catra's line of "I have control over Adora. I'm not giving that up for anything.". There's a lot to read into there.

Episode 6: I guess my prediction was sort of right. Shadow Weaver became basically a magic parasite and while it did increase the power she's capable of the implication seems to be that she needs a constant fix of magic to keep herself going, thus her attachment to the Black Garnet.

Have we seen Micah before? Given how long ago the flashback seems set, the fact that Shadow Weaver didn't kill him and thus he probably becomes someone important later in life, I'm guessing he's Glimmer's dad and the queen's late husband, since I think he's the only important male character whose face we haven't seen yet. Also, he's voice by Ezra from Star Wars Rebels and that cracks me up for some reason. It's the exact same voice and a relatively similar character.

I compared Catra and Shadow Weaver with a kind of twisted version of Zuko and Ozai and that definitely still fits here. Both Catra and Zuko confront their parent and call them out for the inexcusable abuse they put them through but while that moment was the start of Zuko's upwards journey this and SW's betrayal seems like it's going to cause Catra to spiral even further. Makes sense why Adora leaving affected her so much. She's probably the only one Catra's ever had that she could consistently trust and rely on, even if she did somewhat resent her.

Not surprised Hordak is getting along with Entrapta. She's not socially aware enough to be scared or intimidated by him, so she'll speak frankly, and since all she wants to talk about is the machines, experiments, and how they could get them to work Hordak probably doesn't take much issue with that. She's producing results, which is what he cares about, thus also why Shadow Weaver and Catra started losing favor with him. I wonder if Catra is going through imposter syndrome? Shadow Weaver had that line that Entrapta earned her place next to Hordak and, if you think about it, Catra hasn't really "earned" anything. We saw that she didn't really take her training or studies that seriously, showing up late to combat practice and even getting partial credit for what Adora beat. She wasn't promoted to Force Captain because of her own abilities but because Adora had defected when she was supposed to get that title. She's come close to a few victories but never really had any except for Glimmer and Bow's kidnapping...whom she then basically let escape when she returned Adora's sword to her. She doesn't have the slightest clue how the horde's bureaucracy works when trying to get things done, like simply getting troops armor. Given how much better than her Adora always was and how little she herself has to her name, I wonder is subconsciously Catra believes she doesn't deserve her current position and thus why she's fretting so much over trying to prove herself.

Episode 7: Am I mistaken or did Bow's parents say that he's the youngest of TWELVE siblings? I was going to ask whether Bow was adopted or if his dad's used a surrogate or if maybe there's even just simply magic in She-Ra's world that allows two people of the same sex to have a child together but now I'm just focused on the 12 kids thing. I get nervous just imagining myself having more than one. You should see me when I'm with two cats. I have to pet both of them because I'd feel like I'd be making one feel left out and like the other is the favorite. I'm a mess with kids.

The dad with dreadlocks (Lance?), his design looked familiar to me and I finally realized it reminded me a of a fanart design for a human Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Very different voices between those two characters though.

I wonder if there's any significance to the robot protecting the crystal having the same design as those in the artic in episode 5? Obviously both have the connection to the First Ones but the robot in the forest who was also protecting First Ones' tech had a more insect-like design over these more worm/Graboid ones.

I'm kind of curious what Hordak would have done if Catra had told the truth. Given his interactions with her and Shadow Weaver he doesn't seem like the time to tolerate failure but I suppose the implication here is that he at least would respect those who own up to their failures. Or I suppose more simply he was just testing to see if she would lie to him and since she did there's little merit in keeping her in a position of authority anymore where she could lie about important things again.

Season 2 verdict: Still enjoying it. Another person on this reddit recommended I view seasons 2 and 3 as one since they are basically just one season split in two. I was going to do that but this ended up longer than I thought I would, so I'll just do 2 and 3 separate to keep them semi-organized and easier to read.

I think overall Catra is my favorite character since she has the most interesting backstory, interactions, and just general path through the story out of everyone. She's like Pearl from Steven Universe or, well, Zuko. There's just so much baggage there that she's trying and kind of failing to deal with. I'm always invested in whatever's happening when she's onscreen. Hordak so far is a good big boss villain for Adora to face but Catra is a good archenemy for her.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/o027y3/going_in_blind_watching_season_2_for_the_first/

[aion-rsa]

The Walking Dead Season 11: Who Lives and Who Dies

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This Walking Dead article contains major spoilers.

Many of us thought this day would never come, but as all of The Walking Dead‘s characters know very well, everything that has a beginning has an end. Season 11 of AMC’s flagship zombie drama will be the show’s final run of episodes, but fortunately it’s an expanded season. Fans will get 24 more episodes, broken up into three parts, before the show — and a few of its characters — meets its end.

And it wouldn’t be a season of The Walking Dead without a few big deaths along the way. As we have in past seasons, we’ve made some predictions regarding who will bite the bullet in season 11. For the final time, here are the characters we think are on the chopping block and the ones we believe will live on to remember them after the credits roll on the series finale.

Keep track of all The Walking Dead season 11 deaths below:

DEAD

Roy (C. Thomas Howell)

Prediction: Dies

Result: Dead

Roy took an arrow to the face during a Reaper ambush.

Gage (Jackson Pace)

Prediction: Dies

Result: Dead

Gage stabbed himself in the chest twice, attempting to kill himself before being devoured by walkers in a train car. Zombie Gage was then put down with a shot to the head by Gabriel.

ALIVE

Pope (Ritchie Coster)

Prediction: Dies

I’ve never seen a guy more likely to die in the first half of a Walking Dead season than Pope, the leader of the show’s newest villains, the Reapers, who themselves strike me as filler villains for Maggie and Daryl while the real story at the Commonwealth develops. I assume the Reapers will be out of the picture by the time Alexandria needs to turn its attention to the much larger settlement in the second part of season 11.

Pamela Milton (Laila Robins)

Prediction: Dies

The Governor of the Commonwealth is poised to be the final season’s big bad. A bureaucrat hellbent on preserving the way things were before the zombie outbreak, Milton even established a caste system within her settlement to propagate class inequality. She represents everything that was wrong with the world before the fall of society and the complete anti-thesis of how the Alexandrians do things.

If you’ve read the comics, you know how Pamela’s story ends in Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s story, but the TV series is known for taking sharp left turns when you least expect it. One thing we know for sure is that the Alexandrians will have to reckon with Pamela’s rule before the series finale.

Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton)

Prediction: Dies

A Commonwealth acolyte and bookkeeper of the community, Lance is one of Milton’s chief personnel, helping her run the settlement’s government. He’s also seems like cannon fodder to me as things heat up between the Commonwealth and Alexandria, an early death that could spark a conflict between the two factions.

Mercer (Michael James Shaw)

Prediction: Lives

Mercer is loyal to the Commonwealth but there are more sides to him than his distinct orange military armor lets on. He’s one of the most interesting characters of the comic’s final storyline, and it would be a shame to lose him before we can see his story through.

Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari)

Prediction: Lives

Elijah made his debut in one of the most WTF moments of season 10 when he rescued Aaron and Alden from the Whisperers. For weeks after his reveal, people wondered who the man in the steal mask could be. When he returned in the final six episodes of season 10, the show just kind of moved on without fleshing him out, which is unfortunate since he looks so cool! I’m going to assume that the series is saving a big Elijah-focused episode for later in the season and that he’s too awesome to kill off. You don’t just introduce a blade expert in a steel mask for no reason!

Virgil (Kevin Carroll)

Prediction: Dies

Virgil has a lot to atone for after kidnapping and drugging Michonne in season 10. At the end of the season, we learn that he’s found a disoriented Connie in the woods. His redemption arc will likely include helping Connie survive on the walker-infested road back to Alexandria. Will that eventually involve a final sacrifice to save her?

Connie (Lauren Ridloff)

Prediction: Lives

Connie’s been through a hell of a lot in the past season. After surviving an explosion, a cave-in, and an entire walker horde, Connie’s made it out of Whisperer territory but is still a ways from home. Expect part of season 11’s story to be about Connie’s odyssey and ultimate reunion with her sister and Daryl.

Lydia (Cassady McClincy)

Prediction: Lives

Lydia was at the center of Alexandria’s conflict with the Whisperers for a season and a half. With Alpha and Beta defeated, and their faction all but obliterated, I have to wonder what Lydia has left to do on the show. That said, the writers have continued to find interesting ways to explore this character, and someone has to live on to lead the next generation of Alexandrians. I think Lydia is in it for the long haul.

Magna (Nadia Hilker)

Prediction: Dies

Magna was sidelined pretty quickly after her introduction. While a reunion with Yumiko seems like the logical direction for her story, The Walking Dead universe is a cruel one. She could be headed toward tragedy.

Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura)

Prediction: Lives

In season 11, Yumiko is inheriting a major storyline from the comics that likely means she’ll survive the final 24 episodes of the series. Of course, the TV show could always alter that storyline to bring a tragic end to Yumiko’s story.

Luke (Dan Fogler)

Prediction: Dies

It’s pretty wild that Luke has survived as long as he has. A man of the arts hardly has a place in the cruel world of this show, but he has clumsily persevered thus far. But if the writers are planning an especially bloody final season, I’d put Luke on the short list.

Kelly (Angel Theory)

Prediction: Lives

Kelly has been one of the best late additions to the show. It would suck for her to finally reunite with her sister only to meet an unexpected end.

Alden (Callan McAuliffe)

Prediction: Dies

Another candidate for the chopping block. I’m surprised he’s even made it this long.

King Ezekiel (Khary Payton)

Prediction: Lives

Yes, Ezekiel has thyroid cancer, and were he in Alexandria, that would mean his inevitable death. But the Commonwealth is a different ballgame, an advanced settlement in the comics that will likely have the doctors and surgical resources needed to save him. That is, if Ezekiel isn’t caught up in Milton’s caste system.

Jerry (Cooper Andrews)

Prediction: Dies

I love Jerry and don’t want to see the tank with a heart of gold go. But if the season needs an early death that pulls at the heart strings, Jerry is a prime candidate for a midseason casualty.

Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam)

Prediction: Lives

Gabriel has evolved so much since his debut in season 5, becoming one of Alexandria’s key leaders. He’s come so far and even survived longer than his comic book counterpart. I’d hate to see him go so close to the end. So I’m just going to say he lives.

Aaron (Ross Marquand)

Prediction: Lives

Aaron seemed destined to die seasons ago, too kind and trusting to survive this long. But here he is, still fighting and surviving. He’s lost the man he loves, his arm, and many friends — and it’s all hardened him into a war machine. It’d be a shame for him to die now.

Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos)

Prediction: Lives

In the comics, Rosita’s head ended up on a pike during the Whisperer war, but her TV counterpart has persevered. It’s difficult to predict where her story goes at this point, but since she survived her comic book death, I assume the show’s writers have something in mind for her in season 11.

Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt)

Prediction: Lives

Eugene has become an unlikely protagonist going into season 11. From a mulleted coward hiding behind his intelligence so that others protect him to the Alexandrian leading his people to the Commonwealth, Eugene is central to the plot of the final season, and I think that means he’s safe. Plus, Eugene is hilarious, and The Walking Dead can always use a little comedic relief.

Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming)

Prediction: Lives

Result: Lived

NO.

Rick Grimes Jr. (Antony Azor)

Prediction: Lives

Nah.

Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)

Prediction: Lives

I think The Walking Dead is going to end with one last big death, one last sacrifice before the credits roll on the massive zombie drama. Like Rick in the comics, one of the major characters of the TV series will likely become the martyr who inspires change inside the Commonwealth’s walls. Negan would probably be on the short list for this big moment from the comics, a villain finally choosing to do the right thing for a cause bigger than himself, a fitting conclusion to his seasons-long redemption arc. But Jeffrey Dean Morgan recently teased that he was already having discussions with AMC about a potential Negan spinoff after The Walking Dead has concluded, which means the former Savior leader is safe…unless the Negan show is a prequel.

Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride)

Prediction: Lives

This one’s an easy one: Melissa McBride is getting her own spinoff that will follow her character after The Walking Dead series finale. That means she’s safe.

Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus)

Prediction: Lives

Norman Reedus is joining McBride for that spinoff, so he’s safe, too. The actor even told us what the Daryl and Carol show will be about.

Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan)

Prediction: Dies

That leaves The Walking Dead with one logical choice to pick up Rick’s final storyline from the comic. It’s Maggie. It also makes a bit of sense from a logistical standpoint. Lauren Cohan has already left The Walking Dead universe once before to pursue other small and big screen projects. She’s back for the final 24 episodes of the series as a welcome legacy character but that doesn’t mean Cohan wants to stick around for longer than that. I assume Cohan’s returned to bring closure to her character, not to prepare for a spinoff.

Let us know your predictions for The Walking Dead season 11 in the comments!

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The post The Walking Dead Season 11: Who Lives and Who Dies appeared first on Den of Geek.

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

[mysticalhearth]

K

The King and I - Brazil - 2010 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Tuca Andrada (Rei), Cláudia Netto (Anna Leonowens), Luciana Bueno (Lady Thiang), Bianca Tadini (Tumptim) The King and I - North Shore Music Theatre - September-October, 2011 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Kate Fisher (Anna Leonowens), Lorenzo Lamas (King of Siam), Lisa Yuen (Lady Thiang), Manna Nichols (Tuptim), Joshua Dela Cruz (Lun Tha), Ron Wisniski (Sir Edward Ramsey) NOTES: Proshot. Performed in the round, one camera on a tripod and sound patched in from the soundboard. The King and I - West End Revival - November 29, 2018 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Kelli O’Hara (Anna Leonowens), Ken Watanabe (King of Siam), Ruthie Ann Miles (Lady Thiang), Na-Young Jeon (Tuptim), Dean John-Wilson (Lun Tha), Edward Baker-Duly (Sir Edward Ramsey), Jon Chew (Prince Chulalongkorn), Edward Baker-Duly (Captain Orton), Billy Marlow (Louis Leonowens), Takao Osawa (Kralahome), William Michael Lee (Phra Alack) NOTES: Ruthie uses a walking stick throughout to aid her recovery from a previous car accident and loss of her two children. She gives an amazing performance. King Kong - Broadway - August 10, 2019 FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Christiani Pitts (Ann Darrow), Eric William Morris (Carl Denham), Erik Lochtefeld (Lumpy) NOTES: The full show, recorded from the rear orchestra on a phone. Most of the video is the August 10th recording but occasionally some promotional footage and the February 9th video are edited in to provide other views. The recording starts off with a lot of wandering, shakiness, and washout but gets better somewhat better as it goes on. Still not as good as an actual video filmed with a camera, but it exists. 1920x1080p, 4.29 GB. King Kong - Broadway - October, 2018 (Preview) (House-Cam's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Christiani Pitts (Ann Darrow), Eric William Morris (Carl Denham), Erik Lochtefeld (Lumpy), Harley Jay (Barman), Rory Donovan (Captain Engelhorn/Chief of Police), Jon Hoche (Voice of Kong) NOTES: Full stage shot with clear audio direct from soundboard. Kinky Boots - Broadway - March 15, 2013 (Preview) (Lanelle's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Stark Sands (Charlie Price), Billy Porter (Lola), Annaleigh Ashford (Lauren), Celina Carvajal (Nicola), Daniel Stewart Sherman (Don), Marcus Neville (George), Jonah Halperin (s/b Young Charlie), Marquise Neal (Young Lola) NOTES: Fun show with a pertinent (but not obtrusive) message, Billy Porter is just amazing. This is somewhat more obstructed than other shows because the person in front was leaning forward and moving a lot, so there's a head in some of the scenes. Some shakiness and wandering in between, particularly at the beginning, but otherwise a good video with nice closeups. Complete show including curtain call. A- Kinky Boots - Broadway - July 17, 2018 (NYCG8R's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: David Cook (Charlie Price), Stephane Duret (s/b Lola), Carrie St Louis (Lauren), Caroline Bowman (Nicola), Daniel Stewart Sherman (Don), Marcus Neville (George), Corey Mach (Harry), Eugene Barry-Hill (Simon Sr.), Stephen Berger (Mr. Price), Adinah Alexander (Milan Stage Manager), Cooper Lantz (Young Charlie), Jesús Del Orden (Young Lola) NOTES: Quite a few latecomers that walk in front but nothing too distracting; otherwise very well filmed HD video with clear picture and sound throughout; great video A Kinky Boots - Broadway - May-August, 2017 FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Brendon Urie (Charlie Price), J Harrison Ghee (Lola), Taylor Louderman (Lauren) NOTES: Starts at Sex is in the Heel Kinky Boots - First National Tour - April 17, 2016 (SJ Bernly's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Adam Kaplan (Charlie Price), J Harrison Ghee (Lola), Tiffany Engen (Lauren), Charissa Hogeland (Nicola), Aaron Walpole (Don), Jim J Bullock (George), Josh Tolle (Harry), Shawna M Hamic (Trish), Horace V Rogers (Simon Sr.), Tom Souhrada (Mr. Price), Zach Adkins (Richard Bailey), Patty Lohr (Pat), Annie Edgerton (Milan Stage Manager), Aidan Passaro (Young Charlie), Jomil Elijah Robinson (Young Lola) Kinky Boots - Netherlands Tour - October 27, 2019 FORMAT:  MOV (HD) CAST: Jonathan Demoor (Charlie Price), Naidjim Severina (Lola), Vajèn van den Bosch (Lauren), Linda Verstraten (Nicola), Dennis Willekens (Don), Paul Donkers (George), Jeroen Phaff (Mr. Price) Kinky Boots - Pre-Broadway/Chicago - November 4, 2012 (Closing Night) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Stark Sands (Charlie Price), Billy Porter (Lola), Annaleigh Ashford (Lauren), Celina Carvajal (Nicola), Daniel Stewart Sherman (Don), Marcus Neville (George), Andy Kelso (Harry), Jennifer Perry (Trish), Tory Ross (Pat) NOTES: Another beautiful HD capture of the last performance in Chicago before Broadway, where it would go on to win the 2013 Tony. This performance has many changes from the other Chicago Dvd of the first performance. Includes the new song written towards the end of the Chicago run and many line changes. Also includes curtain speech by Stark! A+   Kinky Boots - UK Tour - December 26, 2018 (Matinee) (shoeroom's master) FORMAT:  MOV (HD) CAST: Joshua St Clair (u/s Charlie Price), Kayi Ushe (Lola), Paula Lane (Lauren), Helen Ternent (Nicola), Demitri Lampra (Don), Adam Price (George), Daniel Conway (u/s Harry), Niki Evans (Trish), Fred Smiley (Simon Sr.), Andy Watkins (Mr. Price), George Grayson (u/s Richard Bailey), Lizzie Bea (Pat), Mary Fox (Maggie), Shaun Dalton (Hooch), Alfie Parker (Mutt), Portia Harry (Gemma Louise), Scarlet Gabriel (Milan Stage Manager), John Dempsey (Referee), Connor Collins (Angel #1), Toyan Thomas-Brown (Angel #2), John Dempsey (Angel #3), Chileshé Mondelle (Angel #4), Joshua Lovell (Angel #5), Damon Gould (Angel #6) Kinky Boots - UK Tour - September, 2018 (hitmewithyourbethshot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Joel Harper-Jackson (Charlie Price), Callum Francis (Lola), Paula Lane (Lauren), Helen Ternent (Nicola), Demitri Lampra (Don), Adam Price (George), Joshua St Clair (Harry), Niki Evans (Trish), Fred Smiley (Simon Sr.), Andy Watkins (Mr. Price), Daniel Conway (Richard Bailey), Lizzie Bea (Pat), Scarlet Gabriel (Milan Stage Manager), Connor Collins (Angel #1), John Dempsey (Angel #2), Damon Gould (Angel #3), Joshua Lovell (Angel #4), Chileshé Mondelle (Angel #5), Toyan Thomas-Brown (Angel #6) Kinky Boots - West End - November 27, 2018 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Killian Donnelly (Charlie Price), Matt Henry (Lola), Natalie McQueen (Lauren), Cordelia Farnworth (Nicola), Sean Needham (Don), Antony Reed (George), Jordan Fox (Harry), Anna Stolli (Trish), Robert Grose (Simon Sr.), Graham Kent (Mr. Price), Jonathan Carlton (Richard Bailey), Rosie Glossop (Pat), Emma Odell (Milan Stage Manager), Charlie Underhill (Young Charlie), Temba Mliswa (Young Lola), Jak Allen-Anderson (Angel #1), Jed Berry (Angel #2), Louis Clarke-Clare (Angel #3), Daniel Downing (Angel #4), Jemal Felix (Angel #5), Jon Reynolds (Angel #6), Abbey Addams, Ben Jennings, Ben Larcombe, Christopher Parkinson, David Haydn, Fred Wilcox, Hannah Price, Jude Muir, Kayleb Rene-gray, Keith Higham, Momar Diagne, Olivia Winterflood, Rio Lewis, Robert Jones, Samson Wakayu, Suzie McAdam, Tom Scanlon NOTES: Pro-shot. Filmed live on stage at the Adelphi Theatre (London, England) and distributed commercially. Kiss Me, Kate - British Television Production - April 21, 1964 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Patricia Morison (Lilli Vanessi / Katharine), Howard Keel (Fred Graham / Petruchio), Isabelle Lucas (Hattie), Millicent Martin (Lois Lane / Bianca), Irving Davies (Bill Calhoun / Lucentio), Eric Barker (Harrison Howell), Danny Green (Gangster / First Man), Bill Owen (Gangster / Second Man) NOTES: This version was rewritten and abbreviated to fit within its 95-minute time slot. A little on the dark side, in black and white with a slight blue tinge, has producer’s counter numbers hard-coded on the screen in the upper third. This version of the show was produced for the launch of a new station in the UK. After months of preparing the launch of the new television station—with it’s brand-new 625 line resolution (until then UK TV’s had a resolution of 405 lines)—the night turned out to be a disaster. 50 minutes before the launch, a fire broke out at a local power station, cutting power to most of London but not the television station. They started the evening’s news show which was to be followed by this broadcast, but it soon became clear that there was no audience, and after a few minutes, the schedule was abandoned. The production was instead shown the next day. The date that’s superimposed on the video is April 20, 1964—the originally scheduled night. It is unclear if this is a fi Kiss Me, Kate - Third Broadway Revival - March, 2019 (NYCG8R's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Kelli O’Hara (Lilli Vanessi / Katharine), Will Chase (Fred Graham / Petruchio), Adrienne Walker (Hattie), James T Lane (Paul), Stephanie Styles (Lois Lane / Bianca), Corbin Bleu (Bill Calhoun / Lucentio), Mel Johnson Jr (Harry Trevor / Baptista), Terence Archie (Harrison Howell), John Pankow (Gangster / First Man), Lance Coadie Williams (Gangster / Second Man) Kruimeltje de musical - The Netherlands - 2012 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Joes Brauers (Kruimeltje)

[zero2heroyesindeed]

So Tangled the series ends in just a few hours.

What can I say about this show, this wonderful wonderful show. I still remember my reaction to that first promo image in 2015 and being excited since this was the first Disney movie to series spin off in years and with how much the landscape of tv animation had changed in that time (much more focus on overarching stories and continuous, in-depth character arcs) it would no doubt be interesting to see. I remember everyone HATING that the hair was back but I didn’t mind as long as it made sense and was part of a good story and OH MY WAS IT PART OF A GOOD STORY.

Tangled the series is a show that somehow feels like it’s been around forever yet also feels like it’s not been around long at all. I watched Before Ever After the day it came out and same with What the Hair. A few months later I binged from Rapunzel’s enemy to Max’s enemy and fell in love with this show. The stunning art style and flowing animation, the respect and attention put into making the returning characters feel exactly as we remember them while also perfectly integrating every new character flawlessly into the world. The show completely eclipsed the original movie in every possible way in my opinion. And it only got better the further we got into this story and lore.

Instead of continuing on about how amazing this show is and how grateful I am for it’s existence as both a Disney obsessed teen and animation fan and I just wanna sing the praises of the crew, there are countless posts more we’ll put together than mine that accomplish that. So what i’m gonna do is instead throw it all the way back to the first season and go in chronological order and pin point the 10 most important moments in the series as a fandom. These are not the most emotional or impactful moments, just things that were a huge deal in the fandom.

1: Life After Happily Ever After

The first ever real impression of the series we got and an indication of what a ride we would be in for. Bringing in Alan Menkin to continue writing the music showed just how far this show was going to go to create the most faithful continuation as possible. It was also the introduction to our precious Cass and showed Eugene getting ready for the first of many proposals we would see throughout the series.

2: Eugene and Rapunzel talk after the coronation disaster

Who could ever forget when Rapunzel and Eugene officially became the most developed and healthy Disney couple. This was basically the moment most people fell in love with the series and it’s not hard to see why. Tangled the Series wasn’t just cute Princess hijinks with some action thrown in, it took it’s characters and their relationships seriously in a way now Disney show had ever done up to that point and could be mature. Rapunzel asking Eugene to be patient with her to this day still gives me chills and showed the direction this show was taking Rapunzel’s character and we were all along for the ride.

3: Rapunzel dreams of Gothel

OOH BOY this moment. While the fandom was still relatively small by this point this moment sent everyone into an absolute frenzy. While Before Ever After featured mentions of the Sun Flower and the King’s ptsd of losing Rapunzel, this was when the flood gates opened for all the angst and tears. Rapunzel’s trauma of the tower and Gothel’s treatment of her were not gonna be glossed over, they would be explored in excruciating detail which to this day is still one of the greatest elements of the series. Just because Gothel is gone doesn’t mean the 18 years of abuse she put Rapunzel through magically heals (pun intended).

4: Varian’s introduction

I don’t even need to say anything for this one. It’s Varian. (gonna be honest. It is 3am in my corner of the globe and I am struggling to find the energy to keep writing this much, so we’re just gonna rush through the rest of these).

5: Big Brothers of Corona/ aka Eugene is a perfect human being

This was the episode that cemented Eugene as one of my favourite Disney characters of all time. I can not count how many times I have rewatched the ending to this one alone. But it was also a fantastic episode for developing Lance’s character and integrating him as part of the shows main cast moving forward despite this only being his second appearance. Also I forgot how small Red and Angry (or the girls formally known as Red and Angry) were.

6: You promised!

This is still my favourite callback to the movie the show ever did. To me Rapunzel saying she never breaks a promise in the original movie feels out of place. Like Rapunzel keeping her promises was going to be a huge part of the story early in development and that line is just a reminant of that draft that should’ve really been taken out. But I don’t care because it gave us this beautiful moment. Also this moment cemented Nigel as my most hated character on the show.

7: “Difficult decisions are what make us who we are”

I can’t with this scene and just how brilliant this episode was at dealing with the fall out of Queen For a Day and how crucial it was to Rapunzel’s character development in retrospective. Everything she has done in season 3 and every action she has taken can be tied back directly to what she learned in this moment. If that ain’t good story telling then I don’t know what is.

8: The Tower Falls

I’m just gonna say it. This is my favourite scene from the series. Everything in this moment is perfection. The music, the staging, the visuals, the emotion. It all builds to an absolutely devastating climax as Rapunzel watches her childhood home crumble to the ground leaving behind one pieces of the walls she used to paint on. If wanna frame the moment Rapunzel starts tearing up as the tower collapses and display it on my mantle because I love it so much.

9: Rapunzel reaches her limit

I couldn’t finish this episode for hours after seeing this first scene. Rapunzel finally took a stand against her father and I was just making inaudible gasps throughout my first time watching it. Then there’s that bombshell at the end where Raps compares her father’s actions to that of Gothel’s that never fails to shake me to my very core no matter how many times I rewatch it.

10: Ready As I’ll Ever Be

What? We’re you expecting the biggest song this show was turned out to not make the list? I mean it was the first time Tangled the series was able to get the attention of those outside the fan base and hooked so many people into checking the show out. This was the moment Tangled the series just left the movie in the dust and from there it just kept pushing further and further with each season.

Not really sure how I should end this. I am very emotional and very tired but I refuse to go to sleep. I am staying up until this finale drops because I am not going to go to sleep knowing i’ll wake up in a world where Tangled the Series is over. This show is a once in a lifetime experience that is in my top 5 television shows of all time. It might not have had the legacy of Phineas and Ferb or the popularity of Gravity Falls but it had so much love, energy and passion behind it and you can tell everyone making this show loved it just as much as we did. I’ll probably end up doing lists like this for season 2 and 3 when I get around to binging the entire Tangled franchise (which will probably be around Summer).

Thank you to the indescribably talented crew of writers, animators, designers, and directors (and I am so sorry if I missed any other positions out but you are all so amazing). Thank you Mandy and Zach for giving your voices to Rapunzel and Eugene and letting us explore their life after Happily Ever After and letting their journey continue. Thank you Eden, Jeremy and James for bringing life to Cass, Varian and Lance who expanded the world of Tangled and felt like perfect additions to the main cast. Thank you Alan Menkin and Glen Slater for continuing to write phenomenal music and putting in your all for something you clearly didn’t even need to do in the first place. Every piece of music for this show has left me breathless (and not just from belting Waiting in the Wings to myself). This 3 year Journey has been simply sensational and I can’t wait to see how it all ends.

Next stop anywhere!