#gabriel bray

[amatesura]

Gabriel Bray, A girl in a white dress and black veil, Late 18th century

[clove-pinks]

I found some interesting biographical information about our friend Lieutenant Gabriel Bray, shown above painting his self-portrait in April 1775 with his watercolours kit, in what is probably the wardroom of HMS Pallas (NMM).

If you're not familiar with Gabriel Bray's wonderful art depicting the world of the late 18th century Royal Navy, you're in luck! His pictures are priceless primary sources.

A sailor fishing off of a gun, and two Royal Marines, both from the Pallas album.

Bray is one of the seafarers in Huw Lewis-Jones' book The Sea Journal: Seafarers' Sketchbooks, which provides more information about his life than the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich:

The son of a mariner, Gabriel Bray joined the navy at fifteen as a captain's servant. In the first six years of his sea career he served on six different ships and managed to pass his lieutenant exams in 1770, but no ships were available for a posting. His lucky break came in 1773, when assisting on the royal yacht Augusta at the fleet review in Spithead. He secretly sketched the scene and, having sat up all night to finish the painting, then managed to have it presented to King George III the following day; the king apparently liked it so much he promoted Bray on the spot.

As a keen artist, Bray made numerous watercolours on his voyages to West Africa and Jamaica when lieutenant on the frigate Pallas. His commander was Sir William Cornwallis, later the well-known admiral 'Billy Blue', a friend of Nelson and commander of the Channel Fleet during the war with France. Lacking the right family connections, Bray never advanced beyond the rank of lieutenant, so settled instead for commands of the revenue cutters Sprightly, Enterprise, Nimble, and Scourge, defending the English coast against smugglers. [...] On one notable occassion it is said he even fought off a Frenchman wielding a blunderbuss. After all this drama, he spent his final years in Dorset, a happy churchwarden.

— Huw Lewis-Jones, The Sea Journal: Seafarers' Sketchbooks

'Sketch between Decks, May 75': midshipmen in the ship's cockpit reading and studying by candlelight, as Bray himself would have lived as a middie.

[marryat92]

The hour of bed-time arrived. I was instructed how to get into my hammock, and laughed at for tumbling out on the opposite side. I was forced to submit to this pride of conscious superiority of these urchins who could only boast of a few months' more practical experience than myself, and who, therefore, called me a greenhorn.

— Frederick Marryat, The Naval Officer (Frank Mildmay)

A sailmaker and his mate ticketing hammocks aboard HMS Pallas, drawing by Lieutenant Gabriel Bray, 1774.

[aloneandforsakenbyfateandbyman]

Death Occurred Last Night (1970)

[motziedapul]

If you don't mind my sharing my own, probably less spicy POC rep in audio drama take: the AD community's tendency toward celebration of "representation" within the medium as if this rep applies to anything substancially besides queer characters is exausting. Sure, queer rep is important but so often reading "there's rep for everything!" and the cast is like, 95% white? Or, bafflingly, people claiming diversity for something that is entirely fanon? Mmh.

Hi anon!

My take is just about as spicy, honestly.

There's a tendency to value "racially ambiguous" characters played entirely by White actors over actual BIPOC characters

(usually with BIPOC actors, though I'm not as strict about this since I don't mind White actors playing BIPOC characters so long as BIPOC voice actors can play White characters and no BIPOC actors lose voice acting opportunities. And as long as more attention is given to BIPOC creators than we're getting currently).

It sometimes feels as though BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People Of Colour) characters and creators are overlooked in favour of characters who are ostensibly White but drawn by fandom as BIPOC.

I've seen a lot of support in the community from fellow audio drama people; I've felt uplifted by my fellow creators who are White, and I always appreciate and value that. And obviously some shows are just well made and part of their success is based on other factors.

But as someone who's also aware of audio drama fandom, it's easy to see how much favour is given to White Characters drawn as BIPOC in comparison to characters who are BIPOC in text, and I'm not sure why.

That's my spicy opinion. I follow a few BIPOC creators but I can only name two that have an amount of success comparable to White audio drama creators (Gabriel Urbina of W359 fame and Octavia Bray of Atypical Artists), but my knowledge is limited.

And that's not even getting into female led audio drama, but I do love the success of creators such as Lauren Shippen in the space.

I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum or blame anyone for this phenomenon, but I do think it's worth thinking about. Why I see 50 brown Jonny Simses for every canonically brown Samama Khalid. Maybe it's all a coincidence based on other factors. Maybe White characters invite more imagination in their depiction or something.

I don't mind BIPOC depictions of ostensibly White or "racially ambiguous" characters, but I'm not a big fan of if they outnumber depictions of canon BIPOC characters. I just think the latter deserve more love.

I'm no expert. Also I'm mostly in the horror space, apart from my love of Life With Leoh (a sci fi romcom). My knowledge is very limited so if anyone would like to contradict me, I welcome it (especially if it means discovering more BIPOC led shows).

I don't want this to just be about complaining, so please feel free to shout out some fantastic BIPOC led audio drama (either created by or with a majority BIPOC cast) or even share some art you've done of characters from them and I'll happily share them.

My favorites are Wolf 359 (by Gabriel Urbina) and Life with Leoh (by Octavia Bray)!

[shelbgrey]

My MasterList of Stories

Master List part 2

~request are open

Grey's Anatomy

The Sopranos

Codes:

Smut=❤️‍🔥 Fluff=💕 Angst=💔 Funny=💖 Horror=🫀

🔬Bones💀

Dr. Lance Sweets:

Smut Alphabet❤️‍🔥

Caught in the act ❤️‍🔥

Dating Lance Sweets HC💕❤️‍🔥

Adventures in babysitting💕

You belong with me💕

Lance Sweets as a Dad headcanons💕

Dream Warriors💔🫀

Bones Halloween Special🫀💖

Code baby Part 1 💕

Let me take your pain away💕💔

Dr. Jack Hodgins:

Can't buy me love💔💕

Jack Hodgins Having a little sister💕

What's it gonna take to get you out of his lab?❤️‍🔥

Agent Seeley Booth:

Dating Seeley Booth Headcanons💕❤️‍🔥

Being Seeley Booth's Best friend HCs💕

Friends to Lovers Headcanons💕

The day we met💕

In the name of love💕

Agent James Aubrey:

Falling in love with James Aubrey after losing Lance 💔💕

Falling in love with James Aubrey after losing Lance Sweets part 2💕❤️‍🔥

Smut Alphabet❤️‍🔥

Unspoken desire❤️‍🔥

Dr. Wendell Bray:

Witchy Squintern HCs💕

Dr. Camille Saroyan:

who broke the coffee pot?💖

The Squinterns:

Adventures in babysitting💕

Being Hodgins sister and being a goth Squintern💕

Dr. Zack Addy:

I've got your back💕

Who's got him smiling like that?💕

❤️‍🩹Grey's Anatomy🩺

Dr. Derek Shephard:

Halloween special💖🫀

Injured💔

The Ballad of Jayne💔

Stuck in the middle💔💕

Stitches💕

This is Why I Don't Go To The Gym💕

Baby on the brain💕

Dating Derek after he broke up with Meredith💕

Love at first sight💕

Dr. Mark Sloan:

November Rain💔

Faithfully💔💕

We are family💕

Christmas Special💖

Dr. Owen Hunt:

Trauma 101💖

Dr. Jackson Avery:

Love Story💔💕

Dr. Alex Karev:

Heaven💔

Dr. Miranda Bailey:

Your my favorite💕

Dr. Nick Marsh:

Secrets out💕

🗡️Once upon a time🍎

August W. Booth:

Hidden secrets❤️‍🔥💕💔

Killian Jones:

Smut fic with Killan Jones❤️‍🔥

Prince James:

Hysteria💔💕

🩸Twilight🌲

Cullen family:

Fire safty💖

Going to the zoo💖

Cats in the cradle💕

Being Carlisle and Esme's daughter and having the Volturi wrap around your finger. 💖💕

Cullens:

Emmett McCarthy Cullen:

Next to me series💖💔💕❤️‍🔥

Forever now💕

Being Emmett and Rose's daughter HCs💕

Carlisle Cullen:

Being Carlisle and Esme's youngest daughter HC💕

Carlisle as your husband HCs💕

Jasper Whitlock Hale:

Jasper dating Bella's sister HCs💕

Edward Anthony Mason Cullen:

Dating Edward Cullen HCs💕

Crushing on Edward Cullen HCs💕

Rosalie Lillian Hale:

Being Emmett and Rose's daughter HCs💕

Denalis:

Eleazar Denali:

Glory of love series ❤️‍🔥💕💔💖

Dating Eleazar HCs❤️‍🔥💕

Garrett:

Voice of an Angel💔💕

Being Carlisle and Esme's youngest daughter and dating Garrett HCs💕

Wolf pack:

Seth Clearwater:

Perfect 💕

Volturi:

The Volturi:

Being Carlisle and Esme's youngest daughter and having the Volturi wrap around your finger💕

🧫Ghostbusters👻

Peter Venkman:

When unspoken rules are broken💔💕

Dr. Egon Spengler:

Hold on, I love you💔

Two Nerds falling in love headcanons💕

Ray stantz:

Dr. Jelousey❤️‍🔥

Something strange💕💔

🦁🐍Harry Potter🐦‍⬛🦡

Draco Malfoy:

Say Something💔

Dance the night away💕

Just keeping an eye out💕

The truth doesn't always hurt💔💕

George Weasley:

Welocm to Gryffindor💔💕

You belong with me - part 1💔💕

Fred Weasley:

Being a Potter twin and falling for Fred💕

Neville Longbottom:

Your Breaking My Heart💔

Weasley family:

Being adopted by the Weasleys💕

⚔️Supernatural🌘

Gabriel "the Trickster":

Hyper girl💕

The Winchester and the Trickster💕

Love of a lifetime💔

Dean winchester:

Dating Dean Winchester Headcanons💕❤️‍🔥

Castiel:

Being in a love triangle with Dean and Cas💕💔

🎶Elvis Presley🎸

Austin!Elvis Presley:

Love me tender💔💕

💥Marvel🦸

Scott "Cyclops" Summers:

Dating Scott Summers💕❤️‍🔥

A not so White Wedding💕

Clint "Hawkeye" Barton:

Secrets out💖

Whatever it takes💔💕

Tony "Iron man" Stark:

All of me💔💕

Bucky "winter soldier" Barnes:

Treat you better💔💕

Howard Stark:

Time In A Bottle💕

Dr. Stephen Strange:

I won't say I'm in love💔💕

Avengers:

Ohana means family💕

Six avengers and a baby💔💕

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Following the sudden departure this week of Québec Solidaire's co-spokesperson, Émilise Lessard-Therrien(opens in a new tab), two of the party's staffers have resigned.

Communications director Gabrielle Brais-Harvey and assistant general manager, Keena Grégoire, have left their positions, Noovo Info(opens in a new tab) reported on Friday.

"Ms. Brais-Harvey and Mr. Grégoire have contributed their heart and energy to our party for many years, whether as activists or employees. They have been dedicated to helping the Solidaire project and ideas take root across Quebec, and have helped bring our organization to where it is today," said QS general manager Myriam Fortin, in an email.

In a Facebook post, Brais-Harvey said that after 12 years serving the party, it was time to find another person "who has the energy to lead the party through these turbulent times. This is no longer my case." [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

Follow The Buzzards: The Debut of The Wyatt Family

Since Monday Night RAW is in Baltimore tonight and the in ring debut of The Wyatt Sicks is tonight as well, I decided to write about the debut of the legendary stable , The Wyatt Family.

The Wyatt Family consisted of the late , Bray Wyatt ( Windham Rotunda ), Luke Harper ( Jon Huber aka Brodie Lee ), and Erick Rowan. The stable first debuted in 2012 on WWE’s third and developmental brand , NXT. Therefore, the Bray Wyatt character would debut in Florida Championship Wrestling in 2012. Rotunda was known as Husky Harris on the game show version of NXT before this. However , in 2013 , the WWE Universe would witness the eerie trio come to Monday Night RAW. Thus, the anticipation for their debut would come through spooky vignettes with Rowan sporting a sheep mask and Wyatt explaining who they were and where they came from. They started to air on May 27. Nevertheless, the WWE Universe would have to wait until July to see the Wyatts debut.

On the July 8 , 2013 episode of Monday Night RAW , would be the night that change everything. The Wyatt Family would make their debut targeting Kane. Before they debuted , Kane had a match against Christian. After the match, he would be in the ring watching one of the vignettes. Soon, the lights would go out after Bray whispering his signature catchphrase, “ We’re here! ” . The lantern would soon be blown out and the trio would make their way to the ring .

Wyatt could be found sitting in a rocking chair as he watched Rowan and Harper attack the future WWE Hall of Famer. The Wyatts not only targeted Kane , they targeted Justin Gabriel , 3MB , and R-Truth all while telling him to ‘ Follow The Buzzards ’ . Kane decided to call out Bray and challenge him to a match at Summerslam. The stipulation of the match would be a Ring of Fire match. Wyatt would be declared the winner due to his stablemates getting involved. Thus , they would attack Kane for a second time and end the segment for their match by carrying him to the back.

Luke Harper would be signed to All Elite Wrestling in 2020 , going under the name , Mr. Brodie Lee. He would be the leader of the faction , The Dark Order. He would start out as being known as the ‘ Unseen Leader ’. Sadly , Lee would pass away on December 26, 2020 at the age of 41. Bray Wyatt would be released by WWE in 2020 and return in 2022. He would also pass away on August 28,2023 at the age of 36.

On June 17,2024 , the Wyatt Sicks would debut. Bo Dallas ( Taylor Rotunda ) , would revise his role as Uncle Howdy and form a new group , The Wyatt Sicks. Their debut would be similar to how Bray made his return. The members of this faction would be Uncle Howdy as the leader, Nikki Cross, Dexter Lumis , Joe Gacy , and Erick Rowan. Rowan is one of the founders of the original Wyatt Family. Thus, Dallas would take on the faction as his brother did before him.

My Final Thoughts:

I remember when The Wyatt Family debuted. I was a little freaked out by them , however , I got used to them. Bray Wyatt was a once in a lifetime wrestler and will always be. Luke Harper/Brodie Lee was one of those wrestlers who I enjoyed watching and will always be the greatest TNT Champion of all time . Again , I’m so proud of Taylor for carrying on his brother’s name and legacy. I’ll be doing a tribute article for Bray in a few weeks and one for Luke in December. Be on the lookout for those!

Love You All,

- Kay

[afaims100arrowversefavs]

My 250 Favorite Arrowverse Episodes: Part 1: 250-226

Taken from „Arrow“, „The Flash“, „Supergirl“, „Legends of Tomorrow“, „Constantine“, „Black Lightning“, „Batwoman“, „Stargirl“ and Season 1-3 of „Superman & Lois“:

In honor of Seaosn 4 of "Superman & Lois" being the end of the Arrrowverse, the end of DCTV like we knew it and the end of The CW like we knew it, a final time before the final season all Seasons ends of all the 250 best Arrowverse Episodes (according to me):

I did include "Stargirl" this time, since it has as much connection as "Superman & Lois" to the rest of the Arrowverse, but One Hit Shows like "Gotham Knights" and "Naomi" (anyone still remember this one?) are not on this list, neither are Arrowverse unrelated DC shows:

250. What kills you only makes you stronger (Superman & Lois 3x13)

The One in which: Lex craddles Kal-El, who is dying a lot.

Written by: Brent Fletcher, Todd Helbing, Directed by: Gregory Smith

249. Plastique (The Flash 1x5)

The One in which: Iris meets the Flash and makes a new meta-friend.

5, Written by: Aaron and Todd Helbing, Brooke Elmeier, Directed by: Dermott Downs

248. Dark Waters (Arrow 4x9)

The One in which: Dig has familiar problems and Damien sends a message.

78, Written by: Wendy Mericle, Ben Sokolowski, Directed by: John Behring

247. Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. 1+2 (Stargirl 1x12-13)

The Ones in which: The ISA clashes with the new JSA over the future of most of the US.

12/13, Written by: Melissa Carter, Geoff Johns, Directed by: Tao Fraser, Greg Beeman

246. All’s Wells that End Wells (The Flash 7x1)

The One in which: Nash plays hero and Cecile gets Vertigo.

134, Written by: Sam Chalsen, Lauren Certo, Directed by: Alexandra LaRoche

245. Monster (The Flash 3x5)

The One in which: Barry tries to make Julian like him while Caitlin tries to make her mother treat her like a daughter.

51, Written by: Zack Stentz, Directed by: C. Kim Miles

244. Ship Broken (Legends of Tomorrow 5x10)

The One in which: Gary’s dog turns out to be a hellhound while Mick celebrates the „Take your daughter to work“-Day.

78, Written by: James Eagan, Mark Bruner, Directed by: Andi Armaganian

243. Welcome to the Jungle (Legends of Tomorrow 3x7)

The One in which: The Legends meet Micks’s father and Gorilla Grodd in Vietnam.

40, Written by: Ray Utarnachitt, Tyron B. Carter, Directed by: Mairzee Almas

242. Nip/Stuck (Legends of Tomorrow 4x14)

The One in which: Gary takes over the Bureau while the Waverider gets buried under an avalanche.

65, Written by: Ray Utarnachitt, Matthew Maala, Directed by: David Geddes

241. Bratva (Arrow 5x12)

The One in which: Oliver and Anatoly reunite while Rory makes the ulitamte sacrifice.

104, Written by: Oscar Balderrama, Emilio Ortega Aldrich, Directed by: Ben Bray

240. Terms of Service (Legends of Tomorrow 4x15)

The One in which: Gary wants to be a cool kid while Neron releases an app.

66, Written by: Grainne Godfree, Ubah Mohamed, Dircted by: April Mullen

239. Distant Sun (Supergirl 2x17)

The One in which: Kara learns that Rhea is bad in-law.

37, Written by: Gabriel Llanas, Anna Musky-Goldwyn, Directed by: Kevin Smith

238. The Promise(Arrow 2x15)

The One in which: Slade learns the truth and makes a promise.

38, Written by: Jake Coburn, Ben Sokowoski, Directed by: Glen Winter

237. Power Outage (The Flash 1x7)

The One in which: Barry looses his speed and there is a hostage situation.

7, Written by: Grainne Godfree, Alison Schapker, Directed by: Larry Shaw

236. Code of Silence (Arrow 4x14)

The One in which: HIVE makes a move and Donna gets invested into a wedding.

83, Written by: Wendy Mercile, Oscar Balderrama, Directed by: James Bamford

235. Return of the Mack (Legends of Tomorrow 3x5)

The One in which: Rip plays Detective and Nate Vampire Bait.

38, Written by: Grainne Godfree, Morgan Faus, Directed by: Alexandra LaRoche

234. Egg MacGuffin (Legends of Tomorrow 4x13)

The One in which: Ray does not feel groovey while Nate and Zari go after an egg.

64, Written by: James Eagan, Tyron B. Carter, Directed by: Chris Tammaro

233. Second Chances (Arrow 5x11)

The One in which: Tina Boland enters the scene.

103, Written by: Speed Weed, Sarah Tarkoff, Directed by: Mark Bunting

232. Hell No, Dolly (Legends of Tomorrow 4x7)

The One in which: There is a possesed doll and John and Charlie are up to no good.

58, Written by: Grainne Godfree, Morgan Faust, Directed by: April Mullen

231. Summer School Chapter 9 (Stargirl 2x9)

The One in which: Dark secrets come to light and ghosts to visit.

22, Written by: Alfredo Septien,  Turi Meyer, Directed by: Andi Armaganian

230. Exodus (Supergirl 2x15)

The One in which:Alex almost takes a trip to space and Mon-El tells Kara to just blob it.

35, Written by: Paula Yoo, Eric Carrasco, Directed by: Michael Allowitz

229. Streets of Fire (Arrow 2x22)

The One in which: Laurels shoots an arrow and Thea meets her father.

45, Written by: Jake Coburn, Ben Sokolowski, Directed by: Nick Copus

228. The Trap (The Flash 1x20)

The One in which: Team Flash is after their leader and Eddie wants to propose.

20, Written by: Alison Schapker, Brooke Elkmeier, Directed by: Steve Shill

227. There Will be Blood (The Flash 6x4)

The One in which: Barry wants to save Ramsey, Cisco wants to save Barry and Ramsey decides to save himself.

118, Written by: Lauren Certo, Sterling Gates, Directed by: Marcus Stokes

226. Leap of Faith (Arrow 8x3)

The One in which: Ollie and Thea have an adventure and Dig and Lyle give a new meaning to date night.

163, Written by: Emilio Ortega Aldrich, Elizabeth Kim, Directed by: Katie Cassidy

[ltwilliammowett]

I don't know much about sailing ships or fishing but I had a nagging thought. Was fishing commonplace among non fishing vessels? Would merchants, pirates, navy, etc fish and was it commonplace? I hear about ships running out of provisions on longer than expected journerys but couldn't they just fish? I guess it'd be a lot of men to feed. If they did fish, how'd they usually go about it? Send out smaller boats or drag big nets or something? Sorry just curious

Hi, You don't have to apologise, your question is really great. Because yes, there was fishing, but only when a ship was anchored and usually that was only enough to bring some variety to the table, because such ships, especially the navy ships, were full of people (200-800) and you had to provide them with a catch first.

Sailors fishing off guns, by Lieutenant Gabriel Bray, HMS Pallas, 1775 (x)

They could fish from the deck or launch the boats and then fish with net traps. So it was nothing unusual to get the food themselves on the way.

I hope I could help you and wish you a nice evening.

[katewibberlystan]

recommending you books i enjoy based on your favorite tbob character (ft a sentence for what each one is about/why it's awesome, and the intended audience)

kate: - the last magician by lisa maxwell; a well constructed time travel heist set in 1902 NYC, with immaculate worldbuilding and fascinating magic. YA. - the once and future witches by alix e. harrow; three sisters, who are also witches, organize for women's suffrage and fight against an ancient evil. Adult. - truthwitch by susan dennard; a pair of witches and best friends become caught up in political intrigue, reincarnated monsters, and a fantastically crafted world of complex characters and cool magic. YA. - time stoppers by carrie jones; an orphaned pre-teen discovers a secret town full of magic, one that she and her friends must save from attacking monsters. Middle Grade. - the diviners by libba bray; a group of teenagers with paranormal abilities find themselves fighting off evil spirits in the 1920s.

michael: - matilda by roald dahl; a classic children's fantasy that celebrates learning and families of choice. Middle Grade. - the strange case of the alchemist's daughter by theodora goss; the children of gothic literature's classic mad scientists come together to solve mysteries and stop human experimentation. Adult. - every heart a doorway by seanan mcguire; a quick, poetic read about what happens to the kids from a portal fantasy quest after they come home. YA. - the girl from everywhere by heidi helig; a pirate ship that can travel between time and fictional worlds, so long as they have a map, sets out on a quest to reunite their captain with his lost love. YA. - miss peregrine's home for peculiar children by ransom riggs; after his grandfather's death, a teenage boy is thrown into a world of monsters, time travel, and people with superhuman abilities. YA.

emma: - the scapegracers by h. a. clarke; a group of teen witches become friends and form a coven to defeat a group of modern day witch hunters trying to steal their magic. YA. - the lost girls by sonia hartl; a group of vampires plan to kill the man who made them this way, before he can harm any other women. YA. - the society for soulless girls by laura steven; a college student's attempts to investigate mysterious deaths becomes connected to her angry roommate's attempts to create a potion that can alter a personality. YA. - coraline by neil gaiman; a kid finds a door to a different world in her new home, a world that seems pleasant at first but soon grows quite terrifying. Middle Grade. - bad witch burning by jessica lewis; a teenage girl trying to escape poverty raises the dead for money, only to find her zombies cannot be controlled. YA.

gabriel: - holes by louis sachar; boys at a juvenile detention camp are forced to search for a lost treasure and explore the complicated history behind it. Middle Grade. - nettle and bone by t. kingfisher; a woman sets out to kill the evil prince holding her sister prisoner, with the help of a motely crew including an exiled warrior, a fairy godmother, a witch, a possessed chicken, and a skeleton dog. Adult. - lone women by victor lavelle; after her parents die, a woman with a monster trapped in her suitcase tries to survive and build a home for herself in the Montana wilderness. Adult. - chomp by carl hiaasen; in the Florida everglades, a young boy and his animal trainer father are commissioned to help film a survivalist tv show. Middle Grade. - revelator by daryl gregory; set in the 1930s/40s Tennessee, a moonshiner raised by a cult has to return and face the monstrous being her family worships. Adult.

wilamena: - the black witch by laurie forest; a complex fantasy world in which rebellion foments among many beings at a magical college. YA. - island of the aunts by eva ibbotson; a fun children's fantasy where two outcasts are kidnapped by eccentric old women to help protect an island full of magical creatures. Middle Grade. - children of blood and bone by tomi adeyemi; a young woman persecuted for her powers fights to take back her home from a magic-hating tyrant. YA. - deep blue by jennifer donnelly; the underwater world of mermaids is plunged into chaos when political machinations and an ancient prophecy collide. YA. - the thirteen treasures by michelle harrison; a girl who can see fairies is sent to live with her grandma, where she uncovers secrets about her abilities. Middle Grade.

rafe: - the witch haven by sasha peyton smith; a student at a school for witches in 1911 NYC is searching for answers about her brother's murder. YA. - the bones of ruin by sarah raughley; an acrobat who cannot die joins a magical tournament held by the most powerful people in Victorian London in exchange for answers about her forgotten past. YA. - the court of miracles by kester grant; a thief forms alliances and completes impossible tasks in Paris's elaborate criminal underworld, all so she can keep her little sister safe. YA. - the gilded wolves by roshani chokshi; a tight-knit group of criminals is tasked with recovering a magical artifact capable of changing the world. YA. - the cure for dreaming by cat winters; a teen suffragette gains the ability to see people's essence after an encounter with a hypnotist. YA.

bonus, all of the above: reaper man by terry pratchett. literally everyone should read discworld, it's amazing and reaper man is my favorite. good omens by pratchett is also a gem.

[steelbluehome]

"For the first hour of the film, Stan’s Trump is, deliberately, not the man we know today: his voice has a slight Queens bray, but he avoids all the caricaturist’s tics, murmurs softly and almost tenderly at times, even when describing his ambitious. Stan plays him as he’s written, nervous and unformed and frankly sympathetic"

Little White Lies (click for article)

Mark Asch

The Apprentice – first-look review

Ali Abbasi's attempted takedown of America's previous (and perhaps next) President of the United States, charting his early years under the mentorship of Roy Cohn, lacks the killer instinct.

Did you know Donald Trump is in Paris Is Burning? No, really: in Jennie Livingston’s seismic documentary on New York’s queer ballroom scene, an independent film about people at the margins, there’s an insert shot of a Forbes magazine cover: “What I Learned in the 80s” is the cover feature, and right underneath it, back row center in an illustration of various one-percenters luminaries, there he is, in between check-ins with Willi Ninja and Venus Xtravaganza.

When Trump was elected President of the United States in 2016, so much of American culture became retrospectively seeded with Easter eggs foreshadowing his eventual ascent to the seat of power; future generations, unlike mine, will have no trouble imagining how this could possibly have happened. For so long Trump was present within discourses on business, crime, race, and politics; he was in Home Alone 2 and had a show on NBC; he was a late-night talk-show punchline and appeared at Wrestlemania. He was so ubiquitous, for so long — how could he not have become President?

The point I want to make here is that there is very little we don’t know about Donald Trump; his rise to the White House was accompanied and indeed fueled by wall-to-wall coverage across all forms of media, which during his (first) term as President enjoyed a boom in readership and revenues — there was always another article breaking another new scandal, or unearthing another embarrassing episode from his past that had been hiding in plain sight all along.

It is, then, very difficult to make a movie that has something new to say about Donald Trump, that tells a new story or shows a new side of the most famous person — probably — you’re not supposed to say this — but they’re saying — many people are saying — he’s the most famous person, frankly, that we’ve ever seen, and we’re seeing him more and more. The task before The Apprentice — a biopic telling the story of Trump’s rise in the New York real estate world in the 70s and 80s, abetted by the notorious fixer Roy Cohn — is therefore a formidable one, and it’s not a task to which director Ali Abbasi and screenwriter Gabriel Sherman prove remotely equal.

The film begins in New York City, in the 70s, at an exclusive members’ club where Trump (Sebastian Stan), the twentysomething son of outerboro slumlord Fred (an unrecognizable Martin Donovan), restlessly narrates the power players in the room to his bored date; Trump is an outsider, a striver, palpably uncomfortable — but there, through a doorway, doing the Kubrick Stare, is Roy Cohn, former Joe McCarthy aide during the the Red Scare of the 1950s and infamous lawyer for mobsters and other power players, publicly revealed after his death from AIDS to be a closeted gay man. Cohn takes an interest in Trump, and smooths the wheels for his first big deal, the overhaul of the old Commodore on Manhattan’s then-decrepit 42nd Street.

Trump’s relationship with Cohn was widely reported on during his presidency, so much so that Cohn — a figure notorious enough to have been played by James Woods in a TV movie in the 1990s, and Al Pacino in the HBO miniseries of the Pulitzer-winning Angels in America — has been retconned as primarily Trump’s mentor; a feature-length documentary about him is titled Where’s My Roy Cohn?, after an Oval Office lament. So it’s not exactly newsworthy that the film credits Cohn with teaching Trump to affect a brashness and flair and to learn to attack, deny, and dominate the narrative — nor are these particular novel insights into Trump.

For the first hour of the film, Stan’s Trump is, deliberately, not the man we know today: his voice has a slight Queens bray, but he avoids all the caricaturist’s tics, murmurs softly and almost tenderly at times, even when describing his ambitious. Stan plays him as he’s written, nervous and unformed and frankly sympathetic, genuinely drawn to Ivana (Maria Bakalova) for her ambitions, a finicky and unschooled naïf wandering around Cohn’s decadent parties avoiding the drugs and gay sex. He’s a would-be shark so doughy and vague as to be almost sympathetic, like the budding young Nazi collaborator of Louis Malle’s Lacombe, Lucien.

The almost sympathetic cast of the film’s first hour is, I suppose, a fresh perspective, but equally an offensive and shallow one, driven less by any particular insight into the perverse incentives of American society — the film is remarkably insular, shot largely on soundstage recreations of the Trump home in Jamaica Estates, the penthouse in Trump Tower, the backs of various limos and the offices of various power brokers — than by the dictates of a character arc in which Cohn and Fred are obviously posited as polar opposite father figures, demanding and competitive men after whom Donald models himself and whose approval he seeks.

A number of things change at the film’s halfway mark. The film switches from a celluloid to a digital look — throughout, Abassi and cinematographer Kasper Tuxen ape the period of the action, from seamy red-tinted narrow-gauge for the gritty 70s to a bleary pixelated look that improves throughout the 80s—a gesture that would give the film an appealing momentum and raw texture were the narrative not so wedded to the historical record, with cutesy cameos from Warhol and Rupert Murdoch, and knowing references to the Trump Tower elevators, MAGA, and other future features of American life. Stock-footage montages exposit the eras’ historical context via potted histories of New York City, with an unclear point of view on the cycle of urban decline and rebirth in the postwar era: though lightly in quotation marks, they also seem objective accounts of a general historical record that gives credence to the narrative of White Flight–era NYC as “Fear City” (an image of lawlessness Trump long exploited, first as a developer and then as a demagogue), and of the go-go Reagan 80s, the decade in which Trump applied all of what he learned in the 70s, and of which he became an avatar.

At this point in the film, Stan’s dialogue takes on the familiar turns of phrase, the verbal and physical mannerisms: the diet pill— the pursed lips, the overenunciation and theatrical hand gestures, the addled mile-a-minute grandiose rants and flippant dismissals and breathtaking glibness and oddly matronly cattiness. It’s funny, but hardly virgin territory the years we’ve spent enjoying the work of comedians like James Austin Johnson and that one friend of yours who sends you voice memos in the Trump voice talking about the discourses of the day, impersonators who reshape the news by pushing the man’s implicit grotesquery and absurdity to the fore.

This Trump gets more flagrantly cruel to Ivana, delusional, thin-skinned and aggressive. It’s the kind of charismatic antihero’s journey that might fly in a Scorsese film — arguably the ultimate Trump film is The Wolf of Wall Street — but Abassi and Sherman’s take on the material is largely dutiful. The soundtrack aspires to an incongruously feel-good high-energy looseness that the film doesn’t back up. I’ve never been unhappier to hear Suicide, Pet Shop Boys or New Order, and the smash cut and needle drop that takes us out of after Trump’s rape of Ivana (a scene from her divorce deposition, staged as literally and luridly as you’d expect from the director of Holy Spider) is especially egregious.

Maybe there’s supposed to be a larger point about Trump’s political movement in the way that he’s shown to abandon Cohn as his former mentor’s legal aides and health woes pile up, but Cohn recedes from the narrative in the second half of the film, which is much less grounded in their relationship; though as Cohn weakens from a virus he steadfastly denied, the second hour is his turn to be portrayed more sympathetically than he deserves.

Strong has the same problem in his performance as Stan, in that Cohn is almost as media-saturated a figure as Trump. Strong gives Cohn a low, aggressive voice, slightly nasal and rounded, with casual and cruel inflections tossed out at a Succession-trained tempo; he bobs his neck up and down like a turtle on each syllable, but holds it forward tentatively as if the muscles are atrophying, as Cohn becomes frailer. It’s a credible performance, not remotely campy, but not really anything — there’s nothing here like the perspective on the role as interpreted by, say, the underground theater legend Ron Vawter in his performance piece Roy Cohn/Jack Smith, in which he gave Cohn a shrill, mincing Jewish voice, flaunting the traits most concealed and loathed by his recently deceased subject.

Recognizable figures are a fun challenge for actors, as well as for the hair, makeup, and wardrobe departments tasked with recreating iconic looks that everyone remembers from recent history. This year, election season is also Oscar-movie season, and you can expect some attention from the crafts teams on The Apprentice and maybe Strong or Sherman (one of the many glossy-magazine journalists to enjoy an elevated profile since the Trump years). I’m sure their acceptance speeches will be full of righteous anger directed at the new administration.

PUBLISHED 21 MAY 2024

[clove-pinks]

Self-portrait of Lieutenant Gabriel Bray shaving, March 1775. (NMM collection)

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

[photo by Brassai]

* * *

In 1969, Samuel Beckett and his wife learned that he had won the Nobel prize in literature in a telegram from his publisher. “Dear Sam and Suzanne,” it read. “In spite of everything, they have given you the Nobel prize. I advise you to go into hiding.” Both were notoriously celebrity averse. Suzanne described it as a “catastrophe”. Beckett declined to give a Nobel lecture, and refused to talk when a Swedish film crew tracked him down to a hotel room in Tunisia, leaving them with a surreal mute interview.

Into this temporal void, a new psychological biopic has poured a monumental reckoning, in which the 63-year-old playwright scrambles out of the Nobel ceremony to find himself in a rough-hewn underworld. In “Dance First,” a small masterpiece that premieres next month at the San Sebastian film festival, Beckett confronts the events and the people that shaped him, from his domineering mother to his experience with the French resistance, his brief dalliance with James Joyce’s daughter, Lucia, to his later inability to choose between Suzanne and the radio producer and translator Barbara Bray.

“You know this is going to be a journey through your shame,” he solemnly informs himself. “Isn’t everything?” he replies. It’s interior monologue played as dialogue, presenting an unusual challenge for the actor Gabriel Byrne, who found himself in an old quarry outside Budapest for three days, speaking to a broom.

From an article by Claire Armitstead in The Guardian.

[Follies Of God]

[wwethennowforevertogether]

~ Bienvenue sur ta Ligue simulée ~

Ce blog sera une fédération simulée sur la puissance montante du catch américain! La WWE ( World Wrestling Entertainment ! Créée en 1952. Sur cette fédération vous pourrez choisir uniquement des Superstars de la WWE ou bien d'anciens de la WWE. Je n'autoriserai que quatre superstars &/ou Womens par personnes. Je vous souhaite un excellent moment sur cette ligue virtuelle et vous souhaite bonnes chances pour votre carrière!

Attention, parmi vos 4 superstars vous devez au moins choisir deux superstar ou Womens sous contrat avec la WWE. Les deux roster seront réuni, c'est à dire qu'il n'y aura plus que un Show par semaine

WWE SUPERSHOW

 General Manager: Sonya Deville

- Adam Cole - AJ Lee - AJ Styles - Aleister Black - Alexa Bliss - Alicia Fox - Aliyah - Andrade - Angel Garza - Apollo Crews - Asuka - Austin Theory - Baron Corbin - Batista - Bayley - Becky Lynch -Beth Phoenix - Bianca Belair - Big Cass - Big Show - Billie Kay - Bobby Lashley - Big E - Brandi Rhodes  Brad Maddox - Brody King - Corey Grave - Brie Bella - Cameron - Candice Michelle - Carmella - Cash Wheeler  - Cesaro - Charlotte Flair - Christian - Chris Jericho - CM Punk - Cody Rhodes - Damian Priest - Dana Brooke - Daniel Bryan - Daniel Garcia - Darby Allin - Dean Ambrose(Jon Moxley) - Dolph Ziggler - Dominik Mysterio - Drew McIntyre - Edge - Elias - Emma - Enzo Amore - Eric Young - Eve Torres -  Eva Marie - Finn Balor - Jeff Hardy - Golderg - Iyo Sky - Jack Swagger - Jeff Hardy - Jey Uso - Jimmy Uso - Jinder Mahal - Joey Gacy - John Cena - John Morrison - Johnny Gargano - Jungle Boy - Justin Gabriel - Kairi Sane - Kaitlyn - Kane -  Karrion Kross - Keith Lee - Kelly Kelly - Kevin Owens -  Kofi Kingston - Lacey Evans - Lana - Layla El - Lita - Liv Morgan - Madcap Moss - Mandy Rose - Maria - Matt Hardy - Maryse - Melina - Max Dupri - Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) - Mia Yim - Michelle McCool - Mickie James - Montez Ford - Murphy - MVP - Naomi - Natalya - Nia Jax - Nikki ASH - Nikki Bella - Otis - Pac - Paige Vanzant - Peyton Royce - R-Truth - Randy Orton - Rey Mysterio - Rhea Ripley - Ricochet - Riddle - Robert Roode - Roman Reigns - Ronda Rousey - Ruby Riott - Sami Zayn - Sarah Logan - Sasha Banks -Scarlett Bordeaux - Seth Rollins - Shanna - Shawn Spears - Shayna Bazler - Sheamus - Shelton Benjamin - Shinsuke Nakamura - Shotzi - Solo Sikoa - Sonya Deville(GM) - Tamina - Tegan Nox - TJP -  The Fiend'' Bray Wyatt - The Miz - The Undertaker - The Rock - Titus O'Neil - Toni Storm - Trish Stratus - Trey Miguel - Wade Barrett - Xavier Woods - Zack Rider (Matt Cardona) - Zahra Schreiber - Zelina Vega - 

[shelbgrey]

Sorting my favorite fictional characters into hogwarts houses because I'm board and I have writers block.

If I have the motivation I'll explain why later or you can commit your thoughts and I'll post them.

Grey's anatomy:

Derek shepherd - Ravenclaw

Meredith Grey - Gryffindor

April Kepner - Hufflepuff

Owen hunt - Gryffindor

Callie Torres - Ravenclaw

Miranda Bailey - Gryffindor

Alex Karev - Slytherin

Jackson avery - Ravenclaw

Arizona Robinson - Hufflepuff

Christina Yang - Askaban

Bridgerton:

Anthony Bridgerton - Slytherin

Benedict Bridgerton - Hufflepuff

Colin Bridgerton - Ravenclaw

Daphne Bridgerton - Gryffindor

Elois Bridgerton - Ravenclaw

Francesca Bridgerton - Hufflepuff

Gregory Bridgerton - Gryffindor

Hyacinth Bridgerton - Hufflepuff

Kate Sharma - Gryffindor

Penelope Fetherington - Ravenclaw

Marvel:

Tony stark - Sylthrin

Steve Rogers - Gryffindor

Clint Barton - Gryffindor

Bruce Banner - Ravenclaw

Thor - Hufflepuff

Natasha Romanoff - Sylthrin

Marc Spector - Gryffindor

Steven Grant - Hufflepuff

Jake Lockly - Slytherin

Scott lang - Hufflepuff

Stephen Strange - Ravenclaw

Wanda Maximoff - Gryffindor

Sam Wilson - Gryffindor

Vision - Ravenclaw

T'challa - Ravenclaw

Bucky Barnes - Sylthrin

Loki - Sylthrin

X-men:

Scott Summers - Gryffindor

Hank McCoy - Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff

Charles Xavier - Gryffindor

Logan Howlett - Slytherin

Jean Grey - Slytherin

Erik Lehnsherr - Slytherin

Storm - Gryffindor

Kurt Wagner - Hufflepuff

Rogue - Gryffindor or Slytherin

Bates motel:

Alex Romero - Gryffindor

Norma Bates - Hufflepuff

Norman Bates - Slytherin

Dylan Massett - Gryffindor

Emma Decody - Ravenclaw

Chick Hogan - Slytherin

Supernatural:

Dean winchester - Gryffindor

Sam Winchester - Ravenclaw

Castiel - Hufflepuff

Charlie Bradbury - Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff

Bobby Singer - Ravenclaw

Jack Kline - Hufflepuff

Lucifer - Slytherin

Gabriel - Gryffindor

Jody Mills - Ravenclaw

Clair Novak - Slytherin

Ghostbusters:

Egon Spengler - Ravenclaw

Peter Venkman - Gryffindor

Ray Stantz - Hufflepuff

Winston Zeddemore - Gryffindor

Bones:

Seeley Booth - Gryffindor

Jack Hodgins - Ravenclaw

Temperance Brennan - Ravenclaw

Lance Sweets - Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff

James Aubrey - Hufflepuff

Zack Addy - Hufflepuff

Angela Montenegro - Gryffindor

Caroline Julian - Gryffindor

Camille Saroyan - Slytherin

Arastoo Vaziri - Ravenclaw

Vincent Nigel-Murray - Hufflepuff

Finn Abernathy - Gryffindor

Colin Fisher - Slytherin

Wendell Bray - Ravenclaw

Daisy wick she shall not be named here - askaban

Once upon a time in... Hollywood

Cliff Booth - Gryffindor

Rick Dalton - Hufflepuff

Sharon Tate - Hufflepuff

The Outsiders:

Sodapop Curtis - Hufflepuff

Ponyboy Curtis - Ravenclaw

Darry Curtis - Gryffindor

Dally Winston - Slytherin

Steve Randle - Hufflepuff

Johnny Cade - Hufflepuff

Two-bit Mathews - Gryffindor

Twilight:

Carlisle Cullen - Ravenclaw

Esme cullen - Hufflepuff

Edward Cullen - Ravenclaw

Emmett Cullen - Gryffindor

Rosalie Hale - Slytherin

Alice Cullen - Hufflepuff

Jasper Hale - Gryffindor

Eleazar Denali - Ravenclaw

Carmen Denali - Gryffindor

Tayna Denali - Hufflepuff

Kate Denali - Gryffindor

Irina Denali - Sylthrin

Garrett - Sylthrin or Gryffindor

Benjamin - Hufflepuff

The Great Gastby:

Jay Gastby - Hufflepuff

Nick Carway - Gryffindor

Jordan Baker - Ravenclaw

Dasiy Buchanan - Hufflepuff

Tom Buchanan - Askaban

Once upon a time:

David Nolan - Gryffindor

Snow white - Hufflepuff

Robin Hood - Gryffindor

Killian Jones - Slytherin

Emma Swan - Gryffindor

Regina Mills - Slytherin

Henry Mills - Ravenclaw

Mr. Gold - Askaban

Belle French - Ravenclaw

Ruby - Gryffindor

August Booth - Ravenclaw

Archie Hopper - Hufflepuff

Elvis Presley's movie characters:

Vince Everett - Gryffindor

Chadwick Gates - Ravenclaw

Clint Reno - Hufflepuff

Steve Grayson - Ravenclaw

Ross Carpenter - Hufflepuff

ER:

Doug Ross - Gryffindor

Mark Greene - Ravenclaw

Susan Lewis - Hufflepuff

Peter Benton - Slytherin

John Carter - Hufflepuff

Ocean's 11:

Danny Ocean - Gryffindor

Rusty Ryan - Slytherin

Linus Caldwell - Hufflepuff