#i love miles g morales i love having 2 sons

[meruz]

they r like littll dressup devil and angel anime characters to mee

[hobiebrownismygod]

Let's talk about Miles G./Prowler Miles and his characterization in fanfics/headcanons

I'm gonna refer to him as 42-Miles throughout this analysis btw

Fairly short post, about 1.1k words with pictures and gifs to help explain <3

Summary: I'm gonna analyze his characterization as being angry/aggressive, I'm gonna talk about his backstory a little bit and compare him to the original Prowler and then I'm gonna rant about his sexualization a little bit as well.

1. Characterizing him as angry/aggressive

Most of the fanfictions/headcanons that I've read treat 42-Miles like a thug. They act like he would be overly aggressive toward the reader/y/n and often characterize him as slightly misogynistic and a bully. One question. HOW? I genuinely don't understand where people get these headcanons from. You're telling me that this guy, who is literally the exact same person as Miles Morales, would be a cheating, narcissistic asshole who needs to be fixed by some random girl? Are you kidding me? Do y'all think RIO MORALES would've allowed that to happen to her son? HELL NO.

This hispanic lady?? BFFR

In the scene between Miles and 42-Rio, we see her asking him to get groceries, cracking jokes with him and just having an absolutely lovely mother-son dynamic. Its because of this that I think that he's actually a sweet, kind boy who's just trying his best to take care of his family. This little thing that he and his mom have going on proves that 42-Miles is not a bad kid. He's a genuinely nice guy who was thrown into a crappy situation.

As for his whole "You can call me the Prowler" persona, that's obviously just a setup. Miles did the same thing in the first movie when he met Peter B. Parker. He tied him up to a punching bag and put on a slightly deeper voice to confront him. 42-Miles did the exact same thing. He tied up Miles to a punching bag and did his best to intimidate him with the claw and the voice. He's just trying to look cool in front of his twin, guys. He's not that way normally. If anything, he's just gonna be a slightly more depressed version of Miles, but he's still Miles.

Its practically the same scene.

This type of characterization happens a lot towards edgy black males in the media. The same thing happens with Hobie Brown. He's portrayed as cool, a rule-breaker and a punk and immediately, people characterize him as dirty and violent which are nasty stereotypes targeted towards African-Americans. 42-Miles is portrayed as intimidating and edgy and immediately people are quick to say that he would be an asshole and that he would be a bad boy which are also horrible stereotypes. This is blatant racism and its not cute or fun to read. If you want him to be aggressive in your fanfictions, give him an actual reason to be aggressive. Don't just assume that he would be, because if you really think about it, he wouldn't.

2. Calling him a murderer (The original prowler didn't kill people)

A lot of the fanfictions/headcanons that I've read that involved 42-Miles treat him like a murderer and romanticize the idea of him being a criminal. Authors write stories about him violently murdering thugs and beating people up for no reason. Any f.f. involving his identity as the Prowler usually has a killing scene written in or an implied murder scene.

It has been confirmed that 42-Miles is gonna be an anti-hero. Now the Aaron Davis version of the Prowler did kill people. However, he wasn't an anti-hero. If we're going to compare 42-Miles to a Prowler, we need to compare him to Hobie Brown, who was the original Prowler.

Hobie Brown was also an anti-hero who actually helped Spider-man multiple times throughout the comics. He never killed anyone and after trying to lead a life of crime, he actually ended up quitting. This suggests that 42-Miles would be similar if not the same, because its confirmed that he's fighting against the Sinister Six, and isn't a "villain" and therefore would not kill anyone.

He's also 15 years old. Why are people acting like a 15 year old would be a murderer? There is no way this 15 year old kid is going out into the streets and beating up thugs. This guy was supposed to be Spider-man, remember? He fights for justice and he fights against real villains, like Doc Ock, Scorpio, Rhino, all villains who are confirmed to exist in Earth-42.

This headcanon is extremely inaccurate and people really need to chill out on the whole "Prowler" aspect of his character, because he's still Miles. He isn't a whole new character. He's literally Miles Morales in a different font, and he's not gonna be a murderous maniac.

3. Sexualizing him (he's a minor!?!?!)

I'd say about 70-80% of the 42-Miles fanfictions that cross my feed contain smut. People age up Miles, not for the plot, not for the headcanons, but just to write smut.

Personally, when I read a fan fiction or a headcanon about a character, I imagine them in my head when I do. I genuinely read the fan fiction like it would be played out with the character. So to me, people who are writing these smutty fan fictions are imagining a minor in their head while doing these things. This is absolutely insane to me.

Now I know a lot of people are gonna come for me for saying this because "if you don't wanna read it then just scroll" and "he's aged up so its okay" but this is normalizing pedophilia.

Once again, I see the same thing happening with Hobie. Why? Once again, casual racism. People see an edgy black male and they immediately assume he'd be super sexual. The people writing smut about Miles are the same way. They see an attractive black teen and the first thing that pops up in their mind is "I'd let him fuck me." He's 15 years old. No one should be writing smut about this kid. He doesn't do anything sexual in the movie, he doesn't have a confirmed love interest, he was literally on screen for two minutes. Stop treating black characters like sex toys and enjoy their damn storylines.

I explained more on the sexualization of black characters in the media in this post here if you want to read more into it or still feel a little unsure about my analyzation. I included sources as well <3

This guy is a tired CHILD. LOOK AT HIS EYE BAGS

As for the whole "aging up" thing, aging up a character for a fan fiction and aging them up for smut are two very different things. I've read 42-Miles fanfictions where they age him up, but they actually add to the plot. This one fanfiction I read (I'll link it if I find it) aged him up to create a officer x criminal trope, which I found absolutely adorable. They were able to write an amazing story with zero smut. Compare this to people who are saying "I'm aging him up to 18 <3" and its just 4000 words of straight, gut-wrenching smut.

This genuinely disgusts me. I don't know if its just me who feels this way about his sexualization, but its so icky to think about. You're taking a literal child and imagining yourself doing all these things with him and posting it for the rest of the world to see. A lot of the people who write these fanfictions are 18+ which baffles me as well.

Stop sexualizing minors and stop aging up characters just for smut. It's messed up.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hey Steph!

I’m headed to Scotland on holiday next month and want to get into the mood, do you have any fics set in Scotland?

Thanks

Hey Nonny!

Ah, good question, let's do a quick search! Feel free to add more, friends, if you have them! I'd love more!

Hope you have a wonderful trip!! I would LOVE to visit Scotland!

SCOTLAND FICS

See also:

Johnlock and Kilts

Travelling / Road Trips (Updated July 2023)

The Cure for Snoring by Goddess_of_the_Night (G, 1,278 w., 1 Ch. || Sleepy Conversations, Bed Sharing, Cuddling, Fluff, Domestic, Platonic / Sleepy Cuddles) – Sherlock and John spend the night in Scotland after finishing a case. The sole Inn in town only has one room left...one bed. This would be fine - if not a bit awkward - if Sherlock hadn't developed a habit of snoring loudly. John suffers through many hours of sleeplessness before he discovers that skin-to-skin contact stops the noise. Part 1 of Dreamscapes

Hitting the Water at Sixty Miles an Hour by what_alchemy (E, 30,568 w., 5 Ch. || Fake Rel., Road Trips, Slow Burn, Mummy Holmes) – “You love your mother, Sherlock?” John watched the muscles in Sherlock’s jaw jump. He nodded in one sharp jerk. “Then we’re going to her party and making her happy.” John let out a resigned sigh. “As a ruddy couple, you bastard.”

MARKED FOR LATER

the dead-end case of the kilted kirkyard killer by darcylindbergh (E, 8,823 w., 1 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting || Scotland, First Kiss/Time, BAMF John, Frottage, Blow Jobs, Banter) – In which Sherlock follows the wrong man and gets more than he bargained for.

The Bachelors' Handfasting by Jberry (E, 30,624 w., 20 Ch. || Regency AU || Arranged Marriage, Virgin Sherlock, 1800′s Scotland, Bodice-Rippeer, Romance, Kilts, No Period-Typical Homophobia, Smoll Sherlock, Suicide Discussion, Romance, Miscarriage, Depression) – After her son is caught in a compromising position, Victoria Holmes must make arrangements for a quick marriage between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

The Straw Man Fallacy by Vulgarweed (E, 40,422 w., 8 Ch. || Wicker Man AU || Ritual Sex, Sacrifice, Mystery and Horror, Romance, Fuck or Die, Dubious Morality, Mildly Dubious Consent, Pagan Festivals, Public Sex, First Time, Case Fic, Virgin Sherlock, Scotland, Kilts) – Summerisle is not a welcoming place to visitors, but it shows its best face at May Day. For ulterior motives.

Bread and Lighthouses by Ayla221bee (M, 63,958 w., 22 Ch. || Mystrade Lighthouse Keeper AU || Fluff and Angst, Romance, Lighthouses, Baker Greg, Friends to Lovers, Disabled Character, Disabilities, Scotland) – Mycroft ends up taking an opportunity as a lighthouse keeper in Scotland to take comfort in the isolation to avoid his past. Greg has been running the local bakery for the last three years after a life in London. Part 1 of the The Lighthouse series

Savage Music, Sombre Light by snorklepie (E, 66,635+ w., 15/? Ch. || WiP || Kidnapping, Angst, BAMF John, Sherlock’s Past, Relationship Issues) – “On the whole, Sherlock reflected as the door shut [quietly, carefully, definitely NOT a slam] behind John Watson, it hadn’t been a bad innings. He honestly hadn’t expected it to last even this long.” Part 3 of the Scotland Series

October to Hogmanay by snorklepie (E, 127,318 w., 25 Ch. || Post HLV Fix-It, Awkward First Times, Hurt/Comfort, Sherlock is a Mess, Shameless Smut, Sherlock’s Past, Scotland, Poison, Holmes Family, Kilts, Dancing, Angst) – John stared at Sherlock’s profile against the cab window and exhaled slowly. After a long moment, he reached out and touched Sherlock’s long fingers where they were fiddling with the button on his coat. The tall man didn’t look around again, but his fingers slowly unfurled before curling deliberately around John’s hand. Part 2 of Scotland Series

The Edinburgh Problem by snorklepie (E, 152,095 w., 39 Ch. || Post-HLV/S3 Fix It, Pre-Slash/Bromance to Romance, Travelling, Humour, First Kiss/Time, Holmes Family, Sherlock’s Big Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, Family Secrets, Case Fic, Slow Burn, Flashbacks, Attempted Sexual Assault, Jealousy, Implied Rape/Non-Con) – After he separates from Mary, John returns to Baker Street. Following a request for help from Sherlock's cousin Violet, the detective and his blogger take a trip to Edinburgh. John discovers more about the Holmes family and Sherlock than he bargained for, but tries not to run screaming. Part 1 of the Scotland series

[plasticfangtastic]

Carnivorous Lamb Ch. 2

A homelander x M! OC fanfic

A/N: forgot to included the links for the original fic in the 1st chapter so here ya go :) hope y'all like this--

tags: R18, NTR-ish, dubcon, age gap (Homelander is in his mid 20’s, OC’s in his 40s) older man, DILF, priest kink, moral degradation, slow burn.

Chapter Two

Winter

The gardens had looked less lush, local fauna had feasted on the leafy greens and rockmelons, if there had ever been any brussel sprouts they'd been reduced to fibrous stumps. Venturing into the chapel he found the only familiar face he knew in town.

The town was small and close just your typical cornbread American town, where football is king and farmland is all the eye can see, a town so plain it made the man wiping the floor look out of place.

He lifted his chin surprised to spot the young man once more, putting his mop aside to welcome him.

“It's nice to see you again. I saw you on the telly… you saved all those people from that capsized ferry…” He said with a warm smile.

“I didn’t save all of them…” he said bitterly.

He turned around and headed to a small bucket holding cleaning supplies, taking a tube of paper towels and glass cleaner into his hands.

“Why don’t you give this old man a hand while we talk?” He walked slowly towards him– You’re too harsh on yourself, my son. That’s good… but it will wear you down… and we don’t want that, right?”

He had come to noticed his age didn't match his face, when he was able to stand in front of him that he could admire just how handsome the man was– squared jaw, a strong nose and brow and beautiful green eyes… his pale blonde hair falling just the right way around his temples… Homelander swallowed, taking the tube with a stiff grin.

It was the kind firmness in his voice that made him want to stick around, the man moped as Homelander wiped the windows to the best of his abilities, smudging dust more than cleaning he would come to realize, but the man didn’t mind. They both conversed letting him spit it all out, there was never any judgment, or chastisement, Amarello simply listened and spoke kindly with him, never saying upsetting things, agreeing with him or not truly disagreeing either.

It became a routine, to come-by whenever he needed guidance, whenever he wanted to be taught the scriptures, whenever he wanted to pretend he cared about anything in that old book because for once he had genuine company… the more he came the friendlier the strange man was, and it felt unbelievably good... how much he enjoyed having this to look forward to, as meaningless as it might be for some.

He was rude of speech, barely liked saying please, his sight was always miles away, he talked to him with ease in a way that nobody treated him before, he was a good host offering him fruit and coffee every visit if not at least a place to unwind.

Sometimes there was no burdens, advice or interpretations to discuss but Amarello still welcomed him in his humble home, Homelander began to wonder if this was what normal people experience.

It was so confined it made him uneasy at first, too familiar to a place from not that long ago, yet the more he spent his afternoons, mornings and evenings sitting watching the small tv or pretending to enjoy a drink on the dinner table instead of the gardens– it came to matter very little.

All that mattered was that for once in his life he had somebody talking to him so jovially, who had no expectations from him, nor intending to trick him, just the rewards and satisfaction that came from human interactions.

The man was abnormally kind, he thought. Always throwing an odd joke here and there, laughing at Homelander dirty humor something that amused the Supe greatly.

They would laugh at each other's observations, leaning against the other as they shared cold peach ice tea and gossiped about the town folks' drama and superhero BTS.

Both enjoying each other's company– much to John’s surprise.

So why did it all have to change…? 

With the passage of time and as the garden was blanketed in inches of snow… here he was staring at him… watching him set up the nativity set as he lazily dug for Christmas ornaments to decorate the church.

Watching him closely as the man grumbled.

“John. I can’t find the donkey. Is it in your box?”

Homelander looked at his box and unsurprisingly he found nothing in the beaten up box.

“Could you go to my room? It might be in the closet… I must’ve put it with my personal ornaments… it should be in a green box, hopefully.”

The man continued to grumble frustrated at the incomplete nativity, Homelander listened heading towards the small room, he had grown so accustomed to the room, he knew of every nook– it had looked so frightening but now it was trully cozy, pressing walls just the right size, the uneasy familiarity of having everything in a single room no longer unnerving, for it smell like him and not like chlorine.

The room was plain, all the pieces second hand and aged, his closet was bare mostly just a dozen of the same shirt in various shades of black and dark grays, folded jeans and dress pants with the only colors coming from his collection of sweaters and jackets and even that was minimalist, he looked around spotting two boxes tucked in the narrow closet.

His hand took the first one, a smaller box that would have never fit the ceramic donkey– he was just curious, he told himself.

Just wanting to know more about him.

More than the stories they shared, more than the rehearsed storylines he delivered, he wanted to discover everything that made him tick, just to know if it was alright to keep him around-- nobody in the tower knew of his escapades all assuming he was still doing his patrols, and not flying to the middle of nowhere to spend a couple hours with a stranger they might not approve, for he didn’t fit their image at all.

They didn’t need to know how or where Homelander had learned to pray better, how much he had learned of the good book… how much he didn’t believe in any of it.

But above all he was afraid of getting too close, so close he might slip and break the illusion– for Amarello believed that he was proof that god was real, that all his sacrifice would amount to something in the afterlife, that there was this genuine invisible force watching over all that was living and not that he was proof of the unethical scientific progress.

But he wanted to keep him, he wanted to be consoled by the older man who treated him with more kindness and care than any of the olderlies or Voguelbaum ever did, whom refused to see him without an appointment, appointments that grew further and further apart in availability… he had hoped that now that he was out, the man would let him be around, that he had only cut the umbilical cord to help him grow out of tough love-- not to dispose of him to stare at the shiny new thing that his son had made.

As he looked at the frozen dinners in the Priest freezer with box in tow, he wondered if he also would spend the holidays alone, he had offered to welcome him for thanksgiving for the church organized a small backyard feast for the elderly who had no family in town anymore, those who wanted to come and the loners… but he had said no on the promise that Voguelbaum had considered inviting him… delivering the bad news the day before, for his wife didn’t feel comfortable with him around– a lie he could smell.

He signed feeling a sting in his eyes, thinking of how nice it would’ve been to spend Thanksgiving eating dried turkey and canned cranberry goop with him, instead of watching a movie in his penthouse alone.

His hand glides gingerly atop the lid, taking the top off.

That tear dried quickly.

Pretty men stared back at him.

Yellowed magazines of handsome hunks, half naked men in their hairy glory, the box held a nearly emptied small bottle of lube and a toy.

His mouth dried as he took the small dildo out the box, it was flesh coloured and veiny, smaller than his own– modest he dared think. He gave it a squeeze to make sure it was real and not some crazy hallucination, the smell of dish soap flooded his flared nostrils as his cheeks grew hotter.

He stood frozen like a deer, his mouth so dry he wish he could have eaten the snow to quench his puffy tongue.

“John…?”

The man stood by the entrance, his hand firm of the silver pummel, pale and clammy, staring at the young supe holding something sick in his hand.

Homelander tried to brush it off with an awkward smile, force his shoulders to unwind, to make himself relaxed but the flush on his cheeks painted his whole body.

He ran after him, ripping the box and the toy off his hand, as if he was a stove and the box a child’s hand. He wanted nothing but to scream or cry or run, but he was there unable to breathe, clutching on the shoebox.

“Leave… please… just leave…” his voice was so light even he barely picked it up as he whistled his sentence.

Homelander didn’t want to listen, to pretend he never found the box, to just laugh it off but as Amarello looked up with sunken eyes ready to bawl, unable to stare at him for long– he did.

He took a step back.

And he was gone.

Amarello stayed in his kitchenette, hovering on the table while staring at his curse.

Wishing he had been strong enough to get rid of it, wishing he could go back in time and get the box himself, or hide it better at least. 

Wishing Homelander hadn’t seen it at all…

He was so pretty, he wanted to stare at the little lamb for longer, he liked the sound of his voice, the softness of his hand and the color of his hair, he liked how touchy the boy became-- always wanting to put his hand on his shoulders or his back, how much he liked it when he reciprocated. At first he brushed it to growing up without his parents and the deprivation that came from that experience, for the yearning of an adult figure in his life, a formed belief based solely on the way his eyes looked when he spoke of a man named Voguelbaum, and the way his voice wavered when he spoke of a Madelyn… Now he just felt like that’s something he needed but dare not say loudly... and Amarello had liked it too much... he liked being touched by him and feeling his warmth.

He seemed lonely too, just as much as he did… and perhaps that's why he indulged the boy… he gave him his company and he got to gawk at the pretty thing that made him, at this present from the Lord.

He would’ve never touched him past a stroke of his neck, he would have never tricked him, he would’ve never done anything to him, so why did he had to find out, he looked up wondering if even indulging the thought was worthy of punishment, that he had his fun, that he was gonna lose control and lead him astray, perhaps.

Amarello found himself sinking in his couch, letting the sounds of the television fill the gaps that Homelander’s presence would have, trying not to think of the wind picking up outside or the cold permeating in the room. 

He jolted awake as his voice came from the box, an advert for soda with his face on it. He watched the short 30 second clip looking at nothing but those thin lips.

[ironmandeficiency]

pedro boys as high school teachers (modern au)

boys included: javi p, pero, jack, frankie, din, javi g, dieter, oberyn, marcus p, marcus m

word count: 1161

summary: there are just my thoughts on what high school subjects some of the pedro boys would teach, modern au

a/n: decided to reread the agm universe by @forever-rogue & it gave me an idea so here we are. i’m sorry if the formatting is jank, i’ve been posting from mobile for like two months now. also i know the ms. frizzle gif isn’t quite relevant enough but you can fight me

javier peña — javi is peak history teacher material. his students are juniors & seniors because he doesn’t have the patience for lower class bullshit. his philosophy is that students take his class seriously or not at all. took up coaching girls basketball one year because the last coach quit on short notice & admin begged him to take the spot; the year he coached was the first time in 30 years that their team went to state. became best friends with pero through their respective subjects & will have drinks together on weekends. doesn’t give grades that end with nines & will bump them up a point (69 to 70, 89 to 90, etc.) to not be a dick.

pero — geography. scares students stiff but does have a soft spot for those who put effort into his class. offers bonus points on tests for those who go to the local ren fair, and students are surprised to see their teacher wearing full garb & fighting in duels. his classroom is across from javi p’s & they watch each other’s classes when needed. they have the same lunch & conference, so when there’s nothing to do they like to talk shit about anything and everything. they gossip like old women & playfully bicker like old men. pero is often called “the gordon ramsay of teachers” & framed a photoshopped picture of their faces on the other’s body sent to him by a student.

jack daniels — football coach & ffa. he has and will continue to drive things to work that aren’t regular vehicles (tractors, horses, golf carts, even a donkey once). freshmen are surprised to see that he actually does own a highway legal means of transportation. all the ffa animals are kept in a separate barn on his ranch not even three miles from the school & will let students ride in the bed of his truck or on his trailer on the way there & back for class (parents do sign permission slips for it). lets students control the aux cord on these trips as long as it doesn’t have curse words, but the way to his heart is if someone plays reba. hosts the yearly chili cookoff to support the ffa, and it’s always a hit. he buys a stetson for each class that the students sign at the end of the school year & hangs them all up around the ffa barn.

frankie morales — softball coach that also teaches algebra 1 & 2. he has such a math brain & is super lenient when it comes to the students that have a harder time grasping the subject. very passionate about coaching & does not tolerate any bullying within the team, on the field or off it. wants to set a coaching standard for when his daughter starts playing; he wants her to know how a coach should treat their team early on. she comes to after school practices & all the girls love her to bits. frankie lets her in the dugout during games to motivate them. offers snacks for kids who come to tutorials because he knows they are hungry by the end of the day no matter when they had lunch, and that full bellies equal full attention.

din djarin — chemistry & physics. is very intimidating until it’s a couple months into the year & his students are finally comfortable asking him personal questions. they accidentally see a picture of him and his son on his computer’s desktop one day & just like that, he’s no longer piss-your-pants intimidating. he can be stern when he needs to be, but overall would rather not. he makes these two difficult subjects much easier to learn & will have so many cool lab demonstrations (some are mythbusters level) that occasionally border on dangerous. gets along with coworkers by not getting involved in drama & doing his job, doesn't have time for the bs.

javier gutierrez — this man definitely has a flair for the dramatic & would be an amazing theater director, albeit a bit dreamy. would recruit the art teacher from across the hall that he knew had acting experience to help in one production & suddenly, they’re co-directors. students favored him highly whether they took theater or not; something about him just oozed kindness & compassion, and the kids trusted him. insists the students either call him mr. g or javi, he feels that the standard honorifics are too stifling. him & dieter will buy their students fast food after days spent making set pieces & rehearsals in the auditorium. the queer kids feel hella safe with him & actually have a kinda-joke ship going with him and dieter that neither men are upset over.

dieter bravo — art teacher turned surprise theater co-director. always shows up looking like a hot mess because that’s just who he is. very lax and chill with students but will be the first to call out bullshit if it walks thru his door. drinks several coffees a day & despite the vast number of almost-pajamas he wears, some doubt whether he even sleeps at all. is the one who reigns in his counterpart when things go awry. recruits his best students to help make set pieces for theater & bribes them with free food bc he knows the way to win kids over. plays it off when students talk about the (b)romance between him & javi g but is actually pretty flattered.

oberyn martell — this is the english teacher that the lgbt+ kids flock to immediately. between him & javi g, they have an even split of the school’s queer kids idolizing them. also coaches the cross country team where usually two (or more) of his daughters participate yearly. is able to separate coaching from his fatherly duties so he doesn’t turn into a coachzilla (he’s heard about the dads who go batshit when coaching their kids in sports & loathes them). will team w javi on assignments with historical emphasis (mostly essays and book reports) & will allow students to write one essay that covers both assignments to keep from overworking the kids. is considered a jack of all trades when it comes to different subjects, and is highly recommended when another subject has a sub & cannot teach the lesson properly.

marcus pike — is the most patient & not-confrontational teacher ever. he’s the one that doesn’t get angry, he just gets disappointed & that’s actually much worse. started the school’s photography club as a volunteer & was eventually able to get the funding to make it a class, so they hired him to teach it. his students find out he plays bass in a cover band & they flip their shit abt wanting to see him perform. during the nature photography lessons, he brings his dog to work to be the model. jack gets wind of it & encourages him to use the ffa animals too, and uses the student-taken photos on the school website.

marcus moreno — not a teacher but is head of the pta. he chaperones field trips & school dances, and fights the school board to get better resources for the whole district. (i just love him okay?)

[inabottlelikelightning]

10 fandoms, 10 characters, 10 tags :)

got tagged in this a While ago (@grenadinepeach thank u <3 <3 <3) and i thought i’d give it a shot since i’ve been in Quite a few fandoms

rules: show us your ten favorite characters from ten fandoms and then tag ten people to do the same.

1. theo raeken — teen wolf

yeah this can’t be a surprise to anyone. this man somehow inspired me enough to actually Start Writing. absolutely wild. love him to death. bamf dumbass. also it doesn’t hurt that he looks Like That.

honorable mentions: allison, lydia, kira. (sorry liam)

2. steve rogers — marvel

some of you may not know this about me but i was into marvel for Quite Some Time. i have to say 💓💗💖💞💝💘💕steve rogers 💞💓💗💖💕 in both the mcu and 616. and, like. avengers assemble. there is just something so.. [chefs kiss] about someone who has suffered So Much and still strives to just be a really good fucking person. i could write a whole essay on this mf. i love him a lot

honorable mentions: peter parker (SUCH a close second, not mcu because Yikes but aaaa 616 peter my beloved), peggy carter, miles morales, natasha romanoff

3. arthur ?????

i have seen inception an unspeakable amount of times and the most interesting thing is the Crumbs of information we have about all of the characters. he’s resourceful, he’s competent, he’s a great dresser. 10/10 don’t know anyone else who could take down a hotel full of men in a three piece suit with spontaneous changes in gravity. like godDAMN that’s attractive.

honorable mentions: i mean. there are only 7 total characters so, like.. eames i guess??

4. minerva mcgonagall — harry potter

oh MAN she was the Original bamf. screamed every time she came onscreen/on the page because i knew shit was about to go down. the only unproblematic character, and the only one fandom hasn’t absolutely Ruined. an accidental gem in the series, there’s no way joanne knew what she was doing here

honorable mentions: luna lovegood, neville longbottom, remus lupin

5. magnus bane — shadowhunters (TV)

okay so i just watched this series and good GOD it was so much better than the books. i felt like in the books magnus was always sidelined but the show really let him shine in all his warlock glory. absurdly powerful + very nice blazers + kickass eyeliner + amazing jewelry + cat dad + disgustingly kind + adopts various individuals as children as he goes through life because 💖💕💓💗found family💕💓💗💘. bisexual poc king. fucking love him, 17,000 exes and all.

honorable mentions: alec lightwood, izzy lightwood, raphael santiago

6. jared dunn — silicon valley

if you haven’t watched this show i would actually recommend it. it’s impressive. but jared is, by far, one of the FUNNIEST characters i have ever experienced in my whole life. the only reason he isn’t #1 on this list is because i feel a duty to everyone ^^ up there, but jared is. GOD. physical depiction of “perfectly pleasant and put together until he goes APESHIT”

honorable mentions: gilfoyle, bighead

7. crowley — good omens

true chaotic neutral at its finest. a bastard of a man, who Tries To Be Good Anyways. sad and pining. mortals believe he’s mafia, which is fucking hysterical to me. SINCE I STARTED THIS I FOUND OUT WE ARE GETTING A GOOD OMENS S2???? RISE TF UP

honorable mentions: aziraphale, anathema device

8. mazikeen — lucifer

she’s just.. uhhhh. she’s SO…… G O D. no words except that she’s the only reason i got through the 2nd season. so happy that she finally got a gf ❤️ she absolutely deserves it

honorable mentions: ella, trixie

9. toph beifong — avatar

absolute fucking legend. blind and kicked ass 24/7. this is my daughter and i love her very much. also apparently i’m an earthbender???? not too sure abt that one tho

honorable mentions: sokka, katara

10. alaric saltzman — the vampire diaries

okay couldn’t put a gif for this one bc of the tumblr limit but vampire hunter sticks around and acquires a vampire bro and a vampire daughter and trains a vampire hunter son and then acquires a vampire coparent to his 2 biological witch daughters… fantastic trope. i feel bad for him because his wives keep dying but he was a GIFT in the vampire diaries, no one did it like him

honorable mentions: bonnie bennett

tags: @attempted--eloquence @frustrateddumbbar @thecenturiestrickle @rohesiawrites @ttp5000 @cordelia---rose @songbvrd @li0nh34rt @edge0fmydesiree @lucilucialu

[eggs-toast-and-daryl-dixon]

Alright, so over quarantine I’ve been really bored so I decided to rewatch the walking dead again. As I was watching it I couldn’t help but wonder how many walkers and people were killed, so I counted them. I’m going to upload the number here because why not.

I also rated my top five favourite characters from each season, counted the number of main character intros, counted the number of main character deaths (and how it happened), and the first and last words of every character I could.

Just as a disclaimer this won’t be 100% accurate since a lot of kills either happen off screen or I don’t pay enough attention which is kinda obvious on herschels walker kill count in season 2, and this is just for fun. If I make a mistake feel free to tell me and I’ll change it, especially on characters last and first words.

Season 1

Character Introductions:

Rick grimes ep. 1

Shane Walsh ep.1

Morgan Jones ep.1

Duane Jones ep.1

Dale Hovac ep.1

Amy Harrison ep.1

Lori Girmes ep.1

Carl Grimes ep.1

Glenn Rhee ep.1

Jim ? ep.2

Morales + Family ep.2

Theodore ‘T-Dog’ Douglas ep.2

Andrea Harrison ep.2

Jacqui ? ep.2

Merle Dixon ep.2

Carol Peletier ep.3

Sophia Peletier ep.3

Ed Peletier ep.3

Daryl Dixon ep.3

‘G’ (I cant remember his actual name) ep.3

Edwin Jenner ep.5

Top characters - in my opinion :) -

1. Daryl Dixon

2. Rick Grimes

3. T-dog

4. Glenn Rhee

5: Shane (sadly)

On to the kills!

(btw if someone puts someone down before they reanimate I count that as a kill)

Rick: 43 walkers

Shane: 2 humans + 6 walkers with a total of 8 kills

That officer that rick doesn’t like: 1 human

Morgan: 3 walkers

T-dog: 4 walkers

Morales: 4 walkers

Merle: 7 walkers (by ear) + 2 walkers off screen

Glenn: 4 walkers

Daryl: 9 walkers

Dale: 2 walkers

Jim: 2 walkers

Carol: 1 walker

Andrea: 1 walker

Total walker kills: 88

Total people kills: 3

Total kills overall: 91

Main character deaths:

Amy: Bitten in the throat then put down by Andrea ep.4-Vatos

Ed: Bitten then put down by carol ep.4-Vatos

Jim: Bitten and left to turn ep.5-Wildfire

Jenner+Jacqui: Blew up in CDC ep.6-TS-19

Saddest death: Amy. Andreas reaction to this is honestly one of the saddest moments in the show. As much as I hate Andrea in the rest of the show, this was probably her best character and acting moment.

Happiest death: Ed. I hate this man with a passion. How dare you hurt our carol.

Best death: Jenner. I think the CDC blowing up was a great way to end the first season of the show and his death was almost beautiful in a way since he wanted to be with his wife.

Worst death: Jacqui. I have no idea why but I love her and was extremely upset when she died.

Top 15 killers so far

1. Rick: 43 walkers. 0 humans. 43 total. Currently alive

2. Daryl: 9 walkers. 0 humans. 9 total. Currently alive

2. Merle: 9 walkers. 0 humans. 9 total. Currently unknown

3. Shane: 6 walkers. 2 humans. 8 total. Currently alive

4. T-dog: 4 walkers. 0 humans. 4 total. Currently alive

4. Morales: 4 walkers. 0 humans. 4 total. Currently alive

5. Morgan: 3 walkers. 0 humans. 3 total. Currently unknown

6. Dale: 2 walkers. 0 humans. 2 total. Currently alive

6. Jim: 2 walkers. 0 humans. 2 total. Presumed dead-S.1 Ep. 5

7. Carol: 1 walker. 0 humans. 1 total. Currently alive

7. Andrea: 1 walker. 0 humans. 1 total. Currently alive

7. That random officer again: 0 walkers. 1 human. 1 total. Dead-before show

First (and last) words

Rick: 1st (Little girl?) last (?)

Shane: 1st (That’s a joke?) last (?)

Duane: 1st (Daddy, Daddy look!) last (Daddy?)

Morgan: 1st (He say something?) last (?)

Amy: 1st (Yes! Hello?) last (We’re out of toilet paper!)

Dale: 1st (try to reach him again) last (?)

Lori: 1st (There are others. It’s not just us) last (?)

Carl: 1st (Mom?) last (?)

Glenn: 1st (Hey you, Dumbass. Yeah you in the tank. Cozy in there?) iconic last (?)

Andrea: 1st (Son of a bitch I should kill you) last (?)

Morales: 1st (Just chill out Andrea. Back off!) last (?)

Jacqui: 1st (Come on ease up) last (Now just go)

T-dog: 1st (every geek for miles just heard you popping of rounds) last (?)

Merle: 1st (You otta be more polite to a man with a gun) words to live by last (?)

Ed: 1st (it’s cold, man) last (what’d I say!)

Carol: 1st (we’re fine thank you) last (?)

Jim: 1st (they’re running out of food in the city that’s what) last (I want to be with my family)

Daryl: 1st (son of a bitch, that’s my deer) last (?) this man will never die

‘G’: 1st (you alright little man) last (appreciated)

Jenner: 1st (Jenner here) last (they got out)

Sophia: 1st (is that what happened to Jim) last (?)

Annnnd we’re done with season 1. Again please tell me if I made mistakes on names, spellings or first and last words and I’ll change them 😁. If you don’t think I’ve counted the kills right, just remember that a lot of kills in the series are by guns that don’t always hit their target. That means if there’s lots of gunfire might not get an entirely accurate number (or even possible with Herschels never ending amount of shotgun ammo going off throughout the entire last episode of season 2, leading to some wild numbers) so please don’t be angry with me.

I’ll upload season 2 later tonight I think, and seasons 3-6 tomorrow. After that I won’t upload theses as often since I don’t have the DVDs for them and have to get them illegally in a different way.

Thanks for reading this by the way. It took ages for me to do this. 🥺

[gerrymike]

OK. commentary on my satg playlist. For reasons

lol it wont let me hyperlink but. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0w9pMZtOvP0plqdxT665q7?si=wEFnvdh3Rjaa0p2UX251mQ&dl_branch=1 Plug

1. PIEDMONT (DESTROY BOYS)

Looks like I'm late for the party Everyone knows the attire but me Glass walls separate us Catch a glimpse into different books On different shelves

i.e. teen crisis where u want desperately to live the same life as ppl on the street but also can’t imagine anything worse

2. SWEET ADELINE (ELLIOTT SMITH)

It's a picture-perfect evening and I'm staring down the sun Fully loaded, deaf and dumb and done Waiting for sedation to disconnect my head Or any situation where I'm better off than dead

i.e. she’s alive! is that worse or better. also jfc, you fucking hate hospitals

3. ALAMEDA (ELLIOTT SMITH)

You walk down Alameda  Shuffling your deck of trick cards over everyone Like some precious only son Face down, bow to the champion

also

Walk down Alameda  Brushing off the nightmares you wish Could plague me when I'm awake And now you see your first mistake  Was thinking that you could relate For one or two minutes she liked you But the fix is in

i.e. oops it’s two elliotts in a row, sorry. just. about the connection you can form with someone given just a short period of time, and how sometimes it gets ruined by, like, a werewolf. pretty similar to sweet adeline. mx weisglass gets two songs. plus “precious only son” 😬 “shuffling your deck of trick cards” 😬

4. CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS (IRON MAIDEN)

Give me the sense to wonder To wonder if I'm free Give me a sense of wonder To know I can be me Give me the strength to hold my head up Spit back in their face

i.e. for Me mostly because i think the whiplash from elliott to maiden is kinda funny. also the gerry VS twisty animosity, in over-the-top wizardy terms. sometimes you are full of hate and that’s OK 😬 

5. ICU (PHOEBE BRIDGERS)

If you're a work of art I'm standing too close I can see the brush strokes I hate your mom I hate it when she opens her mouth It's amazing to me How much you can say When you don't know  What you're talking about

and

I'll climb through the window again But right now it feels good not to stand Then I'll leave it wide open Let the dystopian morning light pour in

i.e. we’re back in london…and, well, yeah. also, song title! we’re still in sacramento, actually, spiritually, at this point in the story

6. CRY FOR JUDAS (THE MOUNTAIN GOATS)

Feel the storm every night Hope it passes by Hallucinate a shady grove where Judas went to die Unfurl the black velvet altar cloth Draw a white chalk Baphomet Mistreat your altar boys long enough and this is what you get

i.e. crew. i think about him

7. IRIS (THE GOO GOO DOLLS)

And all I can taste is this moment And all I can breathe is your life And sooner or later, it's over I just don't wanna miss you tonight

plus

And I don't want the world to see me 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand When everything's made to be broken I just want you to know who I am

i.e. OK. OK. OK. yeah, OK. damn right all you can taste is this moment…yeah OK. SONGS5

8. KILL ALL YOUR FRIENDS (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE)

It's been 8 bitter years since I've been seeing your face And you're walking away And I will die in this place

to

It's been 10 fucking years since I've been seeing your face round here And you're walking away And I will drown in the fear

i.e. ah…the lyrical differences in the chorus…yes…also i love how raucous this song is despite what it’s about. it’s got satg energy!!! “seeing your face”, of course, is not literal 😬

9. ENCHANTING GHOST (SUFJAN STEVENS)

Don't carry on carrying efforts, oh no, oh oh oh oh Somewhere there's a room for each of us to grow And if it pleases you to leave me, just go, oh oh oh oh Stopping you would stifle your enchanting ghost

and

Did you cut your hands on me? Are my edges sharp? Am I a pest to feed?

i.e. 😬😬😬

10. PAUL (BIG THIEF)

In the blossom of the months I was sure that I'd get driven off with thought So I swallowed all of it As I realized there was no one  Who could kiss away my shit

and PARTICULARLY

Well Paul, I know you said That you'd take me any way I came or went But I'll push you from my brain See, you're gentle baby I couldn't stay, I'd only bring you pain

i.e. HARROWING TERRITORY!!!

11. PITSELEH (ELLIOTT SMITH)

I'll tell you why I Don't wanna know where you are I gotta joke I've been dying to tell you

i.e. sorry. a lot of elliott smith on this playlist. thems the breaks

12. OPHELIA (THE LUMINEERS)

Oh, Ophelia You've been on my mind girl like a drug Oh, Ophelia Heaven help a fool who falls in love

i.e. callbacks to SONGS5…! and more pain

13. CLOUDS (BORNS)

I forget all my dreams I forget everyones name I meet I forget about time and space But I can't stop thinking 'bout your face

i.e. tfw your memory’s shit and also you just threw yourself into the sky and you’re still not over it. yowch!

14. ARCADE (DUNCAN LAWRENCE)

Oh, oh-oh-oh oh Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh All I know, all I know Loving you is a losing game

i.e. sorry i heard this song first in a c#tradora edit and i have never recovered.

15. WARS (OF MONSTERS AND MEN)

Yeah, I love you on the weekends But I'm careless and I'm wicked Yeah, I love you on the weekends It's a cruel war I still have pieces of you stuck on me Pieces of you stuck on me Yeah, I love you on the weekends It's a cruel war

i.e. PIECES OF YOU STUCK ON ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is the only song of the new omam i’ve heard. i never got around to listening to it. but this one slaps

16. MONTERO (LIL NAS X)

Lookin' at the table, all I see is weed and white Baby, you livin' the life, but baby, you ain't livin' right Cocaine and drinkin' with your friends You live in the dark, boy, I cannot pretend

AND

A sign of the times every time that I speak A dime and a nine, it was mine every week What a time, an incline, God was shinin' on me Now I can't leave And now I'm actin' hella elite

AND ESPECIALLY

I want that jet lag from fuckin' and flyin'

i.e. God i love this song. re: avatarhood. YOU CAN’T LEAVE!!! not saying it’s like being a celebrity, but it’s like being a celebrity. dual perspectives here with G + his morality regarding the person he loves being, uh, evil? (you live in the dark / i cannot pretend) and M + debt he owes to his god, erosion of his own morals. also, SHEER F*CKING VIBES

17. GEYSER (MITSKI)

You're my number one You're the one I want And you've turned down Every hand that has beckoned me to come

i.e. love songs that serve double as to your god and to your lover

18. THAT’S WHAT I LIKE (BRUNO MARS)

Jump in the Cadillac (Girl, let's put some miles on it) Anything you want (Just to put a smile on it) You deserve it baby, you deserve it all

i.e. this song is here because i say so. a real “sorry it’s been seven years let me make it up to you” vibe

19. RUN AWAY WITH ME (SUFJAN STEVENS)

And I say, love Come run away with me Sweet, falling remedy Come run away with me

i.e. more grand ridiculous propositions. more to come. but they’re born out of a real frustration with the situation at hand! it sucks! also, “falling remedy”,

20. LET’S GET MARRIED (BLEACHERS)

I'm gonna get right for you, honey I'll take all of my medicine, spend you all my money, yeah I know it's hard enough to love me But I woke up in a safe house singing, "Honey, let's get married"

i.e. bro.

21. I WILL (MITSKI)

And while you sleep I'll be scared So by the time you wake I'll be brave

i.e. a lot of these here are self explanatory..

22. ME & MY DOG (BOYGENIUS)

I had a fever Until I met you Now you make me cool

also

I never said I'd be all right Just thought I could hold myself together But I couldn't breathe, I went outside Don't know why I thought it'd be any better I'm fine now, it doesn't matter

i.e. title is significant. and yeah. just. recovery’s tricky

23. I FOUND (AMBER RUN)

And I've moved further than I thought I could But I missed you more than I thought I would

i.e. this is like a staple song for like. basically. any pairing. but i’m pathetic and it gets me every time. there’s something about it. not sure if i’m going to leave it on this playlist but. hm. yeah

OK that’s a wrap. highly likely i’ll put more songs on this as i go

[oftripps]

“ –– wow. ”  it’s not so much a critique as it is a g-rated expletive. tripp forces a smile mid-chew and blinks. “ my tastebuds are screaming. gah–– uh, singing. singing. ”  he avoids swallowing and as ring-decorated fingers snag a napkin, wide eyes drifting to the tabletop as a small jingle breezes past tensed lips. “ ~ allergic to mushrooms ~ ”

or, alternatively: this is somethin’ new! the caspar slide pt. 2 !! & this time, it’s ‘bout to get funky !!  so i’m linc and this is tripp and he’s........ a trip, honestly, so let’s just... yeet on into this ––

( joe keery + 22 + muse 12 ) isn’t that phillip joel “tripp” goodman over there? i heard he joined faction: one after they got back to west ham. it’s funny, ‘cause they were only on the service trip because HIS BANDMATES DUPED HIM INTO THINKING THE SIGN-UP WAS FOR A WOODS-THEMED OPEN MIC GIG. hopefully they fit in there – they’re JAUNTY but also OUTRÉ. oh, i’m sure they’ll be fine.

out the door !  ( tripp goodman: a roadmap )

look up townie family in the dictionary and you’ll find a portrait of the goodmans directly beside. these folks have a looooong flippin’ legacy here in lil’ ole west ham, kansas. it all started with montgomery goodman, a good man, who helped west ham’s founders break ground on this midwestern charmer several centuries ago. and now, the goodmans still live on the same property –– a refurbished farmhouse ( now closer to mcmansion ) surrounded by five acres of roooooollin’ hills. once upon a time, they were farming folk. now, theresa and joel goodman run the town’s one and only veterinary clinic. 

honestly, growing up? tripp was a problematic kid. he’d take in frogs from the woods and start his own frog hotels. he’d sneak pets from the clinic to school who “ needed help learning their numbers ”. in class, he’d flick sunflower seeds at the backs of his peers’ heads and, when threatened with discipline, claim he simply “ wanted to see if they’d grow  ” .  so no, to answer your question–– tripp never really saw the real wrath warranted by his rulebreaking.

in fourth grade, he chose the saxophone as his required instrument. he caused such a commotion in his house, that his parents asked his teachers to suggest something quieter. the viola. the flute. the clarinet. the piano. instruments came and went,;instruments were quickly mastered and abandoned. because dear lord, how many times could they listen to the spongebob theme song played on woodwind ?!  on strings ?!  once middle school rolled around, little phillip joel knew his way around a whopping total of six instruments, a tally that would only grow in the coming years. eventually, his parents caved and allowed him to keep playing, so long as he respected instrument curfews. they gave song requests to avoid hearing the same pieces on repeat: the goodman household was probably the only one blessed with an oboe-and-beatbox rendition of under the sea. young phillip joel’s take on the issue was simple: not all heroes wore capes.

( tw: domestic unrest, mentions of violence ) theresa and joel split when tripp was 9. just seven months later, tripp’s mother moved in with her girlfriend: tripp’s guitar teacher, ms. lillith. tripp didn’t mind ms. lillith. she was chill. he came to find out she could knock back a chocolate milk almost as fast as he could, and she liked her grilled cheeses with swiss only. his best friend became a thirty-six year old woman who happened to be his mother’s girlfriend. and that was fine. he could dig it. but joel goodman? oh no. his family name was tarnished. the scandal was too much to bear. joel sued for full custody and nearly made it, thanks to hometown politics and loyalties. but then he made one fatal mistake: he crossed his own son.

at 10 years old, fifth grade phillip joel returned home to his father’s after school with three fingernails painted effervescent blue. sidney frasier made me so cool, he gushed as he put his colored nails on proud display. dad, aren’t i so cool?  the next day, his dad enrolled him in the town’s peewee football program. he returned home from his first practice with a black eye and a split lip. from a ball, the coach insisted. hit the poor fella square in the face, real strong. phillip joel put up a fight against football; it wasn’t for him. it conflicted with music practice. couldn’t he just play music with ms. lillith instead?

the custody battle persisted. they settled on a parenting schedule. joel contested, consistently, months later. and so the cycle persisted up until phillip joel’s 12th year, when he was knocked out cold on the football field. the broken ribs came from hefty tackles. bruises from the fall. concussion from the impact. but theresa spun it to her advantage: joel had since started coaching the middle school team. this was an instance of parental neglect. and, when the courts didn’t comply, she instructed her son to jump down the stairs. one broken ankle later, and joel goodman was accused of child abuse. his word against his injured son’s. the maneuver won theresa full custody. phillip joel has yet to forgive himself.

after the custody battle’s conclusion, joel stayed in town: but phillip joel didn’t want a thing to do with sharing his name. his mother still scolds him as phillip joel, but to everyone else, he became tripp –– inspired by his knack for, you guessed it!, tumbling over his own two feet.

in high school, tripp was the class clown. always smirking, always grinning, always ready to catch someone off guard. he became a pivotal part of west ham high’s jazz band, and even formed a small group with a few buds: face. they played some school events: homecoming, pep rallies, prom. garage-baked young rock, their songs often preached meetings under bleachers and high school never ending. 

in senior year, the band saw a reboot: and after assuming a more indie, spacey sound and a nifty new name –– 1757. –– they saw a rise in local celebrity. coffee shops commissioned them for jam nights. they played on the local radio. so they collectively decided to stick around and see how far they could ride this west ham fame train. with tripp as their frontman, they always leave a memorable impression: he’s not exactly the most run-of-the-mill performer.

1757.’s sound is reminiscent of LANY: i’ve reblogged a few tunes onto tripp’s blog for reference. he’s v much a paul klein / matty healy vibe. big into music. big into losing himself in it.

so what was he up to before the service trip? playin’ tunes. working part-time as a waiter. and brainstorming ways to get out of going on this trip, as soon as he realized his stupid bandmates lied about the form he signed. an open mic in the woods ! pah !  he should have known. but the concept sounded pretty flippin’ cool.

wear our shades on our nose, 'cause we're cool like that ( tripp goodman: the man, the myth, the ledge )

oh god, he’s  w e i r d .  he believes in goblins and ghosts and aliens ( oh my )!

still VERY VERY close with his mother. v broken up about not being able to get through to her, because it was about to be his parents’ wedding anniversary and they were going to anti-celebrate it with big slices of oreo cheesecake and setting things on fire.

how he feels about coming home to west ham: post apocalyptic version.

uhhhh... can he please get a waffle? specifically a cinnamon raisin waffle with extra cinnamon and a shit ton of syrup? actually. syrup with a side of waffles?

why he was banned from his personal twitter.

“ do you even lift, bruv? ”  * proceeds to pick up a teacup & lift his pinkie like a true knock-off british monarch, shitty accent included *

listens to wham! and glam rock. unironically.bluetooth speaker mounted on his bike. no helmet! like an absolute boss. he knows!! wild!! shades on. it’s 2am. it’s dark. but true swag obeys no clock.

catch him biking everywhere stranger things style, actually. his bike’s name is milo because he can roll on for miles. mess with milo and he’ll fuck u up. aka find out if you’re lactose intolerant and slip heavy cream into your meal.

has a strong vendetta against blue doritos. which might take root in some horrific experiences involving cheez wiz, cool ranch, weed, and the new york subway system at 4am on a tuesday. spring break freshman year of college. oof.

he has a lil drawwwwl. tease him about it. he’ll probably blush.

stress-hums chili’s babyback ribs without realizing. catch him singin’ that about to be murdered.

weapon of choice: kindness.

actual weapon of choice: baseball bat.

he will write little jingles to keep morale up. “ so we’re trapped / cash us inside / how bou’ dat ? ”

has a passion for introspective literary quotes. but... has somehow managed to learn each and every one wrong.

friggin’ loves superheroes even though he can’t be bothered to watch the films? he just… always used to get made fun of for liking comic books even though he never read them? “ arachnid man is uh...  heh. he’s pretty dope, huh? ” he embraces the falsehood. someone call him on it.

9/10 times if he’s in the gym, it’s just to eat his donut and watch pay-per-view movies on the bike for free.

apple pie can absolutely be breakfast if you try hard enough. jeez. get with the times, man!

he had a legitimate pet rock before going on this service trip. but has no idea where that bugger’s gone. probably got fed up with tripp serenading him with “ we will rock you ” at all hours of the night.

lawful good. will wave other drivers on forever.

got into an accident on his bike once. bitch broke his arm and he just kept on smiling.  “ no you have a nice day! and uh.... hey. mind if we like... call an ambulance? ”

low key feels like he’s the reason his parents’ marriage crumbled. low key guilty about it. low key wonders if maybe he lived up to his father’s expectations, he might have saved them a lot of grief.

give benny goodman by saint motel a listen and tell me that’s not his soul in audio form.

known for slightly hyperbolic storytelling.

pansexual as heck. falls in love. hard. it’s a mess. he can’t hide it. hence the shades.

he has brilliant hair. and it’s immortalized in his high school yearbook.

is hellbent on being a source of positivity in this terrible situation. can he interest you in a meme in these trying times? how ‘bout a granola bar? maybe a good ole game of mash?

he’s convinced this is an elaborate prank. or a social experiment. maybe aliens. but let’s not question it too much, let’s just.... have a good time? hakuna matata? no worries? lol where the twizzlers at?!

leaves a voicemail for his mother every morning and every night. maybe he cries. maybe.

he has one ear pierced because like.......... senior year of high school, he wanted to feel more cool.

allergic to mushrooms, shellfish, eggs, and harbingers of doom.

he truly boggles minds. just.... v out there? v spacey. he closes his eyes and drifts about on stage, fingers dancing on the keys, body moving in eclectic ways. he says “groovy” and fuckin’ means it. he dresses in prints inspired by grandma’s carpet. lots of half-buttoned flowy shirts, boots, tailored statement pants, dangly necklaces. he’s got his hands full of rings –– they symbolize milestones. and some are just, like... pretty. and one’s his mother’s old wedding band.

where the hell are my friends !  ( wanted connectz. )

i was gonna do a whole section on this and got lazy but like.... anything. all the things. good, bad, ugly, beautiful. hurt him. make him suffer. but also support him a bit.

i imagine he’s got a solid squad goin’. he’s in faction one too, so... hmu for those.

i feel like he’d be pretty chill with the greeks? yeah bro, he parties. he’ll chill. he’ll crack open a cold one and pretend to understand what those letters on your jacket mean! pie-apple-fate-uh? cool stuff !

ride or dies. pls.

he needs someone to like....... melt his heart. maybe someone unexpected.

thisssss got long & disorganized but yes! let’s plot! let’s do this thang! #hype!!

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1186

Monday, October 23, 2017

 The back door lock on my X-Trail wasn't working so I had to drop it off this morning at Japan Auto to see if they can fix it. Then it was off to Costco to stock up an a few necessities. It's so nice and warm here in Ottawa that I will be able to read Charles de Lint's new book The Wind in His Heart outside.

 Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan #1 - Declan Shalvey (writer) Mike Henderson (art) Lee Loughridge (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This 5-issue mini has the two stabby heroes with healing factors teaming up to keep a new mutant from being captured by bad guys. Sure, it's a story that's already been told many times but Declan does a good job of keeping the fun factor up so I will keep reading.

 Batman: The Drowned #1 - Dan Abnett (writer) Philip Tan & Tyler Kirkman (art) Dean White & Arif Prianto (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). There's a gender swap in this Dark Nights Metal tie-in where a woman named Bryce Wayne transforms herself into an evil version of Aquaman's wife Mera. That was unexpected. I like how this issue clarifies why the bad Batpersons are doing what they're doing. It's a basic motivation and not anything new so there's still a chance that I might stop caring about this story and stop reading.

 Kid Lobotomy #1 - Peter Milligan (writer) Tess Fowler (art) Lee Loughridge (colours) Aditya Bidikar (letters). If I had looked at the credits before picking this book off the racks to read I should have expected the extreme weirdness in this comic book written by Peter Milligan. I remember his stint on Shade the Changing Man and what a psychedelic ride that was. This book is loopy too and it was the art that helped me power through to the last page. If you enjoy exploring odd mindscapes you'll like this.

 Thor #700 - Jason Aaron (writer) Walt Simonson & Matthew Wilson, Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson, Daniel Acuna, James Harren & Dave Stewart, Becky Cloonan & Dave Stewart, Das Pastoras, Chris Burnham & Ive Svorcina, Andrew MacLean & Dave Stewart, Jill Thompson, Mike del Mundo, and Olivier Coipel & Dave Stewart (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This 50-page epic features Part 1 of "The Death of Thor", but which Thor? There's a lot of them. If you've never read a Thor comic book this is a great place to start. You can tell that Jason Aaron is having so much fun writing these adventures and I am one very appreciative fan. Buy this book.

 Aquaman #29 - Dan Abnett (writer) Stjepan Sejic (art & colours) Steve Wands (letters). Okay, things are starting to go the good guys' way. Evil King Rath is going to get what fer.

 Maestros #1 - Steve Skroce (writer & art) Dave Stewart (colours) Fonografiks (letters). Yay, Steve Skroce is back on the racks and this time he's writing his own book. I loved "We Stand On Guard" and was hoping we'd see Steve's art again soon. This fantasy book is about a young wizard who inherits the title of big kahuna wizard after his Dad is killed. I thought that Geof Darrow did the art for this after turning the first page, but nope, it's Steve just painstakingly drawing up a storm. This new comic book gets added to my "must read" list.

 Champions #13 - Mark Waid (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Part 2 of "Worlds Collide" has the Champions teaming up with the Avengers to stop the High Evolutionary from destroying the planet. Four groups scatter around the world to save lives but even though they keep the world's tallest buildings from disaster there's still plenty of danger ahead. The story continues in Avengers #673 which hits the racks on November 1.

 Batman #33 - Tom King (writer) Joelle Jones (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). You gotta read this. Do you guys have a good chuckle when you get to the last page of a really good comic book because you feel happily amused and think, man I can't wait to read the rest of this story? I do. Few writers can make me do that and Tom King just got added to the list of writers that do. Some fans might not like what's going on with Batman's love life but I think it's great. Part 1 of "Rules of Engagement" has the Bat visiting an old flame and boy, is he going to get burned. Joelle "Lady Killer" Jones did a wonderful job showing the men folk back at the mansion and made my heart swoon with her rendition of Selina. I wish the word balloon person hadn't screwed up on the last page, otherwise this issue was a perfect read.

 Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil #1 - Jeff Lemire (writer) David Rubin (art, colours & letters). This spin-ff of Black Hammer is worth checking out if you like that mystery about a team of old super heroes. This story focuses on their super villain enemies and follows Black Hammer's daughter as she goes searching for her father. Jeff Lemire is every bit as clever as Alan Moore at creating neat super characters when Alan was doing America's Best Comics.

 Ms. Marvel #23 - G. Willow Wilson (writer) Diego Olortegui (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Remember the time when Kamala went to Karachi and had a team up with a hero there? Guess who's in Jersey City and attending her high school now? I'm glad Willow did the conversion to metric on the runaway train's speed. I didn't have a sense of what 25 miles per hour feels like. 40 kilometres per hour I get. This was a great way to have the two heroes commiserate while the train rolls along.

 Wonder Woman #32 - James Robinson (writer) Sergio Davila (pencils) Scott Hanna & Mark Morales (inks) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). I found the writing in this issue was as stilted as a bad soap opera script. I don't like how the relationship between Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor is portrayed. I hate that he calls her "angel". I will read the next issue to find out more about Diana's "brother" Jason and to see Emanuela Lupacchino drawing her first issue of this series.

 Groo: Play of the Gods #4 - Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier (writers) Sergio Aragones (art) John Ercek & Tom Luth (colours) Stan Sakai (letters). And so another great Groo mini ends. This time the last laugh was on the gods.

 Superman #33 - Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason (writer) Doug Mahnke (pencils) Jaime Mendoza (inks) Wil Quintana (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). "Imperius Lex" starts here. With baby Darkseid missing, Apokalips needs a new ruler and it has chosen Lex Luthor. But Lex is a good guy now, right? Maybe he'll find a way to change the Parademons into minions. I like that Lois and Jon are in this story too.

 Incredible Hulk #709 - Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). "Return To Planet Hulk" starts here. Not to worry, they haven't resurrected Bruce Banner (yet). This time it's Amadeus "The Totally Awesome Hulk" Cho crash landing on the planet. There's no holding back when the kid unleashes the junk in the trunk as he battles a tribe of bad guys. All hail the Green Scar. This is a refreshing change of pace.

 Super Sons #9 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Jorge Jimenez & Carmine Di Giandomenico (art) Alejandro Sanchez & Ivan Plascencia (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). "Planet of the Capes" ends here. I much preferred the art of Jorge Jimenez over that of Carmine Di Giandomenico. Carmine's kids don't look like kids.

 Wonder Woman Conan #2 - Gail Simone (writer) Aaron Lopresti (pencils) Matt Ryan (inks) Wendy Broome (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). There's a #MeToo moment in this issue that I found was unnecessary that made me feel disappointed because this is written by a woman. The crew threatening Diana that way wasn't needed for Conan to be any more protective than he already was. I wondered if it was put in just to titillate male readers or to point out that most men are scum. I did like how the crow girls dealt with the wine besotted pervert in the stands though.

 Invincible Iron Man #593 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli & Alex Maleev (art) Marte Gracia &  Alex Maleev (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). "The Search for Tony Stark" starts here. Get everything you need to know to start reading this series. It's the rebirth of one of Marvel's iconic super heroes so join us long time shellhead fans and buckle up for a wild ride.

[countrymadefoods]

“The story of South Korea’s past starts with a provisional government often forgotten about in history textbooks. The People’s Republic of Korea lasted only from 1945 to 1946, and its capital was in Seoul...As soon as American troops landed on the September of 1945...What immediately occurred afterwards was the abolition of the People’s Republic of Korea by military decree. Officials serving under the government were shot, buildings were bombed, and supposedly “communist-sympathetic” Korean troops stationed in the country were summarily executed in a bloodbath lasting for several months. The United States Army Military Government was established, causing the eruption of mass public outrage at military personnel from the former Japanese Empire serving in office in South Korea.

With haste, the First Republic of Korea, what we now know as South Korea, was declared in 1948. Syngman Rhee was flown abroad a US military aircraft to Tokyo, travelling to Seoul, and was installed as President. Rhee immediately arrested the remaining left-wing opponents in the political arena...Syngman Rhee, as a fierce anti-communist and nationalist who would later be forced into exile by his own citizens.”

“Rhee encouraged his internal security force, headed by his trusted ally, Kim Chang-ryong, to arbitrarily detain people he suspected of having “leftist affiliations” and subject them to days of detainment in labour camps...Syngman Rhee was such a popular leader that he was re-elected four times. During elections, his political opponents often suddenly died or were arrested by South Korea’s internal security force under the suspicion of being “North Korea collaborators”.   

(via The secret genocide in South Korea you’ve probably never heard of)

The Korean War: Barbarism Unleashed

“Syngman Rhee was a conservative nationalist who lived in the United States for over four decades after being imprisoned by the Japanese as a young man.  The Truman administration brought him back to Korea in October 1945 to lead the new South Korean government. Considering him a “Jeffersonian democrat,” the U.S. Office of Strategic Services believed that Rhee harbored “more of an American point of view than other Korean leader.”

In practice, Rhee exhibited strong autocratic tendencies and relied heavily on Japanese collaborators – in part because he had been out of the country so long.  He was elected president in July 1948 by members of the National Assembly, who themselves had been elected on May 10 in a national election marred by boycotts, violence and a climate of terrorism.

“The primary cause of the South Korean insurgency was the ancient curse of average Koreans – the social inequity of land relations and the huge gap between a tiny elite of the rich and the vast majority of the poor.”  At the same time Rhee followed American dictates in passing a secret clause agreeing to export rice to Japan and signed contracts allowing American businesses to exploit the So Lim gold mine and take over the Sandong tungsten mine, which was guarded by U.S. troops.”

The director of the U.S. Army’s Department of Transportation stated:  “We had a battle mentality.  We didn’t have to worry too much if innocent people got hurt.  We set up concentration camps outside of town and held strikers there when the jails got too full…. It was war.  We recognized it as war and fought it as such.”

By mid-1947, there were almost 22,000 people in jail, nearly twice as many as under the Japanese...Professors and assemblymen were among those tortured in custody. Those branded as communists were dehumanized to the extent that they were seen as unworthy of legal protection...Any red was not considered human...Because we weren’t human, we had no rights.” The scale of repression in South Korea at this time far surpassed that of North Korea.  In Mokpo seaport, the bodies of prisoners who had been shot were left on people’s doorsteps as a warning in what became known as the “human flesh distribution case.” A government official defended the practice saying they were the most “vile of communists.”

On war’s eve, seasoned intelligence analyst Lt. Walter Choinski and the South Korean G-2 chief of staff were curiously transferred and a report by distinguished cross recipient Donald Nichols predicting a North Korean attack 72 hours before was suppressed by Willoughby.  This contributed to the “intelligence failure” that rendered the North Korean attack of June 25th a “surprise;” a perception that made the war more politically palatable.”

“In mid-September Gen. MacArthur engineered an amphibious landing behind enemy lines at Inchon...“Operation Chromite,” as it was called, was enabled by the seizure of Wolmi-do Island, after it was showered with rockets, bombs and napalm, and by a joint CIA-military operation on Yonghung-do, a small island ten miles from Inchon, where Navy Lt. Eugene Clark obtained vital information for the assault.

The Korean War was replete with atrocities undertaken in violation of the Geneva Convention and international laws of war, which the U.S. ironically had been instrumental in establishing (four Geneva conventions of 1949).  Because of the climate of the Cold War and continued North-South division, a proper accounting and reckoning never took place, and many Koreans never were able to obtain justice for unlawful killings of their loved ones.

Whereas in the United States, most of the war atrocities were little discussed or attributed to the communists, under the South Korean military dictatorship, all sympathetic discourse designed to raise awareness of massacres was subject to prosecution. The bereaved families suffered severe discrimination as authorities marginalized them from civil society and politics and placed them under surveillance by the Korean National Police (KNP) and the Korean Central Intelligence Agency...Some of the worst atrocities occurred in the summer of 1950 when South Korean KNP and ROKA units emptied the prisons and shot detainees, dumping the bodies into hastily dug trenches, abandoned mines, or the sea.”

“The most concentrated killing of the war occurred in Taejon, where the KNP slaughtered thousands of leftists under American oversight.  According to the historian Bruce Cumings, in July 1950, as “the North Korean People’s Army bore down upon the city of Taejon, south of Seoul,” South Korean police “authorities removed political prisoners from local jails, men and boys along with some women, massacred them, threw them into open pits, and dumped the earth back on them.   Somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000 died . . . American officers stood idly by while this slaughter went on, photographing it for their records, but doing nothing to stop it.  In September 1950 the Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to keep these photos classified; they were not released until 1999, after a determined effort by a psychologist in New York, Do-Young Lee, whose father had been murdered by southern authorities in August 1950.”

“Donald Nichols, a U.S. Air Force officer who worked in military intelligence, was the embodiment of the dark side of American participation in the Korean War.  He issued bounties for the severed body parts and heads of captured communist agents, threw POWs off of helicopters, and recruited defectors for suicidal missions into the North.  He also witnessed the systematic torture and massacre of Korean civilians.

In many ways, Nichols was a real-life version of Lieutenant Kurtz, a character in Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War film, Apocalypse Now, who had formed his own private army which engaged in wide-scale torture and eschewed all civilized norms... “Nichols was an uncontrollable commander in a faraway shadow land.  He was a highly decorated U.S. Air Force Intelligence officer who ran his own secret war for more than a decade [in which he] lost touch with propriety, with morality, with legality – even with sanity if military psychiatrists are to be believed.

[I]n Nichols, Rhee discovered a back door for delivering intelligence that could influence American policy towards Korea.  He referred to the young American as ‘my son Nichols.’”  According to Air Force historian Michael Haas, the personal ties that Nichols maintained for more than a decade with a foreign head of state had no parallel in the history of U.S. military operations.  Incredibly, one had to ask “what the hell is a twenty three year old air force sergeant doing in the role of private confidante to a head of state.”

The capture and execution of senior communist leaders was often confirmed by cutting off their heads and sending them in gasoline cans to army headquarters in Seoul. A photo of Nichols shows him and several other army officers inspecting the heads;  in another, the head of a guerrilla leader was being pulled out of its box by the hair.”

“After the North Korean invasion of the South, Nichols witnessed the massacre of hundreds of South Koreans by the ROKA at Taejon.  In his memoirs, he misstated where the massacre took place in order to uphold the official army narrative that blamed the killings on the communists; an allegation reported uncritically in Roy Appleman’s official army history of the Korean War.

Nichols’ nephew stated that after he returned home from Korea, he had a huge amount of cash which he kept in his freezer.  The money may have derived from currency manipulation schemes that were widely prevalent among army officers in Korea and the illicit selling of military equipment, though Nichols handled a lot of cash in running secret agents.  In 1957, he was relieved of his command for undisclosed abuse of authority, and put in a straitjacket and admitted for psychiatric treatment.  His nephew states that Donald told him “the government wanted to erase his brain – because he knew too much.”

(via The Korean War: Barbarism Unleashed | US Foreign Policy blog)

Failure to Communicate: U.S. Intelligence Structure and the Korean War

“The Korean War had three distinct phases. The first phase began with the North Korean invasion across the 38th parallel in June 1950...In September 1950, the amphibious landing at Inchon cut off North Korean lines and initiated the second phase of the war. U.S., ROK, and U.N. forces drove a demoralized and unsupplied North Korean army nearly back to the Chinese border. MacArthur’s decision to invade North Korea led to the third phase of the war—the Chinese decision to commit forces into the conflict.

Military leaders in the Pacific also mistrusted each other and the young civilian intelligence agencies. Willoughby and MacArthur refused to cooperate with the CIA and denied them access to Army reporting and facilities. The Air Force and Army refused to combine human intelligence efforts in Korea, specifically with regards to interrogations. The Air Force created their own interrogation team that competed with the Army’s Korean Liaison Office (KLO) and CIA for intelligence, each meeting with limited success.

Operation Trudy Jackson, a joint CIA-Navy operation, prepared the environment for the invasion. One naval officer, two Korean operatives, and three others landed on Yonghung-do Island west of Inchon and trained guerilla fighters, launched raids, and gathered intelligence. At one point up to 150 guerillas conducted island-hopping operations around Inchon. The intelligence gathered was vital to the landings and included the numbers of Chinese personnel crossing the Yalu River.”

(via Failure to Communicate: U.S. Intelligence Structure and the Korean War | The Strategy Bridge)

“Clark met with Hans Tofte, in charge of special operations for CIA, and asked for what help he could give in securing qualified agents. Clark also sought assistance from counterintelligence (CIC), and was able to obtain the services of an energetic bilingual Korean Navy lieutenant, Youn Joung, as well as a middle-aged ROK Colonel Ke In-Ju, Rhee’s former head of counterintelligence officer, who had been fired when he failed to predict the North Korean attack. Fearing for his life, Ke had turned himself in to the U.S. Army for protection.”

(via In Mortal Combat: Korea 1950-1953 | John Toland)

Inchon 1950: Operation "Trudy Jackson"

The Secrets Of Inchon, (2002)   Commander Eugene Franklin Clark, USN 

 Two of Clark's men were Korean officers: a bilingual Navy Lieutenant, Youn Joung; and a former Korean counterintelligence officer, Colonel Ke In-Ju (기인주.) Both had served on General MacArthur's staff. Youn and Ke used the aliases...to try and mask the intelligence nature of the covert mission. Youn is standing at center with the pistol at his belt [Ke In-Ju next to him]...Clark brought Youn and Ke out to the McKinley with him, but most of the men in the above photo were probably caught and killed by the North Koreans, who also murdered 50 civilians at Yonghung-do who had helped the mission succeed.

Clark later took about 150 South Korean Guerillas, including Youn, on island-hopping forays all the way up to the Yalu. In October, Clark was able to notify Tokyo Headquarters that his agents had reported large numbers of Chinese were crossing the Yalu into North Korea.High Command evidently discounted this information. The belief that China would not intervene permeated Eighth Army leadership right down to the Battalion level and lower.”

(via Inchon 1950: Operation "Trudy Jackson" | Korean War Online)

“Aug. 25 - 1950 - The first major OPC operation, code named Trudy Jackson, is conducted by a US team led by 39-year old Lt. Eugene Clark of the US Navy. Clark was a Japanese linguist attached to MacArthur's G2. He is volunteered to lead an OPC team made of Lt. Youn Joung (ROK Navy), Col. Ke In Ju, (ROKA), a US Army captain, and 10 Korean agents trained by Tofte. Col. Ke was formally an intelligence officer who was fired by Rhee for his failure to predict the invasion.

August 28, 1950 - Hans Tofte flies Clark and the two Korean officers to an OPC camp at Sasebo. There they receive a quick lesson on covert operations and get teamed up a CIA radio team. Tofte gives Clark enough weapons, rice, dried fish, sugar, whiskey and gold bars to form a guerrilla army.”

“On Augst 31, 1950, the team boarded the British warship HMS Charity and left for Inchon. They were transferred to the S Korean warship PC-703 at the entrance of Flying Fish Channel. On Sept. 1, 1950, Lt. Clark and his team landed at Yonghong-do in preparation for the Inchon (14 miles from Yonghong) landing. Clark pressed some 50 islanders into scouting missions in Inchon. Informants called in the N Korean troops; the commandos escape to a nearby island of Palmi-do leaving behind the islanders. Those who helped the Americans were shot by the communists.”

(via Eyewitness: A North Korean Remembers | Young S Kim)

Colonel Ke In-Ju (기인주) was fired and imprisoned by Syngman Rhee for failing to warn of the pending North Korean invasion. Col. Ke In-Ju was replaced by USAF Capt. Donald Nichols as head of the future KCIA (the comparison to Lt. Kurtz from Francis Ford Coppola’s film Apocalypse Now is too kind, more accurately Nichols is Reinhard Heydrich [ SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei SS/GESTAPO] reincarnated), for correctly predicting the North Korean invasion. 

Ke In-ju recounts that he was rescued on the eve of the mass execution, by a U.S. Army captain who drew his pistol to coax the ROKA jailers to release custody. He was under orders from General MacArthur to bring back to Army Head Quarters in Tokyo, Col. Ke In-Ju, his former G-2 counterintelligence chief of staff, from the Taejon Prison where thousands of political adversaries to President Syngman Rhee were being held. Fortunately, Col. Ke In-Ju was rescued and spared execution, unfortunately a fellow family member, our Grandfather Kee (my father became fatherless at 11 y.o., as the son of the [mayor] of Kwangju, our family impoverished, the community stepped up and took care of our family with my father granted scholarships all the way through medical school), disappeared among the thousands killed by Syngman Rhee’s death squad at the Taejon Prison. After being rescued Colonel Ke In-Ju met with Gen. MacArthur in Japan and suggested the name “Operation Bluehearts” for the code name for the invasion of Inchon.

USN Lt. Eugene Clark operated a guerilla force of Korean partisans on the Yalu River, in which he is credited with providing a report to the CIC warning of a pending Chinese invasion, which was unfortunately discounted at the time. Clark like Hans Toft and other early CIA, accumulated large stashes of gold bars through the Korean War. Nichols operated a top secret North Korean currency counterfeiting operation, which was shut down by Syngman Rhee, who feared Kim Il Sung would retaliate by reciprocating and deflate the South Korean currency with counterfeit money, however there was no accounting of the secret warehouse full of cash. Hans Toft and other CIA leaders, built secret personal private islands with their newfound fortunes. 

Clark and his special forces (future Navy SEAL)  crossed into China to hold a village so that USAF Capt. Donald Nichols’, whose specially designed CIA “fishing boat”, was able to retrieve a downed MIG-15 (secretly flown by Russian aces) with the US Navy and Air Force providing cover support and Clark’s partisans holding back enemy ground forces. There is speculation that a cache of “Yamashira’s gold” was purportedly located by CIA agents, who clandestinely removed the “WWII war loot” before withdrawing under the guise of capturing a downed MIG-15 jet, which risks being misinterpreted by the Chinese as the start of an invasion by UN Forces, triggering a Chinese invasion in response. 

Operation Chromite (film)

“Operation Chromite is a 2016 South Korean war drama film directed by John H. Lee and based on the real-life events of the Battle of Inchon, although it presents a fictionalized version of the historical CIA/US military intelligence operation "Trudy Jackson", conducted before the actual landing operation. It was released on 27 July 2016 in South Korea.”

[keywestlou]

MERYL STREEP AND ANTONIO BANDERAS IN TOWN

Meryl Streep and Antonio Banderas in Key West for a few days. Filming a movie. The Laundromat.

Movie stars Gary Oldman, also. Do not think he is here. Actual filming in Key West only 2 days. 12/5 & 12/6.

Filming taking place on Caroline Street. Caroline already Christmas decorated. Decorations had to be removed for the filming.

Locals hired as extras. $125 for a 12 hour day.

The Laundromat is the story of a group of journalists who took part in unearthing 11.5 million files linking the world’s most powerful figures to secret banking accounts to avoid taxes. The film chronicles how a Panamanian law firm allowed the wealthy and connected to funnel money illegally via tax havens.

Last night, a colorful one. The Lighted Bike Ride. Christmas decorated  bicycles and riders. Hundreds participated. The Ride ended at Mary Ellen’s on Applerouth. Applerouth one block long. Closed. A block party held for the bike riders.

Love Mary Ellen’s! Not 2 years old yet. A popular spot. Inexpensive. The best tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Funky decorated. Funky games. Like tuesday evenings at 9 for the Dildo Races.

Stopped at Blue Macaw. Cold! Seventy degrees. Temperature dropped to low 60’s during the evening. Heat back on!

Bar crowd skimpy. Said hello to Alisa and Stephanie. Chatted too briefly with Angie.

A bit warmer tonight. Low 70. Still heat time for locals. Our blood is thin!

I watched President Bush’s service at the Washington National Cathedral. Moving. Mourning and celebratory. More celebratory. Showed sides of the man not generally known. Bush had a sense of humor. Stories told which shared that facet of his life.

One of the more humorous involved Bush’s operation of the motorboat at his Maine home. Bush was less than a good driver. He scared the hell out of Putin!

Tears shed on occasion. By those in the Cathedral and Louis.

The eulogies personal and warm. Son George broke down and cried near the end of his. Former Senator Simpson could have had a career as a comedian. Former Canadian Prime minister Mulroney, also.

Jon Mecham articulate. Warm. Weaves words well. Described the President as Mr. Peepers who wanted to be John Wayne to the laughter of all.

Perhaps not everyone. I refer to President Trump. Perhaps Melanie, also. Both obviously uncomfortable, a strange addition to the rest in the Cathedral.

The former Presidents and their spouses sat together in the front row. Trump and Melania came in after they had been seated a while. Before their appearance, the former Presidents and wives were chatting and joking.

Trump arrived and everyone went stiff. Sat quietly staring ahead.

The Obamas were seated next to the Trumps. They briefly and respectfully greeted the Trumps. The Clintons would have nothing to do with him nor Trump they.

Trump appeared uncomfortable throughout. Scowling and arms crossed. Slouching forward. Looked like a slob compared to the other Presidents.

The thought just occurred. If you remove the T from Trump and replace wit with a G, it becomes Grump. Respectfully, what Trump appeared to be during the service.

Trump supported by the Evangelicals. A strong religious group in the United States. Trump did not appear evangelical yesterday. He did not participate in prayers or hymns. The Apostles’ Creed was recited by all. It was even printed in the program. Trump’s lips closed throughout, as were Melania’s. So too with the Lord’s Prayer.

One other Presidential observation. President Carter and Hillary. Sat next to each other. A “created” space between them. Appeared to be by choice. Never saw them talk to each other.

Family. The Bush family tight. Close. The influence of George Sr. and Barbara apparent.

It was obvious throughout that brothers Jeb and George have a close relationship.

Today ends the President’s final services. The family has to be beat. They  are in Houston for a service at the President’s personal Church. Then a 70 mile train ride to his Library where he will be buried with Barbara and Robin.

This is the first time in more than half a century a political figure worthy of note has been  train transported to his final resting place. Robert Kennedy. I clearly recall. A train took his body to Washington. The tracks along the way lined with people paying their last respects. As thousands had done a hundred years earlier for Lincoln.

God bless President Bush! God bless our having been reminded of him. It comes at a time in American history when we need to recall there have been Presidents of character, morality, empathy, humanity, etc.

Enjoy your day!

MERYL STREEP AND ANTONIO BANDERAS IN TOWN was originally published on Key West Lou

[mattryancompclass-blog]

Personal Narrative

It was Wednesday, that meant wings at Sunset Bar and Grill.  Nik, Alex, Ben, Francis, and myself were going for Wednesday night wings after work.  We all got off work around 5:30 PM.  We met at Nik's family farm at 6:30, except for Francis.  He was running late, a week and a half earlier he had started a new job as a steamfitting apprentice in Madison, a 30-minute drive.  He had gotten caught in rush hour traffic, and he still had to change out of work clothes and shower.  He told us leave at 7:00 without him, he'd meet us at Sunset as fast as he could.  We were planning on all piling into either Alex or I's truck and getting wings at 7.  We never leave for anywhere on time though, had to complain about work, girlfriends, and car troubles first.  Nik's Ford Ranger had a cracked radiator, Alex had no idea why his girlfriend was mad at him, my Silverado needed breaks badly, and to top it off Ben crashed his Mustang the night before, totaling the car, and taking a telephone pole with it.  Eventually after making enough jokes about Ben's driving we piled into Alex's F-150 and tore out the field lane headed for Sunset.

We made it to sunset around 7:30 and didn't have to wait long for Francis to show up; ridding his baby, a 2006 Honda CBR600 motorcycle.  We ate our wings in the back of the bar, after I tried buying a beer.  I figured since the bar tender was a friend, only a few years older, I had a chance.  "Don't even pull this shit Matt, you barley look 16" shouted Davis as he took our orders of wings.  We made fun of Ben's driving some more, offered Alex poor advice about his girlfriend, and even came up with an idea for a television show, starring us of course.  At quarter after 8:00 headed for the parking lot and decided the night was still young.  We were going to do what everyone in Sauk Prairie did for fun, cruise around and raise hell.  We had a target in mind, the road sign for Stoney Ridge Road.  It was spelled wrong, ridge was spelled "R-I-G-D-E".  We all believed it was our moral obligation as citizens of Sauk County to remove that miss-spelled road sign, so nobody got lost because of it.  We had our target and our plan.  We were going to drive to town, so Alex could get gas and Francis could leave his motorcycle in the gas station parking lot, that way we could all ride together in the truck.

We headed towards town and split off at the intersection of Highway 188 and Highway J.  We took J in Alex's truck, so he could point out where he had put a new tree stand for deer season and Francis stayed on 188.  Highway J was being re-surfaced at the time and had loose gravel on the surface, not a good road for motorcycles, hence Francis's decision to stay on 188.  After seeing Alex's new deer stand we were in town gassing up and wondering what was taking Francis so long to get to town.  Highway 188 was a faster route, he was on a motorcycle, and we spent time looking at Alex's deer stand.  On Monday of that week he called me and needed a ride, his motorcycle battery kept dying on him and he needed to get to his second job, milking cows.  Figuring he was having the same electrical issue and was now stranded we left the gas station and headed back down 188 to find him.  He didn't answer his phone, but Francis's phone always seems to be low on battery.  We made it all the way to the intersection of 188 and J where we split up and he was nowhere to be seen.  While we paused for a second to come up with a new plan I hopped in the bed of Alex's truck and shinnied the corn fields along the road with a flashlight Alex had in his truck.  Now we were worried he might have crashed his bike.  We started to drive down 188 towards town again as I shinned the fields, looking for signs of a motorcycle entering the field.  When we reached the first corner after the 188 intersection with J Nik shouted that he saw a small skid mark on the road.  I hopped out of the truck to look and everyone else stayed in the truck as they went a few hundred yards around the corner to park the truck on a side road.  I could not see the skid mark and at first though the small mark at the entrance to the ditch was nothing, Nik was being paranoid.  As I shinned the flashlight up towards the woods I saw a clear path through the brush and my heart instantly dropped into my stomach, I knew my best friend was in the woods.  I took off running through the ditch down the trail through the brush yelling Francis's name, hoping I would get no response and find nothing in the woods.  I didn't get what I was so desperately hoping for.

"Matt, thank you, yes!" I could hear Francis moaning as I got past the brush and saw him.  His bike was on its side up against a tree.  He was laying on his side a few feet from his bike.  He was on the on the phone with 9-1-1 already, Francis is not someone to call 9-1-1 “Matt, talk to 9-1-1 for me" Francis said as he handed me his phone.  Just as I began speaking to the emergency dispatcher Francis said something that scared the living shit out of me.  He said "Matt, hold my hand."  None of us are the type of guy to hold hands, get emotional, or show any fear at all; Francis especially.  Just after I grabbed Francis's hand Nik comes running through the brush.  He just yelled "Jesus Christ" and stood there for a second.  At the same time the 9-1-1 dispatched told me the ambulance was only four miles away and to park our truck right next to the crash site, so the ambulance could find us as quickly as possible.  I instructed to Nik to run and tell Alex to pull his truck onto the shoulder at the by us.  Nik just said "OK" and ran faster than I've ever seen him run before.  Ben made his way into the woods and asked what to do.  I told him I think everything is under control, the ambulance was just a few miles away.  Then Francis asked me "Matt, how's my bike?"  I hadn't even looked yet but I told him just a few scratches, maybe a new headlight and she'll be good as new.  "Don't fuck with me Matt, how bad is it?"  I told him it wasn't bad at all.  Ben ran through the ditch to help Alex park his truck on the shoulder in the dark.  "I have to piss, so bad." said Francis.  "I don't know what you want me to do their buddy, I'm not helping you with that." I replied.  Alex, Ben, and Nik came running back into the woods.  "Where does it hurt?" asks Ben.  "It don't hurt too bad." said Francis.  "It's going to be OK, your fine." said Nik.  “I knew you guys would come back for me, I knew it.” responded Francis.  We could hear sirens and see lights as a Columbia County squad car pulls up.

Alex runs to get the officer.  The officer walks calmly through the brush and asks Francis's "How much alcohol have you had to drink tonight?"  "Not a fuckin' drop!" Francis shouts back.  We all confirm with the officer has hasn't drank anything.  "Do you feel any pain" asks the officer.  "Yeah, it fuckin' hurts like a son of bitch!" shouts Francis again, showing how he was too tough to tell us he was in pain when we asked.  "You’re going to have to drop the profanity, and can we lose the attitude?" responds the officer as the EMT's from the ambulance run through the brush towards us.  "Moose, it better be Moose!" shouted Francis.  Moose was the nickname for a teacher at our high school, Ryan Mussack was a history teacher at SPHS and an EMT at night.  Everyone loved Moose, he was a great teacher and he was just all around a good, fun guy to be around.  Moose put up with a lot of our shenanigans and juvenile pranks, even laughed when we made a huge sign insulting the principle using words similar to his name.  Moose saw me through the flashing lights and looked straight at me and said "Matt, Oh God, who is it?"  I told him "It’s Sisul" to which he responded "Sisul, Oh God what did you do?"  Moose shined his light on Francis and his EMT team started to get to work.  "Moose! I'm so glad it’s you!" muttered Francis as he started to slip in an out of consciousness.  "Hey, It's Carla too!"  said Francis.  Carla was not only one of the EMT's on duty that night; but the mother of Francis's younger sister’s boyfriend.  "I already checked, I can move my toes, I'm not paralyzed." said Francis before slipping out of consciousness again.  "Francis, you gotta keep talking to me." demanded Moose.

The EMT's did an amazing job saving Francis's life that night, he was med-flighted to Madison.  We drove to his house and told his parents what happened and where they were taking him.  We drove straight into Madison from there.  We waited until after 2:30 AM to be able to see him.  He was all drugged up, so we couldn't talk to him.  His sister Veronica and mom were a complete wreck, his dad stayed at home with their infant son.  I tried to comfort them the best I could.  Alex, Ben, Nik, and I decided to leave and give his mom and sister some time to themselves.  I couldn't sleep that night and was very slow at work the next day.  Francis had a miracle that night, he shouldn't be alive, but he is.  He is at home slowly recovering now.  He is planning on steamfitting again come January. We did eventually go remove the Stoney Ridge Road sign so nobody got lost.

[gokinjeespot]

Monday, January 16, 2017

 We had a beautiful sunny weekend here in Ottawa and the Rideau Canal Skateway opened for the first time this winter. I went for a walk in the sun and then finished up the first volume of the two volume Strangers in Paradise Omnibus by Terry Moore which my partner Chris let me borrow. I read the story as floppies but it was very nice to re-read the story about the volcanic relationship between Francine and Katchoo again. I highly recommend any comic book that Terry does.

 Scarlet Witch #14 - James Robinson (writer) Shawn Crystal (art) Chris Brunner (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Wanda's journey along the Witch's Road finally comes to an end with the expected result of witchcraft being cured. It's neat that Shawn's art pays homage to Steve Ditko's Doctor Strange dimensional vistas but why is Agatha Harkness young looking now?

 Unworthy Thor #3 - Jason Aaron (writer) Kim Jacinto & Olivier Coipel (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The Collector's hammer is being sought by many. The Odinson wants it and so does Thanos. My money is on U-Thor and his companions getting their hands on it in the end.

 Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows #3 - Gerry Conway (writer) Ryan Stegman (art) Sonia Oback (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This issue features Anna May Parker in and out of costume. Gerry must watch a lot of Nickelodeon to make his kids sound so authentic. Annie is young, foolish and hot-headed which makes for some interesting situations. This is a fun book that I think more fans should be reading.

 Justice League/Power Rangers #1 - Tom Taylor (writer) Stephen Byrne (art & colours) Deron Bennett (letters). I don't read either of these teams' comic books but I like Tom's writing so I picked this up to see what he could do with these characters. I have no clue what the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are about but they seem like a decent bunch. The story is pretty basic with an accidental interdimensional hop including a super villain. If you like the Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle team up you'll enjoy this too.

 Moonshine #4 - Brian Azzarello (writer) Eduardo Risso (art & colours) Jared H. Fletcher (letters). If the creature doesn't make you howl then Tempest will by the time you get to the end of this issue. I did not see that coming.

 Daredevil #15 - Charles Soule (writer) Goran Sudzuka (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Here's something else I did not see coming. We have the return of one of Daredevil's arch enemies back from the dead. At least I think they died. It's hard to keep track.

 Action Comics #971 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Stephen Segovia (pencils) Art Thibert (inks) Arif Prianto (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). The trial of Lex Luthor takes a surprising turn and he and Superman are still not home free. Meanwhile back home, Lois and Jon are caught in a place where they shouldn't be by Clark Kent. It's going to be fun to see how mom and son explain their trespass.

 Groo: Fray of the Gods #4 - Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier (writers) Sergio Aragones (art) Tom Luth (colours) Stan Sakai (letters). It's always distracting whenever the Minstrel appears in a Groo comic book because of the ever changing end of his instrument. This mini ends with much dining and fraying for Groo but the gods don't actually fight throughout this story. Oh well, what do you expect from a Groo comic?

 Uncanny Avengers #19 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Pepe Larraz with Rodrigo Zayas (art) Dono Sanchez Almara (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Looks like the Red Skull has this team in his complete control but there is one hero left to come to the rescue. It's Gerry's homeboy Deadpool. Wade can't do it all alone so it's team up time. I like who he rustles up to help save the day.

 Wonder Woman #14 - Greg Rucka (writer) Nicola Scott (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). This issue concludes "Year One" with a battle between Diana and Ares the God of War. One must suspend belief that Diana can fly all around the world carry Steve Trevor to stop the poison gas from being deployed. Maybe she got help from Santa Claus. I felt a little let down by Greg with that miracle move, but otherwise this story has been pretty good. Good enough for me to keep reading now that the first two storylines have ended.

 Red Sonja #1 - Amy Chu (writer) Carlos Gomez (art) Mohan (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). I hope you read the twenty-five cent #0 or you will be wondering how Sonja ends up in modern Manhattan. Amy solves the problem of Sonja speaking ancient Hyrkanian by introducing a handsome young police officer who sort of understands the language. This is quite similar to the Rebirth Wonder Woman book but different enough that a long time fan  like me still finds it worth reading.

 Occupy Avengers #3 - David F. Walker (writer) Carlos Pacheco (pencils) Rafael Fonteriz (inks) Sonia Oback with Wil Quintana (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I'm not a fan of the title. I think comic book buyers have Avengers fatigue and would be more likely to buy this book if it was called Marvel Team-Up starring Hawkeye. I am enjoying it so far and would recommend it. Here we have Hawkeye and Red Wolf getting help from Nighthawk and his sidekick Deadly Nightshade to track down some shady cybernetics in Chicago. There are some surprise appearances at the end of this issue but they do make sense when you consider the evidence that Hawkeye brings to the search. Next issue should have some wahoo fun.

 Detective Comics #948 - James Tynion IV & Marguerite Bennett (writers) Ben Oliver (art) Marilyn Patrizio (letters). Batwoman Begins part one. This is a good primer to read before Kate's own book hits the racks next month. I hope DC doesn't screw it up again.

 Dr. Strange/The Punisher: Magic Bullets #2 - John Barber (writer) Jason Muhr (storyboards) Andrea Broccardo & Dominike "Domo" Stanton (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I like Stephen and Frank and thought that the two of them teaming up would be fun but this story is turning into an unbelievable magical mystery tour with bad art. Shoot me now.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #12 - Robert Venditti (writer) Ethan Van Sciver (art) Jason Wright (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Green and Yellow Lantern Corps combine to crush the Orange Corp. Larfleeze even helps. Ethan draws the best aliens.

 Jessica Jones #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The meeting with Captain Marvel explains a lot and made me decide to stick with this. I really hope Luke and Jessica's marriage doesn't suffer from what Jess has to do.

 Totally Awesome Hulk #14 - Greg Pak (writer) German Peralta (art) Jay David Ramos & Dono Sanchez Almara (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The two part team up with Jeremy Lin ends, thank Thor. This one is great for the kiddies but I found it to be a bit silly.

 Ms. Marvel #14 - G. Willow Wilson (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The World of Battlecraft fight to start off this issue was fun. Now that Bruno's gone (I miss him), Kamala has to figure out stuff on her own. Someone is stalking her but we don't know if he's good or evil. I'm guessing evil since he looks like the Green Goblin.

 Spider-Man/Deadpool #13 - Joe Kelly (writer) Ed McGuinness (pencils) Mark Morales, John Dell & Ed McGuinness (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). It's an adventure in Weirdworld as the two heroes recover from their fight with Itsy Bitsy. I really like Joe's version of Wade with the soupcon of humanity.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #16 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Valerio Schiti (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue is one long poem featuring everyone's favourite sentient one phrase tree. He is Groot. Some of the verses made my brain cringe however. I hope this isn't the last issue that Brian writes because I would hate to see his run end on a dissatisfying note.

 Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #4 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Fernando Pasarin (pencils) Matt Ryan (inks) Alex Sinclair with Jeremiah Skipper (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Max Lord and his team of super villains break into Belle Reve Penitentiary to get the thing that he needs to take over the world. We haven't seen this artefact since that special cover from 1992. I wish I can remember how they beat that bad guy 25 years ago then I wouldn't have to read the last 2 issues of this mini.

 Inhumans vs. X-Men 2 - Jeff Lemire & Charles Soule (writers) Leinil Francis Yu (pencils) Gerry Alanguilan (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This war of the genetically enhanced seems to be contrived given what the Mutants' objective is in attacking Attilan, the home of the Inhumans. They couldn't just ask? I'm reading this because I love Leinil's art and it's still pretty exciting. Plus you never know what shocking "deaths" will claim the life of  some characters.

 Mighty Thor #15 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The Asgard/Shi'Ar War starts here. Don't know why the Shi'Ar are all up in arms but I'm sure we'll find out. Russell is back drawing the whole issue and that makes me very happy. Judging from the cover the Unworthy Thor could be involved and that makes me excited.

 Spider-Man #12 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Sara Pichelli (art) Gaetano Carlucci (inking assist) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's interdimensional adventure time. Miles goes to another dimension to rescue his dad. There he meets Spider-Gwen as depicted on the cover. The kissy face must come later because this issue is all set up. This story crosses over with Spider-Gwen #16 and I like Miles so much that I will actually read that issue to see what happens next.

 All-New Wolverine #16 - Tom Taylor (writer) Nik Virella (art) Michael Garland (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Laura's current predicament in Madripoor seems simple and boring until you get to the last page and BOOM, someone comes out of left field. Things just got less boring.