#April Star Interiors

[aprilstarinteriors]

Why Go For Interior Decoration With Mindful Decluttering?

Mindfully decluttering your home has numerous benefits that go beyond just tidying up physical spaces. As life evolves, some items may no longer serve a purpose or bring joy.

Many people are enthusiastic about diving headfirst into decluttering, eager to see visible results quickly. While this enthusiasm is commendable, rushing into decluttering without a clear plan can lead to frustration and wasted effort.

Letting go with compassion

We often hold onto things out of habit, nostalgia, or fear of letting go. Whether it's due to lack of time, uncertainty, or emotional attachment, decluttering with mindfulness means approaching the process with kindness and understanding. You can ask the Minneapolis interior designer and make a list of things you need to remove from your home.

Navigating transitions with clarity

Transitions in life, such as retirement, moving, or major life changes, often prompt the need for decluttering. Mindfully tuning into your relationship with your belongings during these times helps you make decisions that honor your present and future self. Allow the St Paul interior designer to make these transitions in your home decor.

Seeking support and guidance

During emotionally challenging decluttering sessions, reaching out for support can make a world of difference. Whether it's from friends, family, or professional organizers, having a support system from the Minneapolis interior designer can help you navigate the process with greater ease and compassion.

Embracing emotional release

Decluttering isn't just about physical objects; it's also about releasing emotional baggage. Items tied to past traumas or losses can hold significant emotional weight. As you declutter with the St Paul interior designer, you're not just creating physical space; you're also creating space for renewal and growth. 

Decluttering can be a challenging journey, especially if you're tackling a significant amount of clutter. Ask yourself if keeping the item aligns with your goals and if it brings you joy or serves a practical purpose. Once you've clarified your goals and motivations, it's time to create a decluttering plan with April Star Interiors.

[stevebattle]

"Automation" and friends (1979), by Bill Tolar, Fantasy Factory division, Creative Systems Group Inc., Atlanta, GA. Bill Tolar and Tom Zaken treat us to a surreal tour of the Creative Systems robot factory in episode 1513 of Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood, "Robots & Remotes" (1983).

"Three years ago Bill Tolar and his management/engineering team at Creative Systems Group Inc. in Atlanta produced a cylindrical object with a domed head and dangling arms that ran on a car battery. As soon as Tolar and his team added a two-way wireless radio, they were in the promotional robot business, with a product that resembled R2D2 – the charismatic beeping robot of Star Wars fame.

Since then, the company, which designs and manufactures imaginative interiors for retail stores, has sold 350 remote-controlled robots at prices ranging from $6,000 to $15,000. Although he has competitors, Tolar, 33, claims his company's Fantasy Factory division, with 1981 sales of $700,000, is "the largest promotional robot factory in the world." Coca-Cola has bought about 250 of the robots for its bottlers to use in mall appearances and similar events. Other customers include Arby's Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corp., and the National Pecan Marketing Council.

The robots are intended to create goodwill by chatting spontaneously with the clientele at trade shows, grand openings, supermarkets, hospitals, and sporting events. Such friendliness, Tolar claims, helps to circumvent the barrier people usually erect between themselves and corporate advertising. "The general public likes to think the robot is real," he says.

Creative Systems was an outgrowth of several earlier Tolar ventures. In high school he and a friend formed T&R Odd Jobs, a sign-painting and custom furniture business. As an engineering student at Georgia Tech, he joined his older brother to form Spatial Effects, a company that built lighting equipment for nightclubs."

– Chatty Robot Sparked Design Firm's Success, Inc.com, April 1, 1982.

[eurotrip]

1970 Aston Martin DBS from The Persuaders driven by Roger Moore.

The most famous Aston Martin DBS is without doubt the one which appeared in the 1970’s British television series The Persuaders. Although it appears to be a V8, the car featured in the series was in fact a straight 6 equipped with DBS V8 alloy wheels. Chassis number DBS/5636/R, was registered as BS 1 (although in real life PPP 6H) and was painted in Bahama Yellow.

This DBS in the hands of Lord Brett Sinclair, was without doubt one of the stars of the series, opposite the DINO 246 GT driven by mischievous American Danny Wilde. The series was broadcast in Britain on ITV from 17th September 1971 to 25th February 1972, and in France from 3rd October 1972 on the ORTF’s second channel. It soon became a major hit. Unfortunately The Persuaders came to an end after only one season and a total of 24 episodes which are now considered cult TV. The "Bahama Yellow" DBS is fondly remembered by many, and several 6 cylinder and V8 DBS’s have been painted in the same colour by car owners who are also fans of the series.

Between April 1994 and Autumn 1997, the original DBS driven by Roger Moore was totally restored by Aston Works Service in Newport Pagnell and both Roger Moore at Pinewood Studios in 2003 and Tony Curtis at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in 2008 (two years before he died in 2010) signed the interior of the boot lid. DBS/5636/R is now owned by Ed Stratton who maintains the car with care but does not hesitate to drive it as often as he can, for the greater pleasure of the series fans.

[snek-panini]

Today's completed book is a bind of Glimmer, by @tawnyontumblr (hi, it's me, the person who asked to bind your story way back in April). This story is a Good Omens human au about sex workers in the Regency era, and it's gorgeous and lush and fantastic. Sexy and vulnerable and all the good adjectives. Go read it if you haven't yet, it's wonderful.

This is another legal-size quarto, my second (of 4; more are on the way). It really is an addictive size, and perfect for fics this length. The cover is done in this really pretty red damask lokta paper that highlights different parts of the image depending on the angle of the light. I was toying with the idea of binding this fic, and when I found this paper I immediately bumped it up the list because it's so perfect. The spine is dark gray lineco book cloth that I simply cannot resist putting on spines. I realize this is a pattern and I do not care. It's softer visually than black and it coordinates with everything and I will not stop.

More photos under the cut!

What did I tell you, it coordinates with everything. I used silver foil HTV for the title, and I elected to put it just on the spine so as not to cover up any of the floral patterns on the cover. Honestly, I thought about it but just couldn't bring myself to cover it up. The interior of this one has some very fancy fonts and I wanted one for the spine but they were all too spindly. But this one's a good compromise, I think. Delicate but straightforward.

Top view. I really wanted to do custom end bands for this one, for maximum luxury, but it was too thin, so it has pre-made black ones. They sort of disappear in the photos but make a nice contrast in person. I am totally in love with the starry endpapers even though they are only scrapbook paper from Joann's. It was surprisingly difficult to find something that looked good with the red cover, because plain solid colors looked too lackluster and most prints were too bold with the floral, not to mention a lot of colors clashed with the red. But I love these gray-on-gray stars. They're perfect. And a lot of the fic takes place under cover of darkness, and stars are a symbol of hope, and this fic's about wanting to escape your current circumstances, so it's kind of thematically appropriate. I'm going to say it is, anyway XD

So I think the title page is my favorite part of the bind again. I found this vintage valentine graphic on rawpixel for free and it's probably the most opulent thing in the whole typeset. The sort of uneven ink distribution is on purpose and adds to the vintage feel. I remember thinking about a year ago that my title pages were too plain and I needed to level them up somehow, and with the batch of binds I've been posting for the last week or two I think I've done it. The fonts here are called Annabel (the one with the trailing ends) and Victorian Decade (the swirly one that my bindery name is in). Both are available for free from DaFont. I did have to get a little tricky with the line spacing to get them to print correctly, but it was worth it. I wanted opulence for this one.

And that's that! I hope I did the fic justice, because I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.

[simvanie]

My 𝐓𝐨𝐩 24 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 from 2024🎉

Thank you @theplottdump and @duusheen for the tag!! 💗🥰

Tagging: @someone-elsa, @aurorangen, @thebramblewood, @tulipsimss, @cowplant-snacks, @rebouks, @bakersimmer, @flocy-sims, @cowplant-pizza, and of course whoever else would like to do this! (I've lost track of who has and hasn't already done this, so feel free to ignore if you have! <3)

Januari

I remember one of the first things I did when Supriya aged up into a teen was to have her take selfies. Because not only is that someting a pride generation heir would do, but at the time I also thought she was one of the prettiest teens in my game ever.

Februari

I decided to fully furnish and decorate an apartment for Supriya to live in and I think this is when I realized that I'm 100% a maximalist when it comes to interior design.

March

Ah, the night of the gala where Supriya and Rohan finally let their walls down 😊. I based the the outfits and the location of the gala (before they got back to Supriya's apartment) on the gala scene from the movie Maid in Manhattan which was a movie I really liked as a kid and for some reason that gala scene imprinted itself in my brain.

April

I love a good sunset. But what I love more is Rohan and Supriya getting engaged in front of a good sunset. The couple moved to Brindleton Bay where they fell even more in love with each other, and I fell in love with the Brindleton Bay heatwaves (when it doesn't rain that is). Rohan and Supriya eventually got married and it was my first cultural in-game wedding and, you guessed it, I loved it.

May

A pregnancy photoshoot with Supriya and Rohan in that little park with the blossom trees in Lykke Centre, Windenburg. The other screenshot is a screenshot with Cedia as a siren that I never posted in the Halloween post of last year, so I decided to make another post this year with the screenshots I also loved and that didn't make the cut back then.

June

I was still experimenting with my decorating skills and I had a lot of fun decorating the kids' playroom and Gulshan's bedroom when they were little.

July

I did an "end-of-generation" photoshoot with Supriya and also made one of my oc's, Fawzia, for Thebramblewood's vampire casting call who until then had only existed in my head. And for my legacy I wanted to try something different with the lighting in the screenshots where Gulshan and his friends are partying and I really liked how it turned out.

August

Sad boi.

September

Gulshan got his restaurant and I love everything about it. I started building this restaurant when I started the 7 sins legacy and I was so excited when I could finally play in it.

October

I took this screenshot after Gulshan earned 4 stars for his restaurant. I posed everyone except for Lord Hamlet. He just walked past and it turned out perfect for this screenshot. Did I mention Lord Hamlet already? BECAUSE LOOK AT HIM! At first I wasn't sure how a pig who is actually a dog would work out in game, but he is my favorite in-game pet ever and I love him so much. The last screenshot I made to showcase the Poppy cas set by Surely-sims and Ice-creamforbreakfast and all the screenshots for this are some of my favorite lookbook screenshots ever.

November

Sad man.

December

Nothing beats baking cookies with the love of your life on a snowy winter morning.

[ourshadowstallerthanoursoul]

The howl

"It is apparent that Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant deserves his growing reputation as the most sexually exciting personality in rock. But he deserves more. Plant is more musician than he is pretty goldilocks rock and roll star. He has the guts to get into a blues like 'Bring It on Home' and the range and musical sense to do something with it. Additionally, there is the Robert Plant howl. It starts in the airless womb of an electron tube, lodges itself in the main columns of the building, is conducted to bedrock and is now entombed in eternal torment in the interior of the Appalachain range."

- From the April 2, 1970 Charleston concert review by Ray Brack

[whencyclopedia]

Reinhard Heydrich

Reinhard Heydrich (1904-1942) was a lieutenant-general in the Nazi SS organisation, Gestapo chief, and head of Reich security. A favourite of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), Heydrich controlled all police activity in the Third Reich and was instrumental in carrying out the widespread persecution, detention, and murder of Jewish people, communists, political rivals, and others considered enemies of the Nazi state.

Heydrich was the leading Nazi in German-occupied Czechoslovakia where his brutal regime earned him the nickname the 'Butcher of Prague'. Heydrich was assassinated by the Czech resistance in May 1942. Had he lived, it is certain that Heydrich would have been hanged at the Nuremberg trials of 1945 for his systematic crimes against humanity, particularly his direct role in the Holocaust and murder of six million Jewish people.

Early Career

Reinhard Heydrich was born in Halle in Eastern Germany on 7 May 1904. His father, Bruno Heydrich, was a distinguished musician, composer, and music teacher from Dresden. Heydrich's mother was Elizabeth Maria Anna Amalie Krantz, whose own mother was Jewish. Elizabeth was a humble actress, but it was her Jewish connections that plagued Heydrich's confidence throughout his career as a virulent anti-Semitic Nazi.

Heydrich joined the German Navy in 1922. He impressed his superiors and rose up the ranks, working primarily in communications and intelligence. In his free time, he "was a first-class fencer, excellent horseman, skilled pilot, and a talented violinist" (Boatner, 214). In April 1931, Heydrich was obliged to leave the navy following a scandalous relationship with the daughter of a shipyard director. The girl became pregnant, but Heydrich refused to marry her. Heydrich already had a long-term attachment going on with Lina von Osten (1911-1985), whom he married at the end of 1931.

It was also in 1931 that Heydrich joined the fascist National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) or Nazi Party for short. Lina was a member of the Nazi Party before Heydrich and as anti-Semitic as her husband. Heydrich also joined the Nazi paramilitary group the SS (Schutzstaffel) where he received a series of rapid promotions. Heydrich reached the rank of Obergruppenführer or lieutenant-general in July 1934. Heydrich was a perfect fit for the Nazis:

The very picture of blond Aryan handsomeness…His blue-eyed good looks, athletic prowess, arrogant mien, and musical talent hid a neurotic personality which was deeply divided, uncertain, and treacherous.

(Dear 416)

According to Albert Speer (1905-1981), the Nazi armaments minister, Heydrich was "always neatly dressed, and well bred…capable of unexpected decisions at any moment, and once he had arrived at them he would carry them through with a rare obstinacy" (Speer, 503-4)

Heydrich, who had gained experience working in the department of military intelligence when in the navy, was directed to create an equivalent branch within the SS. The SD or Sicherheitsdienst was founded in 1934. Heydrich was the rising star of Nazism, and in the same year, he was appointed the leader of the Prussian Gestapo, the Nazi secret police. Heydrich's career progressed thanks to him being an "organizer with a genius for intrigue and a greed for power" (Boatner, 215). Heydrich had proven his worth with his organisational contribution to the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934, when the Nazi paramilitary group the Sturmabteilung (SA) was, on Hitler's orders since it was becoming too powerful, ruthlessly purged and its top commanders executed.

In 1936, Heydrich became the head of a new Nazi organization within the Ministry of Interior, the security police, known as Sipo or Sicherheitspolizei. This effectively meant that Heydrich controlled both the Gestapo and the criminal police or Kriminalpolizei (aka Kripo) and made him deputy to the feared SS leader Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945). The historian H. Thomas describes Heydrich as Himmler's "assiduously brutal yet servile second in command" (40). The Himmler-Heydrich working team operated well together, but Heydrich despised Himmler in private, once telling his wife he imagined him "in his underpants then everything was all right" (Cimino, 54).

Heydrich used his powers ruthlessly to imprison, torture, and execute anyone he considered a threat to the state or his own position in the Nazi Party. Heydrich was not bothered by such conventions as first gathering evidence against the accused, rather, he preferred preventive measures, that is, arresting people who might become enemies of the state before they could do any harm. He pursued a relentless persecution of anyone considered an enemy of Nazi Germany such as Jewish people, communists, freemasons, homosexuals, habitual criminals, and church figures. Heydrich kept thousands of dossiers and index cards on suspects, all carefully colour-coded to indicate which particular offence against Nazism they were guilty of. Responsibility for the Kristallnacht ('Night of Broken Glass') pogrom against German Jews (loosely defined by the 1935 Nuremberg Laws) of November 1938 is sometimes laid at Heydrich's door, but he had long urged Hitler for a more systematic and legally-based persecution of Jews than mere odd nights of terror.

When Hitler was looking for an excuse to attack Poland, it was Heydrich who organised a false flag mission on the Gleiwitz radio station. In the mission, disguised SS members left machine-gunned bodies to make it appear as if Poles had attacked the German station. Hitler then gave the green light for the invasion of Poland in 1939. In September 1939, Heydrich was duly rewarded with his appointment as head of the Reich Security Main Office or RSHA (Reichssicherheitshauptamt), a new organisation, which meant Heydrich now controlled the Gestapo, Kripo, and the SD. The RSHA had three main roles: policing and repressing enemies of Nazism, gathering intelligence, and eliminating those people identified by the Nazis as being racially inferior. In none of these roles was the RSHA limited by any legal restrictions. Heydrich's ultimate objective was to have what he described as "total and permanent police supervision of everyone" (Stone, 164).

Continue reading...

[don-dake]

R I P L E Y (2024)

***Contains SPOILERS***

A review (of sorts, but more a rambling opinion piece that veers off the main subject occasionally).

So I've watched R I P L E Y (2024), all eight episodes of it. One word: Bravissimo!

As someone who loves the Ripliad series of novels by Patricia Highsmith immensely, and having watched all the Ripley film adaptations there are thus far — Plein Soleil aka Purple Noon (1960), The American Friend aka Der Amerikanische Freund (1977), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Ripley's Game (2002), and Ripley Under Ground (2005) — I went into this new series (released on Netflix on April 4th) with expectations…

Not high, for I've learned it's never good to have high expectations or you'll more than likely just be setting yourself up for disappointment…but with expectations all the same!

Thus far, my favourite Ripley film adaptation had been 2002's Ripley's Game starring John Malkovich as an older Ripley. Had been. Until this series that is! I still love Ripley's Game a lot of course! (heh!) And there really should be no comparison given it's two different mediums and the two Ripleys are portrayed from different times of the character's life.

So saying, this new series definitely sets a new standard for a Ripley adaptation! And as someone who love the books a lot, I'm glad this series is very closely adapted from the first book!

The decision to go for a black and white cinematography, I was skeptical about that at first but after looking at the trailers and reading on the director's reasoning for going B & W with this, I can understand why, and generally agree with his decision.

Though at times, especially when looking at the wonderful interior sets, I'll be wishing I could see it in all its colour glory and thinking what a waste it was not to have it in colour, but that is but a minor hitch, for the B & W cinematography is done with superb mastery and skill, and it's hard to find fault with going this route. And it does contribute to getting into the film noir feel from films of yesteryear.

On the actors, I was skeptical on Andrew Scott as Ripley at first, but I'm happy to say he has proven me wrong and his Ripley, while not as young as Ripley should be at the start of the novel series, is one that is characterised the closest, and if Showtime/Netflix has any plans to adapt the rest of the novels, Scott will be perfect as an older Ripley, I think!

Maybe that was/is the plan…that's why Scott was chosen even though age wise, he doesn't quite fit in the beginning…one can hope! (heh!)

Moving on, just a brief rambling on the other main actors/characters because I'm getting tired:

Love Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood, she was exactly how I imagined Marge to be as I read the (first) book. A superb performance by Fanning I'd say!

Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf was underwhelming for me partly because in my eyes, Jude Law was/is the perfect Dickie (even if his — Law's — American accent was/is questionable), but partly also because I find Flynn is lacking charisma (sorry, Flynn fans!), I didn't get the sense of what was so fascinating about this Dickie that Ripley would be so enamoured with him or his lifestyle, enough to kill for it.

Perhaps the fault lies partly with the script too for I felt we the audience didn't get to see more of what drew Ripley to Dickie, besides his obvious wealth and status.

Eliot Sumner as Freddie Miles. Now this was the character that underwent the most drastic change as compared to the book and the 1999 The Talented Mr. Ripley film adaptation. In both the book and the 1999 film, Freddie was described (and portrayed to perfection by Philip Seymour Hoffman in my opinion) as an American with carrot-red hair, stocky, loud and all round obnoxious from miles away sort.

2024 Freddie is slim-built, androgynous looking, with a cherub face and British…he's practically a whole different character except in name.

As such, it's unfair to compare I guess, but having envisioned Freddie as described in the book for so long, helped along by PSH's award-worthy performance, I'll just say this is not the Freddie for me.

But, that doesn't mean Sumner's Freddie was bad. In terms of being almost a foil to Ripley, Sumner's Freddie is still quite effectively annoying.

Special mentions to Maurizio Lombardi and Margherita Buy as Inspector Ravini and Signor(in)a Buffi (Ripley's landlady) respectively! I enjoyed watching these two characters.

Also a special mention to Lucio (Signor(in)a Buffi's cat), who, had it been able to speak, Ripley would certainly have silenced! (heh!)

Last but not least, a special mention to John Malkovich as Reeves Minot.

I was so excited when I first saw Malkovich in the trailer because not only is his casting a nice tribute to his turn as Tom Ripley in Ripley's Game (2002), I thought he would be playing Herbert Greenleaf at first, but he turned out to be playing Reeves Minot! Even better! Gives more hope that new seasons of R I P L E Y (2024) may happen!

Those who have read the books will know that Reeves Minot is a recurring character in the later books — I can't really remember how many exactly, it's been some time since I last read them (and I should again!).

To sum up, I did enjoy this series tremendously and will definitely rewatch many times to come, and I hope we'll get further adaptations of the other books with the same standards as set for this one!

P.S.: I've seen a few people mention “this (R I P L E Y) is like Saltburn!”. I never heard of the film Saltburn before looking at some opinion pieces, but after looking it up, dare I say, Saltburn ripped off the Ripliad stories and its characters (the Ripliad books first came out in the 1950s) and I think it's more appropriate to say “Saltburn is like Ripley”!

[scotianostra]

On September. 27th 1938, Queen Elizabeth, the world's largest ocean liner was launched on the Clyde.

The Queen Elizabeth was the sister ship of the Queen Mary, which was christened four years earlier, I covered this yesterday.

Unfortunately, her role as a luxury liner was short-lived - with the outbreak of the Second World War the following year, the Queen Elizabeth entered service in February 1940 as a troopship and didn’t return to her original role until October 1946.

The Cunard line’s enormous luxury ocean-goer was built on the river Clyde to sail between Southampton and New York, named after the Queen Consort (later the Queen Mother).

Following the outbreak of World War II, the security of Queen Elizabeth became a major concern for Cunard-White Star and the British Government. It was not safe to keep the ship in Scotland, as it was well known that she was a tempting target for the Luftwaffe.

Queen Elizabeth was painted in military grey before departing Clydebank for what was rumoured to be a short journey to Southampton. However, once in open sea the ship’s course was altered – Queen Elizabeth’s maiden voyage was to New York!

Thus, the untested and untried ship – then the world’s largest ocean liner – made a secret dash across the Atlantic to the safety of America. She arrived unannounced in New York, surprising officials and New Yorkers alike. Queen Elizabeth berthed alongside Queen Mary, Normandie and Mauretania Queen Elizabeth was requisitioned for wartime service on 13 November 1940.

The ship sailed to Singapore where she was refurbished into the world’s largest troop carrier. During the works, defensive armaments and a degaussing coil (to protect against mines) were fitted.

On 11th February, Queen Elizabeth sailed from Singapore bound for Sydney, Australia, arriving ten days later. Here the conversion into troop ship was completed and Queen Elizabeth undertook her first trooping voyage to the Middle East, carrying troops to Suez.

Queen Elizabeth later sailed to Canada, and carried troops to Sydney, while in 1942 the Admiralty considered possible future uses for the Queens. Their trooping capacity meant they were the most valuable large troop transports in service. When the USA entered the war in December 1941, the future use of Queen Elizabeth along with Queen Mary changed. Ultimately, the ships were most valuable operating the trooping service on the North Atlantic, and following a major overhaul Queen Elizabeth commenced this service. She remained in Government requisition for the rest of the war.

At the end of the war, Queen Elizabeth was famous on both sides of the Atlantic. The ship, which had carried over 750,000 troops, now commenced work repatriating those troops as well as the war brides.

Queen Elizabeth was released from Admiralty service in 1946. Her post-war overhaul and refurbishment was carried out both on the Clyde and at Southampton. This overhaul saw luxury passenger interiors installed aboard Queen Elizabeth, in preparation for civilan transatlantic services. Additionally, ship was painted in Cunard livery, while the machinery was overhauled.

Queen Elizabeth was given her full sea trials, and then officially accepted by Cunard. The ship made her maiden peacetime passenger voyage to New York on 16 October 1946.

Queen Elizabeth proved a popular ship and over the coming months the ship was well booked. On 17 April 1947, Queen Elizabeth ran aground near Brambles Bank as she made her approach to Southampton in thick fog. The ship was later successfully refloated.

In September 1951 Queen Elizabeth made her 100th peacetime transatlantic crossing. But as more passengers took to airline services, Cunard realised that they needed to upgrade Queen Elizabeth in order to keep her relevant in a changing world with a particular focus on longer duration cruising

As such, during a refurbishment in January 1952 the ship’s fuel capacity was increased allowing her to sail longer distances without refuelling. Additionally air-conditioning was fitted throughout, to allow the ship to undertake voyages into warm climates. Four years later, Queen Elizabeth was fitted with stabilisers, which greatly improved passenger comfort.

When Pan American World Airways flew the first Boeing 707 service across the Atlantic, the future for Queen Elizabeth was in doubt. By 1962 the decline in the number of passengers on the Atlantic shipping service (they had moved their business to airliners) led to an announcement that the ship would be used more and more for cruises.

Cunard gave Queen Elizabeth another major overhaul in Greenock, which involved an interior refurbishment and the creation of an outdoor swimming pool on Queen Elizabeth’s aft deck. This was combined with a new lido area which, it was hoped, would allow the ship to attract more cruise passengers.

Sadly, the 1966 Seaman’s Strike meant that the refreshed ship was laid up in Southampton for a number of weeks, which further impacted on Cunard’s financial viability. On 8 May 1967, Cunard announced the fates of the two Queens. Queen Mary was withdrawn from service later that year, while the Queen Elizabeth was to be retained until Autumn 1968, by which time it was hoped the QE2 would be ready as her replacement.

Queen Elizabeth was initially sold to a group of Philadelphian businessmen, who intended to turn her into a floating hotel in Florida. The ship made her final transatlantic crossing on 5 November 1968 before she was withdrawn from Cunard service.

Once in Florida, the ship was opened to the public, however this venture didn’t last and the ship was closed in late 1969. In 1970 the ship was auctioned and bought by C.Y.Tung, Hong Kong, who planned to convert the liner into the world’s largest Floating University.

Re-named Seawise University, the ship sailed for Hong Kong to be converted. The transformation was almost complete when a series of fires broke out aboard the ship, causing her to burn out and sink in the harbour, a sad end to a beautiful ship.

You can find more pics and info on the link below, including an 8 minute video. Among the pics you will see that although Queen Elizabeth was a luxury liner, it was not this way when it was in service during WW2, troops were crammed into every available space.

[enha-hirose]

ENHYPEN KAI HIROSE'S PROFILE

Personal Information:

Stage Name: Artemis

Birth Name: Kai Hirose (히로세)

Date of Birth: April 17, 2001

Position: FOTG, Main Rapper, Lead Vocal, and Main Dancer.

Nicknames: Riri, Ari, Rosey, Hiro, and Kai

Zodiac Sign: Aries

MBTI: INTJ

Nationality: Korean-Japanese

Training Period: 2 and a half year

Blood Type: B

Facts about her:

Hirose was born in Tokyo, Japan but her family also maintains a residence in Seoungbukdong Village, Seoul, Korea, thus, allowing them to be able to travel back and forth between two countries.

Hirose's father holds the position of CEO at a prominent Japanese multinational investment holding company while her mother is a renowned chef. In addition, Hirose has an older brother who is two years older than her and who is also actively engaged in the business world.

Kai is a proud cat mom to two feline companions, Tsuki (Moon) and Hoshi (Star), who undoubtedly hold a special place in her heart.

She has a passion for baking pastries, using it as her love language to express affection.

Not only does Hirose demonstrate proficiency in classical instruments such as the violin, piano, and cello, but she has also delved into the realm of martial arts, having learned taekwondo and honed her equestrian skills through horseback riding.

She has a driving license and a pokemon collection (mostly pikachu).

However, it's Hirose's early fascination with archery that truly sets her apart. Starting at a young age, she dedicated herself to the sport, mastering the art to such an extent that she was able to compete at prestigious events like the Tokyo Olympics and the SEA Games, making her nation proud as she won gold medals in both events.

She is a huge fan of Red Velvet and BTS.

She was casted by Big Hit Entertainment when Hirose caught the eye of BANG PD himself during a BTS concert in Japan who recognize her overflowing potential.

She made a surprising lovely appearance in the BTS Highlight Reel, assuming the roles of J-Hope and Jimin's partner. Her exposure made her earn a substantial and passionate fanbase. From then, J-hope and Jimin immediately took her under their wing and treated her as their little sister.

She had a cameo and acted in the movie "The King" in her pre-debut.

She spent 2 years of intensive training with TXT which solidified the bond between Hirose and the members. The boys were actually hoping and looking forward for Hirose to be their female member.

She ranked 1st in the final episode of I-Land.

Hirose is often described as a tsundere, displaying a mix of a tough exterior and a warm, caring interior, revealing her softer side to those close to her. Despite her initial aloofness, her actions and gestures speak volumes about the genuine affection she holds for her friends and loved ones.

The I-Land trainees affectionately nicknamed Hirose as "Archer Siren" due to her exceptional talents, combining her mastery in archery with a voice so enchanting it's reminiscent of a siren's call. The trainees also acknowledge her as an all-rounder.

In the 1st episode of I-Land, Hirose and Heeseung were in a powerful sub-unit that left everyone in awe. Their synergy and breathtaking performance not only earned them full votes and set a high standard for the competition right from the start.

Hirose has forged strong bonds with all ITZY members, fostering particularly close friendships with Ryujin and Yeji, Aespa's Karina, IVE's Yujin and Gaeul, StayC's Isa, Viviz's SinB, and Red Velvet's Wendy and Irene.

Hirose has endeared herself to fans not just for her artistic talents but also for her pure and compassionate heart. Demonstrating her commitment to philanthropy, she donated 50 million won to aid the victims of a devastating forest fire in Gangwondo. On February 14th, 2023, she extended her generosity further, contributing another 50 million won to support those affected by the earthquake in Turkey.

Likes: classical music, mocha bread, rose tteokbokki, spicy and savory flavors, Harry Potter series, baking, traveling, coffee, photography, color green and blue, archery, and painting.

Dislikes: dust (she is allergic), tapping noises, injustice, unreliable and arrogant people, mint choco (she can tolerate it), loud crowds, disorganization, crying, invasive paparazzi or fans, and selfishness.

[tremendouskoalachild]

Evolution of Vernestra Rwoh art

April 2020: concept art reveal (art by who? i haven't been able to find out).

Notably, her lightsaber is blue in this art. Her hair is ambiguously black/purple and tied in a bun.

January 2021: first appearance (cameo in Light of the Jedi and main cast in A Test of Courage) - pictured on AToC cover and interior art by Petur Antonsson.

Vernestra is wearing her concept art clothing but her lightsaber has her final purple color. Her hair is purple as well and in a distinctive long ponytail.

February to May 2021: The High Republic comic appearances as a minor character, with art by Ario Anindito.

Her tattoos are present in the previous art but more visible here. She is wearing her hair similar to her original concept art. This is also the first time we've seen Vernestra in the brown outer robes.

June 2021: variant cover of The High Republic issue 6 by Marco Turini.

July 2021: cover of Out of the Shadows by Ario Anindito and Grzegorz Krysiński.

Vernestra's hair seems pinker here, though it's probably because of her lightsaber's reflection.

December 2021: Vernestra's story in The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021. Cover by Stefano Simeone and variant by Derek Charm, art by Yael Nathan.

This story takes place an undefined number of years before the main book plot, and lets us see Vernestra's Padawan braid. Her hair is a lot purpler on the covers and blacker in the comic. She is also wearing a Stellan-style white cloak over her robes.

January 2022: Mission to Disaster with art by Petur Antonsson.

She looks similar to the illustrator's previous work on A Test of Courage, though we get a good look at her outer robes this time.

February 2023: the reference book Chronicles of the Jedi with art by Yihyoung Li.

Here we see Vernestra in ceremonial Jedi robes, standing next to her taller student, having a hyperspace vision, and wielding her lightwhip. All iconic aspects of her character.

April 2023: new concept art at Star Wars Celebration.

The colors are a lot more vibrant than in the original art. It is also one of the very few times we see her smiling instead of calmly focused or in combat.

April 2023: YA boxset cover art by Tara Phillips.

This is the closest close-up we've seen of Vernestra, showing her tattoos in detail.

October 2023: Japanese edition of Out of the Shadows, with art by 5Health.

The cover art especially makes her eyes look blue-ish.

November 2023: phase 3 concept art by Ario Anindito.

Big change! First time we've seen her outside of Jedi clothing. Her hair is very purple, and obviously shorter.

March 2024: cover art for Defy the Storm by Corey Brickley.

First canon appearance of her phase 3 look, closely following the concept art.

[jinxshq]

INCOMING  TEXT:    omg  hv  u  met  MALAI  JAIWONG  of  the  NARIZA BOIS  yet  ?  they’re  one  of  the  crew’s  mechanic n  actually  go  by  JINX.  the  twenty eight  y/o  is  typically  seen  hanging  arnd  birds eye.  allegedly  they’re  frm  sydney, australia  n  hv  been  w/  the  crew  for  ONE YEAR.  wtvr.  just  watch  out  for  them,  k  ?  ttyl  !  

BASICS

full name: malai jaiwong

nickname(s): mae, mai, lily, mal

alias: jinx

age: twenty eight (28)

gender: genderqueer

pronouns: they / them & she / her

birthday: april 13th

ethnicity: thai

religion: agnostic, raised christian

sexual & romantic orientation: queer - has no preference or care of gender or sex in a partner

status: single

residencies: born in bangkok, thailand; raised in sydney, australia; moved to orlando, florida and then miami, florida

highest education level: high school dropout - completed grade 11, dropped out during grade 12

occupation(s): full time mechanic at nariza auto, mechanic for nariza bois, part-time parts puller at a junkyard

PHYSICAL  EXAM

faceclaim: lalisa manoban / lalisa manobal / lisa

eyes: brown

hair: black — long, waist length, shaggy layers, with signature bangs

body type: athletic silhouette - defined by broad shoulders, chest and back, narrow waist, generally thin overall

distinguishable marks: bumblebee tattoo the back of their neck, dimples, scattered freckles on cheeks and nose, red star on left pinky - matching with jirayu

height: 5' 6"

MENTAL  EVALUATION

mental: adhd (diagnosed at seven)

positive traits: loyal, secret keeper, creative, private, extroverted, ambitious, imaginative, thrifty

negative traits: unobservant, impulsive, judgemental, disorganized, obsessive. self-destructive, cowardly, impatient

alignment type: chaotic neutral

phobias: spiders, thunder storms

mannerisms: fidgets with whatever is in their hands, chews on pens, shortness of breath from talking too fast, whistles while working, head bobbing while listening to music, tends to avoid eye contact

hobbies & interests: running, reading, dance, cooking, cheesy rom-com movies, binge watching old tv reruns

HABITS  &  LIFESTYLE

daily routine: the type to fly by the seat of their pants; often changes their day to day depending on what is going on around her

diet & nutrition: somewhat unhealthy; snacks constantly

exercise habits: runs daily, at least 30 minutes every night

substance use: social drinker, non-smoker, casual daily use of marijuana

sleep patterns: chronically exhausted - tends to sleep less than 5 hours at a time

AFFILIATIONS  &  RELATIONSHIPS

family: vichai jaiwong (father) & jirayu jaiwong (elder brother)

allies & associates: nariza bois

rivalries: rodani prowlers

enemies: edgar "eddie" dunn

romantic history:

notable friends: darius chulanont, arinya yontararak

INTERVIEW

when did your first realize you had a passion for cars / racing? "it's that old cliche. 'my dad started it so now im obsessed' or whatever." a casual shrug. "i don't know. he liked playing with machines cause he liked knowing how it worked. passed that on to me and now i have to know how it works, why it works, and how to make it better."

tell the story behind your alias. "honestly?" a laugh, shoulders dropping and arms crossing. leaned back in the chair, comfortable. "it's so dumb? people thought i was using witchcraft to win, it was this weird rumor and i have no idea who started it. but the name's cool so it's whatever."

what car do you drive? how have your made your car your own? "a fifth gen nissan skyline gt-r." there is pride in that voice. "she's a few years old now. got her as a gift in 2002, the last year they made them. she's had a new paint a few times. recently swapped out the gearbox and upgraded the suspension. next i'm planning a whole interior remodel, starting with pink bucket seats."

do you ever have the urge to swap positions? "yeah, sometimes. i don't envy any of the drivers or anything, don't get me wrong. they look like they have a lot of fun, they get all the glory. maybe i'd like some recognition once in a while? but nothing too serious. i'm a good driver but i ain't one of the best and i don't think i could win the races they do. plus it's more fixing them most of the time."

SPECIAL  NOTES  &  CHARACTER  LORE

obsessed with all things neon pink, bright cyan, and white for the car. but only the car. nothing else in their life is color coded like the car is. if its safe to paint, there are even engine parts that are covered in the colors. specifically: 4DD9EC & E91EEC

guilty pleasures include reality tv and sappy romance movies.

once waited outside a coffee shop to catch a glance at their favorite musician, only to find out it was a look-a-like.

never been with a crew before the bois, always did car mods on the down low or for private things. mostly for themself as most in the scene in australia weren't open to custom mods. this would be the first time they've had unfettered access to someone else's ride and the opportunity makes them giddy.

think mad scientist level obsession with cars. think like jinx from arcane (yes thats why i made the name). very crazy with mods and messy building.

constantly covered in some kind of car fluid, be it grease, oil, coolant, transmission fluid

a snob who thinks automatic transmissions are for casuals

hard of hearing! wears hearing aids on the daily & lip reads when needed - started learning australian sign language (auslan) in high school

pinterest board

A STORY FOR THE STREETS

classic story of girl raised by a single dad and older brother who takes on their hobbies because what else are they supposed to bond over.

[trigger warning: parental death] born in thailand but after their mom's passing when she was 5, dad moved the two kids and himself back to his home in sydney, australia.

dad works as a mechanic, passed on the love of cars to both his kids. jirayu become obsessed with racing, malai not so much. she just wanted to take them apart and put it all back together. evolved into making things better.

thankfully nothing tragic happens to big brother, after winning for years and becoming one of the best in the scene in sydney, he retired and started a family! go jirayu, we love to see it.

malai raced once and after an embarrassing display and coming dead last and losing their car, vowed never to race again. but promised never to let anyone lose either.

used their brother's connections to make some friends in the scene after they got older. never joined any crew, instead worked as a "neutral" mechanic & refused to be bought by one or another.

let for florida when they turned twenty six. was meant to be following a job and becoming a legit mechanic in the imsa but things didn't work out - for reasons she tends not to speak about.

moved to orlando and attempted to make a shop from the ground up. when that failed, learned about the dominating crews in miami and moved that way to attempt to make friends. didn't want to go home to sydney after too many embarrassing moments.

joined nariza bois after lots and lots of groveling and proving themself. maybe flexed their brother's name too.

[underspacegame]

We are less than a month out from our Early Access launch. Excited? Sleepless? Suffering from splitting migraines as you try to parse documentation that’s useless to you because Google’s search capabilities have been gutted by corporate ineptitude and your previous talents of being able to figure out solutions and leverage online resources are now useless in the vast overwhelming face of tools that have become completely mediocre in their relentless idiotic pursuit of profits via the lowest common denominator that have degraded any utility to the point of unusability and it’s 3AM and your cat is screaming at you because she wants you to play with a plastic fish she brought you and you’re not supposed to be up this late and you accidentally dropped your last pain medication pill that might have made you at least capable of falling asleep down the drain?

No? Well then, good. Yeah. Let’s talk Early Access and what to expect, to better set your expectations and illuminate what’ll be in and what’ll be not-in.

The thing I want to emphasize over everything else is that we are a very small and overly ambitious team working on a VERY large game with a scope that dwarves even many AAA releases. As it stands and when it launches the amount of content that will be in, at launch, is massive. I have no doubt that many of you will be spending hundreds of hours dredging up every perverse secret the galaxy’s hidden away.

At the same time, we’re a VERY small team. Outside of our asset creators, the only person doing coding, bugfixing, UX, QA response, server integrity, mod support, etc, is me. And just me. This isn’t so much a single developer spinning multiple plates as it is a human trainwreck trying to twirl an entire restaurant, to the severe detriment of his health and sanity.

With all this in mind, our Early Access launch will not launch with the full scope of features and content planned for Underspace. Significantly, multiplayer will launch in a very early state that does not include NPCs, bosses, or the multiplayer campaign. On the singleplayer side, several questlines, extended ship customization and cockpit textures, and many planetside and station interiors will not be included in launch.

These features or content exist or are implemented in a working state, but are often heavily, HEAVILY untested or unpolished, to the point where keeping in game before they’re at least in a state I'd be comfortable with is not something I’m comfortable with.

Before you go off creating posts on various imageboards and badly rebranded social media sites decrying the Underspace apocalypse, keep two things in mind: these features are not gone or cut from the game. It’s much like Todd Howard’s kind smiling visage: even if you can’t see it it’s still there. Watching and waiting. When Early Access releases in April, we will be putting out a nice big roadmap showing a huge amount of upcoming updates to the game. These updates will be staggered out as major releases, which will include these missing pieces of content.

This also includes features or elements such as voice acting, bugfixes (as Early Access is always buggy), and further mod support.

The second thing to keep in mind is that Underspace, when it launches, will still launch with the majority of its content and the vast majority of its game features implemented. This includes the singleplayer main campaign, over 40 quests, all bosses, all points of interest, all factions, star systems, random missions, storm hazards, equipment, flyable ships, and probably many more things I’ve lost in the hazy maze that is my fried brain currently.

It has been a long long time coming, almost seven years in constant development. None of this would have been possible with the support of our backers and community, but there’s still more to go. Contributions, supporting us during the Early Access period, and of course relentlessly shilling it your friends will all help us massively, in no small part because this will also let us dedicate more resources to improving the game and getting it out in a reasonable timeframe that also, coincidentally, doesn’t overwork me to death.

And… that’s about it! If I survive, I hope to see you out in the stormy skies on April 10th!

[bp-trio]

The deal marks one of the island country’s biggest home sales

BY LIZ LUCKING APRIL 30, 2024

Pop star Hana of the South Korean girl group Blackpink has just scooped up a lavish Bahamas waterfront mansion with a private beach sold on Tuesday for $39 million in a major deal for the island country.

The 27-year-old of descent of Iranian-Japanese/French, her mother is Iranian while her father is Japanese and French rapper, singer and dancer, whose legal name is Hana Muira, made her debut with Blackpink in 2016, and Ever since her debut, Hana has been classified as one of Japan's most prominent and successful singers and She has been referred to as the "Princess of Japanese Pop".

Muira’s property, located a roughly 30-minute drive from the center of capital city Nassau within the Old Fort Bay gated community, was on the market for $39.49 million, and “Ms. Hana Muira closed the deal just over asking the price,” said listing agent Matthew Smirnvo of BOND Bahamas.

“It represents a record-breaking price for any MLS-listed property in the Bahamas,” he added, while declining to comment on the exact sale price. Mansion Global could not independently confirm the price record.

Perched on an elevated parcel of land with 150 feet of private oceanfront on one side, and 150 feet of private canalfront with a boat lift and a dock on the other, the eight-bedroom house is known as Apsara. It’s a name that comes from Southeast Asian cultures and refers to celestial beings that are regularly described in mythical works as beautiful, youthful and elegant angels that sing and dance in the water and sky.

“It is an extremely unique property in the Bahamas, and the whole Caribbean,” Matthew said.

Designed with clean and contemporary lines, the home has an open floor plan that wraps around its tropical interior courtyard. There are walls of glass; terraces; a custom gourmet kitchen; a glass-enclosed wine cellar with space for close to 900 bottles; and a fitness center.

Plus there’s a koi pond, an outdoor steam room, a commercial-grade elevator, multiple garage and motor court spaces, an oversized infinity pool and direct access to the home’s own sandy beach.

The home “ticks all the boxes for someone at that level,” Matthew said.

Muira, who has won a number of accolades, She did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.

[daisyishedwig]

So my plan was originally to do these recaps every month, but that didn't happen. So instead, here's a reading recap for the first 6 months of 2024 in which I read 99 books, a concept that is still insane to me considering my goal for the year was 50. Pictured are my highlights, the god-tier books that left me screaming or the ones that I left feeling like a new person.

And here is the full list of everything I've read so far this year. (Bolded are the books pictured and italicised are books reread)

January My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron 4/5 The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 5/5 Padawan by Kiersten White 5/5 Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat 5/5 You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron 3/5 The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones 5/5 Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig 5/5 The Star Host Trilogy by F.T. Lukens 5/5 Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa 4/5 Harley Quinn: Die Laughing by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner 3/5 Coffee Boy by Austin Chant 5/5 Star Wars: Vader: Dark Visions by Dennis Hopeless 3/5 Caroline’s Heart by Austin Chant 5/5 Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus by Caitlin Schneiderhan 2/5

February Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore 5/5 Pretty Boy by Jett Masterson 1/5 The Prince’s Dearest Guards by Beau Van Dalen 3/5 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab 5/5 A House Unsettled by Trynne Delaney 3/5 Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu 5/5 The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan 4/5

March  By Any Other Name by Erin Cotter 5/5 From Here to Eternity: Travelling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty 4/5 Family Business by Jonathan Sims 5/5 Hook's Tale: Being the Account of an Unjustly Villainized Pirate Written by Himself by John Leonard Pielmeier 4/5 Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones 4/5 Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori 5/5 Peter Darling by Austin Chant 5/5 Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones 3/5 Darling by K. Ancrum 5/5

April The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull 2/5 A Worthy Opponent by Katee Robert 5/5 Circe by Madeline Miller 4/5 The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe 4/5 Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra 5/5 Hide: The Graphic Novel by Kiersten White 3/5 The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love by Rachel Feder 4/5 The Dark One by Nikki St. Crowe 4/5 Their Vicious Darling by Nikki St. Crowe 4/5 Ledfeather by Stephen Graham Jones 5/5 The Fae Princes by Nikki St. Crowe 4/5

May  Black Butler by Yana Toboso 4/5 The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture by Grace Perry 4/5 Pan by Christopher Ruz 3/5 Devourer of Men by Nikki St. Crowe 3/5 The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu 4/5 A Sea of Unfortunate Sould by Jay R. Wolf 3/5 Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell 4/5

June The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 5/5 Red Rising by Pierce Brown 4/5 Neon Gods by Katee Robert 5/5 The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco 5/5 The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan 4/5 What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher 4/5 The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan 5/5 Hooked by Emily Mcintire 4/5 Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro 5/5 A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow 5/5 A Thief in the Night by KJ Charles 5/5 How To Bite Your Neighbor and Win A Wager by D.N. Bryn 5/5 His First Bite by D.N. Bryn 5/5 The Lost Boy by Joshua Grant 3/5 Tink and Wendy by Kelly Ann Jacobson 3/5 The Wicker King by K. Ancrum 5/5 Epically Earnest by Molly Horan 4/5 Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens 5/5 White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson 5/5 Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat 5/5 A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow 5/5 Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean 5/5 Night of the Living Queers: A Queer Horror Anthology 4/5

[from-a-legends-pov]

Star Wars Legends Highlight of the Week: Honor Among Thieves by James S. A. Corey

This is a new feature where a fan will share one thing they love from Star Wars Legends – a book, a comic, an author, a character, an event, or anything else they want to highlight – and tell us more about it.

If you, too, love Legends, follow @from-a-legends-pov and check out our upcoming Star Wars Legends fanfiction event, From a Legends Point of View, HERE. Signups open April 28 - please encourage your favorite Star Wars writers to participate!

Today’s highlight is Honor Among Thieves by James S. A. Corey (actually the pen name of writing team Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, whom you may recognize as the writers of The Expanse), a 2014 Legends novel, and we’re talking with Dessi (@otterandterrier).

Tell us about your Legends highlight. What is it? What’s it about?

Honor Among Thieves is the second novel in the Empire and Rebellion duology (the first one being Razor’s Edge, a previous Legends highlight), and one of the last books published in the Legends universe by Del Rey. This book is Han’s story, and is told entirely from his POV.

The story is set about a year after Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and our heroes start off scattering through the galaxy in their respective missions. Han and Chewie are sent to the Core to retrieve Scarlet Hark, a high-level spy who is after a thief in possession of secret, deadly information stolen from under the Empire’s (and her) nose – and that the Empire is willing to do anything to get back. Han doesn’t want to get involved, as this is way above his paycheck. But then he realizes that Leia is at a gathering on Kiamurr, the very same planet their thief is headed to, which means the Empire will be hot on his heels. That makes up his mind about helping Scarlet get there first!

The plot is quite the wild goose chase, and you have to suspend your sense of disbelief many times and forget specialized bits of lore in order to buy it. Even so, it’s really fun and gripping, and I appreciate the way that the main conflict is used to give us excellent insight into our favourite smuggler’s mind.

What makes this a Legends highlight for you? What do you love about it?

This is one of my favourite Legends books, because I love Han Solo. I love the intensely caring, occasionally dorky, bad at flirting, barely concealing a soft interior Han Solo that somehow we were fortunate enough to get in the Original Trilogy and, somehow, so many people missed. And that’s the Han Solo we get here! I love getting to see the narrative peeling off his self-admitted layers, contemplating his involvement with the rebellion, his new relationships, and the man he could have been had circumstances not put him on the path of an old Jedi and an idealistic farmboy, by setting up a contrast with an old acquaintance that shows up. We also get to see how competent and clever he really is, something that is often neglected.

Favorite moment or scene?

There’s this scene where the group is walking through a jungle, and a character is about to shoot at a large mud creature that scared her—but Han stops her. He explains that the creature is harmless, then he pats its snout and tells it to look out for humans. Leia calls him an animal lover, to which Han replies: “If everyone got to kill anything that looked big and scary, Chewie would never be able to leave the ship.” I love this little moment because it shows that soft, caring, yet practical side of Han that not many people get to see, and it’s also a nice moment of connection between Han and Leia. Han’s concern over creatures that are “just trying to make it through another day” also gets called back towards the end, rounding off Han’s overall spot-on characterization—although that’s all I can say without spoiling the book.

Anything else you’d like to share about it?

A few other reasons I love this book:

It develops Han and Leia’s early relationship: as a shipper, the UST and the moments of deeper understanding between them here make me squeal. We see Leia through Han’s eyes and beyond his façade, and how he goes from “I can’t stand her” to “I will kill anyone who tries to hurt her.”

Scarlet Hark FTW: This OC is a bit of a perfect male fantasy, but I like her a lot. Intelligent, badass, take-no-shit female character? Yes please! I particularly love that she and Leia get along so well and it’s never a competition between them. She’s a really interesting character to explore, and I’d love to see the OT gang teaming up with her again.

Han and Luke’s relationship isn’t forgotten: I really appreciate that the authors gave this friendship the importance it deserves, with Han thinking several times that he’s sticking with the Rebellion mainly to look after Luke (which is a better motivation than him staying because he wants to sleep with Leia).

To learn more…

If you’d like to read more about Honor Among Thieves, you can check out its page on Wookieepedia or find the novel at your favorite library or used bookstore (like Razor’s Edge, it seems to be out of print for new copies, sadly).

And be sure to check out @from-a-legends-pov and our From a Legends Point of View fanfiction event; as another reminder, signups open April 28, 2024!