#fool!avery davis

[nanowatzophina]

Just some Fooliverse fun!

Might do more of these. I really like the fun reverse takes of these characters—

It’s all so fun with the whole reversals!! I love it!!

Might do some Fooliverse designs as I go— tho it depends on if my dumb brain can be nice to me.

[lilacwisps]

Eyes to wonder (tongues to praise)

Ship: Sebastian Sallow x Ravenclaw Female Player Character Rating: T

Summary:  In which Sebastian eavesdrops on a conversation, jumps to conclusions, and almost makes a fool of himself, yet, somehow, still gets the girl.

ao3 link

Settled in a small alcove in the Slytherin Common Room, Sebastian thumbs impatiently through the fragile pages of The Secrets of the Darkest Arts. He'd stolen - borrowed- it from the Restricted Section of the library the night before, hoping to find something - anything - that could cure Anne. The book had promised to reveal the intricacies of the most complex curses but was yet to deliver anything useful - Sebastian is halfway through the tome and still hasn't found anything that could help his sister. Suppressing a frustrated sigh, Sebastian flips another page and focuses on the text.

Sebastian doesn't usually read the books he's borrowed from the Restricted Section in the common room, preferring the secrecy of the Undercroft or the silence of his dorm to the inevitable prying eyes and chatter in the commons. But this late October Friday afternoon is surprisingly warm, and the castle grounds are bathed in sunlight, and all the students have poured out into the courtyards, hoping to enjoy one last beautiful day before the weather inevitably takes a turn for the worse. As he is all alone in the common room, Sebastian figures there is no reason he couldn't read the book in his favorite alcove.

As Sebastian flips another page, he's startled by the sound of a door opening and closing in the distance. His hand reaches for his bookbag as he momentarily considers whether he should hide the tome before he realizes that the sound's coming from the direction of the dorms. With a sigh, Sebastian lets go of his bag - the route from the dorms to the exit doesn't pass directly by the alcove, so the chances of anyone seeing him are slim.

He's about to return to his reading when suddenly, he hears, "By the way, Imelda told me about your run-in with the new fifth-year earlier this week during the Beasts Class, and I am dying to know - is she as good at dueling as everyone claims she is?"

Sebastian rarely eavesdrops, but the words "new fifth-year" instantly get his attention, so he listens closer.

"Fortunately for her, it didn't come to that," Sebastian instantly recognizes Nicholas Nott's voice, "Howin was standing right there, watching everyone. Otherwise, she'd get a proper Hogwarts welcome."

Nott's companion, Henry Avery, laughs, and Sebastian rolls his eyes. Nott's always bragged about his dueling talent, but on the few occasions that Sebastian got to duel him, he'd found Nott to be utterly mediocre with the wand. Given how well Ava handled Sebastian himself during their Defense Against the Dark Arts class duel - and everyone at the Crossed Wands - Nott stood absolutely no chance. Nott was the lucky one that Professor Howin was keeping a close eye on the class - and it is almost amusing to Sebastian how much he doesn't realize it.

"I must say," Nott continues after a brief pause, "A spirited little thing that Rosier girl. And quite easy on the eyes too."

Sebastian's amusement melts away in an instant as an unfamiliar feeling uncoils in his chest. Sebastian would be lying if he said he'd never noticed that Ava was pretty - and, perhaps it should come as no surprise that Nott saw it too - yet, there's something about the casual brazenness of Nott's tone that makes Sebastian almost angry.

"Oh wow," Avery whistles, "Who would have thought she'd catch your eye! Davies will be all broken up over this when she finds out."

"Good then," Nott replies, "I am so tired of her. It was fun at first, but she'd grown so clingy in recent weeks. Won't leave me alone even in class - it is quite unbearable, honestly. The only peace and quiet I get these days is here, where she cannot follow. It's well past time to send her on her merry way - and if this does it, then all the better."

"Slowly working your way through all the Ravenclaw girls in our year, huh?" Avery laughs, "Oh, I have an idea - once you're through with all of them, you should consider ranking their…performance."

Sebastian slams the book in front of him shut. Anger, bright and bristling, rises in his chest, spilling liquid fire through his veins, making his heart pound in his ears. Avery would do well to watch his mouth - it takes almost all of Sebastian's willpower to stop himself from finding Avery and knocking his teeth out. But he had promised Ominis to try and stay out of trouble - at least for a little while - and so he clenches his fists till his knuckles are white and remain in his seat.

Sebastian does not expect Avery's words to get under his skin, but they do - after all, Ava is a close, dear friend, and he wants what's best for her. What other reason could there be for the white-hot rage blooming in his chest at the insinuation? Certainly not the way Sebastian's breath seems to catch in his throat whenever Ava meets his gaze or the way his heart flutters when his hand brushes against hers on accident as they walk side by side.

"A tempting thought, but I think I might stick with this one for a while," Nott chuckles, "Only if she learns to behave, of course. The way she'd comported herself in the Beasts class was quite unacceptable."

"I wouldn't count on it," Avery laughs, "From what I heard, your Rosier girl's rather difficult."

"There is a lot I'm willing to overlook for those dark doe eyes and that pretty pink mouth," Nott replies nonchalantly, "But certainly not everything. Luckily, I know just the way of teaching people their place."

"Now that's going to be interesting," Avery chuckles.

Blood rushes in Sebastian's ears, and his heart pounds rapidly against his ribs. Who does Nott think he is? Ava will never give him the time of day - not if Sebastian has anything to say about it. Somehow, the way Nott speaks of her so brazenly, the way he must have looked at her during the class - and Merlin knows when else - feels like a transgression - an almost personal offense. She isn't his speak of - or even think of - that way.

She isn't yours either, a voice in his head taunts.

"Are you sure you want to get involved?" Avery says suddenly, "I feel like things might get…messy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nott asks coolly.

"Well, I've heard Reyes say that your Rosier girl is actually Sallow's little squeeze - apparently, they've been caught in flagrante the other night in some broom closet or another," Avery explains.

The memory brings hot blush to Sebastian's cheeks. A few nights ago, he and Ava tried sneaking into the Restricted Section to search for The Secrets of the Darkest Arts. Sebastian did not expect any trouble on their regular route but was in for a nasty surprise when he realized that prefects were stationed at both ends of the corridor. The only option to avoid getting caught right then was to hide and wait for the prefects to leave their posts to patrol - and the only available hideout was an old broom closet.

The closet in question turned out to be tiny - even leaning against opposite walls left hardly an inch of space between them. Sebastian's heart fluttered in his chest as he realized just how close they were, and suddenly, his whole body felt as though on fire. A part of him wanted to leave that very second to make sure he didn't do anything he shouldn't have - and yet another part of him never wanted that moment to end.

Sebastian's heart races as he remembers Ava's warm breath ghosting his neck as she whispered in his ear.

They were not doing anything untoward - or so Sebastian tells himself - but it seems the Hufflepuff prefect who caught them thought differently. And, apparently, she'd shared her conjectures with Imelda, at the very least.

"Reyes has no idea what she's talking about," Nott scoffs, "And you should know better than to trust such silly rumors. The girl is a Rosier - there's no way she'd be involved with a half-blood."

Sebastian rolls his eyes - before attending Hogwarts, he had no concept of the "blood purity" status. Both his parents were wizards - and Sebastian had always felt that was all anyone needed to know about him. As it turned out, however, he was wrong - his mother's parents were muggles, which made him a half-blood in the eyes of those who could trace their unbroken lineage of wizards to Merlin himself.

Sebastian always considered the concern with blood purity silly - it's not like having wizard parents and grandparents, and great-grandparents made his classmates stronger or more intelligent. Although some bloodlines carried impressive abilities - like Ominis's Parselmouth ability - those were few and far between.

"Imelda's pretty reliable when it comes to this sort of thing," Avery argues, but Nott just scoffs again.

"Even if it were true - and I'm sure it isn't - it won't take very long to show the Rosier girl that there are finer things in life than some orphaned half-blood."

"And if she doesn't listen?" Avery prods, "You did say she was quite spirited."

"In that case, I have this as insurance," Nott replies.

"Oh, so you are very serious about it," Avery whistles, "Well, then, this is going to be interesting."

"What can I say - I always play to win."

From the alcove, Sebastian cannot see Nott or Avery - so there is no way for him to find out what insurance Nott is talking about. A sudden memory comes to mind of a great scandal from last year when Gryffindor's Seeker unexpectedly dropped out of the team just two days before the Quidditch final and was later spotted with Nott all around the castle. Unable to find a replacement Seeker in time, Gryffindor suffered a crashing, catastrophic defeat, and Slytherin won the Quidditch cup for the third year in a row.

Instantly, the rumors swirled that a love potion may have been involved - persistent gossip plagued the school for the better part of two weeks until Headmaster Black personally interfered to put an end to them. Despite the headmaster's interference - and, perhaps, because of it - Sebastian was almost certain that the rumors were true. Knowing Nott, Sebastian wouldn't put it past him to bewitch the Gryffindor Seeker to ensure Slytherin's Quidditch victory - just as he wouldn't put it past Headmaster Black to cover up the ordeal. After all, Black had an extensive track record of showing favoritism to his friends' children, and from what Sebastian could tell, Nott's father was among those friends.

Could it be…?

Sebastian recalls the conversation between Nott and Avery, and the more he thinks of Nott's words, the more certain he becomes. That must be it! The "insurance" Nott's been talking about - he is going to give Ava a love potion. That bastard!

"Speaking of which," Nott continues, distracting Sebastian from his thoughts, "I have an appointment to keep. A little bird had told me that Rosier is in Hogsmeade now - and I'm going there to meet her."

"Good luck," Aver responds, "I'll be curious to hear how everything went once you return."

"Actually, I thought you might want to come along," Nott cuts him off, "She is with Pecul… with Poppy Sweeting, so I thought you could keep Poppy company while I talk to Rosier."

"Poppy Sweeting, huh?" the sudden shift in Avery's tone is almost unsettling, "Well then, I'm in."

The distant sounds of steps are followed by the rumbling of the stone snakes opening the door to the Slytherin Common Room, and Sebastian knows he needs to hurry. He absolutely cannot let Nott do whatever he is planning to do. Shoving The Secrets of the Darkest Arts into his book bag, Sebastian rushes to exit the Common Room, but before he can make it out, the door opens again, and in comes Ominis. There are a few small feathers on his shoulders and a couple in his hair, and Sebastian instantly knows that Ominis is coming back from Owlery.

"Sebastian," Ominis says, recognizing his steps instantly, "I was about to look for you."

"I don't have time right now, I need to get to Hogsmeade," Sebastian replies, "It's urgent."

"What happened?" Ominis asks, instantly frowning.

"It's Nott - he wants to sneak a love potion to Ava," Sebastian explains, shifting impatiently from foot to foot, "I cannot let that happen - I have to stop him before he does!"

"A love potion? Nott?" Ominis muses, confusion apparent on his face, "Wait, how would you know that - did he tell you?"

"He told Avery, and I overheard," Sebastian replies before adding, "Well, not in so many words, but what he said was essentially an admission of guilt."

"What do you mean?" Ominis asks, and Sebastian lets out an exasperated sigh.

"I can't explain now, I need to hurry," Sebastian says, frustrated, "What would be the fastest way to Hogsmeade?"

"Through the passage behind the statute of One Eyed Witch," Ominis says, "Unless, of course, something drastically changed since we've last taken that path."

"Thank you," Sebastian says, and he's about to rush past Ominis when his friend turns around.

"Wait," he says firmly, "I'll walk with you, and you can explain the situation to me."

Sebastian knows that arguing would be futile. They are out of the dungeons and almost at the statue of the One-Eyed witch by the time Sebastian finishes recounting Nott and Avery's conversation to Ominis.

"I still don't understand why you think Nott's trying to give Ava a love potion," Ominis says once Sebastian finishes his story, "Did I miss something?"

"Think, Ominis, think," Sebastian sighs, exasperated, "What could this insurance be if not a love potion?"

"Could be many different things," Ominis shrugs, "I don't know why a love potion was the first thing that came to your mind. Did you see anything?"

"No…But you don't understand - he's definitely planning to do it! And we need to protect Ava from whatever plan Nott's concocted," Sebastian argues, but Ominis cuts him off.

"Our new friend is perfectly capable of handling trolls and unforgivable curses," Ominis says, "Do you really think she needs help dealing with a dimwit like Nott?"

Sebastian frowns - Ominis isn't wrong, she's quite capable, and yet something inside is urging Sebastian forward. They stop in front of the Statue of the One-Eyed Witch.

"You know," Ominis tilts his head to the side as an amused smile spreads across his face, "From where I stand, it sounds like you just don't want a chap you hate asking a girl you like out on a date - which is understandable."

A hot, bright blush spreads across Sebastian's cheeks as warmth rises in his chest. The memory of Ava's breath ghosting his neck when they hid in the broom closet sends Sebastian's heart racing.

"It's not like that," he says hastily, "I only do this because she's my friend, and I care about her well-being."

"Could have fooled me," Ominis chuckles.

Sebastian rolls his eyes, then turns to the One-Eyed Witch Statue and murmurs, "Dissendium." A quick, creaking sound notifies him that the passage has opened.

"Wish me luck," he tells Ominis as he reaches for a ledge of the statue to climb up.

"What do you mean, "wish me luck"?" Ominis chuckles, "I have a feeling things are about to get very entertaining - and I have no intention of missing any of it."

"Suit yourself," Sebastian scoffs as he hops inside the statue. The slide is short, and soon enough, Sebastian finds himself in the dark tunnel leading to Honeydukes. A moment later, Ominis is standing by his side.

As they make their way through the passage, the conversation between Nott and Avery keeps running through Sebastian's mind - with one thing particularly gnawing at his heart.

"Ominis," Sebastian calls out in the dark, "I was curious about something… The Rosiers - what are they like? I'm sure you must have met some of Ava's relations at some point."

"An old, pure-blood family with a penchant for dark magic and a strong distaste for anyone who isn't pure-blooded. They view everyone who isn't a member of the "Sacred Twenty-Eight" as beneath them and utterly unworthy. That may be why my grandmother's favorite friend was a Rosier - they took great joy in tormenting muggle-borns and half-bloods alike."

A myriad of thoughts rush through Sebastian's mind, and it is as though something heavy squeezes his chest, making it hard to breathe. And, instead of a thousand things that cannot be put into words, he simply says, "But Ava isn't like that?"

"No," Ominis replies, "No, she isn't."

Poppy brings the mug to her lips and takes a long sip of butterbeer. She's utterly exhausted - she and Ava had spent the better part of the day scouting the hills north of the school in search of the poacher's camp. It seemed they were looking in the wrong place - or, perhaps, the poachers were much better at hiding their tracks than Poppy and Ava expected - since they hadn't found a single trace of the camp.

Exhausted by the futile search, Poppy and Ava made their way to Hogsmeade to rest and think through their next steps. Poppy has never been particularly fond of the Three Broomsticks - it always felt too loud and crowded - but she has slowly realized that, perhaps, it wasn't all bad when you had a friend by your side.

Looking over at Ava, Poppy smiles softly. When Poppy first met her in the Beasts class, Ava came off aloof and cold - but then Poppy saw how her gaze softened when she looked at the kneazles and instantly knew that she had met a kindred spirit.

Ava's sitting next to Poppy, absent-mindedly tracing the foggy sides of her mug with her right index finger. She seems relaxed, leaning fully against the back of her chair, yet her face remains pensive.

"What's on your mind?" Poppy asks, her eyes following the patterns Ava leaves on the mug.

"I'm still thinking about our earlier…excursion," Ava replies, turning to Poppy, "We were in the right place, I'm almost sure of it. It's not too difficult to relocate a camp - if only we could trace where they went."

"Wish we could ask the centaurs for help," Poppy sighs. While the centaurs were renowned for being quite well-versed at tracking, most of them avoided the wizardkind like the plague - and Poppy could not blame them.

"Oh?" Ava says, "Got any centaur friends that could help us?"

"Me?" Poppy chuckles, then sighs wistfully, "I wish. Unfortunately for us, they rarely make contact with humans."

"I think I remember reading something about that," Ava frowns, "But I figured if anyone had a centaur friend, it'd be you."

"When I make one, you'll be the first to know," Poppy laughs, taking another sip of her butterbeer, "There are so many magical creatures in the world - I wish I could meet and befriend all of them."

"I have full faith in you," Ava chuckles, shifting in her seat.

"What about you?" Poppy asks, resting her hand on her chin and looking at Ava, "Is there a magical creature you'd like to meet?"

Ava tilts her head to the side, pressing her finger to her lips, thinking. "Maybe a dragon," she says after a momentary pause, "Although I wouldn't say I want to "meet" one. Rather, I'd like to see one from a safe distance - preferably, far enough away that the dragon can't see me."

Poppy chuckles at Ava's words - she, too, would like to see a dragon.

"If you ever happen upon a dragon," she says, "You just need to be careful. They are highly intelligent creatures and won't attack until they feel threatened."

"Given how the wizards have been treating the dragons for the last few centuries, I wouldn't blame one if it attacked me on sight," Ava shrugs, "Although I still would rather avoid becoming a dragon's dinner…Other than dragons, I'm curious to see unicorns - I've heard they are breathtakingly beautiful, and I'm also curious to see if there's truth to certain old wives' tales."

"Ah, I wish you were here two years ago!" Poppy exclaims, "Professor Howin brought the unicorns to class one day during our third year."

"Did she? How exciting! I really wish I was there," Ava sighs before adding, "But, who knows, perhaps I could see some in the Forbidden Forest - Natty told me she'd caught a glimpse of one when she was out collecting the ingredients for her potions."

Silence falls upon them for a moment. Poppy leans against the back of her chair and sips her butterbeer. The Three Broomsticks is packed on this late October evening, and though Poppy usually hates crowds, she doesn't feel uncomfortable. The chatter of the crowd, coupled with her exhaustion, makes her eyelids heavy, and Poppy almost struggles to keep her eyes open.

The comforting trance is broken just a moment later when she suddenly sees Nicholas Nott and Henry Avery in front of their table. Instantly, Poppy's tense, straightening in her seat - out of the corner of her eye, she can notice just how quickly the smile vanishes off Ava's face at the sight of the two Slytherins.

"What a pleasant surprise," Nott smiles, but his smile doesn't reach his eyes, "Good evening, ladies. Care if we join you?"

Both Nott and Avery are carrying two mugs of butterbeer, and Poppy knows that this meeting is anything but a chance encounter. Poppy sighs, annoyed - after the day they've had trying to find the poachers' camp, the last thing she wants is to be around either Nott or Avery.

"We'd rather you didn't," Ava responds coolly, but Nott does not listen.

"Come now, there's no need to be like that," Nott says, placing butterbeer mugs on the table and sitting across from Ava while Avery settles next to him, "I'd have us be friends. I understand there had been a little…misunderstanding between us earlier, and I just wanted to straighten things out - and apologize."

Poppy rolls her eyes - only a fool would believe that Nott was even slightly remorseful over hurting Persephone. She clenches her fists, feeling her nails dig into her palms - if Nott and Avery don't leave soon, they will regret it.

"You should be apologizing to Persephone," Poppy says firmly, looking Nott in the face.

"I'm sure you will be able to pass on the apologies to her," Nott replies.

Poppy scoffs and crosses her arms before her, "As if she's accept."

"We've heard you out," Ava says calmly, "Now, if you don't mind…"

"That wasn't everything I had to say," Nott interrupts, "As a gesture of goodwill, we come bearing gifts. I know you are looking for the poacher's camp - and I also know its location."

"How would you know any of that?" Poppy asks, as anger, bright and bristling, rises in her chest, "Were you eavesdropping?"

Belatedly, she realizes that, perhaps, she should have feigned ignorance, but it's much too late now. Poppy looks at Ava apologetically, and her friend offers her a reassuring smile.

"It was by chance, really, with no ill intent. I've overheard you two speaking at the library," Nott replies, "And it just so happens that I know where to find what you're looking for - so does it matter how?"

Poppy tenses - she knows Nott is lying. They have discussed the poacher's camp on school grounds before, but never in the library. Was he secretly watching them?

Ava must have realized it too, but nothing in her face betrays that fact.

"Well then," she says, looking Nott straight in the eye, "Where is it?"

"What's the hurry?" Nott says, leaning against the back of his seat and placing his elbow atop its backrest, "I will tell you - but first, we should have a drink to celebrate our new friendship." With that, he slides two mugs of butterbeer toward Poppy and Ava.

Poppy rolls her eyes and scoffs. "New friendship" - the audacity!

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Ava replies coolly.

"I wouldn't dare," Nott says, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Poppy glances over to Ava - she doesn't trust Nott or Avery, but they are running out of time to track the poachers. If Nott is telling the truth, suffering through this one conversation would hardly be too high a price to pay. Ava meets Poppy's gaze and nods - it seems she's thinking the same. Reaching forward, Ava takes the mug that Nott gave her.

"Wonderful," Nott smiles, "I'm glad we understand each other. So tell me - how is aunt Ariadne these days?"

"You know my mother?" Ava narrows her eyes.

"Of course I do," Nott tilts his head to the side, studying her face, "My parents hold an annual gathering at our summer estate for the most prominent members of the wizarding society - the Blacks, the Gaunts, the Lestranges, the Malfoys… And the Rosiers are always most welcome guests, of course."

Poppy shakes her head - it's hard for her to comprehend how some people can be so invested in their "blood purity" status. Despite being a pure-blooded witch herself, Poppy never gave it much thought. Perhaps, because her blood status was just a chance occurrence rather than a result of multiple generations of inbreeding, all in an effort to keep the bloodline "pure."

"Mother will be expecting you to join your parents this summer since you will turn sixteen by then," Nott continues, "It's a unique chance to meet everyone who matters in the wizarding world all at once - you don't want to miss it."

"A grand gathering, to be sure," Ava says flatly, "But I must decline - unfortunately, the entirety of my summer is already spoken for."

Poppy shifts in her seat, annoyed - she had hoped they'd learn the location of the poachers' camp by now, but it seems Nott is in no hurry to reveal anything. Just as Poppy thinks things cannot get worse, Avery addresses her.

"I was watching you the other day by the enclosures," he says, "How's…Proserpina - that rodent you take care of?"

"I already said - her name is Persephone. And she is no rodent; she's a kneazle," Poppy bristles instantly.

Avery's smile is unsettling - and it doesn't escape Poppy that he said he'd been watching her. Shiver runs up Poppy's spine - she doesn't remember seeing him there at all, and it unnerves her.

"Right, right," Avery nods, "Same thing. Are you going there later? I could keep you company - the school grounds can be quite treacherous in the dark."

Poppy isn't afraid of the dark - or most things, really - but the way Avery's looking at her makes her feel uneasy. She could spend the whole night by the enclosures taking care of the animals and not feel unsafe for a moment if she could be sure he wasn't lurking in the dark.

"I'll pass," she says firmly.

Poppy grasps her butterbeer mug and ponders her options. They were no closer to finding out the location of the poachers' camp than when the conversation had started, and it was high time to cut their losses. But before she can say anything to Ava, Nott looks out the window behind them.

"Would you look at that," he says, half in awe. Poppy turns around in her seat and sees the sky lit up with a myriad of purple and green sparks - it's the biggest fireworks she'd ever seen. Instantly, she thinks of all the small magical creatures that left their hideouts to enjoy the quiet of the night and hopes, in vain, that the bright light and the sounds of the explosion hadn't spooked them too much.

"Zonko really outdid themselves this year," Avery adds.

When they turn back to the table, it is as though something has shifted imperceptibly. Poppy takes a deep breath, and suddenly, she's overwhelmed with the smell of lake and sweets and something else she cannot quite describe - it's old, yet airy, almost magical, and makes her think of a long-forgotten secret passageway she'd discovered once that connected the greenhouses to the Hufflepuff Common Rooms.

Poppy frowns, confused, but before she can say anything, the door to the Three Broomsticks flings open with a loud thud.

"Wait, don't drink it!"

Despite Ominis's needling, Sebastian is almost glad his friend decided to tag along - without him, it would have probably taken at least twice as long to locate Ava and Poppy. Ominis's wand shines its usual red when it leads them to the Three Broomsticks.

"They must be here," Ominis says.

Sebastian nods and looks into the window - the bar is full of people, so it's unlikely he'd be able to see them from the outside, but he still tries.

To Sebastian's surprise, he sees Ava and Poppy almost immediately - they are at the table by the neighboring window. Instantly, his heart drops - Nott and Avery are at the table with them. Was he too late? Has Nott already done what he'd been planning?

He sees the way Nott looks at Ava with a keen, hungry gaze and clenches his fists. If Nott thinks he has won, he's sorely mistaken.

"So," Ominis asks expectantly, "Is she there?"

"Yes," Sebastian replies darkly. He hesitates momentarily before adding, "And Nott and Avery are there too… I need to warn her about the potion, I hope it's not too late."

"Sebastian," Ominis steps in front of him, stopping him from moving, "As entertaining as it would be to watch all this unfold, I feel it is my duty as a friend to make you stop and think. At this point, Nott's presumed love potion plan is pure speculation - if you are wrong, think about how that will look."

"What would you have me do then?" Sebastian crosses his arms before him, "Nothing? And simply leave Ava to her fate?"

"No," Ominis shakes his head, "I would have you talk to her - but not about the potion."

A loud explosion rattles the air behind them, and when Sebastian looks around, he sees thousands of green and purple sparks in the sky.

"Must be one of Zonko's fireworks," he explains, turning back to Ominis.

From the corner of his eye, Sebastian sees through the foggy window of the Three Broomsticks Nott shift forward. For a split second, something that looks like a tiny vial is in his hand - and he's holding it over Ava's mug. Sebastian's heart drops - Ava cannot see it; she's still looking out the window at the fireworks.

"I told you he was going to do it!" Sebastian exclaims, rushing to the door, "I just saw Nott pour something into her cup."

Ominis must have said something, but Sebastian cannot hear him - not when the blood rushes so loudly in his ears, and his heart pounds against his ribs like mad. Logically, he knows that Ava isn't in danger - even if she were to drink the potion, no harm would come to her - they will take her to the Hospital Wing immediately. But the mere thought of her acting under the influence of a love potion, even for a moment, shatters his heart into a million pieces.

The heavy oak door flings open, slamming into the wall behind it, sending a tremor through the building. Suddenly, all eyes of the bar patrons are upon him, but he's only looking at Ava.

"Don't drink it!"

But he's too late - the mug's already at her lips, and he can only watch helplessly as she takes a sip and then another.

No.

The entire establishment erupts in cacophony, and out of the corner of his eye, Sebastian can see Sirona come out from behind the bar and head toward him, and he knows he needs to hurry. Before Sirona can stop him, he's already at the table where Ava and Poppy sit with Nott and Avery.

"Ava, don't drink it," he says, "I saw Nott spike your butterbeer."

Placing her cup on the table, Ava looks up at Sebastian, wide-eyed and surprised. She seems lucid enough, which is a relief - perhaps, he's not too late.

"You saw him spike my butterbeer?" she repeats, frowning.

"Yes - when you were looking at the fireworks. I saw it from outside the window," Sebastian explains hastily as Sirona approaches them.

Ava looks to Nott, who just shrugs. "I have no idea what he's talking about," Nott says, picking up his own butterbeer and taking a sip, "Did you hit your head so hard during your last duel, Sallow, that you are now seeing things that aren't there? Maybe it's time you took a trip to the Hospital Wing."

Before Sebastian can respond, Sirona is between him and the table.

"What's going on here? Why are you storming into my bar yelling?" she demands.

"I saw Nott spike Ava's drink with a love potion when I was outside," Sebastian explains earnestly, "So I had to warn her. I'm sorry for the disruption, but there was no time to do it any other way."

"You really should stop imagining things, Sallow," Avery budges in, "It's quite embarrassing, you know."

Sirona looks from Sebastian to Nott, clearly weighing the accusation.

"Well, if it was a love potion, it must be pretty bad because I don't feel any different," Ava chuckles, "Guess I'm just heartless."

There's confusion in Nott's gaze, which is all the admission of guilt Sebastian needs. The unquelled rage uncoils in his chest, bright and bristling, making him lurch forward and grab Nott by the lapels of his robes.

"By Merlin's beard," he snarls, "I'm going to make you rue the day you were born."

"Get your dirty half-blood hands off me," Nott yelps, trying to grab over Sebastian's writs to shake his hands off his lapels. Avery gets up to interfere, but Sirona's between Sebastian and Nott, forcefully separating them before he can.

"Stop it, both of you," she says firmly, "Whatever happened, I will not tolerate any fights at my bar."

"Ava, are you sure you are feeling alright?" Poppy asks, "I can walk you to the Hospital Wing if you need."

"Don't worry about me, I'm alright," Ava responds.

A part of Sebastian wonders how that is possible - Potions may not have been his strongest subject, but even he knows that love potions worked almost instantaneously. Could she really be immune?

Dread rises in Sebastian's chest - a cold wave clenches his heart, making it hard to breathe. What if he was wrong - what if it's not a love potion that Nott poured into her drink but rather some kind of poison?

"As for the accusation," Sirona continues, frowning, "The situation is quite serious, and we will need to investigate to uncover the truth."

"I could go fetch Professor Sharp," Ominis offers instantly, "He will be able to tell right away if there is something in this cup that doesn't belong there."

"No need," Sirona replies, taking out her wand, "Try working as a barkeep as long as I have, and you'll learn all the spells necessary for such a check out of pure necessity."

She points the wand at Ava's mug and traces a symbol Sebastian hasn't seen before. The liquid in the cup shifts slightly but stills almost instantaneously. Seconds pass, one after another, but nothing changes.

"Hmm, it doesn't look like this drink's been tampered with," Sirona frowns, then turns to Sebastian, "Are you sure you saw something happen to it?"

Sebastian's heart drops. "I know what I saw," he says vehemently, blood rushing in his ears as a cold, sinking feeling unfurls in his chest, "He did something to it."

"You are a liar, Sallow!" Avery exclaims, "I don't know what you are playing at, but you will pay for this."

"Everyone needs to calm down," Sirona says firmly, "This could have been an honest mistake."

Sebastian looks at Sirona and suddenly realizes that Nott is not behind her. Glancing around, he sees Nott by the window. He appears surprisingly still, almost stiff, as he stares outside.

"Nicholas, hey, Nicholas," Avery calls out, but Nott doesn't respond, only continues staring through the window, mesmerized by something it seems only he can see.

"You are…so beautiful," Nott finally whispers.

It takes Sebastian a second to realize Nott is talking to his reflection.

"Nicholas, are you alright?" Avery asks, approaching Nott, who, once again, doesn't respond.

"Perhaps, we should test all other mugs on the table," Ava suggests, amused, resting her chin on the palm of her hand, "Who knows what we may find."

Sirona nods and casts a spell on the remaining three mugs. Sebastian watches closely - for a brief moment, the liquid in all cups is still until, suddenly, Nott's butterbeer starts to glow a pale pink. Sebastian frowns at the sight - how is this possible?

"Nicholas, this isn't funny," Avery continues, trying to pull Nott away from the window, but Nott simply shakes off his hands. Sebastian can hardly suppress a chuckle as he watches the scene unfold.

"Huh," Ava muses, "Perhaps, it was a good potion after all."

Sebastian looks to Ava and frowns - he was certain that he'd seen Nott pour the potion into her mug. But then how…

"She did this!" Avery exclaimed suddenly, turning around and pointing to Ava, "She's the one who did this - she wanted to bewitch Nicholas, and Sallow's only covering for her."

"Mr. Avery," Sirona sighs, exasperated, "If I were you, I'd save your breath - everyone here knows how love potions work. If Miss Rosier prepared this potion, Mr. Nott wouldn't fall in love with himself."

Avery clenches his fists as he looks to Ava, "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing he didn't try doing to me," Ava smiles sweetly, amusement apparent in her dark eyes, "Let's just say I returned the gift. By the way, next time you try to sneak a love potion into someone's drink, maybe choose something other than butterbeer. You see, when a mixture of cream, caramel, and butter suddenly starts smelling of old books, smoke, and sandalwood, anyone would become suspicious. "

Sebastian looks at her wide-eyed and awe-struck. When did she have time to switch their drinks?

"Mr. Avery, please get Mr. Nott off the premises," Siron says, crossing her arms, "Both of you are banned from my establishment indefinitely."

Avery grumbles but knows he cannot argue. Grabbing Nott's forearm, Avery tries to pull him away from his reflection, but to no avail. Sebastian could watch Avery struggle to get Nott to move the entire day, but Ava and Poppy have other plans.

"It's time for us to head out," Poppy says, and Ava nods as they get up from their seats. Without a word, Sebastian and Ominis follow them outside.

"Nott's certainly going to remember this one for a while," Ominis chuckles as they walk into the town circle.

"He better - else next time I'll make sure he really regrets it," Ava laughs, looking at Ominis over her shoulder.

A sudden fluttering of wings attracts Sebastian's attention - he looks up and notices a small owl circling above them. He's never seen one with such a peculiar coloring - the owl's feathers are soft yellow with brown, red, and gold speckles. After a moment, the owl quickly descends, landing on Poppy's outstretched arm.

"This is from gran," Poppy smiles, accepting the letter from the owl's claws and petting it gently on its head, "Finally."

As Poppy reads the letter, the owl makes its way up her arm and onto her shoulder - then, suddenly, hops over onto Ominis's shoulder.

"Sorry," Poppy offers apologetically, "She doesn't usually do this."

"It's alright," Ominis replies calmly, "I don't mind - what is your owl's name?"

"Eos," Poppy smiles.

"Hello, Eos," Ominis chuckles, "Would you like to be friends?"

"I think she's begging for treats," Poppy laughs, "She always does when she brings letters, but, unfortunately, I do not have any on hand. Sorry, Eos, I'll have to see you later at the Owlery."

"Actually, I happen to have some - I was at the Owlery sending a letter right before we left for Hogsmeade," Ominis reaches into his robes and pulls out a small pouch of dried owl treats. Shaking out some treats onto his palm, he moves his hand closer to the owl, "Here you go."

"You just might be her most favorite person in the world right now," Poppy chuckles, watching Eos pick at the treats.

"Sebastian," Ava says suddenly, "I wanted to thank you for coming to warn me."

A small half-smile blooms on her lips, making Sebastian's heart flutter.

"Any time," he says, trying to calm his racing pulse, "By the way, when did you manage to switch the mugs?"

"When you ran into the bar - the commotion you caused gave me just the split second I needed," Ava smiles, then tilts her head to the side, "But I'm curious - how did you find us? Were you and Ominis just passing by the Three Broomsticks when you saw that entire ordeal?"

Blood rushes in Sebastian's ears, and his mouth suddenly feels dry. "Actually, I was looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Ava frowns, meeting his gaze, "Why?"

Sebastian's heart is in his throat - he knows that if he ever wanted to tell Ava about everything that's been weighing on his heart the last few weeks, that made him lay awake at night yearning for something he couldn't quite describe, now would be the time. Yet, somehow, the words never come to him.

"I…I overheard Nott and Avery plot this in the common room, so I knew I needed to warn you," he says instead.

Something shifts in Ava's gaze, and she smiles an unfamiliar, soft smile, "Thank you - I am so fortunate to have a friend like you."

"Ava," Poppy calls out excitedly, looking up from her letter, "I think gran just gave me an idea of how we can find what we've been looking for! We'll just need to drop by Pippin's Potions first!"

"The store's closing soon, so we should go now," Ava replies, then looks back to Sebastian, "Well, we'll be on our way - see you later."

Ava and Poppy are halfway across the town circle when Ominis lets out a deep, exasperated sigh and says, "Sometimes I just cannot believe how daft you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sebastian frowns, crossing his arms before him as he turns to Ominis.

"Merlin's beard, it's almost painful to witness you be so oblivious," Ominis continues, "Especially when she's just all but outright admitted it."

"Admitted what?" Sebastian asks, confused.

Ominis sighs again. "You know, the way you've been getting on my nerves the last few weeks, perhaps, I should let you suffer," he says, "But I can't stand your whistful sighs or longing gazes every time she's around any longer, so I will tell you."

"You can't see the way I look at her!" Sebastian protests.

"I can feel it," Ominis replies, "And if you think that I'm the only one who noticed, then you are a bigger fool than I thought."

Sebastian feels a bright blush rise in his cheeks. "So what are you going to tell me?" he asks.

"Do you remember what Professor Sharp told us about Amortentia?" Ominis says. Sebastian frowns, trying to remember, but Potions have never been his strong suit.

"Not really," he shakes his head.

"You really are hopeless," Ominis chuckles, "Well, fine - in short, Amortentia smells different to every person, based on what they like. And Ava just said that the spiked butterbeer smelled of old books, smoke, and sandalwood…Is none of that ringing a bell?"

Sebastian stares at Ominis, confused.

"Really?" Ominis raises an eyebrow, "I wonder where you can find many old books? Perhaps, in the school's library…And the smoke, that couldn't possibly be from a certain fire spell you seem to really favor - the very same one you taught her just a few weeks back, could it? As for sandalwood… I wouldn't know, but I also cannot do all your thinking for you, Sebastian."

Unbidden, Sebastian's mind goes to the night he and Ava got caught hiding in the broom closet from the prefects. It was almost dizzying to have her so close, and when her warm breath ghosted his neck as she spoke, he could barely hide his shudder.

"That's a nice cologne," she whispered, "It's cardamom and…sandalwood, right?"

Suddenly, it feels as though all pieces of the puzzle fall into place.

"Ominis," Sebastian says, heart racing in his throat, "What do I do?"

"Do you like her? Then go tell her."

And so Sebastian does.

He runs through the streets of Hogsmeade, hoping and praying that Ava and Poppy haven't left the village yet. To his relief, he sees Ava just outside Pippin's Potions store.

"Ava!" Sebastian calls out.

"Sebastian?" Ava looks at him confused, when he approaches, "Is everything alright?"

Silhouetted by the soft light of a streetlamp, she looks absolutely lovely, and Sebastian's heart flutters in his chest.

"Ava, I…"

A myriad of thoughts rushes through his mind. He wants to tell her of the way his heart skips a beat every time she smiles at him and about how happy she makes him and how much that scares him because, truly, he'd never thought that one person could bear that much happiness and of how he'd lain awake every night until dawn for the last few weeks yearning - aching-for her.

Yet, somehow, when she looks at him with those mesmerizing dark eyes, Sebastian finds himself lost for words, so he does the only thing he can.

Sebastian doesn't remember leaning in - only the moment his lips found hers. Ava feels delightfully soft and warm - and, yet, completely still under his touch. Sebastian's heart drops as a cold wave of dread rises in his chest. Was he so utterly mistaken?

But then she's kissing him back - and the very axis of his world shifts ever so slightly. It's everything Sebastian has ever wished for - slow and sweet and utterly dizzying, spreading liquid fire through his veins and making his head spin.

When they pull apart, Sebastian's flushed and breathless, and he notices a light blush rise in Ava's cheeks as well.

"Was there Amortentia in your butterbeer too?" Ava chuckles.

Before Sebastian has a chance to respond, the door to the potions shop swings open, and Poppy comes out carrying a small satchel.

"Got everything we need," she says happily, "And I think I know where we need to search next."

"Well then, lead the way," Ava replies before turning to Sebastian and smiling, "We've got some matters to attend to now, but when I'm back at Hogwarts, perhaps, you could find me - and we could finish this discussion then."

"Of course," Sebastian replies, his voice a little hoarse, "I will see you later."

[laurenairay]

My Original Characters

Here are all the original characters/ocs I have created for my stories on here – I’ll update this as I go along! They will be listed in chronological order of posting, from top to bottom.

Count as of 19th July 2024 - 30

~

Name: Sofia Player: Tyson Barrie Fic: Make Me a Fool

Name: Ashley Miller Player: Dougie Hamilton Fic: Take a Chance

Name: Elizabeth/Lizzie Player: Tyson Barrie Fic: More Than Words

Name: Audrey James Player: Jeff Skinner Fic: Prove You Wrong

Name: Alyssa Morgan Player: Jamie Oleksiak Fic: I Swear To You

Name: Katerina Stewart Player: Cale Makar Fic: You Say I Am Loved

Name: Zoey Clark Player: Miro Heiskanen Fic: Easy to Say

Name: Juliet Player: Nico Hischier Fic: Walk in the Footsteps

Name: Chloe Duncan Player: Tyson Jost Fic: There a Chance (series)

Name: Malia Player: Brock Boeser Fic: afraid to know the answer

Name: Iris Davenport Player: Matthew Tkachuk Fic: I got the boy, she got the man

Name: Avery Carmichael Player: Chris Kreider Fic: Take me for what I am

Name: Joanna Player: Elias Pettersson Fic: Déjà-Brew

Name: Luna Player: Cale Makar Fic: you can’t blame a girl for trying

Name: Isabella Thornton Player: Anthony Beauvillier Fic: we’re lost and found

Name: Cameron Marlow Player: Jeff Skinner Fic: gotta trust how you feel inside

Name: Karla Nielsen Player: Frederik Andersen Fic: I’ll always guide you home

Name: Renée Moreau Player: Quinn Hughes Fic: I need your hands on me, sweet relief

Name: Gracelyn Davis Player: Jake Oettinger Fic: taking on the world together

Name: Mila Williams Player: Nico Hischier Fic: sometimes you just don’t know the answer

Name: Soren Player: Ryan Graves Fic: When the time is right

Name: Maeva Player: Sidney Crosby Fic: I’m still haunted by the memories

Name: Sera Player: Philipp Grubauer Fic: I never thought

Name: Kendra Lee Player: Frederik Andersen Fic: comes back to me, burning red

Name: Mollie Thomas Player: Tyson Jost Fic: summer days pass me by

Name: Rachel Summers Player: Nathan MacKinnon Fic: you’ve been sent to save me

Name: Gianna Player: Quinn Hughes Fic: I’ve got a secret, I’m telling everyone

Name: Nora Player: Nick Blankenburg Fic: how long I had to fight to be living my life

Name: Bailey Player: Matthew Tkachuk Fic: no hesitation, what are we waiting for?

Name: Dhara Nicholls Player: Matt Martin Fic: I can’t help it if I like it

[newagesispage]

                                                                        MAY                 2021

The Rib Page

*****

George Takei is sweatin’ with the oldies. He stars in a fitness app for gay seniors, Bar Belles. It was his April Fool’s day joke.

*****

Fox will bring us Crime Scene Kitchen on May 26 with host Joel McHale.

*****

Joel Hodgson has launched a new kick starter to create a new independent season of MTS3K, The goal is $2mil.

*****

Bob Odenkirk will release: Comedy, comedy, comedy, drama: A Memoir on Jan. 18 2022

*****

Leslie Jones will host the 2021 MTV Awards.

*****

$3 mil was raised for Next for Autism with help from Conan, Kimmel, Charlize, Chris Rock, Jack Black and Sarah Silverman.

*****

Have ya noticed that Gayle King looks great in yellow.

*****

Some people are not too happy that Elon Musk will host SNL on May 8. Miley Cyrus is the musical guest.** Musk tweeted: Let’s find out just how live SNL really is. Cast member Bowen Yang tweeted back, : What the Fuck does this even mean?

*****

Oh Seth Meyers: Every time I see the sea captain on your show, I miss him so much!!

*****

There is a spotlight on Foxconn which made a big splash for Trump at the start of his presidency. The company has done a lot of nothing but still gets tax cuts. Homes were demolished, roads were widened to nowhere and money was spent. Wisconsinites are upset that this big business is just folly and a big glass orb.

*****

Mike Lindell is a kook but he did try to appear to be a good sport on Kimmel.

*****

When will weed be legal on a federal level? When will drug testing for employment be illegal? We hear so much about personal rights with the gun laws and vaccines and masks. What about the right to do what we want with our bodies when we are not at work. Think of the administrative costs that could be saved if we just removed drug testing. Our experience and work ethic should mean more that what we do with our free time. This is not a problem at all companies. There are places in this country where it is near impossible anywhere in your area to get hired without a drug screening. One joint on a random Saturday night could keep someone from a great opportunity. A person in pain who reaches for an edible might miss out on the job that saves their lives.

*****

NASA sent the first flight to another planet. The Mars flight made history with the 30 sec feat.

*****

What? The Menendez brothers are popular again? From the Ramsey case to the Manson murders or Bundy, it all comes back around again.

*****

The Lizzie Borden house just sold for $2mil to Lance Zaal of U. S. Ghost Adventures.

*****

Quarantine and so much television et al proves one thing, the pharmaceutical and insurance companies have way too much $.

*****

Trump told everyone to boycott Coke and is later seen drinking diet Coke.** Trump sent out a statement about how bad the Oscars are. They threw it right back in his face. ** Federal agents have searched Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment. It stems from the 2 year investigation into activities in Ukraine.

*****

X-VP Pence is said to have pressured the Navy to reinstate former Mo. Gov. Eric Greitens. Greitens was accused of tying up, blindfolding, taking explicit photos of and blackmailing a woman.

*****

There is a crisis in schools with the lack of civics and history being taught.

*****

Hulk Hogan was hit with a chorus of Boo’s at his latest event.

*****

The latest sexual harassment news: Matt Gaetz  is being looked into for sex with a minor and sex trafficking.  Bill Barr opened the investigation.** Tom Reed has been accused of sexual misconduct by former lobbyist, Nicolette Davis.** Marilyn Manson has been sued by Game of Thrones, Esme Bianco for sexual abuse.

*****

What is going on with Bank of America? I am hearing from multiple people that often they do not get their statement in the mail. Is this a bad Postal service? Is this bad business practice? How many late fees had to be paid because of this? Not everybody wants to pay their bills online.

*****

Jack Hanna has revealed that he has dementia.

*****

Tiny Tim : King for a day is a new doc I must see. The film contains footage shot from Warhol’s Factory. There are excerpts from Tim’s diary read by Weird Al Yankovic and the story of how Tiny’s friend, Bob Dylan wanted to make a film with him.

*****

Lindsay Lohan’s Father, Michael has been charged with 5 counts patient brokering and 1 count of attempted patient brokering. This is an apparent scam of steering addicts into rehab for cash.

*****

Aaron Sorkin and Paulina Porizkova are dating. Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor are dating.

*****

JB Smoove has a new podcast brought to you by TeamCoco.

*****

Hey.. People working on the new Law and Order: Organized Crime….. TOO MUCH MELONI!!

*****

*****

Zach Avery, actor, was arrested for his participation in a $690 mil Ponzi scheme.

*****

President Biden has restored aid to the Palestinians.

*****

MLB put up a wall in Georgia but the Masters stayed.

*****

Hank Azaria has brought Brockmire to a new podcast.

*****

Tommy Chong isn’t allowed on FB because of his weed posts but they allow an imposter to use his name to sell weed.

Pennsylvania is trying to push thru 14 voter suppression bills.

*****

Joe Manchin. Ugh!!** Marjorie Taylor- Greene has let go of her America First caucus.** Ted Cruz has allegedly used $154, 000 of his campaign funds to buy up copies of his book to boost sales. This is an old trick but still illegal.

*****

For the first time, The Carter Center became involved in a U.S. election. They published videos and live webcasts as well as deploying observers across Georgia.

*****

Most health programs in Uganda, Nigeria and Ethiopia have resumed after Covid.** Tom Vilsack from the Dept. of Agriculture has announced the USDA will provide assistance to 30 million kids.** It is sad to me that we have to entice people to vaccinate. Football games, Church’s and shot for shot in bars?? Really? Saving the lives of others should be enough. WTF?

*****

Alec Baldwin, Alec Mapa and Kelsey Grammer are shopping around a new comedy that ABC decided to pass on.

*****

Chauvin was found guilty.

*****

Days alert: C’mon Ben, calm the fuck down! Don’t prove how out of control you are like everybody thinks. ** Xander is so funny right now.** How many people will Kristen be and how many times can one person melt down?? **Bring Carrie back!! **Jackee’ seemed a bit nervous in the beginning but she is fitting right in. More!

*****

The SAG awards came and went. With the Trial of the Chicago 7 winning best ensemble, Michael Keaton is the first person to be in 3 best casts for SAG’s.** Other winners include Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Daniel Kaluuta, Youn Yuh-Jung, Mark Ruffalo, Anya Taylor- Joy, Jason Bateman, Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek and The Crown.

*****

The Oscars were held on April 25. It was a bit of a yawner and why would a show set themselves up for an awkward end?? There was a commercial from P&G right before the broadcast that stated, “ Widen the screen so we can widen our view.” Nice sentiment.  Mank had so many noms and only 2 wins. People looking their best to me were Leslie Odom Jr., Glenn Close, Riz Ahmed, LaKeith Stanfield, Colman Domingo, John Batiste, Mia Neal, Questlove (gold crocs and a mask!), Desmond Roe, Travon Free, Trish Summerville, Marlee Matlin, The Lucas Brothers, Andra Day, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Nicolette Robinson, Regina King and Margot Robbie. Laura Dern looked like Big Bird, there were just too many feathers. Tiara Thomas had feathers but they looked great.  Angela Bassett had some power sleeves and Tyer Perry looked like a little boy.  Hooray for Emerald Fennell for her win for original screenplay but not sure about the dress. And Viola Davis?? Dana Murray?? Ashley Fox?? Hmm?? Winners seemed to have trouble getting to the stage. They often refused the steps or the walkway and sort of climbed up the side. I did love the intimate setting and it did remind me of the old clips of years before. Sound of metal and Ma Rainey both won. Tyler Perry and for the first time, an organization, the motion picture and television fund, took home the humanitarian award. I was thrilled to see My Octopus Teacher win for Doc. I loved Crip Camp too, that was a hard category.  The acting winners went in all directions.  Many critics complained that the films were real downers . Nomadland won best picture. Michael Moore put it best I think. Of the films this year, he said, “They force you to look backward with 2021 eyes.”

*****

Why the Fuck do we need a militarized police force?

*****

R.I.P. victims of the multiple mass shootings, victims of police shootings, the crush in Israel, Cosette Brown, Midwin Charles, DMX, Paul Ritter, Ethel Gabriel, G. Gordon Liddy, Buddy Peppenschmidt,  Prince Philip, Anne Beatts, Diane Adler, Vartan Gregorian, Monte Hellman, Jim Steinman, Michael Collins, Michael wolf Snyder, Johnny Crawford, Eli Broad and Walter Mondale.

[film-tv101]

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

WINNER

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

NOMINEES

ALICE ADAMS

RKO Radio

BROADWAY MELODY OF 1936

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

CAPTAIN BLOOD

Cosmopolitan

DAVID COPPERFIELD

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

THE INFORMER

RKO Radio

LES MISERABLES

20th Century

THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER

Paramount

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Warner Bros.

NAUGHTY MARIETTA

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

RUGGLES OF RED GAP

Paramount

TOP HAT

RKO Radio

SHORT SUBJECT (CARTOON)

WINNER

THREE ORPHAN KITTENS

Walt Disney, Producer

NOMINEES

THE CALICO DRAGON

Harman-Ising

WHO KILLED COCK ROBIN?

Walt Disney, Producer

SHORT SUBJECT (COMEDY)

WINNER

HOW TO SLEEP

Jack Chertok, Producer

NOMINEES

OH, MY NERVES

Jules White, Producer

TIT FOR TAT

Hal Roach, Producer

DIRECTING

WINNER

THE INFORMER

John Ford

NOMINEES

CAPTAIN BLOOD

Michael Curtiz

THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER

Henry Hathaway

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY

Frank Lloyd

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

WINNER

THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER

Clem Beauchamp, Paul Wing

NOMINEES

DAVID COPPERFIELD

Joseph Newman

LES MISERABLES

Eric Stacey

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Sherry Shourds

CINEMATOGRAPHY

WINNER

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Hal Mohr

NOMINEES

BARBARY COAST

Ray June

THE CRUSADES

Victor Milner

LES MISERABLES

Gregg Toland

ACTOR

WINNER

VICTOR MCLAGLEN

The Informer

NOMINEES

CLARK GABLE

Mutiny on the Bounty

CHARLES LAUGHTON

Mutiny on the Bounty

PAUL MUNI

Black Fury

FRANCHOT TONE

Mutiny on the Bounty

ACTRESS

WINNER

BETTE DAVIS

Dangerous

NOMINEES

ELISABETH BERGNER

Escape Me Never

CLAUDETTE COLBERT

Private Worlds

KATHARINE HEPBURN

Alice Adams

MIRIAM HOPKINS

Becky Sharp

MERLE OBERON

The Dark Angel

ART DIRECTION

WINNER

THE DARK ANGEL

Richard Day

NOMINEES

THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER

Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson

TOP HAT

Van Nest Polglase, Carroll Clark

DANCE DIRECTION

WINNER

BROADWAY MELODY OF 1936

"I've Got a Feeling You're Fooling" from "Broadway Melody of 1936"

FOLIES BERGERE

"Straw Hat" from "Folies Bergere"

NOMINEES

GOLD DIGGERS OF 1935

"Lullaby of Broadway" from "Gold Diggers of 1935"

GOLD DIGGERS OF 1935

"The Words Are In My Heart" from "Gold Diggers of 1935"

GO INTO YOUR DANCE

"Latin from Manhattan" from "Go into Your Dance"

BROADWAY HOSTESS

"Playboy from Paree" from "Broadway Hostess"

KING OF BURLESQUE

"Lovely Lady" from "King of Burlesque"

KING OF BURLESQUE

"Too Good To Be True" from "King of Burlesque"

TOP HAT

"Piccolino" from "Top Hat"

TOP HAT

"Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" from "Top Hat"

BIG BROADCAST OF 1936

"It's the Animal in Me" from "Big Broadcast of 1936"

ALL THE KING'S HORSES

"Viennese Waltz" from "All the King's Horses"

SHE

"Hall of Kings" from "She"

WRITING (ORIGINAL STORY)

WINNER

THE SCOUNDREL

Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur

NOMINEES

BROADWAY MELODY OF 1936

Moss Hart

G-MEN

Gregory Rogers

THE GAY DECEPTION

Don Hartman, Stephen Avery

WRITING (SCREENPLAY)

WINNER

THE INFORMER

Dudley Nichols

NOMINEES

CAPTAIN BLOOD

Casey Robinson

THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER

Screenplay by Waldemar Young, John L. Balderston, Achmed Abdullah; Adaptation by Grover Jones, William Slavens McNutt

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY

Talbot Jennings, Jules Furthman, Carey Wilson

MUSIC (SCORING)

WINNER

THE INFORMER

RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Max Steiner)

NOMINEES

CAPTAIN BLOOD

Warner Bros.-First National Studio Music Department, Leo Forbstein, head of department (Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold)

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Music Department, Nat W. Finston, head of department (Score by Herbert Stothart)

PETER IBBETSON

Paramount Studio Music Department, Irvin Talbot, head of department (Score by Ernst Toch)

MUSIC (SONG)

WINNER

GOLD DIGGERS OF 1935

Lullaby Of Broadway in "Gold Diggers of 1935" Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin

NOMINEES

TOP HAT

Cheek To Cheek in "Top Hat" Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

ROBERTA

Lovely To Look At in "Roberta" Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh

[arrthurpendragon]

~*~MissJanuaryLily mobile-friendly OC masterlist~*~

POSTED:

Lydia Woodhull // Of Love and War // Fandom: TURN Washington’s Spies 

Leila Potter // Lost Along the Way & Lost Along the Way: The Beginning // Fandom: Harry Potter (Lightning Era)

Elle Winchester // Us Against the World // Fandom: Supernatural

Greer Wayne // Holding Out For A Hero // Fandom: Gotham

Jillian “JJ” Jacobs // She Will Be Loved // Fandom: Law & Order: SVU

Alex Evans // Luminis // Fandom: Agents of SHIELD

Abigael Allen // Ruby // Fandom: Flash

Tatum Starr // Someone Else’s Starr // Fandom: Teen Wolf

Sarah Spencer // Psych You Out in the End // Fandom: Psych

Briony Everdeen // Daughter’s Lament // Fandom: Hunger Games

Cassandra Mars // An Attempt to Tip the Scales // Fandom: Veronica Mars

Julie Yoast // Coming to Terms // Fandom: Remember the Titans

Kennedy Kane // City of Stars // Fandom: 100

Tia Miller // Nine to Survival // Fandom: Jurassic World

Rebekah Swan // Everything Has Changed // Fandom: Twilight

Charlotte “Charlie” Gilmore & Parker Dell // To Wish Impossible Things // Fandom: Gilmore Girls

Sydney James // Only Fooling Myself // Fandom: One Tree Hill

Emma Gibbs // Rule 14 // Fandom: NCIS x Criminal Minds

Edith Eaton // Songs to Love and Die By Fandom: Divergent

Kimberly Potter // Dance Me to the End of Love // Fandom: Harry Potter (Marauders Era)

Naomi Lawson // A Royal Pain // Fandom: Royal Pains

PLOT BUNNIES:

Brandi Henderson // Fandom: Stranger Things

Quinn Cleary // Fandom: Blue Bloods

Chrissy Bartlet // Fandom: The West Wing

Valeria Ramierez // Fandom: The Librarians

Chloe Gilbert // Fandom: The Vampire Diaries

Justine Brennan // Fandom: Bones

Clara Davis // Fandom: Love Comes Softly

Devyn Day // Fandom: New Girl

Ophelia Jackson // Fandom: Percy Jackson

Delia Goldstein // Fandom: Fantastic Beasts

Avery Shane // Fandom: The Orginals

Mara // Fandom: Star Wars

Miriah Brown // Fandom: Everwood

Vivien Weasley // Fandom: Harry Potter

Audrey Andrews // Fandom: Riverdale

Teagan James // Fandom: Spiderman: Homecoming

Gwen Jackson // Fandom: Nikita

Andie Hart // Fandom: Hart of Dixie

Winnie Prewett // Fandom: Fantastic Beasts

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior Home & Drive-In Edition June 19, 2020 – YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT, BABYTEETH, MISS JUNETEENTH, 7500 and More

We’re three weekends into June and New York City is still in Phase 1 of reopening (movie theaters will presumably be in Phase 4), but I’m already hearing that movie theaters will continue to reopen over the next few weeks with New York and L.A. finally opening on July 17, which is when we’re supposed to get some new theatrical releases. We’ll see if that happens or not.

In any other week, the Blumhouse psychological thriller YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT (Universal), which reunites Stir of Echoes director David Koepp with that film’s star, Kevin Bacon, would be getting some sort of theatrical release, probably in 2,500 theaters or maybe more. Instead, it’s going to the same PVOD platform used by Universal for Trolls World Tour and last week’s The King of Staten Island, which is kind of shame. Not that I can say whether I liked the movie or not since I’m under embargo, but I can at least say what the movie is about, kinda.

Bacon and his significantly younger actress wife, played by significantly younger actor Amanda Seyfried, move into a house in Wales with their young daughter Ella (Avery Essex), and then all sorts of strange things start happening… and that’s probably all I can say about the plot without spoiling stuff, although I will say that if you like high concept mind fuck movies, as I generally do, this is a doozy!  [I’ll add my mini-review for this here once the embargo breaks on Thursday morning, and also I’ll have an interview with writer/director David Koepp over at VitalThrills.com around the same time.)

Mini-Review: When you come into a movie like You Should Have Left after having seen David Koepp’s previous movie Stir of Echoes with Kevin Bacon, you might imagine that would have been a tough act to follow. In fact, Stir of Echoes, while it still has some cool ideas,  hasn’t aged particularly well, especially when you realize that it opened just a month after M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense. As it were, You Should Have Left has a few similarities beyond Mr. Bacon, but it’s also a very different movie that benefits from fitting into the mold of some of the better recent Blumhouse movies.

In this one, Bacon plays Theo Conroy, a man with a troubled past an an extremely attractive and significantly younger wife, aptly played by Amanda Seyfried. There are already problems in their marriage when we meet them, but soon afterwards, they’re renting a house in a remote part of Wales in order to get away with their young daughter (Avery Essex). Conroy is still being haunted by the death of his previous wife, for which he was blamed but this new abode starts giving him horrifying nightmares as well as odd circumstances with the house having all sorts of nooks and crannies that should not be geographically possible. (I’m trying to be vague as possible with the plot since there are definitely some nice plot twists and definite spoilers.)

It’s a fairly simple set-up as we watch things get worse and worse for Theo as he discovers that his wife has been cheating, and the house starts getting more threatening with Theo worrying even more about his daughter. But this isn’t a cheesy horror movie like House, and maybe at times, it couldn’t even really be thought of as quote-unquote “horror,” because it isn’t particularly scary until the third act when it does start getting VERY scary.

Of course, Bacon’s performance is going to be something eyed carefully to see how he’s grown as an actor in the 21 years since Stir of Echoes, and he certainly has, but it’s often his youngest co-star, Avery Essex, who not only steals the scenes but also pushes him to even greater heights with her own ability to keep things grounded and real even when things start getting crazier.

You Should Have Left is another fine Koepp chiller that frequently leaves you guessing about what is happening with its suitably claustrophobic mind-fuck esthetics and another well-nuanced performance by Bacon. It’s eerie and disturbing but also has an epilogue that somehow comes across as surprisingly sweet and even somewhat sentimental.

Rating: 7/10

Fresh from its much-lauded premiere at Sundance comes Shannon Murphy’s directorial debut, the quirky Aussie comedy BABYTEETH (IFC Films), which stars newcomer Eliza Scanlen as Milla Finlay, a teen girl with a disease that’s killing her, who falls for a drug dealer named Moses (Toby Wallace). Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis from The Babadook plays Milla’s disapproving parents, lecherous psychiatrist Henry and manic-depressive Anna.

Apparently, Murphy’s movie is based on a play written by Rita Kalnejai, which played a sold-out run in Sydney back in 2012, and while there are elements that make it seem obvious it’s based on a play, what Murphy has done with the material takes it far beyond its source material. I especially enjoyed the way it deals with young first love in a fairly sweet way but also in a very realistic way.

At first, Babyteeth is a little strange, maybe not quite on the level of strange of some of Miranda July’s work or the movie Lemon (which I hated) in that it’s actually watchable, but more like Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Incidentally, all of those films premiered at Sundance just to give you some sense of the programming there, but it also reminds me more positively of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, which not only premiered at Sundance but won both the Jury and Audience Award that year, so yeah, Sundance is nothing if it’s not a little predicable.

Eliza Scanlen and Toby Wallace are both great, but it’s all the quirky characters surrounding them that makes you unsure where it’s all going, but don’t be fooled by the film’s earlier quirkiness, because it does go to a few rather dark and dramatic places. Again, I liked it in a similar way as I liked Earl, and it’s a really strong directorial debut with fantastic musical choices, and I’ll be really curious to see whether people discover it right away or it becomes a cult favorite over time.

Channing Godfrey People’s new indie drama MISS JUNETEENTH (Vertical), starring Nicole Beharie, is probably one of the more relevant releases of the weekend because Friday is the annual Juneteenth celebration. Beharie plays Turquoise Jones, a woman who won the town’s annual Miss Juneteenth pageant decades earlier who now has a teen daughter Kai (Alexis Chikaeze) entered in the pageant.

I will freely admit that a few weeks back, I had no idea what Juneteenth was or what it represented, although I kept seeing it listed in my ICal every June 19. Then I heard about this movie and shortly after, I saw it referenced in Ava DuVernay’s Selma on a recent rewatch, so I looked it up – thinking maybe it was more of a Southern thing, which it is – and sure enough, it’s the date when Texas abolished slavery in 1965. I’m so glad that was settled.

Okay, back to the movie. I definitely was interested in it since like Babyteeth, Miss Juneteenth debuted at Sundance, but as expected for a festival mainly attended by critics from New York and L.A., it didn’t get very much attention, so it was probably always going to get a VOD release.

It mainly follows how Beharie’s character comes to term with not achieving some of the greatness of past Miss Juneteenth winners and hoping her daughter will achieve more than she did by winning the pageant.  Kai really isn’t too interested in achieving greatness in the way her mother wants, as she would rather be a dancer. (Since it’s implied that Turquoise spent many years making money by stripping, it would make sense she wouldn’t that for her daughter.)

I kind of wish the movie did more interesting things with the characters but People’s screenplay is decent but not great, and it’s elevated by the talented Ms. Beharie and others. The interesting thing about Miss Juneteenth is that not only did the movie grow on me as I watched it, but it also oddly really stuck with me after it was over, even though it’s more of an intimate personal story about one woman rather than a bigger exploration of the holiday itself.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes his return to the screen (just not the big one) in Patrick Vollrath’s action-thriller, 7500 (Amazon Prime), playing the co-pilot of a German plane that’s hijacked by terrorists. I wish there was more to say about it beyond that simple plot, but there really isn’t, and the majority of the film takes place in the cockpit as Gordon-Levitt’s Tobias Ellis watches other activities taking places on monitor screens.

I’ve always been a fan of Gordon-Levitt as an actor but this material generally seems below his talents, and his performance falters suitably while trying to make more of what’s a fairly dated and tired script. On top of that, it’s just brutal to watch at times, and that’s not necessarily a good thing, despite the film’s intent at being a thriller. (One plot decision pissed me off so much I almost stopped watching.)

Honestly, I’m not even sure why they called this movie 7500, since there was already a horror movie called Flight 7500 a few years back, and that isn’t even the number of the flight in the movie, so this whole thing left me rather puzzled, not only how and why it got made but why it couldn’t have been even just slightly better.

Netflix got the rights to Olivier Assayas’ latest, WASP NETWORK after it played a bunch of festivals last fall, including TIFF, Venice and the New York Film Festival, and the streamer will premiere the spy-thriller starting Friday. It reunites Assayas with his Carlos star Edgar Ramírez, who plays René González, a Cuban pilot who flees Cuba to defect to the United States, leaving his wife (Knives Out’s Ana de Armas) and daughter behind. Once in Florida, he joins a group of exiles called the Wasp Network, led by undercover operative Manuel Viramontez (Gael Garcia Bernal) and becomes part of a pro-Castro spy ring infiltrating Cuban-American terrorist groups. I wasn’t hugely interested in the subject matter when I tried watching it at the NY Film Festival, and part of that was maybe because like Carlos, it requires a lot of patience and concentration that I’m sure I didn’t have last October. I hope to have a chance to rewatch it this week, and if I get all the way through it, I’ll add some sort of actual review.

Ross Boyask’s action-thriller sequel I AM VENGEANCE: RETALIATON (Saban Films/Lionsgate), once again stars former WWE wrestler Stu Bennett aka “Wade Barrett” as ex special forces John Gold who goes for justice (and vengeance and retaliation, if that wasn’t clear from the title) against the man who betrayed his team on their final mission, Sean Teague, as played by Guy Ritchie regular, Vinnie Jones. Haven’t had a chance to watch this in time to write about it for the column, but I also never got to watch the previous I Am Vengeance, but hopefully I’ll have more time before its digital debut on Friday.

Another film opening in Virtual Cinema (which is definitely the “new normal” these days) is Yonatan Nir and Dani Menkin’s documentary PICTURE OF HIS LIFE about acclaimed underwater wildlife photographer Amos Nachoum and his greatest challenge to photograph a polar bear while swimming with one in open waters sans protection. Another movie I wasn’t able to get to before writing this column – noticing a trend there? -- but it certainly sounds interesting, especially if the cinematography is as good as I’m expecting from watching the trailer.

I will freely admit that I’ve been a bit hit or miss on the recent work of multi-Oscar-nominee Agnieszka Holland and her more recent work, and her new film MR. JONES (Samuel Goldwyn) is another drama set during WWII as with her previous film, In Darkness. Thus one is written by Andrea Chalupa and stars James Norton as Gareth Jones, an ambitious journalist who goes to Moscow looking for the truth behind Stalin’s Soviet propaganda machine that is trying to sway the Western World in its battle against Hitler.  Apparently, this would later inspire George Orwell’s Animal Farm, but honestly, this subject didn’t really interesting me, and neither could the presence of decent actors like Peter Sarsgaard and Vanessa Kirby. Either way, it will be released on digital this Friday then On Demand on July 3.

I’ve heard good things but haven’t had a chance to see Theodore Collatos and Carolina Monnerat’s documentary, Queen of Lapa (Factory 25), which is about influential Brazilian transgender activist Luana Muniz, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 31st edition of New Fest, New York’s LGBTQ Film Festival, as well as a selection of a number of other film festivals.  Muniz was a cabaret performer, sex worker and activist who helped humanize Rio’s transgender sex workers.

Related to this, Netflix will also debut Sam Feder’s doc Disclosure this week, looking at the way trangender men and women have been depicted in film and on television with leading trans creatives and thinkers like Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford and others being interviewed. I haven’t watched it yet but will check it out when it debuts this Friday.

Hong Sang Soo’s 2006 film Woman on the Beach (Grasshopper Films) is premiering as part of Film at Lincoln Center’s Virtual cinema, which is actually one of my favorite films by the director.

Downtown at the Film Forum’s Virtual Cinema, you can watch Matt Riddlehoover’s doc My Darling Vivian (The Film Collaborative) about the relationship between Vivian Liberto and one Johnny Cash, who had a three-year long-distance relationship while the classic country singer was stationed in Germany and got married when he returned and became a household name.

This week’s rep stuff being added to Film Forum’s Virtual Cinema include Robert Hamer’s original 1960 comedy, School of Scoundrels (Film Forum/ Virtual), starring Alastair Sim – part of the trilogy of Sim films which will be available for rental through Film Forum -- and Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1953 noir, When You Read This Letter… 

Apple Plus will be debuting Bryce Dallas Howard’s documentary Dads (just in time for Father’s Day!), which looks at fatherhood through a number of well-known fathers including Will Smith and one Ron Howard.

Other films that I haven’t had as much time to look into include Mope (Quiver Distribution) and  The Pollinators (1091).

This week begins two more annual festivals, both of them going virtually with the  AFI Docs Film Festival (done in conjunction with NBC’s “Meet the Press”) running from June 17 through June 21 and the Lighthouse International Film Festival, based in New Jersey, which will run from June 16 to 20. The latter’s opening film is Rod Lurie’s military drama The Outpost, which I’ve been looking forward to seeing for quite some time, while the Centerpiece film is Summerland. This week’s Oxford Film Festival offerings include the narrative feature, The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, will debut on Sunday. Unfortunately, you’ll have to live in Mississippi, Tennessee or Alabama to see the The Rabbi Goes West, presented by the Jewish Federation of Oxford.

Next week, more movies not in nearly as many theaters as usual… including (finally!) My Spy!!!

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

[doubleattitude]

Expressenz Dance Center

Nexstar National Talent Competition Summer National Remix, Gatlinburg TN Results: SOLOS

High Scores:

Advanced Petite Solos (Ages 8 and under, top level competitive)

3rd: Harper Hosack- ”New York, New York”

5th: Marlo Hooper- “Everybody Wants to Be A Cat”

6th: Brynn Lehman- “Landslide”

7th: Brynn Jones- “My Boyfriend’s Back”

8th: Charlotte Holt- “Speaking French”

9th: Eloise Mays- “Abracadabra”

10th: Lucia Kingsley- “Little Jazz Bird”

11th: Kinley Herbort- “Born to Entertain”

12th: Lea Dalton- “Where the Lost Things Go”

Didn’t Place:

Charlotte Holt- “Light”

Advanced Junior Solos (Ages 9-11)

1st: Kate Jarboe- “Nessum Dorma”

3rd: Julia Bailey- “Crazy In Love”

4th: Sydney Foertsch- “Oh So Quiet”

5th: Aliya Warren- “Believe”

7th: Adler Shiplov- “Can’t Turn You Loose”

8th (tie): Camryn O’Maley- “Rescue”

12th: Maddie Martin- “Beyond the Sea”

13th: Isabella Workman- “Forever and Ever”

14th: Kathryn Roth- “Send in the Clowns”

15th: Arianna Kroon- “No Can Do”

17th: Addyson Farrell- “Halo”

Didn’t Place:

Kathryn Roth- “Enter One”

Camryn O’Maley- “Hallelujah”

Julia Bailey- “Nature Boy”

Audrey States- “And Still They Move”

Audrey States- “Father Father”

Sofia Bayt- “Switzerland”

Marlee Moorehead- “Circle of the Sun”

Katie Huneycutt- “Feeling Good”

Katie Huneycutt- “You Lost Me”

Advanced Teen Solos (Ages 12-14)

1st: Ainsley Grey- “Clair De Lune”

2nd: Jenna Jarboe- “Man of La Mancha”

4th: Jenna Kryder- “Give Me One Reason”

5th: Emily Haas “A Song for Europa”

7th: Joya Haas “Someone Like You”

9th: Alexis Leistner- “Happen”

11th: Ella Flores “Don’t Worry About Me”

13th: Camille Kapsalis- “Can’t Help Falling in Love”

15th: Delaney Michalak- “You Know How I Feel”

16th: Lynsey Foertsch- “My Soul Shakes”

18th (tie): Samantha McMahon- “Glacier”

18th (tie): Olivia Elliott- “You”

19th: Aubriana Lovelace- “Darkness Is Not the Opposite of Light”

20th: Mirabella Russell- “Always Midnight”

Didn’t Place:

Jenna Jarboe- “Firework”

Jenna Jarboe- “On the Wire”

Joya Haas- “All Gone”

Emily Haas- “Rise”

Emily Haas- “Wonder”

Kyra Feigenbaum- “Baby I’m A Star”

Ainsley Grey- “Unchained Melody”

Ainsley Grey- “Weighted in Complexity”

Jenna Kryder- “I Just Don’t Love You”

Lily Farrell- ‘Faun”

Camille Kapsalis- “You’re Welcome”

Ella Flores- “From the Ground Up

Samantha McMahon- “A City Lost”

Jenna Kryder- “Dirty Diana”

Maria Kingsley- “The Letting Go”

Megan Murphy- “Listen Before I Go”

Rachel Alfrey- “Bones”

Ashley Simmons- “When It’s All Over”

Lauryn Williams- “Easy”

Advanced Senior Solos (Ages 15-19)

3rd: Adare Haas- “As If We Never Said Goodbye”

5th: Ava Geske- “Signals”

7th: Lanae Davis- “Big Spender”

9th: Abigail Alfrey- “I Have Never Loved Someone”

12th: Grace Emery- “Momentary”

13th: Maya Palmer- “Unbind”

14th (tie): Avery Puno- “Ashes”

15th (3 way tie): Kylie Mendoza- “Liquid Air”

16th: Abigail Emery- “Bruises”

18th: Lily Claymon- “Is That Alright”

Didn’t Place:

Adare Haas- “Kissing You”

Macie Blacklidge- “Water”

Macie Blacklidge- “Disruption of Sound”

Kylie Mendoza- “Snowing”

Ava Geske- “Even Now”

Maya Palmer- “For the Strange and Stranger”

Maya Palmer- “Say Goodbye”

Lanae Davis- “The Pure and the Damned”

Lily Claymon- “Pteryla”

Alexis Hunter- “By Night”

Abby Clement- “Watch”

Abby Clement- “Did I Fool Ya?”

Jasmine Estep- “You Should See Me In A Crown”

Gabriella Pate- “A Case of You”

Gabriella Pate- “Path”

Emma Nolan- “Lost”

Rachel Thikoll- “Doesn’t Feel Human”

Kamryn Williams- “Take the A-Train”

Advancing to Virtual Big Show Title Showdown:

Elite Petite Miss Nexstar

Marlo Hooper- “Everybody Wants to Be A Cat”

Lucia Kinglsey- “Little Jazz Bird”

Elite Junior Miss Nexstar

Camryn O’Maley- “Rescue”

Kate Jarboe- “On Broadway”

Elite Teen Miss Nexstar

Jenna Jarboe- “Man of La Mancha”

Jenna Kryder- “Give Me One Reason”

Emily Haas- “A Song for Europa”

Elite Miss Nexstar

Lanae Davis- “Big Spender”

*Please let me know if I’ve made any mistakes!!*

[infolibrary]

Last Words of 25 Executed Criminals

New Post has been published on http://www.infolibrary.net/last-words-of-25-executed-criminals/

Last Words of 25 Executed Criminals

Here is a list of Last Words of 25 Executed Criminals.

01. George Appel

Crime: Murder

Executed: By electric chair in 19280

Last Words: “Well folks, you’ll soon see a baked apple.”

02. George Engel

Crime: Accessory to murder (Haymarket Affair)

Executed: By hanging on November 11, 1887

Last Words: “Hurrah for anarchy! This is the happiest moment of my life!” (in German)

03. Aileen Wournos

Crime: Murder (x7)

Executed: By lethal injection on October 9, 2002

Last Words: “I’d just like to say I’m sailing with the Rock and I’ll be back like ‘Independence Day’ with Jesus. June 6, like the movie, big mother ship and all. I’ll be back.”

04. Daniel Wayne Cook

Crime: Rape and murder (x2)

Executed: By lethal injection on August 8, 2012

Last Words: “I’d like to say sorry to the victim’s family. I know that’s not enough… Where am I? To my lawyers, thank you. Red Robin, yum. I’m done. I love you.”

05. David Castillo

Crime: Murder

Executed: By lethal injection on August 23, 1998

Last Words: “There is no man that is free from all evil, nor any man that is so evil to be worth nothing.”

06. Thomas Arnold Kemp Jr.

Crime: Murder

Executed: By lethal injection on April 25, 2012

Last Words: “I regret nothing.”

07. Eddie Slovik

Crime: Desertion

Executed: By firing squad on January 31, 1945

Last Words: “Don’t worry about me. I’m okay. They’re not shooting me for deserting the United States Army – thousands of guys have done that. They’re shooting me for bread I stole when I was 12 years old.”

08. Herman Ashworth

Crime: Murder

Executed: By lethal injection on September 27, 2005

Last Words: “A life for a life, let it be done and justice will be served.”

09. Robert Walter Avery

Crime: Murder

Executed: By firing squad on February 5, 1943

Last Words: “It’s getting light. What’s holding those fellows up?”

10. William Prince Davis

Crime: Murder

Executed: By lethal injection on September 14, 1999

Last Words: “What about them Cowboys?”

11. Anna Antonio

Crime: Murder

Executed: By electric chair on August 9, 1934

Last Words: “I don’t care what you do to me. I am not afraid to die. I have nothing on my conscience. I never killed any one.”

12. Marvallous Keene

Crime: Murder (x5)

Executed: By lethal injection on July 21, 2009

Last Words: “I have no words.”

13. John Deering

Crime: Murder

Executed: By electric chair on October 31, 1938

Last Words: “When I was a kid raising hell everyone told me I’d end up on the gallows, so I thought I’d fool them. Also, there’s an old saying I like: Live by the sword and die by the sword.”

14. Jeffrey Matthews

Crime: Murder

Executed: By lethal injection on January 11, 2011

Last Words: “I think that governor’s phone is broke. He hadn’t called yet.”

15. Gary Gilmore

Crime: Murder (x2)

Executed: By firing squad on January 17, 1977

Last Words: “Let’s do it!”

16. Gerald James Holland

Crime: Murder of a 15-year-old

Executed: By lethal injection on May 20, 2010

Last Words: “I’m really deep down in my heart sorry it happened. I wish this would bring her back. I want you to know that I’m very sorry this ever happened. I knew it was wrong but it was alcohol, despair and temper that caused it. That’s it.”

17. James French

Crime: Murder (x2)

Executed: By electric chair on August 10, 1966

Last Words: “How’s this for your headline? ‘French Fries’”.

18. Robert Alton Harris

Crime: Murder of two 16-year-olds

Executed: By gas chamber on April 21, 1992

Last Words: “You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everybody dances with the grim reaper.” (He misquoted Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.)

19. Omer R. Woods

Crime: Murder

Executed: By firing squad, January 18, 1924

Last Words: “Say good-bye to my brother and daughter.”

20. John Marek

Crime: Murder

Executed: By lethal injection on August 9, 2009

Last Words: “Jesus, remember the sinners.”

21. Jose Villegas

Crime: Murder (x3), including a 5-year-old

Executed: By lethal injection on April 16, 2014

Last Words: “I would like to remind my children once again I love them. Everything is OK. I love you all, and I love my children. I am at peace. It does kind of burn. Goodbye, goodbye.”

22. Kenneth Hogan

Crime: Murder

Executed: By lethal injection on January 25, 2014

Last Words: “There’s a chemical taste in my mouth. I’m going. I’m going. I’m going.”

23. Robert Charles Towery

Crime: Murder

Executed: By lethal injection on March 8, 2012

Last Words: “I love my family. Potato, potato, potato.”

24. Ray Gardner

Crime: Murder

Executed: By firing squad on September 29, 1951

Last Words: “I’m ready to go. No one will miss me. My life has been worthless.”

25. Robert Gleason Jr.

Crime: Murder (x3)

Executed: By electric chair on January 16, 2013

Last Words: “Well, I hope Percy ain’t going to wet the sponge. Put me on the highway to Jackson and call my Irish buddies. Pog mo thoin. God bless.” (In Irish Gaelic, the phrase “Pog mo thoin” loosely translates as “Kiss my ass”.)

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[buddyrabrahams]

Contender or Pretender: Are these 8 NBA teams for real?

Nothing really makes sense in our world any more. Rookies are playing like ten-year pros, Arthur memes are taking over the planet, and the president is feuding with LaVar Ball. In trying times like these, we need some real and concrete answers about what’s fact and what’s fiction, so let’s start by asking the only question that matters about eight NBA teams that have outperformed expectations to this point of the season: contender or pretender?

Detroit Pistons Record: 11-5 The Verdict: PRETENDER

It’s difficult to believe going from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Avery Bradley and getting slight improvements from the rest of the roster is a viable long-term winning strategy, and that’s probably because it isn’t. As good as Detroit has been, their first 16 games have felt incredibly fluky. Eight of their wins have come by single-digits, and they improved their three-point percentage by over five points from last season despite returning largely the same core. The NBA is fun when bigs like Andre Drummond are rampaging through the competition and dudes like Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith are running circles around everybody. But the Pistons’ own fun may be coming to an end soon.

Philadelphia 76ers Record: 8-7 The Verdict: CONTENDER

Joel Embiid is better than any horror film out there and is playing like a top-ten guy in the league right now. His brilliance has been largely overshadowing the 18-9-8 stat line that fellow ’90s baby Ben Simmons has been hoisting up. The world is also awakening to how good Robert Covington is at the sport of basketball. JJ Redick is looking like one of the more underrated signings of the summer. Indeed, the Sixers are putting up 109 points per game at the NBA’s fourth-fastest pace, and Markelle Fultz (you know, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft) is still hurt. It’s Process forever and I will not hear otherwise.

New York Knicks Record: 8-7 The Verdict: PRETENDER

How hard can one ride His Majesty Lord Kristaps Porzingis, DDS? 30 points a night with enough threes and blocks to feed a starving country is worth a lot, and frontcourt mate Enes Kanter grabbing enough double-doubles to bankrupt In-N-Out certainly helps. But banking on career years from Tim Hardaway Jr. and the rest of the gang to continue is fool’s gold. The Knicks are a top-heavy team that knows few solutions other than to feed their unicorn. And while they have managed to get the Garden popping again like its 1999, this team is probably better suited for the later than they are for the now.

Denver Nuggets Record: 9-7 The Verdict: CONTENDER

Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap are making big men great again. They have also had some help from the era of Point Guard Jamal Murray, Wilson “I’m Still Here” Chandler, and a surprisingly effective sixth man iteration of Emmanuel Mudiay. Denver owns the most prolific offense in the West behind Golden State and Houston, and they legitimately run nine or ten guys deep. Well-coached teams that move the ball and defend at an adequate level have a high ceiling in today’s game, so expect the Nuggets to jockey for their first playoff appearance since back when Furious George Karl was running the show.

Minnesota Timberwolves Record: 10-6 The Verdict: PRETENDER

The 107.0 offensive rating (seventh-best in the NBA) is nice. But I’m growing a full-on Merlin beard here as I continue to wait for Tom Thibodeau to fix this defense (still a bottom-ten unit just like they were last year in his first season in charge). Yes, Jimmy Butler’s willingness to sacrifice his counting stats for the sake of the team has been admirable, and who doesn’t love that adorable pair of rabid puppy dogs, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins? But with their offensive identity still evolving and their bench not much more than 76-year-old Jamal Crawford, Minnesota’s woes on the defensive end may sink them in the Western Conference totem pole before long despite the hot start.

New Orleans Pelicans Record: 8-8 The Verdict: CONTENDER

Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are scorching the earth and are a safe bet for 50 points and 25 boards on any given night between the two of them. Elsewhere, Jrue Holiday is enjoying another season of quiet value and may be able to focus more on scoring the ball (his more natural abode) with his move to the 2 to accommodate the return of Rajon Rondo, who will take care of the playmaking. The rest of the roster fills out from there with E’Twaun Moore, Ian Clark, Jameer “Ponce De Leon” Nelson, and Tony Allen all focusing on defense and/or three-point shooting, giving us ample reason to believe the Pelicans can further improve as the calendar flips to December and onwards.

Indiana Pacers Record: 9-8 The Verdict: PRETENDER

Paul George must have been holding them back because the Pacers look like they won the breakup. With Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis singing “Now I Do What I Want” and Myles Turner back from injury to swat away hopes and dreams, they are making their case to be America’s Team. But they have played an easy schedule so far (with wins over Brooklyn, Sacramento, Chicago and other assorted cream puffs), and their 48.2 team field goal percentage (third-best in the league) seems wholly unsustainable for a non-Warriors team that operates mainly from the perimeter. They don’t have a strong defense or an effective rebounding game to fall back on (ranking 20th in both respects), so brace yourself for Indy’s pride to cometh before their fall.

Boston Celtics Record: 15-2 The Verdict: CONTENDER

The Celtics may never lose again, and their bid to dethrone The King and his army of Cavaliers is growing more and more formidable. Their league-best defense based around large switchable wings is asphyxiating. Kyrie Irving’s maturation has been riveting. Brad Stevens’ halfcourt sets are still delighting. And Boston’s total supremacy after Gordon Hayward’s injury sent them to the canvas on opening night has easily been the best story in the NBA this year. They’re young, they’re hungry, and [extremely Poltergeist voice] they’re heeeeeeeere. So look out 1927 Yankees, 1972 Dolphins, and 1996 Bulls — the 2018 Celtics are about to push you all off the edge of the flat earth.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2mIJjxQ