#he also bring so much to mr palmer’s character

[strawberries-at-donwell]

Being HOT af. I took these screenshots while rewatching the other day - 🥵😍🔥

WHAT IS HOUSE DOING IN SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

[d-dormant]

Not boring in the slightest I would love to hear more about your book collection!! What are some of your favourites from each genre? 🖤

Hello! First of all, that's so sweet of you to say, thanks a lot! 💜 Going from top to bottom, my favourites

— From the "Medieval"/gothic collection (that i haven't read that much of yet tbh):

· "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott. It's very witty at times + I got some nice vocabulary and cultural references from the medieval setting out of it.

· "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole. Liked it mostly for making me re-think the whole morale of the "Maleficent" films (they're the only thing I talk about ever, sorry for somehow bringing it even here). I mean the whole underlying idea that descendants should pay for their ancestors' wrongs if they themselves escaped punishment. Realising that for many medieval people that kind of retribution might've been considered just and right put lot of things in an interesting perspective for me!

· "Fair Margaret" by Sir Henry Rider Haggard. I'm reading it rn and enjoying the characters and the plot so far, although I sometimes wish the author wouldn't just tell what the characters are like since I can already tell it from their speech and actions, hah.

· I also have a book of Celtic myths which I also enjoy a lot despite never remembering a single plot or name. 

— From foreign classics: 

· "The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux. It was the first book I really enjoyed after a long period of not being able to bring myself to read, so it's special to me + I really liked the Persian, it's insane that he's not in the musical?? 

· "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontё. My #1 baby my favourite lady. I've read it a few times and every time I hate Mr Rochester more and love Jane more as well. 

— From foreign modern/contemporary literature: 

· "Flush" by Virginia Woolf. It's the only work of hers I've read so far, but I remember being in awe of just how colourful and almost tasty the descriptions are. And it's a very touching tale as well.

· "Martin Eden" by Jack London. *in keke palmer's voice* sorry to this man

· "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl. A really well-done novel provided the author's intent was to make me absolutely fucking despise the main characters from the very first page. I think it was, so kudos to her.

— From Russian literature:

· "Oblomov" by Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov. Somehow is in Russian school curriculum and still underrated. I guess people dislike the main character too much to enjoy it; not me, though! I only hate Ilya Oblomov because he reminds me of myself too fucking much and this whole novel is dragging me and putting me in existential dread! 

· Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov's poetry of which I have three books. I am a Lermontov girlie it's true it's true. I think he is quite underrated internationally (that is to say, I wish he was as well-known in the world as Tolstoy or Dostoyevskiy). He is romantism at its finest.

— From Circassian literature (that I also hardly read anything from because most of what I have is in Circassian and I'm not nearly as fluent): 

· "The Millstones" by Isaac Mashbash. A historical novel about the time preceeding the Russo-Circassian war and the wartime itself. It was a difficult yet interesting read. I'm thinking of maybe re-reading it soon because it seems only fitting, considering what's happening right now has a lot of resemblance to what happens in the novel.

I think that's it! Sorry if it's too long! Again, thanks for asking!

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

June 2021 Picks

And would you look at that, it’s the end to another month. I feel like I started a lot of new series in June and continued some favorites as others had their seasons come to an end. (Who else can’t wait for the third season of Nancy Drew this fall?) So without further ado, let’s jump right into it!

Spoilers....spoilers...spoilers....

GRANTCHESTER

At the end of last month I started watching the British mystery series, Grantchester following Vicar Sidney Chambers and D.I. Geordie Keating as they solve murder mysteries together in the “quiet” town of Grantchester. I was in the mood for a period piece and got hooked instantly. The show is about six episodes/50 minutes a piece, so it is very easy to finish a season in one sitting. When the show starts it is the 1950s and Sidney is experiencing PTSD from his time in WWII as well as a broken heart as the love of his life, Amanda, is getting married to another guy (who is much richer). He forms a friendship with Geordie as they solve cases together. Each man balances the other out. 

When I started the show I knew that James Norton (who plays Sidney Chambers) was not currently still on the show and was curious when he left/why. I just started season 4 and have just watched the episode he left. SPOILERS AHEADDDDDD!!!! I thought he would have left with Amanda as season three seemed to be building up to that. I wasn’t a big fan of their relationship, so I was happy he didn’t (although he would have been a great surrogate father to Grace). I was surprised to see he left Grantchester for America with Violet, but I think it was a great decision. Sidney was constantly in the same cycle as Geordie mentions during 4x02 and around Violet there was noticeably a change for the better. I’m curious if in future episodes they’ll talk about him and his time in America. 

So, now we are welcomed to Will Davenport played by Tom Brittney and I’m ready to see what’s in store for him and the show. I was ready for some fresh blood and storyline and can’t wait to continue watching. I also think he’s very easy on the eyes and gives me Henry Cavill vibes, so that’s a plus (lol). 

SOY LUNA

Two completely different shows, but this and Grantchester have been my must watches recently. (I know it’s quite a big range.) Soy Luna is a South American Disney telenovela that is available for streaming on Disney Plus. After watching Violetta last year (and finished this year), I wanted to check Soy Luna out. I did want to give myself some time between shows, as I didn’t want to do too much comparing back and forth. Also, this is another long investment as once again the first two seasons are 80 episodes a piece (I think season 3 is only 60. That’s right I said only). I have quickly got hooked on this show. Here we follow Luna who moves from her home in Mexico to Barcelona when her adopted parents get a new job working for a rich family. Compared to Violetta, (yes, I said I wouldn’t compare so much, but how can you not) Soy Luna has a lot more mystery right away. This starts with why Mrs. Benson hires Luna’s parents as well as the secret she has regarding certain family members who “died” tragically. When Luna moves, she brings her passion for roller-skating and gets a job at Jam and Roller. In the show, roller-skating is very popular and everyone does it. There’s singing, but not as much as Violetta (or at least so far). There’s also A LOT of characters. In the beginning it was very hard for me to keep track of everyone (as you can see in the picture above). I felt like we were constantly meeting new ones. I also don’t know if I still know everyone’s names. There are a few actors who were on Violetta and my favorites are Rey (who was Gregerio because his character is so different) and Raffa Palmer and Marotti who act together and are hilarious. 

Naturally, there’s another love triangle involving the main character and I have it spoiled for who she winds up with because this show has been out for a while and I know people who watched it. I am interested to see how the Luna/Matteo/Simon storyline works out (and don’t mind either guy in the love triangle), but find I’m more excited to watch the love between Nina and Gaston grow. Right now, they’ve only had a few scenes together, but I am already loving them so much. 

DISNEY/PIXAR’S LUCA

This straight to Disney Plus release is adorable and has quickly become one of my favorite Pixar films that I can’t wait to watch again. If that doesn’t make you want to watch it then I don’t know what will (: Ever since the trailer was released I was very intrigued to learn more about Luca and couldn’t wait to watch it. I feel like it lived up to the hype. I love the characters and the transition they make from life under the sea to the land. The setting of Italy is so colorful and I loved all the Italian sayings used. I think it would be so cool if eventually they could be represented in the Italy Pavilion in Epcot. As for themes, friendship is a big one in the movie as well as finding your identity and acceptance over discrimination. While we’ve seen many of these before, there’s something special about this one. I really enjoyed all the characters and the acting. Highly recommend this one! 

NETFLIX’S SWEET TOOTH

One of Netflix’s latest shows, Sweet Tooth, had a lot of buzz when it was released last month. I didn’t know anything about it, but heard the story was based on a graphic novel by the same name. The trailer was really intriguing and I knew I had to watch the show. I will put out a warning though that this show involves a virus that wipes out most of the population leading into an apocalypse. If you find this triggering or too close to home then I would suggest not watching the show. They do wear masks, and there was a sign about social distancing that gave me chills. It’s stuff that in a pre 2020 world I wouldn’t have thought twice about. Now it gave me a different view of the show. Anyways, the premise of this show is that there was a virus that was released at the same time that hybrid babies were born. The show follows a trio of characters, but arguably the main character is Gus aka Sweet Tooth whose Pubba brought him in the woods as a baby to escape the crumbling society. There he raised Gus until he’s about 10/11. From there Gus ventures out to find his mom and the truth about who he is/what is going on. He is paired with Big Man as well as some others along the way. It has really been an interesting show and I only have one episode left. I’m curious how everything is going to be wrapped up and hope there is a somewhat satisfying ending as Netflix has been known for cutting a lot of shows after their first season recently. 

LOKI

Loki has been one of my favorite characters since I watched Thor. I was so happy every time he appeared in one of the Marvel movies and was ecstatic when it was revealed he’d be getting a show (especially after his fate during Infinity Wars). After the success of Wandavision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I was pumped for the Loki series to start (and on a Wednesday, rather than a Friday!!!) I love Tom Hiddleston’s acting and how he’s able to get in the mindset of a “younger” Loki following Avengers in this show. That first episode when he sees his future in front of him really tugged on my heartstrings. The show overall has been a little bit harder for me to get into. I don’t know if it’s the strong Sci-Fi/time travel (which I usually love), but it’s been tough to follow at times. I did really like last episode (3) and am interested to see what happens next. I just might have to rewatch a scene or episode again to pick up everything that’s going on. 

HBO MAX’S FRIENDS REUNION

The highly anticipated Friends Reunion was released on HBO MAX earlier in June. I didn’t know what to expect, but was very happy in the format and overall special. It was a combination of live interviews with James Cordon to behind the scenes footage, and seeing the cast reunite with each other and the sets. I really liked the few script reads and how flawlessly it was edited to the original scene. It was great seeing them interact together. (My heart did ache for Matthew Perry though, but you could see he was more comfortable outside of the interview with James Cordon). I learned a lot about the beginnings of the show and all the projects some of the actors were signed on before or at the same time as Friends. I watched this special after attending the NYC Friends Experience and just thought it was the icing on the cake to seeing the sets and some props from the show. I can’t wait to go back and watch the episodes again. (Even though I’m watched them thousands of times before.) 

CONTINUED WATCHES I’M STILL LOVING:

The CW’s Kung Fu

This cast is amazing and I’m here for the Nicky/Evan/Henry love triangle (but please let Henry be endgame). 

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Sara is back and her and Ava are officially engaged!!! Can’t wait to see what else is in store with the Legends and the aliens changing history. Too bad it’s not knew this week. 

The Great Pottery Throw Down

Have you still not watched this amazing show? What are you doing?? Get on it. You’ll be happy you did! 

[nostalgic-pancakes]

you look bizarre, in the apricot

Summary: Thomas Sanders and Nico Flores VS The Town of Night Vale: An Epistolary from the outside.

Pairings: Pintoverts, Cecilos and Gen friendships otherwise

Read on AO3

Word count: 976

Warnings: Unreality, reality being really weird, sparsely described body horror. I am not as good of a surrealism writer as Min, this is my first foray even remotely into the genre, but I hope to make more stuff like this sometime! Stay Safe

Other notes: For Min! hope you enjoy <3

Tagged: @sometimes-love-is-enough

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Joan: u there yet?

Me (15:03): yes!! Sending a photo real quick

Me: (IMAGE.png)

[Image description: Thomas and Nico, both fairly suntanned, facing the camera with some parts of their faces awkwardly cropped off. However, it’s easy to see that they are both grinning wildly in front of a new house, reminiscent of fifties suburbia behind them, with a small pile of boxes near the door.]

Me (15:94): we’re gonna be unpacking now

Me (15:94): byeeeeee!!

Joan: Wait what’s up with your clock thing?

Me (15:95): dunno looks fine to me

Joan: yea prolly a glitch

Joan: see ya

…

Google Search History:

What foods cause hallucinations? Should you listen to hallucinations? Should you listen to hallucinations of fictional characters you created? Should you listen to hallucinations trying to help you? Why are writing objects banned in night vale Why does internet explorer work better in night vale Internet freaking explorer why Night vale Night vale news What is wrong with night vale What are the secret police

delete history?

...

“And now: Traffic.

Today on traffic, as we can see, the formerly fictitious aspects of a newcomer’s personality, Mr. Thomas Foley Sanders are currently running amok, amongst the many vehicles in today’s commute. However, Thomas is a rare case of someone who has enough internal strife that he feels the need to regularly bring out his aspects. For the rest of us, we either live in blissful, absolute ignorance, or neverending guilt.

Props to Mr. Sanders for trying to find his way through the deceptive caverns of the conscious and subconscious mind, but I would really rather get into our real traffic report, instead of talking about the state of vehicles in the city. This is boooooooring!”

...

Call history:

Joan Sticks (45:15) Tally (28:10) Nico my beloved (10:59) Joan Sticks (10:12) Joan Sticks (1:19:34) Nico my beloved (11:102) Carlos ? (???) Carlos The Scientist Palmer (???) Carlos The Scientist Palmer (???) Cecil Palmer (???) Cecil Palmer (???) Cecil Palmer (???) Nico my beloved (???) Patton (???) Logan (???) Virgil (???) Roman (???) Janus (+Remus) (???)

��

Group Chatroom with: Joan Sticks, Tallycat, Nico my beloved

Nico: @Joan @Tallycat I think something’s wrong with this town

Me: yes why is there a secret police

Me: why

Me: frickin w h y

Me: and the sides? Real

Me: i have pictures!! Evidence!!

Me: [IMAGE.png] [IMAGE2.png]

[Image Description 1: the sides and Thomas in a large cuddle pile. They are toppled together and making obvious contact, with fabric becoming creased under contact points.]

[Image Description 2: The Sides, Nico and Thomas are cooking together. It is going badly.]

…

EXISTENTIAL CRISES! | Sanders Sides

“And for today’s sponsor, we have a minor switch! Today we are sponsored by Big Rico’s Pizza!” says Thomas, a bunch of pixels on hundreds of thousands of screens.

“Now in two more flavors- one with vegan pepperoni and cheese, for anyone to enjoy, and of course, for all our eternal scouts, void. Simply void .Nobody does a slice like Big Rico’s! No one.” Thomas seems surprised at his own nonchalance at what he’s saying, but he gets a thumbs up from a hand just barely in camera view, and continues.

“Anyways- go to the checkout, enter the promo code thomassandersAAAAAAA and order some Big Rico’s Pizza today! Now, on to the episode”

Comments (3,030)

CosmicAce 1991 Why is the last thing on Thomas’s twitter from a month ago and WHY IS THIS VIDEO SIX MONTHS LATE?

Berry-Blast Ngl love the hugging- care to share a process reel? Aren’t Joan and Talyn too far away to work on this anymore? Let's Go Ghost When are we getting a new cartoon therapy?

Patton-Patoff WHERE ARE THE CORNERS?? THIS DOES NOT WORK WITH GREENSCREEN?? HOW DID THEY JUST… DO ANYTHING IN THIS VIDEO??

Minute Where is the checkout? Can’t find it. Also hi nico!

Cecil Jaws Stan All hail the glow cloud

DreadfulZombie19 These existential crises are… uncomfortable to say the least. Thank you for at least adding trigger warnings. Speaking of which, where are the SVS redux epilepsy warnings?

…

Google Search History for: Joan Stokes

Plane tickets to night vale Plane tickets to night vale, usa Which state is night vale in Where is night vale Driving map to night vale What is a delta airlines flight 27 Why is my friend from night vale acting so weird Night vale radio How to get friend out of night vale

…

Sanders Jaws! @ThomasSanders

Video is going to be delayed by about a week- Tuesday got cancelled, you see. No worries! As soon as it’s back, there will be a new Cartoon Therapy!

Replies

Min-Ding-Ding-Ding @arealsword Hope Tuesday’s doing alright

I really like flowers @sodoroses

What is actually going on is Thomas okay what is happening

…

Using Gravity Falls to cope with strange events in life! | Cartoon Therapy

Comments (1,048)

Minerva

Dang wonder what’s been going on.

…

Call transcript: Thomas Sanders, Joan Sticks, Nico my Beloved (xx:xx:xx)

“But here’s the thing- it used to be really scary-”

“Terrifying.”

“Yeah, but now? I guess we just have an all-powerful glow cloud (all hail) on the school board.”

“And we also have a sentient hand as my swimming coach. She’s cool.”

“How- How are you so cool with all this?”

“Stockholm syndrome?”

“I mean, the sides are real people here, so I get to have my crises off camera for once, which is nice.”

“Joan!!!” “Joan!” “Joan <3”

“One sec guys, I’ll give you the phone in a minute!”

“Okayyyyy” “How did Roman pull off pronouncing the heart emoticon?”

“Don’t ask me.”

“Well, if you’re happy…”

“Don’t worry too much about us, buddy. We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah! Carlos and I are going to be at a Slap-Poetry contest against Thomas and Cecil!”

“Mmhm. Well, goodnight then. Love you both.”

“Love you too!”

“Yeah! Love you too, Joan!”

[opera-ghosts]

Tempest, Marie (1864–1942) English actress who was hugely popular in both musical comedy and comic plays. Born Mary Susan Etherington on July 15, 1864, in London, England; died on October 14, 1942; educated at Midhurst and at a convent in Belgium; studied singing at the Royal Academy of Music, London; married Alfred E. Izard (divorced); married Cosmo Gordon-Lennox (an actor and playwright), in 1898 (died 1921); married William Graham Browne (an actor-director), in 1921 (died 1937); no children. Made London debut as Fiametta in Boccaccio (Comedy Theater, May 1885); appeared as Lady Blanche in The Fay o' Fire (Opéra Comique, 1885), in the title role in Erminie (Comedy Theater, 1885); took over the title role in Dorothy (Prince of Wales Theater, 1887); appeared as Kitty in The Red Hussar (Lyric Theater, 1889); made New York debut in the same role (Palmer's Theater, August 1889); toured U.S. and Canada with the J.C. Duff Opera Co. (1890–91); appeared as Adam in The Tyrolean (CasinoTheater, New York, 1891), O Mimosa San in The Geisha (Daly's Theater, London, 1896), in the title role in San Toy (Daly's Theater, 1899), as Nell Gwynn in English Nell (Prince of Wales Theater, 1900), in the title role in Peg Woffington (Prince of Wales Theater, 1901), as Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair (Prince of Wales Theater, 1901), as Kitty Silverton in The Marriage of Kitty (London and New York, 1903); toured America, Australia, and elsewhere (1914–22); appeared as Annabelle Leigh in Good Gracious, Annabelle (Duke of York's Theater, 1923), as Judith Bliss in Hay Fever (1925), as Angela Fane in The Cat's Cradle (Criterion Theater, 1926), in the title role in The First Mrs. Fraser (Haymarket Theater, 1929), as Fanny Cavendish in Theater Royal (Lyric Theater, 1934), as Georgia Leigh in Short Story (Queen's Theater, 1935), as Dora Randolph in Dear Octopus (Queen's Theater, 1938).The celebrated English actress Marie Tempest first graced the stage as a singer in operas and musical comedies before taking up serious acting, at which she was also immensely successful, at age 36. Tempest's phenomenal popularity lay not so much in her creative genius, but in her unique ability to bring much of her own personality and temperament to the characters she portrayed. "She seems to radiate the joy of living," wrote a reviewer for the London Times upon seeing her performance in The Cat's Cradle in April 1926, "to drive it home to us by her mere presence, by the inspiring notes of her voice, and by the depth of worldly experience and indulgence for our human foibles in her glance. Briefly she is a perpetual refreshment and source of pleasure; something for which the theater exists and by which it triumphantly justifies its existence."

Born in London in 1864, Tempest was educated at Midhurst and at a convent in Belgium until age 16, when she took up the study of music, first in Paris and then at London's Royal Academy of Music. While still a student, she made her singing debut at St. James's Hall, and from that time on was hooked on performing. Taking her stage name from her godmother, Lady Susan Vane-Tempest , she began her career singing in the provinces, and made her London debut in May 1885, in the role of Fiametta in the comic opera Boccaccio. Critics unanimously praised her voice but were somewhat divided on the subject of her acting.

In February 1887, after leading roles in The Fay o' Fire, Erminie, and La Béarnaise, Tempest took over the title role in Dorothy from Marion Hood . She played the role for two years, then won great acclaim as Kitty Carroll in The Red Hussar. Tempest made her American debut in that same role, opening at New York's Palmer Theater on August 5, 1889, to the delight of the critics. "It was a success and from the last notes of the song, Marie Tempest was received into the affections of New York theatergoers," wrote one. "After that the opera seemed to be a secondary consideration and the other players were but foils. Tempest only could fill the stage." The actress then toured the United States and Canada with the J.C. Duff Opera Company, taking roles in several well-known operas, including Arline in The Bohemian Girl, the title role in Mignon, and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance. In October 1891, she returned to New York, where she was in constant demand for the next three years.

Back in London in 1895, Tempest began a five-year engagement at Daly's Theater, then under the management of George Edwardes. Now considered the queen of musical comedy, she was treated like royalty by Edwardes who insisted that she use the royal entrance rather than the stage door, and saw to it that a carriage waited

for her each evening after the show. Tempest also became the first actress to have her clothes designed by couturiers rather than theatrical designers. In 1898, she met and married actor and playwright Cosmo Gordon-Lennox, who also treated her like royalty, indulging her passion for shopping and redecorating. He introduced her to the world of literature and other intellectual pursuits. (Gordon-Lennox was Tempest's second husband; during her Royal Academy days, she had married and divorced Alfred Izard.)

In 1899, Tempest had a falling out with Edwardes over some long trousers he wanted her to wear for the title role in San Toy. She considered them tasteless and cut them into shorts before her first entrance, infuriating Edwardes and destroying their professional relationship. Not only did Tempest walk away from Daly's over the incident, but she turned her back on musical comedy as well. In August 1900, she entered the second phase of her career, opening as Nell Gwynn in English Nell, a play directed by Dion Boucicault, who also helped Tempest make the transition to straight plays. (She was serious about learning her craft, frequently spending an entire morning rehearsing simple stage business, like answering a phone or pouring a cup of tea.) Boucicault also directed Tempest in the title role in Peg Woffington , and as Becky Sharp in an adaptation of Vanity Fair (both 1901). In 1902, also under Boucicault's direction, she played Kitty Silverton in The Marriage of Kitty, which her husband had adapted from the French. The play, a huge success, marked the beginning of Tempest's eight-year relationship with producer Charles Frohman and remained in her repertoire for the next 30 years.

While Tempest was perfecting her acting technique and gaining a new reputation as a talented comedian, her marriage to Gordon-Lennox collapsed. In 1908, she met William Graham Browne, an aristocrat and actor six years her junior; their relationship is described by Eric Johns as the first deep friendship of her life. Their professional and personal association lasted 29 years, until Browne's death in 1937, although they did not marry until after Gordon-Lennox's death in 1921. Browne directed many of Tempest's productions, and encouraged her to further improve her acting. He also served as troubleshooter. "She was far from easy to work with," writes Johns, "and part of Willie's mission in life was to pour oil over troubled waters and keep the troupe together and in a reasonably happy frame of mind."

In September 1913, Tempest began a stint as manager of the Playhouse Theater in London, where she opened in the title role in Mary Goes First. With the outbreak of war in Europe, however, she soon went into debt. To keep afloat, she and Browne set off on a world tour which began in Toronto in October 1914, and over the course of the next eight years took them to New York, Chicago, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, the Straits Settlements, China, Japan, the Philippines, and through the United States. Tempest returned to London's Duke of York's Theater in 1923, playing the role of Annabelle Leigh in Good Gracious, Annabelle, which had been warmly received on tour. The London audience, however, hated the play and hissed and booed their disapproval. "How long I stood there, leaning against the wings I do not know," she told her biographer Hector Bolitho. "Dimly I remember clapping my hands over my ears, trying to shut out that cruel noise. Able to bear it no longer, I rushed to my dressing room and closed the door behind me … after thirty-seven years as a trouper I had been booed for the first time and in London." Tempest also said that something in her died that night and that afterwards she never felt quite the same about her "dear public." To improve her frame of mind, she revived The Marriage of Kitty, and ran nearly a year in it.

It was not until her role as Judith Bliss in Noel Coward's Hay Fever (1925), a role written with her in mind, that Tempest had her next unqualified hit. "The most delightful thing of the evening was to see Miss Marie Tempest coming into her own again with a part which gave every scope for her really distinguished sense of comedy and her admirable technique," wrote the critic for Punch. She "moved the house to a storm of spontaneous applause by the exquisite singing of a little chanson d'amour, and it was in perfect voice—not a note strained or even thin." Hay Fever ran for 337 performances and was followed by The Cat's Cradle (1926), another solid hit for the actress.

Tempest continued to perform throughout the 1930s, celebrating her jubilee on May 28, 1935, with a special benefit performance at the Drury Lane Theater. She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) in 1937, which was also the year she lost Willie, a shattering blow from which she never fully recovered. Her last appearance on the London stage was as Dora Randolph in Dodie Smith 's Dear Octopus, a successful venture that ran for 373 performances. Glen Byam Shaw, who directed the 67-year-old actress in the play, was awed by her genius for stage business, particularly in a scene in which she was listening to her daughter's problems while setting the table for dinner. "As she listened she made table napkins into the shape of water lilies, but fitted each deft movement to the text, thus pointing the daughter's lines in the most apposite manner. It won a round of applause every night."

Tempest was rehearsing for another role, under the direction of Henry Kendall, when it became clear that she was unable to learn her lines and had to be let go. She took the news bravely, although her eyes were filled with tears as she awaited the taxi to take her home. She died within six weeks, on October 14, 1942. Noel Coward had once paid fitting tribute to Tempest: "When she steps on to a stage a certain magic occurs, and this magic is in itself unexplainable and belongs only to the very great."

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

More therapy thoughts part 1/?

Behavior Theory Frameworks/Conditioning and What the fuck does Master Chief talk about in therapy?

Ramblings below - like a lot, like I spent too much time writing this and you should not read this

Behavioral Theory could work well as a framework with rehabilitating Spartan IIs if the case worker focused on Operant Conditioning Theory and Cognitive Social Learning Theory, which I talked about in this ask because I think I’m funny and this blog is an archive of me applying human behavior theories to video games.

Spartans have always been taught the mission comes first! Always! The 2s are indoctrinated from age 6-14 and then have that reinforced the rest of their lives. From the beginning they are taught to push themselves to the limits, earn their food by winning, form bonds with teammates but be ready to sacrifice them for the mission. The whole lives wasted vs spent conversation between John and Mendez after the augmentation surgery!

What the UNSC/ONI wants comes before their lives, the lives of other soldiers, civilians, AI etc. This constant conditioning of expectations and rewards has created the norms cemented in their minds. This becomes standard operating procedure.

Spartans are also an entirely separated social group, other people have made really great posts on how they are Othered and have their own way of communicating with body language. ODSTs hate Spartans, marines see them as cyborgs or saviors, and while they’re allies, Spartans are not seen or treated as human, by literally everyone. They are a means to an end, with the original goal being to maintain the UNSC’s position of power and crush the insurrectionists in the outer colonies, but uh oh Aliens!

Maybe the 2s aren’t as expendable as the 3s but the mindset and reinforcement of “mission first, people second” being repeated their entire lives is going to stick. So is the constant mistreatment and abuse from their fellow soldiers and handlers. 

Addressing the cognitive distortions that come from their upbringing while also balancing the fact that Spartans are so fundamentally different from the way they developed to survive would be so much work, especially considering how much information on them is given to their therapist.  The main distortion I would apply is minimization, making large problems small and not properly dealing with them, and specifically for John, personification, accepting blame for negative events without sufficient evidence. 

Like these are grown ass super soldiers who can kill you in less than a second and calculate the amount of gravity in a room on the fly but then also can flounder when trying to comfort civilians or make small talk because their experiences and values are so alien to adults who had more developmentally “normal” lives. 

Literally applying therapy to Spartans would be like, what was done to you was wrong, the ends do not justify the means, you were children and the adults in your life failed to protect you. You are a human person who is fallible and did the best you could with what you had. And the Spartan would say, “sounds fake but okay, can I pass my psych eval and go back to war now please?”

Jumping back to Behavior Theory

Different approaches to therapy under the Behavior Theory umbrella help modify negative behaviors with treatments like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical behavior therapy that teach individuals adaptive coping like emotional regulation, distress tolerance, cognitive distortions, and interpersonal communication. And that’s just one framework under the umbrella of human behavior theories.

Social work therapy is different from psych as it approaches individuals with heavily researched, evidence-based theories and frameworks in a holistic viewing of person-in-environment, instead of a strong focus on internal psychology. 

Social work looks at all the interacting systems, environment, history, and internal and external factors affecting an individual. One of the most useful frameworks is the Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Frameworks (BPSS) when helping a client. It helps with identifying all the intersecting factors, both risk and protective, that shapes a client’s lived experiences. The most important thing to remember is that the individual is an expert in their own life, they know their experiences best.

The hardest part is applying this to Spartans because they Are So Fucked, their lived experiences, their environments and systems and institutions interacting with them, and the amount of their personal information that is probably so classified.

BPSS is a tool to help social workers assess individuals and their situations by collecting info that is related to the presenting issues and current and past circumstances. Info like medical history, hospitalizations, substance abuse, mental illness, personal relationships, family history and background, culture and norms, education, legal history, spirituality and participation etc. is all under this framework. 

For Spartan 2s most of this info is lost or classified and helping someone who has repressed every negative emotion they've had for the sake of the mission would be so much to unpack but that’s also why you’re reading the mad ramblings over an over caffeinated nerd on the internet.

Life Course Theory which looks at developmental milestones and the individual’s experiences versus the socially expected markers, how do you apply that to children who were taken and have lived such different lives? 

While early adolescence is when “normal” development of thoughts of self and identity take place alongside the physical changes of puberty, Spartans were being turned into emotionless calculating weapons. Sorry John, no forming a sense of identity and peer bonds for you, go kill that Watts guy who betrayed us and joined the insurrectionists. 

And now that I’ve gone this insane and opened 2 whole textbooks up, let’s get to Master Chief thoughts. If you’ve read this far thank you, I swear I’m normal, 2020 has just been a weird year. 

Why the fuck did I think I could write a therapy fic on a guy with 20 minutes of actual dialogue across almost 2 decades of games?

I make fun of him and call him a himbo, but he’s smart, he knows he’s being used and there is resentment there that’s been building for years. 

There’s also decades of trauma and combat experience, physical, and emotional abuse, the lack of a support network,  lack of an identity, the biological factors and aftermath of the augmentations and injuries he’s received, a whole lot of grief and self-inflicted guilt. 

The loss of a third of his peer group with the augmentation surgery, Sam’s death, the loss of Reach (the only place he’s considered home), Keyes, the Pillar of Autumn crew, Miranda Keyes, Johnson, Cortana. He cares about the marines who fight with him!!!

He just stands there and takes it and rarely snaps, and even then it’s just small cracks on the surface with fissures running deep. The few details I will pull from Halo 5 are Blue Team’s reactions to John pushing himself so hard from the beginning of the game, and the literal crack in his armor from the fight with Locke. Like dude.  

John’s a leader and will get the mission done but he tugs on the leash. He’s earned enough of a reputation and uses it to get his way.

Halo 2’s “Permission to leave the station” with Mr. “I’m going to hand deliver a bomb to the fusion reactor of a covenant supercarrier and hope my friends catch me”. 

Halo 4 is when we see him say no to a superior officer and then 5 is him going AWOL. Palmer literally points out that no one is going to stop him.

Halo 5 kills me for many reasons but John bringing up Halsey and what she did to him and also pointing out that he knows Halo 5 Cortana is trying to manipulate him with psychological tactics hurts. 

He knows what’s been done to him!

I cannot remember which book it was but John isn’t used to working alone. He literally takes fire because he was expecting someone to have his back! 

He’s lost without Cortana! She was in his brain! Y’all! I played Halo Combat Evolved on the original xbox when I was like 8 and I knew these two were meant to be together. From the moment they met they had great chemistry and relied on each other! Cortana literally goes after people who have it out for John! John wants her approval and shows off for her in one of the books. 

I’ve already written too much here but like all of the games have John showing off for Cortana, making dry jokes, jumping out of things he shouldn’t. 

The whole point of this rambling is to try and get my thoughts about how to approach John’s character under control.

And that’s the thing. He’s lost control. He’s lost people, he’s losing his position and being phased out as an aging spartan, a relic. John’s used to following orders and making some decisions on the battlefield but it was always short term.

He has no identity beyond being a weapon. Complete the mission, clear the LZ, get put in cryo. Rinse, repeat. 

The timeline of the games are what I'm most familiar with but with the comics and books too it’s one long run from Halo 2 to Halo 4. Cairo station to the Dreadnought to the crash landing to Forward Unto Dawn to Requiem to “The Didact is Dead but not really but we’ll deal with him off-screen”.

I know Hood apparently gave John R&R orders before Halo 5 that he ignored and kept running himself into the ground. This is a man who has to keep moving and keep being useful. 

I imagine him giving in and seeking help as a last resort to fix any problems he has with performing his duties rather than helping himself be healthier. 

Any professional he sees is going to have to approach him like they’re approaching a self sacrificing feral cat, with lunch meat and quiet. This man needs to have his support network closer, set up long term goals, and do some serious, and most likely incredibly painful, self reflection on where he’s come from and where he wants to go. Get him out of that tin can and into therapy. I don’t have a nice neat ending because this was a ramble and also therapy is not neat and tidy. Thanks for reading my words about mr halo

[stevepotterwrites]

A Review of David Lynch Biography/Memoir “Room to Dream”

As one might well expect from a book about the life and work of the eccentric auteur David Lynch, Room to Dream is by turns hilarious, heartbreaking, and a little strange. Biography and memoir in one, each chapter contains two sections separated by three or four pages of black-and-white photos from the time period covered in the chapter. First, we get a well-researched and clearly-presented biographical take featuring input from Lynch’s friends, family members, and collaborators. Former L.A. Times journalist Kristine McKenna does a fine job of keeping the story of Lynch’s improbable rise moving along. She gets out of the way and lets her interviewees do the talking when that’s best and weaves their recollections effectively giving us glimpses of the different stages of Lynch’s life and career from multiple angles. In the second section of each chapter, Lynch takes over and revisits the past in his own words. He goes into greater detail, sometimes, focusing on an aspect of the story that wasn’t covered in as much depth in Ms. McKenna’s section sometimes building on what others said. On a few occasions, he remembers things differently and disagrees with what others have said. For example, Lynch believes that Anthony Hopkins tried to get him fired from directing The Elephant Man. Ms. McKenna’s conclusion, based on her research, is that Hopkins complained bitterly about Lynch but stopped short of demanding he be fired and replaced. Who can really say for sure which account is closer to the truth? Either way, Lynch had the last laugh. The Elephant Man was a critical success and received eight Oscar nominations including Best Director. His career was launched. As much as one may be put off by Hopkins’ snotty attitude and presumption, regardless of whether or not he actually pushed to remove and replace Lynch or merely complained about him, his concern about being directed by a complete unknown isn’t really too surprising. Lynch was an inexperienced young director whose only full-length film was a bizarre, unclassifiable, no-budget, black-and-white surrealistic nightmare starring a bunch of actors no one had ever heard of before and which had only been shown as the midnight movie at a handful of art house theaters in the States. Yes, it’s recognized as a classic now and, yes, Lynch has become a legend, but at the time he was a completely unknown young American directing a cast of highly-acclaimed British actors including stage legend John Gielgud. Incredible. Thankfully, producer Mel Brooks had great faith in Lynch and admirably threw his full support behind him despite the reservations Hopkins and, quite likely, though less vocally, others had.Lynch’s rise was an astonishingly steep career trajectory by any measure. He made the animated short loop Six Men Getting Sick in 1966 and the live-action short The Grandmother in 1968 while a student at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Those opened the door to the American Film Institute in California where over a five-year period, on a tiny budget, with a small dedicated crew, he made Eraserhead. That film, in turn, convinced Mel Brooks that Lynch was the guy he was looking for to direct The Elephant Man  starring his wife, Anne Bancroft, among many other fine performers. Then came hard lessons learned from the $40 million (estimate according to IMDb) big-budget disaster of Dune. Despite that not going so well, producer Dino De Laurentiis gave Lynch the go-ahead to direct Blue Velvet with full creative control. Lynch found his groove and went on to create the body of work he is best known for. What we see examples of repeatedly throughout Room to Dream that at least in part explains his success is how Lynch’s charisma, contagious enthusiasm for his projects, and dedication to his craft and vision engenders a sense of loyalty from his actors, crew and other collaborators. The section of the book which recounts Catherine Coulson’s final performance in her iconic role of Margaret Lanterman, AKA the Log Lady, may well have you weeping when you read it. Her scenes will take on a deeper poignancy when you watch Twin Peaks: The Return again. Ms. Coulson was a key member of the Eraserhead team who worked tirelessly to help get that film made even donating her waitressing tips to the cause. Many of those sharing stories in the book are world-famous — Isabella Rossellini, Kyle Maclachlan, Laura Dern, Sting, John Hurt, Sissy Spacek — but some of the most illuminating insights come from lesser-known behind-the-scenes talents. One of my favorites is handyman and jack-of-all-trades, Alfredo Ponce. Mr. Ponce was doing some landscaping work in Lynch’s neighbor’s yard in the mid-nineties. Lynch struck up a conversation with him and the two hit it off. Lynch hired him to do some cleaning. He has been working for Lynch ever since taking care of everything from landscaping to plumbing to electrical work to mechanical repairs to building a set for Inland Empire.  “People see me here cleaning or raking leaves and they think nothing — they don’t know how much I know,” Mr. Ponce says. “I can smell things from far away, and I can see immediately when someone comes up here who doesn’t have David’s best interest at heart. The negative energy — I can see that, and I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. David’s an easygoing, nice person and he can be taken advantage of, so I try to protect him. Anybody who works here has to be somebody I trust.” Ponce’s picture jibes with the overall depiction of Lynch in the book. While he’s had his fallings out, breakups, business deals gone wrong and so forth the general consensus seems to be that he’s a pretty nice guy. On a scale of Dale Cooper doppelgangers, he’d likely hew more toward the Dougie Jones side of the spectrum than the Evil Coop zone. No doubt the man can be cantankerous, cranky, foul-mouthed and ill-tempered when confronted with realities that get in his way, as demonstrated in this clip below from the making of Twin Peaks: The Return, but some Hollywood veterans who’ve worked with him describe the experience as among the nicest, most pleasant and least dysfunctional gigs they’ve had in their long careers. The man has manners. He’s considerate. He knows everybody on set by name and acknowledges their contributions far beyond the directorial norm. This may in part be due to his long commitment to the daily practice of Transcendental Meditation. We also see Lynch’s maniacal attention to detail. He’ll fuss over something on set that likely won’t even be visible on screen in the end. To get the feel of the scene just right, it is important for him that all of the details be just so, just right. And, of course, if one gets to the point of fussing over minor details that won’t ever show, it’s only because there’s nothing left to fuss with. Everything is just right and ready to go. He’s like the short story writer who knows he is done with a story when he finds himself putting commas back in that he’d previously cut. Yet coupled with that powerful desire to get the set to look just the way he envisioned it is the seemingly contradictory willingness to embrace chance and serendipity, to spontaneously incorporate a new element that presents itself into the work. Lynch’s best friend since high school, the production designer and artistic director Jack Fisk, who has worked with many of the finest directors in Hollywood including the Coen Brothers and Terrence Malick and is every bit as well-respected as Lynch in the movie industry (though far less famous to the general public) gives an example of this from when they were teenagers obsessed with painting. A large moth flew onto one of Lynch’s wet paintings, got trapped and flailed away trying to break loose. While another painter might have been upset and set to work to remove the moth and smooth over the disrupted section of paint, Lynch was thrilled and at once accepted the dying moth’s struggle and eventual death as a part of the painting. Many years later, in a now famous incident, set designer Frank Silva accidentally got himself trapped on the set of Laura Palmer’s bedroom when he blocked the exit door with a dresser. He hid behind the bed during the filming of a scene. Lynch was intrigued by the thought of an unseen character hiding in the room. In a later scene in the Palmers’ living room, Silva’s face was accidentally shown reflected in a mirror. Clearly, he was supposed to be in the show. Lynch incorporated Silva into the series as a central figure, the evil, interdimensional being BOB who possesses Leland Palmer and makes him do bad things. It is hard to imagine Twin Peaks without BOB but such a version might have been if Mr. Lynch was less open to influence, if he didn’t allow himself the room to dream. Room to Dream. What a perfect title. Mr. Lynch managed to find himself the room to dream and to bring those dreams alive on film, on record, and on canvas so the rest of us can dream along with him. He got past the most common destroyer of artistic ambition — concerned, well-meaning parents who don’t understand what you’re doing — and found collaborators who did get it. That this is a book Lynch fans will enjoy goes without saying, but it’s also a good choice more generally for anyone interested in how movies get made or those who simply enjoy a good memoir.

-- Steve Potter

https://bookfreak.us/2018/10/21/david-lynchs-room-to-dream/

[dascarecrow]

The Flash Premier Crossovers

It’s been confirmed that the first five episodes of Season 8 of The Flash will be crossovers that bring in other characters from the Arrowverse. Thought I would make a wishlist of what I hope to see there. 

- John Diggle returning to continue his journey to becoming a Green Lantern (The Flash episode he appeared in recently was the biggest connection to that idea that has been seen) 

- Kara making an appearance (Supergirl is due to wrap up right around the time the Flash returns so maybe a one last hooray type deal) 

- Cress Williams returning to the role of Black Lightning (I just really want the rumor about him returning to be true) 

- Ryan Wilder appearing (Could be fun seeing Barry respond to someone taking over Kate’s role) 

- Ray Palmer returning (He’s more associated with Arrow and Legends but he’s also been linked to Barry’s neck of the woods from time to time) 

- Stargirl appearing (It’s confirmed that Jay Garrick’s appearance in Season 2 opens the door for future crossovers) 

- Mr Terrific appearing (The writers want it to happen) 

-Wally returning (Got goofed on not appearing in the 150th episode or season finale) 

- Wonder Woman and Aquaman appearing (They’re both confirmed to exist in the Arrowverse and having them debut here could give us the entire founding roster of the Justice League in the Arrowverse) 

- Constantine appearing (I just want to see how magic would work in the Flash’s neck of the woods) 

- Firestorm appearing (Ronnie’s death was one of Barry’s biggest regrets. It’s all too likely he somehow got brought back after Crisis. And it would harken back to the first season quite nicely) 

-Vixen and The Ray appear (Haven’t seen much of them after their animated stories. This could be a good way to correct that.) 

-Ralph returns (The brought Sue back for a reason. They’ll probably recast him after his original actor’s misdeeds. And he could have a real role in a crossover for once.) 

[book-of-curse]

The Twin Peaks Guide to the Occult [3]

The Summoning of Spirits

Summoning is such a quintessential part of magick practice. This has been the case historically as well as currently. What is summoning? It is a particularly involved way of communicating with the self, and of picking and choosing aspects of our memory and personality that we then give animation to. We create a spirit within ourselves with these dimensions. The mind is incredible - particularly in its ability to model and to imagine. We are limited only by the boundaries of our imagination and memory.

Below is a method to summon entities. It is particularly easy to give animation to elements of our memory that we have a defined stereotype of. The characters of a show, people we know in person and have a long relationship with - drawing on our internal stereotypes of people we have a strong “sense” of is one of the easiest ways to develop an animate point of consciousness within our mind’s eye that can be talked to and influence our behavior in a way that feels abstracted from our main sense of self.

This can be used for many things. Gaining perspective. Modeling character interactions in a work of art - imagining and then modeling what will happen next in a story you are writing. The abstracted nature of these animate characters we can create in our mind lends themselves to spontaneous psychological effects and moments of inspiration - things that feel somewhat outside of our control. This adds variability to our thoughts. It’s also just a fun practice and it is interesting to play around with the mind and what it can do.

A Consideration of Character

The interactions between the various parties in Twin Peaks in addition to the general social  context of the town serves as one of the main points of interest in this  show. Twin Peaks presents a compelling and immersive community of  characters. Understanding and analyzing their motivations is a good  place to learn the general logic behind the idea of entity contact or summoning spirits.

For this summoning ritual, the only materials needed are your imagination and a quiet space. Enter your mental space that you set aside for considerations related to Twin Peaks and, perhaps, your studies of the occult more broadly. Model all of your senses in this space; attempt to immerse yourself as vividly as you can in your internal reality. This is now your entire reality; repeat this idea to yourself as you disavow information offered to you from your circumstances outside of your mind’s eye. Let go of daily life concerns, unpleasant physical sensations, and so on. All there is, is the internal world.

There are two main divisions in types of spirit work. Perceiving the other consciousness outside of yourself (evocation or summoning), and perceiving yourself as becoming this new consciousness (invocation or possession).

A third type involves hallucinating the other consciousness. A study of imposition (learning to consciously create hallucinations), which is outside of the scope of this post, can be used to provoke this third type. It is similar to the other two types but with a slightly different focus. A fourth type involves altered states such as dreams or the use of entheogens. A fifth type uses a ritual or other external cue. These latter three types are all different ways to obtain one of the former two types of entity experiences.

It is furthermore possible to integrate or transform the resulting abstracted consciousness into the self to change the self in the direction of that integrated consciousness. By being forced into direct contact with the consciousness as it integrates, the main self decides its own answer to the internal conflicts encountered by that consciousness.

External places and ideas have a type of consciousness to them, although it is experienced slightly different by the magick practitioner. This is likely due to the way the mind remembers information. It remembers information along certain axes. We have a division in our place vs. our person memory and the way we handle perception related to these two things.

Some people find it easier to shapeshift into a new consciousness. Other people find it easier to animate a consciousness that feels separate from themselves. Repeated attempts to access and animate the same concept/character increase the elaboration and complexity of the resulting spirit/animated and abstracted aspect of the self.

While in your internal space, visualize the character you wish to model. Imagine their appearance, their mannerisms. From there, it becomes a matter of modeling their mind. Focus on your internal stereotype of that person, focus on your sense of that other person, your feeling when you think of that person.

Route 1:

Draw your sense of that person into yourself. You become that person. Everything you do is checked between your logic vs. that other person’s. Everything in this trance state is done in the shape of that other person. All of your thoughts are this other person. After 10-15 minutes, more or less if you want, you can stop.

Route 2:

Imagine that other person separate from you, either in your mind’s eye or outside of yourself in your physical location. Have a conversation with that person. Model what they would say. After 10-15 minutes, stop for the day. At first, it will feel awkward and as though you are talking to yourself via a puppet, but after enough times it will become more natural and automatic, and you may find yourself slipping into that alternate perspective or hearing its internal logic comment on what you do throughout the day. Don’t forget to regularly remind yourself of the division between yourself and this part of your memory/personality/perception.

If you want to reintegrate with this abstracted sense of self, reverse the process. Take the feeling of that self and integrate it with your main sense of self. Visualize a picture, something symbolic, maybe of colors mixing to become a new color. Blue and red becoming purple. Keep reminding yourself that the only voice you hear inside your head is yours, and this is your thought process. It will quickly integrate into your main sense of self.

Don’t forget to come up with a cue that signals the beginning of a summoning/possession session and a cue that signals the end of it. Clean compartmentalization of behaviors and mental states is essential for a particularly vivid psychological experience.

Bob, Leland, and Mr. Robertson

Leland is one of the most compelling characters of the show. We see aspects of his psychology expressed indirectly in the events of the show. Leland, as Bob, is a character that affected the lives of not only his daughter, but of his co-workers and the people he engaged in criminal activity with. The various moves he makes to cover his second life are found peppered throughout the show; 25 years after the events of his daughter’s death and his subsequent suicide, his attempts to cover-up Bob are still being discovered - like with his attempt to hide his daughter’s journal entries in the police station that is only discovered in the third season.

Leland is one of the most interesting characters from this show to model, least of which being the wealth of information the show contains on his character. Leland is implied to have been a user of cocaine, and that fire was his metaphor for the high of cocaine. “Fire, walk with me.” Leland’s relationship with Mr. Robertson from his childhood is left mostly in the shadows; was it a sexual relationship? Did he witness Mr. Robertson kill someone? In either case, the psychological impact of Mr. Robertson on Leland’s childhood changed him as a person, leading to his possession by Bob in the show. It is a wonderful metaphor for the process of introjection itself, and how traumatic experiences and individuals can seem to haunt us for the rest of our lives. Not only did Leland find himself personally haunted by his experience with Mr. Robertson, but the way it affected Leland as a father to Laura affected her as well. Bob is a terrific metaphor for the psychological affects of these cycles of inherited trauma.

The Duality of Leland Palmer and Laura Palmer

Laura and Leland were similar and opposites in many interesting ways. There is an important contrast between the two that is worth considering. Laura and Leland both had difficult upbringings; Leland’s implied traumatic past and the implied trauma Laura witnessed from living in Leland’s household with its particular demands (his involvement in organized crime and drugs, and so on.) At the same time, it’s heavily implied that this makes them similar in some ways. Leland has a difficult time controlling his behavior, up to the point that Ben Horne calls for his murder (it is implied that Bob’s possession of Leland and his subsequent suicide may have been a metaphor for the psychological effects of Leland dodging Bob Horne’s hit) because he’s attracting too much attention. Leland was a man who could call a hit or kill a prostitute for fun, and it was implied he regularly practiced both things. Laura was not this sort of person at all and wanted to bring him down after discovering these things, making them opposites in a sense; however, this was Laura’s own approach to death, and it could be said this was how Bob manifested in Laura. Death by prison isn’t much better than death by hitman. 

[roc-thoughtblog]

Sense and Sensibility Readthrough Part 23

Chapter 26, Pages 137-143

Previously, Mrs. Jennings invites the Dashwood sisters to come stay with her in London over January. Elinor would rather not, but Mama Dashwood would rather they do. Marianne is very excited.

Readthrough below.

Chapter 26

Setting: Mrs. Jennings' carriage en-route to London. Elinor is melancholic, observing Marianne's comparative romantic prosperity with some envy. Marianne is, I assume, vibrating in her seat from sheer excited anticipation at the possibility of finding Willoughby in London.

For better or for worse, Elinor is waiting for the soon arriving moment when her suspicions of Willoughby are confirmed or rested. She thinks it will come very soon, in London. I was satisfied giving Willoughby every benefit of the doubt before, but Lucy has shaken my faith in the single-facedness of the cast. He's probably done something, but I'm not relationship-savvy enough to have any idea what it would be. Secretly married for 10 years probably.

Three days journey to London, Marianne as withdrawn against Mrs. Jennings as anticipated, Elinor compensating for her as expected, and Mrs. Jennings just being really friendly mostly. Well, the lady seems to have no real issues getting along with Mr. Palmer so I assume she's unflappable.

At arriving at Mrs. Jennings' residence the girls are set up in Charlotte's old room. Or do they really mean apartment when they say Charlotte's old apartment? Oh! So they really do mean an apartment. A set of private rooms in a large house. I guess that's exactly what a modern apartment block is, huh, a really really tall house that is just a block of sets of private rooms.

... H-how large is this place? The house is only described as "handsome" but if one daughter has her own set of private rooms in it, it's hard for me to consider it a "house" anymore. Small manor?

Anyway Elinor immediately starts drafting a letter to send Mama. Marianne roughly follows the example, but by evasively drafting some kind of short secret note to be immediately and speedily delivered to somebody with a W in the name, who is not specified but whom Elinor is very certain to be Willoughby.

If it was any other character I might assume this to be a misdirection of some kind whereby Marianne is actually secretly making arrangements with an unknown W man, except that because this is Marianne so I can't take the threat of her subtle machinations seriously. :'D

... Elinor's worried because Marianne is on edge. I guess the note was some kind of summons. She's getting anxious from a lack of news, and from a lack of Willoughby bursting in from the street, windswept and rainsoaked and breathless, sweeping her off her feet because nothing could forestall his coming. She's watching carriages and jumping at door knocks. And then their door knocks!

"Oh, Elinor, it is Willoughby, indeed it is!" and seemed almost ready to throw herself into his arms, when Colonel Brandon appeared.

:D

:D :D

Sorry Marianne, I'm just happy to see Brandon back in the story after 16 chapters! But also this is the second time you've been Willoughby-baited, you poor girl... hopefully he'll show up soon. Even if you are acting unattached for the sake of inheritance, to not visit a friend who is in town is a bit cold. =/

It was too great a shock to be borne with calmness, and she immediately left the room.

Oh, Marianne... :(

Also ouch though Brandon. To show up to greet some friends and have the immediate reaction be that you were the wrong friend. That's gotta smart. :'D

Mmm the story is still noting here, or at least that Elinor is observing, that Brandon is "so partial" to Marianne. As much as I like Brandon it's difficult for me to be comfortable with the idea; if the story were written from Brandon's perspective it'd be from the perspective of someone 35 harbouring a crush on a teenager. Late teenager sure, but still a teenager. Obviously expectations and standards would have been different, but still, from my perspective it's hard to imagine any internal thought process that pursues this sort of romantic interest as particularly justifiable.

Well, I suppose Brandon hasn't really acted on any such interest. I guess I'll leave it a little out of sight, out of mind for now.

Anyway, Brandon and Elinor exchange awkward civilities. Both kind of a bit out of it, both a little too worried about Marianne in different ways. Argh, Elinor was so close to asking Brandon what was going on with rumors of his daughter but stops herself out of propriety! Always getting in the way of narrative communication, propriety. Seriously, the amount of stories that could have avoided being pointlessly drawn out if friends actually talked to each other... anyway. Luckily, Mrs. Jennings shows up to break the ice!

Haha, she casually comments on Brandon's apparent rivalled intentions with Willoughby. That is definitely in poor taste, but I'm entertained to read it. You know what, I'm just going to headcanon for now that Brandon is around 25 just so I can be less bothered by the whole idea, otherwise I'm going to keep thinking about it every time it comes up. I still personally think that's an awkward age gap but it's a heck of a lot better than 35.

So Brandon heard about their arriving from the Palmers and- no, wait, Brandon bails before we can get any more out of him. It's okay, I've already waited like 16 chapters, I can wait longer. Marianne re-emerged from hiding and I guess it just awkwarded him the heck outta there.

The next day brings the Palmers to visit. Charlotte Palmer is comically envious that the Dashwoods turned down her invitation to winter in London, but accepted her mother's. Charlotte and her mother take the girls shopping, but Marianne is on high alert and can't calm down. Also spaced out. She's really anxious to see a Willoughby but none are manifesting.

Poor Marianne, the anticipation and disappointment is eating her alive. Elinor makes a note that if this continues too much longer she's really going to, well, "interfering". Or rather, she's going to write a letter to her mother making the case that interference has become necessary. Which is probably better?

And that's it here. Also feels a bit of a transitory/setup chapter; if I were to name it, it would probably be "Marianne's Disappointment" as that seems to be the principle element. But I suspect in the given case that Brandon could have been anybody and still had the same effect on Marianne, and that Brandon himself contributed nothing in his brief appearance to any of the intrigue surrounding himself, that Brandon's only specific purpose as a significant portion of this chapter is to remind everyone he exists and is in London. So, very much setup still.

[immortalbarnes]

The Auction

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You attend one of Tony Stark’s infamous fundraisers and meet a mysterious Avenger

Warnings: Swearing, SMUT (unprotected sex, female receiving oral)

A/N: this is my submission for @ugh-supersoldiers​‘ 5k writing challenge! i’m still pretty new at writing smut, so feedback is greatly appreciated!

Fuck parties. You’ve hated parties since highschool. You’ve always been more into intimate get togethers, or just alone time. That’s probably how you climbed your way to riches, now being the CEO and founder of a multi-million dollar technology startup you began senior year. You were too busy creating the next best selling product online to attend parties, but now that you’re somebody in America’s capitalistic society, you need to give yourself a good image to keep your business afloat.

That’s why you’re sucking it up and attending Tony Stark’s fundraiser tonight.

Honestly? You’ve never been the biggest fan of the billionaire, but he was a fun guy nevertheless, and his parties weren’t unbearable, so you decided to stick it out for a few hours, bid at the auction to save the pandas or whatever this was for, and sneak your way onto some tech blogs to help your reputation flourish.

Of course, you have to look good, so you slip on a black chiffon mini dress from Prada. It’s sheer at the top, and drops down to your midthigh, for long gowns were never your thing. You add some red bottom pumps to match. Your stylist gives you loose curls to wear down, and a minimal eye look, but adds red lipstick for drama.

“Thanks, Kayla,” You say as you pay her for her services, “it’s rare I ever go to these things.”

Arriving at the event at the Avengers Compound, you instantly swerve through the crowd, making it to the balcony as soon as possible. You’ve never been a drinker, and the bar and dance floor were always too crowded, so you decide to reside outside until the charity auction begins. Leaning over the ledge, you overhear the infamous Mr. Stark. Looking to your left, you see him persuading another brooding character that looks like they have the same thought process as you.

“C’mon, Barnes! It’s one night, and maybe you can find a special someone!” Stark entices.

“No thanks, it’s one thing to convince me to participate in this stupid auction, so don’t keep pushing it.” The man replies, eventually the light catches on his left hand, the metal revealing that it’s none other than The Winter Soldier.

“Whatever, if you want Sam and Steve, they’ll be at the bar.” Tony begins to walk away before you catch his eye, you try to avert your eyes, but he’s too quick, “Y/N! So glad you could make it!” He strides over to you, so you force a smile and turn to lean your back against the glass wall protecting you from the edge of the flooring.

“Pleasure to see you tonight, Stark, why are you out here?”

“Just trying to get grandpa over there to cheer up, but I should be asking you the same question, Y/L/N, there’s a whole bar and dance floor in there!”

“Never been a drinker, so I’m just waiting for the auction, so we can save some pandas.”

“Turtles, actually, but may I interest you in my pal, Mr. Barnes over there? You both seem like the loner type, and I wouldn’t dream of leaving either of you alone on a night like this!”

You begin to protest, but he already has you by the wrist, dragging you across the balcony to Bucky, you stumbling over your too-tall heels until you’re face to face with the Soldier. He’s wearing a black suit with a black dress shirt and no tie. Your eyes meet his crystal blue ones, his hair that reaches his shoulders is slicked back perfectly,  he has a bit of a stubble on his strong jawline, and right now you’re realizing how gorgeous this deadly man truly is.

“Bucky, I’d like you to meet a very special friend of mine, this is Y/N Y/L/N, founder of Y/L/N Corp.” Tony introduces.

“Oh yea, your company is like Starks, except better!” The brunet chuckles. You notice that his eyes crinkle a little bit, making your heart flutter, “Nice to meet you, doll.” He seems a lot happier than he was earlier when conversing with Tony alone, but who could blame him.

“Pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Barnes.” You finally manage to get out.

“Wow, you just met, and are already in better moods. Thanks to me! Keep staring in each other’s eyes, I’ll see you at the auction.” Tony says before returning back inside.

“So what brings you to the balcony?” Bucky asks.

“Never been a huge party person, just here for the charity shit.”

“Me too pretty much. My friends are inside, probably at the bar, but alcohol has no effect on me, so there’s no point in wasting the booze.”

“Oh, you’re bidding?”

“No, I’m part of the auction. Stark convinced all of the Avengers to be part of the prizes to bid on. Sam’s doing flying lessons, Natasha’s doing a yoga session, I think Wanda’s doing a cooking class, and so on.”

“What are you doing? I might just have to bid…” He laughs, and once again you’re paying attention to the crinkles near his eyes when he smiles.

“A date, sadly. I wanted to do a training session or gun range lessons, but Steve already called the training and Tony said that guns are too controversial,” He sighs, “plus apparently I need to put myself out there more. Believe it or not, I used to have game… in the forties.”

“I’ll bid on you, so you won’t have to deal with some rich cuck’s wife drooling over you for two hours.” You reassure him.

“Hey, if you win, I wouldn’t complain about going on a date with you.”

“Really?”

“Of course, darling, in fact, you don’t even have to-”

Before he could finish his statement, you hear someone call for him,

“Buck! We gotta go backstage, the auction is about to start!” You turn and see Steve Rogers poking his head out the glass double doors.

“Well, see you after the bidding, doll.” He winks and walks off with Captain America.

Maybe this party isn’t so bad afterall.

…

Not long after Bucky leaves, Tony on a mic calls all to the auction room. A sea of chair being filled by America’s richest lay before a small stage holding Tony Stark with his microphone. You pick up a paddle by the door and choose a seat somewhere in the middle of the crowd.

First up to bid on are small gadgets and technology Stark invented, you don’t bid on any because you could make something better in a heartbeat. After they’re all gone, Tony speaks,

“Tonight, we have a special collection of auction prizes. A plethora of classes and experiences with none other than Earth’s mightiest heroes… The Avengers!”

The crowd erupts in applause and excitement of the news. You shift in your seat, nervous for the bidding on Bucky to begin.

First is archery lessons with Clint, then yoga with Natasha, cooking with Wanda, then finally Tony leads out Bucky,

“Now ladies and, well, ladies, your chance at a date with the Avenger’s most eligible bachelor; Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes!” He earns himself an elbow from Bucky at that comment, “Okay! Let’s start the bidding at $500!”

You sit and wait for the early bids, knowing you can easily outdo any of them. Once the bidding reaches $3,000, you lift your paddle.

“$3,500 for Ms. Y/L/N over there, can we get $3,750?” Another paddle raises, and another bringing it to $4,000.

“$5,000!” You shout and raise your paddle.

“$5,000 from Ms. Y/L/N!”

“$7,000!” All heads turn to the other side of the room, where a girl with dirty blonde hair in a bun is raising her paddle. Her name is Sarah Palmer, and if there’s anyone you fucking hate, it’s Sarah Palmer. She hasn’t done as much as lift her finger her entire life, for all her money comes from her daddy. Your eyes meet Bucky’s panicked ones as he silently pleads for you to outbid that spoiled brat.

“$7,500!” You call out.

“$10,000!” Sarah calls back, you meet her glare from across the room.

“This bitch wants to play dirty…” You mutter, “$15,000!” You rarely spend unnecessary money, but this wasn’t just for you, it was to save Bucky… and also the turtles.

“$20,000!” She calls out after you. You gulp and almost accept defeat, until you remember you’re a goddamn millionaire, so what’s a few thousand to help out a new friend?

“$30,000!”

“$30,000 from Ms. Y/L/N! Going once… going twice… going-”

“$35,000!” Sarah screeches, she must have had to ask daddy if that was too much.

“For fucks sake, $40,000!” You yell, hoping that pushes her out of the running. You look over to her asking her father if she can go any higher, but he shakes his head no. Meaning you won.

“Alright!” Tony says, “$40,000 going once, twice, sold!” He bangs his gavel on his podium, “A date with the handsome Mr. Barnes is all yours, Miss Y/L/N.” Sighing, you sit back down in your seat, meeting eyes with Bucky as he gives you a grateful smile.

…

After the rest of the auction closes out, you go backstage to set up your date with the operations assistants. You see Bucky come up to you in the corner of your eye,

“You’re quite the firecracker aren’t you. I knew you were rich, but not $40,000 on a date with my old ass self rich!” He leans an arm on the wall and smiles.

“It wasn’t just for the date, it was for the turtles! And to save you from two hours with the demon spawn of Mr. Palmer.”

“Is she that bad?”

“She’s one of the rudest, most spoiled people I’ve ever met. She’s probably crying in the bathroom right now because daddy’s money wasn’t enough to win a night with you.”

“Speaking of a night with me, when do I get the pleasure of treating you like a queen?”

“Well, Barnes, the official date is next Saturday, but you can treat me anyway you want any night you’d like.” You wink.

He smiles and bites his lips, “Then why are we still here? My room is two floors up.”

“Lead the way, Sargeant.” Saying that earns a devilish growl from him as he grabs your wrist and drags you out of the backstage area. The trip to the elevator consists of weaving through the crowded dance floor of the main room, and one the way, you catch the puffy eyes of one Sarah Palmer, who glares daggers at you. You throw her a wink before Bucky tugs you into the elevator.

As soon as the doors close, his lips are on yours, soft and plump, he kisses you so hard that you’re taken aback for a moment, but soon return the gesture. His hands grab your hips ferociously and pull you in. Luckily with your heels, you reach him just fine. Only pulling apart once the elevator dings and he grabs you by the wrist once more and pulls you down the hall into his room.

“FRIDAY, lock the door.” He says, then he throws you on the bed like a ragdoll. You kick off your heels and watch Bucky stalk towards you on the bed, lips slightly red from your lipstick. He pulls his jacket and shoes off when he reaches you, and then he pulls your dress over your head, revealing your matching black lacy bra and underwear, “Oh, doll,” he purrs, “You look marvelous.”

You blush a little as he reaches around you a unclasp your bra with the utmost ease, “Wow, Mr. Barnes, and you said you had no game.”

“I might be a little rusty, so bear with me.” He chuckles as he begins to unbutton his shirt, pulling it off you can’t help but gasp as he reveals his god-like build. Golden abs, an impeccable chest leading to brutal scarring connecting his mortality to his black and gold vibranium arm.

“Is… this okay?” He pauses as he catches you staring.

“O-of course! You’re just so gorgeous I wasn’t ready for it.”

At that he smirks and begins to undo his belt and pants, revealing an incredible bulge straining against light gray boxer briefs. Bucky then pushes you against the comforter and attacks your exposed breasts. His hot tongue on your right while his cool metal arm caresses your left. He swirls around your nipple before switching to the other side, every small movement coaxing a moan out of you.

“God, doll, your tits are so fucking perfect,” he says as he nuzzles in your cleavage and plants kisses on the soft skin, his long hair tickling you. He begins to press kisses down your stomach towards where you’re wanting him most. You sit up on your elbows and watch as he bites the top of your panties and pulls them down and kneels on the floor, his eyes not leaving yours. You swear that it’s the hottest thing you’ve ever seen.

Bucky’s mouth comes back up and instantly latches onto your clit, and you scream in pleasure as he flicks his tongue over your sensitive nub. It trails down toward your hole and he begins to fuck you with his talented tongue. Your thighs are trembling and squeeze around his head, his eyes look back up at you and you feel him smirk against your core. His hands go up to hook them under your thighs and pull them apart so he can fuck you deeper with him tongue.

“Oh- oh my God, Bucky!” You whine. Electricity pulses through you as you climb to your first orgasm, legs shaking even harder around his head. At once, everything rushes out when you hit your high, but the soldier helps you ride it out, licking bold stripes up and down your core, cleaning up your juices.

“The sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.” Bucky says as he stands up to tower over you, his scruff slick with your arousal.

Pulling down his own boxers, he uncages his impressive cock, which has you watering at the mouth, “Like what you see, darling?” He smirks at your slack jaw.

“Oh my god, Bucky, fuck me, please.”

He basically pounces on you, enclosing you between his arms, voice low and gravelly, he purrs, “Beg for me, princess.” Your lips barely brush against each other.

“Bucky, baby, please, I can’t take it! Please fuck me with your fat cock!” You choke out.

“Your wish is my command.” He says as he slowly slides into you, stretching you out so well.

“Holy hell, Barnes.” You moan as his pelvis reaches you, his tip almost hitting your womb. He gives you a moment to adjust to him, but soon enough you're begging for him to move, “Move, please.”

Smirking he slowly begins to slide in and out, the pace painfully slow. You know he’s teasing you from the devilish look on his face, and you’re having none of it, so you begin to grind against him.

“No, no, no, doll.” He growls, “I’m in charge here.” He places his metal hand on your hip to still you.

“Then please move faster!” You plead.

“Well, since you asked so nicely.”

At that, he begins to relentlessly pound into you, shaking you to your core. Grunts and whines come out of both of you with every thrust that makes a harmony that’s music to Bucky’s ears. Keeping eye contact with you the whole time, you fall limp in his gaze and become mush in his hold.

The electricity begins to run through you once more and you feel the knot build in you again as you reach your climax.

“Bucky, baby, I’m so c-close!” You can barely make out.

“Come for me doll. Should I pull out?”

“N-no! I’m on the pill. Want you to fill me up, Barnes.”

“On the count of three, baby, come with me.”

You squeeze your eyes shut as you prepare for your orgasm.

“One”

He strikes into you mercilessly, pulling everything you have out of you.

“Two”

It’s felt like years, as you open your eyes and meet his gaze once more. His pupils are blown as he studies your blissed out face.

“One.”

Everything within you releases, and same with him. His white hot seed erupts within you. It feels like pure magic.

“Oh my god.” You breathe out. He collapses next to you, panting.

“Doll, you’re fucking incredible. You are a firecracker.”

“So worth $40k.” You laugh.

“Oh, Y/N, that wasn’t even the date.” He chuckles, “Just wait until Saturday, when you see what blowing $40,000 on James Barnes gets you.”

“All for the turtles.”

[cmcreid-warriorprincess]

Parentdale - - - for plotting ref!

So Lyndsy’s soiree has be thinking about the Havensdale parents a lot and I’d love to plot out some connections with them!! Below’s a list of all my viable parents and their backstories in a compact summary for reference (feel free to message me about connections etc and what it’ll mean for our actual characters!):

Havensdale Natives (they grew up here so high school etc connections like!!)

Karen McReid (single, fc; stana katic) - you know her already! The aunt of Ruby & Carrie, mom of Danny. She was super serious in high school, like ‘class president’ material also with a bit of a wild side but her sis Krystal was the Wild OneTM. Had the weight of the world on her shoulders ALL the time. Eventually dated Daniel Moore (Jenny’s uncle) in high school. Now a businesswomen and all around pillar of the community but keeps an arms length from being too involved in town shenanigans.

Veronica Evans (single) - this is Erica and Rose’s mom! She’s very lovely, a friendly neighbour with a messy ex that no one really knows the real story of (except a select few including neighbours the Wilsons). Close with McReids & Wilsons. Had a lot of friends in high school but lost touch with them when she was married. Is still trying to regain Power over her life and have fun again with friends. Doesn’t date but might want to. Help her.

Chuck and Claire Cooper (married, fc; paul rudd and leslie mann) - the Cooper’s! Christian’s parents and Cam/Callie’s aunt and uncle. Chuck is a teacher at Havens High and Claire owns local baker ‘Claire’s Cakes’. Chuck Cooper was the Ricky Beaumont of his time, total party animal, messy flirt, always up for shots. He’s a bop! Claire is the one who keeps them together, a responsible, very embarrassing mom (they’re both embarrassing tbh). They were BFF since childhood but didn’t get togetherTM until well after high school. ▣ (x)

Victoria Harvelle (married, fc; america ferrera) - Jess’ mom and absolute #dramaQUEEN. She grew up in Havensdale and got the hell out as soon as she turned 18. She’s an ex soap opera star, glamazon and simply #dying over having to be back in Havensdale all these years. Thinks she’s better than everyone - always did. D-I-V-A. Fake friends only probably. Knows her husband is cheating on her. Will not discuss his love child Lua Harvelle thanks bye. Was compelled by Jess to think they’d sent her away for her bad behaviour but tbh won’t bring her up either.

Mitchell and Lacy Morrison (married, fc; alexis denisof and charisma carpenter) - the Morrison parents! Mitch is an absolute dork with really cool socks who owns ‘Morrison Records’. Honestly just...a soft, nerdy Dad who loves his wife more than anything. Lacy is the Bad GirlTM and always was (definitely in love with this nerd all her life tbh). She’s very cool which makes up for how uncool Mitch is. Remember, non-magical people think Mark woke up from his ‘coma’ recently and magicals know he was brought back from the dead. They deserve a nice night, basically.

Aaron and Marie Fairchild (widowed, deceased) - Charlene’s mom/Rachel’s uncle and aunt. Marie died when Charlene was young and Aaron is always on the road for work. Marie was thee Cool MomTM and very involved. They both would have had a TON of friends until Marie died and Aaron became distant. Needless to say, neither are here tonight.

Lyndsy McArthur and Andrew Moore (re-married - fc; , deceased - fc; jason bateman) - Jenny’s parents! We all know Lyndsy of ‘Lyndsy’s café’. She’s an absolute sweetheart with a right hook to match. Another piller of the community TBH, need I say more? The same goes for Andrew who died when Jenny was little (he was a fireman). These two were high school sweethearts, 100% the cutest couple, probably prom king and queen. Lyndsy’s now married to Derek McArthur if y’all remember!

Felicity Montgomery (married, fc; madchen amick) - #icequeen! In high school though she was a punky rebel with a giant attitude problem. Her and Ethan McArthur were also #that couple - don’t remind her. (x)

Maryse Anderson (married) - Effy & Lana’s mom, god help her. Very judgy, very straight laced and god fearin’ - she’s also super involved with the town’s events etc. Probably causes drama at every PTA meeting. Probably has beef with every other parent in town. BIG SECRET: her husband is in jail.

Larry Manning (married, fc; will smith) - Tyler’s dad. Owner of family pub/restaurant ‘The Silver Fox’ and a town treasure. Basically everyone’s dad, always looking out for you and can fix pretty much anything. He’s a settled down, very chill, married man and father. Was literally THE COOLEST guy in high school though, ask anyone!

Fred Porter (married) - the Porter dad! Can you believe there was an original Greg? ‘Cause Fred was breaking hearts, jaws, his own fists and making 1000 mistakes per minute long before his second son was even a thought. He got his act together! He’s a very hard working dad with good, family values who only wants the best for his family. Is so hard on Greg because he sees so much of himself in him tbh. His wife was 100% his saving grace, he loves her so much.

Mr and Mrs Jennings (married) - Isaiah’s parents! Mr Jennings is a member of one of Havensdale founding families so they’re SUPER involved in the town. They’re very fancy, have a big ole house, love to take trips but are friendly with everyone. They’re only snobby on accident. Mr Jennings is very serious and is waiting for Isaiah to stop his nonsense and join the family business. Mrs Jennings is way funner.

Not *from* Havensdale but live here now!!

William ‘Bill’ Tyler (technically, legally still married, fc; mark ruffalo) - Hailie’s dad. He own’s ‘Bill’s Tech Store’ which is a computer store so he’ll fix your WiFi etc. A grumpy loner type with an absolute heart of gold. Everyone who was around at the time knows his wife Grace Laurel Tyler left him and Hailie years ago (her dramatic return is still lowkey on the D.L right now though). Loves his daughter SO MUCH, is stressed to his eyeballs about her having.......a boyfriend. ▣ Was dating Sarah Palmer before she died (Juliette's mom) and honestly, me and Kayleigh figured this out today and I'm still crying.

Joseph Montgomery (married, fc; matthew mcconaughey) - Mr Montgomery! He’s lived here with Felicity since before Elena was born (22+ years). He’s a business man with political ties and always wears a suit. A big ole charmer that you literally can’t help but like!

Mrs Porter - info to follow on Greg, Simon and Annie’s mom but lbr...she’ll be an angel!!!

Penelope ‘Penny’ Manning (married, fc; salma hayek) - Tyler’s mom. The Mannings moved to Havensdale 17+ years ago! Penny’s a high flyer, works in fashion, always has her hands-free in, slightly aloof and very scary when she’s on the phone dealing with a problem. The BossTM. Absolute goals. Loves her son and doesn’t mean to be so absent. Friends with everyone but she never has time.

Joseph Salvatore (married, fc; jared padalecki) - Joey and Keith’s dad (and maybe more). He’s lived in Havensdale full time aroundabout when Keith was born (ISH). Before this, he was a legit rockstar. He toured, he did the whole sex, drugs, drink and rock ‘n roll thing. Now he’s a real pillar of the community, owns the gym, is very involved with the town - which made the arrival of his Secret Son Joey such a SCANDAL. He’s still recovering.

Charles Harvelle (married, MIA, fc; david tennant) - No one has noticed yet or caused a scene about it but Mr Harvelle is currently missing.... Details will follow, for now his wife just believes he’s on another business trip AKA having an affair with his secretary. A mess at being a father and husband. RIP. Has lived in Havensdale aroundabout 18 yrs with his wife and Jess.

Mr & Mrs Thomson (married) - Tessa’s parents. They’re both hunters who’ve been on the road for most of their lives (saving people, hunting things, the family business). Just a fab couple! A supportive, dorky dad and a badass yet super sweet mom. They’re v likable and have been in town for a fair few months now.

[glassesstories]

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

It all started with Mr. Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson) telling his son, John (James Fleet) from his first marriage to take care of his father second wife and his three daughters because they will only get 500 pounds a year from Mr. Dashwood. John promise to help them but John’s wife, Fanny (Harriet Walter) thought the opposite, in the end, the ladies got nothing financially from him and he took their home. Elinor (Emma Thompson) prepare the staff and all to greet the new Mrs. Dashwood while Marianne (Kate Winslet) plays a mournful song on the piano and their little sister, Margaret (Emilie Francois) hiding in the treehouse. At dinner everyone is silent, Elinor tries to start a conversation but all Fanny talked about is her brother that will come to the estate later.

When Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) comes to the estate, enter the living room (?) and all of them are in there except Margaret. There is a constant battle of who is the lady of the house between Fanny and the Late Mrs. Dashwood (Gemma Jones). Edward is humbler than Fanny and they fall into an argument for a while with Edward supporting the Dashwood ladies. In the library, Edward found Margaret hiding under the table and then inform the Dashwood ladies about it. Edward got an idea to talk about atlas to make Margaret out from the table. As Edward stay in Dashwood estate, he becomes more familiar with the Dashwood ladies especially Elinor. Elinor and Edward start seeing each other. Fanny dislike how close Edward and Elinor are then told The Late Mrs. Dashwood that Edward will be disinherited if he married someone below their mother standard. It makes The Late Mrs. Dashwood announcing that the Dashwood ladies will move to a small cottage own by Sir John Middleton sooner.

Sir John Middleton (Robert Hardy) and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings (Elizabeth Spriggs) are very friendly and warm they invited the Dashwood ladies to every event. Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman) arrived late yet, finding himself attracted to Marianne. Colonel Brandon knew that Marianne doesn’t like him still, he tries to pursue Marianne. One day Mrs. Jennings invited the Dashwood ladies to have lawn bowl with Colonel Brandon. Mrs. Jennings thought that Marianne and Colonel only needs a little push but somehow Marianne looks upset and rudely rejected Colonel. When the ladies come home, Marianne talks about how annoyingly Mrs. Jennings is while the other ladies noticed there is a package arrived. It turns out from Edward, the Atlas that he promised to bring directly to them. Marianne who feel the tense in the atmosphere ask Margaret on a walk even though it almost rain. The rain comes and Marianne falls over the hill and twisted her ankle. Margaret comes back with a man that brings Marianne home. He is John Willoughby (Greg Wise), a nephew and the heir of Lady Allen. On the next day, the ladies are so excited to meet with Willoughby due to Marianne fall in love with him yet, Elinor finds him a little bit strange and suspicious but Marianne denies it by replying rudely to her.

Marianne and Willoughby spent a great deal of time together and it makes Colonel Brandon feel heartbroken but Marianne is too spoilt to ever think about other people feeling rather than her own. One day Colonel invites the Dashwood ladies, Mrs. Jennings, Sir John Middleton and Mr. Willoughby to a picnic. There Elinor meet Ms. Lucy Steel (Imogen Stubbs) and Mr. (Hugh Laurie) and Mrs. Palmer (Imelda Stanton) (Mrs. Jennings daughter and son-in-law). A letter comes for Colonel Brandon and Colonel Brandon need to go to London hurriedly and left the ladies of Dashwood with accompany of Willoughby to have a picnic of their own, Willoughby shows how he dislikes Colonel Brandon in the picnic. After the picnic end, Willoughby tells Marianne that tomorrow they should talk together alone. Marianne was so happy but, turns out Willoughby only saying that he must go to London immediately. After that day, all Marianne do is watching the outside hoping Willoughby to come back. On the other side, Elinor get to talk with Lucy Steel and Lucy tell her that she’s been engaged with Edward for 5 years. Mrs. Jennings thinks it is her job to make sure Elinor, Lucy, and Marianne to get married so, she invites the three ladies to go to London with her.

Arrive at London Marianne doesn’t stop sending Willoughby letter in hope he will reply and see her yet, the letter nor his presence never came. Due to John Dashwood and his wife, Fanny is in town, Marianne and Elinor obligate to see them which later makes them being invited to a ball that Fanny’s held. Because of forces from Mrs. Jennings, Elinor has to dance with the younger brother of Edward, Robert (Richard Lumsden) which later give Elinor the presence of Willoughby. Marianne see it and yell his name which they exchange greeting but Willoughby dismissed himself quickly and goes to a wealthy lady, Ms. Grey (Lone Vidahl). Turns out Willoughby seduced and abandoned Colonel Brandon ward, Beth, the illegitimate daughter of his former love and marrying Ms. Grey for the sake of money due to Lady Allen disinherited him. Meanwhile, Fanny and Lucy grow closer together, Lucy thought that she can tell her about her secret but it didn’t go well. Edward’s mother refuses to agree on the engagement but Edward stays true to Lucy and got disinherited. Colonel feels sympathy about it and gives Edward the parish on his estate through Elinor. Edward is so grateful yet guilty for he chose Lucy instead of Elinor.

Elinor and Marianne are going back to Devonshire but have to stay one night in the country estate of the Palmers that reside near Willoughby estate. Marianne takes a stroll in the garden even though it almost rain. She goes to the hill nearby Willoughby estate and the rain come heavily. Colonel Brandon goes to search for her and found her but she is in an unfortunate state. On the morning she is diagnosed to have an infection fever so, the Palmers goes away from the estate leaving Elinor, Marianne and Colonel Brandon alone. Colonel gets so anxious and asks Elinor what he needs to do, Elinor asks him to bring their mother here. On the next day, Marianne awake and in a better state when Colonel Brandon come back along with the Late Mrs. Dashwood. Marianne then has a new appreciation to Colonel Brandon and begin spending time together with him until one day Colonel must go away not for long but he can’t tell Marianne where he goes because it is a secret which reality, he goes to buy her a piano. Later, Marianne admits to Elinor that even if Willoughby choose to marry her, Love would not be enough for him anymore. One day the Dashwood ladies heard the news that Lucy already married to Mr. Ferrars and its broke Elinor’s heart because she assumed that Edward is already married but turns out Lucy is married to Robert Ferrars and Edward come directly to Dashwood cottage to propose Elinor. On the last scene, there is a wedding between Colonel Brandon and Marianne that Willoughby watches from afar and then rides away.

For your information, this movie is based on one of Jane Austen novels. More fact, I see the resembles between Jane Austen novels, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. They both did have the scene of the male character happens to go directly to Ladies house and the Ladies try their best to behave and then the proposal happens. Every time I watch this movie and that scene come up, I always get mixed up with the scene from the Pride and Prejudice but, maybe it is only me who does that. Anyway, Emma Thompson who played Elinor is one of the writers of the screenplay. Compare to the novel, the movie shows us more of Edward and Brandon character while in the novel the only male character that springs out is only Willoughby. The story is very good due to the fact that it did explaining the error of the novel like making Edward and Brandon character more visible so that the viewer can actually feel the love process between the couples. The actor and actress also being selected in a very excellent way with the evidence that they did a great job in portrait their character of the movie. I like Colonel Brandon character and Elinor so much because they act really mature in handling their love problem while I very dislike Marianne character. She is very rude to Elinor and also, she is rude to Colonel Brandon for if she is rejecting him, she should be clearer about it and politely. She also judges Colonel too quickly, for me what happened to her is worth it and she actually not worthy for Colonel Brandon but still at that time and place, Marianne character is acceptable due to the custom of the era and how the ladies need to be discreet and mainly dependent on man for a living. In conclusion, even though I like the actors and actresses a lot, I prefer to watch Pride and Prejudice than Sense and Sensibility because of the story and character. I didn’t say that Emma Thompson writes it poorly but, more about the real novel story that the movie based on.

-GlassesNerdy

[medea10]

Medea Plays - Pokemon Masters: Part 1

Yeah, in case you wanna be buds, here it is.

Now on with a shit-post!

So, for the past year or so, I had this reoccurring dream where I participated in this giant free-for-all pokemon competition with a bunch of other Pokemon trainers. Misty was there and so was Cheryl, Dr. Fennel, and Lorelei (because for some reason I always find myself dreaming about those three together). And a bunch of other trainers I can’t remember clearly.

AND DID I MENTION TRACEY WAS THERE TOO?! THAT’S AN IMPORTANT FACT!

I had several dreams involving battling with and against trainers. So imagine my shock that a game like that was in the works. And then imagine my disappointment when I learned it was only game characters and the only person I give a rat’s nutsack about was only in the anime. BUT HEY, THIS IS STILL FREAKIN’ AWESOME! Especially when they released that animated PV a few months ago!

If it means I could have trainers like Wallace or Dento-fruit battle with me, I’m all in this business.

Both are unavailable at the moment, Medea.

Killjoy! Okay, onto the game itself!

WOW am I happy we can go from English to Japanese audio with no problem or hacks or device crafted by Satan.

I’m not sure who voices who in the English cast. I saw the cast list and it’s mostly L.A. voice actors. So the people who voiced Origins and Generations are here again. Except, I am 100% certain that Lt. Surge is voiced by Patrick Seitz and I’m balls to the wall happy about that.

Japanese Cast, only some voices have been confirmed and I just want to say right off the back that I love Rosa!

God damn, she is like best girl in Unova! I know Leaf Green, Lana, and Lorelei are my Poke-waifus, but Rosa is inching closer to being upgraded to waifu status.

Because Aki Toyosaki voices her!

Thank you CockyTits. I’ve always liked my nickname.

Ouch.

Ouch Pokemon.

It gets worse when we see this same Ace Trainer have a panic attack in the Pokemon Center. Yeah, let’s all relate to this young man.

So we start with the usual suspects of Misty and Brock. But then we pick up speed when we add Rosa and Whitney.

Keep it in your pants Brock, she’s underage.

Kinda hard, dearie. You’re like the ONLY pink-haired anime girl who isn’t a violent, psychopath.

And then we get...

Ugh...How does one explain what Barry is?

An anal-retentive, nard-sack who doesn’t know what to do with a million dollars if he saw it right in front of his eyes!

Yeah, he bumps into you and blames you for it.

He fines you a million dollars.

He mistakes you for the bad guy and wildly challenges you (and his friend) to a battle.

He lushes over his father, Palmer.

And if Paul wasn’t an anime-exclusive character and in this, he’d want to have Paul’s babies!

Yeah, you’re still an entertaining butt-for-brains. But you are totally a butt-for-brains.

Well, we meet the antagonists of this game known as Team Break...

Oh, spare me! Team Galactic, Madonna circa 1998, and all the drag queens in John Waters’s movie Pink Flamingo have better fashion than you weirdos!

But of course we need more trainers to take on these vast variety of trainers that come out of the woodworks. That’s where the scouting comes in. Much like the rhythm games I play (like UtaPri and Love Live), you have to save up special items in order to either buy 1 or buy 10. If you’re lucky, you might get a 5-star trainer like Brendan or Kris. Let’s see how lucky I am with my impatient ass!

Koga’s daughter! Nice!

And yes, she mentions her father being an Elite Four member.

This loud fucker.

Him and his loud singing can wake the dead.

Crap yes! I love me some Gardenia!

So Gardenia mentioned what would happen if Roserade changed forms or it evolved into a new type like in other regions. Wait...a Roserade that’s a region variant, that’s also part ghost-type?

Is...Is that going to happen?

Sword and Shield, are you guys making this happen? Is this foretelling the future?

Wait, who are yo...OH, right. Mr. Supreme Tan-Lines! And finally...

AAAAHHHHH! IT’S WINONA! Oh please, please mention Wallace. Give us Gracefulshippers some hope in this game!

Aside from that, we have a new Professor, and good news, it’s a female! Professor Bellis!

Ooh...No. Stranger danger!

Lady, you say at least 5 words from different languages in every sentence you speak. You are in no right to criticize!

Even the Hiker isn’t falling for your Beto accent!

Wait...Flannery’s grandpa was a member of the Elite Four? Oh wait, she does mention it in the manga. Never mind.

There’s the Brock we all know...

Well yeah, Erika’s henchmen have the ability to make stupid men weak in the knees.

Well after a few attempts, I got my badge from Erika. Yeah, that Vileplume of hers is a bitch.

If only I can get Flannery to use a Sync Move that brings upon the powers of Beelzebub, I could have finished this sooner.

Oh well.

To be continued.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 11 November 2019

Quick Bits:

Batman & The Outsiders #7 throws some further ramifications of Ra’s al Ghul and his minions meddling with Duke and Sofia. Some particularly disturbing transformations going on with Duke that should be interesting. The level of intrigue that Bryan Hill is keeping in the story is gripping.

| Published by DC Comics

The Batman’s Grave #2 is another excellent issue. A little more packed with action than the first one, allowing Bryan Hitch to cut loose with some of the sequences. Also, I’m loving the humour that Warren Ellis is giving us between Alfred and Bruce. That acerbic wit is something we’ve seen from Alfred a lot and Ellis just nails the voice.

| Published by DC Comics

Battlepug #3 is more fun from Mike Norton, Allen Passalaqua, and Crank! Some really nice stuff here as Bryony cuts loose on Nobody’s Ponies. I absolutely love the mix of traditional sword and sorcery storytelling with rather over-the-top humour that basically lampoons it at the same time.

| Published by Image

Black Cat Annual #1 is a fun tale of a heist on the Maggia by Black Cat and Spider-Man from Jed MacKay, Joey Vazquez, Natacha Bustos, Juan Gedeon, Brian Reber, and Ferran Delgado. It features the usual humour and action that we see in the series and I quite like how the artists are broken up each following one particular aspect of the story. Though it’s all one narrative, it gives a nice differing feel to each part.

| Published by Marvel

Black Hammer / Justice League: Hammer of Justice #5 concludes what has been an excellent series from Jeff Lemire, Michael Walsh, and Nate Piekos. Ultimately, this has reminded me of the old JLA/JSA crossovers of old, and just feels great as an overall story. Plus the possibility of seeing a sequel.

| Published by Dark Horse & DC Comics

Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda #3 begins “God Loves, Moon Kills”, another two-parter for this series, from Jim Zub, Lan Medina, Craig Yeung, Marcio Menyz, Federico Blee, and Joe Sabino. I love this story format, giving us essentially quick-hit missions dealing with a problem and then moving on. It’s yielded some pretty tight storytelling and some fascinating situations.

| Published by Marvel

Black Stars Above #1 is another incredible debut for Vault, with Lonnie Nadler, Jenna Cha, Brad Simpson, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou delivering an incredibly deep and unique horror story. It centres around a young woman in a family of fur traders, as the trade itself begins to die in Canada, and it’s impressive as to how real the characters and their struggle feels. The artwork from Cha and Simpson is exquisite.

| Published by Vault

Buffy + Angel: Hellmouth #2 continues Buffy and Angel’s descent through hell. It’s much more cerebral than you’d expect, with the demons trying to get into Buffy and Angel’s respective heads in order to manipulate and destroy them. Plus, a rather interesting surprise. Jordie Bellaire, Jeremy Lambert, Eleonora Carlini, Cris Peter, and Ed Dukeshire are doing some great work with the core of this event.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Collapser #5 somehow gets even stranger in this penultimate issue as Liam creates a “perfect” world to run away from the problems he’s having in the real world. The real world bleeding through and a revelation of his girlfriend’s true intentions just ratchet up the strangeness further. Mikey Way, Shaun Simon, Ilias Kyriazis, Cris Peter, and Simon Bowland are just doing amazing work here.

| Published by DC Comics / Young Animal

Detective Comics #1015 takes an interesting turn as Nora decides that she likes being a villain. Through this, Peter J. Tomasi is definitely showing an interesting side to Mr. Freeze, emphasizing again that he’s a rather conflicted villain, only doing the various heinous actions to save his wife. Who now doesn’t need him.

| Published by DC Comics

Doctor Mirage #4 features more incredibly beautiful, inventive artwork from Nick Robles and Jordie Bellaire. The visual storytelling as Shan faces the Embalmer is just incredible. Magdalene Visaggio, Robles, Bellaire, and Dave Sharpe continue to deliver magic with this penultimate issue.

| Published by Valiant

Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror: Season Two #2 is another entertaining issue. The lead tale from Tom Peyer, Greg Scott, Lee Loughridge, and Rob Steen has traditional EC Comics horror vibes, as a scientist tries to communicate with our worm overlords. In one of the comics back-ups Mark Russell, Peter Snejbjerg, and Steen revisit the world of the breakfast cereal monsters. And there’s the usual prose pieces, poetry, and Hunt Emerson’s Black Cat. 

| Published by Ahoy

Event Leviathan #6 concludes this series from Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Josh Reed. How much you enjoy it will hinge on how much you enjoy Maleev’s art and the realization that most of this tale is about moving one person off the board and the reveal of Leviathan to set up further stories. Also, Bendis paints a Batman who is ridiculously terrible at hiding his secret identity.

| Published by DC Comics

Fallen Angels #1 is the final new first issue of this first wave of “Dawn of X” titles and in many ways it’s more personal than the other X-titles, even Excalibur, delving into Psylocke (the former Kwannon, not Betsy Braddock) and her past. Bryan Hill, Szymon Kudranski, Frank D’Armata, and Joe Sabino deliver an interesting story with hooks on the darker side of the X-world, including some ominous bits from Magneto and Sinister, but I question the inclusion of X-23 and Cable. They don’t exactly seem to fit the roles they’ve been put into here.

| Published by Marvel

Family Tree #1 is a phenomenal debut from Jeff Lemire, Phil Hester, Eric Gapstur, Ryan Cody, and Steve Wands. This first issue perfectly captures that insidious nature of family drama mixed with creeping terror and body horror as a bizarre plague begins spreading across America.

| Published by Image

Far Sector #1 is one of the most impressive debuts I’ve read in a long time. NK Jemisin, Jamal Campbell, and Deron Bennett create a rich new world in the City Enduring and a compelling character in the new Green Lantern, Sojourner Mullein. The murder mystery that ties everything together is just the icing on the cake. Incredible world-building here and drop dead gorgeous artwork. Do not miss this.

| Published by DC Comics / Young Animal

The Flash #82 is part one of “Rogues’ Reign” from Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Arif Prianto, and Steve Wands. It features a Central City taken over by the Rogues, transformed into their own personal playgrounds, as the Flash is nowhere to be found. It’s not bad, but the amount you’re going to like it may be relative to how much you’re also enjoying “City of Bane” and the recently concluded similar arc involving the Trickster.

| Published by DC Comics

Folklords #1 is off to a fantastic start from Matt Kindt, Matt Smith, Chris O’Halloran, and Jim Campbell. It starts off with a precocious kid in a fantasy world who’s been having visions of what essentially amounts to our world, whose quest sets out a rather draconian lockdown on their society when the Librarians rein in everyone from illicit action, like finding the Folklords. Highly recommended.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Forgotten Home #2 reveals more about Jannada, its history and society, and how an unjust queen was brought to rule through racial warfare. Love the artwork from Marika Cresta and Matt Emmons.

| Published by Vices Press

Gideon Falls #18 unleashes the Laughing Man on reality in part two of “The Pentoculus”. Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart, and Steve Wands are beautifully unfolding this twisted and horrific flower of a story.

| Published by Image

Gotham City Monsters #3 adds another element of DC lore to the series as Melmoth claims a particular prize. I really quite like how Steve Orlando, Amancay Nahuelpan, Trish Mulvihill, and Tom Napolitano are pulling together disparate bits of Gotham and beyond to craft this story.

| Published by DC Comics

Guardians of the Galaxy #11 is the penultimate issue of this series from Donny Cate, Cory Smith, Victor Olazaba, David Curiel, and Cory Petit. It’s basically a big fight between the remaining Guardians and everyone else. It doesn’t go so well.

| Published by Marvel

Hawkman #18 takes a somewhat different approach to Hawkman’s infection than what we’ve seen of the others so far. Rather than being a dark reflection of Hawkman’s own desires, he’s taken over by an Earth-3 incarnation in Sky Tyrant. Robert Venditti, Pat Olliffe, Tom Palmer, Jeremiah Skipper, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft instead use that to play the spirit of our Hawkman against.

| Published by DC Comics

Hit-Girl: Season Two #10 is part two of “India”. The artwork from Alison Sampson and Tríona Farrell is impressive, given an amazing level of detail to bringing Mumbai to life. Brutal and rich in colour.

| Published by Image

House of Whispers #15 takes a new twist as the Corinthian finds the House of Watchers, takes over, and everything changes. Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters, Dominike “Dono” Stanton, Zac Atkinson, and AndWorld Design kick off some new terrors as even Erzulie’s status quo is upended, and we get another guest appearance of John Constantine’s homecoming.

| Published by DC Comics - Black Label / The Sandman Universe

Invaders #11 pushes deeper into Steve and Namor’s history and relationship, as Steve refuses to give up on his old friend. There’s some very heavy, very good character work here as we head into the final issue. Chip Zdarsky, Carlos Magno, Butch Guice, Alex Guimarães, and Travis Lanham continue to astonish at the incredibly high bar they’ve set for this story.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League Odyssey #15 is a fun tale from Dan Abnett, Will Conrad, Rain Beredo, Pete Pantazis, and AndWorld Design. Jessica Cruz leading a rag tag band of villains (and Orion) against Darkseid and the previous JLO turned evil is unfolding as a very entertaining story with some interesting twists. Also, Dex-Starr is awesome.

| Published by DC Comics

Morbius #1 isn’t a bad start from Vita Ayala, Marcelo Ferreira, Roberto Poggi, Dono Sánchez-Almara, and Clayton Cowles. This first issue is largely just action as Morbius sets out on his quest to cure himself, again, but it’s not bad. The art from Ferreira, Poggi, and Sánchez-Almara is very nice.

| Published by Marvel

Oblivion Song #21 continues the slowburn investigation and reconnaissance of the Faceless Men’s base, as Marco tries to map it out and discover where they’re holding all of the people who decided to stay in Oblivion. Gorgeous artwork from Lorenzo De Felici and Annalisa Leoni as we see more of the Faceless Men’s technology.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Psi-Lords #6 does a bit more world-building as we find out more about the Psi-Lords and the Starwatchers, even as the four Earthers are beset by the other Marked in a bizarre farce of a trial. Fred Van Lente, Renato Guedes, and Dave Sharpe are telling a pretty great sci-fi adventure tale here. It largely stands alone in the greater Valiant universe framework and deserves more attention than its getting.

| Published by Valiant

Punisher: Soviet #1 is another welcome return to the Punisher by Garth Ennis, stepping back into Frank’s adventures like he never left. Ennis, Jacen Burrows, Guillermo Ortego, Nolan Woodard, and Rob Steen deliver a brutal and bloody beginning as Frank chases down someone who everyone seems to think is him.

| Published by Marvel / MAX

Reaver #5 is a fairly impressive spotlight for Breaker as he does what he really didn’t want to do again in order to help his “friends”. Justin Jordan, Rebekah Isaacs, Alex Guimarães, and Clayton Cowles present a number of twists and surprises in one of the most brutal issues yet.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Ronin Island #8 sees the remaining islanders largely stand together as they try to both stand up to and flee from the Shogun’s soldiers and madness. With a terrible occurrence that looks like it’s going to cause even more problems for the survivors. Giannis Milonogiannis and Irma Kniivila’s art continues to be everything.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Sea of Stars #5 very nicely puts the pieces together as a disconsolate Gil has been captured and basically given up thinking Kadyn dead is brought to the world where his son is about to be gutted. Jason Aaron, Dennis Hallum, Stephen Green, Rico Renzi, and Jared K. Fletcher are telling an incredible story here and this issue throws even more twists at the reader.

| Published by Image

Seven Days #2 unfolds some of the fallout of people learning that they only have seven days left, as the superhero community is enlisted to try to stop whatever the shiny harbinger things are. Gail Simone, José Luís, Jonas Trinidade, Michelle Madsen, and Saida Temofonte are continuing to build an intriguing story here as we get more and more of the breadth of the Catalyst Prime universe.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Superman #17 is kind of a housekeeping issue from Brian Michael Bendis, Kevin Maguire, Paul Mounts, and Dave Sharpe, acting as a prologue to “The Truth”. A bit of reflection on the Unity Saga, Event Leviathan, and Year of the Villain.

| Published by DC Comics

Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night #1 might well be the best of these one-shots yet. Tim Seeley, Kyle Hotz, Dexter Vines, Walden Wong, Danny Miki, David Baron, Allen Passalaqua, and Tom Napolitano give us a bleak look at a world where Sinestro chose not to share the power of the White Lantern light and essentially everything fell to Nekron and the Black Lanterns. It’s a very unique take on the zombie apocalypse on its own, made more interesting as a fallen Sinestro, Lobo, and Dove try to save this universe. The art from Hotz, Vines, Wong, Miki, Baron, and Passalaqua is perfect.

| Published by DC Comics

Trees: Three Fates #3 continues to build up the weird atmosphere from last issue, then turns around and focuses on more of the gritty aspects of Oleg, Mik, and Nina. Gorgeous artwork all throughout from Jason Howard and Dee Cunniffe.

| Published by Image

Triage #3 shifts to Commander Marco’s reality as the group flee from the Hunter. I really like what Phillip Sevy and Frank Cvetkovic have been doing with this story. Great high concept, but the interpersonal relationships are where it’s really at.

| Published by Dark Horse

Usagi Yojimbo #6 is a beautiful updating and embellishment of the very first story of Usagi from Albedo by Stan Sakai and Tom Luth. This single issue story really captures the spirit and magic of all of Sakai’s stories, wonderfully portraying his mix of action and folklore.

| Published by IDW

Vampirella/Red Sonja #3 explores more of what the Russians were doing in regards to Drakulon and more. More very nice humour from Jordie Bellaire in the interactions between Vampirella and Sonja.

| Published by Dynamite

Wonder Woman #82 begins “The Wild Hunt” from the new creative team of Steve Orlando, Kieran McKeown, Scott Hanna, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Pat Brosseau. It very much continues on from the plot threads and elements of the previous run, continuing to build on the current conflict between Wonder Woman and Cheetah.

| Published by DC Comics

X-Men #2 is pretty damn great, going back to the big and wild ideas bringing new elements into the X-universe, all while Cyclops gives some of the strangest parenting. Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu, Garry Alanguilan, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles give us a new mystery with the arrival of Arakko and the first of -|A|-’s missing original horsemen.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Age of Conan: Valeria #4, Agents of Atlas #4, Catwoman #17, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Holiday Special #1, The Dollhouse Family #1, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #10, Firefly: The Sting, Future Foundation #4, Ghosted in LA #5, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #268, Girl on Film, Go Go Power Rangers #25, Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy #3, History of the Marvel Universe #5, Marvel Action: Spider-Man #11, Midnight Vista #3, Moonshine #13, Runaways #27, RWBY (print) #2, RWBY (digital) #6, Savage Sword of Conan #11, Star Wars #74, Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order: Dark Temple #4, Star Wars: Target Vader #5, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #50

Recommended Collections: Babyteeth - Volume 3, Dark Red - Volume 1, Fallen World, GLOW - Volume 1: Versus the Star Primas, Justice League - Volume 4: The Sixth Dimension, Savage Avengers - Volume 1: City of Sickles, Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Heroes, Star Wars Adventures - Volume 7: Pomp and Circumstance, Wonder Twins - Volume 1: Activate

d. emerson eddy can hear the scratching at the walls of reality.

[briangroth27]

Shazam! Review

Shazam! is so much fun! Wonder Woman is still my favorite of the Nolan-present era of DC films, but this is a very close second. Zachary Levi leads an exceptionally fun cast that’s game for anything and they (and the filmmakers) completely nail the offbeat “kid becomes an adult superhero” vibe. The premise alone sets it apart, but the movie’s willingness to run with it and go weird sets it apart from a lot of other superhero movies out there.

Full Spoilers…

Despite my knowing very little about the Shazam mythos, I had no trouble picking up the basics thanks to the smartly-written and well-paced screenplay. Billy’s (Asher Angel) superhero origin achieved a classic, familiar sensibility while feeling fresh at the same time. He’s not as pure-hearted as the original comics version is, but I was glad that the movie made that into a plot point: no one is perfect, which is both a good message for otherwise decent people and a great way to spin Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong) off into villainous madness when he fails to measure up to the Wizard's (Djimon Hounsou) lofty standards. Billy’s just a generally good kid, not a special heroic prodigy or anything, and watching him make mistakes and learn from them (even to the point of nearly getting a bus full of people killed) made for a solid arc when he was able to stop himself and improve. Billy's journey from selfish, abandoned loner to true-blue good guy worked really well thanks to both Angel and Levi’s skills, and Zachary Levi was great at adding the complexity of portraying a teenager in an adult body. I was very surprised at how heavy and dramatic Billy’s life got—right down to his birth mom (Caroline Palmer) telling him that she didn’t want him, even as a little kid—but the acting, directing, and writing pulled it off completely. Angel gets to play the angst and impact of that moment, and I really like that they didn’t give it to Levi instead: not only does Billy simply look more vulnerable given he’s a kid, but trusting him with that acting moment was a smart decision that pays off really well given the kid’s talent and the fact that Billy’s the one with the newfound family, not “Shazam.”

I loved Billy's supporting cast and can't wait to see more of them in sequels. Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) gets the lion's share of screentime and development since he's the only one in on Billy's secret, and he makes an absolute meal out of it. His fanboy knowledge of the other DC superheroes in this world provided a nice avenue to instruct Billy on how superheroes should act while ironically letting Freddy play the more selfish side of things when Billy refuses to help him show off at school. Grazer comes close to stealing the show here, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll do with him now that he has powers too. The touch that when empowered, Freddy only hovered and didn't walk was a nice character beat.

Mary (Grace Fulton) also gets a good amount of screentime and I liked her a lot. She worked well as the most level-headed of the foster kids (Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand), though it was a little cliché to have a girl play that pseudo-motherly role (especially when this family does have two fully-functioning and involved parents (Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews)). I’m excited to see how Mary will cut loose with her new powers, though. Darla was an absolute delight and I liked all the kids, though I wish some of them (Eugene and especially Pedro) had more to do. There's only so much screentime, though, so ultimately I get it. Rosa and Victor Vasquez were great too; even though Billy is an orphan like so many heroes before him, it was nice to see real parents in one of these stories. It was excellent to see such a loving foster home coalesce into a real family (as others have pointed out). I also really enjoyed that it was such a diverse family and the decision to not make Billy The One Boy In All The Land who was worthy of this power was perfect (especially with him being the white, able-bodied one). “What good is power if you aren’t going to share it?” was a great message that was excellently dramatized by giving it to all of these kids.

Mark Strong was great as Dr. Sivana and felt like a true threat. It was a nice touch that he and his father (John Glover) shared the same Deadly Sin: Greed (as opposed to Billy, who’s willing to share his power). That also added a bit of social relevance to the proceedings: while I’m pretty tired of evil businessmen in superhero media, it definitely makes a strong statement that the old upper class here won’t share their power, but the youth will. I was a little surprised that Sivana was more into magic in this film than mad science like in the comics, but this meshes with Billy’s origins better. And I loved that Sivana’s supervillain monologue gets undercut so brilliantly here! Between this and Smallville, Glover owns the role of terrible rich father to bald DC supervillains. I liked that Mr. Sivana got to both share similarities with Billy's mom and serve as a contrast to Billy's found family. The CGI for the Seven Deadly Sins felt a little off—I wish they’d been done practically—but it matched the cartoonish costumes the heroes wore so it still worked. I kinda wanted more from them in terms of using their sins to affect the world, but I liked them as Sivana’s lackeys (or maybe it’s the other way around!) too. I’m so glad they went for it with a villain as weird as Mr. Mind (David F. Sandberg) and I can’t wait for things to get weirder in the sequel!

Freddy’s knowledge of other superheroes, the final seconds of the movie, and the animated credit sequence made just the right use of the rest of the DCEU heroes; any more than that and they would've stolen focus from Billy. A long time ago, I thought Shazam!/Captain Marvel would’ve been a no-brainer as the WB’s transition from the success of the Harry Potter film franchise to the Justice League, given its status in the middle ground between magic and superheroics, but knowing about all the other DC heroes did lend an important aspect to this movie’s world-building (especially, I imagine, to a general audience who might be otherwise unfamiliar with them). I liked getting to see the heroes through the eyes of these kids (even if closer inspection of Batman and Superman as they’ve been rendered so far probably wouldn’t lead to them being seen as “cool” by any kids in this universe). I don’t know that I need to see Billy team up with the Justice League immediately, however fun interactions between those grizzled heroes and this bright one who’s secretly a teenager might be. Instead, I hope the sequel explores Billy’s foster family more and finds a way to keep all of the kids unique as they explore their new powers in the battle against Mr. Mind.

Whatever the sequel brings (and it better come soon, before these kids age out of it!), I’m excited! This movie definitely made me a fan of these characters and I’m eager to see more of their corner of the DC universe brought to life by these talented actors and filmmakers. I can’t wait to get the movie on home video in a few weeks and watch it again! If you missed this in theaters, definitely check it out!

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