#dropping unfinished Hugos

[pinkwindowwithin]

Counting wolves in ur paranoic intervals…

[byneddiedingo]

Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Harold Russell, and Cathy O'Donnell in The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)

Cast: Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Dana Andrews, Virginia Mayo, Harold Russell, Cathy O'Donnell, Hoagy Carmichael, Gladys George, Roman Bohnen, Ray Collins, Steve Cochran. Screenplay: Robert E. Sherwood, based on a novel by MacKinlay Kantor. Cinematography: Gregg Toland. Film editing: Daniel Mandell. Music: Hugo Friedhofer.

The Best Years of Our Lives is a very good movie, rich in characters and provocative incidents. It's not a great movie, but it's such a satisfying work of popular moviemaking that I'm surprised in this age of sequels and reboots, especially after the recent enthusiasm for the "Greatest Generation," no one has attempted a follow-up on the lives of its characters, taking them into the era of the Korean War, the nuclear buildup of the Soviet Union, the Cold War, McCarthyism, the civil rights struggle, and so on. Because there is something unfinished about the stories of Al, Fred, and Homer, not to mention Milly, Peggy, Marie, and Wilma, that perhaps director William Wyler and screenwriter Robert E. Sherwood couldn't possibly have foreseen in 1946. On the other hand, that's what makes The Best Years of Our Lives such a fascinating and useful document of its times. It's anything but an antiwar film -- although Homer Parrish (Harold Russell) has been mutilated, Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) suffers PTSD nightmares, and Al Stephenson (Fredric March) is well on his way to alcoholism, the film makes no effort to suggest that the war that inflicted these injuries on them was anything but just. The one naysayer, the "America Firster" who tangles with Homer and Fred in the drugstore, gets his just deserts, even if it costs Fred his job. What wins us over most is the performances: Fredric March overacts just a touch, but it won him the best actor Oscar. Harold Russell, the non-actor who received both a supporting actor Oscar and a special award, is engagingly real. And Dana Andrews proves once again that he was one of the best of the forgotten stars of the 1950s, carrying the film through from the beginning in which he seeks a ride home to the end in which he pays a nostalgic visit to the kind of plane from which he used to drop bombs. Neither Andrews nor Myrna Loy ever received an Oscar nomination, but their work in the film exhibits the kind of acting depth that makes showier award-winners look a little silly. Loy makes the most of her part as the wryly patient spouse, Teresa Wright manages to make a role somewhat handicapped by Production Code squeamishness about extramarital affairs convincing, and Virginia Mayo once again demonstrates her skill in "bad-girl" roles.  Wyler was a director much celebrated by the industry, with a record-setting total of 12 nominations, including three wins: for this film, Mrs. Miniver (1942), and Ben-Hur (1959). He's not so much admired by those of us who cling to the idea that a director should provide a central consciousness in his films, being regarded as an impersonal technician. But Best Years is a deeply personal film for Wyler, who had just spent the war serving in the army air force, flying dangerous missions over Germany to make documentary films, during which he suffered serious hearing loss that threatened his postwar directing career. His experiences inform the film, especially the character of Fred Derry. In addition to the best picture Oscar and the ones for Wyler, March, and Russell, Best Years also won for Sherwood's screenplay, Daniel Mandell's film editing, and for Hugo Friedhofer's score. The last, I think, is questionable: Friedhofer seems determined to make sure we don't miss the emotional content of any scene, almost "mickey-mousing" the feelings of the characters with his music. It feels intrusive in some of the film's best moments, such as the beautifully staged reunion of Al and Milly, or the scene in which Homer, fearful that the hooks that replace his hands have destroyed his engagement to Wilma, invites her up to his room to help him get ready for bed, demonstrating the harness that holds his prostheses in place. It's a moment with an oddly erotic tension that doesn't need Friedhofer's strings to tell us what the characters are feeling.

[sufferawitchrp]

⯎ SUBPLOT No. II — HOUSE OF WOLVES ⯎

TW: attempted filicide, body horror, mentions of gore, coarse language

Suspended high above an ocean of charcoal and indigo, a silver beam of light pokes a small hole through a slow-moving cloud. The moon fluttered in her place among the heavens, a cold and cruel mistress whose power — whose celestial wrath — was most profound when she was full. She gazed upon the world, a pale and unblinking eye that cast a wide net of haughty indifference upon an inferno that raged down below. 

An insatiable fire consumed the wooden skeleton of 8 Springfang Lane. The flames had started in the basement, the cool, flat stone of the unfinished floor made slick with gasoline. The fluid shimmered in the dim light of a single overhead lamp, a shallow pool of disaster waiting for the warmth of an open flame. A sudden burst of marigold and ginger illuminated the sparsely furnished room, thrusting shadows upon the grizzled face of Warg Randolph. The match sputtered between his calloused fingers, the flame flickering in the breeze of his sour breath. 

Warg was not himself; his eyes had yellowed and his fingernails had doubled in length. He studied his reflection in the shoal of gasoline, watching as something foreign and wicked rippled beneath the surface of his face. He lowered himself to his haunches in an effort to better observe the stranger who had taken up refuge inside him. “Gotta get rid of ya,” he sneered, sweeping over-long fingers across the watery image of his eyes and mouth. And then, without any hesitation, Warg dropped the burning match between his feet. His trousers caught fire and then the hem of his corduroy coat, the flames crawling up the front of his torso before seizing the wiry undergrowth of beard creeping down his neck. Warg did not scream — in fact, he didn’t make a sound as he stumbled towards the stairs and gripped the banister with what remained of his hand. Flames jumped from the singed flesh of his knuckles and onto the surrounding decor. The basement burned a magnificent orange, its colour partially dulled by a plume of noxious smoke that loomed overhead.

Warg shuffled up the stairs and through the kitchen, the ash and smoke rising from his burning shoulders as he made his way towards the front hall and slowly ascended the stairs. He paused on the top step and the charred remains of his mouth turned upward into a wilting grin; his middle child stood before him, eyes wide with abject horror. His tongue flapped inside his mouth in a desperate search for consonants and syllables as he watched the flesh slip from his father’s face like melted wax. The boy staggered backward and sucked down a deep breath before he screamed. The sound that echoed inside his mouth rivaled the approaching hiss of the blistering flames before it was cut short by the sound of multiple doors thrown wide open.

“What the fuck–!?”

“Dad..?! Dad!”

“He lit the fuckin’ house on fire!”

“Get out! Get out!”

Bare feet thumped against the carpet as a herd of young boys scrambled for an exit. One after another, they squeezed into the eldest son’s bedroom, the second oldest driving the door shut with his bare shoulder. Without a word uttered between the six of them, they crowded together in front of a window to peer down at the ground awaiting below. 

“It’s too high,” the youngest whispered.

“It’s our only option,” the eldest replied as he leaned forward. “Lewis, hurry up. You first, then Hugo, then Atticus, then Wesley, and then Elliot. It’s either that or we burn to death.” All five boys gazed upon their eldest brother and then turned their eyes towards the darkness – the sanctuary — that stood suspended before them. The door knob rattled behind them and with a look of unfettered panic, the eldest took hold of his brother and pushed him towards the window. “Now! What the hell are you waiting for!? Go! Go!” 

Lewis swung a leg through the window and shuddered, toes curling against the cool evening air. He glanced at the flames that purled beneath Samson’s door and then hurled himself into the darkness, landing with a muted thud on a bush below. He clutched his side and groaned, writhing against the pine and brambles. “Get up!” Samson shouted from above, arms belted around Hugo’s abdomen whose bare legs swung in the open breeze. “Get up, Lewis! Get up!” 

• • •

“That’ll be $67.55.” 

A pair of dark eyes skimmed the assorted items laid out on a small countertop. “Fuck. Talk about inflation. Here.” A large hand disappeared into the side pocket of a tattered leather jacket to retrieve a handful of bills before depositing them into the impatient hand of the gas station clerk while the other hooked an index finger around the plastic handle of the shopping bag. “Keep the change.” Outside, a van sat idling next to a single petrol pump with the windows rolled down and the exhaust belching one small black cloud after another. “Alright, dipshits, let’s go,” Lewis muttered, wrenching the driver’s side door open and slipping into his seat. He tossed the shopping bag behind him and rolled his eyes at the shared sound of ravenous delight that erupted from deep within Wesley, Elliot, and Atticus. 

The Randolph boys had left Vermont behind them in a blur of severed limbs and rotting viscera. Each one had been held hostage by a brilliant ribbon of moonlight, involuntarily surrendering his humanity for the flat disc of diamond-shaped pupils and sickle-shaped claws. Vermont had not been the first city that they abandoned following the presence of a full moon and it would certainly not be the last.

Hugo reclined in his seat, swung his legs up onto the dashboard, and then folded his broad arms behind his head. “Let’s cast a vote,” he quipped, watching as Lewis shifted the van into drive. “Why don’t we go north for once? Y’know, cross the border to see some wild Canadian geese and eat our weight in poutine? There’s nothing left for us here. We’ve already seen it all.” 

Samson grunted from his spot in the back, dark eyes trained on the scenery that whistled past as Lewis maneuvered the vehicle back onto the freeway. “That sounds like a lovely idea, but there’s only one problem,” he drawled, rapping his knuckles against the frosted glass of the rear window. “We don’t have any passports. We have nothing.”

A melancholy silence descended upon all the occupants in the van and remained unbroken for what remained of their journey until the vehicle rolled to a shuddering stop atop a long bed of gravel. Six pairs of nearly identical eyes peered out through the windshield and stared at the wooden structure that loomed before them. After a moment, Lewis slid out of his seat and onto the uneven ground below, neck straining as he peered up at the sloping roof of the barn house; one by one, his brothers flanked him on either side. 

“Home sweet home,” he muttered. 

Samson nodded, slinging an arm across the top of his brother’s shoulders. “Yeah. For now.” 

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT — WEREWOLVES SUMMARY — Betrayed by their father, six brothers fled their childhood home on the evening of September 28th, 2003. In the dead of night, the Randolph alpha set the house ablaze with the intention of ending his life and the lives of his children. However, his sons escaped the inferno and sought out the help of a nearby neighbour who immediately alerted the authorities. Following the death of their father and the destruction of 8 Springfang Lane, the boys were turned over to their closest living relative, but when she passed away in 2008, the Randolphs were left to fend for themselves. Then, on one fateful night in the summer of 2010, the boys experienced firsthand what their father attempted to purge from them almost a decade prior. Each heir found himself at the mercy of a supernatural and deadly transformation, and after a night of unimaginable horror, the boys took their leave, and have since abandoned every town unfortunate enough to have ever been called home. - - Randolph, 35 [first brother] - - Randolph, 34 [second brother] - - Randolph, 31 [third brother] - - Randolph, 28 [fourth brother] - - Randolph, 26 [fifth brother] - - Randolph, 25 [sixth brother ]

(*) given names have been provided for story-telling purposes.

[whitecatindisguise]

Caring For You

An idea that sprouted on the GC.

Summary: Hugo gets sick and Varian has to take care of the overly-snuggly and feverish teen. NOT VARIGO.

AO3 link is here.

Warning: mild swearing at the beginning.

------

Varian was scrunched over his workbench, pipette in his hand and goggles pulled over his eyes. He pulled out his tongue ever so slightly, squeezing the pipette gently, dripping the purple-coloured liquid into the boiling chemical. He silently counted the drops, carefully measuring the amount. One, two, three-

“Heeeeeey, Goggleees!” Long arms suddenly draped around his shoulders and, startled, Varian squeezed the pipette too hard, resulting with half of the compound pouring into the beaker. 

“Shit-!” The alchemist cursed, grabbing the beaker and trusted it through the open window, squinting at the explosion that occurred soon after. 

He heard Nuru’s shouts from the outside and cringed, knowing he’d have to explain himself later. He sighed and turned his attention to the dead weight at his back, the reason for the whole situation. 

“Hugo, what in the Seven Kingdoms?” He groaned, attempting to push the older teen off from his back. “You know as well as I do interrupting an experiment might result in explosion!” 

“Sooooooo?” Hugo seemed to be either completely oblivious to what just happened or was pulling Varian’s leg, both absolutely plausible, knowing the blonde. 

“Hugo, I’m serious.” The raven-haired teen let out an exasperated sigh and pushed once more, this time managing to get the other off his back. He turned and looked at his friend, raising an eyebrow at the slight flush on his cheeks. “You okay?”

“Neveeeer been beeeetter.” Hugo replied with a slight giggle and swayed a little. 

“Very convincing.” Varian muttered under his breath, pushing the goggles up to rest on the top of his head. 

Hugo swayed some more and the Coronan alchemist quickly ran up to him, grabbing the older teen by the arms and gently setting him on the other chair. He took off one of his gloves and put it on Hugo’s forehead, face scrunching at the heat. 

“You’re burning up.” He commented and pulled the glove back on. “Did you sleep outside again?”

“Buttercuuuuup wanted ooooooout.” Hugo slurred, eyes glassy as he swayed on the chair he was sat at. “Couldn’t leeeeft her alooooone.”

“Of course you couldn’t.” Varian rubbed his nose in annoyance. 

Despite how much Hugo denied it, he had a soft spot for the puppy. He would probably jump in the fire or do something similarly stupid for the little pup. He himself loved Franky and would do anything for the puppy, but there was a difference between taking care of the animal and going crazy at its every demand. 

Blue eyes rested on the swaying teen and Varian sighed tiredly. 

“Okay, let’s get you to your bed.” He said, already draping the blonde’s arm over his shoulder. 

“I don’t neeeeeed sleeeeeeep.” Hugo protested weakly, barely managing to walk properly, the younger teen almost dragging him out of the lab-part of the caravan. “‘Cuppie neeeeeds a waaaaalk.”

“I’ll ask Nuru to do it later. I’m sure she won’t mind.” Varian replied, grunting under the weight. He pushed open the door to the sleeping area and pondered for a moment, staring at the beds.

There were two bunk-beds inside, each belonging to one of the member of their little travelling group. At the beginning, Nuru complained a little about not having separate bedroom, but she got used to it soon, seeing as there really was not much space to create another room. Hugo’s bed was one of the top ones, right above Varian’s. The teen took a side glance at the blonde and shook his head. No way he was pushing him up to his own bed in this state. Even dragging him the distance from lab to the bedroom was tiring in itself. Guess Varian was going to take the top bed this time. 

Making up his mind, he approached his own bed and deposited Hugo on it. The older teen fell down with an ‘ooff’ and Varian massaged his arm and neck, feeling his muscles hurt already. 

“‘Zis not my beeeeed.” Hugo complained, lying flat on the covers, his glasses crooked a little on his nose. 

“Yeah. Unless you can get your butt to the top bunk on your own, you’re sleeping on mine tonight.” Varian replied with a heavy sight. 

“Snuuuuuuggle with meeeeeeee?” Hugo turned his head towards the other alchemist and Varian looked at his with surprise. 

It was the first time Hugo got sick during their travel, and Varian had to admit, it was kind of interesting to see how the teen was acting. He was definitely more snuggly and open than usual. For a short moment Varian entertained the idea of using this situation for blackmail later but he quickly shot it down. They were way past blackmailing each other, sticking to light teasing and banter. 

What the two of them went through, the adventures they had, memories both happy and those both would have rather forgotten… Surprisingly, instead of pushing them apart, they were brought together in a way neither of them would have predicted. Varian would have never imagine he would think of Hugo as his brother. Yet, there they were, feeling closer to each other than they were before. 

A small whine shook Varian out of his thoughts and he remembered the state Hugo was in. Currently, the teen was trying to push himself up, failing miserably. Varian sighed and approached the bed, pushing the teen gently back onto the bed. 

“Stop squirming and rest, idiot.” He huffed, reaching for the blanket and covering the blonde. 

“Noooo. It’s too eaaaaaaarlyyyy.” Hugo complained but Varian was having none of it. 

“You are sick. You need to rest.” He repeated. “I’m going to bring you some tea and fever-lowering medicine. Just lay down, please.”

When Varian came back several minutes later, the blanket was kicked off on the floor and Hugo sprawled in the position that suggested he tried to stand up again. 

“Hugo, when I ask you to lay down, you lay down. And under the blanket.” The younger alchemist sighed, putting the cup of tea and a bottle of medicine on the nightstand, before picking up the blanket. He covered the blonde and helped him sit up, passing him the medicine. 

“Noooooo medicineeeeee.” Hugo whined but took it nevertheless, squinting at the taste. Varian then passed him the tea which the blonde sipped slowly, humming in delight, resting his head on Varian’s shoulder. 

“You are really snuggly when you’re sick.” The younger teen commented with an amused smile. 

“I looooooove you, broooo.” Hugo hummed in response. 

Varian felt his breath stop for a moment. It must have been the first time Hugo said those words out loud. A small smile making its way up his lips. He looked down at Hugo and noticed the teen asleep already, glasses crooked and snoring quietly. 

Gently, as to not wake him up, Varian took the cup with unfinished tea from Hugo’s hands and placed it on the nightstand, doing the same with the blonde’s glasses. Then, he slowly moved away, laying the asleep teen properly on the bed, covering him tightly with the blanket.

He was just about to leave when he felt something grab his hand. He looked down to see Hugo’s hand wrapped in his, the teen’s green eyes slightly open. 

“Staaaaay?” Hugo asked and Varian smiled softly, nodding his head and moving to sit down on the floor, hand still holding Hugo’s.

Satisfied, the older teen closed his eyes with a smile of his own, falling asleep quickly. 

“Love you too, brother.” Varian whispered quietly, a soft hum and snore his only response. 

When Nuru and Yong strolled into the caravan hours later, getting ready for bed, they found them in the same position, Hugo sleeping on the bed, Varian dozing on the floor, back against the wood, their hands still wrapped together.

[suhmayzooka]

cursed child broadway, feb. 23, 2020

third time seeing cc in three months for one reason: my sister is, in her words, “in love with joey labrasca” (karl).  she thinks he’s absolutely perfect.  this past week i’ve endured her talking about how hot he is.  i mean, i’ve gotten quite a bit of good lily luna material for my fics now, but at what expense? did i need to know that joey’s (very mild) acne made him look handsomer? did i need to know about how deep his eyes are? did I?

i teased her about what she’d do if he wasn’t on, and she said she’d be so upset.  

we get to the theatre, i look at the cast…and james romney was karl.

my sister was shocked.  the love of her life, who most likely has forgotten about her existence, wasn’t there for what looks to be our final time seeing the year 2 cast.  she was devastated.

we also got to see antoinette robinson as hermione and tom patrick stephens as ron!  and sarita amani nash was myrtle!!  and kimberly dodson as polly!!

james!karl was great and i will bombard my sister with as much james romney content as i can in order to piss her off further :)

patrick du laney was the sorting hat and aaron bartz was the station master.  we actually saw aaron walking into the theatre as we waited outside for part 2.  he definitely has the draco swagger.

anyway let’s get to the good stuff!

~james snyder as harry! great as usual. i don’t think he did much differently than last time, or if he did it wasn’t very noticeable.

~diane davis as ginny – same w james.  i think she held on to albus longer when they hug in godric’s hollow this time?

~jonno roberts as draco: okay this guy singlehandedly inspired me to start a fic back in december (that has…….yet to be finished………) with how his draco and bubba’s scorpius behaved and this was no exception.  idk whether his mic got caught on something or if he was really bringing it all out, but when he shoves scorpius’s head against his desk in the dark world, he GROWLED the “you do NOT use her name in vain” line ???? i’ve never heard him say it like that, it’s usually more of a hiss.  idk how to describe how he said it other than “growl.” almost like an animal.

then when he said “do it safely, i can’t lose you too” he’s looking directly at scorpius.  it’s different from how i’m used to seeing him and closer how i picture him saying it; usually he’s looking away, like he’s afraid of showing vulnerability to scorpius.  but here, with him looking directly at him, and said with so much emotion and love, even in such a dark place…oOOF

he refused to let go of scorpius when they met again in godric’s hollow.  my heart…..always one arm around scorpius’s shoulders, or one hand on his chest, as scorpius clings on to him.

~kimberly!polly SMILED and giggled when she stepped in blood? “oh, potter, i’ve got blood on my shoe!” *delighted* and then as the staircase rolled away, she turned on her stomach to gaze down at scorpius, grinning flirtatiously.  this is my second time seeing her as polly, but from what i remember, katherine!polly wasn’t as sadistic in the dark au as she was.  i personally prefer kimberly!polly.

~sarita!myrtle!! like w kimberly!polly this is my second time seeing sarita!myrtle and i don’t really remember much about lauren!myrtle to compare, but sarita!myrtle was hilarious.  she got a round of applause just for appearing.  “girls….*turns around, stares directly @ albus* AND BOYS” *albus turns around, confused, as if she’s talking to someone behind him* UGHHH she’s so good and she’ll absolutely kill it as (main) polly, i can feel it.

~this was my first time seeing jack pravda as young harry! his voice is deeper than zell’s, and he was so adorably confused in the graveyard scene.  “why are there so many flowers?”

~antoinette!hermione was a lot less playful than jenny!hermione.  she does try for comedic effect, but she’s a bit more serious overall.  she was so scary in the first timeline!  when she waves her wand to dismiss the class and she’s standing all alone, she looks out with such a distant, despairing expression, then composes herself immediately. 

~tom!ron was very funny!  again, my issue with ron in cc comes down to how he was written.  he may have been relegated to shitty comic relief (why……is one of the first things he says……a fart joke…..?), but it’s up to the actors do what they can to flesh out some semblance of a likeable character from the bs that the script gave us.  and tom!ron was great!! he’s not as…dopey? dorky? as matt!ron, who’s very funny but a bit—childish? i guess? tom!ron feels more like an adult who still has a childish sense of humor, if that makes sense.

~ROMIONE.  watching a new take on romione was like falling in love w romione all over again.  tom/antoinette was a very loving pair.  jenny/matt tease each other a lot more, but tom/antoinette are more tactile.  their kiss was so sweet

~there’s hardly any love for sara farb’s delphi for some reason. i’m not sure why; her shift from delphi diggory to delphi riddle is so chilling. delphi diggory has a high pitched voice and is really goofy around albus.  scorpius absolutely hates her lmao.  as soon as she switches, her voice drops to a low growl and she’s downright terrifying.  i’m sad to see her go!

~WILL CARLYON.  is it possible to fall in love with the portrayal of a character in a handful of scenes? he’s got like five lines total but oh my god.  one thing a lot of people note about nicholas!albus is the way he’s so obviously a fourteen-year-old child.  will’s james sirius potter is SUCH a thirteen-year-old in the opening scene…it’s somewhat disconcerting watching this very-obviously-twenty-something-year-old man flap his arms going “WATCH OUTTT FOR THE THESTTRRAAAAAAALS” but it works? it’s believable?? he’s so close with lily luna.  this is my third time seeing him and every time he pretends to pounce on her and hug her during the thestral line i fall in love?? ginny scolds him and he is sheepish, but he won’t stop making the troll face at albus.  “SLITHERING SLYTHERIN STOP WITH YOUR DITHERING” *smacks albus*

~yeah i promised jsp content and i’m fucking delivering

~he’s sO excited watching albus get sorted. when the hat goes “SLYTHERIN” he’s absolutely shocked.  he’s confused.  he just stares at albus, confused, until yann (jonathan gordon, who once again gives us a delightfully dislikable yann) says some shit and james just turns to him and swats his hand at him.  he genuinely looked ready to fight yann.  i couldn’t tell but i think he tells him to stop?? it was hard to hear but his mouth definitely moved, i think to tell yann to cut it out.

~the scene with the students eavesdropping on mcgonagall’s meeting with the parents.  oh my god i don’t think he did anything that much differently than last time but i need to talk about this because i didn’t do it justice in my last recap.

~they sit on the stairs (iirc) top to bottom craig, yann, karl, rose, james.  i’m gonna ignore craig, yann, and karl since there are some serious family feels going on w rose and james

~jsp and rose begin the scene smiling, snickering as they hear that albus and scorpius fucked up.  “ahaha they got into deep shit” but then when they learn that they wrote rose and hugo (??whom??) out of time and then killed harry, their faces fall.  james’s eyes become vacant, far-off as he learns what happened to his brother.  his breathing becomes heavier and faster until he’s a few breaths from hyperventilating.  he leans his forehead against the stairwell/banister and shakes his head, mouthing/whispering “no…no…”

~nadia brown’s rose is such a little shit but she’s so good in this scene.  when she learns that she didn’t exist in the new timeline, she grabs james’s shoulder and he grabs her hand.  they don’t let go for the rest of the scene.

~i’m like half convinced that will got the part because of his amazingly expressive eyebrows.  i think my sister calls it “back row acting?” his eyebrows can probably be seen from the back row.  after the mcgonagall scene is over he sits on the stairs, raising one eyebrow at rose and hermione, then goes back to reading the scroll.

~i didn’t mean for this to become a will carlyon fan account but he deserves it.  according to nicholas he’s the biggest potterhead in the cast. he’s a ravenclaw. he can sing.  he’s so fucking valid and i’m so glad he’s staying for year 3.  he’s got two followers on youtube and one of them is me.  please guys like no one talks about him and i’ll fill this niche.  same with the lovely sarita. she’s so kind and so beautiful and so talented she can sing so well and she gives everything during wand dance listen i spent the beginning of this thing making fun of my sister for liking joey so much but sarita……..

~cc nyc said straight girl/lesbian solidarity  

~anyway…

~nicholas podany as albus.  so. Many. Tears.  i didn’t realize this before but his whole body trembles when he cries?? i first noticed this when he and harry were in the slytherin common room.  i was like “are his pajamas vibrating?? is this an optical illusion (they’re striped pajamas)???” no, his whole body was shaking with suppressed crying.  once i noticed i couldn’t un-notice and this continued for the rest of the show.

~bubba weiler’s scorpius didn’t seem much different from usual? i could go on about him but….that’s what my unfinished fic is for……one day……….

~okay so this is where i elaborate on the scorbus moments that made me want to YEET myself off the roof of the theatre (if you had to make sense of my typos on discord: i am Sorry)

~the slytherin dorm scene: scorpius tickles albus to wake him up.  he then makes himself comfortable on albus’s bed and won’t stop rubbing and patting his thigh.

~in addition to being austistic, bubba!scorp is bisexual (jon case would be proud) and here is PROOF: to flirt, bubba!scorpius leans against objects, sprawls his body out, plays with his hair, etc all extremely cheesy, greasy, suave moves.  he blows a kiss to polly as he’s sprawled across the stairs.  when he ROLLS down the stairs (looked painful…) to see rose at the end, he plays with his hair, shoots her a finger gun (further proof he’s bi), and lowers his voice.  but the comparison i need to highlight is THIS: when he says rose smells like bread, (1) he leans against the suitcases, trying to look suave, and (2) his face is instant regret. he silently bends back and mouths “WHAT WHY BREAD?? WHAT??? WHY???” and now…when he delivers his “ENGORGIMPRESSED” line to albus, he (1) leans against the sink, (2) grins, lowering his voice, and when the pun doesn’t land, (3) his face immediately falls, instant regret, the literal definition of “oH MY GOD WHAT WHY DID I JUST SAY THAT” the same expression he had when rose wasn’t impressed.  coincidence? i think NOT.  he’s trying so hard to flirt but he has no idea how to interact w people im --

~delphi in the church: when the adults have all surrounded delphi with their magic in the center of the stage, albus, ginny, and scorpius are huddled together. scorpius is behind albus, clutching his shoulder and hand.  albus breaks free for “SHE’S A MURDERER I’VE SEEN HER MURDER” (an underappreciated line imo) and scorpius just watches him, clearly wanting to help but not knowing how

~the final hug.  my initial, endorphin-fueled reaction was, verbatim: “THE FUNAL HUG NSCWR SEEN IR LAST SO LLNG NEVER SAW NICJ HUG HIM BACK NOSES ALMOST TOYCHONF.”  not even this is enough to convey my reaction to the final hug, but i’ll try my best to transcribe it.  

scorpius: runs up the stairs, grabs albus into a hug

albus: stunned for a moment, then wraps his arms around scorpius’s shoulders and hugs him back, burying his face into the crook of scorpius’s neck.  this is the first time i’ve seen him hug back, at least so fiercely.  they stand there for a good 3-5 seconds, then albus says, quietly, “what’s this? i thought we didn’t hug.”

scorpius, pulling back but still close to albus: “i wasn’t sure whether we should…” *looks up at albus, literal inches from his face* “in this new version of us…” *more gazing into each other’s eyes for a few seconds*

albus: “well…you better ask rose if it’s the right thing to do…” he sounded unsure? not as playful as before?

scorpius: *stares at albus for a few seconds* “a..aaha………..yeah right!”

he turns around and runs down the stairs.  albus goes “i’ll see you at dinner!” and scorpius turns around, smiles at him, and walks off, albus grinning and gazing so lovingly as he departs i’m gonna c r y

i can’t think of anything else to say about the show itself?  but my sister has given me a lot of material so i’m gonna talk about what went on with her because it’s relevant to our stage door interactions.

as we ate, she described how she would rewrite cc.  she has valid and absolutely invalid suggestions.  she would keep the father/son issues, make scorbus canon, remove or rewrite rose, and rewrite delphi’s backstory (valid).  she would remove the sorting hat and the dark timeline (not valid).  

during the intermission between acts 3 and 4, we started looking through the playbill and she started gossiping/venting about how much she hates the people in her school’s theatre (valid, since they’re bullying assholes).  i brought up a meme i sent her that i saw on twitter about how no high school theatre guys can sing, act, dance, and not be sexist.  somehow this discussion went back to nicholas podany? she was like, “i’ve been listening to his songs and deep blue is a low-key bop.” i asked if she heard his most recent song, telling myself.  she hadn’t and she immediately went to soundcloud to listen to it.  her reaction was PRICELESS.  she absolutely adored it.  she was dancing in her seat, going “okay this is actually really good??” like ofc it is? i don’t recommend bad songs? she tried to replay it but then her data ran out and the lyric theatre wifi is shit so she got very upset.  then the lights turned off and she reluctantly took out her earbuds.

there was a little girl (around 6-7ish, i’d say) in the very first row dressed as hermione for part one--complete with a doll and a broom.  for part two she was wearing a hedwig costume that looked homemade! she was very adorable, and bubba waved hello to her when he came for the curtain call.

stage door:

~sarita came out first! we told her that this was our third time at the show and second time seeing her.  i congratulated her on being cast as polly and she was so happy! dare i say…..loml

~tom and antoinette were so happy to have been the first cover romione we saw! tom was like “ah, you saw the best ron (himself)!” we were in front of a man from the uk who had seen the london show five times, and he and tom struck up a conversation about where they were from.

~nadia brown was so happy to see us! she didn’t remember us lmao but she’s so friendly

~edward james hyland (amos/dumbledore) was…politically campaigning?? the people in front of us were from vermont and he was like “ah…vermont…do you support bernie??” just like that.  they were caught off guard but i think they gave an affirmative answer, and he was like “and if he doesn’t get the nomination…?” they were still caught off guard and he just went “you’ll vote blue, right…? cause it’s the right thing to do….?” idk i’m firmly liberal but i thought this was a weird place to get political but okay

~EVERYONE was telling nicholas podany about how much they love telling myself.  he was telling the people in front of us about how it was mastered/mixed by solange’s producer(?) and my sister and i exchanged :0 looks.  she was getting shy, but i was like “tell him! he’ll love to talk about it, i guarantee it!” because even though i produce 0 content, i *am* an artist and i *do* know that we artists love validation

~so he came to us and she started talking about his songs! we’re fortunate that it was a more rock-y song so we’re…able to sound like we know what we’re talking about lmao.  growing up our mom would play us classical music (check out beethoven’s wig yo) and our dad would play us the ramones.  one of my earliest memories was arguing with my sister (probably around 4 at the time) about the lyrics to “i wanna be sedated” ahh… (she was correct btw)

~(don’t argue with me the ramones may not be poets but they’re valid)

~i was right! he was SO excited to talk to us!! my sister complimented the song and the production.  she said “i ADORE your new song!! it’s a high key bop!” and he broke into the BIGGEST smile.  she was like “i’m gonna play it until i hate it” and he said something along the lines of “i was in the studio listening to it nonstop for 8(??) hours i can’t stand it.”  he was talking about how he made the song with his “own scorpius” but i forgot who…he said scorpius and my mind blanked lmao.  he’s brought this person up before in interviews so i can probably find it.  she complimented the fact that it was different from his usual stuff and he told us about how he had a rock band in high school.  @nick where tf is your rock content pls deliver

~i actually spoke this time and cut in to tell him about how she was trying to listen to it on repeat but the signal gave out. she was trying to tell me to shut up but it’s my legal duty as the older sister to embarrass her.  

me: “I told her about your song during the intermission—”

her: “don’t!”

me: “no, nO, i told her and she was listening and then she ran out of data—”

him: “aaAa noo!”

her: “I listened to it!”

~then i told him that we loved seeing how he played albus and that we’re going to miss him, that we were going to see the cast change show but we couldn’t get tickets (i kindly left off the reason why), and he was so sweet about it *clenches heart* he told us how much he loves being able to experience this, that we’ll be so lucky to have james romney take over, etc etc i kinda wasn’t listening bc I was too emo, but I remember going “…but I don’t want to say goodbye…” and he just. gave me a sad look like “I know.”  there was so much pity in his expression.  why is he leaving us.

~the uk guy behind us was talking about how he’d seen the london year 3 and 4.  nicholas was like “oh, joe and dom? yeah i’ve spoken to joe and dom—wait, no, i haven’t met dom? i know he has an impressive social media presence” and they started talking about how different actors bring different things to albus and how the show allows them to explore different aspects to their characters and he just…wasn’t making any of this any easier for me lmao i’m mourning the loss of nick!albus and it’s not even march

~i feel bad that we weren’t able to speak with fiona reid (petunia/umbridge) because nicholas was talking to us.  

~jonno roberts.  this was the first time i’ve interacted w him at sd.  his draco has made such an impact on me, he’s my favorite actor in the show, and what do i say? what great words come out of my mouth? “hi you were great.” my sister KICKED me with her heeled boots. good thing i’m a lesbian because my doc martens protected my feet from the force of her anger.

~james snyder was enraptured in conversation with the people in front of us and just took our playbills to sign as he spoke with them. then he went “hi,” passed over us to talk to the guy behind us.  my sister was like “you were great!”

~tbh sd was kinda messy bc we were at the end of the line and the barrier things didn’t allow for the actors to get enough room to interact with the fans at the back. also jonno was standing there and he’s not a small man.

~saw several male actors leaving sd, waving goodbye at us and just walking away.  MOOD.  i was exhausted and i wasn’t the one running around on stage!

[darkbluestateofgrace]

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (a Taylor Swift Jukebox Musical)

So @thefuckingstory was saying that she should “drop out of school and write TSHOEH the musical” and I coincidentally have had an unfinished version of this saved in my notes ap for almost a year since reading the book over the summer- so I figured I’d finish it up a bit more post it for your enjoyment.

Disclaimer: I am by no means a professional musical-outliner (obviously), and anyone please feel free to add on to this with your own ideas!

The Seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo (a loose outline for a Taylor Swift jukebox musical)

Like the book, this musical could be a frame tale- I’m thinking maybe it’s Monique narrating the story (As if she’s writing the memoir/telling the story to the world)- And  I figure that she could be singing snippets of the Lucky One in between major events to set the upcoming scenes - sort of like in Hamilton where the narrator Aaron Burr sings a refrain that outlines what’s about to happen.

So we start of with Monique telling us about how Evelyn is gonna rise to fame:

New to town with a made up name

In the Angels city chasing fortune and fame

And the camera flashes make it look like a dream

You had it figured out since you were in school

Everybody loves pretty everybody loves cool

So overnight you look like a sixties queen

I Did Something Bad- Evelyn Hugo- this song is literally her ANTHEM, and I think she could sing snippets of it and the chorus throughout this musical. I think we’d start with the first verse/chorus  as she marries/manipulates Ernie Diaz and they move to Hollywood (So I play ‘em like a violin, and I make it look oh so easy...) And then after getting what she wants she divorces him. (I don’t regret it one bit, ‘cause he had it coming)

Style- Evelyn Hugo/Don Adler as they’re coerced into their showmance/ Become the it couple of Hollywood/ fall in love and get married.

Gorgeous- Celia would sing this about how she/literally everyone feels looking at Evelyn  (touching my hand in a darkened room!! Foreshadowing to the Dancing With Our Hands Tied- esque scene later in the book!!) Also on pg 137 Celia says to Evelyn “You’re gorgeous” so basically this is canon.

And then after speaking interludes during this song, Evelyn finds out that Don is cheating on her, and that Celia is gay, this song culminates in them kissing in the laundry room.

This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things- Evelyn Hugo finds out Don is cheating on her, and she  divorces him.  (Because you break them, I had to take them away).

Dons gets her blackballed. Harry and Celia comfort her/ she hangs out at Celia’s house (Here’s a toast to my real friends, they don’t care about the he said she said).

Delicate- Evelyn Hugo after she’s ended her marriage, has had her reputation ruined by Don Adler and is trying to figure out her feelings for Celia while hiding out in her apartment… (This song literally fits them perfectly!).

Dress-  Evelyn and Celia.

Evelyn stops ignoring her feelings for Celia… And they’re both like yeahhh I don’t want you like a best friend…

Call It What You Want- Evelyn Hugo. She’s been blackballed (My castle crumbled overnight), and is alone watching Celia win an Oscar and chips her tooth … And then Celia comes home just to be with her (They took the crown but it’s alright… ‘Cause my baby’s fit like a daydream, walking with her head down, I’m the one she’s walking to).

Look What You Made Me Do- Evelyn Hugo

Evelyn films that kind of seductive, racy scene in Boute En Train, and becomes a star again. She sings this about how Don Adler blackballing her couldn’t keep her from being a star. (I don’t like your little games, the role you made me play) (Honey I rose up from the dead I do it all the time)

Dancing with Our Hands Tied- Evelyn and Celia.

After the French movie comes out, Evelyn’s more famous than ever and she and Celia are dancing at the concert.. And they accidentally hold hands and then pull away… This is SO Kissgate I literally cannot handle it. This song fits them perfectly.  And then they argue about what to do because the press is spreading rumors about them (people started talking putting us through our paces)

Blank Space- Evelyn would sing this satirically as she manipulates Mick Riva and they fly off for the weekend and get drunk and then married (We’ll take this way to far) (I’ve got a Blank Space baby, and I’ll write your name).

I Did Something Bad (reprise)- Evelyn Hugo

A short reprise after Evelyn elopes with Mick Riva in Las Vegas (I fly ‘em all around the world, and I let them think they saved me) just to get rid of rumors about her and Celia. And then she manipulates him into divorcing her. (They never see it coming… What I do next…).

Don’t Blame Me (First Verse/Chorus)-Celia and Evelyn

Celia finds out Evelyn slept with Mick Riva and is pregnant. So Evelyn would sing the beginning of the song/first verse (Don’t blame me, love made me crazy/ I’ve been breaking hearts a long time and toying with them older guys/ just playthings for me to use). And Celia would be like You ain’t doing it right.

I feel like we need an angry Taylor breakup song for Celia to sing at this point. Maybe Should’ve Said No? Or Dear John even, idk. She’s PISSED.

Getaway Car- Evelyn

Evelyn isn’t willing to give up her fame for her relationship with Celia. Evelyn recounts the sacrifices she’s made for fame/stability in the past and how Celia should’ve expected this (Think about the place where you first met me… In a Getaway Car). And how their relationship was doomed from the start (The light of freedom on my face, but you weren’t thinking, and I was just drinking). During the course of the song Celia and Evelyn part ways and Evelyn marries Rex (I put the money in the bag and I stole the keys, that was the last time you ever saw me).

Then Evelyn starts fake dating/marries that another man I forget his name:

Now it’s big black cars, and riviera views

And your lover in the foyer doesn’t even know you

And your secrets end up splashed on the news front page.

And they tell you that you’re lucky but you’re so confused

‘Cause you don’t feel pretty

You just feel used

And all the young things line up to take your place

Don’t Blame Me (reprise) - Evelyn and Celia

When Celia and Evelyn reconcile at the bathroom of the Oscars… And they kiss in a pretty public place “because we both knew what we were willing to risk. Just to be together” (231)- which is so reminiscent of: Baby for you I would fall from Grace, just to touch your face, if you walk away, I’d beg you on my knees to stay.

I Know Places: Evelyn/Celia/Harry/John

All four of them enter their bearding situation. (I know places we won’t be found, and they’ll be chasing their tails trying to track us down... They take their shots but we’re bulletproof, and you know for me, it’s always you). 

Honestly New Romantics could fit here too a bit with the whole: We team up, then switch sides like a record changer.

White Horse- Celia

After Celia finds out about Evelyn’s sex scene with Don Adler, and she’s so sad and she can’t handle it and leaves. (I’m not a princess, this ain’t a fairytale… I’m gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well).

So skipping ahead a lot here, but the next Taylor song I think that really fits is How You Get the Girl- when Celia and Evelyn meet up again years later and Celia tells Evelyn she’s dying and Evelyn says she wants to be with her anyway… (I want you for worse or for better, i would wait for ever and ever, broke your heart I’ll put it back together).

Wildest Dreams- Celia and Evelyn  

After Harry dies, Celia, Evelyn and Evelyn’s daughter Conner move away to Spain. Evelyn knows Celia is terminally ill (nothing lasts forever), but they drive out of the city, away from the crowds and get married. Celia dies (red lips and rosy cheeks, say you’ll see me again even if it’s just in your wildest dreams) Fuck this book!

New Years day could work at the end of the musical as a reflective song about all the hardships they went through and how sad Evelyn is about Celia’s death.

Then Monique would narrate one last time, now grappling with her own fame having written this bestselling memoir about Evelyn Hugo, and dealing with trying to forgive Evelyn for what she did:

They say you bought a bunch of land somewhere,

Chose the rose garden over Madison Square,

And it took some time, but I understand it now...

‘Cause now my name is up in lights...

But I think you got it right...

If anyone actually read this whole thing you are amazing, and I’m sure we can all agree that is literally crazy how well Taylor’s discography fits in relation to this book... 

[onewhoturns]

fictober.13.: speech

#Fictober19 Prompt: 13. I never knew it could be this way. Fandom: Oxenfree Pairing: Alex/m!OC, Jonas/Alex (ambiguously maybe/maybe not one-sided) [future fic] Rating: T (no warnings apply) Tags: Alex is getting married, Jonas isn’t happy about that, implied stepcest Word Count: 2032

There’s a chime around the room as the man stands, tapping silverware against his crystal glass. Clean cut, clean shaven, well dressed, looking like he just rolled out of a J. Crew catalogue. That formal kind of casual. Everything about this event screams expensive informal.

The invite said casual wear. Jonas is under-dressed. As per usual, with this group. (Apart from Alex, that is. At least, how she dresses around him.)

“Thank you all so much for being here with us this weekend, for such a momentous event in our lives,” the man begins, his teeth too white as he smiles that too straight smile. “Alex and I are so grateful to all of you.”

Bullshit. 

Jonas’s head cocks slightly, chiding himself. That’s not fair. He probably is legitimately grateful. He’d better be.

“Before the ceremony on Sunday, I just wanted to take this opportunity - with a much smaller audience - to say a few words. So… be patient with me, okay, I usually only make speeches with a nice array of visual aides to back me up.” The room laughs politely.

The man (Jason. Jason Flemming.) clears his throat, and his lips have that little quirk that Jonas reads as smug. Which might be unfair. He has to keep reminding himself not to be unfair. Cause Alex loves him. (Maybe.)

Jason pulls out a note card, but only glances at it briefly. "I never knew it could be this way."

His hand is on the back of Alex’s chair. He’s got a watch that probably costs more than half of Jonas’s wardrobe. Jonas watches it carefully, and tries not to see Alex’s adoring look up at her fiancé. Soon to be husband. 48 hours. Less, actually. 

“I can honestly say that I am truly blessed to have Alex by my side,” Jason continues, and his hand slides onto her shoulder, squeezing for a second, even as his eyes watch the rest of the room. It’s something that irritates Jonas just a little bit. That he’d take his eyes off his bride-to-be for even a moment. “I have had the privilege to watch her grow and mature and develop into the woman she is today.”

Jonas’s jaw clenches, and he’s too focused on his breath, on keeping his temper in check, because that’s just—

“If you had told me, the night I met Alex, that years later she’d be my wife, I never would have believed you. I would have looked at her - dancing on a table, I kid you not, the night we met - and said there was no way that she could ever be tamed. Yet here we are, four years later. Alex is wearing white - and you know that’s a feat in and of itself - and my parents are thrilled to call her their daughter in law.”

Tame her. He wants to tame her. Alex isn’t meant to be tamed. Tempered, maybe, but never tamed. Yet that’s what this Jason has done. Slowly, over time, but gradually he’s been sanding away at her rough edges, polishing her up, smoothing her into something pretty to stick on his shelf.

Maybe.

All of this is conjecture on Jonas’s part, of course. It’s not like it’s something Jason has done maliciously. And Alex may have been just as complicit. But it feels wrong.

“Tonight never would have been possible without all of you; our family and friends,” he goes on. “I’m sure my own parents are well aware of our gratitude and - well, mom, I’m sure Alex is thankful for the pearls as well-” Pearls. Alex in pearls. It’s too cookie-cutter country club. Jonas glances to Alex, finally, and she’s looking just a little nervous. A little bit put on the spot, offering a crooked smile to her very blonde soon-to-be mother-in-law. “-but I want to extend my personal thanks to Alex’s family as well.” Jason himself has dark hair, like his dad. Who’s wearing Hugo Boss. To a rehearsal dinner that was labeled casual.

“To Alex’s father, David; thank you. Without you, this never would have been possible.”

Without David’s threat to stop paying Alex’s tuition. Alex had been utterly distraught, and Jonas had been the one comforting her through it, through her security crisis, when she felt like she was just hovering over a precipice of no education and no savings. The ‘compromise’ that had come to pass moved Alex out of their house and into her dad’s. She got Thanksgivings with them, but Christmas was with the new family. Jonas knows she never really felt at home there. It was why she took every break she could to come visit. But it was never the same, not really. They never had what they used to. Not that Jonas didn’t want it.

“To Alex’s stepmother, Anne; thank you, for your kindness and hospitality. You truly are the perfect hostess, and I honestly think my mother envies you.”

Translation: good little housewife. Alex may not have brought it up recently, but that was one of those things she’d mentioned a lot after the move. Feeling like she had to be performing around her new extended family. Like she was constantly being judged, like they were deciding if she was worth the investment. She was terrified, and Jonas was her shoulder to cry on as often as he was her guilty pleasure. Not— not like that. Not since they were teens. But he was the one she could wear sweats around every day, and stay up with til 2 watching horror movies (her choice, not his), and unabashedly eat all the processed foods banned in Anne’s home. He was her pillow and her ride home and the reluctant participant in every instance of acting out that she couldn’t do around her dad. Well, maybe not every instance. He got the inside scoop on some of her wild nights in college as well.

Until Jason. Until fucking Stephanie, and Casey, and Jason. Being brought into the Stepford fold, as he so uncharitably considered it (to himself, never aloud). Their gentle guidance.

It’s not fair— Jonas knows it’s not fair to think of them that way. Alex really does like them. And he’s met them and… well, aside from being kinda… basic, they aren’t too bad. Just sorta boring. Not exactly the type to go breaking into old amusement parks, or climbing around unfinished construction sites, or deciding that 21 was the year to cross bungee jumping off of her bucket list. They were cosmopolitans, she was a shot of jaeger with a coffee chaser. Unorthodox, and an acquired taste that you couldn’t really forget. Also, maybe a little fucked up on the palate. His lips twitch at that thought.

“To Alex’s mother, Grace; thank you. I have never felt such warmth as I do around you and Martin. Martin, as well, you have always made me feel part of the family.”

Jonas’s dad is smiling. He’s too easygoing. And Jason is… unobjectionable, Jonas supposes, grudgingly. Business major. Not a frat boy, but still in a fraternity. He’s generous, at least, and conscientious. Always makes an effort to follow up on things they’ve talked about in the past. He can even dial down the rich-kid thing, when he stays with them in Camena. But that’s kinda the annoying part; that he’s not that bad. Just irritatingly unobjectionable. He’s nice to Alex, he is. He’s patient with her. And he’s soft and affectionate when it matters, but… But Jonas still gets her calls when she’s upset about something. He’s still the one getting called at 3am so she won’t wake up her fiancé with panic from nightmares.

“To Alex’s brothers—”

Jonas tries not to wince. Aside from just the dropping of the step distinction, being compared to Alex’s other stepbrother is… well, insulting. The douche is a workaholic med student, who’s never in a good mood. Who can never resist the chance to throw insults at Jonas over his vocational schooling and lack of a four-year degree. In layman’s terms: Will is an asshole.

“Will; I am thrilled to no longer be the youngest child! Finally, someone to give noogies to, and lecture about— well, nothing, you’re way more educated than I am,” he grins as the room laughs. Will is smirking, and Jonas resists the urge to roll his eyes. “I fully believe that you will be the next top surgeon wherever you decide to take your talents after residency.” Optimistic, assuming the douche is gonna be a half-decent doctor, when Jonas already knows his bedside manner must be horrific.

“Jonas;” Jonas tries to put on a slight smile. It’s easier if he looks at Alex, whose eyes are bright and appreciative and warm when she looks at him. “I really do have to thank you.” Jason sounds sincere. It almost makes Jonas feel guilty. Almost. “From the bottom of my heart. I have no doubt-” Jason breaks off, speaking more casually, speaking to the room at large, with a crooked smile that feels like something he probably picked up from Alex; “-Have you guys met Jonas? Look, when I started dating Alex— he’s an intimidating guy, right?” Jason grins, looking back at him. “I have no doubt that if you ever thought I wasn’t good enough for your baby sister I would’ve been kicked to the curb in a matter of seconds - either literally or figuratively.” Baby sister. Yeah, he’s never thought of her that way. Though the rest of that is… close. There may have been times Jonas grumbled that Alex’s boyfriend wasn’t quite enough of a dick to actually deserve a threatening.

Jason goes on, jokingly. “I always have this sneaking suspicion that Alex only gave me a chance because she misread my name as Jonas instead of Jason.” There’s a tittering of laughter, and Jonas’s eyes flick to Alex, who’s blushing a little, a hand over her eyes as she shakes her head. She’s still smiling, though. It’s cute. “So for that I have to be insanely thankful.” It’s less cute when Jonas spots Jason’s hand rubbing reassuringly at Alex’s shoulder.

“Alex goes to you for everything - I think your name comes up more than the rest of my entire family-” he jibes, teasingly. It’s frustrating that he’s having a good sense of humor about this. When Jonas has always felt a little… guilty. About that. “...and you have been the most supportive stepbrother she could have ever asked for.” Oh. Oh that’s something that makes Jonas’s lips curve up a bit with his own little touch of pride. Because that’s Jason siding with him over Will. Which is kinda nice.

“It’s a little unorthodox to have a Man of Honor, but Alex has always been a little outside the box. And, I’ll admit, I was pretty jealous of you once upon a time.” Again, Jonas looks to Alex, who’s rolling her eyes, but hasn’t taken her eyes off of him. She’s still blushing. It kinda makes his stomach flip a little bit. “But taking the girls to Vegas, that was really taking one for the team, and your patience is utterly commendable— being the cock in the hen do, so to speak.” Jason has that slightly sheepish smirk as a few people - including Alex - giggle a bit at the words.

Right. Vegas. That had been…

Jonas’s brow furrows for just a second as he studies Alex. She’s still bright eyed and glowing. Like a girl in love. Even if he’s… he’s just not sure if she is. Not after Vegas.

“But that’s enough about that,” Jason smiles, gesturing to the room in a sort of apology for going on. “Suffice it to say; I’m thrilled to have not one but two new sets of parents to buy Christmas gifts for, and two new siblings to rib me about all of my bad life decisions. Luckily— I know that this isn’t one of them.” Jason finally looks at Alex. And… yeah, okay. He looks happy too. In love. Which… well. It’s good, probably. At least he’ll care about her.

“So I invite you all to raise a glass. To all of them, and to Alex. For being exactly what I needed.”

[source for AO3]

[nathancone]

A Second Decade of Movies

Ten years ago on Facebook, I compiled a list of every movie I watched, in order, from the first decade of the network’s existence. Now, here’s part two, covering the years 2010-2019. There are 754 titles below, though some are repeat viewings. The movie I watched the most? Harold Lloyd in “The Freshman.” My favorite movie from the last decade? “The Tree of Life.”

But I began the 2010s with James Cameron’s mega-hit “Avatar.” I’ll go on record saying the movie is still enjoyable ten years later, as I watched it again in 2019 with my kids to prep for visiting the World of Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. But--I also agree with those who say there’s little remembered from the film in the culture today. Can you name the stars? Recount the plot in detail? Mostly what we remember from the film is the spectacle of it all, game-changing when it was released in 2009.

At any rate, enjoy the list below! If a title is hotlinked, it will take you to an essay, interview, or related coverage on the film by yours truly.    

1.       Avatar 2.       I Walked With A Zombie 3.       The Paradine Case 4.       Whip It 5.       The Body Snatcher 6.       Coraline 7.       Everybody’s Fine 8.       The Blind Side 9.       The Hurt Locker                 10.   Citizen Architect 11.   Fantastic Mr. Fox 12.   Dance With the One 13.   The Happy Poet                 14.   When I Rise 15.   Mr. Nice 16.   Lemmy 17.   Haynesville 18.   Rashomon 19.   Cabin in the Sky                 20.   Toy Story 2 21.   Being There 22.   Modern Times 23.   Iron Monkey 24.   Kiki’s Delivery Service 25.   Alice In Wonderland 26.   WALL·E 27.   Goldfinger 28.   A Fistful of Dollars 29.   The Red Shoes 30.   M. Hulot’s Holiday 31.   When In Rome 32.   Toy Story 3 33.   The Godfather 34.   White Heat 35.   The Girl on the Train 36.   Mary Poppins 37.   Kapò 38.   Dr. Strangelove 39.   White Dog 40.   Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 41.   Scoop 42.   Katyn 43.   Metropolis 44.   Days of Heaven 45.   Shane 46.   Ramona and Beezus 47.   Duck Soup 48.   Pillow Talk 49.   Monte Carlo 50.   Persona 51.   The Powderkids               52.   Machete 53.   THX 1138 54.   Ran 55.   Fantasia 2000 56.   Contempt 57.   The Big Red One 58.   Mid-August Lunch 59.   McCabe & Mrs. Miller 60.   Casablanca 61.   The Last Song 62.   Close Encounters of the Third Kind 63.   Sherlock, Jr. 64.   The Thin Red Line 65.   Modern Times 66.   Fantasia 67.   Mon Oncle 68.   Stagecoach 69.   Hallelujah 70.   Mademoiselle Chambon 71.   Double Take 72.   Black Swan 73.   Tangled 74.   The King’s Speech 75.   TRON: Legacy 76.   A Safe Place 77.   The King of Marvin Gardens 78.   Wings of Desire 79.   Head 80.   The Social Network 81.   Drive, He Said 82.   The Fighter 83.   Gold Diggers in Paris 84.   The Gay Divorcee 85.   The Love Parade 86.   127 Hours 87.   Never Let Me Go 88.   Forrest Gump 89.   A Film Unfinished 90.   How To Train Your Dragon 91.   Modern Times 92.   Malcolm X 93.   When I Rise 94.   Inception 95.   The Kids Are All Right 96.   A Time For Drunken Horses 97.   Our Hospitality 98.   The Ghost and Mrs. Muir 99.   The Mikado 100.   Something Ventured 101.   Five Time Champion 102.   Natural Selection 103.   Kumare                 104.    F#$k My Life 105.    Hesher 106.    Small, Beautifully Moving Parts 107.      Win Win 108.     Beats of Freedom 109.     Topsy-Turvy 110.     Taken By Storm                 111.     I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang 112.  Army of Shadows 113.  The Life of Emile Zola 114.   Rio 115.  East of Eden 116.  The Drummond Will 117.  Cooper 118.  Marriage Italian Style 119.  Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 120.  Sunflower 121. Salt of This Sea 122. Casablanca 123.   The Happy Thieves 124.  The Art of Getting By 125. Patty Hearst 126. Breathless 127. The Tree of Life 128.  Nora’s Will 129.  Mr. Popper’s Penguins 130.                        My Man Godfrey 131.                        The Muppet Movie 132.                        Back to the Future 133.                        Back to the Future Part II 134.                        Back to the Future Part III 135.                        Rear Window 136.                        Q: The Winged Serpent 137.                        Cars 2 138.                        The Godfather Part II 139.                        Super 8 140.                        Dazed and Confused 141.                        All Night Long 142.                        The Tree of Life 143.                        Winnie the Pooh 144.                        M. Hulot’s Holiday 145.                        Snow Flower and the Secret Fan               146.                        A Thousand Clowns 147.                        Tokyo Story 148.                        The Smurfs 149.                        The League of Gentlemen 150.                        Malcolm X (1972) 151.                        Late Spring 152.                        Ladies & Gentlemen the Rolling Stones 153.                        The Princess Bride 154.                        Hud 155.                        The Boys 156.                        Poetry 157.                        Waking Sleeping Beauty               158.                        Martha Marcy May Marlene 159.                        Seduced and Abandoned 160.                        The Nightmare Before Christmas 161.                        The Third Man   162.                        Dressed To Kill 163.                        Echotone 164.                        Straw Dogs (1971) 165.                        Sapphire 166.                        Broken Embraces 167.                        The Wild One 168.                        La Belle et la Bête 169.                        The Tree of Life 170.                        Beauty and the Beast 171.                        Killer’s Kiss 172.                        The Producers 173.                        Camille (1921) 174.                        She’s Gotta Have It 175.                        La Belle et la Bête 176.                        The Descendants 177.                        Hugo 178.                        The Muppets 179.                        Another Earth 180.                        Rise of the Planet of the Apes 181.                        Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked 182.                        The Artist 183.                        Arthur Christmas 184.                        The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 185.                        Midnight in Paris 186.                        War Horse 187.                        The Whistleblower 188.                        The Great Waltz 189.                        Manhattan 190.                        Annie Hall 191.                        The Help 192.                        Moneyball 193.                        Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 194.                        Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 195.                        The Lorax 196.                        Kid-Thing 197.                        Zodiac 198.                        Hunky Dory 199.                        Wolf 200.                        Tchoupitoulas 201.                        21 Jump Street 202.                        Crulic: The Path to Beyond 203.                        The Imposter 204.                        The Descendants 205.                        Victim 206.                        Revenge of the Electric Car 207.                        We Bought a Zoo 208.                        Titanic (3D) 209.                        Shame 210.                        The Jazz Singer 211.                        For Greater Glory 212.                        Lola Versus 213.                        The Avengers 214.                        Prometheus 215.                        Citizen Kane 216.                        Brave 217.                        Rio Bravo 218.                  ��     The Black Hole 219.                        Thunder Soul 220.                        The Gold Rush 221.                        Children of Paradise 222.                        The Natural 223.                        An American in Paris 224.                        North By Northwest 225.                        Harold and Maude 226.                        Killer Joe 227.                        Gilda 228.                        Miss Bala 229.                        Bride of Frankenstein 230.                        The Graduate 231.                        Madagascar 3 232.                        Close Encounters of the Third Kind 233.                        Star Trek VI: The Final Frontier 234.                        TRON: Legacy 235.                        Rise of the Guardians 236.                        Lincoln 237.                        Finding Nemo 238.                        Hitchcock 239.                        The Illusionist 240.                        Les Misérables 241.                        A Christmas Story 242.                        Kit Kittredge: An American Girl 243.                        Silver Linings Playbook 244.                        The Apple Dumpling Gang 245.                        Zero Dark Thirty 246.                        Wreck-It Ralph 247.                        On the Waterfront 248.                        The Life of Pi 249.                        Argo 250.                        Bag It 251.                        Loves Her Gun 252.                        Good Night 253.                        Mud 254.                        Museum Hours 255.                        This Is Where We Live 256.                        Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story 257.                        Sake-Bomb 258.                        The Girl                 259.                        Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore 260.                        Return to the Hiding Place 261.                        The Purple Rose of Cairo 262.                        To The Wonder 263.                        Epic 264.                        There Will Be Blood 265.                        Star Trek Into Darkness 266.                        Lawrence of Arabia 267.                        The Birds 268.                        Star Trek: First Contact 269.                        Barry Lyndon 270.                        Star Wars: A New Hope 271.                        Saboteur 272.                        Hell’s House 273.                        Of Human Bondage 274.                        The Flowers of St. Francis 275.                        Monsters University 276.                        Old Joy 277.                        Out of Africa 278.                        Safety Last! 279.                        The Killing 280.                        A Night To Remember 281.                        Singin’ in the Rain 282.                        Sherlock, Jr. 283.                        The Smurfs 2 284.                        Planes 285.                        Sicko 286.                        Brief Encounter                 287.                        Meek’s Cutoff 288.                        Wendy and Lucy 289.                        Side By Side 290.                        A.I. Artificial Intelligence 291.                        Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 292.                        Powaqqatsi 293.                        Machete Kills 294.                        Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 295.                        The Royal Tenenbaums 296.                        Moonrise Kingdom 297.                        Bottle Rocket 298.                        The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou 299.                        The Exorcist 300.                        The Darjeeling Limited   301.                        Dreamgirls 302.                        Dallas Buyers Club 303.                        Brewster McCloud 304.                        Cruising                 305.                        City Lights 306.                        Saving Mr. Banks 307.                        Frozen   308.                        Lili 309.                        The Gold Rush   310.                        Ninotchka 311.                        12 Angry Men 312.                        Lone Survivor 313.                        Her 314.                        The Nut Job 315.                        Cool It 316.                        American Hustle 317.                        Money and Medicine 318.                        Life Itself 319.                        The X From Outer Space 320.                        Captain Phillips 321.                        A Cat in Paris 322.                        Le Ciel est à Vous 323.                        Las Marthas 324.                        Rezeta 325.                        La Jaola de Oro 326.                        Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory                 327.                        Clue 328.                        Gravity 329.                        Nebraska 330.                        The Lego Movie                 331.                        Up 332.                        Liv & Ingmar 333.                        Before Midnight 334.                        Two Weeks in Another Town 335.                        Rio 2 336.                        All Is Lost 337.                        The Great Mouse Detective 338.                        The Adventures of Robin Hood 339.                        Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party 340.                        Belle 341.                        Bottled Up: The Battle Over Dublin Dr Pepper 342.                        My Dinner With Andre 343.                        Harry Dean Stanton Partly Fiction 344.                        The Lego Movie                 345.                        Bears 346.                        The Nightmare Before Christmas 347.                        Contempt 348.                        How To Train Your Dragon 2 349.                        Vertigo 350.                        Gojira 351.                        The Wizard of Oz 352.                        12 Angry Men 353.                        A Hard Day’s Night 354.                        Network 355.                        Picnic At Hanging Rock 356.                        Get On Up 357.                        E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 358.                        The Drop             359.                        The Match Factory Girl   360.                        Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 361.                        Superman 362.                        Horse Feathers 363.                        I Married A Witch 364.                        The Grand Budapest Hotel           365.                        Il Sorpasso 366.                        Conde Drácula 367.                        Boyhood 368.                        Fun and Fancy Free 369.                        The Freshman (1925)     370.                        Intimidation       371.                        I Am Love 372.                        Fantastic Mr. Fox 373.                        The Freshman (1925)     374.                        The Freshman (1925) 375.                        Safe 376.                        Invitation to the Dance 377.                        Captain America: The Winter Soldier 378.                        Bicycle Thieves 379.                        Sherlock, Jr. 380.                        Whiplash 381.                        Ida 382.                        Tron 383.                        Return of the Jedi 384.                        Petting Zoo 385.                        Western 386.                        Cinderella (2015) 387.                        Lamb 388.                        Babysitter 389.                        The Thin Blue Line 390.                        Vernon, Florida 391.                        Gates of Heaven 392.                        Purple Rain 393.                        Sullivan’s Travels 394.                        Star Wars: Episode I 395.                        Safety Last! 396.                        Jesus Christ Superstar 397.                        Anatomy of a Murder 398.                        Mary Poppins 399.                        Inside Out 400.                        Love & Mercy 401.                        A Star Is Born (1954) 402.                        The Princess and the Frog 403.                        The Freshman (1925) 404.                        Zazie dans la Métro 405.                        The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 406.                        Lilo & Stitch 407.                        Monkey Kingdom 408.                        Foreign Correspondent 409.                        The Princess Bride 410.                        Tomorrowland 411.                        Rome: Open City 412.                        A Hard Day’s Night 413.                        Star Trek: Generations 414.                        The Roaring Twenties 415.                        Following the Ninth 416.                        Samantha: An American Girl Holiday 417.                        He Named Me Malala 418.                        Wings of Life 419.                        Singin’ in the Rain 420.                        The Peanuts Movie 421.                        Spotlight 422.                        The Good Dinosaur 423.                        Fantasia 2000 424.                        Reel Injun 425.                        It Happened One Night 426.                        Star Wars: The Force Awakens 427.                        Star Wars: Episode II 428.                        Concussion 429.                        One Hour With You 430.                        Enchanted 431.                        A Room With A View 432.                        The Hateful Eight 433.                        Speedy 434.                        Time Out of Mind 435.                        Cinderella (2015) 436.                        The Lady Vanishes 437.                        Naqoyqatsi 438.                        Suzanne’s Career 439.                        Bear Country 440.                        The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window… 441.                        Bandidas 442.                        Star Wars: The Force Awakens 443.                        Virtuosity 444.                        The Big Short 445.                        Two Days, One Night 446.                        The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe 447.                        Bridge of Spies 448.                        Brooklyn 449.                        Michael Jackson From Motown To Off The Wall 450.                        Tower 451.                        Transpecos 452.                        Last Night at the Alamo 453.                        Claire In Motion 454.                        Zootopia 455.                        Bodyguard 456.                        W. 457.                        The Adventures of Pepper and Paula 458.                        The Jungle Book (2016) 459.                        Star Wars: The Force Awakens 460.                        Captain America: Civil War 461.                        What About Bob? 462.                        Love & Friendship 463.                        Dial M For Murder 464.                        Garfield                 465.                        Ben-Hur 466.                        To Kill A Mockingbird 467.                        Citizenfour 468.                        Finding Dory 469.                        Ant-Man 470.                        The Quiet Man 471.                        The Peanuts Movie 472.                        The BFG 473.                        My Dinner With Andre 474.                        Children of Men 475.                        The Last Temptation of Christ 476.                        The Secret Life of Pets 477.                        Chimes At Midnight 478.                        Brewed in the 210 479.                        Saturday Night Fever 480.                        The New World 481.                        Who Framed Roger Rabbit 482.                        Walt & El Grupo 483.                        Saludos Amigos                 484.                        The Jungle Book (2016) 485.                        The Last Picture Show 486.                        Beetlejuice 487.                        The King and I 488.                        Ride in the Whirlwind 489.                        Dracula 490.                        The Angry Birds Movie 491.                        The Sword in the Stone 492.                        Queen of Katwe 493.                        The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 494.                        Beetlejuice 495.                        Dracula 496.                        Arrival 497.                        Tron: Legacy 498.                        Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams 499.                        Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 500.                        Boomerang (1947) 501.                        Safety Last! 502.                        South of the Border 503.                        Honey, I Shrunk The Kids 504.                        Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 505.                        Jiro Dreams of Sushi 506.                        Rogue One 507.                        Moana   508.                        Once 509.                        Redes 510.                        Max Dugan Returns 511.                        Amadeus 512.                        The New World 513.                        13th 514.                        Star Trek III: The Search for Spock 515.                        Yarn 516.                        Paddington 517.                        Hidden Figures 518.                        Doctor Strange 519.                        The Lego Batman Movie 520.                        Clue 521.                        The Honor Farm 522.                        Mr. Roosevelt 523.                        La Barracuda 524.                        The Ballad of Lefty Brown 525.                        Beauty and the Beast (2017) 526.                        Cat People 527.                        The Adventures of Tintin 528.                        The Freshman (1925) 529.                        The Artist 530.                        Day for Night 531.                        Stranger on the Third Floor 532.                        Twentieth Century 533.                        Modern Times 534.                        Alien: Covenant                 535.                        Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul 536.                        Norman 537.                        Casablanca 538.                        Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie 539.                        Alvin & the Chipmunks: Road Chip 540.                        The Man Who Knew Too Much 541.                        Cars 3 542.                        The Sugarland Express 543.                        Redes 544.                        School of Rock 545.                        Duck Soup 546.                        Cat People 547.                        Tower 548.                        War for the Planet of the Apes 549.                        Pete’s Dragon (2016) 550.                        Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny 551.                        The Double Life of Veronique 552.                        Dunkirk                 553.                        The Adventures of Robin Hood 554.                        Something Wicked This Way Comes 555.                        Young Frankenstein 556.                        Duck Soup 557.                        Tampopo 558.                        Beggars of Life 559.                        Tender Mercies                 560.                        The Princess and the Frog 561.                        Rogue One 562.                        Steve Jobs 563.                        Despicable Me 3 564.                        Close Encounters of the Third Kind 565.                        Koyaanisqatsi 566.                        Honeysuckle Rose 567.                        Wonder Woman 568.                        Creed 569.                        North By Northwest 570.                        Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 571.                        The Nightmare Before Christmas 572.                        Altered States 573.                        Dealt 574.                        Star Wars: The Force Awakens 575.                        My Cousin Rachel (2017) 576.                        Get Out                 577.                        Planet of the Apes (1968) 578.                        Tomorrowland 579.                        Justice League 580.                        The Disaster Artist 581.                        Thor: Ragnarok 582.                        Beneath the Planet of the Apes 583.                        Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me 584.                        The Philadelphia Story 585.                        Escape From the Planet of the Apes 586.                        Ferdinand 587.                        Star Wars: The Last Jedi 588.                        Darkest Hour 589.                        Coco 590.                        Dunkirk                 591.                        Phantom Thread 592.                        Paddington 2 593.                        Arrival 594.                        Spider-Man: Homecoming 595.                        Conquest of the Planet of the Apes 596.                        Our Souls at Night 597.                        Mudbound 598.                        The Post 599.                        Germany Year Zero 600.                        Trading Places 601.                        The Shape of Water 602.                        Black Panther 603.                        Logan 604.                        The Simpsons Movie 605.                        Wings 606.                        Miss Congeniality 607.                        Never Cry Wolf 608.                        Something Wicked This Way Comes 609.                        Pride and Prejudice (2005) 610.                        Moana 611.                        Ready Player One 612.                        Viva Max 613.                        Red River 614.                        Bridget Jones’s Baby 615.                        Avengers: Infinity War 616.                        The Sugarland Express 617.                        Selena 618.                        Peaceful Warrior 619.                        Spider-Man 2 620.                        Stagecoach 621.                        The Godfather, Part III 622.                        Solo: A Star Wars Story 623.                        Jaws 624.                        Peter Pan 625.                        The Day the Earth Stood Still 626.                        Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 627.                        Won’t You Be My Neighbor? 628.                        Daughters of the Dust 629.                        Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 630.                        Time Bandits 631.                        Incredibles 2 632.                        Avatar 633.                        On the Waterfront 634.                        Forks Over Knives 635.                        It Happened One Night 636.                        Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 637.                        Ant-Man and the Wasp 638.                        A Quiet Place 639.                        Full Metal Jacket 640.                        The Thin Blue Line 641.                        The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez 642.                        Teen Titans Go! To The Movies 643.                        The Reluctant Dragon 644.                        Tokyo Story 645.                        The Karate Kid (1984) 646.                        Blazing Saddles 647.                        The Black Cauldron

648.                        Back to the Future 649.                        2001: A Space Odyssey 650.                        Blaze 651.                        In Old Arizona 652.                        Crazy Rich Asians 653.                        Ocean’s 8 654.                        Star Wars: A New Hope 655.                        The Tree of Life (Extended Cut) 656.                        First Man 657.                        Food, Inc. 658.                        Napoleon Dynamite 659.                        Halloween (2018) 660.                        Christopher Robin 661.                        Battle for the Planet of the Apes               662.                        Paris, Je t’aime 663.                        Breakfast at Tiffany’s 664.                        Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald 665.                        Back to the Future, Part II 666.                        Koyaanisqatsi 667.                        Creed II                 668.                        True Stories 669.                        Ralph Breaks the Internet 670.                        Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse 671.                        The Last Command 672.                        Mary Poppins Returns 673.                        The Primary Instinct 674.                        Rise of the Planet of the Apes 675.                        An Inconvenient Truth 676.                        A Christmas Story 677.                        BlacKkKlansman 678.                        Annihilation 679.                        A Star Is Born (2018) 680.                        That’s Entertainment, Part 2 681.                        Close Encounters of the Third Kind 682.                        Teen Titans Go! To The Movies 683.                        Back to the Future, Part III 684.                        Stranger Than Paradise 685.                        On the Basis of Sex 686.                        Bohemian Rhapsody 687.                        The Favourite 688.                        First Reformed 689.                        Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 690.                        Cold War 691.                        They Shall Not Grow Old 692.                        The Iron Orchard 693.                        Free Solo 694.                        Captain Marvel 695.                        The Little Mermaid 696.                        Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End 697.                        Wasted! The Story of Food Waste 698.                        Green Book 699.                        La Bamba 700.                        Running for Good 701.                        Us 702.                        War for the Planet of the Apes 703.                        I, Tonya                 704.                        Avengers: Endgame 705.                        Amazing Grace (2019) 706.                        Shazam! 707.                        Testament 708.                        Vice 709.                        Raiders of the Lost Ark 710.                        The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 711.                        Planet of the Apes (2001) 712.                        Aladdin (2019) 713.                        The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez 714.                        Detour 715.                        The Hitch-Hiker 716.                        The Border 717.                        Toy Story 4 718.                        Flight 719.                        Do the Right Thing 720.                        Midnight Cowboy 721.                        Spider Man: Far From Home 722.                        Some Like It Hot 723.                        Strangers on a Train 724.                        Red Hook Summer 725.                        All That Heaven Allows 726.                        Cowspiracy 727.                        Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood 728.                        Zodiac 729.                        Wings of Desire                 730.                        The Blues Brothers 731.                        The Farewell 732.                        Super Size Me 733.                        Safety Last! 734.                        Hustlers 735.                        Raiders of the Lost Ark 736.                        The Game Changers 737.                        Downton Abbey 738.                        The Body Snatcher 739.                        The Lion King (2019) 740.                        Ad Astra 741.                        The Terminator 742.                        The Irishman 743.                        Frozen II 744.                        Our Dancing Daughters 745.                        The Castaway Cowboy 746.                        The Thin Man 747.                        Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice 748.                        Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 749.                        Doctor Sleep 750.                        A Hidden Life 751.                        Bombshell 752.                        Fed Up 753.                        Miracle on 34th Street 754.                        Brittany Runs a Marathon

[pavspatch]

Defenders at the double for Ashton

Non-league previews

JOHN LUFUDU, a player that manager Mike Clegg describes as very, very popular among the Hurst Cross faithful, has returned to ASHTON UNITED.

He's one of two defenders signed today, the other being Cole Lonsdale who has been brought in from Clitheroe. Both go straight into the squad for tomorrow (Saturday's) Pitching In NPL premier division fixture at home to Bamber Bridge.

Lufudu has rejoined Ashton from Spennymoor United as part of a loan deal that keeps him at the club until the end of the season. He signalled his delight on Twitter stating "we got unfinished work to do" with an emoji of a flexed bicep.

Yet another defender, Michael Raynes, is out of action for a month after picking up an injury in last weekend's draw at Nantwich.

The pressure continues to pile up on HYDE UNITED who are without a league win in their last seven outings — a run that has left them hovering above the drop zone having played more matches than both Nantwich and Witton.

Ed Ikpakwu is back in the squad for the difficult game at fifth-placed Scarborough after serving a one-game ban. But Krisel Prifti starts a three-match suspension for being sent off against Buxton in a late incident that led to the visitors' Tommy Elliott also being shown a red card.

Simon Haworth is more concerned about the inclement weather than the strength of his squad as STALYBRIDGE CELTIC prepare to welcome Mickleover to Bower Fold.

The Bridge manager has a fully fit squad to choose from with defender Stephen Brogan returning from a calf injury, but the heavy rain that has been forecast could cause real problems for the Bower Fold pitch.

Haworth will be keen for the game to go ahead as his team look to be running into form after a creditable draw at Morpeth and a fine win at high-flying Bamber Bridge last weekend.

In National League North, striker Dominic Knowles could be set to make his long-awaited return for in-form CURZON ASHTON after managing 75 minutes of a midweek friendly against Fleetwood Town under-23s.

The Nash, who are back on the fringes of the play-off places after winning three of their last four games, including last Saturday's 1-0 victory at Fylde, look good to extend their run tomorrow when they face struggling Telford United at the Tameside Stadium.

Telford have taken only one point from five visits to Curzon and are without an away win in the league this season. However, they have won their last two matches, scoring eight goals and conceding none.

Harry Flowers and Dale Whitham should get the chance to enhance their own Curzon comebacks. Matt Challoner remains suspended and Matt Rain and Matt Waters are still injured.

Telford's Kai Williams is ruled out by damaged ankle ligaments. Fellow midfielder Dom McHale has a stomach problem that will be assessed in the morning.

An injury crisis has forced MOSSLEY boss Dave Fish to make two loan signings ahead of the visit to NPL first division west leaders Workington.

Midfielder Andreas Bianga makes the short move from Ashton United while winger Leon Arnasalam is on a dual registration from Macclesfield.

Fish, who is understood to have as many as eight players unavailable, said: "One lad was hurt when a ball hit him in the face two minutes before the end of training and a blood vessel in his eye burst. If I didn't laugh, I'd cry."

New signing Lewis Cunningham, a defender taken on loan from National League North club York City, should feature in GLOSSOP NORTH END's home clash with Bootle.

Sam Barratt is back after suspension but Hugo Rodriguez has a stomach bug and is classed as 50/50.

[rebeccaheyman]

reading + listening 09.14.20

The Smash-Up (Ali Benjamin), eBook ARC (pub date Feb 2021). A rare five-star review from me on GR and NetGalley.

For fans of ASK AGAIN YES and FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE, Ali Benjamin's THE SMASH-UP is a razor-sharp but deeply heartfelt satire of our contemporary social and political systems, framed as a retelling of Wharton's classic novel, Ethan Frome. Like its original counterpart, THE SMASH-UP is a framed narrative; we begin with an introduction that asks the question that plagues the original Ethan Frome from the very start: What happened? While the answer to that question in Wharton's work is purposefully vague ("a smash-up"), Benjamin's work is driven by answers. What happened? The 2016 election. Harvey Weinstein. MeToo. Police overreach and brutality, Resistance. Bret Kavanaugh. The Women's March. On and on, all these things that happened and are happening as the country tries to remake itself in the wake of all our ugliness rising to the surface. "What happened?" THE SMASH-UP asks. "Well, sit down and I'll tell you."

We follow an unnamed narrator as they drive into Starkfield, Massachusetts, and spot Ethan Frome, who is without a limp but still "hobbled" by a flat tire. The narrator gives Ethan a ride home, and thereafter becomes a one-person Greek chorus of a kind, showing up frequently to uphold the mirror that reflects that which is under the surface of the main action. Once the close third-person narration begins, we're drawn into Ethan's life with documentary filmmaker and activist wife Zenobia (Zo); their hyperactive, Wicked-obsessed daughter, Alex; and their live-in, Millennial, would-be nanny (of a sort), Maddy. Everything is in a state of unrest, from the forever-unfinished home renovation to the country to Alex's attendance at the new-age, ultra-conscious Rainbow Seed School, to Ethan and Zo's marriage. An encounter with the local police throws Zo and her women's activist group, All Them Witches, into the spotlight, and not everyone in Starkfield is happy about it. Meanwhile, Ethan's former marketing agency partner asks him to help make a pending MeToo lawsuit disappear. In the literal and figurative background is Maddy, whose ennui is a challenge and counterpoint to the Fromes' intense attention to every detail of their fractured, fracturing lives.

THE SMASH-UP is a novel of colliding -- who these characters are, what they believe, what they do, how they feel, what they show the world and what they hide -- all of it being forced to the surface by impact after merciless impact. Everything that happens in THE SMASH-UP is just as important as what doesn't; our mysterious narrator from the introduction (whose identity I won't spoil here), says it best: "New ideas, new worlds, new truths, always begin in the negative space. Unlike the groaning heft of What Is, possibility has no mass of its own--no force, no shape or structure, not yet. To most eyes, What Could Be looks like nothing at all. It takes faith to discern this invisible thing, to protect it and tend to it, until the day it comes screaming into the open, startling everyone with the plain fact of itself, a truth that's suddenly clear as day."

The Heiress (Molly Greeley), eBook ARC (pub date Jan 2021). My NetGalley review fails to capture the way I sat on my couch and wept for the duration of the last chapter. Just sayin’.

THE HEIRESS climbs inside Pride and Prejudice the way you slip between the sheets of your own bed, made up with entirely new sheets. This brilliant, compact novel takes as its subject the enigmatic Anne de Bourgh, best known as the cousin Darcy was supposed to marry before Elizabeth Bennet stepped onto the scene. Greeley imagines Anne as an accidental -- or rather, incidental -- laudanum addict, whose treatment with that "remedy" since infancy left her frail and mostly catatonic as she aged. THE HEIRESS follows Anne on a tumultuous journey of self-discovery and becoming that begins with the end of her addiction.

Greeley's writing is deft and authentic, nodding to source material without relying on what readers think they know about Anne's life at Rosings Park. There's a touch of the gothic here, too, as Anne's connection to her land -- hers indeed, since Rosings Park is not entailed -- and the house itself, becomes a critical site of identity-production. Though Anne enjoys somewhat unprecedented independence due to her inheritance, Greeley never loses sight of the way Georgian society shaped, stymied, defined, and limited most women -- or how they flourished in private revolutions despite this.

Readers of THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO, THE LADY'S GUIDE TO CELESTIAL MECHANICS, and of course, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, will find THE HEIRESS a triumph.

Luster (Raven Leilani), aBook (narr. Ariel Blake). LUSTER is getting a lot of positive press, and with good reason. Roxane Gay’s brief GR review says it best: “So uncomfortable and stressful and beautiful and haunting and honest and ugly.” Protagonist Edie is anxious and adrift when her anchor drops somewhat of its own accord in the suburban home of her married lover, Eric. The seas there may appear calm but they churn under the surface, where marital, sexual, and racial politics threaten to capsize the appearance of domestic bliss. What ultimately saves Edie -- what keeps her afloat, if I’m really going to beat this metaphor into the ground -- is her identity as an artist, which she interrogates persistently regardless of her mercurial circumstances. 

It’s natural, I think, to draw comparisons to Candice Carty-Williams’ QUEENIE, as these are both novels about young Black women drawing the curtain back on their experience of the world, and delivering the fullness of that experience with honesty of the highest, rawest order. Attempts to place one novel over the other, though, would be remiss; where Queenie’s journey ultimately leads her closer to the refuge of family, Edie’s safe haven is her art -- which is to say, the world is still coming for Edie, and her protection against can be washed away with so much turpentine. 

LUSTER is touted as “darkly comic” and while it most assuredly is that, I also found it deeply heart-wrenching. I felt old reading this, and anxious, and like I wanted to sit Edie down in my kitchen and feed her a nice brisket dinner. There’s some inconsistency around Edie’s age (she’s twenty-three, but often references nostalgia-points that would place her closer to her late 20s or even early 30s), but I just kept thinking about how hard it is to be young and unsure, now more than ever. 

Lady Derring Takes a Lover (Julie Anne Long), aBook (narr. Justine Eyre). This was my first Julie Anne Long novel, and I’m happy to report it was a delight! Delilah and Tristan are fun to watch together -- great chemistry, just enough internal angst to enhance tension without being cloying, and plenty of hot, consensual sex. For me, the difference between an enjoyable historical romance and a snoozer often boils down to the external conflict, and LADY DERRING has it in spades. Delilah and her dead husband’s mistress, Angelique, open a boarding house in a bad part of London, and the goings-on at The Grand Palace on the Thames provide a nice counterpoint to the romance. There’s plenty of fat for Tristan to chew, too, since someone is smuggling cigars into the country, and the king has tasked our hero with finding out precisely who, and how. As always, Justine Eyre’s narration is just this side of too much, but she shines on this recording. I’ve got the second-in-series cued up on my eReader this week, so we’ll see if Long can.... go the distance. I’ll show myself out.

Never Kiss a Duke (Megan Frampton), aBook (narr. Jilly Bond). Another new-to-me author and narrator, and the first in a new series, Hazards of Dukes. I’ll take the second part first: Jilly Bond is a delight! She gets a bit whispery at times -- appropriate times, to be sure, but it was a struggle to hear some of the asides. I also found her transitions to Sebastian’s narration/dialogue rocky at moments -- a sudden, almost comedic drop in register. Once the chapter/POV is up and running, the awkwardness instantly fades, but the transitions were strange for me. Still, she’s excellent, and I hope she narrates the next-in-series. 

To the rest: Fans of Kleypas’ DEVIL IN WINTER gaming hell setting will appreciate the external conflict around Ivy and Sebastian (yes those names are oddly similar to DEVIL’s Evie and Sebastian...a tribute perhaps?!). She is the proprietress of London’s only egalitarian gambling house, and he is her newest employee after having -- oops! -- lost his dukedom. Conflict isn’t as dynamic as I would have hoped, but this was an entertaining listen nonetheless. Hot heat, tumultuous personal histories, quality banter... I’ll be back for the second installment (Tall Duke and Dangerous, Oct 2020).

[twdoceana-blog]

I know there’s a lot of people that probably read way more than I do on here and I have so many books for my Kindle so I just wanted to share a list of all the books I have. These are just in the order of the most recent on my Kindle so I apologise if you were looking for it in alphabetical order. Rest of list will be under the cut just because there’s so many books. 400+ books. Oopsies~ 

A Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Sweetness (Bold As Love Book 1) by Lindsay Paige

50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need To Know by Ben Dupré

50 Political Ideas You Really Need To Know by Ben Dupré

50 Psychology Ideas You Really Need To Know by Adrian Furnham

Answers for Aristotle: How Science and Philosophy Can Lead Us to A More Meaningful Life by Massimo Pigliucci

Cosmos by Carl Sagan

Crimes Against Humanity by Adam Jones

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 

The Satanic Verses: A Novel by Salman Rushdie

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

1776 by David McCullough

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

End the Fed by Ron Paul

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

John Adams by David McCullough

Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly

Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow

Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom by Ron Paul

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee Harper

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Colorado Kid by Stephen King

From a Buick 8 by Stephen King

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

Gerald’s Game by Stephen King

Hearts In Atlantis by Stephen King 

Insomnia by Stephen King

It by Stephen King

Just After Sunset by Stephen King

Lisey’s Story by Stephen King

Misery by Stephen King

Night Shift by Stephen King

Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Rage by Stephen King

Roadwork by Stephen King

Rose Madder by Stephen King 

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King

Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Black House by Stephen King

Carrie by Stephen King

Cell by Stephen King

Christine by Stephen King 

Cujo by Stephen King

Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King

Desperation by Stephen King

Different Seasons by Stephen King

Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

Dreamcatcher by Stephen King

Duma Key by Stephen King

Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King

Firestarter by Stephen King

Four Past Midnight by Stephen King

Thinner by Stephen King

The Tommyknockers by Stephen King

Under the Dome: A Novel by Stephen King

UR by Stephen King

The Dark Half by Stephen King

The Dark Tower by Stephen King

The Dead Zone by Stephen King

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King 

The Green Mile by Stephen King

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

The Long Walk by Stephen King

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey 

The Regulators by Stephen King

The Running Man by Stephen King

The Shining by Stephen King

Song of Susannah by Stephen King

The Stand by Stephen King

The Talisman by Stephen King 

The Waste Lands by Stephen King

The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

Wizard and Glass by Stephen King 

Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King

Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen

The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History by Peter Heather

Fifty Shades Darker by E L James

Fifty Shades Freed by E L James 

Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James

The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 

Les Misérables by Victor hugo 

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

The Civil War, a Narrative: Fort Sumpter to Perryville by Shelby Foote

The Civil War, a Narrative: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote

The Civil War, a Narrative: Red River to Appomattox by Shelby Foote

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Deadlocked: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel by Charlaine Harris

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 

Hannibal by Thomas Harris

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Tinkers by Paul Harding

The Princess Bride by William Golding

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris 

Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock by Sammy Hagar 

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

Cash: The Autobiography by Johnny Cash

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Last Words by George Carlin and Tony Hendra 

Napalm and Silly Putty by George Carlin

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass

The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin

The Third Reich at War by Richard J. Evans

The Third Reich in Power by Richard J. Evans

An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963 by Robert Dallek

Washington by Ron Chernow

When will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops by George Carlin

Brain Droppings by George Carlin

The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis

Last Battle by C. S. Lewis

The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis

All Together Dad by Charlaine Harris

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris 

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz by Denis Avey

Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis

The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead by Max Brooks

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams 

Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams 

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams 

Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler

Awash with Summer Roses by Kestra Pingree

Black Widow: A Tense Thriller by Raven Creed

The Infiniti Investigates: Hattie Jenkins and The Infiniti Chronicles Books 1 to 5 by Pearl Goodfellow

Flesh and Bone: A Sweet Inspirational Romance (A Guitar Girl Romance Book 2) by Hope Franke Strauss

Beneath These Stars (Lucy Mitchell Book 2) by Hannah Ellis

I Laugh While You Cry: How to Train Yourself to Overcome the Impossible, Chase Down Your Dreams, and Become a Real-Life Superhero by Cruze Weston

Olivia, Mourning (The Olivia Series Book 1) by Yael Politis

A Life Worth the Fleeting Suns by Leon Huet

Hitler Here by George Thomas Clark

Worth the Wait by Rachel Tonks

Dragon Cursed by Mia Hall

Girl With No Fingerprints by Mark Bailey

Conceit (Se7en Deadly SEALs Book 1) by Alana Albertson

Touched By Time (Time Travel/Mail-Order Brides Romance, Book 1) by Zoe Matthews

Damn the Diets: How to Recover from Restrictive Diets, Dogmas, Eating Disorders and Body Degrading by Kayla Rose Kotecki 

Lost Girls by Celina Grace

Inconvenient Murder: An Inept Witches Mystery by Amanda A. Allen

Letting Go: A Contemporary Romantic Thriller by Anthony Awtrey

Jammed (A Charlie Cooper Mystery, Volume 1) by Deany Ray

Captive (The Submerged Sun Series Book 1) by Vanessa Garden

Bone And Cinder: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (Zapheads Book 1) by Scott Nicholson

Chasing Beautiful (Chasing Series Book 1) by Pamela Ann

Don’t Call Me Kit Kat by K. J. Farnham

The Minimalist Mind: The 21 Mental Makeover to Stop Worry, Improve Mood, Focus Better and Master Your Emotions with Ease by David Winter

Dream Job (The Dreamwalker Chronicles Book 1) by Gregory Pettit 

A Faries’ Tale: In Love There’s War: Would You Destroy Everything to Protect the Love of Your Life? by Rebecca Torrellas

Beyond The Lens (Lucy Mitchell Book 1) by Hannah Ellis

Trophies (Emma Kane/Jacob Thorne Book 2) by Todd Travis

Hot Husband (Hot Guys Book 1) by Starla Cole

Beyond (Beyond Series Book 1) by Maureen A. Miller

Of No Value: A Vietnam War Era Memoir bu Derrick Wolf

An Uncommon Sense (Sensual Healing Book 1) by Serenity Woods

Grounded (The Grounded Trilogy Book 1) by G. P. Ching

The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen

Necromantia Vol. 1-3 (Three Book Set) by Matthew Buza

Monday (Timeless Series #1) by E. L. Todd

Absolute Knowledge by Drew Cardell

The Marriage Will Not Take Place by Marguerite Steen

Rune Scale (Dragon Speaker Series Book 1) by Devin Hanson

Start Again: A Novel (Start Again Series #1) by J. Saman

Daisy Darling Meets A Man by Lindy Dale

Sentence of Marriage (Promises to Keep Book 1) by Shayne Parkinson

Dragonfriend by Marc Secchia

The Roommate (A New Adult Novel) by Shae Buggs

Mine to Take (Mine- Romantic Suspense Book 1) by Cynthia Edan

Devil in the Countryside by Cory Barclay

A Million More Tomorrows by A.R. Goodheart

Contract: Snatch (Sei Assassin Thriller Book 1) by Ty Hutchinson

1000 Yards - A John Milton Short Story (John Milton Series) by Mark Dawson

Army Investigations: A 5-Books Army Romance Series by Lola Silverman

The Serial Killer Books: 15 Famous Serial Killers True Crime Stories That Shocked The World (The Serial Killer Files) by Jack Rosewood

By Your Side: A Journey of Two Sisters Through Love and Sacrifice by Misty Proffitt-Thompson

Fractured Eden by Steven Gossington

The Power of Productivity: How to do More in Less Time by Leonardo D. M.

The Money Switch: How to Escape the 9-5. Aquire Financial Freedom and Generate Passive Income for Life by Lee Stan

The Hunger House by Conor Mcguire

Shy Girls Write It Better (Some Girls Do It Book 1) by May Sage

Justice Buried (Starbright Series Book 1) by Hilary Thompson

Haunted (The Haunted Love Trilogy Book 1) by Ann-Marie King

After the Cure by Deirdre Gould 

Multiple-Victims Murder by Arnon Edelstein

The Notice (Storms of Transformation Series Book 2) by Daniella Bova

Body by You: The You Are Your Own Gym Guide to Total Women’s Fitness by Mark Lauren and Joshua Clark

Retrieval (The Retrieval Duet Book 1) by Aly Martinez

The Purple Rock (The Reverend P J. MacFarlane Series Book 1) by Angus MacVicar

Nightsong: A Neanderthal Mystery by M.J. Rhodes

Broken Leaves of Autumn by Eli Hai

The Raven (The Secret Chronicles of Lost Magic Book 1) by Aderyn Wood

Bells Above Greens by David Xavier

Jeffery Dahmer: A Terrifying True Story of Rape, Murder, & Cannibalism (The Serial Killers Books Book 1) by Jack Rosewood

Sinful Cinderella (Dark Fairy Tale Queen Series Book 1) by Anita Valle

The Resistance is Dead: Book One: The Outbreak by Kevin Mooseles

The Mules of Borgo San Marco by W. H. Canaway 

The Post-Apocalyptic Reader’s Guide: The Ultimate Stockpile of Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian Books, Movies, Television, Games & More by J. Thorn

Accidentally Married to the Billionaire - Part 1 (The Billionaire’s Touch) by Sierra Rose

Sam’s Song: A Sam Smith Mystery (The Sam Smith Mystery Series Book 1) by Hannah Howe

Schooled (Travesty Book 1) by Piper Lawson

The Dog That Laid Eggs: Every Monster Comes From Somewhere by Jonathan Maas

Break Your Busy - Set Your Creativity Free by Richard Conner

Heir of Illaria: Book One of the Illaria Series by Dyan Chick

Emerge by Heather Sunseri

Rite of Rejection (Acceptance Book 1) by Sarah Negovetich

Hammers of Time: Wood Cow Chronicles: Backlands by Rick Johnson

Neanderthal Seeks Human (Knitting in the City Book 1) by Penny Reid

Escorted by Claire Kent

Edwin Brook: Dire Recompense by Daeus Lamb

 Less Than Human by Allen Long

The Magic Mines of Asharim by Pauline M. Ross

Fearless Author: Prepare, Publish and Launch Your Own eBook by Ashley Emma

Soul Watch by Ember T.

Decimation: The Girl Who Survived by Richard T. Burke

Slenderman (Emma Frost Book 9) by Willow Rose

Sex, Lies & Sweet Tea (Sex and Lies Book 1) by Kris Calvert

The Ceiling Man by Patricia Lillie

The Dead of Summer by Heather Balog

Living Well, Spending Less!: 12 Secrets of the Good Life by Ruth Soukup

Rite To Silence: London Calling Private Investigator Crime Thriller Series Book 1 by Solomon Carter

Fade (Paxton Locke Book 1) by Daniel Humphreys

Red Rover, Perdition Games by L.E. Fraser

The Sun and the Moon (Giving You ... Book 1) by Leslie McAdam

Sirtfood Diet: A Beginners Guide & Recipe Book on Sirtfoods & Their Amazing Benefits by Faye Froome

Daughter of Heaven: The True Story of the Only Woman to Become Emperor of China by Nigel Cawthorne

After Days: Affliction (The After Days Trilogy Book 1) by Scott Medbury

The Last City of America by Matthew Tysz

A Secret Kiss (Falling For Sakura #1) (The Princeton Brothers) by Alexia Praks

Like Soul Series (Books 1-4) by Val Conrad

The R.E.M. Effect by J.M. Lanham

A Totally ‘80s Romance (Boxed Set Books 1-3) by Addison Moore

The Weight of Happiness: On Food, Body, and Spirit by Ayelet Kalter

The Abducted Odessa Omnibus by Roger Hayden

The Children of Wisdom Trilogy by Stephanie Erickson

The Dreamer’s Lotus: The Sacred Symbol (The Lucidity Series Book 1) by Mike Dickerson

Crossroads (Crossroads Saga Book 1) by Mary Ting

Surviving Valencia by Holly Tierney-Bedord

The Colur of Death by Frances Lloyd

Blackthorn (Taurian Empire) by Nate Johnson

Lullaby of the Dead: Every Ghost Has a Story (Opus of the Dead Book 1) by Lynn Lamb

Follow the Shadows by Jocelyn Carew

Magic of Thieves (Legends of Dimmingwood Book 1) by C. Greenwood

Enter the Uncreated Night by Christopher Rankin

The Elven by Bernhard Hennen

Crow Hollow by Michael Wallace

The Evolution Trigger (Evoulution Trigger Trilogy Book 1) by C.S. Won

Ghost of A Girl: A Thriller! by Theo Cage

Blood Eagle: A Riveting Historical Thriller by Julia Derek

Sanity’s Thief: An Eric Beckman Paranormal Thriller (Eric Beckman Series Book 2) by Al Macy

Effortless Writing: The Simple Way to Write and Guarantee Remarkable Results by Kerry Miller

Conquer Your Dreams: A Sailor’s Dairy That’ll Propel Your Dreams to Reality! by Jagadhees Thirumoorthy

The Dead and the Missing (Adam Park Thriller Book 1) by A. D. Davies

Until There Was You (Starlight Hill Series Book 3) by Heatherly Bell

The Marriage Lie: A Bestselling Psychological Thriller by Kimberly Belle

Eversea (The Butler Cove Series Book 1) by Natasha Boyd

Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple 

Out of Practice Aphrodite (The Goddess Chronicles Book 1) by S.E. Babin

Hum A Radiant Sickness by Patrick Bryant

Underneath - A Merfolk Tale (The Under Series Book 1) by M.N. Arzu

Burned by the Soul (Struck from the Heaves Book 1) by William Stadler

The Eyes of Abel by Daniel Jacobs

The Elephant in the Room: A Journey into the Trump Campaign and the “Alt-Right” by Jon Ronson

The Substitute: The Wedding Pact #1 by Denise Grover Swank

Davenport House by Marie Silk

Butterfly Islands (Chronicles of the Twenty-One Butterflies Book 1) by Chris Seabranch

Kiss Me Again by Kimberley James

The Sitter by Sharon Hawes

Crane (Legends Saga Book 1) by Stacey Rourke

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

The Girl Who Stole a Planet (Amy Armstrong Book 1) by Stephen Colegrove

A Rhapsody of Dreams by Tami Egonu

Beautiful Lies by Heather Bentley 

Dance: Cinderella Retold (Romance a Medieval Fairytale Series Book 3) by Demelza Carlton

Love, Alchemy by Eden Ashley

The Thousand Year Curse (A Curse Books Book 1) by Taylor Lavati

Damaged by Timothy W. Long and Time Marquitz

Kindred by Octavia Butler

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank by Anne Frank

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien

Extracted (Extracted Trilogy Book 1) by RR Haywood

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin

A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin

A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

Z-Minus: The Zombie Apocalypse Series (Book 1) by Perrin Briar

Her Dear and Loving Husband (The Loving Husband Trilogy Book 1) by Meredith Allard

The Alpha Plague: A Post-Apocalyptic Action Thriller by Michael Robertson

The Snow and the Darkness by Matthew Warren Wilson

In The Dark by Pamela Burford

The Abducted: Odessa - A Small Town Abduction -  Book 0 by Roger Hayden

Our Cosmic Story: Exploring Life, Civilization, and the Universe by Mathew Anderson

Dragon Trials (Return of the Darkening Book 1) by Ava Richardson

A Beautiful Mess by T.K. Leigh

Imperfect Chemistry (Imperfect Series Book 1) by Mary Frame

The Way We Fall (The Story of Us Book 1) by Cassia Leo 

Unraveling You by Jessica Sorensen

Bound by a Dragon (The Dragon Archives Book 1) by Linda K. Hopkins

Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Wicca Candle Spells: The Complete Wiccan Candle Spell Handbook by Karen Bonderud

The Destroyer by Michael-Scott Earle

Wicca Earth Magic: Connect with All Living Things on Earth, and Learn How to Live in Balance with Nature by Karen Bonderud

Recycling Humanity by Heather Lee Dyer

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (Wisehouse Classics Edition) by Marcus Aurelius

The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen

And Then She Flew by Jen Labesky

Sacred Bloodlines (The Sacred Guardians Book 1) by Wendy L Owens

The Ghost Files by Apryl Baker

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes (Rose Gardner Mystery, Book 1) by Denise Grover Swank

Nikola Tesla: Imagination and the Man That Invented the 20th Century by Sean Patrick

UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 1) by Chanda Hahn

Silence by Natasha Preston

Pretty Hexed: Cozy Witch Mystery (Witches of Winterfield Book 1) by Sara Bourgeois

The Ultimate Sherlock Holmes Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle

Cora and the Nurse Dragon by H. L. Burke

Sun & Moon: An Inspirational Contemporary Romance ( A Guitar Girl Romance Book 1) by Hope Franke

Star Crossed by Katalina Leon

Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle

All I Want is You (Forever and Ever Book 1) by E. L. Todd

Frotwoot’s Faerie Tales (Book One: The Unseelie Court) Part 1 of 6 by Charlie Ward

Blood of Requiem (Song of Dragons Book 1) by Daniel Arenson

Dragon’s Curse (The Dragon and the Scholar Book 1) by H. L. Burke

Firebolt (The Dragonian Series Book 1) by Adrienne Woods

The Chronicles of Dragon: The Hero, The Sword, and The Dragons (Book 1 of 10) by Craig Halloran

Rise of the Dragons (Kings and Sorcerers-- Book 1) by Morgan Rice

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

In the Shadow of Lakecrest by Elizabeth Blackwell

The Original Dream by Nukila Amal 

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia 

While You Were Mine by Ann Howard Creel

The Protector: A Sexy, Angsty, All-the-Feels Romance with a Hot Alpha Hero by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Illidan: World of Warcraft by William King

The Phoenix Descent by Chuck Grossart

The Last Dragonslayer: The Chronicles of Kazam. Book 1 by Jasper Fforde

Of Noble Birth by Brenda Novak

Stealer of Flesh (Kormak Book One) (The Kormak Saga 1) by William King

A Shade of Vampire (New & Lengthened 2015 Edition) by Bella Forrest

Genesis (Extinction Point Series Book 4) by Paul Antony Jones

Extinction Point (Extinction Point Series Book 1) by Paul Antony Jones

Exodus (Extinction Point Series Book 2) by Paul Antony Jones

Revelations (Extinction Point Series Book 3) by Paul Antony Jones

Silver Road (The Shifting Tides Book 2) by James Maxwell

Spearwielder’s Tale: The Dragon’s Dagger by R.A. Salvatore

Spearwielder’s Tale: The Haggis Hunters by R.A. Salvatore

The Lord of Discipline: A Novel by Pat Conroy

Golden Age (The Shifting Tides Book 1) by James Maxwell

Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel by Joseph Fink

To Find a Mountain by Dan Ames

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling

The Deep by Nick Cutter

Binge by Tyler Oakley

Spearwielder’s Tale: The Woods Out Back by R.A. Salvatore

The Food Of Love by Amanda Prowse

Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell

The Gingerbread House by James Richard

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

Fatal Hearts by Norah Wilson

Victim: An Extreme Horror Novel by Sam West 

Paranormal Intruder: The Terrifying True Story of a Family in Fear by Caroline Mitchell

Fire Angel by Susanne Matthews

Maggie’s Mistake by Carolyn Brown

The Book of Kells by R. A. MacAvoy

Wake in Winter by Nadezhda Belenkaya

The Forgetting Time: A Novel by Sharon Guskin

I’m Yours (Bold As Love Book 2) by Lindsay Paige

Whatever It Takes (Bold As Love Book 3) by Lindsay Paige 

Always (Bold As Love Book 4) by Lindsay Paige

Our Happily Ever After (Bold As Love Book 5) by Lindsay Paige

[inappropriatefangirlneeds]

Gotham s3ep18 “Light the Wick” Personal Review

“I can't stop you. But it will not help.”

Warning spoilers below

„I´m a fan“ JERVIS TETCH is narrating NATHANIEL BARNES´ escape, who can easily deal with the guards but not the Court´s what was his name Talon .. almost like theatre, almost. KATHRYN tells Barns she wants the same as he does. Judgment and Punishment. “Well then release me”  But the Court wants to things on a larger scale they don´t need Barnes but the Virus in him. HUGO STRANGE is back with the Court. “This might sting.” Strange is there against his will and not amused by Kathryn watching him work. (( He´s listening to some opera and I feel like I should recognize it .. )) Fish Mooney is alive. “Previously” (( Okay can we get him for previously on Gotham .. )) There is a poor frightened guy behind glass. Mean. The virus used to spread by contact to blood now through air as well and obviously changes people quicker “You´ve done it, You´ve weaponized the Virus.”

“Nobody told me what for.” JIM GORDON looks horribly ridiculous with that Owl mask. Oh and they need to turn in homework. Some list. Jim is being a detective and takes evidence from Kathryn´s mask. He gets caught and lies that he has some questions about the homework.  It´s a list of loved ones that should be spared. (( Ugh, the hypocrisy .. like either you judge or you don´t, just because your newest member fancies his secretary or something you get them out of the loop, geez either commit to the cause or not )) Harvey ran the prints, Kathryn´s last name is Monroe and gives him her address. Jim couldn´t find anything about the weapon in the Court´s files. If there is something it´s got to be in her house. ((Or like anywhere else .. )) HARVEY BULLOCK worries, if he´s caught Game Over. He also warns him about Lee. She is in a pretty dark place: LESLIE THOMPKINS brought the report on Frank Gordon´s death: Homicide. HARVEY was like, I know you´re upset but Lee claimed it´s not about Mario. Lee just wanted Harvey to do his job. “I think Jim should be questioned” Harvey was like why would Jim be the murder, but Lee thinks he´s at least involved. She wanted to know who else. Harvey took it personally and made it personally. “You´re not crazy Lee, you are hurt and there is nothing going on” Lee canceled their friendship. Lee knows Harvey covers Jim, she´ll find out because of what. JIM barely recognized Harvey´s short warning about Lee it he´s more worried when he hears that Barnes got transferred to wherever.

“Hello, Jim” OSWALD COBBLEPOT visits Jim, he´s “quite hard to kill” BRIDGIT is with him. Oswald looks for Ed, Jim is the last one who saw him. Unfinished business, not a social call. Oswald doubts anyone could escape form the great Jim Gordon. ((boy..)) Jim claims him knowing about the Court was a ruse, but Oswald is suspicious. ((That´s the right spirit murder bird .. )) “”��escapes custody.”” ((I love him)) Jim is like, drop it you don´t know anything. Trust me, let it go. ((I´m fainting))  Oswald threatens the Court with publicity. He hands Jim a phone with his number and expects a call until the end of the day. “Why do I get the sense of being threatened” ((More like seduced ..)) Oswald´s face drops in slow motion. “This is a favour, Jim, after all, we are old friends, right” ((His face, I love it so much, the gloves, the hair, the outfit) ((But oh boy did Jim always have those eye rings .. almost match mine .. ))

“And if you don't like what you hear?” JIM searches KATHRYN´s house. There is a  hidden Access Card for Wayne Enterprises. Trapped between Butler and Owl Jim faces Kathryn.  He tells her that Oswald is alive and back and has suspicions. Kathryn is like what that´s all ((pls tell me we are back with having people underestimate the Bird and then the Bird destroying them .. )) “I'm tired of being kept in the dark. I want a seat at the table.” How ambitious. Jim says they wanted him and he has done everything now he wants the goodies.  “Crime and violence are so common the people have become numb to it. To heal the city, we have to force them to take notice.” “Force them how?” “By showing the people of Gotham their darkest selves.”

Jim tells Harvey and LUCIUS FOX that it´s the Virus. Fox is “happy” to be in, he says it´s possible. But Alice´s blood was destroyed but they only need a Virus sample: Barnes. Handing Lucius the WayneEnterprises Card Lucius gets an idea where they have taken Barnes. Harvey and Jim go there, no guards, no security. Experiment guy is bloody and claims he did not want to kill those people. (( I still feel so bad for him .. )) “I´m the good guy here” he says and quickly labels those people pointing guns at him as the bad ones. He attacks them. HUGO STRANGE stops him. Jim interrogates. “A woman, named Kathryn” has the virus but he doesn´t know more. Harvey tries to arrest him, hell he knows why .. but Strange is like nope. The delivery mechanism to release the Virus only arrived recently (Dock C9) which means they still got time to stop that. But only if they don´t find their lab compromised. “My research. And a vial of my virus compound which I secreted away, unbeknownst to my captors. A token of goodwill, which I hope will be remembered when the time comes.” Jim sees him playing both sides. Strange just tries to cover himself for every possible outcome. “You logical bastard” Bad thing is that KATHRYN later notices the entrance card missing ((and of course who else could it have been than the uninvited sudden guest))  The material is on the way to Lucius who should try to work on the cure maybe find someone he can trust. ((pls let Lee and Lucius work together in the lab ))

It´s not LESLIE THOMPKINS. ((damn it)) Who is like what you, I did not expect you to help Jim. ”How many people does he have to kill - before you all see what I see?” “ You got it wrong. Jim's trying to make sure that what happened to Mario never happens to anyone again.” But Lucius can´t tell her what actually this is about. ((FFS just give this woman some credit and tell her ..  she could even help, I´m convinced she would and she wants to know so why “protect” her or whatever everyone is trying to do, guess Jim can´t proof her accusations right by putting her in danger but still argh.. )) Lee says Fox is like everyone else. She wants to resign and leave.  JIM GORDON claims she belongs here. Lee thought she did but then Jim infected this place and everyone around him. She is done. With Jim, GCPD, Gotham. Jim took everything from her. She would ask for the truth but Jim probably doesn´t know it himself. Jim tells her that he killed Mario to save her and would do again. He was infected. “Yes, because Jervis Tetch wanted to punish you.” It´s all because of Jim. ((Dear, I get it Lee, but that´s the same bullshit Jervis tried to pull with Jim, claim it´s Jim´s fault that people died, despite him being the one setting up the whole scenario and making the deaths happen, I´m glad Jim´s not having any of it, he could be a tad bit nicer to Lee though .. )) Jim´s like fine blame me for the death, he can´t stop her from leaving but it will not help. “Believe me” “The other day, you asked me at Mario's grave how I could walk away. Move on. I guess you know how.”

“Let´s see if you are worthy of the light” KATHRYN tells JIM he is in “glad you could make it”. “Not sure if I had a choice.” They take his gun and phone. (( Okay I do know that classical piece in the background why can´t I think of the name)) “The daughters of Gotham. Socialites who believe they hold the power in this city, when really what they really are is window dressing. My family was one of the first in Gotham. We've been on the Court since its founding, making the difficult decisions to ensure its long-term survival.” There´s an aerosol dispersal bomb. Jim plays dumb and asks for what. There is talk about radius n stuff. 15 min timer. Jim has to proof himself further, he needs to make difficult decision when time comes. That´s why he is here he claims but looks miserable. If he interferes Talon will execute him on spot.  There is no chatting with Talon ((I do miss Zsasz .. )) Jim calls Oswald who has been running the soles of his shoes flat while waiting for it. (( Isn´t he precious)) Still talking to Talon Jim let´s Oswald know about the bomb. Time flies and Jim is like “screw it” ((For once I absolutely and unapologetically love that side of him)) and attacks Talon. BRIDGIT FIREFLY PYKE fries the bad guy. Jim needs to get the people out OSWALD only cares about Court and Ed. Jim tells him about the bomb Oswald looks scared, disgusted annoyed and worried all at once. “What about our deal.” Jim guesses since Oswald torched their assassin they´ll come to him.  ((I´m not even mad that Jim kinda used Oswald, utilizing him that way was so clever, and he´s not wrong about the established Court contact. )) Jim saves a child last minute. ((Like that was so not necessary and cheesy .. ))

OSWALD is mad.  Court did not contact him, Ivy and human Popsicle are gone. Hello, anyone listening? Yes Court guy is. They cage the bird. Bird is back to “My name is Oswald Cobblepot” .. Bitch do you have any idea who I am, you better do. He “demands” again. (( Good old time oh who I missed thee)) “Oswald” EDWARD NYGMA says. “You´re alive” They got cells next to each other. (( I wonder if that is because someone knew their history, and is sitting somewhere with popcorn and watching)) Oswald turns slowly, walks slowly, stares and suddenly reaches out to Edward. ((This is intense , and .. somewhere under all that emotion Oswald is having a oh well, I got what I want, Ed, but .. that´s just not quite like how I meant it ffs moment. ))

“and then go back to where I found you.” The Sirens: IVY PEPPER is looking for (bossy) Selina. TABITHA who gets to hear half their story and that they were kinda close, because she made the mistake to ask looks bored while counting money but tells Ivy to look in the Hospital. She fell out of a window and is pretty bad in shape.  ((How does this kind of information travel in Gotham?! In her current state I doubt Barbara was keeping half an eye on Selina and told Tabs about it .. )) Ivy just walks into the restricted hospital area like she owns it, I love her. Her perfume makes a nurse tell her that Selina fell. “That´s impossible”  The tell me scene is so sweet. (( Honestly .. why did they start NewIvy with all that men give her stuff nonsense, there would be absolutely nothing missing if they just had skipped that and went straight for what we got now))  “They don´t know what I know, they can´t do what I can do.” ((Nice now make everyone there healthy)) Ivy let´s people carry her plants. She introduces Selina to Nepeta cataria, (( omg it´s catnip)) “Or, rather, a very specialized strain of a plant that I've been cultivating. This guy is a "break in case of emergency" type of deal. You've always been there for me. Even when I screwed things up. Which was most of the time.” There is more plants. Ivy waits. Selina moves. “Are you okay? Say something so that I know you're okay.” Selina tires to get up. Ivy is like no you need rest (( probably having a Déjà-vu)) This can´t wait. Selina got to kill someone at Wayne Manor.

“Gotham needs a protector, and you need a purpose.” BRUCE WAYNE is training. “You win and you go free” Bruce sees manipulation in those words. “All that pain and anger you think it's strength. It's not. You think can harness it you can't. You think it's part of you, but it doesn't have to be. Do you know why you were so easily defeated? ..Your rage, Bruce. It blinds you. You seek to control it, and yet it controls you and has ever since that night. Rage and pain are two sides of the same coin.” .. “The events themselves will remain. I'm only talking about releasing you from the destructive emotions connected with them.“ “And if I don't want to be released?” “You have chosen your prison, Bruce. I'm offering you a way out.” Bruce asks why he should be the protector of Gotham. “Because you  need each other” Protector and Purpose. Needle time again but it has to be Bruce´s choice. It´s painful. No one was angry, just concerned about him. Bruce could not let go of his father´s cuff links. If he does, he can in general let go. He locks them away in a safe. ((Eh as simple as that .. right .. if only)) The guy says he waited long for this. Together they will make Gotham pay. Uhoh.. More fighting, now Bruce wins. This time fighting Bruce felt “nothing.” “Does that mean I can leave” “Is that what you want? The pain to go away? I can take it away, Bruce. I can take it away and you can return to Gotham with a power you never thought possible. It's your choice.” Bruce continues the fight. (( All the training with Alfred and now 5 min with that guy should like change everything .. and that with useless advice)) (( Purpose, Protector, Pain, Possibility .. looks like that guy likes alliterations as much as I do)) Guy and KATHRYN are in contact, confirming that the promised destiny and life free from his pain of the past is bullshit ((Ha, I knew this was too easy, even with ulterior motives..))

KATHRYN having found her card missing apologizes to BARNES ((Hannibal Barnes.. )) They both want the same, she found out someone she thought loyal deceived her.Gordon threatens to undo what both of them seek. Barnes is ready to kill him, he´s guilty after all. Restraints don´t stop him. ((Oh those looks .. did I just start shipping Barnes and Kathryn .. no like not really.. but there was something there, mutual judgment boner .. ))

It´s about relationships. Personal ones. Past ones. Painful ones. The Court has a list where the members can note loved ones who will be spared. Ivy has great knowledge and only applies it to help people she likes (Okay not saying it should be her sole responsibility to save everyone who is sick, but maybe spreading her knowledge about plants could do some good but of course endanger her so nothing I´d blame her for) Leslie´s investigation certainly is motivated by things that are personal as well as factual. Harvey dismissing that roots in his trust in Jim. Would he put the same trust in someone he doesn´t know that well?  Of course this is a guide for judgment but usually we all apply some different rules of judgment on people we like than others. Jim gets all the blast form past relationships. Leslie, Barnes, Oswald. What´s Barbara doing, she should get in on with the party. It´s about credibility and trust again. “Believe me” Jim says to Lee, “Trust me” to Oswald.   How can everyone when he is keeping things secret? Jim Gordon is like an allegory to religion. Harvey the disciple, who knows, everyone else who just hast to believe the promise is valid. .. Okay .. maybe I should sleep..

Aside .. everyone got such a special melody in their speech patterns, Fox, Strange, Kathryn this week as well ..

[cover2covermom]

*Books included in this batch of mini book reviews: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice #1) by George R.R. Martin,  After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Library Book by Susan Orlean, and Gratitude Daily: 21 Days to More Joy and Less Stress by Nataly Kogan

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» A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice #1) by George R.R. Martin

I’ve been wanting to start reading this series for a long, long time.  Not going to lie, I put it off for YEARS because I was super intimidated by the length of these books.  Plus, it is an unfinished series, so I was planning on waiting until it was finished before jumping in.  When I decided to participate in a GoT inspired read-a-thon in July, I figured it was the perfect excuse to pick up the first book in this series.

 Game of Thrones is full of action, adventure, humor, political intrigue, plot twists, and lots of death.  George R.R. Martin really enjoys dropping all kinds of bombs on his readers for a high shock factor.   I found myself mouthing “WTF?” numerous times throughout this story… probably more than any other book I’ve read.  If you are not a fan of surprises (not necessarily the good kind) and a high death count in your books, let me stress to you that this is not going to be the book for you.  No character is safe from George R.R. Martin and nothing is off limits.

When you have multiple POV switches among a long list of characters, I often find that one or more of the perspectives is not needed or not as engaging as others.  This was not the case here.  Of course I was more drawn to certain characters – Jon Snow, Tyrion, and Arya in particular – but felt that each perspective was equally compelling and enhanced the overall story-line.   

George R.R. Martin not only gives us lovable characters that we can’t help but root for, but he also gives us characters we love to hate.  I don’t think I’ve ever felt more satisfaction from a character death than I did in this book.   Furthermore, each of the characters were well fleshed out, including the secondary characters.  Even though we do not see the perspectives of some of the secondary characters, we are given a clear understanding behind their actions and motivations.

I was surprised how easy it was to follow this story despite the complexity of the plot, POV switches, and the overabundance of characters.  I attribute this to the writing not being overly dense and that the story was paced very well.

I was completely engrossed in this book from start to finish.  I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in this series!

***Trigger/content warning: ALL the warnings…graphic violence, rape, incest, abuse…***

» After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

After I Do was my third Taylor Jenkins Reid novel.  After reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and the Six, I knew I wanted to read more of Reid’s books.  Whereas Evelyn Hugo & Daisy Jones are more gritty reads with complex (and unlikable at times) female leads, After I Do focuses on relationships & marriage.   Did I love this one as much as Evelyn Hugo or Daisy Jones?  No, but After I do has a very different feel to it…

After I Do is about Lauren & Ryan, a couple that fear they have fallen out of love with each other.  In an effort to save their marriage and avoid divorce, they decide to take a year apart.  We follow Lauren as she struggles to figure out what her life looks like without Ryan…

As you can probably guess from the book description, After I do is a character driven novel.  I would consider this story to be a “quiet” type of read.  We slowly watch the rise and fall of Lauren & Ryan’s marriage, followed by the devastation after Ryan moves out, and finally the rebuilding stage as Lauren picks up the pieces of her broken heart.  This is not an action packed plot, but rather Lauren’s reflection of her relationship with Ryan over the years & her grief over their decision to take a year break.  While After I Do centers around relationships/marriage, I would also label it as a journey to self discovery.  I really enjoyed watching Lauren’s growth and development over the course of this book.

After I Do is, above all, an incredibly relatable novel if you’ve been in a long term relationship and/or married.  As someone who has been with their spouse for 15 years, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t relate to Lauren & Ryan’s relationship struggles.  Relationships are hard & require effort from both parties, especially as time goes on and things start to feel stale.

I couldn’t help but wonder if this book would have worked better as a dual perspective of both Lauren and Ryan.  While we do get to see snippets of Ryan through the emails, I would have enjoyed reading from her perspective and seeing how he spent his year away.

After I Do would make for an excellent book club selection.

» The Library Book by Susan Orlean

After seeing RAVE reviews for this, I decided to give it a go for myself to see what the hype was about.  When I learned it was about the 1986 fire at the LA public library, I was a less thrilled to read it.  While I am very interested in libraries, I am not very interested in true crime types of novels… or at least that I what I thought.

I knew absolutely nothing about the LA public library fire of 1986.   For one, it happened before I was born.  Secondly, I’ve never been to California, much less Los Angles.  The LA public library fire of 1986 was the largest library fire of U.S. history.  It burned for over 7 hours and reached temperatures of over 2,500°F.  Over 400,000 books were lost, and over 700,000 were damaged.   Even though I was not overly interested in reading about an arson when I started The Library Book, I was completely captivated by this portion of the story: the fire itself, the damage, the restoration efforts, and even learning about the number one suspect, Harry Peak, in great detail.  You can definitely tell that Orlean has a strong background in journalism.

At first, I was unsure of the way Orlean formatted this book.  The chapters alternate between sharing details of the fire of 1986, the history of the LA public library, and Orlean experiencing the library as it is today.   When I started, the book felt a little scattered, but by the end I could see that this was an effective way to weave all of these elements together & hold the readers attention.

I think what Susan Orlean did here that worked so well was not only to talk about the details surrounding the 1986 fire at the LA public library, but also chose to share the history of the LA public library system, and libraries in general.   I loved learning about the history behind the LAPL: the head librarians over the years, the design & building of the main branch, how the library & it’s services have changed and evolved over the years, etc.   I also loved the details about libraries today: the roles of librarians, the issues with homelessness, the shift from libraries solely housing books and becoming community centers, etc.  The Library Book is really an ode to libraries, and how they are such an important staple in a community.

I highly recommend this book to lovers books, libraries, and/or crime fiction.

» Gratitude Daily: 21 Days to More Joy and Less Stress by Nataly Kogan

I would definitely consider myself to be a “glass half empty” type of person, so practicing gratitude is something I need to improve on.  I came across this short audiobook (just shy of 3 hours) on Hoopla, and decided to listen to it as a reading “palate cleanser” after reading some longer & heavier books.

Gratitude Daily is broken up into 21 daily lessons on how you can integrate gratitude in your day-to-day life.  The author’s intent was for the reader to listen to one lesson each day over the course of 21 days.  I chose to listen to the book straight through, and feel that either way you decide to read it would be beneficial.

Listening to this book definitely gave me a fresh perspective on gratitude and the benefits of practicing gratitude.  I love how positive and vivacious the author came across via the audiobook.  You can definitely tell how passionate Kogan is about gratitude & how practicing gratitude daily can bring so much joy.  

I found the tips and techniques in practicing gratitude to be practical and very achievable.  Something as simple as taking a few moments every day to jot down a few things you are thankful for that day – a beautiful sunrise, praise from a co-worker, a delicious dinner, etc – can help you to appreciate the small things in life and bring you more joy.

Have you read any of these books?  If so, what did you think?

Comment below & let me know 🙂

Mini Book Reviews: September 2019 - Part 1 #BookReview #BookBlog #Bookworm #AmReading #BookBlogger #Review *Books included in this batch of mini book reviews: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice #1) by George R.R.

[freebetalerts-blog]

Tottenham v PSV Eindhoven: Goals on the cards again at Wembley

(New post on FreeBetAlerts.com) - https://freebetalerts.com/2018/11/05/tottenham-v-psv-eindhoven-goals-on-the-cards-again-at-wembley/ #Football, #Freebets, #Tips

Tottenham v PSV Eindhoven: Goals on the cards again at Wembley Please share.

Jack Lang is expecting another exciting spectacle when Spurs play host to the Dutch league leaders… “PSV have shown they are no pushovers and may relish the chance to counter-attack – especially if there is any weariness in the home line-up”

Tottenham Hotspur v PSV EindhovenTuesday, 20:00Live on BT Sport 2

Spurs out for revenge

Finally, the end is in sight for the Marathon Men. This is Tottenham’s fourth game in the space of eight insane days, and while Mauricio Pochettino has rotated as much as possible, you can be sure a rest will be welcome. Even it will only be until Saturday evening, when they face Crystal Palace.

Not that they’ll be thinking about that when they welcome PSV Eindhoven to Wembley. There is unfinished business to attend to here: their Champions League hopes may be hanging by the thinnest of threads, but Spurs would love to exact a little revenge for the result in the Netherlands a fortnight ago, when they dominated proceedings and were undone by two individual errors.

Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen may be in line for returns after missing out against Wolves at the weekend, while the defence is likely to be bolstered by Davinson Sánchez. Juan Foyth impressed in the midweek League Cup success over West Ham, but had a bit of a nightmare at Molineux, conceding two penalty kicks, and can probably expect to drop back to the bench.

PSV improving

Like their hosts, PSV have a pretty slender chance of reaching the knockout stages. The difference is that there was far less expectation on the shoulders of Mark van Bommel and his charges; this is a young, improving side, and the Champions League was always likely to be a diverting extra-curricular activity at best.

Still, you’d have to say the Boeren have been learning fast. They may only have a point to their name, but have improved with every game so far, and showed admirable grit to stay in the game against Tottenham, even when under huge pressure. A victory in their remaining three matches would give the campaign a pretty positive look, and confidence won’t be an issue: it’s now 11 wins in 11 in the Eredivisie after the 1-0 success over Vitesse Arnhem at the weekend.

Van Bommel has a fairly settled starting XI, though there should be one major change from the first meeting between these sides: flying winger Steven Bergwijn, who missed out at the Philips Stadion, is fit again. He and Mexican sensation Hirving Lozano should give the Spurs full-backs plenty to think about.

Tottenham really should have won in the Netherlands two weeks ago, so it is perhaps no great surprise that they are heavy [1.4] favourites to make amends on Tuesday. Progress past the group stage is unlikely, but Pochettino will be desperate for his players to at least give themselves a fighting chance, so motivation is unlikely to be lacking.

PSV have shown they are no pushovers, however, and may relish the chance to counter-attack if Spurs dominate possession. They have pace to burn on the flanks, and if there is any weariness in the home line-up after all their recent games, Hugo Lloris could be in for a busy night.

Our angle in the first game was to back goals, which worked nicely: our Same Game Multi pick of both teams to score and over 2.5 goals paid out after 55 minutes. The rationale that applied then hasn’t changed much over the last two weeks, even if PSV have not been quite so explosive in their last two league games (three goals scored).

Spurs have kept three clean sheets in their last 13 games – against Huddersfield, Cardiff and West Ham. With Jan Vertonghen out and Lloris shaky, they have struggled against teams with more attacking verve, and have shipped 10 goals in six Wembley outings (all competitions).

Only Crvena Zvedva (75) have faced more shots in this season’s Champions League than PSV (69), with the Dutch side facing at least 20 in each of their three matches. That’s no way to keep a match tight, and so another slogging contest could be in store.

You can back both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at [1.81], which is reasonable enough. But we’ll be a touch more daring and add a Harry Kane goal into the mix as well. The England man has the best goals-per-game ratio of any player in Champions League history to play at least 10 matches in the competition (0.85 – 11 goals in 13 matches) and was a constant thorn in PSV’s side in Eindhoven.

Jack Lang’s Champions League P/L, 2018/19 Staked: 3ptsReturned: 6.29ptsP/L: +3.29pts

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[watach-blog]

Season Reviews from 2016-2017

#From an unfinished power rankings piece. (Might as well put them somewhere now they’re overdue and useless) 

#1 REAL MADRID

This is the first season that Madrid have won a European Cup and League Title double since 1958. A feat that has evaded the likes of Vicente Del Bosque, Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelloti. Even the greatest manager in their history, Miguel Muñoz, with his incredible 13-year reign, claiming nine league titles and two European cups, failed to win both in the same season. Such a double is a prerequisite to stake a claim as the best of the best. Astonishingly, football’s most famous and decorated club have gone nearly sixty years without an emphatic claim as European football’s strongest team. Now, there’s no argument.

Legendary figures like Raul, Iker Casillas, Hugo Sanchez, Emilio Butragueño, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima couldn’t do it as players. Nor could Zinedine Zidane. As coach, not only has he done it in his first full season, but been the first since Arrigo Sacchi, back in 1990, to retain it.

The secret to his success was his exemplary management of the squad, and the season as a whole. This is essentially the job spec any Read Madrid manager faces. No-one in world football - arguably in the history of the sport, too -  has the luxury of so many first-class players for every position. But that can cause a problem in and of itself, to keep so many egos in check, happy and performing when called upon. This requires leadership, authority and diplomacy - qualities that evaded his predecessor, Rafa Benitez, and eventually proved Jose Mourinho’s undoing, and many others before him.

Madrid’s success in winning the league was achieved through balance and rotation. Everybody contributed - twenty players clocked up over a thousand minutes. The likes of Nacho Fernandez, Marco Asensio, Isco, Alvaro Morata, Mateo Kovacic, James Rodriguez and Lucas Vazquez have had outstanding seasons, yet with everybody fit, would still probably not feature in Madrid’s First XI. Throughout the season, and especially during the run-in - a brave decision at that point to rotate so heavily in March and April - they all stepped up.

This policy of squad rotation benefitted nobody more than Cristiano Ronaldo. For over half of the season, nobody would have considered him in a La Liga XI of the season, and the policy of resting him during away trips, sacrificed any chance the Portuguese would have of winning the Pichichi award for La Liga’s top scorer. It’s unlikely there’s another footballer on the planet that cares as much about those individual accolades as Ronaldo, so it’s some achievement to get him to comply.

In doing so, it kept him fresh enough to be hugely decisive in both the La Liga run-in (five excellent goals against Malaga, Celta Vigo and Sevilla in the final week of the season), and of course the final stages of the Champions League, where he scored a frankly ludicrous 10 goals against some of Europe’s best - Bayern, Atletico, and then Juventus - to win the trophy. For him to play such a decisive role in two major trophies looks set to have him with another Balon D'or, an award that should be a happy bonus on top of major trophies, although seems to be the end-game for the Portuguese himself, and his legion of goal.com-commenting lunatics.

His game has gone through a drastic evolution this season, becoming a pure Number 9. By distilling his game down to goal-poaching, he's as effective and potent as he's been in years. He will do little to carve open a defence or wreak havoc in the final third - when was the last time you saw him run past a defender? - but he will put away almost any chance, or half-chance that falls to him. Both of his goals in the Champions League final encapsulate what the player has become - flawless finishing and exceptional movement in the box. Nobody in world football does it better.

But a number 9 can only be as good as the service he receives. Ronaldo's goalscoring record speaks of the creativity in the side. In particular, the quality of the crossing from the likes of Modric and Marcelo is so dangerous, and the quality of deliveries from corners and set-pieces from Kroos matches anybody else from a dead ball. Remarkably, their top assist-to-scorer combination this system is Kroos to Ramos.

Curiously, this Madrid side - the best and most successful in a generation - contradicts the identity and traditions of the club to a certain extent. No doubt, this is a Galactico squad, assembled expensively, with several record-breaking signings. Yet there was only one addition to the squad last summer was a back-up striker, a buy-back clause exercised on an acquainted Madridista, Alvaro Morata. There is a settled, cohesive nature to this squad, which betrays some of Madrid's - and Florentino Perez's most self-destructive tendencies to tinker and add superfluous glamour. There were only two differences between the starting XIs in the Champions League Final of 2016 and 2017 - an ageing, injured Pepe replaced by Verane, who has spent six seasons at the club and made over 100 appearances. As Gareth Bale was not fully fit, they could call on Isco, himself with over a hundred appearances, and now playing the best football of his career in a system that better suits both Ronaldo and the midfield.

This was not a perfect season, and improvements can be made. Keylor Navas has looked shaky as often as he's looked spectacular. Casemiro has come on leaps and bounds but occasionally looks a liability, perfectly fitting this team by virtue of being an actual defensive midfielder, but there might be better options out there. Zidane has answered almost every question asked of him, though his inability to manage the game versus Barcelona, his team overcommitting to throw away a vital point in the dying seconds, could have cost his team the league title. Madrid also made hard work of the second legs against Atletico and Bayern in matches that should have been formalities. They were particularly fortunate with officiating decisions in the latter. Sergio Ramos made many mistakes, and their record of clean sheets wasn’t the best for a top-level club. They spent also spent the first half of the season not performing particularly well, and looking neither convincing nor unbeatable.

Nevertheless, this was a team that scored in every single game this season. They looked defensively resolute in the games that really mattered. Their route to lifting the European Cup was almost as difficult as you could imagine, and they emphatically beat each opponent. Even on their off-days, they had a will to win that’s the mark of experienced winners - an almost Ferguson-like ability to grind out results, or belief until the final whistle that a crucial goal was coming through any which way, usually involving the forehead of Sergio Ramos.

#2 BAYERN MUNICH

#3 JUVENTUS

#4 BARCELONA

This was a strange, transitional kind of season for Barcelona. Deeply unbalanced, deeply flawed.  Yet it speaks for the individual quality in the core of the team that they were able to push the strongest Real Madrid side in a generation to the very final day, and blessed the football world with two of the most memorable games of the season - the comeback against PSG, and a Clasico won in the final seconds - fruitless as they turned out to be in the pursuit of titles.

Lionel Messi is a footballer who plays on the fringes of plausibility, but some of his performances this season - often dragging his off-colour teammates to victories - had to be seen to be believed. In particular, his display against Jorge Sampaoli's in-form Sevilla in the Winter was a thing of wonder. Messi scored and assisted in a 2-1 win, but it was more than that. He was Xavi. He was Cruyff. He was Maradona. That day, the new Argentinian national team coach said “sometimes Messi lets you stop him and sometimes he doesn’t. When the game breaks [open], he’s unstoppable.”. He will be salivating at the thought of working alongside him in a world cup year.

Neymar, too, stepped up a level previously unseen. His game now has a maturity that had been lacking before. His headline-grabbing display in the unforgettable second leg comeback against PSG demonstrated an astonishing level of composure, as he curled in a fantastic free-kick, slotted away a penalty, and provided the most perfectly-weighted last ditch effort into the box you'll ever seen, to gift Barcelona the impossible three goals in six minutes they needed to take them through. His form continued in the title run-in, and the Brazilian can now stake a real claim as the second best player in the world.

It was in other areas that Barcelona struggled and faltered. The senior midfield three of Busquets, Iniesta and Rakitic - all three so reliable in the Luis Enrique era - all suffered prolonged spells of poor form. Sergi Roberto had his moments - and the moment - yet never totally convinced as a full back.

Barcelona's failure this season, however, was not down to their senior players. Unbeaten against the top five - taking four points apiece from Real, Atletico and Villarreal, and six from Sevilla - is a Championship-winning record. It was the points dropped against the likes of Alaves, Malaga (twice!) and Betis that would define their season. These are not bad teams, and on those days, put in excellent performances. The truth remains, however, that Barcelona - and any Barcelona team - operate at a level that they should be beating these sides.

But the difference between Barcelona and Real Madrid this season was the squad, and the management of the season. Zidane could play the likes of Isco, Asensio, Kovacic, Nacho, James and be confident that they'd get the job done. The same could not be said for the likes of Paco Alcacer, Andre Gomes, Jeremy Mathieu, Denis Suarez and Rafinha.

#5 Monaco

#6 Atletico Madrid

#7 PSG

#8 Chelsea

Conte’s first season with Chelsea has defied all expectations, but in certain ways it should have been no surprise. A coach with experience of winning league titles, the core of a squad no worse than the one that won the league at a canter two years ago, with high calibre signings since then.

Terry and Ivanovic rapidly declined and couldn’t contribute this time, but were adequately replaced by David Luiz, and - sort-of - Victor Moses. Additions also included the most vital cog in the unlikeliest of title wins, N’Golo Kante, hustling himself to deserved multiple player of the season awards. Eden Hazard dazzled again to recapture the kind of form that catches Florentino Perez’ eye for a Galactico. David Luiz silenced his critics. Diego Costa put snarl on the backburner and his football front and centre again, demonstrating the kind of reliable centre forward play and goalscoring ability that was vital in previous title wins for Chelsea and Atletico.

This was a title largely won by a repeated first XI, but they also had strength in depth when it was required. Cesc Fabregas’ cameo appearances launched an assault on the Premier League Assists table, Michy Batshuayi popped up with the goal that sealed it, Willian the model example of energy and end-product you’d want to change a game. Even John Terry found the time to make the final game all about him, in a season he had little to do with.

Chelsea looked pretty much unstoppable as things clicked with the implementation of a back three, recording a record 14 consecutive wins and responding with professionalism to their rare blips. They played some stunning football, their dominant wins - 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0 - over Leicester, Man Utd, and Everton in Autumn standing out. They also showed the guile to win points when not at their best, as their consecutive 1-0s over West Brom, Sunderland and Crystal Palace in December demonstrated. From there, they just didn’t let up.

Their formidability was reflected in the final table - seven points clear of an exceptional Spurs, who would have done enough to win the league title in the vast majority of seasons. A record amount of wins, one of the best ever points totals - one of an elite few to surpass ninety - sets them amongst the greatest Premier League sides. Up there with Wenger’s Invincibles, Mourinho’s imperious first season at Chelsea, and Manchester United at their Tevez-Rooney-Ronaldo best.

But there’s context to consider when ranking them in the history of great teams, and their contemporaries in Europe. Those campaigns didn’t exist in isolation, they were fought with other fronts to consider. This was a large factor of the Leicester City miracle, and proved to be the case again. It’s a very important caveat, because it has an influence on so many of the factors of their season - lack of fatigue, ability to focus, reduced risk of injury, and most importantly of all, the amount of time spent at the training ground, uninterrupted by midweek travel and continental fixtures to prepare for. This accounts for why the switch to the back three - which defined the title win - appeared to be so seamless. They had time on their hands to perfect it.

Of course, none of this reflects poorly on Conte, although it will pour salt onto the wound for Jose Mourinho. This success underlines how utterly broken the club became in his final season at Stamford Bridge. It’s damning on the Manchester United manager that a squad this good couldn’t qualify for either tier of European competition, leaving a point away from the relegation zone midway through last season. Nonetheless, it was a blessing for the Italian to inherit an excellent side with the unprecedented ability to focus their energy on one league game a week.

The season came to an anticlimactic end at Wembley, where after ably swatting Spurs and Manchester United aside en route to the FA Cup final, they put in an uncharacteristically limp display against Arsenal to lose 2-1. It’s difficult to read too much into a performance and result that’s so at odds with the rest of their season, but it will will sting that they failed to win a domestic double when it was there for the taking.

#9 Spurs

#10 Napoli

It was a tough choice between Roma and Napoli for the final spot in this list, and whilst Roma finished above Napoli on the final day to secure guaranteed Champions League football next season, Napoli edged it for the exhilarating style with which Maurizio Sarri's team played. The highest scoring team of highest scoring league in Europe. Having lost Italy's top scorer, and  breaker of a 66 year old record, Gonzalo Higuain, Napoli actually scored 14 more goals than last season, and improved on the points total too. Themselves and Roma proved worthy challengers for Juventus.

They did this, too, with the centre forward signed to replace the Argentine, Arkadiusz Milik, missing a large portion of the season through injury, and playing a peripheral role in the team on his return. The key to their upturn has been the interplay and understanding between a front three of Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon, with Marek Hamsik behind them. Between the four of  them, they've scored 72 goals, and assisted 40. One of the most impressive things about this is that the four of them have been established  European internationals for a long time, but Sarri has each of them functioning at another level and bringing the best out of one another, getting career highs out of each of them.

They have played effective, top-drawer football throughout the season, and it was only with the post-Milik injury wobble in October, before they established a system that didn't depend on him, that would cost them the title. They dropped nine points dropped in the league that month. In Europe, they did well to top a group of (domestic champions) Besiktas, Benfica, and Dynamo Kyiv, and gave Real Madrid a real scare in their Last 16 meeting, taking a 1-0 lead in both legs.

[racingtoaredlight]

RTARL reviews Tyler, The Creator’s “Flower Boy”

All of the press around Scum Fuck Flower Boy seems to concern whether or not Tyler is gay and this album is his coming out. I’ve listened to the album a few times now and I’m pretty well familiar with his whole catalog but I couldn’t tell you one way or the other.

Flower Boy is the best, most cohesive album Tyler has ever put out. It might be a classic but it’s not exactly poppy. It plays as a sort of concept album almost in the vein of Little Brother’s The Listening or Prince Paul’s Prince Among Thieves. I’ve seen comparisons to a N.E.R.D. album but I don’t hear it. I know Tyler’s a loud fan of N.E.R.D. but he isn’t the same kind of pop producer as Pharrell Williams and/or Chad Hugo. There’s almost no rock influence and best of luck picking out a single. Following our tried and true format here at RTARL, this is the track by track breakdown.

1. Foreword

This is a great flow from a guy who’s more known for his work behind the boards. It’s a funny opener as far as the normal structure of a hip-hop album because it just gets right to the music instead of spending a minute or two talking about whatever shit. Also, if you’re looking for sexual introspection “Shout out to the girls that I lead on / For occasional head and always keeping my bed warm / And trying their hardest to keep my head on straight” is pretty slick.

2. Where This Flower Blooms

This is split between being the most braggadocious Tyler really gets and also being the most preachy uplifting as the album gets. It works pretty well but it’s not the most memorable sound design here. I don’t hate it but it doesn’t dig into my brain, either.

3. Sometimes...

This is probably what made me think of The Listening. It’s a fake radio insert. Nothing really to it on it’s own but a male voice asks the radio host to play “the song about me” and then...

4. See You Again

Here comes a dreamy song about unrequited love. This could work as a single. It’s sweet in a very Odd Future sort of way. Kali Uchis is there to give some pretty sounding phrasing to the borderline gag-inducing/catchily clever lyric “wonder if you look both ways when you cross my mind?” This is apparently Tyler’s favorite song/proudest moment on the album. It’s beautiful in a way that I don’t think anybody expected when Off Future first broke through to national consciousness seven years ago.

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5. Who Dat Boy

This is the lead single so maybe you’ve already heard it. If anybody listens to the radio still, does this song show up there? I love the sinister almost operatic build at the beginning of this track. It takes almost a full minute for the beat to actually drop but this is made to play loud. This is the only track on the record that feels like it would have been at home on Goblin or The OF Tape. I don’t mean that as denigration, the musicality is pretty evolved, but the structure and sound are of a piece with the original OFWGKTA ethos even if the engineering is new and improved.

6. Pothole

Featuring Jaden Smith and it’s kind of hard. I don’t know what world we’ve fallen into but good for both of these guys being at a point in their lives when this pairing makes sense. It’s still a little bit of a head scratcher if you think too much about it but the track itself works on pretty much every level. Might be the most repeatable song on the album.

7. Garden Shed

If you’ve read anything about Flower Boy this is the song you’ve read about. Shed, closet, for the garcons, kissing boys since 2004 - that’s all here. I feel stupid writing about this aspect. Oooooohhhh, Tyler might be gay! So the fuck what. Aside from any salacious interest this is vulnerable songwriting and I’m here for it. Tyler’s been a livewire at least as long as he’s been a public figure and a lot of times it’s felt like he was trying to find some comfort within his own skin. I think he’s finally found it.

8. Boredom

Another weird couple of features on paper but this is another one of my favorites. This is mopey as all hell and I love it. Tyler’s sense of humor isn’t for everyone or sometimes anyone but I feel like I really get this. It’s like the Smiths version of Morrissey but reborn as a rapper from the 2010. If that’s your sort of thing. 

9. I Ain’t Got Time!

This is more straightforward hip-hop than I’m used to from Tyler or, really, Odd Future in general. I half wish this beat had gone to Earl Sweatshirt but I think he’s steadfastly avoiding doing anything obvious. Earl doesn’t even make an appearance on this album which makes me a little sad when I think about it. I could see this getting a crossover following and also being the most skippable track on the album. It’s a cool hype moment where it is in sequence.

10. 911/Mr. Lonely

This is the b-side to Who Dat Boy? so it’s been readily available for about a month. It feels a little unfinished to me. Like another once over would have made the lyrics stronger - there are some high points but a lot of unfocused strings of words, too - and given more direction to Frank Ocean who’s just kind of here towards the end of 911 before the interlude and the change over to Mr. Lonely. The second half is a little more interesting but not great.

11. Droppin’ Seeds

I can’t make up my mind if this is a high point or a low point for the album. Lil’ Wayne shows up and just spits bars with his trademark silly similes and metaphors but without even yelling out his name once. Might be the first feature he’s done like that ever. Musically, this is kind of boring but it’s cool to just hear Wayne flow reminiscent of his mixtape days. He also finds it in himself to make weirdly creepy misogynistic shit get crammed into an album that isn’t exactly overflowing with that kind of thing.

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12. November

This feels like the biggest push to make a pop song. It works out for me and seems to make an oblique reference to Guns N Roses which caught me off guard. This is more emo rap but it’s humble bragging by extension, too. Lyrically it’s walking a really fine line and pulling it off. It’s a love song mixed with a self-loathing anthem mixed with a nostalgia trip. It ends with a voicemail greeting.

13. Glitter

The weirdest song on the album and my current favorite. Sonically the first half is intentionally murky and lyrically it’s another tale of emotional confusion. I have to assume the entire album is a long winded letter to one person. There’s a pretty consistent theme going through it all. Glitter ends with the voicemail cutting off and saying that the message wasn’t recorded as if the entire song was the message from the end of November and the story of Scum Fuck Flower Boy continues with no satisfaction for the antagonist.

14. Enjoy Right Now, Today

This is technically an instrumental outro that, if I’m not mistaken, has some heavily distorted vocals. This would have made a lot of sense as an intro which ties things together if you just play the album on a loop.

OFFICIAL RTARL RATING FOR TYLER, THE CREATOR: (SCUM FUCK) FLOWER BOY:

10 stars out of 10, contender for album of the year with or without the coming out narrative.

Listen to the album on Apple Music, Prime Unlimited, Spotify or Tidal.

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