#emili tubbie | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

blackjack-15 · 5 years ago

Text

Puttering Around — Thoughts on: Secret of the Old Clock (CLK)

Previous Metas: SCK/SCK2, STFD, MHM, TRT, FIN, SSH, DOG, CAR, DDI, SHA, CUR

Hello and welcome to a Nancy Drew meta series! 30 metas, 30 Nancy Drew Games that I’m comfortable with doing meta about. Hot takes, cold takes, and just Takes will abound, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll all be longer than I mean them to be.

Each meta will have different distinct sections: an Introduction, an exploration of the Title, an explanation of the Mystery, a run-through of the Suspects. Then, I’ll tackle some of my favorite and least favorite things about the game, and finish it off with ideas on how to improve it.

If any game requires an extra section or two, they’ll be listed in the paragraph above, along with links to previous metas.

These metas are not spoiler free, though I’ll list any games/media that they might spoil here: CLK, CUR.

The Intro:

In our next Jetsetting game, Nancy travels back from Modern-Day England and straight into 1930s Titusville (aka River Heights 70+ years ago) to help an acquaintance who’s in the middle of two unrelated plots to turn Titusville upside down.

A game famously reviewed as “pleasant but inconsequential”, Secret of the Old Clock tends to be passed over for both praise and censure, famous for two minigames (the sewing minigame and the mini-golf) but otherwise overlooked. It’s a shame, really, that it’s sandwiched in between two much flashier games, as CLK is a wonderfully solid entry into the Nancy Drew series. It pioneers the two-culprit variation on the standard Nancy Drew plot, tackles a new time period, and includes dozens of in-jokes towards the Nancy Drew books.

It’s also the first introduction of Carson Drew as a phone character, which is a lot of fun, and makes sense that he’d show up in the game that includes nods to all things canon. He doesn’t show up again until much later in the series, so it’s nice to introduce him here after hearing about him for 12 games.

As opposed to CUR right before it, CLK takes care to ground itself in a linear plotline, handling its story with relative ease and taking care not to reach too far out of the box. This is one of its greatest strengths, and provides a much better game overall because of it. It’s a simple story, pretty well told.

Though it doesn’t stand up to other more “simple” games before it such as CAR or DDI, it never reaches any of the lows of SCK, FIN, or CUR, and allows the player to be sucked in to its fantastic facsimile of life in the 1930s for teen sleuth Nancy Drew — blue roadster and all.

The Title:

As CLK is a mixture of the first four Nancy Drew books, it retains the title of the first book. As a nod to the history of Nancy Drew, it’s a great choice for the title.

Unfortunately, though the Old Clock does appear and hold secrets, it’s just not prominent enough to deserve the title that it holds. The other three books — The Hidden Staircase, The Bungalow Mystery, and The Mystery at Lilac Inn — are other options, and The Mystery at Lilac Inn would have been the most appropriate title. It doesn’t have the immediate name recognition, which is why they didn’t pick it, but it really is much better and encapsulates the game much better, as the game revolves around the Mysteries that are tied to the Inn.

That’s all I really have to say about that, so onto the mystery!

The Mystery:

Nancy Drew is summoned to the Lilac Inn to help Emily Crandall, the friend of Nancy’s friend Helen Corning, who needs to put her recently deceased mother’s jewelry into a safe, and figures that Nancy’s father would have one.

If it sounds to you like a simple, if slightly contrived premise, then you’d be right.

Once Nancy gets there, however, she finds out that Emily is cracking under the pressure of running an Inn, that her guardian Jane Willoughby isn’t as much help as she should be, and that Emily and her mother were depending on money from Josiah Crowley’s will, which mysteriously only included his recent ESP teacher, Richard Topham, rather than the Crandalls and the local banker.

From there, things go from bad to worse as the inn’s kitchen catches fire, Emily’s jewels are stolen (and partially returned), and voices in the walls start manifesting — not to mention the fetch quests around Titusville that Nancy is sent on and the ridiculous Richard Topham hiding everything about himself other than how pompous he really is.

Nancy soon figures out that this mystery is two-headed, with one side revolving around the Inn itself and the other around Josiah Crowley’s real — and missing — will. Our villains catch on too, however, and Nancy has to race against their suspicion to expose the frauds, discover hidden secrets and identities, and solve the Secret of the Old Clock.

As a mystery, this one really is quite good for its time. Dual villains, each unconcerned with the other, hidden inheritance, Shakespeare references — it’s got it all. Though Jim Archer lets it down a bit in his sheer nothingness, and it functions as a howdunnit with a weird whodunnit beginning, CLK is solid ground after the incredibly shaky mystery in CUR, and it’s a lot of fun to play through.

The Suspects:

Emily Crandall is our protagonist and resident watering pot of CLK who spends the game moping and being Generally Unhelpful. Her mom’s death notwithstanding, Emily’s stressors are the Inn, her lack of money, and her fake-guardian making her think that she’s crazy.

So maybe her total lack of common sense in wanting to call in Nancy because Nancy’s bound to have a safe at home is a result of copious amounts of mental stress. One can only hope so, as by her next birthday she’s the legal owner of the Inn.

Emily actually would have been interesting as a villain, but she, like Jim, just isn’t enough of a presence in the game — which stands out since she’s the closest we’ve got to a main character! She cries a lot, she sits a lot, and that’s about it. She would have had to be a misguided villain, convinced that her guardian (who would have had to actually be Jane Willoughby) is after her fortune…but HER still isn’t up to that level yet, and it’s probably better that they went with a story they can tell wholly and mostly convincingly.

Honestly speaking, Emily, being as she is, is a more successful Linda Penvellyn, which I don’t actually think is unintentional. She’s being harassed and abused by someone who’s basically a family member but is still largely unfamiliar to her, the tie to her remaining family is gone (though Emily’s mother is dead, unlike Hugh Penvellyn), and she is being gaslighted to believe that she’s crazy.

Emily was allowed more agency, more screen time, and more pity by the writers and creators, and because of that, her situation with her Evil Jane is far more obvious to the average player, and she’s treated with far more sympathy than Linda historically has been by the fandom (though recent fan discussion has begun trending in Linda’s favor, which I think is wonderful and fantastic).

Jane Willoughby is, of course, not Jane Willoughby after all, but actually Marion Aborn, proving that identity theft in the 30s was as easy as…well, saying that your name was someone else’s name.

An acquaintance of the actual Jane Willoughby and a petty thief, Marion intercepted the letter about Gloria’s death and Jane’s status as Emily’s guardian and decided to try to cash in on potential cash by tormenting Emily until she signed over the Inn. Exploding the kitchen, stealing Emily’s jewels, and attempting to make the girl think that she was crazy to make her sell the Inn before her 18th birthday (after which Marion would receive no profits).

As one of two culprits, Marion is the more “subtle” culprit and has the more complicated background, but is also the one you have to deal with the most, and thus suffers slightly from being in the spotlight (and thus showing the obviously evil side of her) a little too much. As this game isn’t really concerned with its culprits as a centerpiece, however, Marion’s antics fit right in.

Marion also gets points for being a much more intelligent abusive culprit (contrasting Jane), working hard to make Emily think she’s crazy with a clear goal in mind and even going as far as stealing, then partially replacing, Emily’s jewels to really hammer home the idea that the girl wasn’t mentally well to others — and to Emily herself.

Richard Topham is a self-proclaimed ESP expert and everyone-else-proclaimed dick who ended up somehow being the beneficiary of Josiah Crowley’s will, despite his spoken intentions to leave it to the Crandalls and Jim Archer. He also has a very obnoxious cat named Uri, voiced by a lovely cat named Carl (though I bet you were expecting me to say Jonah Von Spreecken — never fear, he shows up as the Tubby Telegram guy!)

Richard is our other culprit, guilty of falsifying Josiah Crowley’s will when no one could find the original, leaving most everything to himself rather than to the Crandalls or Jim Archer as Josiah wanted. A slight throwback to the 1920s obsession with spiritualism that itself was a post-war reaction to massive death, Richard is as sleazy as they come, testing Nancy for an “inferior mind” and taking advantage of every situation in order to come out on top.

As a culprit, Richard’s technically the one with the bigger crime, but is overshadowed by the plotline with Emily and Marion and is thus a little forgettable, even though it was his actions that started this whole mess in the first place.

Finally, Jim Archer is the local banker who’s not having too good of a time during, well, the Great Depression, where hundreds of banks (and dozens of bankers’ hearts) failed. Promised a boon by Josiah Crowley, he, like Emily, is left in the lurch after the false will was presented. Jim was also a fellow student with Carson Drew at law school, but turned to banking as a career instead.

Despite his office being the location where Nancy finally figures out the mystery of the titular Old Clock and where she discovers that “Jane” is actually Marion, Jim really doesn’t have much to do in this game. He gives Nancy the dreaded sewing minigame and reminds the player that the stock market crash was a recent event, but other than that has very little impact.

Jim would have been a poor choice for a villain — he just doesn’t have the personality or impact necessary — as the only storyline readily available would have been him doing Dirty Deeds to keep his bank afloat…except for the fact that if he were a villain, his bank would have been doing fine, with no need for the will anyway.

The Favorite:

My favorite moment in the game, odd as it might seem, is the CB radio conversation-slash-puzzle. It’s so rare in these pre-Nik games that we actually get to see the lives of those not really related to the case/mystery and get a sense for the world spinning on despite the incident, and this is a great example of that done right.

Like the “freezer moment” mentioned in my Danger on Deception Island meta, this moment where Nancy can see how Josiah Crowley’s life has impacted people for the better, rather than the main game where so far his death has made everything worse. It’s a wonderful moment, and honestly the game is worth replaying on the merit of that alone (though there are many wonderful things about it).

My favorite puzzle is getting down into the secret passage (and all of the puzzles within the passage). It’s a ton of fun to find hidden passages that aren’t full of Deadly Traps or human remains, and the whole Creepy’s Corner puzzle is delightfully campy and awesome.

The best location in the game by far is the carriage house, where the aforementioned conversation takes place. Beautifully lit, nicely hidden away in stages, and the only place that doesn’t feel like a 1960s set of a 30s period piece.

I love this game as homage to the original Nancy Drew titles; though they’re changed somewhat to suit both a video game style and the take on the original canon that the video game universe took (such as making Nancy’s mother’s death at 10 as it was originally, which was the smartest move they’ve ever done).

Video-Game-Style Nancy’s far more like her original 30s version than the sanitized, “fashion-ized” version in the 60’s rewrites — a fact that becomes more and more clear as the series goes on — and it really does show here, as cowboy-cop Nancy wrangles not one but two crooks.

Speaking of, the last thing that I’ll mention in this section is the fact that there are two different culprits, each uncaring of the other. In a game series that was originally only supposed to be 12 games long (meaning CLK would be the last one), this is a delightfully fresh take and it makes untangling who did what a lot of fun and makes CLK different from most games before it.

I’ll talk more about this in later Nancy metas, but the shift from “one crime, one culprit” to a more “spread the guilt” approach really makes the games go up a level or two in enjoyability and in complexity, and CLK is a great example of how just having two culprits really makes the game much more fun to play around with.

The Un-Favorite:

All of that being said, there are some things in CLK that I really don’t love.

The sewing puzzle is honestly the worst; it’s hard with a mouse and nearly impossible with a trackpad, it’s tedious, and it doesn’t matter for the rest of the game, which is probably the worst part given how much effort it takes. It’s a puzzle for a puzzles’ sake, and doesn’t tell us anything we don’t already know (we know Jim’s not doing well; we know it’s the Great Depression, etc.), not to mention not rewarding the player nor Nancy for the effort.

My least favorite moment in the game would have to be Nancy’s first encounter with Richard Topham. Nancy’s autonomy is usually respected in both the 30s original drafts (less so in the 60s re-writes) and in the games, and Richard’s comments about lesser minds and his little test are, even with Nancy’s snarky comment about him in her diary, frankly out of place.

They don’t serve as a “relic of the times”, they don’t make us hate Richard more than we would have for stealing money from people who are literally drowning in bills and debt…and as much as the Nancy Drew books and character are feminist rather than Feminist, it’s honestly not great to have both his ‘clients’ during the course of the game be women that he treats the way he does.

It wasn’t necessary to have him behave the way he does, it contradicts the Spiritualist movement (which was most popular among women to a startling degree, and male Spiritualists tended to treat their female clients very well because that was the bulk of their clientele), and it doesn’t tell us anything new about him, because Nancy and the players already know he’s a fake and a blowhard.

The Fix:

So how would I fix Secret of the Old Clock?

The first and biggest fix I’d make is to include a strong storyline about Spiritualism. As noted several times above, Spiritualism was a huge force in the 1920s, and a period piece set in the year 1930 should necessarily reflect that. Quite frankly, all the nonsense about Jim Archer’s wife should just be cut and replaced with a big Spiritualism puzzle of some sorts.

I’m not saying a séance — no need to retread MHM — but an actual nod to Spiritualism (and through it, the first World War, which given Nancy’s age of 18, would have happened when she was a child) more than just “and this character is a psychic of sorts, don’t really think about it” would improve the game and ground it in its time period. Other than the references to money troubles and the ease of identity theft, there’s not much to ground CLK in its period, and I really think a Spiritualism storyline would aid that.

And if Spiritualism is involved, Richard becomes a more present, more serious character — and a more serious threat. It also opens the opportunity for the two plotlines to intersect — is Emily being driven crazy by stress, an enemy, or a malevolent spirit (which could even be supposed to be her mom, should they want a slightly darker turn)? Richard might visit the house to ensure there are no ‘malevolent presences’ around — and ensure that Crowley didn’t hide his will there.

It wouldn’t become a ‘haunting’ game; it would instead work on the aesthetic of familiar spirits — something that would be explored more fully in the next game.

I know this has been said, but I can’t emphasize enough that the sewing puzzle should be cut, even if there’s nothing to take its place. It’s a perfect example of the wrong puzzle, the wrong controls, and the wrong side-quest at the wrong time. I’m also not sure why they made Jim Archer a middle-aged banker rather than Helen Corning’s fiancée, but that’s too small a change to really bother with.

The other important change I would make is to change CLK from a weak whodunit — our culprits are already clearly the culprits — to a strong howdunit, which is what it really wants to be.

The beginning can stay the same — Nancy’s journey, Emily’s mother’s death, Richard’s faking of the will, Josiah Crowley’s death and promises, etc. — but introducing Richard Topham at the Inn, there to ‘visit’ and offer condolences and because he sensed Heavy Psychic Energy and wondered if it was coming from the house or from Emily. Have Emily tell Nancy in confidence that the other reason she called her in was because she’s either going crazy or being attacked on all sides, and the game can proceed on from that point.

Because the villains aren’t secret or even quasi-hidden in plain sight — save for Marion’s identity theft — it’s a much more natural shift to a howdunit than other games. Emily’s living in fear of Marion, running the Inn, and the possible Malevolent Spirit that may or may not be her mother haunting her through the Secret, Secret Passageway in the Inn, and Nancy’s suspicious of Richard Topham who inherited all of Crowley’s wealth, of the ‘hauntings’ of the Inn, and of the missing will and the gifts Josiah left behind.

Those two plotlines alone are enough to carry the game, especially including the Edutainment section on Spiritualism that would tie in with Richard Topham (and possibly include Emily’s mother having an interest due to her husband dying in the war), and so Jim Archer just isn’t needed as much. Whether he stays in the game in an even more reduced role or whether he’s replaced by a ninth-hour character in the form of Emily’s actual guardian, the real Jane Willoughby, is up to personal preference (though I personally like the second option).

Like all the Jetsetting games, CLK begins with a small problem that snowballs into larger and larger consequences. By emphasizing a Spiritualist plotline (culminating with the technology-based ‘encounters’ Josiah had with his CB radio friends), trimming down the fat with Jim Archer, and selling CLK from the beginning as more of a howdunit than a whodunit, CLK would improve enough to be more than just a good game, and become a standout of its era — as befitting the start of the titular teen detective.

#nancy drew #clue crew #secret of the old clock #nancy drew games #CLK #nancy drew meta #long post #my meta #video games

17 notes · View notes

streamofconsciousnesshorror-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Bird Box - Steam of Consciousness

Bird Box

I am about to sit and watch this movie. I’ve heard a lot about it and it seems to be the thing to see at the moment. Not sure what I’m going to make of it…

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS (obv)

Oh, Sandra Bullock

She seems nice… not!

“Boy and Girl”??

Aww, they’re cuties.

Oh no, not birds! I don’t want to see animals getting hurt.

So, what if they peek underneath the blindfold? That’s not taking them off…

They can see through them slightly it appears.

Have those kids really got all their belongings in those teeny tiny backpacks?

Oh, where do I know her from? The woman who just came in…

An “Arabian Stud”???

Okay, so Sandra’s character has… issues!

Getting over a break up?

And she’s preggers?

Oh I see, very preggers. lol

Sandra’s had work done, botox!

Euw, see that’s why I never wanted pregnancy — the throwing up!!

OMG, is she doing that to protest the orange velour tracksuit??

Okay, they’re all committing suicide. Here we go.

Damn, Sandra’s face is messed up!! She can’t move it anymore! She’s got no facial expressions!

DAMN, I doubt the unborn baby will survive that crash!

WOAH — actually saw her body getting splattered on that lorry!

This is disturbing.

They see loved ones before they kill themselves it seems.

Impressed so far, it’s really well done. I’m totally using my touch typing skills here, so I don’t have to look away!

You’ve got every stereotype here; murderous, gumpy old man, meathead white dude, hippy white chick, rich old white woman, token black guy, token hispanic looking girl, token Asian guy, got it all covered!

Oh there’s two black guys. lol

Supermarket Charlie. lol

Sandra not looking too good with that pregnancy.

Wondering where these two little kids come into it…

Ffs angry old man, it wasn’t her fault someone went out to try and help her.

Sandra in bed with full make-up on! As you do.

Oh great, is this one of those jumping backwards and forwards in time movies? Hate that.

Okay, her hair’s WAY longer here.

Oh those sweet little birds. Please don’t let them die!!

Oh of course, BIRD BOX!! Duh. I’m slow.

Okay I recognise the angry old man. I just can’t place him. IMDB time!

Nope, I know the name John Malcovic, but I can’t work out what I’ve seen him in.

Oh. Is this one pregnant or just fat?

Oh, pregnant. A friend for Sandra.

She was starving? Really?? K.

Why don’t I know anyone’s names yet?

What the hell are they doing now? Their plan went way over my head. lol

Asian guy is smiley, huh?

What’s Sandra got on her feet??

Just busting some stretches with my ass in the air, seems as good a time as any.

I thought pregnancy made your hair shiny and healthy! Not in this woman’s case.

Oh SHIT, it can be transmitted through a SCREEN!!

Oh dear, Asian guy’s a gonna!

But he didn’t see a relative beforehand, he just saw a black shadow.

“Thought it might be good for us to be close”… no luv, bugger off! lol

Shut UP! This big woman doesn’t stop talking.

WOW, that is some kitchen! #kitchenenvy

Ooookay then! Sex! lol

Sandra and this black guy are hitting it off!

I’m only calling him “black guy” because I literally don’t know any of their names!! Not sure if we’re supposed to or not, but…

Oh, back to the future again.

The length of her hair is making it look like this is YEARS in the future!

Who’s this tubby ginger git!?

Get him girl!!!

What was that about then? He wasn’t trying to kill himself, he was trying to get her blindfold off.

Back to the past — where are these two kids??

“why don’t i go on the first run, and you go on the second run”, she really doesn’t want that chatty pregnant woman around her. lol

Okay, but driving with blacked out windows just using a GPS is committing suicide anyway… may as well just walk out there as you are!

GPS picks up dead bodies apparently! lol

“Its just a speed bump”. Nah, it’s not mate!

All it needs is that thing to smash their windows!

GPS also picks up supernatural beings. Where did they get it from?

THEY ARE NOT SPEED BUMPS!

Okay, they’re there. So now what?

They DO look funny, gotta be honest!

“Jack-fucking-pot” lol

I would grab ALLLL the chocolate!

Hot black dude wants to bang Sandra.

Sandra is trying to smile at you, my dude, she just can’t move her botoxed face very much! Just FYI.

Aww, the birdies.

So get them some damn food and water then. Ugh!

Angry old man is gonna croak it first.

Someone’s knocking — is this the kids? But going by Sandra’s hair they can’t even have been born yet! Or barely.

Nope, it’s some guy.

He’s coming in no matter what.

Oh no, Supermarket Charlie just sacrificed himself!

Well they got back relatively easily.

Sandra’s REALLY got daddy issues!

“The hair is different… he had some” Ooh savage!

Okay, what are the two hippies doing? Ah we have names, Lucy and Felix. Shame they’re just about to die!

Oops, back to the future!

Here are these two cute kids who came from nowhere. They don’t look like twins, so they can’t be both hers or both the big woman’s!

Oh, one of the teeny tiny backpacks is gone!

Just keep worrying about the birds.

Oh it’s windchimes, I thought… never mind.

Did she REALLY think that string would last forever?

Oh shit, kids, get back down!!!

PUT THE BLINDFOLD BACK ON, WOMAN!!!!

So this thing will try to get to them, even if they’re blindfolded.

Nooo, little girl. You’re too adorable to get killed.

Blimey, she’s really rough with those kids. She’s like a drill sergeant!

“Its the end of the world”, may as well stop all the small talk and get on each other then!

Just sayin…

Erm, does he want to feel your baby bump luv? I think he’s more interested in just above or evenjust below that.

Back to the future!

Sandra with the Long Hair.

And back to short hair Sandra again.

Why are they so scared of a new guy coming in, this thing makes people commit suicide, not attack others?

This guy’s British! He must be protected.

British accent with an American twang. lol

Oh okay, so there’s another stage to it, where they’re happy and want everyone to see.

Angry old man has lost it!

OMG, THE OLD WOMAN HAD HER MOMENT!!! lmao

This big woman is SO fucking annoying

Her parents and her husband bought her all the FOOD.

“If something happens to me, I want you to take care of my baby”… perhaps one of the two kids is hers then. Must be both their kids.

Oh, the girl is hers then. The boy is Sandra’s I guess. But why call them Girl and Boy at the beginning?

She’s not very maternal is she? She talks to these kids like they’re annoying adults. lol

Hmm, so who looks? Your kid, or her kid?

What is this shite music?

Big Woman’s about to drop!

Sandra won’t be far behind by the looks of it.

Why does the British guy keep eyeing those sweet birds?

Yep, her waters have broken.

May have to look away if we’re seeing a birth.

WTF? Two screaming women giving birth at the same time?

Yeah, drown them out with music! lol

This British guy is fucking weird. And he can leave those birds alone.

Nice drawings… yeah he’s fucking crazy.

Boy is now born.

WHAT IS BRITISH GUY DOING WITH THOSE BIRDS??

NO, FUCK YOU! PUT THOSE BIRDS DOWN!!!!

OMG!!! He’s pulling the papers off the windows. He’s put the birds in the freezer.

GET THEM TF OUT!

Aww, well done black dude! Sorry he knocked you out.

OH SHIT — HE WANTS THEM ALL TO SEE!

Girl is now born.

Don’t let him near the baby!

“Can I see?” No, fuck off.

Oh no, Big Woman looked. Ugh.

You BASTARD, you made the old lady look!

Well this is a lovely start to life for those newborns. Welcome to the world, little ones.

Angry old man is going to save the day. Come on man, he’s getting closer, shoot him!!!

“Oi!” lol

There ya go, Angry Old Man is dead.

So the “infected” do kill others. At first all they did was commit suicide.

Who just shot who??

Oh phew! British guy is dead.

And now I know where the two kids come from…

Back to the future. And we now know it’s five years ahead.

So both these kids are the same age, but the girl looks younger.

Sandra looks better with long hair.

Oh, did she get it on with the black guy? Why don’t I know his name yet?

More sex! Bet the kids wake up.

Oh no… but we didn’t see anything. Damnit. lol

Damn that guy has an impressive upper body!

So wait, she’s going on the river on the word of some random man on a walkie talkie who said he has a “community”??

And why isn’t he with her? Does he die?

That little girl is sooo sweet. And I don’t even like kids usually.

I still don’t get why Sandra calls these kids “boy” and “girl”!

Oh chill out Sandra - allow your man to let the kids dream.

EXACTLY, give the poor kids NAMES!!

I don’t like Sandra.

Sandra looks blotchy.

I might start calling her “Woman”!

Yeah, Boy, Girl and Woman.

Wait are we back in the future again? So they did all go together?

Mmmm, Pop Tarts.

UNCOOKED Pop Tarts??

Oh shit, someone’s turned up.

Ah okay, they split up. I think the black guy’s about to get killed.

SHIT, this guy is a good aim with a blindfold on!

Ah no... he took it off. That’s it.

Aww, the sacrificed himself.

That’s it for him then...

WTF, HE SHOT HIMSELF!!!! NOOOOO.

Boy, Girl and Woman are really alone now.

Nice over-acting there Woman.

Very well done considering you can’t move your face.

She’s really shitty to those kids. I don’t like kids and I’d be nicer than that to them, besides they’re cute af.

Right we’re all up to date now with them on the river.

Boy, Girl and the birds to survive. Don’t care about Woman.

That’s a nice fashion statement - cut a hole in your cuff and stick your thumb through it.

Bitch should be the one to take her blindfold off - THEY ARE LITTLE CHILDREN!!

And they’re out of the boat...

“GIRL, GIRL, GIRL” Ffs, names for them! It’s not that hard.

Aww, just want to take that little dumpling home with me - Girl that is.

Ooh, the entity is trying to get her to take the blindfold off.

Natalie... Emily... Madeline? Still can’t get her name.

Valerie?

Oh well, she’s still Woman to me.

NO, don’t do it Boy!

NO GIRL!!!

“My children”?? Is Sandra having a change of heart?

Girl is scared of Sandra - I don’t blame you sweet thing.

Awww, there she is. I may be tearing up a little...

Someone’s cutting onions in here, that’s all.

Why the hell can’t I make out Woman’s name.

Okay, it’s definitely Valerie.

So what they see is probably dead loved ones, like that woman at the beginning saw her late mother.

You’d think a powerful entity would’ve worked out how to remove blindfolds off potential victims, wouldn’t you.

For God’s sake, stop tripping up, Valerie.

“Just take the children”... follows them straight in!

Why the weird shots, why aren’t we seeing Rick?

Is it Rick Grimes? That’d be weird, huh? lol

OH, THEY’RE BLIND!!!

They’d be the only ones left I guess. And those who didn’t remove their blindfolds.

They’re letting the birds free. Bless.

They survived!!!

Someone’s cutting those onions again...

Boy has the most gorgeous eyes!

Oh bless, Olivia and Tom.

This is all bit too perfect - when does it go wrong?

No horror movie can end like this...

Tell me there’s more after the credits!!!

Oh my God, what an anticlimax. That was the shittiest ending ever!

Overall I’d give this movie a 6/10. I wasn’t bored stiff, but I was waiting for more to happen and it never did. The end was ridiculously stupid and I now know what people meant when they complained about it. What do you think. Please weigh in with your comments.

#bird box #birdbox #movie review #horror movie #horror #streamofconsciousness

6 notes · View notes

wiganjazzzz · 6 years ago

Text

The Ronnie Scott’s Jazz 60

London's iconic jazz club, Ronnie Scott's, celebrates its 60th birthday this year and to recognise this fact they have produced a list of their most significant jazz albums of the last 60 years.

Here is what they say:

The Ronnie Scott’s Jazz 60 is comprised of the 60 most important, most brilliant, most innovative and most significant jazz albums that have been recorded over the last 60 years. Artists who have shared their personal jazz favourites include the likes of Soweto Kinch, Nubya Garcia, Courtney Pine, Pee Wee Ellis, Billy Cobham, Claire Martin, Alex Garnett, Natalie Williams, Moses Boyd, and Monty Alexander. Broadcasters and journalists such as Gilles Peterson, Cerys Matthews, Robert Elms, Helen Mayhew, Mike Hobart, Rosie Hanley, David Freeman, Jane Cornwell, Mike Vitti and Jez Nelson have also provided their top albums. Additionally, industry expert and resident Ronnie Scott’s Music Bookings Coordinator Paul Pace also shared a list of the Jazz albums which have inspired him. Now that all of the submissions are in, the team at Ronnie Scott’s has been able to reveal which albums have proven the most popular with the panellists and most importantly, which albums have made the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz 60. The list is not a best-seller list or a best-of : it's a collection of albums which, in the opinion of the panellists, represents the last 60 years of jazz, and the depth and breadth of the genre. It shows jazz in the past, present and future.

THE RONNIE SCOTT'S JAZZ 60

Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda Archie Shepp - Attica Blues Art Blakey - Moanin’ Betty Carter - The Audience with Betty Carter Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard Cannonball Adderley - Somethin’ Else Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Courtney Pine - Journey to the Urge Within The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out Dave Holland - Extensions Dexter Gordon - Go Ella Fitzgerald - Ella In Berlin: Mack the Knife Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch! Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Seven Days of Falling Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay George Benson - Breezin’ Gregory Porter - Water Hank Mobley - Soul Station Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage Horace Silver - Song for My Father Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius Joe Henderson - Page One< John Coltrane - A Love Supreme John Coltrane - Giant Steps Kamasi Washington - The Epic Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert Kurt Elling - The Messenger Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder Loose Tubes - Loose Tubes The Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire Mark Murphy - Stolen Moments Mary Lou Williams - Black Christ of the Andes Michael Brecker - Tales of the Hudson Miles Davis - Kind of Blue Miles Davis - In a Silent Way Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley - Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come Oscar Peterson Trio - Night Train Pat Metheny Group - Still Life (Talking) Robert Glasper - Black Radio Roy Hargrove - Earfood Sarah Vaughan - Ronnie Scott’s Presents Sarah Vaughan Live Shirley Horn - Here’s to Life Stan Getz & João Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto Sonny Rollins - The Bridge Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile Stan Tracey - Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas’s “Under Milk Wood” Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One Tubby Hayes - Tubbs in N.Y. Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil Weather Report - Heavy Weather Wes Montgomery - The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery Wynton Marsalis - Black Codes (From the Underground) Yussef Kamaal - Black Focus

#Jazz #Music #London #Birthday #60th #classic album #ronnie scott

5 notes · View notes

x22wg · 6 years ago

Text

Pharah’s Duty (part 2)

It’s not easy keeping junk food from penetrating the perimeter when everyone seems intent on smuggling stuff in. Still, Pharah is intent on doing the best she can. Nothing exemplifies the importance of this task than chunky speedster Lena Oxton. Ever since spending last Christmas with her girlfriend, Tracer has been packing on the pounds. Pharah has to do what it takes, but that means getting a hold of Mercy who has been curiously absent for a while... To see some tubby Tracer and more, do check out @overwatchinandovereatin * * *

With the computer pad propped up against her belly, Lena Oxton lay back in her bed and grinned over a plush double chin. On the other end of the video call, Emily failed to stop herself from laughing at the cheesy joke her girlfriend had just made.

"It sounds like you all have your hands full down there," Emily managed as she brought her chuckles under control.

"Pretty much. Cor, Halloween's right around the corner and I'd hoped we could do some... trick or treating together." Tracer's tone did suggest innuendo, but Emily had a suspicion it was entirely unintentional. These days Lena just couldn't get enough treats. "But with everything going on I'll have to stay here."

"Surely they'll let me send you some candy for Halloween."

"I wouldn't count on it." Lena had to disappoint her girlfriend. "Not gonna lie: I am getting a bit hacked off with Angela being so bloody strict."

Emily offered her poor, pudgy sweetheart a sympathetic look. She certainly did not relish seeing Lena deprived of ample nourishment.

"On the other hand... om-nom ...she hasn't dragged me to any physicals in a while. In fact I don't think I've even seen her for, like, weeks." All of a sudden Tracer's mouth was full. "So I'm stuck with all these donuts." She waved a half-eaten pastry in front of the camera for emphasis – rather awkwardly what with all the boobs and chins and chunky arm crowding the field of vision.

Emily let out an adoring little chuckle.

"Wha'?" Stuffing the rest of the donut into her mouth, Lena looked dumbfounded – oblivious to the icing she had somehow smeared on the tip of her nose.

"You've got a little something there..." Emily indicated mirthfully before she burst out laughing.

Quite cross-eyed, Lena was trying helplessly to reach the rogue icing with her tongue. Not even concentrating really, really hard got her any closer.

"Here, let me help you..." Emily said coyly once she had recovered. Leaning forward, she licked at the camera. Slowly, sensually. It stopped Tracer's attempt dead in its tracks. Colour rising in her cheeks, she froze with her eyes wide, mouth agape. Hand resting in the box of donuts next to her bed.

"N-no fair..." Lena muttered, voice tinged with lust. Her free hand played impatiently with the bulging flab of her lovehandle for want of a more pertinent place.

"Sorry darling. I promise to make it up to come Christmas."

In Lena's eyes, lust now mixed with another craving – a heady cocktail Emily had become increasingly familiar with. "Are you doing your dad's roast recipe?" she inquired, now giving her girlfriend her undivided attention.

Emily nodded slyly. "And if you're a good girl: my nana's trifle."

"Blimey..." Tracer moaned before stuffing a whole donut into her mouth to quell her longing. "I godda bri'g my stretch pants."

It was Emily's turn to turn red. Quite clearly she could imagine her girlfriend sprawled at the Christmas dinner table, her belly bulging over the edge while she herself brought out the turkey for yet another course.

While the redhead fantasized, the allure of the promised feast had started to dispel lust from Tracer's mind. Lazily, mechanically, she was stuffing donut after donut into her mouth to satisfy her inflamed appetite. Noticing her girlfriend's strange look, she assured her through a greasy mouthful: "Don't worry, I'm keeping trim until the holidays, luv."

Emily's confused face begged further explanation.

"Brigitte – you know, Torbjörn's kid – has been dragging me to the training hall a ton lately. I dunno what the deal is, but she's super-stoked to see me run." Lena munched lazily on a donut stub, striking a figure that couldn't be any less athletic if she tried. "She and Genji keep saying it's just 'light training' but I tell you, I'm knackered."

"Aww you poor dear," Emily half-smiled, tutting sympathetically. "Come to mummy and let her take proper care of you over the holidays. You can put your feet up and get some rest."

"You're the best, Em," Lena said fondly, doing her best to appear ragged and pitiable. "Lookin' forward to it!"

"Anything for my hero." Emily blew her a kiss before her eyes glanced down at the time: "Oh shoot, I have to go. Love you, darling! See you soon! Enjoy your donuts."

Unmoving, Lena returned the kiss languidly, inadvertently rolling her ample double chin in the process. "Aye, aye!" she complied, before punctuating the broadcast with a small belch.

Plascrate of confiscated goods in hand, Pharah could just barely make out the sound of voices from Tracer's room as she went past. Reminded how out of shape the ex-pilot was from bad eating habits, the security officer hastened her stride.

Her eagerness to be rid of her load bolstered by thinking of the bloated Brit, Pharah quickly made her way over to Dr. Ziegler's office. She nudged the call button on the door, but once again got no reply. After waiting patiently, she pushed it again on impulse, then two more times.

Silently chiding herself for the immature display, the security officer sighed and gave up. Just as she turned to leave, the comm crackled to life.

"Zzz... hmm? What's... who's there?"

Before Fareeha could reply to the doctor's incoherent question, the door slid open. Keen to get this over with, she stepped inside without a second thought.

"Mmmh... was ist los...?" Mercy muttered so sleepily it seemed she had opened the door only by accident.

"Dr. Ziegler, I just wanted to ask you what I should–" Fareeha peered into the barely lit room. Her eyes adjusting to the dark, she cut herself off with a gasp.

#Overwatch #tracer #pharah #mercy #fat #stuffing #belly #weight gain

6 notes · View notes

statechampion · 6 years ago

Photo

SC “SF” FALL TOUR 2018

TH 11/1 – ST. LOUIS, MO @ THE SINKHOLE (7423 S BROADWAY) W/ ABI OOZE + STONE HEN

https://www.facebook.com/events/468975780256886/

FR 11/2 – MURRAY, KY @ TERRAPIN STATION (920 S 12TH ST) W/ SECULAR PETS

https://www.facebook.com/events/2136617013243111/

SA 11/3 – COOKEVILLE, TN @ CHAR (14 S WASHINGTON AVE) W/ COMMANDER KEEN + PUMPKINSEED + WICA INTINA

https://www.facebook.com/events/1903930619725702/

SU 11/4 – KNOXVILLE, TN @ THE PILOT LIGHT (106 E JACKSON AVE) W/ PSYCHIC BAOS

https://www.facebook.com/events/206917203315452/

MO 11/5 – ASHEVILLE, NC @ THE MOTHLIGHT (701 HAYWOOD RD) W/ MJ LENDERMAN + WES TIREY

https://www.facebook.com/events/561229717631562/

TU 11/6 – DURHAM, NC @ DUKE COFFEEHOUSE (106 EPWORTH LN) W/ SPIDER BAGS

https://www.facebook.com/events/2257464487821663/

WE 11/7 – ATHENS, GA @ CALEDONIA LOUNGE (256 W CLAYTON ST) W/ DEEP STATE + ROSE HOTEL

https://www.facebook.com/events/449355678928837/

TH 11/8 – ATLANTA, GA @ THE EARL (488 FLAT SHOALS AVE SE) W/ ARBOR LABOR UNION + NEW JUNK CITY + SUNSET PIG

https://www.facebook.com/events/253709735329410/

FR 11/9 – NASHVILLE, TN @ SOFT JUNK (919 GALLATIN AVE # 14) W/ JONATHAN STONE PHILLIPS + COUNTRY WESTERNS

https://www.facebook.com/events/262768911248412/

SA 11/10 – LOUISVILLE, KY @ ZANZABAR (2100 S PRESTON ST) “SEND FLOWERS” RECORD RELEASE SHOW W/ DAVID NANCE BAND + AXIS: SOVA

https://www.facebook.com/events/353032045263534/

SU 11/11 – CINCINNATI, OH @ NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB (4227 SPRING GROVE AVE) W/ CASPER SKULLS + SMUT + VIRGINIA CREEPERS

https://www.facebook.com/events/278804766064587/

MO 11/12 – BALTIMORE, MD @ CREATIVE LABS (1786 B UNION AVE) W/ HOTHEAD + ANTI-PLANET

https://www.facebook.com/events/2226770580945551/

TU 11/13 – WASHINGTON, DC @ COMET PING-PONG (5037 CONNECTICUT AVE) W/ HOTHEAD

https://www.facebook.com/events/473872946435472/

WE 11/14 – BROOKLYN, NY @ UNION POOL (484 UNION AVE) W/ MAIL THE HORSE + GARCIA PEOPLES

https://www.facebook.com/events/325794864666641/

TH 11/15 – BURLINGTON, VT @ SIDEBAR (202 MAIN ST) W/ FOOTINGS + HOMEBOY

https://www.facebook.com/events/280906842550276/

FR 11/16 – PETERBOROUGH, NH @ HARLOW’S PUB (3 SCHOOL ST) W/ FOOTINGS

https://www.facebook.com/events/1878926222143782/

SA 11/17 – BOSTON, MA @ THE DEMOCRACY CENTER w/ (45 MOUNT AUBURN ST) W/ PILE + BAD HISTORY MONTH

https://www.facebook.com/events/246839859514820/

SU 11/18 – GREENFIELD, MA @ THE ROOT CELLAR (10 FISKE AVE) W/ HUEVOS II + FOOTINGS

https://www.facebook.com/events/324451734790500/

MO 11/19 – KINGSTON, NY @ TUBBY’S (586 BROADWAY) W/ ANDY WEAVER

TU 11/20 – PHILADELPHIA, PA @ JERRY’S ON FRONT (MOVED TO ORTLIEB’S) (847 N THIRD ST) W/ SOFT CRIME + EMILY ROBB / LINDA FOX

https://www.facebook.com/events/340861703131666/

WE 11/21 – CHARLESTON, WV @ KIN SHIP GOODS (613 TENNESSEE AVE)

https://www.facebook.com/events/259005354763706/

TH 11/22 – LEXINGTON, KY @ GREEN LANTERN (497 W 3RD ST) W/ DANIEL CASE

https://www.facebook.com/events/924721091049841/

FR 11/23 – INDIANAPOLIS, IN @ STATE STREET PUB (243 N STATE AVE) W/ LANDON CALDWELL’S ATOMIC GARDEN + GUITARS OF MIDDLE WESTERN USA

https://www.facebook.com/events/188507958720971/

SA 11/24 – CHICAGO, IL @ THE HIDEOUT (1354 W WABANSIA AVE) W/ GLYDERS + BILL MACKAY

https://www.facebook.com/events/331849100939115/

SU 11/25 – MADISON, WI @ THE WISCO (852 WILLIAMSON ST)

https://www.facebook.com/events/340969876668165/

STAY TUNED HERE OR TEXT US IN THE VAN FOR MORE INFO / UPDATES.

1 note · View note

littleredroseonthevalley · 7 years ago

Text

An Opera on Separation - Chapter 5

Prologue | Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | CH.5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Ch. 18 |

Summary: Friday comes, and Emily and Zig make some plans for the weekend to come. Queenie finds a new way to make quick cash.

Rating: M - Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language.

Words: 1916

Notes: Third chapter this week! I’ll be short. Beyoncé music. Listen to it. Subscribe to taglist. Review, for the love of God.

Freakum Dress

“Good morning, honey!” Queenie sung from the kitchen.

“Good morning, mom.” The redhead responded, emerging from the bathroom fresh and dressed for her working Friday. “What are you doing?”

“I’m making some sugar-free brownies to sell at the community center gym this afternoon.” She answered, placing a batch on the oven. “They were a hit back in Florida.”

“It smells great!” The girl praises her mother.

“It tastes even better.” She smirked. “Those tubbies won’t know what hit ‘em! Gonna make big cash and then I’ll buy myself some new clothes, ‘cause those are going on the way of the dodo.”

“Don’t call them tubbies.” The redhead rolled her eyes. “I’d prefer if you helped making rent, but that’s not going to happen, is it?”

Queenie giggled. “Not on a million years.”

Emily picked up the empty sugar container from the counter. “Mom, didn’t you say those were sugar-free brownies?”

“That I did, honey.” The woman nodded.

“And how in the world you used up all your sugar, then?” The redhead shows her the container accusingly.

The woman rolled her eyes, as if her daughter made a stupid question. “On the brownies, of course. Or else they taste horrible.”

“So, you’re going to sell pretend-sugar free brownies to people who are dieting and exercising?” The redhead asked, incredulous.

Queenie tapped her cheek. “That’s my smart girl! Feel free to have a slice for breakfast.”

“Mom!” She chastised. “What if you sell them to a diabetic?”

“Please, I sold them to plenty of diabetics back in Florida. They all lived!” The woman pointed out. “Besides, what I really want to know is what happened between you and yesterday’s brownie man.”

“Brownie man? Who’s…” Recognition dawns on Emily. “Mom! Don’t call Zig that! It’s racist!”

“Boo-hoo. I’m old, I can say whatever I want.” The woman mocked. “And, yeah, Zigmund. What a piece of ass that is, Heavens!”

The redhead rolled her eyes. “Whatever, mom. And there’s nothing going on between me and Zig. We’re just friends.”

“Yeah, the way that boy has looked at you since college, he’s not in this to be your friend, honey.” Queenie said, scoffing. “He wants to make lots of babies with you, that’s what he wants.”

“Don’t be crass.” The daughter responded, not very into it. “And I’m running late to work. See you tonight!”

“See you, honey.” The woman waved.

“And don’t sell those brownies!” She warned from the door.

“Fat chance!” The woman laughs. “You get it? Fat chance!”

The first time that day Emily saw Zig was, as it was to be expected, during lunch hour, at the teachers’ lounge.

She was having lunch with the rest of the department of linguistics when he entered through the hallway door. He greeted Principal Jones and the remainder colleagues at the room before marching over to the table where she sat.

“Hey, Emily?” He taps her shoulder. “Can we talk?”

“Sure.” The woman nodded and followed him over to the hallway. Once away from prying ears she asks: “What is it?”

“I just wanted to tell you I had a wonderful time last night. The lasagna was really good, you’re an awesome cook.” The black-haired said, with a smile.

“Oh, thanks! I’m very happy you like it.” She beamed.

It was rare for someone to compliment her cooking, honestly. Between her mother’s permanent fowl mood, and Nathan, who always seemed to prefer Claudia’s, it has been quite a while since anyone ate and enjoyed what she made.

She, then, looked at him, confused. “Is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“No, actually.” He scratched the back of his head. “I was wondering if you wouldn’t like to do that again sometime. Perhaps going out? My treat, of course.”

“Go out?” She asked, surprised with the suggestion. “You mean, like on a date? On a date date, or more like as friends?”

“I meant… Well, I’d like it to be a date.” The man sighed. “Emily, look, I like you. I’d like to go out with you. If you don’t like me back, that’s okay, we can forget all about it.”

The redhead grinned. “Okay. I’ll be more than happy to go out with you.”

“Really?” He smiled widely. “Awesome! How ‘bout Saturday? Tomorrow, I mean. We can go out, grab a bite, dance. I’ll pick you up at eight?”

“Sounds great to me.” Emily nodded vigorously.

Zig smirked. “Great. I’ll see you then.”

Saturday came and passed, and Emily was finishing up getting ready for her date that night. She wore an emerald-green dress that stopped just after her knees. For shoes, she wore some black stilettos and an evening purse to match.

She emerged from the bedroom and made a twirl, giggling. “So, how do I look, mom?”

Queenie let out a delighted gasp. “You look great, honey! Is this Dolce and Gabbana I see?”

“Yeah, I saved this one for a special occasion.” The redhead nodded. “Figured it’d hard to find a more special occasion than this one.”

“First dates call for brand name.” The mother agreed. “Anyways, how did Zig got out from being ‘just a friend’ Thursday night to be your date tonight, honey?”

“He asked me out on a date Friday afternoon and I said yes.” The woman answered while putting on a pair of earrings over at the bathroom mirror.

“I see.” The older woman smirked. “That’s because the guy’s not in love with you. I can only wonder if he was! You’d be off to the church by now.”

“Don’t be dramatic, mom.” Emily complained, and the doorbell rang at precisely eight PM.

The redhead answered the door. “Hello, Zig!”

“Jesus, Emily!” He breathed out. “You look breathtaking!”

“Thank you!” She smirked. “You don’t look too shabby yourself.”

Zig wore a gray button-up shirt, a blue tie and a jacket, in a sport casual look which befitted both his personality and his tall, dark and handsome build.

Queenie took the opportunity to make her presence known. “Hello, Zig. How are you tonight?”

“I’m fine, thanks for asking.” He responded, still with that fool-in-love smile of his for the woman’s daughter.

“And I don’t suppose these flowers you’re holding are for me?” She pointed out, with her own deviant smirk.

“What…? Oh!” He stood straight as if hit by lightning. “I almost forgot. Here, Emily, those are for you.”

The redhead beamed. “Oh, they’re beautiful, Zig! Thank you very much!”

“I’ll put it on a vase for you, honey. Now, move along, I’m pretty sure you have a dinner reservation, don’t you?” Queenie said, taking the flowers from her daughter.

“We do, actually.” The man nodded and offered Emily his arm. “Shall we?”

The mother waved at the couple. “Bye-bye! Don’t do anything I would do!”

A short fifteen-minute stroll later, and they reached a fancy European restaurant, The Cheetah. Zig gave the hostess his name and they were led to a lavish, yet secluded, table at the dimly-lit salon.

Emily was presented with a menu and was surprised to see it had only the names of the dishes, no prices.

She frowned. “Zig, are you sure you want to eat here?”

“Sure, why?” He asks, confused. “You don’t like it here?”

“Not at all, the restaurant is absolutely lovely!” The redhead said, shaking her head in adamant denial. “I just thought we’d be going to somewhere more… modest.”

He laughed. “You don’t think I can afford it, do you?”

The woman had the sense to look embarrassed. “I wasn’t going to say it, but no. I know we don’t make much cash.”

“Emily, I am sorry. I really thought you knew.” He smirked. “Have you had any news from Tyler?”

Of course she had. Well, not as much as from him as about him. Tyler had become a Silicon Valley legend, programming a compressing and uncompressing software with no quality loss. He became one of the wealthiest and most respected tech moguls in North America.

“I’ve heard of what he has been doing.” She nodded.

“Well, I helped Tyler develop the prototype for the software. I own 15% of his company.” He smirked.

The woman blushed and looked down to her hands. “I feel pretty foolish right now. I’m really sorry, Zig.”

“No problem. If anything, makes me glad you agreed to go out with me because you like me.” He smirked. “I mean, you did marry old money.”

She scoffed. “Nathan? Old money? I mean, we certainly had a comfortable life, but we were far from the 1%. We lived off mostly of his World Bank salary.”

“I see.” He tutted, suspicious. “Why did you get divorced, again? You never told me.”

“Well, one night he told me he was cheating on me and was leaving me to be with his mistress. Actually, who was supposed to leave was me, since it was his house and what not.” The redhead said. “But, if I’m being honest, it was a long-coming. We hardly talked on those months, even years, leading to it.”

“Wait, so he just came up to you and said that you were through?” The man asks, incredulous.

“Pretty much.” She nodded. “It’d be over the phone if I didn’t forget to charge it the night before. I even got to meet Ashley-Amber.”

“What a dick.” The black-haired grumbled. He wanted to say worse, but he was mindful of his environment.

“How about yourself?” She asks, trying to deflect attention from herself. “I’m sure a handsome man like yourself didn’t had any difficulty finding a date over the years.”

He laughed, self-conscious. “Yeah, dates come easy. But I never found anyone I wanted to be with. Like, for real. It’s all in good fun, but when it comes down, we’re not that compatible, you know?”

“I understand.” She smirked. “You should hear what the other teachers say about you.”

“What?” He nudged her.

“I don’t know if I should tell you.” She said, teasingly.

He persisted. “Come on! Now you gotta tell me.”

The redhead laughed and said: “You ought to rethink your choice of jeans. They all say it makes your ass incredible distracting.”

They bantered and talked the night away at the restaurant.

“Back late, aren’t we, honey?” Queenie said from the living room, as Emily crossed into the apartment’s threshold. “I was starting to think you wouldn’t be back tonight.”

“I’m not the kind that has sex on the first date.” She dismissed, haughtily.

“You’re not wrong. You gotta to keep them wanting more.” The older one nodded, enthusiastic. “But nothing happened?”

“Nothing that you might be interested in, no. But we had a great time, and we’re going out again next Friday.” She responded, walking over to the fridge and pouring herself a glass of water.

“Well, if nothing more, he sure looks like a good lay.” The blonde appraised.

Emily opened her mouth to berate her mother for objectifying Zig but was cut short by her phone ringing.

“Hello?” She answers.

“Emily, why don’t you ever answer your phone?” A voice complains.

“Good night to you too, Nathan.” She rolled her eyes. “It was on silent mode on my purse. I have a life, you know? I’m not on your beck and call, certainly not now that we’re divorced.” She emphasized the word in disdain.

“On the contrary, we’re not. But that’s why I called. The judge scheduled a hearing for our case on Monday. You need to come to D.C. to sign the papers.”

<< Previous Chapter Next Chapter >>

An Opera on Separation - Masterlist

#an opera on separation #the junior #zigmund ortega

10 notes · View notes

fardell24b · 3 years ago

Text

The Story of D - Facebook Edition

The Story of D – Facebook Edition

Helen Morgendorffer -> Rita Chalmers

But, if Erin never loved him, why'd she marry him in the first place?

Rita Chalmers Because he gave her herpes and thought no one else would want her!

Helen Morgendorffer Oh, lord Rita, it's a new millennium. When will people get rid of these outmoded ideas about sex?

Jane Lane Where is Daria?

Daria Morgendorffer Crap!

Stacy Rowe I wish I could win a Fashionvision Humanitarian Award.

Sandi Griffin As a prominent extracurricular organisation at Lawndale High, the Fashion Club has decided to lend our name to a worthy cause.

Quinn Morgendorffer A new mirror in the girl’s bathroom to replace the one that adds two pounds.

Sandi Griffin Donating a mirror will reflect well on us.

Jane Lane The plot may be a little muddled, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the story!

Sick Sad World This king of the jungle was one tubby tabby, until the animal plastic surgeon came to call. Lipo for Leo, next on Sick, Sad World.

Jake Morgendorffer Dammit! Why do they have to make the eye of the needle so darn small?

Sandi Griffin The Fashion Club has decided to write our own Fashion Magazine, in which we will make our own prognostications as to which trends will occur.

Jake Morgendorffer If it wasn't for Ellenbogen, I might be a Broadway lyricist. I could write songs for cats. I could write songs for dogs!

Helen Morgendorffer What are Daria and Tom up to?

Thomas Sloane Daria’s story was great!

Sandi Griffin The Fashion Club is proud to present, the Inaugural Fashion Club Forecast. Come to us outside Ms. Li’s Office lunchtime today and tomorrow.

Joseph Green. “An Ode to Aubergine”, interesting…

Jane Lane Maybe Quinn could publish your story, Daria.

Daria Morgendorffer I have already submitted it to this month’s Musings Story Competition.

Jane Lane That’s great!

Daria Morgendorffer It was Tom’s idea.

Timothy O’Neill That’s wonderful Daria!

Daria Morgendorffer I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention it in class.

Timothy O’Neill I won’t

Daria Morgendorffer Damn lying teacher!

Jane Lane He meant well for a teacher who does nothing well.

Daria Morgendorffer I'm reminded of my father.

Jane Lane Why?

Daria Morgendorffer Because I can't get the phrase, "damn idiot teachers with their damn idiot brains," out of my head.

Jodie Landon Congratulations

Daria Morgendorffer I haven’t heard back yet!

Kevin Thompson Then Why are you telling people you won?

Brittany Taylor Instead of making stuff up about writing, shouldn't you pick something good?

Daria Morgendorffer How's this. During the day, I'm a mild-mannered student. But at night, I fight crime in a stretchy-stretchy costume.

Kevin Thompson Cool! I didn't know that.

Brittany Taylor She doesn’t really.

Jodie Landon Hopefully you’ll win.

Janet Barch In the name of Jane Austin, Emily Dickinson, Anne Bronte, Emily Bronte, and Charlotte Bronte, I want to say, "You go, girl!"

Quinn Morgendorffer I can't believe all our newsletter predictions were wrong! Hems hike up, heels fall down, tweezing isn't pleasing, and dark colors like aubergine, are over.

Sandi Griffin Who would have thought that brightly comic tones like peach and lemon would suddenly come into vogue. I need to be alone.

(Sandi Griffin is offline)

Tiffany Blum-Deckler This is so sad.

Stacy Rowe Why does everything always happen to us?

Daria Morgendorffer I’ve been rejected.

Thomas Sloan What did they say?

Daria Morgendorffer Don’t worry. You’ll get over it. I knew it wasn’t good enough.

Thomas Sloane Okay, so maybe it was the wrong place. Or just a bad judge. There are lots of competitions out there. Send it somewhere else.

Daria Morgendorffer It's not enough to get rejected once, you want me to get rejected dozens of times?

Thomas Sloane Come on. It happens to everyone. One try and you give up?

Daria Morgendorffer Hey, I listened when you told me to send it in, and look what happened. Now you want me to keep submitting it so I can live in a state of perpetual misery. God, you're insensitive.

Thomas Sloane No, I’m supportive. But you're too thick-headed to notice. I liked that story, I thought it was smart, funny and insightful. None of which I could say about you right now.

Sandi Griffin Attention! Due to a senseless act of sabotage currently under investigation by investigators. The articles in our newsletter were altered prior to publication and without our knowledge. We are therefore rectifying the situation by issuing refunds.

Sandi Griffin Maybe we don’t have to do something to get a plaque…

Sandi Griffin after a couple of tries, here is our dedication of plaque in the girls bathroom.

<-Video->

It’s the thought that counts.

Stacy Rowe I said I was sorry!

Daria Morgendorffer -> Thomas Sloane I'm cooking up a delicious juicy crow tonight and thought you might like to come over for a drumstick.

Thomas Sloane Oh, I'm not hungry... but I'll watch you eat.

Daria Morgendorffer So, apparently the judges liked my story, but didn’t want to publish it as a part of the Competition, but look forward to rejecting me in the future?

Helen Morgendorffer Daria and Tom kissing!? What else are they up to?

#brittany taylor #daria #daria morgendorffer #fanfic #helen morgendorffer #jake morgendorffer #jane lane #janet barch #jodie landon #kevin thompson #quinn morgendorffer #sandi griffin #stacy rowe #the story of d #timothy oneill #tom sloane

1 note · View note

futurejunglist · 4 years ago

Photo

Future Jungle Sessions #65 // 8K.NZ Radio // 01.05.2021

https://www.gwarden.net // https://linktr.ee/gwarden_nz

LIVE on 8K.NZ ~ SAT 19:00 (NZST) // MON 00:00 // WED 05:00 // FRI 22:00

A brand new selection of the freshest cuts, with Kiwis Midknight Moon, Sly Chaos and 33 Below, features from Break, Crom, Degs, GLXY, Iskia, Kleu, Lynx, Q Project, Sl8r, and Soul Intent, plus remixes by Black Barrel, CLIPZ, Calibre and Kasra!

Goddard. - Nicotine [DnB Allstars Records]

Maykors - Inner [Four Corners]

Hound - Pressure Point [SBK Recordings]

Qant. - Bam Bam [Fokuz Recordings]

Midknight MooN, Benjamin Taggart - Calico [Liquid Flavours Records]

Lynx - In My Mind [Souped Up Records]

Walk:r, Riya - Paragon [Spearhead Records]

A K A - Correlation [Ekou Recordings]

Particle - Fall 2 Fast [Drum&BassArena]

Q Project - Trouble (Myth Remix) [C.I.A.]

Phace, Buunshin - IDLE [Neosignal Recordings]

Lynx, Kusp - Rap Dude [Souped Up Records]

Sl8r - Other Life [Chronic]

Sl8r - Peyote [Chronic]

Nu Elementz - Ghosts [Sweet Tooth Recordings]

Jando - Jaguar Trap [Grid Recordings UK]

Iskia - Ways of the Underground [Program]

Toby Ross, DnB Allstars - Girl [Allstars RAW]

Shy FX, Breakage - Rastafari (feat. Ras Haile Malekot) [Digital Soundboy]

Stylo G, Busta Rhymes - Outta Space (CLIPZ Remix) [3Beat]

Soul Intent - Throwing Shapes [Commercial Suicide]

Lady Blackbird - Collage (Calibre Remix) [Foundation Music]

Enei - Ignit [Critical Music]

DPR, Leo Wood - Eden [Future Retro]

Dioptrics - Virion [Machinist Music]

Hugh Hardie, Zoe Kypri - Dream In Green [Hospital Records]

Roni Size, Reprazent - Brown Paper Bag (2017 Remix) [Full Cycle]

Break - Zodiac [Symmetry Recordings]

Break - Never Say Never [Symmetry Recordings]

The Sauce - B Wot U Is [The Sauce Recordings]

The Sauce - The Sauce [The Sauce Recordings]

Fetus - Tar 11mg (Black Barrel Remix) [Unchained Recording]

Ben Soundscape - My Business [Dispatch LTD]

Veak - Bloodclort [Bredrin Recordings]

Mollie Collins, Emily Makis - Friends (Disrupta Remix) [Right Good Records]

Degs - Crosstown Blues [Hospital Records]

DBridge, Fierce - Twilight [Quarantine]

Invaderz - Mirage [C.I.A.]

Future Cut - Hideous Kinky [C.I.A.]

33 Below, MCK - Burning [Lunchbox Records]

Linguistics, GLXY, Charlie Perry - Searching For [Shogun Audio]

GLXY - Wild Love [Shogun Audio]

Jaybee - Consciousness [Exiled Recordings]

Simon Splice - Want Your Love [Eloisa Records]

Crom, Rider Shafique - Change [Deep In The Jungle Records]

Soul Intent, Chromatic - Back to Back (feat. Chromatic) [Machinist Music]

Faysha - 7 Rings [Kojiki Records]

In:Most - Do You (Kasra Remix) [Soulvent Records]

GLXY, [ K S R ] - Breathless [Shogun Audio]

Stimpy - I and I [Celsius Recordings]

Rag'n'Bone Man, P!nk - Anywhere Away from Here (Etherwood Remix) [Best Laid Plans/Columbia]

Vici - Birds [Hyperactivity Music]

Lenzman - Lil Souljah feat Slay [The North Quarter]

Traumatize - More Than Love [DnB Allstars Records]

Shapeshifter - The Roxxy [Universal Music New Zealand]

Q Project, Myth - Demonz [C.I.A.]

Degs, Keeno, Royalston, Unglued, Whiney - Wobbo Dub [Hospital Records]

Soul Intent - Bite It [Commercial Suicide]

Degs, De:Tune, Citrusfly - Final Notice [Hospital Records]

Visages - Gymnopédies [1985 Music]

Kiat, Digital - Slugstep [Defrostatica]

Dopplershift, Stokka - In The Dark (feat. Maria Lea) [SINE Audio]

Iskia - Break [Program]

Pola & Bryson, Ruth Royall - Friend [Shogun Audio]

Millbrook, Selin - You & Me [RAM Records]

Culture Shock - Discotheque [RAM Records]

Kleu - Play You [Gorilla Warfare]

Sub Focus, Wilkinson - Air I Breathe [EMI]

Dub Elements - Dope (VIP) [DEM Recordings]

J Select, Disrupta - Stutter [BassLayerz Recordings]

Minos - Tribe [Fokuz Recordings]

Objectiv - The Wave [Co-Lab Recordings]

Sly Chaos, Trafic MC - Roll Call [Sly Chaos]

Stillz - Bleep Riddem [Vihara]

Kenny Ken, Beat Merchants, Ezy Star - Riddim Up [Chronic]

Loxy, INK, Resound - Think [Razors Edge]

Think Tonk - None of Dem (Riddim Punks Remix) [feat. General Jah Mikey] [Nice Up!]

Dillinja - All Aboard [Valve]

Rene LaVice - Budz [Device]

Benny V - Not the One (Deploy Remix) [Spearhead Records]

Conrad Subs - Straight Up [O.R.C Recordings]

Ripple - Summer Lights (feat. Eviya) [Ripple LTD]

King Tubby, The Observer All Stars - Dubbing with the Observer (Filip Motovunski Remix) [Jungle Cakes]

Kleu - One Night Only [LoveThatBass]

Villem - 4ME Dub [Spearhead Records]

Crom - Sticks & Stones [Deep In The Jungle Records]

Technimatic - Everlasting [Technimatic Music]

0 notes