#erik is the helicopter husband

[carnivorachiroptera]

Erik is the type to say "We are pregnant" when telling everyone the big news.

[bizzybkd]

Cornbread (2)

Killmonger x pregnant!reader part two

Warnings: none

“(Y/n), dear, are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Queen Romanda asked, having put the pan of cornbread batter into the oven. You were sitting at a table only a few feet away as she refused to let you be on your feet. As well as having had you change into a long, beautifully patterned blue and yellow robe she had had made for you when you gave birth, but seeing as she underestimated the size of your coming child, decided you should be given the gift ahead of time to be comfy until the birth of her grandchild.

You were grateful for the gift, it represented a part of your culture you weren’t able to be indulged in, a distant part but it was still a part of you seeing as your ancestors had been twisted and traded with other racial DNA over the generations. You loved every part of yourself of course, but it was nice to be in touch with a specific part, like you belonged somewhere besides being from “everywhere”.

As for the question of your current state, the way you were bouncing your left leg and your hands unknowingly tense around the glass of water you had been given gave more than just the impression of uncomfortableness.

“Oh yes, Queen Romanda,I’m kakuhle ngokupheleleyo.(“perfectly fine”)”You replied, God, those Duolingo lessons really paid off. That, and Erik helping you himself.

Romanda smiled, she loved how you embraced her kingdom’s culture as your own, as it was anyway. “Kuyaqondwa, ntombi.” She replied.

“Queen Mother!” One of the Dora Milaje cried, rushing into the room, the Queen immediately on her guard. “There seems to be an uproar in the capital, citizens are protesting what they have found to be an unfair merchant.” She explained, spear at her side in attention.

“Take me. I must apologize, ntombi, but I must attend to this.” She said, speed walking up to you and giving you a quick kiss on the forehead before going with the warrior.

This left you alone in the kitchen, the gorgeous vibranium and black titanium of the tiles and counters made the entire room feel clean and sleek. You imagined having this for you and Erik’s home, although you knew it’d cost an arm and a leg to install, let alone maintain.

After just a few minutes in silence, you got up to your feet, mouthing a small apology to Queen Romanda, as you had broken you unspoken promise to stay off your feet. Walking the hallways, the cup of water in your hands seemed to be weightless as you looked at the many tapestries and paintings, the tall doors that were patterned so nicely it made you wonder how much time each one took to make.

Letting your mind wander was a speciality of yours, it’s how you passed most of the time when you were by yourself. Creating stories and characters and scenarios in your head and playing them out how you saw fit, if the characters didn’t act on their own anyway.

As you started imagining yourself as queen, keeping the ideas to yourself as you were afraid even speaking something like that completely alone would risk treason, you felt your phone buzz in the back pocket of your shorts, the shorts you had left in the guest room you’d stayed in the last time you were in the castle.

Erik’s contact name “Husband🖤” showed on your phone, along with the blurry contact photos of his butt you’d taken while he slept on his stomach on the couch a few months ago.

“Hello, my love.” You answered, stopping in your tracks and leaning against the wall of the hallway, holding the glass and your hand on your belly.

“Hello, Beautiful, I’m here, I’m just outside by the landing deck, where are you in the castle?” He asked, you could hear the deafening sounds of helicopters in the background until they stopped and the sound of a door closing could be here from the phone and from down the hall.

As you turned your head and saw him come around the corner, you immediately hung up the phone and grinned. You couldn’t run, but you quickly walked up to your fiancé, who’s smile couldn’t be contained as he met you 3/4 the way, he hated seeing you going around with that beach ball in your belly.

He hugged you gently, doing his best not to squeeze too hard before kissing your lips and smiling, he stared happily into your eyes and rubbed your hips gently, your hands on his shoulders before they trailed down to his chest.

“You’re finally here..!” You cheered quietly, hugging him once more, not being able to be as close as you wanted to be.

He let out a soft chuckle and held the back of your head and kissed the opposite side. “Yes, I am, I couldn’t miss seeing your cute ass.” He smirked, tapping your butt.

With a roll of your eyes you stole another kiss. “Yeah yeah, as if that’s not the reason I’m even in this position.” You joked, tapping your belly gently until you buckled your knees, grabbing onto his forearms immediately.

“(Y/n)?!” Erik jumped, grabbing your arms as well to hold you up. “What’s the matter with you?”

You gulped and looked up at him shakily, clearing your throat and climbing up his arms and gaining back your composure. You have a shaky nod that made you feel like your brains had been turned to mush, and with the roll of your eyes to the back of your head and the last sight you saw being your worried fiancé, you blacked out.

~~~

You awoke to the soft sounds of wind, lying on your back and surrounded by what looked like purple and violet blades of tall grass. You laid under an Acadia tree, the low hanging and outstretched branches hovered over you, as if shielding you from the setting sun. The sky was beautiful, if you hadn’t noticed the tiny biting sensation on your calve you could have stared at it for hours.

With a small yelp, you looked down for the source of the biting, a small black panther cub the culprit. You cocked your head to the side. Wondering how in the world it even got here. Then again, how in the world did you get here?

You got up to your feet, using the tree behind you to help you, despite feeling somewhat weightless in this new place, the mound on your belly still kept you aware of how silly that feeling was.

Trying to look around, it seemed as though you were somewhere in the wild, free from the fingertips of civilization and untouched by that of humans even. All that lived in your line of sight was you, your growing baby, and the panther cub that suddenly stood on its two back legs in front of you.

As surreal and entirely unnatural such a thing was, you weren’t afraid, as if something inside you was telling you not to be scared. The cub slowly changed before you, you didn’t even remember blinking, but you suddenly saw a baby in front of you, sitting on the ground.

It looked eerily familiar, from its curly topped head to the dark brown eyes in its head. As you studied the child even more, you eventually bent down to be face to face, this bend having turned immediately into a sit of course.

“What are you doing here..?” You said, your voice no more than a whisper.

‘Do not speak to him.’ A voice told you.

You froze, the voice wasn’t familiar at all, and it didn’t even feel like it was around you, like someone had played it in your head. You didn’t jump either, everything that would have had your head spinning and think nig you were going crazy around you only made you feel as though it was natural. That this was all meant to happen.

You only nodded to the voice, turning your attention back to the child, who had slowly turned into someone who seemed to be 13-14. He looked like Erik, in an eerily similar kinda way. Was this him as a child? No, it couldn’t be, the child’s hair was different than Erik’s, and a different color.

Taking a second, it hit you, he had your hair. And your nose, and even your face shape. While he had Erik’s eyes, lips, and skin tone, he even had a birthmark on his arm that resembled the one you had.

This was your child. The same one brewing in your belly. You reached a hand down to your stomach only to hit the ground, looking down, your stomach was flatter, not completely but enough to show the absence of a pregnancy. You looked back up at the child who now looked 18.

You scrambled back a bit but immediately calmed down. He looked like you, he’d grown into his features and had locs, one in particular had the tip colored white, with face paint adorning his features. He extended a hand to you, his face still neutral.

Taking his hand, you could feel the calluses, he obviously had some kind of training as he grew. They reminded you of Erik’s. As you stood to your feet, the robe you once wore was gone and you were suddenly in a much fancier attire, you examined yourself and saw how the fabric fell perfectly over your curves and how well it fit your body shape. The glimmering gold and black accents could only shine in the permanent sunset in front of you.

Looking up once more, your son had become grown, you couldn’t even assume the age he’d turned into. He had Erik’s build, and what you could guess to have grown to 6’3 or so. There was a scar across the bridge of his nose and one down the side of his mouth. He gave you a smile and bent down to kiss the top of your hand, it was then that you saw the throne that had been hidden behind his large build. Your son released your hand and stood straight, walking backwards with his hands behind him to the throne, stopping just before it and sitting down, either hand on the arm rests of the throne.

‘King M’Jabe.’ The voice said.

~~~

You woke up with a gasp, sitting up too quickly until four hands held you, one on either arm and two on your back. Your breathing quickened as you looked around yourself, the ringing in your ears and the sounds of monitors beeping out of control filled your ears, slowly fading until you heard voices.

Erik was on your left and T’Challa was on your right, you looked at both of them and put a hand over your chest, doing your best to catch your breath as Erik asked you what happened, his voice obviously snitched on his current state, he’d cried, at least once. His voice was shaky and desperate, as if he’d waited ages for you to wake up.

It felt like you hadn’t been gone more than five minutes.

[mosswillow]

Try again, and again, and again - Maybe you’ll be free this time.

Dark!Charles Xavior x Reader (fem), Dark!Erik (Magneto) x Reader

Warnings: 18+ Adult content, Rape/noncon/dubcon, oral (male recieving), manipulation, abuse, mind control, posessive behavior, glove kink, blood, violence.  

Word count: 2222

A/N: Eek, I finally finished this. I hope ya’ll enjoy it. This is different from my original plan of multiple parts. I like how this came out though, it feels right with the vibe of part one. Hopefully it’s the right amount of confusing to make it fun and interesting but not stressful.

By clicking keep reading you confirm that you are an adult over the age of 18 and understand that this content is dark and potentially triggering.

You’ve done this too many times, stood at this window remembering it all. It’s exhausting; you’re so tired, so worn down. It’s a lie, all of it. You never married him. He forced you into this, erased your memories and added his own. He stripped you of your agency, moulded you into what he wants. A happy wife, someone to control - to submit.  

“Are you ready to stop this now?” Charles hisses from behind you.

A tear runs down your cheek and you wipe it away with the back of your hand. You step back from the window and slowly force your body across the room to your “husband”.  

“Good girl,” he praises, pulling you down and kissing away your tears.

You close your eyes and let him kiss you. His tongue pushes in your mouth and you open for him, tasting the slight saltiness of your tears on his tongue.

“Let’s go back to bed,” he smiles.

You lie next to him and turn your body away, stiffening as he puts his arm over you protectively. Your life has always been like this since you were born, it was stupid to think you could ever find happiness in this fucked up world. You feel his hand snake down your body and take a deep breath before opening your legs for him.

He was the first mutant you ever met, found you scared and starving in an alleyway and gave you food - love - family. He made you feel like you weren't alone for the first time in your life. For so long everyone around you made you feel like your power was bad but he didn’t think that. He thought that your power made you better than everyone else. He taught you to embrace it, to carry your mutation with pride. He told you to never take abuse, to throw everything they did to you right back at them.

Comical, really, how the one who brought you to a place of acceptance, who taught you not to take abuse, turned around and abused you. He had taught you well, too well. As soon as the first bruise showed up you chose to leave. You deserved better.

“What do you think you’re doing,” He said as you packed a bag. You should have left while he was gone but it was too late now.

“I just need space Erik, some time to think about what I want.”

“No,” his voice was quiet but serious, the tone more alarming than any of the times he had yelled. it made you stop packing and look at him. He took a small step forward and you noticed the disheveled appearance. His leather costume was torn in several places and sweat was beading on his forehead.

“This is what I’m talking about, I need to be able to have my own life. You dictate everything and won’t even tell me where you go. You… you hurt me,” you grabbed your arm gingerly, looking at it and frowning.  

The familiar sound of metal being manipulated came from Erik and you looked up just in time to see pieces of silver fly towards you. Your wrists were suddenly encased and you tried in vain to move against them.

“Let me go,” you said.

“No,” he replied almost too calmly.

“I’m leaving you Erik, you can’t do this,”

He walked to you and ran a gloved hand over your cheek.

“I can do anything I want, baby.”

Your wrists suddenly slammed into the floor and he was grabbing your head, tilting it back so that you looked up at him. He brought his other hand to your cheek, smoothing his thumb over your lips. “Anything,” he said as he pushed his thumb in your mouth. The earthy smell and taste of his glove overwhelmed your senses and you struggled against him. It was no use though. He was stronger than you would ever be. You relaxed your jaw and closed your eyes and he removed his hand, replacing it with his dick. He grunted as he pushed into your mouth, slowly pushing further into your throat with every thrust. When his cum finally filled your throat you swallowed and kept your eyes down. He crouched in front of you and kissed your cheek before leaving to shower. He left you there all night and by the time you were finally released from your chains you were too exhausted to fight. He carried you to the bed and fucked you gently and you let him.

You spent months alone in the prison he created for you. He said you would be let out once he was confident you wouldn’t try to run or use powers but you weren’t sure that would ever happen. Even when you followed all his rules, when you acted like you loved him. He would still find reasons to keep you isolated. Your life revolved around him, a cycle of trying to please him, eventually acting out and the inevitable punishment that came with your rebelion. It wasn’t a way to live.

“You’re thinking about him.” Charles' voice has an edge to it, one you’re familiar with.

You nod and turn your face away.

“You’re not there anymore sweetheart, I’ll take care of you.”

Charles grabs your chin and forces your head towards him. He kisses you softly on the cheek and pulls you towards him until you’re settled against his warm body.

He’s the same though, it’s the exact same suffocating love you ran from almost two years ago.

It took five years of trying to finally do it. Erik made a mistake, He left the back door open and you took your chance without hesitation. The first barefooted step onto the dirt was euphoric. Being kept away from the earth was like torture. Silent tears fell as you dug your hand into the ground and felt it move. It sucked away the fear, leaving you with a sense of peace. You had power again, could feel it like electricity move through your body.

Sounds of fighting came from nearby and you hid.

You could feel where people walked. The earth was talking to you, telling you when and where to hide. You made your way to a helicopter and crouched in the back, making yourself as small as you could and praying that whoever was attacking would get away and take you with them.

You held your breath as a group of mutants piled in quickly and the helicopter lifted from the ground. You stayed hidden for an hour before someone noticed you. A woman, red hair and drenched in sweat looked at you.  

“Who are you?” she asked. her bright green eyes widening in shock.

“I’m not like him,” Charles says “You’re happy here,” The anger in his voice becomes more evident by the second.

“Stay out of my head!” you yell.

A headache starts burrowing into your brain and you cry out in pain.

“I’m not like him,” he reiterates.

You struggle in his arms, turning to your back and looking at him from inches away.

“You’re even worse. He always knew he was a monster, he wanted liberation at any cost, me at any cost. He was…” you search for the words to explain “a poisoned cup of water.”

You grit your teeth and stare in his eyes, bringing your face so that your noses almost touch. You don’t care, there’s nothing he can do to you that hasn’t already been done, no way he can hurt you more than he already has.

“You pretend like you’re a hero but you’re not. You're a glass of juice laced with the same exact pison as him. You look good and taste good but you’ll kill me the same way.”

He uses his power against you, reminding you who he is and what he can do. You scream as your body bursts into invisible flames. With Erik the bruises would remind you that it was real.  Charles doesn’t even afford you that. Everything with him is invisible, all in your head. They’re not the same, Charles is worse.

“Is she ok?”

“She’s fine Jean, give her some space.”

You groaned as you returned to consciousness.

“She’s waking up!”

You jolted up, turning your head to stare at your surroundings. The last memory you had was crouching in the helicopter, now you were laying on a couch surrounded by mutants.

“I’m Jean,” a soft voice said.

“I’m sorry I… there were no other ways out,” you whispered.

“We know,” You looked over to see Charles pushing himself towards you. He stopped and looked you in the eyes.

“We’ll take care of you,” He smiled.

You smiled back, feeling safe and free for the first time in a long time. The X-Men, you had found a true family at last. Everything was going to be ok.

You’re expecting him to knock you out again, for you to fall asleep and wake up his loving wife but The pain stops suddenly and you whip your head towards him in surprise.

“You didn’t take my memories?” you ask.

“I’m not like him,” Charles insists.

You sit up and pull your knees to your chest.

“Show me you aren't, let me go.”

He looks up at the ceiling and inhales.

“I can’t.”

It started so slow with Charles. He gave you personal lessons, treated you kindly. You started to actually fall for him.

But then a new mutant came in and the chemistry was like nothing you had ever felt.

Charles got jealous almost immediately. You slowly started to see him the same way you saw Erik, recognizing the signs, there were so many red flags. You weren’t going to stick around, you had to leave while it was still an option.

You packed a bag and ran without a word, finding a job far away.

You should have known better. It was your hope that he would just let you go but of course he didn’t. Charles found you easily, and he was angry. You had never seen so much rage, it was like you were looking into Eriks eyes. You begged him not to do it, cried for help.

They stood there complacent as he forced you to your knees and rewrote your history, wiping your brain for the first time. They said they were your family, you loved them, and they betrayed you.

“It would be easier if you just accepted this, I don’t like using my powers against you.” he says.

You roll your eyes. He does like using them, you see it behind his eyes every time he does it. He loves the power. You look at his face and see a slight twitch in his eye. The wheels start turning in your head, a theory forms.

“You’re losing your ability to control me,” you say.

He sets his jaw and you know you’re right. Your lips lift into a small smile as hope starts to bloom.

“What will you do once you can’t just erase memories?” you ask.

A headache starts again and you stare at him, fighting back. You’ve never fought back before like this, didn’t know you could.

“I’m going to leave you,” you say before the world goes black.

Jean was the one who made the memories return for the first time. She unlocked them for you, cried and apologized as you sat there panicking.

Nobody said no to Charles. he wanted you and they were too afraid of him to stop it, she told you. The team was happier, Charles was happier. They sacrificed you, pushed the abuse onto you so that it wasn’t on them anymore.

It was all a show.

Your husband of three years had only kidnapped you a week prior. It was stressful and confusing, you ran to the bathroom and vomited. Charles called your name from the kitchen and you bolted out of the house. You made it halfway through the yard before you were tackled and held with your hands above your head. The only thing you could reach was a little bow from your hair. You took it and jammed it into the ground, letting the earth take it and hoping that one day it could somehow help you. You had to fight, keep trying no matter what.

“Good morning my love,” Charles says.

“Good morning,” you smile back.

You give him a kiss on the cheek and stretch out before walking to the kitchen. You look out the window and your memories come back in a sudden burst.

You turn around to see him in the doorway. Fear washes over his face as he realizes how fast you escaped this time.

You smile and raise your middle finger at him. The window shatters into small pieces as your fist breaks through. Blood drips down your hand but you don’t care. You’re free.

“I’ll find you,” he calls.

Maybe he will. Maybe he’ll find you and bring you back, keep you locked up. Maybe he’ll add chains to your hands and feet like Erik did. He won’t chain your mind though, never again will he control you like that. He can try again, and again, and again but you’ll always break free.

[iamartemisday]

Mashup, 39 and 50, dealer's choice pairing.

Survival/Wilderness Fic + Arranged Marriage  

Have to go with Lokane. :D

Jane is the adopted daughter of Erik Selvig, a prominent scientist turned politician. He’s a frontrunner for the presidential election thanks to some not insignificant financial backers. The biggest one is Odin Borson, a billionaire CEO and old friend of Erik’s who is putting a lot of money into his campaign.

Now, arranged marriage technically isn’t a thing. No one is saying Jane has to marry Odin’s eldest son, Thor, but they’re not exactly saying she shouldn’t either. What they’re doing is making sure Jane and Thor have ample alone time to get to know each other. Erik loves to sing Thor’s praises to Jane while Frigga talks Jane up to Thor whenever they have family gatherings. They even get set up on dates once or twice.

It’s not that bad, Jane can admit. Thor is a good guy, smart and funny. Not to mention as handsome as any romance novel cover model. Really, he’s the perfect guy and all her friends are convinced they are made for each other. 

But... it’s hard to explain. Jane does like Thor quite a bit. They kissed once and it was nice. He’d be a great boyfriend/husband for sure. There’s just something missing. Something she can’t quite put her finger on. 

At least they’re pushing her towards him and now his younger brother, Loki. Now that guy would be a headache and a half to deal with. He’s smart and handsome like his brother, but rude and standoffish in a way that immediately rubs Jane the wrong way. The first time they met, he told her he read her Master’s thesis. Before she could ask what he thought of it, he goes right into everything he doesn’t agree with and basically goads her into a heated discussion of her research. Said discussion quickly devolves into screaming which ends with Jane throwing wine in his face and storming out. Fortunately, no one important was around to see it, and the incident is quickly forgotten by Jane (or so she tells herself). 

Loki continues to antagonize her at every opportunity. It’s really putting a damper into this whole ‘courtship’ thing Erik, Odin, and Frigga have going. Even if Jane did have that missing something with Thor, the prospect of Loki as a brother-in-law is seeming more and more like a total dealbreaker.

Fast forward to election day. Erik wins by a landslide. To celebrate, Odin and Frigga take him and Jane out on their yacht for the weekend shortly before he is to be sworn in. A flash storm hits while Jane is out on the deck. She is swept overboard and carried out to sea. She thinks she hears someone calling her name as she fights against the waves, but she soon loses consciousness. 

She wakes up on a beach with a blanket of leaves covering her. On a nearby rock waiting for her to wake up is Loki. He explains that he also fell off the ship and landed on the island shortly after she did, and he’s been waiting for her to wake up ever since. 

They soon realize they’re marooned on a desert island. Try as she might, Jane can’t see the yacht in the distance, just endless water. There’s no telling where their families are or if they’ve even realized anyone is missing yet (they have to, right?). All they have are the clothes on their back, whatever is in their pockets (a lighter that no longer works and some waterlogged scraps of notebook paper) their own wits, and each other to survive.

So yeah, the odds are pretty good!

They spend the day exploring the island looking for shelter. There’s a cave on the northeast side that should do nicely. Using leaves they fashion two beds. They also find a small lagoon where Loki turns out to be an excellent fisherman. He is able to fashion a spear out of some sticks and rocks. Also, there is fruit on the island which Jane recognizes from a few books she’s read as safe to eat. Once that’s out of the way, they have to think about fire, both to cook their food and also to signal for help. 

All the while, they keep arguing. First, it’s about Jane’s research, then Loki’s reputation as a ‘layabout’ who has yet to join his father’s company in any meaningful capacity. Pretty soon they’re just fighting about anything and everything they can think of. There’s a shell on the beach that Loki thinks is ivory colored, but Jane knows it’s pearl, goddammit!

Days pass, and soon it’s been a week. They heard a plane in the distance on day three and saw a ship on the horizon two days after. Neither amounted to anything. It’s becoming increasingly clear that they’re in this for the long haul. In the meantime, Jane tries to swallow her pride and make peace with Loki. He seems like he’s trying to do the same, but inevitably they will disagree and then another fight breaks out and then they don’t speak to each other for the rest of the day.

During week two, Jane goes exploring a part of the island they haven’t investigated yet for more fruit. She finds it, and also nearly falls over a cliff hidden by trees. She hangs on for dear life but feels herself slipping. Out of nowhere, Loki appears. He pulls her back up and out of harm's way. By the time Jane has calmed down and can thank him for saving her life, she’s noticed a giant cut on his arm. Apparently, he ran so fast to find her he wasn’t watching where he was going and hit a branch. Jane is able to treat the wound with some natural remedies she can make with what they have. Thank God she read so many books as a kid, and not just about her field of study.

Speaking of which, now that they’ve saved each other’s lives more or less (Loki is certainly exaggerating on that front), Jane has a much easier time talking to him about her work and is slowly realizing that his belligerence and constant challenging of her theories is not because he thinks they’re dumb. In his own weird way, he’s trying to help her. Their deep discussions cause her to think about her ideas from a different point of view and gain a fuller idea of what she is after. It’s almost like he’s the unpaid, really snarky assistant she never knew she needed. After a while, she starts to enjoy their conversations. Loki is certainly no layabout. He’s actually brilliant. Just not the easiest to get along with. 

Over time, she feels more comfortable asking him questions about his life and childhood. She discovers he’s adopted and all the pain this revelation caused him. How he always felt like an outsider and has been struggling to prove himself without his family’s help. This is why he doesn’t take working at the company seriously. He hopes to strike out on his own soon and, if not surpass his father, at least prove that he can earn success on his own with no name attached.

It gives Jane a better understanding of Loki, and when she looks back on their previous encounters before the ill-fated yacht outing, she can see how lonely he looks. How even though he pushes everyone away, he clearly wants to be part of the group, he just won’t let himself. After that, Jane tries harder to be friendly with him as they work even harder to survive and thrive.

Of course, Loki continues to be his annoying self, but even when he’s pissing her off, there’s a playfulness to it. It’s something they both need in a weird way. At the same time, Jane realizes she is starting to look at him in a much different way. While she could write it off as just the natural result of being the only two people on this island, that doesn’t change the fact that Loki often goes shirtless as their old clothes become unusable and they’re forced to make new clothes out of whatever they can find on the island. All the working and straining have certainly done nice things to his musculature...

One night, after a long day building an awning to hang over their cave for sunny days and rebuilding their SOS signal, the pair lay on the sand watching the stars. That’s one big plus to being stranded on an island with no technology or electricity: no light pollution. Jane feels so at home with the stars over her head. Even more so with Loki next to her. How strange that they’ve come to rely on each other so fast. She’s been keeping track of the days and they’ve been here for close to a month. Yet she feels like she’s known Loki so much longer. She finds she can’t truly regret what has happened to them because it allowed them to become such good friends. Maybe even more than friends.

When she looks at Loki. she knows he agrees. Their first kiss is under a full moon and now, Jane finally understands what she was missing with Thor. It’s this. This feeling that there’s no one else in the world she’d rather kiss.

The next morning, they awaken to a heavy windstorm. As they peek out of the cave, they see it’s no wind at all, it’s a helicopter. Turns out, someone spotted their SOS and the remains of their last fire and alerted the coast guard. Finally, after thirty-five days alone, Loki and Jane have been rescued!

The return to civilization is an oddly quiet one. Jane doesn’t know how to feel leaving the island behind. She holds Loki’s hand the entire time, but he has nothing to say either. It turns out they were about a hundred miles away from Malibu the whole time. It was just bad luck that no one found them before now. 

Erik and the entire Odinson clan is waiting when they arrive at the hospital. Thor is the first one to reach Jane and gives her a hug before hugging Loki. They are brought to separate rooms to be examined and barring some slight malnutrition and a few cuts that didn’t heal quite right, both are given clean bills of health and discharged after staying overnight for observation. 

As soon as they’re free to go, Loki thanks her for keeping him company on the island and wishes her well in the future before leaving with his family. Jane is shocked and devastated by his cool treatment of her after everything they went through. Part of her wants to smack him, but she can’t muster up the strength. She goes home with Erik. She learns that he delayed his inauguration until she could be found as he never believed she was dead. 

Now he is set to be sworn in by the end of next week. Jane is given a few days to recuperate and starts seeing a therapist. She talks a lot about the island but glosses over Loki for the most part. She’s tried to call him hundreds of times but always loses her nerve on the last digit. Texting him doesn’t work either. She almost sent him an email, but the address she had turned out to be inactive.

All too soon, Inauguration Day is here. The Odinson family is upfront and center. At the big afterparty, Jane says hello to Loki, who simply nods at her and moves on. She could cry, but she stops herself. Thor greets her warmly, as she expected him to. He has brought a few friends to the event, including his childhood best friend, Sif. Jane sees that Sif likes Thor and he probably likes her, too. Once again, Frigga tries to get Thor and Jane to sit together, but Jane politely refuses and offers Sif her seat instead. She sits across from them while Loki sits in the back. Jane tries not to stare at him, but can’t stop herself.

Thor asks about the island for the first time and if Jane and Loki were able to get along. Jane vaguely admits that they found some common ground, but it was mostly just to aid their survival. Thor is surprised to hear that, seeing as the only reason Loki ended up on that island with her is that he jumped in the water after her.

As soon as Thor says this, Jane’s heart stops. Thor goes on to say they both witnessed her going over, but Loki leaped over the railing and swam after her. Thor tried to follow, but he was stopped by his father’s men. By the time the storm had passed, they were both gone and it was only by the grace of God that they made it to the island at all.

Now Jane is completely stunned. All that time they were together, all the fighting and planning and building their shelter and getting food, and never once did he even allude to the fact that he saved her. Jane can’t even speak as she processes this. The next thing she knows, she’s on her feet and in front of Loki, asking him to dance.

He stares at her in shock, but agrees with a nod and leads her on the dance floor. She asks how he’s been and he admits he quit his father’s company. He is going back to school for his Ph.D. and might look into becoming a professor after that. Jane teases him about what a great teacher he’d be. He could also go into politics and become the British Prime Minister. Loki laughs at the idea, but Jane is adamant that he could do it if he wants to. He can do anything he wants to because he’s the most amazing, intelligent man she’s ever known. Loki tells her to watch what she says around Thor, and Jane rolls her eyes. She realizes now that Loki’s only acting this way because he thinks now that they’re rescued, she’ll go back to Thor, the ‘good’ son everyone wants her to be with. 

Jane informs him that she and Thor have ‘broken up’ and then she kisses him. They find a private corner away from the cameras and reporters and share the absolute best kiss Jane has ever had. It’s a kiss for the ages and a promise of so much more to come. 

In the aftermath, Erik begins a successful first term as President, Thor starts dating Sif much to the surprise of his parents. They eventually come to accept the match and decide he and Jane probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway. Loki attends classes at Culver where Jane has accepted a fellowship to continue her studies. The two are practically inseparable, arguing half the time and unable to keep their hands off each other the rest of the time. Some might find it weird, but it works for them.

Because come Hell or highwater or deserted tropical island, Loki and Jane are in it together. 

[tamayokny]

thoughts on dark phoenix. spoilers below.

if you don’t want to read all of this, skip to the bottom where it’s all summarized?

first, i came in knowing that i would be disappointed in the film in some way but still, i was excited! the x-men are my life; my family.

anyway...

the first hour...idk lowkey the editing threw me off. it was lowkey...uh...bad. at least some parts were. i really enjoyed the last hour.

liked the x-men in space scene...and when miss jean grey absorbed the phoenix force? RIIIIIIIISE!

before i continue let me just say: i love you sophie belinda turner jonas. stay iconic; a legend and you did great with what you were given! fuck everyone who said you “ruined [x-men and game of thrones] in the same year” (yeah, i saw that in a facebook comment! lmao i HAVE to laugh at that.)

i’m glad the movie covered charles’s flaws as a teacher, if only a little bit. from experience, i know that you should not repress trauma like that because it will rise and be...a mess. so they covered that well.

i've also seen a lot of arguments over charles xavier’s character in dark phoenix and honestly? i thought it was fine. it reflected his comic counterpart more in recent years. (y’all should be happy that scott didn’t kill him in this movie! lol)

rip to mrs. smith and the rest of her dinner party (the husband was kind of a dick, though).

as much as i love jessica chastain, i really didn’t like the antagonists in this film. they provided a GREAT fight scene and conflict in the peak moments of the film, but i wish they focused on the bond between jean grey and the phoenix more, as well as how it affected the team.

AND BEFORE I FORGET: DAZZLER CAMEO DAZZLER CAMEO!! I loved it.

the confrontation between jean and her teammates outside of her father’s house was great. i liked when kurt tried to stop her and they went through the walls. OUCH when quicksilver got hurt though...i felt that.

also: remember when we all thought quicksilver was going to be one of the deaths? lmao

speaking of deaths...mystique really is dead and honestly? thank god. i hated how they’ve written her character in the past two movies. it also doesn’t help that i dislike the actress...her best movies were first class and days of future past but once they started to put her on the hero route? no thanks

i’m sad that they never explored or outright stated that mystique is kurt’s biological mother. (for the non-comic fans: kurt is the son of azazel and mystique.)

hank’s grieving and his lashing out on charles...and then he went to magneto so they could kill jean...good job nicholas 

i must ask: what was the relationship between beast/mystique? like where they romantically involved or still kind of tip toe-ing around? some scenes implied they had feelings for sure but....idk

GENOSHA, BABY! GEN-O-SHA!

jean entering this mutant haven was beautiful but magneto’s entrance? omg i lowkey wanted to laugh. magneto remains to be dramatic and i love it

i also liked the helicopter scene

okay so back with the team:

peter got hurt so you don’t see him until the very end of the film

kurt was used pretty well

ororo was underused when it came to the dialogue department. my girl barely said anything BUT: her action scenes were amazing and i’ll get to that in a minute

to the surprise of no one, while kurt remained hopeful but wary and ororo believed jean to be dangerous (which, she is and was), scott was on charles’s side and firmly believed that they could bring jean back. 

i wish the dark phoenix was able to cement the scott/jean relationship more because while i knew they were a couple, it would probably be difficult to know how serious they were. (yes, some scenes showed it but idk how impactful they were?)

okay so fast forward a bit: jean and vuk (jessica chastain) are in new york so magneto, hank, and two other mutants on their side are there to kill jean, and then the x-men show up to save/stop that from happening.

this fight scene was pretty cool...especially when magneto brought that subway car above ground and used it to enter the building jean and vuk were in...magneto, ever the dramatic king who i love

the charles/jean moment...heartfelt. like i mentioned, this covered one important aspect of the dark phoenix saga: xavier's faults. he believed he was doing the right thing and when jean saw how her (biological) father reacted to her...she understood. while i believe what charles did was fucked up and i still would have been pissed, i would have forgiven him like jean did, because he gave her hope and a chance. it was hope to help her manage her abilities, and a chance to life as a mutant because let’s face it, if she would have gone in the child services system she would have been fucked.

and then like any other x-men movie: the government got involved, subdued all the mutants (scott blasted vuk out the building, so she wasn’t captured), and they were locked and loaded on the train. jean got isolated from the rest of them.

BEFORE I CONTINUE: when scott said “i’ll fucking kill you!”...i almost started laughing. i’m sorry, but it’s the truth.

anyway on the train: vuk and the rest of the alien shapeshifters come to wreck shit up and the killed most of the guard (which caused kurt to go on a killing rampage after one of them died in front of him....okay. i was kinda impressed tbh, despite most depictions of kurt would probably not do that.)

the mutants fucked shit up! i think the 2 mutants that helped magneto were both killed though, which made me :// like really? k.

which reminds me: i wish psylocke and jubilee were in dark phoenix but the actresses had other film commitments, so i understand and forgive. also...still said about angel and his fate in apocalypse :( angel is always the most mistreated out of the original 5 lmao.

anyway that train fight scene was really good...despite barely having dialogue (:/) SHE KICKED ASS. and when erik destroyed part of the train? KIIIIIIIING!!!!!

BUT THEN JEAN UNLEASHED PHOENIX AGAIN!!! AND SHE FUCKING TOOK THAT TRAIN, PROTECTED HER FAMILY, AND DESTROYED THE REMAINING ALIENS. FUCKING QUEEN! MCU CAPTAIN MARVEL WHO???? MCU WANDA??? MCU THOR???? NO. JUST JEAN GREY BITCHES.

jean sacrificed herself...i remember reading something that said “2 confirmed x-men deaths” and i knew it was going to be mystique and jean

but honestly i was thinking “three deaths” because fuck, i thought jean was going to kill scott! like i’m disappointed how they didn’t focus on jean’s destruction on everyone and being like...evil. lmao i was really hoping but simon you played me, huh. (great marketing i guess?)

jean died but didn’t die, knowing how jean grey is lmao

they renamed the school after jean and i’ve seen people being salty about it LMAO....they renamed the school for jean in the comics (it changed back eventually...?) so stay mad

people are also mad that charles retired and fucked off to paris adfcrvhfbg

while i don’t think charles would have retired (well...that could be debatable?), i think for the end of FOX x-men, it was okay

also erik offering charles a place to stay in paris???? fucking PARIS??? THE CITY OF LOVE??????????? I’M FUCKING LOSING IT!!!!

AND THAT GAME OF CHESS BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

the very last shot was of the sky, where you could see the phoenix in the air......yoooooooOOOOOOOOO

okay so before i tell you all my summary, let’s talk about why dark phoenix may not have done so well, or at least part of it:

the mutants are now owned by disney, since the disney/fox merge became official (fuck). so, because of this, dark phoenix had to go through reshoots (which brought us that glorious train fight). apparently, the dark phoenix saga was going to be in three parts but because of the merge...that’s not happening. so, dark phoenix is officially the last x-men movie (unless you count new mutants that will be released on disney+, last i've heard). so, because of this, i think this last movie left a lot of fans unsatisfied because we all know that there should have been more to the story, and they had it planned out! unfortunately...disney has to fucking buy everything.

another reason: the x-men/fox superheros are not as hyped as the MCU/disney superheroes. you know this. i know this. and after a few releases from the MCU this year? the x-men didn’t stand a chance. let me also add: fuck the critics, there’s been such a disconnect between them and the audience for years. i’m not saying dark phoenix was perfect, but it’s not as horrific as people (critic and audience) have been saying.

now, the final thoughts and summary: 

i went into the theatres knowing it wasn’t going to be the best thing ever. it was average; that’s the best i can describe it. it had good moments and it had bad moments. jean grey as dark phoenix was not as antagonistic as i hoped and while i enjoy jessica chastain, I really didn’t like the villains of the film. i wish chastain was the “physical embodiment” or whatever it was of the phoenix like many speculated. dark phoenix should have focused on jean (which it did but...), her relationships with her teammates, scott, xavier (it did brush on it), and other core values of the dark phoenix saga. it would have been great to see this all play out but unfortunately, things change.

thank you, fox, for twenty years of the x-men. just like how they changed the comic book industry (they made marvel comics), the very first x-men movie is the reason why we have our many superhero films today. remember that. good luck with them MCU, and don’t you fucking dare mess them up!

let me also add a thank you to the x-men cast. with dark phoenix, they all certainly gave their best. sophie did it, and i will miss tye sheridan as cyclops. most of all, i think i will miss michael fassbender as magneto. while he may not be jewish, he certainly gave his all. he really studied magneto and i respect and admire him for that. also rip to rose byrne as moira mactaggert. where the fuck was she when the events of dark phoenix went down??

[brattywriters-anonymous]

House Party 4

A/N: This is a short chapter, but oh does the plot thicken. Enjoy!

@chaneajoyyy

Warning: Violence, Snake in the grass.

Ibiza, Spain

Agroturismo Atzaró, Ibiza Fue aquí anoche, en el O Bar Ibiza, donde una celebración se convirtió en un baño de sangre. Entre los tres muertos, no se reportaron más heridos. Las víctimas son Eliaz Cruz, Taresa Méndez y su esposo, Fernando Méndez. Parece que la pareja mató a Cruz, luego se volvieron la una contra la otra. Más detalles por venir en el informe de mañana. Si alguien tiene alguna información sobre el incidente de la noche anterior, comuníquese con la policía lo antes posible.

It was here last night, at the O Bar Ibiza where a celebration became a bloodbath. Among the three dead, there were no more injuries reported. The victims are Eliaz Cruz, Taresa Méndez and her husband, Fernando Méndez. It seems that the couple killed Cruz, then they turned on each other. More details to come in tomorrow's report. If someone has any information about the incident of the previous night, contact the police as soon as possible.

At 6 AM the glares of the TV was the only light in Erik and Mirah's shared room. He was sprawled out on the couch while she was curled up on the far end of the bed. On the ride home, Inga instructed them to go black, meaning no outside movements and communication for forty-eight hours. They were secluded to their villa and its amenities. Neither one of them were able to sleep so they just watched TV until their crimes were displayed on the morning news.

When the reporter mentioned Taresa and her husband, Erik hopped up, "I knew it! I knew that bitch was crooked the moment I saw her!" He pointed to the TV as the crime scene was displayed with the three bodies laid out in the bungalow, "You still trust that Sloan nigga with your life? He can't even profile a bogie right." Mirah sucked her teeth, "If you recollect, he did identify them. That's why they're dead." "Nah. Bullshit. He told us seconds before they would've blown our heads off. Inga would've spotted Teresa as soon as her skimpy ass stepped to us." Mirah chuckled, "Are we arguing about who's associate is better? Really?" He side-eyed her as she smirked in amusement. "You keep trusting him if you want." "Why you don't like Sloan? Why isn't he your contact anymore?"

November 7, 2015

Mumbai, India

Gunshots were firing from what seems like every direction as Erik's Jeep rummaged through the small shanties and narrow dirt roads. He just killed a political figure and was made as soon as he fired the fatal shot to Col. Singh's head. Sloan had been giving him directions through the unfamiliar territory. "Make the next left, you'll approach a roundabout, get off the second exit and you should lose them from there." Erik followed Sloan's instructions and was met by a group of men dressed in black, in black SUVs. Erik stopped his vehicle as the men pointed their red dots in his direction. "Mister Erik Stevens. Or should we call you Killmonger?" An English accent came through a bullhorn as the figure stepped further into his view. "You killed our business partner, so you are...what do they say in your country? Bad for business, Yeah?" Erik slammed his head against the steering wheel, "You sold me out?" He heard Sloan smirk through the communicator, "Sorry mate, I found a new prospect. You knew people wanted your head. These chums just made me an offer..I couldn't refuse." Erik pressed a button underneath his dashboard and exhaled, "Sloan, when I get out of this.. and you know I will. I'm at your head like the feds. Pussy." Erik disconnected the communicator as his backup approached the dirt road. His pilot comrade from his Seal days, Jimmy Lane landed his Apache helicopter as the rest of his team; Angel Sax, Brandon King, Felix Vaughan, and the sniper of the gang, Erik's right-hand man, Detrick Spencer, sprayed the entire small army of men with AK-47 rounds, leaving the lone man with the bullhorn. Erik smirked as he stepped out of the car. 

The man stood, stunned at the sudden subtraction of his men, "You see, the one thing that Sloan didn't tell you is that.. I always come prepared." He tilted his head slightly, stepping closer to his enemy. "Put the pussy on the phone." The mystery man took his shaky hand and grabbed his phone, Erik stole it from his sweaty palms, dialed Sloan's number, turning away from the man, "Is it done?" Sloan's slimy voice made Erik scoff as he pointed the .38 hallow tip filled gun in his opposition's direction and shot him clean through his temple. Without turning to look. "At your head like the feds, Pussy." 

CLICK.

Mirah was now kneeling at the foot of the bed, with her hands over her mouth, as Erik finished his story of Sloan's betrayal. "I was always on that pussy's tail. From Miami after he found you, to London, the UAE, I even tracked him when he went black in Albuquerque. He's always a half a step ahead of me when I track him down." "I'm sorry, I didn't know. He told me you two had a falling out, but he never told me any of this." "Yeah, I'm sure he didn't. He's a snake, MiMi. As soon as you're of no use to him, you're dead. So you may wanna be in the market for a new associate." Mirah became spaced out, looking out of the window as the breeze made it's way in she saw a faint red light and she quickly rolled to the side of the bed she previously laid on, reaching underneath her pillow yelling, "Erik! Duck!" He did so as silent shots ring out.

PING, PING!

--

[ljones41]

"MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT" (2018) Review

"MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT" (2018) Review Ever since I was a kid, I have always been a fan of the "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE" franchise . . . with one exception. I was a fan of the 1966-1973 television series, which I had viewed faithfully as a kid. I saw one episode of the 1989-1990 television sequel, but I failed to become a fan. But my enjoyment of the franchise kick started once more with the release of the 1996 film of the same title and I have never looked back.

As many know, the 1996 film, which starred Tom Cruise as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt led to five more films. The latest, "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT", was released in theaters during the summer of 2018. Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, this sixth entry in the movie franchise focused on Ethan and his team's hunt for stolen plutonium. The material had been stolen by a group of terrorists called the Apostles, the remnants from terrorist Solomon Lane's organization called the Syndicate, from "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION". When Ethan and his team - Luther Stickell and Benji Dunn - failed to get their hands on plutonium early in the film, CIA Director Erica Sloane instructs Special Activities Division operative August Walker to shadow and observe Hunt and the others as they attempt to retrieve the plutonium. Thanks to a nuclear weapons expert they had captured named Nils Delbruuk, the team learns that an extremist named John Lark might be behind the Apostles. And in order to get to Lark and the plutonium, Ethan's team might have to kidnap an imprisoned Solomon Lane and deliver him to London without MI-6 agent Ilsa Faust interfering with their plans. Many film critics raved over "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT" after it first hit the theaters. In fact, some are regarding it as the best installment in the franchise and one of the greatest action films of all time. Do I agree? I honestly do not know. The movie had a few flaws that makes me hesitate to regard it in this manner. One, it featured the return of Solomon Lane. Seeing him in this film, led me to believe there was one too many villains in this film. I honestly wish that Ethan Hunt had scragged Lane at the end of "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT". And to make matters worse, he was still alive by the end of the film. I also had a problem with Vanessa Kirby's character, an arms dealer named Alanna Mitsopolis aka the White Witch. Apparently, Lark wanted to purchase from her the cores for the plutonium. When Ethan impersonated Lark, she was the one who had demanded that Lane be snatched from a French intelligence convoy that was conveying him to another prison. After this scenario played out, Ms. Mitsopolis had disappeared from the narrative, until it was revealed in the end that she had made a deal with MI-6 to arrange for them to get their hands on Lane. And you know what? This whole scenario involving both Ms. Mitsopolis and Lane seemed a bit convoluted and unnecessary. In fact, I could have done without the presence of either of them. And how on earth did Lane end up in France, when he was arrested in London? Surely as a former MI-6But who knows? Perhaps a re-watch of the film will lead me to change my mind. However, the above complaints are not signs that I did not enjoy the film. Trust me, I still managed to enjoy "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT". Very much. I agree with many of those critics who praised the film for just about every aspect of it. Yes, I had some squabbles with McQuarrie's plot. But I must admit that I enjoyed other aspects of it. For a minute, I had assumed that once again, Ethan would find himself disavowed by the agency and the C.I.A. Instead, McQuarrie added an interesting element in which the C.I.A. assigned an operative to keep an eye on the activities of Hunt and his team. And the character of August Walker proved to be a breath of fresh air as his arrogant and aggressive persona provided an extra conflict for Hunt to deal with, as they pursue the Syndicate and the missing plutonium. Another addition that spiced up the plot and included a touch of pathos was Ethan's reunion with his ex-wife Julia Meade in Kashmir, where Lane planned to detonate two nuclear weapons and where she and her new husband were representing Doctors Without Borders. Naturally, I cannot discuss a film like "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT" without pointing out the action sequences. Yes, the movie had plenty of action scenes. But there were a few that stood out for me. One of them featured Ethan and Walker's arrival in Paris via a parachute jump. Okay, that kind of entry struck me as unnecessary and rather clichéd. But I also found it rather entertaining and a perfect way to convey Walker's arrogance and Ethan's impatience with the former. Other exciting action sequences that I found particularly memorable were a brutal fight between a thug mistaken as John Lark and Ethan and Walker inside the bathroom of a Parisian nightclub; and a high-speed chase through the streets of Paris. But for me, the best action scene proved to be the last one which found the IMF team (and surprisingly Julia) racing against time to save Benji from Lane and stop Lark's team from setting off two nuclear weapons over the Siachen Glacier. Needless to say, this action sequence involved Luthor and Julia trying to disable one weapon; Ilsa engaged in a brutal fight against Lane, while attempting to save Benji and disable the second weapon; and Ethan engaged in a wild helicopter chase in order to get his hands on the weapons' detonators, which ends near the edge of a cliff. For me, this entire action sequence was the movie's pièce de résistance.

"MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT" marked the sixth time that Tom Cruise portrayed IMF Agent Ethan Hunt. My first instinct is to wonder when Cruise will stop portraying the character, especially as a man of action. But while watching the film, I had completely forgotten about my doubts and simply enjoyed the film . . . and his performance. Watching Cruise portray Hunt over a period of twenty-two years is like witnessing the aging of fine wine. Thanks to the actor's superb performance, his Ethan Hunt has grown less cocky over the years (to a certain extent), more subtle and definitely more mature. This was especially apparent with Ethan's interactions with the aggressive August Walker.

A fine cast supported Cruise in this film. Like Cruise, Ving Rhames as IMF computer tech/hacker Luther Stickell has been with the franchise since the beginning. And he was marvelous as usual as the pragmatic Luther Sticknell. I especially enjoyed the poignant performance he gave in one scene that featured Luther's own reunion with Julia Meade. Simon Pegg was funny as ever as the slightly skittish Benji Dunn, whose skills as a field agent seemed to grow with each movie. Michelle Monaghan returned to portray Ethan's ex-wife, Julia. I enjoyed her role a lot better in this film. The actress finally had a chance to portray Julia as a breathing individual, instead of some feminine ideal. Three actors from "ROGUE NATION" returned to appear in this film. Rebecca Ferguson gave an excellent performance in her second outing as former MI6 agent Ilsa Faust, who is determined to return Solomon Lane back in the hands of her agency. Sean Harris reprised his role as former MI6 agent-turned-terrorist, Solomon Lane. I admit that I wanted the franchise to focus on a new Big Bad, but I cannot deny that Harris' performance was as creepy as it was in the fifth film. I enjoyed Alec Baldwin's portrayal of Alan Hunley, the former CIA Director who later became the new IMF Secretary, in this film than I did in "ROGUE NATION". Once his character ceased to be Ethan's antagonist, Baldwin was able to skillfully portray him as intelligent and practical man, instead of a buffoon. And yes . . . "FALLOUT" featured some new kids on the block. Many critics were very impressed by Vanessa Kirby's portrayal of black market arms dealer, Alanna Mitsopolis. I found her performance very entertaining, but I was not that dazzled. Wes Bentley gave a solid performance as Julia's new husband, Erik. I only wish that the screenplay had explored his character a bit more. I was impressed by Angela Bassett's performance as the pragmatic and ruthless Erika Sloane, the C.I.A. Director who had replaced Hunley. I especially enjoyed her scenes with both Baldwin and Henry Cavill that allowed her to convey the extent of Sloane's paranoia. But the real surprise turned out to be Cavill, who gave a superb performance as August Walker, the C.I.A. assassin, who had been assigned by Sloane to monitor Ethan's team, following their loss of the plutonium cores. What I admired about Cavill's performance is how he managed to skillfully convey not only Walker's penchant for aggressiveness, but also the character's cool manner and rampant arrogance. His Walker was a real prick and it was no wonder that he drove Ethan up the wall. Despite a few problems I had with the movie, I really enjoyed it. In fact, I can honestly say that "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT" is my second favorite film in the franchise. No wonder the critics loved it. And I can thank a superb cast led by Tom Cruise, and Christopher McQuarrie for his first-rate screenplay and excellent direction.

[elleywestbrookfarp]

2. Research - erik kessells

Kesselss collects photographs he finds on flea markets, fairs, in junk shops, and online, and appropriates and re-contextualises them. He publishes his and others' found and vernacular photography through KesselsKramer Publishing.

Notable works include the long-running series Useful Photography, which he edits with others. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=erik+kessels+photography&&view=detail&mid=F073229DE81EEFD3AD18F073229DE81EEFD3AD18&&FORM=VDRVSR

(link to one of these vimeo films)

Some of his own work: In Almost Every Picture is a series of books of photographs he finds in flea markets and online. Kessel finds photographs and compiles a book from these archives. In an interview with Dazed Magazine, the publisher states that his found photographs are never intended to be arranged as a narrative, meaning that "they have a certain naïve, unforced quality."

link to Huffpost article about one of the series: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/erik-kessels-fred-clark_n_2001751

Erik Kessels' 'In Almost Every Picture' Series Features Fred Clark's Underwater Wife Photos

By Hallie Sekoff 22/10/2012

In this case Wikipedia has come up trumps.

"Sean O'Hagan, writing in The Guardian, said "Kessels made his name as a champion of found photography, seeking out discarded family albums in order to show us anew their mundane beauty and oddness. He is best known for his magazine Useful Photography, which celebrates images of the purely functional, and his series of books In Almost Every Picture, which home in on motifs that appear accidentally in amateur photo albums – such as wayward fingers. ... More recently, Kessels has become “more and more interested in the stories of the photographs” rather than the images themselves."

In my case I am always far more interested in the stories depicted, the characters in the photographs, rather than their artistic merit as images.

The edge to edge saturation of photographs is a good device to show how overwhelmed Shirley can feel when she starts talking about her memories, especially when recounting her stories of Sandy, her first husband.

Models,

"Models features 132 German uniforms and how they should be worn. During the course of one year in the 1970s, Germany undertook a comprehensive photography project. In order to instruct police officers in every district and region of Germany how to wear their specific police uniforms, proper reference was needed. Models were photographed to show exactly when and how to wear uniforms for different ranks, seasons and occasions. The project is collected in the book entitled, ‘Models’ and gives a close up look at, for example, how a female police officer should wear her Summer Service Uniform as well as how to wear her raincoat in the case of inclement weather. No matter if you’re a standby traffic officer, part of the helicopter squadron or a medium-level horseman, Models provides the reference for the correct style of outfit."

information straight from the website.

The huge prints displayed in this way are overpowering ... interesting. A walk way of correctness which has enormous physical presence.

In terms of Shirley it could be a way to demonstrate how very present her memories are, the scale showing the clarity of memory as opposed to her forgetfulness for everything current. Which might actually be deliberate. Her daughter says she can remember what she wants to.

https://www.erikkessels.com/album-beauty-1

An ode to the vanishing era of the photo album. 2012.

an interview with Kessells about his Father and his work: Unfinished Father. His father had a stroke but prior to that he had been restoring old Fiat Topolina's...this is a beautiful treatment.

[stories-from-my-mind-to-yours]

You don’t know you’re alive until you’re almost dead. Chapter Zero. Genesis.

Year 2061. July first. Yellowstone national park. Yellowstone Caldera.

The earth heaved and shook. The groundwater was made toxic by the sulphuric gasses that pushed up through the earths crust. The wildlife began leaving the increasingly inhospitable area, almost as if they knew what was to come.

Humanity had been warned, but wouldn't listen. Thankfully, the earth remained calm for now.

Year 2114. December 21st. 9:00 pm Friday. Northern Sweden.

31 year old Lars Karlsson, advanced physicist at I.a.c.e. (Institute for advancement of clean energy) had fallen asleep on the couch. They had left Stockholm 06:30 in the morning, and driven for 11 hours, to their cabin at lake Hornavan, just north of Arjeplog, for a 14 day Christmas holiday. His 26-year old wife Lena, pharmacologist and yoga instructor, was singing and dancing to the kitchen radio, while fixing some snacks. She looked out the window at the raging snowstorm, and was thankful to be home. On a clear day she could see the village where she was born and raised. And she was thankful to be out of the noisy, dirty capital for the first time all year. She put her hands on her growing stomach and smiled. "Thirteen more weeks till I can see you two." She couldn't wait to be a mom and show them all her favorite spots in the mountains.

She put away the bags with chips and candy, closed the pantry and the dishwasher, and reached for the bowl on the counter. She gasped and grasped for the edge of the counter as a sharp stabbing pain radiated out from her stomach.

Lars awoke to his wife screaming his name. "LAAAARS!" He stumbled into the dining room, his wife stood in the doorway to the kitchen, her grey sweatpants were stained dark red down the inside of both her legs. He froze. He didn't know what to do! "Could you possibly call 112 Lars? NOOW!" Her screeching voice jolted him into action. He fumbled desperately with his phone. He misdailed 112 three times before he got it right. Lena felt something warm slowly running down her legs. She didn't look, knowing full well what it was but she didn't want to see. She had to keep calm, she closed her eyes and thought of her babies. Seconds felt like hours. A woman answered and she heard "what's your emergency?" Lars stuttered, made some strange noises and couldn't form a single word, let alone a sentence. "Give me the phone Lars." He held it out towards her, across the entire dining room. Her patience had its limits tested. "Come here with it, please, Lars." He was not good in high stress situations. "Hello?" Said the voice on the phone. "Hi, I'm Lena Karlsson, we're up at Hornavan, I'm 29 weeks along with twins, and I just had a bleed. A big one." She listened intently to the woman on the other end, explaining that the helicopter couldn't fly in the storm, and the closest delivery room was at least 3 hours away on a good day. "Well we don't have a choice do we? I can't do this alone, and my husband is completely useless right now." Lars looked at her and nodded in agreement. "We'll get there, one way or another." She hung up the phone, her mind racing. She knew time was of the essence, but her fear kept getting in the way of her reasoning. She knew she had to solve this. Normally, their cabin was perfect in her mind, there wasn't even much of a road leading up to it. Their 4x4 Jeep had barely made it up to the cabin. That would probably get stuck in the snow somewhere. In the shed outside sat the Yamaha 360 Propulse snowmobile they bought last year. It was definitely fast enough. On flat hard snow it would do 140 mph. They'd be there in 80 minutes at that speed. Or crash and die horribly. Stay here and die for sure? Or save her babies? There was no doubt in her mind. "Lars, go start the snowmobile." He nodded and hurried out the door. Lena went to the hallway and opened the closet. Gloves, overalls, boots, helmets. Everything was where it should be. She heard the high pitched whine of the Yamaha turbine spooling up. Thank god the battery wasn't dead. She got out of her bloodied pants, put on the insulating inner suit, and stepped in the overall. Lars came back in. "It's just outside the door." "Good, get dressed." He didn't even think, he just did what he was told. He helped her with her zipper and helmet, then closed his own. They stepped out into the snowstorm looking like two inflated racing drivers.

Lars climbed on the front seat of the snowmobile. "Are you sure you want to drive?" She shouted over the wind and the idling turbine. He thought for a second, then scooted backwards. She climbed on carefully, and sat down as slow as she could. She wasn't in extreme pain, but she didn't want to push it. She put the dead mans grip on her wrist, turned on the lights and the heat in the handle and seats. She put it in gear and started the descent down the steep mountainside. She had picked this one for its superior handling in deep snow and long range. It's turbine engine used so little fuel they hadn't even filled it up last year, it had just under half a tank left. She hoped it would be enough. She steered carefully past the trees that marked their path down, winding slowly down to the main road. When the path ended she couldn't see the road, but she saw that there were no trees. She turned it in the right direction and pressed her thumb down hard on the throttle.

360 horsepower of supercharged nitrogen turbine erupted into life, propelling them forward so hard she almost lost her grip on the handlebars. Lars who couldn't really see anything wasn't ready and almost fell off. He was scared out of his mind, but Lena only thought of her babies. A stray thought crossed her mind as she saw the needle pass 120 mph. If we crash now, we won't even have time to feel it. We'll just be dead. She didn't look at the speedometer again.

Five days later, December 27th, Lena and Lars waited for the doctor to discharge her and the babies. Lars had fueled the snowmobile the day before and bought a sled to transport their babies in. He had been ambushed at the gas station by a reporter that had heard of the story about the speed demon mom on a quest to save her twins. They were in the papers today. After a quick chat with the doctor they we're on their way out to the parking lot, where the same reporter wanted an interview with Lena as well. She kindly declined, with a long journey ahead of them, she just wanted to go home.

"Please," he begged, "just one picture?" She looked at Lars. "Sure." he replied.

Lena held the boy, and Lars held the girl. "Have you decided any names yet?" Lena nodded and looked at her son. "Erik." Lars nodded and looked at his baby girl. "Sophia?" He looked to Lena. She nodded approvingly. "Sophia."

[jasonlawson0]

Man charged with second-degree murder in double homicide in east Vancouver

VANCOUVER — Charges have been laid in connection with a fatal double shooting in Vancouver.

Police say a 43-year-old man was taken into custody Wednesday night in Harrison Hot Springs, east of Vancouver.

article continues below

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He has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder and has made his first appearance in provincial court in Vancouver.

A vehicle of interest associated with the murders was also found in the same general area where the man was arrested.

Police have identified the two victims as 72-year-old Dennis Wragg and 68-year-old Paul Tonks, both of Vancouver.

They were already dead when police arrived at an east Vancouver home early Monday and investigators say the slayings were not random.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2020

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[thorne93]

United We Stand (Part 2)

Prompt: This was inspired by 2 imagines! Reader and Raven have a sordid past that Charles is always caught in the middle of.

Pairing: Charles X Reader

Warnings: language, hostility, violence, angst,

Word Count: 2295

Notes: This is based around X-Men Apocalypse. The imagines were combined: Imagine instead of Jean, you went into Charles’s mind to fight Apocalypse for him. “Y/N! Please! I need you!” & Imagine having powers like Scarlet Witch and Charles being VERY interested in them. @marvel-imagines-marvel-fandoms

Also was beta’d by @like-a-bag-of-potatoes and @amarvelouswritings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Right after Erik took Charles, and Peter got everyone out on the lawn when your home was destroyed. But you didn't have enough time to mourn, because the next thing you knew was a government helicopter landing and Raven screamed, but it was too late and you were knocked out. After that, you were waking up in a small room with green lights with Hank, Peter, Raven, and Moira.

“Hello, Major Stryker,” Raven said.

“That’s Colonel Stryker,” the man above you, behind the glass corrected.

Disdainfully, you muttered, ���Friend of yours?”

“No,” Raven harshly responded, her face whipping to you.

“I’m a government agent, you can’t keep me in here,” Moira said.

“Actually, I can.”

He said a few more things then left  you all in there.

“Nice mess you’ve got us in, Raven,” you mumbled, crossing your arms. You tried to use your powers but nothing happened.

“How is this my fault?”

“If you didn’t need us to look for your old flame, then Charles would be safe and the school would still be intact, and Alex would still be alive!”

“Erik and that blue freak would’ve gotten to Charles eventually,” she said. “And I don’t have to justify myself to you! Charles helped me and he helped Erik because he cares about us.”

“No matter what the cost, right?” you pushed, your arms crossed, your eyebrows raised.

“You know what? Fucking forget it,” she dismissed, waving her hand and walking to the other side of the room where Peter approached her and began quietly talking.

After a few moments, Jean, Scott, and Kurt burst in and rescued the team. They found out where Charles was and your heart flooded with relief. Raven ended up suggesting to use Hank’s war plane.

---------------

As you were suiting up, in a low voice you asked Raven, “Do you plan on sticking around when all of this is done?”

“No, I’m here to get Charles and Erik and leave,” she insisted, her tone even as she buckled a belt.

“Typical,” you scoffed. “As soon as things are good, you leave.”

“What do you want from me, Y/N? This isn’t my home, this isn’t where I belong.”

“You know, when you left, you weren’t the one who had to pick up the pieces, it was Hank and me,” you angrily asserted, pointing at yourself.

“No one asked you to do that,” she said sardonically.

“Well no one told you to leave with the man who paralyzed your best friend, practically your family!” you shrieked.

“I didn’t paralyze Charles, it wasn’t up to me to stay on that beach.”

“You didn’t even see if he was alright!” you shouted.

“This isn’t all my fault you know, if you hadn’t hid behind your powers in Cuba, Charles wouldn’t be paralyzed,” she seethed, getting in your face.

“What?! How was I supposed to know Erik would deflect the bullet right into Charles’ back?!”

“You didn’t, but you could’ve contained the bullets, but you didn’t, because you're scared. You’ve always been scared. It’s why the students don’t know how to fight and why we have to save Charles now - you’re weak, scared, and you sat on your ass all these years.”

She turned her back, which was a mistake on her part. Moving your fingers, your powers bending to your will, the red magic snaking around the outer edge of your fingertips. Shooting the red magic forward, you pushed Raven into a wall. Her body hit it with a loud thud, alerting the others.

“You think I hide behind my powers?” you demanded, your rage ever present when Raven was around. “You wanna see me hide behind my powers? You want to see what I can really do?!” you asked, darkness taking over your mind.

“Let me go,” she commanded through gritted teeth as her face pushed into the concrete wall. Hank and Scott ran up as they shouted at you to let her go, but your rage had taken over. Your powers had taken over.

“You have no idea what it’s like to hold this sort of power.” The magic continued to stream out of you and onto her until you flipped her around using the powers. You slowly walked toward her, keeping her in place. Releasing your power from her, your hand gripped her throat. You began to lift her, her feet dangling as your eyes stayed glued to her face. In an instant though her legs wrapped around your shoulders and neck and she flipped you onto the floor, effectively knocking the wind out of you, she switched to her natural blue form as her left leg was perched over your torso while she kneeled over you. Using your powers you shoved her off of you, but that’s when Hank came up and grabbed you around the arms and tugged you back.

“Y/N, thats enough! That’s enough!” he growled, in full beast mode.

You shook off him as Scott let go of Raven and she transformed into the blonde girl.

“God, what is your problem?” she questioned with bewilderment as her hair whipped around.

“My problem is that you hurt Charles every chance you get and you don’t care!”

“No! It has to be more than that. You hate me. You have since that day on the beach. What is it? Is it that you actually had to deal with Charles?”

“No, that’s not it!”

“Then what is it? Enlighten me, Y/N, what could I have possibly done for you to hate me like this? Huh?” she pressed as she stepped forward, confusion in her face and voice.

“It’s because I’m not you!” you screamed so loud it echoed in the hanger and everyone heard it, turning to you, realizing you just admitted your weakness. “It’s because he’ll always love you more. No matter what I do, no matter what I am, you’ll always mean more to him. When you left, he spiraled into a drug habit, just to numb the pain of you being gone. Do you know how that feels? Do you know how it feels to know that the man that you love, can’t bear the thought of another woman leaving his life. To know that I’m not enough for him! Raven, we were engaged at Cuba, we put our wedding on indefinite hold until he could get over Erik taking you from him.” You huffed out a breath of air. “That’s why I hate you and Erik...”

Raven looked as if you had just slapped her in the face. You were suited up so you just brushed past her and Scott and boarded the plane and waited for the others to join you.

On the flight there, Raven sat next to you suddenly.

“Is it true? Is that how you feel?” she questioned.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “It’s not how I feel, it’s how he feels.”

“Well did he say that?”

“He doesn't have to say it,” you retorted, snorting.

“I can’t help that that’s how he feels. I just have to do what feels right for me,” she tried.

You turned back toward her as you said, “Funny how every time something is right for you it hurts everyone else.”

“What do you want me to do, Y/N? Stay out of his life?”

“If you stayed out of his life it’d be easier on everyone. You walk out, and right when he’s almost over the pain, you walk right back in and rip the wound right back open. So if you leave this time, stay gone,” you emphasized, turning your face away.

The agony of the truth was still rumbling inside you. You’d never said it aloud. You never even mentioned it to Charles. You couldn’t blame him for who he loved, how much, or why. In fact, you completely understood their bond, and that’s not what angered you. What angered you was that Raven meant so much to him, and it seemed like the feeling was never mutual.

For twenty five years you’d struggled with this knowledge but whenever Raven wasn’t around, Charles was a delight, the best husband you could ask for. But then when Raven came in and wreaked havoc, all that was left were the shambles that you had to end up piecing back together with shaking hands.

Never did you fault him for it though. It wasn’t his fault that he loved her....It wasn’t even her fault. All you ever wanted was for her to stick around, and keep him happy. She was his family and that twinkle was out of his eye whenever she was away. You knew that when all of you were together - you, Charles, Erik, Raven, and the students - that was his family, that’s what made him happy.

[commanderxanon]

Tweeted

You don’t amass the capital for 10 yachts and two helicopters by being a good person, Stephanie. We can’t “rise together” because billionaires like Betsy DeVos’ father-in-law and husband and her Blackwater-founding brother Erik Prince literally profit off of human misery. https://t.co/81q0Fl0QbA

— Zoé (@ztsamudzi) July 29, 2018

[party-hard-or-die]

Hawaii volcano eruption driving away millions in tourism dollars

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Reuters) – Cruise ships have canceled stops on Hawaii’s Big Island. Hotel rooms will sit vacant this summer despite price cuts.

Lava flows downhill, in this image from a helicopter overflight of Kilauea Volcano’s lower East Rift zone, during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, U.S., May 19, 2018. USGS/Handout via REUTERS

And guest house owners and tour guides that depend on the 2 million visitors each year to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are wondering how long their families will go without any income.

Tourism authorities say summer bookings for hotels on Hawaii’s Big Island have fallen almost 50 percent since the volcano began spewing lava and toxic gases on May 3.

The closure of the park, the state’s top tourist destination, alone is costing the island $166 million, the National Park Service said on Monday.

The lost revenue rises to $222 million when some 2,000 jobs indirectly impacted by park tourists are included, according to a park service report. (bit.ly/1NoB40V)

Tourism is the Big Island’s largest industry, and by far, biggest employer, providing more than 30 percent of private sector jobs in 2017, according to the Hawaii Visitors Bureau.

Erik Storm’s EcoGuides business, which conducts tours of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, ground to a halt a month ago when volcanic conditions made it too dangerous to visit lava areas.

“We have a family to support so we hope that the National Park will reopen again soon, otherwise this could have a serious impact on our life.”

People watch as lava flows into the Pacific Ocean southeast of Pahoa during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, U.S., May 20, 2018. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester

SPOOKED BY LAVA

The volcano, however, shows no sign of quieting down. Geologists say the current cycle of eruption is among the worst events in a century from one of the world’s most active volcanoes. A series of Kilauea eruptions in 1955 lasted 88 days.

Potential visitors to the Big Island have been spooked by images of lava torching homes, soldiers wearing gas masks and now deadly white clouds of acid and glass shards as molten rock streams into the Pacific.

While Kilauea’s lava flows are in a small, roughly 10-square-mile rural area in the southeast Puna district, the volcano is having an impact on tourism across the Big Island, home to 200,000 people.

Beverly Oka’s family-run Uncle Billy’s Kona Bay Hotel is 120 miles (193 km) west of the lava flows, but bookings through the summer months are down around 40 percent.

“We are not affected. We have some vog, but not more than usual,” said Oka of the volcanic smog that routinely blows from Kilauea, which has been in a near constant state of eruption since 1983. Her hotel is offering a 30 percent discount to try to lure customers.

Norwegian Cruise Line canceled stops on the Big Island for its cruise ships due to “adverse conditions.” Royal Caribbean Cruises nixed a port call in Hilo, the island’s largest city, which is about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of the volcano.

Rob Guzman and his husband Bob Kirk fled their guest-house rental business just 6 miles (10 km) from the lava flows, unnerved by near constant tremors, clouds of toxic sulfur dioxide gas and risks highway escape routes would be cut off.

“We’ve lost more than half of our household income and many other people will be in the same situation indefinitely,” said Guzman, a resident of Kalapana Seaview Estates, who is staying with friends north of Hilo.

Reporting by Jolyn Rosa; Writing by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Lisa Shumaker

The post Hawaii volcano eruption driving away millions in tourism dollars appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2LmBcPG via Breaking News

[newestbalance]

Hawaii volcano eruption driving away millions in tourism dollars

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Reuters) – Cruise ships have canceled stops on Hawaii’s Big Island. Hotel rooms will sit vacant this summer despite price cuts.

Lava flows downhill, in this image from a helicopter overflight of Kilauea Volcano’s lower East Rift zone, during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, U.S., May 19, 2018. USGS/Handout via REUTERS

And guest house owners and tour guides that depend on the 2 million visitors each year to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are wondering how long their families will go without any income.

Tourism authorities say summer bookings for hotels on Hawaii’s Big Island have fallen almost 50 percent since the volcano began spewing lava and toxic gases on May 3.

The closure of the park, the state’s top tourist destination, alone is costing the island $166 million, the National Park Service said on Monday.

The lost revenue rises to $222 million when some 2,000 jobs indirectly impacted by park tourists are included, according to a park service report. (bit.ly/1NoB40V)

Tourism is the Big Island’s largest industry, and by far, biggest employer, providing more than 30 percent of private sector jobs in 2017, according to the Hawaii Visitors Bureau.

Erik Storm’s EcoGuides business, which conducts tours of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, ground to a halt a month ago when volcanic conditions made it too dangerous to visit lava areas.

“We have a family to support so we hope that the National Park will reopen again soon, otherwise this could have a serious impact on our life.”

People watch as lava flows into the Pacific Ocean southeast of Pahoa during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, U.S., May 20, 2018. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester

SPOOKED BY LAVA

The volcano, however, shows no sign of quieting down. Geologists say the current cycle of eruption is among the worst events in a century from one of the world’s most active volcanoes. A series of Kilauea eruptions in 1955 lasted 88 days.

Potential visitors to the Big Island have been spooked by images of lava torching homes, soldiers wearing gas masks and now deadly white clouds of acid and glass shards as molten rock streams into the Pacific.

While Kilauea’s lava flows are in a small, roughly 10-square-mile rural area in the southeast Puna district, the volcano is having an impact on tourism across the Big Island, home to 200,000 people.

Beverly Oka’s family-run Uncle Billy’s Kona Bay Hotel is 120 miles (193 km) west of the lava flows, but bookings through the summer months are down around 40 percent.

“We are not affected. We have some vog, but not more than usual,” said Oka of the volcanic smog that routinely blows from Kilauea, which has been in a near constant state of eruption since 1983. Her hotel is offering a 30 percent discount to try to lure customers.

Norwegian Cruise Line canceled stops on the Big Island for its cruise ships due to “adverse conditions.” Royal Caribbean Cruises nixed a port call in Hilo, the island’s largest city, which is about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of the volcano.

Rob Guzman and his husband Bob Kirk fled their guest-house rental business just 6 miles (10 km) from the lava flows, unnerved by near constant tremors, clouds of toxic sulfur dioxide gas and risks highway escape routes would be cut off.

“We’ve lost more than half of our household income and many other people will be in the same situation indefinitely,” said Guzman, a resident of Kalapana Seaview Estates, who is staying with friends north of Hilo.

Reporting by Jolyn Rosa; Writing by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Lisa Shumaker

The post Hawaii volcano eruption driving away millions in tourism dollars appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2LmBcPG via Everyday News

[dani-qrt]

Hawaii volcano eruption driving away millions in tourism dollars

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Reuters) – Cruise ships have canceled stops on Hawaii’s Big Island. Hotel rooms will sit vacant this summer despite price cuts.

Lava flows downhill, in this image from a helicopter overflight of Kilauea Volcano’s lower East Rift zone, during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, U.S., May 19, 2018. USGS/Handout via REUTERS

And guest house owners and tour guides that depend on the 2 million visitors each year to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are wondering how long their families will go without any income.

Tourism authorities say summer bookings for hotels on Hawaii’s Big Island have fallen almost 50 percent since the volcano began spewing lava and toxic gases on May 3.

The closure of the park, the state’s top tourist destination, alone is costing the island $166 million, the National Park Service said on Monday.

The lost revenue rises to $222 million when some 2,000 jobs indirectly impacted by park tourists are included, according to a park service report. (bit.ly/1NoB40V)

Tourism is the Big Island’s largest industry, and by far, biggest employer, providing more than 30 percent of private sector jobs in 2017, according to the Hawaii Visitors Bureau.

Erik Storm’s EcoGuides business, which conducts tours of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, ground to a halt a month ago when volcanic conditions made it too dangerous to visit lava areas.

“We have a family to support so we hope that the National Park will reopen again soon, otherwise this could have a serious impact on our life.”

People watch as lava flows into the Pacific Ocean southeast of Pahoa during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, U.S., May 20, 2018. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester

SPOOKED BY LAVA

The volcano, however, shows no sign of quieting down. Geologists say the current cycle of eruption is among the worst events in a century from one of the world’s most active volcanoes. A series of Kilauea eruptions in 1955 lasted 88 days.

Potential visitors to the Big Island have been spooked by images of lava torching homes, soldiers wearing gas masks and now deadly white clouds of acid and glass shards as molten rock streams into the Pacific.

While Kilauea’s lava flows are in a small, roughly 10-square-mile rural area in the southeast Puna district, the volcano is having an impact on tourism across the Big Island, home to 200,000 people.

Beverly Oka’s family-run Uncle Billy’s Kona Bay Hotel is 120 miles (193 km) west of the lava flows, but bookings through the summer months are down around 40 percent.

“We are not affected. We have some vog, but not more than usual,” said Oka of the volcanic smog that routinely blows from Kilauea, which has been in a near constant state of eruption since 1983. Her hotel is offering a 30 percent discount to try to lure customers.

Norwegian Cruise Line canceled stops on the Big Island for its cruise ships due to “adverse conditions.” Royal Caribbean Cruises nixed a port call in Hilo, the island’s largest city, which is about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of the volcano.

Rob Guzman and his husband Bob Kirk fled their guest-house rental business just 6 miles (10 km) from the lava flows, unnerved by near constant tremors, clouds of toxic sulfur dioxide gas and risks highway escape routes would be cut off.

“We’ve lost more than half of our household income and many other people will be in the same situation indefinitely,” said Guzman, a resident of Kalapana Seaview Estates, who is staying with friends north of Hilo.

Reporting by Jolyn Rosa; Writing by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Lisa Shumaker

The post Hawaii volcano eruption driving away millions in tourism dollars appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2LmBcPG via Online News

[davidyonke]

Farewell to 2017

As the last hours of 2017 tick off the clock, I thought I’d take a little time and look back on the year that’s fast fading in the rearview mirror. 

Like all years, 2017 had its highlights and lowlights. The low points included the loss of some very special people in my life including my Aunt Millie - who was not an aunt by blood but was my mother’s lifelong friend from childhood in Brooklyn through retirement in Florida, and as such was always a beloved member of our family, and a worthy Scrabble opponent! She was 92. 

Another very special nonogenarian who passed this year was my dear friend Jon Hendricks, not only the creator of vocalese and a legendary five-time Grammy winner, but also a man of great wisdom and mirth. And without question the greatest storyteller I’ve ever met in my life. One of my favorite quotes from Jon was when we were discussing a symphony orchestra’s “pops concert” performance and he said: “They couldn’t swing if you hung ‘em from a rope.”

Jon Hendricks performing at the Toledo Museum of Art’s Glass Pavilion /David Yonke photo

The world also lost Barbara Blaine, an irrepressibly strong and courageous person who was abused by a Catholic priest as a child and long before the scandal broke in Boston in 2002 she had formed SNAP, the global organization that stands up for people abused by clerics. She was 61, a runner and appeared to be the picture of health when she collapsed while hiking with her husband in Utah and died instantly. Her legacy lives on with all the voiceless people to whom she gave a voice - along with hope and healing.

Jerry Kordiac’s Rolls-Royce

This year we also were missing Jerry Kordiac, my daughter’s grandfather-in-law, another world-class raconteur and a joy to be around. Jerry died in October 2016 at age 87, so he didn’t leave this planet in 2017 but this was the first year we didn’t have Jerry there to entertain us and generate laughs at all the Johnson family get-togethers.  He loved golf and he loved cars, and owned a Rolls-Royce and a classic Mercedes convertible among other vehicles. When his wife said he had to sell the Mercedes, he reluctantly put a “for sale” sign in the front windshield - and for some reason never got any takers. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that his “for sale” sign was a quarter-of-an-inch high and an inch long. Back in the day, Jerry hooked up an electric charge to one of his hot rods (a Mercury, I believe) so that if anyone even touched it, they would get blasted with a shock. That’s one way to deter thieves - before such devices were illegal.

Lisa and Cara awaiting the new arrivals

On the other side of the river of life, my family welcomed two new arrivals - Ryder Brave Seaton, born to Lisa and Adam in March, and Miles Reed Cooper, born to Cara and Dustin in July. Janet and I now have seven grandchildren - 6 boys and 1 girl - ranging from 5 months to 6 years. Everything they say about the joys of being a grandparent are true, and even better than “they say” because you can’t always put it into words. Just take my word for it, when the time comes you’ll know exactly what I mean.

The 2017 babies: Ryder Brave and Miles Reed

I enjoyed another year working as the editor of two newspapers, The News-Messenger in Fremont and the News Herald in Port Clinton. While these are challenging times for print media, the news is still a vital part of the fabric of American life. It’s just the style and design that are changing as everything moves inexorably, albeit slowly, to the web. 

While we might not have print papers to hold much longer, people still need and want fair, honest, balanced, informative and true news. Without the free press, I can’t imagine what politicians and corporations would try to get away with - and too often succeed. I became a journalist partly out of a desire to help preserve democracy and protect it from abuses, as well as to help the underdogs and shine a light on the good people and good deeds all around us. Instead of knocking the media, the naysayers should be thanking the press profusely for helping to keep America great.

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Rainbow over Maui

The Yonke family’s travel highlight of 2017 was a trip to Hawaii in August. Janet and I went to attend the wedding of my nephew Matt and his longtime girlfriend Sarah, in Maui. 

To be honest, Hawaii had never been high on my list of places to see, but I am so glad we went and now I know why it is such a dream vacation for most people. We spent 10 days on Maui, and it’s like a fantasy world with all the beaches, waterfalls, snorkeling lagoons, perfect weather year round, and its own intriguing and exotic culture. 

One of the many (yawn) spectacular waterfalls on the Road to Hana

We rented a Mustang convertible and saw the entire island with the top down. We stayed in Lahaina and traveled all over -- including the Road to Hana with its 700 curves and 53 one-lane bridges dotted with so many magnificent waterfalls that you almost - almost but not quite - get numb to their beauty after a dozen or so.

Janet actually dove into a natural pool and swam under a waterfall

Waterfalls on Molokai seen through the windshield of an Air Maui helicopter.

We left at 3 a.m. one day to drive to the summit of 10,000-foot-high Haleakala volcano, and the view of the sunrise stirred the soul.

Do I look nervous?

We also took a helicopter ride to the island of Molokai (the former leper colony) where we saw a few 2,500-foot waterfalls and 3,000-foot cliffs, up close and personal. It was my first time in a helicopter and although the pilot had more than 5,000 hours of flight time and played a superchill soundtrack through our headphones, I have to admit I was a bit nervous... it’s a strange feeling to be floating stationary, several thousand feet in the air - very unlike the motion of an airplane. Eventually, however I was able to pry my death-gripping fingers off the armrests and truly enjoy the experience.

Dancers on Virginia Beach (yes, this was not in Hawaii)

Janet and I also took a road trip to Virginia Beach over the long Memorial Day weekend (I took an extra day off) to see her sister Bonnie and brother-in-law Rick and family. That is a beautiful part of the country and it was great to see everyone.

I took a quick trip to Florida in September to see brother Rick and Vicki and their family, and went to St. Pete to see Paul and Joan for a day. Rick and I also got to see an art exhibit of ultra-realism paintings in St. Pete. We had an unofficial Leto High School class reunion one night at Pete Owens’ house, and it was a blast to see Pete & Francis, Roland, Randy, Duane and other good friends.

Rick is a connoisseur of ultrarealistic art

I got to see some of my favorite musical artists this year including U2 (in Chicago and Cleveland) and Jimmy Buffett at DTE Energy Music Theatre (better known as Pine Knob).

Edge playing at FirstEnergy Field in Cleveland on July 1 / David Yonke photo

Bono at Soldier Field, Chicago, June 3 / David Yonke photo

Jimmy Buffett takes the crowd on a trip to Margaritaville, July 11 / David Yonke Photo

We took 3 grandsons on a tent-camping weekend at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana. It was a lot of work but it was a wonderful experience and the kids are all counting down to the next camping trip.

A healthy breakfast with GiGi (grandma Janet) - pass the Twizzlers!

I also read many terrific books in 2017, and highly recommend “In the Garden of the Beasts” by Erik Larson, a nonfiction account of an American family’s view of Germany in 1933 as Hitler was rising to power, based on the journals and notes of William Dodd after his appointment as U.S. ambassador to Germany. 

Well that’s enough reminiscing. It was a good year in many ways. I’m looking for an even better one in 2018. May God’s blessing and favor be on you in the new year. Peace and love to all.

Peace out - no joke!