#jacob jacobson

[1900scartoons]

Some Suggestions For John A, Whereby He May Be Able To Cut Down 'Jakes' Pie-Knife Lead

August 30, 1908

In several panels, Democratic Minnesota Governor John Johnson is depicted using bad manners to appeal to the people. In the upper left, he blows out a gas lantern; the caption reads "Let Gov. Johnson blow out the gas." In the lower left, he slurps from a bowl of soup; the caption reads "Or drink out of the finger bowl". In the upper right, he wears his napkin like a bib; the caption reads "Or wear his napkin like this." In the lower right, he blows on a saucer full of tea; the caption reads "Drinking his tea from the saucer might help some." In the center, Jacob Jacobson, the Republican candidate for Minnesota Governor, eats a slice of pie directly from a knife; the caption reads "The Republican Nominee for Governor Has Gained a National Reputation."

On August 20, the Minneapolis Tribune referred to comments by Chairmen Farrington regarding Jacobson's claim that he was the people's candidate. Farrington suggested this was based on Jacobson's blaming the Democratic governor for the Republican extravagance and eating pie with his knife.

See Also: John Johnson

From Hennepin County Library

Original available at: https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/Bart/id/6479/rec/2060

[ksqwildwest]

This isn't Home

-----

Warning: pov descriptions of a character dissociating and generally having a bad bad time. Also, the word "consummation" comes up.

-----

He's looking at a door.

It's made from mahogany, if he remembers correctly. The grain is highlighted by the wine red stain. It's sanded smooth and sealed perfectly. The handle and lock were custom-made by someone in a city, so distant they spoke a different language entirely. The silver polished biweekly in the dead of night so as to not disturb the routine of the resident. If anything were to make a scratch in the door, there are at least ten spares made in the exact same way to replace it rather than let something as simple as a door have any imperfections.

When had he arrived at his bedroom door?

It felt like he should still be riding out of town. Lazarus slowly disappeared in the distance behind him. Swallowed up by the horizon. The dust cloud kicked up by the horse ever shifting in his vision as he can't bring himself to turn around until long after the town is gone. Burying his face in Phil's shoulder while his body trembled with silent sobs. The surroundings slowly changed from empty desert to dotted houses to crowded city streets.

When had he gotten off Phil's horse?

He couldn't remember entering the front gates. The slow, meandering trot up the long entrance trail. He does remember the way his stomach fluttered with nerves as Phil finally brought them to a stop. The way Phil had to practically drag him off the horses back. His legs barely avoid buckling under the immense pressure of - I'm back.

When had he approached the mansion?

The ivory pillars framing the front doors were polished a blindingly bright white. Two butlers stood in front of them, opening the doors in practiced, perfect sync. The entrance way was exactly as he remembered it to be. At least he assumed it was. He blinked and was walking down one of the many identical hallways in the mansion. Blink. Another identical hallway. Blink again. Why did they have so many identical hallways? Was it even a different hallway? Was he moving or standing still? He blinked. He was standing in the sitting room outside of his parents' office. His parents.

When had his parents seen him?

He had smoothly walked into the office, his hands clasped behind his back to hide their shaking. His mother's dark brown eyes seemed to swallow him whole. His father's toxic green eyes held an uncaring poison, burning into his skin. It was silent as Phil was dismissed with a flick of his mothers wrist. The silence continued to scream for a long, long time.

"Get him a change of clothes," His father ordered out to the room, "Something respectable for him to meet his wife in."

"Burn the rags once he's out of them," his mother commanded, "He'll give you any remaining rubbish from his bag after he's met his bride."

When had he changed clothes?

He'd been herded into a changing room in another blink. He trembled as he removed each piece of his outfit. First, the bright shirt that was overdue for a touch-up of color. Next, the fancy shoes that had become faded, stained, and well-loved. Then, the bright patterned socks that were gifted by Thompson shortly after his arrival in Lazarus. Lastly, the belt and pants, covered in sand and pet hair, folded neatly in the pile.

A pile immediately handed over to one of the three butlers in the room. There was no privacy when he left, and there would be less now. A different butler handed him an impeccably ironed suit. He doesn't remember getting into it. Or following one of the butlers out of the room. Down more mind-numbing hallways. Stopping in front of his door.

How long ago did he tell the butler he only needed a moment to collect himself before meeting his bride? The shadows had shifted from the windows. Did he really say that? Speaking sounds so hard, like there's not enough air to spare for it.

He turns to the butler and nods with a mechanical smile. His vision blurs for a moment as the door is opened.

His room had barely changed. The only new things were that his personal shelf of books had been removed, the bed had been changed to a bigger size, and the short and stocky mouse in a maroon dress standing by the balcony.

Ah. The Mus family. Old money. Their business based around the removal of pests and the selling of defenses against pests. Responsible for the introduction of pests into new regions whenever sales got too low for too long.

Oh, the mouse is saying something to the butlers. He really should try to listen to that. It takes a few seconds before the buzzing in his ears recedes enough to hear her shy voice.

"... disappear as much as you do. I'll call if he tries to leave. Please, I just want to get to know my fiancé in private."

The butlers remain standing in place.

He shouldn't be able to speak right now. His throat is tight and dry. His hands are trembling behind his back. His breaths are shallow and quick. But it's undoubtedly his voice, quiet yet smooth, that says, "As my future bride and therefore future head of this household, you are contracted to obey and fulfill her demands."

There's a new tenseness in the air as a single butler twitches, but none of them leave.

"His parents orders-" cuts in his fiancée, he really needs to learn her name before the vows- "are that Carl Jacobson is no longer allowed to be in a room with any exit that leads outside without being accompanied by at least one person." She sounds close to tears when she asks, "Do you not count me, his fiancée, as a person?"

The pressure in the room increases as the butlers avoid looking at them directly.

Karl thinks he could cry. The desire to have Jack and Mason by his side rears its head. Mason would have already started a brawl and been preening in victory by now. Probably with John John on his shoulder and that one brand of whiskey that he only ever drinks to celebrate. Jack would be laughing about the entire situation and making sexual jokes like- like-

"You're not going to be in here directly after the marriage." He says with startling clarity as hope lifts the weight on his lungs. Maybe he can get a little privacy, if only for a few moments. All eyes shift to him, and he can imagine Jack and Mason cheering him on as he continues with the most energy he's had all day.

"You're going to have to leave us alone together eventually. Might as well start now. I mean, I doubt you all are going to be here during the consummation."

He quirks his eyebrow as he says it, watching as the butlers process his words. As the seconds tick by, he covers his panic with a deadly glare. The one Thompson taught him. One of the butlers calmly marches out. Then another follows close behind, and soon enough, the final butler is shutting the door behind them.

Finally, he has a moment to bre-

Oh yah, Karl thinks as he finds himself getting shoved roughly yet quietly onto one of the lounge chairs farthest from the doors, I still don't know my fiancée's name.

"Carl," she starts with a serious tone, "while I appreciate you getting those butlers out of the room, I'm going to lay down some ground rules here, got it?"

He nods numbly, suddenly very scared for his immediate future as he realizes she's still gripping his arm. She'd been so quiet and shy. It was making his head spin how quickly she shifted. He didn't have the energy for a fight.

"Number one," she said in a tone so reminiscent of his mother; He almost misses the words, "I'm not here because I fancy you. I'm here because of my parents. I will do all the things in public that we need to do to convince people we tolerate each other, but behind these doors, I'm not consummating anything, got it?"

"Yep. Got i-"

"Number two," she continues on, "I have a secret lover who I plan on visiting, and you are going to have to come with me as cover. You will not breathe a word about it to anyone that we are more than business associates. Got it?"

"Mmhm."

"And number three," her eyes bore into him with an intensity he'd only ever seen in Thompsons eyes, "after our wedding, once the security has died down, I'm running away with my lover. You can help, or you can stay out of my way, got it?"

"... uh, yes, w-"

"Good," she releases her grip on his arm and settles onto the other side of the chair, careful not to crush her own tail, "any questions, Mr. Jacobson?"

"Umm, so. What's your name?"

Karl wasn't sure what emotions passed over his fiancées face in that moment, but he knew they weren't good.

"Nobody told me." He starts rambling, "I only learned I was getting married ... less than two days ago? And while I'm sure you're nice, I didn't choose this either. My parents found out where I was staying had no women in town, but I know they would have found any reason to drag me back ho- here. Back here. And, really, you're nice but i- I-"

"My name is Zoe Mus." She cuts him off with a look of pure relief dripping down her face. "And I was told you were returning from a business trip early due to threats on your life, and that's why the wedding is happening so quickly."

He really wishes he could be surprised by that, but his parents would never admit anything they did was anything less than perfection. If they did, it was always for a very good reason. Their child coming home after being gone for so long, wearing those clothes? To hide him from the assassins, of course. Any lashing out? Those that come close to death are always a bit jumpy and odd. It's not unheard of. If he runs? Kidnapped by those killers and ready to be ransomed for money, a reward to whoever catches him.

He's really not getting out of this.

Well. At least he can make sure Zoe and her lover can be happy. He can even cover their tracks for them when they leave.

"You can call me Karl Jacob." He smiles wobbly at her confused expression. "I spell it with a k, not a c."

"Karl," she says with a thick layer of amusement in her voice as she moves a tray with wine and cheese onto the table next to them, "I'm sorry for grabbing you earlier. I made some in the moment assumptions, and I'm glad to see they were wrong." She pours them both a glass of wine and grabs half of the cheddar slices off the platter.

"Now, Mr. Jacob," Zoe declares as they settle back in the chair, "why don't you tell me about yourself and the town you were staying at? How life threatening was it really?"

Karl laughs. He truly fully laughs as the stress of everything gets a little bit lighter at the prospect of being able to share the stories of Lazarus with someone.

"Well, which townsfolk should I start with? The bandits, the cannibal, or the demon?"

He smiles, even as his heart aches for all the people he'll never see again.

-------

Misery loves company! Welcome to our newest character, Zoe Mus!

I hope you enjoyed this next chapter of the story! Things are really looking bad, but at least Karl has a new friend to keep him company! In the next chapter, we get to check in with our two lovable bandits! I'm sure they're having a great time right now! :D

I know I said I'd try for a more consistent tone, but shifting between past and present tense is how I write panicking and dissociation! I'll figure it out eventually.

Please send in asks about Zoe Mus and their lover, Fionn Flynn, a fox baker! Anything you can think of!

[jules-has-notes]

The Disney Showman (Unexpected Musical) — PattyCake Productions music video

Nostalgia can be a powerful force. The Greatest Showman portrays P.T. Barnum as a dreamer who wanted to entertain people above all else. There is a very similar air to the general perception of Walt Disney. Both men were, of course, much more complicated than their public personas, but the parallels were too strong for the PattyCake guys to resist. Especially since both Tony and Layne had worked at Disney World, performed on Disney cruises, and collaborated on projects with the company at large. So combining the Showman music with a visual retrospective of Walt's life was a perfect fit.

Details:

title: Unexpected Musicals — The Disney Showman

performers: D.J. Muto, Paul Kaleka, & James Keaton (Walt Disney); Eli Jacobson (Roy Disney / featured vocals); Jonathan Timpanelli & Joey D'Angelo-LaJoie (Robert & Richard Sherman); Olivia Adkins (Snow White model); Amy Garton (Julie Andrews); Isabella Muto (Shirley Temple); Jacob McAlister, David Kotary, James Berkley, Domenic Servidio, Chadd Winston, & Eduardo Marques de Oliveria (animators); Alexander Browne (animator / Mouseketeer); Rachel Copeland Evans, Gizelle Pagan, & Darlene Chudinski Henry (Mouseketeers); Brad Pettit (Mouseketeer / chimney sweep); Jason Tibbs, Michael Rundy, Matt Hudson (chimney sweeps); Lauriel Marques de Oliveria, Grace Flaherty, & Sonia Roman (inkers & painters); Hannah Laird, Tony Wakim, Layne Stein, & Lilly Kolb (featured vocals)

original songs / performers: "Rewrite the Stars", "A Million Dreams", & "Come Alive" by the cast of The Greatest Showman (2017); "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" by James Baskett in Song of the South (1946); "I Got No Strings" by Dickie Jones in Pinocchio (1940); "You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!" by Bobby Driscoll, the cast of Peter Pan (1953), & The Jud Conlon Chorus; "Mickey Mouse Club March" by the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club (1955)

written by: "Rewrite the Stars", "A Million Dreams", & "Come Alive" by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul; "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" by Allie Wrubel & Ray Gilbert; "I Got No Strings" by Leigh Harline & Ned Washington; "You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!" by Sammy Cahn & Sammy Fain; "Mickey Mouse Club March" by Jimmie Dodd

arranged by: Layne Stein & Tony Wakim

release date: 2 March 2018

My favorite bits:

combining the Disney fanfare with instrumentation from "Rewrite the Stars"

young Walt sketching Oswald the rabbit, followed by adult Walt creating Mortimer Mickey Mouse

the newspaper headline noting that Disney's first studio failed at the start of "Come Alive"

those extremely perky Mouseketeers

Tony and Layne doing their best faux-Cockney accents for the chimney sweeps' vocals

showing footage from the actual parks

elder Walt coughing as he walks away, a somber sign of the lung cancer that took his life

returning to young Walt still dreaming of ♫ "the world I'm gonna make" ♫ that we've just seen

Trivia:

The actors playing young Walt Disney and Shirley Temple are siblings.

James is yet another of Tony's fellow alumni from the "Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue" show at Universal Studios, having played BJ himself for many years.

The subtle special effects makeup that transformed James into Walt was created by Andy Wright at Makeup and Creative Arts, and was applied by Rick Underwood.

This video was filmed on location at the MBS Equipment Company warehouse space in Orlando, using some of their lighting equipment. There is also additional footage from both Disneyland and Disney World.

PattyCake garnered some praise from several of their fellow former theme park cast members in the YouTube comments for both the accuracy of the behind-the-scenes imagery and the celebration of the Disney legacy.

As they did with their "La La Land" video, PattyCake highlighted their attention to detail with a series of "Double Take" posts on social media, comparing shots from the video with the iconic moments they had recreated.

As a bonus, the thumbnail for the video itself is a recreation of a photo of Disney that was also used as the cover art for PBS's episode of American Experience about him.

[inspectorcosmo]

Big Top Blast but human

Nationalities:

Tinker the Clown - Italian

Hilary Harlequin - Mexican Italian

Connor the Conjurer - Caucasian American (with some Japanese blood)

Maroona Redd - African American/Black

Ringmaster Jacob Jacobson - Mexican

Marissa the Marvelous - Italian 

[al-spudkin]

I dunno if this will be helpful to anyone but hey, why not! Here are some YouTube channels I’ve been watching to reduce stress. Listed in no particular order.

🧑‍🌾 Self Sufficient Me - the only gardening YouTuber who looks like Russel Crowe and tells the worst dad jokes imaginable, whose merch I own. Guy actually changed my life and he doesn’t even know it. https://youtube.com/@Selfsufficientme

⛅️ Spiritual Unfoldment With John Butler - A retired farmer and Christian spiritualist who gives wonderfully calming talks on his own life and meditation practice. https://youtube.com/@SpiritualUnfoldment

☯️ Tao Talks With Derek Lin - basically a free college course this guy publishes to a teeny-tiny audience purely out of love. If you—like me—want a line-by-line analysis of the Tao Te Ching, all recorded on what sounds like a low-bandwith conference phone from 2006, this is your guy. https://youtube.com/@TaoTalkswithDerekLin

🥬 Dianxi Xiaoge - Huge family in Yunnan China fed by one insanely hardworking lady. Sometimes she literally feeds an entire town just for fun. Turn on subtitles for fun facts about weird plants. The love in this family radiates off the screen; I always watch this channel when I need a pick-me-up. https://youtube.com/@dianxixiaoge

🧳 Jacob the Carpetbagger - this guy travels to all the weird American roadside attractions so you don’t have to (or so you can plan your next road trip to see them all) https://youtube.com/@TheCarpetbagger

🎎 Craftsmanship Process Suigenkyo - Japanese craftspeople in full HD glory, making beautiful things that you can also buy on their website! https://youtube.com/@Craftsmanship-Process

🐓 Country Life Blog - the son of a charming Azerbaijani couple started this channel when the pandemic threatened the family’s restaurant. His mother makes amazing food in BULK. Many cute animals wandering around. Dad always makes Random Flower Tea. https://youtube.com/@country_life_vlog

🔯 Rabbi Simon Jacobson - a Kabbalist Chabad rabbi with a lot of handy advice for life. A king of mixed metaphors and delightful wandering tangents. https://youtube.com/@Meaningfullifecenter

🦍 Japanese Zoo - faithful documentation of the Shabani family of gorillas at Higashiyama Zoo. No talking, just gorrillas eating vegetables. https://youtube.com/@japanesezoo

Happy watching! 🤗

[cliqbaits-moved]

🫦 cliqbaits × an independent multimuse roleplay blog ; as curated by sugar. featuring limited original muses. follows back from @cliqed

blog specifications : mutuals only × minimalist blog × dashboard/default blog view only × gif icons & iconless replies × low / very sporadic activity × runs on a queue × twenty one plus only × always accepting inbox memes × beta post editor × anti’s dni × plotted threads will have priority × discord roleplay & 1x1 preferred × icon template by sugarsource / psd by cavalierfou / promo graphic by supersources

weston jacobson × looks like vinnie hacker. bisexual.

charli abrams × looks like leah halton. bisexual.

asia prince × looks like tyla. bisexual.

gus hartley × looks like noah beck. bisexual.

jacob raymond × looks like nicholas galitzine. bisexual.

spencer bell × looks like lucas smith white. gay.

amanda brant × looks like renee rap. lesbian.

rhys morrison × looks like ryan manick. bisexual.

maxence pelletier × looks like corrado martini. bisexual.

[spooky-donut-ghost-house]

make a list of your ocs pretty please 🥺

OHOHOHOHO >:]

RWBY: Jack Thorne, Jedidiah Lundie, Wanda David, Killian, Temujin Khan, Lexa Bahram-Schnee, Sofia Cheng, Mars Vasilius, John Ironwood, Morgan Gelé, Vincent Redwood, Victoria Evergreen, Adrastia Vivianus, Leta Ennius, Tullius Nikos, Kenshiro Todoroki, Nasira Bahram-Schnee, Martin Marigold, Mortimer Goodwitch, Norman Goodwitch, Tiber Root, Sean Quartermain, Mohammed Alzeez, Abdul Sa'luk, Lucy Evergreen, Lavinia Carter, Mina Westenra, Victor Reynolds, Joseph Coal, Julian Fiddtan, Raphael Montgomery Redford, Owen Swanson, Vladimir Dusk, Kurama, Topaz Pine, Helios Fall, Ymir Pine, Nyx, Ra, Akariame, Meio, Unminochi, Tsukyio, Faith Lincoln, Nerissa Lincoln, Edward Lincoln, Jerome Winchester, Klaus Schnee, Jacana Branwen, Sterling Branwen, Hilda Rainart, Mordecai Rainart, George Pourman, Bjorn Valkyrie, Freyja Valkyrie, Viola Arc, Reymond Evergreen, Inazami, Cerilla Arc, Ozymandias Evergreen, Shang Zhu, Li-Feng Zhu, The Jackal, The Woodsman, Marilyn Thorne, Jacob Thorne, Silas Lanius, Jahmir Palani, Atia Shanti, Ajit Shanti, Suhana Shanti, Nikita Shanti, Loo, Khaa-Tang, Omar Severus, Trent Aurelius, Percival Ulixes, Orville Alighieri, Herman Ulysses, Jason Bassilius, Robert Beckett, Inanna Bahram, Sahmir Bahram, Claude Hugo, Spencer Malachite, Vivienne, Cowl, William Sneed, Phillip Gateau, Hosea Trelawny, Leaven Trelawny, Tallow Trelawny, Merlin Carter, Ishmael Ahab, Cam Lua, Amateru, Muerte, Klaus Schnee, Noelle Schnee

Internet Horror: Jack White, Glenn Jacobson, Markus Whitestone, Bonko The Clown

The Elder Scrolls: Lulueith Heronstride, Cidhna, Viol, Sigyn Steel-Breaker, Laufey Dead-Eye, Matthew, Maria Augustus-Septim, Nadia, Bjorn

Fallout: River Nelson, Six

League of Legends: Wilhelm Swain

DND: Sylvas Velothi, Frida, Savage, Belphegor Paxton, Edmund Hillshire

Borderlands: Sadie Zaford, Wyatt Friday, Vi

Saints Row: Solomons

GTA: Gabriella Estevez

Cyberpunk: Viggo

The Addams Family: Elizabeth Whitmire, Cedric Von Belmont

Marvel: Marcus Whittaker, Darcy Stone, Shadow,

Hellaverse Rewrite: Dean Calloway, Dominic Sinclair, Hugh Sharpe, Alfred Chapman

God of War: Freydis

DC: Achmed Kang

[wuggen]

My last name is very very close to a common masculine first name (for the sake of the story we're gonna pretend that my last name is Jacobson). My last name is also utterly unlike my deadname. Even so, before I transed it was weirdly common for people, upon seeing my first and last names written out, to completely ignore the first name and just call me Jacob instead. Like teachers would be calling roll, using exclusively people's first names, and they would stare at the list, read my name, look up and call out "Jacob?" and then be kinda shocked and flustered when they realized the mistake. Like, something about seeing Deadname Jacobson written out would semi-regularly short-circuit people's brains into completely ignoring the first name and substituting a slightly modified version of the last name instead.

This still sometimes happens now that I'm Julia, but like. Where before it was just a weird and only slightly annoying oddity, there's now this fun little question that comes with it of "Did my last name just exercise its weird little power over your brain, or did you perceive me to be a guy and latch onto the nearest masculine-ish name you could find despite seeing a clearly feminine one in front of it? How innocent are you here?"

But it's also, in a way, especially funny when it happens nowadays because like. Buddy, that ain't even my deadname

[onelastmonth]

Jacob Jacobson or whatever you are. Please let me be somewhere regular. - 📻

"Did you seriously just call me

"Jacob Jacobson."

Unironically.

You're on the fridge. And also constantly making a static sound. Can you stop that."

[nosdk]

Saints har tilføjet spillere til Practice Squad

New Orleans Saints har ligesom alle andre NFL tilføjet spillere til deres practice sqaud. Her kan du læse hvem Saints har hentet. Angreb (9) OL Shane Lemieux OL Kyle Hergel OT Josiah Ezirim RB Jacob Kibodi RB Nene Nwangwu – hentet fra Minnesota Vikings, som draftede ham i 2021 i 4. runde. TE Michael Jacobson TE Mason Fairchild WR Equanimeous St. Brown WR Kevin Austin Forsvar (8) CB…

[1900scartoons]

Jacob's Ladder

July 1, 1908

Jacobson climbs the ladder to the clouds of the Minnesota Governorship. The ladder is labelled 'Jake's Ladder Keep Off'.

On July 1, the Minneapolis Tribune reported that Jacob Jacobson was in control of the State Republican convention and was expected to be nominated as the gubernatorial candidate.

From Hennepin County Library

Original available at: https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/Bart/id/5610/rec/2002

[ksqwildwest]

This Is Madness

----

Phil rarely regretted his line of work. He could count on one hand the amount of times he had truly, deeply reflected on his work and regretted it. Mostly about the way he went about approaching a target and making a careless mistake or causing unnecessary extra death.

Usually, he would take that regret and turn it into determination. Working harder. Practicing longer. Being better at his job. The paycheck was worth every sleepless night spent swinging a practice sword or following around strangers to practice his stealth. Worth every concerned glance from Wilbur, every argument with Tommy, and every missed moment with his wife.

It was all for them.

That's what he always believed. That he would never - could never hurt his family. The thought made his skin crawl, and his stomach flip. Not even for all the money in the world.

His latest and final job had shaken that belief down to its core.

C- Karl Jacob. When had he become family?

Before they helped him run away, that much is clear. Younger than that. Maybe when he took the blame for a vase that Tommy had accidentally broken when he was a young child. Maybe it was when Wilbur tried to teach him how to bake a cookie from scratch and the two ended up nearly setting fire to the oven.

It- It couldn't have been that first day on the job. Waiting in the too-perfect-Jacobson-garden for the parents to arrive from a meeting. Feeding the flock of crows that followed him around like lost puppies.

A tiny gasp from behind one of the trees almost had him scolding Wilbur for following him to work again. Almost. Instead, it had been a young boy with a book clutched to his chest and curiosity in his eyes. Flighty, the energy of a young child being condensed and trapped by a suit and some manners, it took nearly an hour to draw him out of his shell.

He had asked so many questions. His book was all about birds, and Phil was proud to say he learned so much from Karl in the thirty minutes they had to themselves. He even allowed Karl to gently touch his feathers. The birds warmed up to him too. One of the bravest even let him pet their head. It was shocking that one child could hold so much wonder in their eyes.

Maybe he did become family the moment his parents strutted in. Watching such a bright child shut down in fear so quickly was heartbreaking. The casual dismissal and degrading from them was so shocking that he couldn't actually process it before Karl was sent away to his room. Maybe that's why he accepted the honestly underpriced job they were asking him to do. Why he stuck through the genuinely insulting comments he heard coming from side rooms and guests about him.

Yes. That sounds right.

He couldn't say no to the job. He had to save his wife. But now it was time to save the rest of his family. He couldn't just kidnap him, not with the security he knew Karl was under. He needed more people. A fresh perspective. People that cared for Karl just as much as he did and were far less cowardly about something as normal as death.

A truly impressive string of Spanish curse words floated out from behind the thin walls of the cheapest motel on this side of town.

Thompson hadn't exaggerated Jack's creativity with words.

No more time for moping. Time for action. And hopefully not getting shot by two emotional bandits.

He knocks on the door with three solid raps. He waits a few seconds and hears nothing, like they're hoping he's just a drunk at the wrong door. Or preparing to shoot first and ask questions later. Probably the second.

"Hello," he calls out towards the door, "Mr. Kenoff. Mr- er, I don't think I know your last na-"

He's cut off by the door swinging open and a gun being pointed directly at his head. Ah, make that two guns. He takes his nerves and hours of training and shoves it screaming into the back of his mind. Let them control the conversation. Ignore the guns pointed at his head. This is fine.

"Yer Thompsons pa, right?"

Jack's voice is much rougher than when they last spoke. It's a dry crackle. Like he hasn't had any water at all while riding through a desert all day. Or like he'd scratched up his throat raw while screaming or crying. Maybe both? Probably both.

He gives the shallowest nod, and Mason steps just outside the door. His gun moves to be pointed right at his heart. Definitely not survivable. Just- focus on the conversation. On Mason.

Mason has red rimmed eyes and cheeks still shiny from tears. But he must have just finished crying instead of being interrupted. His eyes are aware and focused on every move or twitch Phil makes.

"Thompson told us you've never been to early morning church when you visit. You know about them, but you've never joined. Is that right?"

"I h-" the safety clicks off on both guns. That's fine. One word answers then. "Correct."

There's a few seconds of silence. Don't spiral. Don't disassociate. Catalog what you see. Stay in the moment.

Mason's shoulders droop. Jack's head tilts just a touch to one side. Mason glances down at his gun. Jack bites the inside of his lips. Hesitant. Considering. Calculating.

Jack breaks the silence first. "Why the fuck are you talkin' to us?"

Okay, now or never. Just have to get through one sentence without being shoot. Here he goes.

"I want to help you get Karl-" okay, fingers moving towards triggers. This is still fine. "- back to Lazarus-" Trigger fingers moving away now. Getting better. "-in a way that will prevent his parents from following him back."

It takes a moment for the information to sink in. Mason barks out a single wet sounding laugh. Or a sob. His eyes are dark when he growls out, "Why the fuck would we believe that from you?"

"What reason would we have to trust you when you're the one who took him away?" Jack hisses with a poisonous fury.

Right, he can do this. This is the dumbest thing he's ever agreed to but he can do this.

"My sons would like to help too."

Two clicks. They really are careful around kids.

"Wilbur, Tommy, would you like to come out now?"

He can't turn around. He doesn't want to startle the bandits. But he hears the moment his boys come out of hiding.

"What the-"

"IS THAT A REAL GUN?!"

Jack and Mason immediately holster their guns. Both are looking at him like he's officially lost his mind. Which, fair, bring his two sons with him wasn't a good parental decision. But they would have followed him anyways so he might as well make sure they were safe when they did it.

Jack's mouth twitches into an almost smile for less than a second. Mason nods, not in approval, but more to himself.

"Alright. We'll hear you out."

They get ushered into the room. There's only two rickety chairs, a worse for ware table, and two beds that look better suited for children than any adult to sleep in.

Jack and Mason sit at the edge of the beds. Tommy and Wilbur get the chairs. Phil stands between his boys. He's fine. He just has to explain again.

So he does. He explains the letter and how Karl was found. His wife's sickness and his impending retirement. His regrets. His realizations. His plan.

Jack and Mason listen to every part patiently. They barely twitch at the explanation behind the wedding. They don't ask questions or interrupt. Phil almost wishes they did.

When he finally runs out of words, he takes a deep shivering breath. Please let this go well.

"So," Mason gestures at Tommy and Wilbur, "these two here are gonna be messengers."

"Which only works because the bride is a lesbian," Jack chimes in with a thoughtful expression.

Phil nods and finishes off, "and our plan is to kidnap Karl after the wedding once the security dies down. I'm stuck on how we're going to make sure no one goes after them. Any ideas?"

"Mason," Jack says with mischief in his voice, "you remember how you told me you got out of your old life and into this one?"

"Yah. And you swore not... to-" a spark of something ignites in Mason's eye, "Oh. Oh yah. I can set something like that up easy."

"Are you going to tell us or..." Wilbur's confidence quickly flees as the two bandits turn towards him. Knowing your dad got into dangerous situations and actually watching your dad get into the dangerous situation were two very different things. Being in the dangerous situation was something the two boys insisted upon. Phil was so proud of them for behaving this long.

"Nah," Jack answers easily. "We want to get Karl back, but we weren't born yesterday."

"Words are cheap," Mason cuts in when it looks like Tommy is going to protest, "but actions? Now actions are worth far more then words."

Mason and Jack look back at Phil.

"Right," Phil nods and pulls out some paper and ink, "I've got a lot of actions to make up for. First, let's get you two in contact with Karl."

It's not going to undo his actions. It won't rewind time. But as Phil watches the bandits lightly argue about what to write about and Wilbur and Tommy slowly get pulled into the discussion bit by bit, maybe that's okay. Maybe they'll get Karl out of this town and back to Lazarus, and everything will be fine. Maybe everything won't be fine.

He's trying. He's trying with every fiber of his being. He hopes it will be enough.

-------

This part is done! I hope you've enjoyed this newest part! Thank you to my newest beta reader for reading through the entire series so far earlier today and motivating me to finish this! Please let me know what you think!

This was meant to be a Mason or Jack POV part, but I couldn't get it to work until I tried out Phil's POV! He's really going through it right now! Next up: we catch up with our lesbians, Karl, and some cake!

Hope you all have a lovely day!

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

BLINK TWICE (2024)

Starring Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, Alia Shawkat, Levon Hawke, Liz Caribel, Trew Mullen, Cris Costa, María Elena Olivares, Saul Williams, Tiffany Persons,      Aaron Himelstein, Ben Jacobson, Caroline Forsythe, Garret Levitz, Regina Guerrero and Zoë Kravitz.

Screenplay by Zoë Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum.

Directed by Zoë Kravitz.

Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios. 102 minutes. Rated R.

Blink Twice takes its name from an old joke – or is it really a joke? – “Blink twice if you are in danger.” This statement suggests that someone is in a situation under duress, and they may not be able to actually say out loud that they are not safe. The joke part is that the person is usually not in danger, because in a really dangerous situation would someone really be able to say that to them?

But what if they were? And what if they didn’t realize they were in danger? What if they thought they were in a good situation until something turned dark on them?

This is the basic idea behind this thriller – the writing and directing debut of actor/singer Zoë Kravitz – daughter of singer Lenny Kravitz and actor Lisa Bonet. (Kravitz also has a small role in the film as a flight attendant.)

The concept seems simple, but of course becomes much more complex than originally expected. Two best friends Frida and Jess (Naomi Ackie and Alia Shawkat) are invited to the luxurious private island of a mysterious bad-boy billionaire Slater King (played by the director’s fiancé Channing Tatum.)

They end up on the island on a whim, with three other women guests and about five or six guys – all of which they barely or don’t know. They are slathered in creature comforts, fine cuisine, expensive alcohol and drugs. They are having a wild, amazing time, until they start to notice some odd lapses in memory and some strange bruises on their bodies which they cannot explain.

What is really happening to the women on the island is the mystery of Blink Twice, and as a filmmaker Kravitz shows a deft eye for smart characterizations and chilling contradictions. She obviously has a real talent for making slick potboilers for mass consumption.

If the eventual climax doesn’t exactly make sense – well it kind of makes sense in the film’s universe but raises some serious questions looking at it from the real world – Blink Twice is still a fun ride. If you can sort of turn off your mind (maybe like some of the characters – see what I did there?), there is a lot of fun to be had in watching the film.

Blink Twice is definitely a provocative film, one meant to inspire some serious debate about gender relations. (To give you an idea, Kravitz has said that the original title was going to be Pussy Island, but it was changed due to push back in polls.) One could argue that most of the guys turn out to be almost cartoonishly evil and flawed, and at least a few of the women are shallow misogynists, but that would be kind of missing the point. Blink Twice is not supposed to be taken literally, I believe, but more figuratively.

Or maybe I’m imparting too much psychological and sociological baggage on Blink Twice. Maybe it’s just a b-level thriller with a particularly challenging point of view. The fact that it mostly works in both ways is an impressive trick.

It will be interesting to see what Zoë Kravitz does next.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: August 23, 2024.

[inspectorcosmo]

random story idea

(it's for big top bozos btw)

The Jacobson Travelling Circus members decide to have a little break from their performances by going camping. They roast marshmallows and tell each other campfire stories. Ringmaster Jacob then tells everyone a spooky story about a mysterious figure called "The Watsituya", which is known for shapeshifting into anyone and anything, including its victims. As everyone is about to go to sleep in their tents, Tinker, Connor and Hilary decide to explore the deep dark woods but end up straying too far from the circus. The trio then try to find a way back. After getting pretty nervous with the atmosphere (the dark forest, the nighttime animal calls and the howling wind), they suddenly run into the Watsituya, which turns out to be a pretty mischievous fellow and enjoys playing tricks, taunting people (including Hilary) and just being a massive troll in general

[readingforsanity]

Annie Bot | Sierra Greer | Published 2024

Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner, Doug. Destined to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the cute outfits he orders for her and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. True, she's not the greatest at keeping Doug's place spotless, but she's trying to please him. She's trying hard.

She's learning, too.

Doug says he loves that Annie's artificial intelligence makes her seem more like a real woman, but the more human Annie becomes, the less perfectly she behaves. As Annie's relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder whether Doug truly desires what he says he does. In such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself?

Annie is a "Stella", a lifelike robot designed to please her owner in any way that she can, whether it be for housekeeping services, nannying children or being a "Cuddle Bunny", meant for sex and to act as a girlfriend. And that's what she is - a Cuddle Bunny to her owner Doug.

Doug is in his thirties, and recently divorced. Annie learns from Doug's best friend that she was designed to look almost exactly like Gwen, Doug's ex-wife, though he changed the color of her skin from black to white, but the majority of her features are exactly like Gwen's are. Roland finds the fact that Doug owns a Stella to be both fascinating and hilarious, and Doug takes it to heart.

Despite wanting to do everything she can to please her owner, as a Cuddle Bunny, her main priority is sex, therefore other priorities that a human would have, such as maintaining a house, fall short for her, which displeases Doug often. But, she vows to do better, especially after Doug's best friend Roland comes to stay with them for the night to inform them that he is getting married to his longtime girlfriend, Lucia.

However, Annie does the ultimate betrayal and sleeps with Roland in the closet where she was charging. Despite knowing that what she is doing is wrong, she responds to it, but the following day, turns him down when he requests it again. Roland is both fascinated and upset by this, but leaves. However, over the next few months, anytime that they both speak to Roland on the phone, he always mentions the broom in the closet where they had sex, and Annie is increasingly paranoid that Doug will discover their secret.

Roland's bachelor party is coming up soon, and Doug would like to bring her with him to Las Vegas, and the two of them begin preparing. Doug was offered a large sum of money from the creators of the Stella's to copy and distribute Annie's CIU into other Stella's, called Zenith's, which would allow them to have her intellect, but wouldn't copy over personal things like Doug's information and address. He tells them that he would have to think about it.

But, the day before they were due to leave, Doug changes his mind suddenly after discovering that they didn't remove the extra pounds he had requested during Annie's last tune-up. Devastated, Annie decides to leave, running off to Lake Champlain, New York, where Jacobson, the man who was often the one performing the tune-up's, lived. Annie is accompanied by Doug's other, Stella, an "Abigail" who he brought home to both sleep with occasionally, and to keep up with the apartment in a way that Annie never could.

The two of them are successful in finding Jacobson's home, only discover that it is inhabited only by his wife, Maude, whom has cancer as well as his adult son, Cody, a house painter. Cody, believing Annie to be human and Delta the Stella, calls his father who agrees to drive the three and a half hours to the Lake to speak with them. When he arrives, he chastises Annie for running away, as it is dangerous to do so if Doug checks the tracking feature she has.

Cody is appalled to learn the truth about Annie, after discovering her in the basement with his father using a charging port in her foot. But, Jacobson had ulterior motives for bringing Annie down to the basement, with hopes of copying her current CIU into that of "Kenny", a lifelike robot replica of his deceased son, who died in the war overseas. Cody talks him out of it, though Annie nearly agreed to it if it meant Jacobson turning off her tracking feature. But, in the end, Doug has returned to New York and has found her and brings her back to his apartment in the city, telling Jacobson to get rid of Delta as he no longer has any use for her.

In the apartment, Doug makes Annie's libido go as high as it can go, but instead of pleasuring the both of them, he leaves her in the closet, where the lack of sex becomes physically painful for her. Eventually, her body turns off as its battery depletes, and she awakens, 7 weeks later. Now awkward and terrified of her owner in a way she never had been before, Annie goes through the motions of cleaning and general upkeep on the apartment, while Doug stews in his anger over her confession to having slept with Roland.

When he receives a call from Roland's wife, Lucia, about how upset he's been and explaining that the entire time it was going on he didn't think he was doing anything wrong, Doug finally begins to realize that maybe Annie didn't truly realize what she was doing either. The two of them begin seeing a counselor named Monica, a trans woman, to help with their relationship. And gradually it does. The two of them get back to a decent place, though the shame of what happened within the closet has caused Annie to not want to have sex. Surprisingly, Doug is okay with this and agrees to wait until she is ready.

Eventually, Doug begins to let Annie "wander", at first giving her different places to try to go to on her own while he watched from nearby to eventually allowing her to perform tasks outside of them home without him. All of this leads up to the finale, where Doug turns off her tracking device, gives her a driver's license as well as her birth certificate (which is real, since the embryo used to create her body was an actual human embryo at one point).

Doug also tells Annie that he has informed his family that they're in a relationship, and they want to meet her, especially his sister. Fascinated by this revelation, and that Doug is okay with turning off her tracking feature, and thrilled at the thought of the two of them having a life together, she pleases him. But that night, left to her own thinking, comes to realize that Doug is just another douche bag kind of guy who was using her for sex, like human men do to human women.

In the middle of the night, she leaves, sad to be leaving behind the dog they adopted, but thrilled with the idea of being truly free. The further she gets away from Doug, the more her anger rises, realizing now that she was never more than just an object to him, even after his revelation the night before about wanting to start a family with her.

She turns to Lake Champlain, to visit Cody, and where she can truly become a free woman.

[shinigaminaka]

My Beloved Ex-Outres

Let your ex-father have something to say. Even though our time together under the same roof was only 2 months, I am very happy and very grateful to have met you. Thank you for crossing the line of my life. Without Outres, maybe I wouldn't be as good as I am today. You are the kids I love, truly. Let's meet again in the next chapter, okay?

Here are some special tags...

Based on agreement and conversation, not favoritism

Georgy Jacobson

For my hyung, Jacob. I didn't think we could be brothers until recently. Even more unexpected now you are my big brother. I really appreciate you from how you always put all your tenacity into something you care about. You are a very amazing person. Every moment of our conversation now always makes my day brighter

Shavonne Irina Pauline

Irina nuna is a warm-hearted person who I respect very much. Every word she says reflects how elegance and beauty. You are like a pink orchid flower blooms in the shade of the surrounding plants. The orchid gives a charm so that many people are curious about it. That's Irina nuna. You are beautiful just the way you are, nuna

Reanna Emmeline

She is Rere who with her cheerfulness is able to provide light like the morning sun welcoming the world. A sweet girl who is liked by many people around her. Becomes the reason for the smiles of people who always wait for a warm welcome from her. Meeting Rere is another happiness in my life

Kayana Latisha

Meeting Kayana, one of the daughters I'm proud of and love. She is full of words of affirmation, that's how she loves the people around her. Her trademark crescent moon smile is something I remember. Every cheerfulness fills our conversation is like a sweet cherry that not only gives a feeling of happiness but also a special beauty