#ladies first cypher

[lennonenglish]

#TBTMusic: 2020 Ladies 1st Cypher

[hasnomoxxie]

Could you tell us more about Dan from Levity Rises?

YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO ASK ME AB LEVITY RISES

I recently updated the designs for them so I'll talk ab them all if you don't mind :]c

I'll add the most information on Dan though just for you bbg!

I do plan on making a few screenshot redraws (and potentially an intro animatic because an awesome person actually made a theme for this au)

THE MYSTERY TWINS ⇆ THE ORIGINAL MYSTERY TWINS

Stanley and Stanford Pines take on the roles of Dipper and Mabel! Stan's curious and is the more mystery focussed one whereas Ford is more energetic and active than his base counterpart.

Stanley is an adventurous young boy, looking for the next interesting trip to go on, initially thinking spending the summer at Levity Rises was going to be a waste of time. Though after arriving and finding the scrapbooks alongside the anomalies happening across Levity, he and his brother quickly became obsessed with finding out the secrets of the Rises, as well as who the mysterious Smile Pup(swapped with bill cypher) is.

Ford (often going by 'Six' or 'Sixer) is a happy go lucky and optimistic young child who is alot tougher than his base counterpart was at his age. Since it's typically only just been him and his brother, so he's eager to make the best of his summer by meeting new people, though he hides his polydactyly with gloves he changes frequently.

DIPPER ⇆ STANLEY

Dipper takes the role of Grunkle Stan in this au!

Owner of the mystery shack, Grunkle Mason- or (Big) Dipper to people around Levity Rises- is the resident faux scientist of the town. His personality is more eccentric, tending to get hyper fixated on paranormal paraphernalia, to the point in where he does lock himself away for periods at a time.

Not much is known about his origins, he just kind of always existed on the outsidea of the town, but after opening the shack to the public, people quickly accepted his presence due to his quirky personality.

MANLY DAN ⇆ SOOS

Dan actually takes the role of Soos in this au, being the resident handyman of the mystery shack! Though often the lines blur between his role and Wendy's from the original. Wanted to keep it flexible yk?

Dan's a real dude's bro, pretty dim witted and blunt but often chill and level headed- Unless he's challenged- dude's competitive as hell, it's actually crazy. His mother, dubbed 'womanly wendy', is the toughest lady in town, owning a diner, aptly named 'Wendy's'.

Dan enjoys working at the Shack as it's one of the few places that'll let him freely experiment with his logging with the nearby trees for his own projects and adding fixtures onto the shack, which Dipper is pretty thankful for since he can focus his efforts on other things. It's also because of this reason that Dipper puts up with Dan's outbursts and semi airheaded personality. So it's safe to say, he's there the majority of the time.

Stan admires Danny alot and the events of 'Into the bunker' happens with Dan in place of Wendy. This does mean Stan had a passing crush on Danny during the episode, but even afterwards Stan kind of puts him on a pedestal. Ford enjoys Dan's company often being called 'little man' and playfighting on occasion. The twins act like his little hype men and he enjoys hanging with them.

As for Soos in this au, he initially built the mystery shack and is frequently seen around Levity Rises taking on odd jobs and making people as happy as they can be, though it's implied that he hasn't found his true calling yet.

LAZY SUZAN ⇆ WENDY

Lazy Suzan takes the role of Wendy in this au! Hazy Jane is a part time worker at the mystery shack, and is stan's first crush upon arrival to the Rises. She's a bit of an odd soul with a less than perfect memory, but is incredible at making a homely environment for the shack. Despite that, she can be extremely co-dependent in some situations, especially with her boyfriend. Otherwise she's earnest and does her best at her job. The events of 'Soos and the real girl' occur with Jane instead of Soos (and Rumble instead of GIFanny). Despite wanting to help, Stan is incredibly pouty throughout the episode.

Here's the design line up as well as initial notes I made when redoing them!

Hope this answered your question about Dan :]

RAUGH THANKS SO MUCH FOR ASKING THOUGHHHHHH

(EDIT)

SOMEONE SUGGESTED A BETTER SWAP FOR BILL, I JUST HAD TO ADD IT!

(EDIT EDIT)

I'm fixing wording and stuff so it's easier to read soz :p

[redflagshipwriter]

Check Yes ch 9 part 2

masterpost

That whole detour took a depressing amount of their allotted Dick-free time frame. Danny sulked about it a bit as Jason caught up to him and bumped his shoulder. Jason fished his phone out and clearly made a call to a restaurant, giving them an ETA and asking them for the meal Danny had asked for.

Well… Danny untensed a bit. He was willing to look at Jason again by the time that the phone call finished. 

“Wanna talk strategy?” Jason coaxed. 

Danny pursed his lips. “Is anything off limits?” he asked with a shrug. He spread his hands out. “I can fly, go intangible– most of my powers are more martial but those are really applicable.”

“I can’t do either of those things,” Jason said, “So unless-”

“I will just pick you up,” Danny cut him off. He flicked a glance up and down the other guy. “You weigh nothing to me.”

Jason seemed to experience a 404 error. Once he had rebooted he cleared his throat and his voice still came out a little peaky. “I think those things are fair, but we don’t wanna clear Dick totally, it won’t be any fun unless he thinks he has a shot at some points.” He cleared his throat again.

‘....Does he want me to pick him up?’ Danny looked Jason over as sneakily as he could manage. ‘He didn’t let me carry him up the stairs, but maybe that was different because we were play-fighting.’

He filed that very interesting question away for later and took a little mercy on his date. “What strengths does he have, what tactics is he gonna use?”

Jason whistled a long breath out from between his teeth and opened a door for Danny. “We should call Barbie and beg for her neutrality. He won’t go to tech immediately, but tracking us by cameras is always an option.”

Danny snorted and tossed his hair. “Not a problem,” he boasted. “I can short out any cameras in my vicinity.”

There was a moment of silence. “That sounds like it would make it really easy to spot our current location.”

Oh. Well. Heck.

“...Is this the restaurant?” Danny pushed open the door without waiting for an answer, bell jingling overhead.  

A sharp-eyed waiter in black and white saw them enter and indicated the back area with a gloved hand. “Thanks, France,” Jason said easily. He pulled out a seat for Danny without a thought.

Danny shared a moment of eye contact with France. Danny was intending to communicate, ‘Do you see this shit, France?’ France was a cypher. There was no hint of what he thought about this.

…Danny sat. “Thank you,” he said, a little confused by the gesture but pretty certain that this was the best response. 

Jason seated himself and gave him a distracted smile in lieu of a verbal reply. Shit. Fuck. He was hot. Danny flashed internal alarms at this. “Are you still interested in red wine, or would you like something else?” 

“Uhhh.” Danny decided not to say that he had no idea, he was basically copying the romantic date from The Lady and the Tramp. “I’d like to start with a water.” 

“Of course.” Jason glanced over at France, who inclined his head and left in a frankly shocking burst of speed. “I think that Dick will try to leverage the date against me, to embarrass me,” he said thoughtfully. He picked up a saltshaker and started toying with it absentmindedly. “He’ll think that I won’t want the other guys bothering us.”

Danny cocked his head. 

“I was thinking about cutting that out from underneath him, at the last second,” Jason explained. “Dick’ll probably have a couple contingencies around siblings.”

“Yeah, control the flow of information,” Danny agreed. “Do you think you can turn any of them against him?”

Jason pursed his lips. “Yes, but not predictably. It’ll depend who sides with who first. It’s not a fun game if they all play on the same team, so some of them will be willing to fuck him over.” He blinked and lifted his hands as France returned with a pitcher of lemon water and a plate of appetizers. 

It was a very serious war council, for all that it happened to be about the tactics Birds and Bats would use in a game of tag. Danny caught himself leaning forward, elbows braced on the table, to breathe in every word out of Jason’s mouth. 

“Don’t worry about the big guy though,” Danny faintly understood. He was glazing out a little bit, just watching Jason’s mouth move. There was a little bit of stubble that hadn’t been there at the start of their date a few hours ago. Danny wanted to touch it. “No way will they invite him to play, he hasn’t been fun for a decade.”

“Whatever you say,” Danny managed. Unbidden, one hand started to come up off the tabletop, reaching toward Jason’s jawline. Touchy touch touch.

“What- oh, we should take a photo for the group chat.” Jason pushed the food slightly out of the way and rested an elbow on the table to support himself as he leaned basically into Danny’s space. He used that hand to grab the hand Danny had been inching across the table and he gave it a squeeze.

He was. He was holding Danny’s hand again. Danny swallowed, hard. Was his pulse too fast? Could Jason feel that?

“Lean in a bit?” Jason was checking how they looked in his phone camera. 

Danny leaned forward agreeably, brain screaming static at him. He didn’t even bother to think about how he looked in the photo. It must have been fine because Jason made an approving noise and put the phone back down on the table. “I’ll send it to the group chat in about 20 minutes,” he said.

“Ngah,” Danny said intelligently. 

Luckily, the pasta came then.

[vermilionsun]

Okay, so we basically know very little/nothing, but I compiled everything I could find here :)

TW for religius themes [?]

Strap in

First of all, we know two definite Gods: the Allmother and Ocudeus.

The Allmother seems to be a benevolent deity that protects her believers. We can assume that since mr. Chocky was wishing upon her for mercy during the Soulless’ attack on the caravan and he was the only one not dying at that point (The Soulless kills him only after the MC’s curse has taken control of him).

Plus, the (Oracle! has the extra —[text]—) MC comments:

Is she the one who made the Soulless kill the traveller to save the MC? And cut their arms off to end their misery? Could she be protecting them?

Or did she not want her subject [the traveller] to suffer due to the MC's curse?

Was everything random and out of her control?

And that's basically everything we know about the Allmother.

Then we have Ocudeus. This ancient motherfucker— I had to rewind the damn game for this tentacle bitch again.

Anyway, we know he's the ancient, eldritch being Ais has formed a pact with" that gives him "borrowed, unnerving abilities."

Also, it is suspected that its name is likely from Latin oculus and deus ("eye" and "god") + that "Ocu" also means water in Betoi.

Now, onto the funny stuff: (Oracle!MC is the only one who comments on these)

The MC can hear a heartbeat the moment they step out of Kuras' clinic

And it gets louder the closer they get to the Seaspring

The MC can literally feel Ocudeus watching them from the Seaspring. What's interesting is that they find it familiar

Ais warns the MC about "ruining the host's mood" [Could be interpreted as: "I'm (Ais) nice, but you don't want to ruin the host's (Ocudeus, who propably lives in the waters of the Seaspring) mood (by asking questions regarding its power and questioning its dominance/control over me)] — As if Ocudeus itself invited them over; that would explain how that lady knew the MC's name:

Either Ocudeus wanted to see them or it wanted to be fed tea leaves by Ais and felt it was nescessary to brought someone over for Ais to clean the damn temple once in a whie—

IN REGARDS TO AIS' RELATIONSHIP WITH OCUDEUS

The MC's eyes always return to the mark, and only explanation left is that it was made by Ocudeus

WAIT. Pause and backtract to the Seaspring

Let's break them down:

1. The topmost

2. The closest one

3. The bottommost

"ucly dpzo vu h zovvapun zahy ol'z hsdhfz spzalupun." - Both with Affine [A=1, B=7] and Mono-alphabetic Substitution (+10 other cyphers) it's the same message: NEVER WISH ON A SHOOTING STAR HE'S ALWAYS LISTENING

Since the notes are left there by people who have evidently drank from the Seaspring (“If you see me, never speak to me,” etc) I will take a wild guess and assume the bottomest note is Ais’ last moments before Ocudeus merged with him.

And also this ties with the whole “Ocudeus is a fallen god” (“shooting/fallen star”) who left the Shroud ignorant about the world beyond and ended up landing to Eridia

"A river bisects Eridia into two distinct halves: the flood-eroded districts of Lowtown, and the elevated, gilded city of Hightown." — Eridia's a river city and Ocudeus is a giant fucking octopus.

ᵂʰᵃᵗ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵖᵒˢˢᶦᵇˡʸ ᵍᵒ ʷʳᵒⁿᵍˀ :⁾⁾

What I find interesting though is that if the note is truly by Ais, he mentions mirrors and eyes. He must have been trying to hide from something—Ocudeus or another deity?—that “knew what he did,” and let Ocudeus overtake him as a last resort, perhaps.

BUT WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE MIRRORS?!?!?!

THERE IS NOT ONE (1) MIRROR IN THE WHOLE DEMO. NOR IN THE PROMOS. NOT ONE. [unless I'm blind]

Sure, it could be the surface of the water and the whole thing is metaphoricall but it bugs me so muchhhhh

kuras Kuras KURAS KURAS KURAS KURAS

Recently, it was revealed that he, indeed, came out of the Shroud THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THE FOGFALL OCCURED

And I bring you a background issue:

"An angel is a heavenly supernatural or spiritual being. In monotheistic belief-systems, such beings are under service of the supreme deity (i.e. God)."

Is he autonomous or does he worship a god? And if so, WHICH GOD?!

Perhaps, and take that with a grain of salt, perhaps Allmother

[Does anyone see a pattern? 'Cause I do]

What if Kuras' greatest sin was leaving the Shroud?

Kuras came through the Shroud because he loved humanity. He's had human friends, colleagues, and lovers...

Their incorporeal spirits take physical form, strengthening some and weakening others. The longer they spend in the human world, the better they adapt.

Kuras loved humanity so much he up and left the Shroud and gifted humans all the knowledge he possessed. He risked his power - perhaps his life - as he travelled through.

And so I ask you; Is that his biggest regret? Him loving humans to the extend of abandoning the Shroud and his creator for a life of teaching them, only for his efforts to result in "trinkets, pleasure, and petty tyranny"?

And lastly, Vere

I want you to keep an open mind with this

We know from his character lore that

"Centuries ago, the Senobium bound a wicked beast with a magic collar, sealing his powers and forcing his obedience."

and we know Vere has lived for over a century

BUT THE THING IS: ancient ≠ century [also mentioned here]

WHAT IF

"Seems we're both cursed"

What if Vere used to be human and attempted to take the ancient beast's power [remember, his fatal flaw: "Lusts for power, no matter the consequences"]

He obviously succeeded and became what he is now, while simultaniously getting chained for one reason or another;

The Senobium obviously sees him as a threat but uses him for his abilities anyways

Prehaps he couldn't control the power he gained?

He could have been a theif wanting a better life, like the Hound!MC

He could have been affiliated with the Senobium in another way before

But we know one thing for sure:

He, too, was betrayed and caused havoc unintentionally

Perhaps in regard to the beast's powers?

[lookninjas]

We've done disco. We've done country. We've done metal a couple times.

Time for some rap.

Pick a song from a bad description! You do not have to recognize the song to vote for the song. Vote for whatever description tickles your fancy. Whatever strikes you as the funniest. Whatever you as a classicist think is a reasonable interpretation of the Iliad. Just pick a song.

At the end of the week, I will make a playlist out of the poll results, starting with the song that gets the least amount of votes, and ending with the song that gets the most amount of votes. If you would like to hear the playlist when it's finished, leave me a comment or put your request in the tags, and I will tag you when the playlist is complete. If you really desperately want to know what the Thai for party is, or if you're curious about another song and you don't want to wait, shoot me an ask and I will answer.

And as always, please reblog the poll! The more people who see the poll, the more people will hopefully get curious about the songs and want to listen to the playlist, which means that more people will be exposed to some really dope music, and that is ultimately the end goal. And I promise you, every song on this playlist is a banger.

(Also, every song on the next playlist will be a banger, and the extended versions of both playlists will be extra bangers. The problem with doing a rap/hip-hop playlist for me is that with a 12-track limit on the polls, even I'm upset at what I'm leaving out right now. Too many songs, not enough options!)

[vintake-ss]

𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

//I'm so happy y'all liked the first one ♡

→ Pt.1 │ pt. 2 │ pt. 3

→ M.list

Every single agent knows at least basic sign language. Mainly for mission situations where they can't talk.

If you held a gun to neon's head and asked her to solve a math question, she'd tell you to pull the trigger.

Omen has knitted a little sweater for wingman.

Everyone avoids Jett when she's sick. Her sneezes will send you flying.

Same thing for neon but she accidentally electrocutes you 💀

Skye makes wood carvings of her animal friends

Harbour is the type to say "you ladies alright?"

During her childhood, raze took things apart to study how they worked. Clocks, extension cables, etc...

Due to a past mishap, gekko and clove are officially banned from the protocol's kitchen.

Sage texts with perfect grammer and punctuation. She has never missed a full stop or a comma.

Cypher has a box filled with his wedding ring, pictures of his family and familiar children's toys.

Phoenix wears a bonnet to sleep

Clove has a kindle they love reading books and fanfics on.

No one has beaten KJ at rock-paper-scissors. Ever.

Omen doesn't need to eat, but joins the agents for lunch anyway to try and bond with them.

Cypher likes spoiling the younger agents

[nerdsbianhokie]

Reading the World

In 2023, I challenged myself to watch a movie from every country in the world during the year, which I more or less succeeded. At the start of 2024 I decided to read a book from every country in the world (without the time restraint) and got a map to track my progress along with a challenge on Story Graph.

List of countries and books below the cut

Current count: 59

Afghanistan:

Albania:

Algeria:

American Samoa: Where We Once Belonged by Sia Figiel

Andorra: Andorra: a play in twelve scenes by Max Frisch

Angola: The Whistler by Ondjaki

Anguilla:

Antigua and Barbuda:

Argentina: Our Share of the Night by Mariana Enríquez

Armenia:

Aruba:

Australia: Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Alexis West

Austria:

Azerbaijan:

Bahamas:

Bahrain:

Bangladesh:

Barbados:

Belarus:

Belgium:

Belize:

Benin:

Bermuda:

Bhutan: Folktales of Bhutan by Kunzang Choden

Bolivia:

Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Botswana:

Brazil: The Words That Remain by Stênio Gardel

British Virgin Islands:

Brunei:

Bulgaria:

Burkina Faso:

Burundi: Baho! by Roland Rugero

Cambodia: Ma and Me by Putsata Reang

Cameroon: The Impatient by Djaïli Amadou Amal

Canada: The Gift is in the making: Anishinaabeg Stories retold by Amanda Strong and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Canary Islands: Dogs of Summer by Andrea Abreu

Cape Verde:

Cayman Islands:

Central African Republic: Co-wives, Co-widows by Adrienne Yabouza

Chad:

Chile: The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández

China: The Secret Talker by Geling Yan

Christmas Islands:

Cocos Islands:

Colombia:

Comoros:

Cook Islands:

Costa Rica:

Croatia:

Cuba: I Was Never the First Lady by Wendy Guerra

Curacao:

Cyprus:

Czech Republic:

Dem. Rep. of Congo:

Denmark: The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking

Djibouti:

Dominica:

Dominican Republic:

Ecuador:

Egypt:

El Salvador:

Equatorial Guinea:

Eritrea:

Estonia:

Eswatini:

Ethiopia:

Falkland Islands:

Faroe Islands:

Fiji:

Finland:

France: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

French Guiana:

French Polynesia:

Gabon:

Gambia:

Georgia:

Germany: At the Edge of the Night by Friedo Lampe

Ghana: Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

Gibraltar:

Greece:

Greenland:

Grenada:

Guam:

Guatemala:

Guernsey:

Guinea:

Guinea-Bissau:

Guyana:

Haiti:

Honduras:

Hong Kong:

Hungary:

Iceland: The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir

India: Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir Of Surviving India's Caste System by Yashica Dutt

Indonesia: Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan

Iran: Darius the Great is Not Okay by Abid Khorram

Iraq: Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

Ireland:

Isle of Man:

Israel:

Italy:

Ivory Coast:

Jamaica: When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten

Japan: The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

Jordan:

Kazakhstan:

Kenya:

Kiribati:

Kosovo:

Kuwait:

Kyrgyzstan:

Laos:

Latvia:

Lebanon: Beirut Hellfire Society by Rawi Hage

Lesotho:

Liberia:

Libya: Zodiac of Echoes by Khaled Mattawa

Liechtenstein:

Lithuania:

Luxembourg:

Macedonia:

Madagascar:

Malawi:

Malaysia:

Maldives:

Mali:

Malta:

Marshall Islands:

Mauritania:

Mauritius: The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah

Mexico: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Morena-Garcia

Micronesia:

Moldova:

Monaco:

Mongolia:

Montenegro:

Montserrat:

Morocco:

Mozambique:

Myanmar: Smile as They Bow by Nu Nu Yi

Namibia:

Nauru:

Nepal:

Netherlands: We Had to Remove this Post by Hanna Bervoets

New Caledonia:

New Zealand: Tahuri by Ngahuia Te Awekotuku

Nicaragua:

Niger:

Nigeria: Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Niue:

Norfolk Island:

North Korea: A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim

Northern Mariana Islands:

Norway: Blind Goddess by Anne Holt

Oman:

Pakistan: Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

Palau:

Palestine: The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher

Panama:

Papua New Guinea:

Paraguay:

Peru:

Philippines:

Pitcairn Islands:

Poland: Return from the Stars by Stanisław Lem

Portugal: Pardalita by Joana Estrela

Puerto Rico: Velorio by Xavier Navarro Aquino

Qatar:

Rep. of the Congo:

Romania:

Russia:

Rwanda: Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

Saint Barthelemy:

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha:

Saint Kitts and Nevis:

Saint Lucia:

Saint Martin:

Saint Pierre and Miquelon:

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:

Samoa: Where We Once Belonged by Sia Figiel

San Marino:

Sao Tome and Principe:

Saudi Arabia: Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea

Senegal:

Serbia:

Seychelles:

Sierra Leone:

Singapore:

Sint Maarten:

Slovakia:

Slovenia:

Solomon Islands:

Somalia: Under the Shade of a Tree: Somali Women Speak edited by Rissa Mohabir

South Africa:

South Korea: The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong -Mo

South Sudan:

Spain: Mammoth by Eva Baltasar

Sri Lanka: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Sudan: The Translator: A Memoir by Daoud Hari

Suriname:

Sweden: Fire from the Sky by Moa Backe Åstot

Switzerland:

Syria: The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War by Delphine Minoui

Taiwan:

Tajikistan: The Sandalwood Box: Folk Tales from Tadzhikistan by Hans Baltzer

Tanzania:

Thailand:

Togo:

Tokelau:

Tonga:

Trinidad and Tobago:

Tunisia:

Turkey:

Turkmenistan:

Turks and Caicos Islands:

Tuvalu:

Uganda:

Ukraine:

United Arab Emirates:

United Kingdom: Poyums by Len Pennie

United States of America: Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory D. Smithers

United States Virgin Islands: No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

Uruguay:

Uzbekistan:

Vanuatu: Sista, Stanap Strong : A Vanuatu Women's Anthology edited by Mikaela Nyman and Rebecca Tobo Olul-Hossen

Venezuela: Doña Barbara by Rómulo Gallegos

Vietnam:

Wallis and Futuna:

Western Sahara:

Yemen:

Zambia:

Zimbabwe: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

[synthient]

Notes from the "critics who didn't like the movie" M1 commentary (each matrix movie has a "philosophers who liked it" and "critics who didn't like it" commentary track):

for Critics Who Didn't Like It TM, they're actually pretty generous with the first movie. There's a little giggling at the dialog or poking fun at the "pretentious undergrad philosophy," but also a lot of praising the formal qualities and getting excited about its various cinematic influences. At the end, they agree that M1 probably would have been looked back on as a "masterpiece" "if they'd stopped there"

They're already dropping hints that they're going to be a lot less nice about the sequels

"You can feel the directors falling in love with Hugo Weaving here." "And the audience!" fhdjs all three critics are big Weaving-as-Smith fans and take every opportunity to gush about how fun his performance is

They're similarly effusive about Laurence Fishburne & his power to sell silly dialog with gravitas. Any time Smith or Morpheus launches into a monologue, the commentary falls into a respectful hush for a minute

On Keanu: "I don't mean this in a nasty way, but he never comes off as all that smart" (this works in the movie's favor because "I don't think most viewers connect well with protagonists who seem too smart"). It's "interesting" to cast "a leading man who's prettier than the leading lady." They don't think neotrin reads as all that romantic, and their diagnosis is that it's Keanu's androgyny and lack of masculine fire and aggressiveness that makes them read as "brother and sister" or "parts of the same person"

They think the movie doesn't really have any clear politics, and this works both for and against it. Smith has the most "compelling and coherent" philosophy

They're not fans of whenever the movie cuts from the matrix to drama in the real world, and bemoan that the sequels focus more on the real world when that's the least interesting thing the premise has going for it. On the sentinels ripping through the ship at the end: "I don't know what this is. I don't care about this." They agree that none of them really understand what the sentinels are on a basic plot level ("are the computers sending things into the real world somehow?")

"It should be illegal" to have movie characters say "holy shit"

They're also big fans of Joey Pants' Cypher and Gloria Foster's Oracle, and wish the movie had more emotive performances like theirs

Two of the critics keep bringing up their teenage sons' reactions as a barometer for the real target audience

They think Smith had the potential to be the most interesting character and "maybe become a kind of Neo," but the sequels never give him "real depth, just breadth. Literally more of him"

They're curious about the what the symbolism of the bullets dropping from the helicopter means - "it feels like it must be sexual, but I'm not sure I want to know how"

[outofmemory]

My suggestions for your Five/Lila soundtrack:

Beautiful Lies- Tanner Usrey & Ella Langley (the live performance is beautiful). For when they’re coming back to the house.

Forever- The Little Dippers. For the bracelet greenhouse scene.

The End of the World- Skeeter Davis. OR: The Night We Met- Lord Huron. When Five is reminiscing on the train and as he is first going to the deli.

I’ve Got You Under My Skin- Frank Sinatra. For when he hides the cypher.

Birds of a Feather- Billie Eilish. For their fight.

Sad Eyes- Robert John. Every time Lila looks at Five while Diego hugs her.

Make It With You- Bread. Whilst lost on the subway.

Cold- Chris Stapleton. For when Lila says it’s over.

The Lonely- Christina Perri. For Lila’s overwhelmed feeling when she goes to get the soda at Grace’s party.

Saturn- Sleeping at Last. The ending scene.

No scenes, but I like these songs &/or lyrics for them as well:

Bewitched- Laufev

Somethin’ Stupid- Frank and Nancy Sinatra

Until I Found You- Stephen Sanchez & Em Beihild

Happier- Marshmello & Bastille

Ain’t No Sunshine- Bill Withers

Die With A Smile- Bruno Mars & Lady Gaga

Loving You is a Losing Game- Duncan Laurence

This Thing Called Love- Stephen Sanchez

I Found- Amber Run

I Was Made for Loving You- KISS or Yungblud cover

Just the Two of Us- Grover Washington

Time in a Bottle- Jim Croce (I feel like this might have been in the show? Or it’s just triggering memories of TUA in general for me too…)

If they had gotten to live and we could see Lila choose Five, I would imagine: Think I’m in Love with You- Chris Stapleton & Duo Lipa version.

Also: How Long- Ace. For Diego’s POV when he’s following Lila at the cafe.

Hi,

Thank you for giving me so much new music to check out <3

You put so much work and thought into it!

Yesterday I was thinking about doing a list of my fav songs that fit Five and Lila, to be honest I just was too tired to actually think about it and work through my playlists, maybe this weekend :) Looking foward to listen to all your suggestions.

Thanks so much again for that <3

[charlotte-of-wales]

A first glimpse at Their Majesties' Coronation robes...

Ahead of Their Majesties' Coronation on Saturday, new details have been released to provide a glimpse of the Coronation Robes to be worn by The King and The Queen Consort on Saturday 6th May.

In accordance with tradition, Their Majesties will wear two different sets of robes during the Coronation Service - the Robes of State and the Robes of Estate. Robes of State are worn on arrival at Westminster Abbey, and Robes of Estate are worn on departure, following the Coronation Service, and are traditionally more personalised in design.

The new images show the Royal School of Needlework’s embroidery team conserving The King’s Robe of State, which will be worn by His Majesty on arrival at Westminster Abbey, and The Queen Consort’s Robe of Estate, which will be worn after Her Majesty is crowned, on departure from Westminster Abbey. As Duchess of Cornwall, The Queen Consort became Patron of the Royal School of Needlework in 2017.

All four robes will be seen in full on the day of the Coronation.

His Majesty’s Robe of State (to be worn on arrival)

The King’s Robe of State is made of crimson velvet and was worn by King George VI at the Coronation in 1937. In preparation for the Coronation Service, the velvet has been conserved by the Royal School of Needlework, with the lining and gold lace conserved by Ede and Ravenscroft.

Her Majesty’s Robe of State (to be worn on arrival)

The Robe of State to be worn by The Queen Consort was originally made for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The Robe is made of crimson velvet and has been conserved with adjustments made by robemakers at Ede and Ravenscroft ahead of the Coronation.

His Majesty’s Robe of Estate (to be worn on departure)

The King’s Robe of Estate is made of purple silk velvet embroidered in gold and was worn by King George VI in 1937. Robemakers at Ede and Ravenscroft have conserved and prepared the robe ahead of the Coronation.

Her Majesty’s Robe of Estate (to be worn on departure)

The Queen Consort’s new Robe of Estate was designed and hand embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. The Robe itself was made by Ede and Ravenscroft.

The Royal School of Needlework’s design of the train draws on the themes of nature and the environment, featuring the national emblems of the United Kingdom, as well as paying tribute to His Majesty The King.

The Robe uses a rich purple velvet, chosen to match His Majesty’s Robe of Estate, and has been embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework using the Goldwork technique, with the design also incorporating Her Majesty’s cypher.

For the first time, insects including bees and a beetle feature on the Coronation Robe, drawing on the themes of nature and the environment and reflecting Their Majesties’ affection for the natural world.

In addition, there are a number of plants featured in the robe, all chosen for their personal associations. These include Lily of the Valley, which featured in Her Majesty’s wedding bouquet and was a favourite flower of Queen Elizabeth II; Myrtle, which represents hope; and Delphinium, one of The King’s favourite flowers and the birth flower of July, the birth month of The Queen Consort.

Also featured is the ‘Alchemilla Mollis’, known as Lady’s Mantle, which symbolises love and comfort, Maidenhair Fern, which symbolises purity, and cornflowers, which represent love and tenderness. The Cornflower also helps to attract and encourage wildlife such as bees and butterflies.

[cythanadiel]

Hello! I wanted to ask about your oc, Ice. So the question is which agents Ice likes the company and doesn't like it much? Sorry for this strange question, but when I saw your oc and I really liked him and I saw some of him with Skye so I thought about what his relationship with others would be like.

Omg that's such a cute ask thank you!!! This got me really really excited💕💕💕

I made a small list of agents he likes, dislikes, is neutral about and his relationship to them underneath the line:

Agents he is tight with:

Reyna - I think Reyna and Ice are the closest to one another, not necessarily personality wise but definitely goal wise. I can definitely see them bonding and talking over their Sisters, as they share the same pain: Ice lost his, and Reyna is fighting to keep hers alive. He understands why Reyna is the way she is, and he cannot blame her for it. In fact, he would be subconsciously driven to help her gather souls.

Brim - Ice has a military background and sometimes talks with Brim about the time with the Special Forces. He holds deep respect for Brim as a commander and blindly puts his trust into him.

Sova - Same as with Brim, He respects Sova. Ice not only sees him as friendly and good company, but also as very competent and fierce. He appreciates his coldness on the battlefield and not letting emotions get in the way. He carries out commands without questioning a word, which Ice can relate to. It's like looking in the mirror, except the reflection smiles back.

Skye - The day she threw him over her shoulder and slammed him into 3 walls was the day he straight up couldn't get his mind off of her. That girl can pack a punch and does not bet an eye at getting her hands dirty. He was VERY much smitten by her. Although I don't think I could say the same about Skye tbh. She's the sole reason he wakes up at 4am to go jogging together.

Raze - While Ice is very much for Order and discipline, he likes Raze's Chaos. There is something about her energy that gets even his bitch face to smile.

Deadlock - That is....they're the same person. Personality and very close background wise they're literally the same person. Hell, Ice even lived a large part of his life in Norway, (he's not Scandinavian tho) and even speaks a little Norwegian. They're definitely gym and sparring partners as well.

Clove - While I can't say too much on Clove yet, I do feel that they'd get along, solely because they give little sibling vibes. He had one sibling he couldn't protect, he sure as hell won't let that ever happen again. So imagine the relief he'd feel after Clove comes back to life, seemingly unharmed.

Viper - Viper sees herself as a monster and had to do things beyond her Control (or maybe it was all in her Control) and Ice can heavily relate to that. He has had some of the same experiences, yet he still sees himself as Human. All in all he genuinely pities Viper.

Cypher - He's fascinated by Cypher and isn't actually too bothered by his secrecy. He understands the need for it and wishes it'd be the standard for the other agents as well. Plus, in the strangest way possible, Cypher is like a father figure to him.

Agents he's neutral about/likes them:

Sage - He likes her healing skills but hates the Mother Hen vibe coming from her. He thinks it influences her and others too much on the battlefield. She could be so much more than just the nice healer lady next door.

Astra - He's genuinely delighted by her presence, but they don't have much in common. Though he's legitimately scared of her powers.

Chamber - He shared the same opinion as everyone else when Chamber first joined, and he still keeps an eye out on him, But Ice can't help but be intrigued by his efficient weapon designs and use of nanotech. They're currently in the talks about nanotech prosthetics and improvements.

Jett - Same as with Clove, Jett gives lil sis vibes. She is also very promising on the field and if she took things a little more serious, she could become very deadly on the field. (Like them instalocks on immortal)

Omen - Similar to Viper, Ice pities Omen. They both share the same pain of being torn apart and coming back to life, but as changed people, possibly without being able to go back to what they once were. Although Ice is, to some degree, scared of becoming like Omen.

Fade - Initially he was ready to snap her neck when she leaked everyone's profiles, and caused the nightmares, but... he ended up forgiving her after learning her motives, that she was doing it because she was looking for someone very dear to her. He would practically do the same if he was in her shoes.

Harbor - INCREDIBLE duo, even if they're not always on the same wavelength. They're also gym buddies.

KAY/O - they're not too friendly with one another, but they do play pool or cards, and they both enjoy taking money from Breach. It's the one thing they can bond over.

Gekko - Ice sees Gekko as a Mini-Me if things hadn't gone south in his past. Gekkos connection to Reyna only strengthens that. Also he needs someone to help him dye his hair, as Ice does a very poor job on his own. On a side note,, I constantly get the feeling that Gekko would fanboy a little over Ice.

Neon - He gets motion sick from her zip zapping. She's also a little too snappy for him, a la "What's with this sassy lost child?" Although he can appreciate her ruthlessness and that she, quite literally, can zap you out of existence within the blink of an eye. He likes that she's more serious on the field despite being one of the youngest members.

Agents he actively dislikes:

Phoenix - Ice has active PTSD cuz of how many times he's nearly been burned around Phoenix. He tries to stay at least 50m away from him if possible.

Killjoy - He's experienced KJs bots first hand and hates them. But also, he thinks she shouldn't be on the field, especially when she's hiding behind her toys.

Breach - Opposite to Raze, Ice HATES Breach's Chaos. He does not understand how the two got along in the first place and how Breach hasn't been booted yet. Guess he'll have to trust Viper's judgement on him. To Breach tho, Ice is just another loyal dog, one that can be tossed aside when he's of no use anymore.

Yoru - Too cocky with no direct excuse for it. You can't even say his skills match his ego, because they do not. Ice is about staying humble and giving your best, and if you don't, then stfu. Plus, he's a direct adversary when it comes to Skye

Iso - Him and Iso basically have the same background but he wouldn't like Iso because he thinks he's taking the easy way out of his contract. Plus, Iso listening to music while on a mission or getting easily distracted gives Ice the sense of unprofessionalism, no matter how good he actually is.

[unknownworlds4]

As we near the end of pride month, I would like to celebrate a number of LGBTQ+ figures that may be unknown to some.

Alan Turing (1912 - 1954)

Alan Turing was British mathematician, cryptologist, and computer scientist who is credited as the founder of modern computer science and artificial intelligence. During World War II, he worked for Britain’s Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, leading the effort to decrypt German naval intelligence. Turing created a number of methods and devices that helped crack the German Enigma Code and allowed the allies to read German intelligence and allow allied ships to avoid U-Boat ‘Wolf-packs’. Turing’s work was pivotal in helping the allied victory in the war. Sadly, Turing was arrested in 1952 for homosexual acts and convicted of ‘gross indecency’. He accepted chemical castration as an alternative to prison. In 1954, was found dead from suicide by cyanide poisoning. It’s believed that Turing’s work helped shortened the war by several years.

Harvey Milk (1930 - 1978)

Harvey Milk was a politician and the first openly gay man to serve in public office in the United States. Milk moved to San Francisco in 1972 and took up residence in the Castro District, a neighborhood that was heavily populated by lesbians and gay men, and opened a camera store called Castro Camera. Milk became involved in politics because of civic issues and policies that drew his ire. Homosexuality was still heavily persecuted in the city at the time. In 1973, he announced his declared his candidacy for city supervisor. However, he faced a negative reception from the established gay political scene and lost the election. He lost his second election two years later. By this point, Milk had become a leading figure in the gay community, known as the “Mayor of Castro Street”, and had allies that included Mayor George Moscone, Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, and future Senator Diane Feinstein. Finally, in 1978, Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, inaugurated January 8. During his tenure he was involved in a number of issues including childcare, housing, and police reform. Sadly, he only served eleven months in office before he, along with George Moscone, was assassinated by former supervisor Dan White, who was against many of Milks policies. Today, Harvey Milk is considered an icon of San Francisco and a martyr of the LGBTQ movement.

Rose Cleveland (1846 - 1918)

Rose Cleveland was the sister of U.S. President Grover Cleveland and, as such, acted as First Lady of the United States from his inauguration until he married Frances Folsom in 1886. After leaving the White House she became a teacher, writer, and lecturer in Indiana. At age 44 she started a romantic relationship with wealthy widow Evangeline Marrs Simpson. They exchanged numerous letters, some with explicitly erotic imagery. The relationship cooled after six years after Simpson married Episcopal preacher Bishop Henry Whipple, despite Cleveland’s protests. After Whipple died in 1901, their relationship resumed. Cleveland and Evangeline moved to Bagni di Lucca, Italy in 1910, where they cared for Evangeline’s ill brother and settled there after his death. They lived there together until Cleveland died during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. After her death, Evangeline wrote “the light has gone out for me…the loss of this noble and great soul is a blow that I shall not recover from”. Evangeline died in 1930 and is buried in the cemetery in Italy next to Rose. Many of their letters remain an important part of LGBTQ history.

Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987)

Andy Warhol was an American artist, director, and producer who was a leading figure in the pop art movement of the 1950’s to 1970’s. This movement focused on combining fine art with elements of popular culture, hence the name pop art. Warhol’s paintings focused on mass produced consumer goods and celebrity portraits. Warhol’s most famous pieces include Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962), Green Coca-Cola Bottles (1962), Marilyn Diptych (1962), and Mao Tse-Tung (1972). He also directed and produced experimental films including Empire (1964) and Chelsea Girls (1966). His New York City gallery, The Factory, was a popular gathering place for artists, musicians, actors, socialites, and celebrities. In 1966, he became the manager of rock band The Velvet Underground, which became the house band of The Factory. In 1969, he created Interview magazine, which features interviews with celebrities, artists, musicians, and other creatives. Warhol lived openly as a gay man before the gay liberation movement and had a series of male partners. He said his sexuality was a major influence of his work. Warhol died on February 22, 1987 due to complications from a gallbladder surgery. Andy Warhol is regarded as one of America’s most famous visual artists.

Gladys Bentley (1907 - 1960)

Gladys Bentley was an American blues singer, pianist, and entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s and 1930’s. Her career took off after performing at Harry Hansberry’s Clam House, a well known gay speakeasy in New York City. She gained popularity as a black, lesbian, cross dressing performer. She performed in men’s clothes and was backed up by a chorus of drag queens. She sang with a deep, growling voice, and took popular songs and added her own raunchy lyrics while flirting with women in the audience. Despite being openly lesbian in the beginning of her career, she later started wearing dresses and married during the more conservative 1950’s in order to adapt to the mindset of the time period. Bentley died of pneumonia in 1960 and is remembered as an icon of both the LGBTQ and Black communities.

Willem Arondeus (1894 - 1943)

Willem Arondeus was an openly gay Dutch artist and writer who fought for the Dutch resistance against Nazi occupation during World War II. Prior to the war, he wished to work as an artist, but he found very little popularity, so he turned to writing instead. After Germany occupied The Netherlands, Arondeus joined the Resistance Movement, publishing underground periodicals and forging documents. His most famous endeavor, was his involvement in the bombing of the Amsterdam Civil Registry in 1943. The Civil Registry was established following the German invasion and occupation of the Netherlands in 1940 and was used to keep records of all residents of the country and identified those who were Jewish, resistance members, and those who could be called up for forced labor. On March 27, resistance members, including Arondeus, entered the building by disguising themselves as police officers and sedating the guards. They then piled all the documents on the floor and set of explosives. They fire department delayed putting out the fire and then doused the whole building with water. 800,000 ID cards were destroyed in total. Unfortunately, someone betrayed Arondeus and he was subsequently arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. Before his execution, his last words were “tell people that homosexuals are not cowards”.

Gilbert Baker (1951 - 2017)

Gilbert Baker was an American artist and designer who is the original creator of the LGBTQ Rainbow Pride flag. He joined the anti-war movement in the 1970’s where he met, and became friends with, Harvey Milk. Milk commissioned Baker to create a flag that could represent gay pride. Using the American flag as inspiration, Baker hand sew the original flag, which had eight colored stripes (two more than the modern version). Each color represents a different aspect important to the gay community: (from hot pink to violet) sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic, serenity, and spirit. The flag was first flown in San Francisco on June 25, 1978, for gay pride day. Baker died in 2017, and is regarded as a major figure in the pride movement. Today there are many different variations of the Pride flag, with each one representing a different group from the gay community

Larry Kramer (1935 - 2020)

Larry Kramer was an American playwright, author, film producer, and gay rights activist, who worked to bring awareness to the AIDS crisis in the 1980’s. He began his career writing scripts for Columbia pictures, winning an Academy Award for the 1969 film Women in Love. After witnessing the disease later known as AIDS spread among his friends, Kramer became involved in gay activism. In 1982, Kramer co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis, now known as GMHC, which provides social services for those infected with AIDS, along with testing, legal assistance, and mental health support. It’s currently the largest AIDS assistance organization in the world After, growing frustrated with the government paralysis and apathy towards gay men, he wanted to engage in further action, so in 1987, he helped found the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). ACT UP is a direct action protest organization that works to change legislation and public policy to end the AIDS crisis. ACT UP soon had chapters in cities all over the United States. The movement then spread internationally, with separate movements being established in other countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, France, India, and Germany. In 1992, Kramer wrote the play ‘The Destiny of Me’, which follows a character from his 1985 play ‘The Normal Heart’ seeking experimental treatment for AIDS. The play was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The Normal Heart debuted on Broadway in 2011, and was adapted into an HBO movie in 2014. Kramer died of pneumonia on May 27, 2020.

Bessie Smith (1894 - 1937)

Bessie Smith was an American blues singer, nicknamed the ‘Empress of Blues’. She was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930’s. Smith stated her career busking in the streets to help her family financially. In 1912, she auditioned for a music troupe that included blues legend Ma Rainey. She was originally hired as a dancer. Smith began her solo career at the 81 Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. She signed with Columbia Records in 1923. She made 160 recordings for Columbia, accompanied by some of the most famous musicians of the day including Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Fletcher Henderson, and Sidney Bechet. She became the highest paid black entertainer of the day. Throughout her career, smith was apologetically herself, having affairs with both men and women. Some speculate her bisexuality was hinted at in the lyrics of her songs, including ‘boy in the boat’: “when you see two women walking hand in hand/Just look ‘em over and try to understand/They’ll go to those parties/Having the lights down low/Only those parties where women can go”. Sadly, her career was cut short in 1937, when she died at the age of 43 due to injuries sustained in a car accident enroute to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her funeral was attended by more then 5,000 people. In 1989, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with an entry saying her reign was “definitive, unprecedented, and glorious”.

James Baldwin (1924 - 1987)

James Baldwin was an American writer who gained critical acclaim across multiple forms, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. In 1953, he published his first book ‘Go Tell it on the Mountain’, a semi-autobiographical novel which tells the story of a young African American man who grew up in Harlem, New York City, and his relationship with his family and the Pentecostal Church. In 1998, Modern Library ranked the book 39th on its list of 100 best English language novels of the 20th century. In 2005, Time Magazine included the book in its list of the 100 Best Novels from 1923 (when Time was first published) to 2005. In 1956, Baldwin wrote ‘Giovanni’s Room’ whose main character was a gay American man living in Paris, France, who began an affair with an Italian bartender named Giovanni, whom he met at a Gay bar. Gay and Bisexual men are also frequently featured in his other works. His unfinished manuscript Remember This House was expanded and adapted in the 2016 Oscar nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro, which won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. His 1974 novel ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ was adapted into a movie in 2018, which won Best Supporting Actress for Regina King at the 91st Academy Awards, where the film was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score. King also received Best Supporting Actress at the 76th Golden Globe Awards and 24th Critics Choice Awards. Both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute included it in their top 10 films of 2018. Today, James Baldwin is considered one of the most famous LGBTQ writers in American history.

[what-if-queen-camilla]

Chapter 22

08th April 1994

Birkhall, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

"Mummy, Sir, here's one more!", Thea cheered and waved at Charles and Camilla excitedly as she took up another colourful easter egg from beneath a bush and placed it in the little basket she was using to collect the easter eggs and gifts Charles' grandmother had arranged to be hidden in the gardens of Birkhall. They had just arrived up here yesterday for a few days off, just the three of them, Charles, Camilla and Thea, who was almost seven now. The Queen Mother had been so kind and supportive of them and even let them use Birkhall, her beloved house on the Balmoral Estate, to have some quiet and private days. Charles had flown in from London privately and Camilla and Thea had actually travelled by car, as Camilla didn't want to expose her to the public and press attention they'd probably have caused had they travelled by plane. It had been quite a journey and both of them had fallen asleep almost immediately once they had arrived late in the evening, Thea in one of the guestrooms and Camilla in Charles' arms in front of the fireplace, but a good night's sleep and a lovely morning walk in the Scottish air had revived them at once. They hadn't been able to see each other over Easter but wanted to at least try and spend the last few days of Thea's school break together - and here they were. Arm in arm, Charles and Camilla walked to her and marvelled at the beautiful Easter eggs and cute little somethings she had already found and especially Camilla was very touched by the huge effort the Queen Mother had done for her little girl. She didn't dare ask Charles but she was almost entirely sure that the former Queen Consort knew that Thea was in fact her great-granddaughter. She'd hardly have done everything she was doing so kindly had she just been the daughter of… anyone. But she never mentioned anything which she appreciated. Anything else would've only been awkward, but the old lady was decent and kind and her support had meant so much to her, especially over the last year. After the first couple of horrible months following the publication of that unlucky phone call from 1989, they had all somewhat got used to the situation and tried to make the best of it. Tom and Laura just went on with their lives as usual, which was a real blessing, and thank goodness, Thea's teacher was an angel, did everything to protect her and didn't tolerate a single word said against her or her family in the classroom so that she didn't have to face too much harassment at school either. Andrew was spending more and more time with Rose, but still came to see Thea every now and then, so everything had sort of come to a new normal. Her biggest concern at the moment was actually her mother: she had been suffering from the same disease her grandmother had died of only eight years ago and her constitution only seemed to worsen day by day. She was in enormous pain, nobody could even touch her anymore, but the doctors weren't able to do anything really, except for setting her on stronger and stronger painkillers every few weeks. She was in a wheelchair most of the time and almost unable to move. It was devastating and heartbreaking to see and she felt incredibly guilty for having caused her even more pain with everything that had happened recently, and also because she couldn't be there for her father who had to cope with the whole situation on his own because the paparazzi still followed her wherever she went and the last thing her parents needed certainly was public or press attention.

"Oh look at that!", Camilla exclaimed, pointing to a little notebook with the Queen Mother's cypher in Thea's Easter basket. "Isn't that beautiful? That's a very special gift,darling. How kind of Her Majesty to tell the Easter Bunny to leave something for you, isn't it?", she remarked. "Yes, very kind, but there's no Easter Bunny, Mummy.", Thea replied and rolled her eyes. "I'm not a baby anymore, I know that it was Steve who hid all of these things yesterday!", she said and Camilla shook her head in a mixture of amusement and melancholy because it always felt like a stitch in her motherly heart to realise just how big her little girl was already. Charles felt the same and had noticed the one, silent tear she had hurried to wipe away immediately and pressed her tighter against himself, lovingly kissing her forehead. The one good thing that had come out of the whole scandal and drama was that at least they didn't have to hide their feelings for each other in front of the family anymore. Thea knew they were a couple and though she was aware that she wasn't supposed to talk about it with anyone outside the family, it made things a bit easier to have these times together when they almost felt like a normal family. "Of course, darling.", she replied, tenderly patting Thea's shoulder. "Will you write to Her Majesty and thank her for this?", she asked and Thea nodded enthusiastically. The Queen Mother and her had been exchanging birthday cards and sweet little letters every now and then ever since, in fact, The Queen Mother had sent a birthday card for Thea every year and of course, Camilla had always replied on her daughter's behalf, and Thea had been over the moon when her writing skills had been good enough so that she finally could write to Her Majesty herself.

"Anyone up for some hot chocolate?", Charles suggested once all gifts had been found and all three of them were almost frozen. It was unbelievable how cold it still was up here compared to the nicely warm and sunny days they'd already had down in the South. Both his ladies cheered in excitement at the prospect of hot chocolate and they happily ran up the hill and back to the house again, got rid of their coats and boots and cuddled up on the sofa together, again, almost like a normal, little, happy family. After the hot chocolate, Thea went upstairs because she wanted to start with her letter to the Queen Mother immediately, much to Charles' delight of course, which gave the couple a bit of time on their own. Sighing Camilla cuddled up even closer to the Prince who put his arms around her and pressed her against him. "If only we could stay here like this forever…", he whispered, and Camilla replied, moaning: "Yes, if only. But let's not think like that, darling. Let's think positive and be grateful for the time we have rather than mourning what we have not." "As always, you're right, my love.", Charles said, his glance wandering through the ceiling. He knew she was right, but he also knew that he couldn't go on like this for any longer and he didn't want to either. He was tired of playing hide and seek, of not being able to protect his ladies the way he wanted to and they deserved to be protected, he just wanted to make their relationship public, he wanted the world to know about the woman he had always loved and, for God's sake, he wanted them to accept it, to accept her. He hadn't told anyone yet, not even Camilla, but over the last couple of weeks, he'd been in close contact with Jonathan Dimbleby and they were working on something of which he was optimistic and confident that it could soothe the way for them. It just had to.

[mariana-oconnor]

The Dancing Men pt 3

Last time things took a turn for the decidedly worse with our client dead and his wife suffering a bullet to the brain. All because of the idiosyncracies of British public transport and Holmes dislike of giving away any hint of what he is thinking until he has all his ducks in rows.

Also he sent a 'youth' with a message to a murderer.

If any visitor were to call asking for Mrs. Hilton Cubitt no information should be given as to her condition, but he was to be shown at once into the drawing-room. He impressed these points upon them with the utmost earnestness. Finally he led the way into the drawing-room...

“I think that I can help you to pass an hour in an interesting and profitable manner,” said Holmes...

There are so many ways a sentence like that could end...

👀

...spreading out in front of him the various papers upon which were recorded the antics of the dancing men.

Ah, yes... puzzle time again. What else could he have meant?

And now we are having a code-breaking lesson. Love a good code-breaking lesson. Really it's their own fault for not using a more complex cypher; simple substitution cyphers are always going to be easy to break. You need to make it more complicated. Like, every six letters the symbols move one letter earlier in the alphabet or something like that. Or muddle the letters up in a prearranged pattern.

"...it was probable from the way in which the flags were distributed that they were used to break the sentence up into words."

I understand that these encrypted messages led to death and misery, but this is adorable. The letters at the ends of the words carry little stop flags.

"It might be ‘sever,’ or ‘lever,’ or ‘never.’"

Or defer or deter or meter or Peter or Meier or vexed...

“I expect him here every instant.” “But why should he come?” “Because I have written and asked him.”

Bless his heart. Got to wonder what Inspector Martin thought Holmes was doing by drawing out a lot of little dancing men and then sending them to the person he just named in his little explanation.

It's not a massive leap of logic.

"I may have threatened her, God forgive me, but I would not have touched a hair of her pretty head."

My dude, you literally told the woman to prepare to meet her god. I do not know why you are surprised that people would think you wanted to hurt her. That is not the sort of thing you send messages about when you don't want to hurt someone.

"I tell you there was never a man in this world loved a woman more than I loved her. I had a right to her. She was pledged to me years ago. Who was this Englishman that he should come between us? I tell you that I had the first right to her, and that I was only claiming my own."

That is not how love works.

“You wrote it? There was no one on earth outside the Joint who knew the secret of the dancing men. How came you to write it?”

Dude, it's literally just a substitution cypher.

“It is my duty to warn you that it will be used against you,” cried the inspector, with the magnificent fair-play of the British criminal law.

“First of all, I want you gentlemen to understand that I have known this lady since she was a child."

I used the beheading gif too early. I memed too far, too fast.

"I wrote to her, but got no answer."

Some might say that is an answer.

"Of Mrs. Hilton Cubitt I only know that I have heard she recovered entirely, and that she still remains a widow, devoting her whole life to the care of the poor and to the administration of her husband's estate."

Glad she recovered, sad for literally everything else.

Yeah, this is a sad one. And so dumb... like... get over yourself. She's married to someone else and she's not replying to your messages. Just move the fuck on. Wow.

[camillasgirl]

A first glimpse at Their Majesties' Coronation robes...

In accordance with tradition, Their Majesties will wear two different sets of robes during the Coronation Service - the Robes of State and the Robes of Estate. Robes of State are worn on arrival at Westminster Abbey, and Robes of Estate are worn on departure, following the Coronation Service, and are traditionally more personalised in design.

The new images show the Royal School of Needlework’s embroidery team conserving The King’s Robe of State, which will be worn by His Majesty on arrival at Westminster Abbey, and The Queen Consort’s Robe of Estate, which will be worn after Her Majesty is crowned, on departure from Westminster Abbey. As Duchess of Cornwall, The Queen Consort became Patron of the Royal School of Needlework in 2017.

All four robes will be seen in full on the day of the Coronation.

His Majesty’s Robe of State (to be worn on arrival)

The King’s Robe of State is made of crimson velvet and was worn by King George VI at the Coronation in 1937. In preparation for the Coronation Service, the velvet has been conserved by the Royal School of Needlework, with the lining and gold lace conserved by Ede and Ravenscroft.

Her Majesty’s Robe of State (to be worn on arrival)

The Robe of State to be worn by The Queen Consort was originally made for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The Robe is made of crimson velvet and has been conserved with adjustments made by robemakers at Ede and Ravenscroft ahead of the Coronation.

His Majesty’s Robe of Estate (to be worn on departure)

The King’s Robe of Estate is made of purple silk velvet embroidered in gold and was worn by King George VI in 1937. Robemakers at Ede and Ravenscroft have conserved and prepared the robe ahead of the Coronation.

Her Majesty’s Robe of Estate (to be worn on departure)

The Queen Consort’s new Robe of Estate was designed and hand embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. The Robe itself was made by Ede and Ravenscroft.

The Royal School of Needlework’s design of the train draws on the themes of nature and the environment, featuring the national emblems of the United Kingdom, as well as paying tribute to His Majesty The King.

The Robe uses a rich purple velvet, chosen to match His Majesty’s Robe of Estate, and has been embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework using the Goldwork technique, with the design also incorporating Her Majesty’s cypher.

For the first time, insects including bees and a beetle feature on the Coronation Robe, drawing on the themes of nature and the environment and reflecting Their Majesties’ affection for the natural world.

In addition, there are a number of plants featured in the robe, all chosen for their personal associations. These include Lily of the Valley, which featured in Her Majesty’s wedding bouquet and was a favourite flower of Queen Elizabeth II; Myrtle, which represents hope; and Delphinium, one of The King’s favourite flowers and the birth flower of July, the birth month of The Queen Consort.

Also featured is the ‘Alchemilla Mollis’, known as Lady’s Mantle, which symbolises love and comfort, Maidenhair Fern, which symbolises purity, and cornflowers, which represent love and tenderness. The Cornflower also helps to attract and encourage wildlife such as bees and butterflies.

[omegaradiowusb]

MAY 27, 2024 (#377)

Gang Starr ft. J. Cole: "Family And Loyalty" Benny The Butcher, Armani Caesar: "Buffalo Kitchen-" (***NEW) Meyhem Lauren & Daringer ft. Conway The Machine: "Red Pesto" NappyHIGH f. Raekwon + Westside Gunn: "From The Projects" Prodigal Sunn ft. Killah Priest: "Vintage" El Camino ft. Inspectah Deck: "Victory" Headkrack ft. Method Man + Kool Keith: "Buckwild" Kool Keith & Real Bad Man: "Fire And Ice" + Battle (ft. Ice-T) Real Bad Man & Blu ft. C.L. Smooth: "The Golden Rule" Real Bad Man & Blu ft. Planet Asia: "Hebrews" Planet Asia & Apollo Brown: "Get The Dough Off", "Peas And Onions" Che Noir ft. Planet Asia: "Caps Lock" Che Noir & Big Ghost Ltd. ft. Skyzoo + D-Styles: "Brilliance" 1982 ft. Skyzoo: "Summer In New York" Roc Marciano X Pete Rock: "Chris Angel" KRS-One: "The Beginning" Hakim Green ft. KRS-One: "The Cypher" Da Beatminerz Ft. KRS-One + Smif-N-Wessun: "Seckle" Prodigy & Big Daddy Kane + DJ Scratch: "You Don't Want It" DJ Premier X Snoop Dogg: "Can U Dig That" (***NEW) DJ Premier & Slick Rick & Li'l Wayne: "The Root Of All" Apathy ft. DJ Premier: "Stop What Ya' Doin'" Apathy ft. Celph Titled: "Todd McFarlane" (***NEW) Celph Titled ft. Buckwild: "Wack Juice" Curren$y ft. Boldy James + The Alchemist: "No Yeast" Masta Ace & Marco Polo: "Richmond Hill" + "P.P.E." (***NEW) Marv Won ft. Freeway: "Roc Nation" (***NEW) Royce Da' 5-9 ft. Redman: "Royce & Reggie" Homeboy Sandman: "Then We Broke Up" Armand Hammer ft. El-P: "The Gods Must Be Crazy" eLZhi & Oh No: "Fireballs" SonnyJim + MF Doom + Jay Electronica: "Barz Simpson" Madlib: "REEKYOD" (***NEW) Byron G ft. & Evidence & The Whooligans: "Lord Steppington" A.F.R.O.: "Good Morning, FRO" Cypress Hill: "Bye Bye" DJ Muggs X Crimeapple: "Camisas" DJ Muggs ft. Cee-Lo Green: "Jokers Wild" Billy Danze ft. Lady Lee: "Blessings And Prayers" El Michels Affair, Black Thought: "I Would Never" + "Glorious Game" AZ: "This Is Why" Kool G Rap ft. 38 Spesh + AZ + General Vee: "Born Hustler" Logic ft. AZ: "Carnival" Living Legends (Statik- & Del The Funky Homosapien): "The Return"

Hip-hop, rap, and golden-era veterans finally return to Omega after a long absence from the airwaves. Three full hours of new, current, and favorite artists featuring legacy champions, producers, and crate-diggers with plenty of consecutives and multiple appearances to keep things going until the final round.

Our new Summer broadcasting season starts in two weeks. There's lots of new, current, and fresh sounds and artists everywhere lined up and ready to go. We might have some bonus shows coming up, and we're putting together a special deluxe tribute. Stay tuned in the coming weeks.

June 10, 2024 (Midnight EST): first Summer deluxe Omega.

June 24, 2024 (Midnight EST): deluxe Omega.

July 8, 2024 (Midnight EST): deluxe Omega.

July 22, 2024 (Midnight EST): deluxe Omega.

August 5, 2024 (Midnight EST): deluxe Omega.

August 19, 2024 (Midnight EST): final Summer deluxe Omega.