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my-state-mls · 1 year

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Commercial Real Estate Is In Trouble

Economic analysts are increasingly worried about the 20 trillion dollars commercial real estate (CRE) industry.

After decades of rapid expansion driven by low-interest rates and instant credit access, the commercial real estate market has reached a standstill.

Retail and office property values have suffered due to the pandemic's lower occupancy rates, shifts in employment patterns and shopping habits, and Fed efforts to combat inflation by raising interest rates. Unfortunately, these credit-dependent industries have been adversely impacted.

Goldman Sachs economists anticipate that the recent financial crisis will only compound the burden on commercial real estate lending developers and managers, especially smaller and mid-sized banks with the greatest liquidity constraints. Their analysis shows that most commercial real estate loans come from regional banks.

Goldman Sachs Research's Richard Ramsden noted in a note on Friday that banks may begin to restrict commercial real estate loans due to concerns over liquidity in a market that is increasingly focused on that aspect. "This will be an issue to watch closely in the coming weeks and months," he concluded.

Recently, sellers of shorts have increased their stakes and bets against commercial landlords, suggesting they believe the markets will continue to decline due to regional banks' limited credit availability. According to S&P Global, real estate is one of the most affected sectors globally and the third highest within America due to this downturn, prompting many to expect further declines.

What kind of risks could hit the economy today? Before the bell rang, I spoke to Xander Snyder, chief commercial real estate economist of First American, to find out.

The interview was edited for simplicity and clarity as well as length.

Why Should Retail Investors Focus On Commercial Real Estate Today?

Xander Snyder Banks has a significant amount of money at risk from commercial real property investments. This jeopardizes their stability, even if you're not investing in commercial real estate for commercial purposes. Therefore, the health of the market can have an effect on economies across the board.

How bad is the current economic climate? Prices are beginning to slow, and there has even been a decrease for some asset classes. Office buildings seem particularly distressed than other properties due to obvious reasons.

Private lending to the sector had begun to decline, while bank lending had dried up months before the failure of the Silicon Valley Bank. Credit was already becoming scarce for commercial real estate projects; a new bank failure only added to this dire situation.

What can you anticipate from the banking industry's turmoil that could create even more havoc?

I anticipate regulators will pay closer attention to smaller banks, which tend to have more commercial real-estate loans. Therefore, these smaller and medium-sized institutions may further tighten their lending criteria, making it harder for borrowers to qualify.

Does the potential looming recession factor into this decision?

Credit has become more scarce as costs rise, making it difficult to determine the value of buildings. There has been an escalating gap between buyers and sellers; sellers are seeking prices that will reach late 2021, while buyers say, 'we don't know what the property is worth, so we'll offer this price.' Unfortunately, this price difference affected deal activity by decreasing deal volume by approximately 15%.

Unfortunately, there is still uncertainty around the value of assets. This uncertainty in the economy only serves to compound this trend. Banks find it much more challenging to lend against a house if they don't know its true worth.

How concerned must we be?

Many people mistakenly assume all commercial real estate is alike and is trending in the same direction, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Industrial and multifamily assets across America remain quite secure from a fundamental standpoint.

Retail and office properties have distinct needs. With the changing nature of office space usage, demands have shifted considerably - something to remember when low-interest office loans come due. There's a potential scenario where office owners must refinance at higher rates. Still, only half the building is utilized, leading to insufficient cash flow metrics from which the loaner can benefit.

Retail is likely facing challenges as well. Many people still have savings from pandemics that are now starting to be invested, while the Fed is working hard to push unemployment up a bit. So I'm guessing these factors combine to impact retail spending patterns and ultimately affect retail as an asset class.

Economists are forecasting a recession and an increase in inflation. Stagflation, caused by high rates of inflation combined with an improving economy, is likely to return. According to the National Association for Business Economics' latest survey released on Monday, most economists anticipate seeing a recession at some point this year and project inflation staying above 4 percent.

It appears the fog has lifted since last month's survey, which revealed a wide disparity of opinions on where they believe the US economy will take us in 2023.

"Panelists generally agree on the future outlook for inflation as well as the effects of rate hikes by the Federal Reserve," according to NABE Policy Survey Chair Mervin Jebaraj. "More than seven out of ten panelists believe CPI (CPI) growth will exceed 4 percent through 2023, though more than two-thirds are skeptical that the Fed can bring inflation back up to its two percent target within two years without triggering a recession."

However, over half of NABE Panelists in the Policy Survey anticipate a recession for 2023; however, only 5% believe that the United States is currently experiencing one - this number is four times lower than 19% who believed there to be an economic downturn back in August.

Neel Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, warned that the financial crisis had brought us closer than ever to recession. According to him, a sudden downturn in the banking sector could push America into recession.

At last weekend's CBS Face the Nation interview, he declared, "This will bring us closer shortly."

"What remains uncertain for us is the extent to which these bank stressors could lead to a widespread credit crunch. And, as you noted, this credit crunch will likely slow economic growth," He concluded.

Kashkari declared our financial system to be both "resilient" and "strong," yet acknowledged its fundamental problems and regulatory hurdles.

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world-of-fire-and-flight · 2 years

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Quick Links

My Novels:

The Heirs of Tenebris Trilogy

Heirs of Tenebris Trilogy Masterlist

Set in a new fantastical world with a rich and mysterious history, original mythos, extraordinary characters, and magical adventures, the Heirs of Tenebris takes readers through the heart of the Shadow Forest as seventeen-year-old Nyla and nineteen-year-old Xander each hope to find the legendary Fortune Falls—a mystical waterfall said to grant your deepest desires. But as their journey brings them into each other's confidences Nyla and Xander quickly realize that Nyla's newfound magical abilities and the answers she seeks extend much further than her own past. Embroiled in an ancient war for Tenebris's sovereignty, Nyla and Xander must reveal the truths hidden in the legends of the Shadow Forest before the centuries-old evil can destroy their homeland.

Fire & Flight is available anywhere books are sold via books2read.com/fire-flight.

Embers of Eternity is available anywhere books are sold via books2read.com/eoe!

Blog Information + My Writing:

Masterlist

Information Regarding Content and Trigger Warnings On This Blog

Last Updated August 2022

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Wanna Make a Request? Here are some current prompt options and guidelines!

REQUESTS ARE...backed up/quasi-closed! (12/2022 Update: Fill Times May Vary Due to Issues with Finding Free Time. I promise to fill them as I can!!)

Hey!

I'm Brianna, a YA fantasy author currently working on wrapping up my Heirs of Tenebris trilogy, the first of which is available anywhere books are sold (books2read.com/fire-flight).

Writing has been part of my life for as long as I remember—there's just something about being able to blend the lines of reality with my imagination that makes me happy🥰✨ I can often be found with my head in the clouds or my nose in a book, with a few of my favorite books being Green Heart (duology by Alice Hoffman), The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and The Princess Bride by William Goldman.

Some of the writing you'll find on my blog is hero x villain, short fiction, prompt fills, and excerpts from my novels! Like my reading habits, there'll definitely be a couple of different genres flowing from my pen! Hope you'll come along for journey as I continue my adventure in self-publishing💜

#blog maintenance #blog housekeeping #no writing #masterlist #blog info

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hoxitdragon · 2 years

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Hey you guys. Now that COE is wrapped up I’d like to share some of the concept art specifically for X’s monster form along with the concept I had for his human disguise. Overall X likely went through the most redesigns out of anyone in the whole comic but I’ll share just the few that I feel are relevant.

The first one I was trying to go for a bulkier more animalistic design based on deinogalerix a prehistoric ancestor of hedgehogs whilst also invoking the werehog from Sonic Unleashed. Overall this one got scrapped cause I wanted something a bit more humanoid.

Design number 2. What I like to call the cephalopod look. This one I was really trying going for eldritch by invoking a Cthulhu-esque look. I also somewhat based this design on firefly squid with the red bioluminescence. This design ended up getting scrapped because not only did I feel it strayed too far from Sonic, but it just felt too busy in general.

Design number 3. At this point I was playing around with basing X’s monster form on Super Sonic. The Fleetway comics version of Super Sonic to be specific hence the eye design. This is also around the time I decided on the angel theme as well hence all the angelic elements. This one I scrapped because it felt too on the nose with theming. I did end up reusing the floating limbs in the final design however.

And of course we have concepts of human X. Yeah I liked the idea that X could disguise himself damn near perfectly as a human but chose to go around in Sonic form out of a weird sense of vanity and thus only tried to look human when he had no other choice. Despite his disguise being almost flawless he could very easily slip when feeling strong emotions and thus had to keep himself damn near expressionless in order to pass.

The name he uses in this form is Alexander (Xander for short) Borgia. Which should sound familiar if you’re aware of the history of Catholicism and the papacy. I also drew him next to Goldman as a height comparison and we also have an early draft of the Tails Doll.

So that’s my concepts hope you like them.

As always hope you enjoy and tell me what you think. Sonic owned by Sega

#sonic.exe #concept art

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newagesispage · 3 years

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JULY 2021

THE RIB PAGE

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They are still uncovering statues on Easter Island.

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Everyone is talking about ‘Exterminate all the Brutes” from Raoul Peck.

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Vampire bats, prevalent in Latin America may be on the way to the U.S.

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What they call faith, I call strength.

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Criss angel will open CABLP, a restaurant in Overton, Nevada. The letters stand for breakfast, lunch and pizza and will include a free meal outreach program to help under privileged and pediatric cancer families.

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A fifth ocean in Antartica??** There have also found 4 new ocean species: Apolemia, Tegula Kusairo, Leptarma Biju and Duobrachium Sparksae.

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In China they have found a possible new species in a skull that is 140,000 years old.

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Why would Jeffrey Toobin be back at CNN?? Surely there are more young deserving talking heads around.

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The Keystone pipeline is dead.

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5,000 pounds of explosives were discovered in a home in South LA. LAPD seems to have detonated the fireworks in a truck right there in the neighborhood. They were too dangerous to transport but not enough to blow them up??? How stupid are these people??

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Days alert : So glad to see Clyde again even if it is only for a moment!! **BTW, I do not understand the Daytime Emmy noms this year as they relate to Days. I really was pulling for Victoria Koneful (Ciara) and she won but George DelHoya (Orpheus), Tamara Braun (Ava) and Cady McClain (Jennifer)??? I was shocked when Cady McClain won. I mean, she was so whiny. I question my own ability to judge a performance. In most categories, the winner was usually the one I thought was the worst option. I was happy for Max Gail and CBS Sunday Morning. Some performances were sure overlooked. What about James Read (Clyde), Paul Telfer (Xander), Bryan Dattilo (Lucas), Robert Scott Wilson (Ben), Daniel Kerr (Eli) and Lindsay Arnold (Allie) ?? As annoying as the Kristen character is and as long as it took me to get used to Stacy Haiduk in the role, she kicked ass this year. Did they even submit clips?? And, they are not often on but Tony and Anna forever!!!!!!** And how wonderful is it to see the Dimera boys all together and recounting the whole fam for the votes? **And one more thing, Days was not even nominated for writing while Bold and the Beautiful spends every other show with the Liam character standing in front of the fireplace making excuses for the same shit! Just push repeat, C,mon!!**Philip had a great line for Brady about following Kristen like a zombie.** Dis Eli really say, “Peacock and chill??’ Are these the things they will have to do to do to stay on the air? It took me right out of the show. It was the same day the ads for Days on Peacock started. OMG

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Texas Gov. Abbott vetoed a bill that would make it illegal to chain up dogs without water.**ATexas churches have lost their 501(c) (3) status because it actively ‘educates’ its members on electing specific Republican politicians. –Pete West* This should have been happening long ago. Many churches I know of do this and should not be allowed to have it both ways. #tax the church

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Ellen Burstyn, Jane Curtin, Loretta Devine, Christopher Lloyd, James Caan, French Stewart and Ann-Margaret in Queen Bees and directed by Michael Lembeck?? Yes please!!

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NY has suspended Giuliani’s law license.

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Miracle Workers: The Oregon Trail is coming to TBS, this will be season 3 in the series.

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What is this about Bowen Yang?? A podcast about a sperm bank heist?? Yeow!!

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David Geffen has given $150,000,000 to Yale drama school: Every student will be tuition- free in perpetuity.

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Allison Mack was sentenced to 3 years.

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The latest in sexual assault news: James Franco has agreed to 2.2 mil settlement in sexual misconduct case.** Kyle Massey was charged with immoral communication with a minor.**Bill Cosby is out and here are some reactions: A terrible wrong is being righted.: a miscarriage of justice is corrected. I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward.- Phylicia Rashad*I really don’t ever want to hear again as to why many survivors don’t report their rape or assault.- Charlotte Clymer* Women are showing great restraint in not burning everything to the ground right now and I don’t know how they do it.-Jeff Tiedrich

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Amazon is making a series of A League of Their Own with Nick Offerman as the coach.

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Does anyone else have family members that are rich, transient, know it all snobs??

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It looks like New York’s ranked choice voting is leaning toward Eric Adams for Mayor.

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Michigan republicans investigating voter fraud found 2 incidents. One is for a lady who voted by mail and then died, the other was confusion over a man who had the same name as his Father. That was it!

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Jamie Lee Curtis will get the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the 78th Venice International Film Fest in September.

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Jerry Seinfeld will star in and direct ‘Unfrosted’ about Pop-Tarts.

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Why is Airbnb still listing properties in illegal settlements and outposts in Palestinian occupied territories? –James J. Zogby

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Merrick Garland has announced that the Justice department sued Georgia over the voting rights.

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The NFL says that it will halt the use of “race norming” which assumed black players started out with lower cognitive functioning in a $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims. The practice had made it harder for black players to qualify. –The Associated Press.

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Scary Clown 45 ended his ‘From the desk of Donald J. Trump’ blog after 29 days. Word is that he felt he was being mocked in the media.

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Religious leadership keeps engaging in partisan politics on behalf of politicians that are particularly unpopular with younger people and they wonder why younger people are disenchanted with the church. – Schooley ** Give young people credit as well for seeing through the hype and lies of these religious hypocrites who use God only as a weapon and a threat. –Larry Charles

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Amazon will stop drug testing for employment. Can every other company jump on this bandwagon? Let’s judge employees on the work they give.

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The Backstreet Boys and NSync are going to work together??!!

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Showtime is bringing back American Gigolo with Jon Bernthal.

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If Biden can carry out air strikes without proper authorization, the Senate can raise the minimum wage without the Parliamentarian. –Alexandra M. Hunt

Reality Winner is out!!

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Judy Woodruff has been given the Peabody award for journalistic integrity.

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Donald Glover is bringing us Hive. Malia Obama will be a writer.

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Nicholas Cage has married Riko Shibata.

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Catch and Kill: The podcast tapes, is here on HBO.

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Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening will star in Jerry and Marge go large.

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Amblin Partners and Netflix are partners.

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Fall 2022 will bring the Roybal School of film and television production for underserved communities. They are looking to help 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade students. Among others, the program was cofounded by George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling and Eva Longoria.

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Will there be a Wedding Crashers2??

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The Mysterious Benedict Society stars Tony Hale.** I would love to see he and Danny Pudi in something together.

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Actor Stephen Amell from Arrow was removed from a plane after getting into it with his wife. A source said he was drunk and screaming. An official source said that they removed “an unruly customer.”** Andy Dick was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, allegedly assaulting his partner, Lucas with a metal chair.

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So.. Fox news was digitally altering the faces of people they did not care for??? Is there no end to their bullshit????

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Mark Ronson is set to marry Grace Gummer.

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Crime shows seem to be in the cycle of prisoners and the women who get a thrill from helping them escape.

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Wolfgang Van Halen has released a debut album: Mammoth

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Everyone seems to love Danny Trejo’s memoir and its honesty.

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David Spade will take over as host of Bachelor in Paradise.

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I am sickened when I see the first question that pops up on an online search is the net worth of a person. Oh this twisted world.

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Life is a short pause between 2 great mysteries. –Jung

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Prince Harry and Meghan had a daughter that they named Lilibet ‘Lili” Diana.

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Michael Flynn’s brother Charles (who withheld help from the capitol on Jan. 6), leads the U.S. Army Pacific and commands 90,000 troops.

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I am so excited to read ‘The Boys’ from Clint and Ron Howard, due out in October.

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Dave Chappelle closed out the Tribeca film fest with a surprise concert. This was the first in person film fest since Covid. Look for This time, this place which premiered there.

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Ron Wood will release the album Mr. Luck: A tribute to Jimmy Reed on Sept. 3

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Howard Stern signed a new $500 mil contract with Sirius XM. He is taking the whole summer off and many fans say they will cancel their subscription because they don’t want to pay for a summer of reruns.

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Acorn will bring Jane Seymour back to a series. Seymour will be co -executive produce on Harry Wild. Her character will be a retired University professor who loves her whiskey and solves crimes.

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Annie Murphy stasr in ‘Kevin can f*** himself about a sitcom wife which airs on AMC.

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I still do not understand why Rep. Mike Nearman hasn’t been arrested for letting insurrectionists into the Capitol.

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There is a wing shortage??

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The Pulitzer prizes have been announced. The list includes Ben Faub, Barry Blitt, Katori Hall, Emilio Morenatti, AP photographers Marcio Jose Sanchez, Alex Brandon, David Goldman, Julio Cortez, John Minchillo, Frank Franklin II, Ringo H.W. Chiu, Evan Vucci, Mike Stewart and Noah Berger. There was a special citation for Darnella Frazier who filmed the death of George Floyd.

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Conan’s last TBS guests were Martin Short, Jack Black, Bill Hader, Mila Kunis, Dana Carvey, Patton Oswalt and JB Smoove. There were some surprises. The big musical number never happened when Jack Black hurt himself. It was all funny and sweet but Conan never mentioned the band in the last show WTF????????????????????????????????????????? Music is so important to him and he does not thank the band? ** Colbert and Brian Stack gave Conan a cute send after4, 368 shows on CBS calling him a ‘Slenderman Ron Weasly’. Kimmel wished Conn well also.** Hope his HBO MAX variety show goes well.** BTW, the Duvall interview with Colbert was great to see but why does nobody ever mention ‘Get Low?’ What a performance!!

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Tattoos are on the rise.

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Fast food drive thru’s sometime close with fake excuses like the equipment is down or something because they don’t feel like working. Good people can’t find work and so many waste the opportunities they have. AAAAGHH!!

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Valerie Bertinelli and Demi Lovato will star in ‘Hungry’ on NBC.

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Hulu will bring us David E. Kelley’s Nine Perfect Strangers with Nicole Kidman, Michael Shannon, Regina Hall, Bobby Cannavale and Melissa McCarthy.

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R.I.P. Gavin Macleod, Frank Bonner, Joy Vogelsang, Benigno Aquino, Champ Biden, victims of the Miami building collapse, Robert Sacchi, Stuart Damon, Johnny Solinger and Clarence Williams III.

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tabloidtoc · 4 years

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OK, August 31

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Bindi Irwin’s baby surprise -- twins

Page 2: Contents

Page 3: Contents

Page 4: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s make-or-break vacation with their kids to the Dominican Republic -- Kim and Kanye may have saved their crumbling relationship

Page 6: Amber Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp’s nasty courtroom bombshells made headlines across the globe but now that the case has wrapped up the actress is ready to move forward

Page 7: After temporarily living in a few of their friends’ properties Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finally purchased a home of their own which is a jaw-dropping $14.7 million estate in the ritzy Santa Barbara enclave of Montecito and they intend to make this their forever home, Cameron Diaz confessed she felt at peace with her decision to ditch the Hollywood scene in favor of motherhood but that lifestyle change came a shake-up in her social circle because Cameron can’t be bothered with people she sees as superficial, Paris Jackson’s inner circle is concerned about her mental health in the wake of her sudden split from beau of two years Gabriel Glenn because she’s already such a fragile character so a ton of people worry she won’t be able to cope without Gabriel by her side

Page 8: After a few tough years Lisa Marie Presley is ready to leave L.A. and head to Graceland because she’s convinced that being close to her dad Elvis Presley’s spirit is the best shot she has at getting her life back on track, January Jones is known for keeping her personal life private she’s recently turned over a new leaf and is ready to spill her best-kept secrets in a juicy memoir but the name of the father of her son Xander probably won’t make it into the book, though Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been best buds for decades Ben’s girlfriend Ana de Armas has no interest in getting to know Matt’s wife Luciana Barroso -- the guys hoped they’d hit it off but Luciana thinks Ana is an opportunist and Ana snipes that Luciana is stuck up

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars reign supreme in purple -- Keke Palmer, Karlie Kloss

Page 11: Tracee Ellis Ross, Carrie Underwood

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Diane Kruger vs. Cindy Bruna, Padma Lakshmi vs. Katharine McPhee Foster

Page 14: News in Photos -- Kylie Jenner in L.A. on her birthday

Page 15: Pierce Brosnan and son Paris on the golf course, Joy Bauer after taking a yoga class, Kate Hudson showed off her green juice, Serena Williams while dressing up in princess costumes with daughter Alexis

Page 16: Drab to Fab -- dropping the extra weight gave these celebs a boost of confidence -- Adele, Ben Affleck, Kelly Osbourne

Page 18: Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams on the day they were supposed to get married, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade and daughter Kaavia, Reese Witherspoon and her affectionate dog Lou, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari riding bikes with masks on

Page 20: Alessandra Ambrosio played volleyball on the beach, Rita Ora lounging during a vacation in Ibiza

Page 21: Gordon Ramsay gave son Oscar a lift while exploring the coastline near their new home in Cornwall, David Beckham at the beach in Greece, RHONJ star Melissa Gorga tried on a swimsuit while taping promos for the Bravo reality show

Page 22: Mayim Bialik and her cat Addie promoting Royal Canin’s Take Your Cat to the Vet campaign, pro wrestler Ariane Andrew out and about in L.A., Mark Wahlberg and wife Rhea Durham during a family day at the lake

Page 24: Lynette Barbieri and Raffaela Pontecorvo and Vanessa Coppes and Jennifer DeCillis and Amanda Ringel at Bella Magazine’s eighth annual Hamptons Cover Lunch, Shia LaBeouf played it up for the cameras while on a jog, pregnant Katy Perry took a quick snooze while shopping for baby supplies

Page 25: Kevin Hart running errands in L.A., Kristen Taekman modeled a pair of overalls for her blog, Bachelor in Paradise alums Hannah Godwin and Dylan Barbour showed off their silly sides while shooting a video for Dr. Scholl’s

Page 26: Inside My Home -- Selena Gomez’s expansive estate -- check out the star’s plush new pad

Page 28: Chip and Joanna Gaines are no longer seeing eye to eye when it comes to their future -- Joanna isn’t thrilled about the revival of Fixer Upper and they’ve been bickering since Chip signed the deal

Page 29: Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Joe Alwyn will star alongside brunette beauty Emma Mackey in a biopic centered on Wuthering Heights author Emily Bronte and although filming won’t commence until next year Taylor is already sweating bullets -- she trusts Joe but this will be the first time in literally years they’ll have to be apart for a while and the idea of him spending all that time with someone as beautiful and charming as Emma has her anxious

Page 30: After nearly four years together Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka are ready to become husband and wife, Sacha Baron Cohen has been working nonstop since the lockdown started to lift leaving wife Isla Fisher to do all the heavy lifting at home with their three kids all under the age of 13, Love Bites -- Jennifer Garner and John Miller split, Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcomed a baby girl, Duff Goldman and wife Johnna Colbry are expecting their first child

Page 32: Cover Story -- Bindi Irwin’s big surprise -- mom-to-be Bindi is pregnant with twins

Page 36: Close Calls -- these stars cheated death -- Jennifer Aniston, Antonio Banderas

Page 37: Rachel Bilson, Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio

Page 38: The Next Generation -- get to know the talented up-and-coming stars who are taking Hollywood by storm -- Joey King, Chase Stokes, Halle Bailey, Charles Melton

Page 39: Hayley Kiyoko, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Zendaya, Lucas Hedges

Page 40: Interview -- Keanu Reeves -- the veteran actor opens up about his reputation for being one of the sweetest stars around

Page 42: Beach Body Winners -- how these stunning stars stay in swimsuit shape -- Brooke Shields, Julianne Hough, Olivia Culpo

Page 43: Nina Agdal, Carrie Underwood, Jessie James Decker

Page 46: Style Week -- Swimsuits for All and Ashley Graham have collaborated once again on a supersexy collection of size-inclusive swimwear

Page 48: What’s Hot Right Now -- elevate your look with products from these empowering female-owned beauty brands -- Tracee Ellis Ross, Amy Schumer is bringing a little humor to a serious topic in hopes of making period conversation as normal as periods

Page 49: Foot Notes -- fashionable footwear

Page 50: Say Anything -- make a bold statement in a cheeky graphic tee -- Yara Shahidi

Page 52: Beauty -- Chill Out -- beat the heat and humidity with these cooling beauty products -- Sofia Richie

Page 54: Entertainment

Page 55: Q&A -- Elizabeth Pipko

Page 58: Buzz -- just got paid -- Forbes reveals which actors earned the most money from June 2019 to June 2020 -- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Mark Wahlberg, Ben Affleck, Vin Diesel

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Jason Sudeikis on being a father, Kelly Clarkson on daughter River, Ariana Grande on Lady Gaga accidentally scratching her face while rehearsing their Rain on Me music video, Ben Schwartz, Kate Hudson on what she tells herself when she’s stressed

Page 61: Tamera Mowry asked if she wanted a quarantine baby, Gwen Stefani correcting Dua Lipa who thought she was married to Blake Shelton, Simon Cowell after breaking his back in a cycling accident, Kate Bosworth on whether she’s willing to do a Blue Crush sequel, Bruno Mars on songwriting

Page 62: Horoscope -- Virgo LeAnn Rimes turned 38 on August 28

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Linda Cardellini

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moviesandmania · 2 years

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CAMP PLEASANT LAKE (2023) Slasher film preview

Camp Pleasant Lake is a forthcoming slasher horror film. “You cross paths with at least 20 killers in your lifetime and don’t even know it” Well, this time you will… Written, co-produced and directed by Thomas Walton (Room 9). Also produced by Jared Safier. Executive produced by Jackson Everest and Michael Mahal (Death Count; Arena Wars; Bermuda Island; Attack of the Unknown; Bus Party to…

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#2023 #Camp Pleasant Lake #Felissa Rose #horror slasher #Jackson Everest #Lauren Francesca #Michael Mahal #Mike Ferguson #Thomas Walton #Xander Goldman

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fearsmagazine · 4 years

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LYNN LOWRY cast in GREGORY LAMBERSON’S action epic “GUNS OF EDEN.”

Gregory Lamberson (Johnny Gruesome, Widow’s Point) has cast legendary independent film star Lynn Lowry in his upcoming indie action epic Guns of Eden, currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo. Lowry is an icon for her work in George A. Romero’s The Crazies, David Cronenberg’s Shivers, and Paul Schrader’s Cat People. Lamberson describes Guns of Eden as “Deliverance meets First Blood, with a female hero and a dash of The Warriors,” and promises plenty of gunplay, fistfights, and even helicopter action. He and Lowry previously worked together on Model Hunger, directed by Debbie Rochon, and The Legend of Six Fingers, which he produced.

“Lynn is one of the most talented people I’ve ever seen on set,” says Lamberson. “Watching her tear into her Model Hunger character took my breath away. When I started planning Guns of Eden, I immediately wanted her to play the role of Frances, a strong-willed woman who aids the film’s heroine, Megan Forest. I’m thrilled she’ll be playing this key role.”

GREGORY LAMBERSON & Actress LYNN LOWRY

Guns of Eden stars Alexandra Faye Sadeghian as Megan Forest, a Buffalo cop suffering from PTSD who is hunted by an armed militia after witnessing an execution while camping with friends. The cast also includes Bill Kennedy, Trazz Johnson, Nicole Alshahen, Dominic Luongo, Tim O’Hearn, Xander Goldman and John Renna.

The film’s Inidegogo campaign raised $25,000 in contributions on its first day and has so far raised $62,000 of its $70,000 goal for principal photography, scheduled for this summer.

Erin Elizabeth Heald is the executive producer, with Tamar Lamberson and Chris Cosgrave joining Lamberson as producers. Keith Lukowski, Armand John Petri, Kim Piazza and Faith Nichols-Peterson are co-producers. Petri and Joe Rozler will score, as they did for Lamberson’s Killer Rack, Johnny Gruesome and Widow’s Point.

Guns of Eden Indiegogo: https://igg.me/at/gunsofedenmovie Guns of Eden Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GunsOfEden Guns of Eden Twitter: @Digi_Guerrilla Instagram: officialgregorylamberson and gunsofedenfilm Guns of Eden Action Concert: https://vimeo.com/516869518

#film news #movie news #casting #lynn lowry #gregory lamberson #gunsofedenfilm #guns of eden #action #thriller

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headcanonseverywhere · 6 years

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Cabins list - PJO OCs

I thought I’d make a list of all of our pjo ocs in their respective cabins (kind of like how it used to be back in rise), just so that we can know which of our ocs are siblings/cabin mates and make headcanons with them! :D

I will be doing the same for our HoO OCs and HP OCs ^u^

If I missed anyone, or if I got your OC’s godly parent wrong, please let me know!

Canon characters aren’t included

Cabin 1: Zeus

Clark O’Niel - Nessa

Cabin 2: Hera (Honorary)

Cabin 3: Posideon

Samara Hawke - Ericka

Zara Ye - Raven

Cabin 4: Demeter

Kai Kaeo - Alison

Lotus Itami - Logan

Michelle Belcourt - Max

Logan McKay - Ericka

Buzz Goldman - Rex

Landry Qualls - Emily

Gustavo Ferreira - Nessa

Cabin 5: Ares

Amelia Johnson - Nessa

Ella Cate Milligan - Ann

Cabin 6: Athena

Rui Saito - Nessa

Liam Trow - Erica

Andrew Webber - Max

Quinn Phillips - Emily

Céleste Rousseau - Raven

Rosa Santiago - Rex

Phaedra August - Manda

Parker Narváez - Logan

Calhoun O’Reilly - Manda

Cabin 7: Apollo

Rodrigue Roux - Nessa

Marcie Bouchard - Erica

Jasper Salvador - Max

Addy Streb - Alison

March Porter - Raven

Dalia Vega - Emily

Sunny Washington - Rex

Magnolia Herveaux - Ericka

Dylan Sanchez - Logan

Cabin 8: Artemis (Honorary/Hunters of Artemis)

Sabel delos Santos (Apollo) - Max

María Guadalupe Fernández (Dionysus) - Nessa

Azra Qazi (Ares) - Logan

Cabin 9: Hephaestus

Trent Baker - Erica

Robbie Lerner - Emily

Molly Dufour - Manda

Blaise Washington - Rex

Shiloh Young - Logan

Rene Cosineau - Ann

Cabin 10: Aphrodite

Ava Torres - Nessa

Perrin Beaumont - Shannyn

Dakota Summers - Alison

Leia Ka’uhane - Max

Brianna Moore - Emily

Cabin 11: Hermes

Mallory Bachmeier - Nessa

Jamie Mendoza - Nessa

Michael Costa - Nessa

Miguel Costa - Nessa

Jess Kowalski - Rex

Micah Reed - Emily

Emma Kowalski - Rex

Ella Hakim - Emily

Bailey Kowalski - Rex

Danny Noble - Ericka

Cabin 12: Dionysus

Jean Cordova - Ericka

Heath Hudson - Shannyn

Johnny Hayes - Ann

Rhyder Vogel - Logan

Cabin 13: Hades

Yvette Desroches - Erica

Michael Valentino - Rex

Cabin 14: Iris

Sterling O’Connell - Nessa

Cabin 15: Hypnos

Marshall Lewis - Shannyn

Cabin 16: Nemesis

Elenore Tovani - Logan

Daniel Davenport - Raven

Jude Keawe - Manda

Cabin 17: Nike

Thomas Lee - Max

Connie Kravitz - Logan

Jules Guzman - Emily

Cabin 18: Hebe

Cabin 19: Tyche

Myra Harris - Shannyn

Felicity Standing Bear - Logan

Cabin 20: Hecate

Atsa Sandoval - Raven

JJ Vasquez - Logan

Harper Vasquez - Logan

Cabin #: Morpheus

Haruka Masaomi - Nessa

James Howell - Nessa

Barney Bachhmeier - Max

Xander Huang - Logan

Teddy Zhao - Emily

Cabin #: Thalia (muse of comedy)

Maria Socorro do Nascimento - Nessa

Ivy Nkosi - Erica

Phillip Parker - Max

Cheryl Parker - Max

Cabin #: Phobos

Charlotte Perks - Erica

Cabin #: Khione

Fintan Whittaker - Shannyn

Cabin #: Eros

Gloria Armstrong - Romy

Cabin #: Eris

Stella Corleone - Romy

Jorlief Nielsen - Ann

Cabin #: Thanatos

Orion Mors - Manda

Cabin #: Oizys

Ivan Molotov - Ann

Cabin #: Euthenia

Oscar Martinez - Ann

#wow we have a lot of ocs #if i mixed up any of your ocs i'm deeply sorry!!! >.<#pjo ocs #authors assemble

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bookshopkat · 3 years

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Fiction Writing: Show and Tell

Image by M. H. Photography

We’ve all heard the age-old advice: “show, don’t tell.” It is, admittedly, a useful lesson for young writers, but is it really the golden rule of fiction that multitudes of teachers claim it to be? Many argue the point, stating that, like most things, storytelling is too complex to be easily boiled down to such simple guidelines.

There are, of course, many situations in which the adage rings true. In an article on Helping Writers Become Authors, novelist K.M. Weiland asserts that “Showing gives the readers the details of a scene, including what the character(s) are seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling, thinking, and feeling emotionally.” This sounds obvious, I know, but it’s an important concept. As writers, our aim should be not simply to inform readers of the existence of a rose, but to help them see the rose, smell it’s perfume, feel the velvety petals and the prick of sharp thorns. But only if—and this is the crucial point—the rose is elemental to either the narrative or to character development.

The simple fact is that, while “showing” is vital to helping readers share characters’ experiences and thus building empathy for those characters, too much creates unnecessary bloat and drags a story down. It can negatively affect the pacing, slowing the action, or, worse still, even confuse readers as they try to figure how all that extraneous information relates to the plot. At the very least, the end result is likely to be a rather dull narrative.

In 5 Creative Flaws That Will Expose Your Lack of Storytelling Experience, StoryFix provides a three examples of how this can happen. The first is small talk in your dialogue. I cannot stress this enough. There is really no need to give readers the full conversation when only part of it is relevant to the plot. In fact, William Goldman, a highly-accomplished novelist and screenplay writer, urges authors to “begin our scenes at the last possible moment,” which keeps the narrative moving and the audience engaged. As such, StoryFix advises replacing pleasantries and chit-chat with a single sentence or phrase.

After a few comments about the weather, Marcus broached the topic most on his mind. “At the risk of sounding ungrateful, I have to ask: why me? We both know there are at least a dozen more senior professors in this department, so why ask me to lead this dig?”

It’s easy to see how this would be so much more interesting to read than multiple lines of dialogue about “how are you?” and “do you think we’ll get any rain?” Thus this is one case where, within certain parameters, telling rather than showing can be appropriate.

Another, once again according to StoryFix, is when dealing with sequential time fillers. Young writers are often tempted, in the interest of what they perceive as realism, to ply their readers with unnecessary details about a protagonist’s daily life. Let’s be honest, that quickly becomes dull. In fact, the best basic rule is that if events don’t provide exposition or vital plot points, we should probably either gloss over them and move on or skip them altogether.

Even in Slice of Life literary fiction, it’s important to choose minutiae with discernment, focusing on particulars that hold significance or poignancy for the main character, or which bring up a thematic thought or memory. In other forms of fiction, we should be, if anything, even more selective. For example, let’s suppose someone wanted to illustrate a heroine’s quiet, insular life by describing what she does upon arriving home after a long week at work. While some information might aid in character building, we still don’t need to hear every detail of her evening routine. If a writer provides overabundant information about how much this woman—let’s call her Amelia—relishes finally kicking off her high-heels, enjoys her hot shower and the way it relaxes her muscles, and debates over what to make for dinner before finally reaching the relevant part of the scene, readers will quickly become bored. Those details are not important for the story to continue, and thus become cumbersome literary “baggage,” if you will, bogging down the narrative.

StoryFix recommends again telling rather than showing, and then moving forward. This can be done either in brief descriptions, or, better yet, as a part of dialogue later in the narrative. I’ve included examples of both below. Telling via description might look something like this:

Showered, dressed in comfortable lounge wear, and armed with a glass of Pinot Nior, Amelia brought up her voicemail app before settling on the sofa. The missed call was from Derrick.

“Ami, listen to me,” his words were strangely ragged and hurried. “I’m on my way over. I found something on Xander in the archive, and it’s worse than we thought. For God’s sake don’t drink the wine he gave you!”

In this case, telling rather than showing Amber’s normal evening activities serves to keep the narrative moving forward while still setting an atmosphere of safe relaxation that can then be shattered. Leaping straight into the phone message might not allow readers to experience the protagonist’s jarring panic so completely, but taking too much time describing her evening might make the revelation too slow in coming and thus less impactful. Of course, as mentioned before, this is not the only way to handle the information. Below is an example of telling through dialogue instead.

Amelia quirked a half-grin. “The next thing I know you’ll start asking where I was Friday night.”

Detective Perez didn’t laugh. “And where were you?”

“Seriously?”

He only watched her, face expressionless, and she sighed.

“At home. Like usual.”

“At home.” Perez paused for a moment as if waiting for more. “Can you account for your time?”

This was getting ridiculous.

“Well, let’s see,” Amelia stared at him blatantly. “I came home around 5:35, took off my high heels because those things suck, got in the shower—that was at about 5:40, by the way—put on yoga pants and a t-shirt, fed the cat, started pasta and vegetables in the instant pot—6:27, in case your wondering—and poured a glass of Pinot Noir. Blackstone Vineyards. Rich and slightly woody with a fruity finish. Then I sat on the sofa and checked my voicemail at 6:34. Is that detailed enough for you or should I draw some illustrations?”

In this way, we learn several things about the protagonist—she lives alone, she is on friendly enough terms with a police detective that being questioned takes her aback, she is snarky, and she might have just become a suspect—all while simultaneously keeping the plot in motion. It’s not difficult to see why this is preferable to weighing down the narrative with unneeded descriptions.

I should mention, however, that there are a couple of types of fiction in which this is not always strictly the case. (Those who already see where this is heading will no doubt recognize the reason I chose a mystery scenario as that last example.) According to an article by Zara Altair on The Thrill Begins, successful authors thrillers and detective fiction often hide clues in plain sight. One of the ways they do this is by slipping a clue in amid otherwise inconsequential occurrences or conversations. Many, in fact, take it one step further, emphasizing unimportant details to draw attention away from the important one. Altair refers to this as “secret emphasis,” and it’s one of several great ways to allow readers to share the mentally engaging and sometimes confusing experience of solving a mystery. So, while our protagonist in our non-existent story, Amber, should not be described going through the motions of her normal evening in great detail, that would change if there were, say, some hidden clue that someone had been in her apartment. The same is true if she finds herself at an event where one or more suspects are present. You get the idea. Again, there still ought to be limits, but in those cases it is alright to include some extraneous detail.

The final example StoryFix provides which relates to showing rather than telling is an odd one: the description of food. That may sound a little absurd, but you’d be surprised how many young writers describe meals in superfluous detail. I’ve even seen it in published works sometimes, and trust me, unless there is a really good reason for it—such as a protagonist (and readers) experiencing unfamiliar foods for the first time or a narrative centered upon culinary pursuits—it really is dull. An audience might find themselves thinking things like: “yes, alright, I know what beef stew is. Can we move on, please?”

While StoryFix asserts that details about food should never be included, however, I do have to respectfully disagree. There are some situations where some descriptions of fare are fitting or even vital for the narrative or for character development. As mentioned before, in fiction with culinary-related themes, such as Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate, cooking and the protagonists relationship with food can play an important role. Similarly, basic descriptions of meals can serve as a way to illustrate characters, such as in Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe novels. In these books, the eccentric armchair detective is known for being a gourmet, and his assistant Archie Goodwin often briefly describes his boss’s succulent meals and arguments with the cook, Fritz, about the finer points of culinary arts as a tongue-in-cheek way of further illuminating Wolfe’s character. However, even in these cases, the authors don’t go overboard with descriptions, and that is a very important point. While it’s not always wrong to include descriptions of cuisine, these should be told rather than shown. We don’t need an entire scene detailing every smell, flavor, and presentation.

As you can see, the only truly hard-and-fast rule when it comes to “show and tell” in writing is that there are no hard-and-fast rules. However, this will, perhaps, help you to better recognize situations in which it is preferable to provide brief descriptions rather than detailed scenes. While “show, don’t tell” may be generally good advice, being aware of these exceptions to the rule may result in more engaging and enjoyable tales. Although it’s far from the only element of a well-written narrative, telling rather than showing certain details, and choosing those details with discernment, can help writers create stories that are better paced and less weighed down. Knowing when to show and when to tell is an important building block for penning a truly interesting fiction.

#writing #fiction writing #writer #writers #write #writing tips #tips #advice #show #tell #show don't tell #show and tell #author #authors #novels #short stories #fiction #plot #pacing

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wazafam · 3 years

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From short cameos to season-long roles, stunt casting has been used for decades. But it has become increasingly popular in recent years, and more often than not, it’s simply used as a handy marketing tool.

RELATED: Fargo: Friendships That Should Have Happened (But Didn't)

But more than anything else, it’s a novelty used to put actors in roles that go against their type or to fool audiences. Whether it’s comedy duos cast as FBI agents, real-life couples playing characters who are enemies, or a well-seasoned actor being thrown into a low-budget sitcom, these examples of stunt casting have been more satisfying than any other.

10 Key And Peele In Fargo

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele may as well be attached at the hip, as there’s very little they don’t do together outside of the horror movies that Peele has directed.

Not only do they have their own successful sketch show together, but they also starred in Toy Story 4 together as Bunny and Ducky, which is almost stunt casting itself. And on top of that, they were cast in Fargo as two FBI agents. Fargo is a masterclass in stunt casting all on its own, but the casting of Key and Peele added to the dark comedy of the show perfectly.

9 Larry David In Hannah Montana

With Larry David being the creator and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, one of the most offensively hilarious sitcoms of all-time, he featured in a show that could be seen as the polar opposite.

David starred in an episode of Hannah Montana where he plays his typical self and ends up arguing with a restaurant host. Why he did it might is still a mystery as anybody who watches Curb knows that David doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do. But considering how his daughter is in the scene with him, odds are he probably did it for her.

8 Will Ferrell In The Office

After Steve Carell decided to leave The Office to pursue more serious roles in movies, it almost seemed like the writers didn’t know what to do as there was a revolving door of random branch managers.

RELATED: The Office's 5 Best Guest Stars (& 5 Celebrities The Show Squandered)

The best of them all came in the form of Deangelo Vickers, played by Will Ferrell, who is just as incompetent as Michael Scott, if not more so. Casting Ferrell as Carell’s successor was a genius move as they had already starred in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. So it felt as if it had come full circle.

7 Ashanti In Buffy The Vampire Slayer

As Buffy the Vampire Slayer is very much a monster-of-the-week type show, with each episode featuring a new villain that Buffy inevitably defeats in around 40 minutes, some of these villains ended up being recognizable faces.

The biggest stunt-casting came when Ashanti played a demonic character, who hilariously goes on a date with Xander. But that isn’t the only history Buffy has with stunt casting, as Britney Spears was almost cast in the role of a robot, but didn’t end up happening due to scheduling conflicts.

6 Quentin Tarantino In Alias

Being the biggest consumer of movies and TV than anyone else in the world, Quentin Tarantino has always been happy to share what he’s currently enjoying, whether it’s old western movies or Star Trek.

But he was also a big fan of JJ Abrams’ Alias, to which the creator responded by giving the controversial director a role of his own. Tarantino actually has a big role and his own arc in a two-part episode, as he plays an SD-6 agent gone rogue.

5 Paris Hilton In My Name Is Earl

My Name Is Earl is a show that fans will never get closure for as it was canceled after the biggest cliffhanger of the series. But at least left fans with enough memorable and quirky episodes to binge, one of the most memorable of them being “I Won’t Die With A Little Help From My Friends.”

When Earl has been comatose after a car accident, the viewers learn that he believes he is living his life in a sitcom filmed show called The Hickeys. Paris Hilton makes a cameo in this episode as herself, and her prim-like attitude that she’s known for contrasts with the trailer park characters of the show hilariously.

4 Bill Burr In Breaking Bad

While the show would look a lot different if it was recast today, fans would agree that there a few casting choices that helped to make Breaking Bad as iconic as it was. From Bob Odenkirk’s portrayal of the criminal lawyer Saul Goodman or Bryan Cranston as Walter White (which is stunt casting itself considering his previous role as Hal in Malcolm in the Middle), many fans would say this casting was ingenious.

RELATED: Breaking Bad: 10 Times Someone Was Killed In Broad Daylight

However, one that did surprise them was Bill Burr, who played Kuby, Saul Goldman’s right-hand man. Though Burr has gone on to continue his dramatic acting in The Mandalorian and The King of Staten Island, this was the first time viewers ever saw him in a serious role.

3 Danny DeVito In It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Casting Danny DeVito in the show is a lesson for any enthusiasts looking to work in TV, and the lesson is that if somebody like DeVito asks to star in a promising up-and-coming show, then they should say yes. The actor approached the creators of the show and asked for a role simply because his son liked it.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia is 14 seasons deep at this point and it has been renewed for another four, and that’s in no small part thanks to DeVito.

2 Brad Pitt In Friends

One thing Friends is known for is its expert use of guest stars, whether it’s Bruce Willis as Elizabeth's father or Sean Penn as Ursula's fiance. However, one that was memorable was Brad Pitt's cameo.

In what is such a subtly meta-joke for a series (that is more grounded in reality compared to other shows) Friends made use out of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s marriage at the time by casting Pitt in the show as an enemy of Rachel’s. While fans were delighted to have him part of the show for a brief amount of time, they just wish the writers had executed the storyline a little differently.

1 Evan Peters As Pietro In WandaVision

There has never been any kind of stunt-casting on TV more talked about than Evan Peter’s casting as Pietro in WandaVision, and that isn’t just because it’s one of the most-watched shows of all-time. After having played the same character in the X-Men series, a completely different universe, his first appearance on the show sent fans into a frenzy.

Viewers thought that WandaVision would be the catalyst for the multiverse, and that the Marvel Cinematic Universe and X-Men would collide. When the didn’t happen, it split fans into two different camps. However, it still made shockwaves on the internet nonetheless.

NEXT: MCU: 5 Reasons We're More Excited For WandaVision (& 5 For The Falcon & The Winter Soldier)

10 Best Examples Of Stunt-Casting On TV | ScreenRant from https://ift.tt/3weQg9x

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warofshadowstheorder · 4 years

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Chapter 43

The Order took the proper time to honor its dead, but they were careful not to spend too much time away from their mission. For that reason, the funerals for Odin and O’Connell had been delayed in case a third body would need to be added. The possible third body now sat in the chapel with the rest of the assembled mourners. Olcán had attended services like this in the past, an occasional salute to a fallen comrade, but this was by far the most personal for him.

This was the first anyone aside from Natasha and Shepherd Goldman had seen Olcán since he’d woken up, and all those that noticed him where he sat apart from the rest of the mourners had several silent questions and prayers for him running through their minds. Olcán himself sat quietly with his eyes to the front where Odin’s body rested inside an open casket and O’Connell’s rested on top of a large sheet that was set up on a gurney.

Despite his best efforts, Olcán’s eyes drifted to where Alicia sat with her children. She wore a traditional black veil with her Gifted One robe and was trying her best to be strong for the three young boys who would have to spend their adult years without their father. Inside Olcán was weeping uncontrollably, but his tough exterior was drier than the Sahara Desert. One of the Blacksmiths in the Order played the organ in the chapel to accompany a Contralto Gifted One singing the “He Shall Feed His Flock Like A Shepherd” selection from Handel’s “Messiah” as a few additional mourners entered.

As a signal to begin the service, a Knight in the back closed the doors. The Blacksmith and Gifted One ended the selection just before The Apostle stood up to the pulpit.

“I have presided over more of these than I have cared to,” The Apostle began in a tone that conveyed the sincerity of his statement, “for though we are engaged in a very real war in this Order. Mourning the ones who fall never becomes easier.”

The Apostle rested his hands on the pulpit and dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief before continuing. “Shepherd Murphy of Ireland will give the parting remarks for the Knight Michael O’Connell. After which Shepherd Holland of Australia will give the parting remarks for the Knight Odin Bruce.”

The Apostle returned to the seat he had previously occupied. Immediately afterwards, Shepherd Murphy arose from his own seat and stood behind the podium.

“Michael Adam O’Connell was already a Knight here when I first arrived. He only beat me here by a few months, and I had the privilege of serving alongside him ever since I arrived. The first thing that stood out to me about him, apart from his grizzled appearance, was his commitment to the cause. He was completely driven, and his devotion to the mission of this Order always has and always will be an example to me, and give me motivation to be better in my own duties as he was in his.”

“His family,” Shepherd Murphy paused to refocus himself as his emotions threatened to manifest, “was taken from him, as many here know, and that led to him becoming the mighty man of God we remember here today. He is succeeded by his adopted son, the Elite that we know as Olcán Farrell.”

Shepherd Murphy looked to where Olcán was sitting and received a nod of affirmation and gratitude from the young man. Taking that as a gesture of approval, Shepherd Murphy continued with his remarks.

“But O’Connell’s contribution to the Order,” he continued, “goes far beyond that. A large part of his commitment manifested itself in his tireless work with young recruits and Knights. On the outside, he’d been a champion amateur boxer and was quickly rising in the professional ranks. He brought those skills with him here in training young recruits and Knights in unarmed combat, and teaching them how to be the kind of men that this Order prides itself on producing. Men possessed of outer and inner strength, and for whom words like honor, integrity, loyalty, devotion, and responsibility are not the anachronistic terms they have become in much of the outside world.”

“And so,” Shepherd Murphy said doing his best to remain strong, “we bid farewell to our friend, teacher, and brother, Michael Adam O’Connell. Until the day we cross over and meet him once again, where I have no doubt we will find him standing at the right hand of God and bidding us welcome. May he rest in peace with the family that he loved so much and who I’m sure are there to greet him.”

The assembled mourners were given several moments of silent contemplation as Shepherd Murphy returned to his seat on the stand. Olcán was the one most affected, and he couldn’t stop a few stray tears from rolling down his cheeks as he thought of the man he’d known as Da.

Several memories of precious time the two of them had spent together flashed through his mind. Boxing sessions were prevalent among those, but he also remembered O’Connell, in moments that many would have considered uncharacteristically tender, reading or telling stories to him before he would go to sleep. He remembered trips the two of them would take during O’Connell’s holiday time, and particularly going to the movies together.

One moment that particularly stood out was right after he’d received his brand and officially become a Knight. He walked away from the huge fire with the mark of the Order now permanently emblazoned on his chest, and was met by O’Connell. Neither one of them said anything. O’Connell merely looked at him and put a hand on his shoulder, and then something Olcán had never seen before or would ever see again happened.

Michael O’Connell, possibly the toughest man in a generation to set foot on the grounds of the Monastery, wept. Olcán could only nod in response to that as the two of them shared a very strong and heartfelt embrace. Then, O’Connell said four words in Irish Gaelic that would forever echo in Olcán’s memory and inspire him to always be his best. “Well done Little Wolf.”

Olcán was interrupted from his reminiscing by Shepherd Holland, a slim man slightly younger than Shepherd Murphy, with brown hair and dressed in the robes of his office within the Monastery, rising from his own seat approaching the podium, and beginning his remarks.

“Odin Xavier Bruce,” Shepherd Holland said speaking with an Australian accent much more refined than Odin’s “was a young man who I had the privilege of meeting when I was sent to a remote part of my home country on Order business. I went to the Outback to acquire some horses, but I had no idea that I would be gaining something infinitely more important.”

Shepherd Holland could not help himself from shedding a few tears, which he dabbed at with his own handkerchief before closing his eyes and gripping the podium. After a few moments, and several trembles, he found the strength to continue.

“I was negotiating a price with the proprietor of the ranch, when I saw a young man pick off a Dingo from at least 1 kilo away with one shot from a rifle. I had to ask about who made that shot, and was introduced to one of the greatest men I have ever had the sacred honor of meeting in my life.”

“Odin and I were formally introduced,” Shepherd Holland continued, “that evening where I found the young Bruce to be an outstanding young man of character and integrity. I told him and his father about The Order and that he could have a place here with us.”

“One concern I have for every young man who takes on the mantle of a Knight, is that their training will cripple or obliterate their humanity. I immediately knew this wasn’t the case with Odin. I saw in him someone who, while dedicated to the cause and his work, knew when to be a Knight and when to be a man. Another who could see this in him,” Shepherd Holland paused before continuing, “was the Gifted One Alicia McInnis. She was asked to show Odin around the Monastery when he first arrived, they were later married.”

“Odin would often mention to me that he would accomplish his mission as soon as possible so that he could get back to her, and later to their three boys. Odin loved his family more than anything else in this world,” Shepherd Holland again paused to compose himself, “and they are here in attendance now. He is succeeded by the four of them, along with his parents who still raise horses on their ranch in the Outback, and four brothers and three sisters and their families.”

“If I may be so bold,” Shepherd Holland stated while doing his best to maintain his characteristic stiff upper lip. “I know that I can never begin to understand the grief that the Bruce family feels over this loss. But I would remind them that we have the wonderful blessing of knowing that this life is not the end. And that all of you,” he addressed Alicia and the boys, “will always be a family. We do not say farewell forever to Odin, or Michael today. We merely say, goodbye for now.”

The entire room was profoundly affected by Shepherd Holland’s words. Silence once again settled over the chapel as all in attendance, particularly Alicia and the boys, mulled over what had just been shared. They provided everyone in attendance with a reminder of the great hope that they enjoyed as members, in whatever capacity, of the Order.

Shepherd Holland gave one last nod to Alicia and her sons before taking his seat. The Apostle then once again approached the podium and spoke.

“Will the one to receive the effects of Odin Bruce please come forward?”

Alicia told Xander to watch his brothers and then, with a heavy heart, walked up to the front. The Apostle embraced her and whispered some words of comfort before the two of them separated. He then handed her Odin’s battle clothes, which were folded up and stacked on top of each other, with a box of his Surefires on top.

Alicia gently accepted the items, her eyes wet and filled with gratitude, before saying thank you to The Apostle and walking down. On her way back to her seat in the congregation she stopped at the casket that now held the body of her husband. She paused to look at him, grateful that the body had been cleaned and the fatal wound mended, and let a few of her tears drop onto his face. She then lifted her veil, and bent down to plant a last long and tender kiss on his lips and whispered “wait for us there, my Aussie baby.”

Her eyes then panned down to Odin’s crucifix around his neck. She set down the personal effects she had received, her obvious emotional state prompting Shepherd Holland to rise from his seat and move next to her. Then, trembling almost uncontrollably and with every ounce of strength she could muster, she turned his medallion over so that the words Odin Bruce could be clearly seen inscribed on the horizontal beam and Australia, Burial inscribed on the vertical.

She then clenched her hand into a fist and brought it high into the air. She held it there for what seemed like an eternity before nearly collapsing to the ground. Shepherd Holland was there to catch and support her before whispering something into her ear and receiving a nod in response. Shepherd Holland then moved to the casket, clenched his hand into a fist, raised it high into the air, and brought it down hard onto the medallion.

Emotionally spent, Alicia took up Odin’s personal effects and allowed Shepherd Holland to escort her back to where her children sat as The Apostle once again approached the podium.

“Will the one to receive the effects of Michael O’Connell please come forward?” The Apostle said in a low voice choked with emotion after witnessing, and hearing, Alicia’s exchange with her husband. Olcán rose to his feet and made his way to The Apostle. The two of them shook hands and embraced.

“Please see me after the service,” The Apostle whispered, earning a nod from Olcán.

O’Connell was well known in the Order for being a very private man. The practice in the Order was for the possessions of a fallen Knight to be consecrated to the Order as their family saw fit, with uniquely personal objects being specifically presented to the family or simply kept by them. It came as no surprise to anyone, least of all Olcán, that O’Connell didn’t have many to be presented.

For O’Connell’s personals, Olcán was presented with a small pouch, a small wooden box, and a folded piece of paper.

On his way down to the gurney, Olcán stopped by Odin and bent down to whisper, “I am so sorry my friend. I couldn’t save you then, but I swear that you will be avenged.” He then made his way down to O’Connell, setting down O’Connell’s personals before looking down at his body for several moments and taking his cold and lifeless hand into his own.

After standing resolutely for a few more moments, Olcán bowed down and kissed O’Connell’s forehead. “Thank you,” he whispered into O’Connell’s ear in Irish Gaelic, “thank you for everything. Ta gra agam duit, Da.”

Olcán then released O’Connell’s hand and turned over his medallion revealing the words Michael O’Connell and Northern Ireland, Cremation along the beams, made a fist just like the one the man laying lifeless below him had showed him how to so many years ago, and brought it down hard.

Olcán held the fist on top of the medallion for several moments before lifting it off, with the imprint of the medallion implanted on it, and walking back to his seat.

Every memorial service ended with The Apostle or the presiding Shepherd offering a prayer. The Apostle approached the pulpit and folded his arms before bowing his head and closing his eyes, the congregation following suit.

“O God,” The Apostle said in a very strong and dignified voice, “our Eternal Father and the Father of all. We are gathered here to bid farewell to two beloved friends and brothers of ours, Michael O’Connell and Odin Bruce. We are grateful to thee for the time we were privileged to spend with them while on this Earth. We thank thee for all that they taught us and for the inspirations they have been and will continue to be for us.”

“We ask thee now, O God. To welcome them into thy kingdom, a just reward for the great service they have given to thee and this world. We ask thee to help we who loved them and now must continue on in this life without them to be patient, and to always bear in remembrance that we will see them again. Help us to always remember that we will be reunited in a better place. We pray that thou wilt give these warriors for thy cause all the glory, honor, and gratitude that are owed to them. And to give them place with the other brave warriors for this cause that have gone before. Amen.”

After the congregation echoed the amen, The Apostle walked down and closed the lid of the casket, and carefully folded the sheet under O’Connell so that it encased him. That was the signal that the service was over. The congregation rose from their seats and began to move to the door. Several of them came to Alicia and offered her and the boys some kind words. They knew that Olcán would want to be alone with his grief. As Alicia stood up, Olcán did the same and walked over to her. He was nervous about approaching her, but he owed it to Odin.

“Alicia,” Olcán said very respectfully when he came to her. Alicia turned to look at Olcán, both of their eyes were red from crying and she could only glare at him. She turned to Xander and told him to take his brothers outside while she talked to Mr. Farrell. After Xander obeyed her instructions, she at last spoke.

“What happened?” She asked heavy with emotion. “Why did you come back and my Odin died?! You gave me your word! You swore to me, that as long as you were living you’d make sure that he came back alive!”

Her words cut Olcán to the core. He didn’t know what he could possibly tell her that wouldn’t make her hate him, and that was what he feared more than anything else.

“We got separated,” Olcán began doing his best not to let his emotions take control of him, “we found a large group of Demons hiding in a warehouse. I volunteered to go inside and scout the place. Shepherd Goldman told me that the Watcher we were working with betrayed us and told them we were coming. Some demons got Odin and O’Connell and took Tadeas.”

He saw several emotions come and go across Alicia’s face as he attempted to gage her reaction. Anger, sadness, disbelief, betrayal, and hatred mingled together to form an expression on her face that nearly made Olcán burst into tears. He decided to continue.

“I tired to get out to them, but I got sealed in and had to fight my way out through all the Purveyors and Dogs that were inside. I found them outside and then collapsed. Shepherd Goldman says that the Watcher had a change of heart and sent us back through his Cauldron before he hanged himself.”

Olcán looked again at Alicia, hoping against hope to see the bright and cheerful face that had greeted him after so many missions. He only saw the expression of one who was completely crushed.

“If you want to hate me,” Olcán said, “then I understand. I just want to say that I would have gladly traded places with...”

“SHUT UP!” Alicia blurted out, bringing a slap across Olcán’s face.

“It’s easy for you to say that,” Alicia said angrily, “but you’re here and my Odin is dead! How dare you even speak to me?! You have nothing outside of yourself! And you survive while I get to think of birthdays, Christmases, and every night at home with the boys but not with their Dad! And to top it all off I need to think of what to tell the baby when she asks about her father!”

Despite all that had happened, Olcán’s mind was still sharp enough to comprehend every implication of what Alicia had just said. She was pregnant, and they were going to Australia. He knew that Odin and Alicia had been hoping to have a girl, and that Odin wanted to be buried on his family ranch in the Outback. He didn’t know what to say in response for himself, he didn’t want to say anything.

“If I could have given my life for Odin,” Olcán eventually responded, “I would have.”

Alicia didn’t have anything to say to Olcán. Olcán watched her leave, feeling his heart shrivel up inside his chest as she did. After she’d left, Olcán turned around and walked to where The Apostle stood off to the side of the chapel. He placed a caring hand on Olcán’s shoulder.

“I am sorry,” he said with sincerity, “I know how much your friendship with Odin and his family means to you. It has been said that time heals all wounds. I am sure that will be the case with her as well.”

“You said for me to meet you here sir,” Olcán interjected, “what do you want?”

“A few things,” The Apostle said, realizing that Olcán just wanted to talk business, “the first is that Shepherd Goldman told me of your request.”

Olcán didn’t say anything but gave The Apostle a look of expectation that made it obvious he wanted him to continue.

“I must say that while your request is unorthodox, I will allow it. But only on the condition that you take another Elite with you.”

“I will find Tadeas on my own,” Olcán shot back respectfully, “I would work better alone and can handle myself just fine.”

“No one questions that,” The Apostle replied gently, “but I am convinced that there should be at least two of you on this assignment. Furthermore, that is the way in which The Order, by divine revelation, has always worked. And with a mission like this that could take an indefinite amount of time, you should take another Elite.”

“Fine,” Olcán said knowing that any further protest would be completely futile, “who’s going with me then?”

“Given the nature of this assignment,” The Apostle responded, “and the fact that it could possibly take you anywhere in the world. It is clear to me that the best person to go with you is Connor Gladiusdei.”

Assigning two Elites to any mission was unheard of. Since there weren’t that many in the Order, it was common practice to have them spread out working different missions and helping other less experienced Knights. Olcán had never worked with Connor but knew him very well by reputation prior to their confrontation at the tournament. His reputation annoyed him and made him grateful that they were both Elites. However, Olcán’s desire to find his blood brother outweighed any ill feelings he had toward his assigned partner.

“Fine,” Olcán said, “tell him to be ready to leave tomorrow after the ceremony.”

“I shall.” The Apostle answered. “I would also advise you to look at the items you were given during the service.”

“Right now?” Olcán asked earning a nod from The Apostle. “Why?”

“It is possible,” The Apostle replied, “that you will have some questions concerning some of them.” Olcán turned and walked back to his seat where he had left the items given to him as O’Connell’s personals and sat down to examine them as The Apostle walked next to where he sat.

Olcán decided to open the pouch first, and he was unable to fight back the tears that streamed over his face when he saw what it was. Inside the pouch were two small framed photographs, one was of O’Connell with his wife and three children sitting on a beach in Ireland that Olcán recognized from a trip he’d taken there as a boy with O’Connell. Olcán had never seen a picture of O’Connell with his family, and just the sight of it told him so much about the man. The next picture forced the tears out of Olcán’s eyes even further.

It was taken at the exact same place, but years later. O’Connell was sitting in the same place, and had a similar expression on his face. But there was only one person with him in that picture, a baby boy that Olcán recognized as himself.

Olcán had always viewed O’Connell as a father figure and always thought that he had raised him as a favor to his best friend. Until the moment he saw those pictures, he had no idea that O’Connell’s commitment to him ran nearly as deep as it did. After Olcán had completely lost his bearing, The Apostle helped him to his feet and held him in a strong embrace until Olcán’s strength returned.

Olcán next opened the box, and found that it contained an assortment of ticket stubs from trips the two of them had taken to the movies. Two that stood out were from when O’Connell took him to see “The Princess Bride” at a particularly memorable theater in Sheffield, and another from when O’Connell took him to see the re-release of “Star Wars” at a theater called the Uptown in Washington, D.C.

He could see a ticket stub, or other small souvenir, from every event he could remember O’Connell ever taking him to. From the first movie he ever remembered seeing, to the production of Les Miserables O’Connell had convinced him to attend with him before Olcán had stopped taking holidays off the island. A few more tears slowly streamed down his face, and he was grateful to now possess the tangible memories of so many wonderful experiences from his youth and early adulthood.

Olcán then unfolded the paper and read the official document. It was his birth certificate. When Olcán had asked O’Connell what his name was, O’Connell had told him that his parents had died before officially naming him. He also told him that he didn’t feel right doing it himself and that the pathway he would choose to take in life would reveal his name. Olcán now looked over the document and found what name his parents had in fact given him. Michael Adam Farrell. More tears welled up in Olcán’s eyes as he read, then he turned to The Apostle.

“Why didn’t anyone ever tell me this?” Olcán asked.

“Because,” The Apostle replied, “O’Connell did not want you to forget about your real father. He felt that if he raised you as his own, and that you had his name, you would view him and not Sean Farrell as your father. He was adamant that you not forget who your father was.”

“Sean Farrell may be my father,” Olcán said in a strong but emotional voice, “but Michael O’Connell was and always will be my Da.”

The matters settled between the two of them, Olcán took one last look at Odin’s casket, and then walked over to the gurney. The part O’Connell’s body rested on was a removable plank, and behind the table was some rope and a small metal container. Olcán used the rope to bind O’Connell’s body to the plank, clipped the container to the waistband of his pants, and then carried it outside of the chapel. He set the plank down on the ground and made a makeshift harness for himself out of the remaining rope. He strapped it tightly around himself and looked to where he’d set out a bundle of sticks earlier.

He put the bundle on top of his back and gripped the rope holding it together with both of his hands. He then looked toward Mount Titus, took a deep breath, and began walking.

#novel #action-adventure #fantasy #historical fiction

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