#fagin is father figure for his boys

[eeve06]

I want to belive they named this kid Charlie as a nod to Dodger’s childhood best friend, Charley.

YOU CAN’T CHANGE MY MIND

[jknerd]

Oliver Twist in NYC AU: Oliver

Full Name: Oliver T. Foxworth

Age: 6

Gender: Male

Other names: Ollie, Gato

Occupations: Orphan (former), Elementary school student

Residence: Unknown illegal orphanage (formerly), Fagin’s Barge (formerly), Foxworth Residence (currently)

Family: Agnes Fleming (biological mother; deceased), Mr. Leeford (biological father), Harry Foxworth (adoptive father), Rose Maylie-Foxworth (adoptive mother; biological aunt), Jennifer “Jenny” Foxworth (adoptive sister; cousin), Edward “Monks” Leeford (estranged half-older brother), Lindsay Foxworth (adoptive grandmother)

Relationships: Dodger (first friend), Rita (friend; a first mother figure), Tito (friend; uncle figure), Francis (friend), Einstein (friend), Fagin: (his first benefactor), Nancy (friend; a second mother-figure), Winston Bronslow (butler), Georgette (nanny), Marie Bonfamille (friend, crush), Berlioz Bonfamille (friend; classmate), Toulouse Bonfamille (friend; classmate), Minerva Pinscher (friend; classmate)

Likes: Reading books, hot dogs, chocolate mousse, playing with friends, Marie Bonfamille (crush)

Dislikes: Being useless to others, abandonment, “scary” adults

Oliver Twist Foxworth was a former orphan who was recruited by Dodger into Fagin’s gang, eventually adopted in Foxworth family as Jenny’s brother. Since birth, he was in an underground orphanage where all children were forced to be in labor; sewing clothes, wallets, dolls, toys, and other products. When some are no longer useful, the children’s limbs or organs are illegally trafficked. When Oliver was abused for wanting second oatmeal gruel, he was soon to be sold but escaped, arrived in New York city’s subway station where he stayed with the homeless until he met Dodger, led to see Fagin and the gang. As their benefactor was persuading Bill Sykes, the loan shark, Oliver was caught by one of the two henchmen, DeSoto who recognized him as a runaway orphan in their territory, proceeded to drag the boy by ear harshly to the point of bleeding but Oliver defended himself by hit his nose with a bottle, breaking it in process. Oliver asked to stay and wanted to be useful with what he can do, but Fagin’s gang were reluctant to make him work.

For days, he helped Dodger in busking, able to help Fagin gathering money. Yet, Oliver refuse to spend allowance from Fagin, prefers to save them for emergencies. In the boat house, Oliver spent his time sewing pillows and dolls, or even disposed clothes. These were enough for additional earning when Fagin could sell them. One day during busking, the police were chasing after Dodger and others. Oliver was lost in a middle of city until he met Jenny and her butler Winston. Jenny, one of the audiences of his busking, asked if Oliver can sing for her Birthday, which he agreed to. While then, he hesitantly stayed in Jenny’s house. Meanwhile, Winston noticed a striking resemblance Oliver has with sister of Jenny’s mother; Agnes. Initially, Georgette didn’t like the idea of street orphan in the house of Foxworth, but grew attached to the boy. Encountering Jenny’s parents, they discovered Oliver’s pendant actually belonged to Jenny’s aunt, which they go through official process to adopt him. Even adopted, Oliver’s kindness remained the same as he prefers to spend his allowance for someone else other than himself. In school, he had made friends with kids around his age, including the Bonfamille triplets and a sweet girl Minerva, who was actually a daughter of Roscoe. However, Edward “Monks” Leeford—unofficial heir of Leeford family—discovered Oliver alive and decided to plan the boy’s death. 

After school, Oliver was taken back to Fagin’s house by the gang. Seeing his clothes replaced with expensive ones and his relation to Foxworth family, Fagin believes the hope in repaying debt while Sykes was appointed by Edward with a proposal; close the account with Fagin as he could kidnap both Oliver and Jenny for ransom. Believing Oliver is no important to the family, Edward added the appointment in killing Oliver as soon as the money is paid. Overhearing this, Nancy warned the gang and Jenny about Edward and Sykes. When Jenny went out with Georgette to find Oliver, the girl was kidnapped to lure Oliver under, schemed by Sykes. Oliver volunteered to save her, finally meeting Edward who was actually Oliver’s half older brother. Recognizing Oliver as a friend of his daughter, Roscoe expressed distress when Edward abused the boy with hate and rage. The boy also witnessed Nancy’s fatal state due to being beaten up by Sykes, alarming DeSoto who has developed romantic feelings for Nancy. During the Fagin and the gang rescuing the children, Sykes died of brutal traffic accident and managed to get in time to stop Foxworth family to give up the business to Edward, exposing his crimes. When Edward attempted to kill Oliver, it was stopped by their father Mr. Leeford who was alive thanks to Fagin saving him from being left to die in fire days ago. Mr. Leeford and Oliver had a tearful reunion as the man disowned Edward. Adding more fuel in Edward’s life, his mother guiltily submitted all evidences of his crime to police as he was arrested.

Oliver reunited with all orphans who were finally freed from underground orphanage. Feeling bad of causing Roscoe and DeSoto to get arrested, he persuaded Minerva to write letters to them together as she reluctantly agreed. As Mr. Leeford was still ill, he changed his will in favor of his son Oliver; The Leeford house will be used as boarding house for Fagin and the gang as his gratitude for them as they helped and protected Oliver, entire fortune to help Fagin raise the orphans until they could find new home and family. Edward’s mother decided to leave New York, leaving her all fortunes to Oliver in repentance for blaming him and his mother Agnes. Eventually, Oliver has two sides of family; The Foxworth and the Fagin’s boarding house family.

[when-we-drive-away-in-secret]

The Vile Village - Quotes

We have returned to absolutely no mentions of the sugar bowl. I am no closer to figuring out what’s in it. Send help. In other news, Netflix completely erased book!Jacques from my mind and I was not prepared for how terrified my boy was when Esmé dragged him in, hence the amount of quotes I’ve included about how he acts in that scene

“The terrible things that happened to the three Baudelaire orphans in the village where I am now typing these very words.” - Lemony Snicket; Chapter One

“I’ve put calls in to a variety of distant relatives, but they’ve heard all about the terrible things that tend to happen wherever you go. Understandably, they’re too skittish about Count Olaf to agree to take care of you.” - Arthur Poe; Chapter One

“That was a nineteenth cousin of yours [Mr. Fagin], [...] and a last hope of mine.” - Arthur Poe; Chapter One

“If I had been one of the Baudelaires myself, I would have stood at the edge of town for the rest of my life, whimpering with fear, rather than take even one step into the crow-covered streets” - Lemony Snicket; Chapter Two

“How about chicken enchiladas? That’s a Mexican dish consisting of corn tortillas rolled around a chicken filling, covered with melted cheese and a special sauce I learned from my second-grade teacher.” - Hector; Chapter Three

“I despise picky eaters.” - Hector; Chapter Three

“Who’s Count Olaf?" - Hector; Chapter Three

“My father was the handyman before me, and his father was the handyman before him, and so on, and so on. The only new things in this town are you three children and the new Fowl Fountain uptown.” - Hector; Chapter Three

“To simply say it [Nevermore Tree] was a tree would be like saying the Pacific Ocean was a body of water, or that Count Olaf was a grumpy person or that the story of Beatrice and myself was just a little bit sad.” - Lemony Snicket; Chapter Three

“I always leave the windows open when I go to bed. The sounds of the crows remind me of the ocean, and I find it very peaceful to listen to them” - Hector; Chapter Three

“I myself fell in love with a beautiful woman who was so charming and intelligent that I trusted that she would be my bride, but there was no way of knowing for sure, and all too soon circumstances changed and she ended up marrying someone else, all because of something she read in the Daily Punctilio.” - Lemony Snicket; Chapter Four

“Normally I don’t approve of children staying up late, [...] unless they are reading a very good book, seeing a wonderful movie, or attending a dinner party with fascinating guests.” - Hector; Chapter Four

“There are many expressions to describe someone who is going about something in the wrong way. [...] ‘Attempting to rescue Lemony Snicket by writing letters to a congressman, instead of digging an escape tunnel’ is a third way, although it is a bit too specific.” - Lemony Snicket; Chapter Four

“It is a message that only reaches me in my most pleasant dreams, which are few and far between. [...] ‘Count Olaf has been captured’ ” - Lemony Snicket; Chapter Five

“Officer Luciana stepped off the platform, clunked to the back of the room, and dragged a frightened-looking man out of a folding chair.” - Chapter Six

“The trembling man [Jacques] on the platform.” - Chapter Six

“ ‘I’m not a villain!’ Jacques said frantically. ‘I work for the volunteer—’ ” - Chapter Six

“He [Jacques] turned to the three siblings, who could see he had tears in his eyes. ‘Oh, Baudelaires,’ he said, ‘I am so relieved to see that you are alive. Your parents—’ ‘That’s enough out of you,’ Officer Luciana said, clasping her white-gloved hand over Jacques’s mouth.” - Chapter Six

“Something about this bread made me remember my twelfth birthday, when our parents made that bread pudding. [...] It was a new recipe that they were trying out. [...] They wanted it to be special for my birthday, but it was burned and sour and soggy. And they promised that the next year, for my thirteenth birthday, I’d have the best birthday meal in the world.” - Klaus Baudelaire; Chapter Ten

“Olaf hatched a plan to steal your fortune—and get rid of an old enemy at the same time” - Isadora Quagmire; Chapter Twelve

“ ‘His full name,’ Duncan said, flipping through his notebook, ‘is Jacques Snicket.’ ‘That sounds familiar,’ Violet said. ‘I’m not surprised,’ Duncan said. ‘Jacques Snicket is the brother of a man who—’ ” - Chapter Twelve

“It reminded Violet of a time when she was much younger, and had begged her mother to braid her hair so she could look like a famous inventor she had seen in a magazine. Despite her mother’s best efforts, the braids has not held their shape, and had come unravelled almost as soon as she had tied their ends with ribbons.” - Chapter Thirteen

“Lemony Snicket is the author of quite a few books, all dreadful, and has been falsely accused of many crimes, all falsely. Until recently, he was living someplace else.” - Biographical Paragraph

[jadedjo]

Han Solo: The Paradise Snare

First, I have to say... Han Solo is my favorite Star Wars character. Ever.

Those of you who read my Luke Skywalker/Mara Jade stories are probably shocked. Why write L/M if I love Han more? I just can’t do him justice. (That and I find Leia hard to write)

To me Han Solo is an incredibly complex and intriguing character. More so when you dive into the Legends stories. He continues to grow and evolve, sometimes for the worse, but he always comes back to where he belongs. His Family. Because at the end of the day. Han Solo is a family man.

But Disney Star Wars Canon doesn’t get that. Solo: A Star Wars story takes some of its inspiration from Legends but can’t seem to grasp by the ST is that Han would never abandon his family.

So, while Han Solo as a street rat on Corellia in SOLO is not that far removed from the Oliver Twist origins in The Paradise Snare by A. C. Crispin. (spoilers ahead if you haven’t read it), that’s about all Disney takes away from it.

Oh my heart, the first two chapters of this book have ALL the basis for Han’s character development throughout the OT and Legends.

The story opens with Han already a great swoop pilot who has won Garris Shrike (the Fagin of this story) lots of money but Han, around 19 at this point (even Han doesn’t know his exact age) is done working for the abusive Shrike. The first chapter alone mentions Han was beaten so badly he couldn’t walk for 2 days and another time where he had to “eat mush for a week” because his lips were split so badly.

But Han has learned not to show fear.

“He’d (Han) learned long ago that showing fear of any sort was a swift guarantee of a beating--or worse. The only thing bullies and fools respected was courage--or at least, bravado.”

But he finds his chance to escape but because he is a good boy, he has to say good bye to his friend and the only parental figure he can remember. Dewlanna, a 600-year-old female Wookie, who took him under her wing(paw?) and looked after him for 10 years. Here we get to see just how Han learned Shyriiwook and the basis of respect for wookies that will save Chewbacca’s life later on.

If this wasn’t written AFTER the Thrawn Trilogy then Jaina’s name should have been Lanna after Han’s “mother”. The only mother he can remember at this point the one that raised and shaped him.

“If it hadn’t been for Dewlanna, he wouldn’t even have known that his last name was “Solo.” 

But Shrike isn’t just going to let Han go, and catches him saying good bye to his “mother”. A fight ensues and Dewlanna is mortally wounded but not before knocking out Shrike and his goons so Han can escape.

“No, I won’t leave you!” Han replied, clutching her harder. Tears blurred his vision, and she swam below him in a sea of brown fur. “I don’t care if I get away! Oh, Dewlanna …”

But of course, she wants him to get away so her sacrifice isn’t in vain.

Once Han is safe, we learn that they had plans for him.

“Hey, Dewlanna,” Han whispered, “I made it. I’m on my way. I’m going to Ylesia, and I’m going to become the best pilot in the sector. I’ll learn enough—and earn enough—to apply for the Academy, the way we always dreamed. I’m free, Dewlanna.” His voice broke. We’re safe, Dewlanna. Shrike can’t touch either of us, now …

I’m free, and I owe it all to you. I’ll never forget it, either. If I ever get a chance to pay you back by helping one of your people, I swear to anything that’s out there—any god, or life-power, or force—I won’t hesitate.

We only see Dewlanna for one chapter (though she gets flashbacks later on) and I already miss her so much! 

But this desire to join the (Imperial) academy is more than just a way out of the life of crime as Han muses to himself while on a ship that he stowed away on.

He’s thinking back to when he first met Shrike as a small child, one that has memories so painful his mind automatically shuts of any train of thought into his past. All Han can remember is from the moment Shrike found him and took him in as a beggar and pickpocket.

And the one thing that I plan to look hard at while doing this re-read is if there are any more clues into Han’s past. Shrike knows Han’s name when they meet and eludes to the fact that he knows everything that goes on in the underbelly of Corellia. I’ve seen theories that maybe Shrike was show how involved in Han ending up on the streets but I plan on paying closer attention this time around. If there are no other clues then this is the biggest dropped plot in the 3 book set. Or it might all be a ploy from Shrike to keep Han in line. That if Han does good, he’ll be told what happened to his parents. Sounds like a lie to me. Just more tragedy for poor Han. 

During this musing into his past we see that Han doesn’t like being a beggar.

Nobody respected a beggar, and Han, more than almost anything, had an undeclared desire to be respected.

And thinks he must have been taught right from wrong before meeting Dewlanna.

But this is why the Han of the ST could never happen:

Yeah, and when I’m the best pilot around, and I’ve made lots of credits, I’ll apply to the Imperial Academy. I’ll become a Naval officer. Then I’ll come back and get Shrike, arrest him, and he’ll get sent to the spice mines on Kessel...

... At the far end of his fantasy, Han pictured himself, successful, respected, the best pilot in the galaxy, with a ship of his own, lots of loyal friends, and plenty of credits. And … a family. Yeah, a family of his own. A beautiful wife who adored him, who’d share adventures with him, and kids, maybe. He’d be a good father. He wouldn’t abandon his children, the way he’d been abandoned.

Because you cannot tell me that someone who goes through what Han will go through from this point until the end of ROTJ will just abandoned his family and go back to smuggling. 

This is his childhood DREAM. It’s not just about being a great pilot. The pilot part is just to get the respect and respectability he craves. A wife to go adventuring with and children to love. THAT’s the goal.

Even in Tatooine’s Ghost it was Han that wanted children. Not Leia. My guess is it was Leia who put off getting married until Han was desperate when Isolder came along and went a little crazy in order not to lose the woman he loves.

As much as people like to complain about Jake Skywalker, Hank Solo was done a dirty as well.

[dukereviewsxtra]

Duke Reviews Xtra: A Kid In King Arthur's Court

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Xtra Where We Continue Our Look At Disney...

And Last Sunday, I Reviewed The Sword And The Stone, So, Since There's No Direct To DVD Sequel Or Remake To This...Yet..., I'm Reviewing The Only Other King Arthur Film Made By Disney That Wasn't Made By Jerry Bruckheimer, A Kid In King Arthur's Court...

This Film Sees Merlin's Ghost Sending A Dude From The 90's To Camelot To Save It From King Arthur's Evil Advisor Who Wants To Marry Rose From Titanic...

And Believe Me When I Say Billy Zane Was The Better Suitor Compared To This Guy...

Will Calvin Be Able To Save Camelot And Get Arthur Back To His Heroic Self?

Let's Find Out As We Watch A Kid In King Arthur's Court..

The Film Starts With Merlin's Ghost (Played By Fagin From Oliver) Summoning A Great Knight Which Is When We Cut To The 90's Where We Meet Calvin Fuller, A Nerdy Young Boy Who Plays For A Baseball Team Called The Knights...

But As We See He's Not Quite The Best Player On The Team...

However, An Earthquake Happens Causing Calvin To Fall Down...

(Singing)

Down...

Deep Below...

To The Late...1800s....

Landing On A Black Knight, Calvin Scares Him Off And Gives Back The Money The Guy Stole To Some Of Arthur's Knights As He Runs...

Arthur (Played By DeNomolos From Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey) Wishes To Thank The Boy So He Sends The Knights To Find Him, Eventually Finding Calvin In The City They Bring Him Before Arthur And His 2 Daughters, Katie And Sarah (Played By Winslet)...

Who Invite Him To Have Dinner With Them, But Arthur's Aide (And Our Villain For This Movie) Lord Belasco Believes Calvin To Be In League With The Black Knight, So Giving Calvin A Chance To Defend His Honor By Combat...

But While Belasco Chooses A Sword, Calvin (Realizing He's Not Good With Weapons) Uses The Only Thing He Does Like, Rock And Roll And Wins...

Dubing Him Calvin Fuller Of Reseda, He Discovers The Round Table Is Non Existant As Sarah Asks Her Father To Let Sir Kane (Played By James Bond)...

Which One?

Daniel Craig

Oh...

Train Calvin In Fighting, And He Agrees, And Let's Calvin Stay In Their Castle...

But He Doesn't Exactly Get Any Rest As When He Goes Exploring The Castle, Belasco Nearly Kills Him, So He Practices His Karate Only To Catch Arthur's Daughter, Katie Watching Him...

They Get To Know Each Other Through A Bunch Of Exposition...

Before Katie Takes Calvin To Merlin's Quarters In An Effort To Get Him Home...

Hearing A Noise, Katie Leaves With Calvin And Has Him Escort Her Back To Her Room, But He Returns To Merlin's Quarters Afterwards And Merlin's Ghost, Who Believes He's Made A Mistake When He Looks At Calvin..

But Realizing That He's The Knight He Summoned, He Tells Him That Arthur Is In Trouble With His Kingdom Being Shattered By The Fist Of Lord Belasco, Who Intends To Steal Camelot From Arthur And It's Now Up To Calvin To Stop Him...

I Bet He Wishes He Was Obi Wan Kenobi...

With Calvin Believing Merlin Has The Wrong Person, Merlin Makes A Deal With Him That If He Helps Arthur He'll Send Him Home...

The Next Morning, Calvin Begins Training With Sir Kane By Starting Out With Attacking On Horseback, (Where He Throws An Axe Out Of A Window) Before Moving On To Archery Where...

Well, Let's Just Say Calvin Won't Be As Good As Oliver Queen Any Time Soon...

Meanwhile, Lord Belasco Talks With Sarah To Try To Seduce Her In An Effort To Drop The Tournament And Marry Him, But Sarah Refuses, Stating That The Tournament Will Decide For Her...

Visiting A Blacksmith, Calvin Asks If He Can Make Him A Pair Of Roller Skates For Katie, And In Doing So, She Absolutely Loves Them...

Meanwhile At The New "Round Table" Belasco Talks With Arthur To Make Him Cancel The Tournament And Let Sarah Be His Wife, As Katie And Calvin Arrive To His Displeasure...

Later At Training With Kane And Katie, They Are Interrupted By Belasco Who Is Tired Of Calvin And Decides To Fight Him Again, But When Calvin Is Basically Beat, He Kicks Belasco In The Jewels...

Giving Him A Grand Supper For Winning, Calvin Says Fine As Long As He Does The Cooking...

Yeah, Even I Admit That Pork Head Can Get Tiring After A While..

So, He Makes Them 2 Big Macs...

Meanwhile, In The Throne Room, The King Tells Katie That She Will Marry Lord Belasco, However Sarah Is Determined To Let The Tournament Decide But The Next Day It Is Revealed That Katie Is In Love With Sir Kane...

I Don't See James Bond As Your Type, Sarah, But I Can Suggest An Artist Named Dawson For You...

With Katie And Calvin Seeing The Entire Thing, She Makes Calvin Swear Not To Say A Word To Anyone On Her Honor...

With Kane Believing That Calvin Is Ready To Joust, Calvin Isn't So Sure, So He Places Super Glue? On His Saddle And When He Hits The Target, The Saddle Falls Off The Horse...

Katie Goes To Check Calvin Who Looks Injured Only For Calvin To Slip Her A Kiss, To Her Displeasure...

Realizing He Might Have Made Katie Mad...

No, Really?

Calvin Visits The Blacksmith Again, Only This Time Calvin Wants Him To Make A Bike For Katie...

While Katie Talks With Sarah Who Figures Out That She's In Love With Calvin Even Though She Doesn't Realize It...

(Start At 9:52, End At 10:33)

Really, Man, They're Sisters! Get A Grip!

Anyway, The Next Day, After Calvin Teaches Arthur How To Eat Bubble Gum, He Tells Belasco That The Tournament Is Still On And That If He Wants To Win Her He Must Do It There, But Not Wanting To, He Moves To Plan B...

But Before I Go On To That, Let's Check On Calvin And Katie...

Seeing Calvin In The Garden, He Gives Her The Bike So They Can Go On A Picnic Together...

On Their Way Back To The Castle Calvin And Katie Discover That The Black Knight Is Actually One Of The Good Guys, When He Gives The Townspeople A Cart Filled With Food...

Taking Katie Back To Her Room, We Meet Belasco's Plan B: Kidnap Katie As A Barter For Sarah To Marry Him...

After Telling Sarah About Katie, Belasco Visits Calvin And Frames Him For Kidnapping Katie (Oh, Sorry Murder), But When Calvin Gets Away, He Runs Into Sarah Who Tells Him What Happened To Katie And What Belasco Wants...

Eventually Going To Arthur's Chambers, Calvin Tells Him Everything But He Still Believes That Belasco Wouldn't Hurt A Fly However, When Calvin Shows Arthur Something That Sarah Gave Him, He Buys The Story And Protects Calvin From Belasco...

Escaping With Calvin Into The City, They Go Undercover, As Arthur Discovers That He's Not As Loved Throughout The Kingdom As He Thought As Belasco Has Been Stealing From Them For Years...

Vowing To Be A Better King, Arthur And Calvin Go To Save Katie From Belasco's Dungeon, But Before Going In Calvin Renews Arthur's Will To Fight By Giving Him Excalibur (Which Was Given To Him By Merlin)

However, When They Release Katie, She Gets Kidnapped Again By Belasco's Second In Command And Is Held Hostage Over A Moat, This Leads Calvin To Use The Laser On His CD Player To Blind The Guard And Cause Him To Fall To His Death...

Now, I Hate To Say This But I Got To Agree With The Nostalgia Critic When He Said That A Laser On A CD Player Doesn't Work Like That...

Escaping The Castle, Arthur Knights Calvin As A Knight Of The Round Table, Before Returning To The Castle And..,Letting Belasco Go?

Yeah, Even I Kind Of Think Letting Him Is Kind Of Stupid...

However, Arthur Has A Point, With The Guards Loyal To Belasco And The People Believing Arthur To Be An Idiot, The Best Thing To Do Is To Bide Their Time So When The Time Is Right They Can Nail Him...

Later At The Tournament, Arthur Makes A Speech That He Never Betray His People Again And Declares That The Tournament Shall Be Open To All Free Men (Mainly So Kane Can Enter The Competition)...

Defeating Every Opponent That Comes His Way, Kane Ends Up Facing Off Against Belasco In The Final Battle, But Using The Crystal On His Armor, Belasco Blinds Kane And Knocks Him Out...

But Seeing How Kane Did Not Fall Off His Horse, He Is Still In The Competition, However, When Kane Returns The Joust Continues....

But Everyone Soon Gets A Scare, When Belasco Hits Kane In The Head And Discovers He Has No Head...

Well, How's He Going To Have His Vodka Martini Now?

With A Now Headless Kane Continuing, He Ends Up Winning And Knocking Belasco Off Of His Horse...

Which Leads To It Being Revealed That It Wasn't Kane, But Calvin All Along. Pissed Off At His Defeat, Belasco Attempts To Kill Calvin, But Luckily, Calvin Is Saved By The Black Knight Who Is Revealed To Have Been Sarah This Whole Time..

So, With Calvin Forfeiting His Victory To Sarah, Arthur Grants Her The Right To Choose Whoever She Wants To Marry And Banishes Belasco From His Kingdom Forever As Merlin Keeps His Word And Sends Calvin Back To His Time, Saying Farewell To Arthur And Katie..

Arriving Before The Earthquake, Calvin Goes Up To The Plate And Hits A Home Run. Arriving Back On Home Plate, He Is Greeted By His Teammates, Including A Girl Who Looks Like Katie, As A Spectator Who Looks Like Arthur Watches In The Crowd As Our Movie Ends..,

And That's A Kid In King Arthur's Court, And While It Does Have It's Stupid Moments, It Is A Decent Movie...

The Story Is Good, The Comedy Can Be Funny At Times, And I Liked The Fighting Scenes In It, So, Yeah, I'm Going To Say See It...

Tune In To Duke Reviews Next Week As We Look At The Jungle Book, But Then, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[raeynbowboi]

Top 10 Disney Villains

10. King Candy Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Although he’s newer to the villain roster, King Candy was a well-written villain who served as a perfect blend of humorous and genuinely threatening. He also tied very nicely into the themes of the film, which makes him stand out in my memory as a good villain, because I take more than just personality and actions into account when judging characters, but also role in the narrative, and how they support the themes and ideas of the story. King Candy is the perfect villain for a story like this, which is why I consider him good enough to be on this list, even if as a villain himself, he might not be the most memorable among the Disney canon.

9. Gaston Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Perhaps the Disney villain we’re most likely to meet in real life, Gaston is the perfect example of toxic masculinity on full display. He’s a great anthithesis to the Beast, though I never saw him all that handsome, which sort of detracts just a little bit from the story. But in a story about how looks don’t matter, but actions do, he’s a great foil to the love interest. He’s a selfish hateful man who is handed everything he wants, and when he doesn’t get his way, he strongarms people until they meet his demands. Yet, despite his personality, he retains a legion of followers who are more-so admirers than actual friends. He never once considers anyone to be his equal or of sufficient worth unless it was helpful in his own endeavors. And anyone who has ever had a friend who basically used them and then ditched them at the soonest convenience can probably recognize that kind of so-called “friend” in Gaston. He’s a great villain to dissect as an analysis of our current culture, but I don’t want to write a five page essay on Gaston for a top 10 list. 

8. Yzma Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

Inarguably Disney’s best comedic villain (not counting her henchman Kronk), Yzma is a brilliantly funny character whose exaggurated appearance and over-the-top personality blend well with the fast-paced slapstick comedy that fills the movie. Yet, despite being a funny villainess, she avoids a major pitfall of many comedic villains by also being legitimately threatening and dangerous to our heroes. That, combined with the excellent writing in the movie makes Yzma so memorable and likable.

7. Mother Gothel Tangled (2010)

Although her actual villainous actions in the movie are surprsingly few and far between, I genuinely love Mother Gothel as a villainess. Her motivations are well-established, and she’s the sole reason the story has any plot at all. Comparisons have been made to the living conditions of both Quasimodo and Rapunzel, and I would genuinely agree that Mother Gothel is akin to a diet version of Frollo without all the genocide and religious superiority. She has to be more discreet and pretend to be kind in order to keep her little flower content to remain obedient locked away from the outside world. It makes total sense the way she treats Rapunzel, and her entire character, personality, and role all fit together to enhance the narrative of the story.

6. Long John Silver Treasure Planet (2002)

Arguably one of the most human villains from Disney, Silver is a beautiful complexity as he juggles the duality of being a father-figure to the impressionable young Jim, while also betraying Jim’s trust. Since Jim’s father left when he was a child, Jim closes himself off from people and seems adrift in the world. Silver, who has no need to trick the boy for his mutiny to succeed, still takes the time to take Jim under his wing, nurture the boy’s abilities, and form a bond. Heck, with how relatively apathetic Jim was, he could have manipulated Jim into hating being on the ship, and thus have him be happy when the mutiny sets him free. But instead, he chose to teach the boy and boost his confidence. In the end, Silver is a compelling Anti-Villain where it’s hard to really define him as a good or wicked person. That is honestly more interesting than just being a straight deceitful villain.

5. Bill Sykes Oliver & Company (1988)

Perhaps the most surprising choice on my list, Sykes was a villain from Oliver & Company, a retelling of Oliver Twist with stray dogs and a kitten. However, despite Disney’s family friendly brand, Sykes is a surprisingly menacing character. A loan shark and a cut-throat business man, he spends most of the movie threatening to kill Fagin which is far darker than Disney tends to get. While many Disney villains want to kill people, those desires were driven by personal grievances with that person or people. With Sykes, it’s cold, ruthless business. He doesn’t care about Fagin’s life. All he cares about is getting his money, and Fagin’s life just happens to be the collateral. It’s the purest form of cold-blooded murder, and that’s not a common thing among Disney villains.

4. Ursula The Little Mermaid (1989)

There’s a good reason Ursula is one of the flagship villains of this franchise. She has a strong personality, is a great antagonist, and directly plays off the protagonist’s weaknesses to win. Second only to Scar, and possibly Jafar, Ursula is the classic hand-drawn animated Disney villain to get closest to winning. The fact that she’s based on a drag queen is kind of perfect, since the fairytale was written by Hans Christian Andersen to express his love for Edvard Collin discreetly. He intended to give it to Edvard as a wedding gift, but Edvard and his wife purposefully “forgot” to tell him when the wedding was out of fear that he’d make a scene or announce his love for Edvard in front of everyone. Thus, the mermaid’s taboo love of someone she shouldn’t who comes from an entirely different way of living is a direct parallel to Hans’ feelings for the young Gentleman, and the mermaid being unable to speak and suffering greatly to be near her love is a clear metaphor for Hans’ own feelings of torture. So the inclusion of a drag queen in a movie adaptation of a covert metaphorical gay romantic tragedy is just deliciously fitting. 

3. The Horned King The Black Cauldron (1984)

Sykes got a place on this list for being genuinely intimidating, but this villain is living nightmare fuel. One of the best things a genuinely threatening villain can do is successfully scare you, and this villain scared the living daylights out of me as a child. In fact, he was the only Disney villain to truly and completely scare me as a child. The rest of the villains were pretty much just bad characters, but the Horned King was far more terrifying than anything else I’d seen as a kid. Though his movie bombed and the story itself was a bit lacking, the Horned King was a genuinely horrifying presence, and to this day, I can’t think Disney Villains without this guy clawing his way into my mind. Maybe as a villain himself, he’s a bit flat, but he’s a horrific undead murderous monster trying to snuff out all life. He doesn’t need to be that complex for what he is, and that works with the type of villain that he was created to be.

2. Claude Frollo The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1996)

If Sykes made it to number 5 for the cold-blooded attempt at murder on one person, Frollo strolls into 2nd place for his cold-blooded successful mass racial/ethnic genocide of multiple people over a long reign of tyranny. Although we don’t see his treats on-screen, he very verbally implies that he has been executing people one by one for at least twenty years as he crushes ants. We even see him barricade a family with children inside of their house and then proceed to burn it down. This man is not messing around, and I love it. When it coems to dark, twisted, and messed up villains, Frollo takes the cake. He is hands down one of the greatest and most horrible villains out there. And the fact that he does this all in the name of God is a hauntingly dark reminder of the true cruelty of the medieval Christian church. Frollo was written in the original book to be a deliberate critique of the Catholic church, and I for one am grateful that Disney decided to be faithful to Frollo’s horrible nature when adapting to film. 

1. Maleficent Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Finally, we reach the leader of the Disney Villains. How could I not put her at the top of this list? She literally fights with all the powers of Hell. But what I like most about her is what you can piece together from the narrative. Out of all the fairies, only Fauna thinks that Maleficent could be reasoned with, and she feels sad at the idea that Maleficent may not even grasp the concept of happiness, or what it feels like to be loved. This opens Maleficent up to being a product of abuse, abandonment, and bitterness. Her hatred for the world and her actions of spite and envy come into a new light with the idea that it’s kindled from neglect and exclusion from others. It offers the question of what would happen if someone did try to just talk to her, and offers a possibly sympathetic reading of her character. But, the true crux of what Maleficent stands for is that she’s evil, and she takes great pleasure in her evil ways. She cursed a baby because she wasn’t invited to a party. When it comes to pure, unfiltered evil, Maleficent has that in spades. So, Maleficent is a perfect character no matter which type you prefer as a villain: the tormented outcast lashing out, or the heartless monster lighting the world on fire for fun. No matter what kind of villain you prefer, there’s a way of reading her narrative to satisfy you.

[dancewriteandbehappy]

been considering jewish figures in classical English literature recently, and realized that most of the portrayals that aren’t anti-semitic come from pieces of literature in the 1900s. and yes, sure, there are probably fabulous works of fiction from before that, written in English, that portray Jewish characters with at least neutrality, if not positivity. But the thing is, I can’t think of one off the top of my head. 

Take Shylock from The Merchant of Venice. Sure, if you do a deep read of the play you can argue your way around the Jewish stereotypes and claim he’s not the victim but the hero, blah blah, that’s not the point. The point is that you have to argue for the portrayal of him as a positive figure. The point is there were basically no prominent Jews--real or fictional--at that time, so any famous characters were immediately influential. The point is Jews were banished from England in the 1200s and weren’t officially welcomed back until the 1600s. The point is...the Jew of Malta. 

I checked out wikipedia’s list of fictional jews (i know, i know, not an accurate source...) and if we’re just looking at the novels? Basically none of them have Jewish characters that are portrayed in a positive light. We don’t get any of that until maaaaybe after 1850. Though if anyone would like to correct me on this point, please do! I would love to be corrected.

Plus, half these titles I’ve never heard of. I know Fagin from Charles Dickens as an anti-semitic portrayal. Daniel Deronda I’ve heard of, but never read. Trilby? No idea. I’ve read The Great Gatsby multiple times, but never has Meyer Wolfsheim come up in class discussion. And while I’ll be putting Friday the Rabbi Slept Late (1964) on my to read list, I’m not too keen on Gentleman’s Agreement (1947).

(And I have to paste the quick summary of L’enfant prophete (by Edmond Fleg, published in 1926) here:

“Claude Levy is a young Jewish boy growing up in Paris who seeks a spiritual life and is drawn towards Catholicism before embracing his Jewish roots at the advice of Jesus“

At the advice of Jesus? You’ve got to be kidding me.)

so what’s my point? I don’t really have one. But it’s something I’ve been thinking about, especially with my professor’s insistence on calling Leopold Bloom from Ulysses a “jewish figure” and not a jew. Which, on one hand, I can totally see. Bloom does not keep kosher, and he never appears to actively choose to be Jewish, which is at the very basis of our faith--if you say you’re Jewish, you’re Jewish (to a certain extent, etc etc, stay with me for a moment). His mother wasn’t Jewish, and his father certainly converted before Leopold was born.

But...why do we have to disprove Leopold’s jewish qualities? Why can’t we prove them? We have so few good Jewish characters in classic literature. (Not that Ulysses is even that old!) Leopold doesn’t appear to actively subscribe to any religion. Not to mention, Judaism is an ethnic religion. Bloom’s father is a Jew escaping persecution in Hungary--which means Bloom is definitely ethnically jewish. And Bloom’s isolated and ostracized condition from the group is certainly a culturally Jewish theme.

I say, until I see a line in Ulysses that says “Bloom is a catholic” or “Bloom is not jewish”--or something to that extent, I’m going to see Bloom as a non-practicing Jew. I want the Everyman to be a Jewish man. And that’s my damn prerogative.

I want to see literary criticism of Bloom as a Jew written by Jews. (If you have any, send it my way). I want to see Leopold Bloom as a Jew.

[fearsmagazine]

MONDOCANE - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Kino Lorber

SYNOPSIS:  In the not-too-distant future on Italy’s southern coast, the city of Taranto has become a toxic wasteland ruled by warring gangs and surrounded by barbed wire, where best friends Pietro and Cristian dream of escaping their hardscrabble existence for a better life in nearby New Taranto. Opportunity knocks when Hothead, the charismatic and dangerous leader of a local gang called the Ants, recruits the two boys and gives them everything they fantasized about: money in their pockets, a family, and a father figure. The friendship begins to splinter, though, as Cristian displays a surprising talent for mayhem and quickly rises through the ranks. With a new female friend pushing them further apart, an obsessed cop hounding the gang, and Hothead becoming increasingly unhinged, the boys barrel toward a confrontation that will determine if their bond is strong enough to survive.

REVIEW: Alessandro Celli’s MONDOCANE is an impressive low budget post-apocalyptic film that blends elements of the “Mad Max” universe with Charles Dickens's “Oliver Twist” into an intense and emotionally engaging film of innocence and friendship trying to survive in a toxic wasteland.

The narrative is a character study of two boys, friends, Pietro and Cristian whose dreams of finding someplace better lead to them doing dirty deeds that turn deadly. Hothead feels like a contemporary Bill Sikes. There is not one character that embodies Fagin, but there are two characters that fit the bill. The Ants feel like Fagin’s band of young criminals, a bit of the lost boys thrown in, but here they are deadlier than Fagina’s band of rogues. There are some other elements here reminiscent of Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables'' in terms of this connected cast of characters that are in dire situations and how that influences their actions, not always for the better. The narrative provides more background than a “Max Max'' film into this plot and a few characters. We are presented with several sides to Hothead and what drives his actions. I was interested in the amount of background the story provides to create a full pitch about what transpired here and how that motivates the factions. As this is subtitled, I can’t really comment on the dialogue, but the subtitles did provide access to the narrative and maintained my interest.

The film balances two visions, the city of Taranto that looks like a war zone and New Taranto that looks like a Mediterranean paradise. There are locations in the old city that look like a war zone where Pietro and Cristian have found an oasis before they join The Ants.  There is an excellent equilibrium in the cinematography in blending these contrasting cities. There are moments when the film’s stressed beauty reminds of a Terry Gilliam film. I would describe the look as a micro-epic. The filmmakers make these smaller locations look much bigger than they are. The costumes are solid, the makeup great, and the effects nicely done.

Alessandro Celli has a talented cast and captures superb performances. His adolescent stars do an amazing job of creating a transformation before our eyes. The actor playing Hothead provides a rich emotional palate as he creates a character you want to hate but still manage to have some sympathy for. The rest of the cast offer the viewer some interesting touchstones into the world of MONDOCANE.

MONDOCANE is the debut feature of Italian writer/director Alessandro Celli. His work here demonstrates an excellent knowledge of both the technique and artistry of filmmaking. This is a rare occasion since the pandemic that I would have liked to view this film on the big screen. It’s a dark, adult dystopian story that doesn't hold any punches. There is violence, no sex or nudity, but given the themes it’s more for older teens and not for younger children. I’m excited to see what Alessandro Celli does next.

CAST: Dennis Protopapa, Giuliano Soprano, Alessandro Borghi, Barbara Ronchi, and Ludovica Nasti. CREW: Director/Screenplay - Alessandro Celli; Screenplay - Antonio Leotti; Producer - Matteo Rovere; Cinematographer - Giuseppe Maio; Score - Federico Bisozzi & Davide Tomat; Editor - Clelio Benevento; Production Designer - Fabrizio D'Arpino; Costume Designer - Andrea Cavalletto; Makeup Effects Designer - Roberto Pastore; Visual Effects Artist - Maurizio Alario OFFICIAL: groenlandiagroup.com/it/portfolio/mondocane FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/XHUQFOYspB8 RELEASE DATE: In NY & LA theaters May 20th, 2022

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay),  or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[sowingseedsandshootinghoops]

Life as Inspiration for Art: Charles Dickens

Note on the text: I used Fred Kaplan’s biography of Charles Dickens, entitled Dickens: A Biography, as published in 1988 by John Hopkins University Press. 

Artists are fascinating people, and it is always interesting, in my opinion, to “look under the hood” and see what drives them. So to have the opportunity to do this with Dickens who is, in my opinion, one of the greatest novelists ever, was to great for me to ignore. One of the most interesting parts of this biography was who Kaplan was able to show just how Dickens managed to integrate his life into his work. For Dickens, his life was the greatest source of inspiration. It’s where he was able to get the inspiration that he needed in order to give his novels the power that made them the transcendent pieces of art that they are now. 

Freud, in his acceptance of the Goethe Prize in 1930, said that “the goal of biography is to bring a grand figure nearer to us: ‘It is unavoidable that [the more we learn] about a great man’s life, [the more] we shall hear about occasions on which he has done no better than we [have done]” (Preface). The more we learn about great men, the more we realize that at the end of the day they were just that: men. 

Dickens’ life was no better, no richer, than anyone else’s, yet he was able to use it to fuel his art in the most beautiful ways. In fact, by all accounts Dickens’ life, especially his childhood, was completely unremarkable in its ordinariness: 

He had not been cast by his family [in] in role of the [preeminent] writer, let alone genius, of his age. ‘None of us guessed at it’, his father said, ‘and when we heard that he had become a reporter, my brother in law Barrow, [as well as] other relations, anticipated a failure.’ No one had seen harbingers of distinction. At school he was [seen simply] as bright and responsive with a retentive memory.

In that way, Dickens was no different than any other artist at any other time in history including our own. Nobody could anticipate that he would become who he became anymore than we could predict now who is destined to become the next Dickens. 

Yet Dickens’ life, ordinary as it was, spilled over into various parts of his art. Stories such as The Broker’s Man and The Pawnbroker’s Shop, which were both published at the beginning of his career, were simply lightly fictionalized versions of his own childhood. Even the main character of another early story, A Passage in the Life of Watkins Tottle, is, like Charles’ father John Dickens, “jailed for debt in a prison just like Marshallsea” prison where John Dickens was imprisoned (65). Charles grew up in circumstances that are, unfortunately, not unlike those which many people today still experience. His father was in and out of prison for most of Charles’ life starting from when Charles was 10. At age 12 Charles was forced to drop out of school and work for 10 hours a day in a boot factory in order to help make ends meet. The strenuous working conditions that he experienced as a child were another element of his life that appeared in many of his stories from Oliver Twist to Hard Times. 

Every part of Charles’ life made it into his art. No one was safe. He even parodied his best friend, John Fowler, continuously throughout his career, specifically in the characters of Dowler from the Pickwick Papers and Podsnap from Our Mutual Friend which were, respectively, the first and the last novels he ever wrote. Even another boy, a co worker in the boot factory, who he did not particularly care about, made it into one of his novels. Dickens’ job at the factory was to create a label out of paper and attach it to the boots with a string. One of the boys who showed him a useful trick for attaching the string to the boot was named Bob Fagin and became the namesake of the character in Oliver Twist. 

Throughout his whole creative life, Dickens found ways in inject his life into his work and in doing so was able to give his work the richness for which he celebrated even today. In a letter written in 1846, he details just how important his daily life is to his creative process: “I can’t express how much I want city streets. It seems as if they [supply] something to my brain which it cannot bear. . . to lose. The toil and labor of writing day after day without that magic lantern is IMMENSE [emphasis in the original]. My figures seem to stagnate without them”(208). Dickens used every part of his life, boring and ordinary as it was, to enrich his art with the power and life that it needed. 

Above and beyond the quality of the novels themselves. I hope that this aspect of Dickens’ life and creative process can continue to influence artists today. Dickens stands as a reminder to all artists that their lives, boring and ordinary as they are, are packed with all of the inspiration that they could ever need. I hope that he inspires todays artists to use their own lives to invigorate their work in the same way that he did. It is this way, along with the novels themselves, that Dickens can continue to inspire the next generation of writers and artists to pick up their instruments and create new art that speaks to people of our generation and beyond.

[libertasrpg]

We welcome Francis Einstein to the city. He’s 32 years old and is a community theatre actor. Francis is often mistaken for Scott Eastwood. He’s open.

→ Background Information

Miss Einstein never knew who the fathers of William and Francis were, so both boys were bought up without a Dad. It was a very happy life though. They were short on money, but managed to get by. The boys enjoyed the simpler things in life like reading or cooking. Francis would much prefer a new book for Christmas than a fancy game. This is something that hasn’t changed over the years. Francis has always been one to keep his head down. Despite a messy home life, Francis got top grades in every class in school. There was even talk of him going away to college. However, his dedication to his family meant it was an idea that he quickly brushed off.

→ Living Situation

Lack of funds meant that Francis and his brother wouldn’t be able to enter Libertas through official channels. It seemed like a nice city though and when he came across the deal with Solomon Fagin, Francis just had to take it. The pair wanted to get out of their home city asap. Obviously it wasn’t ideal to be living with so many people but Francis and William had kept to themselves for the majority of their life. So Francis figured it’d be good, for his brother especially, to have some new people in their lives. Even if his bedroom his small, Francis really actually quite likes his little room. It’s neat and tidy, and his. As children, Francis and William had always shared a room so Francis was grateful to finally have his own room.

→ Relocation Explanation

Francis adored his mother. Being brought up by a single parent taught him many many lessons that he’s eternally grateful for. So when she passed away, it was a real kick in the ass. Neither him or William could bare walking the same streets they’d walked with her. So, they looked for ways out of the city. Unfortunately the Einstein family wasn’t really one of money. Finding a new place would be tough. Then Francis came across a guy, called Fagin, in a city, called Libertas. The city only usually accepted people with applications but Fagin was willing to accept people without them. The rent was good, the place was decent, and the city was nice. So - They took it.

→ His Personality

Francis really is a classic gentlemen. He enjoys reading Shakespeare in his spare time, and loves reciting a sonnet or two to whoever will listen. People have long teased him for being so old-fashioned. He just thinks things were better back then. Generally though, he’s a very warm soul. He loves those around him - But that doesn’t mean they don’t get on his nerves. Francis can have a short fuse, especially interrupted during rehearsals. Rehearsal time is holy time. Acting has long been a comfort for Francis so anyone who disrupts him will be reprimanded. After all, Francis is a brilliant actor. He needs to get his practice in to make sure he shines on stage. 

→ His Qualities

Funny, kind, caring

Strict, irritable, boastful

→ His Relationships

Oliver Twist (Acquaintance): Oliver has started appearing around the house more and more. He seems like a sweet kid. He’s stayed out of their way for the majority, most of his time being spend with Dodger. Oliver brings a nice happy energy to the house though. It’s an energy that Francis appreciates and he’s a fan of anyone who helps with his work.

Solomon Fagin (Landlord): Francis is incredibly grateful that he found somewhere to stay, even if it was off the books. Fagin’s an okay guy. Francis could tell immediately that he has some issues. He’s always very caring when they actually have a chat though so Francis can’t fault him too much. He’s just got a rough past, that hopefully stays in the past.

William Einstein (Older brother & housemate): As any siblings do, William and Einstein have their fair share of arguments. They’re quite different people after all. But they have each other’s back through thick and thin. Francis would never let anything bad happen to William.

Jack Dawkins, Rita Morales & Ignacio de Tito (Friends & housemates): The one thing that Francis loves about his flatmates is how interesting all of them are. He could study their personalities for days. Also, Francis is a fan of that regardless of how busy everyone is, they all sit down for dinner at the table together at least once a week. Francis also appreciates the support from them. As an actor, he can’t  always make and so he reluctantly joins his housemates on con jobs.

→ Possible Connections

Jennifer Foxworth (Friend): Jenny is incredibly mature, and also cares a lot about Oliver. Francis enjoys a good chat with her. He knows that, unlike his friends, she won’t tease him for sounding too old-fashioned.

Georgette Foxworth (Acquaintance): Francis understands why some of the others aren’t hugely keen on Georgette. But, she’s the only other person who appreciates the finer things in life almost as much as he does. So, you might find them sharing some caviar together occasionally.

Roscoe Dobermann & Miguel de Soto (Enemies): Everyone in the house is aware of Fagin’s past. They spend every second that it doesn’t catch up with him - Because it definitely will not be pretty.

Francis is based on Francis from Oliver & Company.

[orphanbrigade]

Home Alone

Orphan Brigade [Baby Years]: The story of how an infamous crime lord became the guardian of three children and a teenager. 

Trigger Warning: Violence and guns 

The penthouse was utter chaos. No-one was packed despite the fact that Geoff had warned them of the trip weeks ago, the boys were hyper (Gavin and Michael were running around duelling with plastic swords) and worst of all, there was a police officer stood in the doorway.

Geoff let Jack deal with the officer while he rushed around throwing things into the boys backpacks. He overheard little snippets of the conversation. Luckily the cop wasn’t after them; he was there to warn them about a string of burglaries in the area. Geoff struggled not to laugh at the idea of the infamous Fake AH Crew being burgled.

Regardless of the non-existent threat, Geoff was still in a hurry to leave. The less time spent near a police officer, the better. He scooped up all the bags and hurried the boys towards the door.

“Sorry officer. Love to chat but we’re on vacation. See you around!” He grinned fakely as they hurried out.

Jack chuckled, locking the door behind them.

“Don’t worry!” The officer smiled, waving as he watched the family leave. “Your home is in good hands.”

--

Hours later, Ray had finally beaten his DS game and emerged from the bed room, hunting for a snack.

“Jack…?”

The penthouse was bizarrely quiet.

“Geoff….?”

He searched the entirety of the penthouse, becoming more and more panicked as each room was revealed to be unoccupied.

“Gav?? Michael?!”

Ray stared at the empty living room, tears pricking his eyes. His worst nightmare had become a reality. Ray had been left all alone.

--

Geoff could finally relax once they were on the road. They were miles away from home with the whole family. The ultimate road trip. The music was blasting and the boys were singing along happily.

They made their first stop to pick Ryan up. He was way on a school trip and Geoff was standing in as Ryans father (somewhat inspired by Ferris Buellers Day off) to pick him up early. Ryan climbed into the car, glad to get away from his class mates.

“How you doing Ryan?” Geoff asked as they pulled away.

“Good I guess.” Ryan paused as he looked at the boys sat next to him. “….. Hey Geoff?”

“Yeah buddy?”

“When was the last time you did a head count?”

“What do you mean?” Geoff turned around. “….. SHIT!!!”

--

Ray was doing everything he could to keep himself calm.

Luckily the power had been returned after a big storm the night before, but the phone lines were still dead. With no way to contact his family, Ray was resigned to the fact that he would have to look after himself.

Ray climbed the counter to pull down as much junk food as he could carry and sat on the sofa to watch his favourite film; Oliver and Company. He had to turn it off after a while though. The film normally gave him comfort but now it just upset him more. Fagin always reminded him of Geoff; a man making his own little family by collecting strays off the street. He sighed and found a new game that he hadn’t started yet. He curled up on the couch, hidden under a blanket, as he played his DS. After a while he slowly drifted off to sleep.

--

Ray was roughly awoken by the noise of people talking outside the front door, rattling the handle.

“What the hell are you doing Kovic?” A voice hissed from the other side of the front door.

“It’s a complex system okay? Shut your face Bruce. I’d like to see you hack this security.”

Panic gripped Ray as he ran to the nearest bedroom, hiding under Jacks bed. He knew that Ryan had improved the penthouses security, but he also had no clue who was trying to break in and how good they were at hacking systems like the one guarding the AH apartment.

Ray took a deep breath to steady himself. “Only a wimp would hide under a bed.” He told himself firmly. “And I’m not a wimp. I’m in the Fake AH Crew.”

The small boy crawled out from under the bed, listening carefully to the noise outside. “This is my home.” He stated as he pulled Jacks drawers open to find the hidden guns. “I have to defend it.”

---

Ray set up as many booby traps as he could while the men squabbled outside over the security system. Once he was content that he had done as much as he could, he took his place under Jacks bed and waited, a controller in hand.

The door opened with a click and Ray smirked as he heard a crash as the men stood on the marbles that he had scattered across the floor. He listened intently as he heard various traps around the penthouse activate. His personal favourite was the screams of terror as the flame thrower blasted into action.

Unfortunately, Ray didn’t hear the man enter Jacks bedroom and suddenly a hand grabbed his leg, yanking him out from under the bed roughly.

“There you are you little shit.” The man hissed, half of his face burned by the flames.

Ray panicked, his hands clamped down onto the controller in his hands which sent a small RC car shooting out from the wardrobe. It crashed into the men’s legs, knocking his off balance. The man dropped Ray, who crashed to the ground.

Scrambling to his feet, Ray dashed towards the door. But he found the taller man stood in the doorway, blocking his escape.

“I don’t think so.” The man smirked, placing his boot firmly on Rays shoulder and kicking him across the room.

Panicked, Ray turned and ran towards the window, yanking it open and climbing out of it. He scrambled for the fire exit and climbed up towards the roof, figuring that he could hide up there.

He stood on the roof, legs trembling as he pulled out the gun that he had stashed in the pocket of his hoodie. “This is it…” He told himself, aiming the gun where the men would appear from the ladders if they had followed him. “Don’t get scared now.” His hands were shaking so hard that he almost dropped the gun.

The second someone’s head popped up from the ladder, Ray fired. Luckily he missed by a wide margin as it wasn’t one of his attackers who had climbed the ladder. It was Ryan.

“Ry…” Ray dropped the gun, tears welling up in his eyes.

“It’s okay buddy.” Ryan ran forward and scooped Ray up, hugging him tightly. “It’s okay. We’re home now. You’re safe.”

“Wh-… where’s Geoff?” Ray sniffled miserably.

“Well, he slipped on the marbles in front of the door. So he can’t climb the ladder.”

“Jack….?”

“He’s taking care of the burglars right now. He’s going to make sure that they can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

“Gav…. Michael?”

“They’re in your room. Waiting for you. Everyone’s home.” He smiled softly. “Come on. Let’s go.” Ryan climbed one the ladders, one hand wrapped securely around Ray.

As they entered the penthouse, Ray spotted Geoff on the couch, his foot propped up on a pile of cushions. Jack was tying the two injured burglars up with rope, a vicious expression on her face.

Ryan passed Ray over to Jack. “I’ve got this.” He assured their matriarch, a murderous glint in his eye as he grabbed the pair and roughly dragged them out of the apartment.

Jack sighed as she sat down next to Geoff, Ray in her lap.

“How you doing little guy?” Geoff asked, trying to remain calm despite the throbbing pain in his ankle.

“…. Not good.” Ray admitted, tears streaming down his face.

Jack wrapped her arms around Ray, cuddling the little boy who clung to her desperately.  “We’ve got you.”

“I’m going to make this up to you.” Geoff promised him. “You’re going to be spoiled as fuck for the rest of your life.”

“I don’t want that. Just… don’t leave me again okay?”

“I promise Buddy.” Geoff assured him. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

[deannawads]

MM Historical Fiction–14 authors, 13 great deals

Get swept away to times long past. Fourteen authors share their love of history through fiction. Follow the website links after my post to read the authors’  articles about their books and then go pick up a great read for half-price or less from December 12 – 24!

Welcome to the M/M historical romance tour!

 WRECKED is on sale December 19th for 89 cents

the Dreamspinner website.

It is more than half off for the entirety of the tour at ony $2.99

Amazon | Google | Google Play | Nook | Kobo | iTunes $2.99

Deanna Wadsworth Wrecked  Era: pre-Civil War Key West, Florida Dreamspinner .89c Dec.19 only

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  “Key West is a little village of hardy seamen undisturbedly reaping a rich harvest

from the enormous losses of commerce on the Reefs.”

—Gov. William P. Duval; 1st civilian governor of Florida, 1832

“WRECK ASHORE!”

Such a fabled warning was not issued from atop one of the four merchant lateen towers in Key West, nor did it echo across the islands, as romanticized stories have often told. Neither did a magnificent rush of fishing smacks and spongers begin sailing out from the harbor when a vessel wrecked along the two hundred miles of coral reef on the eastern coastline of the new American state, Florida.

When word that a ship had met trouble eventually reached the mainland, it was kept quiet, whispered among merchants and ship captains wanting to stake their claim before their competitors.

For in the Florida Keys, one man’s loss was the gain of another.

With nearly one wreck a week, despite all the efforts to build lighthouses and update charts, the wreckers patrolled the Straits by sailing back and forth between wrecking stations. They were on the lookout for vessels caught on the coral or beached in the shallows so they could hire out their services. While some of the old Bahamians had earned their reputation as pirates, the American wreckers were licensed by the US Federal Courts, offering a much-needed service to misguided seafarers.

Although these brave seamen knew the dangers that lay beneath these waters all too well, wrecking was in their blood. Months could pass idly at sea while waiting to find work during a wrecking sloop’s watch. And when it did come, the seamen worked blue blazes, because if a wrecker didn’t salvage, he didn’t get paid. Yet more than merely salvaging valuable cargo, the heroic Florida wreckers had another, nobler reason to patrol the Straits. They saved lives….

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

Deanna Wadsworth Wrecked  Era: pre-Civil War Key West, Florida Dreamspinner .89c Dec.19 only Amazon | Google | Google Play | Nook | Kobo | iTunes $2.99 Website| Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads|Facebook

WRECKED was a long time in the making. In 2009 I went to Key West, Florida where my hubby and I visited the Key West Shipwreck Museum. I knew there would be relics from under the sea, but I never expected to be inspired to write this book. In the 1850s Key West was the wealthiest city per capita in America. That money was brought in by salvaging–a dangerous occupation which left many wreckers with a reputation as pirates. Rumors abounded that they tricked mariners into hiring them, or even had a hand in wrecking the ships to begin with. My hero, Mathew Weston, is forced to hire the wreckers after his ship wrecks, and now he must sell all his rescued goods in Key West where it seems the merchants have deals with the auction houses. His goods sell at half price! Yet despite the financial loss, Mathew cannot stop obsessing about how attractive he finds one particular wrecker, Rief Lawson.

  I had a lot of fun serching for historical quotes to open each chapter. Chapter One, when Mathew has been thrown overboard, begins thus:

“There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life

when a man takes his whole universe for a vast practical joke.”

—Herman Melville; an American novelist, 1819-1891

I was also quite lucky to discover a little book called The Young Wrecker, where the author recounts his personal experience as a boy working on a wrecking sloop in the 1850’s. True to books of the era, The Young Wrecker literally pauses in the middle of the story to describe in detail what the streets of Key West looked like. Talk about a hidden treasure! I poured over books about the history of the Florida Keys, and even endevored to mix real historical figures in with my cast, such as the lighthouse keeper Mrs. Mabrity. Rief and Mathew climb the Key West lighthouse, which you can still visit and was only a few years old when WRECKED takes place.

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

Blurb from WRECKED:

Off the Key West coast, Rief Lawson works as a wrecker, salvaging ships and their cargo. Exiled to the outskirts of society because of his mysterious gift of sight, Rief’s only respite from his loneliness is painting an unknown blond man. When a merchant ship wrecks during a violent storm, Rief rescues a drowning victim and comes face-to-face with his destiny.

It is the man from his art!

Heir to an English barony, Mathew Weston entered the merchant trade with his greedy father and soon-to-be father-in-law. Dominated by his father and smothered by the people around him—including his sweet but tiresome fianceé—Mathew is terrified to follow his true desires. Marriage and obedience seem safer than a life of secrecy and possible prison.

After the daring rescue, a fire ignites between the two men. Powerless to resist his desire, Mathew learns what it means to be a man in Rief’s arms. With this newfound confidence, Mathew teaches Rief through gentle touch that he deserves the affection he’s long been denied. Yet their affair is doomed from the start. Two desperate men, wrecked in heart and mind, must find a way to salvage the chance at love fate has given them.

  Get your copy of WRECKED December 19th for only 89 cents in the Dreamspinner store!

If you miss out, don’t worry, WRECKED is more than Half-Off for the entire tour!

Amazon | Google | Google Play | Nook | Kobo | iTunes $2.99

Deanna Wadsworth Wrecked  Era: pre-Civil War Key West, Florida Dreamspinner .89c Dec.19 only Amazon | Google | Google Play | Nook | Kobo | iTunes $2.99 Website| Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads|Facebook

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

Visit all the authors participating in this MM Historical Fiction Blowout.

(NOTE: Sales prices & website links may not be active until Dec. 12)

Discover a new author.

Find a new book to read.

Click on the “website” links to read the authors’ posts

Alex Beecroft The Reluctant Berserker Era: Early Medieval/Dark Ages Saxon Amazon  All Other Formats $0.99 Website | Amazon author page | Facebook | Twitter

JP Kenwood February and December (Dominus Calendar Series 1) Era: Imperial Rome Amazon Worldwide $0.99/.99p Website | Facebook | Twitter | Archive of our Own

  Brita Addams Beloved Unmasked Era: Early 20th Century New Orleans Dreamspinner | Amazon $3.00 Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter

Summer Devon & Bonnie Dee Simon and the Christmas Spirit  (Victorian Holiday Hearts series) Era: Victorian Amazon | Smashwords | Kobo | B&N | iTunes $0.99 Website | BD Facebook | BDTwitter | SD Facebook | SD Twitter

Anne Barwell On Wings of Song Era: WWI – 1920 Dreamspinner  $2.50 Website | Twitter | Queeromance Ink | Newsletter |Facebook

Joanna Chambers Unnatural  Era: Regency Amazon Amazon (UK)  Nook  iBooks  Kobo  GPlay $1.99 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Wendy Rathbone Ganymede: Abducted by the Gods Era: Bronze Age, fantasy, alternate myth Amazon $1.99 Website | Facebook | Newsletter (get a free copy of “Letters to an Android”)

Christina E. Pilz Fagin’s Boy: The Further Particulars of a Parish Boy’s Progress Era: Victorian Amazon | Kobo | Apple | Smashwords|B&N $0.99 Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest | Facebook

Silvia Violet Revolutionary Temptation Era: American Revolution Amazon Global | iBooks | Kobo | BN $2.99 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Deanna Wadsworth Wrecked  Era: pre-Civil War Key West, Florida Dreamspinner .89c Dec.19 only Amazon | Google | Google Play | Nook | Kobo | iTunes $2.99 Website| Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads|Facebook

Michael Jensen Man & Monster  Era: 1799, America Amazon $1.99 Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Charlene Newcomb Men of the Cross (Battle Scars I) Era: Medieval – 12th century Amazon $0.99/99p Website | Twitter | Facebook

Ruby Moone Memories Era: Regency Only $2.99 Amazon | JMS Books Website | Twitter | Facebook

>

Charlene Newcomb is currently working on Book III of Battle Scars, 12th century historical fiction filled with war, political intrigue, and a knightly romance of forbidden love set during the reign of Richard the Lionheart. There will be more to come, so sign up for Char’s Newsletter. It will be used – sparingly – to offer exclusive content and and to let you be the first to know about special offers.

          Dec. 12 Alex Beecroft

http://ift.tt/2B78vUj2/mm-historical-fiction-christmas-bonanza/

  Dec. 13 JP Kenwood

http://ift.tt/2B5gS2y

Dec. 14 Summer Devon & Bonnie Dee

http://ift.tt/2B7fFbd12/08/simon-and-the-christmas-spirit-on-sale/

Dec. 15 Christina E. Pilz

http://ift.tt/2B68uQjtwelve-days-christmas-historical-fiction-sale/

Dec. 16 Anne Barwell

http://ift.tt/2B71yCn.com/2017/12/10/the-12-days-before-christmas-mm-historical-fiction-blowout/

  Dec. 17 Brita Addams

http://ift.tt/2B55y6sgle-post/2017/11/28/The-12-Days-Before-Christmas-MM-Historical-Fiction-Blowout

Dec. 18 Silvia Violet

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Dec. 19 Deanna Wadsworth

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Dec. 20 Joanna Chambers

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Dec. 21 Michael Jensen

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Dec. 22 Wendy Rathbone

http://ift.tt/2B5P7a7.com/2017/12/christmas-book-sale.html

Dec. 23 Charlene Newcomb

http://ift.tt/2B5raQa17/12/10/mm-historical-fiction-sale

Dec. 24 Ruby Moone

http://ift.tt/2B3nmz04

from MM Historical Fiction–14 authors, 13 great deals

[jknerd]

Oliver Twist in NYC AU: Dodger

Full Name: Jack Dawkins

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Other names: Artful Dodger, Dodger, The Dodge, Streetsmart Mutt

Occupations: Pickpocket (former), busking singer, leader of Fagin’s gang, helper of Leeford’s boarding house (occasional)

Residence: Fagin’s Barge (formerly), Leeford’s Boarding House (current)

Family: Mr. Dawkins (father; deceased), Mrs. Dawkins (mother; deceased) Relationships: Fagin (his benefactor), Rita (girlfriend->eventually, wife), Tito (friend), Francis (friend), Einstein (friend), Nancy (friend), Roscoe & DeSoto (enemies), Bill Sykes (enemy), Edward “Monks” Leeford (enemy), Mr. Leeford (second benefactor), Oliver (friend; eventually, godson)

Likes: Hot dogs, his guitar, rock music, earning money, busking

Dislikes: Police, Bill Sykes, Roscoe & DeSoto’s visits, Edward “Monks” Leeford’s cruelty, said enemies abusing Oliver, Francis and Tito bickering

Jack Dawkins, usually known as Dodger, is leader of Fagin’s gang. A pickpocket and busking singer, who is also a first father figure to Oliver. As a child, Dodger lost his parents and the only thing he had from his father was a guitar. Found by Fagin, he was immediately taken in and resided in Fagin’s barge, years later meeting other members. Among them, he actually saved Rita from being chased by angry client. Since then, they both become close and developed a romantic feelings for one another later. For that, he actually butt heads with Roscoe in hostility, one of Sykes’ two henchmen, at every financial rendezvous business. Learning Roscoe was one of Rita’s regular clients who is attracted to her, Dodger stays with her for her safety keeping a promise with Nancy, Rita’s close friend.

During his usual routine pickpocketing, he saw Oliver in a subway station. Then, he decided to take the boy in their hideout. He was disheartened to see the boy’s fingers have injuries of needles, back covered with signs of abuses and a very skinny body. When Sykes and his men came for the debt Fagin owed, Dodger expressed anger when DeSoto tried to drag Oliver harshly by ear to the point of bleeding, realizing the two henchmen were responsible for scars on Oliver’s body. When Roscoe was about to hit the boy for breaking DeSoto’s nose, Dodger quickly held Oliver in a protective manner as his other friend came along to defend Oliver. After the three’s departure, Dodger was first to tell Oliver he doesn’t need to work to help Fagin but relented by the boy’s stubbornness. Although, Dodger swore to make sure the boy won’t need to work again as soon as the debt was paid. Witnessing Oliver’s singing talent as well, he decided to bring his guitar to teach Oliver about busking. Since then, they would be singing by Central Park, earning money with ease as they develop a close father-son like relationship.

However, when polices chased after him and the gang, he lost Oliver who was later taken to Foxworth residence. While the others would substitute Oliver’s sewing works, he and Tito would observe the residence. Finding how Oliver looked happy adopted, Dodger was half heartfelt and relieved the kid would no longer suffer from poverty. Another time when the residence held a party, he and Tito overheard of Edward “Monks” Leeford planning to get rid of Oliver. Hence, he and the gang decided to take Oliver back to their hideout before the man could harm the boy. During that, Dodger was told by Oliver that Roscoe was married has a daughter of Oliver’s age named Minerva. Feeling concerned while accompanying Fagin to repay the debt, Dodger was appalled to see Edward interacting with Bill Sykes. As Fagin was couple of hundred bucks low, Sykes ordered the men to attack him but Dodger fought back. Despite being outnumbered and injured, Dodger warned Roscoe and DeSoto they will lose important thing in their lives, such as Minerva, Oliver’s friend. His warning caught them off guard as Roscoe realized Minerva’s first friend she talked about was the said boy. Later, his wounds were tended by Rita as he told the gang about Edward “Monks” Leeford, who has been the top dog ABOVE Sykes and would stop at nothing to kill Oliver. When Jenny—who came to rescue Oliver—was kidnapped by Sykes and Edward and lured Oliver, Dodger and the gang (plus, Georgette) to rescue the kids. Arriving in Sykes’ warehouse, Dodger was furious at Edward when witnessing severe wounds on Oliver caused by the psychopathic man and covered Oliver’s eyes when witnessing Nancy fatally unconscious. When Fagin managed to take all his gangs and kids in a truck and escaped, it was revealed Dodger actually snuck out some evidences of Edward, Sykes, Roscoe and DeSoto’s infos with their criminal acts. Arriving Foxworth Mansion, Dodger exposed the crimes through projector of footages, photos and papers as Foxworth Family cut off any connections with young Leeford. When Mr. Leeford stopped Edward from harming Oliver, Dodger kept the boy close as he watched Edward being dragged away screaming curses at Oliver, then concerned with the boy’s condition. 

Along with Fagin and the gang, Dodger witnessed the police arresting Roscoe and DeSoto. Noticing burnt injury on Roscoe’s left hand and cold expression of his wife Beatrice, Dodger was more concerned of Minerva’s future when the public will learn what her father has done. He was seen smiling proudly as Oliver and kids congratulating Jenny’s birthday and his decision to stay friends with Minerva. Along with Fagin and the gang, Dodger was elated at the news of Mr. Leeford using his mansion as boarding house for them and the orphans. Later, with his guitar, Dodger would be seen busking and sometimes visit the boarding house where he would play with children. When the Foxworth Family asking him personally to be Oliver’s godfather, he accepted the offer. 

In the epilogue, Fagin and the gang are in a truck to Oliver’s school to see the boy in school musical to support him. During the traffic jam, he saw a pregnant woman unconscious and was shocked to see the woman who had striking resemblance with Nancy who was believed to be dead. However, he and his friends managed to call the ambulance and made way for her to be carried off safely. Soon, as Fagin freaked out of his truck being taken away for keeping the cars from driving, he, Dodger and the friends goes after for the truck as Dodger mused there will be many things he’d be concerned of from now on, yet smiled at the hilarious situation they were in.