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treatian · 4 years ago

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The Chronicles of the Dark One: Breaking the Curse

Chapter 12: Life After Death

He moved his dagger the following Thursday, a week after he'd been caught, on Thanksgiving afternoon when he could be certain Regina was busy with Henry. Not that it was a terribly difficult task this time around. In fact, he'd spent practically the entire week figuring out the perfect spot to bury it out by his cabin. He'd had time to do it, felt comfortable waiting, all because of one fact.

Sheriff Graham was dead.

It had happened on the same day that he'd spotted him burying the dagger. That very night. Whether or not he'd told Regina he saw him that morning was unclear, but after hearing the report from Dove, who was still watching Emma, he felt confident enough that he hadn't had the time and there had never been the place. Emma had run into Graham that afternoon. They'd followed a white wolf, a real wolf, around town before going to the cemetery and sneaking into the Mills Mausoleum. When they'd come out, Emma and Regina had engaged in some sort of argument which Dove couldn't hear, but he confirmed that they'd both taken swipes at one another. He hadn't seen Regina leave, but Graham had left with Emma. They'd gone to the police station. And there, less than an hour later, Emma had frantically called the paramedics saying that Sheriff Graham had collapsed. Dove couldn't confirm, but the rumor was that by the time they'd shown up, Emma had been the one to tell them that he was dead.

The funeral was ill-planned because of the Thanksgiving Holiday Regina had scheduled it for the Sunday afterward. When he arrived, it was standing room only. The only way he'd gotten a seat was by walking over to Belle's father, sitting on the end of a row toward the back, and motioned to his leg with a smile. "You know…cane," was all he had to say before the man grumbled out a sigh and resigned his seat to him. He didn't say another word, not even as he mentioned that his loan was coming due, and he was looking forward to doing business with the man who had killed his true love…though he might have left off that last little fact. Crowded as it was, the others in the row made plenty of room for him.

It felt like nearly half the town was packed into the tiny funeral parlor room. It figured. Regina had planned the service. Since he'd had no family, she'd seen it as her mayorly duty to make the arrangements. It figured that someone like her would have assumed that she'd be the only one to attend instead of considering the town that Graham kept safe and in order throughout the Curse. The former Evil Queen tried to maintain a façade of responsibility and valor, but he could see how his pupil swallowed hard, the way she blinked too frequently and dabbed at her eyes. If he didn't know any better, he'd think the poor girl had actually cared for the man, maybe even convinced herself that he cared for her. Magic and hearts and love…it was first and foremost messy stuff. He thought he'd taught her that.

To her credit, Emma Swan did not cry, but it was clear that she was affected by the Sheriff's death. She'd been with him when it happened at the police station, so it was ridiculous to think that she wouldn't be affected. And though he'd heard that she'd cried plenty that night, she didn't shed a single tear now. Sitting next to Mary Margaret, she stared straight ahead at the various speakers, unmoving except for the occasional blink. At one point, Mary Margaret had put her hand over her daughter's. Emma had winced at the contact, but when she looked over in her direction Mary Margaret smiled at her, and she'd managed to muster a half-hearted one before turning back to the service. Whether or not they knew they were mother and daughter, the connection they were starting to share was, without doubt, growing stronger by the day. Sad as all this was, that was positive thought.

He didn't stay for the reception, which he was sure, given the service, would lack both space and food. No, he didn't stay because he had work to do. Or rather work to oversee. Across town, he'd hired Dove and a few of his cousins to "clean out" Sheriff Graham's apartment. Though, of course, that was only half of it. In actuality, they'd been hired to comb through the apartment and locate any personal possessions and collect them for him to pick up.

Painful as it was, life went on. Life had to go on because this small town had been stuck in a rut for far too long. Not that he cared about anyone else but his boy, but he also knew that keeping this town moving forward was the only way to prevent more useless, wasteful death. And after watching Emma, who had dutifully been acting as deputy all this time, he was already working on the next steps in a new plan.

"This is it?" he questioned as Dove brought a single cardboard box to him and set it on the small coffee table in front of the equally tiny couch. "One box?"

Dove shrugged. "There wasn't really much to find. The apartment is fully furnished but not much of a home. He was married to his job, it seemed, so we didn't find many personal items. Guy didn't have any family, so no pictures or anything sentimental. Unless, of course, you found someone?"

Ah yes, when he'd explained the job to Dove, he'd told him it was because he was going to search for someone related to the man to take his possessions. The honest truth was that he hadn't even bothered trying. Dove was right. The man had no family; none with two legs that would appreciate any of his knick-knacks anyway. The Evil Queen's Huntsman had practically been raised by wolves, and since she'd wanted him to herself...she hadn't given him a family in the Curse. He was alone, even when he was with her. A lone wolf through and through.

"It seems our former Sheriff was a genuine man. What you saw was what there was. He had no family."

"Well…that's too bad. But this is it. Other than the clothes which we either donated or threw out, this was really all that was left of him. Given the circumstances, I'd ask if you wanted me to take these to the local pawn shop but seeing as how that's also you-"

"It's a job well done, Mr. Dove," he interrupted, peering into the box to look over what they had found. One item, in particular, stood out. It was a leather jacket, not the type that Emma Swan appeared to fancy but….

"I thought you donated or threw the clothes away."

"It was his favorite jacket, Sir," one of Dove's cousin's answered from somewhere behind him.

"That's Marc," Dove explained. "He played darts with Graham every Monday night."

"He wore it everywhere, Sir," Marc insisted sadly. "It's not really…ordinary. Remy said you wanted keepsakes…"

And so it appeared he'd gotten keepsakes. Some more helpful than others. Now that he was looking, he did see a dartboard with several darts bundled together in a coffee cup at the bottom. That was certainly not something he needed. In a rare moment of pity, he removed the board and darts and held them out for Marc. "I think these will have a happier home with you."

Marc took a breath, then turned red as he reached out and took them. "Thank you, Sir," he choked out.

"So what now?" Dove asked as his cousin looked the items over, and he saw him wipe his eyes on the back of his hand.

"Now the apartment is professionally cleaned, carpets and surfaces will be replaced, and it'll be rented out again. You know how this goes, Mr. Dove. Out with the old, in with the new."

"Rented out, wait…doesn't the Sheriff job come with the apartment? What about the new girl? Emma. She's only the deputy, but she's been acting as sheriff since he died? Shouldn't she be promoted? Shouldn't she move in?"

"I'd rather keep all that quiet for now," he smiled. Though that wasn't exactly in the cards, for now, it was reassuring that was where Dove's head had immediately gone for the future of the Sheriff. "She can't formally take the position until two weeks after it's vacated. As for the apartment when she does…well…you've been watching her Dove, does she seem the type to want to live in her dead former employer's apartment."

"Not particularly, but…Mary Margaret's place isn't exactly big."

"But it's not small either. No, I'd like to keep her where she's at. When she takes the job, we can keep her at salary instead of taking out for an apartment."

"And the box?"

"I think I'll hold on to it for a bit. You never know when it might come in handy."

"But, Sir-"

"Don't ask questions!" Dove shouted at another of his cousins. The corner of his own mouth twitched. It seemed that Dove had indeed learned his lesson. It seemed he might have even enjoyed the power trip that came from being in his employ. Good.

He motioned for Dove to pick up the box and carry it to his car for him, again motioning to his cane. Once it was set snug inside his trunk, he turned back to him. "Finish the cleaning; I'll see you're all paid, with a reminder, of course, that I expect services to come with discretion."

"We know. He knows."

"Good," he confirmed, slipping a pair of sunglasses on and fumbling with his keys. "I'll be in touch. There are things I'll need from you in the next few days. I will be looking to hire a couple of your cousins to help me with some other work. Just some little things, but I'm working on something special, and I need more eyes than you have. Be sure they know that discretion can buy them their way to the top of the list."

"Always happy to help, Sir. Any of us are."

He beamed. He might not have magic, but money did have a special sort of power in this world. "That's what I like about you, Mr. Dove. Wait for my instructions."

As he drove back to the pawnshop, he could hear Graham's belongings rattle and shift in the trunk. All that was left of a Cursed life. Nothing that would have been truly important to him if he'd died knowing who he was. If that was the case, he suspected Graham would have died happy, knowing Emma was with him. It was a waste. The only benefit from it that he now had a suspicion about where Regina was keeping her magic. Graham had no home, no family, no purpose other than being the Sheriff.

He had plans for Emma, though. She had a purpose and a family; she just didn't know it yet. As for the home part…that was something that would take time, but it wasn't contingent on the Curse breaking. He could begin that process now. He could make her invested in this place, these people, he could make this her home. He just had to wait a few more days, and until then, he had to proceed with caution. There were forces at work even beyond his control.

#Rumbelle #Rumple #Rumpelstiltskin #Dark One #Mr. Gold #Regina Mills #Evil Queen #Emma Swan #Savior #The huntsman #sheriff graham #ouat #ouat fanfiction #fanfic

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sataniccapitalist · 5 years ago

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MOVEMENT FOR A PEOPLE’S PARTY IN SOLIDARITY FOR RACIAL JUSTICE

May 29, 2020

Contact: [email protected]

“CORONAVIRUS IS HERE TO STAY.” COALITION WILL MARCH TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS’ HOMES ON JULY 11 TO DEMAND THAT FINAL BAILOUT BE A PEOPLE’S STIMULUSJuly 6, 2020

Contact

MPP Media Team | [email protected]

“Coronavirus is here to stay.” Coalition Will March to Members of Congress’ Homes on July 11 to Demand that Final Bailout be a People’s Stimulus

Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s Humanity Forward, members of the Yang Gang, and basic income advocates join the coalition

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern agrees to meet with protesters who will host an outdoor town hall on the People’s Stimulus in Worcester, Massachusetts

Thirty-eight rallies are planned at the homes of Democrats and Republicans including Cory Booker, Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer, Warren Davidson, Marcia Fudge, Raúl Grijalva, Steny Hoyer, and Nancy Pelosi

Washington D.C. — With the government having lost control over the pandemic and no end in sight to the ensuing economic depression, a coalition of organizations is coming together to demand that the final coronavirus stimulus bill bail out the people and not Wall Street. The final stimulus is being negotiated in Congress and is expected late this month.

Hosted by the Movement for a People’s Party, the organizations include Humanity Forward, Humanity First Movement, Income Movement, Move to Amend, Our Revolution Los Angeles, Our Revolution Central Connecticut, United Left, and We Want Bernie Worcester.

Appalled by the Democrats’ and Republicans’ management of coronavirus and the enormous human toll, the organizations will lead marches and honking car parades to the homes of their members of Congress and senators across the country on July 11 and demand that they commit to a People’s Stimulus. Constituents will rally outside their homes and deliver the demands directly to their members of Congress.

They will ask members of Congress to join them as they share stories of the deep anguish and pain of loved ones who died before saying goodbye, memorial services that were never possible, lost jobs and health insurance, mounting bills and desperation, rising alcohol and drug abuse, the indignity of standing in breadlines to feed one’s kids, and fear of missing housing payments and facing eviction into a pandemic.

The organizations are demanding the following in the People’s Stimulus:

1. Defund ballooning police budgets and divert funds back to schools and social services 2. Medicare for all 3. Monthly $2,000 cash payments for all 4. Cover payroll to protect small business jobs 5. Suspend rent and mortgage payments 6. Suspend debt payments including student loans and credit card loans

Medicare for all, a basic income, a paycheck guarantee, and suspending rent and mortgage payments have already been introduced in Congress. Suspending debt payments until the pandemic and economic crisis are brought to an end has been proposed.

Because both have failed to stand with working people in their time of greatest need, organizers will march on Democrats and Republicans alike. In Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern has agreed to meet with protesters, who will host an outdoor and televised town hall with him to discuss the People’s Stimulus. Thirty-eight marches and rallies are on the action events map with more being planned. The rallies will be nonviolent, masks are required, and we will observe social distancing while calling for emergency relief.

The Disastrous U.S. Response to Coronavirus

The U.S. has four percent of the world’s population but more than a quarter of the coronavirus cases and deaths. Last week, Dr. Fauci told Congress “clearly we are not in control right now,” and that new cases could reach 100,000 per day, nearly doubling the current rate of about 55,000. Cases are rising in about 40 states and breaking records daily. Thousands more are dying from a lack of diagnosis and treatment of other diseases.

“It’s impossible to overstate what a corrupt catastrophe our government’s response to coronavirus has been,” said Nick Brana, national coordinator with the Movement for a People’s Party. “Instead of bracing the country, members of Congress who received advanced briefings on the impending severity of the pandemic took that information to the stock market and personally invested themselves in the economic meltdown.”

Moreover, he said, “Having failed to increase the production of masks and facing shortages at hospitals, the government lied about their effectiveness and told people not to wear or make masks in the critical early period of the pandemic. It took them weeks to reverse their instructions. After that, members of Congress gave Wall Street a multi-trillion dollar bailout and took undisclosed sums of money for their own businesses from the Paycheck Protection Program.”

The economic wreckage is unprecedented. About half of the country is without a job in the worst crisis since the Great Depression. A U.S. Chamber of Commerce poll showed that 40 percent of small businesses could close permanently in the next six months, threatening the largest wave of corporate consolidation in modern history. An analysis out of Stanford University estimates that 42 percent of layoffs will result in permanent job loss.

The communities rising up against police brutality and systemic racism after George Floyd’s killing are the same communities that are being hit the hardest by this pandemic and economic depression. Black, Latino, and indigenous peoples have the highest coronavirus infection and death rates, the highest unemployment rates, and the least wealth. That’s why the People’s Stimulus demands have the highest support among communities of color.

Other countries have shown that the economic upheaval was entirely avoidable. While American workers lose their jobs and spend weeks fighting for unemployment benefits, many European Governments simply subsidized payroll for businesses hit by the pandemic and have not experienced mass layoffs and bankruptcies. The European response was designed to protect workers, jobs and businesses while the U.S. response was designed to enrich billionaires and wipe out millions of small business competitors to large Wall Street corporations. Rampant unemployment and poverty was a deliberate policy choice by the Democrats and Republicans.

Things are about to get even worse. More than 45 million people have filed for unemployment during the pandemic, but the expanded benefits are expiring on July 31. State and federal moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures are also expiring this month threatening an “avalanche of evictions” that could throw up to 23 million people out of their homes.

“Cases are exploding. The curve is spiking. A second wave is building on top of the first. The government has lost control of the virus and the people of this country need to know: ‘Will you reverse the disaster you’ve created or are we on our own?’” asked Brana.

“Eighty years ago, social movements and independent parties forced the government to respond to the Great Depression with the New Deal. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression demands an emergency response of at least that scale.”

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pcndemoniums · 4 years ago

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Skins inspired series: Our Youth (1999 - 2002) / Our Wasted Youth (2020)

This is a loooong request so bare with me. Be aware that these guys have known each other since the age of 16. They’ve had their ups and downs through the years but in the end they have managed to stay friends.

[ tw: mentions of underage drinking, sex, mental illness, eating disorder, substance abuse, suicide, overdose, bullying and death ]

The Shows

Our Youth was an American teen comedy-drama television series that followed the lives of a group of teenagers in the fictional small town of Madison, California. Its controversial story-lines explored issues like dysfunctional families, mental illness (such as depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder), adolescent sexuality, gender, substance abuse, autism spectrum disorder, death, and bullying. In a time where most TV shows about teenagers were unrealistic affairs propped up by a cast of actors at least 10 years older than their fictional age, Our Youth changed all that by depicting realistic portrayals of teen characters who slept with each other, went to parties, drank a lot, smoked weed, and talked like the kids they were. Much of the controversy around its early episodes criticized its portrayal of sex, bad language, and explicit drug use but it was always careful to temper the hedonism with consequences, the comedy with tragedy. The show premiered on 25 January 1999 and went on to be a critical success. However, real life drama became too much for show runners to handle and the show was cancelled after three seasons. It ended on a shocking cliffhanger that left most viewers outraged and heart broken.

After the show ended the cast went their separate ways, trying different things to maintain their success but the bad reputation that came from the show seemed to follow them around. Some of them went on to star in low budget films and others completely fell off the radar. For years there have been talks and rumors about a possible fourth season of the series but it was not until early this year that it was announced that the show was going to be getting a second life. Netflix acquired the rights to the show in 2018 and finally announced that they were starting production at the end of 2020 with the original cast in tow. The fourth season of Our Youth has been renamed Our Wasted Youth and will take place 20 years after the events of the third season finale and will chronicle how the teens, now adults, are dealing with the ghosts of their past.

Behind The Scenes

So this show was a big deal back in the day. As far as aesthetics go then think of the show Skins, the UK version. It was mostly based on a group of kids who lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same high school and were involved in a lot of shenanigans. They partied a lot, got in trouble, sometimes they learned a lesson or two - most times they didn’t. Some critics loved it because of its realism, but others found it too controversial for television. It did not help that the cast, all between the ages of 14 and 16 at the time, were pretty much left unattended to do whatever they wanted and they didn’t choose to sit and study. There was a lot of bad behavior behind the scenes, scandals, fights, drama, etc. Life imitating fiction if you will. To the point where the show was cancelled after three seasons. They decided to end the show in dramatic fashion with the hits involved in a horrible car accident. The last shot of the show was that of the car wreck and the fate of the teens was left to the imagination. Yeah, people were pissed, demanding a resolution. Honestly at this point there was so much hostility that the actors were just glad that it all ended. I mean these guys were all hormonal teenagers, getting fame and money, so you can imagine what went on behind the scenes.

The show still had a huge fan base, even if the actors were not particularly famous anymore. They all had a hard time getting decent work because they had this very bad reputation of being disruptive. In 2010, Kurt Davidson, who portrayed Gus Chandler, was found dead in his home from apparent drug overdose. The actor had been fighting a long battle with addiction and it was during this time that the actors got together and had a little reunion with fans. They resolved their issues and started to become really good friends. There was a media outcry surrounding Kurt’s death though and an article was published on various news sources about the dangers of exposing actors to the drug culture at such a young age. Any hope that the show would come back was lost after the death of Kurt Davidson. But then in 2018 it was confirmed that the show was coming back to Netflix and was scheduled to start shooting in 2019. However, things got a little sidetracked and people started to think that the show was already doomed even before they started shooting. Thankfully things started to brighten up and the show started shooting in January of 2020. This new season will deal with the repercussions of the accident and how the characters are dealing with adulthood. It will have 10 episodes and they are currently shooting episode seven. Because of the tight schedule, these guys have been spending a lot of time together and who knows, maybe there’s the chance for a lot of new drama.

Now because I’m crazy, here are the characters of the show and their little arcs, just so you can get an idea of who you’d like your character to play.

Main Cast

Lukas Larsen ( 35 - 36 yo - character name - open face claim ): Lukas Larsen is an attractive, intelligent and popular boy. His manipulative ways often go unnoticed by many, and are a catalyst for the majority of the events in the series. At first he appears to have complete control over his friends, exudes confidence and has an answer for everything. He enjoys being the driver of drama and prides himself on being some type of puppet master. In the effort to keep his life perfect and interesting he does things that even the most self serving person would never do. He plays with people’s emotions. He plays games because he can. Furthermore he does not feel bad about those things until he loses control. As the series progresses we see Lukas lose control of himself, his friends and of the situation due to a distorted sense of self and an exaggerated sense of importance. We end the series with Lukas behind the wheel of the car and driving everyone into a ditch. NEW SERIES: In the new season Lukas is a lawyer, married and with kids. However, he is incredibly unhappy, cheating on his wife with Evie Nixon and getting involved in scams. We learn that the accident left him in a coma for seven months and that he had to relearn to do everything. Even though it looks like he has not learned anything on the surface we see that Lukas is carrying a lot of guilt for what happened and is seeing a therapist in order to cope.

Evie Nixon ( 34 yo - tbd - Kat Graham ): Evie is the youngest of the group as she skipped 9th grade. She is initially described as being "the sweetest girl you will ever meet". However, it is shown that underneath her sweet exterior, she will resort to anything in order to keep the power in her grasps, even at the expense of others. She starts the series off dating the head jock boy of Madison High. However it’s quickly revealed that she’s dating him more for status than for romance. When we meet the couple, they’ve yet to have sex and t is revealed that Evie is actually a virgin and is scared to ‘give it away. She faces a lot of criticism throughout the series, having to deal with her parents divorcing, an abusive older boyfriend and an addiction to antidepressants. However, she eventually learns that her manipulative ways are damaging to others and by the end of the series she becomes a much better person. NEW SERIES: The accident changed Evie. She became angry and distant. Evie is divorced and has a seven year old boy. She has two jobs and no apparent social life which makes her a little bitter. She is having an affair with Lukas Larsen but hates every second of it.

Gus Chandler ( 35 yo - Kurt Davidson - NPC ): Gus is Luka's best friend, but has an entirely opposite personality. He lacks confidence, is socially uneasy and struggles with school work. He often suffers from panic attacks that he learns to control over the course of the series. He tends to put himself down a lot, especially when it comes to his relationship with girls. He loves comic books, loves science, is very friendly and playful and treats everyone with respect. Gus learns to be more self confident and to stand up for himself which earns a lot of respect from his friends. By the end of the series Gus is engaged to Nancy Buckley. NEW SERIES: We learn that Gus died in the car accident. Some people believe the decision to kill off his character is a bit polemical since the actor died in real life. However, the series creators have stated that having another actor play the part of Gus felt wrong and that they needed the accident to have a serious consequence. “Kurt Davidson is still a huge part of the show and his character’s death is the driving force of the new season.” In some way that is true since a lot of the show revolves around the 20th anniversary of Gus’ death.

Nancy Buckley ( 35 - 36 yo - character name - open face claim ): Luka's girlfriend. A girl who can never stay angry at his mischievous behavior for long. Outwardly, Nancy appears shallow, vain and conceited but she works hard and is emotionally mature. She is seen by most as a beautiful and confident girl but she suffers from the same insecurities as everyone else. At the beginning of the series she is dating Lukas and is always trying to make him happy. Eventually she realizes that the relationship is really toxic and distances herself from him. She and Gus start to get closer which causes a lot of complications and arguments between him and Lukas. By the end of the series Nancy learns to value herself more and she and Gus form a beautiful and healthy relationship. NEW SERIES: Nancy suffered a lot after the accident and the death of her fiance and that includes reconstructive surgery on her face which has made her feel really self conscious. She hasn't been able to keep a serious relationship and is emotionally closed off. Currently she works in real estate and seems to be leading a successful life. She has decided to be a surrogate for Ivy and her wife's baby.

Ben Morrow ( 36 yo - Dean Montgomery - Paul Wesley ): Ben is the party animal of the group. He has a difficult home life; he lost his brother to illness at a young age, and is an emancipated minor due to his ambivalent father and absent mother. When we first meet Ben he is presented as a fun loving pill popper who is always encouraging his friends to have fun. As the series progresses we learn that this attitude is just a front and that Ben’s life is actually filled with pain and rejection from his parents. His father is a crook and his mother has done porn her entire life, which has been a constant embarrassment for Ben. Ben is very volatile and unpredictable and unlike Lukas he very easily loses control of the situation. It is hinted that he is bisexual but it was never fully confirmed. By the end of the series they are rushing him to the hospital as he is overdosing inside the car. When we see the car crash we are left to assume that he definitely died. NEW SERIES: Shockingly Ben survived the accident but it left him with a lot of emotional scars. Unable to find a job he has turned into a life of crime that includes petty theft and drug dealing. The first time we see him again he is getting out of prison after spending six months behind bars for robbing a liquor store. We learn that Lukas helped put him away and that Teddy posted his bail. He also has a lover named Sean who also provides him drugs.

Cara James ( 35 yo - character name - open face claim ): A friend of Emily, an odd girl who suffers from an eating disorder. Cara attempts to hide her own struggles with mental health while her flamboyant parents ignore her in favor of their new baby. We first meet her as she returns to Madison High after spending months in a rehabilitation center. Cara is very observant, aloof and incredibly understanding. To her everything is magical. Her positive attitude gives the show a sense of hope when things get really bad. She and Ben Morrow have a very close relationship that was a constant will they/won't they throughout the series. By the end of the series she manages to overcome her disorder, and makes plans to leave Madison and travel to Europe. NEW SERIES: Cara made it to Europe after surviving the accident and became a famous model which caused her eating disorder to resurface. After a few scandals and the fact that she is not as young as she used to be, Cara returns to Madison and tries to reconnect with her friends. She finds out that this is easier said than done.

Teddy Vargas ( 35 - 36 yo - character name - open face claim - latinx ): is an easy-going skater who likes to smoke weed, and as the more sensible and responsible friend, he is often put out by Luka’s behavior. Teddy is forced to act as the leader of the group whenever Gus has a panic attack or when Lukas takes things too far; he is by far the most reliable in a crisis. We learned that his mom took her own life after battling depression and he has always resented his father for not getting her help. He has a very ambitious sister who always looks for the spotlight and manages to get all the attention from his dad. Teddy is always looking to save people and wants what is best for everyone. He is very compassionate and selfless but at the same time he knows when to put his foot down and always stands up for himself. NEW SERIES: Teddy suffered a leg injury and therefore he has to wear a brace. It was hard for him since he was always into sports, especially skating. He became a teacher and is currently the new high school principal at Madison. He tries to guide his students and keep them from doing the same mistakes he did as a kid but he is finding that to be challenging. He and Ben are good friends and we learn that he posted bail for Ben’s early release. Teddy is engaged to Molly Larsen.

Ivy Porter ( 35 - 36 yo - character name - open face claim ): Ivy is coming to terms with her identity as a lesbian. She is used to being the shadow of her sister, and is sulky but perceptive. As the show progresses, she begins to come out of her shell and strives for individuality. Much of this is due to her becoming okay with her sexuality and her feelings for Poppy Drake. She’s a kind and idealistic person but at the same time she can be selfish and passive aggressive. Her relationship with Poppy has its ups and downs but by the end of the series they had decided to stay together and make things work. Ivy was the only one who was not involved in the car crash because she and Poppy were spending the night together. NEW SERIES: Even though she was not involved in the accident Ivy was still affected by it since she was very close to Gus. We learn that she and Poppy broke things off and decided to stay friends. We also learn that Ivy married a woman named Susana and that they have asked Nancy to be their surrogate. Ivy struggles with the idea of starting a family but doesn't know how to talk to Susan about it.

Supporting Cast

Molly Larsen ( 33 - 34 yo - character name - open face claim ): is Luka's younger sister, and shares many of the same qualities as him. She is mysterious and manipulative, but almost mute. We see more of her in season 3 where she is involved in a love triangle and gets involved with a teacher. NEW SERIES: In the new series we learn that she managed to get her life together and is soon to be married to Teddy Vargas.

Poppy Bird ( 35 - 36 yo - character name - open face claim ): Poppy was Ivy’s on and off girlfriend during the first three seasons of the show. She is very carefree and open minded but at the same time very guarded. She had a difficult time coming to terms with her sexuality which was the cause of a lot of drama between her and Ivy. Eventually she accepted who she was and declared her love for Ivy. NEW SERIES: We learn that she has moved away from Madison and is currently living in Arizona. However she comes back for two episodes to tell Ivy that she has a terminal illness.

Susana Santoro ( 35 - 36 yo - character name - open face claim - POC ): Ivy’s wife. She works as a veterinarian and has three younger sisters. She is very cheerful, caring and incredibly perceptive. She wants to start a family and knows that Ivy has her doubts about it.

Tommy Mills ( 35 - 36 yo - character name - open face claim ): Evie’s ex husband who works as a bouncer at the local strip club. He comes off as being extremely rude and seems to have a violent streak. We learn that Evie left him because of his constant drinking and cheating, which is ironic considering she is having an affair with a married man.

Sean Michaels ( 35 - 36 yo - character name - open face claim ): Ben’s lover and drug dealer. Definitely a terrible influence in Ben’s life but at the same time he seems to actually care about him. We learn that he has a sick daughter and that he started to deal drugs in order to pay for her treatment.

Other Cast

There are other characters on the show that have minor roles like Luka’s wife, some friends, enemies, whatever. Let me know if you’re interested in playing a minor role.

Crew

Executive producer ( s ):

Director (s):

Writer (s):

Casting Director:

Costume Designer (s):

Make up artist (s): Margot Montgomery, Ashley Benson, 29

#losagelessrp #request

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violent-optimism · 5 years ago

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Ranking the Uncharted Villains

Hey Everyone!

I know this post is kind of out of the blue. The truth is I’ve been working on it for about a month or two. It’s taken me a long time to make but it’s finally done and I am ready to share it with you all!

Please enjoy this ranking of all the villains in the Uncharted game series. The order of characters is from worst to best. These are just my personal opinions, and I don’t mean to change anyone’s minds!

Also, please excuse the poor quality of some of these images, I struggled to find high quality ones!

(Note: I will not be including minor/side villains like Ramses, Orca, etc.)

Gabriel Roman – Simon Templeman

So let’s start off with, in my opinion, the worst of the bunch, and not in a good way. Roman is not a horribly written villain at all, but compared to some of the other Uncharted baddies, he’s pretty boring. There’s not much about him that is interesting or unique. He’s just an old British guy hell-bent on finding the treasure before our heroes do. Never seen that before! Although I will give him props for being the only Uncharted villain to actually “kill” one of the heroes…for a limited time that is.

Atoq Navarro – Robin Atkin Downes

Much like his boss, Navarro ain’t that special either. He doesn’t even have that many lines or screen time until the later chapters of the game. One could easily forget about his existence, especially during the more intense areas of the campaign. However, Navarro is slightly better than Roman in one specific way, in that he is revealed to have been pulling the strings all along; and is in fact the main baddie whom you fight in the final showdown. He appears to be far more intelligent than originally shown, which makes for an interesting twist when he betrays Roman and ultimately kills him.

Asav – Usman Ally

For those of you who have had the pleasure to experience the amazing game that is Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, you are probably very familiar with this villain. To put it plainly, Asav is a delusional yet intelligent psychopath who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. While seemingly very intimidating at first, Asav’s plan starts to fall apart towards the end of the game thanks to the insane stubbornness of Chloe and Nadine. In truth, Asav is actually nothing more than a madman who struggles to see beyond his own vision. He is definitely well written (and acted) but he fails to hold up against some of the franchise’s more iconic villains.

Eddy Raja – James Sie

Speaking of iconic villains, it doesn’t get any more iconic than this hilarious baddie from the original game. While he doesn’t have a terrible amount of screen time, Eddy completely steals the show whenever he’s around thanks to the brilliant comedic timing of James Sie. Eddy is an interesting character as he somehow manages to be intimidating and pathetic at the same time. Hot-headed and completely full of himself, the Indonesian crime lord is a classic villain with only one true motivation: treasure (lots of it!). I do acknowledge that Nate and Eddy teamed up before his rather gruesome death, but let’s be honest…he’s definitely a bad guy, no question about it.

Katherine Marlowe – Rosalind Ayres

Looks can be deceiving, and while Marlowe might look like a sweet old lady, she is anything but. Cold, manipulative and incredibly smart; Marlowe is the only Uncharted villain to have literally been at odds with Nate for most of his treasure hunting life. Granted, she needs help from her loyal bodyguards in order to fully enact her wicked deeds, but Marlowe is a very imposing woman nonetheless. Preferring psychological warfare and controlling her enemies through fear, Marlowe is one of Nathan Drake’s greatest adversaries, and rightfully so!

Talbot - Robin Atkin Downes

Probably the most terrifying thing about this Uncharted baddie is just how little we actually know about him. Wherever Marlowe goes, Talbot is never far behind. Throughout his appearances in Uncharted 3, the secondary villain appears to do things that should be impossible. He’s like a magician, a secret service agent and a sadist rolled into one terrifying man. While seeming prim and proper on the outside, Talbot houses an evil streak and shares his superior’s goal of dominating opponents through fear and pain. Oh, and definitely don’t accept any drugs he offers…

Rafe Adler – Warren Kole

Rafe has got to be the worst example of what happens when you spoil your kids. What do all men with money want? More money. With big dreams of finding Henry Avery’s treasure and the bank account to pull it off, Rafe will stop at nothing to prove he is more than just another rich white guy (which he totally is). However, money isn’t the only thing that Rafe has going for him. He does an exceptional job at pretending to act like a sane individual. In truth, he’s a psychotic monster with a temper that’s always bubbling just below the surface. Rafe doesn’t care about being nice and never will, he just wants one thing and I’m pretty sure you know what that is (psst…treasure).

Nadine Ross - Laura Bailey

To be honest, I sort of struggled on whether or not to actually include Nadine on this list. Yes, she is one of the main villains in Uncharted 4, but as we know from The Lost Legacy, she isn’t all bad, and isn’t nearly as loathsome as some of the other characters on this list.

That being said, Nadine is not to be messed with. She literally packs a punch! Capable of fighting two grown men at once, the leader of Shoreline will make you think twice about the phrase: “hits like a girl”. Straightforward, blunt and not one to mince words, Nadine is as strategic as she is lethal. She also has the unique experience of being the only Uncharted villain to avoid death. In the end, she’s all the better for it.

Harry Flynn – Steve Valentine

It’s impossible to overstate just how entertaining this character is. Flynn is a villain that you love to hate. While not quite as witty as Drake, Flynn does possess a wicked sense of humor; ultimately dishing out some of the most hilarious dialogue in the entire Uncharted series. What is interesting about Flynn is that he honestly just seems like an ordinary guy who made some very wrong choices. His lack of intelligence and pathetic tendencies don’t make him very threatening; especially in comparison to his villain counterpart.

On the other hand, Flynn does seem to get a kick out of fooling Drake and even lands a rather devastating gunshot wound on our hero. Although he tries his best to impress Lazarevic, his efforts aren’t up to snuff, and the villain dies in what is probably one of the most tragic and unexpected deaths of the series.

Zoran Lazarevic – Graham McTavish

Come on, who else could earn the number one spot on this list? In my opinion, Lazarevic is by far the scariest and most dangerous villain in Uncharted. Described as a “psychopathic war criminal” by Elena, the main baddie from Uncharted 2 has no issue with killing his own men if he believes it will help him reach his goal. There is a certain philosophy to him, as he is inspired by the “great men” of history (i.e. Hitler) and wishes to go down in history as a similar figure. He’s a complete sadist and enjoys taunting people with games that put lives at risk. Lazarevic (allegedly) becomes invincible, so much so that even Nathan Drake can’t defeat him. He is utterly insane and if given the opportunity, will snap a few necks and take great pleasure in doing so. Lazarevic is the best Uncharted villain, hands down.

I hope you guys enjoyed my list! Let me know what you think!

#Uncharted #Uncharted Villains #my ranking

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blessed-but-distressed · 6 years ago

Text

Cross My Heart (3/31)

All Sheriff Emma Swan wanted was a bit of the quiet life. Why else would she take a job in Storybrooke, Maine, where deer outnumber people? But when a local woman turns up murdered, Emma quickly realizes she might be out of her depth. Enter Killian Jones, 17th century buccaneer turned vampire, who might just have the kind of unique perspective on the crime she is looking for. It’s a shaky alliance, but when Emma’s past comes back to bite her, she might just discover how handy having a vampire around can be.

A Captain Swan Supernatural Summer AU.

also on ff.net and ao3

Rated M for Mature Readers. Trigger warnings for blood, gore, violence, sexual references, blood sharing, mental manipulation and major character deaths.

This here is a murder mystery with vampires in it, and it plays out accordingly. You get what you pay for.

This is my contribution to the Captain Swan Supernatural Summer event. Many thanks to my pseudo-attorney @distant-rose for her art, her positivity, and her commitment to getting the gross details just about right. A big thank you also to @kmomof4 for putting the @cssns together, and for asking me to take part. And thanks to Eric Northman, for some inspiration.

Chapter Three

On the whole, Emma tried to avoid spending too much time in morgues.

It wasn’t just the cloying smell of formaldehyde, which clung to her clothes for the rest of the day. Or the thermostat set at a chilly 40 degrees. It wasn’t even the idea of being trapped in a windowless basement with a whole bunch of dead people. Though, gross.

For your garden variety deaths, your heart attacks and car accidents, the body was usually farmed out to the funeral parlor the next town over, who would handle everything. For the more interesting cases though, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner would get involved, transferring the body down South for an autopsy.

Kathryn Nolan’s was an interesting case.

Which meant if Emma didn’t want to wait a month for the official autopsy report, she would have to get in good with the Medical Examiner. The Medical Examiner who was currently dodging her calls.

“I’ll flip you for it?” she pleaded, as Graham rummaged in the break room cabinet in search of more coffee filters.

“You already owe me for the press conference,” he pointed out, emerging from the cabinet empty handed and scowling. “Do we still have that paper towel in the storage closet?”

“They have a Dunks in Augusta…” Emma cajoled.

She sensed a flicker of interest from him, but only a flicker. In the end, his principles won out, and he shook his head defiantly. “I’ve been pulling doubles for you all week. I’m not driving to Augusta and back just because you want to avoid seeing one of your old hook ups.”

She really needed to stop telling him things.

She held his gaze for a long moment, but his resolve didn’t break. Son of a bitch.

“Fine!” Emma relented, reaching over to grab the keys for the patrol car off their hook. “I’ll go. But don’t think I’m bringing you back any Boston Kremes. You’ve shown where your loyalties really lie.”

Graham seemed to realize his grave error then, face contorting in pain at the very mention of his favorite treat.

“Nuh, uh,” Emma warned, waggling a finger in front of his face. “You had your chance. I hope you like jelly, you traitor.”

To call Dr Victor Whale an old hook up was pushing it. It was a one time thing, ages ago. A darkened bar, two counties from home. He was just a charming smile after a long line of shots. It wasn’t her fault he worked at the State Police Crime Lab. It wasn’t like he’d volunteered that information at the time. There hadn’t been a whole lot of talking, from what she remembered. Though if she was being honest, that wasn’t a lot.

He must’ve remembered at least a little, though, because a definite look of panic crossed his face when he saw her standing by the door to the laboratory, file in hand.

“Relax, Doctor,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I’m not here for a paternity suit.”

He chuckled, but the way his shoulders relaxed underneath his lab coat convinced Emma she’d been right on the money with that one.

“Emma Swan,” she said, reaching over to shake his hand, saving him the trouble of having to remember her name. “I’m actually here about a dead woman.”

“No shortage of those here,” Whale said, breaking contact to stretch his arms wide. “We’ve got every make and model. Cheerleaders. Housewives. Grandmas. Society queens. Or if you’re looking for something a touch more exotic, our night time receptionist is of the walking, talking, bloodsucking variety. So, what can I do you for, Sheriff?”

He’d clocked her badge at her hip, then. Always a good sign to have a medical examiner who noticed the little details.

“You’ll remember mine. Kathryn Nolan? She had her heart missing. I heard you were the one who did the autopsy?”

It was almost comical, how fast his devil-may-care grin slid into a grimace.

“Kathryn,” he nodded solemnly. “Of course.”

“Great. Feel like answering some of my questions?”

He hesitated, running a hand through his short platinum hair. “I feel like I should warn you my full report won’t be ready for a couple weeks. The labs are still backed up from Christmas, and…”

“And I’ve got someone in my town who likes to carve out women's hearts,” Emma interrupted. “I’ll take your work-in-progress.”

He blinked. Just once.

“Alright then. She’s down in the freezer. Follow me.”

The building was labyrinthine, and Emma quickly lost her bearings amidst the institutional grey speckled walls, and rows of identical white doors. But as they descended the stairs down into the sub-basement, she came to understand why they called it “the freezer.” She hugged her arms more tightly around herself as the good doctor led her into a pristine white examination room that had never known the joys of central heating.

Probably for the best, all things considered.

“Kathryn Nolan,” Whale repeated to himself, picking up a clipboard and running his finger down the page. “Seems to be behind door number 3. You want a look at her?”

In Emma’s mind, want didn’t really come into it. Fighting her better instincts, she nodded, then stood back as Whale tucked the clipboard under his arm and pulled open the nearest cold storage locker. With a small grunt of effort he slid the steel drawer free until the figure under the white sheet lay between them.

Dragging her eyes from the shape beneath the sheet, Emma looked up to see Whale watching her. Waiting for some sign of distress, maybe. She figured this was probably the juncture where most people would start with the hyperventilating and the vomiting. Fortunately, Emma was not most people. This wasn’t her first rodeo. And even it is had been, she would never give him the satisfaction.

She held his gaze firmly as he pulled back the sheet.

“This your girl?”

Kathryn looked better than the last time Emma had seen her. Not that that was all that hard. But someone had definitely cleaned her up, removed all the river debris and brushed her hair out.

“I’m guessing you’ve established cause of death, Doctor?”

His grin was wry. “Well, I might’ve gone to a State School, but even I couldn’t miss the gaping hole in her chest where her heart used to be.”

Emma blanched. “They took out the heart while she was still alive?”

“That’s my working theory. Massive chest trauma. She was definitely dead before she hit the water, anyway. The condition she arrived in made it a little hard to determine whether her other injuries were sustained before or after her swim in the river, but I didn’t spot anything else that looked particularly lethal.”

Seeing the look on Emma’s face, Whale hurriedly continued.

“Of course, there’s every chance she wasn’t conscious at the time. We’re still waiting on the toxicology to come back, but she might’ve been drugged. There weren’t any ligature marks on her wrists or ankles, and that’s rather telling. I doubt your girl would’ve just kept still while someone hacked into her.”

Emma remembered the woman who outpaced her on the treadmill, week after week. No, that didn’t seem like Kathryn’s MO.

“So they used a knife? Like a hunting knife?”

“That’s probably a good bet. I’ve taken some moulds of the grooves left in the ribs. I might be able to narrow that down for you. But my best guess at the moment is you’re looking at a substantial blade. 10 inches maybe. They weren’t fucking around.”

Emma wondered if that was the medically appropriate term.

“Good news is,” Whale pointed out, “whoever your killer is, they probably aren’t too smart, and they’re definitely not medically trained. I did some reading about this. It isn’t easy to rip out a human heart directly from the chest. There’s the sternum and the ribs to contend with. It takes a lot of strength to cut or break through them, and a lot of time. It’s messy. The victim doesn’t die right away. Compare that with, say, the Aztecs, who practised heart-extraction as part of some rituals. They’d slice below the ribs with a sharp rock, and rip the heart out from below. It’s fast, efficient, and relatively easy to accomplish with little more than a scalpel and your hand.”

He indicated the angry wound marring Kathryn’s chest. “That’s not the route your killer chose to take. Ergo, not too bright.”

Or maybe they just appreciated the spectacle of it.

“You get anything I could use to find this guy?”

Whale shrugged, lifting the sheet back over Kathryn’s face. “After a couple of days in that river, you’d be lucky to find any useful trace evidence. We sent everything we had off for analysis, but I don’t like your odds. ”

Emma frowned. “You think she was in the water the whole time, then? She was killed the day she disappeared?”

“That’s my opinion. It’s hard to say for sure. The decaying process is delayed when the body is submerged in water, especially when it’s this cold. But the body was already showing signs of putrefaction, so she’d probably been out there the full five days. That’s not forgetting the lack of ligature marks, which suggest she wasn’t held for any length of time. If you’re thinking this was a kidnapping, then I’d say they used some kind of drug to incapacitate her, in the short term. Unfortunately, the condition of the body makes it hard to determine how it might’ve entered her system. You’d have to wait for the tox screen to know what you’re dealing with.”

“So you’re saying it could be anyone?” Emma sighed, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand.

“Well,” Whale considered. “Anyone with a hunting knife and a certain amount of patience. They didn’t do this by accident. They meant to rip her heart out. If you consider how much strength it would take to saw through the sternum, you’re probably looking at a male, or especially strong woman. Hard to gauge height by the angle of grooves in the ribs, because she was probably on her back at the time, but the marks definitely skew left. So he was probably right-handed.”

“So he’s strong, right-handed man, then?” Emma summed up.

It didn’t really narrow down the field much, and the apologetic look Whale shot her way said he knew it.

“And he probably knew her,” Whale added. “Or surprised her. I didn’t spot a lot of obvious defensive wounds. So whoever they are, they must’ve gotten pretty close before they incapacitated her.”

A strong, right-handed man, who was familiar to her, then.

As if that didn’t describe nearly the entire male population of Storybrooke to a T.

Swallowing back her disappointment, Emma extended her hand again. “Thanks for your time, Doc. I look forward to your full report.”

He looked at her hand, but he didn’t accept it. Instead he let his lips curve into what could only be described a salacious grin. “I get off in an hour. I don’t suppose you-”

“I think that would be a spectacularly bad idea,” Emma said firmly, snatching her hand back and cutting him off before he could dig himself any further. And then, because she couldn’t help herself, “Do you normally try to seduce the police officers investigating the deaths of your patients?”

“Only the hot ones,” he replied, maybe a little too honestly. “And I seem to remember we had fun together.”

Emma doubted he remembered that much. She certainly didn’t.

“Yeah, I’m not really interested in jeopardizing my murder investigation with a repeat performance.”

Whale held a finger to his lips, letting loose what she was sure someone had once told him was a panty dropping smile. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

The next time Emma got it into her head to take a man to bed, she was going to make sure she was across state lines first. Hell, maybe even across the border. Anything to ensure she never, ever found herself in this situation again.

“As tempting as that sounds,” she said, with forced sincerity, “I think I’m gonna pass. No,” she said, holding up a hand as he moved closer. “It’s okay. I can see myself out.”

Twenty minutes and a few wrong turns later, Emma was back in the patrol car again, heater blasting, scrolling through her contacts with numb fingers.

“Graham, hey. Bad time?”

“Is there any other time?” he drawled.

Emma stifled her eye roll. “You’re funny, you know that? I knew I kept you around for a reason.”

“That and my charming personality,” he pointed out.

“Of course,” she agreed. “Can’t forget that. Any chance you put those charms to work and got Michael Tillman to open the garage for you?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know what I’m looking for. Didn’t we already dust and bag everything in Kathryn’s car?”

“We thought so, but back then this was just a disappearance. Now it’s a murder. Check again. Especially the backseat.”

“The backseat?” Graham repeated.

“Kathryn was driving from home to the office when she disappeared. It’s a straight line, and she had no reason to deviate. So either she stopped for someone, or they were already in the car when she got in. Check the backseat.”

“If I find anything, do I earn myself a Boston Kreme?” he asked hopefully.

“You find anything, I’ll buy you a whole box.”

#cssns #cs ff #cs au #cross my heart #cs au ff

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thedeaditeslayer · 6 years ago

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ART OF DARKNESS | An Interview with GRAHAM HUMPHREYS.

This interview from Starburst Magazine features a lot of coverage with Humphreys’ work on the Evil Dead trilogy.

Legendary poster artist GRAHAM HUMPHREYS talks horror, his long career, influences, the evils of Photoshop, and more!

STARBURST: One of your most celebrated earliest works was the iconic UK theatrical poster for Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, a film which was soon to be dragged unfairly into the whole Video Nasty controversy. Do you think that the notoriety the film gained during this time helped or hindered your career?

Graham Humphreys: The Evil Dead got its UK distribution in 1983, two years before the Video Recordings Act came into law in September 1985. At the age of 23, two years seemed more like ten years at the time and I don’t recall any significant impact on my career during that period. This was for two main reasons, the first being that I was not particularly aware of most of the films that had become a target for the silly and hysterical tabloids, and thus oblivious to how their removal and savage editing might impact on choice or, indeed, the morality of an infantilised nation. Secondly, The Evil Dead had already been censored with a significant number of cuts for the theatrical, and therefore, simultaneous video, release. Mostly, these were simply to reduce the running time on particularly graphic scenes, although I think the eye gouging was almost entirely removed from the original version I’d been shown at a screening. So as far as I was aware, censorship was already in place for VHS. Of course I hadn’t really been introduced to the many European films and the rarely seen, contentious US art-house films that had begun to flood the shelves in the burgeoning VHS rental shops. As we know, many videos were pulled simply because of the titles themselves. It was enough that they sounded as if they might offend! My real introduction to, for instance, Argento and Fulci films came through Richard Stanley, whilst we storyboarded his first feature, Hardware. My film knowledge had been UK/US centric until that point, with the exception of televised European Cinema. If I had to identify any impact on my career, it will presumably have been positive. A Nightmare on Elm Street was released in the UK around the time of the Video Recordings Act coming into law. So if The Evil Dead gave me my first entry into horror marketing, Nightmare’cemented my position within the genre. It’s important to add that the majority of my freelance work at the time did not fit into the genre category. In order to earn a living I was working on a whole raft of other illustration commissions, completely non-horror related. It’s only in the last ten years that I’ve been working almost exclusively in the genre.

It’s heartening to see that you’ve routinely revisited the Evil Dead franchise many times over your career, including the recently sold out vinyl reissue of the original’s score, The Evil Dead – A Nightmare Reimagined; is there anything in particular about that series that inspires you to keep returning?

In truth, it’s not my decision. I am reliant on being commissioned for any job. Although I rarely turn down work, and only do so because of deadline or budget issues, it is always a thrill to return to an earlier title that has been so formative in my career. As with most artists, I perceive only the weaknesses in my work and each chance to make amends is welcome! I have to work within the limits of my ability and experience, returning to a title like The Evil Dead gives me a chance to experiment with ideas and techniques that I didn’t have at the time. The soundtrack you mentioned is an interesting example because the art is not promoting the film as such but rather an appendage, albeit an important one. My personal challenge involved not simply creating a cover for the film, but using it as visual resource. I wanted to use the four panels of the gatefold as a picture book. The cover is thus a rather restrained image compared to the blood drenched final panel within. The discovery of the taped recording is not an explosive gore-filled scene, but the moment where the horror begins, thus Ash is still looking clean and fresh faced. The tape reel is a direct reference to my original poster. A film poster has to capture the essence of a film in a single panel. The gatefold LP format is four such ‘posters’, two double spreads, each a separate chapter. My second version of the Evil Dead 2 poster, the licensed screenprint, was another chance to create a poster from scratch, as if seeing the film for the first time, yet also acknowledging that which had gone before. I suspect I’ll be returning to the woods again!

Speaking of that iconic Evil Dead 2 poster, how did it feel to see that piece so lovingly referenced by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg in the debut season of Spaced?

I didn’t see the original run of Spaced, so was unaware of the poster’s use. In fact, I think I was only made aware whilst preparing some ultimately unused concepts for a Shaun of the Dead cinema poster. Naturally, it was a thrill to finally see the series and how the poster was featured so prominently. When Tim inadvertently recreates the pose on the poster, it reminded me of how I’d photographed a friend posing in the exact same way to provide my reference for the original painting! I used a lot of Polaroid photographs in the eighties. Whenever you see a hand in a piece of my artwork, it’s usually mine. Even in the recent Blu-ray cover for Arrow films Blood and Black Lace, that’s me dressed in black! I used a camera on a 10 second timer!

Moving away from Raimi’s franchise, which other genre properties have been favourites to work on?

Aside from The Evil Dead, only A Nightmare on Elm Street provided a number of sequential commissions. I was a fan of the first film, after seeing a preview screening at London’s Scala Cinema. This was some months before being asked to illustrate the eventual UK poster campaign. I appreciated the risk Palace Pictures took by returning to my services. Nightmare’ was completely different to The Evil Dead and the last thing they required was the crude punk rock exploitation look of the 1983 artwork. Most clients pigeonhole artists’ work; I can’t imagine any other client would have had the foresight to make the decision. I then worked on each of the four sequels - the third was my work, though not an illustration - plus a number of Nightmare’ related jobs. Another film I’ve returned to - pun intended - is The Return of the Living Dead. I was unhappy with my original VHS cover, simply because I felt I didn’t have the skills to pull off what I’d intended - this despite the fact that people clearly liked the sleeve - so I recreated the art for a dedicated Blu-ray screening event, really as an experiment. Since then I’ve painted a book cover - Cult Screenings’ 245 Trioxin - and a Shout Factory US Blu-ray release. There was also a hybrid Re-Animator/Return of the Living Deadposter for the Cult Screenings Don Calfa event.

It’s probably safe to say that the vast majority of our readers miss the days of artwork posters and sleeves; why do you think that the studios and distributors moved away from the medium in the ’90s?

Easy answer - Photoshop! It wasn’t an available tool until then. Photocomposition was an expensive process prior to the ‘affordable’ introduction of the software. The skills involved in splicing large format transparencies, re-photographing them and retouching using bleaches and dyes to hide the joins, made it the work of highly skilled artists. Even the early version of computer ‘comping’ involved using specialised facilities, desktop computing was still unaffordable for most designers... the expense was enormous. But I realised very quickly that unlike the tradition of transparency retouching, new computer ‘comping was entirely technology-led and often lacked the artist’s eye. Unfortunately, this is still often the case. High definition has replaced suggestion. I also suspect that as film studios found their talent ever more demanding of obscenely large fees, the need to make full use of an expensive face took over from merely expressing the film’s subject matter. Photography took over. It is slightly disappointing that in a market awash with Photoshop portraiture, there is also a new visual illiteracy. The beautiful posters created by Saul Bass are a prime example of how film marketing moved away from his symbolism to a new literalism, becoming infantilised by Photoshop. As Quentin Tarantino observed, contemporary film posters look more like ‘Vogue covers’. Pouting, overpaid actors retouched in high definition. Painted images are a springboard of suggestion and imagination. A photograph, no matter how beautiful, is simply that.

Conversely, the rise of home video distributors specialising in cult & classic reissues like Arrow and Eureka has created a hunger for newly commissioned artwork. Do you feel that the trend may ever come full circle and return to the mainstream at all?

That’s doubtful. Illustrated images are mostly used for reissues, ancillary campaigns or independent films with limited distribution, but rarely first run releases. However, I think that’s fine. In many ways, there will always be more freedom of expression where the reductive, corporate needs of accountants, executives and moneyed interns are factored out. Modern film marketing is led by money people, not art directors. It may always have been a ‘business’, but it often seems there is little encouragement for true mavericks or creative outsiders right now. In the same way that major releases tend to be franchises, sequels or star vehicles, the campaigns are reflective of a homogenised business where risk is discouraged. But hey, never say never!

Which artists would you say have influenced your style and, or, career?

It’s a mix. I take inspiration wherever it arises. From my early childhood, visits to the local library - I was fascinated by religious depictions of demons and hell - all easily accessible images of horror! And of course, the Bible is full of gratuitously shocking imagery. I didn’t have a particularly religious upbringing, though like many of my generation, Sunday school was just one of those things that you went to as routine. The promise of Sunday school outings to the coast was the biggest draw. It’s curious to look back and see that I was ‘confirmed’ as a Christian in my early teens - before I really understood the contexts and realities of ‘faith’. I’m now atheist. As an amusing aside, my nose bled during the confirmation! I also served at the altar in the local church. I consider it an induction into the world of ‘gothic’! I then found myself becoming aware of book covers and film posters; the magical touchstone for many was Dennis Gifford’s A Pictorial History of Horror Movies. Tom Chantrell’s cover was easily the biggest catalyst for everything that followed. Some film posters stood out more than others, but many of the US posters seemed to be painted by jobbing artists with their own specialist areas - US civil war, cowboys, landscapes - and quite how they ended up providing some of the most memorable ‘disaster movie’ posters is something I’ve always thought was rather odd. I’ve named Chantrell, but in the UK, Vic Fair created some amazing work. From the US - Drew Struzan, Bob Peak, Richard Amsel and J.C. Leyendecker. The printed posters of Jules Cheret, Toulouse Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. The new generation of British illustrators that emerged during my college years. The work of Saul Bass and graphic artists too numerous to catalogue... Sometimes it might only be one particular piece of work from an individual’s entire output. But I also take inspiration from the abstract and tribal... and a particular love of Tibetan sacred art.

Many of our readers, and writers for that matter, will have grown up with at least one of your movie posters tacked to their bedroom walls; who or what adorned yours?

I should have added both Bruce Pennington and Roger Dean to that last answer. They both adorned mine! Now it’s almost all vintage posters - the Universal monster films, Corman’s Poe films and many of the Hammer Horror - there seems to be a lot of Christopher Lee and Vincent Price! But yes, back then I had a copy of Jaws, Earthquake and The Hindenburg as my first collected film posters.

How long would you say on average commission takes to complete?

Depending on the complexity, a painting might take anywhere between two and four days, maximum five. The fee often decides what time you can allow. If I spent two weeks on a job that was only covering the fee of one day, I’d be out of business pretty fast. The preliminary process - viewing a film, making grabs, the sketching etc. - can often be completed in a day. This time is generally not covered in the fee; I tend to quote on the painting process!

A studio or distributor gets in touch - can you walk us through the process of creating a piece?

It��s often been different in the past, but the process has been whittled down to a fairly simple set of stages. 1) The initial contact and acceptance of a job - once a budget and deadline has been mutually agreed. 2) Viewing the film, or materials, to get a measure of the subject and an understanding of how best to approach the project - the client will usually indicate upfront any particular requests... ie. required imagery or portraiture. 3) Selecting the imagery I feel works best, usually screen grabs, and sketching the various elements - portraiture is almost always traced from the photographic source using printouts - it’s the most efficient way of ensuring a likeness. Sometimes I’ll supplement the images with my own photography and web searches, or composite the grabs with other poses, or perhaps add a close-up to a wider body shot, to keep the best portrait reference. 4) Scan the pencil sketch elements into Photoshop and play around with compositions, exploring focal elements or key ‘moments’, always searching for the most impactful or meaningful combinations. 5) Email the layouts to the client and - all being well - agree on the preferred option. 6) Reintroduce the original photographic sources over my pencil layout, creating a crude photo-comp in Photoshop. 7) Print out the comp to the size I intend to paint. 8) Trace onto the paper - I generally use Bockingford 190gsm, ‘not’ surface - a pitted effect that allows for more texture when painting. 9) Use masking tape to secure the paper to a wooden board I use for the purpose. 10) Cover the paper surface in a wash of colours that will form the base of my colour theme, using splashes of additional colour or clear water to particular areas - always having a rough version of the finished item in my head. 11) During the previous process, the paper will buckle, forming ‘valleys’ where the paint will run into shapes and forms that will add a spontaneous look - the paper dries flat because of the taped edges - so once dry I’ll usually start by defining the darkest areas, the basic shadows and contours, almost a drawing rather than a painted image. 12) Then I’ll concentrate on the key portraiture, moving around the painting, most often from top left to bottom right, so as not to disturb the painted surface resting my hand as I paint, or using bits of clean paper to protect the surface. 13) Take constant breaks to keep reviewing with fresh eyes... one of the most important devices I also use, a piece of mirror that I constantly check the progress with. It has a two-fold purpose: to see the reflected painting as if for the first time, but also to keep in check the tendency to skew imagery. If you’re right-handed it’s easy to find a bias of angles from bottom left to top right, and in reverse if left-handed. Using a mirror to check this will quickly reveal the bias. 14) Complete the painting by ensuring important detail is included, portraits are as good as the paint will allow, and that there is a cohesion and balance to the overall layout. The addition of a few carefully administered splatters using a worn brush is the final stage. 15) A quick photo is often taken for the client to see the results and identify any glaring issues. Fortunately, these are rare. Then the final scan and any necessary final tweaks in Photoshop, usually adding a bit more extra bleed, but generally retaining the integrity of the original item. 16) Invoice and get paid!

It’s probably akin to picking a favourite child, but which piece are you most proud of?

Once a job is complete I tend to dislike it - it’s part of the natural process where you keep re-evaluating what you do, always striving to improve. Of course budgets and deadlines conspire against ideal results. For this reason it might take a year or two for me to regard a job as something I can feel comfortable with. I’m always trying to look through the eyes of a stranger, judging my work and finding fault... it’s the only way to move forward! So I can’t really identify favourites, just successes. My easy copout is always the same... the job I’m most proud of? I’ve not painted it yet!

If fans want to get their hands on your work, where can they point their wallets?

The best place they can spend that money is on the final product - Blu-ray, LP or whatever – that way I’m more likely to be recommissioned by the client! However, my website has a section which shows what folio prints are currently available. There is no online shop, but my email address is easily found on the site and I can respond with prices etc. Very easy! The large format book Drawing Blood, published by Proud Gallery, is still available, though I have no access to stock. The gallery - proudonline.co.uk - will sell you one, as will Amazon. It’s a bit pricey - sorry, out of my control - but it comes in a special box and with a limited edition giclée print. People seem to like it! And any convention where I’m a guest, I’ll always have prints, booklets and posters. As my work is paint on paper, rather than digital, I have originals that I’m also happy to sell. Prices are set according to the amount of work and subject matter.

Are you able to tell us about any upcoming projects that our readers should be excited about?

Not without compromising the confidentiality of the client! But there are some fun items I’m currently very excited about personally. Perhaps a favourite film, a favourite TV series... I’ll say no more!

For more on Graham Humphreys’ incredible work, be sure to visitwww.grahamhumphreys.com. To contact about prices and/or commissions, reach out using [email protected]

#Graham Humphreys #Evil Dead #Evil Dead II #Army of Darkness #The Evil Dead #artist

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tkmedia · 3 years ago

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2021 NBA free agency: 45 players who could be available, including Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, Mike Conley

Getty Images The 2021 free-agent class could have been flashier. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George signed contract extensions before the season, Chris Paul seems unlikely to leave the Western Conference champions and Kawhi Leonard never seemed like a real free agent, even before his ACL injury. To the degree that there's buzz about superstars changing teams, it's about the trade market, not free agency. This class remains interesting, though, because of some of the veteran All-Stars and better-than-usual restricted free agents involved. The New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs can all get in the free-agent game, and it's possible that the Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies could join them. This list of 45 free agents is not a ranking, but the players have been grouped into categories that (hopefully) make it easier to digest. It will be updated and expanded before free agency begins on Aug. 6.

Looking for an All-Star caliber vet?

Conley was a crucial part of the Jazz's spectacular regular season, and he can't reasonably be blamed for their exit in the playoffs. He's one of their few above-average defenders, and he finally made his first All-Star team on the strength of his best offensive season since 2016-17. Utah might have reservations about committing long-term money to a 33-year-old point guard, but it's not as if it would have cap space if he walked. Unless Utah is OK with taking a major step back, it should try to retain Conley and address the roster's lack of defensive versatility on the margins. Lowry arrived in Toronto in 2012, was almost traded in 2014, re-signed for a second time in 2017, won a championship in 2019 and was almost traded again this March. He's 35 years old, seeking a chance to compete for another title and what might be his last big payday. There's a case for him returning to the Raptors, but they'll have competition from contenders that see him as the missing piece and non-contenders that think he can be their Chris Paul. New York has a hole at point guard, Lowry is close with Miami's Jimmy Butler and he should have several sign-and-trade options on the table. He can play on and off the ball and remains one of the league's best help defenders. DeRozan, 31, is coming off the best playmaking season of his career, in which he averaged 7.4 assists and 2.1 turnovers per 36 minutes, to go with the refined midrange scoring and elite free throw rate he's known for. If his time is up in San Antonio, then the offense-starved Knicks are a compelling theoretical landing spot. He'd hardly solve their spacing problem, though, and he's not the cleanest fit next to R.J. Barrett -- any team interested in DeRozan needs to be able to put shooters around him and put the ball in his hands.

RFAs of intrigue

Collins could tell you why he deserves a max or near-max extension, but his playoff performance speaks for itself. Despite being out of his offensive comfort zone next to Clint Capela, Collins found all sorts of ways to help the Hawks, answering questions about his ability to affect winning. Collins' counting stats don't show it, but he improved this season, mainly on defense, and there's now a two-year sample of 40-percent shooting from deep. Twenty-three-year-old players this talented usually sign rookie extensions, and every team that can put itself in a position to issue him an offer sheet should at least explore it. Hard to imagine Atlanta not matching, though. Ball improved his 3-point volume and free throw shooting again, but his main strengths are still his main strengths: Passing, particularly in transition; defense, particularly off the ball; rebounding and top-tier basketball IQ. There will be a limit on how effective he is in the halfcourt until he becomes a scoring threat inside the arc, but he's just 23 and brings so much to the table in every other facet of the game. While he pairs well with Zion Williamson in New Orleans, it's unclear if the front office will be willing to invest heavily in him after adding guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis Jr. in consecutive drafts. Brown reinvented himself as a do-everything role player in Brooklyn, setting screens for stars and then hitting floaters and finding 3s and layups for teammates in the short roll. He has surely earned himself some suitors, but the Nets have his Bird rights and a deep-pocketed owner. It's not necessarily impossible for another team to pry him away, but it won't be cheap. In an era where specialists are almost extinct, Robinson is an exception to the rule. Sure, he's "just a shooter," but he's a 6-foot-7 shooter who can make contested, on-the-move 3s at high volume. His accuracy dropped from 44.6 percent in 2019-20 to a still-extraordinary 40.8 percent this season, and, if the contracts Joe Harris and Davis Bertans signed last offseason are any indication, his salary is about to rise from $1.7 million to 10 times that. The Heat have all sorts of options this summer, and Robinson's relatively low cap hold means that they should be in a position to re-sign him regardless of whether or not they operate as an over-the-cap team. A second-round success story, Graham's cap hold is only $4.7 million, which gives Charlotte some flexibility. Even if the Hornets elect to use their cap room to chase free agents, they can theoretically bring Graham back with his Bird rights. They have a lot of guards in the mix, including the next player on this list, but coach James Borrego turned that into a strength this past season. Small-market teams tend to hang onto players like Graham, and I'm curious to see whether or not he can get starter-level money. Graham can make plays out of the pick-and-roll, but he didn't expand his offensive repertoire this past season: 67 percent of his shot attempts were from 3-point range. And his 3-point percentage was virtually identical to breakout year, his accuracy on pull-up 3s fell beneath 30 percent. After a rocky first few years, Monk's fourth season was by far his best. This is a feat in itself, given that he got COVID-19 just before training camp started and wasn't in the Hornets' rotation until late January. He shot a career-high 40.1 percent from deep and seemed to find his place as an instant-offense sixth man, a role that was particularly important when Charlotte was without Gordon Hayward, in need of a credible threat off off the bounce. There is upside here given that he's just 23 years old, but the Hornets might be choosing between Monk and Graham, and Monk has a $16 million cap hold. On the surface, Markkanen's 2020-21 season seems impressive -- he averaged 19 points per 36 minutes on 61.9 percent true shooting, finally cracking the 40-percent mark from 3-point range after three years of inefficiency. His free throw rate, usage rate and assist rate were all career lows, though, and a career-high 85 percent of his made shots were assisted. He doesn't fit next to Nikola Vucevic, and if he's going to make good on the promise he has shown since his rookie season, he can't be reduced to a spot-up shooter. A sign-and-trade is probably best for both sides, but could be complicated to execute. Horton-Tucker's emergence was one of the few unequivocal positives to come out of the Lakers' 2020-21 season. A second-round pick in 2019, he earned his spot with a mix of shifty playmaking, defensive versatility and an appetite for getting into the paint. Horton-Tucker is only 20 years old, with one year of experience in an NBA rotation, and anyone trying to steal him from the Lakers will be betting on him turning into a shooter (or perhaps taking on a Brown-like role when off the ball) -- he made just 28.2 percent of his 3s last season and only attempted 3.6 per 36 minutes. The Lakers can use early Bird rights to sign him to multi-year contract starting starting at up to $11 million. Read the full article

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thegnasticious · 5 years ago

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Skeleton Shift

Some people in life love their jobs. Some people loathe them. Some people are born to do certain jobs sometimes well, other’s not so much so. It’s a fine line in labor of what you can and can’t do, what you can and can’t mentally handle and so forth. Few jobs in my life I loved as much as what I would call the ‘Skeleton Shift’.

It all started working a dead-end job at a local restaurant. I got the position from my Uncle, he believed I’d be perfect for it. My first shift was cleaning the urinal and toilets. Then I had to broom up some broken glass from an accident in the bar area outside the restroom, I cut myself in the process. I tried to cover it up but I was bleeding through the rag I balled up. I hid the rag in the kitchen, they then had me move some oversized tray, I’m talking huge, like two of me sized without a cart or nothing. The cut was really festering as I neared the table and I lost my balance. Some 50$ or so of food went tumbling to the floor.

This being my third or so job that year, it was another horrible mess up. The manager saw the mess I had made and because of how long everything took me, they said they wouldn’t want me coming back there again.

Late the next night I stayed up looking for opportunities in the local area. The prospers were horrible unless I wanted to try to own a car dealership or work up at the local Wendy’s. It felt like being in a black hole. What about museum jobs, Libraries, old buildings etc.? The only things I could find were devoid of any historical pertinence and most likely LLC. That was until about the 13th page of internet results. I found a weird locally brewn and hosted site offering positions at a local graveyard called TInley Grounds. The main posting on the page read:

Now Hiring! Late-Night Graveyard Guard

Minimal experience required, people skills preferred, hours from midnight until 7 a.m., pay can be discussed as while as specific responsibilities in interview

Contact Bob Neyer at 17089723633

I called early the next day. It wrung a few times then went out quicker then most calls. An automated text came back, “Sorry! Bob is not here right now. If you are calling about an interview please hold on the line”.

I held on, then heard something I could only describe as a either a 90′s dial up tone or a horribly recorded river feeding through a broken mixer. A sharp ring seemed to pick up in my ears, I had to hold the phone away for a few seconds,

“Hello?”, A voice sounded, I picked the phone back up.

“This is Bob”, It said.

“Did you call for an interview?”, he continued.

“Yes, my name is Graham. That’s all I like to go by if it’s alright”, I said.

“Ok Graham, to start the interview I have a few questions, some obscure some not I would like you to answer honestly and to the best of you ability”, Bob said.

“Alright”, I said.

“Do you have a fear of unexpected door knocks?”, Bob asked.

“It depends on if I know who’s knocking”, I said.

“Do you take late night calls from strangers?”, Bob asked.

“It depends on who’s calling”, I responded.

“Do you have experience managing a team of 5 or more people without the help of a lead and/or leader”, Bob asked.

“Yes”, I responded.

“If I came to you right now and told you that this would be the last job you’d have to work in your life, would you be afraid or accepting of me?”

“It depends on who you are”, I said.

“Alright, 4 down 3 to go. Most people never make it this far. I will say if you were wrong this phone call would of ended much more sooner. Do you have a fear of strangers?”

“Yes”, I said.

“Would you help a hitchhiker off the road late at night, middle of nowhere?”

“No”, I said.

“The last question, do you have experience with firearms?”

“Yes”, I said.

A brief pause happened and another noise sounded, this time more piercing then the last.

Another voice chimed in this one was robotic and feminine unlike Bob’s deep and strangely familiar voice.

“Your results are in, we will contact you shortly about the position! Goodbye!”, it said, then cut the call.

The next day I didn’t tell a soul about the odd interview I had. Some little voice in the back of my head told me if I really wanted the position to keep it to myself and that call would finally come. Being silent about it was a part of the test. Living alone and single, it wouldn't be much of a test at all. I was perfect for the position, but not having set foot on the grounds yet, I found myself intimidated. I did some research on the place and found it was considered ‘the most haunted cemetery in America’ with reports of spooks and spectors, as well as murders & suicides dating back to the 1800′s. People believed the area to be cursed by Native Americans forming a portal still active in modern times. Commonly associated with inducing feeling of out-of-time proportions the place was believed to be a river of energy of sorts, flowing time either slower or faster with it’s energy. From the rumors I read, this was believed to cause ‘fake’ ghosts as well as ‘real’ ones in the area.

Two days later, a strange call came to my phone.

I answered and that weird tone sounded, followed by the Woman’s voice,

“Your results are in! You are a perfect match for our position! The pay rate is 10.75$ You will need uniform which we will supply to you via shipping in the next week. We do not openly insist on the experience of firearms and we supply a local radio/phone as well as Billy club for emergencies. We are happy to have you here, at Tinley Grounds. Your first shift is scheduled for next Monday at Zero hour and/or Midnight til 7 A.M”, it said.

The next week seemed to go by in slow motion. I couldn’t describe it but with anything I did it seemed the clocks were constantly working against me. I checked the sky to see if the clouds moved the same. It was like an endless day. Finally the uniform showed, A Dark Navy Blue get-up embroidered “Tinley Grounds Night Guard”, in Gold stitching. The uniform lacked conventional tags or identifiers of size, I also didn’t even send my size, but it fit perfectly. Something about it, the opportunity, the uniform, the call, felt homebrewn but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Not until the first couple of shifts I worked.

The first week I took it was to be a sort of test. When I showed up to the Ground’s little guard hut, I was scheduled every day as per a little piece of paper stamped to a bulletin board. I took it that there was no other guard on duty.

I found most nights, I didn’t want to leave the hut. It was frigid cold outside this time of year, being January and short of a shotgun blast level noise, I wasn’t gonna check on something I didn’t have to.

It was on the 3rd night, that a strange knocking started at the hut’s door. Faint at first, I attempted to ignore it. With each attempt the knocks grew louder and louder constantly fixing my attention back to the door. By my faith and family, I refused to believe in ghosts up until that moment, when I finally opened the door.

Outside was what looked to be a little girl. She smelled sweet of lilacs and dirt seemed to be scattered about as if she had been playing in the mud. This dirt was falling off her as she looked at me, almost generating from a nervousness she more had of me than I had of her.

“Little girl, what are you doing in a cemetery this late at night? Haven’t you a Mother or some sort of caretaker?”, I asked.

She just stared at me, two little blue pearls gazing. As we met eyes she vanished into thin air. All that remained was the strange soot she left at the door.

I for some reason did not feel afraid of her. The next day a call came through saying my pay would be raised up 30 cents with little to no explanation of why.

I returned to the cemetery that night with a new found curiosity of who that girl might of been. Most of the 16 gravestones left had no mention of someone aged like her, could she of been one of the graves that had been vandalized?

I thought deeply about it the next night. Those familiar knocks sounded right around 3:00 a.m. I opened the door and this time she was crying. The mud smeared around her eyes and she would not even look at me, she reached out her hand, and held mine. Her hand was very cold, she smelled sweet like candy, but followed with a strange rotten bitterness. She led me to the back of the cemetery towards a gathering of trees, at one point she began to speak, light emulating from her eyes and mouth with each syllable. Her eyes and mouth, etc. seemed to have vanished forming a mass of flesh more or less. The mass shot lights in all directions and began sucking everything around it in. I clung to a tree branch, but the well of gravity broke the branch and sucked me into it’s endless darkness.

A loud knock sounded and I awoke in the guard hut. Apparently I had dozed off, I checked to see what the knock was and nothing was there. I decided to walk back to that spot the little girl had shown me to see if anything was there. To my surprise there was six new plots, unmarked.

The rest of the night proceeded as usual. Something told me again not to call about those plots, but it didn’t ask me in words or out right. Any time I thought about the sorts of things it didn’t seem to want me to, it would turn my stomach like a metal handle. This thing first started stalking me when my Mother and Father passed in a car crash years ago. I never told many people but I felt they were killed by this phantom, there was no other car found or sighted around their completely totaled, bashed up car. It used to bother me when they’d leave me alone because I felt like they were feeding me to it, intentionally, but I tried to think they didn't mean to when he would finally show up. The night of their crash was one of the few times this spirit was nice to me.

From then on it became my sort of caretaker. I would get unmarked envelopes of money, presents at my doorstep, it was always there for me. I never thought that some day I might meet the thing or that it would go to such an extent to meet me. A dark hooded figure startled me shortly before the sun was to rise. It seemed to glide about as if carried by a cold, early morning wind. The darkness of his cloak entwined with the dark of the sky and fought the morning rays. It’s presence seemed to be the time fluctuation itself, a true darkness. The hut felt warm around me as I gazed, a light grey smoke seemed to teem from where the body would be, it floated to the graves and a body amassed within the hood. Something about the thing felt oddly familiar, like Bob’s voice. A strange familiarity more or less not a relative kind. I knew not to approach it and I watched it in silence. From the 6th grave it lifted a mass of dirt as if it was nothing, a light shone from the grave. The hooded figure held out long muscular arms, charging the light below, then vanished into the air.

Shocked from the spectacle I just saw, I didn’t know if I should leave the hut or not. I waited for the sun to begin to rise a little, then approached the grave.

I looked down into the dirt square to see the casket completely open. Inside was a fairly beautiful young woman looking as if she had never died. I leaned into the grave to check her pulse, she seemed to be breathing. As I reached out her eyes opened and she lunged out and grabbed me. Then she kissed me and exclaimed “Johnny I knew you’d come back for me, oh but I’m late, oh so late for Biology”, A set of books appeared in her hands and all of the dirt on her clothes lifted. She floated out of the casket weightless and flew into the morning sky.

I stood there baffled at the open grave and figured, I probably shouldn't tell anyone about what I had experienced.

Weirder yet was the day at Bremen High. Most of the discrepancy began with an estranged ‘transfer’ student, fairly undocumented, insisting a certain occupied locker was actually hers, this somehow led to a fistfight between two girls. The first punch being thrown by the ‘transfer’ student led to a school level dispute when the student mysteriously disappeared before an investigation could commence.

When I returned the next night, I found her back in the casket now sleeping. I closed the lid and as I did a cold hand grabbed my shoulder. I turned to see the Hooded man, he lifted his hood to unveil a very human appearance. I couldn’t place who he was but he was a perfect sort of distant familiar.

“I’m Bob”, he said in a voice I recognized as the one I had heard in my head quite frequently and on the phone.

“I am the true caretaker of this cemetery, most of your job is a front, besides this part”, he said pointing a bony skeleton arm to the Woman in the grave.

“You are to close her casket nightly, every shift, covering the casket in sleep, the three children buried beside only awake in the December and every so often to play, I’ll handle that, the other grave is an old Man he need not be disturbed and the last is a real bastard. I tried to warn you about him but I suspect he got to you already, that night you fell asleep on the job. No worries, you’re still here now so he couldn’t of taken you that far. But next time, there is a gun hidden beneath the cabin desk in a corner, if you want to make sure there’s not a next time, catch Old Skinny before he catches you and shoot that fucker in the head, that’s the only way he’ll go down, just the way he was hit by the mob some 40 or so years ago”, he paused, looked down in the grave and blew a cold mist about, “I couldn’t forgive myself if anything else bad happened to her, for your silence and efforts I’ll raise your pay incrementally”.

“Oh and you might need this”, he concluded, handing me a golden shovel. Then disappeared.

I recovered her grave with loose soil and the knocks subsided that night. Apparently she was the little girl as well. I don’t know if age or time for that matter makes sense to the dead. Early that morning, Bob appeared lifting the soil again, so she could again attempt to return to Bremen High.

Coincidentally the locker she had been haunting was vacated and she found it empty like she had seen it some 50 or so years ago. She followed her old class schedule and no one seemed to notice the peculiar new girl. At the time she passed she was aged about a Junior, so no one could tell that she was nearly 50 years older. She learned of the stars as they never were before and learned of new things she never thought possible. The tastes and smells of modern life was intoxicating to her. So much so she was not just a ghost of Bremen High but almost a living person. All until the bell rings and no one remembers the strange girl who one day sat in on their class for no reason.

Some people tried to make friends with her, whilst other’s quickly forgot. All inevitably forgot with passage of time, as her whole existence was nothing more than a constant vanishing act. It was sad to think that for her, this was eternity. At least they gave her a locker

The spooks and scares of Tinley kept the job alive for me for years. Nothing ever quite happened like the first time I met her. Bob stopped showing as he always does and even at a certain point the once seemingly infinite grounds of Tinley, began to again feel finite once again

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wellthatwasaletdown · 7 years ago

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Hello, I'm Here To Be Annoying! (get excited)

Hiiiiii! I’ve been looking over your lovely blog today and I just wanted to contribute, pretty please?

So Harry bought himself a BBC special? How quaint. I’ve read through the anon posts and I think some people are missing what’s right in front of them. A lot of folks are asking ‘why Nick’ and not someone else, but it’s pretty obvious that it’s because Nick will follow the script. Nick is already in Harry’s pocket, so he doesn’t have to worry about him asking questions he doesn’t want or doing anything that Harry doesn’t approve of. He knows how Harry’s routine goes because he’s had so much practice. Harry stays within his very small circle of people like Nick and James Corden because he has control over them. They are already party to his abysmal promo, so he doesn’t have to worry about putting forth any real effort or actually trying. They will play the game the way he wants. Plus, Nick is desperate for fame so he probably agreed to do it for less money than someone like Graham Norton. Additionally, Nick might be the only one who wanted to do it.

The same goes for why Harry hasn’t been on a show like Colbert. No one seems to consider that maybe he hasn’t been invited. Maybe they don’t want him. We know Harry blacklists topics (like 1D) and no doubt has other demands as an obnoxious and entitled arrogant celeb. A lot people don’t have time and don’t want to bother with someone like that. So they don’t invite them to their shows.

Another thing I saw folks questioning is why he isn’t doing something free. A few have already picked up on this, but for those who haven’t, it’s because Harry only cares about money. Period. He will never, ever do anything for free. This isn’t me bashing him, this is fact. It’s already been noted that the only time he has ever bothered to say 'thank you’ to his fans is when they spent money on something for him. Harry is a snob. He is. I know some of you don’t want to believe it, but he is. He likes and wants expensive things, rich friends and a luxurious lifestyle. You don’t get those things by giving stuff away for free. So he never will.

This BBC special will do nothing to garner Harry a new audience and that isn’t the point. This is another Azoff purchased item to give the GP the impression that Harry is more successful than he actually is. The GP don’t follow or care about chart numbers and sales. They don’t know that Niall, Liam and Louis have numerically more successful songs or loads more Spotify listeners than Harry. The only thing that matters to people like Harry and the Azoffs is that he is PERCEIVED as the most famous and most successful. The only thing they care about is if you stop a random person on the street and ask them to name all the members of 1D they will says 'Harry Styles’ first. And maybe only Harry Styles. Why? Because that’s how they plan to get him into the Grammy’s. It’s already been revealed that Grammy voters are old and out of touch. They vote for whatever name they recognize (if they haven’t already been paid for their vote). So Irving’s M.O. is to make sure the old farts that he can’t buy will at least recognize Harry’s name. The music, sales, numbers, none of that matters. It’s purely name recognition.

We know as part of this fandom that Harry doesn’t deserve a TV special to kiss his own ass. It’s appalling, but he bought it so we can’t do anything about it. If you do want other people to know that, don’t watch it. Don’t watch it and don’t record it (DVR programs count toward ratings). We know that brainwashed Harries will buy up the tickets to be in the audience, but if we can make sure the ratings are bad, that can have some impact. That will show people outside the fandom that Harry isn’t what he paying to be portrayed as. I know a lot of you will want to watch it to see if he has magically changed or if it’s going to be different, but just know that it won’t.

Harry clearly thinks that the type of promo being done by Niall, Liam and Louis (you know, actual work) is beneath him. So instead, he purchases himself some big TV show because that’s the level he thinks he deserves. None of this is earned. We know it, but if you don’t watch or record it others will know it too. If the ratings are bad enough, then the next time he tries to do this, the stations are much more likely to say 'no’. Advertisers don’t want their commercials shown during a show no one is watching and TV stations don’t want to lose money due to a lack of advertising, so they will turn him down.

The only way to get to people like Harry and the Azoffs is though their wallet. If this special gets poor ratings, then people will realize that no one wants what Harry is selling and his opportunities will begin to dwindle. It’s not an instant fix, but it may be the only way to eventually open Harry’s eyes to reality (if that’s even possible).

Ok so this is very long and for that, I apologize. Sometimes my thumbs just get away from me!

#Harry Styles #Submission #submission

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5lsehetak · 5 years ago

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Danielle Brooks on Lack of Diversity in Fashion: Ashley Graham ‘Isn’t the Only Plus-Size Model’

True success is developed and built in a multimodal fashion. There is never one sure path to any goal, or one sure path to any climb up the mountain. Success, however, can be built upon following certain covenants or formulas that have been passed down throughout history for us to utilize in our own unique ways. If you follow these covenants, success is sure to follow.

This is the basic law of attraction. In life or business be aware that whatever kind of energy you put into this Universe that is what will come back to you. You will either be rewarded or you will come up short. You are the starting point of every success and failure; therefore, be mindful. Be mindful of what you wish for, for how you speak, for your ethics, your standards, how well you treat others and for what type of attitude and leadership you project.

Many first-time job seekers fail to understand that the hiring process is also very stressful on the hiring side. Employers screen dozens — often hundreds — of résumés, spend countless hours choosing applicants to interview, devote a considerable amount of time to on-site interviews, and then select an applicant to hire. By this point employers are extremely invested in the chosen candidate. So even entry-level candidates have some bargaining power.

Using the power of decision gives you the capacity to get past any excuse to change any and every part of your life in an instant.

Tony Robbins American Author

Success does not happen on its own. It is not something you can wish for and it will show up. You need to bring your idea of success to life. In order to make significant movement forward in business you must be able to count on yourself to produce the actions which are necessary for your evolvement, achievement and success. With the proper motivation you can achieve every goal you set. You can have all the knowledge and skill in the world, but if you are not driven by your belief in what you are doing, by a deeply felt passion to make a difference, then you will not have anything strong.

In order to change any circumstance in your life you must first be able to accept the situation as it is. This law is important because you suffer the most when you cannot accept reality as it is. If reality is not suitable, you have the power to make the decisions which will create the necessary changes. It is easy to get stuck in wanting a certain circumstance to be the answer when clearly it is not. If you cannot move beyond trying to make something have a potential it isn’t capable of manifesting then you cannot not thrive. Know when to accept and let go. Place your feet in a new direction and focus on what you can change. New directions bring new opportunities.

How you can use this for language learning?

Get a set of flashcards for memorizing vocabulary or grammar.

Master the hard pinch to activate your body’s threat response.

Review a category of flash cards. Don’t pinch yourself at this stage.

Review the same category, now adding the pinch for each vocabulary word.

Spend some time studying the card before moving to the next one.

Despite the challenging economy during the past decade, good talent is still hard to find and valued by employers. Furthermore, most employers purposely leave some slack in the salary that they offer, anticipating a negotiation. Failing to do so leaves that extra money on the table. Plus, salary isn’t the only negotiable item: Tuition reimbursement, work schedule, relocation reimbursement, and initial job assignment are some examples of additional negotiable items. Consider what matters most for your career and negotiate those issues.

By negotiating, you’ve shown your employer that you are willing to be assertive and that you know how to negotiate — a valuable skill. You may also learn a few things during the negotiation that will be helpful for future negotiations. Use it as an opportunity to under more about how salaries are determined and how decisions are made in your new organization. Negotiation skills are crucial for your career success, so don’t buy into these myths. If you do your homework and negotiate for what you want.

This presumption often holds women back from negotiating, and it isn’t necessarily true. Of course, negotiating in an aggressive and overbearing manner is not advisable — that is true for both men and women. However, positive, cooperative, and problem-solving strategies are effective for getting a good deal and for building a positive relationship with your counterpart.

The post Danielle Brooks on Lack of Diversity in Fashion: Ashley Graham ‘Isn’t the Only Plus-Size Model’ appeared first on خمسة لصحتك.

source http://www.5lsehetak.com/bs-danielle-brooks-on-lack-of-diversity-in-fashion-ashley-graham-isnt-the-only-plus-size-model/

#خمسة لصحتك،معا من اجل صحة أفضل

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