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filterpermanentlyattached · 2 years ago

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...And the Reunion of Evil

Well, I tried this once and accidentally closed out, but the shortened version is: this episode annoys me for a few reasons, heavy focus on Cassandra and Jake and their minor disagreement that they resolve by the end of the episode, but also mostly because they treat Ezekiel poorly because his methods use technology or they just don’t understand it. Moving on!

Nice, normal, everyday artifact retrieval...something that is usually a precursor to disaster.

Point 1: Eve is shouting for Ezekiel, walks up to him and takes his phone without knowing what he was doing and just assuming he was playing a game, even when he says it was important (which, okay, he may say about many other things that are not as important as this is).

Point 2: “I’ve seen the kind of Librarian you can become...” that is major projecting -and he just slumps down in his chair likely having heard the rant before- and he has done nothing to encourage her to think he cannot be a good Librarian. Let’s be honest here, no one knows how old he is in the show. But since John Harlan Kim was like 20/21 when the first season was filmed, I can’t take him as any older than possibly 23 in the first season, which would put him at almost 25 in season 3. (this is mostly because in the finale of season 1 the Ezekiel of that world says Eve became his Guardian when he was a teenager, which doesn’t track unless we give him at least 13 when he received the envelope).

Ezekiel trying to avoid whatever it is Baird has set up for him by distracting her on the tangent of kinky stuff makes me chuckle, solid effort my guy. “That’s ridiculous,” he’s not wrong. Then she just walks away without him getting up first, walking away, and putting the blindfold on. He took his chance and disappeared.

I see you got your phone back...(but she didn’t even look to see what he was using it for still!!!). Got to keep my skills sharp! He’s not wrong, they tend to only rely on his thieving skills more often than not. You would have me set up the traps, but obviously you don’t trust me that much. He just sounds so defeated, and as though this is just a fact of life for him at the Library. Makes me sad. Then Jenkins goes on a tangent. Ugh, bro, you are always either working with Ezekiel on something technological and magicky or fighting with him. Pick a lane! I’ll give him a break since he was worried about Nessie. “I have every faith in Ezekiel” “said no one, ever” that right there is the problem folks!!! Get over yourselves.

“You know if it were me-” “Ah, one can only dream” Harsh Jenkins, reign in your stress a bit please. At least Eve considers he might have something to add, even though Jenkins again just blows him off. Ezekiel doesn’t know anything about biology and they tried to make him care for an egg...that’s their own fault really. He was in the middle of stuff before they dragged him into that. “Nessie only lays one egg every hundred years...” you really should have lead with that, Ezekiel understands when you give him more information, he’s not an idiot. Eve’s you could help! and then he says No! Jenkins, fire bad! once he knows what he’s responsible for, he does an amazing job.

No I’m withholding pertinent information, of course that’s all I saw! I love sassy Ezekiel. Boy deserves to snap back after how they’ve been treating him all that day. Yes! Vindication! He gets to rub it in there faces that he’s been working that whole time, on his phone!!! Ezekiel rubbing the egg affectionately just reminds me of his bond with Stumpy. Hacker Ezekiel is one of my favorites!!! They need something that Cassandra performed magic on in the last 24 hours, and he just turns around to hid the egg from sight.

Jenkins getting all excited about the location being narrowed down, you can say thank you to Ezekiel you know, it’s okay. “So, how was your day?” Ezekiel just so casual after all the help he did finding them and getting the others to help. The fact that he interrupted Eve trying to tell tell him she thought he did a good job, he just shushes her, I think he doesn’t want her to think she was right.

He was so excited when the egg started to hatch. “You are now it’s de facto mother. And quite honestly I do believe it could do worse.” That was actually high praise now that Jenkins is not so stressed out. “Wow, looks like I’m not the only one putting my faith in Ezekiel Jones.” No, but you did it very reluctantly, in fact you barely did it at all, but you were out of options and he got loud so you both heard him and knew he knew what he was doing. It all turned out all right, but I do wish this little trust in Ezekiel actually went somewhere. Oh well, time will tell...or rather, fanfiction helps...

#The Librarians #Ezekiel Jones #season3

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duskowithapen · 5 years ago

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The Librarians are encouraged to look into the mysterious disappearances of ex-military men in the area around Greece, and Guardian Eve Baird is forced to pull out her Colonel Face.

AKA, how Eve got a burned arm, and what inspired the events of the previous fic, ‘When the Librarians Are Away.’ Featuring BAMF!Eve Baird, and a scared Cassandra

This is also my contribution to the Writers Month 2019, prompt 2: Hurt/Comfort (A day late, but I only found out about it today, so…) Because this fandom needs more BAMF!Eve. Not much JenkinsEve bonding, but there’s some EveCassandra bonding, which is nice. Hope you enjoy it!

#Eve Baird #The Librarians #cassandra cillian #Eve Baird MD #Eve Baird was a solider #eve cassandra bonding #AO3 fanfic #hand wavey magic #writersmonth2019

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dustedmagazine · 6 years ago

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“1, 2, 3, 4!”: Jennifer Kelly’s 2018 review

Jennifer Kelly is a frantic romantic.

Rock and roll forever, sure, but it’s hard to avoid the fact that the guitar/bass/drum idiom has been pushed way off to the side in the cultural conversation. Mainstream sites list “best rock records” as a weird, subcultural genre, with a slightly bigger audience, perhaps, than best cumbia records or top Hawaiian slack key recordings (but not much). Worse, to come up with a reasonable size list they include all kinds of things that don’t belong. I mean, really, is Mount Eerie rock by any definition?

Rock isn’t dead, but it’s been made to sit in the corner. The only time in 2018 when everybody thought at once about a guitar band was when Pitchfork’s Jeremy Larson dropped his scathing, hilarious review of the Greta Van Fleet. For a moment, we all snickered as one.

Big rock was terrible in 2018. It almost always is. Yet there’s something disingenuous about the genre of year-end write-ups that laser in on the absolute worst and most bloated of rock bands to make a point about the art-form as a whole. Sure, Imagine Dragons suck. Yes, “Africa” is a soul-destroyingly awful song no matter who sings it. No, I’m not wading into the whole 1975 thing. Who has time? Who has the heart for it?

Because this year, against a tide of commercially viable horse shit, against a backdrop of monolithic indifference, rock bands of all configurations, from all countries (but really especially Australia), continued to make great punk and rock records. And, I, for whatever reason, heard more of them than usual, and it made me happy. And maybe that’s the secret to being happy in music, in any year…find your niche, listen to the best in it, forget about what the mega-corporations are trying to sell.

Also see it live. My big highlight this year was seeing the Scientists in October (with Negative Approach, too!), but it was a pretty great 12 months for live music. It started with a fantastic show comprised of Mike Donovan, the Long Hots, J. Mascis and his Stooges cover band and Purling Hiss (with J on board for one song) at the Root Cellar, a venue I’d never heard of before that show, and that ended up putting on a string of great events. I saw Marisa Anderson, Paul Metzger, Speedy Ortiz, Howling Rain, Trad Gras Och Stenar with Endless Boogie, that Scientists show and Gary Higgins at the Root Cellar this year, and I missed a lot of shows I would have liked to see. Other great shows happened outside the Root Cellar – The Thing in the Spring in Peterborough with William Parker, Bonnie Prince Billy and others, Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric at the Parlour Room, Messthetics at the Flywheel. Western Massachusetts has been in a commercial chokehold for years, with one organization controlling most of the venues, but there were a lot of options this year.

So, here’s to the drummers with their sticks in the air, counting off the four. Here’s to the guitar player wrecking his knees jumping up and down as he/she furiously slashes away. Here’s to the sweat and muck and black humor of $10 shows with four bands on them, two of them still in high school. And here’s to the people (me at least and possibly you) who like these things. Eddie Argos of Art Brut, who used to top these lists and now merits a footnote, spoke for this tiny, beleaguered sub-cult when he urged “Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s rock out.”

Indeed. Let’s.

Amy Rigby—The Old Guys (Southern Domestic)

The Old Guys by Amy Rigby

Let’s just set aside the fact that the first and best song on this album is an imagined email exchange between Philip Roth and Bob Dylan on the eve of the Nobel ceremony or that Rigby namechecks three of my favorite ever TV characters in “New Sheriff.” Let’s forget, too, how rare it is for a woman of roughly my age to be making her own music and controlling her own destiny even now in 2018. No, let’s focus on the songs which are sharp, smart and full of hooks, the clean, romantic chime of Rigby’s electric 12-string, the viscous pleasure of the arrangements. This is the very best kind of rock record, one that doesn’t attempt to remake the genre but somehow makes it bigger, brighter and more necessary. The songs sounded great, live, too, with the great Wreckless Eric in tow, and the two of them bickering like old married couples do, and Rigby glowing with triumph by the end of the show.

Shopping—The Official Body (Fat Cat)

The Official Body by Shopping

Bubbly in a hard way, strict and minimal in a manner requires body movement, this album arrived early and stayed on my go-to list all year. For Dusted, I wrote, “You could bounce a quarter off the bass lines in this third Shopping full-length. They’re pulled hard and tight against minimalist syncopated drums, the leaning, waiting, anticipating space between the thwacks as important a character as the beats themselves. The London-based trio harks back to the funky, stripped down post-punk of bands like ESG and Delta 5, with hints of the boy-girl bubble and pop of the B-52s and Pylon.

Salad Boys—This Is Glue (Trouble in Mind)

This Is Glue by Salad Boys

Always weak for NZ lo-fi and equally a fan of the early R.E.M., so of course I fell for this buzzy daydream of a record. “Psych Slasher” bursts with immoderate, glorious joy in the chorus, then cuts back to uncertainty in the verse, the ideal blend of rambunctious rock and wistful pop. “Exaltation” is a gentler sort of classic, just as radiant but moodier, its murmur-y vocals disappearing into cloud banks of fuzzed guitar tone. The whole record sits on the knife edge of rock and indie pop, leaning one way and the other, but never falling over.

Patois Counselors—Proper Release (Ever/Never)

Proper Release by Patois Counselors

I went all in for “So Many Digits” in my Dusted review this year, but the two great punk songs on Proper Release are “The Modern Station” and, especially, “Target Not a Comrade.” This latter song chugs and lurches on guitar and bass, trembles with wheedly keyboards and crests in a massive, hummable refrain. It’s a catchy, twitchy punk tune that’ll hit you in the part of your brain where you keep Wire and the Buzzcocks, hooky as hell in a weird, distorted way.

Bodega—Endless Scroll (What’s Your Rupture)

Endless Scroll by BODEGA

Flipping the gender cliché, Bodega is an all-woman band with a male singer. Its tight, nervy, jangles wrap around themes of internet-age dislocation and movie references. Smart, sarcastic, ironic, sharp, Bodega bristles with what you want from a garage punk band but reveals a surprisingly soft heart uncovered round about “Charlie,” a wistful song about a boy who died too soon.

Bardo Pond—Volume 8 (Three-Lobed)

Volume 8 by Bardo Pond

The eighth in a series of improvised albums, this year’s Bardo Pond record towers and surges with monumental heaviness. I wrote at Dusted that, “The sound, vast and muscularly monolithic as ever, seems more like a demon summoned periodically from a ring of fire, than the product of any sort of linear development.”

Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore—Ghost Forests (Three Lobed)

Ghost Forests by Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore

This year’s most beautiful album, Ghost Forests undergirds lyric folk melodies and angelic pizzicato harp plucks with roiling, violent darkness. My Dusted review observed “The best and most interesting [tracks] juxtapose the muted violence of electric guitar with a harp’s serenity. A guitar howls from a distance throughout “In Cedars,” pushing a simmering turbulence up under sun-dappled lattices of harp picking. Later “Painter of Tygers” does the same trick of joining muscle to fairy dust, the electric guitar raging from far away, while harp and voice spread delicate magic over the tumult.”

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80—Black Times (Strut)

Black Times by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

Fela Kuti’s youngest son inherited his dad’s fierce political commitment, his rhythmically unstoppable Afrobeat style and a few of his band members, but this wonderful album is more alive and present than a tribute. “Struggle Sounds, “ with its hard-bounce of a beat, its blurting sax, its ecstatic backing chorus, its swagger of horns and fever-dreamed keyboards dances through history right up to the modern day. “Last Revolutionary” enumerates past African heroes and connects them to the now. I wrote, “Kuti extends his father’s legacy, its tight rhythmic interplay, its fervent political engagement, its relentless exhilarating uplift, while bringing it a bit further into the present.”

Ovlov—Tru (Exploding in Sound)

TRU by Ovlov

I first noticed Ovlov at the Thing in the Spring Festival, on an eclectic Thursday night in a book store, where the sweet surge of guitar sound felt solid enough to body surf on. Later, for Dusted, I said of Tru that “Ovlov churns a monumental fuzz, a wave of surging, undulating, feedback-altered sound …. You can almost poke it with your finger, this onslaught is so palpable. It stirs your hair like an oncoming breeze.”

Speedy Ortiz—Twerp Verse (Carpark)

Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz

There’s something so bendy and unpredictable about Sadie Dupuis tunes. They hare off in unexpected ways. They stop and start. They interpose weird little intervals of pop and noise. They refuse to behave, and end up exactly as they should be, though never what you’d expect. Twerp Verse takes more pop turns than other Speedy joints, but in the tipsiest, most eccentric way, with acerbic asides in the lyrics that catch like fishhooks and stay with you. “Speedy Ortiz offers a serrated sort of pop pleasure, full of rhythmic complexity and gender confrontation,” I observed in my Dusted review.

Had enough rock? Me neither

Here are some more punk rock and garage records that I couldn’t squeeze into the top ten overall, mostly in the order that I thought of them, but Constant Mongrel and Richard Papiercuts are pretty great and that’s probably why I thought of them first.

Constant Mongrel—Living in Excellence (La Vida Es Un Mus)

Richard Papiercuts— Twisting the Night (Ever/Never)

GOGGs—Prestrike Sweep (In the Red)

Hank Wood & the Hammerheads—S-T (Toxic State)

Obnox—Bang Messiah (Smog Veil)

Zerodent—Landscapes of Merriment (Alien Snatch!)

Sleaford Mods—Stick in a Five and Go (Domino)

Ethers—S-T (Trouble in Mind)

IDLES—Joy as an Act of Resistance (Partisan)

Bad Sports—Constant Stimulation (Dirtnap)

Lithics—Mating Surfaces (Kill Rock Stars)

Art Brut—Wham! Bang! Pow! (Alcopop)

Whoa, slow down!

Also a shout to the musicians who made more than one really excellent album this year. Ty Segall made five, I think, but I didn’t love all of them as much as Freedom Goblin and Prestrike Sweep.

Obnox—Sonido del Templo/Bang Messiah (Astral Spirits)/(Smog Veil)

Mount Eerie—Now Only/(After) (Elverum & Sons)

Ty Segall—Freedom Goblin (Drag City)/GOGGs—Prestrike Sweep (In the Red)

Ryley Walker—Deafman Glance/The Lillywhite Sessions (Dead Oceans)

Nevertheless, they persisted

And finally, hats off to the bands and artists that have been going forever and continued this year to produce great music.

Kinski—Accustomed to Your Face (Kill Rock Stars)

Low—Double Negative (Sub Pop)

Loma—S-T (Sub Pop) (Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg plus Cross Record)

Oneida—Romance (Joyful Noise)

Wreckless Eric—Construction Time and Demolition (Southern Domestic)

Messthetics—S-T (Discord) (The great Fugazi rhythm section plus a young guitar ripper—one of the best live shows of the year for me.)

Charnel Ground—S-T (12XU) (This is Kid Millions from Oneida, Chris Brokaw and James McNew from Yo La Tengo, and as you’d expect, it’s really good.)

#dusted magazine #yearend 2018 #jennifer kelly #amy rigby #shopping #salad boys #patois counselors #bodega #bardo pond #meg baird #mary lattimore #seun kuti #ovlov #speedy ortiz #scientists

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pass-the-bechdel · 7 years ago

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The Librarians s04e08 ‘And the Hidden Sanctuary’

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes, seven times.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Five (41.66% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Seven.

Positive Content Rating:

Three.

General Episode Quality:

Solid.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Cassandra tells Eve that she’s taking a break. Karla shows Cassandra the house. Karla greets Sylvia in the street. Cassandra and Karla talk again. Cassandra meets Penelope. Cassandra and Karla talk at the library. Cassandra and Karla pass at the end of the episode.

Female characters:

Eve Baird.

Cassandra Cillian.

Karla.

Sylvia.

Penelope.

Male characters:

Jacob Stone.

Ezekiel Jones.

Jenkins.

Freddy.

Dave.

Weeks.

Vincent.

OTHER NOTES:

...what I said after last episode, about how they shoulda saved the ‘non-Librarian-life stuff for another episode? Why didn’t they think of that themselves when they were already cooking this episode up for straight after the other one? Damn it. Well, this was fun again, though I feel like it packed less punch than it should have; it had shades of pathos befitting the secretly-awful setting, but it didn’t sink its teeth into it like it should have, and so it skimmed the surface of the story instead of pulling us in alongside Cassandra. I’m extra sad because Cassandra episodes are usually among the show’s strongest. I’m afraid they’re losing their touch, y’all.

#The Librarians #The Librarians season four #Bechdel Test #female representation #And the Hidden Sanctuary

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hamelott · 7 years ago

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Can you write something where Ezekiel has nightmares and ends up super sleep deprived and Eve has to mom him?

okay so I think we both know how many apologies I owe you, but let’s just get past that and get right to the fic, yeah?

Please enjoy :)

Eve noticed it the day after theirfirst mission since Apep. Ezekiel looked exhausted, and she wasn’t entirelysure it was just because of the stressful few days they’d just endured either.He had dark shadows under his eyes, and his usual wit was nearly nonexistent.At one point, Stone had taken a particularly clever jab at him, but Ezekiel hadjust frowned and not said anything.

At the time, she’d brushed it asideas an off-day. Even Ezekiel Jones could be down in the dumps occasionally. Shereally wasn’t worried. He’d get out of this whateverit was mood and then he’d be fine, no worries. Her team would be in tip-topshape in no time.

Except, then it got worse. Ezekielkept showing up to the Library later and later, and each time he’d look evenmore tired than the day before. He no longer took care of his hair, and hisvoice lacked its usual bright tone and slyness. To say Eve was worried would bean understatement.

Knowing going directly to the sourcewould get her nowhere, Eve decided to do some ‘around the edges’ investigating.She asked Cassandra and Jenkins if either of them had noticed something up withEzekiel. They’d both nodded and expressed their own worry for him, but neitherhad a definitive answer as to what could possibly be going on. It wasn’t untilshe talked to Stone that she started getting somewhere.

“So,” she tried asking as casuallyas possible. She and Stone were sparring. He was sweaty and out of breath; she,of course, was fine. “Noticed anything up with Jones recently?”

Stone’s left jab faltered so badthat, had Eve wanted to, she could’ve easily broken his wrist with a quick graband twist. He backed away from her a little bit. His mouth was a stern frown,but his eyes betrayed him. He looked worried, but he also looked like he washiding a secret.

“Uh, no,” he said quickly. He shookhis head swiftly. “Not much. Why do you ask?”

“You know, Stone,” Eve said, gettinga solid kick to his chest, “for a man who created multiple identities forhimself, you’re a terrible liar.”

“I’ve been told,” Stone grumbled. Heducked away from a right hook from Eve and took a few more steps back. “Look,it’s nothing.”

“It’s nothing?” Eve repeatedskeptically. “Or you’ve been told to tell everybody else that it’s nothing?”

Stone sighed and stopped moving. Hecrossed his arms over his chest, and Eve gave him a sharp look. “Alright,alright, but I’m warnin’ you now, he’s a stubborn son of a bitch. I tried mybest, but he won’t listen to me.”

“C’mon, Stone,” Eve said. “Tell me whatyou know.”

~~~

Eve found Ezekiel an hour laterslumped over a table, eyes staring listlessly at his phone. She walked up,grabbed him by the back of the shirt, and pulled him into a standing position,ignoring his loud squawk of surprise.

“Baird, what the hell!?” he said asshe started dragging him through the Library.

Eve didn’t say anything and keptdragging him until they reached a room. She opened the door and pushed him in,guiding him towards the single, twin bed that sat in there. She sat him downand walked back to the door, but, instead of walking out, she stood in thedoorway, grabbed her gun, and leant against the doorframe. Over her shouldershe said, “Sleep.”

“So, Jake told you about thenightmares,” Ezekiel said with a sigh, seemingly unsurprised. He got to hisfeet, beginning to step towards the doorway. “Look, Baird, you don’t need toworry about it. I’m fine, don’t-.”

Eve’s head snapping around to look athim stopped him in his tracks. She nodded towards the bed. “I wasn’t kidding.Sleep. I’ll keep watch over you.”

“You really, really don’t have to do that, Baird,” Ezekiel protested.

“Ezekiel Jones if you don’t sit yourass in that bed right this minute and get some sleep, I will get Stone down here and have him bearhug you to the bed,” Evesaid, and Ezekiel could see she was not joking.

He let out a long breath and satback down on the bed. It was a supercomfy mattress…and Eve with her gun and glares did make him feel pretty safe.Maybe he could get some good sleep for once.

He rolled his eyes to himself andgot underneath the covers. He huffed out, “Wanna check for monsters under mybed?”

He could hear Eve’s smirk when shesaid, “Already did.”

“Gonna tuck me in too?” Ezekielasked. And, despite his annoyed tone, he had a small smile on his face.

“I will if you want me too,” Evesaid, voice teasing.

It only took two minutes before she heard Ezekiel’s muffledsnores and smiled softly to herself.

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graphicpolicy · 7 years ago

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The Librarians #1

writer: Will Pfeifer artist: Rodney Buchemi covers: Karl Moline (A), Eve Baird Photo Variant (B), Group Photo Variant (RI) FC • 32 pages • $3.99 • Teen +

Way back in the swinging ‘70s, movie producer Sol Schick was the guy behind such cheesy classics as “Quarry: Bigfoot!,” Noah’s Ark: Found at Last!” and “Heavenly Visitors from the Hell Above.” But when he’s murdered – at a film festival! – with a piece of Noah’s Ark! – THE LIBRARIANS are drawn into the mystery. Can their combination of special skills, obsessive curiosity and knowledge of forgotten lore figure out who – or what – spelled doom for Schick? And as they delve deeper into his past, is it possible that things are not as they seem and that all his crazy, wild movie…were telling the truth?

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The Librarians #1 preview. The popular tv show comes to #comics! The Librarians #1 writer: Will Pfeifer artist: Rodney Buchemi covers: Karl Moline (A), Eve Baird Photo Variant (B), Group Photo Variant (RI)

#comic books #Comics #dynamite entertainment #eve baird #karl moline #rodney buchemi #the librarians #will pfeifer

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team-annex · 8 years ago

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A Midnight Snack

I usually write Casekiel and they will forever be my OTP. But Jake and Ezekiel’s relationship has developed so nicely over the show, I just wanted to play around with it. :) Hope you all enjoy it~

Ezekiel yawned, stretching his arms over his head as he left his tactical room for the kitchen. It was late, midnight he was sure. He’d been studying DOSA’s movements since they got back from their most recent case a few hours ago. They were driving him mental and he was working over time to keep them off their tail.

But doing all that makes a person hungry. Especially when said person almost died today. As he approached the kitchen, there was a distinct sound of rustling. He wasn’t the only one awake. When he poked his head in, he recognized Jake’s frame as he stood in front of the fridge.

“Oi,” Ezekiel said.

The sound caused Jake to jump and slam the fridge door shut, scaring himself and causing him to stumble backwards. Ezekiel couldn’t help but smirk.

“I told you to stop sneaking up on me,” Jake hissed.

“Why are you whispering? Everyone else’s rooms are in the Library.” Ezekiel took over Jake’s spot and stared into the fridge. He knew that there were cookies somewhere. Cassandra had baked some after their case. She’d stopped trying to bake them from scratch as she always messed it up. She left that to Ezekiel. Instead, she had baked Pillsbury cookies; he recognized the smell anywhere.

But they weren’t in the fridge, which meant that she had hidden them. Ezekiel closed the fridge door. Cassandra made those cookies specifically for the two of them, because Jake was on a health kick and Baird wasn’t a fan of sweets. It had to be somewhere he’d be able to find them.

Jake recognized the look on Ezekiel’s face. The thief knew something. “Are you going to cook?”

“It’s late and not worth the effort,” Ezekiel answered absent-mindedly.

“What are you doing then?”

“Looking for something…” His eyes landed on the cupboards just above the rarely used stove. It would be in arm’s reach, it was something he’d taught her about a kitchen. Lo and behold, there was a koala cookie jar sitting inside. He couldn’t help but smile. The smile was wiped right off his face when Jake started talking again.

“You have cookies stashed away!?”

“You have beers in the Fountain of Youth!”

Jake frowned. “Give me one.”

“No.”

“What do you mean no? You can’t tell me this is a you and Cassie thing again.”

“It is, but that’s not why I’m saying no.”

Jake crossed his arms over his chest. “Why are you saying no then?”

“I’m saying no, because Cassie told me about your diet and specifically told me that you weren’t allowed to have cookies. That’s why this is a me and Cassie thing.” Ezekiel was about to open the jar, but noticed Jake’s shifty eyes. He kept the lid firmly on and kept the jar close to his side. A good thief never loses his loot.

Jake’s frown deepened. This stupid diet. Eve had challenged him to be healthy for one month, to lay off the beers and steaks. “It’s good for your heart,” she’d said.

“My heart is beating more than it should be because of this job,” he had countered. “I’m probably pushing myself into an early grave.” But he relented and did it anyway. Eve’s word was usually law.

“Come on, Jones, no one has to know,” Jake tried.

Ezekiel shook his head. He knew that Jake could take him, but he was much more afraid of Cassandra’s disappointment that he couldn’t help Jake. And he was more than sure that the Colonel would also give him a solid lecture for giving into bargaining.

Bargaining…

Ezekiel signature smirk graced his features once again, putting Jake on edge. He took a step back. Nothing good came for him when Ezekiel wore that smile. “What are you thinking…?”

“I’m thinking that if you can hold your breath longer than me then I will give you a cookie.”

Jake rolled his eyes. “I’m not a pet that can be rewarded with a treat.”

“These are Cassandra’s specialty cookies. You know that they taste better than anything you could ever make, Stone.” Ezekiel wondered if the man would take the bait.

Jake scoffed. “Hold my breath longer than you. You never had to walk around all day with the stench of oil in your skin.”

A small chuckle escaped him. If only Jake knew. Ezekiel shifted the cookie jar to his stomach and wrapped both his arms around it. “3, 2, 1.” He inhaled deeply and so did Jake. Ezekiel already knew how this was gonna end and it was going to be sweet.

After about 30 seconds, Jake’s eyes were widening at how easily Ezekiel was handling the lack of oxygen. He even moved across the room to check that the younger one wasn’t cheating. Ezekiel’s lips twitched up into a smile, enjoying every second of this. Jake could see he was at a disadvantage.

By 45 seconds, Jake’s lungs were protesting. Big time. He was sure that his face was red; and as Ezekiel already pointed out, a large vein in his neck was protruding.

A minute in and Jake knew he wasn’t going to win. Ezekiel’s lifted eyebrow irked Jake so much that he had to inhale. The sound was noisy in the quiet of the midnight hour.

“How did you do that?” Jake demanded.

Ezekiel grinned at him and blew air out of his cheeks. Then he pulled the koala’s head off, satisfied, and took a bite. Cassandra never failed with these cookies. “Do what?”

“You were cheating.”

“How would I have time to come up with a good enough cheat to beat you like that?”

“Then what? You’re just good at holding your breath?”

Ezekiel took an extra cookie to keep him going tonight and placed the jar of cookies back where he’d found it. He was sure that Cassandra had manipulated the jar so that Jake wouldn’t be able to find the jar on his own anyway. The girl’s magic thrummed through his fingers.

Rubbing his fore finger and thumb together, he wondered at that. When he started to feel magic, but then Jake distracted him from the thought. “What? You’re just not going to tell me what the secret is?”

“When I was younger, I was learning how to surf.”

Jake snorted.

“Yeah, I know. But it was like a rite of passage in my town. Everyone learned how to surf. Yes, it’s like the most Aussie thing ever, but there’s a reason for that.”

“You stay above water to surf,” Jake pointed out.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t. I went out four times and every time I got caught by the undertow, or I would get swallowed by a wave. And then I wouldn’t be able to tell up from down and I was stuck until I could touch the bottom.”

“Was drowning also a rite of passage?”

“What I’m saying is that that sort of panic is what taught me that I should probably be ready for all situations. It’s what makes breaking into some ‘unbreakable’ facilities possible,” Ezekiel teased. He started out of the kitchen, but not before Jake could ask him what he meant by that.

“Let’s just say that that technique has helped me get some sick loot.” Making a show of popping the rest of the cookie into his mouth, Ezekiel thrilled in the annoyed face that Jake pulled as he walked away. A rise out of Jake would definitely keep his energy levels up for another hour.

#jazekiel #jacob stone #ezekiel jones #the librarians fanfic

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hermanwatts · 5 years ago

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Forgotten All-Star: A Biography of Gardner Fox

Forgotten All-Star A Biography of Gardner Fox by Jennifer DeRoss (Pulp Hero Press, 2019).

Gardner Fox has been a guilty pleasure for over 30 years. I first read of him in Michael Franklin, Beth Meachem, & Baird Searles’ A Reader’s Guide to Fantasy (Avon Books, 1982) that mentioned Kothar and also that Fox had written for Planet Stories. A couple of years later, I picked up Fox’s Kothar and the Wizard Slayer used. The book was a quick read but sandwiched between meatier fare.

Donald B. Day’s Index to the Science-Fiction Magazines (1926-1950) was a valuable reference item that I found in two different university libraries. I used to look at page after page of author entries with intriguing story titles from the pulp era. I remember coming across Gardner F. Fox with story titles such as “Sword of the Seventh Sons,” “Man the Sun Gods Made,” and “Werwile of the Crystal Crypt.” Those story titles intrigued me to say the least. Not long after, I found his Escape Across the Cosmos which I enjoyed.

I finally got to read one of Fox’s pulp stories, “Tonight the Stars Revolt!” reprinted in Brian Aldiss’ Galactic Empires. I thought the story to be hyper-adrenaline driven. Somewhere along the way, I found out about Fox as a comic book writer.

In the early 1990s, I tracked down all of Fox’s science fiction and weird stories in pulp magazines including Planet, Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, and Marvel Science Stories. My description of Fox is his pulp stories read like a cross between Edmond Hamilton and Robert E. Howard with a few Lovecraft references thrown in.

I also started picking Fox’s historical novels and recently had an article in Men of Violence on those. In 2006, I talked with Roy Thomas. What did I talk about– Gardner Fox. Roy said that probably the most exciting thing that Fox did every day was going to the mail box.

Out of the blue, there is a biography of Gardner Fox. Forgotten All-Star is a trade paperback that runs 221 pages including end notes. Author Jennifer DeRoss is described as an “instructional specialist at Lane Community College, co-founder of the website Sirens of Sequentials, and has previously written pieces on Swamp Thing, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Orphan Black, and Bitch Planet.”

Most authors live rather ordinary lives. The most interesting writer I can think of with an interesting biography would be Barry Sadler, the guy who wrote the Casca books. A biography then by necessity shifts to analysis of the writing. That can be very interesting if done right.

I learned some things about Fox. He fenced in college so knew his swordsmanship. He was a devout Catholic. He tried to join the Army for WW2 but rejected due to poor eyesight.

The book has primary emphasis on his comic book writing. DeRoss covers how he got into writing for comic books. He was working as a lawyer but just not enough of a bastard to be a good one. He created The Flash, Hawkman, the Justice Society of America, Doctor Strange, Doctor Fate and others.

DeRoss devotes a whole chapter to Wonder Woman. Apparently, Fox has received flack for making Wonder Woman the secretary for the Justice Society of America. She does a survey of some of Fox’s scripts for the character making the case he was not some Neanderthal sexist. I knew nothing about William Moulton Marston, the guy who created Wonder Woman. Marston was a writer on mental health for magazines and a comic book critic. He was invited by M. C. Gaines to create a female character. He had the idea that:

“Most men secretly wanted to be dominated by women, who are capable of enjoying both a dominant and submissive role with either men or women.”

Marston put bondage as a common motif in his writing of Wonder Woman. Kinky stuff.

DeRoss covers the implosion of super hero comic books after WW2, then the reaction to comics in the early 1950s resulting in the comics code. She devotes a chapter to the rise of Marvel Comics in the 1960s and the beginning of comic book fandom.

Fox was one of five writers fired by D. C. Comics in 1968 for asking for health insurance and pension plans. I would have liked to have known more details about the “writer’s strike.” I have heard bits and pieces about it over the years. Fox also had a stroke in late 1968.

Attention is given to his Kothar and Kyrik paperback series with some analysis of words used and in regards the hero’s journey. Gardner Fox died from pneumonia suddenly Christmas Eve, 1986. I remember reading about it, maybe in Locus and feeling sad. I was thinking of writing to him.

So, this biography is heavily weighted on the comic book side of Fox’s career. My interest is in the pulp fictioneer and Appendix N side. His first story in Weird Tales in 1944 is mentioned but almost nothing about his pulp career. Fox wrote sports and western stories in addition to science fiction and weird. His paperback career is also glossed over. Fox had a steady number of science fiction paperbacks from 1962-1967 in addition to his historical novels.

I learned some things about Gardner Fox. The middle initial “F” was for Francis, his confirmation name. His middle name was Cooper. He seems to have been a real solid guy that I probably would have enjoyed talking with.

I do have a few quibbles. The DeRoss’ academic side is reined in for the biography, but it does seep through now and then:

“Despite’s Fox’s dismissal of a privileged lifestyle, he most certainly lived such a privileged life right from the start. These forms of privilege prompted Fox’s interest and gave him the ability to follow his passions and share them with the world.”

“Privilege” is a word in fashion these days. It is also a word that should be used sparingly and narrowly. Gardner Fox’s father was an electrical engineer who worked his way as up vice president of engineering for AT&T. Is it privilege to use knowledge and discipline to get an education and then take care of your family? I don’t see a special right, advantage, or favor granted to Gardner Fox in his upbringing. Privilege is your father, using his status to reinstate you to Harvard after being expelled for cheating.

I have thought for years there should have been a Best of Gardner Fox paperback ranging from his pulp days to his last stories in Dragon magazine. There would have been a built-in audience knowing him from his comic book work.

Hopefully, this biography will raise Fox’s profile in the realm of popular culture.

Forgotten All-Star: A Biography of Gardner Fox published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

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flynnscarnation · 8 years ago

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It's more that he takes up so much screentime that no other character has gotten well-paced growth or a backstory arc. Cassandra suddenly had a call from the hospital that her tumor's worse but she hadn't had symptoms all season? Ezekiel is a super empathetic person for one episode then back to snark 24/7? Eve hasn't gotten focus since S1 Christmas, she's always Flynn's SO. I like him, but they're using him too much and we're going into the fourth season barely knowing any details about the cast

Okay I’m sorry but this actually made me laugh

“he takes up too much screentime”

Out of all 30 episodes, over 3 seasons, Flynn has only been in 16. One of them (And the Eternal Question) he about 10 minutes of screentime. Only 2 of those episodes were even focused on Flynn (”And the Hollow Man” and “And the Trial of the Triangle”).

“no other character has gotten well-paced growth or a backstory arc”

This has nothing to do with Flynn being in episodes. This is entirely because The Librarians is a small show with only 10 episodes per season. There are massive time jumps between episodes and we can only get so much story in 40 minutes.

The backstory of every character has been address in multiple occasions at this point. I mean, Jacob had an entire episode, “And What Lies Beneath the Stone (AKA Coyote)”, dedicated to his previous home life, in “And the Rule of Three” we learn that Cassandra’s family was rather controlling as well as her emotions over her tumor in “And the Heart of Darkness”, and in “And the Curse of Cindy” and “And What Lies Beneath the Stone (AKA Coyote)” we learn that Ezekiel once worked for MI6 and grew up impoverished. Jenkins even got backstory points in “And the Apple of Dischord” and “And the Fatal Separation”, as well as sprinkles of his history throughout other episodes.

I would also like to point out, the first show runner and one of the main writers for 1 and 2, John Rogers, was not fond of throwing backstory at the audience, in fact “backstory arc” probably would have made him cringe.

“Eve hasn’t gotten focus since S1 Christmas”

Eve focused episodes: “And Santa’s Midnight Run”, “And the Loom of Fate”, “And the Infernal Contract”, “And the Image of Image”, and “And the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy”. We get backstory in two of these episodes as well as a little backstory in “And the Fatal Separation”.

“but they’re using him too much and we’re going into the fourth season barely knowing any details about the cast”

Once again, 16 episodes, and we know a lot about these characters for only 30 episodes, I’m not sure what show you’re watching.

Eve Baird:

Military parents, born on Christmas Eve

Spent most of her life in the military

Went through A LOT to get to her position in NATO including sexual harassment from the people she worked with

This resulted with her having some issues with self image and the way people interrupt you based on how you look, and does not like having photos taken of her because of this

Stays in touch with the people she fought with, even had a mentor

Incredibly protective, only wants the best for the Librarians and the Library

Also not “always Flynn’s SO” in “And the Hollow Men” she left his bitch ass behind when he wouldn’t stick around, and was prepared to do it again as many times as she needed to in order to protect Cassandra, Jacob, and Ezekiel

BEAT DESTINY LIKE TWICE WHO DOES THAT

Growth: Over the past 3 season we’ve watched Eve turn from a hardened boss bitch military solider to someone who cares fiercely but is still learning to be a guardian to someone who understands that the people she works with are human and acts in their best interest

Jacob Stone

Rural upbringing with a bitch of a father and a most likely absent mother

Worked on an oil rigging firm that his father hoped he would run with him one day whether he wanted to or not

Had to grow up with a father who thought he was a dumbass as he taught himself to read ancient greek texts at night

Has major league trust issues after spending about 30+ years hiding his identity from people

Passionate, will fight for what he believes, even if it’s against people he admires

Better singer than Ezekiel

Probably would’ve been a professor is he had a different life cause honestly he was enjoying himself way to much in “And the Cost of Education”

Doesn’t think too highly of himself when it comes to fighting, before “And the Fatal Separation” he only thought of himself as a bar fighter

Incredibly loyal once somebody’s earned his trust

Growth: Over the past 3 season Jacob as grown from a distrustful man who hides his abilities from the world to someone is unashamed of his passion and fully trusts the people around him

Cassandra Cillian

Had a mom and dad who pushed her to be the best in academics, no matter what she wanted

Diagnosed with her tumor at 15 years old

Her parents threw out all her STEM trophies when she became too sick to compete

Grew up feeling inadequate, constantly reminder of her mortality as well as having to face her synthesis attacks

Couldn’t go to college, despite how badly she wanted to

Child-like at heart, because she grew up with parents who never gave her the chance to believe in magic (they told her Santa wasn’t real when she was 3)

Picked her own death date when she was diagnosed with her tumor because she wanted to die on her own terms

Feels the need to prove herself because before she thought her gift was a curse that made her useless and now struggles with the idea that her gift is the only thing that makes her useful

BISEXUAL AS HELL

Growth: We’ve watched Cassandra gain control of her abilities gradually over the course of season 1 then gain confidence as she finds something she’s quite good at (combining science and magic) over season 2 to someone who has learned that she does not need magic or her gift to be useful

Ezekiel

Grew up impoverished (with someone else, as he says “we” in his monologue)

Was made fun of by the other kids, this made him grow to resent other people and just take what he wants

Was recruited by MI6 for his skills (and in fact did enough for and against the MI6 that he has 2 separate files)

Believes he’s only good at stealing, and is proud of his abilities

Met Flynn once while Flynn was the only Librarian

In that same time period, made a name for himself among the underground community of thieves

Spent a lot of times in night clubs, enough to be able to easily recognize different symptoms of drug use and how to treat them

Still cares greatly for the wellbeing of other people, even though he’s constantly egotistical

He was at one point, the worst version of himself, and wasn’t even that bad

Growth: Went from literally the worst version of himself, someone who would bail on the people who needed him and would rather run then punch, to someone who would go through the same torture repeatedly to save his friends and not even boast about it, in fact he fakes forgetting everything, who sacrifice himself to help the cause, and would fight side by side with people who once though he was just an egotistical brat

Jenkins

Was once the night Galahad of Camelot

Fought his own father, who turned to the Serpent Brotherhood and bring chaos to the world

Has spent thousands of years working for the Library, tinkering and enhancing magical objects

Does not like the first Librarian, Judson, because he fell in love with the first Guardian, Charlene, but Charlene chose Judson over him

Is friends with Mrs. Clause apparently?!?

Also performed naked on stage at one point?!!?

Unfortunately that’s all I can think of because we haven’t had much with Camelot since season 1 and I’m just waiting for the Jenkins focused episode I need in my life

Growth: Grew from a grumpy caretaker who wanted nothing more than to be left alone and not bother to someone who cares deeply for the people he’s become friends with and actually charge into dangerous situations to save them after even being told not to (I mean, dude jumped off a cliff to save Eve man like my gosh)

I would list Flynn’s stuff, but I have 3 movies worth of backstory for him and I can’t properly separate it from the show without having to rewatch everything.

However, I think at this point it should be rather obvious that Flynn being in only half of the series has done very little to actually affect the developing story and the character growth in The Librarians.

#The Librarians #The Librarians TNT #Jenkins: Quick Question?#anon

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