#just in case for that shot of dickie

[kbsd]

bucky egan // "free" by florence + the machine

the feeling comes so fast and i cannot control it i'm on fire, but i'm trying not to show it

[brucedefender4eva]

Bruce walks into the kitchen one day at breakfast and sticks a golden star right on Dick’s forehead.

Silence overtakes all of his kids as they stare incredulously because what the actual fuck??

“B?” Dick questioned warily, going crossed eyed as he tried to stare at the star in his forehead.

“Congratulations Dickie, you have successfully made only five death threats to individuals this entire week.” Bruce said solemnly, patting Dick on the head before turning to face his other children.

“Unfortunately, I will not be giving out any more gold stars.” Bruce’s eyes gazed at his children, particularly staying on Jason and Damian for a second longer than anyone else’s.

“Wha-? What about me??” Duke protested, throwing down his fork, a small splatter of syrup splashing onto the new wood varnish.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “Duke, I’m Batman.”

“Right.” Duke muttered, slumping back down in his chair. “Stupid pickpocketers, next time I’ll make sure they can’t squeal.”

“Father! I demand a recount!” Damian’s chair squeaked loudly as he shot up from it, his small face set in a stubborn frown so similar to Bruce’s. “Grayson made two death threats to thugs on patrol yesterday.”

“Fucking tattle tale!” Duck hissed, grabbing his forehead and scampering away from Bruce, just in case he tried to take away his good star.

Bruce nodded and looked thoughtful. “Hmm, seven death threats… I’ll allow it. However, seven has become the cap in order to get a gold star.”

“One for everyday of the week!” Jason grinned, his eyes zeroing in on a barely awake Tim. “And since I’m long past the threshold…” Bruce slapped him on the back of the head, making him curse.

Cass tugs on Bruce’s sleeve and points to herself, the silent question very loud. “No Cass, your whole existence is a threat but also Stephanie likes to talk.”

Cass clicks her tongue and sits back down, phone already in hand, probably texting Stephanie about her betrayal.

“Looks like Dick is winning.” Bruce stated, suppressing a smirk as all of his kids heads whipped around and stared at him. Of course they would take the bait, there were as competitive as he was.

Even Tim now looked mostly aware of what was happening.

“It’s a new week, good luck.” Bruce nodded, walking out of the dining room, a grin breaking out across his face as the room erupted with noise.

[whore4batfam]

edited an old piece:

“Do you think he regrets it?”

“Regrets what?” He was impatient. He had told the kid he could stay if he was quiet, and here he was, again, asking stupid ques—

“Taking us in.”

Dick shifted, switching the position of his arms behind his head. He looked up at the stars and sighed. “What’s there to regret, Jay.”

A small head popped up. “I didn’t say you could call me Jay,” Jason reminded, jaw jutting out. He probably thought he looked tough that way.

“And I didn’t say you could call me Dickhead, but here we are,” Dick shot back. “Sit down.”

Jason opened his mouth, but closed it when Dick narrowed his eyes at him. He laid back down and pointedly didn’t touch him. Fine. Kid might as well stay on his good side.

“…But do you think so?”

Dick sighed again. “Shit, kid.” The sky was clear enough tonight to see the stars twinkle. He cleared his throat. “He wouldn’t regret it for you. He went through with it, adopted you and everything. I know he seems like a moron sometimes—”

“He isn’t.”

“—but he does think things through.” Over and over and over, poking holes in Dick’s choices until he was left feeling like he was three inches tall. “He doesn’t regret you.”

Silence.

“And you?”

His voice was small, like he was unsure if he should be asking. Dick wanted to make a joke, tease him, but he couldn’t even look at him.

“Well, we’ll have to see,” was all he said.

Jury was still out for Dick, in Bruce’s case. He remembered thinking that would never be so, that Bruce could never be without him. He was his compass. Batman needed a Robin, but Bruce needed Dickie. He remembered how mad he got when Dr. Thompkins would lean over to look him right in the eyes and say, “He takes care of you.”

How could she understand? How could she think that she knew what it was like, what Bruce was like? That they were meant to be together no matter what, even if that meant—meant—

Dick shifted, pulling further away from Jason. Couldn’t stand the damn way the kid breathed.

“I think that,” and Jason sat up and swallowed, “you should come back. Talk to Alfred more. Bruce…he misses you.”

Dick stared at him. “Real sacrificial admitting that, huh.”

The boy jerked as if Dick had slapped him. Then he narrowed his eyes, looking all the world his twelve years, and kicked him. Dick didn’t bother moving away. “You’re an asshole.”

Dick scoffed. “I’m just saying it took a lot outta you. What you afraid of, me actually getting along with my own family?”

Jason shot up his feet. “I’m not holding my breath, you piece of shit,” he spat. He stomped over to the ladder and threw himself over it. “And neither is Bruce.”

Dick sat up. “Hey,” he barked. “You don’t understand that, you don’t understand anything—damnit, wait!” He scrambled to his feet. “You can’t go home by yourself!”

“Try me!”

“Jay, stop!”

“Don’t call me Jay!”

“You’re so dramatic,” Dick grumbled, following him down the ladder. He didn’t even react when the brat used his position to kick him in the ass either, which was very mature of him. He jumped the last few rungs, spinning around and collaring the kid when he tried to run. “Hey.”

“Fuck off,” Jason growled. But his eyes kept flickering left and right, as if waiting for something. Dick knew he was trying to act like he wasn’t intimidated. Kids are all alike in that way. But Jason betrayed himself in how he tried to escape. There was no cool disengagement, just nails digging into skin.

Dick knew the feeling. Someone bigger than you with their hands around you? All reason left until reality remained: being a small and cornered animal.

Dick avoided his swings, waiting until he was tired enough to slow his roll. It took a surprisingly long time. When Jason gulped in a breath, he latched his hands around his shoulders and dragged him close.

The kid stiffened, feet dragging as if he was afraid. So what if he was?

Dick shoved the guilt aside. “Listen to me,” he said firmly. “He may regret taking me in, and you may have replaced me, but that means all the jobs I did are yours now. You take care of him. Got it?”

Jason stared at him.

Dick shook him. “Got it? Say it out loud.” He shook him again. “Say it.”

“I’ll take care of him,” Jason said quickly, trying to hide the strain in his voice.

Dick released him. Well, more like shoved him. “Okay.” His throat was tight.

Jason kept staring at him, eyes glimmering like they were stars themselves. Which probably meant that he had made him cry, but. Well.

“Good,” Dick said, as if that was the end of it. And it was. It was an agreement. Maybe not an agreement between brothers, but certainly an agreement between sons. He jerked his head down to his apartment. “Go.”

Jason went, clattering and making a mess of things to make up for showing fear. Dick heard a crash and didn’t bother shouting. Dr. Thompkins’ eyes floated over the horizon, bouncing off the city lights.

“Remember. He takes care of you.”

Dick swallowed. Yeah, right.

[maineshewrote]

I-just-started-s4e10-thoughts:

I will actually be so mad if Marshall reveals that Sazz was stalking the trio.

I love how when the creative team comes up with something, even something tiny and trivial, they stick to it. Like how Charles sends his break-through-in-the-case messages: all caps and twice. (see: Kimber doesn't have her hankie! and Sazz's protégé is Marshall P. Pope!)

It's so heart-warming to get to see Sazz and Charles working together on Uncle Brazzos, too, and to see a real "tap in" moment (plus the resurrection of the "whole new direction" line). And well done for the creators for getting the Brazzos director from season 2 back.

Yes, while my heart is still in tatters, why don't you rip it apart just a little more by showing us how much Sazz was really hurting and how valiantly she refused to let Charles see it. Sazz considered Charles her hero, but it was also the other way around.

The guys think this is when the next body drops? Oh, it dropped all right. It dropped a few hours ago at the hospital and I am in mourning. Also, the guys haven't really solved the case yet, as in the killer is still at large, so there's still time with the actual new murder in the building.

Yeah, we've all been terrified that Loretta would be next, but you know what? I don't think she will be.

If you don't want people to call the police, you don't start your text message with, "Call the police..." Marshall really is shit at writing.

The decorations!! Wohoo! I said the titles needed wedding decorations, didn't I?

Also in the opening titles: Howard casually flailing the beer box along.

Mabel is a genius. Moving on.

"All he does is let in murderers." The underrated brilliant comedy in that statement.

Okay, but now I'm certain that Lester is gonna die. (see: older post for more info) When he said they're having a wedding and a good day, that was just such an unlucky omen. He's totally gonna get killed and it'll just be so damn sad.

I think it's absolutely fabulous that Loretta is wearing the doll's bracelet from her proposal on her ring finger like an engagement ring.

The braids are on point in this episode. Last time they were a little askew.

I love seeing Oliver finally stepping up and setting his priorities straight, as he usually does towards the end of the season. Right now it feels like Oliver's rash decision-making in Loretta's favour is going to make Loretta realize that, just like Oliver is ready to leave everything he knows behind for her, Oliver, too, is more important to her than her show. This revelation could have her quitting her show to marry Oliver and live happily ever after at the Arconia. We're going to need Dickie to be there for the wedding anyway, so Loretta could take this opportunity to ask him to get her out of the show and try to find her some work that would be closer to home.

Very good balance of courage and reasonable fright in Charles on the ledge.

I think it was very beautifully done, on that ledge where Charles needed someone to tap in, this showing how Oliver has now taken over from Sazz as Charles's best friend.

Thank you, friendly neighbours! I just appreciate the side characters so much. Where would we be without them?

What a stunning and heart-wrenching performance from Jane Lynch.

It warms my heart that Sazz went to see Charles in Death Rattle Dazzle. (It also explains how she could have been whistling the Pickwick Triplets right before she was shot.)

And the not-tinsel is explained! This was the only piece of evidence that was still unexplained until now. It's such a relief when everything comes together. (So that bitch Marshall not only stole the script, he also stole Sazz's sentimental fireproof vest. I know Sazz gave it to him to use on his stunts but he should have given it back after his stunt career was cut short.)

Also a huge relief is that Sazz's memory was not tarnished one bit. She really was an absolute angel.

It's interesting that the burning stunt incident was actually only there to establish Sazz and Rex/Marshall's connection and to provide the trio with and tie up some leads. For a while I was convinced the burnt stuntman would have blamed Sazz for what happened.

Sazz loving and trusting Charles right 'till the end has me crumbling.

I take back everything even vaguely unkind I've ever thought about Jan. What a beauty, this loyal stylish revenge!

Long live the Arcatacombs!

Winnie is back! (But seriously, where is Mrs. Gambolini?)

You always know just what to say, Uma...

I was right with my prediction about the two sons giving Loretta away. (see: much older post)

Utterly perfect choice to have the Ah, Love! theme from season 3 returning for the wedding, plus having Nat King Cole's tender "When I Fall in Love" there.

But Charles could keep the Belgian shoulder. Maybe?

There was no doorman on duty, she said. There we have it. It was Lester. (Also I couldn't care less about the missing man from the hospital TV yet.)

Bringing back the "Where have you been?" was such a lovely touch to this tender goodbye.

Just realized this is the first time we hear Loretta say she loves him.

Now that ending was gruesome.

Does it count if he technically died outside of the building? Or maybe we find out the body was moved, then it's all according to the rules.

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

Miami Vice S1E18: The Maze

Tubbs is sent undercover to save hostages in an abandoned hotel.

This is absolutely one of those Vice episodes where you are given two versions of the truth and are asked to be discerning enough to realize which one is real. Vice likes doing this a lot with music-- you see something happening on screen that's contradicted by lyrics or musical tone, and you have to figure out if what you're seeing is the lie or whether it's what you're hearing. In The Maze, we are presented with a spoken truth (some people aren't "good enough" to be cops, the world is hard and dangerous, a kid with a gun can't be thought of as a kid ever again) and a witnessed truth (a "bad cop" is suffers no consequences because he's a cop, people you think of as disposable or even frightening are worth protecting, a kid with a gun may be dangerous but that doesn't make him not a child) to striking, devastating effect. There's a distinct sense in this episode that our protagonists are playing proscribed black and white roles in a drama they're not quite ready to see shades of gray in yet-- later in the series their disenchantment with the justice system will come, but in this point in the series, they don't quite see what we, the audience see.

I started this one thinking "it's always weird seeing other cops outside of the main squad," and then one of them immediately died

Womp womp

The two "new" cops, Tim and Dickie, are talking about how they finally made some "real arrests," and how they usually can't get charges to stick because something-something-the-law, and that it's because of guys like them that the area they're in is starting to get "cleaned up"

Immediately Sonny and Rico correct them, very gently explaining the concept of community organizing, and pointing out that whatever "clean up" they've seen happen recently has nothing to do with the cops and everything to do with the people who live here deciding to stand up for themselves and invest in their neighborhoods

This is the thesis of the episode

From here on in it becomes a split between Tim's tough-on-crime view (what's said) and Sonny and Rico's maybe-heavier-policing-isn't-the-answer view (what's shown)

The dancing guy, Pepe, is played by a choreographer known by the real-world name of Shabba-Doo

Sonny pours water on him because Sonny is an asshole

There is a scene in which Switek offers Zito lunch while Zito tries to pick up a woman through the window of the bug van; both of them tell the other they're "pitching" and I. I have questions

Tim, the asshole cop whose partner got shot, suggests that the best way to catch the criminals that killed Dickie is to just go into a building full of squatters guns blazing, random innocents be damned

Sonny glares at him like he is a leopard and Tim is a plate of ground beef

They decide to, instead, send Tubbs undercover in to see if he can clear the squatters out and get them to safety before they go after the Escobars. In order to do this they dress Tubbs up as the world's most beautiful filthy transient. He looks like he should play Jesus in a modern version of Jesus Christ Superstar

It should be mentioned that the ~*scary dangerous building*~ the homeless people and the Escobars are in is a dilapidated hotel owned by a rich white guy who's on the phone about golf when we meet him, and it turns out the only thing really scary about it is that the people inside are living in terrible conditions because they are poor. In case, y'know, other parts of the episode weren't already clear enough on the whole "maybe the system is broken, actually" angle.

After Tubbs is in the hotel for approximately three and a half minutes, Tim charges across the street with his gun because it's "ridiculous" that this is "taking so long"

He completely ruins the operation and causes an immediate gunfight between the police and the Escobars to break out; Tubbs and the rest of the squatters are taken hostage as a result. Tim is not punished for this-- Castillo says that if he "didn't need every man," Tim would be sent home, but that's it.

Let's be very clear, this is a perfect example of why the whole "one bad apple ruins the whole bunch" thing is 100% true about the police

You get one Tim the Asshole on your squad and people fucking die

Actor Joe Morton, who I best know as Henry Deacon from Eureka, but who others may know better as the SkyNet Scientist from Terminator 2, plays hostage negotiator Jack Davis. He has a big ol' stick up his ass, but he's kind of hot anyway?

Sonny smokes like twelve cigarettes in the course of about 3 minutes, and then goes outside because he can't stand to look at Tim any longer. Castillo makes an attempt to comfort him in his extremely Castillo way (he's the one who says the Escobars, who are a bunch of teenagers, "stopped stopped being kids when they started using guns"), which does not seem to calm Sonny down much. He tells him the best thing he can do for Tubbs is "be cool," and then there's a lovely little match on Sonny's face and Rico's face, both looking off to the side, both looking worried.

The graffiti in this episode slays me

666 is COMIN

Why ME

Rico plays with the child hostages, and a teenage girl dances to the music playing inside her head. I genuinely feel like this is one of the saddest episodes of Vice-- we see the squalid conditions these people are forced to live in, they're humanized and made very real feeling, even if they don't have many lines, and you know that even if they all get out alive, nothing good is going to come of it, because they've been living illegally inside an unused building and the police will have to remove them, leaving them all completely homeless. There are multiple shots throughout the episode of the beach-- its crystal blue water, the sun, the pristine sand, palm trees-- through the broken windows of the collapsing hotel. The squatters are bereft in an ostensible paradise, completely disconnected from the glamorous world outside their crumbling walls.

Sonny suggests that they pinpoint the exact location of the hostages; Tim asks why they should bother when it was the hostages who "got them into this."

Yes Tim

Definitely not you, fuckwad

When Davis negotiates to let the small children hostages go, Jaime, one of the Escobars, argues with one of the older boys that "they're just kids," and that they should do as the police said and let them free. Jaime appears to be about fourteen.

Sonny insists he go in to find the hostages; Davis stands behind him shaking his head no at Castillo. Sonny goes in to find the hostages. He climbs over a fence and through a hole in the wall in his loafers and chinos.

When Sonny figures out where the hostages are located, they send in what appears to be the entire national guard of Florida. The Escobars, it should be noted, are five teenagers.

At the end of the episode, approximately twenty adult men with machine guns point their weapons at one teenage boy. He breaks down in tears and falls to the ground, because no matter what Castillo said, he is ultimately a frightened child.

The episode ends on a freeze frame of Sonny and Rico looking at each other, silent, with the darkening blue sky behind them.

[lazaruspiss]

oh no I was totally joking for the don’t tell anyone thing but my god yes, he’s been reassured from every angle that he doesn’t count as a child, that he’s different, rules for thee and not for me type of thing, I bet he legitimately doesn’t see anything wrong with Babs kissing him and I bet Bruce wouldn’t have either (going insane thinking about 14 y/o dickie dating babs with bruce’s approval)

also that’s crazy that the age of consent is 16 in NJ, that means that even if dick ever got to a place where he could acknowledge that he was groomed and wanted to prevent it happening to others bc he’s selfless and a hero and bla bla bla (mostly he doesn’t want to focus on how it happened) it would be so hard to get her convicted for anything, brb I’m going to google the statute of limitations in new jersey

im fairly sure Babs is Bruce's partner of choice for Dick, if that time he and Babs shit talked Kori and acted like Dick was going thru a phase and would come right back to them is anything to go off of! sometimes my brain just turns into a messy collage of all the creepy shit thats been said/done to Dick lmao.

And yeah none of his rapists are ever seeing any rape charges. Liu? He was technically legal and said yes! Also she might be dead by now, i can't remember. Mirage? Do the in universe consent laws have anything for illusion based superpowers used to coerce? No clue! But regardless it would be tough to pursue without outing any secret IDs. And then there's the everything else that made the situation endlessly complicated, like wasn't there an evil robo Nightwing at some point?? Wild. And Catalina? Same problem as Mirage where it's too entangled in Nightwing for any charges to be pressed on Dick's behalf!

If you take out the secret identity elements i still don't think there would be enough for Liu or Mirage, but the thing with Cat might have something resembling a case. She did purposely get him drunk and tried to get him to sign off on a marriage certificate. There were situations that could have had witnesses who could testify to at least some degree of abusive behavior. Still probably wouldn't go anywhere, but it would have the best shot out of the three.

[unknown-writez]

Misfit Toys

Chapter One: Memories - Part Two

 After that night my parents split up, maybe because of all the stress I always put on them as a kid or maybe they just weren’t right for each other. Either way my mom left Gotham with my perfect straight A sister thinking something bigger and better was out there waiting for them somewhere in the world. Guess I didn’t make the cut. I remember the day they left. I cried “Please don't go! I need you! Please! Don’t leave me!” salty tears running like a faucet streaming down my face dripping off my chin. My sister said “goodbye.” no I love you or I’ll find you just a barely audible goodbye. She didn’t even look at me as my mom pried me away from her. I held on for dear life to no avail. The result of everything being them leaving out the door without looking back. As far as my dear old dad goes he went down a spiraling black pit full of alcohol and drugs till there was nothing left of the man I knew. So I decided to leave a weight lifting off my shoulders as I threw that part of my life away. Now I live by myself. I have an apartment in a not so nice area of Gotham that I pay for with my minimum wage archivist job at the GCPD. It’s not much of a life but it’s better than where I was. Opening my eyes I squinted against the light coming into view bright at first but I got used to it. Grabbing my phone that was next to my pillow I looked at the time 7:00 AM. Good. I hadn’t overslept like I usually do. Stretching I shake away the faintest  traces of my dream like memory and my thoughts before getting out of bed. Putting on a pair of green dickies and a black oversized button up as close to business casual as I can get in my wardrobe I went to the kitchen and started my coffee before heading to the bathroom. Doing the morning essentials I  threw my long wavy orange and purple dyed hair into a green claw clip. Applying some quick makeup before leaving the bathroom. Afterwards, I went to my room to put on my Mary Janes. Then grabbing my bag, coffee, and keys I quickly left so that I had time to walk to work. Who pays money for a car when you live in the city? Besides, I like walking. It’s peaceful and sometimes interesting with all the wackos in this city. A person can come across some weird scenes. Not to mention the amount of friendly furry alley cats you can pet. My relaxing morning however was shattered when I arrived at work. The GCPD was in absolute chaos packed out full of circus performers. Everyone being questioned in different areas. Weaving my way through the crowds and desks I found Kris, the woman I work with right outside our department door watching it all. “What's all the hubbub?” I asked intrigued with an eyebrow raised, almost having to shout over everyone’s talking and arguing as I opened our door going into the filing cabinet filled office. Kris following behind me. “Last night Jim and Lee found a dead woman at the circus. So they brought everyone here for questioning.” She informed me as I sat down at my old brick of a computer. “Wow hot shot Jim Gordon does it again.” I said sarcastically, joking doing a little spin in my chair making the women laugh. “Speaking of Gordon, do you think you could bring this file to him? It's everything I could collect about the new case. I’m about to clock out.” she asked, “Sure thing.” I said putting my bag under my desk before getting up and grabbing the file. “Thank you!” she said hurrying out the door leaving it open for me.

[risu5waffles]

this is just a sped up run through the backstage of my project for chronos. i put in some photo references so you can see what i was working toward, but otherwise no big shakes or nuffink.

i found out you can take/export screenshots as pngs from the base ps4, which was neat to learn. unfortunately i found out after wrapping this one up, and i have to fight the urge to go back in and retake the overlay shots and redo the picture, you know, in case it makes it _better_. which it might, and it might not make for a lot of difference; i am really happy wiv how it turned out. it's just that urge to dicky wiv things if you know you can dicky wiv them, like, just in case?

honestly, as much as i've been enjoying doing these, i really should slow down and back off a bit. i know at least half of my investment is that it's an understandable project that produces (semi-)tangible results, and i'm in a period where i particularly feel a loss of control and an absence of direction, so i throw myself into something i do get as a distraction. i have enough trouble (read here: zero success in) wrangling my brainmeats to focus on what we need to focus on, and this really isn't going to help.

also, while i did spend a solid chunk of today sleeping, the bits where i wasn't, i was working on another one of these. which, like, today was going to be fucked for getting things done anyway, but i might have been better served just doing nothing at low battery and trying to recharge.

[thisaintascenereviews]

Thks Fr Th Mmrs: A Mid-year Checkin

The summer is a mark of many things, whether it’s being outside, longer nights, the Fourth of July, fireworks, hotdogs, beaches, summer break, and the middle of the year. We’re over a week into July by this point, and while new releases have slowed down for a moment (I’m writing this on the 7th, but it’ll be later when I post this), we still got a ton of great pieces of media within the last few months. Whether it’s TV shows that people can’t stop talking about, movies that win audiences over, or albums that we’re all sure to be spinning by the end of the year, we’ve been eating good when it comes to new media. There are plenty of things to talk about, especially new stuff that I didn’t talk about in the last checkin piece I made back in April. Just like last time, however, I’m not doing this alone! I’m bringing along my buddy Jake, so we can talk about all things fandom, whether it’s music, movies, or TV. Hell, even video games aren’t off the table, but if you’re looking for new stuff that you haven’t heard, seen, or played in the first half of the year, or want to see what we’re into, you’re in the right place! We also talked about stuff that wasn’t necessarily new, but it may be new to us, since you don’t have to spend the year getting into stuff from that year, you can consume whatever you want from whenever you want.

With that said, in case you missed our first piece back in April, we talked about TV shows and movies like Fallout, Invincible, X-Men ‘97, and the Mean Girls musical, as well as talking about video games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Mafia III, and Fallout 4, and the new albums from bands like Cory Wells, Too Close Topic Touch, Bayside, Sum 41, The Ghost Inside, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Neck Deep, Fluorescents, Dustin Kensrue, Lil Dicky, and Justin Timberlake, among others. We got plenty more to talk about today, however, so to welcome you aboard, let me first kick to you, Jake — how have the last few months been for you in terms of consuming media? Has there been a lot that you’ve been really into that’s come out since we last discussed our favorite things, or have you still been sinking into your teeth into some, if not all, of the same things we talked about back then?

It’s funny, because in terms of music, so much new and exciting stuff has come out in the last couple months, and I’ve been all over it, but in terms of other forms of media, I’ve been kind of stuck in a bit of a rut. For example, I’ve been sitting on the last couple chapters of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for almost two months now after 160 hours, but it’s been a struggle to get myself to finish it, which in turn has made me hesitant to really start anything new. Same with TV shows; while I did watch the new Star Wars series The Acolyte and mostly enjoyed that, and I’m really loving this current season of the Criminal Minds revival, I haven’t really felt motivated or energized to start a new thing. That being said, I do wanna touch on both of those things at least briefly. The Acolyte was a super fascinating look into a new era of Star Wars removed from the Skywalker saga, and while I think it suffered from some pacing and format issues (mostly in that it felt like a movie cut up into 8 pieces), I loved the bold swings it took and hope we get to explore more of that in a potential second season. As for the Criminal Minds revival, the original series is a major comfort show of mine, so I was bummed when the original series ended in 2020, but also okay with that, because 15 years is a long time, and the show was past its prime. But, when it was revived just a couple years later for streaming as opposed to network TV, it was just the shot in the arm the series needed. Because it’s on streaming, the creative team isn’t beholden to the rigid network procedural format, and they’re able to tell darker stories and really dig deep into both the main BAU agents and the killers they’re chasing, and they’re also able to be way more serialized in their storytelling, versus the case-of-the-week format they did originally. The second season of the revival has been particularly awesome, because they’re really running with the new format to dig into the entire series’ history, and I’m super stoked to see how it wraps up with the finale that’s airing the week of writing this.

Throwing it over to you, Bradley, what have you been getting into since the last time we did this?

You know, I can sort of say the same thing, because aside from a few TV shows that just wrapped up recently, I’ve been diving headfirst into a lot of music. A lot of new music, mind you, but I’ve also been revisiting some stuff I used to be into around a decade ago, and it’s been a pretty cool experience. I’ll talk about that in a bit, however, but I’ve been mainly watching The Acolyte and fourth season of The Boys. I feel the same way about The Acolyte; I love this new era of Star Wars we’re exploring, and despite issues with pacing, it was an interesting show about a mystery that didn’t amount to a whole lot, and I had a lot of questions in the finale, but it left a lot open for another season. The Boys, however, has been ramping up with its penultimate season, because as far as we know, season five is the last one, but the characters are getting more unhinged and the political commentary is more on point than ever (even having its last episode mirror something that just happened while being written and shot months before). It’s getting good, so it’ll be interesting to see where the last season goes.

Aside from those two relevant shows that just wrapped, I’ve also been watching the 1998 anime Cowboy Bebop, because I’ve been getting more into anime, and it’s been a fun ride of watching one of the most influential and critically acclaimed anime series of all time. I’ve been a couple games, too, including the first Kingdom Hearts game, which is fitting with Final Fantasy, and that’s been a lot of fun, but I’ve recently taken a liking to playing online multiplayer on 2018’s Battlefront II, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s nothing special, just being either a clone, stormtrooper, rebel, or battle droid, and playing what amounts to capture the flag, but it doesn’t get old to me for whatever reason.

Now it’s time for the reason we’re all here — music. A lot of new music has come out in a last few months, and despite it being relatively slow the last couple of weeks, it’s still been a great summer for new and exciting music. Before we talk about that, however, are there are any albums from the first time that we did that you’re still really into, or have your thoughts changed on some? I’ve got a couple of albums that were in my top ten that I’ve changed my thoughts a bit on, not necessarily in a bad or dramatic way, but the more you listen to something, the more your thoughts can change one way or another.

I wouldn't necessarily say that there have been any albums that I've changed my mind on, but as more stuff has come out, albums that I thought were gonna be really high on my list may not be anymore, or may eb off my list entirely. I still really like all of those albums, but I think it's a testament to just how strong the last few months have been in terms of music. I will say this, though; while my number one album is still Bayside's There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive, pretty much the entire rest of my top 10 has shifted pretty dramatically, and I'm excited to talk more about that!

How has that been for you, though?

That’s actually what I was going to say, too, because while I’ve changed my thoughts on a few albums (mainly loving them when they first came out to not loving them as much now, but still enjoying them; the new JT album is a good example of that, actually), it’s more so that a bunch of new albums came out in the last few months to replace a lot of what I originally had in my top ten! I’ve got three ealbums from the last we time did this still in my top ten, and one of them is the new Bayside album as well! I’ll spoil it a bit early, but even that album isn’t my frontrunner anymore for AOTY, which shows how strong this year has been so far. With that said, a lot of my honorable mentions are albums that originally appeared on my list a few months back, but my overall list has changed dramatically. What are some albums from the last few months have crept their way into your overall favorites?

I have a feeling this one might end up on both our lists, so I'll start with the new Bimuri album, American Motor Sports. This thing almost has no business being as good as it is, and yet every time I listen to it, I just have the biggest smile on my face. It's really a perfect album for this time of year; you have infinitely catchy hooks, heartfelt lyrics, and a sound that on paper, perhaps isn't the most unique, but Johnny Franck pulls it off flawlessly. If you haven't, check out the album with all the visualizers/musicvideos, too; they're so ridiculous but they only add to the enjoyment for me. I also wanna give a big shout to The Home Team and their new album The Crucible of Life. I think you put it best in your review when you said that these guys are carrying the torch from Issues (RIP), their self-described heavy pop sound is fully refined here, and while I don't think it quite makes the upper half of my list, it's a damn great album that I've been going back to quite a bit. Finally, I'd like to at least briefly touch on the new Bring Me The Horizon album, Post-Human: Next Gen. This thing was all I listened to for the first two weeks after it came out, and I think a lot of that had to do with how the album felt both fresh but also very much like a loving throwback to that early and mid-2000's hard-rock/alt metal that I grew up with. It's absolutely a nostalgia thing for me, but I also think, a few nitpicks aside, BMTH really made something unique and memorable in a genre that so desperately needed it.

How about you? I think I know what a few of them are, but I'm curious if there might be some unexpected ones on your list.

Oh, man, you know the new Bilmuri album is on there! American Motor Sports is a fantastic album, and like you said, it’s not a super unique album, but the songwriting is top notch. I need to check out some of the music videos, too, because if there is one thing I know about his music, it’s that he loves memes and ridiculousness. The Home Team’s new one is good, too, but what kept it from my top ten is how some of the songs fade into the background, despite being so good. The new BMTH album is the same, actually, but both of those are some great picks, and a couple of highlights in a crowded year.

As for me, most of my list is composed of new albums from the last time we sat down and did this! For starters, the new Knocked Loose album, You Won’t Go Until You’re Supposed To, is a big one; they came back with a super heavy album, as well as a really short one, but it’s a blast. Rapper turned country artist Shaboozey dropped a cool album a couple months back with Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, but a lot of the new stuff on my list are all rap albums.

I didn’t listen to much in that vein last year, but what I’ve heard this year is great. For starters, Childish Gambino dropped two albums this year, and while I enjoy his latest (and final) album, Bando Stone, I enjoyed the finished version of his 2020 album, now entitled Atavista, a lot more. Denzel Curry’s recently released King Of The Mischievous South, Vol 2, and that’s easily in my top three of the year, and because of that, I listened to That Mexican OT’s newest album from in the beginning of the year, because he’s featured on there. My (current) favorite this year, however, has become the new Lupe Fiasco album, Samurai. I’ve always been a fan of his stuff, but this is such a short and sweet album, it’s easily listenable and you can listen to it whenever and wherever.

Man, even if it's not totally my thing, that new Knocked Loose album goes hard, you really can't deny that. Same with the new Lupe Fiasco album; it's a genre I'm not super entrenched in, but I really don't see how you listen to that and not at the very least respect the hell out of it.

Before we close this thing off, is there anything coming up that you're looking foward to? The main one for me is probably the upcoming Four Year Strong album. I've had a blast with the singles I've heard, and they always bring the goods, so I'm pretty confident about that one. I'm also really looking forward to the new Siamese album. They're a very solid and criminally underrated band, and I've really enjoyed what they do in the heavier rock scene.

Honestly, the new Four Year Strong album comes to mind, as I’ve been a huge fan of them for years, so it’s crazy that they’re still putting stuff out, but I saw that Siamese announced a new album! That could be good, especially since I enjoyed their debut quite a lot back in the day. I’m not looking forward to anything else in particular, and I think part of the fun is just seeing what comes out every week, and being surprised. As I write this, rapper Yung Gravy dropped a country album today, and for the record, it’s pretty fun, but I had no idea that was even coming out today. I know there are some albums I’m looking forward to, but they’re albums coming out in the next few months, versus August.

I think you raise a pretty good point there, actually; it has been a ton of fun just kinda browsing the new releases and seeing if anything sticks out. It's not quite the same, but it reminds me a lot of going to FYE back in the day and just picking up a random CD that'd grab my attention, especially on release weeks when not a lot came out that was on my radar.

In any case, though, it was a blast getting back together to do this, man! I'm excited to do it again in the fall, and finally at the end of the year for our big year-end celebration.

Man, you and me both. I loved going to stores and just browsing to see if anything caught my eye, especially when a lot of those stores had more CDs. Nowadays, most of these stores don’t have anything at all, or the couple of bigger new releases, and that’s so depressing. It’s still exciting to see new stuff, nonetheless, especially when you’re not anticipating anything, kinda like this week, actually. Anyhow, it was certainly a blast getting back together to do this, for sure! I’m always pumped for these pieces, because there’s nothing like nerding out and fanboying over the stuff we’ve been loving throughout the year.

[viscountessevie]

The Buccaneers (2023): American Poison

Hello everyone! I polled my blog's mutuals, friends and followers to see if they'd be interested in me doing reviews for this show and here are the results. Hence I'm here doing full episode reviews - feel free to follow along the tags below if you'd like to see my reviews and other posts for the show! [Spoilers are under the cut]

The Buccaneers Tag | Live Blogging Posts | Review Posts

~~~

The Buccaneers (2023) is an adaptation of Edith Wharton's posthumous novel of the same name, with a contemporary touch to it. Full disclaimer: I have not read the novel yet. I do intend to give it a shot after watching the tv series. Even though I am not a fan of unfinished works, it would be interesting to see how the source material was adapted to our day and age.

Since I am completely new to this story, I will be judging it solely on the tv series. I will also be judging it as a historical romance with a side of societal commentary (the latter of which I understand the original book was about). On this note, American Poison is a pretty great first episode. 

It set up our main characters; Nan, Conchita, Mabel, Lizzie and Jinny well while showcasing both America and the London season of the 1870s era. I found it so refreshing that the story started with a wedding instead of ending in one. It really goes to show that sometimes life really begins after the ‘I Do’. Or rather in the case of our girls, the problems begin to arise. 

Speaking of our character set ups, I really enjoyed watching Conchita the most as you can see in my Live Blogging tag. She is just such a dynamic and interesting character who is so full of life and yet goes through such a harrowing arc (from what I am assuming based on the first episode). Her fairytale ending isn't quite a happy ending. This makes for a really compelling conflict within her character and it is a delight to watch! Even moreso a mere five minutes into the first episode, we already have parallels to Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry. I instantly knew that it will not bode well for Connie. I will give the showrunners credit where it is due, they drew the comparisons without hitting us over the head with it. As someone who royal watches H&M, I did like how Connie and Dickie's relationship was portrayed in the first half of the episode.

That brings me to the second half, as I said here, Dick definitely lived up to his nickname. It was heartbreaking to watch Connie be completely void of life after leaving America and moving in with her in-laws. Especially in her vulnerable pregnant state. I related a lot to her isolation and melancholy. It is not a fun place to be in. The way she lit up when her friends came to visit her was truly so heartwarming. Her happiness means everything to be and I hope her situation improves over the course of the series.

Moving onto our 'main' protagonist/narrator: Nan St. George. I will say it. She is a really boring main protagonist. I have no idea how she is like in the book but you can write a 'plain Jane' type character who engages your audience and they are allowed compelling arcs too. But no, Nan gets a love triangle. The most tired romantic trope of our type. Shondaland and other similar romance-drama shows have overused them to the point I want to throw the whole narrative device away!!

Speaking of said triangles, the only time I have enjoyed watching Nan on my screen is when she is with Guy Thwaite who is so charming. He is so likeable that I would certainly let him marry me for my money (jokes on him, me irl is broke as hell ahaha).

I know a few of my friends had complains about him using Nan for her money but I AM EATING IT UP! This is such a common romance trope. The fortune hunter targets the heroine and like the dumbass he is, he falls for her. That creates such a delicious point of conflict for both of them. The heroine has a brief moment of heartbreak because of the betrayal, while the hero has to fight between his head/the original scheme and heart. Truly one of my favourite premises in a HR book!

On the other end of the triangle, we have Theo, who is the dullest man I have ever seen on screen. Sorry to Theo fans but that man is so unoriginal and BORING. [Correction to my previous statement; Theo is tied with Obie from the Gossip Girl reboot as the most boring character ever].

I just found it so grating that he was just another Duke who is tired of the London social season and ambitious mamas & debs alike. Like YOU AREN'T special, Theo, there are a million heroes and actual lords back then who were like this. At least give the audience something interesting about you for us to root for. Sure, we can look to his artist side but this is least artsy man I have ever seen. Lord Cassidy from Mr. Malcolm's List and Benedict Bridgerton from Bton have done this before and much better. So Theo really is the definition of the Duke of Go Give Us Nothing to quote @imaginejolls in these tags.

Enough about the boring people; onto the Elmsworth sisters! So other than Alisha Boe and Josh Dylan as Connie & Dickie respectively, I was VERY excited to see Josie Totah as Mabel. Not only because I've watched Josie since her Disney days but also because SHE'S PLAYING A LESBIAN/WLW!! I just need more queer women in HR and this fulfils it!

There, unfortunately, wasn't enough of the Elmsworth sisters in this episode but I did love what I saw of Lizzy and Mabel so far. I adore Lizzy already - she is gorgeous and definitely deserves more attention on the marriage mart. Mabel is so cute and I am excited to see her romance blossom with Honoria!

Then there's Jinny. Where do I begin? I'll be very honest; I mistook her for Honoria in the trailer with Mabel 🤡 and was excited for her. I was like Yay dumb lesbian rep because come on the "I like her arms" comment to the art piece is so queer coded hahah. Then I saw a gifset of the trailer kiss and realised it was Honoria with Mabel. Anyway Jinny really is your cookie cutter deb and I wanted to see how she'd subvert that. And while I understand her frustrations with Nan getting in the way, that was no reason to completely upend her sister's life. I also saw the looks of contempt she gave Lizzy over the course of the episode. Like Virginia you grew up with that girl, could you be a little less competitive??

Overall, the pilot fulfilled its job. It introduced us to the main girls, set up their upcoming arcs all while painting the different cultures of the Americans who worked their way up to their riches vs the British centuries old aristocracy. I loved how it was shot, edited and the soundtrack was incorporated. Sure, at times there is a modern lens to it but I like how well our times and influences come together with Edith's original vision and storyline. I am excited for the rest of the series! Happy watching everyone and I will see you in my next review :D

[denimbex1986]

'...with Ripley, the writer-director Steven Zaillian does the unthinkable and unmentionable, he shoots in high contrast black and white and stretches his drama long, and some might say thinly, over a total of eight episodes. But although the series has the feel of a younger generation in terms of its directorial emphases, Zaillian is technically an old man, probably in Shakespearean terms in stage six of the seven ages of man: the lean and slipper’d pantaloon, with spectacles on nose and pouch on side; yes, he is indeed 71 years young but with an impressive and substantial track record behind him: an Oscar for the screenplay of Schindler’s List and a successful collaboration with Martin Scorsese in Gangs of New York, amongst much else. This surely allowed him to basically dictate his terms to Netflix, which included engaging a genius of a lighting cameraman, Robert Elswit, who lit the masterpiece, There Will be Blood. Indeed, Ripley runs the risk of the camerawork overtaking the content and this is an ongoing near-run thing.

But just as Citizen Kane in anyone else’s hands but Orson Welles would have first and foremost been praised for its cinematography, as indeed might Charles Laughton’s only great stab at directing, The Night of the Lonely Hunter, the intense collaboration of director and cameraman in the case of Ripley pays multiple dividends, even on the smaller screen. It invokes the Italian milieu of Rome in the 60s, of La Dolce Vita, Visconti and Fellini, but not curiously the one director who experimented seriously with documentary style shooting- Roberto Rossellini. whose Rome Open City was shot in grainy black and white. Zaillian etches everything in exquisite detail, wet streets, rain falling on a terrace, pens and cigarette lighters all dance to his sombre tune. This series would look even more spectacular projected onto a large screen.

Interestingly, Zaillian’s work has split opinion right down the middle, with a rave from The New York Times and a thumbs pointed firmly earthwards from The New Statesman. Both draw comparisons with previous versions, with the latter much in favour of Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr Ripley, and being much more impressed with the colourful sun-drenched scenes than the rain soaked black and white ones.

One question worth asking of this latest effort as well as the best of the previous ones, is what on earth is the attraction of Ripley, almost always portrayed as a blank canvas, to both actors and directors? I think it is precisely for that very reason, that Ripley can be anything or anyone to whoever is contemplating him, and this metaphor of the blank canvas is cleverly taken up by Zaillian, making the subject of Ripley’s first murder, Dickie (Johnny Flynn), an amateur painter. Ripley is not Ripley in anyone and everyone, the great difference is that when he acts, he does so decisively without pity, regret or concern other than an obsession with clearing up any mess he may inadvertently leave behind. If anyone wants to learn how to lie, cheat, steal, seduce and ultimately kill, Highsmith’s novel can provide a comprehensive training manual for the uninitiated.

Most of you literature and film buffs will be familiar with the story, so I intended just to concentrate on elements of the series which seem to me to bend and occasionally break rules to considerable effect. To begin with, during the first two episodes at least nothing really happens, and that is for approaching two hours screen time. But the almost hypnotic engagement that the cinematography engenders allows us to take time with the characters as they slowly reveal more about themselves. Interestingly, Zaillian does not cast 20 or even 30-year-olds in the main parts, as imagined at least by Highsmith in her original novel. Instead, he opts for Andrew Scott (Ripley) at 47 and Dickie (Johnny Flynn) at 41. They are in fact middle-aged, but as portrayed by Scott and Flynn appear younger, but at the same time, almost ageless. This gives an additional twist to the strange ambience in which the drama takes place. Characters take much longer to frame their thoughts, to react and to initiate actions. It is as if they are somehow under water, and it is water which is the most intrusive element in this version (as opposed to sunlight in Minghella’s). Right up to the point of the first murder which occurs on top of, and within water. In Zaillian’s world, the streets are always wet and his characters frequently find themselves in baths, seas or simply the victims of relentless rain clouds.

All in all, this is very clever stuff, and not just from the director, but the writer as well. It is an object lesson in how to balance form and content and to reference parallel elements obliquely and very cleverly. Caravaggio is mentioned and his work shown to us quite frequently. Why, one wonders? Simple. Caravaggio is a painter who became a murderer; Tom Ripley is a murderer who became a painter.'

[timeguardiansarchive]

When Grief Comes

@insidemyblood continued x

Maureen's bloodshot eyes are wrought with an unwavering grief. Though she physically remained upright, there are mile-long cracks forming in her sturdy facade. Diplomacy is NOT her forte, though in recent years, she has made considerable strides.

The offer of a seat is too good to surpass. She DREADS the idea of returning a home which is little more than a shell of it's former glory. Her father, he's more absent than ever, CONSUMED by this case. HAUNTED and PLAGUED he refused to let it rest. He's drowning in oceans far deeper than she can manage to tread and poor ELI--he's being dragged downwards in the same unforgiving RIP. That left the weight of the family squarely upon her shoulders. Maureen must do what she had always done. Step in, assume control, and try to pick up the shattered pieces.

But its not as easy as it used to be, with boys of her own.

Maureen practically MELTS into the cushions the seat boasted. And she allows herself a sarcastic scoff. From the moment the tragedy struck, everyone's been promising that they're doing everything they can. So why then, did it feel like it would NEVER be enough?!

Agonized, her eyes turn towards the ADA. "How does anyone hold up under these circumstances?" She softly prods. They're damnably CRUSHING. They cause traumatic wounds that would NEVER heal.

"I--" She starts, attempting to measure her words softly, "I think---" A tremulous prefaces comes before her unusual request. "I think my father needs help. He's gone off the deep-end. He's not eating, not sleeping. He's JUMPING at shadows...." Maureen refuses to have him committed. She loves her father too dearly for that. Just the other day he nearly shot her and Eli when they returned to the apartment. And empathetic Eli, he's so broken and it fills her heart with dread. "He- ugh--" She clears her throat. "You were a cop? Right?" She is testing the waters carefully. "He's struggling emotionally and his PTSD, it's- it's getting too much. He-" Her errant gaze begins to shift and she hollowly confides. "He almost shot Eli and I." Kathleen, Lizzie, and Dickie were more stable. As long as Kathleen stayed on her medicine, and Dickie continued enjoying his work, Maureen could focus on her father and Eli.

"I also need -- another favor.' It's clear she is unaccustomed to asking for help when the circumstances were NOT dire. "Can you help convince Eli that he should come and stay with me. At least, till my father levels out?"

[bgallen]

A last list for February

Happy last Friday of February! Spring officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere in 25 days. And in light of that, I would like to share one of my most used websites 😊: National Allergy Forecast & Info About Allergies | Pollen.com. So, just in case you would like to know why it’s suddenly hard to breathe or what not.

 The list today has, as always, quite a bit of random interesting finds. Hope you enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend.

 My Little Golden Book About Betty White: Hopkinson, Deborah, Lucas, Margeaux: 9780593433522: Amazon.com: Books, what a fun Golden book idea!

 Pilot Ballistic Zest Pen Case - Roll Type - Black | JetPens, “Carry your pens in style and convenience with this premium roll-up case from Pilot.” Pens/pencil cases are not only for children!

 Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times: May, Katherine: 9780593189481: Amazon.com: Books, “A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing arctic seas.”

 Hummingbirds Are the Ultimate Bird Supermoms - Birds and Blooms, did you know that mother hummingbirds tie together the pieces of their nests with spiderwebs?!?

 What is the secret to making perfect pancakes? - BBC Food, I love pancakes – next to toast they are the best comfort food. My favorite ingredient are chocolate chips.

 8272 E Left Fork Hobble Creek Road Springville, Utah, United States – Luxury Home For Sale (sothebysrealty.com), I can’t quite wrap my brain around this. It is a beautiful house…but there seems to be no need to ever (I mean ever) leave…which doesn’t seem best. BUT the view!!!

 Interstitial journaling: combining notes, to-do & time tracking - Ness Labs, I just came across this concept today. It appeals to me in that it seems to be “loosely” organized and not too rigid. I may try it out and see how it goes. If you’ve tried it or use it yourself, let me know your thoughts!

 What We’re Reading: Love is great, but have you tried friendship? | by Medium Staff | Feb, 2023 | 3 Min Read, friendship is so imperative. In my early 20’s I thought I was “fine on my own,” which is silly. Life isn’t meant to be lived alone. And our lives are deeply enriched by the friends that we cultivate.

 Kane Brown - Grand (Official Music Video) - YouTube, this song has been on repeat this week.

 Heart - Alone - YouTube, classic – classic – classic.

 Dicky Wells and his Orchestra - Bugle Call Rag - 1937 July 7 - Swing, Paris - YouTube, I have this whole album and it is wonderful, especially the Bugle Call Rag!

[casuallytalkingtothevoid]

When Dick woke up, he knew today was going to be a good day.

He had been staying at the manor for a bit now and was having a great time.

He was just so happy to be around so many people he cared about.

He picked up his phone to check the time. The brightening screen read 9:30.

Oh great, Alfred's probably about to put out breakfast!

Dick, never short of energy, quickly got ready, excited for the chance to spend time with his family.

While walking down the hallway, Duke just about runs him over.

"Whoa man, where's the fire?"

"Oh hey Dick, sorry about that, don't mind me, just passing through... hey do you mind getting Tim for me? I think he's still in the cave. Thanks!" He said, getting a bit louder as he hurriedly walked away before disappearing out of view.

Dick just huffed out a laugh and looked down to Damian's door to see a glowering Damian.

"He behaves as though I would be angry towards him for ensuring I do not miss breakfast."

Dick knew there was absolutely no chance Damian didn't threaten Duke, but he just raised an eyebrow.

Damian muttered under his breath, "I didn't even stab him."

Dick grinned, "That's an improvement!"

"tt."

He didn't see anyone else before heading down to the cave.

"Timmmm." He called out, seeing the ball curled up in front of the computers that vaguely resembled a human person.

"Come on Timmy, breakfast is almost done."

All is gets is an "I'm working."

Dick sighed, Tim tended to get like this, especially when it came to cases involving kidnapping or children. Sadly, this case was a two for one.

"Nope, nu-uh, comeon man we wouldn't want to leave Alfred waiting." He said while already in the middle of dragging him over.

He gets a good look at him, and he wished he was surprised to see the deep eyebags and the bloodshot eyes. Something about this case must be tearing him up inside. Who knows how many days it's been since he got any real sleep. And no Tim those half hour "power naps" do not count!

Thankfully though, Tim didn't put up much of a fight, allowing himself to be manhandled out of the cave and into the dining room. Dick did notice a small hissing when they got to the brighter parts of the building. Cute, he thought.

Everyone else was already at the by the time they got there. Tim dropped heavily into his seat.

Dick noticed Damian and Jason talking about the drug dealers they busted last night.

"... But Todd, the imbecile that he is, decided he didn't need to call in reinforcements."

"Oh shut up, I would have been just fine without you!"

"I can recall at the very least three instances in which you would have been shot had I not been there."

"Well at least you were doing something cool, most interesting thing I had all night was breaking up a bar fight." Dick whined.

"Come on Dickie Bird, it could always be worse," Jason Grinned. "You could've had to deal with condiment king."

The table collectively groaned. Well except Tim, but that was to be expected, he looked about ready to fall face first into his food.

"What about your Case Tim, aren't you still working on that one with the missing kids?" Jason questioned, "Would have thought you'd have that one figured out by now huh."

"Kidnapped," he replies, still looking at his plate as though he were contemplating using it as a pillow.

"Hm?"

"They were kidnapped, honestly they are probably dead by now."

And look, Dick understood, after being in the game so long he knew that sometimes you have to detach yourself from the emotions of a case. But he thought, looking at Tim right then, that he was being a little too indifferent when talking about kids dying.

"Tim, buddy, you can't lose hope, those kids are counting on us to save them!"

Tim finally glanced up and looked him dead in the eyes. If Dick was telling the truth, it was a little unnerving. He looked like a zombie, pale and unfocused eyes, which was ironic, seeing as though he was seating 5 feet away from an actual zombie.

"It isn't about hope, of course I'm not giving up, I will find them. But it's been weeks and depending on the situation I honestly might prefer if they were already dead and that's why we haven't found them." His eyes glaze just a little more. "We still have no idea who has them, or why, or what they are doing to them. We have no idea..." He trails off and looks back down at his food to take focus on taking a bite.

After that the mood sobered a little bit.

"Don't... Don't you think that's a little insensitive?" Duke chimed in with an awkward laugh

And Dick knew it wasn't, knew that it was a perfectly reasonable thought process, if not a little morbid.

"Yah come on Timmy, I'm sure it'll all be ok!" Ok so sue him, let Dick pretend like the world wasn't a terrible, awful place for like two seconds.

"You know, as someone who has died, zero out of ten, would not recommend." Jason cut in, "Tim, I know people say you can sleep when you're dead, and I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they are definitely wrong."

Dick barked out a laugh, "He looks just about ready to pass out right here, right now."

The whole table laughs at that, the rest joining in on teasing Tim for his bad sleep habits.

"Honestly Dick, at this point the only thing that would be able to keep him up is a little shock from your escrima sticks"

At Jason's words Tim's chair scraped across the floor.

"That's not funny," he said in a breathless, sort of desperate tone.

Dick, laughter dying down just a little, looks over at Tim, worried that something might have triggered him, or hurt his feelings.

But when he saw his face, full of mirth and a mile long smile, he just burst into more laughter.

Dick was right, this was going to be a good day.

Thinking a very normal amount about Tim being joker junior.

Thinking about Jason dying and Tim becoming robin out of necessity.

Thinking about Bruce not noticing Tim has been kidnapped because surely, surely his parents would file a report. Surely Tim must have been dragged into going on a trip with them and just didn’t mention it.

Thinking of Bruce not questioning things correctly because he is too busy grieving the previous robin.

Thinking of Bruce just thinking Joker Junior is a random kid.

Thinking of Barbra being the one to notice instead.

Thinking of Barbra consoling Tim after he kills the Joker.

Thinking of her taking Tim and letting him heal in the Drake estate.

Thinking of a file Bruce Wayne makes called Joker junior, one that Tim never looks at, that talks about a kid who killed the Joker and has been missing ever since.

Thinking of, months later, when robin returns to Bruce’s side, it just so happens to coincide with the return of Jack and Janet.

Thinking of Tim thinking Barbra must have told Bruce, but he just never came to see him. And that’s fine, because it isn’t as if they are family, Tim is just here to make sure Bats doesn’t go off the deep end again.

Thinking of Barbra not telling Bruce, because surely he already knows, he’s the world’s greatest detective. Plus she isn’t one to talk about other people’s trauma when they aren’t around.

Thinking of Tim hiding his laughter, because Batman would never let him keep patrolling if he knew he was still having fits.

Thinking of Dick not being there most of the time, and when he is, he mostly spends it arguing with Bruce.

Thinking of Tim knowing that Dick must know because he hears them fighting about the joker being dead once, although he did leave pretty soon after when he feels the laughter bubbling up in his throat.

Thinking of Jason coming back, attacking him at the titains tower, and telling him that he’s read all his files and knows everything about Tim. Obviously Tim takes this to mean he knows that Tim killed the joker as JJ. Because why wouldn’t that be in his file.

Thinking of Jason not having time to question when the little Robin who replaced him starts manically laughing once he sees him, because as soon as he hears the familiar laugh the green takes over completely.

Thinking of Tim finally feeling in control of himself, but then worst year ever happens. His parents are dead, Bruce is lost in the time stream, all his friends are dead, Robin is stolen from him, and everyone thinks he is crazy. He starts to relapse.

Thinking of Tim actually going a little bit crazy after that, trying to clone Bart and Kon, joining the league of assassins, doing all those crazy things he did during worst year ever.

Thinking of Cass learning after saving Tim from the daughter of Acheron. There isn’t much he can do but explain after she witnesses one of his fits.

Thinking about years later, when everyone has relationships more akin to Batman: Wayne family adventures, Tim still feels a little out of the group.

Thinking of everyone getting mad when he talks about the Joker, especially if it’s in front of Jason.

Thinking of Tim going silent or making himself scarce everytime the Joker is mentioned.

Thinking of a Tim who finds an excuse not to go out when Harley Quinn is.

Thinking of a Tim who hasn’t had an episode in years.

Thinking of a Tim who watches Jason get all this support for his trauma, while he doesn’t.

Thinking of him going to Barbra or Cass anytime he has a set back because they are the only ones who seem to care.

Thinking of a Wayne family who doesn’t know.

Thinking of a Tim who Knows they Know, but they just don’t care.

[dramatic-squirrel]

Daminette December Day 21- Green

@maribat-calendar-events

Part 2 to Daminette December Day 7- Red

“I think you’re all missing a big part of the equation.” Marinette looked at the batfamily over her cup of hot cocoa. “You seem to have forgotten that shades of color exist.”

They paused their arguments to stare at her. “I don’t get your point.” Tim said.

“If Damian is going to paint his room a color he can just pick a lighter shade of green. There are more kinds of green than forest green.”

“Forest green?” Tim murmured as if the concept alluded him, which Marinette really couldn’t understand. 

“Green is green and red is red, no reason to make it complicated Pixie.” Jason fell into one of the lounge chairs and took out a flask. “Besides, Demon Spawn said red so case settled. Dickie-bird’s just being dramatic.”

“Screw you Jason,” a muffled sob came from where dick was hiding his face in his hands.

“Damian doesn’t know the first thing about design. I honestly can’t believe none of you came to me first.” Marinette set her cup down then gestured to herself. “The designer? Hello?” In one corner of the room, Damian was just leaning his head against the wall, regretting every second he decided to stay in this house. “Anyways, red would be an awful color for Damian.”

Dick’s head shot up at her words, the nonexistent tears drying up fast. “Yes!” He jumped up from his seat. “Marinette agrees with me!” Jason rolled his eyes in exasperation, while Marinette just sighed at their antics, nothing could prepare you for the Waynes.

“A nice shamrock green would brighten up the space.” As soon as she made the suggestion everyone’s face scrunched up in disgust. “Yeah, no. Too riddler-esque. And too bright for Damian.”

Even after several minutes, Marinette still couldn’t think of a shade that was both light enough to brighten up the space but dark enough to suit Damian’s sense of style. It’s just who he was, he was dark forest green. Like the night, but a bit more gentle, a bit more mysterious. From where she sat next to Marinette, Cass gestured something to the pigtailed girl and everything clicked into place.

“You’re a genius Cass!” she hugged the girl, only so long as Cass felt comfortable. “ Accents! That will brighten up the room and we don’t have to redo everything.” her brain was firing off a million thoughts a minute. “Light brown furniture, white accents for the floor board and windows. Oh but, the furniture can’t be white since you guys would just bleed all over it and stain it. We’ll have to go shopping!” Standing up , she walked over to where Damian was still standing in a corner and then pulled him by his arm towards the exit. “Let’s go. The quicker we do this the faster it gets done.”

Damian shot daggers at Cass as he was dragged by Marinette, retribution and revenge in his gaze. Meanwhile Dick followed after them, dragging Tim along. “This will be a great family outing. Tim, you need to change your room too. You’ve got nothing but black everywhere, it’s like the batcave 2.0.”

“It’s easier to hide blood stains on black and easier to see the computer screen.”

“Which is why we’re changing. You need sleep, not more time on your computer.” Tim tried to struggle out of Dick’s grip but gave up just as fast. It was too much work fighting against the inevitable.

[a-night-like--this]

‘Robert Smith isn’t people’s perceptions’: Stories behind classic photos of The Cure

As the Cure head out on tour across the UK, renowned photographer Tom Sheehan takes us on a trip through some classic pictures of the band.

LAURA KELLY

Tom Sheehan has been taking photos of The Cure since the ’80s. Snatching moments on tour in dressing rooms around the world. Persuading the band to pose in major European cities. Capturing that intense connection Robert Smith has with the camera, and acting as a conduit to the readers of Melody Maker, NME, Sounds and Record Mirror.

Sheehan’s new book The Cure: Pictures of You is a visual record of one of the UK’s most influential bands. As The Cure head out on tour across the UK, Sheehan looks back on his decades of working with the band to share his memories and the behind-the-scenes stories of some of his favourite shots.

The first time I met Robert [Smith] and Lol [Tolhurst, the Cure’s former drummer] was at the Shepherds Bush Hilton in 1982. The Cure were supporting the Banshees, and Robert was also playing in the Banshees so he was a tired boy, I guess.

We were under the cosh because they were about to head off to soundcheck. So, my journalist colleague got about 20 minutes on tape. I got a few frames of them going through a revolving door going out of the hotel. When I look at those pictures, I see there’s a lot of humour going on.

On that half roll of film, the majority of them they’re larking about and Robert was smiling. It was a very comfortable entry into the world of The Cure. There’s that kind of rolling humour that The Cure have, which, luckily for me, I seem to have tapped into from our very first encounter. The perception of Robert at that time wasn’t a very happy guy. He isn’t what people’s perceptions of him are.

Prior to a band recording or doing a gig or whatever, there’s always a little bit of camaraderie. You’re setting things up and there might be a little bit of joshing going on, but the minute you start rolling, you’re working. I’m performing as much as they are. They’ve got to respond to me.

Robert does have a reputation for being a control freak, but I think he hands over the baton to whoever is working with. He ain’t going to leap through hoops of fire, and it was never in my modus operandi to get pictures that made the turn look foolish. But I think he trusts people that he knows can do the job.

The Cure on tour: Robert Smith in Bologna. Photo: Tom Sheehan

Robert Smith enjoys the sculptures in Bologna: The Cure on tour in Italy, June 1984

This was on The Top tour. I joined them in Italy. They were quite a tight band. There’s always this thing when you join a band on tour, even if they know you a bit, you still feel like the outsider because you’re not part of the gang. Although you might be an honorary member for two or three days, you’re an outsider. It’s like you can’t argue with a married couple. It’s the same with any band, you know: they’ve got their own lingo, their own ways. You’re witnessing it, but you’re actually outside of it. And you’ll never be able to penetrate it.

That statue with a fountain is in Bologna, and it’s on a Sunday morning. The day before, the gig was great… but earlier on in the day, Robert had a dicky tummy. I think he’d eaten a dodgy prawn or something and he was laying on the on the dressing room floor, groaning in pain prior to soundcheck.

He recovered enough the next morning to go out. But it was a case of, let’s nail it. So that was just a quick once around the block and take some pictures. It was really fortuitous that there was some nice architecture around to utilise.

Lol Tolhurst and Robert Smith. Photo: Tom Sheehan

A cheeky moment with Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst: The Cure on tour in Italy, June 1984

I have a history of them doing stuff [for other photographers] and me walking in and taking over the studio. There was this really famous Italian photographer who was shooting them for a really high-end publication. This guy was set up and then he was done, and he was talking to his assistant. I just shifted the lights around a bit, and whacked off a couple of frames. That was on the hoof, you know? If something presents itself, you just go to go, there you go chaps. And bang, bang, bang. This picture is the one Lol used on the cover of the UK version of his biography, Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys.

A dressing room portrait. Photo: Tom Sheehan

Getting Robert out of bed: The Cure on tour in Brussels, November 1987

It was a Saturday night, they played some club in Brussels which I can’t recall. We’re in the dressing room and Robert’s sorting out his hair and all that stuff. I’ve just got a couple of plastic backgrounds on a wall and I’m just saying, “Robert, the blue one.” I’m getting them as they’re ready.

If they’re getting ready for a show, they don’t really want me in their in their hair as well. So I pinned up two backgrounds next to each other so I could switch, one to the other. Then the Melody Maker’s got a choice of colours.

Those pictures have quite clear lighting, they’re quite defined. Good for a cover, perhaps. But I was gagging for something in daylight. So, I said to Robert, can we meet tomorrow lunchtime? I get there at one or two o’clock, and the bugger’s still in bed. It was in November, and it was getting dark. So, I thought I better go from street level up to the roof. And then Robert turns up and it’s that classic kind of ‘Tommy, do I really have to be here?’ kinda look. This kind of weathered, aged, ‘is this totally necessary?’ look. I always remember it, because it doesn’t look as dark as it was getting… or maybe it was just my sheer panic.

Eye contact is vital to make a photo work on the newsstand. Photo: Tom Sheehan

‘Give us your eyes’: The Cure on tour in France, 1989

This was a swifty – dive in and dive out. You can’t take a photograph of The Cure in their fatigues. You can’t do it until he’s ready, in the sense of made up, ready to go. The eyes are on, the lips on, the hair’s done. If they if they’ve got a gig coming, I have to be quite economical with the time because they’re on stage in 30 minutes.

Robert is really good at connecting with the camera. He knows what’s required. It’s not like the [Melody] Maker was some sort of art magazine. You couldn’t have some enigmatic, looking-at-the-stars shot, because it’d be too dark and the ink would fuck up. A lot of time it had to be quite clean.

When Melody Maker, along with the NME and Sounds and Record Mirror, was sitting with a multitude of other magazines on the news stand at Tottenham Court Road when you come out of the tube station, you’ve got to be able to see those minces [mince pies, rhyming slang for eyes] on the other side of the road. Every time I’m working with a man, whoever I’m photographing, I say, give us your eyes. Unless you got eye contact, you can’t expect people to look at it the same way.

Sometimes when you look into the lens and look into their eyes, it is a bit of a staring competition. With Robert I think he’s always been confident. I mean, God knows what he thinks about in his own time, but when he’s working his confidence is great. He’s always appeared to be older than his years as well.

A big day out to Westbury White Horse with the Cure. Photo: Tom Sheehan

Robert’s side hustle as a National Trust guide: The Cure in southwest England, 1995

This was a great day out. The band were done in the southwest recording [the album Wild Mood Swings] in that actress’s house [Jane Seymour’s house, St Catherine’s Court in Somerset]. I came down when they’d been stuck in the studio for a couple of weeks, so I’m sure they wanted a distraction. In other words, taking the piss out of a mature lensman. So, off we went.

Robert was, and probably still is, a member of the National Trust. So he had it all worked out, where we’re were going. We got in a van and we just travelled around. We went to Cheddar Gorge and all round that area. Robert had made a few notes, so he’d be looking at the map, and saying, “Coming up is…”

The horse doesn’t have any hidden meaning. It’s just the British countryside. But I like to think it confused a lot of people overseas, in Japan or whatever.

The Cure at Westside Studios. Photo: Tom Sheehan

Music icons: The Cure in Westside Studios, London, 2005

It was 2005, and The Cure were in Westside Studios recording. I was taking a picture of Robert with a copy of Bowie’s …Ziggy Stardust… for series of portraits on music icons and the records that inspired them. I said to him, “let’s get a couple of other portraits while we’re here”. There was this spiral staircase outside, so we headed there. Robert said to me “you’ll do better getting me from above…” and he was right. I like taking photos from above, you get a better line on people’s jaw. Their faces look better.

I think Robert worked out his relationship between him and the camera. I mean, he got his whole thing together, didn’t he? With the hair and the lips and the clobber. If you’ve got all that stuff around, you could confuse the viewer. So I’d always say, I still want the eyes. I want that contact.

The Cure: Pictures of You by Tom Sheehan, with a foreword by Robert Smith, is published November 3, 2022.