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harmonytre-reblogs · 4 years ago

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“This is how I think of “shipping”: When you start shipping someone, it starts out as a little sailboat. As hints are seen (in the actual show, movie, book, game, etc.), the sailboat slowly grows larger. When it becomes canon, the boat becomes a giant pirate ship with cannons (get it?). If the people suddenly break up, that means the ship ran into a giant Broken-Love-Iceberg.“

-me (HarmonyTRE)

(P. S. All of these I ship platonically too, and the younger couples are only wholesome. NONE of these I ship in more than romantic ways. And some of them I don’t ship now, but shipped when I was younger so they feel nostalgic. So if the ship seems odd, it’s probably that asdfghjkl.)

Key:

Fandom/show/movie/game/short film/etc.

Ship

Semi-ship

!:OTP

Index:

Never Draw

Commission Only

Shows

Movies

Games

Other Media (short films, comics, etc.)

Live Action

Steven Universe AUs

Undertale AUs

Not Finished/Caught Up

(long, so I’ll put under the cut)

Never Draw:

Frisk/Sans (fr.ans)

Keith/Lance (kl.ance)

Shiro/any of the minor paladins

Papyrus/Chara (?)

Papyrus/Sans (fon.tcest)

Steven/gem ships

Steven/Pink Steven

Commission Only (won’t do for requests, challenges, etc.)

Lance/Allura (Allurance, Cotton Candy, Mr. and Mrs. Blue Lion)

Au Sanses (unless listed, and only if they have clearly different personalities, appearances, and names)

Allura/Shiro (Shallura)

Shows

Voltron: Legendary Defender

!Pidge/Lance (Plance)

Keith/Allura (Kallura)

Hunk/Shay (Hunay)

Romelle/Matt (Romatt)

Pidge/Hunk (Punk)

Hunk/Romelle (Hunelle)

Keith/Axca (Kaxca)

James/Ina (Leiffin)

Keith/Pidge (Kidge)

Ryan/Nadia (Kindia)

Lotor/Allura (Lotura)

Krolia/Tex (Krolidad, Krolitex)

Zarkon/Honerva (Zanerva)

Krolia/Kolivan (Kolivan)

James/Veronica (Jamonica)

Miraculous: The Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

!Marinette/Ladybug/Adrien/CatNoir (Love square, Marichat, Adrinette, Ladynoir, Ladrien)

!Alya/Nino (DJWiFi)

Mylene/Ivan (Myvan)

Penny/JaggedStone (Jaggenny)

Plagg/Tikki (CheeseCake)

Nathaniel/Alix (Nathanix)

Kim/Ondine

Rose/Juleka

Steven Universe

Steven/Connie

Ruby/Sapphire

Sadie/Lars

Pearl/Bismuth

Volleyball/Spinel?

Pearl/Volleyball

She-ra and the Princesses of Power (SPoP) {Double Trouble, Glimmer, Entrapta, Wrong Hordak}

!Glimmer/Bow (Glow, Glimbow)

Seahawk/Mermista (Seamista)

Entrapta/Hordak (Entrapdak)

Catra/Adora (Catradora)

Scorpia/Perfuma (Scorfuma)

Spinerella/Netossa (Spinnetossa)

*Star vs. the Forces of Evil (Marco, Janna, Tom, Star}

!JanTom

!Starco

Eclipsa/Globgor

Jackie/Chloe

Trolls

!Branch/Poppy (Broppy)

Phineas and Ferb

Phineas/Isabella (Phinabella)

Candace/Jeremy (Candermemy)

Baljeet/Ginger (Baljinger)

RWBY

!Ren/Nora (Renora)

Ruby/Oscar

Sun/Blake (BlackSun)

Pyrra/Jaune (Arcos)

Weiss/Neptune (Iceberg)

Velvet/Fox (Zootopia)

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

Troy/Benson (Trenson)

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Yadomi/Anjo

Yukiatsu/Tsurumi

The Dragon Prince

!Callum/Rayla

Amaya/Janai

My Little Pony (MLP)

!Fluttershy/Discord (Fluttercord)

!YonaYak/Sandbar (Yonabar)

DerpyHooves/DoctorWhooves (DerpyWhooves)

PinkiePie/CheeseSandwhich (CheesePie)

BigMac/SugarBelle

Ember/Thorax (Emberax)

Sunburst/StarlightGlimmer (StarBurst)

ZephyrBreeze/Treehugger

HTTYD (How to Train Your Dragon) (any show besides Race to the Edge, because I haven’t seen it)

Hiccup/Astrid (Hiccstrid)

Fishlegs/Heather (Feather)

Toothless/Nubless (Nightlight)

Pokemon {seen all but seasons 8-15, 21+}

!Jessie/James (Rocketshipping, KojiMusa, JAJL)

Ash/Misty (Pokeshipping, Sakashipping, Gakishipping, Bikeshipping, Sushishipping, AAML, Twerpshipping)

!Serena/Clemont (Geekchicshipping)

Lana/Sophocles (Sparksurfershipping)

Butch/Cassidy (Neoshipping)

Serena’sSylveon/Clemont’sBunnelby (Fairybunnyshipping)

Brock/Lucy (luckshipping, squintshipping, blushshipping)

Casey/Georgio

NurseJoy/Nicholas (from Celebi episode)

Hal/Elisa

May/Drew (Contestshipping, ShuHaru, DAML, Mew, Day)

Togedemaru/Pikachu (SpikyPika)

Serena/Jimmy

Brock/Wilohmena (Sissyshipping)

Glitch Techs

Zahra/Five (?)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA)

Sokka/Toph (Tokka)

Zuko/Katara (Zutara)

Katara/Aang (Kataang)

Suki/Sokka (Sukka)

Movies

Rise of the Guardians

Jack/ToothFairy

Big Hero 6

Gogo/Fred (Gogozilla)

HoneyLemon/Tadashi (Tadahoney)

Your Name (Kimi no na Wa)

Taki/Mitsuha

Katsuhiko/Sayaka

Miki/Tsukasa

A Silent Voice

ShoukoNishima/ShoyaIshida

Leap! (Ballerina)

Victor/Felicie (Felictor)

Inside Out

Riley/Jordan

Anger/Disgust (Angust)

Wreck-it-Ralph (and Breaks the Internet)

Felix/TamoraCalhoun (Hero’s Cuties)

Trolls

Branch/Poppy (Broppy)

Hotel Transylvania

Jonathan/Mavis (Jonavis)

Smurfs: The Lost Village

Smurfette/Hefty

PapaSmurf/Smurfwillow

Brainy/Smurfblossom

Clumsy/Smurfstorm

Zootopia

Judy/Nick (WildeHopps)

Coco

Hector/Imelda

Pepita/Dante?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (and 2)

SamSparks/FlintLockwood (Sparkswood)

Lego Movie (and 2nd)

Emmet/Lucy

Tangled

Rapunzel/Eugene

Frozen

Anna/Kristoff

Megamind

Megamind/Roxanne (Megarox)

Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

Miles/Gwen

Games

Undertale

!Toriel/Sans (Soriel)

Undyne/Alphys (Alphyne)

Muffet/Mettaton (Muffaton)

!Nice Cream Guy / Burgerpants (Nicepants)

Sans/Grillby (Sansby)

Gaster/Asgore (Kingdings)

Toriel/Asgore (Asgoriel, Torigore)

Asgore/Rudy (?)

Grillby/Muffet (?)

Royal Guards

Deltarune

Noelle/Susie (Suselle)

Henry Stickmin

Henry/Charles (Chenry, Stickvin)

Riddle School

Phil/Smiley

Other media (short films/comics/etc)

Paperman

Meg/George

Live Action

Psych

Juliet/Shawn (Shules)

The Space Between Us

Gardner/Tulsa

The Goldbergs

Erica/Geoff

Barry/Laney

Adam/Jackie

The Greatest Showman

Barnums

PhillipCarlyle/AnneWheeler

The Librarians (tv series)

!Cassanda/Ezekiel (Casekiel)

Eve/Flynn (Fleve)

Jacob/Serina

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Klaus/Fiona

Violet/Duncan

Jacques/Olivia

Alex Inc.

Eddie/Deidre

Scrubs

JD/Elliot (Jelliot)

Turk/Carla

The Office

Pam/Jim (PB&J)

Michael/Holly

Dwight/Angela

Drop Dead Diva

Stacy/Fred

Stacy/Owen

Jane/Gracen

Jane/Ian

Stranger Things

Mike/Eleven (Mileven)

Nancy/Jonathan (Jancy)

Joyce/Hopper (Jopper)

Lucas/Max

Chuck

Chuck/Sarah

Timeless

LucyPreston/WyattLogan

RufusCarlin/Jiya

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

Zoey/Max

Steven Universe AUs

Feral Beast Steeb

Feractus

Pink Steven AU

Connverse

Cactus Steven AUs Blog

Feractus

LISTEN ALL NIGHT (suf-fering)

Connverse

Undertale/Deltarune AUs

Timetale AU (Punny Skele-scientist, Allesia the Hedge)

Sans/Alphys (Salphys)

Paper Trail (lynxgriffin)

Susie/Noelle (Suselle)

Overtale (yuramec version)

Sans/Toriel (Soriel)

*Underswap

Sans/Napstablook (Napstasans)

Underfell

Sans/Toriel (Soriel)

Payryus/Mettaton (Papyton)

Alphys/Undyne (Alphyne)

*Outertale

Sans/Toriel (Soriel)

Sans/Grillby (Sansby)

Handplates

Gaster/Alphys (Bi-entists)

Crossover

Insans/Sappy

Rain/Imposter (platonic)

Not finished/caught up

Fruits basket{season 2}

Tohru/Kyo (Kyoru)

Ritsu/Mitsuru

Wild Kratts {quite a lot to catch up on}

JimmyZ/Koki (Joki)

My Hero Academia/Boku No Hiro Academia {recent season}

!DenkiKaminari/KyoukaJirou (Kamijirou)

IzukuMidoriya/OchakoUraka (Izuocha)

EjirouKirishima/MinaAshido (Kirimina)

ShoutoTodoroki/MomoYaoyoruzu (Todomomo)

FumikageTokoyami/TsuyuAsui (Tokotsuyu)

MashiraoOjiro/TooruHagakure (Ojitooru)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) (TMNT) {half of final season}

April/Donatello (Apritello)

Raphael/Mona

Leonardo/Karai (Leorai)

Mikey/Renet (Renetangelo)

The Flash {recent 1-2 seasons}

Barry/Iris (Westallen)

!Kaitlyn/Cisco (Snowmone, Snowvibe, Killervibe, Frostvibe, Vibefrost)

Joe/Cecile (Joecile)

HRWells/TracyBrand

Ralph/Izzy

Digimon Tamers {missed quite a lot because my brother watched without me}

Juri/Takato (Jurato)

Rika/Ryo (Ryuki)

Kingdom Hearts

Sora/Kairi

Once Upon a Time (OUaT)

CaptianHook/EmmaSwan (CaptainSwan)

Belle/Rumpilstiltskin (Rumbelle)

Regina/Robin (OutlawQueen)

Doctor Who

TheDoctor/Riversong (Twiver)

Amy/Rory (Ponds)

God Friended Me {just part of 1st season}

Kara/Miles

Heroes {just starting season 2}

Hiro/Charlie

#fandom #ships #just personally #oh goodness there's some weird ships #more organizing #HarmonyTRE #last thing btw phew

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aion-rsa · 3 years ago

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Once Upon a Time in America Is Every Bit as Great a Gangster Movie as The Godfather

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This article contains Once Upon a Time in America spoilers.

The Godfather is a great movie, possibly the best ever made. Its sequel, The Godfather, Part II, often follows it in the pantheon of classic cinema, some critics even believe it is the better film. Robert Evans, head of production at Paramount in the early 1970s, wanted The Godfather to be directed by an Italian American. Francis Ford Coppola was very much a last resort. The studio’s first choice was Sergio Leone, but he was getting ready to make his own gangster epic, Once Upon a Time in America. Though less known, it is equally magnificent.

Robert De Niro, as David “Noodles” Aaronson, and James Woods, as Maximillian “Max” Bercovicz, make up a dream gangster film pairing in Once Upon a Time in America, on par with late 1930s audiences seeing Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney team for The Roaring Twenties or Angels with Dirty Faces. Noodles and Max are partners and competitors, one is ambitious, the other gets a yen for the beach. One went to jail, the other wants to rob the Federal Reserve Bank.

Throw Joe Pesci into the mix, in a small part as crime boss Frankie Monaldi, and Burt Young as his brother Joe Monaldi, and life gets “funnier than shit,” and funnier than their more famous crime films, Goodfellas and Chinatown, respectively. Future mob entertainment mainstays are all over Once Upon a Time in America too, and they are in distinguished company. This is future Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly’s first movie. She plays young Deborah, the young girl who becomes the woman between Noodles and Max, and she even has something of a catch-phrase, “Go on Noodles your mother is calling.” Elizabeth McGovern delivers the line as adult Deborah.

When Once Upon a Time in America first ran in theaters, there were reports that people in the audience laughed when Deborah is reintroduced after a 35-year gap in the action. She hadn’t aged at all. But Deborah is representational to Leone, beyond the character.

“Age can wither me, Noodles,” she says. But neither the character nor the director will allow the audience to see it beyond the cold cream. Deborah is the character Leone is answering to. She also embodies the fluid chronology of the storytelling. She is its only constant.

The rest of the film can feel like a free fall though. Whereas The Godfather moved in a linear fashion, Once Upon a Time in America has time for flashbacks, and flashbacks within flashbacks, and detours that careen between the violent and the quiet. It’s a visceral experience about landing where we, and this genre, began.

Growing up Gangster

Both The Godfather and Once Upon a Time in America span decades; it’s the history of immigrant crime in 20th century America. But they differ on chronological placement. Once Upon a Time is set in three time-frames. The earliest is 1918 in the Jewish ghettos of New York City’s Lower East Side.

Young Noodles (Scott Tiler), Patrick “Patsy” Goldberg (Brian Bloom), Philip “Cockeye” Stein (Adrian Curran) and Dominic (Noah Moazezi), are a bush league street gang doing petty crimes for a minor neighborhood mug, Bugsy (James Russo). New on the block, Max (Rusty Jacobs) interrupts the gang as they’re about to roll a drunk, and Max makes off with the guy’s watch for himself. He soon joins the gang, and they progress to bigger crimes.

The bulk of the film takes place, however, from when De Niro’s Noodles gets out of prison in 1930, following Bugsy’s murder, and lasts until the end of Prohibition in 1933. Max, now played by Woods, has become a successful bootlegger with a mortuary business on the side. With William Forsythe playing the grown-up Cockeye and James Hayden as Patsy, the mobsters go from bootlegging through contract killing, and ultimately to backing the biggest trucking union in the country as enforcers. They enjoy most of their downtime in their childhood friend Fat Moe’s (Larry Rapp) speakeasy. Noodles is in love with Fat Moe’s sister, Deborah, who is on her way to becoming a Hollywood star. The gang’s rise ends with the liquor delivery massacre.

The final part of the film comes in 1968. After 35 years in hiding, Noodles is uncovered and paid to do a private contract for the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Christopher Bailey… Max by a different name who 35 years on has been able to feign respectability and make Deborah his mistress. An entire life has become a façade.

Recreating a Seedier Side of New York’s Immigrant Past

While The Godfather is an adaptation of Mario Puzo’s fictional bestseller, Once Upon a Time in America is based on the autobiographical crime novel, The Hoods. It was written by Herschel “Noodles” Goldberg, under the pen name of Harry Grey while he was serving time in Sing-Sing Prison.

Coppola’s vision in The Godfather is aesthetically comparable to Leone’s projection. From the opium pipes at the Chinese puppet theater to the take-out Lo Mein during execution planning, the multicultural world of old New York crowds the frames and the players in both films. Most of Once Upon a Time in America was shot at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. The 1918 Jewish neighborhood in Manhattan was a street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which was made to look exactly as it had 60 years earlier.

Leone skillfully, yet playfully, captures the poverty of immigrant life in New York. The first crime we see the four-member gang commit could have been done by the Dead End kids. They torch a newspaper stand because the owner doesn’t kick up protection money to the local mug. And like the Dead End kids, they needle their mark, and joke with each other. At the end of the crime, Cockey is playing the pan pipe, and the very young Dominic is dancing. They are proud of their work and enjoy it. It’s fun to break things for money. And even better when they get a choice between taking payment in cash or rolling it over into the sure bet of rolling a drunk.

Violence without the Cannoli

Gangster films, like Howard Hawks’ Scarface and William A. Wellman’s The Public Enemy, were always at the forefront of the backlash to the Motion Picture Production Code. Which might be why gangster pictures were one of the first genres to benefit from the censors’ fall. A direct line can be drawn from the machine gun death which ends Bonnie and Clyde (1967) to the toll-booth execution of Sonny Corleone (James Caan) in The Godfather. Another from when Moe Greene (Alex Rocco) gets one through the glasses and Joe Monaldi gets it in the eye in Once Upon a Time in America.

The Godfather has some brutal scenes. We get a litany of dead Barzinis and Tattaglias, horse heads and spilled oranges. Once Upon a Time in America ups the ante though. The shootings and stabbings are neat jobs compared with the beatings, which allow far more artistic renderings of gore, and pass extreme scrutiny. The one time the effects team balks at a payoff is when it’s not as gruesome as the setup.

“Inflammatory words from a union boss,” corporate thug Chicken Joe asks as he is about to light Jimmy “Clean Hands” Conway O’Donnell on fire. The mobster has such a nice smile, and the union delegate, played by Treat Williams, looks so pathetic while dripping gasoline that it feels like it might even be a mercy killing. It is a wonderful set piece, perfectly executed and timed. When Max and Noodles, and the gang defuse the situation, rather than ignite it, it is a lesson in the dangerous balance of suspense.

Like many specific scenes in Once Upon a Time in America, Conway’s incendiary introduction would’ve worked in any era. This is the turning point for the gang. The end of Prohibition is coming and all those trucks they’re using to haul liquor can be repurposed for a more lucrative future.

“You Dancing?”

Music is paramount in both Leone’s and Coppola’s films. The Godfather is much like an opera, the third installment even closes the curtain at one. Once Upon a Time in America is a frontier film. The score was composed by Ennio Morricone, who wrote the music behind Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The film opens and closes with Kate Smith’s version of “God Bless America.” Though the scene occurs during the 1968 timeframe, the song comes out of the radio of a car seemingly from another point in time.

Morricone’s accompaniment to Once Upon a Time in America is as representational as Nino Rota’s soundtrack in The Godfather. Characters, settings, situations, and relationships all have themes, which become as recognizable as the Prohibition-era songs which flavor the period piece’s ambience. Fat Moe conducts the speakeasy orchestra through José María Lacalle García’s “Amapola” while grinning dreamily to Deborah who is chatting with Noodles. He’s a romantic.

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The music becomes part of the action in Once Upon a Time in America. Individual couples cut their own rugs, doing the Charleston between tables as waiters and cigarette girls glide by. Cockeye, who has been playing the pan pipe since the beginning of the film, wants to sit in with the band.

Forsythe almost steals Once Upon a Time in America. He cries what look like real tears at the mock funeral for Prohibition and drinks formula from a baby bottle during the maternity ward scene. The blackmail scheme, which involves swapping infants, plays like an outtake from a Three Stooges movie, something Coppola would never dare for The Godfather. The ruse is choreographed to the tune of Gioachino Rossini’s “The Thieving Magpie,” which elicits the youthful thuggery celebrated in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.

Devils with Clean Faces

One ironic difference between the two films is whimsy. The Godfather, which glorifies crime as corporate misadventure, is a serious movie with no time for funny business. Once Upon a Time in America, which is an indictment of criminal life, has moments of innocence as syrupy as in any family film (of the non-crime variety) and can be completely kosher. It’s sweeter than the cannoli Clemenza (Richard Castellano) took from the car, or the cake Nazorine (Vito Scotti) made for the wedding of Don Vito’s daughter.

The scene where young Patsy brings a Charlotte Russe to Peggy in exchange for sex is a masterwork of emotive storytelling. He chooses a treat over sex. On one level, yes, this is a socioeconomic reality. That pastry was expensive and something he could never afford to get for himself. But as Patsy sneaks each tiny bit of the cream from the packaging, he is also just a child, a kid who wants some cake. He learns he can’t have it and eat it. It is so plainly laid out, and so beautifully rendered.

The Corleone family never gets those moments, not even in the flashbacks to Sicily or as children on the stoop listening to street singers play guitars. We know little of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) or Sonny as youngsters, much less teenagers, and are robbed of their happier moments of bonding. We know they are close, they are family. But Michael has his own brother killed while Noodles balks at the very idea. Twice, as it turns out.

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“Today they ask us to get rid of Joe. Tomorrow they ask me to get rid of you. Is that okay with you? Cos it’s not okay with me,” Noodles tells Max after the gang delivers on a particularly costly contract, double-crossing their partners in a major diamond heist. They are not blood family, but from the moment Max calls Noodles his “uncle” to fool a beat cop, they are all related.

Noodles then does what young men in coming-of-age movies have done since Cooley High: Something really stupid. An indulgence the Corleones could never enjoy. He speeds the car into the bay. The guys can’t believe it. It adds to his legend. The scene could have been in Diner, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, or even Thelma & Louise. It is hard to dislike the gangsters in these moments. We know them too well, even as they do such horrible things.

How Women are Really Treated by an Underworld

The Godfather is told from the vantage point of one of the heads of the five established crime families; organized crime is as insular as the Corleone mall on Long Beach. That motion picture reinvigorated the “gangster film,” long considered a ghetto genre, but its perspective is insulated. By contrast, no matter how far they climb, Leone’s characters never really get off the block. They are street savages, even in tuxedos. Once Upon a Time in America whacked the gangster film, and tossed its living corpse into the compactor of a passing garbage truck.

The Godfather doesn’t judge its gangsters. The Corleones are family men who keep to a code of ethics and omerta. They dip their beaks in “harmless” vices like gambling, liquor, and prostitution. While there are scenes of extreme domestic violence, and a general dismissal of women, the film stops short of challenging the image of honorable men who do dishonorable things. Leone offers no such restraint. His history lesson is unabridged.

Long before Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman stripped gangster lore to a tale of toxic masculinity, Once Upon a Time in America robbed it of all glamor. There is a very nonchalant attitude toward violence and other demeaning acts against women in Leone’s film, from the very opening scene where a thug fondles a woman’s breast with his gun in order to humiliate her civilian date.

This is deliberate. The director, best known for Spaghetti Westerns, wants to obliterate any goodwill the gangsters have accumulated through their magnetic antiheroism. One scene between Max and his girlfriend Carol (Tuesday Weld) is so hard to sit through, even the other members of the gang squirm in their chairs.

Noodles sexually assaults two women over the course of the film. While there is some motivational ambiguity in the scene during the jewel heist attack, the rape of Deborah is devastatingly direct. It kills any vestige of romance the gangster archetype has in film. The camera does not look away, and the scene lingers with terrifying ferocity and traumatic intimacy. There is a visible victim, and Noodles’ wealth and pretensions of honor are worthless.

The Ultimate Gangster Epic

Once Upon a Time in America brings one other element to the genre which The Godfather avoids, a lingering mystery. Coppola delivers short riddles, like the fate of Luca Brasi, which are revealed as the story warrants. But the 35-year gap between the slaughter of Noodles’ crew and the introduction of Secretary Bailey is almost unfathomable. How did Max go from long-dead to a man with legitimate power?

What happens to Noodles in those years is fairly easy to guess, without any specifics. He got by. The gang’s shared secret bankroll was empty when he tried to retrieve it as the last surviving member. He put his gun away and eked out a quiet life. But even as the details spill out on the true fate of Max, it is unexpectedly surprising, as much for the audience as Noodles.

“I took away your whole life from you,” Max/Bailey says. “I’ve been living in your place. I took everything. I took your money. I took your girl. All I left for you was 35 years of grief over having killed me. Now why don’t you shoot?” This final betrayal, and Noodles’ inert revenge, take Once Upon a Time In America into almost unexplored cinematic depths.

Max has gone as low as he could go. The joke is on Noodles, everyone’s in on it, including “Clean Hands,” who is tied in to “the Bailey scandal.” The cops are in on it, and so is the mob. Max admits even the liquor dropoff was a syndicate set-up. He’d planned this all along. Just like Michael Corleone had a long term strategy to make his family legitimate.

This is an ambitious story. Beyond genre, this bends American celluloid into European cinema. By sheer virtue of being outside of Hollywood, Leone transcends traditional boundaries. He has a far more limitless pallet to draw from. He can aim a camera at De Niro’s spoon in a coffee cup for three minutes and never lose the audience’s rapt attention. Leone can pull the rug out from everything with a last minute reveal. Coppola bent American filmmaking for The Godfather, but stayed within proscribed parameters. He never gets as sweet as a Charlotte Russe nor as repulsive as the back seat of a limo.

Once Upon a Time in America ripped the genre’s insides out and displayed them with unflinching veracity and theatrical beauty. It is a perfect film, gorgeously shot, masterfully timed, and slightly ajar.

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tygrysica · 6 years ago

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Nowości wydawnicze – Maj 2019

Często się mówi, że maj to niepisany miesiąc książek i czytelnictwa. Patrząc w tym roku na przygotowane przez wydawnictwa majowe nowości trudno się z tym nie zgodzić. Wydawnictwa w tym miesiącu postanowiły uraczyć czytelników prawdziwymi perełkami. Zapewniam Was, że w maju każdy czytelnik bez względu na preferowany gatunek, znajdzie coś dla siebie czym będzie mógł rozkoszować się podczas ciepłych i słonecznych dni, a także mile spędzi czas w deszczowe wieczory. Ten miesiąc zabierze Was w podróż pełną ciepłych romansów i mrocznych thrillerów, a także dostarczy porządnej dawki dramatów oraz magii.

Gorąco zapraszam Was do zapoznania się z przygotowanymi przeze mnie nowościami wydawniczymi maja.

Ochłap sztandaru. Kłamca - Ćwiek Jakub

WYDAWNICTWO: SQN

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-08

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Nadciąga koniec świata.

Sposób na powstrzymanie apokalipsy? Zabicie Antychrysta. To zadanie w sam raz dla nordyckiego specjalisty od brudnej roboty. Wydawałoby się też, że jest banalnie łatwe – Antychryst jest ledwie niemowlęciem... ale przecież wszystko musi się skomplikować w najgorszym momencie.

Porywająca mieszanka mitologii, popkultury i "Snu nocy letniej".

Odkryj nowe poprawione wydanie uwielbianej opowieści o Lokim. Tylko Ci się wydaje, że znasz tę historię.

Ty - Kepnes Caroline

WYDAWNICTWO: W.A.B.

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Do księgarni w East Village trafia piękna początkująca pisarka, która natychmiast staje się obiektem fascynacji pracującego tam mężczyzny. Całkowicie zauroczony nią Joe Goldberg zapamiętuje dane z jej karty kredytowej i wyszukuje ją w internecie. Profile kobiety w mediach społecznościowych są publicznie dostępne i stają się dla Joego źródłem wielu przydatnych informacji. Również stamtąd dowiaduje się, że tego wieczoru Beck planuje pojawić się w barze na Brooklynie. W ten sposób może się z nią ponownie spotkać, pozornie przypadkowo…

Mężczyzna powoli i wytrwale przejmuje kontrolę nad życiem Beck. Robi wszystko, by wpadła w jego ramiona. Staje się jej idealnym, wymarzonym chłopakiem, jednocześnie po cichu usuwając przeszkody, które stoją na drodze do ich szczęścia. Nawet jeśli oznacza to, że musi kogoś zamordować. Obsesyjny związek szybko nakręca spiralę śmiertelnych konsekwencji…

Miasto snów – Adam Faber

WYDAWNICTWO: We need Ya

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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March Sky jeszcze nie ma pojęcia, kim tak naprawdę jest. Zwykłą dziewczyną z małego, szkockiego miasteczka? A może jednak kimś więcej? Rówieśnicy jej nie oszczędzają, a matka skrywa tajemnice przeszłości, które nie mają ujrzeć światła dziennego. Dodatkowo, życia March nie ułatwiają pojawiające się koszmary i senne wizje, zaczynające spędzać jej sen z powiek.

Ktoś ją śledzi. Tajemniczy chłopak o niebieskich oczach pojawia się wszędzie tam, gdzie nie powinien. Sny zaczynają przekuwać się w rzeczywistość, a w żyłach dziewczyny burzy się krew i budzi moc mogąca doprowadzić ją na skraj katastrofy. Magia, opowieści o wiedźmach, czarne koty? To nie fantazja, to początek nowej przygody, która rozpoczyna się od niewinnego otworzenia niewłaściwych drzwi. Intrygi, walka ze stworzeniami nie z tego świata i miasto, które tylko na pierwszy rzut oka wydaje się idyllą, bo pod warstwą cudowności czeka podstęp.

Łowca – Paulina Hendel

WYDAWNICTWO: We need Ya

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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To, co wydaje się końcem przygody, może być tak naprawdę dopiero jej początkiem…

Hubert ponownie trafia do miasta, w którym zginęli jego bliscy. Wszystko wydaje się takie samo jak wtedy, gdy był tam pierwszy raz. Niby nic się nie zmieniło, nic oprócz niego… Kiedyś wszyscy lubili beztroskiego nastolatka w ciele mężczyzny, obecnie mało kto chce mu zaufać.

Teraz, choć historia zatacza krąg, nic nie jest do końca oczywiste i pewne. Zagrożenie stanowią nie tylko demony, lecz także ludzie. Jak w takiej sytuacji Hubert ma przetrwać, uchronić przyjaciół i zapobiec kolejnym nieszczęściom? Czy chłopakowi uda się ocalić świat?

Jedyne takie miejsce – Klaudia Bianek

WYDAWNICTWO: We need Ya

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Najważniejszy polski tytuł New Adult w 2019 roku! Książka, która zwyciężyła w konkursie na najlepszą nadesłaną do wydawnictwa powieść. Okładka, którą zna już cała książkowa blogosfera, i najbardziej wyczekiwany tytuł tej wiosny! Początek serii, która zagości w Waszych sercach na długo.

Co pomyśli twój najlepszy przyjaciel z dzieciństwa, z którym łączą cię już tylko wspomnienia, gdy on nagle zjawia się po dziesięciu latach rozłąki, a ty stoisz przed domem z dwuletnim chłopcem przytulonym do nogi?

Lena, została samotną matką w wieku szesnastu lat i postanowiła nigdy nie wyjawiać prawdy o tym, kim jest ojciec jej synka. Zamknięta w sobie, odizolowana od rówieśników, poraniona przez wydarzenia z przeszłości każdego dnia uczy się być lepsza nie tylko dla siebie, ale przede wszystkim dla swojego dziecka.

Alan od urodzenia był skazany na sukces. Bogaci rodzice, najlepsze szkoły, luksusowe życie w wielkim mieście stanowiły jego codzienność. Spełniał swoje kolejne marzenia bez większego trudu. Wszystko posypało się jak domek z kart, gdy zakończył czteroletni związek z dziewczyną, nakrywając ją na zdradzie.

Czy Lena, mimo zadanych w przeszłości ran, dopuści do siebie choć odrobinę miłości? Czy Alan pozna jej tajemnicę i poradzi sobie z demonami, które zostawił w wielkim mieście? Czy sama chęć wystarczy, żeby wszystko się ułożyło? Czy dom pod lasem to jedyne takie miejsce, w którym wszyscy będą szczęśliwi?

Kotka i Generał - Haratischwili Nino

WYDAWNICTWO: Otwarte

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Czeczenia, 1995: Nura ma siedemnaście lat, gdy rosyjski oddział wkracza do jej rodzinnej wioski. Jeszcze niedawno dziewczyna pragnęła uciec z domu, w którym panują surowe prawa przodków, a codzienne życie regulują normy kodeksu muzułmańskiego. Teraz wybuch wojny przekreśla jej marzenie o wolności.

Moskwa, 1995: Aleksander zwany Oseskiem nigdy nie przypuszczał, że będzie miał coś wspólnego z przerażającą niewiadomą, jaką jest wojna. Jego żołnierski plecak jest ciężki od książek, ale bardziej przygniatają Aleksandra oczekiwania matki – syn bohatera z Afganistanu, któremu „sam Gorbaczow osobiście był wdzięczny”, musi pójść w ślady ojca. Aleksander zostawia więc ukochaną, by walczyć na Kaukazie.

Berlin, 2016: Aleksander Orłow, bogaty rosyjski oligarcha zwany Generałem, rozpoczyna z córką nowe życie w nowym kraju. Dziewiętnastoletnia Ada obsesyjnie pragnie poznać przeszłość ojca. Kiedy zaczyna zadawać pytania, powracają najmroczniejsze koszmary Aleksandra, odżywa wspomnienie najgorszej ze wszystkich nocy i niewyobrażalne poczucie winy. Zbliża się dzień rozrachunku. Generał wie, że musi sam wymierzyć sprawiedliwość i że uda mu się to tylko wtedy, gdy przekona do swego planu Kotkę, upartą gruzińską aktorkę...

Plotka – Kara Lesley

WYDAWNICTWO: Otwarte

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Przeprowadzka z Londynu do nadmorskiego Flinstead miała być dla Joanny i jej synka Alfiego nowym początkiem. Pewnego dnia rozmawiając z innymi matkami, Jo dowiaduje się, że w ich sennym miasteczku podobno mieszka pod nowym nazwiskiem słynna morderczyni, która jako nieletnia wbiła małemu chłopcu nóż kuchenny prosto w serce.

Początkowo kobieta bagatelizuje tę plotkę, jednak szokująca wiadomość nie daje jej spokoju do tego stopnia, że powtarza ją dalej. Plotka zaczyna żyć własnym życiem i rozprzestrzeniać się jak pożar.

Kiedy Joanna wchodzi na Twittera i odczytuje: „plotki potrafią zabijać”, a kilka dni później na szkolnej tablicy ogłoszeń widzi przerobione zdjęcie klasowe, na którym w piersi Alfiego tkwi zakrwawiony nóż, zaczyna baczniej przyglądać się mieszkańcom Flinstead.

Czy jej synek jest w niebezpieczeństwie? Kim jest ukrywająca się dzieciobójczyni?

Historia opisana w powieści jest luźno oparta na głośnej sprawie Mary Bell. W 1968 roku jako jedenastolatka Mary Bell zabiła dwóch kilkuletnich chłopców. Udusiła ich i pośmiertnie okaleczyła. Uznano ją za niepoczytalną i umieszczono w zakładzie poprawczym. W wieku dwudziestu trzech lat została wypuszczona na wolność i otrzymała nową tożsamość, by móc rozpocząć nowe życie.

Listy zza grobu - Mróz Remigiusz

WYDAWNICTWO: Filia

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Największe tajemnice drzemią w małych miasteczkach.

Dwadzieścia lat po śmierci ojca Kaja Burzyńska wciąż otrzymuje od niego wiadomości. Zadbał o to, przygotowując je zawczasu i zlecając coroczną wysyłkę tego samego, pozornie przypadkowego dnia. Po czasie Kaja traktuje to już jedynie jako zwyczajną tradycję – aż do momentu, gdy w listach zaczyna dostrzegać drugie dno…

Tymczasem do miasteczka po dwudziestu dwóch latach wraca Seweryn Zaorski. Patomorfolog i samotny ojciec dwójki dzieci kupuje zrujnowany dom rodzinny Kai i rozpoczyna remont. W zniszczonym garażu odnajduje zamurowaną skrytkę z materiałami, które rzucają nowe światło na sprawę sprzed dwóch dekad…

Władczyni mroku - Hiddenstorm K.C.

WYDAWNICTWO: Kobiece

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Nie rozbudzaj mroku, jeżeli nie jesteś gotowy na jego zemstę.

Megan Rivers myślała, że jej życie jest nudne do granic możliwości. Jednak kiedy wokół niej zaczynają dziać się rzeczy, dla których nie ma racjonalnego wytłumaczenia, dziewczyna domyśla się, że budzą się w niej paranormalne moce.

Wkrótce na jej drodze pojawia się tajemniczy mężczyzna w czerni, którego widzi tylko ona. Niebawem świat ogarnia chaos, a Megan nie może powstrzymać się od radości na wieść o kolejnych brutalnych wydarzeniach.

Dziewczyna zaczyna czuć, że nie wiedziała o sobie wszystkiego. Kim tak naprawdę jest i czy mężczyzna w czerni pomoże jej odkryć tę tajemnicę?

Jaga. Kwiat paproci - Miszczuk Katarzyna Berenika

WYDAWNICTWO: W.A.B.

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Pewna młoda szeptucha zupełnie inaczej wyobrażała sobie objęcie swojej pierwszej praktyki. Wiedziała, że w chatce babci Radomiły, poprzedniej bielińskiej szeptuchy, na próżno oczekiwać bieżącej wody, a za potrzebą trzeba będzie biegać do wychodka, ale... Nie spodziewała się, że na miejscu zastanie doszczętnie splądrowany dom. Co tam dom! Kredens! Kredens pełen maści, kremów, ziół i nalewek!

Chociaż z drugiej strony nie można powiedzieć, by bielinianie specjalnie palili się do odwiedzin u następczyni Baby Radomiły. Kredens spokojnie mógłby sobie stać pusty. Tyle że brak klientów to brak pieniędzy. A na ich nadmiar Jaga niestety nigdy nie mogła narzekać.

Gdyby to były jej jedyne problemy, poradziłaby sobie z nimi śpiewająco. Bogowie jedni wiedzą, jaki charakterek kryje się w niepozornym ciele. Na miejscowych starczyłby jeden, góra dwa uroczki. Gorzej, że świętokrzyskie miasteczko wyjątkowo upodobały sobie wszelkiej maści demony i krwiożercze upiry...

Szeptucha w walce z nimi może liczyć tylko na siebie – bo przecież nie na wyjątkowo mało rozgarniętego Mszczuja, miejscowego żercę. Ach, byłaby zapomniała. Swoje usługi ofiarował jej też pewien wyjątkowo ognisty bóg.

Jeszcze się kiedyś spotkamy - Witkiewicz Magdalena

WYDAWNICTWO: Filia

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Są takie historie, które zostają w nas na zawsze. Są takie osoby, których nigdy nie zapominamy.

Ja już nie czekam. Chwytam każdy dzień i się do niego uśmiecham. Wierzę, że będą w nim cudowne chwile.

Ile razy zadawali sobie pytania jak potoczyłoby się ich życie, gdyby nie wojna? Adela, Franciszek, Janek, Rachela, Joachim i Sabina mieli wielkie plany i marzenia. Przeżywali pierwsze miłości i prawdziwe przyjaźnie. Nie było ważne, że ktoś ma nazwisko żydowskie, niemieckie czy polskie. Po prostu byli przyjaciółmi. Wojna zmieniła wszystko. Wiele lat później, wnuczka Adeli, Justyna, przeżywa kryzys małżeński. Dopiero wówczas poznaje historię swojej babki i jej przyjaciół. Historię, która zmienia ją na zawsze.

Wzruszająca opowieść o różnych obliczach miłości wykradzionych wojnie, życiowych wyborach i rodzinnych tajemnicach, które wpływają na nas bardziej niż myślimy.

Bo to, kim jesteśmy nie zależy wyłącznie od naszych genów, czy wychowania, ale również od przeżyć naszych przodków. Od wszystkich tajemnic, które krążą w naszych rodzinach do kilku pokoleń wstecz.

Królestwo Popiołów. Szklany Tron. Tom 6.2 - Maas Sarah J.

WYDAWNICTWO: Uroboros

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Światowy bestseller królowej fantasy, Sarah J. Maas, oferuje czytelnikowi epickie, niezapomniane zakończenie! Życiowa podróż Aelin – od niewolnicy do królowej niegdyś wielkiego królestwa – osiąga swój rozdzierający serce finał, gdy wybucha wojna na świecie. Gdy wszystkie wątki w końcu się łączą, wszyscy muszą stanąć do walki o przyszłość. Niektóre więzy pogłębią się jeszcze bardziej, podczas gdy inne zostaną zerwane na zawsze w wybuchowym ostatnim rozdziale serii "Szklany tron".

Córka Króla Piratów - Levenseller Tricia

WYDAWNICTWO: Filia

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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„Wysłana na misję, by odnaleźć starą mapę stanowiącą klucz do legendarnego skarbu, siedemnastoletnia piratka Alosa, celowo pozwala się uprowadzić, aby móc przeszukać statek konkurenta. Dziewczyna zmaga się z bezwzględn�� piracką załogą. Dostępu do mapy broni jej porywacz, nadspodziewanie bystry i nieprzyzwoicie atrakcyjny, pierwszy oficer, Riden. Alosa ma jednak kilka asów w rękawie. Żaden marynarz nie zdoła pokrzyżować planów córki Króla Piratów.

Hazel Wood - Melissa Albert

WYDAWNICTWO: Media Rodzina

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Większość swojego siedemnastoletniego życia Alice spędziła z matką w drodze, uciekając przed prześladującym je pechem. Jednak dopiero kiedy jej żyjąca w osamotnieniu babcia, autorka kultowych, mrocznych historii, umiera w swojej posiadłości Hazel Wood, Alice dowiaduje się, co oznacza prawdziwy pech. Jej matka znika, porwana przez tajemniczą postać z groźnej krainy, o której pisała babcia Althea. Jedyną wskazówką Alice jest notka zostawiona przez matkę: „Trzymaj się z dala od Hazel Wood”. Dotychczas Alice wystrzegała się dziwacznych fanów swojej babki. Teraz jednak nie ma wyboru i postanawia skorzystać z pomocy kolegi ze szkoły, a jednocześnie wielbiciela twórczości Althei – Ellery’ego Fincha. Wyruszają do Hazel Wood, by uratować matkę, a następnie trafiają do świata opisanego przez Altheę, gdzie Alice być może uda się poznać prawdę na swój własny temat.

Dzikie dziecko miłości - Jadowska Aneta

WYDAWNICTWO: SQN

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-15

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Spokój? W słowniku Namiestniczki Thornu ten wyraz nie istnieje

W mieście grasuje zabójca, a terytorium wilków skrywa masowe groby. Jedyny trop prowadzi do młodziutkiej wampirzycy. Kim właściwie jest Daria? I jaką rolę odegrała w tej zbrodni?

Namiestniczka Dora Wilk i Roman, książę wampirów, jednoczą siły i gromadzą sojuszników, by rozwiązać tajemnicę przerażających morderstw i wymierzyć sprawiedliwość.

Gęsta intryga, kryminalne śledztwo, skomplikowane relacje i niezmiennie spora dawka sarkazmu.

W świecie Thornu jeszcze nigdy nie czaiło się tak wielkie zło.

The Darkest Star. Magiczny pył - Armentrout Jennifer L.

WYDAWNICTWO: Filia

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-22

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Siedemnastoletnia Evie Dasher zostaje wciągnięta przez wir niebezpiecznych wydarzeń w klubie, jednym z niewielu miejsc, w którym ludzie i Luksjanie mogą się ze sobą swobodnie kontaktować. Kiedy dziewczyna poznaje Luca, który jest obłędnie przystojny, początkowo zakłada, że jest on członkiem rasy świetlistych. Prawda wygląda jednak tak, że jest kimś o wiele potężniejszym... Rosnące zainteresowanie Evie prowadzi ją coraz głębiej do świata, o którym do tej pory tylko słyszała. W którym wszystko, w co dotychczas wierzyła, zostaje wywrócone do góry nogami…

Hate to love you - Tijan

WYDAWNICTWO: Kobiece

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-29

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Był dokładnie takim chłopakiem, jakiego miała unikać.

Pierwsza zasada: Kennedy Clarke będzie unikała seksownych facetów, kiedy zacznie studia na wymarzonym uniwersytecie. Druga zasada: Kennedy będzie wystrzegać się wszelkich dramatów. Musi wtopić się w otoczenie i za wszelką cenę unikać bycia na świeczniku. Trzecia zasada: Kennedy skupi się na tym, by zacząć wszystko od nowa. Z dala od rodziny, złośliwych koleżanek i wkurzających ją kolegów. Jednak wystarczy jeden zadziorny i nielubiący sprzeciwu chłopak, by wszystkie zasady trafił szlag.

Punk 57 - Douglas Penelope

WYDAWNICTWO: NieZwykłe

DATA PREMIERY: 2019-05-29

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Ryen jest popularną i piękną cheerleaderką. Może czasami komuś dokucza, ale przecież chce być przebojowa, a to jej zdaniem wydaje się iść za sobą w parze. Jednak pojawienie się tajemniczego, wykolczykowanego chłopaka w jej szkole, burzy jej z trudem budowany świat.

Masen najwyraźniej jej nie lubi, bez przerwy ją upokarza i robi wszystko, żeby Ryen zaczęła wątpić w to, czy naprawdę jest taka cool i czy jej popularność przypadkiem nie opiera się na dosyć chwiejnym fundamencie.

Powoli do uporządkowanego życia Ryan wkracza prawdziwy chaos. Wydaje się, że Masen jest wszędzie i z jakiegoś powodu postanowił, że da jej nauczkę. Jednak w tym chłopaku jest coś znajomego, coś czego Ryen nie potrafi zrozumieć. I kiedy za nienawiścią zaczyna podążać fascynacja i pożądanie, oboje szybko zrozumieją, że nic nie jest takie, jak się wydaje

To by było tyle na dziś. Mam nadzieję, że znaleźliście tutaj coś interesującego również dla siebie. Jeśli tak, to koniecznie dajcie znać w komentarzu na co czekacie najbardziej, a jeśli nie uwzględniłam tutaj książki, na którą czekać to także podrzućcie jej tytuł. Chętnie dowiem się na co czekacie. W końcu może przegapiłam coś naprawdę wartościowego.

Zaczytanego maja kochani!

Aleksandra

Wszystkie okładki oraz opisy pochodzą ze stron wydawnictw.

ZOBACZ TAKŻE:

Setna królowa – recenzja.

Człowiek z lasu – recenzja.

Przebudzeni – recenzja.

Birthday girl – recenzja.

#nowości wydawnicze

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miraculouspaon · 6 years ago

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Nelix Week Day One: Library

This week I will be posting one complete story in seven parts. Enjoy!

Part One

“This is all your fault, you know,” Nino informed Felix.

“How-“ Felix and Nino both ducked instinctively at yet another loud crash, “-do you figure?” Felix pushed with all his might against the overturned picnic tables above their heads, to no avail. He didn’t fancy being trapped with his brother’s best friend a second longer than absolutely necessary, but it seemed he was entirely at the mercy of Paris’ latest akuma du jour.

“It was just one little autograph.”

“I don’t expect you to understand, but it’s always just one little autograph, one little selfie, and the next thing you know you’re filing a restraining order.”

“She wasn’t even asking you!”

“I thought I’d save Adrien the trouble.”

“Yeah, just look at all the trouble you saved him.” Nino put his face up to the space between two tables and squinted. “I can’t see him anymore.”

“Good. Hopefully he at least had the good sense to get indoors.”

“Yeah.” Nino took half a step back and immediately banged his head. Scowling, he dropped to the ground and began to rummage through his backpack.

“What are you doing?” Felix asked.

“Homework,” Nino said, pulling out his physics textbook. “We have an exam next week, and ‘I couldn’t study, there was an akuma attack’ isn’t much of an excuse these days.”

“Ah.” Slowly, Felix lowered himself to the ground. “You have a point.” He pulled out his literature assignment, and began to read by the light that managed to filter in through the debris that trapped them both. For the next fifteen minutes the boys worked in total silence, ignoring the occasional crashes and screams from the outside world.

“So,” Nino looked up, “Does Adrien have a lot of restraining orders or something?”

Felix looked at Nino, surprised. “No,” he said. “Our mother had her fair share, though. I’d rather Adrien didn’t have to deal with everything she went through.”

“She was a model too, right?” Felix nodded. “How’d you get out of it?”

“Pardon?”

“Well, Adrien doesn’t seem to enjoy modeling much, but your old man makes him do it anyway. How’d you get out of it?”

“I was bad at it,” Felix said stiffly. “The camera does not like me.”

Nino laughed. “Does anybody?” He covered his mouth. “Shit, sorry, that came out way meaner than I meant.”

“It’s fine.” The corners of Felix’s mouth turned up slightly. “Adrien takes after our mother. I do not. There isn’t really anything more to it than that.”

“Well, maybe you should give Adrien some pointers. On how to be bad at modeling, that is. I know he’d love the free time.”

“I do not have free time,” Felix said. “Trust me, my father finds… other ways to fill my schedule.”

Nino rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I bet he does.” Nino took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I said this was your fault.”

Felix shrugged. “Maybe it is.”

“No, it isn’t. I’m just in a bad mood. This is the only day this week Adrien had any time to hang out, and now it’s being eaten up by an akuma. That’s not your fault.” Felix didn’t respond, and after a moment Nino went back to studying. “Mind if I play something?”

“Pardon?”

“I study better with a beat,” Nino explained.

“Oh. Fine.”

Nino pulled his phone out of his pocket and began scrolling through his music library. “Any preferences?”

“Not really.”

“Oh come on, everybody has some music preferences.”

Felix rolled his eyes without looking up from his book. “Bach, then.” A few seconds later he looked up, surprised, as the Goldberg Variations began playing softly.

“What, you thought that would stump me?” Nino asked, grinning.

“Let’s just say I’m pleasantly surprised and leave it at that.” They continued studying for a while, the harpsichord recording doing a passable job of drowning out the sounds of chaos outside. Felix’s fingers began to move of their own accord, picking out the correct keys on an invisible piano. A few minutes later, a movement caught at the corner of his eye, and Felix realized Nino’s fingers were playing along as well. “You play?”

“Hm?” Nino followed Felix’s gaze. “Oh, yeah, of course. I can play about five different instruments. You?”

“Just the piano. It was our mother’s favorite. Adrien plays as well, although he doesn’t seem to find it as relaxing as I do.”

Nino smiled. “Maybe you take after your mom more than you think,” he said.

~~~

“Adrien. Felix.” Gabriel looked up from his desk as Nathalie ushered his sons into his office, his eyes narrowed. “You are an hour late coming home. This is unacceptable.”

“There was an akuma attack, Father,” Adrien said quickly.

“I am aware. I am also aware that if you had both come home directly from school, instead of wasting time socializing, you would have been safely within these walls by the time the akuma struck.”

“I don’t think so, Father, because the victim was looking for-“

“Do not contradict me,” Gabriel snapped, and Adrien immediately shrank back. “I have allowed the both of you to attend school on the basis that you can do so safely. If that is no longer the case, we will have to revisit our arrangement. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Father,” Adrien and Felix said in unison.

“Good. Adrien, you have a photo shoot and you are already late. Nathalie will escort you. Felix, you will remain here. I have another matter to discuss with you.”

Adrien frowned and shot his brother a worried look. “It’s fine,” Felix said softly. “I’ll see you after the shoot.”

Adrien nodded uncertainly. “Goodbye, Father,” he said, but Gabriel had already returned his focus to the work on his desk and didn’t look up as Adrien and Nathalie left. Felix waited patiently.

“We have discussed,” Gabriel finally said, putting aside several concept drawings, “the wisdom of antagonizing those who might bear a grudge against your brother.”

Felix fought to keep his face expressionless. “You’re welcome,” he said dryly.

“You lost track of your brother during the attack. That would not have happened if you’d done as I’ve asked, and found someone unconnected to upset.”

“If you’re going to be picky about who I upset,” Felix said, “you’ll have to allow me more than five minutes of freedom a day to find targets more to your liking. And if you don’t like who I pick, you don’t have to akumatize them at all.”

“One might doubt your commitment to our plan, hearing you talk like that,” Gabriel said cooly. “Do you want your mother to wake up or not?”

“Of course I do!” Felix exclaimed angrily. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked and you know it. You’re just mad your plan is going nowhere, and you’re taking it out on me.”

“Don’t be dramatic, Felix.” Gabriel fixed his son with a stare. “Your job is very simple, and far easier than mine. In the future, you will adhere to the parameters I have laid out. That is all.”

A million sharp retorts died in Felix’s throat. Without another word, he turned and left.

#nelix week #mlshipfleet

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grad503-macytaylor · 3 years ago

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A look at DESIGN + UNDESIGN

In the Fall 1999 at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 4 months after Tibor Kalman passed away, the exhibition Design + Undesign was unveiled to the public. The exhibition was organised with his guidance before his death on May of 1999 and focused on his work at M&Co, the design studio run by him and his wife, fellow designer and writer Maria Kalman. In a review for the show published in the MIT Press in June 2000, the writer mentions the projects that Tibor Kalman had, unexpectedly, had a and in. The writer, Kasey Asberry, states that “The exhibition notes assert that M&Co’s primary aims were to serve and to entertain. They developed consumer objects such as watches and menus with flair and whimsy, poking fun at their own source of sustenance—advertising —with great success.” The exhibition showed work for:

- the titles for Matewan (a film by John Sayles)

- a jacket design for Armacord (a recording of Nino Rota’s music)

- Maira Kalman’s delightful series of children’s books (Max Makes A Million, Ooh La la: Max in Love, Chicken Soup Boots and Next Stop Grand Central Station)

- Benetton Colors advertisements

- Interview magazines

- Artform magazines

- raising awareness for homelessness

- an installation video titled “Der Leuf deu Dinge” (The Way Things Go, Weiss/Fischii)

The review states that Tibor Kalman was essentially focused on the “transference of energy through the most unlikely Rube Goldberg–like arrangement of materials and objects... This work, even with its self-conscious nods to postmodernism and completely populated with inanimate objects “interacting ” with each other, is very funny.”

Kasey Asberry, The MIT Press, Vol. 33 No. 3, June 2000, P. 228

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/618025

(The full article was locked but I was able to access this excerpt)

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myladyladybug · 7 years ago

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In My Defense

Summary: Alya forces Marinette to attend a self-defense class. Alya forces a superheroine in disguise, to a self-defense class. This was fine. Everything would be fine. Then again, if everything were fine, I wouldn’t have much of a story to write...

ao3 ff insp

"I really don't think this is necessary," said Marinette as she walked alongside Alya toward the dojo.

"It's totally necessary," Alya corrected, her arm looped around her friend's. "Marinette. You are a cute young girl walking the streets of Paris alone. It's dangerous! You could get hurt!"

"But Ladybug and Chat Noir-," Marinette began.

"Can't be everywhere at the same time! Girl. We're going."

Really, they were already on their way. Marinette had long since been trying to talk Alya out of going to a self defense class, especially since she herself was already a crimefighting superhero who saved Paris regularly. Not to mention that there was a slight possibility that her instinct might be cause for some suspicion.

She had encouraged Alya to go, but hadn't expected to be dragged along as well.

"Besides," Alya continued, a sly grin on her face, "it might help you out with the two left feet you've got." Marinette feigned offense, and promptly found herself tripping over a small lip in the floor.

They arrived at the dojo without much further incident, and after changing, walked into the room they were holding lessons. Marinette was shocked to see Nino already stretching. She looked to Alya, who did not seem to miss a beat in going to greet her boyfriend. Clearly, he had been invited without her knowledge, which could only mean…

The feeling of surprise was becoming rather numb, and she wasn't surprised to be surprised any longer. If anything, she was rather tired of being surprised that day. She was not, however, tired or numb from the feeling of panic that surged through her.

"A-Adrien!" she spouted, "I didn't! You! Hi! I didn't expect to see you! Here! I mean, I didn't expect to see you here. Not that you can't be here." He smiled shyly and rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Nino insisted I come with him and it didn't seem like a bad idea, you know?" His chuckle was nervous, which only made her more nervous. If he had continued to speak, Marinette didn't notice. All of her mental capacity was too busy retaining the image of Adrien in a muscle top and gym shorts. She gazed at his bare arms a bit too longingly before Alya decided it was getting creepy and interrupted what little fantasies had begun to form in her mind.

"You're drooling," she crooned into her friend's ear. At the sound of Alya's voice, Marinette snapped to attention. Thankfully, Nino had pulled her victim away from her sights before Adrien had noticed.

A mischievous, shit-eating grin began to grow on Alya's face as she watched her scheme unfold beautifully. It was an obvious scheme, where she forcibly put Adrien and Marinette into situations where they had to interact and converse, but it was a much needed scheme, as they were the only real opportunities Marinette had to appear a normal human being in front of her crush.

Marinette was grateful when the instructor materialized before them.

Adrien's gym attire was a little more than a bit distracting. It was extremely distracting. It was particularly distracting in a way that Marinette did not want to be distracted in at that very moment.

It wasn't as if she did not enjoy looking. In fact, it was her enjoyment that was causing issue for the moment. And it also mattered less to her if she had been caught staring for the millionth time. No, her primary concern was her involvement with a self-defence class.

What if she screwed up? What if she accidently hurt someone? She had never fought outside of her suit before. The results could have been disastrous. What if she was actually ridiculously weak? Thought that would not make much sense considering how much heavy lifting she did at the bakery. That only worried her more about potentially hurting someone. What if she had super human strength and her suit was the only thing keeping it in check. What if her clumsiness was cause for a massive Rube-Goldberg chain reaction that eventually was cause for the destruction of the entire world? WHAT IF SHE EMBARASSED HERSELF IN FRONT OF ADRIEN?

Alya wondered if she was a bad friend for enjoying her best friend's mental breakdown. Her eyes flickered to the model's figure often enough that Alya could only imagine the chaos ensuing. It surprised her that Marinette could get any school work done at all, what with the boy sitting in her direct line of vision. Though, Alya had to admit that she was getting better. Full sentences were a major step up from incoherent babbling.

Only part of her consciousness was watching the demonstration that followed the brief introduction and basic rules of self-defence. Something about how to retaliate when an attacker comes from behind. Whatever it was, she was watching close enough to imitate. There were more dire things at hand for the moment, like watching her friend completely freak out.

"Oh my god, what do I do? What do I do?" Marinette muttered to herself, grabbing at her head in various angles. Alya leaned in and attempted to calm the storm.

"Girl, relax. It's going to be fine."

Marinette did not appear to have heard her.

Rolling her eyes, Alya side-scooted over to her boyfriend.

"Are you listening to what he's saying?" she whispered, nodding her head toward the instructor.

"Yea," Nino replied. His eyes shifted over to Marinette. "Is… she okay?"

"Probably," Alya shrugged. Nino raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't tell her we were coming today did you."

"No, I did not."

"Right." This is explained many things.

"Alright everyone," the instructor announced, "I need you guys to break off into pairs and practice the technique I just demonstrated." Of course, Alya took firm hold of her boyfriend, staring Adrien directly in the eyes as she did. He blinked, clueless regarding her sudden mischief, and made his way over to Marinette.

Everything was going according to plan.

Sometimes Adrien had trouble understanding Alya. Sometimes, he wondered if Nino understood her. And sometimes he wondered what he did to deserve such awesome friends.

He had somewhat expected that Alya and Nino would have partnered up, which left him to practice with Marinette. If anything, he was excited to do so. There hadn't been as many opportunities for the two of them to get to know one another, but since Alya and Nino had hit it off, he had plenty of chances to hang out with the shy and stuttering girl.

Speaking of shy and stuttering…

Marinette was currently, indisposed. Or rather, Adrien believed her so. Mentally indisposed. She likely hadn't heard the instructor telling them to pair off, or notice the fact that Alya had left her side, least of all recognize that he was walking toward her. He could practically see the steam emitting her ears, though he couldn't be quite so sure if the effects were real, or an illusion caused by the sheer and utter panic that crossed her face. Her hands were frantic, as if she tried to hold back and bottle up every instinct of dread and alarm she possibly could.

She was probably worried about doing well in the class. He definitely had been, though for very different reasons. He hadn't exactly planned to show off his amazing superhero fighting skills and instincts in the middle of a publicly promoted self defense course for the word to see. But had resolved himself to do his best and play off any accidents to his personal trainer and physical model routine. He was not about to miss an opportunity to hang out with his friends outside of school.

In the most comforting manner he could possibly muster, Adrien approached the unaware Marinette and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

Before a single word could even slip from his lips, her blue eyes seemed to engage, and her right hand had gripped down on his wrist by her left shoulder, prying it aggressively from its place, and nearly yanking his arm out of its socket. This was not a thing he wanted to be happening to that particular limb. His palm was face up and his arm bending in a way that was most painful. He however did not have much time to consider the newly achieved pain in his shoulder, as Marinette shifted her weight to use the momentum of his body trying to follow his arm. She placed her other hand on the square of his back, and pushed him down to the floor, straddling him, and bending his arm so his hand nearly touched the back of his.

With the air physically and forcibly removed from his torso and lungs, Adrien coughed in an attempt to relieve some of the hurt that was sure to haunt him for days to come. The bruising was definitely not something his father was going to like. Several curse words threatened to leave him, though did not get very far, the only sound he could make were attempts to refill his lungs.

And yet despite himself, his position, and the shock, a part of him really wanted to see the expression on her face; the intensity of her eyes. He could only imagine the look on his own, and was thankful that nobody had recorded the event because of it. Adrien could feel his eyes grow and glisten. She was amazing. Marinette had, without thinking, completely disabled him. Without thinking, she had disabled a superhero. Granted, he wasn't entirely certain how much of his abilities translated and remained with him outside of his transformation but he was still very impressed. And unexplainably pleased. Or rather, not pleased, but excited. Or perhaps not excited, but… Well, although he could not place it, he undoubtedly found Marinette marginally more striking.

…

Pun aside, the feeling nagged at him. The pressure felt similar to the one on his face, though closer to his heart than his head. He struggled for a moment under the weight of her before he realized everyone was staring at him.

The room was silent.

Marinette still pushed forcefully at Adrien's arm, and only when the instructor disturbed her instinctive concentration did she gasp and nearly fall from her seat on his back. She clambered about five feet away from him and held herself. Returned was the panicked Marinette that he knew too well.

Nino was at his side in heartbeat, helping him up. The rest of the class was too busy either crowding, or staying very far away from Marinette.

"Are you okay?" Nino asked, both bewildered and concerned. "I didn't know Marinette could do that." Adrien rolled his shoulder back, stretching out the joints, and chuckled.

"From the looks of it, Marinette didn't know Marinette could do that," he replied. Adrien glanced over at her and unconsciously bit his lip. Something about her abuse on his person reminded him of someone, though he couldn't quite place it. It was a confidence that had shone through when she had become class president. It was a confidence he rarely had the opportunity to see up close.

Perhaps the day hadn't gone the way he had expected to, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't get to know Marinette a little bit better.

Adrien tried to ignore and push away the thoughts he had when he was lying face first in the gym mats. And the fact that he kind of wanted her to do it again. He pushed those away too. Way back. Furthest away from his consciousness as he could.

They were muddling his pleasant day of getting to know her better.

It was like trying to push a beach ball to the bottom of the ocean.

Author's Note: I finally got around to writing this! For context, see this post I made about this AU. Hope you like it! Please let me know if that is not the maneuver for an arm on the shoulder. I took one self defense class like, 5 years ago, but I tried to go through the motions again and that felt about right.

Man, I'm not great at this 'comedy' thing. Everything ends up being serious and stuff with a hint of comedy :/

#self defense class au #self defense au #ml #miraculous ladybug #ml fic #miraculous ladybug fic #adrienette #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #myladywrites

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