#Also willy wonka is on our crew . | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

shhtickerbook · 9 months ago

Note

Hi, I really like the Wonka movie and love the idea of Willy being a regressor. Could you do a scenario where he's at his shop but suddenly gets trigger and regresses?

Bittersweet

thank you so much for the request! Sorry it took a while.

Trigger warning for panic attacks, mild injury description and detailed descriptions of a trauma trigger

This fic takes place where all of the The Scrub crew are all aware of Willys regression, post movie. Also in my own AU, Their found family decide to remain close to eachother and stay in town to help with the new shop / factory.

At last the rebuilt shop had been restored, it had taken time , much longer than it had previously. For a while Wonka could hardly bare to look at it, seeing everything he worked so hard for so destroyed. But with the help of his friends and new family, they managed to restore it to her former glory. It was even improved beyond its previous, with the chocolate cherry blossom bearing a prismatic array of leaves and petals. It was somehow even more perfect than before.

Everything was going perfect that day, sales were inclining everyday. Abacus becoming chief financial advisor of the store, with the Money he had earned he was able to move both his Wife and Granddaughter to come live with him here. They were all thriving brilliantly with this new future to come.

Noodle was attending a grammar school now, but every day she would come racing to the store to help out. She was busy stocking the shelves of chocolate boxes, when she saw Willy strolling down the lane, cane swinging. Sometimes he just had to take it all in around him again, grinning at this dream he’d made come true.

“We’ve only got a few of the deluxe boxes on display Willy, they were pretty popular and they probably won’t last too long.”

Willy hopped over to take a look, the truffles in question had been increasingly popular. But it shouldn’t be a problem, he had a machine upstairs that was busy pumping out more. They had been closed for some refurbishment for a little while, but at last reopening to the public, and he couldn’t be more excited. Willy made sure to make some a quick patrol around the shop, checking in with each of his friends who were working in their own stations.

“Willy get a look at this! It’s done”

Piper called over in a sing song voice, she was busy tinkering away at a panel by the moat that surrounded the chocolate tree. Before there was just the small boat that mechanically spun around in a circuit, but this time Piper and Willy had put their heads together to something much more magic. With her mastery in plumbing, she turned a wheel until a pipe burst open into the moat. Wonkas finest melted chocolate streaming out, this time the boat needing no mechanism to cycle around. It was a perfect chocolate river spiralling around the tree, Willy whooping in excitement.

“It’s perfect!”

With clasped hands and a grin, before Piper put her arm around the chocolatier with a firm pat on the back. It was great timing too, the clock rang for 9:00am. Abacus checking his own pocket watch to be sure before calling out.

“Alright, any minute now we’re going to be open to the public again. And if my findings are correct I think it will be even busier than last time! Oh and noodle, Uniform?.”

He looked over at her with a raised eyebrow, noticeably lacking the blush pink outfit. Noodle just chuckling before holding up her bag, a flash of pink fabric poking out like a flag. It had been Willy who designed such garments, everyone at first was a little unsure with how�� flamboyant they were. But they quickly warmed up to them, even Abacus.

Willy just couldn’t wait for the customers to arrive, sitting himself by the glass to peer through into the gallery gourmet. In the distance seeing a cloud or people making their way up. With a smile he stood up, adjusting his new scarf over his coat, before opening the front doors.

“Welcome one and all again to the renewed Wonkas chocolate!”

The new grand opening was going splendidly, the chocolate river canal proving to be quite the money maker too. Only a sovereign a ride, and it created quite a line for it that wound around the shop. Which meant those waiting in line had a perfect view of everything they had on sale.

Willy had the opportunity to unveil one of his newest creations too, the everlasting gobstopper. A hard candy In which never gets smaller, no matter how much and how long you sucked on it. (Lofty had been testing one for nearly a month now)

The prismatic coloured candy was stacked into a pyramid in its new display, Noodle working the station. They were making the most money they had ever had, but that didn’t matter much to Willy. What mattered to him was being able to share his joy and magic with those willing to indulge. And this time he didn’t have the chocolate cartel to worry about, his shop was bound to become the star of the Gallery Gourmet.

“Oi Mr Wonka!”

Willy was alerted by a boy tugging on his tail coat, turning to see a familiar face. It was the young shoe shine lad he had been stopped by multiple times on his first day here.

“Where are them swirly chocolate things? Me Mam loves them.”

Willy chuckled, surprised that the boy wasn’t trying to proposition him with a shoe shine or a brush of his coat. He already had chocolate smeared across his mouth, clearly been at the free samples.

“The chocolate truffles I think you’re referring to, are just over by the display over there young man. But try and save some for your Mother though”

Willy pointed his cane in the direction of the now dwindling boxes of truffles. The boy giving him a doff of his cap before turning on heel, Willy returning it with his own top hat. He decided to go check in with Abacus, he was just finishing up with a customer. The cashier ringing joyfully as he dropped coins inside, Abacus just couldn’t believe how much they were making.

“I’d say we’ve already made double of what he did last time Willy, especially with the new gobstoppers.”

Willy grinned, everything just felt so perfect. With the extra money, he planned to raise his friend’s wages. And although she wasn’t aware, Willy had begun to collect a fund. One for Noodle, he had already promised her a lifetime of chocolate. But with the girls smarts and potential, he wanted her to have most in life. The money was for her future, if she wanted to pursue any kind of career. She had done so much for her, he wanted to do the very same for her own future.

Before he could respond, a scream cut through their conversation. The sudden noise startling Willy, almost feeling his stomach drop into his shoes. Over on the other side of the store, a crowd had grown around a young boy. A boy who was red in the face, spluttering and choking. The exact boy that Willy had spoken to just moments ago.

Abacus immediately dropped what he was doing, racing over and pushing through the crowd. Willy knew he should follow, make sure the boy was alright. It was his store, the owner.

But he didn’t, he stood there completely catatonic.

No, no. Not again, it can't happen again.

In preparation for the new opening, Willy had obsessively checked and taste tested each product. So much so that he’d gone to bed with an exceptionally sore stomach. Everything was safe, he was sure everything was safe. Abacus, Lottie and Noodle were all kneeling by the young man, Before Abacus called out.

“Call for an ambulance-“

The shop itself was spinning, and it wasn’t just the chocolate canal ride. Willy was sure that the ground itself was falling away beneath him. An ambulance? Before it had just been multicoloured hair growth or green skin pigmentation, nothing life threatening. Nothing ever in need of any medical attention.

What had he done? It’s not as if the chocolate cartel could be involved like last time. It was his fault, it had to be his fault. He felt sick, face turned white as a sheet. He lost track of how long he’d been staring, but Noodle had noticed him through the crowd and immediately ran to her elder brother figure once the boy was being taken away.

“Willy? Willy!”

She tried to get his attention, but the chocolatiers eyes were fixed ahead. His lips were trembling with his head shaking, it was scaring her. She tried her best to reassure him, knowing what he’d be thinking.

“It’s okay, Willy you didn’t-“

He broke eye contact with the scene, looking down at her with his head shaking even more violently. His eyes flooded with tears as he began to step backwards, almost like a frightened animal.

“No, nono. Not again it can’t happen- won’t happen again”

He started mumbling out almost psychotically, flinching away from noodle when she tried to touch him. Both arms up with his hands and fingers flicking in panic. It was all his fault, that young boy might even die because he had done something wrong. He had no one to blame this time, what would mamma think?

He couldn’t hear anything around him anymore, it was just static. Everything was spinning and blurring, stumbling and tripping over things as he continued to backtrack. He needed to get away, he was a coward. A coward in which had probably killed or seriously injured a child with his stupid dreams.

Noodle tried again desperately to get his attention, waving a hand in his face. It was terrifying, he didn’t look like himself. He just continued to mutter and whimper to himself, his head shaking so hard that it may pop off his shoulders. She tried to hold onto his hand again but he recoiled away in disgust like she was diseased. No matter what she was saying, it wasn’t getting through.

“Willy! You’re scaring me, let me explain-“

But he wasn’t listening, holding his hands close up to his chest protectively. His cane clattering loudly to the ground, now without his mobility aid as he kept stepping back.

He needed to get away, now. Gasping for air, he stumbled backwards, feeling for the door into the backroom of the store. But he felt into midair instead, losing his balance and crashing into one of the shelves instead.

He yelped out in surprise, the back of his head hitting wood as a one of the glass jars wobbled from its shelving before crashing down over him. The further stimulation only worsening Willys condition. Noodle screamed and attempted to grab onto him before he fell, but couldn’t in time. Shards of glass and candy fell about him like snowflakes, But Wonka hardly noticed, far too panicked and overstimulated to care about any pain.

The commotion attracted even more attention in the shop, customers looking over to see the owner sitting in a pile of glass shards. As quickly as it happened, Willy somehow managed to get back to his feet, splintering his hands and arms with the glass in panic. In a rush he managed to pull open the back door and escape from everything. Behind him he could hear people calling his name, but unable to differentiate whether it was his friends or angry rioting customers. Noodle just stood there, not sure if she should follow. Deciding instead to enlist some support before attempting to talk with him like this.

Willy’s legs felt like jelly, so he didn’t make it very far. Falling into a heap on the floor, before gasping desperately for air. He couldn’t breathe properly, tears pouring down his face before he burst into sobs. Every single terrible outcome and scenario was racing around Wonkas brain. Did he not check the ingredients correctly? What if the boy wasn’t the only one in distress? They would for sure close down the store, maybe even arrest him. It was all his fault, it was happening all over again and there was nothing he could do about it.

Once the child was loaded into the ambulance, the employees of Wonkas Chocolate thought it best to close up shop for today. Abacus had spoken with the ambulance attendant, who had assured him that the boy was going to be alright. It was a huge relief to everybody, and although fellow customers seemed a little unsettled by the event, it was no where near like the angry mob from before. The only irritation coming from the announcement of their early closure. Both Abacus and Piper were guiding shoppers out the front door when Noodle approached both of them, looking extremely distressed.

“It’s Willy, he’s- he’s not okay”

Wonka was still so deep into a panic attack, so that when the door opened and his friends entered, he hardly noticed.

Noodle gasped at the sight of him, his cut up hands from the glass had begun to bleed horribly over his hands and arms, ruining his velvet jacket. The chocolatier was curled up into a ball, hyperventilating between cries.

Noodle couldn’t help but hold onto Pipers hand, she wasn’t good with blood. Benz squeezed her hand back reassuringly, they all too often forgot she was still a child herself. So Abacus approached first, kneeling in front of the panicked boy.

“Willy, it’s alright. It’s not what you think. The boy is going to be okay.”

But It didn’t seem like Abacus’ words were getting through, He had to physically take ahold of Willys hands before he would any pay attention, his bloodshot eyes snapping up. It hurt his heart to see him like this.

“He— is. Okay?”

Willy managed to choke out between gasps, Noodle pulled away from piper to sit on the floor too, a hand comfortingly on his knee as she looked with concern. Willy Wonka was the strongest person she’d ever met, seeing him like this, it was scary.

“Yeah Willy, he just had a peanut allergy-“

Willy blinked hard, shaking his head again.

“Bb-ut I mmade a sign- i forgot to put them up?”

He began to spiral yet again, he did remember creating such labels, as it was Noodles idea. He thought it terrible luck for those who had such afflictions. But he wanted to include everyone to enjoy his creations as much as he could. With plenty of his other treats being free from such ingredients. They were even placed on the other side of the store especially to reduce any cross contamination. Had he forgotten to properly label something?

“Seems the young chap just wasn’t paying too much attention, just grabbing at any free sample he could find. It’s not your fault.”

Abacus gently rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb, before sucking through his teeth at the state of them. Willy was struggling to process this new information, his body and brain had already accepted the fact that this was all his fault.

“You need to breath Willy, in and out”

Noodle demonstrated, breathing in and blowing gently out onto his hot teary face. Willy looked up, still taking in short shallow breaths. He attempted to follow her guide, but halfway fell back into the hyperventilation.

“It’s okay buddy, try again”

Piper had come to kneel down too, smiling sadly at the sorry sight of him. It was strange seeing such a positive character so distraught. It ended up taking quite few minutes for the breathing exercises to help, with Willy leaning against Abacus as he did his best to follow his friends instructions.

At last the hyperventilation had slowed but Willy was still shaking. Biting down hard on his lower lip, tears continuing to cascade down his cheeks silently. Clicking his tongue sympathetically, Abacus pat his shaking knee. It was clearly going to take a little while for Willy to accept that this wasn’t his fault.

“You’ve had a bit of a fright, haven’t you?”

He couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by his overreaction. But even with the reassurance that the boy would be alright, the anxiety was still lingering like little bugs racing up and down his skin. He was also beginning to feel that fuzzy sensation in his head again. It was like the scare had flipped a switch in his head, so he just nodded mournfully.

“Oh you poor lad”

Abacus tutted sympathetically, turning his attention to the injuries too. Gently lifting his arms to peer at them, surface wounds thankfully yet still very painful looking.

At least those could be easily fixed. Then turned to Piper with a knowing look, both of them having the same suspicion of his seemingly regressive headspace.

“We best get him upstairs to the flat, would you mind Benz?”

The woman nodded, before patting Noodle on the shoulder. Who was still staring at Willy with concern and anxiety.

“Hey noodle, how about you go help Larry and Lottie wrap up the store? We’ll take care of Willy”

Noodle wasn’t sure at first, looking back at her friend who was still in quite an upset state. but she was a little grateful for the opportunity. Seeing Willy so traumatised and bloody wasn’t an easy thing for a 13 year old to look at, especially when it was somebody she loved so much. So she quickly lunged forward to hug him tight, bearing in mind to be gentle around his arms. Even in the hug she could feel him shaking still, Willy only managing to weakly return it. When she stood up to leave she hesitated for a moment, watching as Abacus helped him onto his jittering legs.

“We’ll get him all sorted dear, you go help with the store..”

Abacus reassured her, Nodding after one more hesitant glance. She trusted them to look after Willy, they all cared for him so.

“Now then, let’s get you upstairs.”

Piper held the chocolatier up, watching how his legs were knocked kneed like a newborn fawn. Holding an arm over him to help him move on forward.

“Mmsorry”

Willy mumbled. Although he could sense the obvious regression taking its hold, he felt like such a silly burden. But when he they came up to his spiral staircase to his flat, he couldn’t help but moan. His stupid legs felt completely useless, almost like they were made from gummy candy.

“It’s okay buddy, but I don’t think these stairs are gonna be the smartest plan for you right now”

Before he could respond, he yelped as he was lifted up, then being settled on the plumbers hip. Seeing her grin mischievously as she held him steady. Willys face burning in surprise, but the action just made him feel even more fuzzy.

“How can someone who eats mainly chocolate be so little? He’s like a bird?”

Piper hushed over Willy to Abacus, who just chuckled at the comment.

“Little I think is definitely the correct adjective for right now, the poor boy's had such a fright"

There was a part of Willy that wanted to object to the accusation that he was feeling little, but even he knew they were likely right. He needed it terribly. And now that the adrenaline of everything was fading, he could truly feel the pain in his arms. Eyes widening in fear when taking actual sight of them, he didn’t like blood.

So he just squeezed his eyes shut right, pushing his head into pipers shoulder. The woman in question looking over at Abacus at the action, lips pursed at just how adorable this was. If it weren’t for such a bad situation, she would be skipping in joy. Why Willy had decided to implement such a fancy staircase (when he often needed his cane) was beyond them. Sometimes the chocolatier forgot about practicality, always wanting the extravaganza.

At last they made it upstairs to a landing, Abacus opening the mahogany door into Wonkas flat. The inside was extremely cosy, its interior inspired from his old canal boat home from when he was a child. A sloped curved ceiling with lots of warm colours and carved wooden decor. It was pretty simple and homey, the kitchenette and lounge taking up the room. A very large window looked down below to the gallery gourmet, with a small workshop set up against it, an ornate machine churning out singular chocolates. Then finally Willy’s bed up a few steps to an upper level of the room itself.

There was were two other doors on either side of the reasonably size room, one normal one leading to a bathroom. The other door abnormally small? Only around a metre in height. But that didn’t matter just now, the pair walking further inside before Piper settled Willy down on the couch.

“There we go, home and safe now.”

She comforted, hating how fragile and anxious he seemed. The presence of his home brought some comfort though, Willy reaching out to stroke the ribbed corduroy fabric of his lounge. Not before Abacus quickly lifted his hands away in alarm.

“Ah-ah! I’m sorry Willy but I will not have you smearing blood into that furniture”

He chastised only gently, the pale pink fabric being very easy to stain, and even harder to wash out.

“Wasn’t gonna..”

Willy mumbled, but his eyes did widen when he peered at his injured hands again. They were starting to really sting now, and he could catch the shiny glint of glass that was still imbedded.

“I should hope not, that chaise lounge just so happens to be one of my favourite pieces of decor in this accommodation”

A sharp pertinent voice cut through, not before Piper let out a yelp in surprise. Standing between them was a very small orange man, who just rolled his eyes at the reaction.

“Oh please Ms Benz, you have squealed many times at my presence. I’m tired of being revered like a mouse around a circus elephant”

The Oompa Loompa was holding an empty teacup in hand, he was only departing from his own room to tidy it away. Not expecting the flat to suddenly be busy with uninvited guests.

“Well if I’m the ‘circus elephant’ in that analogy, I’d be careful I don’t send you through that window with the kick of my boot.”

Piper threatened, stamping her foot in his direction. She wasn’t so keen on Lofty, his uptight attitude drove her up the wall. And she still hadn’t got used to his small presence, maybe it was because when he was a child she used to have nightmares and a very irrational fear of gnomes of all things.

Abacus himself also was a little surprised by the little orange man’s entrance, but was able to behave more tactfully than Piper. He’d only spoken with Lofty very little, the Oompa Loompa preferring much more to stay to himself with his job in the tasting department.

“Now would somebody care to explain what has happened here?”

Lofty came to the front to peer at Willy, grimacing at the sight of his injury. But he was even more curious about the strange manner that Wonka seemed to be in. Willy had tucked his knees to his chest as he anxiously flicked his fingers, he certainly wasn’t his usual overly positive and often irritating self.

“We had a bit of a situation in the shop, poor lad went into anaphylaxis. He’s going to be alright, but Willy here got quite the fright”

Lofty raised his eyebrows, it still didn’t quite explain the bloody arms though. But the possibility of that lounge being stained was his main concern.

“I’ll go fetch my first aid kit before he gets blood on anything else in here that I have the slightest attachment to.”

Lofty said with mild disgust before turning on heel to his room. Willy himself still looked pretty miserable, but more exhausted than anything. Piper just wanted to scoop the boy up into her lap and squeeze him tight, although she wasn’t sure if it would be appreciated right now. The group was then startled for a moment from a noise clearly coming from downstairs, a creaking metal noise.

“BENZ! WE TRIED TO TURN THE CHOCOLATE VALVE OFF BUT ITS NOW STUCK AT MAX PRESSURE”

A whiny yell came out clearly from a distressed Larry chucklesworth who had turned the chocolate river valve in the wrong direction, doubling its pressure as it pumped out melted chocolate.

“For Petes sake! I’m coming you idiot!.”

Piper sighed out in exasperation, pinching her brow. She had specifically told everybody not to touch it, she was still sorting out all the kinks. She did catch a small giggle coming from Willy though, happy to see at least it had made him smile.

“I better go sort out that mess downstairs, you be good for Abacus and that sunburnt gnome”

She leant down and gave him a peck on the cheek, wishing she could spend some more time with the little chocolatier. Turning Willys face bright pink, unable to hide a smile at the affection. As Piper turned to leave, she had to quickly jump at the arrival of Lofty yet again. Whom arms were filled with a leather first aid kit, rolling his eyes at the woman who quite nearly flattened him beneath her boots.

“If you could please move to the floor, I’m not risking anything with that lounge.”

Lofty demanded, Looking up at the two remaining men as best he could from behind the first aid case. Willy obeyed and slid down to the floor, sitting crosslegged. His head was feeling very fuzzy now, and he looked up at abacus with whine, wanting him to sit too.

“I think I’ll just sit here if you don’t mind Lad, I don’t think I could get back up from the floor if I sat down”

Abacus chuckled, perching instead on the couch. But still kept a comforting hand on his shoulder, gently massaging back and forth to soothe him. Lofty had been watching the interaction with a raised brow, something was certainly going on. So as he began to unpack some supplies, he bluntly questioned.

“Alright, if I could be informed of what’s going on right here, it would be very much appreciated. I’m quite positive this reaction is far beyond than a child choking on a peanut, especially with those injuries of which still nobody has explained how they came to be.”

He curtly asked, whilst pulling out some bandages, gentian violet and some tweezers for those glass shards. Abacus awkwardly cleared his throat, looking over at Willy whose face had darkened. Although the Oompa Loompa had been residing with him for a while now, his regression was something that he hadn’t yet disclosed with him. Although all his friends had been amazingly supportive and loving, it was still a very peculiar topic to try and explain. Lofty was already quite judgemental most of the time, what if he found this weird and gross?

Willy brought his knees up to his chest anxiously, staying silent in a panic. He didn’t want Lofty to hate him. But he felt a gentle squeeze on his shoulder, Abacus smiling kindly.

“Would you like me to explain?”

He suggested, especially since it seemed the boy wasn’t feeling so verbal right now. Willy looked up and thought about it for a moment, before giving him a nod. He didn’t know how to put his words right for this. All the while Lofty has continued to observe the interaction, shoe tapping on the floor impatiently.

“Alright, i believe you should know regardless as you share a residency with Willy. Sometimes when he gets overwhelmed, Mr Wonka finds it a little hard to stay grown.”

Abacus carefully explained to the little orange man across from him, who frowned in confusion.

“Grown? I can’t see any sign of him shrinking in size, he looked to be the same height as before since I last checked.”

The Oompa Loompa positioned both hands into a viewfinder over the chocolatier, nope, still the same size. Abacus couldn’t help but laugh at the misunderstanding, wishing this could be easier to explain.

“No not in physical size, more like he feels a little younger. Where he needs a little extra care and support, like a child.”

At this point Willy wanted to sink through the floor, not daring to check the Oompa Loompas facial expression. Instead picking at the fabric of his slacks, the small bigger part of him wanted to end this conversation and say that Abacus was just talking utter nonsense, but he didn’t have the energy to do so. He was tired, all he wanted was for his arms to stop hurting and for someone to hold him for a while.

“So what you’re saying that Mr Wonka here regresses to infancy when unsettled?”

Lofty questioned the man, it was difficult to discern his tone. After all, most of the time when he spoke it sounded as if you had offended him in some way. But when he looked at the mannerisms and body language of Willy, he certainly seemed very different than usual.

“Well, when you put it bluntly. Yes you’re correct, but I hope that you won’t be too judgemental. This is something Mr Wonka cannot help, and we shouldn’t be cruel about it.”

Abacus’s voice began to become colder as he finished his sentence, it wasn’t something Willy was used to ever hearing, looking up in slight alarm. Abacus was staring down at the Oompa Loompa almost threateningly, daring him to respond. In response, Lofty snorted after a pause.

“Hm, very peculiar I must say, but I suppose he already acts rather immaturely most of the time regardless.”

Was all he said before completely moving on, returning to prepare the first aid equipment. Acting as if Abacus had just requested he pass the sugar over to him. Both Willy and Abacus were surprised by well, the lack of reaction.

“Now then, please take off that coat show me your arms. I need to know what I’m working with here”

Willy paused for a moment, still expecting some kind of response, insult or anything. But let Abacus carefully ease him out of the blood soaked jacket before displaying his arms outwards, with the Oompa Loompas only sign of disgust so far being directed at the injuries.

“Goodness you’ve made quite the mess of yourself haven’t you?”

Abacus nodded in agreement, before wincing when seeing the state of them properly in the light.

“Indeed, he took a bit of a tumble into one of the displays. One of our crystal chocolate jars paying the price.”

Lofty just sighed, typical Wonka behaviour. He’d never met a person so terminally clumsy sometimes and foolish.

“Of course he did, now I’m going to need you to stay very still. I’m going to remove these glass shards before they get infected.”

He held up the tweezers, Willy shrinking away in alarm at the metal instrument. He didn’t want it to hurt. But Abacus rubbed his back supportively, assuring him it would be fine. As promised, Lofty was impeccably careful as he removed each tiny shard from his arms and hands, his very small hands working in his favour for the task. Back in Loompa land he had a friend whom was the islands herbalist, so he only had some experience when it came to medicine.

He placed each glinting piece into a dish by the table, and once satisfied there was none remaining he reached for the little purple bottle.

“This is an antiseptic I assume?”

Lofty questioned the mathematician, handing the violet bottle up to him. The man pulled a face when reading the label, knowing from experience that this stung viciously.

“Alright, this may sting a little”

It did in fact sting quite a lot, as soon as Lofty applied the purple tonic. Willy yelping and flinching away. The pain had just begun to settle when they’d reached upstairs, but now it felt as if someone had set a match upon his skin. And with how sensitive he was already feeling, fresh tears began to spill over and he did his best to squirm away.

“Now i understand it hurts, but it will feel a lot worse later if you don’t allow me to finish Mr Wonka”

In the end Abacus ended up having to retreat from the couch, Willy positioning himself into his lap for security from the horrible anti-septic. He was perhaps feeling the smallest he ever had, and even with Lofty there he didn’t have the willpower to mask it. Eventually with enough comforting words and support from Abacus, Lofty had successfully painted either arm and hand with the bright purple medicine.

“See, we’re done now. There was no need for that silly nonsense”

Lofty chastised as he screwed the cap on the glass bottle again, but he still didn’t seem very fussed about the dramatic change in headspace. More irritated by what he deemed was a bit of an overreaction. Next reaching for the roll of bandages, but this time Willy was much more reproachful about offering his arms back over to the Oompa Loompa, scowling at him best he could.

“I don’t appreciate that expression directed at me, I was just going to wrap your arms up. Unless of course you would prefer Mr Crunch to do so?”

He spoke with crossed arms, but found the grumpy expression slightly entertaining. Especially with his forlorn tearstained face which worked against his attempt to be threatening.

“I could if you’d prefer, but that would mean i would need to tip you from my lap to do so.”

Abacus explaining his options, thanking heaven above regardless that the man was very light and he was only losing partial blood flow to his legs.

“But you are certainly not welcome in my own, I’ve been in danger of being crushed once too many times today.”

Willy thought about it for moment, finding the embrace around him far too comfortable to give up quite just yet. So reluctantly pointed at lofty rather rudely.

“He do it”

“Can Lofty do it please would be much politer thank you very much”

He corrected with a firm expression, but began to unroll the bandages regardless. Carefully he applied the bandage around each skinny arm, all the while Willy just back leant into Abacus throughout the process. He was so tired, all he wanted was to sleep. By the time Lofty was finished, the boy was practically half asleep.

“That’s you done now, very brave”

Willy dozily inspected his new bound arms, before letting out a big yawn. Even lofty finding it a little endearing, revealing out a small smile before quickly replacing it with his usual frown.

“I think we best get you tucked up for a little rest, shall we?”

Willy nodded, and reluctantly allowed Abacus to tip him off his lap so he could stand again. The poor gentleman groaned in pain as he stood up, he was certainly far too old for this.

“Mm-head hurts”

Wonka mumbled out, his skull feeling as if it had been stuffed with cotton wool. Infact most of his body was starting to feel very sore and weak.

“Well no wonder it hurts with all that silly crying, but I give you permission to return to that lounge. Now that it’s no longer in danger of being stained by bodily fluids.”

Lofty said distastefully, motioning for Willy to get up and move. Kindly Abacus helping him up to his feet again, which was desperately needed as he had forgotten his cane downstairs in the store.

He practically collapsed back down onto the couch, sighing in relief to finally be lying down. His entire body felt as if it had been put through the laundry ringer at scrubbits. A few moments later he felt Abacus tuck a thick blanket around his frame, the one that had been stretched across his bed.

In his dozing state, he instinctively reached out for something. Face screwing up a little when realising it obviously wasn’t going to be there.

“What on earth are you looking for?”

Lofty questioned, clearly seeing the man feeling around in complete thin air.

“Chester”

Willy mumbled out , he was so tired but he still needed his companion, especially right now. Lofty’s slow blink was practically audible, shaking his head before turning to the mathematician who had busied himself with folding up the velvet jacket. Planning on taking it back personally to soak it out, even though he’d left the laundry business, it still stuck with him.

“Would you mind translating what on earth he is requesting?”

Abacus just smiled, remembering that name very clearly. So he just pointed up at the bed, knowing it would he the most likely location.

“Check underneath the pillow of Mr Wonkas bed.”

With a raised eyebrow and a lot of confusion, the Oompa Loompa reluctantly followed the direction. Only feeling more lost when lifting the pillow and finding the contents beneath.

“Is this some kind of rag?”

He held up a small knitted bird with an extended arm, its head lolling to the side rather unsettlingly. Willy spotted the item immediately though, lifting his own head up from the couch with a whine.

“Chester..”

Loftys confused frown remained, able to put together the clues that this amalgamation of wool must be “Chester” Mr Wonka did seem very concerned about it though, so he quickly handed it over to him. The little bird being clung close to his chest, with its misshapen beak poking out under his chin. It was all so ludicrous, it was just a silly inanimate object.

But he saw how the boy began to settle again at its presence. Eyes closing at last as his breathing became slower and deeper. For the first time since he’d seen the man that afternoon, he looked genuinely at peace. From behind him he heard the accountant approaching, who was holding two cups of tea, one being marginally smaller.

“Think we could both do with one”

Lofty accepted the offer, the pair sitting in the kitchenette. Both of them looking over at the now fast asleep chocolatier on the lounge. A comfortable silence between the two as they just took the time to wind down, the scene would probably look extremely strange to an any outsider if they happened to wander inside. Abacus smiled fondly as he noticed the knitted toucans wing being gently chewed on as Wonka slept.

“Thank you, for being understanding about this. This is a part of him that not many know or care to understand, but I believe it’s something very special to be trusted with”

He said to the Oompa Loompa, who had also been observing the chocolatiers behaviour. It was rather fascinating.

“But, I won’t hold it against you if this is a little too strange for you. This manner of coping is certainly unconventional”

He continued, wanting to assure him. He remembered that Noodle had been a little apprehensive about it all when he first explained the regression to her. And Willy had been extremely firm in the fact that he never wanted to be a burden to anybody or make them feel uncomfortable. Lofty stayed silent for a few moments, draining the cup of tea before answering.

“You are speaking with somebody who comes from a tropical island populated only by 2ft tall orange men. I think you would find good reason to label me as a hypocrite if i were to judge Mr Wonka negatively for this.”

He paused in his statement, looking over again at the boy with the smallest of a smile

“Is it a little peculiar? Definitely, but I suppose we all must learn to be open minded when it comes to things we don’t quite understand yet.

And on one hand, I may find it a little endearing too, at least he’s less irritating than usual, aside from all the tears.”

And with that, he turned again to the man across the table. Nonchalant as always.

“Anyways, how about you go hunting for some of those truffles. I’m sure Wonka always hides them out of my reach”

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disneytva · 4 months ago

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Hulu's Animayhem Returns to SDCC With a Factory of 20th Television Animation

Disney is once again bringing the Hulu Animayhem to San Diego Comic-Con. Last year, the streaming service created a hub for all of its adult animated favorites, from Futurama to Solar Opposites, the Bob's Burgers, and The Simpsons.

This year's activation is designed like a factory with all the characters of your favorite animated shows working to crank out some of the best series the medium has to offer. Mock-ups show a floor filled with references to Animayhem's flagship programs, with Bob Belcher, Homer and Bart Simpson, Fry and Bender, Hit-Monkey and Bryce, and more flying through the gears and conveyer belts that make it all work. Deeper inside the factory is where the real magic lies, however, with a selection of immersive activities based on the shows and exclusive collectible memorabilia that can only be found at the yearly convention

Key among the factory's many moving parts is a replica of Futurama's Slurm Factory. The highly addictive soft drink, which may or may not be made from the slime excreted from the butt of an alien slug queen, is Fry's favorite drink in the year 3000 and the episode "Fry and the Slurm Factory" gives him and the Planet Express crew a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see how it's made. Animayhem's replica recreates the factory as it appeared in the beloved episode, from the Willy Wonka-inspired music to the borderline copyright-infringing Grunka Lunkas and, of course, the Slurm Queen herself for some unique photo opportunities.

Past that is the Cutawayland Storage, a special 25th-anniversary celebration of Family Guy full of all the best cutaway gags from the Seth MacFarlane show's long history. Fans can pick up 2D objects that correspond with specific jokes and take them to viewing stations to see the cutaway play out on the spot. Add in some cutouts of the Griffin family in their signature yellow tuxedos from the show's iconic intro sequence, and the station has no shortage of photo opportunities to commemorate such a major milestone.

Slurm isn’t the only treat fans can see the making of. Another area replicates The Simpsons LardLad Donut Factory where Homer Simpson's favorite pink-sprinkled sweets are made. As part of a partnership with the SoCal staple Randy’s Donuts, attendees can pick up ready-made donuts with suspiciously green icing that may be toxic waste from Mr. Burns's power plant.

From there, the factory opens up with a bevy of interactable activities including a chance to sing along to the end credits songs of Bob's Burgers and get a shareable video from Bob's Record-O-Matic, take a Solar Opposites-themed Goobler stress test and get a corresponding Goobler stress ball based on the results, and search for the Bonsai Master's Sword in a Hit-Monkey-themed katana factory to win an SDCC-exclusive set of pins.

American Dad fans can also come to the rescue of the show's disguise-loving extraterrestrial star, Roger. His cries for help will ring throughout the activation as he's stuck in a CIA lab and being dissected. Following Stan and Francine's example from "The Scarlett Getter," participants will have to quickly reassemble the alien in an Operation-like game, a task easier said than done with his strange organs scattered all over the place. Whether that operation is successful or not, a photo opportunity with Roger's golden turd will be available thereafter

For anyone who needs a quick rest after all the adult animation activity, the Animayhem Factory is stocked with a break room courtesy of three of 20th Television Animation - The Great North. A fridge in the room can be opened for some refreshing cold air during the red-hot summer while also providing a view of the Tobin family's idyllic Alaskan cabin.

Hulu's Animayhem activation opens on July 25 from 11:30 a.m. through 7 p.m., July 26-27 from 9:30 a.m. through 7 p.m. daily, and July 28 from 9:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. Stay tuned here at Collider for all of our coverage of SDCC throughout the weekend. Get an exclusive look at the Animayhem factory in the gallery above.

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monkeystrokes10 · 3 years ago

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We gave birth to the concept in the wee hours in the common area, aka Creative Lounge. Gustaf was sitting cross-legged on the air hockey table, meditating. Ben, doodling body parts, Jaime in headphones, and me Scrabbling With Friends.

It was our third consecutive all-nighter brainstorming next week’s Whole-Heart Brown Rice presentation, and from an idea standpoint, had what we needed. However, Malcolm Bain, agency founder aka work/life balance denier, insisted on these idea-generating marathons. “That's when the genius happens," says the man who considers Wes Anderson films a yawn. "When you are exhausted and spent.”

Bain. Former business-park developer whose favorite pastimes are power-washing his Cessna 172 and guesstimating his net worth with each Dow closing. His favorite director is Oliver Stone.

Whole-Heart Brown Rice tastes like gerbil bedding. Milled just like white rice, nothing whole grain about it. The brown is food coloring.

It took the account team a two-hour powerpoint to convey to us dope-smoking "creatives" that most consumers combine rice with other foods, including the Asian demographic. We pay these people?

Ben came up with "Everything's right on Whole-Heart Brown Rice." Jyoti added the Gwyneth Paltrow lookalike popping out of the box, flashing a shaka. "Right on!”

The account people would eat it up, pun intended. Bain too. “Right on!” over-designed into billboards, TV, digital, email, point-of-purchase, translites, and oh yeah, fidget spinners. Anything to justify the iceberg-sized invoice of billable hours. Right on!

Gustaf opened his eyes like a genie from a lamp. "This is boolshit."

There’s a picture of Gustaf on the agency website. When Diversity and Inclusivity became buzzwords, B(r)ain Power Inc. hired man-bunned Gustaf “who enjoys tai-chi and rock climbing.” Also Jyoti, Head Designer, sporting chartreuse buzz cut and choli top.

"Look at us,” Gustaf said. “We’re pathetic. Selling fake brown rice.” He bounced a nerf basketball off my head. "Locked in a playpen with toys, spinning gold for shysters."

We laughed. Gustaf did not. "We are better than this," he said.

Erika wasn't laughing either. "I have a gay friend who works for Chick-fil-A."

"She's a whore." Gustaf put his foot behind his head. "We all are."

As introvert copywriter dork, I keep my mouth shut unless I have something on paper to read from. But it was 3:30 a.m. and I just cracked an Allabash Truepenny from the pretentious agency beer fridge, my fourth. "Can't argue,” I said. “Those illiterate cows want to kill the Equality Act.”

Boycott posts had been on my newsfeed for years. Fundamentalist chicken-sandwich billionaire isn't open on Sunday and believes in conversion therapy.

Despite the headphones, Jaime could hear everything. “Advertising feeds the monsters,” she said a little too loud.

Ben flipped an Exacto knife into the drop ceiling. "We are better than this. We should do something worth a damn.”

Erika went for more beer and creative genius struck. An hour later we made a run to the 24-hour home-supply box store.

Tomorrow night, we go into production.

***

The billboard was just off the beltway, at Exit 10. A rusted frame of girders and I-beams supporting the weight of two three-dimensional life-sized fiberglass cows.

One cow stood on the back of the other, hoof reaching up to paint the headline, "Eat Mor Chikin.” I hate it. Bos taurus telling you to eat Gallus domesticus. So creepy.

Jyoti thought of the white coveralls to look like a Chick-fil-A work crew, painting them with big black splotches to match the Holsteins.

Gustaf in his harness scaled the thing and rigged a pulley system off the scaffolding, hoisting Jaime, Ben, and Erika behind him onto the narrow work platform. Jyoti waited below with art supplies. I manned the other end of the base in charge of tools, including the crowbar I used to pry open a breaker box and flip-switch the board into darkness.

Jaime and Gustaf switched on their headlamps and crawled under the cows. A bucket lowered on a rope. “Half-inch drive ratchet, three-quarter socket, combo wrench, cutting wheel," Jaime called down. I rummaged her toolbox, took my best guess, and tugged. The bucket ascended.

Erika lowered a bucket from her end of the platform. “Red, white, two angle brushes, nine-inch roller," she stage whispered. Jyoti filled the order.

At 3:00 a.m., traffic was scarce, but my heart was banging away like Sheila E. Gustaf grinding sparks and Jaime in a ratcheting frenzy as Ben performed the sex changes with a handsaw, epoxy, and four Sculpey horns.

Then the three of them grunted the two transgender Holsteins into Verse 37 of the Kama Sutra.

Erika brushed away at copy revisions on her side of the billboard, teetering horrifically on Jyoti’s shoulders, who’d somehow climbed up to get in on the action.

I could hardly watch. If someone got hurt, we'd all be touring emergency rooms, central booking, Dewey, Cheatum, & Howe law offices, and unemployment lines.

On a lighter note, my headlamped co-workers in makeshift cow-coveralls looked like Oompah Loompahs working Willy Wonka's milking machine. I heard nervous giggling, and realized it was mine.

In five minutes, it was a wrap. After everyone rappelled to terra firma, I flipped the power back on so we could admire our work.

As an ad, it put the mess in messaging. A convoluted shitshow. But to overworked, frustrated, guilt-ridden creatives, it was the best thing we'd ever done.

The receiving bull, standing on its hind legs, gazed dreamily into the night while the servicing bull fellated its single modified udder/penis.

An LGBTQ rainbow was art directed over the bovine lovers. Erika had rendered the cow scrawl like a photoshop wizard. Gustaf was right, "Home of the Homophobe Sandwich" would’ve been copy heavy.

However, "Suk More Dik'n" was One Show Pencil gold. Underneath, the tagline in pink script. “It’s Natural!”

Erika took the low-hanging fruit. "The client's going to have a cow."

***

A celebratory IHOP blueberry stack, and we were back in the office. Bain didn't show up until after 11, wearing an Adidas tracksuit and a Tag Heuer.

"It's nuts out there this morning. Exit 10 is backed up like you wouldn't believe," he said.

Jyoti, still in her cow get-up, gave a triumphant moo.

Bain didn't blink. “Well, team, did lightning strike?"

"We're in a good place, Chief," I said.

"Right on," Bain said.

Right on, indeed.

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Space Sweepers and the History of Working Class People In Space

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This week saw the release of Space Sweepers, Korea’s first big budget special effects space movie extravaganza. There are a lot of interesting things to say about this movie, but one of the things that makes it stand out is it’s an excellent portrayal of people in space who are skint.

See, I hate to break it to you, but you’re probably never going into space. Unless you’re a highly trained technical specialist (well done!) or a billionaire (pay your taxes!), your best shot at seeing Earth from space within your lifetime is the development of realistic-yet-cheap VR headsets.

And the thing is, a lot of the time this holds up in sci-fi as well. Space travellers are either living in a post-scarcity utopia, are part of the military, or are some kind of genius scientists.

Even where we see supposedly salt-of-the-Earth relatable types, like Han Solo or Mal Reynolds, their scruffy outfits and roguish ways can’t quite cover for the fact that they own and live in the equivalent of a massive luxury yacht or private plane. Serenity may look like a rust bucket, but it’s far from the equivalent of a white van, and while Mal is constantly complaining about the costs of fuel and repairs, that doesn’t change the fact that he seems to own the ship outright, and in “Oxygen” he appears ready to buy the ship for cash.

As for Han Solo, leaving for a moment his humble origins and that he won the ship in a card game, within the Galaxy Far Far Away the ratio of space travellers to non-space travellers doesn’t seem that different from the one on Earth. Yes, there are lots of smugglers and Tie-fighter pilots and interplanetary bounty hunters, but for every one of them there are millions of Tusken sand raiders, Jawa scrap merchants, moisture farmers and Corellian street rats. Spacecraft might come and go from the spires of Coruscant as regularly as buses, but the population density is such that most people on that planet will be lucky to see sunlight, let alone the stars.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, the chances of an ordinary person getting into space even in the foreseeable future vary between Willy Wonka Golden ticket level lucky, or truly dystopian. On the one hand, Elon Musk has announced the first all-civilian mission to space, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman (so, not what you’d call an everyman), two seats given to people who have won a place by donating to St Jude’s Hospital (it probably won’t be one of the smaller donors), and finally, one lucky front-line health worker.

But Elon Musk wants to colonise Mars, and sadly billionaires still need people to clean the toilets, so Musk has other ideas for how ordinary people might get into space. Unfortunately that idea is indentured slavery, demonstrating that the most prescient science fiction writers of our generation are the writers of first-person shooters.

This is why, outside of post-scarcity-fully-automated-luxury-space-communism, and the military, science fiction is always oddly quiet about money. With a few honourable exceptions.

We Just Work Here

The first and most obvious reason why any ordinary working-class person would end up in space is “they’re paid to”.

Pretty much the codifier of working-class people in space is Alien. The crew of Nostromo aren’t scientists, they’ve not got The Right Stuff. Nobody on that ship is getting a high school named after them. The crew of the Nostromo are basically truck drivers who venture off the highway and run into something nasty. Yes, ironically they show a great deal more competence, professionalism and intelligence in encountering an alien threat than the actual scientists in the prequel movie, but the first conversation these characters have when they come out of hyper sleep is about money. From the outset, these are people in a place of work.

It’s a model that set the format for gritty-industrial-working-class-people in space movies going forward for better or worse. Event Horizon just lifts Alien’s aesthetic completely for the rescue ship Lewis & Clark, as does the videogame series Dead Space, like Alien, set aboard a mining ship.

Away from the horror genre, Outland sees Sean Connery play sheriff in a final frontier mining town that could have taken place in the same world as Alien.

And of course, Red Dwarf, which not only made good use of the Alien aesthetic, but also cast the colony commander from Aliens as their Captain, to tell the story of chicken soup repairmen in space.

Across all of these stories, and of course the aforementioned videogames, the life of the blue collar space traveller is an unpleasant one, exploited by a company that not only controls your life while you work, but also owns all of your food, water and air. Indeed, it’s not rare for them to go further. In Moon, another film where the spacemen-to-earthmen ratio seems not far what it is now, Sam Bell’s employer decides to save the cost of training employees and ferrying them back and forth from Earth to the Moon by taking one employee and filling a cellar full of his pre-programmed, short-lived disposable clones.

Space Sweepers

Public Transport

But maybe you don’t want to work for “the Man”, not an unwise call given the Man is probably trying to feed you to something horrible in the hope of creating a new bioweapon. One surprisingly under-utilised method of getting into space is public transport.

In The Fifth Element, Bruce Willis plays a special-forces-operative-turned-cab-driver who, as part of his cover, wins a ticket to go on a space cruise. Although looking at the sets and the extras in this movie, as well as the packed-in-as-tightly-as-we-can apartments back on Earth, one gets the impression this is not an option open to the majority of working joes.

Perhaps the best example of this is in the shockingly under-loved 2018 flick, Prospect, featuring future Mandalorian Pedro Pascal.

In Prospect, the spaceship is little more than a rotating framework filled with cargo containers in front of a massive engine. The father and daughter prospecting team are on board a lander that resembles nothing so much as an old Apollo Lunar Lander on the inside, and as the mothership approaches their destination the ship doesn’t even stop, it just releases the lander, tells them when the ship is going to be passing back that way and warns them the line is being terminated, so there won’t be another ship passing that way.

This is a model it would be fantastic to see more of. The landing module is small enough that it’s entirely plausible that even these not-very-well-off characters could buy, hire or rent one. Rather than having the freedom of the space ways like Mal or Han, their travel options are entirely restricted by what destinations are profitable for large shipping companies and whether they’ll let you tag along. And while on the surface the aesthetic looks a bit Alien, in truth it feels far more like it’s cobbled together from relics of the actual space age.

Borrow Your Way Into Space

And finally, of course, there’s the Elon Musk solution. Borrow your way into space. One of the early places to use this idea was Gateway, by Frederik Pohl. Frederik Pohl in particular is fantastic at writing science fiction worlds where people actually have to worry about money. In Gateway and its sequels humanity has discovered Ancient Aliens left a space station nearby, stocked with a lot of spaceships. Being alien technology, humans can’t control the ships accurately, they’re limited pretty much to pressing the “Stop” and “Go” buttons, and when the ship flies off it might land on a world of fabulous riches, or it might chuck you into the heart of a star.

Prospectors who want to try their luck in these ships have to take out a loan to get to the station, and throughout the novel the protagonist is constantly aware of how many credits are in his account.

Which brings us back around to Space Sweepers. At first glance the Space Sweepers set-up might seem similar to that of the Millennium Falcon or Serenity – an extremely “used” looking ship run by a rag-tag bunch of misfits. But the first time we see the protagonist, Tae-ho, he’s in a pawn shop. As soon as he gets back to the ship we learn the crew are still paying off the cost of the ship, as well as the costs of repairs and parts.

We see an awful lot of “Space sweepers” throughout the film, junk collectors gathering up salvage from Earth’s orbiting collection of derelict spacecraft and defunct satellites. But these people don’t seem like roguish space pirates, the impression they give is more akin to app-based gig workers.

This is compounded by another issue – that to work in space you need a visa, with citizenship limited to the wealthy few who are able to afford a place on the deluxe orbiting space habitats.

Everything in Space Sweepers is driven by money, whether it’s Tao-Ho’s attempts to raise enough money to find his daughter, the robot, Bubs, and her attempt to get a humanoid body that reflects her gender, and of course, the $2 million reward for “Dorothy” which drives the whole plot.

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Often space-based sci-fi is about the fantasy of freedom, of exploration. Even shows like Star Trek give us characters whose job isn’t much more than to fly around having adventures. But there is rich storytelling to be done about the people who have to clean the space toilets.

Chris Farnell’s novella series, Fermi’s Progress, is about a ship whose FTL drive vaporises planets, and features at least one space traveller who isn’t a scientist, super soldier or billionaire (although to be fair the other three characters are exactly that). You can find part one here.

The post Space Sweepers and the History of Working Class People In Space appeared first on Den of Geek.

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wearevillaneve · 4 years ago

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Killing Eve Gets Shut-Out the Emmy’s (but is that a reason to be happy?)

One of the wild things about being a part of the Killing Eve fandom is it NEVER gets boring. The last episode aired over three months ago, but fresh new drama and beef and controversy swirls around like a spritz of La Villanelle. This particular one was interesting to me because of the passion inflamed and the players involved.

Shit. Got. Real.

One one side there is V-for-Villanelle, a splendid (and underappreciated writer) whom is a passionate defender of both the third season of Killing Eve and its head writer, Suzanne Heathcote.�� On the other is villanelle_bridge, whom I follow as well, but don’t know at all (In full disclosure V-for-Villanelle is a frequent beta reader/editor for most of my Ao3 works and I, for hers I consider her a friend and an ally).

villanelle_bridge’s position that the show’s eight Emmy nominations and no wins was something it had coming due to Heathcote dropping the ball is a bit harsh, but not entirely wrong. Now Season 3 isn’t my favorite, but any success it has is shared from the top down, not the bottom up.

If Heathcote deserves credit for what she got right, she deserves blame for what she got wrong. To be sure, villanelle_bridge was far from alone in thinkingght KES3 got exactly what it had coming.

Exactly nothing.

V-for-Villanelle sharply disagreed and owes no explanation to anyone for taking villanelle_bridge to task for dragging the show, but it applies to villanelle_bridge, as well. No explanations and no apologies expected or needed. This is what the phrase, “I said what I said” means.

For my part, V-for-Villanelle brought up a few thought-provoking points I want to delve further into. Her remarks are in italics.

Did Suzanne Heathcote rescue Killing Eve from a creative slump or did she deepen it?

All this fandom has done is blame and attack Suzanne for perceived failures, now the latest example being the 2020 Emmys. Personally, I think Suzzanne is brilliant and she rejuvenated a show that was in a very bad place after Season 2. Besides that Suzanne Heathcote is an incredibly accomplished writer and showrunner (along with the cast, crew, producers, and co writers). Trust me, she knows what she’s doing.

That’s a pretty declarative remark but it is based upon...what? Suzanne Heathcote was a producer and writer on the fourth season of a Walking Dead spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead, that wasn’t very good, See and a short film. As a writer and/or producer, Heathcote’s only nominated TV work is for Killing Eve.

We know how that turned out for her.

What is this rejuvenation Heathcote supposedly accomplished? I am on record as being one of the harshest of the harsh when it comes to how much I detested how insufferably awful Eve became in the second season. It takes a lot to make a murderer of multiple women, men and children worth cheering for more than the supposed “hero”, but Eve was such a miserable bitch to even an extra-soft Villanelle, that by the time they got to the ruins, more than a few fans were happy to see her get shot.

Eve became undeserving of our sympathy after committing multiple self-destructive acts of betrayal, selfishness, bad judgment and worse decisions, but it wasn’t a betrayal of her character. Eve was moving headlong into the Dark Side and the process was unpleasant to watch, but justifiable to move her where she had to go.

There were too many scenes of Villanelle being threatened and throttled by misogynist men like Julian and Raymond who choked her out not once, but twice. Yet her emotional evolution from the cocky smart-ass who boasted how amazing she was to the heartsick, but still highly dangerous assassin she became also felt naturalistic. We saw the steps Villanelle took and the pain she experienced waking up to her long dormant humanity.

Fennell dropped The Twelve from their position of looming threat for a decidedly less interesting pair of villains. The Ghost gave Eve a new killer to chase after for a few episodes (and several moments of Eve’s viciousness when she warned the Ghost to come quietly or get shot in the head and then enlisted Villanelle to extract information from the silent assassin in what likely included some physical torture).

Aaron Peel was another misogynist, albeit a richer and a more controlling one, but as a threat he was quickly dismissed by Villanelle as if Fennell had simply lost interest in him.

When Phoebe Waller-Bridge departed the show in 2019, she tapped the veteran actress/writer/producer Fennell to carry on where she left off and from the perspective of critics and audiences as calculated by Rotten Tomatoes, PWB was going to be a tough act to follow and it was, but not that tough.

Fennell began the second season minutes after the shocking twist ending where Villanelle flees after being stabbed by an angry and treacherous Eve. Whatever creative cliff KE went over with the Ghost and Aaron Peel plotlines, it didn’t signal a huge fall of the premiere season.

Dropping four points with notoriously hard-to-please professional critics and only two with fickle audiences is not a reason to push the panic button. Losing six points overall from Killing Eve Season 1 is no reason to not pop the champagne.

Season 3 debuted with a seemingly arbitrary six-month fast-forward with zero explanation of what Villanelle and Eve had done all that time. The show dropped an ugly 12 points with critics who yawned with ”been-there-bored-with-that” disinterest and eight points with audiences. Meaning between Fennell and Heathcote, Killing Eve dropped 20 points between the two groups and 26 points since the PWB glory days.

Those are not impressive numbers to support a description of Heathcote as “an incredibly accomplished writer and showrunner.” To the contrary, any BBCAmerica executive who notices Killing Eve fared well under Fennell, but cratered under Heathcote would insist she be replaced as the showrunner if the one-and-done mandate laid down by Waller-Bridge wasn’t being followed.

The ruins are not where Fennell left the show for Heathcote to rescue as the numbers from Rotten Tomatoes illustrate it was under her guidance that the bloom began to fade from Killing Eve’s roses of success.

What Happened to All the Winning?

We’re here due to a snarky response to Killing Eve getting curb-stomped at the 2020 Emmy’s. Whether or not what villanelle_bridge said rude or simply sarcastic rests in the eye of the beholder, and V-for-Villanelle clearly sees it as rude. That’s her prerogative, but we all should know by now that award shows aren’t important and what they really mean are bragging rights and some perks in somebody’s contact kicking in.

The British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA), the Emmy’s, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) are the Big Four for television talent to receive recognition as they play dress up and smile pretty as they walk the red carpet in designer duds. In three seasons, Killing Eve has enjoyed a slew of nominations for its producers, actors and technicians.

The big difference is under Waller-Bridge and Fennell many of those nominations translated into actual wins. No more. With Heathcote in charge KE was blanked at the BAFTA’s and erased from the Emmy’s, despite being up for eight nominations. With the minor exception of Jodie Comer winning a second Best Actress from the TV Choice Awards, her show’s third season has received the Willy Wonka treatment from its peers.

If numbers matter, Suzanne Heathcote shrunk the approval of Killing Eve with both audiences and critics and received a chilly receptions from the entertainment establishment despite the award-bait “Are You From Pinner” episode. Emphasizing the White co-lead and supporting characters as its Asian lead recedes in the background was a choice and as the lead writer/showrunner, Suzanne Heathcote was in position to reap the benefits had it worked.

It didn’t, and Heathcote’s bad calls have led to a split in the fandom, complaints from its lead actress about a lack of racial diversity in front and behind the camera, and an embarrassing shut-out at the major awards shows. If that isn’t dismal failure, it can’t be characterized as a raging success.

KE is running out of gas and is nearly on fumes. Season 2 was no prize, but Season 3 literally has won no prizes.

#Killing Eve #Suzanne Heathcote #emerald fennell #phoebe waller-bridge #ke analysis #long post #can't we all just get along?#probably not

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phobidawg · 5 years ago

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TLC Holiday Lunar Bake Off- Christmas Caking

Episode 2 of The Holiday Lunar Bake-Off, where the crew starts baking. Their first challenge, Christmas cakes! As expected, this leads to many funny mishaps and mistakes.

(Yes I promised to post these every week but I got lazy I’m sorry!)

Like the first, my apologizes for typos and grammar mistakes, I wrote this two years ago, and some of them I just didn’t bother to correct for “comedic effect” in my cringy young mind. I figured that this would provide some amusement in quarantine, and it does get funnier in later chapters (as my comedic understand develops.) Enjoy!

Iko: Welcome to Episode 2 of the Holiday Baking Championship, Christmas Caking! Contestants you may enter!

*there is some shouting backstage, a voice calls “No. I refuse to wear it.” and after a struggle, another voice saying “I don’t want to be here all day so get in single file or I swear on all the stars I will shoot you!”*

Kinney: Should I alert the Captain of the Guard? Maybe they should go deal with that�� *he looks hopeful*

Iko: Aren’t you the Captain of the Guard?

Kinney: Yep.

Iko: *scowls at Kinney’s tactics, but there’s something adoring about it*

*Group files out of doors perfectly in order, with Scarlet in back, a hand on her waistband*

Iko: *looking super excited* OH MY STARS YOU GUYS LOOK SO CUTE!!! *squealing as she sees everyone wearing matching pink flowered aprons*

*kinney skillfully zooms in on Thorne wearing his pink apron, snickering*

Iko: *gushing* You all look wonderful! Oms! *fails to notice how badly the apron fits Wolf, or how awkward and broodingly mad at situation Jacin looks. Cress and Winter look at their aprons adoringly, whereas Cinder rolls her eyes at the pink. Scarlet is still wearing her red hoodie, so she’s fine, Thorne wears his proudly, and Kai keeps giving Cinder a nervous glance, hoping she doesn’t judge him.*

Iko: *getting over her love of the outfits* Our first challenge today is cake! Each person will have to make a cake including and starring a secret ingredient, and favorite among the holidays… *Tressa pushes a cart with a decorative cloth and a silver platter a top it*

Tressa: *quietly* Do you like the aprons?! I sewed them myself, and forced them into wearing it. *winks at Iko*

Iko: They’re perfect Tressa, as always! *secretive smile is shared*

Tressa: *lets go of tray in front of Iko before waving at camera* Hi Liam!

Kinney: *camera shakes violently as he waves back*

Tressa + Iko: Watch the camera!

Kinney: *muttering* a guy can’t get a break around here.

Tressa + Iko: *simultaneously again* shh!

Cinder: Iko, as you were saying before?

Iko: Oh yeah! Tressa could you do the honors?

Tressa: Really?! *super excited*

Iko: Oh course! *super dramatically* and the mystery ingredient is…

Tressa: *slowly and equally dramatically lifts top* Apples!

Iko: Yay! Thank you Tressa for your marvelous performance! *starts to applaud*

Wolf: *growls at apples threateningly*

Cinder and Scarlet: *give Wolf a glance before sharing a knowing look*

Winter: I love apples!

Jacin: *looking slightly worried* After Levana’s stunt I’m still wary about apples petites and apples in general…

Thorne: Oh, don’t be such a worrywort. *claps Jacin’s shoulder* There’s nothing wrong with the candy! That was one time! Apples themselves may be a bit questionable, but I eat the candy all the time and there’s nothin’ wrong with me. Ever since Winter introduced me, and Cress found a store in the middle of Utah that sold some, I’ve been eating non-stop, and I’m fine! Great even! *flexes arm* Ain’t that right Cress?

Cress: *blushing profusely*

Cinder: Which part? The candy or the part about you being fine? Because I think I know which one you’re correct about, and it’s not the one that involves you flexing shirtless in front of the Rampion mirrors every morning.

Thorne: *shrugs* What can I say? I have a great bod.

Cress: *blushing even redder*

Wolf: Cress are you okay? You look like you’re about to turn into a tomato!

Kai: You mean like that movie where the girl turns into a blueberry and gets to be rolled out of the factory?

Cinder: *surprised* You’ve watched Charlie and the Chocolate factory?

Kai: What! Being an only child in a huge palace can get boring.

Scarlet: You mean the one where the kid wins a ticket in a chocolate bar? I used to love that movie!

Winter: *singing* who can take a sunrise?

Sprinkle it in dew?

Cover it in chocolate,

And a miracle or two?

Scarlet, Winter, Cress, and Kai: The candyman,

The Candyman Can.

The Candyman can

‘cause he mixes it

with love and makes

the world taste good.

Cinder + Jacin: stooooooop

Cinder: You guys do realize that song is like literally 100+ years old? Talk about not being on top of pop culture.

Jacin: Hear, hear.

Cress: Um, you do realize I was stuck in a satellite for the last few years? I didn’t even learn how to use a microwave until yesterday.

Thorne: *looking proud* I showed her.

Cress: *giving him a look* Wait a moment. As I was saying, being on top of pop culture is the least of my worries. And I like this song!

Winter: What’s a microwave?

Wolf: Stole the words right out of my mouth.

Scarlet: Horrible devices that are ruining good home cooking.

Cinder: Oof. My life is a lie.

Wolf: Ew. Also Scar, could you teach me that song you were singing later? You sound beautiful when you sing it.

Scarlet: *smiling* Oh, we’re totally watching Willy Wonka later.

Cress: Slumber party with 2nd Era movies anyone?!

Iko: Count me in!

Cinder: *sighs* I guess I’m coming to then, I’ll dragged there whether I want to or not.

Winter: Yay! Dear Selene your going to love it. Can we watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarves from Disney as well?

Cress: I love Disney! Especially Tangled. I can totally relate relate to her hair struggles ;)

Thorne: I got the popcorn and candy!

Winter: Jacin?

Jacin: No way in spades am I watching a movie about a bunch of kids eating chocolate and singing.

Winter: *pretty pleading eyes* Pretty please? With a bow and sour apples petites on top?

Jacin: *averting eyes carefully* fiiiiine.

Kinney: This is fun and all, but aren’t we tapping a show? I sacrificed my netdramas to keep this thing plugged in all night!

Iko: Oh yeah! Anyway, what were we talking about?

Cinder: Apples.

Thorne: Huh?

Cinder: *annoyed* Apples!

Thorne: Is your battery running low again? Because I have no intention of opening your control panel ever again *shivers squeamishly*

Cinder: No! That’s the last thing we were talking about you dolt!

Thorne: Oh, that makes more sense. Thank goodness.

CInder: *rolls her eyes*

Thorne: *throws an arm around Cinder shoulders buddy-like* Oh, you know you love me. *rubs his knuckles in her hair*

Cinder: *groans* Get off me you oaf. *shoves his arm off and pulls now even messier ponytail higher*

Iko: Okay! So on three, everyone grab a bag of apples and… GO!

*Everyone except Wolf and Winter, who are still standing where they were*

Winter: Oh, are we starting? *giggles and twirls over to grab some apples*

Wolf: *angry* I refuse!

Scarlet: *coming over with her bag* Come on, it’s just a competition…

Wolf: No! I refuse to insult tomatoes in such a way! These upstart apples, what do they think they are… *glares at Scarlet’s bag angrily*

Scarlet: Calm down, it’s not that big a deal…

Wolf: *getting worked up* Not a big deal? Not a big deal! Apples are taking over! Everywhere you look, there’s apples! Apples pie, apple muffins, apple waffles… not tomatoes, never tomato pie, or tomato muffins!

Scarlet: *placing a hand on his shoulder* It’s okay, I’m sure you can work with apples this once…

Wolf: Work with the apples! Of course not! You know what, I’ll show them, I refuse to use the tomatoes. I absolutely won’t bend to the norm of today’s world! Tomatoes will always be #1, no matter what anyone else thinks. SO you know what? *not waiting for a response* I’m going to use tomatoes instead! See how they take that! *purposefully marches toward pantry*

Cinder: *coming over to meet Scarlet* What just happened?

Scarlet: *rolling her eyes, but there’s something loving about it* Stars only know! Now, we need to get started.

*the two walk over to their stations*

*screen follows Iko as she walks over to Kai, who is gathering supplies, his brow furrowed in concentration*

Iko: Watcha doin’ Kai?

Kai: *jumps, dropping supplies* Oh, um, *bending down to pick up dropped stuff*I was thinking of making apple crumble, something that I used to make with my mom when we were little.

Iko: Aw! Have you ever made these yourself before?

Kai: Uh, no? But I’m confident in my abilities. *puts on a fake confident smile*

Iko: You don’t seem confident. But that sounds amazing! Good luck, I have my money bet on you winning! *smiles flirtatiously*

Kai: *smiles gratefully, completely not noticing Iko’s flirting* Thanks Iko!

*camera follows Iko as she walks over to Cress*

Iko: Hey Cress! What are you working on?

Cress: Hi Iko! I’m working on apple cinnamon cookies with honey drizzle.

Iko: *surprised* Wow! That sounds really advanced!

Cress: I’ve never made it before, but I would watch baking shows in the satellite and read up on different pastries in my free time.

Iko: That sounds like a smart strategy. Well played Cress!

Cress: Well, I didn’t exactly know I was going to be on a baking show in the future, but thanks. Also, best of all, I’m going to be able to use my newfound microwave abilities!

Iko: Awesome! Good luck Cress!

*camera floats over to Thorne who’s next to Cress*

Thorne: Um, Cress?! I’m supposed to put 22 cups of flour in here, right? Or was it just 2… ?

Cress: *peeks over from her own cookie supplies, where she sees Thorne with a huge bowl of flour, flour spilling all over the edges. He is covered head-to-toe in white flour, and he looks like a ghost.* Oh, Captain. *she Smiles, pecks his flour-covered cheek, and starts to wipe of his face.*

Iko: *swooning, one hand on her heart, the other at her side* awww!!!

Kinney: Are we going to interview him or not?

Iko: Stars no! I’m not getting flour on my new dress! More importantly, I’m not interrupting my ship in action!

Kinney: *groans*

Iko: What if you take the camera around while I stay over here and fangirl?

Kinney: *grumbling but the camera slowly starts to move around room*

*zooms in on Jacin and Winter, who are working side by side*

Winter: I love Christmas!!! *throws green and red glitter in air, covering both her and Jacin*

Jacin: *ducking and covering head with arms* Ah! Cut that out! *smiling to himself, but trying to hide it*

Winter: Aw, come on, have a little fun! *smiles micheviously, and throws more glitter on Jacin, who now resembles a sparkly christmas tree ornament than a person*

Jacin: *scowling* uuuugh. *scowls down at his pink apron and the glitter, cringing majorly.* I have no words to describe how bad this is.

Winter: You look like Christmas dear Jacin. *humming to herself, she starts to pour sugar and flour into a bowl, but some sugar spills out* Oops! *giggles*

Jacin: *sighs affectionately* You really are nothing but Trouble.

Winter: Thank you. *starts to clean up sugar* This apple petite cake is going to be yummier than Scar’s macaroons!

Scarlet: *looking up from her work. Playfully competitive* Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that. My apples macaroons are going to blow everyone else’s desserts out of this galaxy.

Winter: What about you Jacin? How is your dessert going to compare?

Jacin: I don’t know, they haven’t been judged yet.

*camera leaves and travels over to Wolf, who has a workplace ahead of him filled with nothing but tomatoes*

Wolf: *has five plates for all of the judges ahead of him. On each of the plates, there is one chopped tomato, one smashed tomato, and a plain tomato.*

Wolf: Perfect. Yum. *reaches to each a little bit of smashed tomato, but stops himself* No, it’s for the judges. ;(

Wolf: *goes over to blender with tomato in hand*

Kinney: Ewww *moves away to Cinder’s station*

Cinder: *tries to wipe a bit of apple of her cheek, but only spreads it more* Kai, pass me the vanilla extract.

Kai: What’s the magic word?

Cinder: *groaning* pleeeaase.

Kai: *tosses her a small bottle, and notices the apple on her face with a small smile, before turning back to his stuff*

Cinder: Hey Kinney.

Kinney: SHh! I’m not here… *waggles fingers in Cinder’s face mock mysteriously*

Cinder: *smirking* Hello Not Here.

Kinney: Just no. *leaves Cinder’s station to stick camera in Kai’s face*

Kai: *leans back a bit* Um hello?

Kinney: *no response, put finger to his lips*

Kai: *nods* Okay. *turns back to his work*

*camera zooms in on the bowl with sugar covered caramelized apples*

Kinney: *camera shakes a bit as he nods, impressed*

*suddenly, camera slips and falls into bowl of apples*

Kai: *off-screen* AH NOT MY APPLES!

Iko: *off-screen* AAH KINNEY NOT THE CAMERA!

Kinney: *off-screen* oops.

*everything comes back into view as Kinney picks up camera, but everything in blurry because of the carmel sauce on the lens*

Iko: *coming really close the screen to inspect it* Ugh. It’s going to need a new lens. Kinney!!!!!!

Iko: *over her shoulders* FIFTEEN MINUTES BAKERS! *to camera* Okay, so we’re going to get a new lens, so until next time, Happy Holidays, and please like, repost, share, and stay tuned for next time, where we’ll see who wins Challenge One, Christmas Caking! Love you! <3 ;P

#ik this one's a bit short #so I post the next soon!#I can feel my reputation declining by the second #lunar chronicles fanfic #tlc fanfic #tlc holiday lunar bake-off #linh cinder #scarlet benoit #the lunar chronicles #cress darnel #carswell thorne #my fanfic #my fic #kill me

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davidscrop-blog · 5 years ago

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ICONIC IRON GATES IN MOVIES AND TV

CACCIOLA IRON WORKS holds the vision of quality craftsmanship, personalized service, and integrity in creating interior railings, exterior railings, gates, fences and custom work. We provide quality metal works throughout New Jersey and New York.

Toronto Distillery Gates:

Used as the gates to the New Jersey dockyards in the 2005 movie Cinderella Man, This rather simple-looking gate was the used as the focal point for scenes showcasing the depression era. This historical location in Toronto has also been used in a multitude of other movies, such as X-Men, Blues Brothers, and Chicago.

Arkham Asylum Gate:

This gate, seen in front of the infamous institution where many of Gotham’s darker characters have become inmates, heightens the foreboding atmosphere of the show. The production crew added pillars and the imposing gate in front of the parking lot of the TV show asylum’s actual location: Staten Island’s Bayley Seton Hospital. These are then removed when the show isn’t filming.

Wonka Chocolate Factory Gate:

1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory gave us this iconic façade of the factory’s gate with the titular character’s name wrought above. The factory’s actual location was in Stadtwerke München, Emmy-Noether-Straße, Munich, Germany, and the building used in the movie still stands; although it has a different gate now.

Hogwarts Gate:

This iconic wrought-iron gate is our first glimpse of the legendary school that Harry Potter and his friends attend: the gate is flanked by pillars with statues of winged boars. The main exterior locations for Hogwarts are Ainwick Castle and Durham Cathedral, but the production crew simply built the gate and situated it outside the locations’ grounds. It now resides in Warner Brothers Studios in Leavesden, Hertferdshire in London as one of the exhibits in the studio’s tour.

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cocoatothrill · 5 years ago

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Chocolate Shoes on Channel 5

Were we crazy?

Channel 5’s,

The Wonderful World of Chocolate made its debut this month and the onslaught of Willy Wonka Style Chocolate images did not disappoint. There were glistening chocolate bar shots, satisfying lines of chocolate pieces and

Cocoa To Thrill Chocolate Shoes!

It was Valentine’s day, when we first got the call from Channel 5. One of the busiest days in the chocolate industry and it was well, a little busy. We had just been told that we had beaten off the major chocolate companies to have our chocolate shoes featured at

Arab Fashion Week in Dubai in just over a month and there was no time for dinner dates. The call came pretty much out of the blue. Channel 5 had no idea what we were doing and it just so happened they caught us at the perfect time for their filming schedule.

Perfect timing? Well yes and no. You see, Cocoa To Thrill was about to do something huge, unprecedented really at this point and we really hadn’t figured out how we were going to get it done. Now we had added a film crew to an already crazy schedule who were going to watch our every move in getting over 100 chocolate shoes to Dubai. If we failed, we were going to do it in front of millions of people watching. Thrilling!

First Day On Set Nerves

Our first day filming with Channel 5 was something of a production. We weren’t just filming a show, we physically had to get a lot of work done and there really wasn’t time for interruptions. We had to be incredibly organised if we were going to show viewers exactly what we were doing but also actually do those tasks that we had to accomplish. We couldn’t just strut around in heels all day and put on lipstick, we actually had to make chocolate heels and lipsticks. On day one of shooting we had to get over a 100 chocolate shoes and lipsticks painted and packed plus finalise the designs for the chocolate shoes that were heading to Arab Fashion Week and we were literally weeks away.

Our epic showcase was helped along by the amazing, super calm and fun director at Channel 5, Al. He was just downright cuddly and his demeanour put the whole team at ease whilst we figured out how to get everything done. Our Chocolate Executive Officer, Samona Williams, calmly sipped tea during and in between takes, partly because it was absolutely freezing in the Cocoa To Thrill studio and partly because, well she loves a cuppa. The production crew also had to factor in plenty of breaks so that Samona could rest and hydrate to manage her physical condition. Other than the tight schedule, we pretty much had a laugh. Well as much of a laugh as you can have with a looming deadline and no completed chocolate shoes.

Can you eat our Chocolate Shoes?

The next shoot day was out of the office as we were shooting our new advert. So Channel 5 were shooting us…shooting an ad in a kind of Russian Doll scenario. The Ad, was a last minute request from the Arab Fashion Council and we were told that it would be showcased on the big screen throughout Arab Fashion Week. The crew, cast and storyboard were assembled in lightening time and tah dah, before we knew it, we were in a posh Chelsea apartment with both our crew and the Channel 5 crew. It was a squeeze but we didn’t expect anything less from prime London real estate. To see the advert click here

On this shoot it was the first time that our Girlboss was going to see a completed chocolate shoe eaten. Literally bitten into. On that subject, we are often asked “Can you eat it” when people look at our chocolate shoes. The answer is of course you can, our chocolate shoes are to be eaten or admired but honestly the truth is, “as long as you don’t eat it in front of our CEO.” Forget shooting the highs and lows of trying to get over 100 chocolate shoes to Arab Fashion week, shooting our CEO’s reaction to seeing a chocolate shoe eaten makes for some Gogglebox worthy telly. So much artistry, precision, and hard work goes into our chocolate shoes that it’s a pain well understood.

How Do You Ship 100 Chocolate Shoes to the Desert?

Another highlight shooting with Channel 5 was the day the truck left with all the chocolate shoes bound for Dubai. This was probably one of the most nerve-wracking days. After weeks of hard work and attention, the chocolate babies weren’t just leaving home, they were going travelling across the world. For weeks, our eyes had been on those chocolate shoes every step of the way. Each one had been lovingly created and treated with kid gloves. Now they were about to be transited on busy roads and hectic planes, we were dealing with a lot of emotions. The amazing Hariett was directing this time and documented the whole ordeal with a keen eye for detail. The crew attracted a small audience but this felt comforting as if there was a comradery amongst strangers willing our chocolate shoes to make it Dubai safely.Read more about the highs and lows of shipping chocolate shoes to Arab Fashion Week here.

The Wonderful World Of Chocolate

Channel 5’s, The Wonderful World of Chocolate, is a menagerie of chocolate stories told from the perspective of the chocolate giants and the artisans. It focuses on the delight and wonder of chocolate and gives you a unique glimpse into the minds of us chocolate alchemists that bring joy to the world. Thank you Elephant Studios and Channel 5 for documenting our unique chocolate shoes journey, it’s been emotional. You can check out the show here.

Lots of behind the scenes footage coming soon, to get the latest updates subscribe to our youtube channel.

#chocolateshoes chocolateshoechannel5 chocolateshoestv #chocolateshoegirl cocoatothrill chocolate chocolateheels chocolateshoespearls thrillchocolate #cocoatothrill

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justanothercinemaniac · 6 years ago

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Epic Movie (Re)Watch #241 - James & The Giant Peach

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: Blu-ray

1) James and the Giant Peach is one of Disney’s more underrated gems. It came out during the Disney Renaissance but - much like its spiritual predecessor The Nightmare Before Christmas - it is not really considered part of that canon of films due to the unique production style and different production team. This means that (unlike Nightmare) it is oft forgotten but I think it deserves to be remembered.

2) The prologue for the film does well to establish/translate Roald Dahl’s unique, fun and imaginative voice. You have the antagonistic rhino, the importance of New York, and just pure Roald Dahl-ness which the entire film does so well. The imagination, the oddness, all of it.

3) Spiker and Sponge are such awful human beings but played in a ridiculousness enough way it doesn’t upset the tone of the film. They are played up as childish but not in a way which makes their abuse towards James funny. They’re just really good villains.

4) Paul Terry as James.

Terry is able to make the titular character a wonderfully honest depiction of childhood. There are two elements whoever played James had to be strong in: live action and voice over performance. Terry tackles both aspects of the part well, which is important in helping the transition between mediums feel smooth. Terry doesn’t play James up too much, making him sympathetic without being a caricature. A performance supported by subtle choices which helps make the film.

5) “My Name is James” is a sad but hopeful tune which only deepens our sympathy for the protagonist. It allows us to understand how hard life is with his aunts while also seeing the hope the child has for the future. Also the song serves as a solid introduction to Randy Newman’s soundtrack.

6) Pete Postlethwaite as the One Eyed Man.

Posthlethwaite’s role in the film is all too brief but incredibly important. It is the introduction of magic into this world through one of Dahl’s trademark eccentric characters akin to Willy Wonka. Posthelwaite perfectly represents that and gives an incredibly memorable performance in about two minutes. I miss Pete Postlethwaite.

7) The live action production design in this film is so wonderfully creative, almost taking inspiration from German Expressionism, that it helps make the transition to stop motion all the smoother. And it is wonderfully smooth. It doesn’t take you out of the moment or jar you even if you don’t know it’s coming. It just feels right.

8) The Bugs.

All of the animated bug characters (is that even a pun?) are freaking perfect in this movie. They all feel so alive, an effect brought about both by the animation team and the energy the voice actors put into making each bug feel unique. They all have a sense of life, heart, and humor completely their own. Not to mention they have unique relationships with each other and James that help make them a group of individuals instead of an individual group. “That’s The Life” well represents/introduces us to who they are and what they want, serving as one of the most under-sung songs in an already underrated film.

9) The Runaway Peach is our first best example of the fun the film has with its visuals. It’s the moment that truly shows we’ve left the real world behind for a fun fantasy adventure.

10) It’s hard for me to pick a favorite among the bugs. Richard Dreyfus as Centipede is a particular standout, probably because he’s given the most to do. But Susan Sarandon as Spider and David Thewlis as Worm are also great. And since this is the first time I’ve seen this movie after being introduced to “Frasier” I have a new appreciation for Jane Leeves Ms. Ladybug. But then Simon Callow is really fun as Grasshopper and his bickering with Centipede is fun to watch and ugh! They’re all just so good!

11) The Mechanical Shark.

If the Runaway Peach was our symbol of leaving the real world behind, this is our first true excursion into Dahl-esque odd imaginative mayhem and it’s great. The entire dealing with the mechanical shark is an incredibly fun and imaginative set piece with a child like view point to it. Where do fish heads come from? Whey, a giant mechanical shark in the sea, of course. It also gets to show off all the bugs in action and James’ competence in such settings. I dig it.

12)

Worm: “First I was bird bait, then I was shark bait!”

13) I will say one of the weaker bits of watching this film as an adult is that the messages intended for children are not subtle. To adults, that is. James has numerous words of wisdom directed towards the bugs which are clearly life lessons to take away from the film, but even if they are obvious so what? For one thing this film is not intended for a cynical adult who’ll go, “Oh, it’s so obvious what they’re doing!” and for another each “philosophical” moment is always sincere/poignant. It may be a little cringeworthy without the lens of youth, but it doesn’t undermine the quality of the film.

14) “Eating the Peach”

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This is my absolute FAVORITE song in the entire film. The marriage of Roald Dahl’s lyrics with Randy Newman’s composition makes it a standout, encapsulating the entire energy of the film in its three minute run time. It’s so imaginative and quirkily its fun visuals to match, it’s just hard not to listen to it and smile. Or tape your toes. Or both! I love it and I’m pretty sure I heard the song before I saw the film. It’s how I identify with this movie and I could gush about it for days.

15) James’ nightmare is the weirdest part of the movie but it’s a dream it’s supposed to be. There are some wonderfully creative visuals to it and it properly instills the sense of fear James has towards his abusive aunts.

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16) Ah, puns.

Worm [after Centipede has jumped into the ocean]: “He’s committed PESTicide!”

17) When I said this film was a spiritual successor to The Nightmare Before Christmas, I didn’t just mean that because of the same crew working on it.

Centipede [finding a sunken ship]: “A Skellington?”

That’s right, a bearded Jack Skellington makes a cameo in this film. Centipede literally calls him a SKELLINGTON. Not a skeleton, a Skellington. I really dig that. Similarly, one of these sunken ship crew members would appear in the Nightmare Before Christmas video game Oogie’s Revenge as an enemy.

The entire shipwreck scene as a whole is really fun but as a sucker for crossovers and easter eggs I really dig these bits.

17.1) Also I’m pretty sure this is Donald Duck.

18) This film has a very episodic nature. I think it works well for it, I just never really noticed before.

19) “Family” is a charming and poignant number. A culmination of the relationships built over the last hour of the film, it is a joyous celebration of the bond the bugs and James have formed. I’m a sucker for found families and showing off this family (with some strong/fun visuals thrown in for good measure) is right up my alley.

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20) The return of the rhino represents both James facing his fears and the the things that will throw us off in life. James has been scared of the rhino returning the entire film but now its back. He can’t control it, he can’t make it go away, just as problems in life we have to deal with won’t just magically disappear. He faces it head on, for better or worse, as we all should.

21) The ending of this film in New York City, while a tad slow, is a nice way to finish the story. Not only do the visuals of NYC match those of the animation, but James standing up to Spiker and Sponge show that he’s found his voice. He’s not going to be silent anymore and it’s important he does that WITHOUT half a dozen giant bugs backing him up. It’s just him, and he’s enough.

22) I like the epilogue of James living in the peach pit with the bugs and having all his new NYC friends coming to visit. It’s a nice touch.

I made my thoughts on this film pretty clear in the first note. I think it’s an underrated gem in Disney’s film canon. Although not with the same following as The Nightmare Before Christmas, in a number of ways James is just as good. The animation and sense of imagination is fun, it translates Roald Dahl’s trademark style wonderfully, and all in all is just a really good movie. I suggest giving it a watch if you haven’t.

#James and the Giant Peach #Henry Selick #Disney #Roald Dahl #Stop Motion #Epic Movie (Re)Watch #Movie #Film

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the-firebird69 · 2 years ago

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Watch "Pacific Rim Viral Video #2 - Breaking News: Kaiju Attack (2013) - Guillermo Del Toro Movie HD" on YouTube

youtube

Cuz you're a sudden chuckling he didn't think there was that many tunnels until now and some are not really deep and he started laughing a little more and some people are not laughing back and he's wondering where it would be so he's also laughing a little bit because you be coming out and and it looks like you probably left from the bridge perhaps went out there and came back underground in deep tunnels and they're two crews one would be the Chinese guy from the Zeppelin and the second would be the possibly the old man from the Zeppelin. Both are Willy Wonka and part of the crew and it's coming up when Christopher Walken does his deal and probably before Godzilla

We agree with our son and daughters assessment above and he's pretty tired right now so going to let him rest hopefully and there's a lot of things going on this is huge for us and how he gets there is amazing and people are then terrified

And our bikes and cars and everything starts selling really fast and he gets a break from some people because of it

Thor Freya

#Youtube

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under-the-lake · 6 years ago

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It Has To Be You - Fantastic Beasts The Second: What we know (or don’t) so far

WARNING: SPOILERS (writing this 9-10th August 2018)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - The Crimes of Grindelwald, Second Film of the five-film franchise, coming out 16th November 2018… already there! Can’t wait, to be honest. However, there’s some clues that have been dropped by the Wizarding Community online and that can allow us some kind of anticipatory excitement. Here’s a sort of summary, along with some personal thoughts and dug out information, because why bother only summarize when you can actually think?

Let’s start with the trailers, shall we?

Teaser trailer from Pottermore (PM - posted 13th March 2018): https://www.pottermore.com/news/watch-the-first-trailer-for-fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald

Second official trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlCKOG9ut8g

Short ID

Warner Bros., Heyday Films, 2018, directed by David Yates, screenplay by Joanne K. Rowling, music by James N. Howard.

Setting: London, Hogwarts, Cliffs of Dover, Muggle and Wizarding Paris (we get to see the local equivalent of Diagon Alley - entrance via a statue), New York, (maybe Godric’s Hollow?), 1927, plus at least Hogwarts in the early 1900s.

Main Characters: Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), The Niffler, Pickett, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), Tina and Queenie Goldstein (Katherine Waterston and Alison Sudol), Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) and his Obscurus.

Secondary Characters: Leta Lestrange (Zoë Krawitz), Nicolas Flamel (Brontis Jodorowski), Seraphina Piquery (Carmen Ejogo), Theseus Scamander (Newt’s brother, Callum Turner), Maledictus (Claudia Kim), Skender (owner of the Circus Arcanus, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), Abernathy (a Macusa supervisor, Kevin Guthrie), Vinda Rosier (Poppy Corby-Tuech), Spielman (Wolf Roth), Bunty (Newt’s assistant, Victoria Yeates), Torquil Travers (Derek Riddell), Arnold Guzman (Cornell S. John), Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam), Eulalie Hicks (Jessica Williams), Mrs Lestrange (Sabine Crossen), Laurena Kama (Isaura Barbé-Brown), Credence’s Aunt (Linda Santiago).

Rough plot outlines:

The series ranges from 1926 to 1945, when Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald and Tom Riddle graduated from Hogwarts. See… there’s no end to evil, only keeping it at bay.

The story of The Crimes of Grindelwald is set just after the first film. If you remember well, in 1926, Newt was in New York apparently buying an Appaloosa Puffskein and unofficially releasing his Thunderbird back in Arizona. He gets into trouble because of a 21-year old Obscurial, Credence Barebone, and is condemned to death along with his friend Porpentina Goldstein, by Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) supervisor Percival Graves. Miss Goldstein was at the time a dismissed Auror from MACUSA - she was investigating the New Salem Philanthropic Society - NSPS - against the orders of her superiors. They escape, along with Tina’s sister Queenie and a No-Maj (US word for Muggle), Jacob Kowalski. The group eventually confronts Percival Graves in the Subway tunnel, and in front of Seraphina Picquery (head of MACUSA) and her crew, they uncover Gellert Grindelwald under the traits of Graves. Grindelwald is taken into custody. Kowalski is Obliviated, along with apparently all the Muggles in New York, by some weird rain that raised a lot of questions, the Thunderbird flies to Arizona and Newt returns to the UK.

In 1927, Newt’s book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, has been published, Grindelwald has escaped MACUSA and is gathering followers. He wants to expose the Magical Community, and advocates Wizard supremacy over Muggles. Sounds familiar. Newt is sent to Paris by Dumbledore to track down the Dark Wizard, and the Ministry of Magic people don’t seem exactly ecstatic about that. Credence has survived and is becoming more powerful, apparently siding with a mysterious cursed woman called Maledictus who works for a non less mysterious circus called Arcanus. We can imagine that Tina, reinstated Auror for MACUSA, has been sent to track Grindelwald, and she and Newt meet again, together with Queenie and Jacob.

Apparently, from the trailers, we’ll be back at Hogwarts during Newt’s school years but also later.

What Has Been Disclosed So Far

‘Following the declassification of certain secret documents kept at the Ministry of Magic, the wizarding world has recently learned a little more about the creation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I am not yet in a position to tell the full story of my activities during the two decades that Gellert Grindelwald terrorised the wizarding world. As more documents become declassified over the coming years, I will be freer to speak openly about my role in that dark period of our history.

[...]

It is true that I was the first ever person to capture Gellert Grindelwald and also true that Albus Dumbledore was something more than a schoolteacher to me. More than this I cannot say without fear of breaching the Official Magical Secrets Act or, more importantly, the confidences that Dumbledore, most private of men, place in me.’

(Scamander, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 2017, pp. x and xii)

A poster made by MinaLima for the Comic Con of San Diego this year reveals a lot (see picture below): People (Dumbledore, Grindelwald, Credence and Maledictus, Leta and Theseus), locations (Hogwarts, London, Paris), a Thestral-driven carriage, the Deathly Hallows and a Snake...

To start with, Grindelwald is free. That was pretty obvious though. It looks like Seraphina Picquery’s cells and measures of protection weren’t enough. In the trailer Grindelwald is seen in a thestral-drawn carriage (I thought the only tame ones were at Hogwarts, and only after Hagrid tamed them, so way later), wands pointing at him. The two men driving the carriage look like back-dressed Willy Wonkas :P and the carriage is followed by two people on broomsticks. What happened? Grindelwald is still with long hair and beard so when does this take place?

Once free, Grindelwald is making his point to a big crowd, trying to convince them to follow him. His inner wish is of course wizard supremacy over Muggles and other non-magical beings like Squibs. His ‘official’ version is that wizards shouldn’t be in hiding. He’s seen working with a woman holding a skull, who is Vinda Rosier (another ancestor to Death Eater Evan Rosier? Even the first names sound similar).

Grindelwald has his own logo, apparently, that looks like two letters ‘G’ put back to back, and that actually resemble a distorted swastika…. (see zoomed picture above). Well, the film takes place during one of the darkest periods of European history, namely the one during which rough extreme dictatorships rose... We don’t see it in the trailer (or I’m really blind), but we can assume that Grindelwald has already stolen the Elder Wand from Gregorovitch. The crew made Dumbledore’s first wand similar to the Elder one, though, as seen on a tweeted picture.. I am not sure if I like it yet.

A second major news is that we’re going back to Hogwarts, on two distinct occurences in time, it seems. The first is 1927, while what seems like a delegation of the Ministry of Magic (MoM - that has a different logo then, more in the fashion of the times) comes to confront Dumbledore about his use of Newt Scamander on a mission in Paris. It makes sense to think they are MoM people because among them is Theseus Scamander, Newt’s brother, who is Head of the Auror Office at the time. Along with him on the MoM team is a bloke called Travers. Rings a bell? His family tree has a Death Eater on it, later in the 20th century. The lines from the trailer are the following:

MoM Official: ‘There’s a rumour that Newt Scamander is headed to Paris. I know that he’s working under your orders. What do you have to say for yourself, Dumbledore?’

Dumbledore: ‘Well, if you ever had the pleasure to teach him, you’d know Newt is not a great follower of orders.’

However, Dumbledore and Newt have a meeting that has to be secret (since it’s shot on the roof of St Paul’s cathedral, London), and that tends to back up the idea that Newt is working ‘for’ Dumbledore. Moreover, Newt owes Dumbledore, who made a strong case for Newt not to be expelled from Hogwarts, as we learnt in the first film.

The second occasion on which we visit Hogwarts is during Newt’s school years as a Hufflepuff boy there. Maybe we’ll have more details about his relationship with Leta Lestrange. We know he loved her, and shared her passion for creatures. When one of Leta’s experiments with a Jarvey went wrong, Newt took the blame to prevent her from being expelled. Dumbledore defended Newt, and we don’t know if the expulsion finally took place or not. However, Newt could keep his wand, which would tend to back up the theory according to which he could stay at Hogwarts and graduate. What also backs up this theory is the fact that he’s been working for the MoM, which wouldn’t have hired someone without top grades in N.E.W.T.s so... yeh. Not expelled, I believe. We also know that later, Leta fell for Newt’s brother Theseus and got engaged to him.

One of the trailer scenes pictures Newt taking over a Boggart. The film crew placed the same cupboard in the DADA classroom as in the Prisoner of Azkaban film, which is all right given the period, I mean on an antiques point of view. Why assume that Boggarts would be hidden in the same cupboard, though? Moreover, who is teaching DADA but Dumbledore. That doesn’t make sense at all. That being said, Newt’s Boggart is funny: a desk full of in-trays and papers (see picture above). Because his worst fear is to be made to work in an office (that’s what he says in the trailer).

To stay with Newt a bit longer, do you remember how he did not have a Wand Permit for the USA? Well, his travelling troubles seem to have no end. From some official documents, we can see that his MoM Travel Permit is pending, because ‘subject uncooperative and evasive on reasons for last trip’. If it had only been a trip to collect data for his book he would not have been evasive or uncooperative…. (picture below)

Among the latest news, we learn that Newt wanted to go back to New York once his book was launched. He didn’t seek celebrity, he wanted to find Tina. Unfortunately for his introvert self, his book is a success. Redmayne says ‘Newt has been grounded in London and unable to leave.’ (Buzzfeed, 10.8.2018). In the same post we learn that Newt has a basement to his London apartment, that Rowling intended as a creature hospital. It is actually an extension of Newt’s suitcase, and is apparently bottomless. The entrance is…. You’ll never guess…. Via a cupboard under the stairs! I’m NOT taking the mickey.

Something unexpected, maybe is the appearance of a well-known prop. The trailer shows lights being sucked from street lamps. That can mean only one thing: Dumbledore had already invented the Deluminator (aka Put-Outer) in 1927. Who’s using it though? The shadows won’t yet reveal the answer. Is the use Ron Weasley put it to going to be displayed too?

Another point that has been fantasised about is Credence. Credence has survived the blasting in the Subway tunnel, and is now more powerful and seems more angry than ever. At one point in the first trailer, he is in the circus and frees some kind of creatures from a glass ball, or so it looks like at least. He’s also seen intensely looking at the posters advertising the circus….

From one fishy character to another… Who is Maledictus? She is Credence’s companion as it appears. She is said to bear a blood curse that transforms her into a beast, and that she’s one of the attractions of the Circus Arcanus, owned by Skender, currently on tour in Paris. One of the posters says ‘Snake Girl’... and Maledictus means ‘cursed’ but also ‘ill spoken’. We also know that the Circus was on tour in New York late 1926, and left only at the beginning of January 1927 to cross the Pond to France. Hm….. could Credence and Maledictus have met before? Or is it a new acquaintance? Why would Credence be in Paris otherwise?

The most unexpected visit to the film might be that of Nicolas Flamel. It makes sense since he lives in Paris (or does he still? We know from the Dumbledore Frog Card from 1991 that he lives in Devon), but I wonder what is going to be his role. He meets Jacob, that’s sure, from the trailer. Will he be meeting Dumbledore? Some kind of alchemical discussion could be really nice, and offer a rest in the probably action-packed-CGI-ed film. It appears from pictures that Newt will at some point hold an alchemical symbol, which, if I remember well, is that of gold. It’s a circle with a dot in the middle. What significance to this? Link with the Hallows? Or the Philosopher’s Stone?

Another point is that there’s a hint, on Pottermore, that the film will show us younger versions of the main characters. Does that mean yet another flashback? Apparently. That fits the fact that we are to see Newt at school, in the early 1900s, but it also says that there is going to be a younger Grindelwald. Would that mean that maybe we could have a glimpse of that visit he payed to his great-aunt Bagshot in Godric’s Hollow the summer after Dumbledore graduated?

Let’s move to Creatures: the series is called Fantastic Beasts, after all. Pickett is back, and the Niffler. There’s all sorts of other creatures. In the trailer, Newt is seen riding an underwater creature. What could it be? A water dragon (he’s been training dragons for WW1, after all), a Kelpie (but it would likely eat him)? There’s also some sort of weird bird I’d say is an Augurey, and Thestrals. That bird appears to be sort of controversial in its determination: I mean that some people think it’s a Fwooper. Well, according to Scamander, in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the book, of course, Fwoopers are brightly coloured, which this bird is not. As a pet, it would be quite dangerous to have one, since it’s cry drives one mad. Moreover, It doesn’t match Rowling’s illustration for it at all. The bird from the trailer does, however, match the description of an Auguery a bit more: a vulture-like creature (all right it has feathers on its head, vultures, as scavengers, don’t), blueish grey, used as a home weather-forecaster.

Ok this kills me: there are going to be BABY NIFFLERS! FantasticBeasts retweeted a post about that and here’s the picture in there.

This is not a joke, There are really baby Nifflers. There are four different colours actually, as published by PM today 10th August. One adult Niffler was already some kind of a Weasley twin.... what about FOUR?

Here they are:

And HA another of their tweets lists creatures. And the bird IS an Augurey, but there is also indeed a Kelpie (wondering why, and how Newt is going to escape). The weird thing walking in the streets at some point in the trailer is called a Zouwu, that seems, from what I saw on Twitter, to be a Chinese creature. In the trailer, there’s also a weird-looking crumpled-antlered stag/elk-like creature, that some people refer to as a Leucrotta, but the usual description doesn’t fit here, some think it might be a Crumple-Horned Snorkack. There’s no description matching the beast in Newt’s book, unfortunately.

That’s what I’ve dug out so far. There is new info coming out all the time, and I probably have missed some. If that’s the case, please comment under the text :)

Paris, London, New York and the Wizarding World in 1927: Short Description (more after the film is launched)

I wanted to do a tiny bit of research on 1927 in Paris and London, mostly, and have a more deeper go after having seen the film, to put things more into context.

As The Crimes of Grindelwald set in 1927 directly follows Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, set in 1926 New York, there’s not much point into dwelling into what New York looked like at that time. There are a couple of papers on this blog about that:

http://under-the-lake.tumblr.com/post/157988584836/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-the-film (first deeper impressions after the first film, mainly deeling with Speakeasies and Immigration Rules)

http://under-the-lake.tumblr.com/post/158268815626/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-the-film (first deeper impressions part 2: laws and death penalty)

http://under-the-lake.tumblr.com/post/159376016836/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-the-film (first deeper impressions part 3: the NSPS and Credence)

http://under-the-lake.tumblr.com/post/153419399321/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-first (Very first Impressions)

Paris in 1927

President of France at the time: Gaston Doumergue (1924-1931)

Here’s an 8-minute video of Paris in 1927. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QDmzfyqNJM It shows really how life was in the streets.

Among the artistic life of the 1920s in Paris were people like the Missouri-born Josephine Baker, who was spotted in New-York in 1925 by French producers who were looking for an all-black cast for their Parisian Revue Nègre. Josephine was chosen and she moved to the French capital in the same year. She was one of the stars of the nightlife there from then on (see picture above). She was not the only foreign artist to set quarters in Paris. They came from the USA but also from the whole of Europe, mainly the East and South: Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Spain. The whole neighbourhood of Montmartre, with its Moulin Rouge and Bateau-Lavoir, and that of Montparnasse and the Quartier Latin, were exploding with modern artists from poets to painters and composers, trying things, often living on nothing, often collaborating, often also hating each other in peace. The 1925 Exposition of Decorative Arts had also launched the period of Art Deco. The Expo hosted works by artists like Lalique or Le Corbusier.

It was also the period of weird circuses. Fêtes foraines were travelling fun fairs with carrousels and other attractions, but also with displays of ‘monsters’ or other ‘unusual’ creatures, including humans. Famously, of course, bearded women and elephant men, or dwarves, were showed to the public. Audience were attracted via posters and even music, like barrel organ music, that could be heard up to 3 km (1.8 miles) around. From what the trailer of The Crimes of Grindelwald shows, the Circus Arcanus is exactly along those lines. The name itself should be enough for us to know that something fishy is coming, ‘arcanus’ meaning ‘mysterious’ or ‘secret’ in Latin. Plus there are snakes and that evil cloak-holding being on the poster.... and that phrase, Le musée des curiosités vivantes (the museum of living oddities, like a live curiosity shop). According to Wikia, the Circus was in New York for a fortnight in late 1926 and travelled to Paris, France, in early January 1927…

London in 1927

King: George V (reigned 1910-1936)

PM: Stanley Baldwin

There is footage from London in 1927, and Simon Smith has replicated the shots in 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kml92pPjx0

In 1927 the UK was recovering from the General Strike of 1926. The lower class had lost for many reasons, and the majority of the population was in a worse state then than before the strike.

The posh London society youngsters were known as the Bright Young Things. They were offspring of those who had gone through WW1 and were either fighting their parents’ values or taking life at face value, living carpe diem because of the war that had slaughtered so many young people. Maybe, for the young women, it was a way of showing their newly born independance. Maybe the reason was a mix of all. At any rate, it was a time of party, alcohol, drugs, freedom, jazz and a feeling of fighting the establishment. That latter was expressed, among other things, by the full acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships, which were, at the time, banned by the British laws.

Among them were people like photographer Cecil Beaton (see pic by him above), who is partly responsible for starting the cult of celebrity in the UK, via his portraying of the Bright Young Things. Since they were children of rich families, they had also connections with tabloids and could use them to spread their image, which they did. By the start of the 1930s, unemployment, Wall Street Black Thursday and global unhappiness were getting people bored by the growing excesses of that group.

On the cultural side, BBC (British Broadcasting Company) was created in 1927 (it was really founded in 1922 but was granted a Royal Charter in 1927). Authors who published in this year were among others Agatha Christie, Virginia Woolf and P. G. Wodehouse.

The Wizarding World in 1927-ish

In February 1927, Gellert Grindelwald, notorious Pureblood supremacist, makes an escape from MACUSA prisons in New York, while a month later, in March, Jacob opens his bakery, thanks to Newt’s Occamy Egg shells (Fantastic Beasts Screenplay, scene 123). Newt is doing well too, his book being published somewhere between January and March. The launch is set on 19th March 1927 at Flourish & Blotts, Diagon Alley, London.

By December, Seraphina Picquery has made the Thunderbird a protected species. She has instituted a Protective Order on it (While in the Muggle world Theodore Roosevelt had made Pelican Island a protected area in 1903, and the first protected list of species was used in 1918 jointly by Canada and the USA).

Dumbledore has been writing for Transfiguration Today for a year in 1927.

A French Ministry of Magic? Well, if the USA have their MACUSA and the UK have the MoM, why not a French Ministry. At any rate, the trailer gives us a glimpse of a glass dome with constellations and creature names written in pseudo-French: Le Niffleur, Hippocampe, Le Nundu, Le Doxy…. (there is even a typo because ‘centaur’ in French takes an ‘e’ at the end). I cannot vouch for this being the building of the French Ministry, but at least we know there is one, mentioned by J. K. Rowling in her writing about Beauxbâtons Academy on Pottermore. In French it is called Le Ministère des Affaires Magiques de France, which translates into ‘French Ministry for Magic Affairs’. According to Wikia, it was founded in 1790 during the French Revolution, and has ‘Incanté, Envoûté, Conjuré’ as a motto, which would translate into ‘Cast, Bewitched, Conjured’. The latest news from today tell us that the entrance is via one of the multiple public drinking fountains scattered all over Paris, called Wallace fountains. How can people enter via such a thing, search me. In London, you could either use Apparition, or the Visitor’s Entrance in the telephone box that you could actually enter, or later the public loo that you could get flushed in. The French thing is a fountain. Are people going to be suck via the plumbing after shrinking themselves or something? What about the Statute of Secrecy??

I must acknowledge that I hadn’t thought about Voldemort when I started this piece of writing. However, since Grindelwald’s defeat is followed by Voldemort’s rise to power, it must be considered. Merope Gaunt eloped with Tom Riddle Sr. in 1925-1926, and Tom Riddle Jr. was born on 31st December 1926 at Wool’s Orphanage, London, after his father left Merope, probably due to her stopping to feed him on Love Potion. So if we put two and two together, Tom Riddle Jr. had a nice model to worship when he was at school...

UK Minister for Magic: Hector Fawley (1925-1939)

US President of MACUSA: Seraphina Picquery (1903-1928)

French Ministre des Affaires Magiques: Unknown yet

Grindelwald and the Deathly Hallows: Dusting Our Memories

According to Rowling in her writings for PM, Gellert Grindelwald was born somewhere around 1883, somewhere on planet Earth. However, he was sent to Durmstrang Institute, that is located somewhere in northern Norway or Sweden (according to J. K. Rowling, see report of her reading GoF). He was ‘as ‘precociously brilliant as Dumbledore’ (Deathly Hallows, ch. Eighteen). Grindelwald was expelled when he was sixteen. The official reason is that he was making ‘twisted experiments’. They must have been really nasty if he was expelled from a school that favours Dark Magic.

Grindelwald knew about the Deathly Hallows and believed they would give him limitless power once united. He stole the Elder Wand from Gregorovitch the wandmaker. He wanted the other two Hallows, the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak, badly. We don’t know if he wanted to be Master of Death or just have power, but he was obsessed with overruling the Muggle world and put the non-magic people in their rightful place. He engraved the Hallows sign on one of the Durmstrang walls. Later Dumbledore draw it on the front page of his copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

How lucky then that Grindelwald’s great-aunt, Bathilda Bagshot, happened to live in Godric’s Hollow, which, apart from being the Potters’ and the Dumbledores’ family village, was the place where the Peverells had lived. Ignotus Peverell and his two brothers are said to be the Three Brothers of the tale, and thus the first owners of the Hallows.

After being expelled, Grindelwald went to visit his great-aunt. How very convenient… and there was Dumbledore, having to spend his summer looking after his family instead of taking his Grand Tour of the Wizarding World with Elphias Dodge. Bathilda introduced the two men, and it was like a bubble of fresh air to Dumbledore, according to Rowling. The two became inseparable, writing to each other about Wizard domination over Muggles for the Greater Good (that’s what Dumbledore thought) when they couldn’t talk about it. The relationship lasted two short months. Albus was besotted and that cast a gloom on his family, because he would not fulfill his obligations. His brother Aberforth eventually reacted, and the result was a three-way duel and Ariana’s, their sister, death. Needless to say, Grindelwald vanished. (Deathly Hallows, chapter Eighteen).

He travelled through Europe, gathering followers, and tracking down the Elder Wand, the easiest Hallow to trace, due to its bloody history. Apparently, he avoided Britain.

Europe having probably given out what it could, Grindelwald crossed the Atlantic and hired himself as MACUSA Auror Percival Graves. I guess he had heard about Obscuri and about Credence, because why go exactly there otherwise. Credence would be a wonderful weapon of destruction if he learnt to control his powers. Pottermore says that Grindelwald discovered Credence later, but I can’t think of any other reason for someone to go to the USA while the wizarding community there was so much more restrained than in Europe, and hopes of bringing it to the light were therefore so much smaller. Using an Obscurial to wreak havoc and thus expose the community would be a huge blow for his enemies. And of course we know that Grindelwald was already tracking down the Hallows, and knew of their existence, as proven by the necklace he gives Credence in the first film. Actually, I just read that according to Rowling, Grindelwald is a Seer… and had a vision about Credence’s immense power (see tweet).

During his stay in the USA, Grindelwald was discovered by Newt Scamander, and captured and imprisoned by MACUSA. Not for long, though. That’s what the second film is telling us.

Questions Raised by the Trailers and the Written Info

Some of these questions, together with the fact that since Rowling wrote the screenplays herself, make things that were canon from the Harry Potter series and Fantastic Beasts collide….

- Now were we hoodwinked in the first film? I mean drawn into thinking that Newt is an innocent Magizoologist, trying to gather information for his book? Was he actually already on a mission to track down Grindelwald? Because honestly, that’s what he does in the end. Nothing about collecting stuff for his book. Setting Frank the Thunderbird free seems like a nice cover story.

- If he was indeed on ‘innocent’ business in New York, then why are MoM officials monitoring his movements, and why is his current MoM travel authorization pending? Why are MoM officials coming to Dumbledore to inquire about Newt? Or are they actually investigating Dumbledore? And remember, MACUSA was already tracking Newt from the start of the first film...

- What are Queenie and Jacob doing in Europe? If Tina is probably on MACUSA duties or tailing Credence because she’s still on the NSPS trail, I can’t imagine why a baker would leave his flourishing new business and why a witch like Queenie would leave her makeup and brushes to travel to Europe.

- Who’s that bloke with long white hair and beard levitated by apparently officials in some kind of prison?

- Is Maledictus the Snake Lady? If she is, it would be clever for her to hide her curse in a circus, given the intolerance of the age for differences of any kind. Some rumours actually have it that she would become Nagini...

- How did Credence survive? And after recovering, did he join the circus? Otherwise it doesn’t make much sense that he’s in Paris, right? Nor that he knows Maledictus.

- From research done by SuperCarlinBrothers, Credence is related to Corvus Lestrange and is half-brother to Leta Lestrange, Corvus having had offspring by two women. It’s all here in their video, time 7.27 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3ChukSDGRU

Now how did Credence end up in the care of Marylou Barebone in the first place, please?? Or is that name a fake one?

- That family tree bears the name of Laurena Kama, a black witch. The film cast says that there’s going to be a character there called Yusuf Kama, played by William Nadylam. Family? And we know from cast that Credence has an aunt...

- And now we’re talking about Credence and his family tree... what about Modesty? Is she going to appear some time in this film or the next ones? What’s the point of developing her character so much in the first film if she has no role to play in the story later?

- Tina looks dark. ‘We’ll all have to pick our side’.... ? And it appears like she feels the urge to look after Credence… and maybe she’s a bit jealous of Bunty, Newt’s assistant, who in turn might be a bit infatuated with Newt, from what Redmayne says.

- WHY the bloody hell is Dumbledore teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA)???? That is so not canon. He’s a Transfiguration teacher. By 1927 he had been writing regularly for Transfiguration Today for a year. He was never mentioned as a DADA teacher, and it sounds really wrong. I know some people argue that DADA didn’t exist then, and that maybe Care of Magical Creatures was merged with it, as well as Transfiguration, but that doesn’t make any sense. Dark Wizards have always existed, and bad curses, hexes, jinxes, and dangerous creatures, if not dark ones. It makes no sense to ‘invent’ DADA just because Voldy was on the loose, or after Grindy was sent to Nurmengard.

- What’s that orb the woman next to Grindelwald is holding in her hand? Looks like either a Crystal Ball or a big version of a Prophecy. That last would be ruled out since it is too big to be one, but again, tampering with canon stuff seems to be the fashion. Unless, since everything seems to happen in Paris, it is a French Prophecy. Actually, new theory: from pics where you can see the two protagonists from the front, it seems Vinda is actually holding a skull with glowing orange eyes.

- Who’s the woman walking with the three thestralish cats? I found out she’s called Melusine…. That could open a lot of speculation.

- What’s Grindelwald saying to Dumbledore in the Mirror of Erised? And why does Dumbledore see Grindelwald in the Mirror in the first place? While actually at the end of the HP books, it is hinted that he’d be seeing his family… If the deepest desire of his heart were to see Grindelwald finished, then the latter wouldn’t be alive in there.

- Why always ‘it has to be you’? Same with Harry Potter and Severus Snape. Reminds me of Lord of the Ring, where people with the Rings of Power (that is Galadriel, Gandalf and Elrond) can’t take over Sauron and it has to be a Hobbit. Or David and Goliath. Oh wells. Always puppets played by experienced puppeteers.

- Last but not least. Why is Jacob working with wizards? Is he a descendant of wizards himself? I’ve been giving this some thought myself, but haven’t had time to work out all the connections. HOWEVER, there IS a theory that he’d be a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff, and it’s really interesting how the blokes who thought this came to that conclusion. It would explain, for instance, why Jacob has not been totally Obliviated by that rain that was destined for Muggles only (he makes pastries in the shape of all the animals he saw in Newt’s case, for instance). If you are curious about this theory, check this video by SuperCarlinBrothers : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT7i4Lu55pg (for details about disagreements on some names used in the video, check the comments under it :P ) There’s further evidence to be read in the comments below the video, because one of the people mentioned a Quentin Kowalski playing Quidditch for the USA in 2014, which would mean there are Kowalskis in the wizarding world, maybe a descendent of Jacob?

- Ok not last. I just rewatched the trailer and here comes one more question: HOW COME those people can just APPARATE on the bridge at Hogwarts??? I thought you couldn’t Apparate on the premises. At least according to Hermione, Severus and Hogwarts: A History. However, it is possible that those protection measures were put on later than 1927. On the other hand, Rowling says, on PM, that the castle and ground have always been protected by Anti-Apparition charms…

Of course, more info will be released the closer we get the the launch, on 16th November. We will see if any of those theories are confirmed, any questions answered… - can’t wait!

Meanwhile, as all these questions, all these thoughts, are obviously only assumptions and ramblings of my own mind, sometimes backed up by others, sometimes not, feel very free and very welcome to discuss any point you might feel worth it! Either in the comment thread under the article, or on our facebook page!

Happy anticipation to everyone!

Sources

https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/beauxbatons-academy-of-magic

https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/durmstrang-institute

https://www.pottermore.com/features/gellert-grindelwald-the-story-so-far

https://www.pottermore.com/news/watch-the-first-trailer-for-fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald

https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/the-hogwarts-express

https://www.pottermore.com/news/introducing-the-baby-nifflers-in-fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald

http://www.redhotjazz.com/josephinebaker.html

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Bright-Young-Things/

https://fromthebygone.wordpress.com/2017/12/30/the-bright-young-things-captured-by-cecil-beaton-1920s/

Full Credits currently available: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4123430/fullcredits

Latest update, 10th August 2018: https://www.buzzfeed.com/eleanorbate/fantastic-beasts-crimes-of-grindelwald-set-secrets?utm_term=.cvKd2rJEw#.gnnJo7gP0

J. K. Rowling reading Goblet of Fire report: http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/1209-hpfgu-scruton.html

Scamander, N. (2017). Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Bloomsbury Publishing, London, in association with Obscurus Books, Diagon Alley, London.

Rowling, J. K., (1999). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Bloomsbury, London.

Rowling, J. K., (2007). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Bloomsbury, London.

Rowling, J. K., (2007). The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Bloomsbury, London

Rowling, J. K., (2016). Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - The Original Screenplay. Bloomsbury, London.

#fantastic beasts and where to find them #the crimes of grindelwald #j. k. rowling #hogwarts #Albus Dumbledore #newt scamander #gellert grindelwald #what do we know so far #1927 #credence barebone #wizardingworld #film theory #Harry Potter #fantasticbeasts theories #louhi

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bl0dd · 3 years ago

Text

horriblekidz life update post for those who indulge in my life

been doin theatre in school these past few weeks, stage crew not cast or anything.

yesterday, (november 13th), was our final show date for this current production. we put on willy wonka and the chocolate factory. it was a blast and absolutely so much fun, makes me soso look forward to the spring production.

otherwise, been doin alright in school. im also taking driver's ed rn because id love to be able ti drive by the time i graduate, yknow?

hmmm. idk. been working on some personal art projects. emotional stuff. yuck.

whatever.

tl;dr im a smelly theatre kid, learning to drive and in the happiest spot ive been in for a long time :)

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lovehaswonangelnumbers · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://lovehaswonangelnumbers.org/riding-the-storm/

Riding the Storm

By Dana Mrkich

The intensity of last Monday’s Scorpio New Moon opposite Uranus (28 Oct) has, for a lot of people, continued. Deep emotional releases from heavy crying to rage-like anger to feeling generally frazzled has many feeling out of sorts- even while things in your life might be generally okay.

At the same time the Schumann Resonance was pumping strong (imagine your heart beating faster than usual, and you feel that thump thump thump stronger than usual….only this is Earth’s heart beat).

Much like the Solar Flares, this can make energetically sensitive people feel emotional, can ramp up anxiety because it’s revving up the nervous system, can trigger physical heart palpitations, fatigue, adrenalin surges and a need to just find a quiet place to rest and restore.

Sometimes we can feel super energised, creative and motivated when the Schumann Resonance is high so it may have affected you that way.

With the energy feeling very much like electric static I had originally thought this would ease as the moon moved away from that Uranus opposition. But err, no. It appears that influence is still with us as the moon prepares to go Full next Wednesday, nestled right alongside Uranus in Taurus. Yes you read that correctly. We’re going from a New Moon opposite Uranus, to a Full Moon being on Uranus. (While not being exactly on the Uranus degree it is close enough to warrant being called a Uranus Full Moon.) May as well get our brown paper bags out now, breathe in…and out…breathe in….and out!

On a personal level this particular New to Full Moon fortnight has been like a Scuba Diving Ride you didn’t realise you were in line for. Heck, you didn’t even know you were in an adventure park. One minute you’re washing the dishes, the next you’re breathing into those brown paper bags, sobbing uncontrollably about something that happened 40 years ago. Or something that happened 40 seconds ago that wasn’t really that big a deal, so WHY AM I SOBBING LIKE THIS!!! Or you are breathing into the paper bag because you’re trying really hard not to lose your shit for the tenth time this week because a lot of anger is coming up. Or things have just got really crazy with your schedule really fast, and your brain can’t work out how you are going to do the hundred things that suddenly showed up out of nowhere.

Scorpio loves a good scuba dive. Add Uranus to the mix and we’ve got ourselves an extreme sports version where you get zapped every few metres on the descent.

“Look at that memory!” Zap.

“Remember this issue? Did ya ever clear that?” Zap.

“Aww, you’ve still got that wound? Poke, poke.” Ouch! Zap.

Now I’ve got a scene from Willy Wonka in my head where the Oompa Loompas have to roll Violet to the juicing room and are singing that Oompa Loompa Oompa Dee Daa song as they squeeze out the excess juice, iron her out and send her back to her parents’ excess free. That’s us right now…..being wrung out like towels, and feeling strung out in the process!

Breathe deeply.

Move slowly.

Try to stay present mentally

– too much past/future worry increases the anxiety and frazzled feeling.

Put your feet on the grass, sit on the grass, lie on the Earth.

Do what you need to do to feel grounded

especially if you resonate with this feeling

that you’re plugged in to an electrical socket.

On a global level

Uranus is connected to shock…and there’s certainly plenty of that in the collective consciousness as more and more truth is being constantly revealed. This Uranus-influenced New/Full Moon window is really amplifying our awareness of, and sensitivity to, the crazy global reality show unravelling before our eyes!

The Great Awakening voyage we’re on is entering rough waters. Not because things are getting worse. Nope. As hard as it may be for some to believe, things are actually getting better because so much that has been hidden is now coming to the surface for all to see. Only this is causing mass turbulence and mass shock, as we start reaching the critical point of mass realisation to the behind the scenes truth of our world. Everyone generally knows that the powerful run the world. Now, millions are awakening to how:

Journalists have been muzzled for decades from telling the truth in order to protect powerful people. They have been used to serve “pyramid power structure” agendas that keeps control/power at the top. (Project Veritas posted video this week, exposing an Epstein cover-up revealed by a news anchor on a hot mic)

Powerful, public people have been involved in the trafficking and ritual abuse of children. (The FBI Vault posted documents this week about The Finders)

A global blackmail system has been used to control powerful people, from Hollywood actors to those in the music biz, to politicians to corporate and media moguls, who in turn are used to influence the public in a way that serves the “pyramid power structure” agendas. (Follow Tiffany FitzHenry on Twitter, she also has some new interviews up on You Tube including one with an adult survivor of elite-level child-trafficking and ritual abuse).

Many regular people enter journalism, politics, entertainment, and corporate life with good intentions, not realising how the system works until they ascend to the higher levels. Some however are born into “the network” or “the family”, and have been moulded from a very young age to be used as an influencer (and I’m not talking the latest insta-famous ones).

2020 is going to reveal more and more and more and more….it may produce sea-sickness and dizziness when you realise how much of the old reality has been a lie. That reality is not the reality we came here to create. As it collapses, and it will, it’s natural to feel grief, anger, confusion, depression and despair.

Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross defines the 7 stages of loss/grief as:

Shock

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Testing

Acceptance

This is where we’re at folks. Everyone in 2020 will be in one of those stages. Your job is to a) hold steady as best as you can using all the centering/grounding/connecting to your Highest Source tools you have and b) support others as best as you can.

One of our lovely She Fires Bernie put it well – “be the calm witness in the eye of the storm.” Remember – the Storm isn’t a sign that everything is going to crap. It is a sign of all the crap being revealed. We are absolutely going to come out the other side to a very new shore, a very new world. And, in the meantime, there is of course that calm that we can each personally find and help cultivate in others by going within, and by creating pockets of the new in our personal lives: in our families, in our homes, our schools, our workplaces, our communities.

This is how we will create change – flipping the pyramid around so that the base is at the top, with mass awakening leading to mass empowerment leading to mass grassroots level transformations. Our energy can then filter and flow through society as it was designed to do – co-creating healthy communities in healthy ways. A true leader holds the space, holds the vision, for the majority to thrive.

We have been living in an upside down world, so of course as things are being flipped the right way around things are going to feel a little topsy turvy!

As the old influence is being unplugged one socket at a time, now is the time to add your positive influence and light. Be the calm eye of the storm for those caught up in the turbulence. Hold your torch steady so that they can find their way to their own torch. Remember to keep your own cup full: healthy nourishing food, enough sleep, plenty of water, exercise, get outdoors, fresh air, sunlight – it’s the basics that are the most helpful!

How are you all feeling?

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crazy-daves-crew · 8 years ago

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New Post has been published on Crazy Dave's Crew

New Post has been published on https://cdcrew.com/why-was-2016-the-worst-year-ever/

Why was 2016 The Worst Year Ever?

Was 2016 The Worst Year Because of Death?

If you have spent any time at all on any of the social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter, you know 2016 was the worst year ever. But why do so many people feel that way?

Maybe it’s because we lost so many celebrities and famous people this year – I found a list compiled by fiftiesweb.com containing more that 150 names of well-known and some not so well-known folks who have passed away over the last year. Follow the link to get the full list, but here are just a few you may recognize.

January

David Bowie passed away on January 10th at the age of 69. He was a two-time Grammy winner influencing music and culture for four generations.

March

Nancy Reagan, First Lady of the U.S. from 1981-1989 passed away at the age of 94 on March 6, 2016

April

Merle Haggard died at the age of 79 on April 6th He was a very well-known Country and Western singer/songwriter

Prince, a flamboyant musician and winner of seven Grammy Awards, died at age 57 on April 21st.

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June

Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time, three-time heavyweight champion (1964, 1974, and 1978), died on June 3rd at the age of 74

Pat Summitt, who was the University of Tennessee Woman’s Basketball coach from 1974-2012 passed away at the age of 64 on June 28.

August

Gene Wilder, passed away at 83 on August 29th. He was known for his roles in “Blazing Saddles”, “Young Frankenstein” and “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”.

September

Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest golfers ever, died on September 25th at the age of 87.

December

John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, died on the 8th of December. He was 95 years old.

Alan Thick, best known for his role as Jason Seaver on “Growing Pains”, died at 69 on December 13

Zsa Zsa Gabor, an Hungarian actress and socialite, most known for marrying nine times to mostly wealthy men, died on December the 18th at the age of 99.

George Michael, a singer/songwriter, the lead singer of WHAM and solo artist with #1 hits, “Faith”, “I Want Your Sex”, “Careless Whisper,” passed away at age 53 on December 25.

Carrie Fisher, best known for her iconic role as Princess Leia in “Star Wars” and four sequels was only age 60 when she passed away on December 27th.

Debbie Reynolds, Kathy Selden in “Singin’ in the Rain” and the mother of Carrie Fisher, died on December 28th. She was 84.

William Christopher, age 84, well-known for his role as Father Mulcahy on TV show “M*A*S*H”, died on December the 31st.

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Did loosing this many celebrities in just one year make 2016 the worst year ever? Maybe…. But did you know we lose more than 90 iconic figures every year? Don’t get me wrong, we lost over 150 this year, but does this really make 2016 the worst year ever?

I have a few other numbers that will probably shock you!

Was 2016 The Worst Year Due Abortions?

Did you know approximately 900,000 potential celebrities also died in 2016? Who is shedding tears for these future movie stars, athletes, astronauts and world leaders?

Around 16% of all pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion!

Why? you ask –

The top three reasons for abortion :

having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities (can’t be expected to take responsibility for my actions)

cannot afford a child (never thought about adoption)

do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner (selfish)

Now for the reasons everyone gives for allowing abortions –

Only 12% of abortions are for medical reasons

Only 1% of abortions are due to rape or incest

These numbers are just sad. But I haven’t seen a single comment on Facebook or Twitter about this being the reason 2016 was the worst year ever! We weep over 150 people who lived very full lives just because we saw them in a movie, but not a peep about the 900,000 babies murdered before the drew their first breaths.

Just because abortion is legal, doesn’t mean its right! Remember slavery?

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Or was 2016 The Worst Year Due To Terror Deaths?

Suicide attacks killed more people in 2016 than any other year on record. 800 terrorist carried out 469 attacks in 28 countries killing over 5000 people!

Amazingly, I haven’t heard one person mention this when they are whining about “2016 The Worst Year Ever”

Priorities

Something is mixed up! We have not got our priorities in the right place. We mourn the deaths of a handful of wealth individuals who provide us with entertainment, but not the genocide of 900,000 innocent babies that never got a chance to be! We fail to mourn the thousand of individuals that died just trying to live their lives.

Please get your priorities straight folks

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Christianity, Crazy Dave, Parenting

I Will Always Be There For You!

https://i0.wp.com/cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/cropped-DSCN7597.jpg?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1 512 512 Crazy Dave http://cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CDC-logo-new-green-1.png Crazy Dave2016-12-08 18:00:342016-12-08 19:21:57I Will Always Be There For You!

Christianity, Crazy Dave, Parenting

If You Love Me, You Will Keep My Commandments

https://i1.wp.com/cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/1Orange-Beach-11-12-2013.074.jpg?fit=3648%2C2736&ssl=1 2736 3648 Crazy Dave http://cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CDC-logo-new-green-1.png Crazy Dave2016-10-14 17:11:472016-11-13 17:39:14If You Love Me, You Will Keep My Commandments

Christianity, Crazy Dave

Tolerance : Satan's Favorite Trap

https://i2.wp.com/cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Satans-Tolerance-trap.png?fit=800%2C565&ssl=1 565 800 Crazy Dave http://cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CDC-logo-new-green-1.png Crazy Dave2016-09-27 17:11:182016-09-27 17:11:18Tolerance : Satan's Favorite Trap

Christianity, Crazy Dave

Habakkuk : Contemporary Prophecy For America

https://i0.wp.com/cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IMG_20160916_105422244_HDR.jpg?fit=5248%2C2952&ssl=1 2952 5248 Crazy Dave http://cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CDC-logo-new-green-1.png Crazy Dave2016-09-16 14:31:512016-09-16 15:02:07Habakkuk : Contemporary Prophecy For America

Christianity, Crazy Dave, Parenting

God Is Not Safe

https://i1.wp.com/cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/DSCN2424.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1 480 640 Crazy Dave http://cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CDC-logo-new-green-1.png Crazy Dave2016-04-25 23:01:012016-09-08 10:23:10God Is Not Safe

Christianity, Crazy Dave

Transgender Target wants all to feel accepted

https://i2.wp.com/cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/gender-neutral-bathroom.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1 720 1280 Crazy Dave http://cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CDC-logo-new-green-1.png Crazy Dave2016-04-21 08:54:452016-09-08 10:32:34Transgender Target wants all to feel accepted

Christianity, Crazy Dave

Not my will, but Thine, be done

https://i0.wp.com/cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Orange-Beach-11-11-2013.149-e1458958149677.jpg?fit=3638%2C2608&ssl=1 2608 3638 Crazy Dave http://cdcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CDC-logo-new-green-1.png Crazy Dave2016-03-25 22:28:112016-09-08 12:58:07Not my will, but Thine, be done

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#2016 #Crazy Dave #Prolife

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