#Daniel Verner

[lighthousedann]

Will History Remember?

I am left to wonder if 80 years from now will we be speaking about the slaughter of the tens of thousands noncombatant innocent Palestinian civilians in the Gaza strip. I have been greatly affected by this Israeli/Hamas War. I fear the political tensions in the Middle East. I have feared the unrest in the Middle East for as long as I can remember. The reasoning being the constant armed…

[its-avalon-08]

Hi, I’m writing to ask if you could write a Daniel Ricciardo x reader story. (I know very well that this isn’t the right time since we’re all devastated because of his departure), but I’ve had this story in my mind for a long time. It’s a pretty serious subject, but I’d like to know how Daniel and the other drivers would react when they discover that a team principal (I have no idea who) is accused of sexual harassment, etc. And how he would react to finding out that his girlfriend, the reader, is one of the complainants and that she hid it from him.

thanks love

as the world crumbles (dr3)

✦ pairing - daniel ricciardo x female!reader

✦ genre - angst, sexual harassment

The atmosphere in the paddock was tense, much tenser than usual. News traveled fast, but this—this was different. Rumors had been swirling for hours, but when the official statement came out, the paddock fell into a stunned silence.

Mattias Verner, the team principal of a mid-field F1 team, had been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women on his team. It was the kind of scandal that shook the sport to its core. No one had seen it coming.

Lando Norris was the first to speak up, leaning against the side of the McLaren garage, his expression one of disbelief. “Is this for real?” He looked around at the other drivers who had gathered, his eyes wide with shock. “I mean… Verner?”

George Russell shook his head, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his usually calm demeanor replaced with a mixture of anger and discomfort. “I’ve heard things before, you know. Like whispers. But I didn’t think…” He trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

"Yeah, but whispers don’t always mean something, mate." Alex Albon frowned, his face pale. "But this? It’s in the statement. There are names. Women from the team."

Max was silent, his face set in a deep frown as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “Bastard deserves whatever’s coming to him,” he muttered under his breath, jaw clenched. The usual cold determination in his eyes was now replaced with something darker. “People like him shouldn’t be anywhere near the sport.”

Carlos shook his head, running a hand through his hair, frustration clear on his face. "I don’t get how no one knew. How did this stay hidden for so long?" He glanced around at the other drivers, as if hoping someone had an answer.

Pierre , sitting on a crate, tapped his foot anxiously. “People like that… they’re always careful. They make sure no one notices until it’s too late.”

Lewis , who had just arrived, listened quietly before finally speaking. "It’s disgusting. He abused his power. Makes me sick." His voice was low, simmering with barely contained anger. "We need to do better. As a sport, as a community. These women—" He paused, shaking his head. "They trusted him, and he betrayed them."

The drivers all nodded in agreement, but there was a deep discomfort in the air. They were used to competing against each other, fighting for the championship, pushing themselves and their cars to the limit. But this—this wasn’t about racing. This was about something far more personal, something far more sinister.

Charles Leclerc looked around, his brow furrowed. “Do we know who the women are? I mean, do they want us to support them publicly or keep quiet until the investigation finishes?”

Lando sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “From what I’ve heard, some of the names are out there. But I don’t know all of them. It’s… sensitive.”

Daniel Ricciardo, who had been standing off to the side, unusually quiet, felt a cold shiver run down his spine. The whole situation disgusted him. The idea that someone so high up in the sport could abuse their position like that made his blood boil. "Whoever they are," he said, his voice low, "we have to have their backs. They’re part of this paddock, just like us."

The others nodded in agreement, but a heavy silence fell over the group again. They were all thinking the same thing—Who was involved? Who had been hurt? And why hadn’t they noticed anything sooner?

Lance Stroll spoke up hesitantly. “I can’t believe it’s taken this long for something to come out. I mean… if it’s true—”

“If?” Max interrupted sharply, his eyes flashing with anger. “You don’t think this many women are lying, do you?”

Lance held up his hands defensively. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant… it’s hard to wrap your head around. That someone we’ve seen for years could be—” He trailed off, shaking his head.

Esteban Ocon, who had been mostly quiet, finally said, “It’s hard to accept, but we have to. These women deserve to be believed. And Verner… if it’s true, he’s finished. No way back from this.”

The drivers exchanged looks, all of them sharing a silent understanding. This wasn’t just another scandal that would be brushed under the rug. This was something that would change the sport forever.

Daniel stayed quiet for a moment longer, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. But there was something gnawing at him, something he couldn’t quite shake. The whole situation felt too close, too personal. And then, almost as if the thought had struck him like a punch to the gut, his eyes widened slightly.

He looked over at Lando, who was still talking with George, his words fading into the background. But Daniel’s focus had shifted entirely.

"Y/N," he muttered under his breath, his heart suddenly racing. She worked in the paddock. She knew people. She was in those circles, always professional, always around the team principals and engineers.

His stomach twisted into knots.

Without another word, Daniel turned on his heel and started walking briskly toward the McLaren garage. He had to find her. He had to know if she was okay. And more importantly—he had to make sure she hadn’t been hurt.

Because if she had… if that bastard had hurt her in any way—

Daniel’s hands clenched into fists as he marched through the paddock, his mind spinning with fear and fury.

His phone buzzed, pulling him from the murmurs of his fellow drivers. It was a message from Y/N:

"We need to talk. Now."

He stared at the message for a moment, a strange heaviness settling over him. He stood up abruptly, not bothering to excuse himself as he walked out of the room. He found Y/N waiting for him near the motorhome, her face pale and her hands trembling slightly as she clenched them together.

"Dan," she began softly, her voice shaky. "I… I need to tell you something."

His chest tightened as he saw the fear in her eyes. "Y/N, what’s going on?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

She bit her lip, glancing around before gesturing for them to go somewhere more private. Once they were alone, she took a deep breath. "It’s about the accusations… against the team principal. I—" She stopped, her voice faltering.

Daniel’s heart started to pound. He could feel the gravity of what she was about to say but wasn’t ready to hear it. "Y/N, please. Just tell me."

The noise of the paddock was deafening, but it was nothing compared to the roaring in Daniel’s ears as Y/N’s words sank in.

"I’m one of the complainants."

He blinked, frozen in place. For a moment, it felt like the world stopped spinning. His girlfriend. Y/N. She was part of the accusations against Mattias Verner. His throat tightened, his mind racing, but all he could feel was rage building deep in his chest, the kind that twisted his stomach and made his hands curl into fists.

For a moment, everything froze. Daniel blinked, his body stiffening. "You?" His voice cracked, his heart dropping like a stone. "He—he hurt you?"

Y/N’s eyes were brimming with tears, and she nodded, looking away. "I didn’t want to tell you. I was scared of what you’d do… how you’d react."

Daniel’s breath caught, a wave of anger, hurt, and confusion crashing over him all at once. His jaw clenched tightly as rage filled his chest, every muscle in his body tensing. "Scared of what I’d do? Of what I’d do?" His voice was low, trembling with barely contained fury. "You think I wouldn’t want to know? That I wouldn’t need to know that some piece of shit was hurting you?"

Y/N flinched at the venom in his voice, but he couldn’t stop. His anger wasn’t at her—it was at Verner, at the fact that someone had the audacity to hurt her. The fact that she’d been going through this alone, that she hadn’t felt safe enough to tell him… it broke something inside him.

"That bastard," Daniel spat, pacing in front of her now, his fists clenched. "That disgusting bastard." His voice shook with anger, his heart thundering in his chest. "I swear to God, Y/N, I’m going to kill him. I’m going to make sure he never walks into a paddock again, that he never touches another woman again." He stopped, turning back to her, his eyes blazing with fury. "No one—no one—hurts you and gets away with it."

Y/N’s voice cracked, tears spilling over as she reached for him. "Daniel, please…"

But he cut her off, his voice breaking. "How long have you been dealing with this? How long have you been keeping this from me?"

Her sobs came harder now, her body trembling as she spoke through her tears. "I didn’t want to burden you. I didn’t want you to see me differently. I was trying to be strong—"

"Burden me?" Daniel’s voice softened, the anger still there but mixed with heartbreak. "Y/N, you’re my whole world. How could you ever think I wouldn’t want to be there for you? That I wouldn’t stand by your side through this?"

She let out a choked sob, her knees giving way as she collapsed into herself, and in that instant, Daniel’s anger shifted. Seeing her like that—so broken, so vulnerable—ripped him apart. Without hesitation, he dropped down beside her, pulling her into his arms. She clung to him, crying into his chest as he held her tightly, pressing his lips against her hair.

"I’m so sorry," she whispered between sobs. "I didn’t want to hurt you."

Daniel’s heart shattered at the sound of her voice, guilt flooding him. He gently rocked her, his anger at Verner still burning hot, but all he could think about now was comforting her. "Shh," he murmured softly, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. "It’s okay, love. It’s okay. I’m here now. I’ve got you."

She cried harder, her sobs wracking her body as Daniel held her tighter, his own throat tightening with emotion. "I should’ve been there for you," he whispered, his voice raw with pain. "I should’ve known."

Y/N shook her head, burying her face in his chest. "I didn’t want to drag you into this mess."

"You’re not dragging me into anything," Daniel said, his voice fierce but tender. "This isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault. That bastard—" His voice broke again, and he swallowed hard, trying to keep his emotions in check. "He’s going to pay for what he did. I promise you that."

She trembled in his arms, and Daniel’s heart broke a little more with every sob. He kissed the top of her head, his hand stroking her hair as he whispered, "You should’ve told me, Y/N. You should’ve let me help you through this."

"I was scared," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I didn’t want you to be angry. I didn’t want you to hate me—"

"Hate you?" Daniel pulled back just enough to cup her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I could never hate you, Y/N. Never." His voice was thick with emotion, his thumb gently wiping away her tears. "I’m angry, yeah. But not at you. I’m angry at him, at the fact that you had to go through this alone."

Her lip trembled as she whispered, "I didn’t want to be weak."

"You’re not weak," Daniel said firmly, his voice full of conviction. "You’re the strongest person I know. But you don’t have to be strong all the time. Not with me."

She sobbed again, leaning into his touch as he held her face in his hands. "I love you," she whispered, her voice broken.

"I love you too," Daniel whispered back, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "And I’m going to be here for you, no matter what. We’re going to get through this. Together."

Y/N’s sobs began to quiet as she clung to him, and Daniel held her tightly, his heart aching for her. The anger still simmered beneath the surface, a fire he knew wouldn’t go out until Verner was held accountable, but for now, all that mattered was Y/N. She was safe in his arms, and he wasn’t going to let go.

[brokehorrorfan]

Village of the Damned will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on September 24 via Scream Factory. The 1995 film is a remake of the 1960 sci-fi/horror classic, itself based on John Wyndham's 1957 novel The Midwich Cuckoos.

Master of horror John Carpenter directs from a script by David Himmelstein (Bad Company). Christopher Reeve, Linda Kozlowski, Kirstie Alley, Michael Paré, Mark Hamill, and John Falk star.

Shout Factory carries an exclusive edition that includes a 7" featuring two newly recorded songs from the soundtrack by John Carpenter (limited to 1,000) along with a second slipcover featuring art by Orlando Arocena and two 18x24 posters. It costs $74.98.

Village of the Damned has been newly transferred from the 35mm original camera negative in Dolby Vision. Special features are listed below.

Disc 1 - 4K UHD:

Audio commentary by filmmakers Jackson Stewart (Beyond the Gates) and Francis Galluppi (The Last Stop in Yuma County) (new)

Disc 2 - Blu-ray:

Audio commentary by filmmakers Jackson Stewart (Beyond the Gates) and Francis Galluppi (The Last Stop in Yuma County) (new)

Interview with screenwriter David Himmelstein (new)

Interview with film music historian Daniel Schweiger (new)

It Takes A Village: The Making of Village of the Damned - Interviews with director John Carpenter, producer Sandy King, actors Michael Pare, Peter Jason, Karen Kahn, Meredith Salenger, Thomas Dekker, Cody Dorkin, Lindsey Haun, and Danielle Wiener-Keaton, and make-up effects artist Greg Nicotero

The Go To Guy: Peter Jason on John Carpenter

Horror’s Hallowed Grounds filming location visit

Vintage interviews with director John Carpenter, actors Christopher Reeves, Kirstie Alley, Linda Kozlowski, and Mark Hamill, and original screenwriter Wolf Rilla

Vintage behind-the-scenes footage

Theatrical trailer

Image gallery

Something is terribly wrong in the tiny village of Midwich. After an unseen force invades the quiet town, ten women mysteriously find themselves pregnant. Local physician Dr. Alan Chaffee (Christopher Reeve) and government scientist Dr. Susan Verner (Kirstie Alley) join forces when the women simultaneously give birth... and the reign of supernatural terror begins.

Pre-order Village of the Damned.

[hellofriendhawke]

ROUND 1

Verner vs. Danielle

Verner - The seventh son who's honestly not that powerful he just likes growing flowers 🌸. Profile Here

Danielle - super powerful, cool blue flames, punk rocker, can turn into a dragon. What more do you need honestly? Profile Here

[eat-pray-cry]

All the Light We Cannot See: In Defense of the Netflix Adaptation (Part 4)

PART 4: CHANGES - THE UGLY

WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS

Alright, now the changes that were pretty ugly. And while I understand why these changes were made, I admit that even I thought it took away from the story. These changes are also the reason why I wouldn’t mind a more extended and accurate adaptation of the book someday.

Volkheimer was greatly reduced and Frederick wasn’t featured. Yes, I agree, it is tragic that these two figures weren’t portrayed. I won’t expand on why Volkheimer and Frederick were such important characters because anyone who read the book would know why and would be equally disappointed not to see their stories done with justice. But, I must remain technical here. The show was a limited series. It had to select what was essential to the core story, all while maintaining the hopeful tone it was going for. As a result, Volkheimer and Frederick’s stories were a necessary sacrifice.

Daniel LeBlanc’s fate. Yes, I was put-off by the change here as well. His fate in the book added to its overall tragedy, so seeing it changed definitely took away from the story. But, the way I see it, this is exactly what the show wanted to do. Since the show was aiming for more hopeful tones, it needed to omit such a tragic fate. So instead, they change his death and achieve two things with it: (1) it enhances von Rumpel as a villain and (2) it enhances the hopeful tone as LeBlanc dies protecting Marie (aka “love is more important than pain”).

In the book, Verner kills von Rumpel and saves Marie. In the show, Marie kills von Rumpel and saves Verner. I’m neutral on this change. I kinda liked it, I definitely didn’t hate it. I simply focused on what it achieved: (1) maintained the hopeful tone that the show was aiming for by portraying Marie as the brave heroine she is, and (2) Verner still gets to do a heroic dash towards the house.

Verner’s interaction to the Sea of Flames is greatly reduced. Okay, so if I had to pick what I consider to be the biggest loss from the book to the show, it would be this. In the book, Verner’s ability to walk away from the Sea of Flames is presented BEAUTIFULLY. We as readers know that he went back to the grotto. We know that he went as far as to solve the puzzle, take out the Sea of Flames, plant it back in the water, and walk away with just a wooden model and an iron key. This is the moment we realize that Verner would rather keep a memory of Marie than a multi-billion dollar stone. (Yes, I’m crying just thinking about it.) But in the show? Verner merely sees the stone, tries to pick it up, but retreats when Marie asks him to. Do I understand why the show needed to omit the significance of the stone and how it relates to Verner’s character? Yes. Do I think it takes away from the story? Absolutely. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I can’t stop myself from telling people the book version of this event.

[peacocksonice]

pics from the men’s draw - more at the source

[ohtheseskaters]

A goodbye

After almost 12 (!) years, it’s time for me to say goodbye to this blog. It will not be deleted though.

Here’s a (pretty rough and I’m sure not full) list of skaters featured here. They’re listed in alphabetical order by the first name (so “Ashley Wagner” is under “A” and not “W”). I know it’s not the correct way to do this thing but it was easier for me. Also, if you can’t find someone, try searching within the blog or just general Tumblr search.

Thank you for the company and bye!

Women

Adelina Sotnikova

Akiko Suzuki

Alaine Chartrand

Alena Kostornaia

Alena Leonova

Alexandra Trusova

Alexia Paganini

Alina Zagitova

Alissa Czisny

Alysa Liu

Amber Glenn

Amelie Lacoste

Anna Pogorilaya

Anna Shcherbakova

Ashley Wagner

Audrey Shin

Bradie Tennell

Carolina Kostner

Christina Gao

Cynthia Phaneuf

Ekaterina Gordeeva

Elena Radionova

Elene Gedevanishvili

Elizabet Tursynbaeva

Elizaveta Nugumanova

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva

Emmi Peltonen

Eunsoo Lim

Evgenia Medvedeva

Gabrielle Daleman

Gracie Gold

Haein Lee

Irina Slutskaya

Jenna McCorkell

Jenni Saarinen

Joannie Rochette

Josefin Taljegard

Joshi Helgesson

Julia Lipnitskaya

Kaetlyn Osmond

Kailani Craine

Kanako Murakami

Kaori Sakamoto

Karen Chen

Kiira Korpi

Kristi Yamaguchi

Ksenia Makarova

Lara Naki Gutmann

Laura Lepisto

Laurine Lecavelier

Loena Hendrickx

Madeline Schizas

Mae Berenice Meite

Mai Mihara

Mao Asada

Maria Artemieva

Maria Sotskova

Mariah Bell

Marin Honda

Michelle Kwan

Miki Ando

Mirai Nagasu

Polina Edmunds

Polina Korobeynikova

Pooja Kalyan

Rachael Flatt

Roberta Rodeghiero

Rika Hongo

Rika Kihira

Samantha Cesario

Sarah Meier

Sasha Cohen

Satoko Miyahara

Shizuka Arakawa

Sofia Samodurova

Stanislava Konstantinova

Viktoria Helgesson

Yelim Kim

Yu-Na Kim

Wakaba Higuchi

Zijun Li

Men

Adam Rippon

Adian Pitkeev

Alban Preaubert

Alexei Bychenko

Alexei Yagudin

Artur Gachinski

Brendan Kerry

Boyang Jin

Brian Joubert

Brian Orser

Chafik Besseghier

Daisuke Takahashi

Daniel Samohin

Denis Ten

Deniss Vasiljevs

Dmitri Aliev

Evan Lysacek

Evgeni Plushenko

Florent Amodio

Han Yan

Ilia Kulik

Jason Brown

Javier Fernandez

Jeffrey Buttle

Jeremy Abbott

Jeremy Ten

Johnny Weir

Joshua Farris

Jun-Hwan Cha

Max Aaron

Ryan Bradley

Michal Brezina

Keegan Messing

Keiji Tanaka

Kevin Aymoz

Kevin Reynolds

Kevin Van Der Perren

Kurt Browning

Matteo Rizzo

Mikhail Kolyada

Maxim Kovtun

Misha Ge

Moris Kvitelashvili

Nam Nguyen

Nan Song

Nathan Chen

Nobunari Oda

Patrcik Chan

Richard Dornbush

Sergei Voronov

Shawn Sawyer

Shoma Uno

Stephane Lambiel

Stephen Carriere

Takahiko Kozuka

Takahito Mura

Tatsuki Machida

Tomas Verner

Vincent Zhou

Yuma Kagiyama

Yuzuru Hanyu

Pairs

Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim

Alexandra Boikova and Dmitri Kozlovski

Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam

Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy/Bruno Massot

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig

Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hey

Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Galliamov

Ashley Cain and Timothy Leduc

Caitlin Yankowskas and John Coughlin/Joshua Reagan/Hamash Gaman

Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett/John Coughlin

Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang

Deanna Stellato and Nate Bartholomay / Maxime Deschamps

Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya and Harley Windsor

Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov

Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze

Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov

Felicia Zhang and Nate Bartolomay

Gretchen Donlan and Andrew Sperroff/Nate Bartolomay

Haven Denney and Brendan Frazier

Jamie Sale and David Pelletier

Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison/Sebastien Wolfe

Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau

Katarina Gerboldt and Alexander Enbert

Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker

Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch/Michael Marinaro

Kristina Astakhova and Alexei Rogonov

Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov

Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Mausiradze/Dylan Moscovitch

Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov

Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov

Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir/Mervin Tran

Mary Beth Marley and Rockne Brubaker

Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford

Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer

Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran/Ryuichi Kihara

Natalia Zabijako and Alexander Enbert

Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise

Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers

Peng Cheng and Hao Zhang/Yang Jin

Qing Pang and Jian Tong

Rena Inoue and John Baldwin

Riku Mihura and Ryuichi Kihara

Stefania Berton and Ondrej Hotarek

Tae-Ok Ryom and Ju-Sik Kim

Tarah Kayne and Denny O'Shea

Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin

Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov/Maxim Trankov

Valentina Marchei and Ondrej Hotarek

Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres

Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov/Andrei Deputat

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han

Xiaoyu Yu and Yang Jin/Hao Zhang

Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao

Xuehan Wang and Lei Wang

Yuko Kavaguti and Alexaner Smirnov

Ice Dance

Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski

Alisa Agafonova and Alper Ucar

Alexandra Aldridge and Daniel Eaton / Matthew Blackmer

Alexandra Nazarova and Maxim Nikitin

Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin

Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte

Anna Yanovskaya and Sergei Mozgov

Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus

Cecilia Torn and Jussiville Partanen

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri

Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev

Ekaterina Riazanova and Ilia Tkachenko

Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov/Ruslan Zhiganshin

Elisabeth Paradis and Francois-Xavier Ouellette

Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates

Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali

Federica Testa and Lucas Csolley

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron

Isabella Tobias and Deividas Stagniunas/Ilia Tkachenko

Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder

Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker

Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje

Kana Muramoto and Chris Reed / Daisuke Takahashi

Kavita Lorenz and Panagiotis Polizoakis

Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill

Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson

Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein / Evan Bates

Madison Hubbell and Kiefer Hubbell/Zachary Donohue

Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani

Mari-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac

Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon

Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat

Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas

Meryl Davis and Charlie White

Misato Komatsubara and Tim Koleto

Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi

Natalia Kaliszek and Maksim Spodyrev

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat

Nicole Orford and Thomas Williams/Asher Hill

Nora Hoffmann and Maxim Zavozin

Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin

Olivia Smart and Adria Diaz

Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland

Pernelle Carron and Lloyd Jones

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier

Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz

Sinead Kerr and John Kerr

Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu

Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto

Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

Tiffany Zahorski and Jonathan Guerreiro

Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier

Viktoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov

[witchbitchheadedtoaditch]

The Basics of Kemetic Philosophy (without the appropriated shit from Judaism)

I'm starting a series on Kemetic philosophy because a lot of my readings on it have included things like Kabbalah (Kabala, Kabbala, Qabala, etc.) which is directly appropriated from Judaism, and definitely would not have been included in ancient Kemetic philosophy.

This series relies heavily on the following books/independent publications (this continues to be updated as the series continues):

The Instruction of Ptah-Hotep and the Instruction of Ka'Gemni: The Oldest Books in the World translated by John Murray

Teachings of Ptahhotep

Maat: The 11 Laws of God by Ra Un Nefer Amen (somewhat, this book literally has the Kabbalistic tree of life on its' cover so I don't take a lot from it--it's really just a good jumping-off point because it covers so much)

Maat: The Moral Idea in Ancient Egypt by Maulana Karenga

The Literature of Ancient Egypt: An Anthology of Stories, Instructions, and Poetry edited with an introduction by William Kelly Simpson. Authors include Robert K. Ritner, Vincent A. Tobin, and Edward F. Wente.

I Am Because We Are: Readings in Africana Philosophy by Fred Lee Hord, Mzee Lasana Okpara, and Johnathan Scott Lee.

Ancient Egyptian Literature: Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms by Miriam Lichtheim (2006 Edition)

Current Research in Egyptology 2009: Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Symposium by Judith Corbelli, Daniel Baotright, and Claire Malleson

Old Kingdom, New Perspectives: Egyptian Art and Archaeology 2750-2150 BC by Nigel Strudwick and Helen Strudwick

Current Research in Egyptology 2010: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual Symposium by Maarten Horn, Joost Kramer, Daniel Soliman, Nico Staring, Carina van den Hoven, and Lara Weiss

Current Research in Egyptology 2016: Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Symposium by Julia M. Chyla, Joanna Dêbowska-Ludwin, Karolina Rosińska-Balik, and Carl Walsh

Mathematics in Ancient Egypt: A Contextual History by Annette Imhausen

The Instruction of Amenemope: A Critical Edition and Commentary by James Roger Black

"The ancient Egyptian concept of Maat: Reflections on social justice and natural order" by R. James Ferguson

The Mind of Ancient Egypt: History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharaohs by Jan Assmann

Transformations of the Inner Self in Ancient Religions by Jan Assmann and Guy G. Stroumsa

Of God and Gods: Egypt, Israel, and the Rise of Monotheism by Jan Assmann

Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt by Jan Assmann

Cultural Memory and Early Civilization: Writing, Remembrance, and Political Imagination by Jan Assmann

From Akhenaten to Moses: Ancient Egypt and Religious Change by Jan Assmann

Book of the Dead: Becoming God in Ancient Egypt edited by Foy Scalf with new object photography by Kevin Bryce Lowry

It also relies on the following journal articles/book chapters:

"A Modern Look at Ancient Wisdom: The Instruction of Ptahhotep Revisited" by Carole R. Fontaine in The Biblical Archaeologist Volume 44, No. 3

"The Teaching of Ptahhotep: The London Versions" by Alice Heyne in Current Research in Egyptology 2006: Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Symposium

"One Among Many: A Divine Call for Gender Equity" by Sandra Y Lewis in Phylon (1960-) Volume 55, No. 1 & 2.

"A Tale of Semantics and Suppressions: Reinterpreting Papyrus Mayer A and the So-called War of the High Priest during the Reign of Ramesses XI" by Kim Ridealgh in Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur

EDITORIAL: African Philosophy as a radical critique" by Alena Rettová in Journal of African Cultural Studies Volume 28, No. 2

"Sanctuary Meret and the Royal Cult" by Miroslav Verner in Symposium zur Königsideologie / 7th Symposium on Egyptian Royal Ideology: Royal versus Divine Authority: Acquisition, Legitimization and Renewal of Power. Prague, June 26–28, 2013

"The Ogdoad and Divine Kingship in Dendara" by Filip Coppens and Jiří Janák in Symposium zur Königsideologie / 7th Symposium on Egyptian Royal Ideology: Royal versus Divine Authority: Acquisition, Legitimization and Renewal of Power. Prague, June 26–28, 2013

"The Egyptian Temple as a Place to House Collections (from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period) by Roberto A. Diaz Hernández in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Volume 103, No. 1

"Death and the Sun Temple: New Evidence for Private Mortuary Cults at Amarna" by Jacquelyn Williamson in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Volume 103, No. 1

"Mery-Maat, An Eighteenth Dynasty iry '3 pr pth From Memphis and His Hypothetical Family" by Rasha Metawi in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Volume 101, 2015

"A New Demotic Translation of (Excerpts of) A Chapter of The "Book of the Dead" by Joachim Friedrich Quack in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Volume 100, 2014

"The Shedshed of Wepwawet: An Artistic and Behavioural Interpretation" by Linda Evans in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Volume 97, 2011

"(De)queering Hatshepsut: Binary Bind in Archaeology of Egypt and Kingship Beyond the Corporeal" by Uroš Matić in Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory Volume 23, No. 3 "Binary Binds": Deconstructing and Gender Dichotomies in Archeological Practice.

"Egyptian Maat and Hesiodic Metis" by Christopher A. Faraone and Emily Teeter in Mnemosyne Volume 57 Fasc. 2

"Maat and Order in African Cosmology: A Conceptual Tool for Understanding Indigenous Knowledge" by Denise Martin in Journal of Black Studies Volume 38, No. 6

"Memphis and Thebes: Disaster and Renewal in Ancient Egyptian Consciousness" by Ogden Goelet in The Classical World Volume 97, No. 1

"A Radical Reconstruction of Resistance Strategies: Black Girls and Black Women Reclaiming Our Power Using Transdisciplinary Applied Social Justice, Ma'at, and Rites of Passage" by Menah Pratt-Clarke in Journal of African American Studies Volume 17, No. 1

"Emblems for the Afterlife" by Marley Brown in Archaeology Volume 71, No. 3

"Human and Divine: The King's Two Bodies and The Royal Paradigm in Fifth Dynasty Egypt" by Massimiliano Nuzzolo in Symposium zur ägyptischen Königsideologie/8th Symposium on Egyptian Royal Ideology: Constructing Authority. Prestige, Reputation and the Perception of Power in Egyptian Kingship. Budapest, May 12-14, 2016

"The Block and Its Decoration" by Josef Wegner in The Sun-shade Chapel of Meritaten from the House-of-Waenre of Akhenaten

"The African Rites of Passage and the Black Fraternity" by Ali D. Chambers in Journal of Black Studies Volume 47, No. 4

"Review: Translating Ma'at" by Stephen Quirke in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Volume 80, 1994

"Additions to the Egyptian Book of the Dead" by T. George Allen in Journal of Near Eastern Studies Volume 11, No. 3

"Types of Rubrics in the Egyptian Book of the Dead" by T. George Allen in Journal of the American Oriental Society Volume 56, No. 2

"Book of the Dead, Book of the Living: BD Spells as Temple Texts" by Alexandra Von Lieven in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Volume 98, 2012

"Fragments of the "Book of the Dead" on Linen and Papyrus" by Ricardo A. Caminos in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Volume 56, 1970

"Herodotus and the Egyptian Idea of Immortality" by Louis V. Z̆abkar in Journal of Near Eastern Studies Volume 22, No. 1

"Theban and Memphite Book of the Dead Traditions in the Late Period" by Malcolm Mosher Jr. in Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt Volume 29, 1992

"The Conception of the Soul and the Belief in Resurrection Among the Egyptians" by Paul Carus in The Monist Volume 14, No. 3

"It's About Time: Ancient Egyptian Cosmology" by Joanne Conman in Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur Volume 31, 2003

"Egyptian Parallels for an Incident in Hesiod's Theogony and an Episode in the Kumarbi Myth" by Edmund S. Meltzer in Journal of Near Eastern Studies Volume 33, No. 1

"The Book of the Dead" by Geo. St. Clair in The Journal of Theological Studies Volume 6, No. 21

"The Egyptian "Book of the Two Ways"" by Wilhelm Bonacker in Imago Mundi Volume 7, 1950

"The Papyrus of Nes-min: An Egyptian Book of the Dead" by William H. Peck in Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts Volume 74, No. 1/2

[outoftowninac]

WHEN HELL FROZE

1930

When Hell Froze is a play by William Daniel Steele and Norma Mitchell, based on a Harper Prize-winning short story by Mr. Steele. The original production was produced by Kenneth McGowan and Joseph Verner Reed, staged by John D. Williams, and designed by Mr. Steele. It starred Helen MacKellar. 

It was billed as a ‘new comedy about obstinate people’ and tells the story of a farm wife that is branded as a harlot by the narrow-minded farm folk of the town. 

In July 1929, the playwrights were interviewed by Jessie Henderson of the Standard-Examiner and discussed When Heaven Froze. 

If it proves successful Mr. Steele says he's a good mind to write another called "When Heaven Boiled"!  

"But you couldn't laugh" Miss Mitchell admonished. "It's a serious play It's theme is very American" 

Murders? Bootleg? Guns? Politics? 

"None of those.” Mr. Steele assured us, which is a news item In itself.

"Just life. Life on a farm.”

Does virtue triumph? 

"Oh no!" the co-authors said as one man in a shocked voice.

It sounded like a good play so we asked Mr. Steele's opinion of the American drama in general. 

"If my play succeeds" he an answered "I can safely say that drama in America Is on a high and substantial plane. If it does not, I despair of the American theatre."

In mid-December, the casting of Arthur Hohl, Carl Reid, and Spring Byington was announced.  Byington’s career later included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of “December Bride”. In 1938, she received an Oscar nomination for her role in You Can't Take It with You.

The world premiere took place at Nixon’s Apollo Theatre on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City on January 6, 1930.  Next stop Maxine Elliott’s Theatre on Broadway! 

The Atlantic City Press called it a “Slow Moving Play”:

“Miss MacKellar always finds a friendly audience in Atlantic City. This part keeps her washing dishes and peeling potatoes so much that it is not until the end of the second act that she gest much opportunity to display her talents. After that she isn’t seen until the end of the play.” ~ J.J. FARRELL, ATLANTIC CITY PRESS

A day after the AC engagement ended, newspapers announced a delay. 

By March, the production was said to be postponed “until next season.” MacKellar would be replaced by Jane Cowl, who would play it in rep with Twelfth Night, directed now by Frederick Stanhope, set for October 14 at Maxine Elliott’s. 

But when after advertising the rep, When Hell Froze was again cancelled, this time citing “unforeseen circumstance”. The out-of-town tryout in Baltimore would only present Twelfth Night. 

Cowl traveled to Boston where critics savaged Hell, and it was swiftly withdrawn. Plans for their next stop (Broadway) had her eventually replacing Hell with another 20th century play to rep with Twelfth Night, but that, too, never happened. Instead, Cowl opened the Shakespeare play by itself on Broadway at Maxine Elliott’s on October 15, 1930. It played 65 performances. 

Even if When Hell Froze never made it to Broadway, it still had an impact. 

After the play’s first performance, a congratulatory telegram would help change Western Union policy about foul language.  Oh, Hell!   

[blackjackkent]

For the meme thingy: Mass Effect

Hm. I started thinking about this and realized that there is no damn way I can pick only one for each category, bc I am too much of a nerd for this series and there are too many characters to choose from. :P So I'm gonna pick a bunch, bc it's my blog and I do what I want.

Send me a fandom and I’ll tell you my:

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

All my Shepards, most likely. :D Plus Aria T'Loak, Mordin Solus, Kaidan Alenko, Thane Krios.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

Samantha Traynor, Tali'Zorah, Legion

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

I feel like perhaps my perception is skewed on this bc IDK if I can think of any characters that I haven't heard people express appreciation for. :P But probably Kaidan/Ashley? I've been surprised at the number of people who have come into my Mass Effect stream and announced that they hate [Kaidan/Ash] bc they are "boring".

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

Armando-Owen Bailey, Nyreen Kandros, Steven Hackett, Captain Kirrahe, Chloe Michel, Emily Wong, Gabriella Daniels, Kenneth Donnelly, Gianna Parasini, Kal'Reegar, Kolyat Krios, Garka (and all Aria's other guards that I had tons of headcanons for :P )

Apparently I have a lot of these. :P This is probably the RP influence creeping in, bc we spent a lot of time fleshing out rando characters that the games don't actually focus on.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

Aria T'Loak (again), Zaeed Massani, Conrad Verner

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

Dalatrass Linron, Khalisah al-Jilani, Maya Brooks

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

Kai Leng, Saren Arterius, Donnel Udina, Gavin Archer, Illusive Man

[jacensolodjo]

In case anyone is curious and isn’t interested in doing a full Mass Effect trilogy run for the sake of some of the side stuff in ME3 here’s the plot IDs I use (these are ones that aren’t just a simple check in Gibbed)

id: 13899, name: "[Jenna] Helped" id: 12883, name: "[Gavin] Retrieved data" id: 16530, 15943, name: "[Mass Effect 1] Played (tick both)" id: 1456, name: "[Mass Effect 2] Played" id: 3139, name: "[Conrad Verner] Completed his quest" (needs to be set in boolean in addition to any other gibbed choices such as ‘met him’ in ME1. This is so it counts as also interacting w/ him in ME2 without having to checkmark ‘shot in foot’, which won’t count by itself anyways or at least it didn’t in my game.) id: 2676 name: “Maelon data saved”

It is required to check ‘ME2 played’ if you also have “Maelon Data Saved”  otherwise it doesn’t count to keep Eve alive (learned this the hard way). It doesn’t matter if everything else from me2 carries over without explicitly stating ME2 played in the boolean. You also need to do the boolean for Maelon Data Saved despite it being a checkmark option in gibbed. Otherwise it doesn’t count (or at least it didn’t for me). And basically everything before maelon data saved is required if you want Conrad in ME3 and for him to live and get the max amount of defense rating (while also putting in the right number of asari matriarch writings in gibbed).

And then there’s this, to have all Normandy crew survive (Kelly, Donnelly, Daniels) you need: 3351 = true but 3629,3630,3631,3632,3349,3350 =false

[lighthousedann]

New Shoes

I have new shoes. They, a pair of two. Of course fool, One pair is two. Bottoms shiny and brown. Engraved upon a logo crown. Neighbour says they are very nice. I asked not his neighbourly advice. If tied them once, I tied them twice. Matching a pair. One each foot to share. One forever snuggly and tight. One slightly loose, not right. I have new shoes. They’re on my feet. Left too…

[the-redlion]

Chapters: 41/41 Fandom: Mass Effect Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Male Shepard, Miranda Lawson/Male Shepard, Steve Cortez/James Vega, Garrus Vakarian/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, EDI/Jeff "Joker" Moreau Characters: David Anderson, Kaidan Alenko, Commander Shepard, Garrus Vakarian, Miranda Lawson, Urdnot Wrex, Karin Chakwas, Liara T'Soni, Mordin Solus, Jacob Taylor, Gabriella Daniels, Kenneth Donnelly, Steven Hackett, Armando-Owen Bailey, Kelly Chambers, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, James Vega, Ashley Williams, Jeff "Joker" Moreau, Samantha Traynor, Chloe Michel, Kasumi Goto, Grunt (Mass Effect), Steve Cortez, Greg Adams, EDI (Mass Effect), Jack | Subject Zero, Zaeed Massani, Thane Krios, Conrad Verner Additional Tags: Firefighter AU, mShenko, hotties in uniform, modern day AU Series: Part 1 of Burn Down the Sky Universe Summary:

Modern day Mass Effect firefighter AU in which the Normandy's crew are working in or around Virmire's Fire Station #5.

 Epilogue: The story comes full circle.

I didn’t even know Fire Fighter AUs existed. Mind Blown!! I might be a little biased but I love the idea of this!!

[kenshi-vakarian7]

OC Interview Meme

I was tagged a while ago by @natsora .  Thank you.

I’ll tag @alyssalenko and anyone who sees this.

I’ve done this before with Kira Ryder & Adam Shepard

1. What’s your name?  

Marc Daniel Shepard

2. Do you know why you are named that?

*shifts in chair*  I’m an orphan who survived the streets so... no idea.  Next question.

3. Are you single or taken?

Taken.

4. Have any abilities or powers?

I’m a certified Combat Engineer and Explosive Expert with training in assault rifles and pistols.

5. Stop being a Mary Sue.

...Are you serious?

6. What’s your eye color?

Blue

7. How about your hair color?

Black.

8. Have any family members?

*shifts in chair*  No.  Next question.

9. Oh? How about any pets?

I have a space Hamster, Tesla, and some fishes.

10. That’s cool, I guess. Now tell me something you don’t like.

They’re quite a few things I hate, but I’d rather not talk about those.  If I had to mention one, it would be my hate for politics.  Then again, who doesn’t hate politics besides those who always benefit from it?  Especially when they take advantage of those who can’t defend themselves...

11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do?

I’m an avid reader.  Name one book and there’s a good chance I’ve read it.  If not, expect it to be added to my list of future books to read during downtime.  I also like to take things apart to see how they work and then put them back together again.  I also enjoy swimming, weightlifting, chess, and watching historical documentaries.

12. Have you hurt anyone in any way before?

Only when I’m forced to defend myself.

13. Ever… killed anyone before?

Unfortunately, it’s part of what I have to do in my line of work.

14. What kind of animal are you?

Not the kind you can put in a cage.

15. Name your worst habits?

Let’s see... definitely putting a lot of hot sauce in my meals.  No, I don’t do that with all my meals, but those MREs we’re forced to eat sometimes definitely deserve the treatment.

16. Do you look up to anyone at all?

I’ve had a few CO’s I’ve looked up to over the years, including Anderson.  All of them have made a positive impact on my life.

17. Are you gay, straight or bisexual?

Straight.

18. Do you go to school?

Not since ICT.  I had to earn my GED after joining the Alliance.  My test scores earned me the opportunity to attend any Ivy League school on Earth, but I chose not to take that path for personal reasons.

19. Ever want to marry and have any kids one day?

Maybe.  If it happens, it’s happens.  If anything, I like the idea of adopting one or two kids and give them the chance I didn’t have.

20. Do you have any fangirls/fanboys?

*Tries not to think about Conrad Verner* Ugh, don’t remind me, please...

21. What are you most afraid of?

*shifts in chair* That’s classified.  Next question.

22. What do you usually wear?

When I’m not in uniform, I’m most comfortable in loose fitting hoodies and jeans.

23. What one food tempts you?

Chilies!  The spicier, the better!

24. Am I annoying you?

...Maybe.

25. Well, it’s still not over!

*Pinches bridge of nose and takes a deep breath*

26. What class are you (low/middle/high)?

I guess middle?

27. How many friends do you have?

I have plenty of friends, but I only keep a few close.

28. What are your thoughts on pie?

I’m more of a cobbler person.  I know they’re relatively the same, but I just happen to like the texture on a cobbler more.

29. Favorite drink?

Definitely coffee.  Also club soda, and bourbon.

30. What’s your favorite place?

I have 3 favorite places.  It’s hard to choose just one.

1) On Earth in Seattle, back when I was living in the streets, I used to climb to the roof of a particular building.  It was tall enough to see a lot beyond the city limits.  The weather’s dreary for most of the year, but whenever it was clear, I take the opportunity to climb up that building and just stare at Mt. Rainer for hours.

2) Believe it or not, space itself.  I never left Earth until the day I was shipped to Arcturus Station to begin my GED courses.  I still remember being in awe of seeing the nebula and all the planets we passed by.  It’s been years, and I still get that same feeling whenever I look out a port side window.

3) I’ve only visited this place twice within the last 10 years, but there’s a quiet spot in Elysium, far from any nearby colonies or cities.  It reminds me of those pictures of the countryside in England.  I camped there for the first time not long after the Blitz.  It’s one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been to.

31. Are you interested in anyone?

Yes, I am.

32. That was a stupid question…

ಠ_ಠ ...You asked.

33. Would you rather swim in the lake or the ocean?

I actually enjoy swimming very much, so I don’t mind either.

34. What’s your type?

I like someone who is intelligent.  There’s something nice about listening to someone talking about their hobbies and passions in detail and with enthusiasm.

35. Any fetishes?

...Next question.

36. Camping indoors or outdoors?

Outdoors’ more fun... especially right now!

-Runs out of the interview room and slams the door behind him-

[thedcdunce]

Blue Devil

“Killing demons has kept me plenty busy.” - Blue Devil

Real Name: Daniel Patrick Cassidy

Aliases:

Kid Devil

Gopher

Gender: Male

Height: 6′ 8″

Weight: 385 lbs (175 kg)

Eyes: Yellow

Hair: Bald

Skin: Blue

Powers:

Demonic Physiology

Abilities:

Acrobatics

Acting

Martial Arts

Mechanical Engineering/Gadgetry

Weaknesses:

Weirdness Magnet

Technological Reliability

Equipment:

Blue Devil Costume

Blue Devil Trident

Devilmobile

Trident of Lucifer

Universe:

Earth-One

New Earth

Base of Operations: 

Oblivion Bar

Metropolis

Los Angeles

Malibu, California

House of Weirdness

Citizenship: American

Marital Status: Single

Occupation: 

Special Effects Artist

Stuntman

First Appearance: Firestorm Vol 2 #24 (June, 1984)

Powers

Demonic Physiology: In his original superhero form, Blue Devil's abilities were largely the result of the technological devices built into his costume. Danny was reborn as a genuine demon after he was defeated by Neron in Hell.

Superhuman Strength

Superhuman Agility

Superhuman Durability

Accelerated Healing

Enhanced Senses

Enhanced Hearing

Enhanced Vision

Abilities

Acrobatics: Danny was an experienced stuntman. The Blue Devil suit then enhanced his strength and agility dramatically.

Acting: Danny worked in the film industry as an actor, stuntman, and special effects artist. He starred alongside Wayne Tarrant and Sharon Scott in the film, Blue Devil, as the title role.

Martial Arts

Boxing: Dan was an amateur boxer who retired undefeated in his last twenty fights, and was able to hold his own against Van Vanucci.

Mechanical Engineering/Gadgetry: Danny's greatest technical achievement was building the original Blue Devil suit and rocket propelled trident.

Weaknesses

Weirdness Magnet: After being fused into the Blue Devil suit, Norm theorized that Dan's fusion of science and magic made him a "weirdness magnet" that attracted abnormal activity to him. This was dismissed as a joke until until Dr. Kylburn had the statisticians at S.T.A.R. Labs substantiate the claims. They even gave him money to put his uncanny probability to the test in Las Vegas. The theory became conclusive upon meeting Cain, who confirmed the existence of such a concept, even pinpointing the positively charged force radiating from his abdomen. It's unknown if this phenomenon was caused by the magic of Nebiros or Danny's family history which has faerie blood on his uncle Seamus' side.

Technological Reliability: Although the suit was organically grafted to Danny, it was still mechanical in nature and vulnerable to being hijacked by the the correct frequency. His former friend and fellow stuntman Larry Bolatnsky managed to remotely control Blue Devil to fight Firestorm.

Equipment

Blue Devil Costume: Blue Devil's powers originally came from a highly sophisticated stunt suit Danny built for practical in-camera effects. The techno-organic exosuit disappeared when he was reborn as a true demon.

Superhuman Strength: Increased Danny's strength at least twenty times the norm.

Super-Leaping

Superhuman Durability

Accelerated Healing: After being grafted to Cassidy's body, the costume became organic and gained the ability to self-repair at an extremely fast rate.

Superhuman Agility

Enhanced Senses

Enhanced Hearing

Enhanced Vision: Infrared night vision.

Enhanced Vocals: Voice modulator.

Amphibious: The suit had "mini-gills" built into it, allowing Danny to breathe underwater.

Explosives: Exploding bubble effect from cuffs.

Blue Devil Trident: The trident had cybernetic relay connections to the suit, allowing it to be summoned and controlled remotely. In his original superhero costume, Blue Devil relied on the rocket-powered trident he had created to fly into action. It was built to support the weight of at least 20 people and traveled at approximately 60 mph.

Flight: Though mostly used enhance his super-leaping, the rockets could also provide sustained flight.

Flame Effect: The trident could be used to shoot fire.

Devilmobile: Danny's civilian vehicle was converted overnight by Jack Edison and James Jesse into a themed Devilmobile. Its gadgetry included an oil slick, a mist bomb, an anti-gravity disk, an ejector seat, booster rockets, and pyrotechnic and explosive features. It also had a reclining "make out" function.

Trident of Lucifer: Allows him to find demons on Earth and banish them to Hell.

Reluctant Hero

Dan Cassidy was a special effects wizard and stuntman whose credits had included The Battle of the Las Vegas Showgirls and Space Ninja when he was hired by his friend, film director Marla Bloom, to create and play the title character in the Verner Bros. monster movie Blue Devil. Cassidy's specialty was somewhat unusual - rather than create optical effects that would later be applied in post-production, Cassidy specialized in "in camera" mechanical and cybernetic effects. To that end, Cassidy created a full-body costume for Blue Devil, complete with a powered exoskeleton and built-in pyrotechnic devices. Cassidy also created a rocket-powered prop trident which was, among other things, capable of flying.

During location filming on the mysterious Ile Du Diable, Wayne Tarrant, the "hero" of the film, and his co-star Sharon Scott, accidentally freed a demon named Nebiros. Though Cassidy faced incredible odds and a near-death experience, he was able to effectively use the devices built into his costume to drive the demon back to its home dimension. Unfortunately, he was blasted with demonic energy in the process. After the fight, Cassidy found that the blast had permanently grafted the Blue Devil costume to his body. Cassidy, a devout Irish Catholic, was stuck in the "skin" of an unholy Blue Devil.

While trying to find ways of escaping his costume, the newly-named Blue Devil soon found himself involved in conflicts with super villains such as Metallo and The Trickster. Nebiros, who now had an affinity for his "little brother," would return time and time again to harass the Blue Devil, and just as often Cassidy would banish him to his own dimension. Cassidy's friend Norm Paxton, a cinematographer, theorized that the blast that had made Cassidy a Blue Devil had also turned him into a sort of "weirdness magnet." Though he initially insisted that he was no super hero, it took him little time to adapt to the realities of his existence. While he continued to seek a way to regain a normal life, Cassidy became more comfortable in the role of hero over time, and even gained an unwanted sidekick in the form of Kid Devil - actually Eddie Bloomberg, Marla Bloom's nephew.

Blue Devil would spend the next few years working with superheroes as diverse as The Creeper, Black Orchid, the Omega Men, and Superman. Later, he would also encounter Cain and Abel, who would go on to rent Blue Devil a room in the other-dimensional House of Weirdness, sister structure to the House of Mystery and House of Secrets. That house contained mystical doorways into a Malibu beach house, a house outside of Metropolis, and several other places.

Retirement and Comeback

After joining the rest of the heroic community in fighting the Anti-Monitor during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Blue Devil found that he was attracting less and less weirdness to him and his friends, and went into semi-retirement as a hero. Though his younger sister Frankie was later revealed to have been a sleeper agent of the Manhunters, Blue Devil did not publicly participate in the Millennium affair or any of the subsequent major events during which the super-hero community banded together.

After a several-year period during which Cassidy's and Marla Bloom's careers suffered a downturn, Blue Devil resolved to help both himself and his good friend. Sensing an opportunity when the Justice League instituted an open-door membership policy, and sponsored by the mysterious organization known as the Arcana, Blue Devil came out of retirement and joined the team in order to make a "comeback" as a celebrity. Though he was only barely tolerated by some of the more serious members of the team, Cassidy's heart was in the right place, and he embarked on a quest to increase both his powers and his fortune.

Shortly after Blue Devil joined the team, the demon Neron took control of Hell and began seeking souls on Earth. Recognizing Cassidy's sense of thwarted ambition, Neron approached him with the chance to be a movie star, which the latter eagerly accepted. Cassidy had no way of knowing, however, that the true cost of his bargain would be the death of his close friend Marla Bloom. After performing the seemingly innocuous task of destroying an automatic electrical substation far in the desert, a chain of events was set in motion that would result in Bloom and her pilot dying in a helicopter accident. Blue Devil got his wish - sympathetic movie offers began to pour in - but the price was too high.

Guilt-ridden, Cassidy made the ultimate heroic sacrifice: he cheated Neron of his soul, but died in the process. Soon after, he was reincarnated as an actual demon, with an increase in power.

Demonic Existence

After the JLA disbanded and reformed again, this time with an invitation-only membership, Cassidy found himself without a team. Having long before lost the companionship of his movie-studio friends, he joined a new "Justice League of France" consisting of himself, Firestorm, the second Amazing Man, the surviving Crimson Fox, and a woman who claimed to be Icemaiden. Unfortunately, the latter was in fact the villainous Nash in disguise, and she killed nearly all of her erstwhile teammates. Again, the Blue Devil was destroyed, and again, he was restored to life, this time by the magician Faust, who used the Devil's bones to reanimate him. Facing Nebiros for the last time, Cassidy was granted the demon's Trident of Satan. Controlled by Faust, Blue Devil joined the Sentinels of Magic, where he worked alongside Ragman and Enchantress among other supernaturally powered beings. He was finally freed from his obligation to the team when Faust restored his last bone to him - however, Blue Devil soon lost his life a third time while fighting Hermes Trismegistus.

The Shadowpact

The Blue Devil did not remain dead long, however, and was soon seen roaming the Earth and banishing demons back to Hell. Cassidy began working as a bouncer at the Oblivion Bar, working for Nightmaster. There, he joined with Ragman and Enchantress once again, as well as Nightshade and Detective Chimp, in battle against the Spectre, who had declared war on all magic. He soon became the strong-man of the newly-dubbed Shadowpact, able even to wound Eclipso, and has since decided to stay with the team. He now helps his new teammates to contain the wild magic set free by the Spectre's actions.

Shortly after the Infinite Crisis, Blue Devil and his teammates were trapped inside a "blood shield" that grew over the town of Riverrock, Wyoming. While inside the town, Cassidy met a member of magic-based villain group called the Pentacle named Jack of Fire. Jack, who wore a bandana over his mouth and wielded pyrokinetic abilities, claimed that he was Cassidy's brother, and that Cassidy's deal with Neron had cursed the entire Cassidy family to Hell. In addition to becoming demonic himself, Jack claimed that Blue Devil's late parents had been pulled out of Heaven, and that his "sisters" Mary and Frances were also cursed. The veracity of these claims is questionable - though Cassidy does have a sister, Mary Frances, he had never before mentioned a brother or another sister. Oddly, Blue Devil claimed to have no recollection of having any siblings at all - a mystery that has yet to be solved.

One day, Blue Devil's former sidekick Eddie Bloomberg, now a true demon himself, came to Cassidy inquiring about his aunt Marla's death. Blue Devil admitted that he had not been honest with Eddie regarding the circumstances of her demise, and the teen responded hastily in shock. Before he could explain the truth to Eddie, Cassidy was told by his former sidekick to stay far away.

Cassidy then found himself under threat by the former Justice League member Zauriel. Because of Blue Devil's popularity as a demon, he had unknowingly given hell and demons a better image, prompting others to make their own deals with demons. As a result, Zauriel was tasked with killing Blue Devil and doing away with his bad influence on the populace. However, when Zauriel realized that Blue Devil wanted nothing more than to combat hell, Zauriel agreed to give him some time to repair his mistakes. Blue Devil is currently in hell bargaining for his soul with a lawyer. After briefly resuming his human body with a more powerful exosuit, Cassidy is given back his Trident and demonic powers by Jack of Fire, but as a "demon with a soul".

His most recent appearance was with Zatanna and the Phantom Stranger at the desecrated grave of Batman in Blackest Night. In typical fashion, he cracks that the Stranger brought them there to "hold hands and sing Kumbaya." That changes when black rings take control of Crispus Allen. While Zatanna was sent to gather the Justice League, Blue Devil and the Stranger attempt to stop the Black Lantern Spectre, failing miserably. He and the Stranger head to Nanda Parbat, where the Stranger helps Deadman remove the black ring from his body. Blue Devil is then tasked by the Stranger to protect the body, being told that it is of "singular importance".

Fun Facts

Blue Devil's body gives off the aroma of brimstone.

Danny's an Irish Catholic and therefore has prayed at times of great need or during Mass. He still burns whenever he sets foot on holy ground.

[eat-pray-cry]

All the Light We Cannot See: In Defense of the Netflix Adaptation (Part 3)

PART 3: CHANGES - THE BAD

WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS

Okay, let’s talk changes. First, let me clarify that all the changes were, in my opinion, justifiable. Did I like all of them? No. Can I see why they were made? Yes.

That said, behold my list of the bad (but not quite ugly) changes, and why I didn't mind them.

In the book, Verner destroys the radio, much to Jutta’s dismay. In the show, Verner continues listening to the radio, against Jutta’s wishes. I actually thought this change was delicately executed. The only difference I see here is that in the show, Jutta cautions against the dangers of listening to the radio, whereas in the book, she cautions against becoming misinformed. In the end, she is still established as a voice of reason, while simultaneously reinforcing that Verner was deeply attached to the Professor’s lessons.

The journey to Saint-Mailo, where Marie and Papa steal a car instead of enduring the grueling journey by foot. Two reasons why I think this is justified, both of which are technical. (1) Time. Keep in mind that a visual platform has limited time, so context had to be condensed as much as possible. To me, this scene was meant to convey that Daniel LeBlanc had a way of creating the charm and humor out of a bad situation. We saw this throughout the book, the show conveyed it in this scene. (2) Tone. Bear in mind that the show was aiming for a more hopeful tone, so the tragedy needed to be concentrated in certain scenes. This was not one of them. Showing a long and grueling journey would have made the show lean more towards the likes of All Quiet on the Western Front.

Verner’s time in Schulpforta is condensed. This makes sense to me. Again, the show had to condense a lot of context, so it had to be done here. Nevertheless, I thought they condensed it beautifully. The scene with Verner running from his ‘traditional welcome’ was heartbreaking.

Random details - omission of the model as a puzzle, addition of von Rumpel’s lady friend and Captain Schmidt. These, to me, were just tools for condensing the story. Am I sad that the house as a model wasn’t featured? Yes. The model, to me, was a very important indicator of Marie’s cleverness. Not to mention her connection with Verner, as Verner was the only other character in the book who was able to open it. But, simply put, the show did not have space for this detail. As for von Rumpel’s lady friend and Captain Schmidt, they were just mere tools for condensing the story. The lady friend was used to explain von Rumpel’s motivations, just as Captain Schmidt was used to show how badly Verner wanted to protect Marie.

Extra nazis, and all of them were “comically evil”. I’m only mentioning this because I’ve heard this comment several times. Let me start by giving credit where credit is due. Yes, the book was masterful in portraying nuance, and that included the nazi figures in Verner’s life. The thing is, subtlety doesn’t play out as well in a visual platform. It’s a show. Condensed, visual tension was necessary. As a result, the nazi figures had to be greatly dramatized compared to the figures in the book. 

Etienne is a badass. Okay, okay, I admit that even I felt iffy about this one, but I managed to make it make sense. First, keep in mind that the Etienne we met at the beginning of the show is PRESENT Etienne. He had already evolved. He’s had time to become brave. This is further reinforced by the flashback where we do see the Etienne that we knew from the book - the hermit suffering from PTSD - and we see the precise moment he grows out of it (aka “a tiger you will be again”). If anything, my only complaint is that he was already quietly involved in the Resistance by the time we meet him.