#Scar alice broadway

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: Skin Books

Author: Alice Broadway

Series or standalone: series

Publication year: 2017

Genres: fiction, fantasy, dystopia, mystery

Blurb: There are no secrets in Saintstone. From the second you're born, every achievement, every failing, every significant moment are all immortalised on your skin. There are honourable marks that let people know you're trustworthy, and shameful tattoos that announce you as a traitor. After her father dies, Leora finds solace in the fact that his skin tells a wonderful story...that is, until she glimpses a mark on the back of his neck: the symbol of the worst crime a person can commit in Saintstone. Leora knows it has to be a mistake, but before she can do anything about it, the horrifying secret gets out, jeopardising her father's legacy...and Leora's life.

[ameonds-dragonn]

Hotd modern au

I got inspired by @sansaorgana she made me fall in love with this au 🥰

For warning, this was something quick I made on my phone so probably ain’t great. But enjoy 💚

We’ve agreed that the Targaryens are rich as fuck, i think it’s old money like the Kennedy’s. Visryes is a huge lawyer and Daemon gives me Wall Street investors or CEO vibes. And Alicent is stay at home mommy that loves her kids. Nrya is Sahm as well but she modeled some I think, not runway model thou.

Aegon is a pothead/frat boy obviously, he only parties at college. Not caring if he graduates or not, Vis probably pays the uni a shit ton of money. Every once in awhile he puts an effort for classes :) He dresses like a frat boy and a stoner had a baby. Slides 99.8% of the time, hoodies that have his frat house name Or university name on it. He owns one part of jeans and slacks(they stay at home 99%). Smells like cigarette smoke, small vanilla notes and whiskey. Knows he can get away with failing school, getting pulled over, screwing girls. He knows Alicent loves him bc he’s her first baby. He’s not dumb as people think he is. He loves his mama too but kinda takes advantage of it.

Aemond is a Harvard baby through and through! Most likely an English major, but he also gives me medical school vibes(personally for me). He puts school first, he knows not everyone can get into Harvard so he appreciates that he did. Ameond is the campus mysterious heartthrob. Girls and gays love him! He’s 6’5, blonde with shoulder length hair, wears leather and black clothing w/sliver rings. Little whore! Also he has his scar on his eye. Obviously dragons aren’t real for us. So Aemond and Luke didn’t fight each other over Vhgar. I’m thinking he lost it on accident, maybe Vis took him and Aegon knife throwing or one of the neighbors kids and him were playing with sticks or something. Personally the scar is what made fall in love with him. It’s him no matter what au it is. It shaped him to who he is as a person. He’s a huge mama’s boy! He don’t hide it either, he loves Alicent.

When he comes home from school for the summer and Christmas, he brings gifts for her and Heleana. Stuff he saw while he was out one Saturday, little trinkets, shoes, books. Anything that reminded him of his mom and sister. Also does this for his S/O, he’s just a sweet emo boy!

Heleana still loves her bugs and other creepy crawlers! We stan Helena the bug queen in this house 💚 she’s the quiet girl that is always reading a book, drawing in her sketch pad. Has earbuds in, but will take them out if anyone talks to her. Loves old English literature and plays. She loves NYC and broadway, she gives me NYU vibes. Definitely lives in NYC but goes upstate a lot bc of nature. Also I think she would be a witch or at least into paganism. Aemond is close to Salem, MA so he goes and gets her stuff from the shops. He has 6 tarot decks that he plans on taking home along with crystals and books he got for her. TSA workers hate Aemond bc he goes over the weight limit with his suitcases.

Alicent, my favorite mom! Okay so, Alicent was Vis’ sugar baby when she was 20ish. Went to school with Nrya and ended marrying her dad. But I don’t think they hate each other in this AU, probably not each other’s fans. I think Nrya and Harwin are together, probably met on a photo shoot set. Harwin was definitely a model or an actor in his day. Anyways! Alicent got pregnant with Aegon before the wedding, you could see her bump in her dress. Vis works 24:7 so Alicent got very close with Aegon as a baby. Aegon looks after her always has! She was very involved with school when the kids were little. PTA mom, sports mom, art/theater mom, she always supports her kids and their activities. Calls them each everyday to see what’s new, are you sick?, how’s the money looking? She used to feel insecure about being a young mom, but now she’s 43 and her kids are in college. She has so much free time now! Definitely the hot mom, also the cool mom(mean girls hey!). Alicent was meant to be a mother, she truly loves her kids and wants the best for them. She don’t give me toxic mother in law vibes

Nrya is the first child of Vis, so he is crazy over her. He’s still in Nrya’s lane, but he talks to the other kids moreish. Nrya became a model her junior year of college. Has been covers of vogue, vanity fair, a bunch of wedding mags. It’s how she met her husband, Harwin. They fell in love and had Jace, Luke, Joff, the twins. Definitely a boy mom but she loves being a mom.

[chucklenutss]

LIST OF BANDS/MUSIC ARTISTS THAT I LIKE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (because I have nothing else to do) (i probably missed some out)

A

- A Perfect Circle

- Adrianna Lenker

- Alex G/Alex G Offline

- Alice in Chains

- alt-J

- Amy Winehouse

- Aphex Twin

- Arctic Monkeys

- Avril Lavigne

B

- Babes in Toyland

- Basement

- bauhaus

- Beabadoobee

- Beach House

- Beastie Boys

- Beck

- Bedroom

- Bikini Kill

- Birth day

- Black country, New road

- Black Kids

- Black Lips

- Blur

- Blondie

- Blvck Hippie

- Butthole Surfers

- bôa

- Bratmobile

C

- Cage The Elephant

- CAKE

- Calpurina

- Car Seat Headrest

- Cardiacs

- Carson Clay

- Chapell Roan

- Charli xcx

- Cherry Glazerr

- Childish Gambino

- Chris Isaak

- Cigarettes after sex

- Clairo

- Cocteau Twins

- Current Joys

D

- Dandelion Hands

- Daniel Johnston

- Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway

- Dayglow

- Dazey and the Scouts

- Dead Calm

- Deftones

- Destroy Boys

- Djo

- Dominic Fike

- Dream, Ivory

- Dreamer Isioma

- Duster

E

- Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

- Elastica

- Elliot Fullam

- Elliot Smith

- Emezie

- Evanescence

- Everclear

- Eyedress

F

- Faye Webster

- Fiona Apple

- Flatsound

- Floor 14

- flyingfish

- Fontaines D.C.

- Foo Fighters

- Foster The People

- Frank Sinatra

- Franz Ferdinand

- Fugazi

G

- girl in red

- Girls Rituals

- Glass Animals

- Gorillaz

- Greenday

- Greta Van Fleet

- GRLwood

- GROUPLOVE

- Guided By Voices

H

- Hatsune Miku

- Have a Nice Life

- Heavenly

- Her’s

- Hole

- Hot Flash Heat Wave

- Hozier

I

- I am the Unicorn Head

- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

- IC3PEAK

- Ice Cube

- Insane Clown Posse

- Instupendo

- Isaacwhy

J

- Jack Stauber

- Jamiroquai

- JAWNY

- Jeff Buckley

- Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

- Joey Valence & Brae

- Joji

- Joost

- Jordana

- Joy Division

K

- Kali Uchis

- Kasabian

- Kate Bush

- Kero Kero Bonito

- Kikuo

- Kimya Dawson

- King Krule

- Kittie

- Korn

L

- Lady Gaga

- Lamp

- Lash

- late night drive home

- Laufey

- LCD Soundsystem

- LE SSERAFIM

- Le Tigre

- Limp Bizkit

- Linkin Park

- Lorde

M

- Mabel Ye

- Mac DeMarco

- Mac Miller

- Mafumafu

- Mag.Lo

- Make His Ribs Show

- MARINA

- Mars Argo

- Masayoshi

- Takanaka

- Matt Maltese

- McCafferty

- Memo Boy

- Men I Trust

- Metallica

- MF DOOM

- MGMT

- Michael Cera

- mid

- Mike Krol

- Mitski

- Modern Baseball

- Molchat Dolma

- Mommy Long Legs

- Mother Mother

- Muse

- my bloody valentine

N

- Neutral Milk Hotel

- NewJeans

- Niko B

- Nine Inch Nails

- Nirvana

- No Doubt

O

- Oasis

- of Montreal

- OK Go

- Orville Peck

- Outkast

P

- Panchiko

- Pantera

- Paramore

- Pavement

- Pearl Jam

- Penelope Scott

- Perfect Confusion

- Phoebe Bridgers

- Phosphenes

- Pinegrove

- Pink Floyd

- PinkPantheress

- Pity Party (Girls Club)

- Pixies

- pizzagirl

Q

- Queens of the Stone Age

R

- R.I.P/Vewn

- Radiohead

- Rage Against the Machine

- Ramones

- Rare Americans

- Red Hot Chili Peppers

- Red Velvet

- Remi Wolf

- Rex Orange County

- Rio Romeo

- Roar

S

- SALES

- salvia path

- SE SO NEON

- Serj Tankian

- Sex Bob-Omb

- Sex Pistols

- Sign Crushes Motorist

- Siouxsie and the Banshees

- Sir Chloe

- Slayer

- Sleater-Kinney

- Slipknot

- Slowdive

- Slutever

- Smash Mouth

- Snot

- Sonic Youth

- Soundgarden

- SONDER (my band!!)

- sputn1k

- Stereophonics

- Steve Lacy

- Stevie Dinner

- Strawberry Guy

- Sublime

- Suki Waterhouse

- Syd Matters

- System of a Down

T

- Tacocat

- Take Care

- Tame Impala

- TEMPOREX

- The Backseat Lovers

- The Big Moon

- The Black Keys

- The Breeders

- The Cardigans

- The Cranberries

- The Cure

- The Fratellis

- The Frights

- The Front Bottoms

- The Garden

- The Hives

- The Julie Ruin

- The La’s

- The Libertines

- The Moldy Peaches

- The Offspring

- The Oozes

- The Smashing Pumpkins

- The Smiths

- The Strokes

- The Velvet Underground

- The White Stripes

- The Rolling Stones

- Thundercat

- Title Fight

- Toby Fox

- Tom Cardy

- TOOL

- TV Girl

- TWICE

- Twin Peaks

- Two Door Cinema Club

- Tyler, The Creator

- Type O Negative

V

- Vacations

- Vampire Weekend

- Violent Femmes

- Vundabar

W

- Wallows

- Weezer

- Wolf Alice

- Worry Club

- Worthikids

X

- X-Ray Spex

Y

- YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA

- Yot Club

- Your Favourite Martian

not much down here…

[alicesought]

CHARACTER INTERVIEW.

𝓫𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓼

NAME: Jervis Lewis Tetch NICKNAME(S): The Mad Hatter, Hatter, Jerv. ( Every insult under the rainbow- ) AGE: 43 SPECIES: human

𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵

MORALITY: lawful / chaotic / true / good / neutral / evil RELIGION: agnostic SINS: greed / gluttony / sloth / lust / pride / envy / wrath VIRTUES: chastity / charity / diligence / humility ( in a way-) / kindness / patience / justice KNOWN LANGUAGES: English, basic Latin. SECRETS: The sheer amount of Alices he's killed is a secret even to his own mind.

𝓹𝓱𝔂𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵

BUILD: scrawny / bony / slender / fit / athletic / curvy / herculean / pudgy / average HEIGHT: 4'10 SCARS/BIRTHMARKS: Burn marks on nearly every finger, including damaging the nail bed, from both carelessly working with microchips and self inflicted harm. The self harm was done to train his pain resistance. These scars also extend into the palm and some on the wrist. RESTRICTIONS: Other than being unusually short for an adult male, none.

𝓯𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓼

FOOD: Likes to eat a lot of breads, also likes meat pies. DRINK: Tea PIZZA TOPPING: olives COLOUR: A dark forest green or light blue. MUSIC GENRE: very old. This man listens to Daisy Bell on a phonograph record. BOOK GENRE: poetry collections. MOVIE GENRE: children's fantasy, abstract, strange without being horror. CURSE WORD: Damn, but British curse word? Twat. SCENTS: Tea, but especially flowery tea. Fresh bread. New fabric.

𝓯𝓾𝓷 𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓽

SONGS: Oh boy. Dear Alice by Arai Tasuku Both The Mad Hatter or I Will Prevail from Wonderland on Broadway Looking Glass by Hypnogaja Beautiful Stranger from The Devil's Carnival i could go on ofc but aaa AESTHETIC: Cabaret Gothic, dark fairycore... if that's a thing. I feel like 'Wonderlandcore' is an aestheticore all its own. SINGS IN THE SHOWER: Lobster Quadrille or Caucus Race, whatever is the earworm that day, yes. LIKES PUNS: Yes, but specifically the play-on-words kind you'd see in AIW.

tagged by: this looked too fun not to steal lol :') tagging: Rob me blind, please!

[1-more-chapter-until-i-pass-out]

Another of my favourite books is The Ink Trilogy by Alice Broadway.

In Saintstone live the marked, people who have their life on their skin in the form of tattoos. Everything you do ends up on your skin. One of the marked is Leora Flint. She aims to be an Inker, who marks people's skin with their life stories. Until one day she sees a public marking, of a criminal named Connor Drew. He is inked with the mark of the forgetten, the crow, meaning that once he dies his skin book will be destroyed. Leora suddenly remembers that her recently deceased father had a mark like the crow, and suddenly everything is turned upside down and Leora is left questioning everything she once believed to be the truth, even her family and where she belongs.

She discovers the truth about Saintstone, the Mayor Longsight, the marked and the blank. And herself.

The first book is called Ink, followed by Spark and then finally Scar.

It's definitely one of the most original and exciting book series that I ever read. I haven't come across any books like them. It's filled with plot twists, as soon as you become normal about one you're pmslapped in the face with another two like a sack full of bricks. And unlike most fantasy books, there is romance, but the story is not focused on it.

Definitely a 10/10.

[mirrorworldmirrorworld]

February & March 2019 reads 📚

[yelenaa-romanova]

Recsmas 2019

Day 3 - A book released this year: Scar by Alice Broadway is the third and final book in the Ink trilogy!

[everlovingdeer]

We must consider the living and we ourselves must choose to live.

Scar, Alice Broadway

[angelicimpression]

Got my books ready to take part in The Reading Rush tomorrow!

[twstheadcanons]

Self-Indulgent TWST Geography

A long post of generalised geography headcanons for the world of TWST complete with continents for my own personal needs.  The post divides locations by Continent.

Anyway why is there a homeland whose name is just the definition of a desert.

Continents (and ocean)

Errant - a western continent in Twisted Wonderland. Mzunguko - the second largest continent in Twisted Wonderland.   Yalmae - the largest continent in Twisted Wonderland.   Abíní - a continent West of Errant. Tridente Ocean - the largest ocean in Twisted Wonderland.

Errant

Rose Kingdom – a country in the western region of Errant. It isn’t a particularly large country, and traveling from it to its neighbouring countries is possible via buses or car. Crownsshire – a county in Rose Kingdom Crowns – the capital  of Crownsshire. It is the town Riddle, Trey, and Che’nya live in.  

Land of Pyroxene – a large country in Errant.  Known for its cold, snowy winters and history with legends pertaining to five of the Great Seven. Waldburg – province Vil’s family is from.  Largely influenced by another country within Errant. Argent – a province in Land of Pyroxene.   Verre – a city in Argent.  Trein and Cater are from here.  Félicité Cosmetics originates here. Miroir – a province in Land of Pyroxene.  Has a large outlet mall popular with fashion-lovers and shopaholics.  The Ténèbres brand originates here. Enchantée – a town in Miroir. Jack and Vargas live here, whilst Vil and his father move here. Scharlachrot - a province in Land of Pyroxene. Epel’s Village of Harvest resides here, and is famous for its widespread organic produce.

Isle of Lamentation – island country, its popularised global name is a translation from the isle’s original Nísos Thrínos.  It has robust technological advancements and is the homeland of the popular idol group On the Edge, known for having concerts with elaborate imagery and visual effects from some of the best technicians available.  Due to legends of the God of the Underworld,  dogs are extremely popular on the Isle of Lamentation. Kapnós – capital of the Isle of Lamentations where the Shroud family resides.  

Valley of Thorns – an isolated country small in population, largely consisting of a large mountain range.  The closer one is to where its Queen resides, the colder it gets.  It is said the Valley of Thorns can go weeks with nothing but moonlight. Geimhreadh - technically the name of the forest near the Valley of Thorns’ mountain range, where the Queen makes her home at its peak.  Its name spread to the residential areas nearby.

Mzunguko

Afterglow Savannah – country in Mzunguko,  ‘Afterglow’ acts as a loose translation of its name, Baadaye.  It lies in eastern Mzunguko.  Famous for its royal guards and leading role in nature conservation. Kiburi – a county in the east of the Afterglow Savannah. Mwamba – capital of Kiburi, where the Kingscholar royal family lives. Maisha – a county in Afterglow Savannah, with its capital sharing the same name.   Jioni – a town in Maisha.  Ruggie and his family live here.

Manyoya – county in Afterglow Savannah.  Well-known for a famously expansive library and a high population of avian beastfolk. Uzuri  – a city in Manyoya, where Rook is from.

Yalmae

Land of Hot Sands – one of many countries in the continent of Yalmae,.  Within the country, it’s referred to as Aldif’.  Rich with its magical history and origins of astrology, Aldif’ nurtures Magicians skilled in divination.  It has a vivid musical scene as well. Misbah - governate of Aldif’. Yatamanaa – capital of Misbah, a largely lucrative city within Aldif’ and city where Kalim and Jamil live.

Abíní

Port of Jubilee - a diverse nation where Sam’s family lives, owning an extensive emporium.  A vast amount of cultures reside in Port of Jubilee, many sharing common ancestors and languages with one another. Nanm - province in Port of Jubilee. Sekrè - port town in Nanm that Sam is from.  His family owns an impressive emporium popular with locals.

Tridente Ocean

Coral Sea - a sea within the Tridente Ocean.  Many of coastlines range across countries within Errant, Mzunguko, and Yalmae.  Beneath its waters lies a kingdom sharing the same name as the sea.  

Name Trivia

Continents (and ocean)

Errant - the continent of Errant has the homelands based off movies such as Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Hercules, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella.  The name stems from certain scenes in the movie marking a particular moment the protagonists feel out of place or stray off the expected course.

Alice in Wonderland: Alice’s misadventures begin when she makes the decision to follow a strange rabbit, straying off the course of simply reading and studying as her sister wished, where the curious and at worst annoying strange creatures and nature of Wonderland take a turn when she meets the Caterpillar, who questions Alice’s place and identity, and the stress of her situation and being unable to return home overwhelms her emotionally.

Snow White - the horrific moment Snow White, in a state of panic, rushes through a dark forest, where her fears envision hidden horrors within the trees and wildlife.

Hercules - after refusing to listen to Phil’s warnings about Megara being in cahoots with Hades, Hercules faces the devastating fact that Megara (reluctantly) deceived him, and loses his superhuman strength and faith in himself.

Sleeping Beauty - shortly after meeting a man she falls for, Aurora becomes devastated and resigned to her fate being betrothed to a complete stranger out of responsibility for her future and country.

Beauty and the Beast - Maurice’s ventures through a mysterious forest consequently leads him to the Beast’s castle in a desperate attempt to escape cold, only to be imprisoned by the Beast for intruding, ultimately putting the story into motion.  After Belle makes a deal to swap places with her father and free him, Belle starts off terrified and in over her head despite saving her father’s life.

Cinderella - after the mice’s hard work creating a fitting ballgown for Cinderella to enjoy the ball, her stepsisters ruin the dress and Cinderella’s chances of leaving her oppressive family’s home.  Her distress and tears lead her to meeting the Fairy Godmother.

Mzunguko - “circle” in Swahili, the language prominent in Lion King’s names, lyrics, and Rafiki’s dialogue, as well as the official language of Kenya, where much of the movie’s settings take inspiration and blatantly feature.  Taken from the iconic “Circle of Life” song.

Tridente Ocean - “trident” in Italian.  Yes, I hear you.  The author is from Denmark.  The statue is in Denmark.  The movie references the statue in Denmark.  However the surname Ashengrotto and Azul’s mother running a ristorante screams Italian and there’s the overall edgy mafia vibe the Octatrio has going on.  I win this one.

Yalmae -  “shine” in Arabic (يلمع).  I wanted a name that illustrated the vibrant, lively diversity of the continent’s many countries, cultures, flora, and fauna.  Something akin to a name that inspires a welcoming feeling.

Abíní - “morning” in Navajo.  I wanted a name that inspires energy and enthusiasm, like a sunrise in summer.  

Homelands

Rose Kingdom

Crownsshire - just the most painfully English name I could think of.  “Crown” refers to, naturally, the crown of the Queen of Hearts.  Also decided to make the Rose Kingdom its own, smaller, more limited country, instead of allowing its apparent monarchy to leech off 20+ different countries Crowns - do you have any idea how genuinely shocking it is we don’t actually have a town here named this.

Afterglow Savannah

Baadaye - “afterglow” in Swahili.  The official and native name of the Afterglow Savannah.  Interestingly, my findings found translations of it meaning “future” as well, which I consider fitting. Kiburi - “pride” in Swahili, can refer to a ‘pride of lions’ or confidence (often overconfidence). Mwamba - “rock” in Swahili, alluding to the Pride Rock that Mufasa’s pride resides in. Maisha - “life” in Swahili. Jioni - “evening” in Swahili.  This refers to where anywhere the sun doesn’t reach, Simba shouldn’t wander, because it’s too dangerous. Originally, I wanted to go with “Kivuri”, which means “shadow”.  However when I went to double check that ‘shadowland’ was a thing in Lion King, referring to where the Elephant Graveyard is, it’s actually a song from the Broadway musica called “Shadowland”, sung by Nala (Heather Headley). It both mourns the desolate state of the Pridelands under Scar’s tyranny, and narrates Nala’s resolve to leave and find a way to save her people and their land.  The song is absolutely gorgeous, solemn, and powerful, and contributes more than any live-action CGI Disney movie could ever come up with.  Its instrumental composition features the melody lei-motif prominent in the animated film (yes, That song.  the heartbreaking one).  It’s one of my favourites in Lion King alongside “He Lives in You” and “Not One of Us” because I like the ones where the chorus goes off. Please just listen to the Lion King Broadway soundtrack it makes me cry with how gorgeous and heartfelt it is.   Anyway in their money-grubbing ways I hope Disney puts the Broadway on Disney+ so some brave soul takes one for the team to pirate it Manyoya - intended to mean “feather”, but to my understanding it also encompasses “fur”. Uzuri - “beauty” in Swahili.  Nothing too deep here, just something pertaining to Rook.

Land of Hot Sand

Aldif’ - “warmth” in Arabic (الدفء).  Meant to allude to a comforting warmth, kind of hinting that the popularisation of “Land of Hot Sand” more or less leaves the official name lost in translation. Misbah - “lamp/light” in Arabic (مصباح), naturally referencing the magical lamp sought after throughout the movie. Yatamanaa - “wish” in Arabic (يتمنى).  Meant to be bit a bit of a cheeky play on words.  The “wish” inside the “lamp”.

Land of Pyroxene

Waldburg - Wald is "forest” in German.   References the forest that Snow White runs away into after being warned of the Evil Queen’s intentions. Argent - “silver” in French.  References Cinderella’s silver dress. Verre - “glass” in French.  References Cinderella’s glass slipper. Miroir - “mirror” in French.  References both the Mirror of Snow White and the enchanted mirror Beast gives Belle. Enchantée - “enchanted” in French.  Ties into the theme of enchantments, curses, and charms prominent in French fairy tales, and specifically makes me think of the Enchanted Rose from Beauty and the Beast.   Scharlachrot - “scarlet” in German.  References the red colour that hides the infamous green of the poison apple’s true nature.

Isle of Lamentation

Nísos Thrínos - Greek for the isle’s name. Kapnós - “smoke” in Greek.  References Hades’ iconic appearance surrounded by black smoke.

Valley of Thorns

Geimhreadh - “winter” in Irish.  References the winter court of Unseelie fae in Celtic folklore.

Port of Jubilee

Nanm - "soul” in Haiitan Creole.  References the importance of determination and drive prominent in Princess and the Frog.

Sekrè - “secret” in Haitian Creole.  References Dr Facilier’s ulterior motives.

[insanityclause]

Ian Holm, the versatile actor who played everything from androids to hobbits via Harold Pinter and King Lear, has died in London aged 88, his agent confirmed to the Guardian.

“It is with great sadness that the actor Sir Ian Holm CBE passed away this morning at the age of 88,” they said. “He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer,” adding that his illness was Parkinson’s related. “Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely.”

Holm’s final days were documented in a series of pastel portraits by his wife, Sophie de Stempel.

Holm, who won a Bafta and was nominated for an Oscar for his role as maverick athletics coach Sam Mussabini in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, may have looked destined for a career in colourful supporting roles on screen – especially after quitting the theatre in 1976 after a severe case of stage fright – but he found a new generation of admirers after being cast as Bilbo Baggins in the blockbusting Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Earlier this month, he expressed his sadness that he was unable to participate in a virtual reunion for the films, saying: “I am sorry to not see you in person, I miss you all and hope your adventures have taken you to many places, I am in lockdown in my hobbit home, or holm.”

Holm was born in 1931 in Essex, where his father was superintendent of the West Ham Corporation psychiatric hospital; he later described his childhood there as “a pretty idyllic existence”. Falling in love with acting at an early age, he went from Rada in London to the Shakespeare Memorial theatre in Stratford, staying on to become part of the Royal Shakespeare Company on its foundation in 1960.

Holm became a leading figure at the RSC, winning an Evening Standard best actor award for Henry V in 1965, part of the seminal Wars of the Roses cycle put together by Peter Hall and John Barton. He also earned plaudits for his work with Pinter, playing Lenny in the premiere production of The Homecoming (which won him a Tony award after its transfer to Broadway) and then in the 1973 film version, directed by Hall. Not least of all from Pinter himself, who is reported to have said of Holm: “He puts on my shoe, and it fits!”

Holm underwent severe stage fright, which he described as “a sort of breakdown” during a performance of The Iceman Cometh in 1976, which he described as “a scar on my memory that will never go away”. Having abandoned the theatre, Holm developed his screen-acting career, which had hitherto largely been confined to regular but sporadic parts in British films such as The Bofors Gun, Oh! What a Lovely War and Young Winston. Seen as a safe pair of hands, his casting as the android Ash in the Ridley Scott-directed Alien gave him hitherto undreamed-of international exposure. This role was followed up by his turn as Mussabini, the ostracised running coach of sprinter Harold Abrahams in Chariots of Fire.

After his best supporting actor nomination for Chariots of Fire in 1982 (which he lost to John Giegud for Arthur), Holm was now a bona fide acting grandee, though one whose eccentric-seeming, pugnacious qualities were best suited for memorable supporting parts. He played Napoleon in Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits, and hapless Mr Kurtzmann in the same director’s Brazil; other highlights included Lewis Carroll in the Dennis Potter-scripted Alice fantasy Dreamchild, Dr Willis in The Madness of King George, and Father Cornelius in Luc Besson’s sci-fi epic The Fifth Element. However, he did find a leading role in Atom Egoyan’s adaptation of Russell Banks’s The Sweet Hereafter, released in 1997, playing the smooth-talking lawyer who persuades grieving parents to launch a class-action suit after several children are killed in a bus crash.

Holm returned to Shakespeare in 1997, in the Richard Eyre-directed King Lear at the National Theatre in London, and was knighted a year later for “services to drama”. Having played Frodo Baggins in a 1981 radio adaptation of Lord of the Rings, Holm was cast as Bilbo in Peter Jackson’s mammoth three-part screen adaptation, with filming on The Fellowship of the Ring beginning in 1999. Bilbo did not appear in The Two Towers, but Holm returned for the final part, The Return of the King, as well as the first and third instalments of the Hobbit trilogy, which were released in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

In between the two sets of Tolkien adaptations, Holm developed an unexpected reputation as a lothario, after the publication of his autobiography in 2004. Hailed by the Daily Mail as “Lord of the Flings”, he candidly chronicled his serial marriages and extramarital affairs. He is survived by his fourth wife, de Stempel, and five children from previous relationships, as well as his third wife, the actor Penelope Wilton.

[afulltimenerd]

Scar by Alice Broadway. Read the review here.

[inge-universe]

Alice Broadway - skin Books 1,2,3 - Ink, Spark, Scar #alicebroadway #ink #spark #scar #vlam #inkt @scholasticinc #uitgeverijleopold Wow deze ziet er zo mooi uit. Toch maar eens op zoek naar de NL versie. Wie kent deze serie en wat vond je er van? #mustreadornot Ink Picture a world where every significant moment is tattooed on your skin for ever. When Leora's father dies, she knows he deserves to have all his tattoos removed and made into a Skin Book to record his good life. But when she discovers that his ink has been edited and his book is incomplete, she wonders whether knew him at all. Spark Leora is reeling: questioning everything she has ever known about her family and herself. As half-Marked and half-Blank, can she ever wholly belong in either fractured community? Mayor Longsight wants to use her as a weapon: to infiltrate Featherstone, home of the Blanks, and deliver them to him for obliteration. Leora longs for answers about her mysterious birth mother, and Featherstone may reveal them. But will she find solace and safety there or a viper's nest of suspicion and secrets? #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #bookstagramnl #bookstagrammers #boekstagram #instabook #dutchbookstagram #instaboek #coverliefde #coverlove #dutchbookstagrammers #lezenisleuk #dutchbookstagrammer #yainsta #ya #youngadult @donner_rotterdam #donner @donneryoungadult https://www.instagram.com/p/CWQ_oktrVRV/?utm_medium=tumblr

[illdesigns]

i got tagged by @wxcked-fc for this and it looked funnnn so :3

Rules: You can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to! Put your favorite playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people. No skipping!

(i have no real playlists other than like vague character playlists so i just used my stupidly huge spotify library lmao)

1. celldweller - frozen

2. equilibrium - blut im auge

3. arch enemy - nemesis

4. devn townsend project - kingdom

5. ralph stanley - o death

6. alice in chains - man in the box

7. fidlar - sober

8. daron malakian and scars on broadway - they say

9. mother mother - the stand

10. blackgrass gospel - gallows

i am not 100% sure who to tag due to like...most everyone i know of getting tagged so if you see this + wanna do it :3c

[leafenclaw]

Tag your 10 favorite characters of all time

They can be from every book/movie/TV show/Video game, then tag 10 people.

Tagged by @jamlocked, thank you! :D

But also, oh god. XD

Early on as I was making that list, I encountered three problems: 1 - Most of my favourite characters of all time are actually variations on a single character archetype, with a whole damn lot of them even wearing the same name (or similar enough lol). 2 - Most of the ones that don’t fall under this category are from the same 2-3 source material, unless... 3 - ... they’re from sources that I cannot in good conscience recommend anymore, like for example books from MZ Bradley or OS Card that were extremely significant and shaped who I am, but considering what their authors turned out to be, enough said lol.

So instead of a “my favourites of all time” list, I just picked characters that made a significant and lasting impact on me, even if they didn’t turn out to be my absolute favourite from their media source. I hope that’s okay!

Cut for length, because as usual I got chatty.

In no particular order, aside perhaps for the first two: 

1 - Jamie Moriarty from Elementary. My everything. <3 She’s made of... honestly, pretty much all the archetypes I inevitably fall for, male or female, but somehow she rises above the sum of her parts and I cannot even start expressing how much she means to me. Other characters in the same general type would be of course all the Moriartys, Magneto, Gellert Grindelwald, Red John, Alice Morgan, etc. A lot of those characters are heavily defined by their sky-high intelligence and deviousness, but more importantly by the shapes they leave behind when they aren’t on screen/on the pages or when they’re hiding behind masks and facets that never encompass them as a whole, and by the way they always make a extremely lasting impact on the protagonist. When it’s a TV show or a movie, the use of camera language (lighting, colour schemes, camera plans, etc.) around them is always tightly defined and significant, and when it comes to literature, the same effect is applied through metaphors and symbolism. It makes the layers to those characters absolutely endless and when it comes to storytelling, it’s the one thing that’s guaranteed to hook me straight away. (Jamie is also obviously my favourite from her source material, even though Sherlock comes high in second place, and Watson a close third. And I also have a baffling soft spot for Joshua Vikner that probably deserves a mention lol.)

2 - Vegeta from Dragon Ball. Started a genocidal alien who regularly committed mass murder, ended a devoted, self-sacrificial husband and father of two (three if you count his son from the future). Still the best redemption arc I’ve ever seen (and probably will ever see) in any kind of media ever. (He is also -by far- my favourite from his source material.)

3 - Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter. My fae child <3 Literally the only female character I ever identified with in that whole series. People close to me still regularly tell me I channel her lol. (Favourite from her source material: it’s a toss between Gellert Grindelwald and Severus Snape.)

4 - Jareth from Labyrinth. My (other) fae asshole child found in a trash bin lol. Love of my life before I was 10, kept me sane and believing in magic when I most needed to. I learned contact juggling because of him. (He is my fave, although I love Sarah even when she’s being a dramatic whiny teen.)

5 - Rebecca Anderson from The Mentalist. I have a strong and everlasting love for pretty much all characters in TM, but this one extremely minor character made a chilling impact on me by the fact she’s exactly who I would have turned out to be had I not made one tiny little change at a crucial point in my life. So she makes the list if only for that. (My fave TM character is Lisbon, but the way she acts and reacts baffles me on a daily basis. I understand and identify with Jane much better. Fighting hard in third place would be Lorelei Martins and Madeleine Hightower, I think, but I truly love them all and by this point it’s just nuances.)

6 - Erik from Phantom of the Opera. This one stabbed me with a spoon and ate my heart out lol. I care a lot more for the original Leroux version than the Broadway/movie version, but the absolute top iteration of this character is written by Susan Kay in the pastiche Phantom and I bet every serious PotO fan will agree. (He is -by far- my fave, with the Daroga a distant second.)

7 - Eurus Holmes from BBC Sherlock. This one took me completely by surprise. One of the shittiest character arcs I’ve ever seen, and yet. She’s the one that pulled me out of the meta mindset I had been stuck into since season 2 and gutted me like a fish before I had time to realise what happened. (Jim and Irene share the top spot for their source material, but all three Holmes siblings are fighting for third place.)

8 - Hans from Frozen. The one character that made me realise the storytelling & camera language studies paid off lol (”wtf Disney doesn’t design its princes that way, there’s something off about him!”). I genuinely hated him right off the bat when I saw that movie because he made my gut twist with so many red flags, but the moment he revealed himself as a villain things clicked into place and now I love him lol (I’m so predictable xD). He shares the “hiding behind smoke & mirrors & facets of himself” with the Moriarty archetype, which makes him fascinating to watch and analyse, and for that alone I hope to see more of him in Frozen 2 because I never get enough of that kind of character. (Elsa used to be my favourite, but lately there’s been a disconnect. I’m not sure if I just out-grew her or if it’s a depression thing. As for Hans, it’s a strange kind of love/hate/fascination thing that I couldn’t define.)

9 - Clarice Starling from Silence of the Lambs. For the sole reason that her fascination for Hannibal and the pull that makes her come back even though she knows he’s terrible for her mental health made me feel seen, and also validated my own fascination and love for villains, which people around me always found strange. (Obviously, my fave is Hannibal. I wish the recent show about him wasn’t so gore. Can’t watch it because I’m too sensitive to on-screen violence and body horror.)

10 - Laure/Mickaël from Tomboy This one is a little harder to explain, and to be honest I’m not sure I really want to. That movie is... questionable lol but maybe you’ll have an idea why that character made such an impact on me if you saw it. (Or maybe not. It’s okay.)

Runner-ups: Link from A Link to the Past, Sheik/Zelda from Ocarina of Time, Jake from The Dark Tower, Scotty Valens from Cold Case, Scar from The Lion King, Billy Elliot from Billy Elliot, Arya Stark from ASOIAF, Garraty from The Long Walk, L from Death Note, and many many others.

I have exactly 10 followers, one of them tagged me, and I tagged 5 of you earlier on something else so I’m not going to harass you people further. XD Steal this if you want to!

[lovetheangelshadow]

N'Pressions: Lion King 2019

So before I begin the review I wanted to briefly touch on my history with the Lion King. The Lion King was one of the biggest movies of my life. I still have almost all of my toys and I was obsessed with that film for years. It was basically my Frozen and not to brag but I personally think Lion King is a better film than Frozen for reasons other than nostalgia. Even as an adult and aware of the whole Kimba controversy and being aware of the flaws in the film it’s still one of my favorite movies of all time. There is a LOT the movie does right  even from just a former animation student’s perspective: use of color, character design, and sound all to convey a story that still holds up to this day. So yeah it would make sense that Disney would put it in their remake list. Except, this film did not take any risks. Say what you will about Maleficent, or Aladdin, or even the Alice movies at least they tried something new even if it did not always work. Heck even with Aladdin they had Jafar be a former street rat who had ambition and clawed and killed his way to the top and even taunts that in front of Aladdin. You could essentially had Jafar be a dark reflection of Aladdin showing the dangers of ambition without restraint and could have spun something around that instead of the less than intimidating and sometimes whiny sorcerer we got. Then again you could argue the Aladdin TV series had already gave us that with Mozenrath. Even the broadway version gave you more than just the cliffnotes from the film. Such as a scene showing Timon in danger from falling off a waterfall and Simba being actual PTSD about the gorge incident which leads to the song Endless Night. Or the Madness of King Scar with Scar trying to talk himself up into denial of his own misery…and hitting on a teen lioness. Yeah I know she was technically an adult but it was still creepy. And sure Disney has constantly messed with the timeline of this story with Simba’s Pride, 1 & ½, and Lion Guard but they were for the most part pretty decent spin offs. More on that later.

            The animation is stellar with the CGI looking almost exactly like real animals and the environments feeling real and part of the world the characters inhabit them in. The problem is that they stay too far on that end and it hurts the film. Even for the original movie they were aware of the natural color palettes and even admitted that they had to cheat a little here and there to make characters stand out or give the setting a wider range of hues to work with. Zebra stripes might be a little more blue, antelopes a bit more red, or giraffes more closer to golden tones. And I was not expecting the CG version to do that, but at least it could have been done with the main cast. Yeah I know it’s the “spot the protagonist” cliché that we joke about all the time with anime, but it really needed to be here. Lion King is a very character driven story. It’s not a documentary. You could have cheated with the colors just a little and no one would have been upset about it. Even in the Broadway version where the characters were represented by robes and masks instead of four footed fursuits, no one complained. And there is also the expressions. You really needed clear expression for this film and funnily enough there have been videos rising up showing the kind of expressions that animals can make. I get that Favreau thought the Jungle Book models were too human; but you would have gotten away with that in Jungle Book-but not for the Lion King. 80% of this film relies heavily on emotion and it would have been perfectly okay so cheat here. I want to bring up another realistic animal movie here for comparison: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. And I admit the film isn’t perfect either but it hits a lot of similar beats and moods of the Lion King; minus the sing of course. The movie has owls that are very close to their realistic counterparts save for maybe the eyes and the flexibility of their beaks for dialog. But it is very clear when Sorren is feeling fear, joy, hope, or anger. It is clear from the expression alone of Nyra’s royal and cunning nature. Also the designs of the birds are distinct from one another. Like from a glance there are marked differences between Sorren, Kludd, and Nyra and they’re all barn owls. The environments have unique color tones to them despite being more naturalistic environments like the Pride Lands. Even the Aladdin remake understood this with its costume designs and settings. Though Disney seems to have issues of late properly lighting dark locations of late making it very hard to see what’s going on. Guys, it’s okay to cheat a little with the lighting. You don’t have to be 100% natural.

Unfortunately the voice acting isn’t that stellar either. And it’s not to say that the cast can’t act. A lot of the people in the cast list are stellar performers in their own right, but here it feels like they were just reading the script without additional takes. It’s not the worst voice acting I’ve seen for a professional piece, but it is something that is another nail in the coffin. Honestly a much more improved voice reading would have at least helped in somewhat making up for the lack of facial animation. True sometimes in the original the acting fell flat, but it was quick enough that you wouldn’t really have noticed it unless you were looking for it. The best actors for the film would be Billy Eichner (Timon), Seth Rogan (Pumbaa), and John Oliver (Zazu). For the most part they did what the restricted animation did not and sounded like they actually were giving it their best for this movie even if they weren’t the stars of the story. Even Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Scar could have worked if they had done a few more takes. While not as deviously snide or royally condensing as Jeremy Irons but it was clear they were going for someone who was not happy with his lower position and could play act the caring uncle while still feeling superior if they pushed that a little more. Also they were the best part of the movie. The only musical number save for Circle of Life that I liked was their version of the Lion Sleeps Tonight.

Then we get to the cutting of some of the best scenes in the movie. I can forgive the hyena bickering scene before Be Prepared since they kinda do that already with Shenzei pointing out Scar isn’t king and can’t give them what they desire for. I’ll give a pass to Zazu not singing he coconuts song and the hyena’s showing dissent at the lack of food. But I will not overlook the Rafiki hitting Simba with a stick scene OR Mufasa’s ghost. Why didn’t you form the clouds into Mufasa, huh? It’s a scene that just about everyone knows more than anything out of the movie and you barely do anything? Just some vague lightning strikes that resemble him? No! I can overlook so much else, but I will NOT forgive THAT. Remember when I said about the other films messing with the timeline even worse than Endgame? Well you could have easily used those to give the film it’s own unique edge. Why not have Zira be a character in the film and show there is a split of alliance between the pride? She doesn’t even have to be a major player, but just enough to show rifts among the lionesses as the situation of the pride lands worsens. Or since they brought up the long war between hyenas and lions and how the elephant graveyard was once a lush environment until the hyenas ate it to the ground and play a little more on that like Serabi trying to get through to Scar this is why they kept the hyenas out. Or even have one or two hyenas such as Kamari and Azizi start rethinking their situation though they still turn on Scar when he sells them out. Heck even in the original they were aware of the problem; just not that THEY were the cause. Or even the scenes from the Broadway show I mentioned earlier.

Overall, it’s not a fun experience though it is not the worst I’ve been through. It’s still down there with films like Where the Wild Things Are and Digimon Tri-but doesn’t have my full visceral hatred. Save for one movie that is a rare feeling for me. But it made lots of money because we’re stupid about that and is going to keep on coming. For me there is only one other film currently that they could make worse, but I’m not holding my breath. I’m Noctina Noir, and was so not prepared for this.