#i think mine is connecticut

[heybaetae]

i know the series has one more ep to go, but i think it's far along to have a fave trip and i'm wondering which one yours is!!! feel free to explain why in my inbox or the tags if you want bc i'm nosy

[bdor1995]

if i actively work on designing them more it will drive me insane so here's them as of now

[tvckerwash]

thoughts on ct's fighting style and her position in pfl because I can (utc bc it's long lol):

okay so I like to jokingly refer to myself as THE wash meta/analysis guy, but I also absolutely love ct if anyone wasn't aware (she's my 2nd fav character behind wash if you couldn't tell lol), but as much as I love her it's honestly pretty difficult to write any sort of 'objective' meta or analysis posts about her because we don't know shit about her. so while this is meant to be a companion piece of sorts to this wash post, I just wanted to make it clear that a lot of this post is going to be based around my personal interpretation of ct (though I will try and be as objective as possible where I can be).

so much like wash, I think ct is also fairly unique among the freelancers for a few different reasons. one of them is that she's one of the few freelancers to wear a unique set of armor instead of the usual mark iv, and I think that ct's armor can actually tell us quite a bit about her skill set and what kind of role she possibly held. ct wears the eod helmet and chest which is primarily designed for protection from explosives, but when it comes to ct the more important information is that the eod armor was designed with less available grabbing surface than other armor variants. she also wears the scout shoulders, which is a variant that is focused on stealth capabilities.

from this information, we can easily deduce that ct's skill set primarily revolves around be slippery and sneaky, and when paired with what we see in the show it's pretty clear that ct is an intelligence operative. I think that ct is specifically a cyber operations specialist, and that prior to being recruited for freelancer she worked in ONI's section one (the actual intelligence gathering sector of ONI that is used by other UNSC branches).

another unique aspect about ct is that she is the only freelancer to consistently arm herself very lightly, with her primary weapon(s) of choice being two M6G magnums, and her other weapon(s) being two combat knives. this goes inline with what I've said above, and due to how lightly she arms herself I believe that ct generally isn't involved in any heavy combat scenarios. this point is supported by team b's failure to retrieve the briefcase with the access code during the heist in s9 (seriously, who tf thought it was a good idea to put 2 snipers and an intelligence operative all together as one team for a smash and grab retrieval mission??).

now to actually break down the whole 1.5 fights ct has in s10, I think that she probably somewhat shares wash's more grounded and pragmatic approach to combat as a whole, with the exception of her preference for duel wielding (which I personally headcanon is a thing she chooses to do because it makes her feel like an action/spy movie protagonist).

in both of her fight scenes ct seems to rely very heavily on her ability to plan ahead and get the jump on her opponents to take them by surprise (dropping from the ceiling to take out the two marines when she met up with the innie leader in the scrap yard, and using her armor enhancement to conceal her real position which allowed her to pin tex's arm behind her back), and I think it's safe to say that she probably isn't the kind of cqc fighter than can mow people down left and right like carolina can.

as mentioned above, I think ct's main goal is to take her opponents out in the quickest, quietest, and most efficient ways possible, much like a spy or an assassin, and while her loadout is great when she is in ideal circumstances where she's able to sneak around and avoid unnecessary combat, I don't think it's very good when it comes to drawn out encounters. we see this in her fight against tex and carolina, as while she handled herself pretty well it seemed like the longer the fight lasted the sloppier ct ended up getting, and eventually she made enough minor mistakes that carolina was able to knock her off her feet and disarm her in a single move, and tex, who was now aware of ct's armor enhancement, was able to cut her down.

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt behind the cut; "Tim's free cloning lab". (( chrono || non-chrono ))

“Red Robin’s commitment issues are his own problem, not mine. I’ve got a schedule to keep,” Luthor replies dismissively, then knocks back the last of his hopefully-actually-a-protein-shake-and-not-Bane-venom-or-something and gets to his feet, picking up his tablet again as he does. He does not seem concerned to be alone in a lab full of sharp objects and computers with two only negligibly-restrained Bats. Admittedly Luthor doesn’t tend to seem concerned during literal multiversal apocalypses, but Tim is vaguely insulted on principle. A multiversal apocalypse couldn’t do any worse than uncreate Luthor and everything he’s ever done in his life, after all. He could tank his stock prices and drive up all his insurance rates, and then make him have to live with it. 

A little respect isn’t that much to ask, is it? 

“Wow, called out by the supervillain,” Steph mutters to him under her breath. “The Metropolis supervillain, even.” 

“I do not have commitment issues,” Tim mutters back to her. 

“Yes you do, the issue is you commit yourself to somebody and then become an insane person about them but never actually mention the existence of said commitment to them,” she retorts frankly. 

“I do not–” 

“When did you go for the red and black suit again and how long did you stick with it?” 

“. . . we’re in a supervillain lair in Connecticut, I don’t have to answer that right now.” 

“Oh, so you will later?” 

“So anyway, new supervillain trap, how’s that going for you?” Tim asks Luthor. Steph snorts at him; he ignores her and all her baseless, ridiculous, baseless accusations that are definitely not currently reading him for absolute filth. “All coming together nicely, no tech issues? Because we could troubleshoot those for you while we’re waiting for extraction, no charge.” 

“The chemical breakdown of the necessary stabilizer you missed when you were cleaning out my old labs is laid out in file B-2.13, speaking of ‘troubleshooting’,” Luthor mentions, and Tim . . . pauses. 

“‘Stabilizer’,” he echoes carefully, and then glances around the sunroom lab. The sunroom cloning lab. 

The sunroom. 

Ah. 

That is probably a connection he should've made, like . . . literally instantly, yeah. 

“Oh my god, do you think you can actually convince Red Robin to make you another–wait, why do you even want Red Robin to make you another Superman or whatever, you did it better than he ever did,” Steph says, squinting in bewilderment at Luthor through her mask. Tim’s much more insulted this time, even if it’s objectively true that Kon is objectively–never mind. Luthor just looks dubious. 

“I don’t want another Superman, there are already far too many of those running around and being an issue as it is,” he snorts dismissively, waving her off. “And I’m willing to provide a useful little resource or two, of course, but it’s hardly traditional to have to make my own grandchildren, now is it. Besides, Supernova won’t be as annoyed about it if they come from you. Though I did include some potential design notes for your consideration in the C folder, of course. Streamlined the tactile telekinesis a bit, for starters. It really didn’t come out as effective as intended, unfortunately.” 

“Of course,” Tim echoes, perfectly aware of that one time that Kon took apart every single gun inside the exact city limits of Los Angeles and nothing else without even meaning to, and also that one time last week when he very much did mean to disassemble a bomb immediately after its trigger mechanism had been tripped, and did it so fast that it didn't detonate. 

So as politely as possible, that makes Luthor’s use of the word “effective” slipped in there a little mind-numbingly terrifying to consider. 

More than anything else, though, Tim really hopes that he’s just gone insane and hallucinated all this, because otherwise he’s going to have to write all this down in a report, and Steph will not lie for him about this one. 

Case in point: she is currently laughing her fucking ass off at him.

[achromatophoric]

At some anonymous meeting in Connecticut.

Girl 1: So why’re you here?

Girl 2: My girlfriend insisted I attend at least once. Yourself?

Girl 1: My mom.

Girl 2: Ah. Mothers.

Girl 1: *smirks* So who was yours?

Girl 2: Mine?

Girl 1: Yeah, the other reason for being here. Your dude.

Girl 2: *sighs* Ah. Right.

Girl 2: Tall. White. Traditionally handsome with a mop of tousled hair. Like a tall glass of bland water in plaid. Regretfully generic.

Girl 1: Seriously? Ugh. Same here. Like, to a T.

The two share a moment of amicable silence.

Girl 1: So uh… a girlfriend, huh?

Girl 2: Quite. She is everything I never wanted.

Girl 1: Cool cool cool. Maybe I oughta—

Newcomer: Hey Wednesday, ya ready to go?

Wednesday: Of course, mi corazón. *stands* It was acceptable speaking with you…

Girl 1: Astrid. Astrid Deetz.

Wednesday: *nods* Deetz. This is my beloved, Enid.

Enid: Howdy!

Astrid: Nice to meet you. Have a good day, I guess?

Wednesday: And a terrible day to you.

Astrid watches the pair leave as a mix of curiosity and longing crosses her face.

Astrid: *murmurs* Girls, huh? I wonder— FUCK!

Hot coffee soaks across Astrid’s sweater. She jumps to her feet as a British-accented voice pipes up.

New girl: Oh shit! I’m SO sorry! I didn’t mean to coffeelize you like that.

Astrid: Did you just say coffeeli— *looks up*

Astrid: 😳

New girl: Yeah, uh —*nervous giggle*— gosh, please let me make this up to you? It’ll only take a few jiffies. My name’s Pippa. Exchange student. *holds out hand*

Astrid: Astrid. It’s nice to meet you, Pippa. *takes hand*

Pippa: That’s such a cool name! Nordic for “divine beauty,” yeah? I think it suits you!

Astrid: *smiles* Um. Thanks.

Both girls stand there, briefly at a loss for words. They notice neither how their hands are still clasped, nor the mischievous werewolf who is peeking from around a corner.

Wednesday: Are you quite done reveling in your success? We’ve a flight to Los Angeles to catch.

Enid: Yup! Mission accomplished. Let’s go!

Wednesday: Finally. Now then, about this Phoebe and Cecilia—

Enid: CC.

Wednesday: Fine. So about Phoebe and CC…

[leilanihours]

LANI'S 1K CELEBRATION MASTERLIST ! ✉️

— a location for all my work posted during this celly

women's college basketball !

# 5 — paige bueckers, the university of connecticut

# THIS IS A TRUTH THAT I CAN'T FIGHT, I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH (wc: 471)

prompt: "come back to bed."

# YOU BE LIKING IT ROUGH, YOUR BODY SOFT AS A FLOWER (wc: 704) *18+

prompt: "you like it when i'm rough?"

# YOU'RE SUCH A DREAM TO ME (wc: 847)

prompt: "i dreamed of you."

# SHE AIN'T NEVER DO THIS BEFORE BUT SHE GOOD AT IT (wc: 359) *18+

prompt: "don't run from it, princess, push back on me."

# SNEAK LINK BUT WE DON'T TELL IT, KISSING, TOUCHING, BREATHING HEAVY (wc: 660) *18+

prompt: "are you not wearing any underwear?"

# I CAN SEE YOU'RE LONELY DOWN THERE, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT I AM RIGHT HERE? (wc: 715)

prompt: "will you stay the night?"

# YOU DO IT SO LOUD, I BET THE NEIGHBORS KNOW MY NAME (wc: 339) *18+

prompt: "i know for a fact that you can be a hell of a lot louder than that."

# 44 — aubrey griffin, the university of connecticut

# TO LEAVE THE WARMEST BED I'VE EVER KNOWN (wc: 405)

prompt: "come back to bed."

# YOU GOT ME OVERNIGHT, JUST LET ME BE CLOSE TO YOU (wc: 432)

prompt: "you look really good in my shirt."

# 23 — morgan cheli, the university of connecticut

# I DON'T WANNA LOOK AT ANYTHING ELSE NOW THAT I SAW YOU (wc: 613)

prompt: "so...are you just gonna keep staring or are you going to kiss me?"

# LAUGHING 'TILL OUR RIBS GET TOUGH (wc: 603)

prompt: "if you try to tickle me one more time, i swear you will not get another kiss for a week."

# 35 — azzi fudd, the university of connecticut

# TWO HEADLIGHTS SHINE THROUGH A SLEEPLESS NIGHT, AND I WILL GET YOU ALONE (wc: 541)

summary: azzi wants her well-deserved alone time with her girl.

women's national basketball association !

# 1 — nika muhl, the seattle storm

# SHE'S GOT MY ATTENTION, SHE'S CONFIDENT (wc: 812) *18+

prompt: "i like your hand in mine but i think it would look even better if it was wrapped around my throat."

# IT'S CAUSE I LOVE YOU, BABE, IN EVERY KIND OF WAY, JUST A LITTLE TASTE (wc: 470)

prompt: "i brought you dinner."

# THIS LOVE CAME BACK TO ME (wc: 675)

prompt: "i missed you."

# 20 — kate martin, the las vegas aces

# JACKET 'ROUND MY SHOULDERS IS YOURS (wc: 710)

prompt: "here, take my jacket."

# EVERY LOOK, EVERY TOUCH MAKES ME WANNA GIVE YOU MY HEART (wc: 722)

prompt: "i love it when you laugh."

# HOW DO I FEEL YOU ON ME WHEN YOU'RE NOT ON MY SKIN? (wc: 616) *18+

prompt: "fuck, i love the sounds you make."

# I WISH THAT YOU WOULD STAY IN MY MEMORIES (wc: 762)

prompt: "i had finally forgotten about you. i had finally started to live again. and now you decide to come back."

# OCEAN BLUE EYES LOOKING IN MINE (wc: 591)

prompt: "i can't say no to those eyes."

moodboards !

kate martin x surfer!reader

kate martin x singer!reader

[hibiscuslynx]

think about how i felt when i first made that realization in my head . it was awful. i must speak the truth though. i cannot hide it anymore

deeply sorry for [redacted] posting in the tags but i had to speak the truth!

Seeing you say smeared ♠️❤️ ma/ny on my timeline made me want to explode. Ur right though. Unfortunately ur right and i Hate that ur right

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Barbara Stanwyck (Ball of Fire, The Lady Eve, Double Indemnity)—I hope someone else has submitted better propaganda than I because I don't want my girl's prospects to rest on me just yelling PLEASE VOTE FOR MY TERRIBLE HOT GIRLFRIEND. She is a delight in everything! She is often a sexy jerk! (It's most of the plot of Baby Face!) Even when she plays a "good girl" (as an example, Christmas in Connecticut, which more people should see) she's still kind of a jerk and I love her for it! She won't take men's shit and she sure wouldn't take mine!

Mae Clarke (The Public Enemy, Frankenstein)—she was in frankenstein. which i think is neat

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Mae Clarke propaganda:

Barbara Stanwyck propaganda:

"THE queen of screwball comedies. I adore her, I'd kill for her, I will cry if she's not gonna win this poll."

"listen ok she had awful politics she was a mccarthyist right wing wacko BUT she's so incredibly hot that i've deluded myself into believing i could fix her. if you see her onscreen she carries herself in a way that's just so effortlessly sexy AND she has just a stunning face. imo she was at her hottest in the 1940s but even as early as the late 1920s she had a rly captivating screen presence and just a beautiful face, and then post-1950 she was just irresistibly milfy so really she was just always incredibly hot. she was also an incredibly talented actress who was equally stellar in melodrama, film noir, and unhinged screwball comedy. the blonde wig they made her wear in double indemnity is notoriously silly looking but she still looks sexy in it so that's gotta count for something. i've watched so many terrible movies just for a chance at seeing her that i think her estate should be paying me damages."

"Not often thought of for her sultriness, Barbara Stanwyck was incredible in that she could actually choose to be hot if the role called for it, and then have a glow-down to look ordinary for another role. She wasn't the most beautiful or effervescent, but damn did she have rizz. Watch her with Gary Cooper in Ball of Fire teaching him about "yum-yum" or with Henry Fonda in The Lady Eve whispering huskily into his ear."

"THE leading lady of the golden age of hollywood. One of the only actresses to work independent of a studio, making short-term contracts that enabled her to make movies wherever she wanted. She had so much range, and could act in basically any genre. She's been rumored to be a lesbian literally since she was active in Hollywood; most notable is the rumor that she had a long time on-and-off relationship with famously bi Joan Crawford, her "best friend" for decades (They lived right next door to one another). She also lived with Helen Ferguson, her "live-in publicist" for many years. She was the quintessential femme fatale in Double Indemnity, and really pushed sexual boundaries in her pre-code films like Baby Face, and the famous screwball The Lady Eve, where she plays basically a downlow domme. Allegedly, when a journalist asked her if she was a lesbian, she straight up threw him out of her house. She even played a lesbian in Walk on the Wild Side"

"She is always the smartest woman in the room. Watching her play Henry Fonda like a befuddled fiddle in The Lady Eve was a highlight of my life. Femme fatale in Double Indemnity, comedy queen in Ball of Fire. She can do anything."

"She was part of my gay awakening"

"SHE'S A PRE-CODE QUEEN. She did everything, drama, comedy. The most beautiful woman in the world to watch weep. Beg for to step on you with those legs. Fun Babs story: Ginger Rogers was offered the role in Ball of Fire but said, “Oh, I would never play that part, she’s too common.” So they called Barbara Stanwyck and they said “We offered this to Ginger Rogers but she’s turned it down, would you be interested?” And she read the script and she said; “You bet! I LOVE playing common broads.” (Source: https://misstanwyck.tumblr.com/post/72996544180/barbara-stanwyck-photographed-for-ball-of-fire)"

[mightiermarvel]

First couple of pages from Shawn’s Playgirl interview

“I could spend a whole night just kissing”

Article transcript under the Read More:

Intro page:

In our exclusive interview & photo session, Playgirl went one-on-one with the World Wrestling Federation’s Champion Lover and had our hearts pinned to the mat in record time

Page one:

Title: Wrestling’s Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels knows the ropes of love…Interview by Judy Cole

Start of interview:

I am talking with Shawn Michaels-a.k.a The Heartbreak Kid, reigning champion of the World Wrestling Federation–and I’ve lost my train of thought. The conversation has turned to matters of sex, and he’s describing something he truly enjoys: “I’ve always been told that I was a really good kisser; that I have really soft lips–and that’s great because I could spend a whole night just kissing,” he’s saying in a voice that strokes the libido like a sweet “Good morning, darlin’,” after a long, hard night of love. 

Suddenly my mind is filled with an image from the day before: Shawn and I are talking, his blue-green eyes locked with mine. We’re seated mere inches apart on a weight bench in the WWF’s state-of-the-art gym located in their Connecticut headquarters. His blond lion’s mane, slick with perspiration, coils down his back, while beads of sweat navigate through the maze of golden-bronzed curls that adorn his near perfect chest and abs. The effect is breathtaking–and he doesn’t even seem to know it. He’s the fantasy object of a million women, and I could just reach out and touch him. Believe me, the thought did cross my mind…. When he’s doing his thing in the ring, Shawn may be all macho swagger, but one-on-one, he’s a whole different–and wonderful–animal. This 31 year old, 6’1”, 227-pound native of San Antonio, Texas is a part of a new era of wrestling superstars who are trying to reinvent themselves–and their sport–with a sexier, smarter, more upscale image. And it’s working!

PLAYGIRL: Are you comfortable showing off your body?

Shawn Michaels: (Laughs) Strangely enough, I am.

PG: Are you happy with it?

SM: I am, but I’m always trying to do better. Maybe it’s vanity, or ego.

PG: Tell us about the Heartbreak Kid.

SM: Well, I think he’s an arrogant, cocky, self assured young man, but at the same time, everyone knows that he’s just a guy living out something that’s really a blast to him–his dream from the time he was very, very young. Getting to go out and show off in front of lots and lots of people, doing something that he was lucky enough to to be blessed with being pretty good at. Very good at.

PG: Women love him. How do you react to all that adulation? 

SM: I don’t know….If so many women loved me, I wouldn’t be single and searching all the time. 

PG: Single and searching…our favorite words! What are you searching for?

SM: Mrs.Right, I think.

PG: You said you’re the first unmarried WWF Champion?

SM: Yes, I believe I am. I enjoy being single right now because there are a lot of demands on my time. I spend a great deal of my life [continued in next page]

[tvckerwash]

me: I should really figure out what the actual plot line of my ct lives au is so it can be a cohesive story instead of a bunch of random vaguely connected events (that also aren't properly fleshed out)

also me: what if I wrote part of ct's psych evaluation for pfl in the style of the washed hands interview that may or may not ever be revelant because of the above reasons???

[Sound of knocking on a door]

Counselor: Come in.

[Sound of door sliding open]

Counselor: Oh, you're early.

Tays: Sorry, sir. I finished my duties earlier than expected. It's not an issue, is it?

Counselor: No, it's not an issue at all, Reine. May I call you Reine?

[Sounds of chair moving across the floor]

Tays: I prefer Tays.

Counselor: Of course, my apologies. Do you often finish your assignments ahead of schedule?

Tays: I suppose…

Counselor: There is no need for you to feel defensive, Tays. This is not a test.

Tays: Isn't it though? I’m not some stupid kid, I know how your type works. The evaluation started the second I walked in the door.

Counselor: Would you like to elaborate on what you mean by ‘my type’?

Tays: You know what I mean, Counselor. Or should I call you [Audio Redacted].

Counselor: …

Tays: Yeah, that’s what I thought. I know you’re going to drop some bombshell revelation from my past on me at some point in an attempt to catch me off guard, so it’s only fair that I do the same.

Counselor: I see. I will not bother with the pretenses then, though I must say that I do not believe it was a wise decision to reveal your trump card so early in this evaluation,Tays.

Tays: …

[Writing]

[Rustling papers]

Counselor: I see from your body language that you are realizing the mistake you have made. Your personnel file tells me that this is not the first time you have made such a blunder. Let’s talk about the incident at your last post, shall we?

[sombrathedragon]

I think it’s finally time I do one of these..

Hey there! I’m Sombra :]

I’m Pansexual and Genderfluid!

Im a female and a Minor! and go by She/Her but idc if you use He/him or They/them :3

I mainly draw and do art about my interests but I also reblog a ton of stuff sooo yeah :}

Feel free to tag/mention me in ANYTHING, I really don’t care!

I use a BUNCH of emoticons and emojis (ex: :D :] :3..) So you will see those a lot if I’m talking and not being super serious about a topic 😁

OBSESSIONS:

The colored ones are my current obsessions!1!1 The rest are things I either just like a little or I’ve had a past obsession of them :)

Wings of Fire! Also Greek mythology (TSOA, EPIC the Musical, The Iliad and The Odyssey are the main parts of the obsession if that makes sense) I also love the Hades games! Musical theater and theater in general, (Hamilton, Heathers, Dear Evan Hansen, Be More Chill, Little shop of Horrors, Beetlejuice are all the big ones that I’ve watched/bootlegged :3), Hazbin hotel. + Helluva boss (I don’t support Vivziepop.), Critters? (Like animals and little creatures and stuff), Science! (Specifically like biology and genetics, that intrigues me :3) I’m also getting back into Creatures of Sonaria and I also love Pressure! There’s probably much more but these are the main ones :pppp

I’ve officially made 6 online moots/friends/people and 3 irl friends listen to EPIC and become part of the winion family, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon 😈😈

KINS:

Literally the entire Arc 2 Protags from Wings of Fire

Cricket from Wings of Fire

Achilles from Greek Mythology (shh just trust me with this one guys)

SOCIALS:

My YouTube is SombraTheDragon and ermmm yeah that’s it. I have a Pinterest but I like make nothing on there sooo uh yeah (◐‿◑)

TAGS:

I reblog a lot of things sooo use these tags to actually look for (some) things that are mine !! :3

Art: #Sombra arts (me)

Talking about things: #Sombra yaps (me)

Inbox messages: #Sombra inbox (me)

Things that actually made me laugh: #made me chuckle made me giggle

(Most of) My witty banter with my alter ego: #alter ego

EXTRA INFO!:

I’m a Capricorn!! Birthday is Jan 6. Erm I speak Chinese, no where close to fluent whatsoever but I still can say a little :> Im also learning Spanish !!I’m like 25% Italian and 20% Ukrainian, very little German, (all of that is on my dad’s side !!) REST IS AMERICAN BABY 🦅🦅🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🎆🎆🎆🎇🎆, I collect snowglobes! ( currently have some from Minnesota, Vermont, Connecticut, North Carolina, Rome, and then a bunch of other random ones :ppp) I can write somewhat of good stories! My favorite animals are literally anything that’s not a mammal (I mean I do like bats :3), but I do have a soft spot for Corvids, Kakapos, and Secretary Birds :] I have 1 dog, 2 cats, and a medium amount of fish!1!1!1 🐠 🐠🐟🐠 I’m a ambivert, And I have never gone outside the U.S.A 🥲

Anyways have fun looking at my blog!!1!1!! 😁😁😁😁

[myemuisemo]

The fiery bowels of hell are the setting for chapters VIII and IX of The Valley of Fear, in the two most recent Letters from Watson -- or, it's Pennsylvania.

Referring to "this most desolate corner of the United States of America" as of 1875 made me think first of Pittsburgh, but that's not possible, as Pittsburgh's steel industry didn't start until that year. This place in the grimy folds of the Allegheny mountains has been going for a while.

My heart says that the Vermissa Valley is an expy of the Wyoming Valley in the northeastern part of the state, where there is a string of towns from Carbondale at the northern end, through Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, down to Nanticoke. The iron furnaces of Scranton, Grant, and Company had the largest production in the United States in 1865, according to the Anthracite Museum. This is anthracite coal-mining territory, as well: the hardest, blackest, and purest grade of coal.

(Had I known I'd be reading this novel in 2024, I'd have made a point of visiting the Anthracite Museum when I went to Scranton in 2019. I was mostly there for the Steamtown National Historic Site, the massive railroad museum.)

The little single-line railroad could be any of a number of lines, since the Scranton area was the birthplace of railroading and very heavily served. It's possible that the train is a narrow-gauge line, better designed for handling mountains.

Given the meanness and muddiness of the settlement where the twinkling-yet-threatening John McMurdo stops, it's probably not Scranton: that had already passed 35,000 in population by 1875. Wilkes-Barre was a bit above 10,000, which still seems large. Of course, the point of the Wyoming Valley is that there is an almost continuous string of little towns, and we don't know why McMurdo wants any one town more than another.

The presence of a Market Square in chapter IX doesn't indicate much, as that was a common design wherever Connecticut settlers had perched -- which includes Wilkes-Barre, the site of the post-Revolutionary War scuffle between the states of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, known as the Penn-Yan Wars. ("Connecticut sea-to-sea" is also why Ohio has a Western Reserve where the towns look straight out of New England. The Nutmeggers calmed down before getting west of Ohio, though.)

By 1875, the Wyoming Valley was loaded with Germans, Irishmen, and Welshmen, all jostling for mining work that was, in the aftermath of the Panic of 1873, increasingly ill-paid. It was thus a scene of great industry but not great happiness.

I'm not sure what Doyle has in mind for the shacks with verandas lining the streets, so I'll just share an example of an 1876 "company town" house from New Haven, Connecticut. The big factories build tons and tons of these. At one point in the 1990s, I lived in one (not this one). This sort of house typically has three bedrooms on the second floor, a little bedroom off the dining room on the first floor, and enough space for two bedrooms in the attic. So you could squeeze a boarding house in here.

With the boarding house comes the landlord's beautiful daughter. Poor Ettie! She can't get McMurdo to leave her alone, nor can she shed her other suitor. Did she have friends among the daughters and wives of her neighbors, or is she another rose blooming alone in harsh soil?

The Eminent Order of the Freemen are presumably expies of the Freemasons: I guess if the members are going to be dreadful in an organized way, it's necessary to invent a pound-shop knock-off (though the Mormons certainly didn't get that courtesy in A Study in Scarlet).

We're still in the era when fraternal organizations were vital in giving a man entry into society in a new place. You might know no one -- but if you knew the secret handshake, you were instantly provided with friends and business partners. The Welsh Philanthropic Order of True Ivorites was present in the Wyoming Valley; and of course, Odd Fellows were everywhere. (Throw a stone in an old mining town in the U.S., and you'll hit an Odd Fellows Hall. it'll often be one of the oldest buildings still standing.)

The fact that the Freemen's lodge leader is called the Bodymaster -- I assume this is supposed to sound menacing, but it has the ridiculous feel of something the Clampers would have come up with. Yes, fraternal orders were so popular that there was a parody version formed in the 1850s: E Clampus Vitus. The Clampers faded, with the rest of the fraternal movement, after the 1870s -- only to rise again in the 1930s and establish their mission as preserving local history in the West. So many an historic monument in small-town Caliornia has E Clampus Vitus on its plaque as the sponsor.

Since the Bodymaster is excited about making counterfeit currency, I feel this secret society will not be as fun as the Clampers. Having a side line in murdering people, as the Scowrers, also is not quite a gentleman's work.

I'm presuming McMurdo is Douglas, so he's going to get the girl and not get killed -- but something else will surely go very, very wrong.

[scotianostra]

George Lauder was born on November 11th 1837 at Dunfermline, Fife.

Lauder is probably a wee bit more well known in his native Dunfermline, or maybe so Americans, I would think this is due to him being a bit overshadowed by a guy described as his "cousin-brother", Andrew Carnegie.

George Lauder was the son of George Lauder, Sr. and Seaton Morrison. His father, a local shop owner on the high street, Dunfermline. Very well read, Lauder Sr. was instrumental in the upbringing of his only son George, as well as his nephew the aforementioned Carnegie.

Lauder Jr. and Carnegie were two years apart in age and best friends as a result of their shared experiences. They affectionately referred to one another as “Dod” and “Naig”, as young children. After Andrew and his family left for America, George stayed in Scotland where he would go on to graduate from Glasgow University with a degree in mechanical engineering while studying under another famous name Lord Kelvin.

Carnegie wrote to Lauder asking him to join him in America as a partner in the Carnegie Steel Corporation. At the time, the major shareholders were Carnegie himself, Carnegie’s brother and two others.

Lauder brought several new developments to the steel business in America, including the process for washing and coking dross from coal mines, which resulted in a significant increase to the overall value of the business.

Lauder would go on to lead the development of the use of steel in armour and armaments. By the turn of the Twentieth Century, Lauder was a director of Carnegie Steel and its second largest shareholder behind his cousin Andrew. Throughout the course of his career, Lauder created a number of patented scientific advancements useful both in the steel industry and beyond.

The sale of Carnegie Steel to JP Morgan in 1901 created U.S Steel where Lauder sat on the board of directors. This became the first corporation in the world with a market capitalization exceeding $1 billion ($43 billion today).

Lauder’s oldest daughter, Harriet married Dr. James C. Greenway combining the Lauder and Greenway families into what is now known as the Lauder Greenway Family, their influence in American political and economic affairs dates from the 1640s through the contemporary era. Their primary contributions have been in the sciences, government, and intelligence. His son George Lauder III, was a high-profile sailor who set the record in 1900 (held until 1905) for the fastest trans-Atlantic crossing with his yacht, Endymion,

In 1905 Harriet bought, what has become known as The Lauder-Greenway Estate a 50-acre property in Greenwich, Connecticut, where George lived out the last eleven years of his life passing away on August 24th, 1924.

The Estate, for a time, was the most expensive private residence in the United States in 2014 when it sold for an eye watering $120 million.

Pics are of George Lauder, the second is Andrew Carnegie, George Lauder, and Thomas Miller in 1862 taken in Glasgow, it is one of very few pics of Carnegie without a beard, Thomas Miller is said to be the man who started Carnegie in the steel business.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Barbara Stanwyck (Ball of Fire, The Lady Eve, Double Indemnity)—I hope someone else has submitted better propaganda than I because I don't want my girl's prospects to rest on me just yelling PLEASE VOTE FOR MY TERRIBLE HOT GIRLFRIEND. She is a delight in everything! She is often a sexy jerk! (It's most of the plot of Baby Face!) Even when she plays a "good girl" (as an example, Christmas in Connecticut, which more people should see) she's still kind of a jerk and I love her for it! She won't take men's shit and she sure wouldn't take mine!

Margaret Lockwood (The Wicked Lady, The Lady Vanishes)— Gorgeous feisty funny talented and the sexiest stubborn face ever committed to film. And if people haven't seen the original Wicked Lady they need to be introduced to a glorious poly highway romp of a film. When a woman outsneers James Mason you know she has sex appeal!

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Margaret Lockwood:

Barbara Stanwyck:

"THE leading lady of the golden age of hollywood. One of the only actresses to work independent of a studio, making short-term contracts that enabled her to make movies wherever she wanted. She had so much range, and could act in basically any genre. She's been rumored to be a lesbian literally since she was active in Hollywood; most notable is the rumor that she had a long time on-and-off relationship with famously bi Joan Crawford, her "best friend" for decades (They lived right next door to one another). She also lived with Helen Ferguson, her "live-in publicist" for many years. She was the quintessential femme fatale in Double Indemnity, and really pushed sexual boundaries in her pre-code films like Baby Face, and the famous screwball The Lady Eve, where she plays basically a downlow domme. Allegedly, when a journalist asked her if she was a lesbian, she straight up threw him out of her house. She even played a lesbian in Walk on the Wild Side"

"THE queen of screwball comedies. I adore her, I'd kill for her, I will cry if she's not gonna win this poll."

"listen ok she had awful politics she was a mccarthyist right wing wacko BUT she's so incredibly hot that i've deluded myself into believing i could fix her. if you see her onscreen she carries herself in a way that's just so effortlessly sexy AND she has just a stunning face. imo she was at her hottest in the 1940s but even as early as the late 1920s she had a rly captivating screen presence and just a beautiful face, and then post-1950 she was just irresistibly milfy so really she was just always incredibly hot. she was also an incredibly talented actress who was equally stellar in melodrama, film noir, and unhinged screwball comedy. the blonde wig they made her wear in double indemnity is notoriously silly looking but she still looks sexy in it so that's gotta count for something. i've watched so many terrible movies just for a chance at seeing her that i think her estate should be paying me damages."

"Not often thought of for her sultriness, Barbara Stanwyck was incredible in that she could actually choose to be hot if the role called for it, and then have a glow-down to look ordinary for another role. She wasn't the most beautiful or effervescent, but damn did she have rizz. Watch her with Gary Cooper in Ball of Fire teaching him about "yum-yum" or with Henry Fonda in The Lady Eve whispering huskily into his ear."

"She is always the smartest woman in the room. Watching her play Henry Fonda like a befuddled fiddle in The Lady Eve was a highlight of my life. Femme fatale in Double Indemnity, comedy queen in Ball of Fire. She can do anything."

"She was part of my gay awakening"

"SHE'S A PRE-CODE QUEEN. She did everything, drama, comedy. The most beautiful woman in the world to watch weep. Beg for to step on you with those legs. Fun Babs story: Ginger Rogers was offered the role in Ball of Fire but said, “Oh, I would never play that part, she’s too common.” So they called Barbara Stanwyck and they said “We offered this to Ginger Rogers but she’s turned it down, would you be interested?” And she read the script and she said; “You bet! I LOVE playing common broads. [link]"

[rtfics]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice stars promise "big swing" surprises in the sequel, as Michael Keaton says it's got a "stronger story" than the original.

Beetlejuice fans are expecting a lot from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, having waited a whopping 36 years for the Tim Burton-directed follow-up. Its cast, fortunately though, are feeling pretty chill about living up to the hype...

In the new issue of Total Film, which hits newsstands on Thursday, August 15, and features the eagerly anticipated sequel on the cover, Michael Keaton – who's back as the titular Ghost with the Most – claims the new film has "a stronger story" than its predecessor, and that "there's more of a connection for the audience in terms of the other characters."

He continues: "There's things in here that I wasn't ready for, that are beyond delightful. Instead of saying, 'I can't wait until this thing shows up,' or, 'I just want this thing called Beetlejuice to go nuts.'"

As it stands, there's very little that's been revealed in the way of plot regarding Beetlejuice 2, but we do know that Winona Ryder's returning character is now the host of a popular medium-based TV series called 'Ghost House with Lydia Deetz' – something her teen daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) loathes. That, and the death of Jeffrey Jones' Charles Deetz brings the family back to the location of the first flick, Winter River, Connecticut, and subsequently leads to the reawakening of Keaton's green-haired ghoul.

"I feel very confident that it will match and exceed expectations. It certainly did mine, and mine are way up there," Ryder says. "I literally think every generation can find something in it that they'll really appreciate."

"This movie takes some very big swings," Justin Theroux, who plays Lydia's new fiancé Rory, nods, likening it to watching Willy Wonka’s psychedelic boat ride in the 1971 film. "There's the phantasmagoria and it feels slightly out of control and unhinged. It has that vibe to it. It's clear this movie was not made by taking polls from audiences, and studio notes, and executives going, 'Well, what's the most satisfying act three?' This is 100% like someone opening the front of Tim Burton's head, and letting it dump out onto the screen. It's a fabulous ride for exactly that reason."

Also starring Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, and Catherine O'Hara, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice releases on September 6. You can read more about it, and a whole lot more besides, in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, August 15.

Via TOTAL FILM.

[strangeauthor]

That "pretend poverty" post reminds of when a former friend of mine went to a private university in Connecticut and saw that all the rich kids would purposefully shop at GoodWill so they could "look poor" (???) because they saw it as a fashion trend and it brewed such a hate in me that I didn't think I had

oh my fucking god