#MISS MACK ITS BEEN AN HONOR... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

haupokemon · 5 years

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an andi mack reminisce + a thank you to you all

i wanted to write something just remembering all the experiences and joy ive had with this show and fandom as well as give thanks to every single one of you in the fandom. this is probably going to get Really Long so i’ll be putting this under a keep reading border so it doesnt clog up peoples dashboards :3

anyways, to start this long ramble off, i’ve been in this fandom for almost 2 years. i found andi mack through a “top ten gay disney characters” youtube video a day after season 1 episode 1 had aired while i was sick actually which is the absolutely weirdest way to find the show but im so happy i found it. i actually wasnt going to watch it originally but i saw a character i had never seen before in the thumbnail, and that peaked my curiosity. of course, this character was cyrus, and upon finding him and this show, i immediatly bingewatched every episode to get caught up to the storyline for cyrus, and i got hooked on the first episode. this show is so important to me for so many reasons, and im so incredibly greatful for how well everyone working on the show has done in bringing these characters to life to show so many important aspects of life. seeing topics such as being lgbt, anxiety, teen pregnancy, and learning disabilities being brought up as well as seeing such a diverse and amazing cast makes me so incredibly happy and i am so glad the kids watching this can get introduced to these things in such a good way. i was also very depressed when i had found andi mack, and it and its fandom helped me through all of that and i will always be greatful it was there in that point of my life. this show also has such relatable and great characters, and the actors to these characters are just as amazing. i was able to easily relate to andis love of crafts and arts, the loyalty of buffy, the awkwardness and kindness of cyrus, and also the complete dumbassary of season 1 jonah beck when i started watching. the characters have always been written in such an entertaining and great way too, so its always been easy to get immediately wrapped up in whatever a character may be doing or dealing with. seeing all of these characters develop and grow throughout these past few seasons has just been amazing to watch, especially since ive grown so attached to these characters. i also can relate a lot to the lgbt and anxiety storylines, as i am lgbt (bi and trans, yeehaw!!) and also deal with an anxiety disorder. watching cyrus deal with coming out multiple times and living his life as a newly discovered gay kid is just what i needed to see and relate to back when i was fresh into 8th grade and starting to get used to life after realizing i was bi, and i can relate to it even more now that ive realized im trans. with jonah, seeing him have such a realistically portrayed reaction to panic attacks as well as a very realistically portrayed panic attack in general was just the representation i needed, and helped to keep reminding me that all of what i deal with doesnt make me any less of a person. all of this representation being shown so well has made the experience of watching this show even better. and now, onto all of you guys!! :D when i first started watching this show all the way back at season 1 episode 1, i scrambled to find any other fans out there, and i started my search at tumblr. i was instantly welcomed with an excited and passionate fanbase that welcomed every new member with open arms and kindness. the fandom has always had a sense of us all being a tight-knit group, even with the fandom getting quite large now. also, with our fandom being so large now, you would expect a crazier fandom with more drama, but weve stayed so peaceful throughout the shows entire run, and i think thats really impressive!! honestly i feel like sticking through the hiatuses together has just made us an even tighter-knit andi mack fandom family and has also given us a l o t of patience DGKLJSDGLKG you all make such great content and ive never seen a fandom this passionate or dedicated before. the quality of fics, edits, art, animatics, animations, covers, theories, discussion and also baking in this fandom is incredible. being in this fandom has been so much fun and ive always been happy to come see whats in the tag everyday. its been a wild ride since the beginning of season 2 and you guys have made this fandom the best experience possible :D also some random memories: - y’all remember when tyrus was a crackship?? i remember shipping tyrus at the swingset scene and being so low on content in the tyrus tag omg, i still cant believe theyre finally becoming canon in just a few hours :,) - when we first started trending when cyrus came out to buffy.. that was WILD - DO YOU GUYS REMEMBER WHEN BEING AROUND YOU HAPPENED GLSJGDLKGD it feels like its been forever since that episode aired omg - m u f f i n t h e o r i e s - literally every time a promo released we all gained exactly one braincell hellbent on making as many theories as possible and we all shared it until the episode or episodes released - i remember when josh confirmed that cyrus would get an endgame and also crying a lot that day because of said confirmation - i remember being on vacation when the episode with cyrus talking to tj about his dyscalculia and i remember my brother wondering why i was freaking out DGKSHDSGK the fandom was wildin when that episode released its been a fun ride guys, and i hope we can keep the fandom alive for a long time after the finale :3

#MISS MACK ITS BEEN AN HONOR...#andi mack #tyrus

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flufffysocks · 3 years

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let's talk about andi mack's worldbuilding

sorry this took forever to make! i've been pretty busy with school stuff and i kind of lost my inspiration for a bit, but i ultimately really enjoyed writing it! i wish i could've included more pics (tumblr has a max of 10 per post), and it kinda turned from less of a mini analysis to more of an extremely long rant... but i hope it's still a fun read!

i've been rewatching the show over the past few weeks (thanks again to @disneymack for the link!), and i’ve been noticing a lot that i never did the first time around. this is really the first time i’ve watched the show from start to finish since it aired, and it honestly feels so different this time - probably a combination of the fact that i’m not as focused on plot and can appreciate the show as a whole, and also that the fandom is much, much smaller now, so there’s a lot less noise. so the way i’m consuming this show feels super different than it did the first time, but the show itself doesn’t - it’s just as warm and comforting to me as it was the first time around, if not more so.

i think a lot of that can be attributed to andi mack’s “worldbuilding”. i’m not quite sure that this is the right word in this context, to be honest, because i mostly see it used in reference to fantasy and sci-fi universes, but it just sort of feels right to me for andi mack, because you can really tell how much love and care went into constructing this universe. for clarity, worldbuilding is “the process of creating an imaginary world” in its simplest sense. there’s two main types: hard worldbuilding, which involves inventing entire universes, languages, people, cultures, places, foods, etc. from scratch (think “lord of the rings” or “dune”), and soft worldbuilding, in which the creators don’t explicitly state or explain much about the fictional universe, but rather let it’s nature reveal itself as the story progresses (think studio ghibli films). andi mack to me falls in the soft worldbuilding category. even though it takes place in a realistic fiction universe, there’s a lot of aspects to it that are inexplicably novel in really subtle ways.

so watching the show now, i’ve noticed that the worldbuilding comes primarily from two things - setting and props, and oftentimes the both of them in tandem (because a big part of setting in filmmaking does depend on the props placed in it!).

one of the most obvious examples is the spoon. it really is a sort of quintessential, tropic setting in that it's the main gang's "spot", which automatically gives it a warm and homey feel to it. and its set design only amplifies this:

the choice to make it a very traditional 50s-style diner creates a very nostalgic, retro feel to it, which is something that's really consistent throughout the show, as you'll see. from the round stools at the bar, to the booths, to the staff uniforms, this is very obvious. the thing that i found especially interesting about it though is the choice of color. the typical 50s diner is outfitted with metallic surfaces and red accented furnishings, but the spoon is very distinctly not this.

instead, it's dressed in vibrant teal and orange, giving it a very fresh and modern take on a classic look. so it still maintains that feeling of being funky and retro, but that doesn't retract from the fact that the show is set distinctly in modern times.

of course, this could just be a one-off quirky set piece, but this idea of modernizing and novelizing "retro" things is a really common motif throughout the show. take red rooster records. i mean, it's a record shop - need i say more? it's obviously a very prominent store in shadyside, at least for the main characters, but there's no apparent reason why it is (until season 2 when bowie starts working there, and jonah starts performing there). a lot of the time, though, it functions solely as a record shop. vinyl obviously isn't the most practical or convenient way of listening to music, but it's had its resurgence in pop culture even in the real world, mostly due to its aesthetic value, so it's safe to say that it serves the same purpose in the andi mack universe.

the fringe seems to be nostalgic of a different era, specifically the Y2K/early 2000s period (because it's meant to be bex's territory and symbolic of who she used to be, and its later transformation into cloud 10 is representative of her character arc, but that's beside the point). to be honest, exactly what this store was supposed to be always confused me. it was kind of a combination party store/clothing store/makeup store/beauty parlor? i think that's sort of the point of it though, it's supposed to feel very grunge-y and chaotic (within the confines of a relatively mellow-toned show, of course), and it's supposed to act as a sort of treasure chest of little curios that both make the place interesting and allow the characters to interact with it.

and, of course, there's andi shack. this is really the cherry on top of all of andi mack's sets, just because it's so distinctly andi. it serves such amazing narrative purpose for her (ex. the storyline where cece and ham were going to move - i really loved this because it highlights its place in the andi mack universe so well, and i'm a sucker for the paper cranes shot + i'm still salty that sadie's cranes didn't make it into the finale) and it's the perfect reflection of andi's character development because of how dynamic it is (the crafts and art supplies can get moved around or switched out, and there's always new creations visible).

going back to the nostalgia motif though, the "shack" aspect of it always struck me as very treehouse-like. personally, whenever i think of treehouses, there's this very golden sheen of childhood about it, if that makes sense. i've always seen treehouses in media as a sort of shelter for characters' youthful innocence and idealistic memories. for example, the episode "up a tree" from good luck charlie, the episode "treehouse" from modern family, and "to all the boys 2" all use a treehouse setting as a device to explore the character's desire to hold onto their perfect image of their childhood (side note: this exact theme is actually explored in andi mack in the episode "perfect day 2.0"!). andi shack is no exception to this, but it harnesses this childhood idealism in the same way that it captures the nostalgia of the 50s in the spoon, or the early 2000s in the fringe. it's not some image of a distant past being reflected through that setting; it's very present, and very alive, because it reflects andi as she is in the given moment.

some honorable mentions of more one-off settings include the ferris wheel (from "the snorpion"), the alley art gallery (from "a walker to remember"), SAVA, the color factory (from "it's a dilemna"), and my personal favorite, the cake shop (from "that syncing feeling").

[every time i watch this episode i want to eat those cakes so bad]

these settings have less of a distinctly nostalgic feel (especially the color factory, which is a very late 2010s, instagram era setting), but they all definitely have an aura of perfection about them. andi mack is all about bright, colorful visuals, and these settings really play to that, making the andi mack universe seem really fun and inviting, and frankly very instagrammable (literally so, when it comes to the color factory!).

props, on the other hand, are probably a much less obvious tool of worldbuilding. they definitely take up less space in the frame and are generally not as noticeable (i'm sure i'll have missed a bunch that will be great examples, but i'm kind of coming up with all of this off the top of my head), but they really tie everything together.

for example, bex's box, bex's polaroid, and the old tv at the mack apartment (the tv is usually only visible in the periphery of some shots, so you might not catch it at first glance) all complement that very retro aesthetic established through the settings (especially the polaroid and the tv, because there's really no good reason that the characters would otherwise be using these).

besides this, andi's artistic nature provides the perfect excuse for plenty of colorful, crafty props to amplify the visuals and the tone. obviously, as i discussed before, andi shack is the best example of this because it's filled with interesting props. but you also see bits of andi's (and other people's) crafts popping up throughout the show (ex. the tape on the fridge in the mack apartment, andi's and libby's headbands in "the new girls", walker's shoes, andi's phone case, and of course, the bracelet). not only does doing this really solidify this talent as an essential tenet of andi's character, but it also just makes the entirety of shadyside feel like an extension of andi shack. the whole town is a canvas for her crafts (or art, depending on how you want to look at it. i say it's both), and it immensely adds to shadyside's idealism. because who wouldn't want to live in a world made of andi mack's creations?

and, while it's not exactly a prop, the characters' wardrobe is undoubtedly a major influence on the show's worldbuilding. true to it's nature as a disney channel show, all of the characters are always dressed in exceptionally curated outfits of whatever the current trends are, making the show that much more visually appealing. i won't elaborate too much on this, because i could honestly write a whole other analysis on andi mack's fashion (my favorites are andi's and bex's outfits! and kudos to the costume designer(s) for creating such wonderful and in-character wardrobes!). but, i think it's a really really important aspect of how the show's universe is perceived, so it had to be touched upon.

[^ some of my favorite outfits from the show! i am so obsessed with andi's jacket in the finale, and i aspire to be at bex's level of being a leather jacket bisexual]

and lastly, phones. this is a bit of an interesting case (pun intended), because the way they're used fluctuates a bit throughout the show, but i definitely noticed that at least in the first season terri minsky tried to avoid using them altogether. these efforts at distancing from modern tech really grounds the show in it's idealist, nostalgia-heavy roots, so even when the characters start using their phones more later in the show, they don't alter the viewer's impression of the andi mack universe very much.

so, what does all of this have to do with worldbuilding? in andi mack's case, because it's set in a realistic universe and not a fantasy one, a lot of what sets it apart from the real world comes down to tone. because, as much as this world is based on our own, it really does feel separate from it, like an alternate reality that's just slightly more perfect than ours, which makes all the difference. it's the idealism in color and composition in andi mack's settings that makes it so unmistakably andi mack. even the weather is always sunny and perfect (which is incredibly ironic because the town is called shadyside - yes, i am very proud of that observation).

the andi mack universe resides somewhere in this perfect medium that makes it feel like a small town in the middle of nowhere (almost like hill valley in 1955 from "back to the future"), but at the same time like an enclave within a big city (because of its proximity to so many modern, unique, and honestly very classy looking establishments). it is, essentially, an unattainable dream land that tricks you into believing it is attainable because it's just real enough.

all this to say, andi mack does an amazing job of creating of polished, perfect world for its characters. this is pretty common among disney channel and nickelodeon shows, but because most other shows tend to be filmed in a studio with three-wall sets, andi mack is really set apart from them in that it automatically feels more real and tangible. it has its quintessential recurring locations, but it has far more of them (most disney/nick shows usually only have 3-4 recurring settings), and it has a lot more one-off locations. it's also a lot more considerate when it comes to its props, so rather than the show just looking garish and aggressively trendy, it has a distinctive style that's actually appropriate to the characters and the story. overall this creates the effect of expanding the universe, making shadyside feel like it really is a part of a wider world, rather than an artificial bubble. it's idealism is, first and foremost, grounded in reality, and that provides a basis for its brilliant, creative, and relatable storytelling.

tl;dr: andi mack's sets and props give it a very retro and nostalgic tone which makes its whole universe seem super perfect and i want to live there so bad!!

#andi mack #buffy driscoll #cyrus goodman #jonah beck #tj kippen #tyrus #ambi #bex mack #analysis #film analysis #disney channel

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granvarones · 4 years

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Sometimes we are late to the BBQ right? Well in the case of Ultra Naté (pronounced Na-Tay), I didn’t arrive at the BBQ til 1998. I was 15 years old and my teenage icon Filipinx Freestyle/Dance Diva Jocelyn Enriquez was sprinkled with Disco fairy dust along with dance divas Amber and Ultra Naté under the moniker Stars On 54. They revamped the 1971 folk classic “If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot into one the most fascinating covers I’ve ever heard (just listen back to back and gag). This collaboration introduced me to Ms. Naté and piqued my curiosity.

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Eight years into her career, Ultra Naté had landed five singles into Top 10 on the Billboard Dance Chart by the time I bought the single to her hit single “Free” at Tower Records (I miss you so much). As soon as I heard that guitar riff in the intro followed by those chords and 4/4 I was hooketh. I immediately grabbed a copy of the Situation: Critical album. I stared at the artwork fascinated by its silvery gloss and the acupuncture needles in her face. It was futuristic as fuck! The album’s photography was shot by the legendary Eric Johson who is known for iconic photos of Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah, and Biggie. I wasn’t totally sold on the album at first because as a teenager I was infatuated with Freestyle music and this was out of my teenage comfort. However, the album grew on me and eventually I connected to each song on a personal level. At the time I was struggling with my budding sexuality, lack of interest in education, and a toxic-ass family dynamic. This album would eventually become my personal teenage bible.

“Somehow things must change, and it’s got to be for the better” the lyrics from the albums intro track “Situation: Critical” pierced my young gay soul. When my being sexually molested was brought to the light my parents were so wounded by life; none of them had the capacity to support me. My father was strung out on drugs, my mother’s mental health was dwindling, and my step mother struggled to keep a roof over our heads. I felt so fucking hurt by their neglect that all I thought of was escaping at 18. My then therapist Judy had a huge black and white picture of New York City and one day I declared “I’m going to live there!” Until then I endlessly played this album on my discman throughout my teens to keep my ass sane.

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There was a rage building inside me and “Found A Cure” was that song that embodied what I felt. Lines like “Feels like I’m going crazy, feels like I’m going insane” were my everyday life and I wanted out but I was still underaged. “How many times have you been left alone and you feel confused?” solidified my connection to Ultra. This was the second single from the album which hit #1 on Billboard Club Songs. The music video was directed by Charles Stone III who would years later direct the epic CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story. Larry Flick of Billboard wrote “Naté fearlessly faces the challenge with a jam that smartly doesn’t aim to duplicate the tone of her now-classic hit…The diva is in fine voice here and is matched by a muscular bassline and keyboard/guitar interplay that oozes with funk flavor…Miss Nate proves there’s more than Free in her locker with a pure floorfiller. A Gloria Gaynor for the Millennium.” Mic drop.

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“A New Kind of Medicine,” the album’s second track, and third single, lightened the mood after the dark yet realist ‘Situation’. During this era in House music Disco samples were a huge commodity. While this was purely an original song the Disco influence is prevalent. The single had some heavy hitters on the remixes and the first two being producers in Freestyle: Albert Cabrera, David Morales, and Danny Tenaglia. The Morales mix is quite festive especially at the 5:20 mark when you get that tidbit of Inner City’s “Big Fun” followed by a lyric not in the original: “Stop taking me down.”

My favorite track on the album was the last single released from the album, the Al Mack produced “Release The Pressure.” How can you not feel like you’re transpired into a film where the woman is struggling, breaking shit, cursing bitches out, lights a joint, a sip of wine, puts on her favorite 12” and gets her damn life. The production on this track has so many beautiful layers from the piano, to the horns, and guitars. It always felt like time froze whenever this track came on. The song was also featured on the soundtrack The 24 Hour Woman starring Rosie Perez. This is one of my forever tracks because it always remains true to this day: “You get up, It knocks you back down, Release the pressure, Let it out.”

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The album itself pays homage to the 70’s and 80’s influence of staples in Disco, Funk and House which are very evident in: “Any Ole Love” (Indeep’s “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”) and “Love You Can’t Deny” (Royal House “Can You Party”). The mellower affairs “It’s Crying Time” and “Every Now and Then” were so damn pretty that they seduced my young self who was anti anything slow. The last original track on the album “Divine Love,” produced by the duo Masters At Work, transports you to Sunday mass everytime. That 5 minute mark is pure gospel ear candy with those luscious rhodes and ab libs take you on a journey to the ether. This felt like the sequel to “Rejoicing (I’ll Never Forget)” from her first album Blue Notes In The Basement. At this point in time I was severely struggling with my belief in God however this song just anoints you, especially the 9 minute MAW Version.

This album took me on a musical journey. It became my bible, my salvation, my healing. In the spring of 2001 my life took a huge turn. I had fallen in the love with a man in NYC whom I thought I’d be with forever. After a huge argument with my parents I finally said “fuck this shit I’m out!” Ultra’s lyrics rang in my head “Now I know you’re no good for me, Now I got to find a remedy,” my remedy: move to NYC. After settling into my then boyfriend’s apartment I would blast this album on volume 5000 and the whole damn planet would shake. I didn’t give a fuck about the neighbor downstairs because I was ‘Free’ and living my damn best gay life. I didn’t leave my heart in San Francisco that’s for damn sure!

In 2012, I had a full circle moment when I was hired by Naté’s management, Peace Bisquit. It was completely surreal to be in direct communication with her, and an honor working under the brilliance of Bill Coleman (remember Deee-Lite? “Groove Is In The Heart”? Nuff said.). I was bestowed the task of managing the execution of the Hero Worship album to digital platforms. Miss Naté was the most humble artist I ever worked with. A memory I will always hold dear is a tender moment we shared at the Paradise Garage Reunion Party in 2014. The DJ began to play “The Whistle Song” in honor of the iconic Frankie Knuckles who had passed just months earlier. As the song played, Ultra began to cry. I put my arm around her and consoled her. The same way her music had done for me in all the years before.

Thank you for never giving up on your music Ultra because this album saved me!

“You might save someone’s life.” – Ultra Naté “Situation: Critical”

If you are experiencing or have experienced sexual abuse please call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673)

Giorgio Alxndr (He/Him) is into music, modeling, activism, and plant fathering. He creates beats and playlists in his free time. Loves deep conversations and therapy sessions. Professionally he’s always in the mix between music and technology.

#granvarones #ultra nate #gay #queer #storytelling #1990s #music history #lgbtq #afro latinx #latinx #Youtube

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racingtoaredlight · 3 years

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THE DEGENERATE’S GUIDE TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL TV WATCH ‘EM UPS 2021: WEEK TWO, A MUDDLED AND MAUDLIN WEEK OF MAYHEM IN HONOR OF THOSE WE LOST

RTARL would like to extend our warmest holiday wishes to those who celebrate and, even if you don’t, happy 9/11. Now who’s ready for some FOOTBALL!!!!?!?!

So after two weeks of games that combine to count as only one official week even though some teams have already played twice we have only one real question answered: is Alabama still good? Yes, they are. Everything else is still liquefying vapor.

I am assuming everybody is waiting with baited breath for an RTARLsman but I don’t have anything yet. I guess the not-Master Teague RBs on Ohio State are the frontrunners for now. Or that one guy from that one team who was good. You know who I mean.

Saturday, September 11

Matchup Time (ET) TV/Mobile

Illinois at Virginia 11:00am ACCN

Jeff George won Citrus Bowl MVP for the Illini against the Hoos in his last game as a student athlete before becoming the #1 overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft. Based on this history it is safe to presume that whoever the QB is for Illinois today will be the #1 pick in 2022.

VMI at Kent State 11:30am ESPN3

I’m not sure on this but maybe this game is cancelled.

WKU at Army 11:30am CBSSN

Army is favored by 6. I bet this game is boring.

Norfolk State at Wake Forest 12:00pm ACCNX

I don’t see a line listed but whatever it is bet against Wake covering.

Indiana State at Northwestern 12:00pm BTN

This game is an act of terrorism.

Alabama State at 25 Auburn 12:00pm SECN

Real body bag season starts today, huh?

Youngstown State at Michigan State 12:00pm BTN

The Michigan State running back is the guy I was trying to think of earlier! He’s pretty good. Not good enough to make me watch this but I will check on his stats every so often.

Tulsa at Oklahoma State 12:00pm FS1

I bet Mike Gundy has some really salient thoughts on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and I can’t wait to hear them.

South Carolina at East Carolina 12:00pm ESPN2

South Carolina is a two point favorite against an East Carolina team that is, per my understanding, not exactly good. So I can only extrapolate that South Carolina is likewise not good.

Pitt at Tennessee 12:00pm ESPN

Look, I’m not going to pretend this is good television but if Pitt rocks their classic yellow helmets and Tennessee wears non-alternates the colors on the screen will at least be pleasing. The thought of the actual football involved hurts my brain but it’s interesting that the points have gone from a consensus pick ‘em to Pitt -3 over the course of the week. Does Tennessee have any players that are good enough that by missing the game they could impact the gambling that much? Or are people just squaring themselves with the fact the the Vols are really and truly a ruined burnt out hole of a football program? Pound the latter.

12 Oregon at 3 Ohio State 12:00pm FOX

Losing Kayvon Thibideaux certainly isn’t going to help Oregon but he’s not usually on the field as a run stopper anyway and if Ohio State learned anything last week it’s that they can just run until they feel like throwing a pass. Oregon actually has some legit talent on the d-line besides Thibideaux but the Ducks are gonna be hard-pressed to keep things within two scores here.

Miami (Ohio) at Minnesota 12:00pm ESPN

If Oregon can’t make a game of it in Columbus look out because this time block is an absolute wasteland. There is scant reason to turn the TV on for the early schedule other than gambling purposes.

Kennesaw State at Georgia Tech 12:00pm RSN/ESPN3

Georgia Tech probably should have closed up shop after Paul Johnson retired. Either that or just absolutely slathered the football program in dollars. The Yellow Jackets being unable to land any big time recruits while playing in Atlanta is a real mindfuck. They aren’t a AA program playing dress up in a “power” conference they’ve got actual history. I don’t mean to give the impression I want them to be good but I don’t understand how they can be such fodder for so long.

13 Florida at USF 1:00pm ABC

Remember that year when USF was the best program in the state? Wild stuff. Weird, wild stuff. I know the deal with UF is that they don’t go out of state for contract games but it’s actually kind of surprising they even bothered to keep this trip to Tampa on the schedule. Like the area recruits would probably be happier to go see a game at The Swamp than to kick around their hometown for a pile of shit like this.

Wyoming at NIU 1:30pm ESPN+

I’m not gonna open the ESPN app for this but if it was on ESPN2 I’d probably check in on it during commercials. Aesthetically pleasing trash with an upside for actual entertainment.

Middle Tennessee at 19 Virginia Tech 2:00pm ACCNX

Virginia Tech’s home crowd scene was the normie story of last week’s games. People that don’t watch college football were either aghast or frantically waving their blue lives matter flags in response. Us in this space just ate the shame and forgot it happened by the time Saturday’s games kicked off. My theory is that VPI is not actually any good but UNC’s 2020 season was a well-timed fluke and the last hurrah of Mack Brown’s storied coaching career. The Hokies are at home, though, and MTSU is almost certainly not on the same athletic level as the Turkey Gobblers so I’d probably take the home team -20 if I were so inclined to wager on this particular game that is being broadcast on the ACC’s new pornography channel.

Rutgers at Syracuse 2:00pm ACCN

Holy fuck does this game suck. Reuniting former Big East, uh, rivals (??? does Rutgers have any natural enemies?) in a cross-conference classic betwixt the B1G and the ACC.

Duquesne at Ohio 2:00pm ESPN3

I don’t think I need to explain to you all the national title implications riding on this game.

Toledo at 8 Notre Dame 2:30pm Peacock

Just remember that if you subscribe to Peacock you are at the very least tacitly supporting Notre Dame. If for some reason you’re watching this please report back on how many of those defensive pick plays Notre Dame runs. They were doing that shit constantly against Florida State last week and it drove me nuts. I think the idea is that you are so flagrantly illegal so often that the refs grow numb to it and just don’t call it at all.

Robert Morris at Central Michigan 3:00pm ESPN3

Not to be outdone by the early games, the 3 o’clock set is equally terrible.

Purdue at UConn 3:00pm CBSSN

I bet Edsall still gets bonuses for stupid shit even now that he’s retired or whatever the official designation was for him no longer coaching.

Boston College at UMass 3:30pm FloFootball/NESN+

I don’t know what FloFootball is but I know it isn’t anything to do with the state of Florida.

Ball State at 11 Penn State 3:30pm FS1

It surprises me to see Penn State as only -22.5 favorites. That seems very kind to Ball State. Hopefully I’m wrong and the Ball State Lettermans take it to the Sanduskys.

Murray State at 7 Cincinnati 3:30pm ESPN+

Practice week continues.

Temple at Akron 3:30pm ESPN+

Pound the under.

Georgia Southern at Florida Atlantic 3:30pm Stadium

There is really nothing going on this week.

Air Force at Navy 3:30pm CBS

Middies vs. Fly Boys in the first leg of the Commander’s Cup on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. I can’t imagine the amount of emotional manipulation that’s going to make its way onto this broadcast. Normally I watch these games but I don’t think I can do it this year.

UAB at 2 Georgia 3:30pm ESPN2

Georgia may well be absurdly talented on the defensive side of the ball but I’d be surprised to see them make it through the regular season with fewer than two losses.

5 Texas A&M at Colorado 3:30pm FOX

This is only interesting if the Aggies spring a leak.

California at TCU 3:30pm ESPNU

Things most certainly are not looking up.

Buffalo at Nebraska 3:30pm BTN

Nebraska is in an interesting position because if they buck the odds and end up being good after we’ve all been so ready to see a National Championship-winning coach get fired that would be funny but if they end up being really bad it’s even funnier. Go Bulls!

Mercer at 1 Alabama 4:00pm SECN

I’ll cry a little if Saban pulls the starters in the first half and the Tide beats Mercer by less than they beat Miami.

South Alabama at Bowling Green 4:00pm ESPN+

10 Iowa at 9 Iowa State 4:30pmABC

This is not the kind of top 10 matchup I can just sit idly by and let it happen. Your silence is complicity in this monstrous display of modernity.

SC State at 6 Clemson 5:00pm ACCN

Clemson dropped all the way to #6 and they’ll hang around the top of the polls because they don’t have the toughest conference schedule in the world but my confidence in them is not high right now. I think the new QB is just a guy. He’s talented as hell but I don’t see him being great.

Illinois State at Western Michigan 5:00pm ESPN3

This is either MACtion or MACtion adjacent and I have only one word for this midwestern trash: abhorrent.

LIU at West Virginia 5:00pm ESPN+

LIU plays football?

Lamar at UTSA 6:00pm ESPN3

Downside: You’re watching one of the least important games of the year. Upside: You’re really not missing anything.

Portland State at Washington State 6:00pm P12N

Washington State was a perfect spot for the stupid pirate fuckhead and his leaving has ruined the program and, eventually, his reputation. Not relevant to this game necessarily but this game isn’t relevant to anything else, either.

Gardner-Webb at Charlotte 6:00pm ESPN3

Oh, yeah, feel the excitement.

Bethune-Cookman at UCF 6:30pm ESPN+

Go Cats.

NC Central at Marshall 6:30pm ESPN+

The hits keep coming.

Houston at Rice 6:30pm CBSSN

I’ve always had a soft spot for Holgo and for Houston football but somehow I really don’t like seeing him coach the Cougs. This is SWC magic but with no magic. UNLESS! Houston can put up 100. I don’t think they even have the guys to do it but this is Rice we’re talking about here.

Nicholls at Louisiana 7:00pm ESPN3

Keep the energy up.

North Texas at SMU 7:00pm ESPN+

I bet is MS621 were still alive he’d be at this game giving Spencer’s boys hell. Sadly he died doing what he loved, curing his COVID by eating ivermectin paste out of a horse’s butt. R.I.P., friend. Neigh to you wherever you are.

Southeastern La. at Louisiana Tech 7:00pm ESPN3

Even the low tier stuff is geared up for annihilation. This is a bodybag week for all time.

Memphis at Arkansas State 7:00pm ESPN+

Memphis getting less than a touchdown against Arkansas State seems like easy money but I have no real concept of either of these teams just yet. Maybe the end is nigh for the Tigers glory years? I sure hope not but it’s possible.

NC State at Mississippi State 7:00pm ESPN2

This game should be as fun as a parents funeral.

Southern Illinois at Kansas State 7:00pm ESPN+

Over the past week I experienced derision for referring the the guys in purple and silver as “Kansas State” instead of “K State” and that stung because it always surprises me that anybody cares about them enough to have a strong opinion about them.

Stephen F. Austin at Texas Tech 7:00pm ESPN+

Shrugs

15 Texas at Arkansas 7:00pm ESPN

Let’s see if Texas is ready to run with the big boys of the SEC! Arkansas is given a decent shot to win this game and that makes the “15″ next to Texas appear extremely suspect in my eyes.

Texas Southern at Baylor 7:00pm ESPN+

This week Texas Southern is the people’s champion.

Texas State at FIU 7:00pm ESPN+

Oh, Butch, why have you done this to yourself?

Western Carolina at 4 Oklahoma 7:00pm PPV

All the Westen Carolina fans are buying this PPV to see their guys score 40.

New Mexico State at New Mexico 7:00pm Stadium

I looked up the historic rivalry last year to figure out why it was played early in the season instead of at the end but I’ve forgotten and don’t feel the need to look it up again. I figured out how to watch Stadium on my TV but I also forgot that and don’t feel the need to look it up again.

Appalachian State at 22 Miami (FL) 7:00pm ESPNU

My gut tells me Miami is probably legitimately about the 14th best team in the country but I still would never advise you to bet actual money on the Hurricanes. Are they 9 points better than App State? Easily. They should win by 20+. Are they liable to fuck around and lose or scrape out a win in the final seconds? Absolutely. Let’s fuckin’ go.

Morgan State at Tulane 7:00pm ESPN+

A lot of people learned to love the Green Wave last week but it’s hard to keep that going with their schedule. Don’t forget them later in the year when the CBSSN glow is really shining.

Liberty at Troy 7:00pm ESPN+

Liberty -4 is maybe my surest advice of the week. If Malik Willis is as good as his press the fake school should have this game on ice early.

Eastern Michigan at 18 Wisconsin 7:00pm FS1

I find Wisconsin’s losing effort against Penn State last week to be a personal affront against me and all of nature.

Eastern Kentucky at Louisville 7:00pm ACCNX

I think this game being broadcast at night on ACCNX means they’re playing naked.

Grambling State at Southern Miss 7:00pm ESPN3

This is the kind of game that belongs on an app.

Hampton at Old Dominion 7:00pm ESPN3

This is the kind of game that belongs on a well-worn high school football field.

Austin Peay at 20 Mississippi 7:30pm ESPN+/SECN+

This is a pretty big OOC game for an SEC team.

Georgia State at 24 North Carolina 7:30pm RSN/ESPN3

One of several GSUs, I think this is the one I most hope emerges victorious this week.

Idaho at Indiana 7:30pm BTN

Wait, wasn’t Indiana like #10 last week? What the hell happened to them? No, don’t tell me. Seriously, don’t.

Missouri at Kentucky 7:30pm SECN

When the SEC hits 24 teams the “S!E!C!” chants are gonna seem really stupid.

Howard at Maryland 7:30pm BTN

There’s no official line for this game but I hope the Bison can pull off the upset in this classic local rivalry game.

Jacksonville State at Florida State 8:00pm ACCN

Still shaking my head at FSU icing their own kicker. Jesus, Norvell. Get your shit together.

McNeese at LSU 8:00pm ESPN+/SECN+

LOLSU was my lock of the week last week if you’re considering taking gambling advice from me.

Washington at Michigan 8:00pm ABC

UDub lost to a 1-AA team last week and now they have to go on the road and beat Michigan. Which seems inevitable, to be honest.

Cal Poly at Fresno State 10:00pm CW59

The murder rate will continue to increase as the day progresses. I always kind of like it when a local broadcast shows up on the sheet. So pretty much none of us have legal access to this game. It makes it more special.

San Diego State at Arizona 10:00pm P12N

Pac-12 Network is similar to CW59 in that almost nobody in the country has legal access to their broadcasts. If you’ve read enough of these posts you are aware that SDSU is my weird very deep backup team. I don’t have a reason to align myself with the school or program, I just tend to enjoy watching their games.

Vanderbilt at Colorado State 10:00pm CBSSN

This is an abomination.

21 Utah at BYU 10:15pm ESPN

This is a lowkey fun rivalry. I’m pretty sure I write the same thing every year but it’s still true. Go Utes.

Stanford at 14 USC 10:30pm FOX

I think USC could win a national championship and I’d still be baffled that Clay Helton is their coach. Of course, they won’t win a national championship as long as Clay Helton is their coach but they apparently won’t ever get embarrassing enough to fire him, either.

Idaho State at Nevada 10:30pm Stadium

This is the lowpoint of the week’s schedule and you have to stay up late to watch it on a network that only exists as an app or as part of a hidden unlockable download-only level of cable subscription. This is the beauty of the college game.

UNLV at 23 Arizona State 10:30pm ESPN2

Herm Edwards figured out the trick to looking good in the Pac-12 without having a particularly great team and I can’t make up my mind if I’m rooting for him to keep sliding on that rail or to fall off it. I think I’ve come around to rooting for him but it’s a very dynamic and fluid situation.

Hawaii at Oregon State 11:00pm FS1

Hawaii gets to play at their normal time for a game against the bottom of the barrel of the Pac-12 but they’re an 11-point underdog. If you’re ever going to take Hawaii, this is the stars lining up for you to do it. It’s still a big “if” but I’m saying there’s a chance.

#college football #football #Tv watch em ups #rtarl watches tv #gambling #9/11 #two decades after 9/11

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spaceotter42 · 5 years

Text

Terri Minsky Talks About Her Finale Decisions

Andi Mack EP Terri Minsky on Legacy, the Series Finale and Movie Possibilities

Photo Courtesy of The Disney Channel

From Paste

Andi Mack is over; long live Andi Mack!

By Alexis Gunderson | July 26, 2019 | 5:41pm

If you haven’t caught up with the Andi Mack series finale, turn back!

Well there you have it friends. With Andi’s (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) momentous high school decision, a joyous group singalong to “Born This Way,” and the long-awaited proof that both Buffy (Sophia Wylie) and Marty (Garren Stitt) and Cyrus (Joshua Rush) and TJ (Luke Mullen) like, like like each other, Andi Mack, Disney Channel’s boldest and most groundbreaking original series to date, is officially over.

Having gotten Andi Mack showrunner Terri Minsky on the phone for a long, deeply spoilerific conversation earlier this month, we’ll have a lot more to say about the finale’s wholesome perfection and the series’ parameter-shifting legacy in a moment, but first, let us just say this: Honestly, more series finales should just be one big party.

Get the drama out of the way early! Turn down the lights and turn up the jams! Give a grandma an inflatable T-Rex costume and an open dance floor! Sit a couple of boys down on a romantic fireside bench and let them finally hold hands! Seriously, showrunners—dancey, joyful series finale parties are where it’s at. Don’t sleep on Andi Mack’s excellent example.

If you’ve paid any attention at all to Paste’s previous coverage of Disney Channel’s groundbreaking family dramedy, you’ll know that this isn’t the first time we’ve suggested that more shows should be doing what Andi Mack was doing from Day One. More shows should be exploring the shape of non-traditional family setups. More shows should be letting teens tackle platonic friendships with thoughtful joy. More shows should be making intergenerational family dynamics a focal point of their storytelling. More shows should be letting the specificity of their characters’ full identities—from cultural background to race to sexual orientation to the ability to see crafting treasure where anyone else would see trash—inform their growth. More shows should let teen boys be tender, and more shows should gently call teen boys out when they’re being benignly oblivious to the inner lives of others.

More shows, in short, should just BE Andi Mack. And while its series finale, “We Were Here,” was a disappointment insofar as it officially marked the end of our time with the Good Hair Crew, it was a wild success in showcasing every other thing, big and small, that made Andi Mack so fantastic from the beginning. From the emotional (and actual) growth in Andi’s new-normal family set-up to the core four’s rock-solid friendship to the official blossoming of the puppy love romance between Cyrus and TJ, “We Were Here” found its sense of finality in the same kind of infinite possibility wrought by change upon which the series originally began. Nothing is final, the finale told its fans, except how we care for others.

But enough of our sentimentality. We promised a FULL SPOILER exit interview with series creator Terri Minsky, and we live to serve. Note: The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Paste: Terri! First of all, congratulations on the series! How are you feeling, now that the finale is finally here?

Minsky: Thank you! You know, it’s actually gotten harder as we’ve gotten closer to the finale, because I think I was in some sort of state of—I won’t say denial, but [making] something from start to finish, that’s a first for me in terms of a television show. So originally I was feeling really, really good about it, like I did something. But now […] that I’ve done what I wanted to do, exactly what I wanted to do, and it’s turned out even better than I had imagined, it’s kind of weird to have done it!

Paste: Oh, we can only imagine. That’s not a feeling a lot of people get to have.

Minsky: And now that it’s really over, over, over, I [do] miss it more than I really have at any other point. I just look at the finale and I remember how those kids were so emotional, but how they were able to snap right back into the scene and whatever they were playing and not have that ending feeling about them. By the end they were all just such amazing, professional, incredibly talented people, I just look at them and I think, Oh, I wish I could be THEM when I grow up!

Paste: Same, honestly. To have that kind of emotional maturity at any age, let alone fourteen, fifteen?

Minsky: Incredible. I’m dying to see what they all become, all of them for different reasons.

Paste: What was the process of getting Andi Mack to this specific ending point? Did you have a three-season arc going into the project, or did you even know that three seasons would be where you’d be ending?

Minsky: I would love to say yes, but the truth is, I didn’t. It really was very much a process—the stories that came out of the room, a lot of them were obviously very personal to the writers themselves, and then the actors, what they brought, who they were. Everything was kind of like a plant that grew on its own, developed its own ecosystem.

In terms of when we learned that this would be the series finale, I don’t totally remember, but we were breaking Season Three and looking for our cliffhanger, this is like episode 10 out of 21, when we found out. So it was early enough that it was really great to be able to think, okay, we want to tell these stories, we want to get them in, we want to make sure that they lead to a place where it will conclude. I didn’t want to have people feeling cheated, especially if they’ve been watching the whole time. But it was hard, very, very hard, to know at Episode 10 and not be able to tell anyone. We definitely cried a little in the writers room, but [in terms of organic storytelling], it also made sense.

Paste: When it came to actually writing the finale, how did you approach that? What was the feeling like on set as everything was wrapping up?

Minsky: So, this is the first finale that I’ve written. It was the last episode, I was obviously going to write it, but we were still editing and writing and punching up and shooting all the ones leading up to it, and so it was almost the easiest script I ever wrote, because it was, like… we knew what was going to happen, it was just a matter of at what point, and what were the words going to be. Then I was done, and the writing room was so great about it and very supportive, and then we turned it in, and then there was the table read, and then we were shooting, and I was like WAIT A MINUTE! Wait a minute, this is the FINALE!

Paste: What was the process behind making “Born This Way” the party’s climactic moment?

Minsky: I have to give total credit to Paul Hoen, the director for [the episode], because we knew that we wanted to have the 2.0 party from the first season, we wanted to do a callback to that. So we had the story, but in terms of performing a song, that was all Paul. He’s done so many movies, and so many set pieces, I think he just had it in his head. So he made a list of songs and showed it to me, and the next day he said, we’ve got “Born This Way.” And I was blown away. I still am. I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know how he did it, but we have it, and it was so great, so great.

Paste: Well, and it’s such a recognizable dance party anthem, and so recognizably an LGBTQ pride anthem, that it feels like the perfect finale button to the episode. Like, saying that Cyrus’ coming out arc wasn’t just thrown in to be thrown in, but was developed very intentionally.

Minsky: Oh, it makes me so happy to hear that.

Paste: So we know the show has a very passionate fanbase in general, but when it comes to the Cyrus+TJ storyline, that passion is even more intense.

Minsky: Well, I think a lot of it is the fans reacting to seeing things on a Disney Channel show that they hadn’t seen before. On the one hand, I feel sad that this is the first time, I feel honored that we were the first time, but I also would like nothing more than to not ever again have something like this be such a big to-do. I just want characters to get to be who they are, to not have to explain, apologize, come out. But the fact is, now there’s this audience that’s paying attention, and you want to do right by them. I felt like they were there for us, and I wanted to give them something to thank them for being patient, for sticking around, for hoping, for paying such close attention. I’m just really hoping the finale is… I know it can’t be everything, but I hope it’s going to be something.

Paste: Can you talk a little bit about the process of deciding what that end moment for TJ and Cyrus would be? As both fans of the show and professional critics of serial storytelling, we found the quietness of their big moment to be exactly right, but we know that there will be fans who will still wish there had been more, or who will hold up the kiss between Buffy and Marty as a comparison, wondering why Cyrus and TJ couldn’t have the same thing.

Minsky: I feel like… they’re still in middle school, you know. And I know that people do things in middle school, but I guess I feel like it’s so. much. for, you know, the captain of the basketball team, to hold hands with a boy in the middle of a party. Like, the look on his face? I feel like a kiss, in a way, would have not been realistic to these characters. A lot of that story, a lot of that journey between Cyrus and TJ was subtext, and I think that whatever they were saying to each other, they weren’t actually saying in words. And even that final conversation isn’t explicit. I love that they have that moment reaching for each other and holding hands, in my mind, in the world that we live in, in the story of this relationship, that is a lot.

Paste: Oh, we remember being fourteen! Holding hands felt way more intimate and scary than some kind of awkward first kiss.

Minsky: I think that first physical contact with somebody is so intense. The feeling of their hand and your hand intertwined, how unusual and connected and intense that is. I just felt like this was the story of these characters, that they finally understood what they were saying to each other, and it wasn’t like they had to wonder, is he saying this? or is he thinking this?

In terms of the story, it didn’t need a kiss. Adding a kiss would have been doing it just to do it, to be first, and I didn’t want that. I would love if we were going to go on and have another season or another story, I would love to have the first LGBTQ kiss on Disney.

Paste: Well, at this point, if an Andi Mack movie ever did happen, it seems like the ideal outcome would still be that theirs wouldn’t be the first gay kiss on Disney. Like, the real power of Andi Mack has always been for us the number of doors it has opened to the shows that will come next. Cyrus and TJ walked so characters we have yet to meet could run.

Minsky: Oh, that’s true, yeah! I DON’T want to be the first gay kiss on the Disney Channel, you’re right.

Paste: We’ll come back to the dream scenario of a movie in a minute, but first, are there any stories you got to tell that you’re especially proud of?

Minsky: You know, the funny thing is that from Season One, we had wanted to do a story about that sort of casual racism, that idea of people thinking it’s okay to touch a black girl’s hair because it’s so cool. And we had touched on that in different moments, but then finally here we were in Season Three (Note: episode 3.17, “Arts and Inhumanities”) and it was like, we’re doing it! I’m very happy that we managed to get that in. But I’m also so happy that we did a Bar Mitzvah. I’m thrilled we got to read from the Torah. I love the shiva episode, Cyrus coming out to Jonah over bagels. I’m just so proud of all of it.

But if you want to know the one thing I’m most proud of, it I’m proud we got that cast. When I think back to the beginning of it all, Peyton was eleven. You just don’t know how these things are going to go. So to have it come to life the way that it did, it was just one of those things, like a Black Mirror episode, but a good one? You know, I’ve wanted to do a mother-daughter show for a long, long time, but I guess it took me this long to do it because I had to wait for Peyton Lee to be born!

Paste: Is there anything else you’d like to say about your experience with Andi Mack?

Minsky: It sounds GOOP-y, but it really was a dream experience. Working in television, people are always like, that’s so cool! But it’s really not. It can be hard, there are compromises, you can feel like you’re not doing anything worthwhile, and this was the exact opposite. And when this girl in Kentucky started this Andi Mack Thousand Cranes Project and there were these paper cranes with people saying what the show meant to them… I mean, that was very powerful and meaningful and a gift, and none of it was anything that I could have foreseen, and I’m just so grateful. I’m grateful to the willingness of the cast and to Disney’s support and to fans being so expressive. I’ve never had a job like it before.

Paste: What do you hope audiences will take away from the show?

Minsky: To me, the thing that I felt like I wanted to say to the audience is when Andi says to Jonah, do you ever wonder what it would have been like if we had met when we were older? And he says, someday we will be. And I think, for me in my life, nothing that I thought, “well that’s the end of that story!” turned out to be the end of the story. And I do want people to see those [kids as] people and think of them and wonder where they are, or try to guess what they might be doing.

Paste: Okay, we promised we’d get here—what about an Andi Mack movie? Any thoughts on what that could look like, should every fan’s dream come true?

Minsky: Oh, gosh! I would love to do an Andi Mack movie at some point. I want to get back with those characters, I want to get back with that cast, I want to be back in that world. But as my mother always said, you should leave a party when you’re having fun. And we had so much fun.

All three seasons of Andi Mack are now available to stream on the Disney NOW app.

#Andi Mack #Terri Minsky #We Were Here

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agl03 · 5 years

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Which characters are you almost 100% sure will survive

Hi Anon,

While I can’t be 100% on anything ever with this show, I’ve gone down with a few ships over the years. Here is still were I’m feeling everyone lands. I don’t see this changing unless we start to get some interview/spoilers that change my mind. Or once the Season starts to play out.

As its a series finale no one really wants to see anyone go, we all want our favs to ride off into the sunset for happily ever after. But knowing Jed and Mo there will be some painful losses both in the finale and leading up to it. Either in having to say goodbye to someone again (thank you time travel) or a new character that comes along we get attached too and then dies.

As of right now characters I’m not worried about, not saying they won’t go through some serious poop during the season, but I see them surviving.

Daisy: I still won’t be surprised to see the series ending with her as Director of Shield as Coulson had been setting her up for all along or at the very least back to leading a newly formed Secret Warriors. We are really going to see her grow as a leader and she’ll be Mack’s right hand.

May: The woman has died enough! She’ll also have a season of complicated emotions with Robo Coulson in the mix. While I don’t think she’ll die I can see her leaving Shield in the end to start the Academy in Coulson’s name like she was setting up in Season 6 before everything went to heck.

Elena: There was a time that I worried about her but I think she’ll make it through, the loss of another character will however be a hue blow to her. I see her continuing to really find her place within Shield, supporting Mack, and as a couple they will be pretty solid. In the end I see her staying with Shield and/or Secret Warriors.

Fitzsimmons: I’m gonna die on this hill. I don’t think it is going to be an easy road. We’ve got one last good round of Fitz in peril/missing to get through if my theories are right. Plus my other die on this hill secret child theory. When the dust settles I do think they make it through and that the decision to leave after this would have been made back during “we had time”. I honestly won’t be shocked if during that time Fitzsimmons weren’t working on their own little slice of paradise to retire too in the end.

Fitzsimmons leaving Shield is in part what I feel that Elizabeth meant by a bittersweet ending. Seeing the family break up and go different ways after going through so much over the last so many years.

My I’m on the fence characters who at this point I can see going either way. Out of these ones I don’t think we’ll loose more than one. Again I don’t think the writers are going to go on a killing spree and off half the main cast at the very end.

Deke: Deke would be a huge loss for Fitzsimmons, especially as I see him getting closer to his grandparents, Jemma for sure, as the Season progresses. He’s been on a bit of hero arc and trying to find himself since the writers decided to keep him around....an arc the very much reminds me of Mace’s....and I can see him sacrificing himself to save the team...even more his grandparents. Wanting to give them that life they’ve fought so hard for. I really don’t want this and hope I’m wrong, I’d rather see Deke peace out of Shield with Fitzsimmons and go live in a huge castle in Scotland being the coolest nephew/uncle the Fitzsimmons kids could ask for. I will also saw that if Deke/Daisy go romantic that he’s actually safe since Daisy has already lost so many of her loves.

Enoch: I am VERY attached to Enoch now and really don’t want to see him die again. But we know he’s sacrificed himself before and don’t think he’ll hesitate to do it again to save his people or his friends. I would rather see him make it through and go on to lead what is left of his people while being the other cool uncle to Fitzsimmons kids when he comes to visit.

Robo Coulson: I know Coulson is up there with May in the died too many times already club. But what I want most for Robo Coulson is that whatever it is it’s his choice. He didn’t want to be brought back and I just want to see his wishes honored. I see him playing out in a few ways. Sacrifices himself to save everyone/the mission, chooses to be deactivated when its all over, chooses to stay on with Shield...goes with May to the Academy to teach, or goes with Enoch and works with the Chronicoms.

Now we are to who I will be shocked to see survive.

Mack: The way Henry talked at SDCC was pretty much the writing on the wall for me. Mack’s loss would be heart wrenching and devastating all around. Likely to happen at a point and will bring the team to a point where they rally and win the final battle.

I will say some of Natalia’s comments in these same round tables had me concerned a little for Elena but I can’t see the writers killing both of them. And I know I’ve said that before and was wrong but here’s hoping.

The other option I feel I am preparing for is that with Time Travel in the mix that someone will get left or chooses to stay behind in a certain time period. I could see Robo Coulson doing this in order to watch/see the history he loves so much. Fitzsimmons when they get out. Enoch (It seems from one clip in the trailer he does get left at some point.

#aos spoilers #aos speculation #ask agl03 #team space

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ayankun · 4 years

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real quick before I get into season 6

So this is my second time watching Season 6 and I’m p. excited. This last week or so I’ve been dredging up bits and pieces, but most of it is a blur. It seems the memories that lasted this whole year were mostly of the huge armored truck and the nonbinary character who works at *spoilers*’s tech startup.

I’m curious to see if the second time through it’ll settle in like it belongs. I remember Season 5 really didn’t make any sense to me until I saw it again.

But really I’m just excited that in 11 hours I can watch the new stuff?!

But first, before I forget, here’s my last thoughts on Season 5.

So remember how I was surprised at Season 1′s structure, that it folded up nicely down the middle with some pretty tidy symmetry?

None of the other seasons do that.

Instead, I remember particularly strongly how jarring the end of the Ghost Rider arc was in the middle of Season 4. And then again when the (what I’m calling) Kasius arc also wrapped up mid-season.

I’m not sure when I read about it, but it probably was circa Ghost Rider, that they’d intentionally decided on what I’m pretty sure they called “pods” of episodes, these seasons-within-a-season sort of narratives.

Season 2 sort of kicks it off, what with the race to Terragenesis taking eps 1-10 and the Afterlife/splinter SHIELD stories filling 11-22. Then Season 3 has the monolith/Maveth mystery to start, followed by Hive & the Inhumans for the second half. S4 is super poddy, obviously branded as Ghost Rider/Agents of Hydra, and S5 also splits neatly into future!Lighthouse and present day!Lighthouse.

Two points to make on this:

Kasius is such a rockstar villain that I feel really bad for Hale/Ruby/Talbot. They’re so apples and oranges but having the highlight come first allows for unfavorable comparisons to be made. It’s like asking any well-to-do Kree to compare Xandarian snail to oops all berries.

Good thing they’d had all this practice writing complete stories in 12 eps, since I’m hoping Season 6 (and obvs Season 7) will still feel as fully formed as their longer antecedents.

Anyway, that first point is my major point for S5.

S3 already feels like the second half of S2, and its internal halves are the most similar to each other as any of the other “pods,” so it’s not like people have a reason to go around saying “I liked the first half of the season waaay better than the second.”

(although I might. I might say that, actually. but not because the halves were branded separately from one another)

And S4, though the two halves are barely identifiable as coming from the same show much less the same season, they’re both good. Robbie Reyes is perfect. The effort to incorporate new MCU topics/aesthetic from Doctor Strange is great. Robots who just want to be a real girl is my JAM. All the Framework cameos really make my day! And then Robbie Reyes comes back all deus ex machina (ironic) and saves the day, and

it makes sense that he does because the function and nature of the Darkhold was well established in part 1 and

it’s GREAT that he does because he’s perfect and we miss him.

Then here comes S5. I really really respect so much about the creative decisions that took the story where it went (ie, outside Papa MCU’s sphere of interference), and getting to reuse the same set in a different context while minimizing “on-location” shoots is just technical and financial genius, okay.

But there’s so much about the first half, in the future, that compels me waaaaaaay more than the gritty anger of the second half.

Kasius, WOW what a villain. Dominic Rains, everyone. I have nothing unkind to say about the performance, the character, anything. Impeccable. Spectacular. Perfection.

The mystery of the season opener! We had the tag scene where Coulson’s “in space” and plenty of time to ruminate on the how and why, especially with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 coming out right as S4 ended and Thor: Ragnarok literally sizzling in the theaters at the same time as this season started. They answer the question by the end of the episode, but not before several characters come up with and pursue several different theories, and that’s fun.

What a way to capitalize on the Inhuman storyline your show’s been about for years now, without forcing Papa MCU to contend with all this good work you’ve been doing. Just go somewhere he can’t reach you (the future), and then un-write all of it anyway. V. tidy. Extra style points will be awarded.

LEITMOTIFS. If y’all’ve seen BSG, then you know Bear McCreary is a master of the art. But this season has so many good themes, my friends. The Daisy/Quake theme that’s been knocking around for a season is here in full force, and Sinara’s is the best bad guy theme you could have wanted, and dearest sweetest Flint has the best great guy theme you ever heard.

Just, while we’re here. Sinara. She says nothing for episodes (it feels like, I wasn’t counting) and her first line is a scornfully growled “compassion.” Give it up for Florence Faivre !!! She hardly has any lines but you always know exactly what she’s thinking and what she’s about. Sinara and Kasius have the richest on-screen chemistry of anybody on any show from any era fight me on this I dare you.

Mack’s coming down from his second life in the Framework, and that suuuuucks that these folks never have a moment to rest before barreling into their next story. But he gets to be a father to Flint! And Yo-Yo gets to be a mother!!! UGH why couldn’t they have brought Flint instead of Deke lololol oh well.

I think I know another reason why Lincoln seems overhyped to me. That other Inhuman, Ben I think his name is? He’s in like two episodes, serves a narrative purpose, and is disposed. I know Lincoln’s in like 18 times as many episodes but they have the same exact overall impact on my brain-hole. Imagine if it was Ben that came back with them instead of Deke. That’s how I feel about Lincoln. Like, how did this obviously disposable character make it this far?

Then you have Deke. You love to hate him. He’s a very well-fashioned character who is flawless in making you feel the way the showrunners want you to feel. That’s the kind of character that gets killed off twice and still comes back, and it doesn’t surprise you.

So, Enoch. Enoch is everyone’s favorite character, right? Right. Give me genderless robots with a soft spot for humanity ANY DAY. PLEASE where are they I need them. (I’m un-repressing memories of S6 and I feel like somehow I should be careful what I wish for) Man I remember with 1000% clarity the absolute glee I felt sitting down for the opening montage of S5 the first time, how ballsy weird it was, just watching this freaky bald alien of a man go swimming with some fun electro pop number playing in the background. 100/10 please make more television like this

More monoliths!! The time one is so pretty!

(remember when there were more monoliths and no one knew where they came from or what they did but then it didn’t matter because they got instantly exploded?)

The low-key obvious answers to the season’s questions, what with the Inhumans running all over the shop, Quake there to tear everything down and Flint there to put the pieces back together I’m not crying you’re crying

Oh man, and Simmons getting to mentor not one but two Inhuman youths to be confident and trust in themselves and their powers. What a ways from the fear-panic response to Daisy when she turned.

Also, yeah, it has to be said, this show’s blatant “you’re different and that’s okay” agenda sits very well with me. Agents of SHIELD says LGBTQ+ rights!

So anyway, part 2 falls a little flat for me because its strength is its themes, but I’m not really compelled by the stakes and definitely not by the villains and not really even by the intra-team drama.

Obviously S2 touched on parenthood, but it was pretty specific. S5 digs in and brings us a lot more on the topic.

Kasius desperately desires his father’s approval but very deeply despises the methods and the people who earn it.

Hale was indoctrinated by Hydra and was very earnest in wanting to uphold the values of the organization, until the organization (and Whitehall) shared with her their narrow appreciation of the gift of her loyalty. Even then, she struggles to make sense of this loyalty, only realizing too late that being a good Hydra pawn and a good parent are categorically mutually exclusive.

Ruby, obviously, is like a mini-Kasius, the brave-faced rebel who wears her mother’s disappointment on her sleeve like a badge of honor to pretend that it isn’t crippling her.

The Von Strucker kid, boy is he messed up (and his Hydra dad had something to do with it)

((echos of Ward are still heard even this far after his demise, and we know what his father figures were like))

Poor Talbot, got some brain damage and some Hydra conditioning on top of that, cracked that noggin wide open. He just wanted to do good by his family. Just wanted his son to know he loves him.

Polly and Robin. The daughter who needs constant special care because she’s stuck inside her own mind and the mother who’s been through hell and back and still manages to do her best. Even when she knows she won’t always be there for her daughter. Even when she knows she’ll be replaced.

May getting a glimpse at the life she and Andrew once talked about. Getting a chance to do right by that little girl.

Mack recovering from getting that same glimpse, from the echoing memories of a life time spent with his greatest regret erased. Being roped into being a thug and threatening that dad without knowing the meaning behind his threat -- being told that people like him don’t deserve the privilege of parenthood. But then getting to know Flint, and having Yo-Yo at his side while they fast track this kid through all the things he’s gonna need to know in order to be the Big Damn Hero the world needs him to be.

The timey-wimey promise that FitzSimmons will one day be parents to a brilliant daughter who will unfortunately give birth to a Deke.

Coulson and Daisy. Another parent placing enormous expectations on his daughter, desperate that she be ready for his responsibilities because his time is running out. A daughter who mishandles these expectations and refuses to stop fighting a losing battle, not because she’s not ready to step up, but because she doesn’t want to face the fact that she’s losing the man who raised her.

Anyway, aside from all this good Theme work, part 2 wades perfunctorily through musty remnants of the previous season, from The Doctor to The Russian. Which makes sense, because that season ended in a way that left so many loose threads -- but then this season comes along and summarily ties them up, all cute little bows, the lot of them. Dusts its hands. Nothing to see here. Move along now. Time’s up.

#Agents of Shield #aos

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sfaioffical · 5 years

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SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA:

Pete’s Café - SFAI In The 90’s In the 90s, many SFAI students worked for and exhibited artwork at Pete’s Café, which was situated on the roof of SFAI’s Chestnut Street Campus. On view January 10 through February 16, The Great Highway Gallery presents a group exhibition featuring several SFAI-affiliated artists, including John Lindsey, Dave Arnn, Daric Cheshire, Colin Chillag, Wren Coe, Diana Coopersmith, Adrienne Eberhardt, Connie Goldman, Jeremy Harper, Gerald Hawk, Cliff Hengst, Scott Hewicker, Johanna Jackson, Xylor Jane, Patricia Kavanaugh, Yasmin Lambie-Simpson, Mario Lemos, Ted Lincoln, Lydia Linker, Linton, Jennifer Locke, Sally Lundburg, Mads Lynnerup, Spencer Mack, J Matt, Alicia McCarthy, Barry McGee, Palmerin Merges, Karla Milosevich, Ruby Neri, Eamon Ore-Giron, Maurizzio Hector Pineda, Will Rogan, Cynthia Rojas, Rocio Santillana, Christian Spruell, Steven Starfas, Keith Tallett, Rafael Vieira, Benji Whalen, Mark Wilson, and more!

Lighting the Council Fire: Paintings of Suiko Betsy McCall (MFA 2009) On view through January 30 at San Francisco’s Zen Center, Suikos writes about Lighting the Council Fire: “Whether with a pencil or paint, these works on paper explore the interaction between a structure set up by an evolving, repeating system and the unpredictable chaos of the spill, smudge, or breath-initiated brushstroke. By engaging the repetitive rhythms of practice, my work also aims to reshape my life as an Artmonk.”

Image: April Martin, cali fantazies. © April Martin

Cali Fantazies – April Martin (MFA 2019) Cali Fantazies is a multimedia art installation on view at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) through March 3, 2020. On February 13, April Martin is curating a special event, Cali Fantazies: Righteous Ratchet Joy, where performers from the legendary underground black queer party “Cali Fantazies” will be performing at MoAD. Come witness the magic, allure, and stunts of performers in a not to be missed experience. This event will be a space where queer Black folks can enjoy the many talents of BADASS Black Women. We will shout with joy and make it shower with flowers as beautiful black women pole twerk and booty bounce in a celebration of Black Women. We welcome you to immerse yourself in MoAD’s latest exhibition, groove to the electrifying sounds of DJ Lady Ryan and laugh out loud at hilarious host Ms. Bleu Sugar from Coochieliscious Entertainment as she narrates the mesmerizing performances by Cali Fantazie’s dancers.

This event will be honoring the legacy of queer black club life and the closure Bench and Bar and Club 21, the last remaining black and brown queer clubs in Oakland.

Mind / Body / Spirit / Land – Susanne Siminger (MFA 1987) Please join Susanne for the artist reception on Friday, January 17 at the Gail Van Dyke Gallery in the MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae for the opening of Mind / Body / Spirit / Land: Oils and Water Colors inspired by Our Beautiful Land.

Panel Discussion: Re-Imagining Equity in the Art World 2020, with Katherine Vetne (MFA 2015) On January 18, Katherine Vetne joins local artists Erica Deeman and Indira Allegra, as well as curators Heidi Rabben and James Voorhies to discuss their art practices, concerns and challenges, and where the equity movement might lead in the coming years. This panel is organized by ArtTable, which is celebrating 40 years of women's advocacy and professional development. Katherine will also have work on view at the Catherine Clark Gallery booth at Untitled San Francisco, July 17–19, 2020.

Image: Michael Jang, Ramones Free Concert, Civic Center Plaza, San Francisco, 1979, gelatin silver print. Courtesy the artist. © Michael Jang

In Conversation: Michael Jang (MFA 1977), Sandra S. Phillips, and Nion McEvoy For the closing of Michael Jang’s California, photographer Michael Jang and curator Sandra S. Phillips are joined by Nion McEvoy for a wide-ranging conversation about the resonances of place, person, and time in Jang’s work. This first retrospective exhibition presents a rare, immersive journey through Jang’s career, from the 1970s to the present, and is curated by Phillips, SFMOMA curator emerita of photography and Jang’s longtime collaborator.

Fresh Focus – Jordan Holms (MFA 2019) Join Jordan Holms on Wednesday, January 14, at 4pm for a meet and greet for Fresh Focus, an exhibition featuring small-size artworks by recent and current MFA artists of the Bay Area.

Spiders from Mars – Ben Venom (MFA 2007) Please join alum, Ben Venom for the opening reception for Spiders from Mars on January 15 at St. Joseph’s Art Society. On view January 17 – February 15, 2020.

Forbidden Illusions – Whitney Lynn (MFA 2007) Whitney Lynn invites you to "forbidden knowledge", anaglyph collages created while an Artist-in-Residence at LightSource SF. On view through February 1, 2020.

Displaced - Spencer Keeton Cunnigham (BFA 2010) Please join Spencer for the closing reception of Displaced at 6pm on February 9 at The Midway Gallery. He is consistently working on new ideas for art whether that is in the form of paintings, drawings, murals and installations that dive deep into topics relating to his personal relationship on Native American rights, cultural representation, social change and activsm. Spencer’s artwork has been on broadcast television, in motion pictures and exhibited throughout the U.S. and beyond. His art can currently be found on display in the Permanent Collection of the Berkeley Art museum, The Crocker Museum in Sacramento and in print form in the permanent book collection at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. Cunningham was also recently inducted into the World Congress of Art History in Bejing China by Art Historian Elaine O'Brien.

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Video: A preview of Spencer Keeton Cunningham’s solo exhibition, Displaced, The Midway Gallery, San Francisco. Courtesy the artist.

“Rackets” and “Laminates” – Richard Goldberg (MFA 1987) Opening February 1 at 1pm at Far Out Gallery, this show will feature selections from two recent groups of work: “Rackets” and “laminates”.

The “Rackets” are an ongoing group of wall mounted, mixed media sculptural works. Theses sculptures are made with a variety of found objects and materials which take on new identities and meanings as they are synthesized into a single artwork of rhyming shapes, forms and imagery. Each “Racket” work has its own engaging identity, and story to tell.

Shown alongside of the “Rackets” will be collages that are called “Laminates” These works are 2 dimensional, irregular shaped collages of images, symbols, photographs and other visual material. These shaped collages are then laminated and cut out, to become a kind of flat sculpture with shapes and voids around the perimeter of each collage but also within and throughout the entire composition. They are floated in a shadow box frame which brings out their 3 dimensionality. The “Laminates” were a product of an evolution of ideas and impulses that lead the artist to move on to the more robust 3 dimensionality of the “Rackets”.

Mike Henderson: The Black Paintings + David Simpson: Interference On view through March 28, 2020 at Haines Gallery.

Mike Henderson: The Black Paintings (MFA 1970): Showcasing a body of related works made primarily in the 1990s by recent Artadia Award winner Mike Henderson, the paintings included in this exhibition feature a rich palette of lush blacks, steel grays, and ultramarine blues. Set against the darkness, small shapes of bright blues, yellows, and reds flicker like jewels. Henderson’s experimental films from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s will be shown in dialogue with the paintings. Politically charged and wickedly funny, these remarkable shorts have been screened at museums and festivals around the world. In addition to the exhibition, The Mike Henderson Band will be performing on January 17 as part of UNTITLED, ART San Francisco. Click here for tickets and more information!

David Simpson: Interference (BFA 1956): Acclaimed Bay Area painter David Simpson’s exhibition takes its title from his use of “interference” pigments, which shift in color with changes in light and the viewer’s perspective. Each canvas on view is the result of up to thirty coats of paint, meticulously layered to create a deep, lustrous surface. Now in his 90s, Simpson continues to delight with works of remarkable dynamism, evoking the movement of clouds, or the play of light across water, ultimately offering viewers a powerful space of contemplation.

Shaw & Co. - Richard Shaw (BFA 1965, Martha Shaw (BFA 1966), Alice Shaw (MFA 1999), Virgil Shaw & Friends (Extended through January 31, 2020!) Gallery 16’s exhibition “Shaw & Co.” presents a collection of work by members of the Richard and Martha Shaw Family, plus a plethora of SFAI-affiliated artists—faculty and alums—including Richard Shaw, Martha Shaw, Alice Shaw, Rebeca Bollinger, Mike Henderson, Don Ed Hardy, Bob Hudson, Sahar Khoury, Alicia McCarthy, Jim Melchert, Ruby Neri, Cornelia Schulz, Wanxin Zhang, and more!

BoundarySpan – Aaron Wilder (MFA 2017) A group exhibition curated by Aaron Wilder and featuring the work of alums Michael Arcega (BFA 1999), Jimin Lee (MFA 1997), Paula Levine (MFA 1988), Sherwin Rio (MA 2019), and Desiree Rios (MFA 2017), BoundarySpam reopens on January 27 at the Nathalie and James Thompson Art Gallery at San José State University and will continue through February 21.

Wikipedia:Meetup/San Francisco/Black History Month Wiki-a-thon at Prelinger Library – Niki Korth (MFA 2012) Niki Korth invites you to an afternoon of exploring, discussing, researching, writing, and working together to help improve Wikipedia articles. Attendees are welcome to work on whatever they like and are inspired to from the Library's holdings. For those interested, they will have a concerted focus on working toward closing the diversity gap of coverage on Wikipedia of notable persons of African descent and their achievements and related movements, organizations, events, ideas, projects, and more. Prelinger Library founders Megan and Rick will be present to help attendees find resources from the Library's collections, and there will be experienced Wikipedians present to help Wiki newcomers to get started and answer questions. A Mediterranean lunch will be served, so please come with both hungry minds and stomachs.

Little Rock, Arkansas

American Veterans of Arkansas – Edward Drew (BFA 2014) The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas has commissioned a year-long exhibition from Edward Drew, American Veterans of Arkansas, which uses 5 x 7 tintypes to profile African-American military veterans who are also Arkansans. “African Americans are fairly underrepresented in most sectors, including veterans and veteran contributions to this country,” Drew said. “I thought it was important tthat I speak to the narrative. Then, being a state in the South, it’s important to show tha the rick history of the Southern states has always coincided with African American contributions.”

Wilmington, Delaware

Midnight Mass – Amie Potsic (MFA 1999) Opening Friday, February 7 at 5pm: The Delaware Contemporary has invited Amie to exhibit a large-scale installation on view January 24 through April with over 250 feet of silk. Amie will be working with the museum's gargantuan atrium space to create a fresh design approach to her work.

Miami, Florida

Image: Installation view of Self-preservation (with or without applause), a group exhibition featuring work (far right) by Christopher Culver. Courtesy Primary Gallery.

Self-preservation (with or without applause) – Christopher Culver (BFA 2008) On view through January 28, Primary Gallery is proud to present Self-preservation (with or without applause), a group exhibition featuring alum, Christopher Culver.

Chicago, Illinois

Performance - Norman Long (MFA 2001) Please join Norman Long at Elastic Arts on Friday, January 31, for a special performance featuring LONG/ZALEK DUO.

Massachusetts

"We the People" is a group exhibition featuring work from Aaron Wilder’s (MFA 2017) collaboration with Guta Galli (MFA 2017) entitled "Sugar & Snails," on view through January 31, 2020 at the Dorothy and Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Dancing In The Bardo and Human Impact: Stories of the Opioid Epidemic - John Christian Anderson (MFA 1972) Dancing In The Bardo is a solo show by alumnus John Christian Anderson, on view through January 26 at the Boston Sculptors Gallery. The group show Human Impact: Stories of the Opiod Epidemic is on view at Fullercraft Museum in Brockton, MA, through May 3, 2020.

Baltimore, Maryland

The Breath of Empty Space – Shaun Leonardo (MFA 2005) On view January 30 - March 15, 2020 at Maryland Institute College of Art: "For the last year I have been quietly finalizing plans for The Breath of Empty Space–a solo exhibition of 6 years of drawing concerning violence by the police and American legal system, being shown together for the first time and curated by the insightful and caring John Chaich. I am proud to finally announce this traveling exhibition for 2020 and hope you can join me to witness the work." —Shaun Leonardo

The Breath of Empty Space will also be on view at Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, June 5–September 6, 2020.

—INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS—

Budapest, Hungary

Untitled No. 20, From Series Room ‘32’ – Michael Naify (MFA 2017) SFAI alum Michael Naify’s work, Untitled No. 20, From Series Room ‘32’, is featured in PH21 Contemporary Photo Gallery’s upcoming international photography exhibition entitled The self(ie) and the other: Portraiture—on view January 16–February 8, 2020.

Hamburg, Germany

Mother Tongue - Mika Sperling (MFA 2018) Mika's practice is based in photography, and engages ideas and concepts of family. Created during the recommended Olympus Fellowship, "the current project [Mother Tongue] is born out of the idea to include my situation as a new mother into my work. I am using photography, writing and video to search for familiarities between my husband’s and my family. I am documenting the evolving bond to my daughter, the changing relationship to my mother-in-law and that to my own mother." —Mike Sperling Check out this video where Mika discusses Mother Tongue and its familial lineages. Soon on view: Deichtorhallen Hamburg, March 21–June 14, 2020; Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, August 7–September 27, 2020; Foam Museum in Amsterdam, October 23, 2020–January 17, 2021.

Cambridge, UK

The Art of Watching Art – Patricia K. Kelly (MFA 1999) On view January 14–26 at Motion Sickness Project Space, The Art of Watching Art is a group exhibition showcasing a broad range of artworks from artists involved in the invigilation of previous exhibitions in the project space since August 2019, including our very own Patricia K. Kelly.

Do you have an upcoming exhibition or event? If you’re an SFAI alum, please fill out this form to be featured in our next roundup of alumni exhibitions and events.

Top Image Credit: Whitney Lynn, Song of the Sirens, 2019 archival pigment print on Legacy Etching paper, 30 x 40 inches. © Whitney Lynn Studios.

#SFAI #SFAIalumni #art shows #art event #exhibitions

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inevitablies · 5 years

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It hasn’t been like this since just after Bucharest. When things were freer, and the pressures they faced were that of stressful jobs and overly cheery bosses. But it was different then. Excited and fast-paced, the thrill of twelve years of lost time to be caught up on, exploring every part of their new relationship.

It’s different now. For the first time in sixteen years they’re completely out of sync. She knows how to make a home in his arms as well as he knows how to hold her but the missing time has taken its toll. She hates the betraying voice in the back of her mind telling her that she married a different man. He doesn’t want to tell her what happened because he doesn’t want to hear about what happened during the gap in his memories. The blank spot in which her version of himself was with her. He doesn’t want to hear about him. The way her heart broke, he sees it in her eyes.

Daisy pulled him aside after he got back and held him tight- possibly tighter than Mack.

“Yeah, missed you too.”

“I don’t know what we would have done- I can’t lose you.”

He swallowed dryly. He doesn’t like seeing Daisy cry. He misses when he first met her, when she smiled and laughed and made goofy jokes and never once imagined that her life could change this much in so little time.

She looks at him and searches for any trace of the boy with the untucked plaid shirts and curly hair who had a puppy crush on her for about five seconds all those years ago. They seem like two entirely different people.

“If you hadn’t come back,”

“I know,” he said, not wanting to hear it.

She shook her head. “No. Jemma wouldn’t have made it. She was going mad, Fitz. It was like I lost my two best friends at once.”

“I’m here. I’m home.” It’s a mantra that’s been playing in his head since he got back to earth, grounding him, even when it felt fake.

“This isn’t home. We deserve- you deserve a real home. We can’t keep living like this.”

She’s right.

“Fitz?” Jemma calls.

“Go.” Daisy pushes him away lightly. In a different context, on another day it would be playful. “She needs you.”

Still, as appreciated as it is, the sex is just another way to avoid talking about it.

He doesn’t know how to talk to her without reminding her of the husband that she lost, that she can’t ever get back, and she doesn’t know how to make it so that he isn’t obsessed with that other version of himself. Communication was their gift. So in tune they could read each other’s minds. It’s not that they’ve forgotten how to, but that they’re both resistant. Neither wants to be the one to start the talk, dredge up all that pain and anger again just to relive it. But they know how to do this. They know how to wrap around each other until they forget everything but the sensation of being in each other’s embrace and they can pretend that everything is normal. That if they open their eyes the sun will be streaming in the bedroom window and they’ll be living a nice, normal life, some farfetched fantasy that they could believe in just a few years ago. The idea of running away together feels so out of reach, but every moment they spend in the grips of near-death, saving the world exhausts them a little more.

She sometimes thinks that she’s given all she has to give and if all they can do for the rest of their lives is hold each other just so, that would be good. Honor and duty are all fine and good, but at a certain point, it’s all moot. She’s not sure precisely when the line was crossed, but it’s been years too long. They need to leave.

They can’t leave.

He doesn’t want to think about it. With her in his arms, snuggled tight in the warmth of their bed (not the one he remembers, from the Playground, but she’s comfortable there, and where ever she is becomes home) he briefly entertains the notion of just, staying. Just like this. They’ll take Deke up on his offer, let him buy them a castle, two, three castles. He’s made enough to support them for the rest of their lives if they don’t do a thing, and he does sort of owe them for his existence. They could raise a family. Or not, he’s not sure whether they can handle that at this point, after all they’ve been through.

(There’s always been an unspoken agreement that eventually, inevitably, Simmons will discover she’s pregnant and they’ll freak out before fading into awe and pride and jubilation and they’ll stay at Shield for a bit but by the time she’s showing they’ll be settling into a cottage in Perthshire, somewhere where his mum and her parents can visit and the team can drop by to say hi, meet the baby, and then hop back on the jet and go back to saving the world. They could even put in a home laboratory in the basement. Or they could swear off science altogether and devote the rest of their lives to breakfast in bed and being the sort of parents that will raise a daughter that won’t marry the sort of a man who will cause her to eventually have a child that will turn out like Deke.)

But that was always in the future. A set of decisions made easy by a swift-approaching deadline and their commitment to their little family. They’ve lost their direction, unable to make the decisions to take themselves out of the equation, to safety, when it’s only their lives at risk. Their futures. No one wants to make the next move, not when everything around them is falling apart. Let this be a constant. Let them be the constant. They’ll stay because they’ve always stayed, and always will.

This is familiar. No version of them doesn’t know how to do this, doesn’t know how to seek each other out and hold them until their minds don’t have to force the world to make any sense because the world fades to the background, and only they are left. Because of course they are. They’ll always be left with each other. That’s the promise, the vow so sacred that saying it aloud does nothing to lessen it. A truth, so fundamental and constant it might as well be taught in the courses they took at the academy, right next to the laws of thermodynamics. They know it to be true, and so it is. Obviously.

They’ll always find their way back to each other, because how could they not? As the world falls apart around them and they struggle to speak they know that they will end up with each other, whatever it takes.

#hey its been a really long time i know i took a three year hiatus and probably wont check this account like ever but the finale was a lot #5 years later and this show still has me #and after all these years i still have fs voices in my head #so if anyone from aos still follows me #fs fanfic #fanfic #My writing #my fanfic #fitzsimmons #aos #agents of shield #season 6 coda #aosficnet2

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douxreviews · 6 years

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Outlander - ‘If Not For Hope’ Review

By Laure Mack

"We've lived with the fear of the unknown before, not knowing if the other is alive or dead."

Well, this was something. Not a spare moment with something happening in every corner of the board but it still somehow felt like mostly filler?

That opening was pretty effectively jarring. We haven't seen a modern setting in quite a long time. The first time through, I didn't immediately realize they were trying to trick us into thinking Roger had gone back. I was too taken aback by what I was seeing to see the implication. Poor Roger. We didn't see a lot with him or how he came to be recaptured so we're still left wondering if it was his decision to stay. Not seeing it makes me think that the reveal is being saved for something juicy and dramatic.

Can we be honest for a second? Am I the only one struggling to care about Roger and Bree as a couple? I think we are supposed to take their connection as a fact, but we didn't have enough of the build up of that connection. We've mostly just watched them argue and take turns abandoning each other and that simply did nothing to invest me in their journey to find each other. There were times that Claire and Jamie were separated that my heart would just break for the loneliness the characters were feeling. I get none of that here. I'd go so far as to suggest they date other people... if they, you know, asked my opinion.

Then we find Bree at River Run and she's had a busy (few?) months. She's very pregnant and sassy and into her art, bro. And very very busy pushing against the norms and racists and snobs. I kept waiting for some fallout. I was worried a few times that Bree was going to land Phaedra in some very hot water and I'm happy that I was wrong. I hope I stay wrong. Brianna wasn't too busy though, thank the stars, to make friends with Lord John. I'm sure I've mentioned before that I just never loved this character but I did really enjoy what looks like the beginning of a strong friendship. There was an ease between the two of them that felt very natural and lovely. I hated that Bree went for the threat of outing his sexuality though. Not cool, not what friendship is made of. Or a marriage for that matter, I guess.

Watching Jocasta work that Mackenzie magic to set Bree up on her own version of The Dating Game was somehow really heartwarming. I never thought I'd miss the days of Colum and Dougal scheming to use those around them to their own ends but Jocasta fills those fiery and smart and cunning shoes well. I chuckled when she was beaming with pride at Brianna for securing the proposal from John.

Back in Wilmington, Fergus, Murtagh and Marsali are all vying for best supporting character status. I just love Fergus so very much. Always loyal, he of course welcomes Murtagh into his home and helps him to fulfill Jamie's request to find Bonnet. Even with a family to think of and trouble finding work, he's able to be there for the people that he cares about without question. What a standup guy. And I've been waiting to see him and Murtagh together onscreen for weeks now and I wasn't disappointed. Their companionship and camaraderie jump right off the screen as people that know and trust each other. I wonder if I'll get lucky enough to see the two of them in a room with Jamie and Claire before the season is over?

I guess I shouldn't press my luck with Murtagh in the slammer now, though. I might be in complete denial but they wouldn't dare kill him off or write him out again, right? Right?? RIGHT??!!?! Especially not with Jamie gone.

Marsali is so cool. I loved her waking Murtagh up and chastising him for putting dirty boots on her cleans blankets. For pushing him to make her husband feel useful and whole and I loved loved loved the look on her face hearing Fergus decline to leave her and Germain behind. She is the greatest.

As much as I liked anything else, though, none of it compared to Jamie and Claire finally talking, hashing things out and getting back on the same page. Or on the same sleeping bag as it were. This relationship is still the glue that holds Outlander together for me. It's still the glue that draws me back every week. And I hate when they get pushed to the periphery for story lines heavy with relationships that I just don't care about as much. Claire has been sacrificed the most here. At least Jamie's blossoming relationship with Brianna had earned him some screen time. Sam Heughan spends so much time as Jamie breaking our hearts. This week he hit a new stride with it, though. It wasn't heavy handed or overly done, but he wore his pain so visibly and it was affecting. He pretty much seems to have given up on being able to be a father to his daughter. His daughter with Claire. The baby he sacrificed twenty years with his soulmate for. He has no hope of earning back a place in her life and if mourning that loss was difficult for Heughan to play, he didn't show it for a second. His pain felt palpable and tangible, and what's more – believable, throughout the hour. I think realizing that Claire didn't hate him did something to ease his pain but nothing to heal the actual loss he feels like he has suffered.

Give me more Jamie and Claire or give me death. Just kidding. I don't want death. Unless it's Bonnet's.

2.9 out of 4 spirit tunnels

It feels like it should be less, but there wasn't anything terribly wrong with the episode. Am I crazy or was it a little dull?

Bits and pieces

This review was hard to write. Like squeezing water from a rock. Or whatever that analogy is.

It was fun seeing Ian squirm trying to play Dr. Phil for his aunt and uncle. He really didn't like seeing them ununited. So say us all, Ian. FYI, I know ununited isn't a word, but divided feels wrong.

How much time has passed? Sometimes Bree looked very obviously pregnant and sometimes not even a hint of it.

Not that it matters in any way but did Jocasta just tell us that Jamie and Jenny's brother Willie wasn't a Fraser by blood? I guess Ellen could've been knocked up by Brian.

How is Stephen Bonnet, a man wanted for murder, running around Wilmington without a care in the world while Murtagh is recognized and arrested on his first boys' night out?

Why did John change his mind and agree to marry Bree? More deference to Jamie?

This is me not mentioning how hideously distracting Claire's wig in particular was in the tent at the end.

Did you watch the preview for next week? I don't usually comment on previews but I have to say it seemed bizarre and disjointed. I watched it three times thinking that I must be missing something. Maybe I should try again when I'm not so exhausted.

Lizzie: "God in heaven, what have I brought you to? A monstrous darkness, you're possessed." Bree: "Lizzie, I'm not possessed. I'm hurt and angry." Lizzie: "It's all my fault." Bree: "No, you made an honest mistake."

Jocasta: "You canna live on hope."

Fergus: "In Milord's eyes, I'm whole but to them, here, I'm less than a man."

Marsali: "It is burden enough harboring a wanted man under our roof." Fergus: "He would do the same for me."

Marsali: "If I wanted him shot, I'd do it myself. Besides its be unfair to shoot him first as he didn't put his boots on my clean blankets."

Marsali: "I'll have a whole man or none at all."

Lord John: "Your father would never divulge to me anything that you did not wish me to know. He's an honorable man." Brianna: "Don't talk to me about my father."

Claire: "Sometimes it's hard to separate fact from fiction." Jamie: "When you dinna have two sides of the story, aye, it is." Oooooh, burn!

Claire: "I'm sorry I didn't tell you it was Stephen Bonnet when I knew. Had I, it might have saved Roger. I never thought I would keep a secret like that from you." Jamie: "Until Brianna." Claire: "When I made you that promise there was no one else in my life that would come before you. But I don't know if I can keep that promise anymore." Jamie: "I understand, but I cannot be a father to her." Claire: "Of course, you can. She's just hurt right now." Jamie: "She doesna need me. I never thought I'd be jealous of a dead man." Claire: "Of Frank?" Jamie: "You heard what Bree said. Frank would have never said those things to her or made the mistakes that I have." Claire: "Frank made plenty of mistakes. All parents do." Jamie: "Bree thinks he's a better man. I thought perhaps you were beginning to feel the same, Sassenach." Claire: "You fool. Come here. She didn't mean it. She doesn't want you to go to hell."

I honestly could have quoted everything they said in the tent. It was so very good and so classic Jamie and Claire straightforward(ness).

#Outlander #Claire Beauchamp #Jamie Fraser #Brianna Randall #Outlander Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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c-j-writes · 5 years

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Fictober 2019

Prompt #6 “Yes, I’m aware. Your point?”

[Untitled Gay Mess]

Rating: T

Warnings/Tags: Will involve drug abuse in later chapters

Chapter Six

My locker banged as I shut it a bit harder than necessary. I wasn’t in a good mood. Because of my stupid ankle injury, I had to get taken out of my gym class, so my morning was spent in the guidance office changing my schedule. Now, instead of the class that helped me keep my calm for the day, I’m headed to the library for a tutoring block. That was Coach Faye’s suggestion, which I couldn’t exactly dispute.

Crutching my way down the hallway, I felt like everyone was staring at me. My ankle was in its new cast, green, at my request, which in hinds sight, I should have realized would stick out like a sore thumb. My father pulled some strings with some guy he knew at some office somewhere and got me an appointment with an ortho doctor within a day. So, I got to stay home the rest of yesterday and wallow in my self-pity. It wasn’t pretty.

Darian texted me pictures of the team meeting after school and getting back on practice in my honor. It was supposed to cheer me up to know that they’re not just giving in because I’m out, but it just made me feel worse about not being able to be there. Sophie had been texting me on and off about cheerleader and football drama that I was missing and she thought I would have cared about.

The library was right next to the gym, so I got to see the doors before I had to turn away and walk into the library. As I was thinking about how to open the door without dropping a crutch, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I glanced over and huffed.

“What do you want, Mack?” My voice was probably snappier than usual, but to be fair, I’d had a hell of a few days.

“Are you okay? What happened to your foot?” Swiveling on my good ankle, I turned to face the brunette. Almost immediately after I looked up at her, I looked away, remembering that her face wasn’t good for my focus.

“I broke my ankle, it’s nothing.” I could feel her eyes searching for mine, but I wasn’t going to give in. I couldn’t deal with this right now, I had too much happening to think about her or why she won’t leave me alone or why her face made me panicky.

“It’s doesn’t look like nothing, Andrea.” And why does she have to sound so damn sincere?

“Well, it is nothing that you need to worry about, okay?” I turned back to the library door and wrenched one open, holding the crutch with my free hand. “And my name is Andy,” I said over my shoulder as I limped into the building. I pushed all thoughts of Mack out of my head. At least, as far out of my head as I was able to.

The library was far from quiet. Since it was still between periods, students were talking aimlessly as if the silent rule only existed within the constraints of class time.

It was a slow process getting from the entrance to the back of the building, where the private study rooms were. That’s where everyone in the tutoring program got to meet, otherwise, you had to book time int he rooms at least a month in advance. Not that I’d ever cared about using one.

My tutor wasn’t there when I struggled my way into the room. This whole crutch thing was going to take some getting used to. I took my time settling in and propping my ankle up on a chair next to me. The bell rang and I glanced out the window, into the main room, to see if anyone was approaching. Not a soul.

Whatever. If my tutor was absent, that meant that I basically got a free period. Pulling out my phone, I replied to yet another text from Sophie about some jock who got with some freshman. Just as I was refreshing a few social media apps, the door opened, startling me enough to jump slightly. I winced as my leg moved in an awkward way. When I looked up, my mouth went dry.

“Hey, sorry I’m late, I had to pick something up,” Kloe said, taking the seat across from me. Her hair was in a bun, with pieces sticking out at odd angles. She could pass for an artist. She started laying out a folder and a few sheets of paper, reading over something before looking at me expectantly. My eyes followed her movements, snapping up to her face when she cleared her throat.

“Um… hey, how’s it going?” I asked, lifting one corner of my mouth into a lopsided smile.

“It’s going fine, it would be going better if you could pay attention and get out the work you need to get done.” She leaned back in her seat, lifting an eyebrow. Shit. I was pissing her off.

“Sorry.” I leaned over and grabbed my bag, rifling through it to look for my math textbook. My neck burned as it turned red. I wasn’t used to feeling this anxious around anyone, but here I was stuttering and making a goddamn fool of myself. And it had to be in front of Kloe, of all people. As it was I couldn’t believe my luck that she was the one who had to witness just how much of a dumbass I was. “So, uh… you must be like some genius to be a tutor, right?”

“The school couldn’t transfer my AP courses from last year, so they thought the extra credit would make me forget about it.” She was one of the AP kids. That made sense.

“I had to get a study block because I broke my ankle and they took me out of gym.” I was hoping she’d think I was only there because it was an extra class and not because I was a total idiot.

“Yes, I’m aware. Your point?”

I just stared for a few seconds. If she was anything, it was blunt. “Nothing, just figured you should know that.” I trailed off at the end of that statement. I don’t think it was possible to sound any dumber. “So, I thought we should start on whatever you have due next unless there’s anything specific you want me to help with?”

By the end of the day, my arms were exhausted. Opening my locker, I had to lean my head against the frame for a few minutes to rest a little. A nap was calling my name. I actually started to doze off standing there when someone banged on the locker next to me. With a small scream, I jolted upright.

“What’s up, Crutchie?” Derrick laughed from where he stood next to Soph. She looked like she might slap him, but the emotion quickly left her face. His eye was dark purple from the other night when Mack punched him. I’d tease him if I weren’t afraid he’d bring up why I was with her.

“Hey, Ands,” Sophie said. She gave me a quick hug, careful not to mess with my leg. “How was your day?” I smiled at her. She was the only person who ever asked me that. It was a small thing, but I always noticed.

“My leg is killing me, but I’m alive, so I guess that’s something, right?” I answered.

“You’re so stupid, breaking your ankle on the second day of school?” I rolled my eyes.

“It’s not like I meant to.”

“Whatever, anyway, Liam’s throwing a party after the game this Friday and a little birdie told me he was really hoping you’d come.” Liam was a football player who thought he was hot shit for finally making the varsity team by our senior year. I guess he was good looking and Sophie basically tried to hook me up with any guy that was breathing and played a sport at our school. I just went along with it. What was I supposed to say? Hey, maybe try and scout a chick for me next time? Please. I’d be off the team and out of the loop in seconds.

“Liam’s not my type, I don’t go for asshole football guys.”

Derrick scoffed. “You don’t go for any guys.” Soph did smack him this time. I glared.

“Hey, I could still kick your ass, even with this busted ankle.” He rolled his eyes. My blood pounded in my ears. I wasn’t sure if it was just from anger or if there was some embarrassment in there too, but I didn’t care to think about it.

Sophie started pulling him away, always trying to avoid conflict between us. “Just, come next Friday, okay? A drink or two will make your ankle heal faster.” I didn’t know where the logic in that was, but I nodded anyway, closing my locker to start heading home.

#original story #she a bit short but she got the spirit #my ocs #fictober19 #untitled gay mess #prompt 6

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theleafpile · 6 years

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@dressedforthebills asked, in reference to the post I made stating that Solo: A Star Wars Story, is a bad movie:

What makes the writing bad? Plot? Structure? What stereotypes would that be?

So I’m just going to go over what’s fresh in my head, so there might be some pieces missing that I’m not particularly interested in. I enjoy the Star Wars movies and read a lot of fic about it, but I’m not a die-hard fan and haven’t read anything in the extended universe.

SPOILERS abound.

Rule #1 of Storytelling: Don’t tell the audience something they already know.

Solo already sort of breaks this rule simply by existing, but we could forgive that fact based on the idea that it was meant to show Han’s early years. However, this rule sticks out to me throughout.

We know Han won the Millennium Falcon from Lando in a card game - we see two (three?) card games played. It’s difficult to be invested in a card game when you don’t understand the rules. When they lay down their cards, we have no basis of understanding if they are good or not before being shown an in-world audience reaction, which throws off the beat. (At least in most card movies there is a shot of the cards and a voice over of the dealer saying what the hand is for those who don’t know, so the audience can see the cards and hear the hand and make the connection as though they made it themselves. So that could be a simple editing issue.)

We know Han and Qi’ra don’t end up together. We have no reason to be invested in their romantic arc. I could forgive this if they did something at the end like they did at the end of Casino Royale, where the pacing was thrown off because we thought Bond was really going to leave with Vesper, only to find out that she betrayed him at the end and he vowed to go back to work (and never fall in love again). But instead, at the end of Solo, we have Solo left on a beach wondering why the fuck the ship Qi’ra is on is suddenly leaving - was she trapped? Did someone else take over? Is she a hostage again? (all perfectly acceptable canon questions that Han would ask). There’s no clear cut image or moment to show that that was a betrayal, leaving us (and Han) confused.

Rule #1 of Romance: If you have to show two characters kissing to show they’re together, it’s bad writing.

The first scene with Qi’ra and Han breaks this rule. He’s running, in a panic - there’s no reason at all why he would suddenly stop what he was doing, switch gears immediately from panic to lust, and kiss her as he did. It’s a simple and fast way to show two characters are allied, but its boring. If he saw her hiding and waiting for him, and while running took her hand and dashed them to a safer place it would have 1) established that he is confident in his surroundings enough to hide (we love experts) and 2) shown them allied anyway.

They were able to show Qi’ra and Dryden Vos allied even though they never macked on one another, which I guess was to show that Qi’ra still had feelings for Han and that she wasn’t really on Vos’ side.

Qi’ra would have been a more interesting character if she were Han’s sister, not his love interest.

The guilt he feels for not be able to return to Corellia sooner and the worry he feels over her would have been more palpable if she were his blood relation, the only person in the world he had left and/or could trust, and the only person in the galaxy who could have actually relied on him - making seeing her on the yacht that much more of a surprise, showing that this girl who once relied on him has grown up.

Also, it would have made a neat parallel for Leia/Luke if there was any strange sexual chemistry between Han and Qi’ra’s actors.

No idea what planet Han was on as a soldier, their objectives, or the purpose.

Which, I guess, was the same as Han felt. If confusion was the goal, they got it. In the book, I guess, they give a reason why Chewbacca was caged there, but for the movie they didn’t tell us so it just felt very, you know. Contrived.

The heist scene doesn’t make any sense.

The goal was to attach the ship to one shipping container, detach the container, and lift it away. Which means that there was no reason to blow up the bridge ahead. Which means...

Val didn’t need to die during the heist.

There was no reason to kill her character. If they were doing this job, as Beckett said, to steal a bunch of coaxium for a gangster, then being a thief she would know the risk involved (i.e., Dryden Vos would kill them if they did not return with what was asked) and not be willing to sacrifice herself in the chance that 1) their failing plan would work, 2) Beckett would survive, 3) the coaxium would survive and 4) her life was worth saving Beckett.

Which, love, I guess. But seriously she had no reason to die. And, being the only black character of the group, it was pretty shitty that killed off her and the alien pilot and not one of the two white guys. Because plot. Of course.

Coaxium is apparently super unstable when unprocessed - but it’s okay to be tossed around.

Take any high school chemistry class and the teacher’s going to tell you that unstable materials are called that for a reason. All the moving around they do getting the raw coaxium out of the mine, loading it and transporting it on the ship, and the temperature heating up to the breaking point (yet still safe enough to get onto the other world, unloaded, and stuck in a container and plugged into something that I guess immediately neutralizes it) but it’s still able to be handled, without any safety gear, by Beckett when he takes “a drop” (not a unit of measurement) and shoves it into the fuel line of the Falcon.

I mean, hell. When it is processed look at Han so carefully gives the containers over to Dryden Vos. The audience is meant to think he’s being too extra careful because we think it’s fake and he’s overdoing it, but - no. That’s how you handle very explosive processed material. I guess the “super unstable” unprocessed material is okay, though.

Stereotypes.

Seems like Hollywood can’t make a movie lately without poking fun at “SJWs.” Enter L3. Who walked, talked, and sassed like a prototypical black woman. No thanks. She did have some funny lines, but I hate how her character’s actual correct ideas were treated as the punch line. (The same problem Hermione had with the SPEW stuff in the HP books.)

Lando is vain. He has a whole closet for capes. Unfortunately we don’t get to see him be or say anything vain at all whatsoever elsewhere.

The alien pilot at the beginning is like “I am here to state the theme and die.”

Major characterization problems - aka I don’t care about these people.

Qi’ra’s woe-is-me / you won’t look at me the same way if I’ve told you what I’ve done / you don’t know what I’ve done lines. The audience has no idea either, so I feel absolutely nothing when she says these lines. Was she a prostitute? Did she steal, lie, cheat? Did she make other people work for her? How did she get to be in Dos’ inner circle? No clue. It doesn’t make her mysterious. It makes her boring.

Enfrys Nest’s rebellion has nothing to do with rebellion against the Empire.

Meaning I don’t care about it. That twelve year old mercenary is rebelling against the crime syndicate, which is not affiliated with the rebellion. But wait -

There was zero indication that was Darth Maul speaking to Qi’ra.

Maul came from a planet where people just... looked like that. The actor was the same but much older, and it showed enough that I had zero inkling to think “oh, hey, that’s Darth Maul” who is a character I really liked. You know why else? Because Qi-gon Jin murdered his ass twenty years ago. I don’t think the Force can keep you alive after being sliced in half and sent down a bottomless well. That’s not how the Force works. They tried to make me think it by needlessly igniting his double bladed red lightsaber, but I was still like.. okay. Another Sith. Whatever.

Also. There’s no indication in the prequels that Darth Maul was the leader of a crime syndicate.

Things I liked:

- Making the Kessel run. The visuals were pretty cool with the tunnel vision, the Imperial ship, and darting off into the wild unknown with the eldritch monster. Here’s a good example at telling something the audience doesn’t know: Han cheated to do the run in 12 parsecs using the coaxium, which is why no one believes that he actually did that fast. So that’s funny. (”Not if you round down” was a cute line, too.)

- The riot scene with the droids at the mine. They were having a good time.

- Chewie helping his fellow Wookies to get free, and that moment where they touched foreheads. Small character movements like those make a big difference.

- Vos’ blades. That looked like kyber power, which means that those were probably super expensive, and that’s cool characterization.

So, no. I didn’t like Solo: A Star Wars Story. It added nothing to the characterization of Han or the Skywalker space opera universe we’ve all come to know and love. I know the prequels aren’t as beloved because of the political content, but I think a young Leia movie would’ve been a more worthwhile investment. We could have seen her on Alderran, a planet which we know nothing about, struggling with the life of being both royalty and a senator. We could’ve seen a young woman struggle to be taken seriously at her job that would have had actual in-universe repercussions for the storylines and characters we are familiar with. Yes, it could have had all the problems Solo did, but we would have known that Alderran would be blown up by the Empire, making us root for any chance we saw for characters to leave the planet (and be heartbroken when something required them to stay).

Young Leia was feisty, not afraid to stand up to Vader (of all people), and I want an origin story for her, dammit! I’m tired of men’s stories! Honor Carrie Fisher you cowards!

#star wars #asks #solo a star wars story #han solo

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hovercraft79 · 6 years

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This popped up on one of my regular news sites. Thought I’d share. For those not familiar, Slate.com is a left-leaning news and culture site. It’s definitely a different take on it.

Here’s the website. I don’t think I actually made it work as a link.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/07/31/netflix_s_the_worst_witch_reworks_a_classic_children_s_story_for_the_era.html

A naïve British tween discovers an inner trove of unusual powers and whisks off to a foreboding castle to learn the magical arts. The kid cultivates strong friendships with talented peers, harbors dangerous rivalries with snotty elites, and always seem to incur the withering fury of a goth-y potions teacher. Naturally, only they can save the day when the hijinks get a little too hard.

Sound familiar? Before the name “Harry Potter” dominated the zeitgeist, there was Mildred Hubble, the clumsiest kid to ever barely scrape by at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches, an all-girls magical boarding school staffed almost entirely by women. The Worst Witch, Jill Murphy’s popular children’s book series about a ne’er-do-well young sorceress, debuted in 1974 and has since inspired five screen adaptations, including a jaunty ’80s TV movie starring Fairuza Balk and Tim Curry as well as a majestic cult-classic ITV series that ran from 1998 to 2001. The latter, whose cast included Byronic goddess Kate Duchene as martinet potions mistress Constance Hardbroom, may have featured some of the best lesbian subtext in the history of children’s entertainment.

The Worst Witch’s big-budget 2017 reboot, created by CBBC and now streaming on Netflix, does not attempt to tap into the series’ camp history. Instead, writer Emma Reeves has carved something modern and sophisticated out of Murphy’s classic work, reworking the story’s timeless fish-out-of-water conceit for a young audience growing up in a tumultuous age of socio-economic fracturing. The only student of nonmagical origin at Miss Cackle’s, Mildred faces relentless discrimination from peers and instructors alike, revealing the false meritocratic scaffolding of a culture where magical ability alone is supposed to determine one’s worth. The newest iteration of Mildred is no longer merely maladroit; departing from the books and filmed versions, our protagonist is now less defined by her clumsiness than her culture shock.

Delving into our heroine’s home life more deeply than any previous version, this Worst Witch introduces 12-year-old Mildred (Game of Thrones scene-stealer Bella Ramsey) living in a dingy public housing flat with her single mother. She’s as klutzy and impulsive as ever, but the character’s signature sulk has been replaced with a gawping gob. (Seriously, Ramsey’s mouth doesn’t ever seem to close, as she’s constantly in a state of awe at the witching world.) One minute, she’s watching a girl her age zoom past her high-rise kitchen window on a broomstick, the next, she’s zipping off to orientation at her new friend’s school. After a series of complications and existential threats, Mildred stops Headmistress Cackle’s blowhard twin sister Agatha from taking over the school, and despite the faculty’s concern that a girl from her background can’t hack it at as a witch, she’s admitted to the school on a probationary basis.

There’s a whiff of eugenics in the air at Miss Cackle’s, a thousand-year-old institution more invested in maintaining blood legacies than opening its doors to talented but rough-hewn upstarts. The hierarchy is clear: The further back your magical pedigree goes, the higher your social status. Miss Cackle’s campus is dominated by small-minded conservatives: When we first meet Miss Hardbroom (Raquel Cassidy, all slithery drawl), she’s lamenting the unfitness of the next generation of witches. They couch the importance of exclusivity and heritability in language about respect for “the craft.” “The craft is in decline,” we’re constantly told, as adult after adult flattens Mildred’s self-esteem when her spells go awry or her flying is wobbly. To us, she’s raw talent; to them, she’s a dangerous interloper diluting their honor. At an orientation feast, the girls are told they are part of a primeval history: “For millennia, witches have been learning their craft at the site of ancient power, and now you yourselves will become Cackle’s girls. You will be carrying on our traditions as your mothers and grandmothers did before you, not to mention your great-grandmothers and your great-great-grandmothers.”

Episode after episode, Mildred struggles against the tide of prejudice. When the omnipotent Grand Wizard visits Miss Cackle’s and finds out she is of nonmagical origin, he assumes she’s not a witch at all and forces her to prove her powers. In an episodes-long arc, Mildred becomes obsessed with discovering at least one ancestor who attended Miss Cackle’s, as though lineage alone could prove she belongs there. Despite the series’ tonal cheeriness, it’s heartbreaking to watch this version of Mildred work so hard to seek social legitimacy by any means. Her earlier counterparts are melancholic about their academic abilities, but almost never about the very core of their sociopolitical identity. “If I were a proper witch I’d already know these things,” she grieves.

While the gritty-fication of children’s television is part of a larger current trend that also includes Netflix’s Anne with an E and Disney Channel’s Andi Mack, CBBC is breaking ground for social-emotional learning by openly questioning the political value of worshipping past glories. It’s a stark curriculum for today’s audience, going beyond a mere morality tale: Its lessons are immediately applicable in today’s heightened culture of fear and mistrust of newcomers, not to mention the desperate attachment to nostalgia. The Worst Witch is a clever and emotional nature-vs.-nurture debate shaped for a young audience that regularly witnesses Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and acid attacks on the news. “If you want this school to be great again, stand up and follow me,” demands Evil Agatha, the twin who wants to return Miss Cackle’s to an imagined past of witchcraft, before their culture faces further “dumbing-down.” Wanting your storied institutions to be great again is a cautionary theme for 2017, and it is heartening to see a rare children’s series so expertly push back against class stratification and xenophobia.

Robyn Bahr is a film and television critic whose writing has appeared in the Village Voice, L.A. Weekly, and other publications. She studies children’s media at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

#like we didn't know TWW17 was LEGIT #they think the 1998 series has the best lesbian subtext?#Raquel Cassidy; all slithery drawl

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averymessyxmas · 6 years

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Chapter 6: Grandma Rudy Arrives (10 Days till Christmas)

Janessa:

I woke up this morning feeling like a weight had finally been lifted off my shoulders. I never knew Vada still held on to that night, I kind of just put it behind me, and moved on. After Grandma Rudy surprised us. We all caught up with her in the living room, Mama and Daddy set her up a room, and we just all went to sleep, I was in pain from Vada’s slap when I woke up. “Damn it that girl can hit” I got dressed for the day and sat on my bed and called my husband on facetime. “Damn baby what happened” Dylan said seeing my face bruised on one side. I sighed. “Vada” I told him. He shook his head. “Damn, yall still beefing?” He asked. I shook my head. “No actually we made amends last night after she hit me” I told him. He smiled at me. “Your still beautiful, right Chase” Dylan said with Chase climbing all on him. “Yesth” He said with his little lisp not paying me any mind. “So I’m thinking fuck it, I should just come over today” He told me. I felt nervous a little. “I mean, yeah everything has calmed over here so far and daddy is happily in a relationship so he wouldn’t care” I said. I heard a knock at the door before it opened. I jumped but calmed down when I seen it was Grandma Rudy. “You scared me” I told her. She laughed and gave me a cup of something. I tasted it then made a face. “It’s eggnog with henny” She said. I laughed. Grandma Rudy always had to be drinking. “That’s that husband of yours?” She said. I nodded slowly but confused how did she know. “You wear your wedding ring like an idiot, if you trying to hide the fact your married child just take off the got damn ring” She said before sitting next to me. She snatched my iPhone. “Oooh I remember him, hey fine white chocolate you remember me?” She said smirking. I see Dylan nod and laugh through the camera. “Let me see that baby, Hey Grandma Rudy’s baby, he so cute, looking like coffee mixed with crème, a latte baby” She said sipping on her drink. I seen Chase look through the phone smiling. “You have a nice ass family Nessa; your daddy is going to kill you” She laughed before handing me my phone back. “Your grandma and my grandma shirl should meet” He said laughing. Grandma Rudy and I were on facetime with Dylan for an hour before he had to go because Chase was getting fussy and needed to eat. “So you and Vada made up?” She asked. I smiled yeah. “Does she know the rest?” Grandma Rudy said. I put face in my hands. “No, and I’m not telling her, it was in the past Grandma, were fine now” I told her getting up. If Vada found out we dated after she left for 2 years, and that I got pregnant, got an abortion she would be pissed at me even more.

Nori:

Ever since, I told Dre. I thought it would be easier for me, and I wouldn’t have to stress about hiding my pregnancy, but shit aint go to good when I told him. I been trying to listen to breathing exercises to calm down when I’m stressed. I heard a knock at my door. “Hold On!” I said. I put on my oversized jacket quickly and zipped it up. “Come in” I said. In walked Janessa. “You scared me Ness” I said. She smiled. “Sorry, How are you?” She asked. I shrugged. “I’m okay, just I’m always tired, he is always moving, I’m hungry. I want cereal at random times, and Doritos dipped in Ranch is like my go too, I just feel by myself” I stressed to her. She sat down on my bed, I sat next to her. She rubbed my stomach a little. “If things get to crazy here, you can come with us in L.A. I will help you” She told me. I smiled. She got off my bed, and opened the door. “I’ll see you downstairs” She told me. I stood up and looked at my mirror, and absurd my baby bump. My iphone started ringing. I noticed the number. I picked up the phone. I could hear him breathing on the phone. “Norielle” He finally said. “Yes”. “I, I want to apologize for blowing up on you, I was caught of guard”. He told me. I felt a tear drop of my cheek. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to tell you, I didn’t want to say it through a jail visit where we can’t even touch each other, I really need you right now Dre and you’re in there”. I said through my tears. “Nori, it was still fucked up man, I shouldn’t have questioned you but damn girl you showing, it ain’t like you just found out”. He said. “I was in denial Dre’, I didn’t know how far I was until I went to the doctor, I’m 5months, Im due May 15th.” I told him. “You know what we are having?” He asked. I smiled. “A boy”. I could hear him getting emotional on the other in of the phone. “I um, damn I’m have a son that’s crazy, and you were going to keep him from me”. I sighed. “Dre, I was not going to do that, I was not trying to leave you nothing My doctor said NO stress, I love you, I want us to have this big happy family but first you focus on getting out and I’ll focus on getting him here”. I told him. “I don’t have much time Nori, I love you and my son man” He hung up. “I was going to give you some drank but I see you can’t drink” I turned around and seen Grandma Rudy standing by my door. I was about to cry. “Please don’t tell Grandma” I stressed to her. She put the drinks down and hugged me. “Stop all that crying girl, I’m not telling nothing. I ain’t no snitch baby, I’m here for you. Now having a baby is a big responsibility. They cry, they shit, they take up all your damn time, you can’t drink cause you got to breast honey it’s a whole damn job, are you ready for this?” She asked me. I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know, I just know I love my baby already so much” I told her. “Well your still in school, that’s good, you got family that loves, although my daughter will shit a whole brick when she finds out good lord, but I got you baby” She told me. I nodded and hugged her. “Thank you, Grandma,”. “Baby get dressed, we are going out today”. She told me. I nodded and started to finish getting dressed.

Narkim:

I was sitting at the dining room table with Damien and Nylah eating Cereal when Nori and Grandma Rudy came downstairs. “So yall ain’t fucked yet?” I asked looking at Nylah and Damien. Nylah looked at me crazy, Damien smirked. “I mean I have tried” Nylah pushed him. “Boy please” I started laughing. That nigga D was blind asf La-La was feeling him and if he stopped trying to fuck old ladys then he would see how beautiful she was and how she been there for his dumb ass since diaper days but that aint my bizz. “Who fucked what?” Grandma Rudy said. She was lit. “Hey Grandma Rudy you got the juice, that good shit” I said. She winked at me and slid me a cup. “Oh its lit” She held her hand out. “I know you got that green for your granny now” She said. I smiled. “I gotchu G-ma” I told her. Momma walked downstairs looking nice. “Good morning babies” She said smiling. She kissed Grandma Ruby cheek. “Hi mama”. My mama said. Grandma Rudy looked at her suspiciously. “Who been in your draws Rice?” She asked my mama. “Ayye yo Grams nobody wants to hear about who been blowing my mama back out why we eating”. I told her. “Hush up boy how you think all yall got here” She said. My mom was humming around the kitchen, now she boujee, she never eats cereal so we all just stared at her as she made her some all smiley and shit. “Mommy you good?” Nori asked walking in. My mom nodded. “Mmmhm she done met somebody or got her groove back” Grandma Rudy said sipping on her “Special” drink. My mom normally would argue with G-ma but she just waved her off, yeah that’s nasty but somebody done made my mama happy, she aint get home till 2 am after she had been out all day, and Daddy left to go back to his apartment since they announced they divorce, shit was weird as fuck. My iphone started buzzing. It was Mack. I sighed and got up to go outside and take the call. Homie been scaring me since he pulled the strap on me, like made me one to get suited up too, just in case. I ain’t no bitch but I was scared to piss him off. “Yerr” I said. I could hear Mack laughing. “Nigga, don’t yerr me bitch, What happened to what’s up Bossman…anyways I don’t need you to fuck up on my shipment again young blood, I need you at 8pm asap, or I’m pull up on you again and it wont be pleasant, now I been letting you slide cause you my favorite but you missing out on my million dollar deal the other night hurt me, and as of recently I found out that you never got that brick to East Side a few months, but it’s all good just be there tonight get me this money, get me this merch and ill move up your pay and your position” He told me. My heart was racing. “Aight I got you, 8 pm don’t fuck up” I told him. He laughed. “You already know”. He ended the call. I heard the front door open, revealing my Grandma Rudy in her puffer jacket and a scarf drinking her liquor in a coffee cup. “Now I know you aint bout to roll one without your grams” She said. I smiled. “Nah I got you grams”. She nodded. “Nori told me you got yourself a range rover, and a condo in Buckhead”. She said smiling. I nodded. “Yeah, but keep that between us, I been saving at footlocker” I told her. She started laughing. “MJ used to be saving up at Taco Bell, lying ass nigga he was out there selling them drugs and being a want to be gangsta, I had to bail him out of jail so many got damn times, so I know when my grandkids up to no good” She told me. I passed her a blunt I had already rolled. We sat on the porch. “You know your twin is pregnant?” She asked me. I nodded. “Yeah man its tough for her with her baby daddy in jail and shit” I said. “How he get there?” She asked. I sighed. “Um they found a pack of cocaine in his car like a brick” I told her. She looked at me as I looked towards the drive way. “He was dealing too?” She asked me. I shook my head. “Nah, he like a honor student, Um G-ma don’t tell Nori this but I um I l had got scared cause the cops was checking my dorm for narcotics so I got scared, I aint want to go to jail so I noticed his car door was unlocked. I put it in his car”. I confessed to her. She shook her head at me. “That’s a shame, your sister struggling as it is to keep this secret of hers, you going to have to make this right or tell her, I can keep your secret Nari but you need to be a man and own up to this” She told me. I shook my head. “I can’t right now, she so damn fragile since she been pregnant, she would cut me off, or panic or lose the baby and I don’t want to stress her out, she stressed as is because of me”. I said. She passed the blunt to me. “Well it’s your mess baby, you figure it out”. The front door opened again, revealing Vada, Nori and Michael and Janessa, Damien and Nylah. I quickly put the blunt out. “Damn grandma Rudy you drunk and high?”. Vada asked. Grams shrugged. “Im what yall say lit?” She said smiling. Vada held her hand out. “What?” I asked. She smirked. “Pass me it, shit Im stressed I need to smoke” She said. “You got to share” Michael told her. She smiled. “Ofcourse”. “Aye yall mutherfuckas need to chill this my shit, but ima share” I said. They laughed. I lit the blunt and we all passed it around and we all smoked except Nori and Janessa. “So what’s the move?” I asked. “Well we all about to hit up the mall” She said. I nodded, “Yall have fun, I’m bout to go see my girl” I told them. After we smoked, G-ma, Vi and Mike, Damien and Nylah was smacked. They all got in the car with snacks and shit and pulled off. I started getting ready to go see my girl.

Vada:

When we pulled up to the mall, the first place we all went was the food court. Nori and Janessa and I split up from Michael, he wanted to get gifts from me and didn’t want me to see. Grandma Rudy ran off cause her boyfriend Charles met her up here. Damien and Nylah went their separate ways, so it was just me and my sisters. “The last time we all hung out like this Nori was like 9 or 10, we were babies now were grown that’s crazy, how have you been Nori, I haven’t catched up with you since I got here” I said to her. She went through her phone and slid it to me, it was picture of an ultrasound. “I’m pregnant, I’m 25 weeks, and I’m having a boy. Oh my God that felt so good to get off my chest” She said. I was staring at her and the picture in shock. I saw her and Narkim when they were born, I helped change them and bath them and I’m fucking shook. “Wow, your going to be a mom” I said in a daze still high. She smiled and nodded. “That’s weird to say, just keep this between yall, I will tell everyone else when I’m ready”. She told us. I nodded. “Where’s the father?” I asked. She showed me and Janessa a picture. “Oh girl he is fine, where are you hiding him?” I asked her. “He is in jail” She told me. I looked at her crazy. “Come again?” I asked. “He was wrongly accused, but he will be out soon” She said. I almost smacked her. “Well, I hope everything works out, I don’t want you out here being a baby mama”. I said to her. “I’m getting married, well hopefully Michael proposed earlier this month” I said. Nessa and Nori smiled. “Oh my gosh Vi, I’m so happy for you” Janessa said. “He wants to have time to tell Daddy, you know how he is” I said to them. Janessa nodded. “Don’t we”. I was curious to know why she was single. “You live alone in L.A?” I asked. She slowly shook her head. “I have a life out there, but right now I’m keeping it private” She told me. We sat and talked and ate our food just catching up on sister shit. “Vada? Vada Richards?” I heard a man say. I bought choked on my juice. “Omari?” I said. He held his arms out for a hug. I got up and hugged him. He smelt so got damn good. “Damn girl you are looking fine as hell, how are you?” He asked. “I’m good, how are you?” I asked. He smiled. “I’m good, I’m sorry about that night when you left, I was hurt, I felt so bad I didn’t know how that happened. I never meant to hurt you” He said. I nodded. “It was a decade ago, Im over it”. I said. “I’m actually here with my sisters, you of course remember Janessa, and this is my baby sister Norielle” I told him. He looked at Janessa. “Hey, Ness” He said. I don’t know why but him calling her “Ness” pissed me off. “Well it’s nice seeing you” I said. He pulled out his phone. “Can I get your number maybe we can meet up again?” He said. “Well who is this chocolate drip?” I heard Grandma Ruby say walking hand in hand with her man Charles. “Grandma, you just going to say that with Charles right there?” Nori said. She waved him off. “Old bat is losing his hearing, Right Charles!” She yelled in his ear. He smiled at her. “See, now who are you?” She asked Omari. “Hi, I’m an old boyfriend, Im Omari” He told her. Grandma Ruby dropped her smile and let go of Charles hand. “Oh you that nigga, that broke my Vada’s heart and then….”. “Grandma!” Janessa said cutting her off. Grandma Rudy stopped what she was saying. “You fine boy but you trifling, plus Vada already has a man and he is way sexier than you keep it in the family having ass, come on Charles” She said walking with him, looking at me. “I um well” Omari said. I awkwardly smiled. “We can maybe catch up on drinks but like she said I do have a man”. I told him. He nodded. We exchanged numbers, we hugged again, and he walked away. Michael walked up behind me hugging me from behind. Nori and Janessa looked at me and I glared at them, they could read that I was telling them to be quiet.

Damien:

“So, who is this girl that you are keeping from me?” Nylah said. Laying on my bed with her feet on the wall. “Nobody, just a little bitch I’m fucking” I told her. She laughed a little. “You like her?” She asked. I shrugged. “I mean I like the way I feel around her, but it’s not love” I said honestly. “What is love to you D?” She asked. I shrugged. “I don’t know, like some real vibe type shit, homies and lovers” I said. She started to get up and face me. “Well you love me?” She asked. I looked at her for a while. “Yes, I do” I said. She smiled. “Like a friend, like a sister, like a girlfriend?” She asked. I sighed. “I just love you, I mean I’d beat anybody ass for you, and kill for you, and like die for you type love” I said to her. She looked at me and then looked down, “I love you too”. We looked at each other for a minute, next thing I know we was making out on the bed.

“I um, I’m sorry La-La” I said to Nylah. She was putting back on her clothes. “Don’t be sorry” She said smiling. I smirked at her, “What are we, what is this?” She asked. I sighed, “Let me think for a minute” I told her. I walked up to her and kissed her. “I got you La and you got me, but if my moms find out we just had sex, you going to Nori’s room” I told her laughing. My phone buzzed, and I see I had a text from Kristen. “I’m outside, back yard.” I read. “I’m be back” I told Nylah. She nodded and grabbed her stuff to take a shower. I ran downstairs and went out the back door. I looked to see if Vada and Michael could see us, but their blinds were closed in the guest house. “Oh you making house visits now Ms. Madison?” I asked folding my arms. She looked at me. “I couldn’t think about our last encounter and I’m sorry for leading you on, can we please just move forward?” She asked. I inhaled deeply and nodded. “Sure whatever” I said. She looked at me shocked. “Really?” She asked. I nodded. “Yeah so you can get gone now” I told her. She stood there. “I um, I missed you” She said smiling at me. “Nah, we not doing this, you good fam you can go fuck the older version of me, and shit” I told her. She started coming on to me, doing that kissing on me shit. I was starting to fall for it. “He said you good!” I heard my grandma Rudy say. We both jumped. “Get your old ass away from my grandson bitch” Grandma Rudy said. She came out there with her henny bottle, and a blunt. Kristen ran off. “Spill it” She said to me sitting at the back-porch table. “I um, Nah you don’t want to hear it” I said to her. She gave me a stern look. “She’s my teacher, we were messing around until I found out she’ dad’s girl”. She started chugging her henny. “I aint drunk enough for this shit” She said getting up. “I aint gon say nothing to you knuckle head ass daddy, lets go inside”. She said to me. I walked upstairs, and I came in my room. “Want to go again?” Nylah said smiling at me. Now I know I got the juice, but damn these females go crazy for D’s D. “Let’s just chill tonight” I told her. She started laughing and nodded.

MJ:

I was up fixing a snack in the Kitchen, I couldn’t sleep since Danielle left place. My mom been out late these last 2 nights like she’s some 20-year-old girl what the fuck is going on in here. “Hey baby” My grandma said. “Hey Grandma Rudy”. I said. She was walking all over the place stumbling. She went to the radio set in the corner of the living room and started playing Boys 2 men “Let is Snow”. She started swaying around. “This my shit!” I nodded and laughed. “Alright grandma lets get you to bed” I said. She shook her head. “Can you take me to Charles house?” She asked. I groaned. “Alright let’s take you to your man’s house”. She packed a bag that she called a “Dick Appointment bag”, my grandma be tripping man. We got in my car and started driving, Charles lived just 35minutes away. “Where Dani?” She asked me. “Um with her family” I said. She nodded. “I’m happy yall still together even after you tried to get back with Gia”. She told me. I shook my head. “Let’s not bring that up grandma” I told her. “What? I’m glad you decided to end that break yall had to go back to her” She said. I shrugged. “I think She’s cheating on me Grandma, she been hiding shit staying out all night” I said to her. She looked at me. “That’s cause you think when yall had that break she fucked around on you too, sometimes women just need a man to be there, you got to be there” She told me. We talked a little bit before I dropped her off. I sat in the drive way of Charles house before I thought about what she said. I drove to Douglasville to Dani’s fam’s house to see her and my kids. When I pulled up at the house, I seen her, and some nigga laughing in the window. I was so fucking mad I wanted to drive through that damn house. “Fuck this!” I banged on the door. The door opened revealing my wife. Her smile went to a scared look. “Malcom, what are you doing here, I told you I’d be back tomorrow” She said. I laughed. “You up here with that nigga with my kids Dani!” I yelled. She shook her head. “Malcom please he’s my cousin” She snapped. “Man fuck you” I said. I got in my car and drove to some place familiar. I knocked on the door. “MJ what are you doing here?” Gia asked. “Can I crash here?” I asked. She nodded and let me in.

Characters:

Omari: Now (Lance Gross)

Mack: (Quavo)

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bostonmagpie · 6 years

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The Feast of the Peacock

A tribute.

James had disappointed her, so now it was time to make reparations.

The idea had long been simmering, but it wasn’t until he was stuck in the white, sterile walls of the hospital room that the idea had been given the breath of life.

(It was nice to have had something to throw himself into. Schoolwork was useful for this purpose, to some degree, but it wasn’t quite the same. There were four things that weighed the heaviest upon him, and nowhere else to release it to.

The sickness that lingered, that made death seem peaceable in comparison.

The sacrifices he had made, and how very alone it made him feel now.

The fact that he didn’t get a task, and all that it implied.

The fact that now he had missed two, three weeks of academics. Even with all the sweetest emails in the world, he had missed deadlines, tests, quizzes, assignments, projects, valuable lectures, notes, and discussions that were irreplaceable. There was a difference between aiming for perfection and slightly missing the mark, and struggling to even pass the bare minimum for his scholarship.)

The chance to bury himself chin-deep into a task that was both enjoyable and formidable was welcomed greatly, and besides he’d been disappointed by the weak and limping parties he’d so far attended in Whitebridge. If he wanted something done right, he supposed would have to do it himself.

There was, of course, the added bonus of showing off. It was an answer to the third item on his list. James was useful. Beyond his gorgeous face and his stellar grades, it displayed that he had: one, excellent project management skills (good practice for the three hundred charity galas he will have to throw as future first First Husband) and two, broad-reaching social influence and the ability to mobilize several hundreds with a few key moves.

The word was already out, and the whispers spread fast and wild and returned to him in bursting notifications in every social media account. Only barely a day out of the hospital, James was still not at his peak, but - it would do.

Just to check, he gave the meticulously constructed Gantt chart a glance:

VENUE - COMPLETED

He had considered a fair amount of venues - Mack’s apartment (too small); the Red Lantern (blasé); a gorgeous, glowing rave in the woods (the weather too sporadic, presenting too many logistical issues, difficult to supervise); a pool party (everything that was wrong with the woods, plus the dangers of the water, the filthiness of sharing a single source of water with several hundreds of college students, and the fact that James had quite enough of water now).

It was with his mystery texter’s help that he had determined that one of his - friends of friends, perhaps - Nessa-Patricia Cameron, was saddled with a gorgeous country mansion by the outskirts of Whitebridge that was never in use. Ness, the darling, loved parties like this but could never throw one of her own, and so was a very willing contributor. It was vast, it was spacious, well-ventilated, and with plenty of escape routes; and while it would require clean-up and set-up, it could easily hold the thousand or so he aimed for. The venue was fully secured.

LOGISTICS - GOODS & SERVICES - COMPLETED

This was the... difficult part. James had no resources of his own. It was the resources of about six to eight (depending on how one counted) benefactors that allowed the party to rise to its current state. Their contributions allowed James to bring everything together without even a cent from his side.

The alcohol came rather easily. Attaching the word free-flowing was always a challenge when it came to parties, especially when the alcohol that James required was of the price tag that it was. After all, it was always the cheap kegs and wines in boxes that he complained about when attending the parties of others. James liked to rise to challenges, and this particular one, perhaps the greatest success of his party, only required the rekindling of a friendship with his favourite Arnault brother, who so kindly provided him with all that he needed - the belle of the ball, the peacock ice sculpture centerpieced champagne fountain of Moët & Chandon (though, of course, for the best and most important of his friends he had secured some several cases of Dom Pérignon), and an endless amount of Belvedere and Glenmorangie.

His dear friend had been kind enough to include a few sample bottles of some others, but mostly James had seized this for himself, and for the rest of his alcohol did have to gather up several thousands from certain other friends-slash-benefactors, filling an entire room with supplies to last through the night, a wide variety of mid-range to high-end alcohols and mixers to accompany and to be served by themselves. Accordingly came with were servers and bartenders, several at a time as not to clog up certain spaces. Fire hazard codes were not exactly the priority of many college party planners, but James was... cautious, when it came to certain things.

(The drugs, James would deny firmly any involvement in or awareness of. That it was in the same thematic colors was purely coincidence. In any case, this was a task theoretically delegated to others with more colorful leanings.)

The DJ was an offer of a friend. He knew that this was easily very expensive, and he left this up to another benefactor to procure. It was a rather nicely-sized name, this DJ - not Marshmello or Tiësto, which not even he had hoped for in a party of all of two weeks of planning - but James didn’t particularly care, probably not even planning to pay attention to it through most of the night.

Beyond that, he’d recruited manpower to remain sober and watch over partygoers’ health, as well as a crew to clean up the inevitable wreck that would remain afterwards. James hated clean-up, so he wasn’t going to be part of that unless he absolutely had to.

Logistics were secured.

GUEST LIST - COMPLETED

Clout. Who had clout with whom? At this point, James was in the process still of forming a reputation, only having been in Whitebridge for all of two months. He was known well enough in Andover, but without a name to back him up, he had had to start again almost from square one in Whitebridge. He’d managed to slip his fingers into a few key pies, a frat president or so, a quarterback here and there, student council president - but his ideal guest list neared a thousand, and it would be tedious to have to send an invite to each and every one. That was what connections were for - a few words would suffice and bleed through to the rest. And, oh, what wonderfully well-connected friends he had.

James had 75% of the sports teams down, at least eight greek letters (though two of them were currently in a war, and so James might have to prepare for that somehow); most mover-shakers, elevated student leaders, anyone with at least three towns named after their family or an immediate family member in Forbes' World's Billionaires list, each and every influencer of Whitebridge - these key figures, their crews, and at their discretion whoever they found important enough to invite. Once the ball had began to roll with the first few, there was no more effort required from James. His guest list was secured.

(Except. Again. He knew that nine of the most important would not be able to be there. How unfortunate. How beautifully it could potentially narrow down his list.)

THEME - COMPLETED

The Peacock.

This entire party was for her.

More than simply halfhearted decoration, the bird was the entire undercurrent which ran through the party - the blood itself that ran through the veins of this party, that which gives it life, that from which its very idea arose. It could be nothing less than worship, nothing less than a feast in honor of a goddess.

Flamboyance. Feathers. Vibrant, iridescent greens, blues, and purples, gorgeous splashes of yellow. Glow-in-the-dark walls that resembled the patterns of the eyespots in the peacock’s extravagant plumage. His darling Gia had offended the good bird with her graffiti, and so James made reparations, too: in giant, glowing letters was the name ‘PEACOCK’, just in case it was not obvious enough to everybody what the theme of this party was. Every corner, every wall, every table, every inch of surface detailed intricately. Art majors were so terribly brilliant.

(He had considered bringing an actual peacock into the mix. It seemed like a terrible idea, but he didn’t fully discount it quite yet. He still had the number, if the whim struck him.)

He had considered vaguely the idea of masquerade, beautiful feathered masks in the same colors, but he had another purpose for this party, and that purpose required faces to be seen, required observation to be possible. Besides, in tribute they all ought to bare themselves to their deity, to show off their best selves without hindrance or doubt.

In vanity, the Peacock written - and if there was anything that could feed more into one’s vanity than to be raised to the level of a god and worshipped, celebrated, revered - for a revelry, a feast to be held in her name and in her honor, James didn’t know what it was.

Hopefully, she would take it.

#self para #voliere event

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