#gun owners action league

[glennk56]

Jefferson Mappin in 1980s & 1990s.

Jefferson Mappin is a Canadian actor born in Montreal. His film career started in 1978 with a small role in the Canadian/UK crime drama Tomorrow Never Comes starring Oliver Reed and Raymond Burr. I had never heard of him until I saw him in The Freshman a couple of weeks ago. At 6'5" he is always able to find work.

Jefferson Mappin

Most of Mappin's early work was in small roles in Canadian films that as of yet haven't been digitalized. The above stills are from the 1988 Canada/US Sitcom about a professional wrestler, Learning the Ropes, starring football player Lyle Alzado and often real professional wrestlers of the time made guest appearances. Only 13 episodes were produced. The first photo was from the pilot episode and it looks like it was from somebody's old VHS home recording. The next photo is a little better. Jefferson Mappin played a wrestler called Cheetah. It isn't known how many episodes he appeared in.

In 1990 Mappin played a pro wrestler again on an episode of the US/Canada crime drama, T and T, starring Mr. T of course.

Jefferson Mappin played an insane asylum resident in the film Beautiful Dreamers based on true events in 1990.

The Freshman, 1990, starring Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick would fit in right here but Jefferson was barely visible in his scene, so I left it out any photo.

In 1991, Jefferson Mappin plays a real estate agent in the fantasy/drama White Light.

and Mappin as a dry-cleaning employee in an episode of Tropical Heat (nee Sweating Bullets).

Here is Jefferson Mappin as Fatty Rossiter in 1992 in Clint Eastwood's western, Unforgiven.

Here is Jefferson Mappin as a gun shop owner being questioned about a gun purchased in an episode of the TV series Counterstrike in 1993. I like the way he is pressed up against the counter.

Jefferson Mappin is a suspect responsible for a missing girl and human trafficking in this TV movie Spenser: Ceremony in 1993 made 5 years after the series Spenser for Hire ended.

Jefferson again as a gun shop owner in 1995 in an episode of the comedy/drama Due South.

Jefferson Mappin as a tech scientist who loses his memory in an episode of TekWar in 1995.

Jefferson Mappin as a Little League Coach in the TV Movie Shining Time Station: Second Chances in 1995.

Jefferson Mappin plays a Federal Agent in the Sci-Fi Action film Expect No Mercy in 1995.

[sloshed-cinema]

Le cercle rouge (1970)

Silence may be golden, but it’s also a key driver of tension in Jean-Pierre Melville’s heists. The simple pleasure of a complicated heist pulled off never gets old, as evidenced in everything from Ocean’s 11 to The League of Gentlemen and beyond. But few balance the effort on a knife’s edge better than the jewel heist at the climax of Le cercle rouge. While little more than a cursory casing of the joint clues us in on the security obstacles—cameras, a locking mechanism on the wall, electronic safes for jewel cases—there is still an intricacy to the burglary. The film cues us into this sort of tension building early on as we witness the prisoner Vogel manage to pick the lock of his handcuff and escape his train transport. Every sound or stray movement could clue the inspector escorting him on this journey that something is afoot and botch the escape attempt in an instant. We grit our teeth as he clutches the opened cuff perilously, undoing one of the bunk supports before taking the leap. Sure, he’s evading justice for a mystery offense, but it’s so damn fun to see it pulled off! The same applies later as Corey and Vogel cut the glass of the window to get into the jewelry boutique. Any stray noise could alert the guard and spell doom for their mission. Sound design feeds in with immaculate choices in editing: when to linger, when to switch to a perspective shot, at what points to push in close or take in a whole space, all of these decisions have an effect in the way that the audience experiences the excitement of the sequence. The actions carried out may be the clinical work of experts, but they should be conveyed in an engaging way. Though there’s still room for the human touch in actions here: marksman Jansen has been overcoming alcoholism during the course of planning this heist, checking his hands for shaking and fighting off monsters. In the heist, he brings along a tripod to aim at the wall lock, but in a sudden passion he aims himself and fires his specially formulated bullet successfully unassisted. This is the kind of feel-good moment we crave in a burglary!

After Inspector Mattei is tasked with capturing the man who escaped him at the start of the film, his superior officer notes that all men are criminals, that nobody is truly innocent after birth. While its conclusion ensures that nobody “gets away with it,” what transpires in its duration is more morally grey than that punchline. Corey spends the film pursued by his former associate Rico, who is driven by revenge after his heavies are killed by Corey and Vogel enforcing his will in what begins as a sort of marriage of convenience. He pursues them illicitly, but also has the option to use the police force as an arm of that revenge. Meanwhile Mattei, while he dotes on his kitties at home, has his own machinations: trying to get local club owner Santi to spill on the criminal underworld, he orchestrates for his son to be picked up on trumped-up marijuana charges. That quickly spins out of control, showing that Mattei is both less impeccable at his game than he believes and more amoral than he would like to think. He gets his man in the end, but at a great cost.

THE RULES

SIP

Someone says 'job'.

A gun is holstered.

A round red object appears in frame.

BIG DRINK

A wipe transition is used in the edit.

Someone is introduced in a scene by reaching into frame.

[ausetkmt]

The alerts from groups representing Black and Latino Americans come as the state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, is expected to enter the 2024 presidential race with a campaign built on tenets of the conservative agenda he’s fostered in Florida.

The NAACP issued a travel advisory for Florida “in direct response to … DeSantis’ aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools,” the group said Saturday in a statement.

“Beware that your life is not valued,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson told CNN on Monday. He cited a new DeSantis-backed law allowing gun owners to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, as well as education policies that include a ban on teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation through 12th grade.

The announcement came days after LULAC – the League of United Latin American Citizens – issued a travel advisory for Florida after DeSantis signed a new immigration law that will go into effect in July.

Both LULAC and the NAACP say actions under the DeSantis administration are “hostile” to their communities.

“Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals,” the NAACP said. “Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”

Under DeSantis, Florida has banned the teaching of critical race theory, which acknowledges systemic racism is a part of American history and challenges the beliefs that allowed it to flourish. The governor said the concept would teach children “the country is rotten and that our institutions are illegitimate.”

DeSantis has supported legislation barring instruction that suggests anyone is privileged or oppressed based on their race or skin color. His administration also blocked a preliminary version of a new Advanced Placement course for high school students on African American studies, with Florida’s Department of Education saying it “significantly lacks educational value.”

The NAACP said DeSantis’ actions are “in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon.”

“Let me be clear: Failing to teach an accurate representation of the horrors and inequalities that Black Americans have faced and continue to face is a disservice to students and a dereliction of duty to all,” said Johnson, the NAACP president.

CNN has sought comment from DeSantis’ office.

After the DeSantis administration rejected the AP African American studies course, the NAACP distributed 10,000 books to 25 predominantly Black communities across Florida in collaboration with the American Federation of Teachers’ Reading Opens the World program, the NAACP said.

The majority of the books donated were titles banned under the state’s increasingly restrictive laws. The NAACP continues to encourage local branches and youth councils to start community libraries to ensure access to representative literature.

The NAACP also decried Florida’s new concealed weapon law, which also states gun owners no longer have to take any training before carrying a concealed weapon outside the home. It goes into effect July 1.

The NAACP president said such measures are “not business-attractive policies” and urged members to consider holding conventions outside of Florida.

“The policies that he has put in place are harmful policies to far too many individuals,” Johnson said.

This isn’t the first time the NAACP has issued a travel advisory for a state. In 2017, the NAACP warned people of color about traveling to Missouri after the state passed Senate Bill 43, which made it more difficult for employees to prove their protected class, such as race or gender.

While the governor said the new law put Missouri’s standards for lawsuits in line with other states, the NAACP said it allows unlawful discrimination.

[darwins-finch]

This is actually a very common tactic used by conservatives to justify their wrong actions. It's called a protested projection, it's a form of extreme narcissistic misguiding. Every accusation is an admission of guilt, she should be the one to apologize and knows it. Even to go so far to insist she is rejecting an apology she has not received.

Contemporary examples include:

1.) A priest who has illicit pornography of minors accuses Drag Queens of being groomers.

2.) A woman who had an abortion at 19 so she could go to an Ivy League University campaigns all abortion should be made illegal saying women should take responsibility for their actions.

3.) Gun owner rights activists call for a ban of queer event organizers, immigrants, or any group they don't like from carrying/owning assault weapons.

4.) Police calling for the outlaw of protesters wearing face masks or armor while also advocating the wearing riot gear to break up a protest or plain clothes to conduct no knock warrants and not asking themselves, "why do protesters need armor?"

5.) Straight men saying "not all men" while also in the same breath threatening violence if a gay man were to ever pass a compliment on them.

6.) A white man who lives in a white neighborhood and works as a manger where every position of leadership is held by a white man while being in a racially diverse city, criticizing affirmative action and proclaiming he "was hired on merit." (His dad owns the company).

7.) Billionaire CEOs accusing the 99% of being lazy, disrespectful and stating no one wants to work anymore, while then boasting to share holders record profits and laying off thousands of employees over a zoom meeting.

The key feature is every one of these people know what is being done is wrong, just not when they do it.

So better draw attention away from themselves by projecting onto their critics the exact thing they are guilty of.

This is fascinating for two reasons.

1. They haven’t actually apologised for anything. She’s pre-emptively rejecting an apology that they have no intention of giving.

2. Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson are extremely well-liked. A lot of people are more attached to them in their roles as they are to the actual characters in the books.

What does JK Rowling gain by coming out with this?

[graymanbriefing]

2nd Amendment Brief: National Summary  》In MA; A new referendum petition filed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) linked Gun Owners' Action League (GOAL) challenging a recently passed "gun control" law that bans most firearms. The NRA's petition seeks to overturn the law through a statewide referendum, allowing voters to decide whether the law s...  》In NM; recent reports indicate an increase in the utilization of the "red flag law" known as an Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order (ERPO) utilization. Debrief: There are ongoing discussions about "retooling" the ERPO to enhance its effectiveness at removing firearms from citizens that other citizens and official deem to be unsafe. Proposed changes include broadening the range of people who can petition for an ERPO and streamlining the process to ensure it is more consistently applied. The la... 》In MN; A new law has gone into effect that implement a 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases. Retailers began the mandated requirement this month. Debrief: This move comes in response to the mass shooting in Lewiston, which left 18 peo... 》In NY; New York City has made adjustments to its gun laws in response to SCOTUS's Bruen ruling. Mayor Eric Adams signed new legislation that now allows nonresidents to apply for concealed carry permits within the city. This change allows for individuals who do not reside in New York City to seek permission to carry firearms there. The law als...  》In FL; Gun Owners of America (GOA) is challenging Florida's ban on openly carrying firearms, arguing that it is a violation of Second Amendment rights. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, contends that the state's restriction on open carry is a "blatant infringement" on the right to bear arms. Florida currently allows concealed carry but remains one of the few states that prohibits the open carrying of firearms. GOA's legal action aim... 》In OR; the Oregon Firearms Federation and the Firearms Policy Coalition Inc have filed a suit challenging a law banning unserialized firearms arguing that self-made guns without serial numbers are in common use a...(CLASSIFIED, get briefs unredacted by joining at www.graymanbring.com)

[gary232]

List of all organizations backing Project 2025 1792 Exchange American Accountability Foundation AAPLOG - American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs Alabama Policy Institute Alliance Defending Freedom American Center for Law and Justice American Commitment American Compass American Cornerstone Institute The American Conservative American Council of Trustees and Alumni American Family Association America First Legal American Juris Link American Legislative Exchange Council The American Main Street Initiative American Moment American Principles Project The American Family Project The American Redistricting Project Americans United for Life AMAC Action - The Association of Mature American Citizens The Bull Moose Project California Family Council Calvert Task Group Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University Center for Equal Opportunity Center for Family & Human Rights Center for Immigration Studies Center for Military Readiness Center for Renewing America Center for Secure Free Society Citizens Against Government Waste The Claremont Institute Coalition for Liberty Coalition for a Prosperous America Committee for Justice Concerned Women for America Conservative Partnership Institute Consumers Defense Defense of Freedom Institute Eagle Forum Ethics and Public Policy Center Fairer America Family Policy Alliance Family Research Council Feds for Freedom First Liberty America Forge Leadership Network Foundation for American Innovation Foundation for Government Accountability Freedom's Journal Institute The Frederick Douglass Foundation Gun Owners Foundation The Heartland Institute The Heritage Foundation Herzog Foundation MacArthur Society of West Point Graduates Hillsdale College Honest Elections Project Independent Women's Forum Institute for Education Reform Institute for Energy Research Institute for the American Worker The Institute for Women's Health Intercollegiate Studies Institute Dr. James Dobson Family Institute The James Madison Institute Job Creators Network Keystone Policy Leadership Institute League of American Workers Liberty University Mackinac Center for Public Policy The Malone Institute Middle East Forum Media Research Center Mississippi Center for Public Policy Moms for Liberty Mountain States for Policy Center National Association of Scholars National Center for Public Policy Research National Religious Broadcasters National Rifle Association National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation Native Americans for Sovereignty & Preservation Nevada Policy Noah Webster Educational Foundation The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs Project 21 Pacific Research Institute The Palm Beach Freedom Institute Palmetto Promise Patrick Henry College The Patriot Foundation Trust Personnel Policy Operations Public Interest Legal Foundation Protect Our Kids Recovery for America Now Foundation Republican Overseas Foundation SAVE - Stop Abusive and Violent Environments STARRS - Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services Students for Life of America Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Tea Party Patriots Texas Public Policy Foundation Teneo Turning Point USA Young America's Foundation

[idavidwilliams]

Multi-State Basic Firearms Safety Courses Available (MA, CT, RI, Utah) (Discounted.) Come get certified. 11/05, 11/12, 11/19, 11/20/2022

This is a SHOOTING course.  This course consists of handling several different types of firearms.  The only way to learn is by seeing, hearing and doing.  There is NO online portion or video games to this training course. You will learn firearms storage laws, self-defense laws, transportation laws and many more. (This class meets the requirements to apply for your MA, CT, RI, FL License to Carry…

[kittyrinn-aiko]

Shut up Westley. No one on the left is openly calling for violence? I beg to differ and so does the Anti Definition League. After the attack on Israel by Hamas "fringe" left wing groups began openly supporting the actions of Hamas. We then saw large protest were people were openly calling for the eradication of the Israeli state. But in truth most of the lefts' calls for violence are not done openly, they are done quietly, threats against anyone who goes against the party line, threats against anyone the crowd sees as the enemy. A police officer pulled over a young woman of 18 in South Whitley, Indiana recently, forcibly extricated her from the vehicle, and then lied about what really happened. People who had nothing to do with the incident started getting death threats. No sir, we do not need more gun laws. We've got plenty of gun laws. What we need is affordable housing, and we need better access to healthcare. We can not go around banning things thinking it's going to help. People who are determined to commit mayhem will find a way. If we started banning everything used as a weapon we'd be banning kitchen knives, baseball bats, and automobiles. What we need are better ways to identify the small minority of individuals prone to committing acts of violence and finding ways to stop them. We do not need laws that turn 99% of legal gun owners into felons. We do not need laws and regulations that do nothing to solve the problem.

RE: "Thought he was a democrat" - Further investigation shows that the man had a history of mental illness before he shot his victim, having stabbed his own father 5 years earlier. Better to argue for stricter gun laws and better mental health supports, I think,than simply right vs left.

Of course this is a Right vs. Left issue. Nobody on the Left is openly calling for violence the way nearly everyone on the Right is. Nobody on the Left is telling their voters to "strap on a glock" or using dehumanizing language to reduce human beings to enemies who must be destroyed.

Every country in the world has people who struggle with mental health. America is the only country in the world where this kind of violent murder happens regularly.

This isn't about mental health. This is about easy access to weapons, and a political party that openly encourages its followers to choose violence, and then acts surprised when they do.

[kokomochi]

𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐃 | 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐲𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐮

"𝙞 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚."

SOULMATE AU! BONTEN TIMELINE! they say that soulmates were typically connected through the red string of fate- some believe that they are connected through tattoos appearing on their skin, or even a timer on their wrist. in this story, however, is through glowing hair. bonten's executive, haruchiyo sanzu, never thought that he would be soulmates with the youngest sibling of the notorious haitani brothers.

07. protective

it's known to many how loyal sanzu haruchiyo can be, and how quick he is to stab you in the back as well if you defy his master- sano manjiro.

so it shouldn't be a problem to see him be loyal to his soulmate, haitani y/n. but you know what they say- old habits die hard.

however, the moment sanzu stepped into the club along with kokonoi hajime to grab a quick drink, he immediately started to shoo away many women who tried to approach him.

as cunning and psychopathic he may seem to others, his loyalty shouldn't be questioned.

despite meeting y/n just two days ago, he had the feeling of needing to protect her from any harm that may cross her path- that means from him as well.

"it's weird to see how quickly you can change." koko muttered as they sat at their usual table, just without the women flocking over them.

sanzu just hummed as he continued waving off any possible suitors.

"what made you say so?" he said nonchalantly, twirling the cup of rum in front of him.

unbeknownst to the two, the group of women that sanzu had shooed off were having their own conversation.

"have you noticed that strand in his head? it has become completely vibrant!" one of them said, glaring at the (h/c) lock that was mixed in with his strawberry ones.

"who might this stupid wench think she is?! stealing our dear haru away from us!"

kokonoi overheard the table- i mean who wouldn't, they were just two tables away from them. and they were bad at whispering.

his black eyes went over to the man of the topic, who was still busy twirling his drink as he stared at it with a blank look.

"i bet his soulmate is a whore!"

"that's too low for our dear-"

a cock of a gun was heard, making them look up to sanzu, who had a pissed-off look from his face, different from the ones he usually had when he was out killing.

his blue eyes glared at them, making the women huddle together as fear enveloped the five of them.

one was brave enough to try and have a conversation with him, clearing her throat as she mustered up a very convincing innocent look.

"s-sanzu we were just-" all four women screamed when their friend was shot in the head.

kokonoi was just watching the scene as he continued drinking his shots, slightly bothered about the mess that his friend created.

"you were comparing my dear soulmate to the likes of you, weren't you?" he said, words cold as ice.

"you were trying to group her with you whores- someone who sleeps around for money and drugs." sanzu cocked the gun again, aiming it at the girl closest to him.

he waved the firearm in front of the three, before sighing and dropping his arm to his sides. his actions caused koko to raise his brows at him, wondering what his next move was.

"i regret to inform you whores that i already have met my soulmate." he dramatically dropped beside them, pushing the corpse off the couch as the three women looked at him with unease.

"we haven't known each other for too long but, one thing is for sure-" he raised his gun again and shoot the woman next to him.

"you will never be in her league." with that, sanzu finished off the other two, before walking back to koko who handed him a handkerchief to wipe off the blood splatter on his face.

they were fortunate that the owner of the club was actually haitani rindou, and there weren't many people inside except for sanzu's usual whores.

the bartender was quite used to this scene, having to call out his men to clean up the mess sanzu created as he served him another drink.

"you really need to keep your mess down low sanzu, we can't keep paying ran for the damage expenses." kokonoi sighed as he watched people wrap the bodies away and cleaned out the stained walls.

"it's not that much damage- we'll only be replacing the chairs that's all."

koko rolled his eyes at how careless sanzu was and let the situation be.

"anyways, now that you know y/n's your soulmate, are you planning on changing her gift?" he asked, making sanzu look up to him as he tilted his head.

the strawberry-haired male paused for a moment, then nodded.

"i already bought stuff." he replied.

"what is it?"

"a ring." koko's eyes went wide at the mention of the jewelry, slamming his hand on the table as sanzu kept looking at him blankly.

"don't you think you're going too fast?!"

the male hummed in confusion.

"she's my soulmate, is she not? we're bound to get marry someday so why not now?"

"yeah but normally-!"

sanzu cut the male off by putting a finger on his lips, shutting him up.

"that's the problem, koko. we're far from normal. i'm a wanted man with many on my head- she's a woman who's related to one of the most dangerous siblings out there."

"if you look at it that way, we barely have time. now that she's got a soulmate who's also dangerous, she'll become a prime target. who knows what could happen."

this was the first time that kokonoi hajime has seen the sanzu haruchiyo so serious. maybe the alcohol was taking effect- which is definitely most unlikely since sanzu was known for having a good tolerance to alcohol.

"before i die or something- i at least want to marry the woman the world has given me."

koko was quiet for a moment, letting his words sink in before finally speaking up.

"i understand, but when are you planning on proposing?"

sanzu grinned at the male and looped his arm around his shoulder, bringing him close and telling him about his plan.

when sanzu was asked before what his thoughts on soulmates are, his answer was always the same.

"they're a waste of time and money."

but now that he has met his, he wouldn't be against spending his last dime to make y/n happy.

TAGLIST: @minnieminnie00-got7 @lonnie19 @royal-shinigami

[angelfoodcake222]

Rebel Daughter of Crown City

Gif by @aeonmagnus [awesome gif! Grim's a big silly~! 🥰]

A New Start: Part 2

"Russell? Russell!?" I snap my head this way & that looking for my young cousin before he ran up to me.

"Right here, Maryanne! Calm down!" He spoke as he skidded to a halt beside me.

"Where'd you go? Who's cars pulled up just now? Where's Uncle Denny?" Russell fans his hand in a cooling motion before explaining that he had left the building front to hop over to the dinner Denny refurbished to quickly explain to the vehicles' owners, dear family friends, about my sudden appearance. We walk over together as my eyes linger over the truck after peeking through the facility's wrap-around window.

"Is one of them a cop?" He leans past me to see the vehicle in question & hums.

"Oh, that's Strongarm's truck. She's a cadet under Bumblebee." I stop to stare at a sleek, red sports car that parked between the truck & the yellow car with a cocked brow.

"Mmm, two members of the law parked here & this one's parked right by them? Bold move." My focus shifted to another one that seemed to be extra sleek, black & gold.

"This one, too."

"Oh! That's Sideswipe & Drift's cars. They're in league with Bee & Strongarm." Again I spot something peculiar. A T-Rex statue or animatronic.

"That's Grimlock's project. Fix-it helps him with it occasionally." Strongarm, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Drift, Grimlock, Fix-it? I gotta meet these people! Especially these Sideswipe & Grimlock dudes.

"Here we are! Welcome to the diner!" Figures turn to the sound of Russell's introduction as I undauntingly stroll in with the seven pairs of eyes focused on me, nine when you count the two red & black-clad kids next to a narrow-eyed man.

[Does anyone know who did this pic? It popped up on Pintrest & I can't find the OP... 😰]

I do a swift visual sweep of those present, noting the guns on some of their hips & swords on the other's backs.

"Alright, dad, do you wanna introduce her, or should I?" Denny chuckles, running a towel over his hands after setting some plates of food down for the guests & us.

"I got it, Rusty. Everyone, this is my great-niece, Maryanne Ivory-Clay. She'll be staying here for a while until things straighten out for her. Maryanne, these are some other guests; Bumblebee,-" He points to an average height, well-built, sort of tanned man with bold yellow hair & bright blue eyes.

He's sporting a black tee, dark blue jeans, & black canvas shoes. His posture of balanced politeness & relaxation puts a sliver of me to ease, earning a small wave from me. This lasted quite briefly before Denny floats his hand to the only other woman aside from myself.

"Strongarm,-" A woman, possibly Caucasian or of other light skin heritage, sat bolt right in an iconic police uniform respective of the area with extra polished boots, also sporting blue eyes & matching mid-length hair. Her stiff, proper posture put me on edge just a bit as I merely nod with a well-practiced poker face. Her deep blue lips frowned as I turned my focus in the direction of the candy-apple-red blur a stool away from the cadet.

"Sideswipe,-" The man, decked out in pure, bright red street fashion, deep blue eyes, & pale skin, stopped twisting in his seat with a fork bit between his teeth to lean back & flash a bright smile to me. I simply smirk. I like him already. Maybe we could discuss racing tips & tricks later.

"This big guy is Grimlock. He's got a heart bigger than his actions." Russel slides ahead of Denny's gesture to a large black male with ombre green & jet hair, a deep green muscle shirt with a T-rex printed on his chest, ripped up jeans the same hue as Bee's but faded in some places, hefty work boots, & a sharp smile.

He too sports blue eyes. An unusual trait for anyone with his complexion. I smirk a little wider as he ruffles Russel's hair while Denny laughs & continues to the sleek, lean figure sitting a stool away from the bigger male to give him elbow room like Sideswipe did.

"This is Drift. The two you see beside him are his students, Slipstream & Jetstorm." My blue speckled hazels shift to the sharp-looking man & the smaller two as he looks at me from his peripheral, enough to see he also has blue eyes. The two pop up from behind him before looking up to their teacher. He nods in permission & the two timidly approach me. I can't help but bend to my old habits & kneel to their height or around it.

"Greetings, cousin of Russel. Welcome to the group." One spoke as the other smiled warmly & nodded, holding his hands out openly.

"We learned to make this for you. I believe it is called a 'swan'." I raise my brows in surprise as I carefully take the decently folded work of origami from the mostly black-dressed one with a soft smile.

"Origami is a fine hobby to have; very meditative. Thank you." They smile back again then scurry behind their still quiet teacher. Maybe he's had a cold, hard life. He acts a lot like me in a new dwelling.

"& last but not least we have, hey, where'd Fix-it go?" Denny pauses his introductions as everyone looks around in their characteristic ways before he shrugs.

"I guess he must be held up with his work or something?" Comments Bumblebee as Russell asks if I'm hungry.

"Always am, kiddo. What's on the plate for tonight?" I say as he guides me to a stool right next to the missing countertop door where he sat between me & Drift. The plate shows a very basic meal of sunny side up eggs, bacon, sausage & toast. Breakfast for dinner. A bountiful breakfast at that.

"This looks delicious, Uncle Denny, thank you. Could you pass the hot sauce, please?" He slides the glass bottle to me as he begins to speak again.

"Cool, now that almost everyone is introduced, we can play a game of twenty questions to get to know each other bit better. Mary, you up for it?" I pause, mulling over the bit of saucy yolk I just took & my words as I subtly scan the group again. Getting a good read on these guys could be useful.

"Sure. Please try not to cut too deep though." Russell shoots his hand up first as Denny chuckles at the cute movement with a nod.

"Maryanne, do you have any tattoos or marks?" Denny moves to correct his son but I flex my wrist in a stopping motion.

"It's cool, Unc. That's a very common question for me. Yes & yes. I have both but they're in places I can hide easily." I look at Denny who smiles at my patience before looking at me. My turn. Staying in the family tree, I ask Russell about his academic progress.

"It's summer right now, so I have no school." He smiles getting ready to ask another question but I raise my fingers from the table.

"That wasn't my question, Russell. How're your studies?" He shies back for a moment before admitting that he was doing fairly average in his school work. Fairly average? Alright, that sounds way too close to how I did in school. I nod to allow him another question &, of course, he chose to ask why my knuckles were 'colored weirdly'.

"These are bruises, Rus. I'm guessing you already know how they form." He nods, focusing on the dark purples & splotches of yellow everywhere along my fists.

"Must've been tough." His flinch-inducing thought earned a minute chuckle from me as I look at him.

"Well, as long as you hit the books instead of 'tough' things, you won't have to worry about it. Anyone else? Any questions?" I felt a little bad leaving them out of the loop like this. It's only fair that I make myself known to my fellow guests.

Grimlock held his hand up, green painted nails glinting in the artificial lights. I like him some more now. I nod to him as he asks my opinion on cats, to which almost everyone either chuckled or sighed.

"Cats?" I pause as he bobs his head at me with that cute smile. This dude's like a giant puppy. I love it! I bet he makes a great friend too.

"I don't like furry things that much. Truth be told, I like reptiles, amphibians, even insects better than any dog or cat." I shrug with a smirk.

"Actually, that's gotten me into some trouble in the past." My chuckle sheds light on the fond memories of my pulling the classic 'can I keep it' thing with my foster family at the time I was around four or five years old. You should have seen their faces when I carried a screaming frog or a cicada into the house! Priceless!

"Birds are cool too." Again, it was my turn to ask a question.

"Alright, Mr. Grimlock, how much can you bench? Like, what's your weight limit in your workouts?" He pauses to think while his colleagues give him a look as if warning him somehow.

"I lost track, but I'm sure it's a lot." With a chuckled 'must be', I turn to the little hands raised over the countertop. I lift myself slightly to peer over its edge & smile.

"Yes?" I softly spoke as they murmured to each other, glancing at the tall, sleek male nearest them. Were they asking for permission? He nodded so that must be it.

"We wanted to know if you knew any fighting techniques." Spoke Slipstream as Jetstorm nods quietly beside him. I straighten up to crack my back & sigh. Everyone is staring at me expectantly, so I decide to be candid about my 'upbringing'.

"That depends. What techniques are you two asking for?" They share another glance with their teacher then at me.

"Any?" Was all they could give.

"Basic self-defense, some old-fashioned boxing, my wits." I pause to reflect on myself before cringing at the memories of my dork/nerd/geek years.

"I've dabbled in swords, nunchaku, & a bo staff in my earlier years because I thought it would scare off attackers. I gave up on that because a simple pocket knife did the same thing in a fraction of the space needed to use the others. I often found myself in tight spots, so it was a perfect weapon." Russell's face lit up as I quickly gave a stern rebuttal to his obvious look of 'can you teach me?' The last thing he needs is learning to fight; that'll just cause bigger, badder people to try & hurt him far more than if he just stayed the way he is right now. I'm talking from experience here.

"& firearms?" Asks Drift as I blink at him.

"Hang on, Drift. It's Maryanne's turn." Bumblebee tries politely but I cut him off.

"No, no, I got this. Thank you for trying." I look this guy straight in the eyes as a strange, familiar aura wafted around him. Had he come from a bad place too? He must have.

"No, Mr. Drift, I never toyed around with guns or any other type of firearm or ballistics. They were all too loud & did not give a proper fighting chance to those who wished me harm. I may not like the person who's trying to actively kill me, but I do have respect." My neutral face only breaks for a lifting brow as I awaited his reaction to my answer. The group was stunned into silence for a moment or two until Drift hummed.

"You are more honorable than I initially calculated." I nod to him in a sort of bow & he mirrored me. Some more time passed as the rest whispered to each other over what they should ask next that wouldn't stir up anything while I finished up my dish down to the crust of the toast. Now, it's Sideswipe's turn.

"So, uh, do you like racing? Like motorcycles or sports cars?" My eyes barely see over the rim of my glass as I recall my younger years when I masqueraded as a grown woman that loved to fiddle with the engines & everything mechanical in places I really shouldn't have been. I couldn't help it! I love vehicles, big & small! Above all else, I loved & still love to go fast. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to drive a motorcycle, sports car, muscle car, or any speedy vehicle until I'm eighteen as per the agreed probation limits.

"I love going fast, but I cannot go fast until I'm eighteen. I can ride manual things though; like bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, so long as it doesn't have a motor on or in it, I can ride it." Sideswipe pouts with a dejected "Bummer!" I shrug, saying it's only a year & a half before I can drive again. That's not too long a wait.

"What about you? By the looks of that car outside, you must love speed as much as I do." He answers happily as we share a chuckle. Next was Strongarm. She paused over her words before asking what my relationship with the local law enforcement is like. My brow lifts as a silent question radiates from me.

"Well, I'm on probation & am not allowed to touch anything I have spent my life so far to perfect. Not even a lawn mower. Then again, I gave them a lot of sleepless nights in my youth. So, I'd say I'm in an unsteady sort of mutual standing with the long arm of the law." In other words, I hate them. Especially the new ones that are constantly trying to show off to their senior officers. & That's not mentioning the dirty coppers that cruise around looking for people to cuff or hassle. Bee doesn't look that bad though. Maybe he's one of the clean ones? A pretty thought for later.

"You must be new here." I comment as she confirms as if it were a question & not a statement. Bee points that out but I have no questions to ask her even if she asked for one. She didn't, sensing my hostility & all.

"I guess it's my turn, huh?" Bee asks as I nod.

"Okay, give me a sec." He touches his chin in thought while I asked Uncle Denny for a little more juice.

"How do you feel- no, wait, let me try that again." I smile into my sip of juice as he starts thinking again.

"How do you like the place so far?" He finally asks, gesturing to the place around us. I look around, sipping my drink as I began to take stock of the area around me. New safe house, new family members, new people that may shape up to be good friends, a large, beautiful room to be my blank canvas. It all seems so nice.

"I like it. The room & house I have is good, the people are decent folks, & I get to see the kinder side of the family tree." I smile softly at Denny & Russell while adding to my words.

"Heres to hoping this branch isn't as rotten as the others." I lift my glass half-heartedly as Denny grabs an empty one to tap against mine.

"Cheers." His joking tone is kind to my ears as Grimlock asked why he did that while I finish off my drink.

"It's a way of wishing someone good luck or good health. As for the glass tapping thing, I don't know why I did it, it just felt like something I needed to do at that moment." I turn to explain that the tapping or "clinking" of glasses originated in the medieval days.

At a time when wine was often spiked with poison, the color kept the sediment concealed quite well. Today, it has become a sign of trust, honesty, & toast to good health. Think of it as a nonverbal way of saying 'cheers' as long as it's not over glasses of water.

"& on that note, I bid you all a good night, sweet dreams, & hope that nothing bites you in your sleep. See you all in the morning." My walk back to my room is a little slower now that I know there's no true danger around & I have a full stomach.

I normally don't eat so much, especially since I hadn't eaten for most of the day; a full stomach might slow me down if I were in a fight or flight situation. The baggy nightshirt & boy shorts felt soft against my skin as they ruffle into place, my sheets & lone blanket made it better. The stars I can see through my dirty windows make me sleepier & sleepier. Soon I fell asleep.

[tcm]

International Women’s Day: Actresses Who Became Activists By Raquel Stecher

International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8th and recognized by the United Nations, raises awareness for women’s rights and celebrates the achievements of women across the globe. Utilizing their fame as a platform to do good, actresses from the golden age of Hollywood and beyond have supported a variety of philanthropic causes. Myrna Loy worked on behalf of UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Ida Lupino made NEVER FEAR (’50) to raise awareness about polio. Ruby Dee fought for civil rights. Rita Moreno continues to champion the Latinx community. Martha Raye entertained the troops during three separate wars. Debbie Reynolds was a mental health and AIDS advocate. Tippi Hedren empowered Vietnamese women to become business owners. And, Shirley Temple raised awareness about breast cancer. There are many, many examples of actresses devoting their time, energy and, in many cases, finances for humanitarian, environmental and political causes. Let’s take a look at some of the notable actresses who became activists.

Doris Day

In 1937, Doris Day’s coonhound Tiny was hit by a car and killed. The guilt Day felt for Tiny’s untimely demise would fuel her activism on behalf of animals. Day transitioned from acting in the 1970s to become an animal welfare advocate. She co-founded the non-profit organization Actors and Others for Animals in 1971. In 1978, she started the Doris Day Pet Foundation (later renamed the Doris Day Animal Foundation). This organization advocates for the humane treatment of animals. By the late 1980s, she would allow only a handful of interviews with the sole intention of publicizing her charitable efforts. She even called up President Ronald Reagan, her costar in THE WINNING TEAM (’52), to discuss animal rights legislation. In 1987, she started The Doris Day Animal League, which eventually merged with The Humane Society of the United Sates, and established World Spay Day. In 2011, she started the Doris Day Horse Rescue and Adoption Center, and Day recorded the album “My Heart,” the proceeds of which went to her non-profit. Day was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2004 for her work.

Jane Fonda

Outspoken political activist Jane Fonda has championed many causes over the years. She was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War, which landed her in some hot water. In 1970, while Fonda was organizing and fundraising a protest with Vietnam War veterans, she was arrested for possession of drugs. The drugs were in fact vitamins and she was eventually cleared of all charges. In a moment of defiance, she held up a fist for her now iconic mugshot. Two years later, Fonda would travel to Vietnam and a photo of her sitting on an anti-aircraft gun in Hanoi would stir up controversy. She was labeled “Hanoi Jane,” a moniker that is still negatively used against her to this day. While she regretted her actions, she did not let this prevent her from continuing her political activism. She’s been a champion for civil rights, feminist causes and has lent her support to Native Americans. In recent years, she’s taken on several environmental causes including protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline and Arctic drilling. As of the publication of this article, Fonda has been arrested five times for her climate change demonstrations (Fire Drill Fridays) in Washington D.C.

Audrey Hepburn

During her childhood, Audrey Hepburn suffered the effects of living through WWII and the Dutch famine of 1944-1945, which would have long lasting effects on her health. In 1946, early ambassadors from the newly created organization UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) offered her assistance. She never forgot their kindness and her own personal experience led to her to become a champion for children in need. Hepburn began working with UNICEF in 1954 and started traveling on field missions in 1988. The following year she was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the organization. She traveled to Turkey, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and elsewhere, assisting with medical treatments, nutrition projects and working directly with children and their mothers. Her last trip was to Somalia in 1992, four months before she died. In 1993, she was posthumously awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Academy Award.

Helen Hayes

Actress Helen Hayes was best known for her theatrical productions, but when her severe asthma put an end to her stage career (the dust on stage proved to be too much), she transitioned to television and film. Hayes used her fame to help raise funds for asthma research. She also donated to the arts, including the Riverside Shakespeare company. She was on the board of her directors for the New York Chapter of the Girl Scouts in the 1970s. Besides being an EGOT (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning performer), her greatest claim to fame should be her work with the New York State Rehabilitation and Research Hospital which helps rehabilitate patients with disabilities. Hayes first became involved with the hospital in the 1940s. Throughout the years, she donated, fundraised and hosted events at her mansion, the “Pretty Penny,” and offered support in any way she could. She lobbied for funding to renovate the hospital, a project that cost over $37 million dollars. She served as a member of the board from 1944 until her death in 1993. The hospital was renamed The Helen Hayes Hospital in 1974 and is still going strong today.

Lena Horne

Lena Horne’s activism began at a very young age. In 1919, at the age of two, she appeared on the cover of the NAACP journal The Crisis. Influenced by her grandmother Cora Calhoun Horne, a suffragist and activist who was a political ally of W.E.B. Du Bois, as well as her activist father, Horne championed civil rights before the movement ever began. She joined the NAACP while she was still a high school student. She also leant her support to the Urban League, the Progressive Citizens of America and the SNCC. During WWII, Horne supported the war effort by entertaining black troops. She filed a complaint through the NAACP when she saw that black service members had to sit behind German POWs during her performances at Fort Reilly. When MGM removed her from the tour, she self-financed her trips and continued her efforts. During WWII, she also spoke up on behalf of the mistreatment of Japanese Americans. Horne campaigned for anti-lynching legislation with Eleanor Roosevelt, although that ultimately failed. During the Civil Rights Movement, Horne performed at rallies and was in the March on Washington in 1963. In 1983, the NAACP awarded her the Spingarn Medal for being an “artist humanitarian and living symbol of excellence. Her humanitarian efforts live on and the annual Lena Horne Prize, awarded by Town Hall, honors artists for their social impact.

Marsha Hunt

The name Marsha Hunt should become synonymous with activism. Hunt has been indefatigable in her humanitarian efforts. Influenced by her progressive mother, she became a liberated woman with strong political beliefs. Those beliefs would come under scrutiny during the McCarthy Era witch hunt. She joined the Committee for the First Amendment, a group of Hollywood actors and writers who supported the Hollywood Ten. She was ultimately blacklisted. Over the years, she became an advocate for UNICEF, The March of Dimes, The Red Cross and the United Nations. She was named an Ambassador for Peace in 2007. Hunt has championed many humanitarian causes including homelessness, mental health, world peace, the environment and the plight of refugees. She is a founder of the San Fernando Valley Mayor’s Fund for the Homeless. Hunt helped raise money to buy a motel that was renovated into a homeless shelter for women and children. She supported the shelter throughout the years by donating supplies and helping with the upkeep. Hunt has also been a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ community. Back in the 1970s, she wrote a song about same-sex relationships called “Here’s to All Love,” and it was performed by Glee star Bill A. Jones in 2013. A documentary about her life, career and humanitarian efforts MARSHA HUNT’S SWEET ADVERSITY was released in 2015.

Mary Pickford

Actress, producer, writer and business woman, Mary Pickford was an enterprising woman and instrumental in the formative years of the film industry. In 1921, she conceived of the idea for the Motion Picture Relief Fund, an organization intended to help other members of the film industry who had fallen on hard times. She used the remaining funds from her work selling Liberty Bonds during WWI to help finance the project. Pickford became one of the founding members of what is now called the Motion Picture Television Fund. She also served as the organization’s first vice president. She oversaw various initiatives including the Playroll Pledge Program, which encouraged industry members to donate 0.5% of their paycheck to the fund. She helped raise money to buy walnut and orange groves in Woodland Hills, which would become the home for the fund and its hospital. Pickford was on the board for many years and attended every fundraising event she could. In addition to the MPTF, she established the Mary Pickford Foundation in the 1950s. The foundation focuses on preserving films in partnerships with film archives.

Rosalind Russell

Ever since Rosalind Russell portrayed Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian nurse who took great strides to help children suffering from polio in the film SISTER KENNY (’46), Russell became a tireless advocate for various health causes. Russell, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, served on the National Commission on Arthritis and Related Musculoskeletal Diseases starting in the 1970s. The Rosalind Russell Medical Research Center for Arthritis University of California San Francisco was named in her honor. She was a founding member of the United Service Organizations (USO) and the League for Crippled Children. She was a chairman and advocate for The Lighthouse for the Blind, Catholic Charities of New York, The National Arthritis Foundation, Children Services of Connecticut and the MPTF. Russell lent her efforts to senior care centers and in assisting tornado victims. For her numerous philanthropic pursuits, she received a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Academy Award in 1973.

Elizabeth Taylor

When her good friend and co-star in GIANT (’56), Rock Hudson, died from complications of AIDS, Elizabeth Taylor was devastated. Fueled by the tragedy, she became a tireless advocate for those suffering from HIV/AIDS. She helped raise awareness, fund research and combat ignorance in a time when AIDS was still highly misunderstood. She testified before the House and the Senate for the Ryan White Care Act and helped convince President Ronal Reagan to publicly acknowledge the disease. She also founded the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center at the Whitman-Walker Clinic in D.C. which offered free HIV/AIDS testing. In 1985, she chaired the AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Commitment to Life fundraising project and co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, established in 1991, provides financial and moral support to patients suffering from AIDS. She shifted her focus from acting to her humanitarian efforts and raised millions of dollars for different foundations. After her death in 2011, her estate keeps funding her foundation. Taylor was awarded a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Academy Award in 1993.

[artxyra]

What if Damian and the miraculous class are friends and they have movie nights, but since Damian is in Gotham he sneaks out of the manor and portal via Max & Kalki to participate. The Fam get suspicious and try to figure out where Damian is going every week. When they find out he goes to Paris they try to follow him but the portal closes and they use the tubes instead. They end up crashing in on them watching a horror movie which freaks the class out. Insert yelling and things being thrown.

To: Demon From: Angel

Are we still on for movie night?

To: Angel From: Demon

Yes. Just need to get away from the family.

To: Demon From: Angel

😀

Marinette looks over smiling from her phone. Today is a good day. There were no akuma that needed Ladybug’s attention, nor had she broken up a fight between Max and Kim about the latest game. So yes, she was ecstatic to know this is how her day is going.

“Hey Mars, is Damian coming tonight?” Adrien asks seating next to her playing with a strand of his hair. Ever since he came out to her, their relationship has blossomed beyond a crush to a blooming brother-sister relationship. That and Luka were more than willing to take on the blonde without a second thought. She kind of feels bad for Juleka having to see Adrien on a near-daily basis and with her brother no doubt.

“Yup,” Marinette continues to smile, “I just received word that he’s good to go. All we need is for Kaalki and Max to open up a portal at the designated time.”

“Sweet, I hear that Kim was the one picking out this week’s movie. I hope it’s nothing horror-related.” Adrien pouts causing Marinette to laugh that the poor kitty’s face.

“I’m sure it’s nothing too crazy.” Marinette hopes that it was something simple to follow and an action pack rather than horror. She may love horror games but kwami be damn if she watches a horror movie in the dark that wasn’t comedic.

“It looks like break is almost over, we’ll continue you this later.” Adrien sends Marinette a comforting smile before jumping down into his assigned seat next to Nino. Alya and Nino just walked in holding hands.

“Hey, lovebirds, who’s ready for a night full of fun?” Alya greets the two causing them to roll their eyes at the nickname that no longer pertains to them.

“Hey Als, I should be asking you that instead.” Marinette lifts an eyebrow that accompanies her smirk. Nino and Alya’s faces turn red and they side glance each other. Marinette and Adrien laugh at the couple.

“After class, I’ll be giving a quick speech regarding tonight’s plans,” Marinette states pulling out her classwork and books for class. They all nod in understanding. Just then the rest of the class filed in with matching smiles and asking pertaining to tonight’s activities.

To: Angel From: Demon

Save me from the idiots that I call my brothers?

To: Demon From: Angel

Can’t love, I’m sure it not that bad.

To: Angel From: Demon

For some idiotic reason, they are watching me like a hawk today. I’m currently in the bathroom with the doors locked listening to them bicker outside.

To: Demon From: Angel

Yikes 😬. I’m sure it will die down before you’re required to leave.

To: Angel From: Demon

I doubt that.

To: Demon From: Angel

About that, why did we move our weekly movie night from Saturday to Friday?

To: Angel From: Demon

It’s a half-day at school.

Shit. Talk to you later.

Marinette places her phone down and slowly turns her attention to Mme. Bustier. The red-haired teacher tried to keep her students engaged with the content, but she was losing them faster than on average. Marinette turns to her classmates. Alix and Kim were trying to out strength each other, Juleka and Rose was trying to pay attention but the drooping in Rose’s eyes say otherwise, Sabrina and Chloe—well doing what they usually do—living in their own bubble, Nathaniel was sketching something down in his notebook while Max was pretending to take notes as Markov does it for him. Finally, Mylene and Ivan were also in their own world.

Hours seemed to past in Marinette’s mind before Mme. Bustier concluded today’s lesson. She was so caught up in watching the time that she didn’t realize that was sketching an outfit in her own notebook. Whoops.

“Marinette is there something you would like to add?” Mme. Bustier prompts sending the class’s designated designer a smile.

“Yes,” Marinette gets up from her seat and walks down to the podium. “Tonight is our weekly movie night instead of tomorrow. Do you remember what to bring? If not, please message me before the event. Remember that we are having this event at Chloe’s family’s hotel as it a makeshift theatre room.”

“Daddy says we can have the popcorn maker also.” Chloe interrupts. The class cheers at the thought of the infamous popcorn maker that was usually locked behind the hotel kitchen doors.

“Thank you, Bee, for that tidbit. Now, Max, you are to arrive at the bakery no later than six o’clock. The demon is having a half-day today and I’m ninety-nine percent sure that he’ll want to be here no later than that. Everyone else, you are free to do.” With that and a pretend gavel, Marinette dismisses the class to their next class for the day. 

For Damian, being at school felt like a blessing even if it was a half-day. His brothers have been hounding him all morning. It’s like they are looking for something that isn’t there. Damian’s emotions? Yeah right, they all know he only shows emotions to his beloved animals or animals in general. Damian had to double, triple check the security on his phones because who knows what Drake would find if he had access inside it.

For over six months, he had been going to Paris for movie nights with his beloved and her classmates. At first, he had done it through the zeta tubes but after gaining their trust just enough to be in on the Miraculous Team of Paris, his trips became a lot more frequent. He would make up an excuse about going to a classmate, or Jon’s, house for the night, or to work on a school project. He had gotten away with it for a while, but Tim was the first to notice the lie.

Tim and Conner were having their usually meet up when the Damian had told his family that he was spending time at Jon’s, something that was no unusual. All was fine and dandy until Jon came home with a Damian Wayne. Tim, well it was mainly Dick, had grilled into the young hero about Damian’s whereabouts. Jon either lied or literally had no idea. Which prompted the Batbros to start the search on Damian's weekly disappearance.

Everyone took the day off to “spend time” with Damian. They wanted to trap the teen inside the manor and watch his every movement. Like that isn’t an invasion of privacy or trust.

Alfred brought Damian to the manor around noon. This gives them enough time to hide any open-source of weaponry they could find or items that Damian could use against them in battle. That was a lot of items on the list. Dick inquired for Bruce to hold off on the tracking device as a last resort. He wanted to start everything out with a discussion, but Jason laughs that idea out the window as he cleans his guns.

“The young master is residing in his bedroom,” Alfred speaks walking down into the Batcave.

The Wayne family knew this was it.

To: Angel From: Demon

I’m ready.

To: Demon From: Angel

ETA in 5

Damian smirks at his phone. He loves his girlfriend and how quickly she can manage an entire group of classmates and plan a weekly movie night event.

He had packed his belonging that he usually brings with him when he does to Paris. Which isn’t much.

Four minutes.

Damian thought his ears were playing tricks on him, but they weren’t. He could hear the stampede of footsteps that were no doubt from his family members aside from Alfred. Alfred’s footsteps are like a ghost, you never hear them.

Three minutes.

“Hey little D, since you had a half-day today, why don’t you spend it with us,” Grayson asks the second his bedroom door swings open. Alfred the cat sends a glare to his owner’s family.

“Yeah, Demon spawn, we all took the day off to spend time with you,” Jason adds gas to the fire that was already burning intensely.

“Damian…” Not his father too.

Two minutes.

Damian doesn’t say a word. His eyes bounce from one person to the next and repeat. He didn’t know who to answer them. “Tt.” Was the only word? Sound? That had escaped his lips.

“You need to leave like now.” Damian refuses to have his family find out the very secret he had kept hidden for so long. His quick need for them leaving only pushes them to stay. Worried about various reasons from teen problems to joining the League of Assassins again. They didn’t want to take any chances.

One minute.

Damian could sense the user of the horse kwami becoming active. Soon a blue swirling portal opens up behind Damian. Damian looks at his family and side glances at the portal. The portal wins. The family of vigilantes runs to the portal only for it to close.

“Am I hallucinating or did that just happen?” Tim asks wiping the sleep away from his eyes.

“No, replacement, that really just happened.” Jason states. Tim nods in understanding.

“I’ll do track him down.” Dick sulks at the thought that Bruce was right.

It didn’t take long for the results to come in.

“Uh…so how the hell is the Demon in Paris, France of all places?” Jason shouts from behind his older brother and Bruce.

“The swirling portal thingy?” Tim states the obvious, but it sounded more like a question as he sits down and drinks a cup of coffee.

“Boys we’re going to Paris.”  Bruce states over his sons. From afar, Alfred sighs and goes to prepare the zeta tubes with the destination in mind.

“Uh, civvies or uniform?” Dick asks as they all start to make their way to the zeta tube. This was one of those questions that they linger on for a hot minute.

Before they knew it, Damian had gained an hour over his family.

“It doesn’t matter, we need to know where the little demon has been hiding all this time.” Jason screeches talking over to the zeta tube and teleporting to the location.

Bruce turns to the remainder of his sons who shrugged and follow suit.

Entering Paris, they were further from Damian’s location than anticipated. They follow the tracker with some interruptions. Dick wanted to buy something for Kori, Jason wanted food and Tim needed for coffee. After all that was done, they officially made it to the supposed location of Damian’s whereabouts.

“Why would the little demon at a hotel?”

“Hum, this coffee is really good,” Tim says before taking another sip.

“Boys, focus on the mission.”

“I am focus, Bruce.”

“I didn’t say you were, Dick.”

“Touché.” Dick rubs the back of his arm.  

They enter Le Grand Paris with tensions high and were surprised by how calm and relax the employees were. Jason swears this was just a hoax and they were torturing Damian behind one of these doors. An employee asks them if they are in need of anything. Bruce states that they were looking for his son.

“Is he friends with Chloe and her classmates?” The employee asks.

“Who?” Dick and Bruce ask simultaneously. Jason had dragged Tim off somewhere to look at some things.

The employee eyes the family skeptically.

“Well if he’s not friends with Mlle. Bourgeois, then I suggest heading to the police department and report a missing child.” The employee states before walking away. Bruce sighs and pulls out the tracking device. Damian is so close to them.

“We’re going to find him, right?”

“And drag the brat back to Gotham?”

Bruce in the direction that would be location, he gestures for his children to follow.

Damian was having a blast. In his arms, Marinette sat on his arm clinging to his shirt cursing Kim’s name throughout the film. Kim had chosen a horror movie for tonight’s showing and by kwami it was fantastic. There was no comedic relief, actual horror storytelling leaving the class on the edge of their seats.

Adrien was curled next to Marinette in Luka’s arms. He was also clinging to a body, a certain musician as if he was a frightened kitten.

Just as the MC was about to open the door to the attic, a series of figures jump from the ceiling. Screams in real-life match those within the movie. Popcorn, empty cartons of candy, soda drinks are thrown at the figures. A string of curses follows not long after that.

“Damian, tell your friends to stop.” He knows that voice from anywhere, it was Grayson’s voice. Marinette slides herself off himself.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He screeches in English. Most of the class didn’t have a clue what was being said.

“We wanted to see where you were?”

“We thought you were kidnapped?”

“I just came for the scenery.”

Damian’s eyes twitch.

“That’s nice and all, but can you move? We’re trying to watch a movie here and you’re ruining it.” Chloe stands up demanding the bat-family to move. They all look to one another before subtly moving away from the screen.

Damian places a quick kiss on Marinette’s cheek and guides his family out of the room. He was not happy that they came in ruining his night with Marinette. Now he has to make up for it with something romantic, not that he’ll do it anyway.

“What made you believe that I was kidnapped?” He asks, the second they were out of the room.

“The portal thingy.”

“You not answering any of our questions.”

Damian breathes through his nose. “You’re all idiots.”

“Well movie night is a bust, but we all agree to stay here to continue rather than going home.” Marinette walks into the hall after a moment of them talking—well it was more of a screaming match between Bruce and Damian with some input from Dick. “Will your family be fine without you for a couple more hours?”

“Habibti, these dunces are my family,” Damian states gesturing to his family,

Marinette nods, “Well then, hello, and can we keep Damian for the night?”

Damian walks over to Marinette and wraps his arms around her. “I’ll return from before it’s nightfall in Gotham, father.”

“Uh, sure. Boys lets go.” Bruce accepts the came and walks down the hall. Before either of the brothers could pester Damian about this newfound relationship, Bruce gave them all the bat-glare and demanded that they follow.

“You know you’re going to get pestered, right.” Marinette laughs.

“Don’t remind me.”

“Come on, we have a movie to finish.”

With that, Damian takes Marinette’s hand and walks back into the room.  

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[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Dangerous Love (Pt. 08 of 13)

Pairing: Bruce Wayne (Batman) X Harley Quinn's sister!Reader

Word count: 2.9K

Summary: You're Harley Quinn's sister, Havoc, one of the many villain's of Gotham. But you've been caught, and has been tortured constantly for an year in Belle Reve. But when your think your life can't be anything else than the nightmare you find yourself into, Bruce Wayne, the Batman, takes you in for a project. He has a program to rehabilitate villains, and you're his lab rat. But soon enough confusing feelings start getting in the way. You know falling for Bruce is stupid. But can you keep your heart under control?

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{Justice League - DC Masterlist}

×

Home isn't Always a Place

You're pushed forward, a gun on your back. You step down the ramp, the sunlight blinding you for a while. The headquarters were built here, in some sort of field. There as soldiers everywhere, and they're immediately aware of you. Of course they are, you're a threat. With a gun on your hand, seven bullets means seven men on the ground, crying in pain. You hardly miss.

“Sister!” A yell gets your attention, and you turn to its source. Harley comes running, throwing her arms around you. “So good to see you. Where have you been?”

In paradise. “Same place as I've been for the last year. Isn't it obvious?” Shrugging your shoulders casually, you try not to look to misplaced. Wait. Why would you look misplaced here?

“Well, now we get to have fun and some family bonding.” As she speaks, a soldier walking by gets her attention. “Hey, you. Can you help me with something?” She says in a flirting tone and walks away.

“Now it's a party.” A rough voice says, and you soon recognize the owner.

“Killer.” You greet him with a smile and a quick hug. “Nice to see you'll be here to have my back. Who else is here?”

“Deadshot is arguing with a soldier. Diablo is seated in some corner whining.” He smiles, gesturing at his left. “Long time no see. How's life?”

“Life's fine. As fine as it could be.” You start walking over where Deadshot is, watching as the soldier rolls his eyes. Floyd is gesticulating a lot, which means he's pissed.

“I won't have it like it was the last time. Now go, be a good puppy and tell this to your boss.” He says, turning his back at the man. “Havoc. Hi.” He says, exchanging a glance with Killercroc. “Ready for another stupid mission?”

“It's not like we have a choice, right? I–”

“Listen up, assholes! Your dirty things are in these boxes. So change and let's get the hell out of here. You have five minutes.” A man shouts, and everyone rolls their eyes.

You make your way to your things, and as you expected, your box is filled with your old clothes. All in shades of lilac, purple and pink. As usual, the soldiers just stand around you, not caring too much, as you change. You never liked that. Harley doesn't seem to care, and many eyes lay on her. But you do care. And you care a lot more now.

“Guys. A little help?”

Floyd and Killer grab some of the dark plastic bags that lie on the the floor, as you take a dark purple sleeveless jumpsuit. You move to stand near a wall, and the guys turn their backs at you, holding the bags high so you're shielded from anyone's eyes. They did the same on the first time, and you're very thankful for that.

“Thanks, guys. I'm done.” You tell them, fixing the jumpsuit on your body. The hard material makes you feel strong, like Havoc again.

“You're welcome.” Killer says.

“To the trucks! Now!” A man barks and you have no choice but to do as he says.

All of you go in the back of one of the trucks, together. Harley seems to be the only one excited about it, since she's trying to flirt with a soldier named Tom. You wonder what Joker would think about that. Oh. He's stuck on a bed for the rest of his life. He won't be saying anything, you bet.

As you move through the town, you can't help but think about what you did before leaving the house. The kiss. You can't believe you actually kissed him. What in hell were you thinking? You're very brave to do such a crazy thing like that. And you should've at least stayed to see his expression. To see if he was mad or not. But even if he didn't like it, you trust him enough to know he won't break his promise. He still keep helping you after you beat him up twice, so it's not a peck in the lips that will make him change his mind.

Being sure of this is a weird feeling. Your head is so much clearer now, you're not as scared as you were. And you're liking who you're becoming. This mission is just a inconvenience. It'll be over and you'll head back to the house, back to the way of getting a real life. A good life, a life you'll actually enjoy having.

You stop suddenly, and you're ordered out of the truck. “There's a small group here. Eyes open. They might have put mines here so... Don't blow up.”

You get two guns, one in your hand as you walk the perimeter. Harley stays close to Tom, but it doesn't bother you. You walk near Killercroc and Floyd, your head too far from this place.

“Hey.” Floyd elbows you. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I'm just... Thinking.” Shrugging your shoulders, you need to focus on being casual. “How's you daughter?”

“She's great. Best student of her class and she's in a hella good school. The best of Gotham.” He looks at the sides, making sure nobody is too close. Killercroc is a few steps ahead and he doesn't really care about these stuff anyways. “You will never guess who put her there. And also guaranteed her a good University, any one she chooses.”

“That's freaking amazing, Floyd. Who did all that?” It couldn't be Amanda. She's not that good.

“Batman.” The mention of Bruce makes you blush, your heart aching from his absence. You look down, running a hand through your hair.

“Batman? In like the man you hate with all your strength?”

“How can I hate someone who does that for my kid? No, no. I respect him. Even admire him now, doing this after I tried to kill him half a dozen times.”

“Floyd, he's...” You need to let out out your chest, and having someone to talk about it would be nice. And you know you can trust Floyd, even more now that his hate for Bruce is gone. So the words roll out your tongue in a whisper as you both stop walking. “...Batman is the one helping me... Rehabilitating me.”

“Oh. So the rumors are true. I knew they took you somewhere else, just didn't know where.”

“You two. Walk.” Someone says and you start moving again.

“Yes, he... I'm going well. I...” Floyd looks down at you, raising one eyebrow. “He said it was mostly just me, but he did help. He treated me with kindness, believed me. I don't know how to explain but I'm different.”

“I did notice something was off with you. But I'd never guess.”

“Really? I was trying to keep it cool.” As you speak, three man come from the corner, immediately shooting at you. You duck behind a car, peaking just enough to lay eyes on them and aim. But they're easily put down without you having to shoot.

“All clear!” Harley says, smiling.

“So...” You continue when you start walking downtown again. “I didn't want to come, but he promised me it would be the last time.”

“Uhm... He's making promises?”

“Yes.” You don't get his tone. “He's very kind to me. Unlike anyone else... He even threw me a birthday party.”

“Happy birthday by the way, and sorry it's a little late.” You turn the corner, carefully at first. “How kind?”

“Kind.” What else can you say? That his touch is so soft, so gentle that you couldn't help but fall in love with him? “He... Cares. I think.”

“You fell for him.” Floyd bursts out, and it's not even a question. It's an affirmative. How did he get there so fast?

But you're fast to dissimulate. “What? No.”

“It's called Stockholm Syndrome.”

“It's not like that!” You exclaim. “You know I've been kidnapped before. Twice by the Joker, who kept me hostage for five months... I did spent three of them just to play tricks on his mind and get some of his money but you get what I mean. Batman didn't held me hostage. He spoke to me, helped me get clean of the drugs they used to give me at Belle Reve, he... He won't let the door locked anymore. He wants me to be able to live in society again.”

“I was teasing you. But since you went into great lengths to defend your relationship with him... You did fell for him.”

“Shut up, Floyd.” You mutter, too much on your head. Increasing your pace, you reach Killer, walking beside him.

Your feelings are pretty clear, as much as you don't want to admit it. And hear it like that just makes it even worse. The kiss... All you think is about that kiss you shouldn't have given.

You're thankful when the action starts, because you have something else to focus on. It doesn't resumes in shooting, you eventually get into hand to hand combat. And you can deal with it pretty well. Of course, it's easier because the guys have your back. You guess they somehow noticed you have no pleasure on doing this anymore. Diablo, as usual, doesn't participate much.

When you stop, hours later, you feel your body complaining a little, but you know it'll get worse. But you also know you can deal with that. And you will, because this time you have somewhere nice to return to.

The commotion goes on for a couple of days. It gets messy, and it only gets worse when the granades start falling from the skies. You're all bruised up again, but not as bad as you were in the hell hole. How is it possible that you're in the middle of a war and you're not as much hurt as you were inside a prison?

As you approach the terrorists base, things get worse, and even the soldiers seem to get anxious. So that means they're extra evil to you. One of them denied you a bottle of water, what made Killercroc almost get his head blown out for arguing with the man. That reminds you that you don't have an explosive this time, but the soldiers told you they will put a bullet through your head if you try anything. But they can rest their minds because the only thing you want is to end this soon.

A week later, the soldiers decide to settle for the night, and push you into a half destroyed house. Harley uses all the hot water, so you have to endure the cold. But it feels good to clean up, and you can take a look at your wounds. A few cuts and purple bruises, nothing you can't deal with. The only bad part of the times you stop to rest a little before start moving again, is that your mind involuntary floats back to Bruce. You can't help it, everything comes back. When he left his gala to dance with you, the dreams, the birthday surprise, the kiss... Why can't you take this man out of your head?

You're alone in a room where half of the wall is down. The others are downstairs, but you want to be alone. You can see the stars from here, and you wonder if Bruce is staring at them too. “Hey, freak.” A soldier comes in, throwing a small radio at you, that looks like a very rustic cellphone. “Someone wants to speak to you. You have five minutes.”

Watching as he leaves, you lie back on the floor, approaching the radio from your ear and mouth. You know who it is, and your stomach goes crazy, with a thousand butterflies flying around.

“Hi.” He answers. “How are you?”

His voice is so familiar, like home. “I'm surviving. Enduring. Just want this to be over soon.”

“It will. And you'll be back here.”

“I hope so... We're near their base now. So only a couple of days more and we'll reach it. Take them down.” You close your eyes, hoping that his voice will be enough to make you dream of him tonight. You would give anything to have him here... Or to be back home. You mean, back at his house. “How's everything there?" Stupid question, he's fine, everything is fine.

“It's weird not to have you here.”

A smile comes to your lips. “Is it?” You whisper, taking a deep breath. You're scared you'll lose control, and the words will roll out your tongue. “Our time is almost over but... Thank you, I... It's good to speak to you.”

“Just remember I'm waiting for you.” You hear his heavy breath, as if he's suffering too, tired, exhausted.

Then you hear a little static, and you know he's gone... There's a weight on your chest and you can't help but let a single tear roll down your cheek. You keep the radio near your face, as if you could hold Bruce with a little longer. “I miss you so much.” You say, barely recognizing your weak voice.

“I miss you too.” The sudden answer scares you, your eyes widened.

“I- I thought you hanged up.”

“No, I'm still here. And I miss you very much, sweetheart.”

The pet name makes you lose it, and now you're crying. “Bruce, I–”

“Time's up, Havoc.” The soldier comes back, hand reached out. “Say goodbye to your protector.”

“I gotta go. I... I miss you.” You burst out before another sentence, far more dangerous, leaves your lips. You give the man the radio back, curling up on the floor, bracing yourself.

From tomorrow, you'll fight harder. You need to go back.

• • •

“Their base–” The soldier who announces is shot in the throat, right beside you. You're duck behind the barricades, waiting for the big guns to arrive. You cannot approach with the risk of being blown up, and they're not allowed to spend you just yet.

“That's it. Shoot to kill, that's an order.” The commandant yells, and the bodies start dropping faster. But not from your gun. You keep aiming for their knees, but another bullet always finds the man you leave collapsed on the floor. “Are you deaf, slut?” He barks at you, leaving his post and pulling you up by the shoulders. “Don't you think you can trick me just because the Bat took you into his wings. Do what you do best and kill those terrorists.”

“I don't kill, sarg.” You tell him, making your way back to your post. But the grabs your arm violently, squeezing right on a wound you got. You groan, trying to pull away.

“You don't kill? Nice try. You will do as I say!” He yells right to your face, and you can feel his disgusting breath. But you won't back down, and you won't take a life just because he told you to.

“I don't kill.” You repeat, standing as tall as you can, head up raised up to look the man in the eye.

His gun makes sudden contact with your face, in the apple on the right cheek. Your head jerks to the side, and you're knocked down, a sharp pain spreading through the skull.

“Hey! Leave her alone!” Killercroc comes running, and you see through the corner of your eyes as he engages in a fight with the man.

You're done here. Crawling away from the fight, you hide yourself behind a building, seated on the floor and resting your back against the wall. They seem to be dealing with that very well, so they don't need you. You're tired of fighting, tired of being in pain.

“Havoc?” Floyd calls, startling you a little. “Are you ok? Your cheek is–”

I'm (Y/N). “Yes, I'm ok. But I'm not going back there.”

“You'll have to tell them you're feeling unwell or else–”

“I don't care, ok? I just need to go back home. I'm sick and tired of this shit.” You burst out.

“Home?” He questions, not seeming too excited to head back to the battlefield.

“Yeah, just... I'm confused, I'm hurt. I'm not thinking straight.”

“I have to head back. Sorry.”

Nodding, you close your eyes, taking in the explosions and shooting. The only thing you want is peace now, silence... Bruce's arms. A heavy, cold rain starts falling, and you're soaking wet in a matter of seconds. Your head spins around, and you lie down, eyes closed tight.

Suddenly, you're pulled into a heavy sleep.

• • •

“Lucky bitch. We should be taking her back to where she belongs.” A rough voice wakes you up, and you sit up, eyes opening slowly. You're in a truck, in the back, on the metal floor. Your hands are tied by huge metal handcuffs, that cover both hands, reaching the middle of your forearm. It's heavy.

“Let's teach her a lesson. Just like old times.” A man say, and you recognize two out of six, both were your guards in Belle Reve.

“Don't leave too many bruises. She'll be with Batman in ten minutes, he'll notice.”

Ten minutes... You're going back. This truck in taking you back. Lowering your head, you smile, breathing deeply.

“She was with the Task Force. He'll think she got them there.”

“Fine then.” You're pulled back, a dark, heavy fabric covering your head. “This is just to remind you of who you are, Havoc.”

“And to give you a nice memory of home.”

The beating starts, and your body easily collapses to the floor again. But you're lifted up, again and again. You should fight. You should do something, but you can't. You're not the superpowerful girl you thought you were. You break too, and you get hurt. And you are hurt, with countless cuts and wounds through your body. When you were high on whatever they gave you, you could keep moving. Now you can't. Being vulnerable, weak, feels awful, but there's just no strength in you. You just need to make it through the last ten minutes that separate you from home.

Home.

When exactly did the house became that?

Or is it Bruce? Is he the one becoming your home? Is it even possible? You hope it is.

×

@redwolf-7 @glitterypinkkitty @mybabyboytony @chipster-21 @agustdpeach @yaakimoon2 @chloe-skywalker

[border-spam]

Leech Lord - Naivety

You know all those little things adults say to kids that they take at 100% face value cause they don't have the life experience yet to understand nuance?

That they tend to then grow out of as they get older and begin to absorb information from people around ‘em who know better?

Yeahhhhhh, the twins got none of that.

The twins believe shit in their 20's that they misunderstood as kids and decided was fact, or that Leda and Typhon had said with a jokey air - not realising their children would never be in a position to learn it wasn't true.

Troy gets uncomfortable around the idea of being bedridden for more than a day or two, has to get up, has to pace or try and exercise, has to move. 

Gets worried if people he cares about say they are having a day in, sitting on their asses and doing fuck all. Sends bizarre little pings to Sei and Ven when he finds out from Eli they are having a couch slum, asks them if they would rather be at Sanctum, asks if they want to take a midnight trek to the dunes so he can show them some of the cave paintings he'd found wandering with Jak-Knife a few months ago. Gets.. strange about it. Worried.

Cause it's almost like they don't know you're meant to keep active, that keeping active is what keeps your heart going.

Mom had said that, said hearts are important, they are strong and weak and you have to try and.. and keep them working all the time, that you have to try and not stay in bed even if you are sick, Troy. You have to try and move so your little heart will be..

He worries about his friend's hearts some nights for so long that his own starts skipping beats.

Tyreen remembers seeing eyes in the water once, HUGE flickering things that shifted deep in the lake, blood red and burning beneath the dark waves somehow. Hundreds, thousands growing in size as they hissed whispers that filled her mind and built in decibel till it reached a cacophony of broken screeching.

She told Troy, who told Typhon, who told Leda, who laughed and told them all it was just Sleep - taking shapes to watch and wait for children to start to dream so it can fill their heads with stories. She winked at Typhon, who'd laughed and agreed with her, told them that's how he got all his adventures.

Troy loved it, excitedly chattered as he climbed under the blanket next to his sister about what dreams he hoped he would have, maybe the sleep thing in the lake would give him a great one about fighting monsters and being an adventurer, maybe he could fly, maybe -

She'd stared blankly at the wall their cot faced, terrified.

It's been over a decade and Tyreen still feels flashes of some deep seated disturbance if she catches flickering shapes in the corner of her sight. There's a reason she sneaks into Troy's bedroom even when she can barely remember why he makes her feel better.

The eyes that cover him are... quieter.

Neither of them believe in superstitions or the idea of an afterlife. They grew up too removed from the idea of either to give them any credence as adults, but they do parrot some things they've carried since kids.

Troy won't eat scavenged food unless he sees animal tracks surrounding it, nibbles taken from edges. Needs to know something else ate it first. "Never eat what others aint, can be sure dat's poisonous", dad told him when he was 11. He carries that still.

Tyreen tests locked doors twice before she steps away, can't shake the air of discomfort if she doesn't. Has to go back and do it again if she hurried or skipped it. "Always twice, Ty "- Typhon had lectured when she was 7, "Once can be luck, twice is for sure. Never worth it kid, imagine we come back one day and all our stores were eaten up, huh? Or a Manta got at the generators. Always twice."

Seifa has a million tiny habits all rooted in some bizarre cultural superstitions she doesn't see that way at all. The trade fleet goes back so many generations from so many different parts of the galaxy that thousands of stories and beliefs have merged into ridiculous little actions half of the migrants can't even explain at this point.

Brings a little thing to leave in someone's home when invited, it's a trade off. If you're asked over, if you're treated like a family member, better leave a gift behind. A tiny thing usually, a little cacti in an oil can, a bauble she carved. Anything, just to place somewhere for them to find and remember their hospitability.

Doesn't like to sit facing a sunset. Keep your back to it. Long shadows are an advance warning, can't hide in the warm light.

First dollars spent from any new deal are on people who need it. Always. That's the rule. You con some smarmy fucker out of a 40 tonne import transaction fee for shifting their Oranium deposits between a couple of leeway stations off orbit, then you buy a meal for someone who needs it, or cancel a debt. First cash ain't yours. First cash is for people who need it first.

Never ties her hair up at night, even if its an unstyled mess and others will see. Doesn't irk her the same way being unfinished would around people, if her makeup was ruined or her clothes filthy. Not in the same league, somehow. Hair up is for business. The night is to relax. You stop work, you drop that burden. Let your hair down, smile, breath.

Will fix things without being asked. It's good manners. Opens her hand and gestures for damaged shield rigs to be passed over mid conversation, armour panels she's noticed are cracked, loose gun sights. Tinkers with them as she talks to the owner, hands them back repaired, never even mentions this in words. It's not to be spoken of anyway, that alters the deal. Only does it with people she likes though.... it's a simple way to know you're in Ur Machina's good books.

Asks are Open!

[crowdvscritic]

round up // NOVEMBER 20

Hi, I’m tired. Actually, my friend Celeste created a piece of art that puts the emphasis needed on that sentiment:

I’m very tired. November felt like it was three years and also felt like it went by in a blink and also I’m not sure where October ended and November began—how does time work like that? (I’ve yet to see Tenet, but maybe that will explain it.) But like Michael Scott, somehow I manage, and lately it’s been like this:

Late-night Etsy scrolling. Browsing beautiful, non-big-box-store artwork is very calming just before I go to bed. I’d recommend Etsy stores like Celeste’s chr paperie shop, which I know from experience is full of great Christmas gift ideas. 

Taking a day off of work to do laundry. I’m not sure if it’s more #adulting that I did that or that I was excited to do that.

Eating Ghiradelli chocolate chips straight from the bag. I actually don’t recommend this as a healthy option, but this is also not a health blog.

Watching lots and lots of ‘80s movies. One day I’ll ask a therapist why this decade of films is so comforting for me despite its many flaws, but for now I’m just rolling with it.

Reading. Have you heard of this? It’s a form of entertainment but doesn’t require screens—wild!

Memes. All good Pippin “Fool of a” Took jokes are welcome here.

Leaning into the Christmas spirit by ordering that Starbucks peppermint mocha, making plans to watch everything in that TCM Christmas book I haven’t seen, and keeping the lights on my hot pink tinsel tree on all day as I work from home.

This month’s Round Up is full of stuff that made me smile and stuff that sucked me into its world—I think they’ll do the same for you, too.

November Crowd-Pleasers

Sister Act (1992)

If in four years you aren’t in an emotional state to watch election results roll in, I recommend watching Whoopi Goldberg pretend to be a nun for 100 minutes. (Though, incidentally, if you want to watch that clip edited to specifically depict how the results came in this year, you’ll need to watch Sister Act 2.) This musical-comedy is about as feel-good as it gets, meaning there’s no reason you should wait four more years to watch it. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

Nevada Memes

Speaking of election results, Nevada memes. That’s it—that’s the tweet. Vulture has a round up of some of the best.

SNL Round Up

Laugh and enjoy!

“Cinema Classics: The Birds” (4605 with John Mulaney)

“Uncle Ben” (4606 with Dave Chappelle)

RoboCop (1987)

I’m not surprised I liked RoboCop, but I am surprised at why I liked RoboCop. Not only is this a boss action blockbuster, it’s an investigation into consumerism and the commodification of the human body. It’s also a critique of institutions that treat crime like statistics instead of actions done by people that impact people. That said, it’s also movie about a guy who’s fused with a robot and melts another guy’s face off with toxic sludge, so there’s a reason I’m not listing this under the Critic section. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

Double Feature – ‘80s Comedies: National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) + Major League (1989)

The ‘80s-palooza is in full swing! In Vacation (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10), Chevy Chase just wants to spend time with his family on a vacation to Wally World, but wouldn’t you know it, Murphy’s Law kicks into gear as soon as the Griswold family shifts from out of Park. The brilliance of the movie is that every one of these terrible things is plausible, but the Griswolds create the biggest problems themselves. In Major League (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10), Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, and Wesley Snipes are Cleveland’s last hope for a winning baseball team. Like the Griswolds, mishaps and hijinks ensue in their attempt to prevent their greedy owner from moving the Indians to Miami, but the real win is this movie totally gets baseball fans. Like most ‘80s movies, not everything in this pair has aged well, but they brought some laughs when I needed them most.

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens (2020)

They’re born a minute apart in the same hospital, but they don’t meet until their 30th birthday on New Year’s Day. So, yes, it’s a little bit Serendipity, and it’s a little bit sappy, but those are both marks in this book’s favor. This Time Next Year is a time-hopping rom-com with lots of almost-meet-cutes that will have you laughing, believing in romantic twists of fate, and finding hope for the new year.

Double Feature – ‘80s Angsty Teens: Teen Wolf (1985) + Uncle Buck (1989)

In the ‘80s, Hollywood finally understood the angsty teen, and this pair of comedies isn’t interested in the melodrama earlier movies like Rebel Without a Cause were depicting. (I’d recommend Rebel, but not if you want to look back on your teen years with any sense of humor.) In Teen Wolf (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 5/10), Michael J. Fox discovers he’s a werewolf.one that looks more like the kid in Jumanji than any other portrayal of a werewolf you’ve seen. It’s a plot so ‘80s and so bizarre you won’t believe this movie was greenlit.

In Uncle Buck (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), John Candy is attempting to connect with the nieces and nephew he hasn’t seen in years, including one moody high schooler. (Plus, baby Gaby Hoffman and pre-Home Alone Macauley Culkin!) This is my second pick from one of my all-time fave filmmakers, John Hughes (along with National Lampoon’s Vacation, above), and it’s one more entry that balances heart and humor in a way only he could do. You can see where I rank this movie in Hughes’s pantheon on Letterboxd.

Lord of the Rings memes

This month on SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kyla and I revisited The Lord of the Rings, a trilogy we love almost as much as we love Gilmore Girls. You can listen to our episode about the series on your fave podcast app, and you can laugh through hundreds of memes like I did for “research” on Twitter.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (2019)

Most adults are afraid of children’s temper tantrums, but can you imagine how terrified you’d be if they caught on fire in their fits of rage? That’s the premise of this novel, which begins when an aimless twentysomething becomes the nanny of a Tennessee politician’s twins who burst into flames when they get emotional. The book is filled with laugh-out-loud moments but never leaves behind the human emotion you need to make a magical realistic story.

An Officer and a Gentlemen (1982)

Speaking of aimless twentysomethings and emotion, feel free to laugh, cry, and swoon through this melodrama in the ‘80s canon. Richard Gere meanders his way into the Navy when he has nowhere else to go, and he tries to survive basic training, work through his family issues, and figure out his future as he also falls in love with Debra Winger. So, yeah, it’s a schamltzier version of Top Gun, but it’s schmaltz at its finest. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

November Critic Picks

Double Feature – ‘40s Amensia Romances: Random Harvest (1942) + The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

Speaking of schmaltz at its finest, let me share a few more titles fitting that description. In Random Harvest (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Greer Garson falls in love with a veteran who can’t remember his life before he left for war. In The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Gene Tierney discovers a ghost played by a crotchety Rex Harrison in her new home. Mild spoiler: Both feature amnesiac plot developments, and while amnesia has become a cliché in the long history of romance films, Harvest is moving enough and Mr. Muir is charming enough that you won’t roll your eyes. You can see these and more romances complicated by forced forgetfulness in this Letterboxd round up.

The African Queen (1951)

It’s Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn directed by John Huston—I mean, I don’t feel like I need to explain why this is a winner. Bogart (in his Oscar-winning role) and Hepburn star in a two-hander script, dominating the screen time except for a select few scenes with supporting cast. The pair fight for survival while cruising on a small boat called The African Queen during World War I (in Africa, natch), and the two make this small story feel grand and epic. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

A young man’s (Dennis Price) mother is disowned from their wealthy family because she marries for love. After her death, he seeks vengeance by killing all of the family members ahead of him in line to be the Duke D'Ascoyne. The twist? All of his victims are played by Sir Alec Guinness! Almost every character in this black comedy is a terrible person, so you won’t be too sorry to see them go—you can just enjoy the creative “accidents” he stages and stay in suspense on whether our “hero” gets his comeuppance. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1937)

What would you do if you found out you were to be someone’s eighth wife? Well, it’s probably not what Claudette Colbert does in this screwball comedy that reminds me a bit of Love Crazy. This isn’t the first time I’ve recommended Colbert, Gary Cooper, or Ernst Lubitsch films, so it’s no surprise these stars and this director can make magic together in this hilarious battle of the wills. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

The Red Shoes (1948)

I love stories about the competition between your life and your art, and The Red Shoes makes that competition literal. Moira Shearer plays a ballerina who feels life is meaningless without dancing—then she falls in love. That’s an oversimplification of a rich character study and some of the most beautiful ballet on film, but I can’t do it justice in a short paragraph. Just watch (perhaps while you’re putting up your hot pink tinsel tree?) and soak in all the goodness. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 10/10

The Third Man (1949)

Everybody loves to talk about Citizen Kane, and with the release of Mank on Netflix, it’s newsworthy again. But don’t miss this other ‘40s team up of Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles. Cotten is a writer digging for the truth of his friend’s (Welles) death in a mysterious car accident. Eyewitness accounts differ on what happened, and who was the third man at the scene only one witness remembers? 71 years later, this movie is still tense, and this actor pairing is still electric. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

The Untouchables (1987)

At the end of October, we lost Sean Connery. I looked back on his career first by writing a remembrance for ZekeFilm and then by watching The Untouchables. (In a perfect world I would’ve reversed that order, but c’est la vie.) In my last selection from the ‘80s, Connery and Kevin Costner attempt to convict Robert De Niro’s Al Capone of anything that will stick and end his reign of crime in Chicago. Directed by Brian De Palma and set to an Ennio Morricone soundtrack, this film is both an exciting action flick and an artistic achievement that we literally discussed in one of my college film classes. Connery won his Oscar, and K. Cos is giving one of the best of his career, too. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

Remember the Night (1940)

Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck in my favorite team up yet! Double Indemnity may be the bona fide classic in the canon, but this Christmas story—with MacMurray as a district attorney prosecuting shoplifter Stanwyck— is a charmer. I’ve added it to my list of must-watch Christmas movies—watch for some holiday cheer and rom-com feels. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Photo credits: chr paperie. Books my own. All others IMDb.com.

[aion-rsa]

Once Upon a Time in America Is Every Bit as Great a Gangster Movie as The Godfather

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This article contains Once Upon a Time in America spoilers.

The Godfather is a great movie, possibly the best ever made. Its sequel, The Godfather, Part II, often follows it in the pantheon of classic cinema, some critics even believe it is the better film. Robert Evans, head of production at Paramount in the early 1970s, wanted The Godfather to be directed by an Italian American. Francis Ford Coppola was very much a last resort. The studio’s first choice was Sergio Leone, but he was getting ready to make his own gangster epic, Once Upon a Time in America. Though less known, it is equally magnificent. 

Robert De Niro, as David “Noodles” Aaronson, and James Woods, as Maximillian “Max” Bercovicz, make up a dream gangster film pairing in Once Upon a Time in America, on par with late 1930s audiences seeing Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney team for The Roaring Twenties or Angels with Dirty Faces. Noodles and Max are partners and competitors, one is ambitious, the other gets a yen for the beach. One went to jail, the other wants to rob the Federal Reserve Bank. 

Throw Joe Pesci into the mix, in a small part as crime boss Frankie Monaldi, and Burt Young as his brother Joe Monaldi, and life gets “funnier than shit,” and funnier than their more famous crime films, Goodfellas and Chinatown, respectively. Future mob entertainment mainstays are all over Once Upon a Time in America too, and they are in distinguished company. This is future Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly’s first movie. She plays young Deborah, the young girl who becomes the woman between Noodles and Max, and she even has something of a catch-phrase, “Go on Noodles your mother is calling.” Elizabeth McGovern delivers the line as adult Deborah. 

When Once Upon a Time in America first ran in theaters, there were reports that people in the audience laughed when Deborah is reintroduced after a 35-year gap in the action. She hadn’t aged at all. But Deborah is representational to Leone, beyond the character.

“Age can wither me, Noodles,” she says. But neither the character nor the director will allow the audience to see it beyond the cold cream. Deborah is the character Leone is answering to. She also embodies the fluid chronology of the storytelling. She is its only constant.

The rest of the film can feel like a free fall though. Whereas The Godfather moved in a linear fashion, Once Upon a Time in America has time for flashbacks, and flashbacks within flashbacks, and detours that careen between the violent and the quiet. It’s a visceral experience about landing where we, and this genre, began.

Growing up Gangster

Both The Godfather and Once Upon a Time in America span decades; it’s the history of immigrant crime in 20th century America. But they differ on chronological placement. Once Upon a Time is set in three time-frames. The earliest is 1918 in the Jewish ghettos of New York City’s Lower East Side. 

Young Noodles (Scott Tiler), Patrick “Patsy” Goldberg (Brian Bloom), Philip “Cockeye” Stein (Adrian Curran) and Dominic (Noah Moazezi), are a bush league street gang doing petty crimes for a minor neighborhood mug, Bugsy (James Russo). New on the block, Max (Rusty Jacobs) interrupts the gang as they’re about to roll a drunk, and Max makes off with the guy’s watch for himself. He soon joins the gang, and they progress to bigger crimes.

The bulk of the film takes place, however, from when De Niro’s Noodles gets out of prison in 1930, following Bugsy’s murder, and lasts until the end of Prohibition in 1933. Max, now played by Woods, has become a successful bootlegger with a mortuary business on the side. With William Forsythe playing the grown-up Cockeye and James Hayden as Patsy, the mobsters go from bootlegging through contract killing, and ultimately to backing the biggest trucking union in the country as enforcers. They enjoy most of their downtime in their childhood friend Fat Moe’s (Larry Rapp) speakeasy. Noodles is in love with Fat Moe’s sister, Deborah, who is on her way to becoming a Hollywood star. The gang’s rise ends with the liquor delivery massacre.

The final part of the film comes in 1968. After 35 years in hiding, Noodles is uncovered and paid to do a private contract for the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Christopher Bailey…  Max by a different name who 35 years on has been able to feign respectability and make Deborah his mistress. An entire life has become a façade.

Recreating a Seedier Side of New York’s Immigrant Past

While The Godfather is an adaptation of Mario Puzo’s fictional bestseller, Once Upon a Time in America is based on the autobiographical crime novel, The Hoods. It was written by Herschel “Noodles” Goldberg, under the pen name of Harry Grey while he was serving time in Sing-Sing Prison. 

Coppola’s vision in The Godfather is aesthetically comparable to Leone’s projection. From the opium pipes at the Chinese puppet theater to the take-out Lo Mein during execution planning, the multicultural world of old New York crowds the frames and the players in both films. Most of Once Upon a Time in America was shot at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. The 1918 Jewish neighborhood in Manhattan was a street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which was made to look exactly as it had 60 years earlier.

Leone skillfully, yet playfully, captures the poverty of immigrant life in New York. The first crime we see the four-member gang commit could have been done by the Dead End kids. They torch a newspaper stand because the owner doesn’t kick up protection money to the local mug. And like the Dead End kids, they needle their mark, and joke with each other. At the end of the crime, Cockey is playing the pan pipe, and the very young Dominic is dancing. They are proud of their work and enjoy it. It’s fun to break things for money. And even better when they get a choice between taking payment in cash or rolling it over into the sure bet of rolling a drunk.

Violence without the Cannoli

Gangster films, like Howard Hawks’ Scarface and William A. Wellman’s The Public Enemy, were always at the forefront of the backlash to the Motion Picture Production Code. Which might be why gangster pictures were one of the first genres to benefit from the censors’ fall. A direct line can be drawn from the machine gun death which ends Bonnie and Clyde (1967) to the toll-booth execution of Sonny Corleone (James Caan)  in The Godfather. Another from when Moe Greene (Alex Rocco) gets one through the glasses and Joe Monaldi gets it in the eye in Once Upon a Time in America.

The Godfather has some brutal scenes. We get a litany of dead Barzinis and Tattaglias, horse heads and spilled oranges. Once Upon a Time in America ups the ante though. The shootings and stabbings are neat jobs compared with the beatings, which allow far more artistic renderings of gore, and pass extreme scrutiny. The one time the effects team balks at a payoff is when it’s not as gruesome as the setup.

“Inflammatory words from a union boss,” corporate thug Chicken Joe asks as he is about to light Jimmy “Clean Hands” Conway O’Donnell on fire. The mobster has such a nice smile, and the union delegate, played by Treat Williams, looks so pathetic while dripping gasoline that it feels like it might even be a mercy killing. It is a wonderful set piece, perfectly executed and timed. When Max and Noodles, and the gang defuse the situation, rather than ignite it, it is a lesson in the dangerous balance of suspense.

Like many specific scenes in Once Upon a Time in America, Conway’s incendiary introduction would’ve worked in any era. This is the turning point for the gang. The end of Prohibition is coming and all those trucks they’re using to haul liquor can be repurposed for a more lucrative future. 

“You Dancing?”

Music is paramount in both Leone’s and Coppola’s films. The Godfather is much like an opera, the third installment even closes the curtain at one. Once Upon a Time in America is a frontier film. The score was composed by Ennio Morricone, who wrote the music behind Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The film opens and closes with Kate Smith’s version of “God Bless America.” Though the scene occurs during the 1968 timeframe, the song comes out of the radio of a car seemingly from another point in time.

Morricone’s accompaniment to Once Upon a Time in America is as representational as Nino Rota’s soundtrack in The Godfather. Characters, settings, situations, and relationships all have themes, which become as recognizable as the Prohibition-era songs which flavor the period piece’s ambience. Fat Moe conducts the speakeasy orchestra through José María Lacalle García’s “Amapola” while grinning dreamily to Deborah who is chatting with Noodles. He’s a romantic.

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The music becomes part of the action in Once Upon a Time in America. Individual couples cut their own rugs, doing the Charleston between tables as waiters and cigarette girls glide by. Cockeye, who has been playing the pan pipe since the beginning of the film, wants to sit in with the band. 

Forsythe almost steals Once Upon a Time in America. He cries what look like real tears at the mock funeral for Prohibition and drinks formula from a baby bottle during the maternity ward scene. The blackmail scheme, which involves swapping infants, plays like an outtake from a Three Stooges movie, something Coppola would never dare for The Godfather. The ruse is choreographed to the tune of Gioachino Rossini’s “The Thieving Magpie,” which elicits the youthful thuggery celebrated in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. 

Devils with Clean Faces

One ironic difference between the two films is whimsy. The Godfather, which glorifies crime as corporate misadventure, is a serious movie with no time for funny business. Once Upon a Time in America, which is an indictment of criminal life, has moments of innocence as syrupy as in any family film (of the non-crime variety) and can be completely kosher. It’s sweeter than the cannoli Clemenza (Richard Castellano) took from the car, or the cake Nazorine (Vito Scotti) made for the wedding of Don Vito’s daughter. 

The scene where young Patsy brings a Charlotte Russe to Peggy in exchange for sex is a masterwork of emotive storytelling. He chooses a treat over sex. On one level, yes, this is a socioeconomic reality. That pastry was expensive and something he could never afford to get for himself. But as Patsy sneaks each tiny bit of the cream from the packaging, he is also just a child, a kid who wants some cake. He learns he can’t have it and eat it. It is so plainly laid out, and so beautifully rendered.

The Corleone family never gets those moments, not even in the flashbacks to Sicily or as children on the stoop listening to street singers play guitars. We know little of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) or Sonny as youngsters, much less teenagers, and are robbed of their happier moments of bonding. We know they are close, they are family. But Michael has his own brother killed while Noodles balks at the very idea. Twice, as it turns out.

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“Today they ask us to get rid of Joe. Tomorrow they ask me to get rid of you. Is that okay with you? Cos it’s not okay with me,” Noodles tells Max after the gang delivers on a particularly costly contract, double-crossing their partners in a major diamond heist. They are not blood family, but from the moment Max calls Noodles his “uncle” to fool a beat cop, they are all related. 

Noodles then does what young men in coming-of-age movies have done since Cooley High: Something really stupid. An indulgence the Corleones could never enjoy. He speeds the car into the bay. The guys can’t believe it. It adds to his legend. The scene could have been in Diner, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, or even Thelma & Louise. It is hard to dislike the gangsters in these moments. We know them too well, even as they do such horrible things.

How Women are Really Treated by an Underworld

The Godfather is told from the vantage point of one of the heads of the five established crime families; organized crime is as insular as the Corleone mall on Long Beach. That motion picture reinvigorated the “gangster film,” long considered a ghetto genre, but its perspective is insulated. By contrast, no matter how far they climb, Leone’s characters never really get off the block. They are street savages, even in tuxedos. Once Upon a Time in America whacked the gangster film, and tossed its living corpse into the compactor of a passing garbage truck.

The Godfather doesn’t judge its gangsters. The Corleones are family men who keep to a code of ethics and omerta. They dip their beaks in “harmless” vices like gambling, liquor, and prostitution. While there are scenes of extreme domestic violence, and a general dismissal of women, the film stops short of challenging the image of honorable men who do dishonorable things. Leone offers no such restraint. His history lesson is unabridged.

Long before Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman stripped gangster lore to a tale of toxic masculinity, Once Upon a Time in America robbed it of all glamor. There is a very nonchalant attitude toward violence and other demeaning acts against women in Leone’s film, from the very opening scene where a thug fondles a woman’s breast with his gun in order to humiliate her civilian date.

This is deliberate. The director, best known for Spaghetti Westerns, wants to obliterate any goodwill the gangsters have accumulated through their magnetic antiheroism. One scene between Max and his girlfriend Carol (Tuesday Weld) is so hard to sit through, even the other members of the gang squirm in their chairs.

Noodles sexually assaults two women over the course of the film. While there is some motivational ambiguity in the scene during the jewel heist attack, the rape of Deborah is devastatingly direct. It kills any vestige of romance the gangster archetype has in film. The camera does not look away, and the scene lingers with terrifying ferocity and traumatic intimacy. There is a visible victim, and Noodles’ wealth and pretensions of honor are worthless.

The Ultimate Gangster Epic

Once Upon a Time in America brings one other element to the genre which The Godfather avoids, a lingering mystery. Coppola delivers short riddles, like the fate of Luca Brasi, which are revealed as the story warrants. But the 35-year gap between the slaughter of Noodles’ crew and the introduction of Secretary Bailey is almost unfathomable. How did Max go from long-dead to a man with legitimate power?

What happens to Noodles in those years is fairly easy to guess, without any specifics. He got by. The gang’s shared secret bankroll was empty when he tried to retrieve it as the last surviving member. He put his gun away and eked out a quiet life. But even as the details spill out on the true fate of Max, it is unexpectedly surprising, as much for the audience as Noodles.

“I took away your whole life from you,” Max/Bailey says. “I’ve been living in your place. I took everything. I took your money. I took your girl. All I left for you was 35 years of grief over having killed me. Now why don’t you shoot?” This final betrayal, and Noodles’ inert revenge, take Once Upon a Time In America into almost unexplored cinematic depths. 

Max has gone as low as he could go. The joke is on Noodles, everyone’s in on it, including “Clean Hands,” who is tied in to “the Bailey scandal.” The cops are in on it, and so is the mob. Max admits even the liquor dropoff was a syndicate set-up. He’d planned this all along. Just like Michael Corleone had a long term strategy to make his family legitimate. 

This is an ambitious story. Beyond genre, this bends American celluloid into European cinema. By sheer virtue of being outside of Hollywood, Leone transcends traditional boundaries. He has a far more limitless pallet to draw from. He can aim a camera at De Niro’s spoon in a coffee cup for three minutes and never lose the audience’s rapt attention. Leone can pull the rug out from everything with a last minute reveal. Coppola bent American filmmaking for The Godfather, but stayed within proscribed parameters. He never gets as sweet as a Charlotte Russe nor as repulsive as the back seat of a limo. 

Once Upon a Time in America ripped the genre’s insides out and displayed them with unflinching veracity and theatrical beauty. It is a perfect film, gorgeously shot, masterfully timed, and slightly ajar.

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