#also janet....... ms. wright.............

[diaryofageekgirl]

Hey OP, I hope you don’t mind that I’m copy/pasting the text under the cut in my reblog. I’m only doing it bc I’ve lost too many good meta posts under read more’s from deactivated blogs and moved urls in the past.

Everything past this point was written by OP:

- Because RftA was added onto the first game for the DS release (after the rest of the trilogy had already been finished for GBA,) the writers intentionally made parallels and references to the rest of the trilogy within it. Ema and Lana are clearly meant to be a twisted mirror of Maya and Mia. And per Janet Tsu (English localization director,) Jake Marshall serves the role of Godot in the Skye sisters/Fey sisters parallel. (In fact, the reason he is a cowboy was to differentiate his characterization from Godot’s.) This by default puts Jake in a position of being romantically close to Lana.

(I fuckin’ love Godot and I also fuckin’ love Jake, so this parallel makes a lot of sense to me…)

- Ema is familiar with Jake when meeting him for the first time. She calls him “Mr. Marshall” before he ever introduces himself to Phoenix, and Phoenix remarks that it seems like they know each other already. (By contrast, Ema doesn’t know who Angel is, nor Bruce Goodman, the other SL-9 investigators.)

- This line, early in the first conversation with Jake:

Marshall: I’m  afraid your sister’s fate is  decided, bambina. Many  condolences.

Ema: Officer Marshall!

Marshall: Yeah,  bambina?

Ema: H-how can you say that! You and my sister, you were…

Phoenix: (Is there something between this cop and her sister that I don’t know about?)

Marshall: …! I  apologize, bambina. Something must have gotten to  me. Maybe   it’s that dry wind that’s a-blowin’ through the Prospector’s Office.

(Love that Jake seems to have a soft spot for Ema, and relents when she calls him on his apparently callousness towards Lana’s situation.)

- This exchange with Angel, in which Ema is very concerned about what’s going on between Jake and Angel:

Ema: Um, Ms.  Starr…? Officer  Marshall… is he your… uh, are you his…? Are you  g-g-g-going out!?

Angel: Why do  you want to know?

Ema: I was  just wondering what  happened to him?  A long  time ago, when he was  helping my sister do cases, he was so nice. He got  along so well with my sister, it made me jealous. And…  he was nice to me  too, back then.

Phoenix: (This would be when Officer Marshall was a detective.)

Ema: But  now… now he’s so cold!

Angel: …Jake  and I are merely cooperating on this investigation. We’re   putting the past to rest, as it were. Nothing more  than that.

Ema: I… I  see. Thank you.

- Angel also dishes a lot of spicy gossip about Jake and Lana in the aftermath of SL-9. Most of it revolves around how Jake, especially, really went through it and how his pain in particular seemed to drive Lana.

Angel: Poor old Jake Marshall, though, must have been going through hell.

Phoenix: You mean, because of his brother’s death?

Angel: They were close, those two. After Neil died, something took over Jake. He became obsessed. Seeing Jake like that made her all the more desperate.

Phoenix: “Her”…?

Angel: Lana Skye.

And then there’s THIS particularly intriguing bit:

Angel: When Jake’s brother was murdered, she felt as if she had lost her own brother. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think Jake would ever have recovered from his shock.

Angel: That’s what makes it all the more infuriating.

- This one is a reach, but Lana seems perturbed that Phoenix is bringing up Jake as a suspect on day two of the trial.

Ema: In order  to defend my sister, you’re going to accuse Mr.  Marshall?

Phoenix: We have  to play the cards we’re dealt. Isn’t that right, Ms.  Skye?

Lana: … Do what  you have to do, Mr. Wright.

- After receiving her orders from Gant to move Goodman’s body, the first thing Lana did was call Jake.

Lana: The truth is, after I received those orders from Chief Gant, the first thing I did was make a phone call. A phone call to Patrolman Jake Marshall.

Phoenix: To Marshall? Why on earth would you call him?

Lana: The lead investigator for the SL-9 Incident had been murdered. I wanted that fact to be kept hidden, and I needed help. He was the only other person I could trust. Or at least, I thought I could trust him at the time.

Lana: However, it seems that after I spoke to him he went off on an escapade of his own…

Lana says she never expected Jake to do his renegade evidence room cosplay plan, but attributes it to how much he’s “changed” since SL-9 ended. But the fact remains, she called him in the first place because on some level, she trusted him to help her.

- Actually, both Jake and Lana talk about how the other one “changed” in the aftermath of the incident, in a way that feels particularly personal to me. (Angel also makes this observation about the both of them.)

So to me, it seems like there was a period of time after Neil Marshall’s death where Lana was trying desperately to support Jake (while simultaneously scrambling to end the case to cover up Ema’s involvement.) Things only really fell apart after Joe Darke’s conviction, the other investigators noticed how fishy the conviction ended up– to Jake, that someone had tampered with his brother’s body and the circumstances of his death. Lana, of course, is falling under Gant’s manipulations, and can’t risk the truth coming out.

Now, regardless of their past status, any relationship of any sort Jake and Lana had is unquestionably, decisively over. Jake is clearly extremely bitter towards her, Gant, and the prosecutor’s office in general, and Lana’s newly cold personality is impenetrable to everyone, even her own sister. They refer to each other only by formal titles.  They only interact face to face once in the case: the moment at the end of the second trial where Jake demands Lana look him in the eye and tell him that SL-9 was concluded legitimately.

Even after the truth comes out, I don’t know if Jake and Lana’s relationship is reparable. I can’t even say I think they’d be any good for each other anymore (though tbh if somebody wrote a fic where they try to get closure or end up drawn back together by reflex… I’d read the hell out of it.) To me, the most fascinating potential of Jake/Lana is in their breakup, the severity of the tragedy that tore them apart.  

Like damn. Picture Lana, desperate to cover for her sister, getting further and further tangled in Gant’s puppet strings. She’s forced to cheat and lie about the death of a man she saw as “her own brother,” and to keep on lying no matter how much it hurts Jake. She’s forced to sacrifice her relationship with him for Ema and turns into this cold, outwardly heartless person– and she can never risk telling either of them why.

Meanwhile Jake is heartsick and distraught over Neil’s murder. Then he watches the woman he loves pulling away from him, refusing to answer his questions, and seemingly coasting to success on the back of her shady behavior. He feels utterly betrayed, and getting demoted in the aftermath only adds insult to injury. With nothing left but seething rage, he lingers for two years, ever-determined to find the truth around his brother’s death.

It’s a fascinating conflict of two brothers and two sisters, and the lengths they’ll go to for one another– and possibly, how a relationship between a man and a woman crumbles in the balance.

So one interesting wrinkle in Rise from the Ashes that I never see discussed is the implication that Jake Marshall and Lana Skye were romantically involved.

Now, unlike another ill-fated AA pairing I’m a fan of, this is never really established as a romantic relationship. But there are a LOT of subtle implications that suggest Jake and Lana were more than coworkers at the time of SL-9.

(Deets + tragic theorizing below.)

Keep reading

[robitherat]

Robi I just saw your post talking about how old Tim was when he was admitted and you were super duper close. I studied that goddamn form for a good hour for... Reasons. (His mom's name is Janet Wright btw, I thought you may find that interesting)

It lists the last year of school he attended as being 2nd grade, which means he was at most like, eight years old.

Which is HORRIFYING. That poor baby :[

But also I feel like baby Tim definitely still had issues just, not as severely before the Operator. Like, Oppy exasperated these issues which is why his mom took him to the hospital because she genuinely had no idea what to do for him. Which is, so sad.

But yeah idk if you would ever need this info and it's entirely possible that I got something wrong but: merry crim

Thank you so much moth ily for this info

And I def think he had some unrelated issues besides the Operator too, its probs why he was so heavily targeted by it. Honestly Tim's whoke character makes me so sad, he's so tragic and like. Idk I just want to hold him forever and tuck him into bed and give him kisses and love him :'^(

[signor-signor]

Chibi stickers, anyone?

Are you into Japanimation/anime and manga style? Looking to decorate your school binders, lunch boxes, or whatever smooth-surfaced itmes you have? Ever wanted stickers with a wide variety of characters from WOY? If your answer is “yes” for all three, you’re in luck. @topoconsombrero’s side blog, @onewoydrawaday, has a decent number of chibi stickers with “save WOY” on them. As you will see, this colorful collection is still growing and not fully complete, but there’s quite a bit of detail added to each sticker illustration.

You’ve got the important characters: ⦁Wander ⦁Sylvia ⦁Lord Hater (the eye structure might be a little off, but oh well) ⦁Commander Peepers ⦁Lord Dominator (who, as we all know, officially debuts in season 2)

And a whole lot of others you might be looking for… Notes: * = sketched but not yet finalized ** = might be taken into consideration ~ = variant of existing character

⦁King Bingleborp ⦁A Doom Dragon** ⦁The Butterfly-Whale-Like baby and its mother** ⦁Emperor Awesome ⦁A Fist Fighter ⦁The Celestial (Star) Being* ⦁Any certain significant characters from The Fugitives** ⦁Any certain significant characters from The Good Deed** (like Fleeblebort** for example - he has his own picture in The Tourist) ⦁The Fortune Teller** ⦁Captain Tim (the arachnomorph, not the deceased captain) ⦁Badlands Dan ⦁Oink** ⦁Papa Doom* ⦁Prince Cashmere ⦁The Troll** ⦁A Lord of Illumination* ⦁Westley the Watchdog ⦁Rongruffle ⦁Killbot 86 (there were also 85 other predecessors - the 85th was obliterated during a fight with Sylvia over a bounty in the past) ⦁The Potted Plant ⦁Beeza ⦁Buster ⦁Brad Starlight ⦁King Dracor (that’s how the credits spell it, apparently) ⦁Princess Demurra (since she’s married to aforementioned king, she could be queen) ⦁The Pit Monster** (from The Birthday Boy) ⦁The Cashier ⦁Olive** (name unknown in The Nice Guy, known in The Fremergency Fronfract) ⦁Harvax and Stok* ⦁Sourdough the Evil Sandwich (Originally a spirit that inhabits anyone or anything every thousands years - previously inhabited Queen Entozoa before winding up in a sandwich. New name revealed in The Axe) ⦁A Beefeater** (they happen to be Entozoa/Sourdough’s underlings) ⦁Kragthar (first shown in suit in S1, then shown normally in S2) ⦁The Black Cube of Darkness (featured look inspired by ending of his own episode in S2) ⦁Trudi Traveler* ⦁Planet Janet** ⦁Maurice** (Janet’s moon) ⦁The King of Flendar ⦁Huckleberry Knucklehead ⦁The Lost and Found Guy (that’s what the credits call him) ⦁The Intergalactic Guru ⦁Destructor ⦁Thrax* (he has the most dialogue of the five tough guys shown in The Buddies) ⦁Electric Bird and Three Chicks** ⦁Little Bits ⦁General Outrage ⦁Brainz ⦁Wild Card ⦁Clipper ⦁The Restaurant Manager** (from Okeydokia, the planet where inhabitants don’t need any help) ⦁Michelle** ⦁A Cluckon** ⦁A Mooplexian** ⦁Ryder (I’m pretty sure his pants were reddish-brown last time I checked; the rest of him is still accurate, though) ⦁The Scuzzbuckets** (four of them together) ⦁Frederick ⦁Dr. Scrivellix** (the dentist in The Fremergency Fronfract) ⦁Gelatinous Bob** (animatronic) ⦁The Curator of MOGA (Museum of Ginormous/Giant Antiquities)** ⦁Dr. Screwball Jones ⦁Helpless Wander*~ ⦁That one alien queen** (from The Axe - the storyboard refers to her as “Alien Queen”) ⦁Stella Starbella (in her off-duty robe) ⦁Mittens ⦁The King of Sherblorg 7 ⦁Mandrake the Malfeasant ⦁General McGuffin (as he appears before getting zapped into a bucket of chicken pieces in The Battle Royale) ⦁Something the So-and-So ⦁Major Threat/Jeff ⦁A Schmartian* ⦁Stacy* (No colors officially shown, but this could be interesting if this gets made. Also, I wonder what the Black Cube’s new girlfriend, Tracy, heard in the credits animatic, looks like.) ⦁The Three Teens* (leader in the middle, weaselly one on the left, obvious one on the right) ⦁Andy the Watchdog (It’s possible his first appearance was in The Gift) ⦁Clancy and Nancy Schmancy** (they’re supposedly the characters who “have been talked about since Season 1”) ⦁That Camera Family** ⦁The Hat Shop Owner** (the Mad Hatter-esque fellow, complete with an Ed Wynn-esque voice) ⦁Cartoon Lord Hater~ ⦁Cartoon Commander Peepers~ ⦁A Cartoon Watchdog~ (fun fact: I once mistook him for Moose) ⦁Cartoon Wander~ ⦁Cartoon Sylvia~ ⦁Bot 13/Beep Boop (as portrayed after crashing on Seacironicus 12) ⦁Bill, Gil, Phil** (if it’s true what @wanderin-over-yonder’s calendars suggest, this arrangement is set as it is no matter where they are) ⦁Dorothy ⦁Gram** ⦁Angela** ⦁Melodie** ⦁Jamie and Hank** ⦁David** ⦁Giant fuzzy Wander plus Hater*~ (Hank’s portrayal of the legend) ⦁Radical Wander*~ (Jamie’s portrayal of the legend) ⦁Anime Wander with Silver 7*~ (David’s portrayal of the legend) ⦁Cursed Wander*~ (Melodie’s portrayal of the legend) ⦁The Butler** (he and the following two names shall have censored faces) ⦁Gluteus Maximus/Todd** ⦁Rear Admiral Keister Von Derrière** (since he’s the one who speaks for the High-Gnee council) ⦁Admiral Admirable** ⦁Orbble Wright and Wilmur Wright** (when viewing them from the front, Orbble’s the taller on the right and Wilmur’s the shorter on the left) ⦁Chad** (Brad’s cousin, in case you haven’t guessed) ⦁The Slug Boss** ⦁Ripov (first appeared briefly in The Waste of Time, sources show first name to be Emily) ⦁The Arachnomorph Queen** ⦁A Phantomime* ⦁Ms. Myrtle the Eternal Turtle* ⦁Neckbeard* ⦁Robomechabotatron* ⦁Dominator Mecha*~ (Dominator’s ship in robot fight mode)

Quite a big list, isn’t it? Maybe as an added bonus, there could be the space ape**.

If you should decide to have them printed as stickers, make sure you keep topoconsombrero’s signatures intact. Whenever new ones come up, you can be sure this post will be updated. Also, there might be a few I left out. A lot of characters have no offical names - sometimes I think of coming up with some, but that’s another post for another time.

To topoconsombrero: Yes, I am the one you call Coach Anon. I’m sure this list will be enough to inspire you and many other artists looking to draw WOY characters in their own special way. Some will do Funko POP! variations, Disney emoji variations, and what have you. If I had my own way to portray the characters, I’d go for the style of one of my favorite animators, Eric Goldberg (who works at Walt Disney Animation Studios).

[the-record-obituaries]

July 11, 2018: Obituaries

Bobby Jolly, 64

Bobby Ray Jolly, Sr., age 64, of Roaring River, passed away Saturday, July 7, 2018 at Curis at Wilkesboro. He was born January 18, 1954 in Wilkes County to William Marvin Dimette and Maude Ethel Pruitt Jolly. Mr. Jolly was a member of Stony Hill Baptist Church and a member of the National Guard. He was an avid NASCAR and dirt track racing fan; and loved cars. Bobby was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Marcia Ellen Jolly; brothers, Billy Jolly, Abe Jolly, Roby Jolly; and sister, Ozell Burcham.

               Surviving are his wife, Helen Wolfe Jolly; son, Bobby Ray Jolly, Jr. of Roaring River; daughters, Breanna Anderson of Roaring River, Tonya Jolly of Winston Salem; grandchildren, Hannah and Ella Anderson, Noah and Wesly Hemric; sisters, Retta Durham of North Wilkesboro, Lillie Little of Clemmons, Callie McHone of Browns Summit; nieces and nephews, Kim Caudill, Ryan Jolly, Jamie Marley, Rachall McCoy and Jake Woods; special sister-in-law, Tammy Woods.

               Memorial service was held  July 9,   at Oak Grove Baptist Church on Rock Quarry Road with Rev. Ken Pardue and Rev. Joel Blevins officiating.   In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mtn. Valley Hospice, 688 North Bridge Street, Elkin, NC 28621.

               Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

 Maudie  Dillard,  85

Mrs. Maudie Sue Rogers Dillard, age 85 of North Wilkesboro, passed away Saturday, July 07, 2018 at Wilkes Senior Village.

               Funeral services were held  July 9,   at Reins Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Lawson Horton, Rev. Tim Roten and Rev. Shane Pardue officiating. Burial was in Harmony Baptist Church cemetery.  

               Mrs. Dillard was born October 2, 1932 in White Top Virginia to Franklin and Maudie Huffman Rogers. She was a member of Greater Vision Baptist Church. Mrs. Dillard was retired from Holly Farms Poultry (Tyson Foods).

               In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband; Leonard Eugene Dillard, a daughter; Carolyn Shumate, a son; Roland Dillard, a sister; Ruth Hart and a brother; Frank Rogers.

               She is survived by a daughter; BJ Johnson of North Wilkesboro, a son; Roger Dillard of St. Cloud FL, eight grandchildren; Allen Dillard, Crystal Dillard Triplette, Charlie Dillard, LeAnne Dillard, Beth Ann Schramm, Clayton Shumate, Katie Childress and Jonathon Johnson, eight great grandchildren; Kendall Smidovec, Tatum Smidovec, Ethan Childress, Makinizi Childress, Brantlee Childress, Cody Dillard, Trip Triplette and Eva Triplette and two sisters; Maggie Bumgarner of Wilkesboro and Connie Hart of Millers Creek.

               In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Byrd Ridge Crisis Center Food Pantry, PO Box 1188 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659.

 Gary Pearson, 66

Gary Gean Pearson, age 66, of Hays, passed away Friday, July 6, 2018. He was born February 13, 1952 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Henry Marshall and Reba Jane Williams Pearson. Mr. Pearson was a paratrooper in the United States Army 82nd Airborne Division. He was preceded in death by his parents; twin brother, Larry Dean Pearson; brother, Edward George Pearson; sister, Pamela Rose Pearson; and nephew, Marshall Keith "Tucker" Pearson.

               Surviving are his wife, Elaine Pearson; beloved daughter, Jennifer Pearson Faw and husband Jeff of North Wilkesboro; brothers, Michael Alvin Pearson and wife Jean of Ronda, Marshall Keith Pearson of Hays; grandchildren whom he adored, Ethan Colt Faw, Lakyn Breanna Faw both of North Wilkesboro; nieces and nephews, Josh Pearson of Charlotte, Chris Conner of Charlotte, Tesha Simpson and husband Jay of Bessemer City, Laura Pearson of Traphill, Marsha Pearson of Boomer, Ronald Tinnin and wife Michelle of Wilkesboro, Rodney Tinnin of North Wilkesboro, Wayne Dail of Taylorsville; and special neighbor and friend, John Poplin of Hays.

               Gary was a caring and generous person who touched the lives of many. Earthly possessions were not important to him as he would give his last dime away to help someone else in need. If you ever met him you would not forget him. He had a magnetic personality and loved to entertain people with his stories and rhymes. He also had a unique style and often dressed in western attire. He will deeply be missed by those who loved him.

               Memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 14, 2018 at the home, 208 Montieth Acres Road, Hays. Instead of flowers, the family requests than an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness for someone in need be done in his name.     Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

 Debbie Wyatt,  61

Ms. Debbie Lynn Wyatt, age 61 of Fleetwood passed away Thursday, July 5, 2018 at Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge in Blowing Rock.

               Funeral services was held  July 9,  at Old Fields Baptist  Church in Ashe County with Rev. Larry Powers officiating.   Burial was in the church cemetery.

               Ms. Wyatt was born June 23, 1957 in Wilmington Delaware to Billy Junior and Jo Ann Blackburn Wyatt. She was a member of Beaver Creek Christian Church.

               She was preceded in death by a sister and brother in law; Donna Leigh Snider and husband; Mike Snider.

               Ms. Wyatt is survived by her parents of Fleetwood, a sister; Janet Miller and husband John of Fleetwood, two aunts; Allene Blackburn of West Jefferson and Carol Wyatt of Hamptonville,an uncle; Ford Wyatt and wife Virginia of North Wilkesboro, nephew; John Junior Miller, niece; Mary Kay Miller and several cousins.                              

               Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to the Old Fields Baptist Church 1964 Conley Creek Road, Fleetwood NC 28626.

 Archie Staley,   94

Robert Archie "Bob" Staley, Sr., age 94, of Boomer, passed away Thursday, July 5, 2018 at Wake Forest Baptist Health-Wilkes Regional. He was born July 6, 1924 in Wilkes County to William "Bud" Gordon and Cornelia Byrd Staley. Mr. Staley was a World War II US Army Veteran and very proud of his military service. Mr. Staley was preceded in death by his parents; five brothers; and a sister.

               Surviving are his wife, Katrina Sue Phillips Staley; sons, Robert "Archie" Staley, Jr. and wife Lisa of Wilbar, William "Gilbert" Staley and wife Daisy of Purlear, Mark Daniel Staley of Moravian Falls, Ricky Clarence Staley and wife Dawn of Boomer; sister, Mary Kilby; eight grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.

               Funeral service was held  July 8,   at Miller Funeral Chapel with Rev. Jay Johnson officiating.                          Burial with military honors by Veterans of Foreign Wars Honor Guard Post 1142   followed in Sharon Walker Baptist Church Cemetery.                Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to the VFW Post 1142, PO Box 357, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659.

               Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.

 Christopher Cleary, 35

Mr. Christopher Daniel Cleary, 35, of North Wilkesboro, passed away on Thursday, July 5, 2018.

Christopher was born on May 6, 1983 in Wilkes County to Johnny Daniel Cleary and Pamela Jane Call Cleary.

               Christopher is preceded in death by his Mother and grandfather, Hubert Call.

               Christopher is survived by: his wife, Misty Cleary; daughter, Christy Dawn Absher; father, Johnny Daniel Cleary; grandmother, Margaret Ann Call, several nieces, nephews and many beloved friends and Family.

               The Family would like to thank Mt. Valley Hospice and Christopher's racing family for their support.

               Visitation was July 8,  at Gordon Baptist Church in North Wilkesboro. The funeral service was at Gordon Baptist Church. Burial   followed the funeral at Gordon Baptist Church Cemetery.

               In addition to flowers memorial donations may be given to Mt. Valley Hospice 945 Zephyr Road, Dobson, NC 27017.

               Rev. Mark Barlow   officiated.

               Adams Funeral Home of Wilkes has the honor of serving the Cleary Family.

 Kenneth  Brewer,  60

Mr. Kenneth Wayne Brewer, age 60 of Millers Creek passed away Wednesday, July 4th, 2018 at his home.

               Memorial service was held  July 8th,  at Wilkesboro Baptist Church with Dr. Chris Hefner officiating.  

               Mr. Brewer was born May 26, 1958 in Salisbury to Edward and Betty Kelso Brewer. He was a Project Manager in Construction and a member of Forest Hills Baptist Church in Raleigh.

               Mr. Brewer was preceded in death by his father; Edward Brewer.

               He is survived by his mother; Betty Brewer of Wilkesboro, a son; Jim Brewer and wife Annie of Fuquay -Varina, four grandchildren; Payton Elizabeth Brewer, James Finley Brewer, William Edwards Brewer and Parker Earline Brewer and two brothers; Michael Edwin Brewer and wife Debby of Winston Salem and David Lee Brewer of Marietta, GA.

               In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to A Hand of Hope 607 N Ennis Street, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526.

  James Wood, 71

Mr. James David Wood, age 71, of Wilkesboro, earned his wings to his heavenly home on Tuesday, July 3, 2018, at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital. He was born December 26, 1946 in Surry County to Henry Coy and Eleanor Mae Waldrup Wood. James was employed by American Drew/La-Z-Boy Furniture for thirty-two years. He was an avid sports fan (especially for the Braves, Tar Heels, Panthers and NASCAR) and enjoyed spending time with his family and friends and gracing them with his witty jokes and personality. James was a blessing to all of his family and friends. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Jerry Wood and Jackie Wood and sister, Janette Wood.

               Surviving are his wife Susan Johnson Wood; sons, David Wood and wife Jayme of Lake Murray, SC, Devin Wood of Wilkesboro; daughter, Debbie Wright of Gaffney, SC; grandchildren, Jessica Wright and Jeffrey Wright; brothers, Joe Wood and wife, Margaret of Dickson, TN and Junior Wood and wife, Martha of North Wilkesboro.

               Graveside service was held   July 6,  at Mountlawn Memorial Park with Pastor Victor Church officiating.                      Flowers will be accepted. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.

 Richard  Duncan, 86

Mr. Richard Avery Duncan, age 86 of Burlington, formally of Millers Creek, passed away Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at Olde Knox Commons in Cornelius, NC.

               Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM, Sunday July 15, 2018 at Reins Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Shannon Critcher officiating. The family will receive friends from 1:30 until 2:00 prior to the service in the Chapel of Reins Sturdivant Funeral Home.  Burial with Military Honors by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1142 will be in Mountlawn Memorial Park.

               Mr. Duncan was born February 9, 1932 in Siler City, NC to Glenn Hayes Duncan and wife Clarice Lewis Duncan. He was a member of Millers Creek Baptist Church where he was a Deacon, had been a Sunday School Teacher and Chairman of the Church Building and Grounds Committee. During his residency in Burlington, he and his wife were members of Grove Park Baptist Church.  In addition he was a member of the NC Beekeeper's Association, an Avid Bee Keeper and gardener, Skilled Craftsman and Jack of All Trades. Before being drafted in the United States Army, he attended NC State University. Mr. Duncan retired from Holly Farms (Tyson) where he worked in Quality Control Management.

               In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Pauline Harris Duncan.

               He is survived by three daughters; Susan Bumgarner and Steve of Cornelius, Carol Clayton and Dwight of Efland and Michelle Webb and Rob Upton of Torrance, CA, a son; Richard Duncan and Sharon (Church) of Hilton Head Island SC, six grandchildren; Andrew (Stephanie French) Duncan, Anna (Nick) Varakin, Jessica (Tiger) Outterson, Will (Samantha Kropski) Bumgarner, Daniel (Bonnie Spratt) Bumgarner and Abigail Rose Clayton; seven great grandchildren; Kayleigh Varakin, Lexi Varakin, Michael Varakin, Nikki Varakin, Avery Duncan, Abel Duncan and Chloe Bumgarner, two sisters; Glenna Lewis of Burlington and Betty Friddle of Winston Salem and a brother; Arnold Duncan and wife Marquita of Wallace.

               Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Americanfallensoldiers.com/donate; Hospice and Palliative Care of Charlotte www.hpccr.org or Millers Creek Baptist Church Building Fund PO Box 559 Millers Creek, NC 28651.

[josie-wales]

Hey, y’all! Long time, no post! Truth is I’ve been in a terrible blogging slump; the real world has consumed my life, so to speak.

To be totally blunt, I’ve had so much shit to deal with, even though I’ve wanted to write for ages, I haven’t been able to seem to get focused, let alone know what in the hell to write about.

Nicely, I haven’t hit a reading slump [yet] this year! *knock on wood*

So, I have PLENTY of reviews to write, some partially written, but I’m blanking on those too. Since I have such a strong desire to write, I’m just going to do it!

This post will catch you up on ALL the reading I’ve done since my last bookish update [whenever that was].

OK, so my line spacing is acting screwy and driving me crazy, so I’m just going to leave y’all with a nice LONG list of my reading escapades near the end of 2017 and this year!

Sweet Reads

Body on Baker Street by Vicki Delany

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Saga, Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin

Moon Knight, Vol. 2: Reincarnations by Jeff Lemire

Geek Girl by Holly Smale

The Stand by Stephen King

The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket

The Truth About Stacey by Raina Telgemeier

The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain by Robert Kirkman

Not So Sweet Reads

Wires and Nerve, Vol. 1 by Marissa Meyer

Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket

The Secrets of My Life by Caitlyn Jenner

Sour Reads

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich

The Cat of the Baskervilles by Vicki Delany

Welcome to My Library!

Kindle

Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams

Geek Girl: Model Misfit by Holly Smale

Geek Girl: Picture Perfect by Holly Smale

Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lucky in Love by Kasie West

The Merciless by Danielle Vega

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Body on Baker Street by Vicky Delany

Air Awakens by Elise Kova

Textrovert by Lindsey Summers

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

comiXology

Royal City, Vol. 1: Next of Kin by Jeff Lemire

Lumberjanes, Vol. 2: Friendship to the Max by Noelle Stevenson

Lumberjanes, Vol. 3: A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson

Curse Words Vol. 1: The Devil’s Devil by Chris Soule

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 7: Damage Per Second by G. Willow Wilson

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 6: Civil War II by G. Willow Wilson

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 5: Super Famous by G. Willow Wilson

Snotgirl, Vol. 1: Green Hair Don’t Care by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Audible

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Origin by Dan Brown

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Physical Purchases

Strong Mothers, Strong Sons: Lessons Mothers Need to Raise Extraordinary Men by Meg Meeker

Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men by Leonard Sax

Checked Out

The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

Once and for All by Sarah Dessen

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Kobo

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

23:27 by H.L. Roberts

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Love, Janis by Laura Joplin

Magyk by Angie Sage

The Diviners by Libba Bray

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

NetGalley

Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

Bookish Boyfriends by Tiffany Schmidt

You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Challenging

This year I’m participating in the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge and Beat the Backlist. Naturally, I’ve also signed up to read 77 books in 2018 for the Goodreads Challenge [what reader out there DOESN’T do THIS one!].

In Closing

I love y’all, I’ve missed y’all, and hopefully, I’ll be back to blogging regularly SOON!

Love, Maggie

Playing Catch-Up Hey, y'all! Long time, no post! Truth is I've been in a terrible blogging slump; the real world has consumed my life, so to speak.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1170

Monday, July 10, 2017

 Another late posting this week because, guess what? I went fishing this morning. I needed to go and commune with nature to try and counteract a lot of negative feelings I have been having due to upsetting events in the news. Things like the Omar Khadr settlement, the senseless death of Barbara Kentner in Thunder Bay, Ottawa Pride telling the Police not to wear their uniforms in the Pride Parade, the moron of the united states and his ruling party and inconsiderate entitled bullies all over the place feeling emboldened because of the puissant in chief. Well, my plan for finding peace and tranquility at the lake backfired big time right off the bat. Another vehicle and boat pulled into the boat launch just as I was finishing getting my boat ready to launch and they decided to cut in front of me and back their boat into the ramp before me. I stopped them and launched my boat but after I parked my SUV and trailer one of the guys starts yelling at me. He said I should have backed my trailer down the ramp to get my boat ready instead of getting it ready in the parking area. He said that he shouldn't have to wait his turn because it might have taken me an hour to launch. An hour. Exaggerate much? I was so upset I forgot to put the drain plug in and had to bail out the excess water as I motored along. I also forgot to grab my rain coat before heading out but luckily for me it stopped raining soon after. It took about an hour before I was able to calm down. Having the loons, turtles, fish hawk, and great blue heron around and catching a few nice fish made me feel better eventually. There's no accounting for rude and selfish people but there are ways to help deal with them. Being in nature does that for me.

 Spider-Man #18 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Oscar Bazaldua (art) Justin Ponsor with Rain Beredo (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I love the consistently good art in this book whether it's Sara Pichelli, David Marquez, or Oscar Bazaldua. My one quibble this issue was that Miles's mother looked more like his sister. I am looking forward to seeing what happens with Hammerhead and how Miles handles Bombshell.

 Nick Fury #4 - James Robinson (writer) Aco (pencils) Hugo Petrus (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). This mission takes Nick deep into Atlantis. It was nice seeing the old Imperius Rex exclaimer again. It's a near impossible mission since Nick only has about an hour to get the bad guy before he drowns. The excitement and tension mounts with each turn of the page. The art in this has been outstanding.

 Deathstroke #21 - Christopher Priest (writer) Diogenes Neves (pencils) Jason Paz (inks) Jeromy Cox (colours) Willie Schubert (letters). Praise the lord Slade Wilson is born again and the guy that made Quantum and Woody so much fun for me is writing these new adventures. Deathstroke is a good guy now and is leading a team of Dark Titans calling themselves Defiance. There's plenty of family drama with Slade's ex-wife, Jericho and Ravager involved. There is one member who looks like DC's version of Moon Girl that I'm not familiar with and when could Jericho fly? These mysteries and Deathstroke's personal about face is what made me put this book back in the reading rotation.

 Skybourne #4 - Frank Cho (writer & artist) Marcio Menyz (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). There's a surprise appearance that made me break out in song. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sight, that saved this mini series for me. Now I can't wait for the last issue to hit the racks.

 All-New Wolverine #22 - Tom Taylor (writer) Leonard Kirk (pencils) Leonard Kirk & Cory Hamscher (inks) Michael Garland & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Laura and Gabby go to space and whenever anyone goes into space you've just got to have the Guardians of the Galaxy involved. I am enjoying Leonard Kirk's art in this.

 Superman #26 - Michael Moreci (writer) Scott Godlewski (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Father and son lessons in this issue. I have a feeling that if Jon really screws up then Lois will be the one to make him see the light.

 The Old Guard #5 - Greg Rucka (writer) Leandro Fernandez (art) Daniela Miwa (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). The first story arc ends with a nice fire fight. I really like this little team of immortal mercenaries and look forward to their next assignment.

 The Unstoppable Wasp #7 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Veronica Fish (art) Megan Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). And now for some step-mother and step-daughter bonding. Janet Van Dyne, the original Wasp steps up to help Nadia, the Unstoppable Wasp cope with her friend's trauma after bad guys try to kidnap them for the Red Room. I like having Jarvis around but I hope that they don't put too many adults into this book. The appeal for me is seeing these girls do their own thing.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #23 - Robert Venditti (writer) Ethan Van Sciver (art) Jason Wright (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). My favourite Green Lantern Corps artist draws this issue and it's gorgeous. I love all the fine detail he puts into every panel. Part 2 of "Fracture" puts the alliance between the Green and Yellow Corps in jeopardy. This could be another Civil War folks.

 Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #7 - Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (writer) Robert Hack (art & colours) Jack Morelli (letters). Part 1 of "Witch War" tells Sabrina's origin story through her father's. It's been a year since the last issue but this starts a new story and is a good jumping on point if you've never read this book before. I'm not a fan of horror comic books but this one is so horrifyingly good that I'm enjoying it immensely. I'm astounded by the how mature this is compared to the sweet innocence of the original Archie Comics Sabrina comic books. There's a reprint of an old story featuring Dracula that shows that difference perfectly. This isn't your grandmother's Archie Comics that's for damn sure.

 Spider-Man/Deadpool #19 - Joshua Corin (writer) Will Robson (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I read this as a test issue for the new creative team after Joe Kelly (writer) and Ed McGuinness (pencils) finished their stint and the new guys passed. I'm happy that this bromance book is still on my "must read" list. Even with Slapstick guest starring this didn't degenerate into dumb silliness.

 Batman #26 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin (art) June Chung (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Holy awesome story Batman. Part 2 of "The War of Jokes and Riddles" surprised me by including a bunch of Bat Villains. Poison Ivy is on team Riddler and you will see what other villains are on his team and who is on team Joker. This war is going to be brutal. The first page alone is worth the $2.99 US cover price.

 Champions #10 - Mark Waid (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Hydra has taken over the USA? Does that suck worse than #45 being POTUS (president of the united states) IRL (in real life)? The team searches for the missing Ms. Marvel and find an internment camp for Inhumans. The search continues next issue.

 Jessica Jones #10 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This case that Jess is working on for Maria Hill to find out who put out a kill order on Maria is getting quite complicated. I hope we're going to see Maria's origin story out of this.

[theggning]

So one interesting wrinkle in Rise from the Ashes that I never see discussed is the implication that Jake Marshall and Lana Skye were romantically involved.

Now, unlike another ill-fated AA pairing I’m a fan of, this is never really established as a romantic relationship. But there are a LOT of subtle implications that suggest Jake and Lana were more than coworkers at the time of SL-9.

(Deets + tragic theorizing below.)

- Because RftA was added onto the first game for the DS release (after the rest of the trilogy had already been finished for GBA,) the writers intentionally made parallels and references to the rest of the trilogy within it. Ema and Lana are clearly meant to be a twisted mirror of Maya and Mia. And per Janet Tsu (English localization director,) Jake Marshall serves the role of Godot in the Skye sisters/Fey sisters parallel. (In fact, the reason he is a cowboy was to differentiate his characterization from Godot’s.) This by default puts Jake in a position of being romantically close to Lana.

(I fuckin’ love Godot and I also fuckin’ love Jake, so this parallel makes a lot of sense to me...)

- Ema is familiar with Jake when meeting him for the first time. She calls him “Mr. Marshall” before he ever introduces himself to Phoenix, and Phoenix remarks that it seems like they know each other already. (By contrast, Ema doesn’t know who Angel is, nor Bruce Goodman, the other SL-9 investigators.)

- This line, early in the first conversation with Jake:

Marshall: I'm afraid your sister's fate is decided, bambina. Many condolences.

Ema: Officer Marshall!

Marshall: Yeah, bambina?

Ema: H-how can you say that! You and my sister, you were...

Phoenix: (Is there something between this cop and her sister that I don't know about?)

Marshall: ...! I apologize, bambina. Something must have gotten to me. Maybe it's that dry wind that's a-blowin' through the Prospector's Office.

(Love that Jake seems to have a soft spot for Ema, and relents when she calls him on his apparently callousness towards Lana’s situation.)

- This exchange with Angel, in which Ema is very concerned about what’s going on between Jake and Angel:

Ema: Um, Ms. Starr...? Officer Marshall... is he your... uh, are you his...? Are you g-g-g-going out!?

Angel: Why do you want to know?

Ema: I was just wondering what happened to him?  A long time ago, when he was helping my sister do cases, he was so nice. He got along so well with my sister, it made me jealous. And... he was nice to me too, back then.

Phoenix: (This would be when Officer Marshall was a detective.)

Ema: But now... now he's so cold!

Angel: ...Jake and I are merely cooperating on this investigation. We're putting the past to rest, as it were. Nothing more than that.

Ema: I... I see. Thank you.

- Angel also dishes a lot of spicy gossip about Jake and Lana in the aftermath of SL-9. Most of it revolves around how Jake, especially, really went through it and how his pain in particular seemed to drive Lana.

Angel: Poor old Jake Marshall, though, must have been going through hell.

Phoenix: You mean, because of his brother's death?

Angel: They were close, those two. After Neil died, something took over Jake. He became obsessed. Seeing Jake like that made her all the more desperate.

Phoenix: "Her"...?

Angel: Lana Skye.

And then there’s THIS particularly intriguing bit:

Angel: When Jake's brother was murdered, she felt as if she had lost her own brother. If it wasn't for her, I don't think Jake would ever have recovered from his shock.

Angel: That's what makes it all the more infuriating.

- This one is a reach, but Lana seems perturbed that Phoenix is bringing up Jake as a suspect on day two of the trial.

Ema: In order to defend my sister, you're going to accuse Mr. Marshall?

Phoenix: We have to play the cards we're dealt. Isn't that right, Ms. Skye?

Lana: ... Do what you have to do, Mr. Wright.

- After receiving her orders from Gant to move Goodman’s body, the first thing Lana did was call Jake.

Lana: The truth is, after I received those orders from Chief Gant, the first thing I did was make a phone call. A phone call to Patrolman Jake Marshall.

Phoenix: To Marshall? Why on earth would you call him?

Lana: The lead investigator for the SL-9 Incident had been murdered. I wanted that fact to be kept hidden, and I needed help. He was the only other person I could trust. Or at least, I thought I could trust him at the time.

Lana: However, it seems that after I spoke to him he went off on an escapade of his own...

Lana says she never expected Jake to do his renegade evidence room cosplay plan, but attributes it to how much he’s “changed” since SL-9 ended. But the fact remains, she called him in the first place because on some level, she trusted him to help her.

- Actually, both Jake and Lana talk about how the other one “changed” in the aftermath of the incident, in a way that feels particularly personal to me. (Angel also makes this observation about the both of them.)

So to me, it seems like there was a period of time after Neil Marshall’s death where Lana was trying desperately to support Jake (while simultaneously scrambling to end the case to cover up Ema’s involvement.) Things only really fell apart after Joe Darke’s conviction, the other investigators noticed how fishy the conviction ended up-- to Jake, that someone had tampered with his brother’s body and the circumstances of his death. Lana, of course, is falling under Gant’s manipulations, and can’t risk the truth coming out.

Now, regardless of their past status, any relationship of any sort Jake and Lana had is unquestionably, decisively over. Jake is clearly extremely bitter towards her, Gant, and the prosecutor’s office in general, and Lana’s newly cold personality is impenetrable to everyone, even her own sister. They refer to each other only by formal titles.  They only interact face to face once in the case: the moment at the end of the second trial where Jake demands Lana look him in the eye and tell him that SL-9 was concluded legitimately.

Even after the truth comes out, I don’t know if Jake and Lana’s relationship is reparable. I can’t even say I think they’d be any good for each other anymore (though tbh if somebody wrote a fic where they try to get closure or end up drawn back together by reflex... I’d read the hell out of it.) To me, the most fascinating potential of Jake/Lana is in their breakup, the severity of the tragedy that tore them apart. 

Like damn. Picture Lana, desperate to cover for her sister, getting further and further tangled in Gant’s puppet strings. She’s forced to cheat and lie about the death of a man she saw as “her own brother,” and to keep on lying no matter how much it hurts Jake. She’s forced to sacrifice her relationship with him for Ema and turns into this cold, outwardly heartless person-- and she can never risk telling either of them why.

Meanwhile Jake is heartsick and distraught over Neil’s murder. Then he watches the woman he loves pulling away from him, refusing to answer his questions, and seemingly coasting to success on the back of her shady behavior. He feels utterly betrayed, and getting demoted in the aftermath only adds insult to injury. With nothing left but seething rage, he lingers for two years, ever-determined to find the truth around his brother’s death.

It’s a fascinating conflict of two brothers and two sisters, and the lengths they’ll go to for one another-- and possibly, how a relationship between a man and a woman crumbles in the balance.