#book three has like double the cast members

[smzeszikorova]

OC Crossover Art Compilation.

Thanks for doing this with me, everyone. This was so much fun, and infinitely better-constructed on my part than the last game. Excited to share these with you.

Here we go!

The First One: In which Winson, Levi, and @thatonecrowguy's OC Scott from Dog Days are stranded in the middle of nowhere together after Scott's van breaks down.

The Second One: In which Catherine and @aether-wasteland-s's OC Blake from A Time Travel Conundrum have a piney conversation about their loves.

The Third One: In which Victoria and @royal1asset-if's OC Serena from Royal Asset try to break into a locked safe.

And the Fourth One: In which @dogmomwrites's OC Jimmy from their currently untitled WIP takes a bug-eating joyride with fellow creepy crawly connoiseurs Eva and Rolyn.

All participants, thanks again! And thanks for your patience. I was planning on making some effortless scribbles, but your OCs were just too fun to draw. I couldn't resist putting in some time.

Hope it was worth the wait. :D

[quill-of-thoth]

It's apparently Little Shop of Horrors day, so let me tell you all about the time I was house manager for the worst musical of, if not all time, the 20zeroes.

I was a theater kid in a school that did NOT do musicals. For crosstown rivalry reasons and a bunch of other stuff. The other high school did musicals so all you choir divas go try out over there. Also casting at my high school was highly correlated with seniority, AKA you were more likely to get speaking parts as an upperclassman, assuming you had been in any play before.

However, my junior year we got a new drama teacher, and therefore a budget, and therefore a spate of more musicals and small cast plays to perform. I got cast in zero things because my acting was pretty mid and my ability to sing is... not. However I was both one of the few non-graduating upperclassmen and The Responsible One and my presence building set / herding freshman / going off book early resulted in fewer stitches, so I got to be house manager. In high school theater, house manager shows up at call to help with things, then opens the ticket booth, answers questions on the walkie, and is the person fourteen year old ushers come to when somebody's mom needs to be sent to the special hell for people who talk on their cell phones in the theater. We did our very first school musical in like a decade, Little Shop of Horrors, in january.

If the Gifs have not clued you in, Little Shop of Horrors is the story of a florist's assistant who mistakes a man eating alien for a talking plant and decides to feed his crush's abusive boyfriend to it. This is not a weird plot for musicals, BUT it requires some prep work. 1) The Chorus tells a lot of the story, so in order to Give Everyone A Chance and to keep everyone's barely trained vocal chords in good shape, we double casted the chorus. Meaning that on nights where they weren't singing, they were supposed to usher, because we never had enough ushers and there were too many of them for all of them to fulfil their crew obligations building set.

2) There are three chorus leads. Some performances have them be the whole chorus but our director had ambitions, so we had three chorus leads and like ten background chorus members per chorus. Performing alternating nights. In the same set of matching RENTED costumes. (Background chorus wore their choir performance duds I think.) 3) Audrey 2, the "plant" is a puppet of some description, large enough to eat a successful dentist. Meaning that somebody has to be mic'd up to voice him, and somebody ELSE has to make him move. And you have to get him on and off stage, or configure the stage in such a way that he can be covered up. Ours rolled. I had only occasionally been on set crew for Little Shop, and most of the chorus hadn't been at all because of their choir schedules, so I rolled up opening night at half past call expecting an hour of running errands for people and an easy house opening. The Stage Manager handed me my walkie and said "I already hate this," which was just her personality regarding opening nights but which should have been a warning. I was quickly informed that The Chorus was being kept in the empty choir room upstairs of the stage because there were too many of them to stay in the dressing rooms, so there was going to be a LOT of walkie chatter about cues. We also had to shuffle in a dude from light crew to drop the show's only F-bomb, because the freshman voicing Audrey 2 hadn't known it existed when he tried out and was now in a tizzy because his Very Religious Grandma was coming. So I had to keep an aisle clear up in the nosebleeds so a crew guy could sneak in the dark from the spotlights to the sound booth to delightedly yell Fuck into the microphone. "We never get people in the nosebleeds anyway," I told Stage Manager, who shrugged unhappily. "Chorus of twenty. Choir kids. Musical."

Spotlight guy, passing by, said something like "I can handle it."

I did some emergency stitching on somebody's loose costume button, sorted out some props, ran around blocking off or opening doors, and then opened the house. With ONE usher because the Chorus Ushers were late. "Isn't their call time twenty to opening?" I asked the one reliable usher, who was build crew only, and he shrugged. I told him to put people as far to the front as he could, no exceptions, and not to use the stage left nosebleeds, and continued taking tickets and cash. We already had a crowd when the Chorus Ushers arrived - Late, not appropriately dressed, or telling me that they had to leave before the show was over because their parents did not want to pick them up any later than that time. I volunteered to tell their parents that having a kid in a show was a commitment that included days that they were not performing and that we had several reliable upperclassmen running carpool if they had emergencies. Only one of the ushers took me up on it, so I decided that we could close missing one usher since we had more than usual anyway, and signed them all in. I walkied the Director that we had all the ushers we were gonna get and that they were late but we had it under control, which was the last time ANYTHING was under control that night. The first obvious problem was that the Chorus Ushers didn't seat anyone, which was literally their one job. They just... walked in and out of the theater following people? I had to leave Reliable at the cash box and demonstrate, then move people out of the one row reserved for ushers and the closed off nosebleed area. Someone, probably Spotlight, had cordoned it off with duct tape so I don't know why they even tried. Then I had to explain that you cannot save a whole row so that tall people do not come and block your view. And then somebody wanted a half off ticket because they intended to leave at intermission. And somebody else wanted to pay by credit card even though they'd had weeks of warning that we were not set up to do that. Add in people jockeying for seats and ushers sneaking off to hang with friends or family and by the time the lights went down I was composing some strongly worded advice to our director about training ushers and making sure that showing up to usher one night wasn't the whole price of being in the cast. Then, in the middle of the second song, a phone rang. "Hi Mom. No, the play has started. Yes I have a ride home. No, dad decided he wouldn't - It's fine -" "Excuse me, Ma'am," I hissed to the rapidly confiscated phone, tugging the usher towards the back doors by the hoodie, "Your daughter is working and we do not allow cell phones in the theater." "But -" "All calls must be taken IN THE HALLWAY (which we had reached by then) and your ringer is expected to be off." "And who are you?" "The Stage Manager," I said, like I was an actual responsible party, and hung up. "When you are done sorting this out, I expect neither you, nor your phone, to make a single sound for the rest of this play. Any upperclassman with an available car seat will give you a ride home if you need it." That made one freshie with the fear of House Manager put into them properly, hopefully it meant she'd behave in general. And walkie hell immediately broke loose. In the next, possibly forty minutes, by virtue of being the person who had already left the auditorium and was wearing normal clothes, I learned the following:

someone needed to run a repair kit up to the chorus holding room

Because Second Night Choral Lead (on props duty) and Opening Night Choral lead had gotten into a slapfight about discovering that they shared the costume

consisting of shoving and shouting that one of them would ruin it for the other because she was "too fat" for a one size fits all wrap dress

And inevitably torn it

Stage Manager could not handle this

Because she'd gone up to Choral Holding Area to tell everybody else in the chorus to shut the fuck up because they could be heard ON STAGE

And the Choir Divas had decided to lock her in a closet

so somebody allowed to have building keys (director) had to come and let her out and put the fear of god into them

So someone ELSE who knew blocking had to move to cues position

Because The Dude in The Plant was relying on that

So I had to go help cover for whatever they should be doing that didn't involve knowing the script

And somebody else had to go whipstitch Opening Night Choral Lead back into her damn dress before their next cue

Also The Dude In The Plant was concerned because the rolling portion of the stage felt kinda wrong? The part he was on? Inside the plant puppet?

The director needed a List Of People Whose Parents Were Going To Be Called after the play because we do not lock people into storage closets

And don't think he won't ALSO tell on you to the choir director who will have you out of SO MANY performances for this behavior.

Audrey the Human just tripped over something that shouldn't be backstage because Choral Lead two is being read the riot act instead of doing props

WHOEVER IS RUBBING FABRIC ON THEIR MIC OVER THE WALKIES NEEDS TO TURN IT OFF

Sorry the micbox is right next to the dress tear

The Dude in Audrey the Plant just felt something move that should not

The Dude Voicing Audrey the Plant informs me that one of my ushers has left and also left the door to the auditorium wide open

Surprisingly it is not little miss phone call

Anyway he's trapped in the sound booth waiting for his cue and Reliable Usher doesn't have a walkie

Chorus is back on stage, the riot act is in intermission, Background Chorus Choir Divas have declared that if they are removed from the Chorus for being loud assholes and derailing the whole cast and crew they won't usher and then where will we be?

GREAT! I DON'T WANT THEM!

Choral Lead Two is crying in the boys dressing room instead of running props because nobody's currently using the boys dressing room

Because Choral Lead One will be standing around in a spare sheet in the girls' dressing room while we fix her dress during intermission.

Dude in the Plant says, very quietly, "fuck"

As the combined weight of chorus and cast and plant muppet and dude in the plant and choreography breaks one of the casters on the set

Which fortunately only falls like a quarter inch so everyone stumbles and nobody is hurt

"Should I help?" No, Dude Voicing The Plant, STAY WHERE YOU ARE YOU ARE THE ONLY THING ABOUT THIS THAT'S GOING WELL

Chorus and Crew and Everyone except me (because I'm hunting for a MIA usher) is trying to deal with that rolling bit of set under the cover of SON BE A DEEEEENTIST, YOU'LL BE A SUCCESS!

Congrats my missing usher has not been teen-napped. She saw me putting the fear of god and of me into her castmate about cell phones and has stepped outside the entire building to I Do Not Care What But This Conversation can Wait we LEGALLY have to know where you are

Hey who is the fastest / most invisible sewer we have? Because this dress is messed up worse than we thought. We need them for all of intermission

Me, possibly, except I am working intermission?

Can you come at call tomorrow and fix it? We have safety pins

Sure

Why are there no safety pins in the safety pins box

I dunno why don't you ask the kid who was literally making a safety pin necklace last time I was at set build

Who?

IDK they're new probably

Rolling stage has been fixed! Well. Assuming we don't want it to move.

"Am I safe to eat the guy?" Yes, Dude In The Plant, chow down on our dentist, the set will hold.

Intermission.

THANK FUCK

A twenty five minute intermission is totally normal, Sirs and Ma'ams. Please feel free to buy cold stale football field popcorn.

Phonecall usher "Uh. So My dad. Decided he wasn't going to come pick me up at intermission."

I gave her the name of the senior with a car that I thought would be feeling least murderous, because I am not a complete monster.

No, sir, you cannot show up for the second half of a play and expect a half priced ticket. It is five. Goddamn. Dollars. Anyway somehow the worst thing that happened on second night was Dude Voicing the Plant deciding that he was actually brave and secular enough to do the swears so we got TWO people saying fuck directly into the microphone. He still passed on Tough Titties though.

[mcalhenwrites]

A bit of a guide, since I have so many stories

Dragon Universe stories: The Will of the Whispering (TWOTW), The Hostile Credence (THC), The Dragons' Cosmos (TDC), Planetary Boundaries (PB), Cashmere, and Brackish TWOTW: Lester, Mildred, and a lot of kids THC: Seth, Niven, Ewan, Dunn, Flick, Tessa, etc. Lots of characters here, but they're more likely to be mentioned alongside the ones I've just named. TDC: Roscoe, Noah, Sylvester and their families. Bircha and Afensi are dragons in this story. PB: Huge cast, but there's Bianca, Brooklyn, Dorian, Florian, Trace, Lucinda, Andy, etc. Cashmere: Toryn, Hadeon, Riley (this is a retired story, however, and I reused Toryn and Hadeon in Geckos - they are Duncan's father and stepfather) Brackish: Basil (Christian), Cassidy, Wendy, Imogen, and Alison are the main characters outside of family members. (Imogen has a twin brother and Alison is her little sister, and ofc Basil and Cassidy's families are brought up frequently). Oh, and Sidony, the most important character. (A DRAGON) Pleasure Seekers series is my asexual incubus story and has four books planned. Characters include Xavier, Zachary, Clarissa, Eloise, Daphne, Bernardo, Fenton, Bethany... I can't keep up with this one, honestly, there are also a lot of characters here. ;) Name the Frogs: Irving's dad, Nestor, is a villain. Serrated Petals: Roland is a villainfucker, and that villain is Otto, and he has a side piece named Luther. Roland's little half-brother, Stanley, is dragged into this bullshit. Seasons: Vivian, Graham, and a ton of seasonal children. Easy to spot by all the mentions of weather and seasonal affinities! Stargazers' Hill universe: Stargazers' Hill (SGH), Before our Ghosts (BoG), and Rascal. I'm going to sum this up with "I have a lot of feelings about Ambrose and Thaddeus and Ferdinand/Hazel is my OTP, and Opal is my wife... okay, she's not, but she should be." Untitled story about automatons, featuring childhood enemies, Warren and Henry Maureen Maribel is the name of the story and the name of the character that the story focuses on. This is the child actress story. The Elephants Always Come Back: Mirza, Boris, Fredrick, Hana, Gustav, Moswen, etc. Love them. I name my Halloween spiders after these characters. Initials for story are TEACB, I call it TEACUP bc it's cuter. Geckos, Automata: Julian, Mortimer, Kieran, Rosalia, and Duncan. AND GECKOS AND AUTOMATA. This one is for sale, please buy it? Little Horrors: Hervey and Algernon, but they're not the only characters. Littlespace story with a side of horror/spooky vibes! Where the Lanterns Glow: Nolwen and Evander story. The witch story. Originally called Double Double Witch Boy in Trouble because it was supposed to just be sexy. Skin from the River: Three river dads have to go find their dangerous river son who used the bones and such from his waters to form a human body. This one is horror. I have a bunch of others and no time, but most are short stories or still in development. Stay tuned, I have over 1000 characters at this point <3

[votsalot]

what's ur tofu crumble recipe ⁉️ :3

My tofu crumble recipe is a modified version of what can be found in Jenny Rosenstrach's cookbook, The Weekday Vegetarian (full of so many hits - I recommend checking it out from the library to see if it's your thing if you don't have it already!) We always double this recipe, so these quantities are going to represent this -

INGREDIENTS:

2 blocks extra-firm tofu, drained

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (vegetable oil works, too)

salt and pepper to taste (we use salt ground with bits of chipotle)

4 garlic cloves, minced (we use our garlic press)

1 whole chopped yellow onion (this recipe would not be hurt by more or less depending on your preference)

2 tbsp tomato paste

SPICE MIX: (We have a big spice library; edit as suits your needs)

2 tbsp chili powder (dark or light, your preference)

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp chipotle powder

1 tsp adobo

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cumin

2 tsps dried Mexican oregano

TO TOP:

1 12 oz (or more) package of queso fresco crumbling cheese

cotija or parmesan (the kind for spaghetti)

1 bunch green onions, chopped (white and light green parts only)

cilantro (fresh or dried; dried has a less "soapy" flavor if you're like me and have the soap gene. She's a good supporting cast member but I struggle when she's the star)

BASE:

2 cups uncooked basmati rice (yield: 4 cups cooked. you could add vegetarian tomato bullion or lime juice to this if you wanted, etc.)

DIRECTIONS:

Using your hands, squeeze the tofu like a sponge to expel as much liquid as you can and breaking it into crumbled as you do this. Place the pieces on a paper towel-lined plate as it breaks, then pat them dry with another paper towel (The more liquid you expel, the easier it will be to crisp up the tofu.) <- vots note: I don't really do this step as written in the book. I press my tofu wrapped in a kitchen towel and then I crumble it in my hands.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the tofu then season with salt and pepper and cook undisturbed until browned, about three minutes. Toss, scraping up anything sticking to the pan, and continue to cook until the crumbles are golden-brown and crisp around the edges, another 3-4 minutes.

Push the tofu to the side of the pan and add the garlic and onion, cooking until the onion starts to soften, another few minutes. <- vots note: We like our tofu super crispy; all together, we usually end up crisping it for 15 minutes before adding the onion/garlic. We toss/stir every 5 minutes. We leave the onion/garlic in place for 5 minutes before stirring into the tofu)

Decrease the heat to medium. Stir everything together, then add the [spice mix] and cook until the spices get deep in color, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste, then add 1/2 cup water. Stir until the tomato paste is distributed and warmed through, about 2 minutes. <- vots note: The 1/2 c water is reflective of the doubled recipe.

You can serve this recipe over rice, as I've described above, or it makes an excellent burrito filling / salad protein (in this case, let cool, and then toss w/ black beans, avocado, fresh tomatoes, and a citrus vinaigrette). It also reheats like a champion.

This recipe makes six 3 cup Pyrex containers of food (tofu and rice together).

If you're into meal-prepping, a lot of the ingredients can be prepared (chopped) for a few days beforehand. I can't give exact time estimates because I am a slow loris at cooking recipes.

Enjoy at your leisure! :)

[charliethomascoxuniverse]

Charlie Cox: Star turn

Charlie Cox is taking a break from Hollywood to bring Pinter to London's West End. And the experience has proved to be truly terrifying, he tells Charlotte Cripps.

Tuesday 29 January 2008 (X)

I'm watching a preview of the Harold Pinter double bill at the Comedy Theatre on the night before I meet Hollywood's newest star, Charlie Cox, when I encounter his fan club in the row behind me. The girls gasp collectively at how good-looking he is, especially at the end of The Collection, when he strips off to a pair of tight white boxer shorts.

The English public school-educated 25-year-old is not only converting teenagers to Pinter, however; he also holds his own with his more experienced co-stars, Timothy West, Richard Coyle and Gina McKee.

The young star has just played the lead in the blockbuster family film Stardust, alongside such Hollywood luminaries as Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert de Niro, Sienna Miller and Claire Danes. Cox's character was the earnest, genuine Tristan, who transforms from boy to man on his quest for true love. In real life, too, the actor is growing up fast as he finds himself, right at the beginning of his career, rubbing shoulders with the acting elite. Although he had picked up some good roles – performing opposite Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice and in Casanova alongside Heath Ledger – the actor was relatively unknown until a few months ago. Nowadays Cox, with his boyish, wide-eyed good looks, gets recognised wherever he goes.

When we meet the morning after the Pinter previews, the actor is cleaning his teeth in his dressing room at the Comedy Theatre. As he welcomes me inside, he takes off his porkpie hat to reveal a mass of bouncing, newly cut hair and clear brown eyes. His dressing room, which has the feel of a miniature flat, is nevertheless smaller than those of the other three members of the cast, because, he says as if he is still at boarding school, he is "the new boy".

His costumes for the character Bill – who in The Collection is accused by a husband (Coyle) of having a one-night stand with a married woman (McKee), despite being in a gay relationship with Harry (West) – are hanging tidily over a camp bed. There is a ‘Just For Today’ meditation book on the table – a 12-step recovery tool – because the actor no longer drinks. He has already begun pinning things neatly to the white walls, to create a collage that will document his four-month run in the play. So far it includes a line of fizzy vitamin C sachets, a Nurofen Cold & Flu packet, even three different Starbucks coffee cup sizes. He points out everything to me – "I will remember the bad cold I had at the beginning of the run" – but it is only day four. He is still warming up in his first proper job on a West End stage. "I am far out of my comfort zone. I am trying to keep up with actors who are consistently brilliant, not like me, this Disney kid Cox from Stardust."

Cox lives in World's End, Chelsea, above an art gallery, with his best friend, Ned, and dog, Ralph. He speaks with passion and maturity about his job, and has a calm presence as well as heaps of energy, which he uses both positively and negatively. "I am incredibly self-deprecating. It stems from self-doubt. With every job I watch, I can't find peace with what I've done. It's never good enough in my mind. I will never be happy if I'm in that mindset, unless I get a review that starts: 'once in a generation'," he says, laughing. "Fame terrifies me. I can say that with honesty. You're terrified that, when people know the real you, they won't like you."

The actor was born in 1982 and grew up in East Sussex with his publisher father, Andrew, his mother, Trisha, and his older brother, Toby. He also has three much older half-siblings, Ollie, Emma and Zoë, who were all leaving home by the time he was born. At the age of eight, he was sent to a local prep school and then to Sherborne School in Dorset. He won the school's Gerald Pitman Award for Drama twice, before leaving school for London at the age of 18.

He got a supporting role in the film Dot the I opposite Gael Garcia Bernal, before starting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School at 19 years old. It was a miserable experience. "They start picking holes and I took it all too personally." Auditioning for roles was banned while pupils were still at the school, but after his first year he secretly auditioned for Pacino's The Merchant of Venice. "I remember feeling really panicked. I was meant to have learnt to play the recorder for the class nativity play when I got the call from my agent telling me I'd got the role. The next thing I knew I was hanging out in Luxembourg with one of my idols. Deep down I knew I'd never go back to Bristol. To slot back into my class after that would have been entirely weird."

He then played a warrior in an unwatchable Spanish film, Tirante el Blanco. "To call it a flop is an understatement. The film made no sense. It hadn't been translated properly. I wasn't even invited to the premiere." He returned to the UK to perform for no wages in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore to packed houses at Southwark Playhouse. The production, directed by Edward Dick, received rave reviews. "None of us got paid for it but it ended up being one of the shows to see in London."

This was the first time that the actor had a difficult decision to make, as he had already been offered a role in a big feature film when the Pinter play came up. "It really threw a spanner in the works because there is a pressure to continue to do films. If you disappear for a little while, they just lose interest. But if I want to be still acting when I'm older, the Pinter play is the kind of work I need to be attached to. The theatre is where I'm learning my trade," says Cox. "In Tim's [West] day he did years of rep theatre. Today we are in a manic rush to be rich and famous. None of us young stars has had time to learn our trade. There is a horrible misconception that you can either act or not. But experience is everything."

It is a challenge for Cox, playing a lead role in The Collection – one of the two rarely performed Pinter plays, the other being The Lover, which are being revived at the Comedy Theatre under the direction of Jamie Lloyd, who recently directed The Caretaker for Sheffield Theatres. "Harold [Pinter] has been involved in the production, but he hasn't told us whether my character Bill really did sleep with Stella or not. He is the only one who really knows. Gina [McKee] and I made a decision that we think helps us, but we are keeping that decision a secret." Bill is a million miles away from his Stardust role of Tristan, who wore his heart on his sleeve. "What is certain about my character Bill is that he lies all the time. Whether Bill did it or not, he still gives different versions of the story. He is a bit of a spoilt brat who doesn't think of what other people want. He just wants a bit of a drama. He craves power and manipulates people for his own amusement. He annoys Harry for no reason at all other than to entertain himself."

For Cox, who has been living out of a suitcase for so long, starring in the West End allows him something of a normal routine. He can walk his dog and hang out with the small group of friends whom he has known since childhood. Fame has not changed him, and he doubts it ever will. None of the older actors has ever sat him down for a pep talk either, but Pacino offered him some words of wisdom. "Al said, 'You're not an actor until you've got a leather jacket.' I took it very seriously and asked my parents to buy me this brown leather jacket for my 21st birthday. It's worn really well, hasn't it? Then Al rang me on the day to wish me happy birthday while I was in the middle of having a small party. Answering the phone to him was one of the most bizarre things that has ever happened to me."

Now Cox has another offer to star with Pacino, in Enclosure, a black comedy about a Jewish family. He has already finished filming Stone of Destiny, based on a true story, in which he plays Ian Hamilton, a committed Scottish nationalist who in the 1950s led a raid on Westminster Abbey to bring the Stone of Scone back to Scotland. The actor talks about his career with the excitement of somebody who is living his dream. In promotional TV interviews for Stardust he looked almost startled, but since he's been at home he seems to be more at ease. "It's so easy to become obsessed with the film industry and recognition that we can forget that we are not saving the world. We are just actors trying to entertain people. Doing this play, in front of a live audience, has reminded me of that."

~*~

[ausetkmt]

The New York Times: A Statue of Henrietta Lacks Will Replace a Monument to Robert E. Lee

A life-size bronze statue of Henrietta Lacks, the woman whose cancer cells were taken without her consent and were used for research that ushered medical discoveries and treatments, will be erected in her hometown, Roanoke, Va., next year in a plaza previously named after the Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

Roanoke Hidden Histories, an organization dedicated to acknowledging Black history in the community’s public spaces, raised more than $183,000 for the project.

In a news conference announcing plans for the statue on Monday, a local artist, Bryce Cobbs, presented a preliminary black-and-white drawing of Ms. Lacks wearing a blazer and a knee-length skirt with her arms folded. The sculptor, Larry Bechtel, will use the drawing as a reference to design the statue on a stone base.

Mr. Bechtel said he would first make a two-foot model based on the drawing and then make a second, six-foot model that will eventually be molded and cast into bronze. “Hopefully, if everything goes right, we will have an unveiling of this splendid sculpture next October,” Mr. Bechtel said.

Ron Lacks, Ms. Lacks’s grandson, said the effort to honor his grandmother had been a long time coming. “This means a lot to my family,” he said, adding that he was looking forward to seeing “the sculpture that will honor her forever in this beautiful city of Roanoke.”

The finished statue will stand downtown in Henrietta Lacks Plaza, where a Robert E. Lee monument once stood. That monument, erected in 1960, was scheduled to be removed after it was found damaged in July 2020. Plans to rename the plaza took shape after the monument was hauled away that summer. At least 230 Confederate symbols across the United States have been removed, relocated or renamed since the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Mr. Cobbs, the artist, said in an email on Tuesday that he aimed to capture Ms. Lacks in a way “that reflected her personality and also respected her legacy.”

He said that Ms. Lacks’s family had been in touch with Roanoke Hidden Histories throughout the process and offered to help capture her likeness in the final sculpt. “Which was very generous of them, seeing as how the amount of photographs of Henrietta Lacks are extremely low and limited,” he wrote.

Mr. Cobbs said he had been involved with the project for more than three years. “Being a part of history in this way, working with this group of people to bring this to life, is something that I’ll never forget,” he said.

Ms. Lacks, who was born in Roanoke and later moved to Baltimore with her husband during the 1940s, died from cervical cancer at 31 in 1951. She left behind five young children and an unrivaled medical legacy.

Just months before her death and without her knowledge, consent or compensation, doctors removed a sample of cells from a tumor in her cervix. The cells taken from Ms. Lacks behaved differently than other cancer cells, doubling in number within 24 hours and continuing to replicate.

The cell sample went to a researcher at Johns Hopkins University who was trying to find cells that would survive indefinitely so researchers could experiment on them. The cells derived from that sample have since reproduced and multiplied billions of times, contributing to nearly 75,000 studies.

The cell line named after Ms. Lacks, HeLa, has played a vital role in developing treatments for influenza, leukemia and Parkinson’s disease, as well as advancing chemotherapy, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization and more.

According to “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” a book about her life that was turned into a movie starring Oprah Winfrey, Ms. Lacks’s family members did not learn about the use of her cells until 1973, when scientists contacted them for blood samples so they could study their genes.

Last year, 70 years after her death, the World Health Organization honored Ms. Lacks for the contribution that she unknowingly made to science and medicine. A life-size bronze statue of Ms. Lacks was also erected last year at the University of Bristol in England.

[thephantomcasebook]

WILD New Leak Drop: Jace is gay? And Time Travel in the Hightower: Daeron meets Jon Snow and Sam Tarly?

Yo, I wasn't expecting this ...

Potential Spoilers for Season 2

Alright so ya boi Ser Hunt Reviews ... who has been a great source during "Game of Thrones" got slipped a little something and it's absolutely nuts.

just a summery if you don't want to watch the whole video.

1.) They're going to be shooting the "Battle of Rook Rest" first and it'll take three week in February. They're in need of 500 extras, 50 riding experts, and people with experience with pyrotechnics - Aka: People who know how to be set on fire.

2.) They are in need of two nude male body doubles for an explicit gay sex scene between two main male cast members. For months people have been postulating that perhaps Daeron would be gay. But it turns out that actually it's not Daeron at all, but Jace and Creggan Stark that might have a gay love affair.

Which, now, if you go back to "Fire and Blood" is kinda right there in plain sight - if true.

As GRRM said a thousand times ... there is no secret gay characters, If they're gay, he'll at least make it some what obvious.

3.) Kit Harrington and one other GOT alum have secret roles that are being kept hush-hush, perhaps a backdoor pilot of the "Jon Snow" show.

And this is where I take a bit of a rabbit trail with my own theory.

GRMM has said for years that the Hightowers are magic users and that the Battle Tower is one of the most magical places left in Westeros. We also know that GRRM has been dying - DYING - to tell a story in Oldtown, and as we know from the prologue of "A Feast of Crows" there is something hidden in the vaults of the Citadel that Marwin and Euron are trying to get their hands on.

My theory - and it's just a theory - that the Jon Snow show might deal with Time Travel of some sort and that Daeron's introduction will deal with whatever powerful artifact is in the magic vaults and perhaps will run into Jon Snow and Sam Tarly due to use or discovering of what is in the vault that the maesters are trying to hide.

We've already seen from the Pilot that there is a ton of ASoIaF spoilers in the show that haven't even made into the books yet - like Aegon's dream on the Valyrian Steel dagger when put to fire. And GRRM has said recently that Daeron is very important to the story which is why he insisted that he be included - even when Sapochnik didn't want him in the show.

Like I said, the time travel thing is just a theory ... but since time travel was such a big deal at the end "Game of Thrones" I would expect that it's still an interictal part of the narrative in Universe.

Perhaps Daeron will learn from someone or something about the fate of his family and will try to stop history from repeating itself.

But that's just a theory ...

A HOTD THEORY!

[madraleen]

Bungo Stray Dogs - Kafka Asagiri/Sango Harukawa Vol. 18-19: Basically just praise for Harukawa-sensei in commentary format. (*anime spoilers and manga spoilers up to ch.114.5)

-BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS SIGMA ON THE COVER I LUFF HIM

-dazai, sigma, fyodor, why so pretty, guys?

-wait no, dazai can't have it right. sigma can't have learned of the Page from taneda since sigma WAS created with the page.

-fyodor looks so dreamy tho. if villain, why so pretty, man?

-fellas, is it gay to instantly create a code only you and your situationship can converse in, asking for dazai and fyod- errrr, asking for a friend. i kid, i kid, i don't ship them.

-CUT SIGMA SOME SLACK, TERUKO, HE'S ONLY THREE YEARS OLD :"(

-fyodor. my man. calm down with the pretty, you're distracting me

-always happy to see dazai unprepared for what he learns

-A PERSON WAS CREATED FROM NOTHING! BOOK-SAN'S CONSISTENCY MY ASS

-wait, "a piece of writing in the book" created sigma? so fukuchi or someone has access to the actual book, regardless of this one page? you speak in riddles, asagiri-sensei

-"can he even be called human?" dazai said, and immediately felt a connection to poor sigma

-SIGMA BABE, COME TO THE AGENCY (once we reinstate it)! WE WON'T HURT YOU! YOU CAN TRUST US! YES, THAT MEANIE DAZAI TOO, YOU CAN TRUST HIM!

-PROTECT SIGMA!

-i do like lucy

-gosh, it's all drawn so beautifully

-ooh nathaniel is still inside anne's room? oh cool, we'll see mitchell soon then. "soon." in the next... few... years...

-ango needs a long long vacation

-princess fyodor is so goddamn pretty. "i just sat here and prayed and those prayers were answered" - if this is a hint on how he communicates with the outside

-ah man. no one draws them like harukawa-sensei

-the way teruko slaps her knee when she laughs omg, what a cute detail. DAZAI DOES IT TOO, SO CUTE

-gosh i love tachihara. i say that about everyone, but have you met this cast

-every single character design is a gem, i can't

-SIGMA LIKES COOKIES, MY HEART

-THE CONTINUOUS DOUBLE PANEL OF JOUNO HALF-LIGHTER AND HALF-DARKER

-lmfao imaginary dazai is wearing his usual clothes in atsushi's vision and i was like "OMG YES HE DOESN'T LIVE IN THE WHITE FIT, I FORGORRR"

-the panel where gogol tells sigma they're going to kill dostoy and he holds his hat over sigma's head, chef's kiss, perfection, a masterpiece

-MUSHITAROU IS WITH POE OMG. POE IS AN HONORARY AGENCY MEMBER AT THIS POINT

-"why do people write? because inside that story you can see those you want to any time."

-ahaha the irony of ango disliking betrayal

-RANPO-SAN, YOUR CUTE LIL FACE, i missed you

-i love so much this line of thinking, that ranpo's saying 'no, i'm not asking you to believe we're pure and righteous, i'm asking you - wouldn't it be stupid if a master detective got caught like that?"

-ah man, yes, i've missed ranpo's lil face

-SOME OF THE AGENCY REUNITING, MY HEART <333. ATSUSHI LEAPING TO HUG KUNIKIDA, MY HEART! I MISS THEM! I MISS THEM ALL TOGETHER, I MISS THEM

-ranpo, i'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you only need "kenji and tanizaki" to be an agency again because technically dazai is with you since you're in contact with him. i will overlook the fact that he's not in any of all y'all's thoughts and i will not insult you by calling you a child of your own preposterous father figure and the lack of dazai in his thoughts. i will do that for you. this once. (i mean, technically they don't mention fukuzawa either, nor is he present in anne's room)

-the fukuchi panels hit differently with 20/20 hindsight.

-"fukuzawa's golden child" yes, fukuchi, that's our ranpo-san

-watching ranpo deduct who kamui is in real time with 20/20 hindsight is like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

-THE PANEL COMPOSITION, THE COLORING, I LOVE IT. YOU HEAR THE PANELS EVEN WHEN NO ONE IS SPEAKING, i can't describe it otherwise, you just HEAR the panels.

-i was about to scream at atsushi so hard for not including dazai in his agency image, but it's fine it's fine, dazai gets his own panel as he deserves. good boy atsushi. i always knew i loved you for a reason. wait. is that a good thing or a bad thing foreshadowing-wise? ...no no, i'll go with "good boy, atsushi, you know dazai deserves a panel of his own 'cause he's that special in general, and that special specifically for you."

-WILL atsushi's head grow back if you cut it off? uh... i don't want to find out, it's... let's not.

-atsushi: "i'm scared that i am alone." aku-kun: "you called?"

-AKU-KUN, MY LOVE! look at him, no one draws 'em like harukawa-sensei.

-LMFAO, "why do i look so flashy!?" SIGMA ARE YOU SERIOUS

-YOUR TWO-TONE HAIR IS NOT WEIRD, YOU'RE PERFECT

-SIGMA THE BAND FRONTMAN

-A FYODOR-NIKOLAI-SIGMA BAND

[a1asta1r]

I GET TO TALK ABOUT HIM LETS GO!

I pretty much had to make a Soc OC for the production I’m in cuz I’m part of the Soc ensemble lol. I can’t draw so there’s no art of him so </33

Ps: if I talk about character dynamics, like Daniel with Paul or Dally, it’s entirely based off how the actors in my play interpret the characters & how we interact in the play! Not entirely based off the book or musical at anything

My boy Daniel <33, some people call him Danny but he really only lets Chuck (who’s also part of the Soc ensemble in my show, played by my best friend) call him that without putting up a fight.

Born & raised as a Soc in Tulsa, he is 17 years old & a senior at school. Both of his older brothers went to Ivy League schools. One is currently at Harvard for law, the other graduated from Cornell for engineering. He’s expected to also go to an Ivy League school, but he doesn’t really want too. Although he’s good at school, he doesn’t like at and doesn’t want to continue.

Because of his extreme anger issues, he was sent to the school counselor who suggested he get a journal to vent in. That journal is abandoned on his desk, the only thing written in it is how dumb the idea was.

He honestly doesn’t like Bob or Randy, he just hangs out with them because of Chuck, who’s his best friend, and Paul, who he’s not as close with but is still one of his closest friends. The three of them kind of have their own group within the bigger group. Daniel is indifferent on the others in the group.

Daniel is borderline jealous of the greasers and their relationships with each other, though he’d rather die than admit that to anyone (except for the one time he drunkenly admitted it to Chuck, but they haven’t mentioned it since) he doesn’t have the best relationship with his family and he only has two real friends, so seeing all the greasers have this found familt and everything, he can only wish to have something like that.

He fights because of insecurities. Part of it is the jealousy he feels talked about above, but also he feels the need to prove he can be just as intimidating as people like Bob or Paul. He is the shortest of the group, & with the fact he has a very androgynous look, he feels like he needs to prove he’s just as much of a man as the rest. (This is what happens when a trans guy plays a rich 60s dude </33)

Absolutely hates cutting his hair, he thinks he looks better with long hair but once every few months he cuts it because of both his insecurities and comments from other socs. While it’s long he usually puts it up anyways.

He’s gay and knows it, he just refuses to acknowledge it and hates himself for it. Paul was actually his gay awakening in his freshman year, but that went away quickly.

Actively has a crush on Dallas, but is trying to avoid it as much as he can. He works at the nightly double at the concession stand and one night Dally started bugging him. He was trying to get Daniel to sell him the snacks for free, and part of his plan to convince him was flirting. While he was annoyed at it, Daniel couldn’t seem to stop thinking about Dally after that.

Jealous of all the relationships Chuck has been in and gets annoyed when he brags about it, saying he’s been single his entire life b/c of the gay thing

Was one of the Socs that went to Dally in the hospital and taunted him about missing the rumble

Actually fought Dally a little during the rumble. He got Dally to run from him by Biting his ear. Daniel still doesn’t know entirely why he chose to do that, but Dally was choking him and he needed a way to get him off.

(Off topic but my productions rumble is SO COOL I’m gonna miss it when it’s over)

There’s probably more about Daniel I could talk about but I think I’ve tapped enough. I’m thinking of actually writing a little smth about him finding our Dally died but idk yet.

I could post a photo of my costume during the show and give you an idea of what Daniel should look like, but since all my photos have other cast members in it take a picrew instead lol

(His shirt is blue but that wasn’t an option on the picrew lol)

Starting a reblog game: RB w/ your own outsiders OC!

if enough folks do, I’ll draw them together or something lol, it’ll be fun!

So these are blatant self inserts for my sister and me

(Info & backstories under the cut because I’ve put waaaay too much thought into this)

and again, pls do reblog/tag me w/ your own Outsiders original/self insert characters! (Drawings and/or written descriptions!) Making OCs was one of my favorite things to do as a kid, so I figured it’d be fun to bring it back here lol

(And to reiterate- if enough of ya’ll do this I’ll draw ‘em all together like a greaser-sona gang! So don’t be shy ok??)

-got sent to Tulsa from Seattle in 1961 at ages 13 and 11 to live with their mildly neglectful uncle, due to their mother getting cancer and being unable to properly care for them. Their father was lost at sea when they were little, so they had no one else to go to.

-in Tulsa they go by their mother’s surname, Biondi, instead of their father’s, because interracial marriage isn’t legalized in Oklahoma until ‘67. They try to pass as just Italian. This works better for Naomi, who takes more after their mother than their father in looks.

-Naomi is good friends w/ Ponyboy- she relates to him a lot, from the dislike of fighting to the love for sunsets (legit Ponyboy reminds me of my sister so much irl) (She’s also low-key got a crush on him and Sodapop which is pretty funny)

-Jesse is closer to Two-Bit, Dally, Steve, and Soda. And he really likes fights. They’re exciting and make him feel tough. When he stops to think about it it does make him a little uneasy how much he’s grown to like them, but usually he just ignores that

-Naomi disapproves of crime. Jesse used to oppose it too, but the more time he spends without good role models and parental figures, the more his morels loosen. Tries hard to be a good example for Naomi though

-Jesse met the gang through Sodapop originally- they were thirteen and some Socs were jumping Soda, and Jesse jumped in and helped him out. Soda explained to him what the deal with Socs and greasers is, because there’s no greasers up North

-Naomi met the gang separately through being classmates with Ponyboy. They were working together on a school project, one with him writing and her drawing

-So Jess and Naomi spent a solid few months hanging out with different members of the same gang, completely unaware they had the same group. They eventually end up running into each other at the Curtis house, and both are totally shocked. Two-Bit, who knew the whole time, nearly died laughing

-Naomi is friends with both Socs and greasers, because she isn’t really either- she’s financially a greaser, but she has a crazy high GPA for someone who has ADHD and dyslexia in the 60s, and besides that, she just doesn’t like what she sees as pointless rivalry

-Jess loves pointless rivalry. At least until people start getting hurt. Then he starts to get angry.

[denimbex1986]

'The Oscar race got a shake-up this week, with Warner Bros. officially moving “Dune: Part Two” to 2024. It’s a game-changing move that could benefit the summer’s second-highest blockbuster “Oppenheimer.” The two seemed destined to dance in several artisan races at the upcoming Academy Awards.

I agree with the move by WB to move “Dune 2.” Why have its auteur director Denis Villeneuve, shockingly snubbed for the first entry, being forced to go toe-to-toe with several cinema masters? Sequels in franchises (i.e., 2002’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”) missed a directing nom before the third installment swept the next ceremony.

The first “Dune” walked away with six Oscars — production design, cinematography, film editing, sound, visual effects and original score. Based on the trailer and early buzz, the second installment would likely be competitive once again in those same races (perhaps even more). With “Oppenheimer,” Nolan assembles another dynamite team of talented artists, all competitive in those same races.

But why does it matter?

Well, if you’re Universal Pictures and you want to win best picture after coming up short with “1917” (2019) and “The Fabelmans” (2022), you are anxious to get your first best picture trophy since “Green Book” (2018). You’re also likely aware one of the best ways to craft the narrative “it’s Nolan’s time” is best achieved when multiple tech statuettes are bestowed upon a single film.

Throughout history, the most awarded movies at the Oscars have been period pieces or tech-driven features such as James Cameron’s “Titanic” (1997) and Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003). Since the expansion of the best picture lineup from five to 10 nominees in 2009, there have been others that dominated their respective ceremonies but came up short of the top prize, such as “Gravity” (2013), which despite winning seven statuettes lost out to “12 Years a Slave,” which netted only three in total.

Removing “Dune 2” allows “Oppenheimer” to plead its case among the tech branch members. When it comes to nominations, each of the categories is voted on by their respective branches. However, after noms, the entire membership (who are eligible) cast ballots, determining the winners.

Barring unforeseen shortcomings (which you can never count out in an Oscar season), “Oppenheimer” is currently projected to land in the realm of 12 Oscar noms — picture, director, actor (Cillian Murphy), supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr.), supporting actress (Emily Blunt), adapted screenplay, production design, cinematography, costume design, film editing, sound and original score. With 12, Nolan’s atomic bomb origin tale would be on par with others such as “Ben Hur” (1959), “Dances with Wolves” (1990) and “Schindler’s List” (1993). It would be in a powerful, tentpole position if it could also find a way to muster in additional noms such as makeup and hairstyling, visual effects, or perhaps even a Matt Damon double dip in supporting actor.

Keep in mind it’s very early, with fall festivals nearing kickoff later this week with Venice and Telluride. Any number of films slated to come down the pike, such as Bradley Cooper’s partly monochrome “Maestro” or Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi period dramedy “Poor Things��� could offer competition. In addition, we know Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” has more than enough juicy bits to whet the appetites of industry voters. Not to mention, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” slated to become the highest-grossing film globally, could be the “pink” engine that could as the slog of awards season draws out.

With a $777 million global box office, critical acclaim, and a “Dune”-less year ahead, “Oppenheimer” stakes its claim as an early frontrunner.'

[audiofictionuk]

New Fiction Podcasts - 24th August

Spelljammer: Light of Xaryxis D&D Actual Play New Audio RPG! Quests and Chaos plays through Spelljammer: Light of Xaryxis in a 12 episode arc. This show features James Aaron oh as the Dungeon Master and players, Thomas Koch, Puja Tolton, Tasi Alabastro, Matthew Bridges, and Christy Bauer. https://spelljammer.captivate.fm RSS:https://feeds.captivate.fm/spelljammer/

Unholy Toledo New Audio Drama! Lou House and Tuffy LeMarr are a couple of runaway farm boys who ride the rails into Prohibition Era Toledo, Ohio, where they discover a world of gambling and bootlegging, ultimately going up against the infamous mobster, Yonnie Licavoli. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2161361 RSS:https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2161361.rss

Murder on Sex Island New Audio Book! When a cast member goes missing from the hit reality show Sex Island, producers ask the mysterious private detective Luella van Horn to go undercover as a contestant and solve the case. What the producers don’t know is that Luella van Horn is actually a woman named Marie Jones, a divorced ex-social worker attempting to lead a double life as a glamorous P.I. Unable to resist the opportunity to be a part of her favorite trashy reality show, Marie/Luella takes the case. But the more she learns about Sex Island’s dark underbelly, the harder it gets to make it out alive. She encounters shady producers, sleazy directors, and contestants willing to do whatever it takes to win the $100,000 grand prize. Will she find the killer? Will she find herself? Will she find...love? Find out now, in Sex Island's most dramatic season yet. https://rss.com/podcasts/murderonsexisland RSS:https://media.rss.com/murderonsexisland/feed.xml

Dice Company New Audio RPG! A real-play podcast about a group of friends who desperately try to survive in a harsh and unforgiving world. https://dicecompany.podbean.com RSS:https://feed.podbean.com/dicecompany/feed.xml

I plasmatori New Audio Book! Una storia travolgente dove finzione e realtà si fondono insieme. Tre persone di tre mondi paralleli: creatività, logica ed emozioni decidono di ritornare indietro nel tempo per plasmare il passato. https://www.spreaker.com/show/i-plasmatori RSS:https://www.spreaker.com/show/5936297/episodes/feed

SideChicks by Valorie M Taylor New Audio Book! News of a murdered Hollywood sex-worker fuels revenge in the heart of Lore, an L.A. Madame, who reluctantly learns murder is her only option. https://www.podserve.fm/series/website/sidechicks-by-valorie-m-taylor,7923/ RSS:https://www.podserve.fm/series/rss/7923/sidechicks-by-valorie-m-taylor.rss

Untrue Crime New Audio Drama! Love true crime but don't love the "true" bit? Maybe it's that you are unsettled by it being fact. Maybe you don't like the dramatization of traumas real people suffered. Untrue Crime is a perfect fit for you! We tell fictional stories in a variety of settings and times of murder, mystery, and intrigue. Whether you are looking for magical misdemeanors, sci-fi white collar crime, or something more realistic, we have stories to tell you. https://rss.com/podcasts/untruecrime RSS:https://media.rss.com/untruecrime/feed.xml

The Distant Silence Radio Hour New Audio Drama! A Lovecraftian anthology audio drama in the style of 1920's radio. Released annually, listen to an hour of three horror stories told to you by the eldritch narrator, The Host. Follow tales of madness, escape, and dread for an evening of spooky thrills and chilling twists. https://rss.com/podcasts/dsrh RSS:https://media.rss.com/dsrh/feed.xml

Flawless - YA fiction audiobook with score New Audio Book! Charlotte is a fairly normal teenager despite the family tragedy that still haunts her. Since her mother's accident Charlotte has had to learn to live in care and oblige her social workers by attending regular therapy appointments. Of course, she doesn't tell them everything. Lots of teenagers get bullied about the way they look and she's had enough pity from grown-ups. Everything begins to change however when a strange Fae visitor appears and reminds Charlotte of the natural world her mother loved and introduced to her, even though Charlotte had always thought she imagined the Fae. Her mother's favourite place, the wood, is being destroyed and Charlotte has been called to help save the Fae home. But, not everything goes to plan, and when Charlotte suffers a terrible accident and wakes up fifty years into the future, it's the technological world and legacy of her father that she will be called to. In this world she can not just be changed to look how she wants, but even given implants to make her one of the 'Flawless'. Amazed by the city and drawn in by the promise of being everything she always imagined, Charlotte finds herself torn between the present and the past. She must uncover the dark secrets and decide if being 'Flawless' is really as perfect as it seems. https://shows.acast.com/flawless-ya-fiction-audiobook-with-score-chapter1 RSS:https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/flawless-ya-fiction-audiobook-with-score-chapter1

Snatched From The Flames New Audio Book! What would you say to the people you loved if you knew The Secrets in your head could cost you all your lives? What do you do when you no longer remember your best friends name, the church you’d served at for seven years or the places you used to work? Where do you go when the memories in your mind are now clouded with shadows of things you’d carefully forgotten? Where once there used to be memories of soccer games and high school pranks, there are assassinations in hotel rooms with poisons and blades. Will she run from me when she knows what I’ve done? When she sees the man in the mirror is a shadow of the soul she once loved. Snatched From The Flames is a true story of Nathan Reynolds quest to discover answers to his mysterious double life. Born in between the world of the living and the land of the dead Nathan hunted for vengeance, hope, and healing. Until the day came when he made a decision that changed it all. He chose to tell the woman he loved the man she married was not what he seemed to be. For buried in the past of his other life were Secrets of bloodshed, torment, and murder. This book follows his family as they make their way out of the deadly Underworld where they will discover Hope hiding in the darkest of nights, a daughter who saves his life and a man on a desperate quest for redemption. https://www.spreaker.com/show/snatched-from-the-flames RSS:https://www.spreaker.com/show/5933844/episodes/feed

You only get one picture here - it's five different language versions of the same show.

The Sounds of Nightmares New Audio Drama! Noone, a timid young girl, is committed to The Counties Psychiatric Institute due to her ever-worsening nightmare disorder. She is placed under the care of The Counsellor who has dedicated his life to helping kids overcome their ailments, himself a product of childhood trauma. As Noone recounts her nightly torments during their sessions together, it becomes clear that her dreams unfold with a sinister life of their own. When The Counsellor realizes that her nightmares bear uncanny similarities to those of someone he loved dearly in his past, it unlocks a dangerous obsession inside him, and he grows desperate to find out what secrets hide inside Noone’s head. https://www.thesoundsofnightmares.com RSS:https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/the-sounds-of-nightmares

El Murmullo de las Pesadillas New Audio Drama! Nadie, una tímida jovencita, es ingresada en el centro psiquiátrico de Los Condados por los trastornos que le ocasionan unas pesadillas cada vez peores. Le asignan un doctor que ha dedicado toda su vida a ayudar a jóvenes a superar sus problemas y que también sufrió traumas en su infancia. Nadie le relata sus tormentos nocturnos en las sesiones que tienen juntos hasta que queda claro que sus siniestros sueños cobran vida propia. Una vez que el doctor se da cuenta de que las pesadillas son casi iguales a las de alguien a quien quiso mucho, una peligrosa obsesión despierta en su interior y decide descubrir qué secretos se esconden dentro de la mente de Nadie. https://www.thesoundsofnightmares.com RSS:https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/el-murmullo-de-las-pesadillas

Il Suono degli Incubi New Audio Drama! Nessi, una ragazzina schiva, è ricoverata nell'Istituto Psichiatrico delle Contee a causa di un disturbo del sonno in continuo peggioramento. Viene affidata alle cure del Dottore, il quale ha dedicato tutta la sua vita ad aiutare i bambini a superare i propri disturbi ed è egli stesso vittima di un trauma infantile. Man mano che Nessi racconta i propri tormenti notturni, risulta evidente quanto i suoi sogni si sviluppino come se avessero vita propria. Quando il Dottore capisce che questi incubi nascondono inquietanti similitudini con quelli di qualcuno che lui amava in passato, una pericolosa ossessione si scatena in lui, mentre cerca disperatamente di scoprire quali segreti si nascondono nella mente di Nessi. https://www.thesoundsofnightmares.com RSS:https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/il-suono-degli-incubi

Le Bruit des Cauchemars New Audio Drama! Modie, une jeune fille timide, est internée à l’Hôpital Psychiatrique des Districts en raison de l’aggravation de ses troubles du sommeil. Elle est confiée aux soins du Psychiatre, un homme ayant eu une enfance difficile et qui a consacré sa vie à aider les enfants à surmonter leurs traumatismes. Au fur et à mesure de leurs séances, Modie raconte ses terreurs nocturnes. Ses rêves prennent une tournure aussi réelle que sinistre intriguant le Psychiatre qui note des similitudes troublantes avec ceux d'une personne qui lui était chère par le passé. Se déclenche alors en lui une dangereuse obsession...il est maintenant prêt à tout pour découvrir ce qui se cache dans la tête de Modie. https://www.thesoundsofnightmares.com RSS:https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/le-bruit-des-cauchemars

Der Klang der Albträume New Audio Drama! Nima ist ein schüchternes junges Mädchen, das wegen ihrer immer schlimmer werdenden Albtraumstörung in das Psychiatrische Institut "Die Bezirke" eingewiesen wird. Sie wird in die Obhut des Betreuers gegeben, der der Aufgabe sein Leben gewidmet hat, Kindern zu helfen ihre Leiden zu überwinden, da er selbst als Kind ein Trauma erlitt. Während Nima in ihren gemeinsamen Sitzungen von ihren nächtlichen Torturen erzählt, wird klar, dass ihre Träume ein finsteres Eigenleben innehaben. Als Der Betreuer bemerkt, dass ihre Albträume unheimliche Gemeinsamkeiten mit jenen Albträumen eines geliebten Menschen aus seiner Vergangenheit aufweisen, entfesselt das eine gefährliche Obsession in ihm und er wird immer verzweifelter auf der Suche nach den Geheimnissen in Nimas Kopf. https://www.thesoundsofnightmares.com RSS:https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/der-klang-der-albtraume

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

Toddler and tiara: Meghan Markle STILL throwing tantrums about royal family By Maureen Callahan August 29, 2022 

Lest anyone remain in doubt, Meghan Markle’s latest interview makes one thing clear: This woman has nothing to say. She has nothing to offer, no original thoughts or guiding philosophy, no earthly reason to be taking so much money from, and so much space in, the mainstream media she so clearly reviles.

You know, just as she reviles the British royal family, even as she clings to her title and accepts money from her father-in-law, the future king, who reportedly subsidized her and Harry’s $14.5 million mansion, purchased for their privacy.

Still, yet again, the Greta Garbo of Northern California sits for another major profile, this time for New York magazine. [not NY Magazine, A New York Magazine: The Cut.]

Forget the People’s Princess — now we’re saddled with the Petulant Princess, one whose preferred crown is perpetual victimhood. For the past three years she’s had a global platform, yet all she does with it is complain that she’s been censored, silenced, shut out. Meghan Markle has been a public downer longer than she was a working duchess. It’s long past time for a new talking point.

I must concede her lone accomplishment here: Just when you think Meghan Markle can’t get any more delusional, she outdoes herself. Her self-regard runs in direct opposition to her waning relevance. She clearly has no real friends left — or even decent publicists — because anyone with an iota of common sense would say, “You know, Meghan, it’s probably best not to compare yourself to Nelson Mandela.”

Reader, in this profile, Meghan Markle compares herself to Nelson Mandela. Settle in.

“I had just had Archie,” she says. “It was such a cruel chapter. I was scared to go out.” But go out she did — alas, there’s no keeping Meghan Markle down — to a performance of “The Lion King.” After, a South African cast member, she says, “looked at me, and he’s just like light. He said, ‘I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison.’ ”

Oh, this piece is full of howlers. Enjoy it. Savor the details. Don’t read it with your mouth full.

Anyone who’s read Tom Bower’s recent book knows that Meghan is an inveterate liar. But here we have the duchess in her natural habitat — a soulless mansion, Meghan “backlit by the late-morning light in a scene that looks like a Nancy Meyers cinematic interior, Town & Country, Goop, and Architectural Digest had an orgy” — and this only frees her up to reveal her most authentically inauthentic self in all her resentful glory.

We begin with the “invisible” help [sounds more like black magic seance] lighting a scented candle from the members-only Soho House — the founder, Meghan says, a friend. Annual dues run a little over $4,000. But remember: even though she wants to be known as a humanitarian, a feminist and a renegade, what’s equally important are all the famous people she knows and the exclusive, rich-people-only places she has access to.

Meghan opens the interview with the most millennial of revelations: “Do you want to know a secret?” she asks. “I’m getting back . . . on Instagram.”

Stop the presses, indeed!

Or . . . not? Meghan doubles back on that bold announcement almost immediately: She’s not sure, she says. She might not. Lots to consider.

What those factors are, she cannot say.

Oh — and this moment: “At one point in our conversation,” writes Allison P. Davis, “instead of answering a question, she will suggest how I might transcribe the noises she’s making: ‘She’s making these guttural sounds, and I can’t quite articulate what it is she’s feeling in that moment because she has no word for it; she’s just moaning.’ ”

This might be the single most insane thing I’ve ever read in a celebrity profile. Truly, it’s Charlie Kaufman-esque: Meghan evincing such pain she’s non-verbal, yet verbalizing why she’s ostensibly non-verbal to her profiler, who Meghan says should tell us that Meghan doesn’t know what she’s feeling because Meghan told her, in Meghan’s own words, that there are no words for it.

It’s celebrity profile by way of Kafka, and it says something that the hundreds of reader comments on New York mag’s site — a self-selecting group of self-identified feminist social justice warriors — mostly proclaim her phony, delusional and vapid, if not an outright liar.

What will make Meghan happy? Hell if she knows. The only solace she finds from this existential torment, it seems, is sitting for fancy photo shoots and talking to friendly journalists.

“When the media has shaped the story around you,” Meghan whines, “it’s really nice to be able to tell your own story.”

Here’s something this self-styled brilliant mind seems to have missed: A little thing called social media has long allowed for unmediated, unfiltered communication between celebrities and the rest of us, the great unwashed who still, despite Meghan cawing and crying on Oprah, or among starving African children (“nobody asks if I’m OK”), or her new podcast (more on that later), still don’t get how hard it is to be Meghan Markle, unappreciated duchess in exile, transcendent representation of rare greatness.

Why won’t we all just adore her?

Gwyneth Paltrow, consider yourself dethroned. We have a new Queen of All Things Insufferable.

“One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees,” she says, touring her grounds with our ink-stained wretch. “See how they’re connected at the bottom? He goes, ‘My love, it’s us.’ And now every day when Archie goes by [the trees], he says, ‘Hi Momma. Hi, Papa.’ ”

Archie is three.

A note about that podcast: A lot of people listened to it, I know. I also firmly believe those ratings are the audio equivalent of rubbernecking. If the first episode — ostensibly an interview with Serena Williams — is reflective of the rest, this is really a podcast about Meghan Markle.

She leads with her oft-reported origin story [🤣] of Feminist Meghan, standing up to corporate America as an 11-year-old (a story Tom Bower surgically took apart as false), then asks us to marvel at her longtime friendship with Williams and endure another tall tale in which the royals and their staff do not care that baby Archie almost burned to death in South Africa.

The conversation is everything one would expect, Meghan going on about her “lived experience” — is there any other kind? — her “dear, dear friend Serena,” and the “labels, boxes and archetypes” that women still suffer. “Women” being proxy for Meghan, “archetypes” such as: Spoiled brat. Ungrateful. Delusional. Hypocrite.

Now, I will also admit that I didn’t think Markle could surpass the moment when, as a working royal, she spontaneously wrote inspirational messages — “you are strong,” “you are loved” — for sex workers. On bananas.

But here, we see a totally spontaneous and sugary everyday school pick-up — “She scoops [Archie] [child actor] up in a big hug so full of genuine emotion that both close their eyes” — turn into a teachable moment about the homeless.

“At a stoplight, [Meghan] reaches into the trunk and produces a brand-new black backpack and hands it to her security detail to give to an unhoused man on the corner.” [Because she's so concerned about her "security" she couldn't keep the bag inside her vehicle or ask her security to keep the bags inside their vehicle. Nope MM had to (roll down her window) jump up out of the vehicle to be seen. Poor homeless person was probably a paid plant.]

Yes, young American royal-non-royal Archie: If you want to give some food to a starving homeless person — peanut-butter crackers and granola bars, no whole meals or cash or the like — have the help do it. No need to get near poverty and filth yourself.

And then back we go to the Montecito manse, where Meghan has another ready anecdote about the grand piano Tyler Perry gave her as a housewarming gift, instructing her to “write the soundtrack for your life,” she says. So relatable. [Of course she must learn to play piano better than Kate😉.]

Meghan winds down by returning to her other favorite subject, forgiveness. Even though she won’t forgive her father, whose main crime has been talking to the media, she wants the royal family to know that someday, maybe, she might forgive them. She, of course, has nothing to be forgiven for. Why would one even ask?

“I think forgiveness is really important,” Meghan says, adding that she has “a lot to say until I don’t. Sometimes, as they say, the silent part is still part of the song.”

Meghan Markle, two very weary nations beg you: Please. Be that silent part.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

Was The Wizard of Oz Cursed?

Despite its commercial success, The Wizard of Oz is seen by some as cursed. There were so many serious accidents on set that those Oscar-nominated special effects almost cost cast members their lives, from the two actors playing winged monkeys crashing to the ground when the wires that hoisted them up in the air broke, to the Wicked Witch of the West’s stunt double Betty Danko injuring her left leg when the broomstick exploded.

Buddy Ebsen was originally cast in the role of the Tin Woodman, a.k.a. the Tin Man, but he was essentially poisoned by the makeup, which was made of pure aluminum dust. Nine days after filming started he was hospitalized, sitting under an oxygen tent. When he was not getting better fast enough, the filmmakers hired Jack Haley to be the Tin Man instead. This time, instead of applying the aluminum powder, the makeup artists mixed it into a paste and painted it on him. He did develop an infection in his right eye that needed medical attention, but it ended up being treatable.

Margaret Hamilton — who played the Wicked Witch of the West and was the one tipped who Harmetz off to the turmoil on set more than three decades later for her 1977 book — got burns, and the makeup artists had to rush to remove her copper makeup so that it wouldn’t seep through her wounds and become toxic. Unlike Ebsen, she didn’t get fired because they could live without her on the set for several more weeks.

In a scene where Dorothy, the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), and the Tin Man (Jack Haley) are skipping down the Yellow Brick Road, singing “we’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz,” some think the dark, moving figure hanging from a tree in the background is an actor who hanged himself on set. More likely, it’s one of the exotic birds that the filmmakers borrowed from the Los Angeles Zoo in order to create a wilderness setting, according to the fact-checking website Snopes.com. The rumor has been circulating since around 1989, the time of the 50th anniversary of the film’s release.

An actor playing one of the Wicked Witch of the West’s soldiers accidentally jumped on top of Dorothy’s Toto, Carl Spitz, the dog trainer on set, told Harmetz. The dog (a female Cairn terrier named Terry) sprained its foot, and Spitz had to get a canine double. Terry did recover and returned to the set a few weeks later.

In a memoir by Judy Garland’s third husband, Sid Luft, published posthumously in 2017, he writes that, after bar-hopping in Culver City, the actors who played the munchkins “would make Judy’s life miserable by putting their hands under her dress.”

Garland was only 16 when she made The Wizard of Oz, and her struggles with depression and disordered eating started at an early age and continued for the rest of her life. She claimed that the studio executives gave her uppers and sleeping pills so she could keep up with the demanding pace of show business. She struggled with a drug addiction and attempted suicide several times before she died of an accidental overdose on June 22, 1969, at just 47 years old.

[chocominnie]

One Last Time 03  —  Pjm. (M)

⇢ pairing: Jimin X Reader

⇢ Genre: Idol!Jimin, Exbf!Jimin, model!reader, sad au, fluff, tons of smut, angst

⇢ Synopsis: Your idol ex boyfriend Jimin cheated on you. You two have been broken up for a while now and the media has been keeping track of you and him. You’re trying to get over him, but the things that happen inbetween makes you re-think the entire breakup, and so does Jimin…

⇢ Song : xxxxx

⇢ Previous : 00  01 02

⇢ Word Count : 4.2k

⇢ Warnings: dominant jimin, makeout sessions, this is honestly a sad angsty au, cheating, pregnancy, unprotected and protected sex, a bunch of sex, no really a LOT of sexual themes too, I know I’m forgetting some but sorry in advance!

⇢ Copyright: please do NOT repost, translate, or modify my works in any way, shape or form, on any platform. If found doing so , it is considered as plagiarism and appropriate LEGAL action will be taken

⇢ Authors note: This is my mini series for the summer! Get your tissues, things to take your anger out on, and sit back and watch the drama unfold. Shall we begin?

Being  a model isn’t as always what people view it as. It’s not all just fun and prancing around in clothing that’s either revealing or not. It’s about business and fun but you mustn’t mix pleasure in. Every model knows that. But you, you took advantage of that. You decided you wanted to know what would happen if you had did that. And that is how everything went wrong.

You had actually met Jimin through Jungkook. But, BigHit staff did a casting call for one of their music videos. You had gotten chosen and while at the shoot Namjoon had sparked in interest for you. He spoke fluent english that glided of his tongue ever so breathlessly. But his adorable, cheeky dimple smile had put the icing on the cake for you. You two had been friends ever since.

They needed two girls, the protagonist and the antagonist. You were the protagonist while another was the antagonist but the role did fit you well. You aren’t the type to cause trouble and when your manager explained the script and concept to you, she thought it was a perfect match to your real life personality.

You and Jimin had hit it off right then and there. You loved his smile, his way of talking, and his cute little English phrases he would slip in then and there to you on set. It was the most adorable thing ever. He was a smooth talker too. Then Bam! You didn’t know what had gotten into him. Well.. the acting was for the concept music video, but you’ve never seen someone go from adorable to to a dominant personality so quickly. The entire switch up from the persona had fooled you good. Way.. too good.

That was how it hit you. You knew that he had to be yours.

But then yours.. became shared.

Then sharing became permanent.

Now you are single and heartbroken.

“ Long time no see! How have you been?”

You smile and take in his huge bear hug. He smelled so divine. Namjoon has always carried himself like a mature man, but in the inside you knew he’s a child at heart.

‘‘ Im fine. How are you? I’ve been on a little hiatus.” You nervously chuckle, assuming he already knows why. Namjoon nods his head and guides you further into the set.

It’s the inside of an apartment. They’ve set it up so pretty for it to seem like it’s a  real apartment. The LED lights are beaming but not enough for it to be too bright. Just perfect. You take a glance at all around the set you would be soon using.

The bed is a modern day king size in the colour schemes of black, white and grey along with a matching dresser and nightstands. White Jasmine flowers, sit on top of the nightstand along with the book milk and honey sitting next to it.

‘‘ I seen your pictures when they had dropped yesterday.” He pauses, glancing up at you to see your reaction. The way your breath hitches for a moment humored him. “ You looked very good. You did a great job. Welcome back to the business!”

Only if the business was so welcoming at all. Pictures of you had been posted on all your platforms and the comments came rushing in. Some good, but majority bad, only because the people of the world thought your comeback was revenge for Jimin’s comeback. Turns out, he had a comeback three days before you. You didn’t know, because you don’t keep up with him anymore. His fanbase was actually the ones commenting to the bad comments to leave you alone and that you moved on.

If only you made it that far to move on. 

Namjoon leads you to the hair and makeup station that’s been set up for the both of you. Each of you greet them and take a seat in the two black director’s chair with your name on it. As you sat in your chair you let the stylists and make-up artist do your thing while you read the concept script of the music video.

It’s going to be Namjoon rapping about his first love and how she broke his heart repeatedly. The hazy white flashbacks are of you and him symbolizing a couple doing things of what he had did with her.

“ So you and um.. Jimin did you guys sort things out yet?’’

You lift your head from the script instantly biting your lip. You most definitely don’t want to be reminded of him at the moment.

“ No. I like the way things are now. We shouldn’t see each other anymore.’’ You roll your eyes and look back down at the white sheets of stapled paper that holds your acting skills.

“ Im sorry if I offended. I didn’t mean to it’s just that. It’s been a year and a couple of months since-’’

He means no harm at all, and you know that because its Kim Namjoon you’re talking to. This right now though, isn’t a conversation to be held right before rhe video-shoot. You shake your head letting him know not to continue on. The last thing you want is for the makeup and hairstylists gossiping. Also for your emotions to spiral all the way down again.

The hair, makeup, and clothing stylists does a very good job on you. The make up stylists did a sort of natural look to your face which made your skin look light and dewy. The natural makeup complements the oversize, long t-shirt that is supposed to symbolize Namjoon’s.

The first scene you are going to shoot is the bed scene where you will be straddling a sleepy Namjoon’s lap wearing nothing but his t-shirt and your underwear underneath. Which really isn’t your underwear but just some black shorts that you put underneath the shirt.

You spot Namjoon and the director conversing so you decide to make your way over to the bed by them. As you walk over, his manager glances and goes back to talking. You pay no mind to it but then, he does a double take with his eyes wide looking at your outfit and beauty. You cant lie, you do feel a little more confident than usual with this bedroom look. 

‘‘ My goodness she looks stunning!’‘ His manager smiles, holding his hand out to greet you. You take his hand and do a courtesy greet due to the fact he’s older than you.

Namjoon eyes you up and down, smiling showing his deep dimples and pearly whites. Since when is he all flirty? Where is all this coming from? What’s getting into him?

‘‘ Yes she does. Are you ready?’‘

You nod your head, glancing at the properly messy bed. The director gives you guys one last look before heading over to his place right next to the cameras. Namjoon grasps your wrists as you both make your way to the bed, letting your ears listen to the instructions.

Namjoon gets into the bed first and then motions for you to sit on his waist. You bite your lip subtlety with your eyes not leaving his as you climb carefully over onto his lap. Your core almost inches away from him member, you don’t mean to brush a little too hard against him like that. The way he hisses and stifles his groan makes you feel apologetic.

Oh Namjoon, what is going on with you?

‘‘ I need you to try waking him up with little kisses on his cheek then down his chest.’’

Glancing down at his bare chest, you almost gasp at the muscles he has. Your mind completely had ignored it when you two were chatting with the director.  Namjoon isn’t the kind to work out as much but he definitely prepared for this music video.

You nod your head just before Namjoon closes his eyes to fake his slumber. Leaning down after the director gave you two the green light, you smell his cologne which smells pretty good to say the least. The butterflies in your stomach flutter like no other when you start to leave butterfly kisses on his cheeks, making sure to kiss his dimples then trailing over to his neck.. then chest.

‘‘ Namjoon wake up smiling… right about now.’‘

His eyes flutter open with a smile landing onto yours which makes you smile right back at him.

‘‘ Interlock your hands and hold them up high.’‘

Both of you smile ear to ear and giggle at the awkwardness almost nearly as a real couple except you guys aren’t, and this isn’t real.

It was easy for you to act like you were in love with Namjoon due to the friendship you have with him. Ever since the boys were together in a group, you had connected easily with Namjoon. He has this friendly yet funny aura about him. He’s the sweetest guy you ever met, just before Hoseok. Namjoon was the one who made you feel welcomed and comfortable upon meeting the members for the first time, while you had dated Jimin. 

His eyes roam over your body intimidated by the lack of proper clothing you have on. Soon his hands take over and start to roam your body from shoulders to waist. Namjoon often bit his lip as if was thinking of saying something, but doesn’t.  At this point you didn’t know if the acting was real or not.

A day’s worth of shooting and this was it. You’ve moved locations just for this scene which is supposed to be in the middle of a vacant two way road surrounded by nothing but dust and a few trees. The last major scene. You had seen Namjoon rap his part repeatedly in different sets for him that did not include you. The dark clothing and light colored hair suited him just right.

The closing scene is the one left and ironically, it’s the make-out scene.

To your left, someone had started a bonfire to keep the staff warm as they converse about the scene and read through the scripts. You huff lightly as you get out of the chair instantly regretting it as the cold air hits your nearly exposed legs.

They’ve dressed you into a maroon skirt and a grey knit sweater that is fairly itchy paired with a knit infinity scarf. Your hair was let down to compliment your face.

‘‘ Yn!’’

You turn your head immediately over towards the direction of that voice. To your luck it’s Jungkook holding a big brown bag and two canisters of god knows what. But who trails after him makes your smile drop.

Jungkook smiles jogging towards you, almost slipping from being excited too see you. You open your arms fully to embrace his figure in which in return he provides.

“ Are you still mad at me?’’

You inhale the scent of him with a smile making sure to make eye contact with the one standing further away from him, “ No Jungkook.”

He lets go of your intertwined bodies and gives you one of his bunny smiles making you giggle at his excitement. “ I bought Namjoon and you some hot chocolate and plenty of rice-cake dumpling soup since you are working hard.”

‘‘ Thank you we will eat after this last scene okay?”

The cameras and lights are beaming down on you and Namjoon. It’s all or nothing at this point. The camera crew and director murmur a bit just before calling out that word. Action.

Namjoon looks slightly down at you with his glossy eyes. You challenge him back while not saying a word at all.

“ Are you comfortable with this?” He whispers. No, truth is you aren’t and have no desire in kissing him. To you, you feel like the kiss would make things a bit awkward for the both of you.

He’d been subtly flirting all day with you and of course you pick up on it everytime. It’s not like yourself to do such things with people you don’t have feelings for in a romantic way. Let alone, flirt with your ex’s band brother.

“ Yes.” It’s not like you have a choice to say no to it. You signed the contract, so you have to complete the entire scenes. Just your luck, Namjoon’s song begins to play in the background.

 He leans in for a kiss with your face inches apart from each other. So close that you can feel his eyelashes brush against yours. He’s stalling you, making you try to be the one to start the kiss. A small smirk on his face when you oblige taking him into the kiss. Your lips move in sync with his with his hand on your face caressing your cheek. He thinks your lips taste like strawberry chapstick, but you think his tastes like mint. 

Soon his tongue slips into your mouth to deepen the kiss. You can’t help but to let out a small whimper on accident resulting in Namjoon’s hand traveling to your waist and pushing you closer to him gently.  Excitment takes over you, you haven’t felt like this in a long time. Maybe it’s the lack of dating or all the couple like things you did today, but you feel loved.

And cut! That’s a wrap everyone, please pack and get home safely.

You break away from Namjoon’s lips and chuckle at the sight of him with his eyes still closed and waiting for something to happen again.

“ Joonie we are done shooting.”

Namjoon’s eyes pop open with a smile, cheeks turning coloured from embarrassment. “ Ah really? Im sorry it’s just that i was too into the moment.”

The both of you thank all the staff for their hard work of day. While bowing to another staff, you make sure to look directly in the eyes of the friend that tailed along with Jungkook. Just as expected he looked pissed off. The sight of him biting the inside of his jaw gave you satisfaction. He fucking deserves it.

“ Can we all eat now? I brought thermal blankets and the bonfire the staff lit is still going..’’ Jungkook says, sitting onto one of the logs and placing the bag onto the ground.

“ We need to speak first.”  You say, firmness taking over your tone. You aren’t going to let this slide. Why would he bring him here? After all that happened that night, you’re sure he told Jungkook. 

He sighs and motions for Namjoon to start serving while he’s going to be gone. Namjoon gently smiles and approves just before going to sit next to Jungkook’s friend and starting a conversation.

The two of you, Jungkook and you, start walking away from the small gathering slowly. The moon shines bright down upon the both of you creating black silhouettes from behind.

‘’ I didn’t invite him. You know I wouldn’t do that after that whole situation-’’

You purse your lips and stop walking, “ So he just magically came? I didn’t tell him and I doubt that Namjoon told him.’’

‘‘ He found out Namjoon was having his video shoot and came to support him. He came late due to Isab-”

You shake your head, “ Don’t say anymore. Let’s just go back and not bring anything up. I don’t feel like speaking to him or causing drama Jungkook.”

Jungkook can tell that you’re disappointed but does not say a word all the way back. You keep eye contact away from Jimin as you sit next to Jungkook. The atmosphere is awkward for you but you know it isn’t for them.

You munch on a rice-cake dumpling not making a sound as the three boys talk amongst themselves.

You take this time to think. Why would Jimin come here if he possibly knew that you were the main girl? He just set himself up to be mad at this point. Why didn’t Isabel stop him from going, after all you are his ex.

“ Why aren’t you eating?’‘

You look towards that soft voice, plopping your dumpling down into your bowl of soup. The truth is, you actually aren’t supposed to be eating this at all. Seeing as though your modeling and appearance schedule is getting full you have to maintain a healthy figure once again.

‘’ I guess im not as hungry. I’ll make sure to take it with me if I don’t finish.’’

‘‘ Eat.’‘ Jimin says, not lifting his head up but voice firm.

You roll your eyes out of annoyance, “ Im not hungry Jimin.’’ You were, but you say it just to piss him off even more.

His chopsticks drop his dumpling into his bowl as he raises his head slowly. Anger is written all over his face but you over-power it by keeping a straight face. Part of you is mad that you said that but it’s the truth.

‘‘ Oppa. Im Oppa to you.” His eyes meet yours. You can’t help but notice that his are darker than average. You hated calling him that and he knows it. It’s cringey to you, but respectful in their culture.

He didn’t use to make you say it even while in a relationship, so you know he’s playing along with your little game.

Namjoon rubs the back of his head,‘‘ Hey guys let just eat okay? Yn you should eat more.’‘

‘‘ Rather not. My appetite is no longer here.”  You shrug as you place the lid onto the container of your food.

Jimin rolls his tongue in the inside of his cheek while keeping a death glare on you. You don’t bother to pay it any mind at all. Jungkook lets out a breathy sigh as you gather your belongings to leave.

‘‘ Im taking my leave.’‘

You give Namjoon a hug first then walk over to Jungkook who hugs you really tight. You smile and give a peck onto his cheek.

‘‘ Text me tonight.’ He whispers into your left ear before letting his grip go. You nod your head and glance at an angry Jimin.

“ I’ll take her home.”

That sentence makes you stop dead in your tracks. What the hell does he think he’s doing? 

“ I can get a taxi..”

Jimin finishes his food and throws it into the paper brown bag. Namjoon and Jungkook stare at him in disbelief. The veins on his neck are very noticeable as he makes his way over to you.

You watch in disbelief but angry with your eyebrows furrowed because they all seem to not be listening to you. “ I said I can get a tax-”

“ Yn just go with him. I will feel safer if you went with somebody you know.” Jungkook sighs, throwing him and Namjoon’s remaining trash into the bag.

“ Me and Jungkook have a lot of catching up to do. We’ll be at my house.” Namjoon catches onto Jungkook’s memo.

You roll your eyes as Jimin grabs your arm rougher than expected, dragging you along the vacant two way street to his parked Lamborghini.

You jerk away from him not wanting to be in his grip anymore. Jimin doesn’t say anything as he opens the car door for you. You stand there with your arms crossed refusing to go.

“ Yn you have until the count of three because honestly you are pissing me off. “

Your eyes land onto his with your eyebrows still furrowed in anger.

“ 1.”

You scoff at him. What are you a toddler?

“ 2.”

Yeah right. What could hap-

“ 3 ” Jimin grabs your arm tightly making sure to leave it red as he pushes you into the passengers seat. His cheeks turn a deep shade of red. slamming the car door behind you.

He doesn’t bother to put his seat-belt on before pulling off with Namjoon and Jungkook following behind him. You wince at the throbbing pain where he had marked you red. The soreness is already settling it’s way in.

“ Look..” He sighs, “I didn’t mean to.”

Tears fill the brim of your eyes. This isn’t the same Jimin you knew. He would never even think of hurting you like that.

“ Shut up just take me home.” Your voice cracks, tears slipping down your cheek as you try and massage the pain away.

You don’t say a word to him all the way there to your apartment building. The air is as thick as a slice of home-made cake yet neither of you decide to speak. That is until he decides to follow you out the car and up to your apartment, most likely to make sure you are safe getting in. You stop at the welcome mat that holds your home just beyond the door.

“ Jimin. Leave.” You whisper, audible enough for him to hear.

“ I don’t want to.”

“ I know you’re sorry. Just leave.”

You punch in your code, the date that you and him started dating.  You open it enough for just your body to slip in but that doesn’t work. Jimin pushes the door open wide, letting himself in right behind you.

You don’t say anything at all. You remove your shoes as well as he does to. Clara greets you by rubbing her body against you. You don’t bother to pet her you walk past her and into the kitchen.

Pulling out your phone, you text Jungkook letting him know you got home safely. He immediately responds with a selfie of him and Namjoon with Soju in their hands. You can’t even laugh at the two silly boys.

A harsh cold object is placed on your right arm. You quickly look down to see Jimin’s hand holding an ice-pack against the area he harmed.

“ You didn’t tell me you would be the lead girl in Namjoon’s video.”

‘‘ We aren’t together anymore. I don’t have to tell you anything.”

That’s the truth. You two shouldn’t even be in the same apartment, let alone yours, right about now. His business isn’t yours anymore. Yours isn’t his anymore.

Jimin scoffs, “ You know I will always look out for you and look after you. I’ll be there anytime for you.”

‘‘ I feel as though that’s inappropriate. You have a girlfriend don’t cheat on her like you did me.” You remove his hand and hop onto the white counter-top.

“ How many times are you going to say it huh? I was wrong I know that. But why remind me of it?”

You look him dead straight into the eyes, “ Until you suffer for a year and some months don’t say shit to me.’’

There was a silence for a couple of minutes. Your eyes wander around your fairly neat apartment until he says something again.

Jimin sighs, coming in-between your legs placing his head on your lap. ‘‘ I don’t like this.. us.”

“ Clearly you didn’t because you cheated.” You snap back, pushing his head away from you only for him to go right back. “ That’s not what I mean and you know that.” His voice is soft, just barely above a whisper.

So what does he mean?

‘‘ Im saying that.. I don’t like you being this way and distant from me. I don’t like when you kiss other people. I didn’t like when you had to make-out with Namjoon. I don’t like not being able to talk with you. I don’t like all this anger and tension between us.”

Your mind is telling you this is a red flag but your heart aches for him to go on and say what you want him to say. Could this really be it?

“ The truth is, I do miss you. I miss us. I miss everything about us. I fucked up bad and I have to pay the consequences.” His hands snake around your waist tightly. 

This is it. Finally.

You bite your lip and run your fingers through his hair softly. Small sobs can be heard from him and the wetness of your leg lets you know he finally broke down.

‘‘ Jimin stop that. Don’t cry.’‘

He shakes his head, ‘’ You don’t understand. She’s not like you but I like her. My heart is with you but my mind is with her. I don’t know what to do.’’

“ You can’t love two people at once. You know that. I refuse to get hurt again by you.” You keep your voice low making sure not to get angry with him. His head lifts up showing you his red face and puffy eyes.

You can’t help but to want to kiss the tears away. So thats what you do. You kiss all over his cheeks slowly one at a time. Yes you don’t want to get hurt again, but you want him to realize that what he did is still taking a toll on you all the while you crave him and his love more and more.

‘‘ Yn..” He whimpers, sniffling.

You shake your head to hush him up and move on to his lips. His sweet, soft lips connect with yours. He opens his mouth to deepen the kiss. Both of your tongues fight for dominance making you hold your breath to stifle your groan. This is wrong. He has a girlfriend. You kissing him would make you a hypocrite, so you break away the kiss though you don’t want to.

You sigh, lifting his head up again. Those brown eyes stare back up at you full of tears and sadness. Yet you can’t be fooled by your own mind. “ Jimin go back to Isabel. She’s probably waiting for you.”

You take his arm and lead him towards the door. He slips his shoes on without taking his eyes off of you. It hurt. It hurts a lot seeing him leave out the door each time he comes over. But you still need to face the fact that this isn’t your man anymore, he’s someone elses.

“ What if I don’t want to go back.”

You unlock the door for him and hold it open. ‘’ You can’t love two people at once.’’

“ Baby, just one last time..’’ He says, referring to the kiss you’ve shared earlier.

You shake your head no. Another kiss would surely lead to something more of a messy situation. “ When you make up your mind, you know my apartment well enough.”

And with that you shut the door behind him as your back slides down the door. You bring your hands to your hair and slip them in.

Maybe, just maybe, there could be a one last time with him.

[merrysithmas]

Obviously the Falcon show should've shown Bucky coming terms with the fact that he should write his OWN name in his book of victims.

It should have been made visually clear by the end of the series that he doesnt have to apologize for heinous crimes committed by Hydra hijacking his body and obliterating his bodily autonomy to incomprehensible levels, easentially using him like a criminal pump n dump. Every new assignment, new agonizing training, new puppetry, another violent rape of his body and mind.

Bucky is not at all even akin to say Tony Stark, who suffered immense guilt during the entire Infinity Saga regarding his former life as a weapons dealer. Tony's (valid) guilt resulted in a compulsive desire to protect the earth, ultimately ending in his voluntary death. Tony is time and again shown as a tortured hero despite his initial complacency in his morally bereft actions. Bucky gets no such luck- even though Bucky, in his former life, committed no such atrocities and in fact was likely one of the most heroic pre-superhero normals in the MCU.

Bucky was a well-liked, smart, athletic, happy boy who cast aside any manner of social expectation to throw in his lot, time, and energy, again and again, with chronically ill, disabled, social menace Steve Rogers. Bucky canonically nursed Steve's injuries, was his stalwart companion through all life's difficulties (his illnesses, his mother's death, Steve's psychological inferiority complex and mental anguish resulting from his social standing) and the Crash, and mostly importantly, Bucky did not want to go to war.

He was drafted (something that seemingly would have been key to bring up in Falcon re: his lifetime as an unwilling soldier). And, emotionally, Bucky ardently tried to dissuade Steve from joining the army, for fear he'd lose him. Despite not wanting to fight and being tortured, Bucky stayed in the military post-rescue from Azzano because he could not fathom leaving Steve. He planted his feet in a burning building shouting "No! not without you!" refusing to leave without Steve even after his rescue from months of torture. Til the end of the line, regardless of what happened to him.

For the next three entire films we see the frankly epic level of value Steve places on Bucky's devoted companionship. How desperately Steve valued Bucky's goodness and innocence (even above his own life, reputation, and safety).

Bucky doesn't have to cross out names he feels guilty about as if atoning for his own sins - and while the thought behind this narrative choice may have been to depict some semblance of retribution, this notion would have been much better expressed in another way. Such as: members of the public or others who were vicitmized in some horrible manner (domestic abuse, sexual abuse, scapegoats, other victims of Hydra etc) coming to Bucky instead to comfort him, welcoming him into a group designed to alieviate this solitary mental burden, or at least comiserate in some manner. Showing him he was not alone and who, exactly, he could be fighting for should he ever choose to fight again. The voiceless and disregarded, who only have Bucky who understands.

Also (though it seems to have engendered some faction of fandom vitriol), the removal of Bucky's arm during battle deserves consideration. This visual act was obviously narratively intended to show the unmatched prowess of the Dora Milaje and the justifiable premeditated cautiousness of Wakanda re: the generous rehabilitation of a dangerous mass weapon.

Though, it has the double-edged effect of showing how Bucky is still not an agent of his own bodily autonomy. His mental and physical freedom, his very ability to do his job and make his own choices therein, is still under the jurisdiction of someone else. His disability is his opposition's advantage (whether well-intentioned or not). Essentially, he is mistrusted. And it doesn't matter how much therapy he goes to, how much he atones for his "sins", his mind is still considered not to be fully and truly his. This is one of the most injurious of all things Bucky suffers - even those who rehabilitate him doubt the complete success of his healing. Therefore, his entire arc in the series is at best questionable simply with that alone.

His entire arc should clearly have been reframed to display his victimhood, and how the fact that he is mistrusted is also another burden and misfortune that he can work through and call others out for, instead of absorbing the guilt for that too.

Falcon does a poor job of showing how this "Bucky can't be trusted" mindset is highly injurious to his status as a victim, while mostly asserting it is a byproduct of his (alleged) villainy. It does not separate "alleged villainy" and "propensity for villainous actions as result of the abuse his suffered for 70 years". Instead of clarification on this for the viewers and Bucky himself we are, among other things, posed with the question - is the Winter Soldier still in Bucky?

Right there, you know the show was not intended to show much closure for the character, but rather wring-out, refresh, and even retroactively assert his alleged villainy over his victimhood in anticipation of perhaps his own solo series (where the Soldat is reactivated). Yet, we are also oddly simutaneously expected to accept that Bucky is "healing" somehow, although we never witness anything truly happen him, internally, to suggest this.

Bucky plays an almost angry motherly role to Sam at the start of the series, initially chastising him for not accepting responsibility. Bucky sees himself as the protector of Steve's legacy, and is disappointed in Sam's (later he learns, complicated) reluctance to wield the shield.

In the end, Bucky is approving of Sam and proud of his rise to the Cpt America mantle in that same manner - bookended with approval from a distance where he almost, again, stands off to the side as a proud mother. He seems to see himself as a mentor in Sam's journey towards self-actualization. Why is he so happy Sam has become the hero he always was inside?

His newfound friendship and respect for Sam as his own hero, of course. However, it is also his love of Steve which is the next obvious answer, his deep pride in who Steve was and what he accomplished, but this is inferred and never said - thus taking away again, from an oppotunity for Bucky's emotional growth and healing. The writers didn't even know where Steve was (or if Bucky knows his whereabouts) but they could have indicated something to that effect.

Once Sam has embraced Cap, the series ends. However, despite the jubilant setting of the finale, Bucky is still narrartively unmoored. We are left with the image of him lighthearted and hopeful, but without much substance towards its sustainability and so there is not much satisfaction in it despite the sweetness of its visual impact. But its depth? We are unsure. This is because Sam's ultimate advice to him, that he "serve" others rather than enact vengeance, strips away another truth about Bucky's situation.

That Bucky's desire for retribution and vengeance against those that abused and tormented him is valid and a real victim response. Bucky's perspective is seen as "wrong" instead of a well-documented step stone on the path to solid mental survivorship. Bucky could eventually want to serve -- but serve who?

Again, obviously the answer is: other victims like himself. But the show won't call him a victim at all, and thus Sam's advice feels hollow (serve... the vague and faceless Greater Good?) and Bucky's emotional security at the end of the show feels as if it lacks substance and permanance for the audience.

The payoff for Bucky's healing is almost nonexistent because no one will ever say why he was hurt in the first place (a victim).

Could go on and on about how this is because of Disney's terror of Bucky's perceived compromised masculinity (victimhood, captured, mentally damaged in WWII and present day), visual femininity (hair, slapped by men for insubordination, physically touched and moved against his will, soft spokeness, powerlessness in the narrarive), queer subtext (Steve, his origin as Arnold Roth Steve's gay jewish best friend, perceived jealousy of Peggy, intense affection for Steve), his juxtaposition to Steve and role in Steve's narrative, and their desire to wipe his slate clean with a new Masc Bucky.

Hint: it doesn't work.

[horselover107]

Ok. Welcome to the rabbit hole that is Torchwood Audios.

There’s three entities that made/make these. First up is BBC Radio.

BBC Radio: made 7 audios featuring the Jack, Ianto, Gwen trio. The first one (Lost Souls) also has Martha! I would recommend listening to them in order or at least listening to House of the Dead last. In the UK these were apparently free on iplayer for a bit and the bbc rotates which one is free on their website. Elsewhere they’re on Amazon, audible etc. you can also usually find them uploaded to SoundCloud and the like. Honestly pirate the bbc

Next up are the audio books; These are typically third person novels narrated by alternating torchwood cast members (although randomly some like ghost train will be first person). These vary wildly in quality but there’s some gems here. Worth it to the cast doing (usually very bad) impressions of their co stars accents. They can be found on Amazon and the like. They’re pretty easy to pirate

And finally Big Finish: Now these I humbly ask Please Don’t Pirate These One’s as they’re still making them. Big Finish has five main “ranges” of stories.

Torchwood One: which is a fully produced series of boxsets which are prequels to the main show. Starring Yvonne Hartman and Ianto in torchwood London. Basically Ianto’s secret origin story.

The Special Range: Anything that Doesn’t fit neatly into the category of the other ranges. Believe is a movie length audio special featuring all five og team members. Outbreak is set between s2 and s3. It features Gwen, Ianto, Rhys, Jack and Andy fighting an alien virus (yes this was made before Covid. It’s really, really, really good though!)

The Story Continues: The Torchwood Among Us series. Basically S5, S6, and the upcoming S7 of Torchwood, but on audio. Features mainly a new cast of characters, but Gwen and Jack feature prominently in the first set. And Gwen is set to come back for the new one coming out.

The Monthly Range: As the name implies one of these comes out monthly. These are short, hour long-ish stories set all over different parts of torchwood continuity. Some of them feature one main character on a side quest of sorts (like for example Fall to Earth has Ianto trying to land a crashing plane with only the help of the insurance sales lady he keeps accidentally phoning), and some of them are double acts (for example Dinner and a Show is a Tosh and Ianto Buddy Romp—incidentally it’s also written by Ianto’s actor, Broken fills in the gaps with Jack and Ianto’s relationship between countryside and leading up to the stopwatch scene, Dissected is a Martha and Gwen story, Rhys and Ianto’s Excellent Barbecue is as the name implies, a Rhys and Ianto two hander…etc ).

Again, because they’re still making these, standard disclaimer please do not pirate them. bf, despite having the doctor who licenses, is a really small company. We want them to keep making more of these

And finally the Soho Range: spin off featuring Norton fulgate, an original character to the audios ,in the 1950s. Andy is also in these (long story). Very atmospheric. Very gay. Norton has a few audios in the monthly range that introduce him. He’s also featured in Outbreak. He is a glorious bastard of a character (affectionate, mostly)

This was a lot. I recommend checking out this guide, tumblr user @toshsatos made a while back

And to answer the original question: yes. House of the dead. It’s an audio play. Listen to the audio plays that came before it in its set first. There’s also a A LOT more torchwood audio content. Happy listening!

Have u listened to house of the dead? If you want to see jack grieve ianto more I suggest you listen to that. I was going to comment on your post but it wouldn't let me.

Whats that?? Where can I listen to it??