#lee wally my beloved

[imaleealltheway]

THIS IS SO ADORABLE SIGJACNXH

Howdy would be a master tickler!! Those extra arms are absolutely a killer for his neighbors! Of course I had to draw Wally ending up on the wrong side of those arms~

(My art don't repost but please reblog)

[ghostlypuppyvoid]

this is my welcome home oc thingy, Deer Lee Beloved Deer is part of a group of plushies that the neighbors talk to like they're just any other residents of Home. I just like when puppets on sesame street and the like would talk to non puppet things so that's what I wanted to do. The humanized version is just a what if that's what the neighbors saw while the viewers just see the plush. The ascot is a welcome to the neighborhood gift from Wally c: and there's other stuff but my brain is blanking I have another oc Mimi Sweets but I haven't colored her yet anywaygoodbyeimgoingbacktothewoods

[pens-and-gems]

From the Bottom of My Asylum Heart Act I Preview

Hi everyone, so this a preview to one of my upcoming original plays: From the Bottom of My Asylum Heart. This play is about a young girl, living in the Victorian Era, whom after believing she is the cause of her mother's death, believes that she is mentally ill and thus, checks herself into an asylum, hence the title.

Before I post the preview for Act I, I do want to apologize if anything I say is historically inaccurate. I'd been writing this play since I was in high school, so please feel free to leave feedback. <3

Anyways, here's the preview. Please enjoy!

From the Bottom of My Asylum Heart

Characters (in order of appearance)

James Sebastian

Christopher Kaine

Lewis Smith

David Wallie

Annabelle and Mary-Lou

Dr. Richard Lee

Madeline "Young Maddie," "Young Madeline," or  "Maddie" Sebastian 

Emily Sebastian (appears as a spirit in Maddie's dream)

Juliana Winston

ACT I takes place at the Sebastian mansion in the living room, dining room, and upstairs. One scene takes place at five o'clock in the morning and the next takes place at night since it's a party the Sebastians are having.

ACT II is set three days after the events of the party. Scene is mostly in Maddie's room.

ACT III is at the asylum.

Time/Setting-Victorian England, during the 1820s. 

____________

Act I, Scene I

(Scene I. In a mansion during the times of Victorian England. It is raining, thundering, and lightning at five o'clock in the morning.  in the morning. Inside, JAMES SEBASTIAN,the ruler of the mansion is in the living room sitting on a chair as he is reading from a journal that has the name, EMILY SEBASTIAN written on it. In fact, the journal's whole title is called "EMILY SEBASTIAN'S TALES.")

James Sebastian: (reading from the journal) On this day, March 27, 1808, my beloved Madeline Sebastian has been born. My one and only daughter, my one child, my dearest child. I shall forever love you (brief pause) until the day I die. 

(James then closes the journal and signs deeply as he sets the journal down on the nightstand.) 

James: If only that day was later on instead of sooner. 

(Enter CHRISTOPHER KAINE, the mansion's butler.)

Christopher Kaine: Today is the day, isn't it sir?

James: Tomorrow, Christopher. Tomorrow. 

Christopher: (pours tea into James's cup) Today, tomorrow, next year, you are going to have to tell her either way, sir.

James: (picks up his tea and sips it softly) I am aware, Christopher. The only problem is how do I explain to my own daughter, who is only eleven turning twelve in just a few more hours from now, that twelve years ago after her mother died due to a horrific disease and she left her nothing but a journal behind? (slams down his fist on the chair's arm) It just frustrates me!

Christopher: (puts down his teapot) Relax, sir. I know it is frustrating to explain to Madeline what happened to Emily; but we must do something about it or it will be too late.

James: (seething) You don't need to remind me, Christopher!(sighs) Just put yourself in my shoes for a minute and try to analyze how I feel about this conflict right now. (rises up from his seat and pushes Christopher towards it) Here, sit in my seat and tell me how does it feel?

Christopher: Sir, sitting in your seat will not do anything for me about this problem. 

James: That's right, because you don't understand, Christopher!(pinches the bridge of his nose) Excuse my temper, but you just don't understand, now do you? 

Christopher: Of course I do. Twelve years ago, you lost your wife.

James: And twelve years ago, Maddie lost her mother and she believes it's her own fault!

Christopher: (surprised) James sir! You mean she is...

James: (sighs deeply) Yes, Christopher. As much as I want to lie or even forget about it, Madeline still believes it's her fault that Emily is dead; even after all of these years. She still won't let it go, no matter how much I, Lewis and David, her doctor try to help her. Nothing works anymore. But despite all this, I believe there is still hope for not only us, but for her as well.

Christopher: (concerned) Sir, are you sure about this?

James: (snaps at him quickly) Of course, I'm sure about this! I'm her father after all! (speaks calmly again as he begins to pace back and forth) Of course, her next appointment with Dr. Lee will be here until her party starts of course. 

Christopher: And this means what exactly, sir? 

James: Christopher, my dear man. Don't you know? Dr. Lee always knows the answer to all of our problems, no matter what. (grins brightly) In fact, he already understands Maddie more than any of us have throughout these years. 

Christopher: (confused) But sir, how will this work out?

James: (walks over to Christopher and puts his hand on his shoulder) My dear Christopher, Dr. Lee is a specialist in the mentally insane.

Christopher: (offended) Sir, how dare you say that about Young Maddie!

James:  (quiets him down as he grits his teeth) I don't mean like that! (takes a deep breath) What I mean is, think about it: It has been twelve years since Emily's tragic passing, and in those twelve years, Madeline hasn't moved on. Even if she doesn't show it, I know deep down what she is suffering from.

Christopher: (gasps) Sir, you don't mean...

James:(nods his head) As much as I hate to explain it, Maddie, my own daughter might be mentally ill with a horrendous disease called melancholia.

Christopher: (trembling) James sir, there's no way you can...

James: What, tell her? Of course I won't. (pause) Not just yet.

Christopher: Not yet!

James: I'm her father, I can't just hide the truth from her!

Christopher: But she'll be horrified to learn that term! Especially from her own father! 

James: Be that as it may, somebody has to help us. Somebody has to help us realize that Maddie may be insane, might be upset, most likely is suffering from melancholy. I pray to God that Dr. Lee will help us understand more of this disease, and that my beloved daughter will not be alone on this journey if he will diagnose her with it. I'm very sure that she will be informed, "Maddie, you have melancholia. It's where you suffer from external sadness. Due to the twelve-year anniversary of your mother's death coming up, you most likely have this disease; this illness, this thing that makes you upset even when you don't want to be. It's not your fault, but with the help of your family and I, we can help you make it through."

Christopher: Sir, this feels like a difficult challenge.

James: Difficult, what's diffcult is that my daughter is turning twelve in less than three hours, and I'm in a crisis not knowing when or how to tell her she is most likely insane; suffering from the worst possible thing ever. And you, Christopher, are making it harder for me to think what to do about it!

(A knock on the mansion's door is heard, followed by a voice.)

Voice: James, Christopher, somebody.

James: (astonished) By George, it's Lewis and David! Let them in, Christopher, let them in at once!

Christopher: Yes sir, on it sir.

__

And that's all I have for now! Please give me any feedback to help me improve!

UPDATE: 1/11/24

I made a few corrections and edits thanks to a Discord friend of mine!

Please enjoy and correct me if anything else needs work!

[thatscrewyballyhooeyhollywood]

Classic Film Festival Day 1

Picture it: it's Labor Day weekend 2023. The town is El Segundo, a charming postcard-esque community just south of Los Angeles International Airport. The venue is the Old Town Music Hall, a 188-seat movie palace originally built in 1921, and now home to a 1925 Wurlitzer Theater Pipe organ.

And the event is Cinecon 59: a five-day film festival where cinephiles gather to experience rare, sometimes newly restored, and often otherwise unavailable classics from the silent and studio eras.

I was excited to attend this year, and see an incredible line-up of rare gems over five days, starting with Opening Night.

A Language All My Own (1935)

Paramount Pictures

Director: David Fleischer

Among the many animators working during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the Fleischer brothers (Max and Dave) left their indelible mark on the field with iconic and beloved characters like Popeye, KoKo the Clown, and of course, Betty Boop.

Cinecon opened this year with a newly restored Betty Boop cartoon, in which our titular heroine - a very successful nightclub singer - travels to Japan to perform in front of her adoring fans overseas. At a brisk 6 minutes, much of the cartoon's humor comes from Betty's flight in an anthropomorphic airplane (the plane literally "runs" down the runway), but it does include a unique Betty Boop number - the eponymous "A Language All My Own" - and plenty of classic Betty dance moves onstage.

A very fun opening to what promised to be an exciting weekend.

The Gold Diggers (1923)

Warner Bros.

Director: Harry Beaumont

Betty Boop was immediately followed by this light and airy rom-com, a film long thought lost until four of its six reels were found in the back of an old van a few years ago. Newly restored, and very likely premiering for the first time since its original 1923 release, The Gold Diggers tells the story of Wally Saunders (John Harron) who has fallen madly in love with chorus girl Violet Dayne (Anne Cornwall) and wants to marry her. Unfortunately, Wally's rich uncle and guardian, Stephen Lee (Wyndham Standing) pulls the plug on that dream - all chorus girls are ruthless gold diggers, after all - and he forbids the union.

Heartbroken, Violet turns to her best friend and fellow chorus girl, Jerry La Mar (Hope Hampton) who decides to show Uncle Stephen what a real gold digger is. Maybe once he falls for one himself, the stubborn old codger will realize Violet is truly in love with Wally, and let the two live happily ever after.

Jerry's plan is brilliant, but one thing she doesn't count on? Falling in love with Stephen herself.

I will admit this was a difficult one for me to follow because it was missing two reels, and even with the intertitles explaining the missing sequences, it felt a little discombobulating. But what did survive was beautifully restored, and it had some great laugh-out-loud moments.

Adventure's End (1937)

Universal Pictures

Director: Arthur Lubin

The last film I watched on opening night was this early, pre-Stagecoach (1939) John Wayne high seas adventure.

Funnily enough, Wayne plays "Duke" Slade, a pearl diver working in the South Pacific, who manages to piss off the locals and escapes their wrath by sneaking aboard a whaling ship docked nearby. Slade is immediately drawn into shipboard drama - the captain is dying and he doesn't want his beloved whaler to fall into the hands of his crafty first mate. He implores Slade to marry his daughter, Janet Drew (Diana Gibson), so he can name Slade his heir, and hand the ship over to the two of them.

Surprisingly (yeah, actually, not surprisingly since Diana Gibson is drop-dead gorgeous), Slade agrees to this mad plan, and he is named captain right before Captain Abner (Montagu Love) passes on.

Does first mate Rand Husk (Moroni Olsen) fall in line with this new arrangement? Of course not. He had his sights set on marrying Janet himself, and he sure as hell isn't reporting to some half-naked bum that clambered onto his ship.

So, Slade sure has his hands full. In addition to a new wife anxious to annul their marriage now that her beloved father has died, he now has to captain a whaler that hasn't caught anything in ages, deal with a mutinous crew, and somehow stop his meddlesome pearl diving partner, Kalo (Paul White), from making things worse.

This really was an adventure, even if a bit *cough* of a stretch when it came to the storyline... a dying captain marries his daughter off to some bedraggled stranger who just climbed aboard his ship? But eh, it is what it is. And the visual effects were spectacular for 1937. Some of the whale chasing sequences were clearly rear projection, but some others were done.... how???

[fembutchboygirl]

unsleeping city for the fandom ask game, or mayhaps fantasy high?

Oh you know I'm gonna do both baby

Unsleeping City (s1 only, I haven't yet seen s2)

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): Sofia Lee I love you with all my heart I would marry you but your heart belongs to another

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): Ricky!!! My heart goes out to all the himbos in the world but specifically to Mr. March he's so cute

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): I would kill and die for Esther Sinclair. That is all

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): Okay listen I know David is a total ball buster but if I start thinking about him I will explode. Wally too but he's more beloved by the fanbase and has more appearances in the show so I don't count him for this one. Oh also La Gran Gata

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): Did Pete sell cocaine to children? Maybe. But he's trans and funny so it all cancels out (also all of his character development ofc I'm not going to ignore that)

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): Don Confetti. I think he'd make squeaky toy noises as I beat him with a baseball bat it would be funny

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): Robert Moses is the easy answer but yeah. Robert Moses

Fantasy High (both seasons and specials)

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): Oh man the bad kids are in constant rotation for this one, but rn? I gotta give it to Adaine I can't stop thinking about her

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): Bogariel Frogariel AKA Boggy the Froggy. He is literally so shaped. For a character with speaking lines please refer to Alistair Ash

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): Ragh Barkrock FOR SURE. He needs more love!!!! Please!!!!!!!! ALSO Ayda Aguefort I love her so much it's unreal

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): Listen to me. He's a guest character. He appears in one episode alone. He doesn't even have a last name. But I would die for Hargis okay

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): If I can't stop thinking about Adaine then you KNOW I'm obsessed with murderous-cokehead-golden-child- turned-loving-sister Aelwyn Abernant. Oughhh complicated sibling relationships my beloved. Traumatized characters who have been taught not to realize the magnitude of the abuse they're going through my beloved. Characters realizing they've never been treated with love and choosing to repay kindness when it's offered to them for the first time my beloved

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): I wanna beat Angwyn Abernant with a shovel so so so bad please let me at him. Also coach Daybreak. I'd tie him to a chair and force him to listen as I explain neogenders to him

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): She's not enough of a hate sink for me to wanna torture her directly but enough of an asshole for me to want her dead and suffering. The title goes to (you guessed it!) Arianwen Abernant

[witches-unruly-heart]

I’m a big fan of picturing the faces of the different characters I have in my stories. But seeing as there are some de Clermont family members we don’t have a face for — here’s my fan cast 🥰

I am in no way saying that this choice is the only choice. You’re allowed to have your own fancasts, it’s just who I picture when I read the names of some character ❤️

First up, let’s look at all of Philippe’s children (who aren’t my beloved Baldwin):

Henry Cavill as Philippe’s eldest son, Hugh

Florence Pugh as his Philippe’s eldest daughter Stasia

Annabelle Wallis/Wallace as Freyja

Krysten Ritter as Philippe’s youngest daughter Verin

And Gwilym Lee as his youngest son Godfrey

Now we have a visual representation of two of Ysabeau’s three children, but even so, with the choice for Louis, I couldn’t not have a face for his twin sister Louisa 😅

So here’s Lucky Blue Smith as Louis

And Lucky’s sister Daisy Clementine Smith as Louisa

We know Hugh’s only son, Gallowglass, played by the incredible Steven Cree. But what about Baldwin’s only daughter

So here’s Minami Hamabe as Miyako

And lastly, because I’ve desperately wanted to include someone from Marcus’ past,

I pictured Ella Purnell as Marcus’ sister Patience

~~~

I’m curious to know who your fan cast are, if you have any 🥰❤️

[heytherejulietx]

Surprise ~ Jughead Jones

Masterlists

Requests are OPEN (for Bughead only)

Read on AO3 here.

Notes - Okay so this is the fic I promised you guys at Christmas. Yes I know it took forever and I’m so sorry but I’m so so so glad it’s out now you have no idea!!!! I really hope you enjoy it please let me know if you do! Thank you to @lathyrusodorxtus to helping me write Bret and help me make him a douche, ily lee.

Warnings - Slight sweating.

Word count - 3k.

Riverdale tag list - @bucky-j-barnes @adorably-sweet-hufflepuff @kpopgirlbtssvt @booksmusicteaandanimals @happy-puff @teenloves

Fic tag list - @typicaljuggie

Fill out this form to join my tag list.

Her fingertips lightly brushed over the checkered blue and white quilt cover that covered his bed as she sat waiting for him to arrive. Whilst she had been in the space that her boyfriend essentially lived in before, it still was new to her. His side of the room wasn’t messy, as she had expected from her boyfriend, who had created quite a mess in Archie’s bedroom when he had been staying with his best friend. He had some stacks of different books on his desk that she could only guess were reading materials for his class, and some different drafts piled beside them, though it was all neat. She couldn’t say the side for his roommate's side of the room, which was littered with different scrunched up balls of paper and even some clothes on his nightstand and the floor.

Jughead had been at the school for only a few weeks, though she hadn’t seen him since he had moved in. He had been busy with his studies and she had been occupied with other things back in Riverdale, and they just hadn’t had time to see each other. Though after multiple calls from Jughead explaining how he felt like an outsider there, and multiple times she had almost cried because she missed him; it was enough to buy a train ticket to meet him at his school.

Stonewall Prep had a sort of atmosphere to it that she didn’t like. It was cold, for a start. The corridors and halls were all freezing cold, unlike the warmth that came from most of the buildings in Riverdale, and the only warmth she did have was in Jughead's dorm after she had turned on the small heater in the corner of his dormitory. Though the people there were making it worse. She had walked past a few of his classmates on her way into the private school, and they seemed to all have the same cold stare that made her a little uneasy. Jughead had told her that his classmates weren’t the nicest of people, and she could see why very clearly.

Though anything negative had been cleared from her mind as soon as she heard the doorknob turning and the creak of the old wooden door as it was pushed open, revealing the person who she’d been missing terribly for weeks. It was like she was walking through a desert and he was her oasis; he was so beautiful. His signature beanie was sat atop of his head as usual, light raven curls peeking out from underneath the grey wool which caused her to smile. The red tie that was a part of his uniform was loosened and his top button was undone, his collarbones barely peeking out from the white fabric. And the sleeves of his blazer were rolled up slightly, exposing his olive-toned forearms. In usual Jughead fashion, he walked into the bedroom juggling two books, his laptop case, and a cup of coffee; which she could see was still hot by the steam rising from the mug. She smiled softly when seeing he was using the mug that she had gotten him for the previous Christmas that they had shared together. It had been a dumb joke present that had a literary pun that read “Why are writers always cold? Because they’re surrounded by drafts.” And whilst Jughead had groaned about how bad of a pun it was, he’d taken it to Stonewall with him anyways.

It only took a second for him to spot her. She was practically beaming as she watched his gaze drift upwards from the floor to land on her, and if it were possible her smile widened at the sight of his blue eyes lighting up and a smile quickly taking over his expression.

“Hey,” He breathed out through the grin, quickly emptying his arms of his belongings to a free spot on the nearest unit as she stood up from his bed. “What’re you doing here?”

“I wanted to come and surprise you.” She beamed and crossed the small space of the dormitory that was between them, before she giggled as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her so tightly that her feet lifted off of the floor slightly as he’d lifted her up.

Her arms locked tightly around his shoulders as he did around her waist, and she melted into his touch with a warm smile and a sigh of content. It had been weeks without his touch, his warmth; and she had never known such torture as not being able to be held by her beloved. Through all of the sleepless nights and the tears she shed over not being able to be with him, in that moment she felt it was all worth it by being able to see him then. She pressed her face into the material of his blazer and inhaled deeply, relaxing more in his arms as the familiar smell of old books and coffee beans washed over her senses. She used to hate the smell of coffee, when she’d started dating him she complained all the time, though now she couldn’t get enough of it, because coffee smelt like him.

“I missed you so much.” Jughead murmured into her hair, his arms subtly tightening around her frame as he spoke.

“I missed you too.” She whispered as she smiled softly. “Sorry I didn’t come down any sooner. I wanted to but I’ve just been so caught up with everything. And I know you have too.”

“No, don’t apologise darling.” Jughead flattened his palm against her back and gently rubbed it through the soft material of her jumper. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

Her eyes fluttered open and looked up at him when she felt him move back slightly, and couldn’t help but smile brightly when she met his eyes and the smile that he was wearing too. It had been too long since she’d seen that smile in person. Video calling each other was fine, but it was never enough. It could never make up for not being able to see the real thing.

His hand moved from her back and her smile softened a little when his palm cupped the side of her face and tilted it up slightly, before he leaned down and met her lips with his in a soft kiss.

When was the last time she had kissed him? She couldn’t even picture it, though she knew for a fact that whatever she had remembered kissing him like was nothing compared to the real thing. Butterflies rose up in her stomach as she melted into his touch, her hands resting on his chest as he pulled her closer by a hand on her lower back. She hadn’t felt so warm and euphoric since the last time she had seen him; and in that moment she couldn’t imagine anything better than kissing Jughead Jones.

Though before either of them could pull away from the kiss, the noise of the door creaking open behind them filled the room, before a quiet chuckle followed. “Sorry, I’m not interrupting am I?”

Jughead looked visibly annoyed as he pulled away and sighed as he turned to face the person at the door, reaching for her hand in the process. She turned to look at who was standing at the door and smiled politely, not recognising who was there. He was taller than Jughead, though only by a little, wearing the same uniform though his was a little more presentable; his tie on properly and his sleeves not rolled up. In his hand he carried a laptop bag that looked a little like the one Jughead had, though it was a lighter brown in colour instead. Was this the roommate Jughead was constantly complaining about?

“Nope.” Jughead answered him a little stiffly, and upon looking up at him she could see his jaw was clenched, in - what she guessed was - annoyance. This was definitely his roommate.

“Good, I’d hate to intrude.” The guy at the door chuckled quietly again, before he shifted his gaze from Jughead and onto her with a lift of his eyebrows and a slight smirk.

“I don’t believe I’ve seen you around before.” He mused, and she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy under his gaze. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Y/N.” Jughead answered for her, and as he spoke he let go of her hand to move an arm around her waist instead. It wasn’t often that Jughead got jealous or protective, though she could definitely tell when he did. Her hand lifted to lightly rub his arm, and once he had glanced down at her she shook her head slightly, as if to tell him it wasn’t worth getting mad over.

“Y/N huh? A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” The guy smirked slightly, and this time she didn’t mind at all once Jughead had tightened his arm around her slightly. “Bret Weston Wallis, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Tell me, doll, what’re you doing with someone like him?” Bret eyed Jughead for a moment before his gaze locked with hers once more. “Charity work?”

A frown quickly formed over her features when she felt Jughead stiffen at her side, and she glared at Bret as the frown quickly turned into a scowl. She knew more than anybody else that Jughead was insecure of his past. He had asked her a few times about why she chose him, of all other people. Why choose the kid from the broken home instead of the put-together kid from a happy one? And although she knew Jughead understood her feelings completely, after almost three years together, she could tell comments like that still hurt him. And truthfully they hurt her too.

“Because I love him, you dick.” She shot back, though he just chuckled at her again which got on her nerves even more. It was like he was mocking her

“Easy there, I’m just letting a beautiful girl like yourself know your options. You don’t know what you’re missing out on until you experience it, sweetheart.” He winked at her and she scowled.

She could tell Jughead was itching to say something by the way he kept his jaw clenched and his hands in fists, his knuckles turning white under the pressure. Though she simply rubbed his arm to let him know it was okay as she stood up a little straighter in front of Bret. It definitely wasn’t the first time Y/N had gotten into an argument with someone taller and stronger than her; back in her sophomore year she had gotten into constant arguments with people like Reggie Mantle for picking on Jughead among others, so it wasn’t new for her. She wasn’t someone who enjoyed conflict, though she would never stand for someone being nasty. Especially not towards herself or her boyfriend.

“Trust me, I’m not missing out on anything. I’ve experienced it.” She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest, only growing more aggravated when Bret had simply laughed and looked back up at Jughead instead with an irritating smirk.

“She’s feisty. I like that.”

Bret’s words had her face twisting in disgust as she glared at him, feeling Jughead fully tense at her side before he let go of her to step forwards and lightly push him towards the door. “Okay, Bret, go and find Donna or someone.” Jughead spoke stiffly, clearly trying to keep his anger in check as he opened the door and nudged Bret to walk out of the room.

“Okay okay, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. I can see you want to be alone,” He rolled his eyes and went to leave the room, though at the last moment turned back to face Y/N as he leaned against the doorframe. “You know where to find me if you're ever looking for an,” He paused as he turned to look at Jughead, very clearly giving him a once-over, before his eyes returned back to Y/N. “...upgrade.”

Her expression twisted into an angry scowl and she opened her mouth to say something, though before she could Jughead slammed the door in his face, still clearly tense.

“Your roommate is an asshole.” She frowned as she moved back over to him, sighing as she moved her arms around his waist to hug him. Y/N couldn’t imagine how much worse Bret might be when she wasn’t around, and the thought made her frown. Jughead stayed at Stonewall Prep five days a week, and for the majority of his time that was what he had to deal with? It just wasn’t fair.

“I know,” Jughead sighed as he moved his arms back around her, dropping a kiss to her hair before he rested his head on top of her’s, swaying them slightly as he gently held onto her. “I don’t like him on an average day, but I definitely don’t like him talking to you like that.” Jughead huffed and his hold on her tightened subtly.

“I’m sure he won’t bother us again, and if he does I’ll punch him.” She joked and giggled quietly, smiling once Jughead had pulled back enough to look at her.

“Oh yeah, I’ve got no doubt about it. You’re extremely threatening, all four feet of you.” He cracked an entertained grin as she gasped in mock offence, lightly smacking his chest.

“Hey! I’m way taller than four feet, you’re so mean. I’m not even short.”

“Oh yeah?” Jughead challenged and raised his eyebrows a little, smirking slightly. “Kiss me then.”

Y/N scowled playfully as she leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him as challenged, though without him helping her by leaning down slightly she could only just about reach to press her lips against the underside of his jaw.

“You got it, short stack?” Jughead teased.

She just huffed and moved her hands to the side of his neck to pull him down so she could kiss him properly, causing him to chuckle quietly against her lips as his hands found her waist, holding her against himself as he walked her backwards until the backs of her knees hit the edge of his bed, causing her to sit down.

“I’m not short.” She playfully glared at him, though her expression changed to a more fond smile when his hands tilted her head up slightly to look up at him.

“Mhm, I’m sure you’re not.” He responded teasingly before he just leaned down to kiss her again as she knocked his beanie off of his head to thread her fingers through his soft hair to pull him closer to her.

Just over an hour later she sighed as she felt his fingers gently moving through her hair, brushing any loose strands from her face. They were laying across his bed with the sheets just about up to their hips so they didn’t overheat underneath the extra material. All she was wearing was his white button-up that he had been in earlier as she rested her head against his shoulder, her fingers tracing invisible shapes and lines across his bare chest as he held her against himself.

“I’m sorry we don’t see each other more often.” Jughead spoke softly into her hair.

Y/N glanced up at him and shook her head as she smiled softly. “You don’t need to apologise, baby,” She said softly, her hand moving to his side again so she could run her thumb lightly over his ribs. “I’d rather you stay here and take this amazing opportunity with your writing then stay somewhere that won’t help you at all,” Y/N leaned up to gently kiss his jaw. “Your roommate might be a dick and so might your classmates, but it’s not like they’ll kill you.”

“Don’t jinx it.” Jughead mumbled jokingly and she giggled quietly as she felt him press a kiss to her forehead softly. “Are you sure you’ll be okay without me there the whole time? I worry about you, y’know.” He sighed.

She couldn’t help but smile softly as he moved his hand from her hair to gently rest it along her jawline instead, the pad of his thumb running along her cheek. Of course she missed him whilst he was away, but Stonewall Prep was important. It was a chance for him to enhance his already amazing writing skills and take his talent even further than what he had. She couldn’t get in the way of that. They would have all the time in the world when he was finished, but for now it was important he kept at what he was doing.

“I’ll be fine, Jug,” She said softly. “This is important for you, and if I do ever need you I’ll call you.”

“You promise?” Jughead raised his eyebrows a little.

“I promise.”

He sighed though accepted her answer nonetheless, a soft smile painting over his lips as he leaned down to press his lips against hers softly for a long moment before he pulled back to look at her.

“I’m going to miss that beautiful face, though.” He smiled fondly, his thumb circling her now pink cheek.

“And I’ll miss yours.” Y/N giggled, kissing him again for a long moment before she pulled away to lean her head against his shoulder again.

“I love you so much.” Jughead said softly, his fingers combing through her hair again as she relaxed into him a bit more.

“I love you, too,” She smiled and turned her head to gently kiss his jaw again before she nuzzled her face into the side of his neck, enjoying the peaceful moment with her boyfriend in his arms.

[superman86to99]

Superman #84 (December 1993)

Superman takes a short Paris vacation! Like, one day short. What's the worst that could happen?

Oh, man.

So, for the past few issues, we've been hearing about children being abducted in Metropolis. Now we see that they're being kept inside a giant toy house by some creepy bald man in Quasimodo clothes who seems to be obsessed with toys -- a "Man of Toys," if you will. Side note: no wonder the children haven't been found... all the articles about them are just gibberish! (See clip below.)

The kidnapper thinks that these kids' parents don't deserve them, and that they're much better off here, in an underground hideout with a man who threatens to starve them if they don't play with him. (And I do mean literally play, with action figures and stuff.) Meanwhile, as these children cry for help, Superman is having the time of his life. While helping move a stranded ship with some huge-ass chains, Superman spots a sunken galleon with a treasure chest inside and fantasizes about keeping the booty...

...before turning it over to the authorities anyway, the big boy scout. Then, he wakes up Lois at 6 AM and tells her they should go to Paris right now, which usually means your significant other is having a mental breakdown, but in this case they can actually do it. And so, after deciding that he deserves to use his powers for fun every once in a while, Superman and Lois drop everything and fly to France with super-speed for the rest of the day/issue.

Anyway: back to the child abduction! Cat Grant and her son Adam attend a Halloween party at Adam's school, but there's a disturbed weirdo in a hideous costume lurking among the crowd. Yes, I'm talking about Jimmy Olsen in his Turtle Boy suit.

Shortly after that, a guy in a dinosaur costume (see, all the creeps are dressed as reptiles) lures Adam out of the party with the promise of "superb video games." What child could resist that? Of course, that turns out to be the kidnapper and Adam ends up in his hideout along with the rest of the missing children and, worst of all, not a single "Lextendo" console.

The kidnapper gets angry at Adam when he refers to the toys at the hideout as "old-fashioned junk" (he was REALLY looking forward to those video games), and even angrier when Adam tries to free the other kids. Adam is brave and puts up a good fight, but...

And those were Adam Morgan's final words. "Uh-oh."

Next, we have a pretty harrowing scene of Detective Turpin letting Cat know Adam’s body was found, and Jimmy and Perry White taking her to the morgue to identify the body (most people probably wouldn't bring their former boss to something like that, but Perry sadly knows more than most about losing a kid). As for Lois and Clark, they were gone so long that the Daily Planet had time to print a headline about the murders. The issue ends when the lovebirds walk into the office smiling like two people who just spent the night fooling around in Paris... only to feel like jackasses when they find out what happened.

To be continued!

Character-Watch:

And that's it for little Adam Morgan who, unlike the also tragically diseased Jerry White, didn't even get any post-death appearances. Adam went from a little kid scared of Superman, to a huge brat, to a character who was approaching likeability as of last week. That's why I hate it when DC kills off young characters like Adam or Liam Harper: in long-form storytelling, children represent potential. Look at how much Wally West or Dick Grayson evolved over the years compared to their mentors! Sure, there's a huge probability that Adam would have ended up disappearing from comics for 25 years anyway, but who knows, maybe we'd now know him as Teen Gangbuster or something. GangbusTEEN.

This issue also represents a turning point for the kidnapper, who is never named or seen clearly in the story itself but I don't think I'm shocking anyone by spoiling the fact that he's Toyman (it's in the cover, for one thing). In his last two appearances before this storyline, Toyman helped Superman save some kids from Sleez and looked genuinely sad to learn about Superman's death, so this is a pretty dramatic change for the character. We'll find out why he went from big softy to child killer in Superman #85 (but don't get your hopes up).

Plotline-Watch:

The most disturbing part of the issue, all things considered, is still the part where Toyman climbs into a giant crib and hugs a huge stuffed bunny. Look at serial killer Tommy Pickles here:

Don Sparrow says:  “Even with the upgrade, Toyman is still just a man in a suit, a common complaint about Superman’s rogues gallery.” Funny you should say that, because I JUST shared an old Wizard interview in our Twitter in which Dan Jurgens talks about how Doomsday came out of his frustration with the fact that most Superman villains are dudes in suits (plus other interesting tidbits from the era, like how it was actually Roger Stern’s idea to bring back Hank Henshaw, so check out that link!).

Don again: “The entire Superman storyline of this issue feels like filler. Diving for buried treasure and soaring off to Paris -- it all feels like wasted time next to the Adam storyline.” I have a theory that the entire ship sequence is there as an excuse to put Superman in those big chains and make that Spawn joke (which I didn’t get until now, since I’ve always read this issue in Spanish).

Superman says that pulling that big ship was "a little easier than expected" -- that's either another hint that there's something going on with Superman's powers since he came back, or a subtle dig at the state of American ship manufacturing.

Another adorable "window tap" scene for the books, and this is the sexiest one so far. Is it me or has Jurgens started copying more than just Teri Hatcher's hairdo from Lois & Clark? (For anyone who thinks Lois has gotten implants, I refer you to this clip.)

While in Paris, Lois asks Clark if he's ever wondered what would happen if his rocket had landed in other countries. Don: “Clark’s conversation with Lois sounds like a bunch of concepts for Elseworlds stories. We eventually would see a Russian Superman, and a British Superman, but not yet the French Superman. (Hire us, DC!)” Yep, got my French Superman pitch ready, Jim Lee. Or just let us do Russian Superman again, since Red Son wasn’t even the first time you published that idea.

Don once more: “Another thing that makes no sense about the ‘new’ Toyman is his resentment of technological toys—when in previous appearances he himself had deadly high-tech toys to vex Superman over the years.” I especially resent his hatred of video game consoles. Incidentally, I wonder what types of games are available for Adam’s beloved Lextendo. Star Lex 64? Mega Man Lex? Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles & Lex?

No one is more upset at Lois and Clark for going AWOL than Whit. NO ONE. He's so furious that his usually grey mustache turned black.

Patreon-Watch:

As always, shout out to our patrons, Aaron, Murray Qualie, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Samuel Doran, Bheki Latha, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush and Raphael Fischer! Last month’s exclusive Patreon article was about the recently unearthed sequel to Superman 64 for the PlayStation, featuring Metallo, Parasite, and Lois looking even hotter than in this issue:

Hot damn. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99!

And believe it or not, Don Sparrow has even more to say about this issue. Read his section after the jump:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow​):

I should start off my section with a big caveat:  I flat out hate this issue. There were several weird decisions made in the post-Death-and-Return era (most of them along the same lines of making the Superman titles more grim-and-gritty), and this story was one of the worst of them.  My theory is that, despite the praise and record-breaking sales of the Death and Return storyline, the Superman creative team felt pressure to have more extreme storylines, perhaps in response to the wildly successful Image books coming out at the time.  Between this story, and the upcoming “Spilled Blood” storyline, the Super books take a hard—but temporary--turn into more violent and upsetting storytelling—even though these stories are by the same writers as the previous few years. While death has always been a part of comics, and Superman comics was no exception, there is a jarring glibness and unfeeling toward the way violence is handled in these pages that is quite different from the stories that preceded it.  It’s made all the more jarring by the fact that well-established personalities suddenly veer wildly out of character, Toyman chief among them.  

We start with the cover, and while it is technically well-drawn (by the familiar team of Jurgens and Breeding) it’s also a very upsetting visual.  I think they should have gone with the pieta type pose with Adam and Superman, OR the scary badass bowie-knife Toyman (who apparently has a Cheshire cat smile now) but not both.  But the cover is a good hint at the tonal dissonance of the comic within.

We open with a splash of the now-extreme 90s looking Toyman, with his serial killer shaved head and spooky cloak, ignoring the pleas of hungry kids he has locked up in a tiny jail cell for days at a time (if that sentence doesn’t ring alarm bells for how wrong this is for a Superman story, I don’t know what will). For much of the issue Toyman’s eyes are obscured by glare on his lenses, further de-humanizing a character who was once one of Superman’s more empathetic bad guys.

We cut to Superman tugboating a huge tanker with giant chains and it’s a cool visual (one repeated in the Batman V Superman film).  It feels especially out of place to focus on, given how upsetting this issue is otherwise, but throughout the whole comic, Lois is drawn smoking hot, especially on the two page spread on pages 9-10.

The scenes depicting the actual murder, while still wildly out of place in a Superman comic, are well done, and give a real sense of darkness and menace, which I suppose is the intent.  Perhaps my least favourite visual is the Big Bird stuffie, silently bearing witness to what’s about to occur.

The edges of the panels on get more slashy and off-kilter (to me, looking very much like the layouts more typically seen in Image comics of the day) and I suppose I appreciate the restraint of how little Dan Jurgens shows of the death of a child, showing only a bloody slash on a black background.  This is still a pretty baroque image for a Superman comic, but certainly less violent than it could be, given what is happening.

Cat Grant’s silent horror is well staged, and powerful in its way.   Lastly, Clark Kent bending in sorrow and regret is a powerful image.

While this issue is handled marginally better, and more maturely than other comics on the shelf at this time, I still believe it is one of the biggest mistakes of the era.  Giving a long-established character an unceremonious death for shock value is gross on its own, but making it a child definitely crosses a line for me.  Making it worse is that, while the Toyman is a criminal and a killer, he has shown in past issues (a similar kidnapping storyline involving Sleez) that he genuinely cares for the well-being of children.  So for a long-time reader, this also felt like a betrayal of a long-established, fully developed character.   Adding to the ugliness of this is that Adam dies heroically, trying to free the children who have been caged, unfed, for days, but even in that regard, he fails.  The headline at the end of the issue confirms all the children are dead.  Adam’s death did not buy the other kids enough time to get away. It was all for nothing. Had Adam died, but the other children lived, maybe this issue wouldn’t leave quite as bad a taste. [Max: It’s weird because it’s all told in a way where it’s told in a way where it would make sense, narratively and within the story universe, that the other kids survived, but then it’s almost casually revealed that nope, they died too. A scene of one of the kids relaying Adam’s heroism to Cat in a future issue would have gone a long way.]

Superman doesn’t come off well in these pages, either.  It’s honestly the type of story they should just stay away from, because the more you think about all the calamity that is going on around the clock, the less defensible the whole Clark Kent persona becomes. Superman carving out time to romance his fiancée directly led to the preventable deaths of innocent children—how do you come back from that?

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

I’m always looking for hints that perhaps Jimmy or Perry know Superman’s secret identity deep down, and Jimmy’s anger at Lois and Clark on their return to the Daily Planet offices would seem to give that theory some credence, as he’s as angry at them as if he knew Clark really were Superman.  Either that, or he’s ticked that it fell to him, and none of them to escort Cat into the morgue. [Max: Has this issue finally converted you to the “Jimmy is terrible” side now, Don?]

I don’t think I’m the only one who disliked the new Toyman—SPOILERS BE HERE: years later, in Action Comics #865, Geoff Johns retconned this whole story, reverting Schott into the criminal who over-relates to kids, rather than the child-killer of this story.  Apparently the infantile Schott, who speaks to “Mother” a la Norman Bates, is a robot so lifelike it fools even Superman, and the “Mother” he’s constantly replying to was the real Winslow Schott trying to recall the malfunctioning robot. [Max: That’s one Geoff Johns retcon I really didn’t mind, even if it felt kind of derivative of his similar “all the Brainiacs are robots made by the real Brainiac” reveal.]

[one-ishmael]

Chapter 7: The Chapel

Let’s move on to some capital-T Theology in this next run of chapters in Moby-Dick; or, the Whale! I’ll say ahead of time that I am, at best, an amateur theologian, having taken only a few classes on the subject in college, and none of them even remotely relating to 19th century Christianity.

But, having been raised in a denomination that encourages scholarship of the Bible, following @benito-cereno for many years on this site, and listening to his wonderful podcast @apocrypals, I know a thing or three about the following of ol’ Oily Josh.

SUMMARY: Ishmael returns to the inn after his morning perambulations, then leaves again to visit the famous Whaleman’s Chapel of New Bedford. The weather has turned bad, sleeting heavily, but he makes it there, crusted over in ice. The chapel is already half full of various worshipers, each sitting apart and silently in their grief, gazing at the memorial tablets on the wally behind the pulpit. Queequeg is there, but because he can’t read he is unaffected by the gravity of the scene.

So, we transition ever so smoothly from Ishmael extolling the merits of the whale fishery, rhapsodizing about how it has made New Bedford a paradise on earth when it was previously a blasted waste, straight into this, a contemplation of the cost of that wealth. Not only the lives lost in gaining it, but the grief of those left behind, the shipmates and relatives who now suffer eternal grief.

Ishmael explains that the deaths of whalemen in the process of their craft is especially harsh, as their bodies are usually unrecoverable. A boat is simply carried off over the horizon, and everyone on it is accounted as dead. A man is dragged beneath the waves after not cutting a rope soon enough, never to be seen again. He goes overboard during a squall, and only noticed in the morning’s accounting.

Thus, the grief is more keenly felt by those in this particular chapel. Which is a real place, it turns out, but is called the Seaman’s Bethel and not the Whaleman’s Chapel. It is preserved exactly as it is described in this book, and you can go there, in New Bedford, and gaze at those tablets yourself, if you so wish.

Not knowing where your loved one’s body ended up is tragic, because how will you find them when the resurrection comes? Indeed, Ishmael posits that this is the reason the grief is all the deeper and intractable in this place. It undermines the very faith of the grievers, how can they believe in Eternal Life if the bodies of their beloved lay at the bottom of some ocean, thousands of miles away?

This is referring to the concept of Jesus returning to grant eternal life to all who have died. The idea being that when you die, you don’t just go to heaven immediately, but have to stay dead for a while, until Jesus returns to Earth to raise the righteous dead and bring them with him up into paradise. So the placement of bodies after death becomes a very important thing, in Christianity.

There’s a whole Thing about what these resurrected dead will be like, and be able to do, which is buck-fucking-wild, but I’m not gonna get into that here. Check out episode 5 of the aforementioned podcast, Apocrypals, for more info on all that.

Getting back to the text, I really didn’t understand this bit at all the first time I read it, but now it makes more sense, being aware of the whole second-coming-resurrection thing. Ishmael gets more philosophical here, wondering why people care so much about where the bodies lay, or why people care about their loved ones being dead at all! After all, they’ll be back as immortal spirits in no time. They’re not even really dead, just resting until the second coming.

And yet, there is grief. There is sorrow eternal, over the placeless dead. There is fear over the idea of resurrection itself. Ishmael seems to be picking at a contradiction here, that people don’t really believe in these things. Or, that the faith itself only sustains itself by offering hope to those in the depths of despair. You may say, taking advantage of those who are desperate for a shimmer of hope.

But Faith, like a jackal, feeds among the tombs, and even from these dead doubts she gathers her most vital hope.

Then, Ishmael gets really philosophical, right in the last paragraph.

After contemplating the tablets seemingly foretelling his own death in his forthcoming voyage, he decides to take the whole thing in stride. Sure, maybe he’ll die in some ignominious way in some random accident, but so what? He’s just getting it over with, getting a promotion to an immortal spirit, shedding his earthly form early.

Methinks we have hugely mistaken this matter of Life and Death. Methinks that what they call my shadow here on earth is my true substance. Methinks that in looking at things spiritual, we are too much like oysters observing the sun through the water, and thinking that thick water the thinnest of air. Methinks my body is but the lees of my better being. In fact take my body who will, take it I say, it is not me. And therefore three cheers for Nantucket; and come a stove boat and stove body when they will, for stave my soul, Jove himself cannot.

So, what we see as the world is not necessarily the truth of it. Ishmael is going full Descartes here, saying that the only thing you can know for sure is that you exist. The true nature of the world is not revealed to us by appearances.

That is definitely gonna show up a lot in this book, as an ongoing theme. The world that presents itself to our eyes, at a glance, is not even a fraction of the whole story when it comes to whales. Why should it be so for anything else? What appears to be the important things in life, the physical things, are just impermanent shadows, compared to the eternal nature of the soul!

Sounds an awful lot like Gnosticism to me, frankly. Melville was a bit of a heretic! Not that he ever claimed not to be. Gnosticism being the off-shoot of christianity, going way back to the very early days, which posits that the physical world was made by an evil being called the Demiurge and exists only to corrupt the pure, spiritual essence of mankind.

But, really, Melville isn’t being specific enough to be slotted into any particular theology or philosophy. The whole point is that knowledge is impossible. You can try and try, but to really get to the true truth? The real reality? It is completely unknowable whether you’ve ever reached it. 

I warned you it was gonna be a big one, for such a short chapter. And this isn’t even getting into all the meaning I could wring out of that line about faith being like a jackal. I’ve basically made that quote the basis for this indie game project I’ve been working on, and even used it as a prospective name!

The deep stuff in this book comes out of nowhere, sometimes. One chapter Ishmael is opining about how pretty the girls of New Bedford are in the spring, and the next he’s saying it’s okay if he dies because this physical world is but an illusion. Go figure!

As always, you can follow along with the full text of the book FOR FREE on Gutenberg dot org. Or, there are many free or very cheap editions available on amazon dot com. And if you really want to get fancy, check out the illustrated edition by one Evan Dahm, the author of the webcomics Rice Boy and Vattu.

Until next time, shipmates!

[armeniaitn]

Fort Lee's Onnik Dinkjian Named Recipient of Nation's Highest Honor in the Folk and Traditional Arts

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/culture/fort-lees-onnik-dinkjian-named-recipient-of-nations-highest-honor-in-the-folk-and-traditional-arts-40225-28-07-2020/

Fort Lee's Onnik Dinkjian Named Recipient of Nation's Highest Honor in the Folk and Traditional Arts

Presenting events virtually? Be sure to add your events to our Virtual Event calendar – FREE listings!

Fort Lee’s Onnik Dinkjian Named Recipient of Nation’s Highest Honor in the Folk and Traditional Arts

originally published: 07/28/2020

(TRENTON, NJ) — The National Endowment for the Arts recently announced the recipients of its 2020 National Heritage Fellowships. Onnik Dinkjian of Fort Lee is among the nine recipients to be honored this year. These lifetime honor awards of $25,000 are given in recognition of both artistic excellence and efforts to sustain cultural traditions for future generations. 

Onnik Dinkjian is hailed as one of the most beloved and influential Armenian singers in America, with an expressive voice said to convey both the joy of his Armenian heritage and the deep sorrow of its painful history.

Dinkjian was born in 1929 in Paris, France. His parents, born in Dikranagerd (Diyarbekir), Turkey, were survivors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, and died when he was an infant. His godparents, also survivors of the genocide from Dikranagerd, adopted him and they immigrated to America in 1946. The Armenian dialect from Dikranagerd is unique and Dinkjian is one of the last remaining Armenians who speaks and understands it, and perhaps the last who sings in this endangered dialect.

Apart from the sacred music of the Armenian Church, Dinkjian’s repertoire consists of mainly folk and popular songs from the Anatolian (Eastern Turkey) villages, Armenia, and the Armenian Diaspora. Dinkjian is also a composer and lyricist, whose songs have become standards in the American-Armenian community. 

When asked what receiving this honor means to him, Dinkjian said, “Not only did America give my people a safe haven, it also provided me the opportunity to keep the dialect and songs of my ancestors alive, which I have strived to do for over 70 years. My goal was not to be recognized, but rather to pass our rich Armenian culture down to future generations. Receiving the NEA Heritage Fellowship is an honor beyond my wildest dreams. I am truly humbled and appreciative.”

The article continues after this ad

  A brief documentary captured Onnik recording his latest album, highlighting the importance of continuing and sharing this unique cultural art form. 

[embedded content]

“For years, Onnik Dinkjian has used his talents to share the proud history of the Armenian people through traditional music,” said Governor Murphy. “His work is an inspiration not only to the Armenian Diaspora, but to artists across the world. We are proud of his many accomplishments and success in using his music to promote and preserve Armenia’s rich cultural heritage.”

“The State Arts Council is proud to support and celebrate the various art forms rooted in cultural heritage – art forms that can be found in communities throughout New Jersey,” said Council Chair Elizabeth Mattson. “We congratulate Mr. Dinkjian on this significant lifetime accomplishment and are honored to count him among the many talented and passionate artists who call New Jersey home.”

“I applaud the National Endowment for the Arts for recognizing Mr. Dinkjian for a lifetime of artistic and historical contributions through his music,” said Secretary of State Tahesha Way. “We are proud that New Jersey has been home for Mr. Dinkjian as he preserved the artistic heritage of his ancestors and shared his gifts with the world.”

To read the full announcement from the National Endowment for the Arts, including the list of all 2020 National Heritage Fellows, click here.

About the National Heritage Fellowships

The National Heritage Fellowships are the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Including the 2020 class, the Arts Endowment has awarded 449 National Heritage Fellowships, recognizing artists working in more than 200 distinct art forms, including bluesman B.B. King, Cajun fiddler and composer Michael Doucet, sweetgrass basketweaver Mary Jackson, cowboy poet Wally McRae, Kathak dancer and choreographer Chitresh Das, and gospel and soul singer Mavis Staples. More information about the National Heritage Fellows is available on the Arts Endowment’s website. 

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America.  

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council receives direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated, renewable Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee, as well as competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.  

Read original article here.

[lazaroschamberger20]

The Goldfinch: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Audiobook Online

[Book] The Goldfinch: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Audiobook Online by Donna Tartt

A young New Yorker grieving his mother's death is pulled into a gritty underworld of art and wealth in this 'extraordinary' and beloved Pulitzer Prize winner that 'connects with the heart as well as the mind' (Stephen King, New York Times Book Review). Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by a longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into a wealthy and insular art community. As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love -- and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle. The Goldfinch is a mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention. From the streets of New York to the dark corners of the art underworld, this 'soaring masterpiece' examines the devastating impact of grief and the ruthless machinations of fate (Ron Charles, Washington Post).

Read The Goldfinch: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Audiobook Online by (Donna Tartt)

Duration: 8 hours, 30 minutes

Writer: Donna Tartt

Publisher: Hachette Book Group USA

Narrators: David Pittu

Genres: David Pittu

Rating: 4.1

Narrator Rating: 4.46

Publication: Tuesday, 01 October 2013

The Goldfinch: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Audiobook Online Reviews

Deborah Cooper

I loved loved loved this book. I was totally transported into Theo's world. What a read! And the narrator was amazing.

Rating: 5

shawna vail

It took a few tries to get into it but once I did, I was glad I stuck with it. The narration is Very good.

Rating: 4

Kristen F.

Overall good. Never quite got past the female character voices. Distracting.

Rating: 4

Sandra Gaia-Rae

I read this novel and loved it so much I had to listen to it, which was delightful. The narrator really brought all the characters to life. Sandra

Rating: 5

Jeffrey Monroe

Very well done. Nice suspense and good ending. Great Character sketches. I really enjoyed the audio book.

Rating: 4

Angelika Stalman

Terribly boring. Could only get through it as an audio book where I didn't have to pay attention the whole time. Character belabors his miserable life. Book had potential with possibly good storyline. But 80% of the time it's just focused on describing a drug-addicts miserable withdrawal symptoms. Voice of narrator was terrific though and made it possible to get through it after all.

Rating: 1

Denise Perez

Quite an entertaining and thought provoking book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rating: 4

Kate Newton

Her ability to show, not tell, is remarkable. Brilliant work. I liked the narrator except I think a female should have been used for the female voices. All the female voices sounded like they were being read by a transvestite.

Rating: 5

Sarah Z.

This was probably the best book I have ever listened to. I loved the narrator, I couldn’t put it down; I listened for hours at a time. The writing was 5 star!

Rating: 5

Gavin C.

Epic, truly epic

Rating: 5

Similar Books

Girl on the Train: A Novel

Original Author: Paula Hawkins

Before We Were Yours: A Novel

Original Author: Lisa Wingate

All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel

Original Author: Anthony Doerr

Where the Crawdads Sing

Original Author: Delia Owens

Lilac Girls: A Novel

Original Author: Martha Hall Kelly

Small Great Things: A Novel

Original Author: Jodi Picoult

Invention of Wings: A Novel

Original Author: Sue Monk Kidd

Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane: A Novel

Original Author: Lisa See

Storyteller

Original Author: Jodi Picoult

Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel

Original Author: George Saunders

Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel

Original Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Secrets We Kept: A novel

Original Author: Lara Prescott

To Kill a Mockingbird

Original Author: Harper Lee

We Are Water: A Novel

Original Author: Wally Lamb

Help

Original Author: Kathryn Stockett

Little Fires Everywhere

Original Author: Celeste Ng

Testaments: The Sequel to The Handmaid's Tale

Original Author: Margaret Atwood

Into the Water: A Novel

Original Author: Paula Hawkins

Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel

Original Author: Amor Towles

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel

Original Author: Gail Honeyman

Alchemist

Original Author: Paulo Coelho

My Sister's Keeper: A Novel

Original Author: Jodi Picoult

American Marriage: A Novel

Original Author: Tayari Jones

Lost Girls of Paris: A Novel

Original Author: Pam Jenoff

Dutch House: A Novel

Original Author: Ann Patchett

[doglover502]

Previous

Sonya watched Patton with a hurt expression as he cried into a blue snowflake blanket. They were in his room, still icy as ever, the sun setting through his window on them.

She came as soon as she heard about the fight in his school, where Wally broke his beloved scarf, and in return he broke Wally’s nose. And a pretty decent section of the wall.

“And-and I punched him”, he stammered, continuing on his story “I-I-I didn’t mean to, it..it just….”

But before he could finish, Patton broke down again in sobs and buried his face into the blanket once more.

“Hey, it’s ok”, she comforted. “It’s ok. I’m sure his nose will get better.”

Patton sniffed and used the blanket to wipe the tears out of his eyes.

“I didn’t want to punch him”, he said quietly. “I just wanted to take him. I didn’t want to…..hurt him.”

Sonya hugged him as much as she could. “I know you didn’t.”

“It’s just….he..he RIPPED my scarf. Like it was useless paper!”

Words could not describe how Sonya felt after hearing that little detail. Or describe how much she wanted to march right over to Wally’s house and kick him down even harder into the ground. But right now, Patton needed her more. She couldn’t just abandon him so she could take out petty revenge.

Which reminded her on how she owed Tommy and Lee a large amount of Rainbow Munchies when she got back.

“Don’t worry”, she reassured. “I can still make you another one.”

“I just…after that, something in me just…I got so angry. I-I-I don’t know what came over me.”

Sonya didn’t say anything, despite how much she wanted to say something. She just silently continued to hug his arm.

“I just….it was just like..like last time.”

Sonya immediately gasped and looked up at him in shock. Patton nodded slowly as he started to breath short and quick, his lips quivering.

“Just…how I punched him, and he hit the wall. Just like in middle school, and I’m…..”, he stopped mid-sentence as his eyes formed tears again.

Sonya immediately stopped him and forcibly turned his head towards her.

“No, you don’t say that! This is NOT like last time! Don’t you DARE think it’s like last time!”

“But the wall hit. The blood. The punch…..them calling me a…a freak.”

Both of them were silent for a minute after that.

“And a dork”, he continued awkwardly. He looked down at his blanket and began to hug it closely to his body. He sniffled, even though no tears were coming out of his eyes.

“Just when I was starting to think”, he paused before his voice started to waver. “That maybe I didn’t have to be.”

“Patton, you’re not a dork”, Sonya said. “And you’re not a freak either.”

“Sonya”, Patton said exasperated. “Look at me. I’m enormous. I break down doors by knocking on them. I stick out like a sore thumb wherever I go.” He got up from his bed at pointed outside his window. ESPECIALLY in that school.“

Sonya looked concern as she heard Patton get louder and louder with every berate.

“I mean, I’m not like any teenager there! I play Yipper! I don’t skateboard! I don’t do any sports! I eat off take the children’s menu in resteraunts! I have tea parties! I still wet the bed! I still hang on to an old blanket”, he pointed to the blanket in his hands for emphasis. “I’m the only 16 year old there who can’t play a guitar or…or who still does to bed before 9…or, or gets invited to any parties.”

He sat down on his bed again and slouched in defeat.

“No one even said my name correctly.”

Sonya then sighed as she turned to Patton.

“Patton, forgive me for this.”

Patton looked at Sonya confused. “For what?”

He was then answered with a hard smack on his face.

He looked at Sonya shocked, as he held his cheek in his hand.

“Everything you just said, does NOT make you a freak”, Sonya said angrily. “You are so much more than that. You’re funny! You bake amazingly! You’re one of the fastest people I know! And you skate somehow even faster! You are just so nice to everybody, especially if they don’t deserve it! And you’re loyal! You are so loyal, you’ll stay by someone side no matter what”, she then took off her hat and looked at it with a bittersweet smile. “No matter how much it’s been keeping you back.”

Patton looked at her, sad and hurt. “Sonya, trust me. You haven’t been holding me back from anything.”

Sonya smiled at him, tears starting to form in her own eyes. She then pulled out of her hat a pair of candy canes. She put the hat back on her head, and took one candy cane for herself and then handed one to Patton. He took it gratefully and put it in his mouth.

“Well if it helps Patton”, Sonya said through the candy cane. “I don’t think you’re a freak or a dork. You’re easily the coolest teenager I’ve ever met.”

She then hugged him as tight as she could and looked up at him. “If anything, I wish there were teens out there that were more like you.”

Patton smiled and reciprocated the hug, small tears forming in his eyes again.

“Thanks Sonya.”

The 2 let go and sat there quietly sucking on their candy canes. Sonya got up and headed towards her school backpack on the floor.

“So”, Sonya started up a conversation again. “If you want, maybe”, while she talked she pulled out a thermostat and opened it, greeting Patton with the smell of hot cocoa. “We can have our weekend tea party a little bit earlier.”

Patton smiled brightly and nodded. “I would love to”, he said as he walked towards a drawer. “It probably would be better to do it now since I’m grounded.”

“How long are you grounded for?”

“A month”, he said sadly, as he pulled out a plastic teapot and 2 tea cups. “I’m just glad my mom let you see me. Boy, I wish Fan warned me about this in our training.”

Sonya stopped and nearly choked on her candy cane. She snapped her head up towards Patton as he handed her a tea cup and sat down on a game table. “Fan? Training?”

“Yeah”, he said happily. “She’s the one who told me to stand up for myself. And…well, taught me that word”, he added the last part in sheepishly.

Sonya nodded and sat down across from him, pouring hot chocolate in their cups.

“Well”, she finally said. “I can tell her you’re grounded and everything so you can stay out of any more trouble.”

“You’ll really do that?”

“Of course I will. You’re my friend.”

“Aww, thanks”, he smiled warmly. The 2 clinked their cups together and drank their hot chocolate.

“So Sonya”, Patton said after downing his cup. “When do you think you’ll talk to her?”

“Oh trust me Patton”, Sonya answered with an innocent smile.

“Something tells me we’re going to see each other really soon.”

Ok, so I originally planned this scene to be with Patton and Abby, but decided this would work better with Sonya.

Speaking of Sonya, it’s been a while since I’ve drawn her. I mean I’ve mentioned her many times, but it’s been forever since I’ve last drawn her.

There’s the return of Snowy again (yes Patton gave the blanket has a name)

But oh yeah, a storm’s about to get a-brewing.

[chicagoindiecritics]

New Review from Jeff York of Creative Screenwriting Magazine: Why Casablanca Is Considered One Of The Best Films Of All Time

No one expected it at the time. Casablanca sparkled with Hollywood stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid, but was predicted to be yet another Warner Bros. war picture. Based on Murray Burnett and Joan Allison’s unproduced play, Everybody Comes to Rick’s, the rights were acquired by Hal B. Wallis for $20,000— the highest amount any producer had paid for a project of that kind.

When production began on May 25th of 1942, the screenplay wasn’t finished. A trio of writers, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and his twin Howard Koch, scribbled last-minute dialogue on set, handing scraps of paper to assistants who scurried them to the actors, seconds before the cameras rolled. Memorable lines like, “Here’s looking at you, kid,” were improvised.

Difficulties surfaced, one being the substantial height difference between Bergman and Bogart. Bogart was two inches shorter, requiring him to stand on blocks in their scenes together and during their iconic kiss. Bergman also insisted on being shot on her left side, a frustrating request for cinematographer Arthur Edison. Bogart’s wife offscreen accused him of having an affair with Bergman, a distraction he didn’t need since he was already out of his element playing Rick Blaine. Most of the cast believed the dialogue in the film was laughable.

The romantic drama with an exotic Moroccan backdrop was shot at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, but in sequence, for the sole reason that the second half of the screenplay was non-existent. It’s Love I’m After screenwriter Casey Robinson worked on uncredited rewrites for three weeks. The censorship board rejected sexual references, forcing the deletion of dialogue and long stretches of footage. Klieg lights toppled over and shattered while shooting film noir lighting, so shadows were painted instead of created. Wartime restrictions on building supplies required the use of recycled set pieces from previous productions. A timeless masterpiece was far from anyone’s mind, especially for Michael Curtz, who wasn’t Jack Warner’s first choice for director. His Hungarian accent provoked much confusion amongst the crew, nearly causing him to quit during principal photography. The cost exceeded the original budget of $878,000, totaling $1,039,000. By all accounts, Casablanca should have bombed.

Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart)

Then on November 26th of 1942, Casablanca premiered at the Hollywood Theater in New York City and went into general release two months later.  It proceeded to win three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director and Screenplay with five other nominations. Today, the classic contends with the greatest of films, rooted in a screenplay considered by many to be the best of all time.

In 2006, the Writers Guild of America awarded it that prestigious title. Universities and film historians praise its inter-woven plots and overall screenwriting craftsmanship.

“There are a lot of great things about the script,” said Kevin Willmott, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman. “The story is very interconnected. Rick and Ilsa’s backstory and present story and the challenge to his current belief system are all beautifully intertwined.”

“Casablanca has characters that are both universal and particular to their time,” said Poltergeist screenwriter Michael Grais. “Many of the actors in the film were recent refugees from Nazi Germany. They brought to the movie a realism that was unique. None of the characters are one-dimensional… Bogart (Rick) set the tone for many film characters to follow — the broken-hearted, reluctant hero — a man who is bitter about politics and refuses to take sides. All three of the main characters are broken-hearted, not only because of each other, but because of what has happened to the world under the Nazi scourge. This is the heart of the film for me and who among us has not been broken-hearted and cynical about what the world has become? The film is as potent and timely today as it was when it was first written in 1942.”

The basic ingredients to a quality film apply today just as they did back then — an engaging story, plot twists, pacing and something that’s overlooked, dialogue that’s unique to each character.

Paul Blyskal, a story analyst at Netflix, understands the concept from years of looking over material. “As far as what a script reader tends to look for, it’s tough to put into words. It’s something you start to feel after reading a few dozen to a few hundred screenplays. In general, you’re looking for a compelling idea and a story with a strong narrative drive… tension, surprise, and characters the viewer will care about.”

“People watch movies for two reasons,” said Sherry Hudak, actress/writer/producer at Reel Stories Real People. “They either need a temporary escape or a desire to feel connected and inspired. A good movie should take its audience on a journey to expand their minds and open their hearts to all the possibilities in life. It should explore different angles of the human condition and draw you in.”

Bruce Fretts, a contributor at The New York Times, said, “Any screenplay that has multiple lines of dialogue (‘Here’s looking at you, kid,’ ‘This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,’ ‘We’ll always have Paris,’ ‘Round up the usual suspects,’ ‘The problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world,’ ‘I’m shocked to find out that gambling is going on,’ ‘Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine’) enter into the popular parlance—even if one of them, ‘Play it, Sam,’ is widely misquoted—has to be considered one of the greatest of all time. Also, the screenplay for Casablanca proved you don’t need to give audiences a traditional happy ending to create one of the most beloved romances in movie history.”

Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Lund)

“Casablanca is a great script because it was written on the fly,” said Stu Kreisman, Cheers writer, Warner Bros. producer, and columnist at The Huffington Post. “Nobody, including the actors, director, or writers knew how it would end until it was written days before it was shot.  The fact that the process was so muddled, and it turned out to be one of the classic films and scripts is astounding.”

While most appreciate Casablanca’s efforts, not everyone considers it to possess the silver screen magic that so many say — not enough to be regarded as the number one film, at least. The American Film Institute gives Citizen Kane that title, followed by The Godfather and Casablanca in third place. Interestingly, when the AFI List was first released in 1998, the slots of The Godfather and Casablanca were reversed, causing reason to suspect that the timeless facet is wearing off.

Scout Tafoya, a film critic for RoberEbert.com, holds this opinion. “It’s very good, but I don’t believe it’s the best screenplay ever written, and I think you’d basically have to find people who visit the TCM Cruise to find supporting evidence of the claim. It’s funny and romantic and clever, I think it’s lovely, but I think anyone who says it’s the greatest has about 300-400 more movies left to watch.”

“Casablanca is my second favorite movie after Citizen Kane. It captures man’s thirst for war, search for love, and man’s greed,” reflects Michael Selsman, industry veteran, producer, author of Lost on the Yellow Brick Road and former agent to Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Truman Capote, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Orson Welles. [The success] was a big surprise to Warner, He told me that when I was co-producing Dirty Little Billy, his first co-production after selling the studio. When Bonnie and Clyde became a hit, he was also gobsmacked.”

Film school professors teach their students to dissect the film and screenplay frame by frame, page by page, breaking down each act and their specifics. Although not always utilized, the three-act structure is standard for mapping out a screenplay – generally one page per minute of screen time. Koch and the Epstein brothers followed the traditional formula, harping on themes, dramatic conflict, a moving story arc and the internal and external goals of characters.

Beverly Neufeld, adjunct professor of screenwriting at USC, points out, “It speaks to anti-heroes, the times, a great love story without a happy ending, great characters and stakes.”

“Casablanca not only includes all genres within, but also redemption, inspiration, love, unity of the subdued people and much more,” explained author and UCLA Screenwriting alum Melodi Bac.

“As a writer, I know exactly why Casablanca occupies a special place in my heart. God help me, I’m an eternal optimist who believes it’s never too late for people to grow, evolve, and change. And that’s exactly what I think is so strong about Humphrey Bogart’s character of Rick Blaine. He basically starts off the movie saying, ‘I don’t help nobody.’ But by the end, he’s sacrificing everything to take on the Nazis. The way the Epstein Brothers, Howard Koch, and Casey Robinson crafted that character gives me hope every single time I watch the film. When writers feel the need to develop rich character arcs, Casablanca is a master class,” declares screenwriter, producer and USC School of Cinematic Arts professor Trey Callaway.

Casablanca transports the audience to a poignant depth unmatched by any love story told since. The beauty of Casablanca isn’t only the execution through the eyes of Curtz, but the words written on 127 white pages from fade in to fade out.

from Film Reviews – Creative Screenwriting https://ift.tt/2RE3SbC via IFTTT

from WordPress https://ift.tt/3ba8FJA via IFTTT

[londontheatre]

Steffan Harri and Amelia Lily Shrek the Musical UK Ireland tour. Credit Chris Gardner

SHREK THE MUSICAL® today announces full casting for the major nationwide tour, with Amelia Lily joining the cast as ‘Princess Fiona’ from April 2018. As previously announced, Call the Midwife star Laura Main will also play ‘Princess Fiona’ at selected venues, sharing the role with Amelia while she continues filming on the current BBC series*. They will play opposite Steffan Harri who will lead the cast as beloved swamp-dwelling ogre ‘Shrek’ with Marcus Ayton as Shrek’s wisecracking sidekick ‘Donkey’ and Samuel Holmes as pint-sized villain ‘Lord Farquaad’. The hit musical will open at Edinburgh Playhouse for the festive season this year from 12 December, prior to touring the UK and Ireland throughout 2018.

Amelia Lily first rose to fame on The X Factor, finishing third on the eighth series in 2011. Her debut single ‘You Bring Me Joy’ reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. Theatre credits include playing the Narrator in Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour), Whatsername in the West End premiere of Green Day’s hit punk rock musical American Idiot (Arts Theatre & UK Tour) and Shout! (Winter Gardens Blackpool). Most recently Amelia was runner-up in the 2017 edition of Celebrity Big Brother.

The full company of fairy-tale characters will include Adam Baker, Ethan Bradshaw, Michael Carolan, Joseph Dockree, Will Hawksworth, Sarah-Louise Jones, Reece Kerridge, Thomas Lee Kidd, Amy Oxley, Jemma Revell, Lucinda Shaw, Sam Stones, Adam Taylor, Jennifer Tierney, Sophie Wallis, Francesca Williams, Laura Wilson and Kevin Yates.

Amelia Lily (Princess Fiona) says: ‘I had my first taste of performing as Princess Fiona back in 2012 when I donned the famous green dress for a Children in Need special. It was an incredible experience so when the opportunity came up to reprise the role, I jumped at the chance. I can’t wait to set out on a road-trip across the country with all my fairy-tale friends.’

SHREK THE MUSICAL will be directed by Nigel Harman, having made his directorial debut on the first ever tour. Since then Nigel has gone on to direct Lunch & The Bow of Ulysses (Trafalgar Studios) and will direct Kelsey Grammer in Big Fish The Musical (The Other Palace) later this year. Best known for his stage and television work, Nigel originated the role of Lord Farquaad in the West End, winning the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

[See image gallery at http://ift.tt/1FpwFUw]

Opening at Edinburgh Playhouse for the Christmas 2017/18 season from 12 December to 7 January, the production will then tour to Manchester, Sunderland, Birmingham, Aberdeen, Northampton, Sheffield, Cardiff, Stoke, Blackpool, Woking, Liverpool, Norwich, Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Llandudno, Nottingham, Belfast, Dublin, Plymouth, Southampton and Leeds.

SHREK THE MUSICAL® is based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek! and the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks Animations feature film. Originally directed in the West End by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, the production has book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Jeanine Tesori with multi-award-winning set and costume design by Tim Hatley.

The UK and Ireland tour of the original DreamWorks Production will be presented by the original West End production team Neal Street Productions and Playful Productions with Ron Kastner, Saracen Films, Tulchin/Bartner Productions, Gavin Kalin, Glass Half Full Productions/Just For Laughs Theatricals, Lee Menzies and Mark Cartwright.

UPDATED LISTINGS INFORMATION

Tuesday 12 December 2017 – Sunday 7 January 2018 EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE http://ift.tt/2j83diG 0844 871 3014

Tuesday 16 January – Sunday 28 January 2018 PALACE THEATRE, MANCHESTER http://ift.tt/2j8iwaX 0844 871 3019

Wednesday 31 January – Sunday 11 February 2018 SUNDERLAND EMPIRE THEATRE http://ift.tt/1iLKBx0 0844 871 3022

Wednesday 14 February – Sunday 25 February 2018 NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM http://ift.tt/18ppj5O 0844 871 3011

Wednesday 28 February – Sunday 11 March 2018 HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE, ABERDEEN http://ift.tt/2kQXKyz 01224 641 122

Wednesday 14 March – Sunday 25 March, 2018 ROYAL & DERNGATE, NORTHAMPTON http://ift.tt/1iPylOe 01604 624 811

Wednesday 28 March – Sunday 8 April 2018 SHEFFIELD LYCEUM THEATRE http://ift.tt/Z3Lm6I 0114 249 6000

Tuesday 10 April – Sunday 22 April 2018 WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE, CARDIFF www.wmc.org.uk 029 2063 6464

Wednesday 2 May – Sunday 13 May 2018 REGENT THEATRE, STOKE http://ift.tt/NLleAa 0844 871 7649

Tuesday 15 May – Sunday 27 May 2018 BLACKPOOL WINTER GARDENS THEATRE http://ift.tt/1qEXBeX 0844 856 1111

Wednesday 30 May – Sunday 10 June 2018 NEW VICTORIA THEATRE, WOKING http://ift.tt/1QYWy3i 0844 871 7645

Tuesday 12 June – Sunday 24 June 2018 LIVERPOOL EMPIRE http://ift.tt/2j87SkD 0844 871 3017

Tuesday 26 June – Sunday 8 July 2018 *On Sale 25 September NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL http://ift.tt/1dPahbf 01603 630000

Wednesday 11 July – Sunday 22 July 2018 MARLOWE THEATRE, CANTERBURY http://ift.tt/1dw0U00 01227 787787

Wednesday 25 July – Sunday 5 August 2018 MILTON KEYNES THEATRE http://ift.tt/1Txe0cK 0844 871 7652

Wednesday 8 August – Sunday 19 August 2018 THE BRISTOL HIPPODROME http://ift.tt/1c2BQfa 0844 871 3012

Tuesday 21 August – Sunday 2 September 2018 VENUE CYMRU, LLANDUDNO www.venuecymru.co.uk 01492 872000

Tuesday 11 September – Sunday 23 September 2018 THEATRE ROYAL NOTTINGHAM www.trch.co.uk 0115 989 5555

Tuesday 9 October – Sunday 21 October 2018 BELFAST GRAND OPERA HOUSE www.goh.co.uk 02890 241 919

Tuesday 23 October to Sunday 4 November 2018 *On Sale 27 October DUBLIN BORD GAIS ENERGY THEATRE http://ift.tt/RbxcU5 ROI : 0818 719 377 / UK & NI : 0844 847 2455

Tuesday 13 November – Saturday 24 November 2018 THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH www.theatreroyal.com 01752 267222

Tuesday 27 November – Saturday 8 December 2018 MAYFLOWER THEATRE, SOUTHAMPTON www.mayflower.org.uk 02380 711811

Tuesday 18 December 2018 – Sunday 6 January 2019 LEEDS GRAND THEATRE http://ift.tt/1k0ZJHO 0844 848 2700

FURTHER TOUR DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED

http://ift.tt/2A3heCY London Theatre 1

[poppycoach-blog]

5 Reasons Why DC Comics Just Can

5 Reasons Why DC Comics Just Can

cheap jordans for men To say I like DC Comics is an understatement. I have always favored DC, but to explain why is not an easy matter. There's a real sense of awe that emanates from DC's heroes. They feel timeless, not simply because DC Comics has been around longer than Marvel (both companies are over fifty years old now afterall), but because they pay homage to the epic heroes of old. Of course, Marvel recognized that they could not match this sense of awe and instead established a more realistic world and heroes to counter DC with. Marvel does its job well most of the time, but as a nerd of antiquity, I will always show a preference for the classical archetypes that DC provides. cheap jordans for men

Despite my rosy colored sentiment towards the company's characters, DC has dug themselves into a deeper and deeper hole of regretful decisions over the years, the creation of the New 52 being the magnum opus of this dismal collection of failure. Looking at attention grabs, reactionary decisions, and storyline and character alterations, I've compiled a list of the reasons why DC Comics has missed the mark as of late. When your friends tell you that you're idiotic for your disappointment in DC Comics, here is the list you can show them and save yourself a long, impassioned rant.

5. Excessive "Families"The lineage of a hero moniker passing from a mentor to an apprentice is one of the more charming aspects of DC. Wally West stepping up for Barry Allen as the Flash, the comradeship of Batman's parade of Robins you cannot deny that these relationships are the backbone of DC's heroes. But, when one realizes that "loner" Batman technically has an extended Bat family of around a dozen heroes and that the Flash family is also around the same size, there's a point where it's just too much. These extensive families and their histories are something that unfortunately turn off many readers.

Sometimes, extended character deaths have weeded out this problem a bit, for instance Hal Jordon and Barry Allen. Unfortunately, DC has a bad way of handling the issue of sharing a mantle in these situations, unlike how cleverly Marvel handled Steve and Bucky sharing the Captain America mantle a few years back.

cheap authentic jordans You may be thinking that this is was easily solved when DC switched to the New 52. In many cases, these families have been cut down in half in the New 52 universe, but that is because those family members cease to "exist" in the New 52. But at what cost? While we now have simpler families, they can barely even be called "families" at all. The relationships have lost their history and now characters exist merely to fill in slots. Those decades worth of connections have been completely lost, leaving an awkward relationship between mentors and proteges. cheap authentic jordans

Is there a simple resolution then? I'd say keep the farthest removed family members on the backburner and only bring them back into a story when they bring something to the table. And, when you retire a hero, let them freaking retire. Of course this excludes Bruce Wayne who can only take short breaks away from his cape and cowl.

jordan shoes for cheap 4. The MultiverseI'll be honest, crossover events are a muddled mess for both DC and Marvel. Both companies act like complete whores who require you to buy issues from numerous different titles to get the entire story in that crossover event. jordan shoes for cheap

real cheap jordans But when you think of really confusing, one need not look farther than the "Crisis" events. Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, and Countdown to Final Crisis. oh God, the parallel universes are making my head spin! Marvel has a regular universe and an Ultimate one. Done, simple. Try to explain to a non reader how there's this one Huntress who is Batman's daughter but she's not the same Huntress from Birds of Prey. or just try to explain the many evil alternate Supermen out there. Quantum Physics and alternate timelines are fun but there is a limit to how many times you can replicate the same character. Hell, every time Clark Kent randomly gets a new origin story these days, they say it's Clark from Earth and leave it at that. real cheap jordans

In the process of ending this bad trend and simplifying things in Infinite Crisis, multiple origin stories were just merged as they merged Earth 1 with primary Earth, and thus more character confusion! At present, DC readers are stuck with the entire DC universe being an alternate reality since almost every DC character was completely rebooted in the New 52 onto a new, different Earth 1. Good job DC, now we can't even go back home to our proper DC Earth. does anyone even know where the hell that would be anymore?!

cheap jordans for sale 2. The New 52 Death of Character Oh where should I begin with these imposter characters?! The female characters alone have suffered so much. Starfire, for instance, was never the most brilliant or indepth character before the massive reboot, but in Red Hood and the Outlaws she has served as merely a sexual object. Her costume has become even more improbably minuscule and every image of her in the comics looks like a photo out of Playboy. Her dialogue consists of SEX, SEX, SEX. Catwoman too has lost some of the great development she has received in the last decade and now better resembles Frank Millar's All Star Batman's Catwoman, one of her most noted scenes in early New 52 Batman being of her straddling Batman's manhood. Hyper sexuality is now a character trait. cheap jordans for sale

Almost all of the DC pantheon of characters have rebooted and started over as brand new heroes (other than Batman and Lantern Corps. which just kept going like usual in this new universe, sort of). It's a mockery for longtime fans to keep reading like nothing has happened to our beloved characters. It's akin to dressing up a random old lady like your grandmother and trying to love her like your blood relation. All we have now in DC are strangers wearing similar costumes to characters we've grown up with and learned to love. Or, in cases like Green Arrow, the doppelganger does not even share the most important physical feature of the original character! YES, I MOURN THE BEARD, DO NOT JUDGE ME.

1. The need to emulate Marvel At the heart of many of these issues, and in my opinion, the main reason for the New 52 in the first place is jealousy over Marvel's success. Marvel has consistently beaten DC in the top ten comic issue sales for many years. And while DC has had great success with many of their animated franchises, they do not bring in the money that Marvel's movie franchises or comics sales do. In the desire to pull in Marvel's fans, DC has gone to great lengths to emulate Marvel, and in the process, have forgotten what makes DC great.

Gritty and realistic are words far more synonymous with Marvel than DC, so with the high sales of the "realistic" Nolan Batman trilogy, and Marvel shining as an example of how to do "realistic issues" right, the New 52 reboot has brought an unfamiliar realism to its heroes. And by realism, I mean lots more sex, armor armor armor, and inept heroes in a world where society dislikes them. The problem is, with DC we want to LIKE and ADMIRE our heroes. If I want a hero with flaws and troubles I'll read Hulk or Ant man or Iron Man. Marvel has founded their company on this sort of character. Their "Earth" is full of angry, prejudiced citizens where this sort of flawed hero will face struggles that relate so on so on. But suddenly rebooting the DC franchise, having the Justice League come together and bicker almost identically to what was seen in the Avengers movie, just comes off as forced. Sure, they aren't all perfect heroes by any means.

jordans outlet In trying to move into the present (and future) of cape comics, DC almost hilariously has stepped backwards into the 90s by having Jim Lee do all of the redesigns. DC, you can never write a story that will justify putting Superman in armor, it is too ridiculous for words. DC was trying to fix something that really wasn't broken with the New 52. Blackest Night was a fun crossover romp and had pretty good sales. It was a crossover that never could have been accomplished without the core DC cast of characters and their histories. But just a couple of years later and this huge reboot happened. The most ironic aspect of the reboot is that the best titles of the New 52 are the ones that could have been written without rebooting the universe at all, such as Animal Man, Justice League Dark, and Swamp Thing. jordans outlet

Until DC recognizes its strengths in the areas of lineage, characterization, classical archetype, and pure idealism, it is doomed to continue trying to "keep up" with the rest when really it should look back and cherish the past more (well, most of it at least!)

Are You Sure You Want To Be a Teacher?

real jordans for chea Advice from a high school educator, the most important things you must be aware of before deciding to become an educator. There's no reason to look like a hot mess cosplaying just because you don't have much money to work with!The Best Titles of Each Anime Genre real jordans for chea

real jordans for cheap How can one person wade through decades of anime to find the very best? For your ease, anime fan, I've divided anime up by its genres (or different "types") and offer you the best titles for each category. and with the threat of going under as a company, I can get the stress that DC is feeling. I just felt the need to get the point across about how unhappy the New 52 has made the majority of DC's loyal following, especially since DC is doing their best to ignore us. real jordans for cheap

Marvel has been able to keep their story lines relatively straightforward and isolate their "alternative world" to an almost entirely disconnected series of comics. It just seems like DC just doesn't think before they make many of these major decisions. They're like excited kids who see something shiny in the road and leap in front of oncoming traffic.

cheap jordan shoes Jayfort 3 years ago cheap jordan shoes

DC's explanation of Crisis on Infinite Earths is that the Multiverse made it too difficult for readers to get into DC Comics. Nelson Bridwell passed away.

cheap jordans free shipping I've always been a huge fan of DC Comics (since 1965) but since the New 52's debut I've stopped buying DC Comics (with the rare exception of Showcase Presents b/w anthologies). I no longer agree with the company's approach to their characters and their longtime fans cheap jordans free shipping.

[londontheatre]

Believe all ‘ogre’ again! SHREK THE MUSICAL® today announces casting for the major nationwide tour. Following the unprecedented success of the first UK and Ireland tour, the original production team reunites to bring the hit musical to a swamp near you. Opening at Edinburgh Playhouse for the festive season this year from 12 December, the production will then tour throughout the country in 2018.

Leading the cast as beloved swamp-dwelling ogre ‘Shrek’ will be Steffan Harri, having previously starred in the original UK tour of SHREK THE MUSICAL®, and Call the Midwife star Laura Main as ‘Princess Fiona’. Due to filming commitments Laura will be performing at selected venues throughout the tour, with full list of dates below*. Also joining the cast will be Marcus Ayton as Shrek’s wisecracking sidekick ‘Donkey’ and Samuel Holmes as pint-sized villain ‘Lord Farquaad’. Further casting to be announced.

The company of fairy-tale characters will include Adam Baker, Ethan Bradshaw, Michael Carolan, Joseph Dockree, Will Hawksworth, Sarah-Louise Jones, Reece Kerridge, Thomas Lee Kidd, Amy Oxley, Jemma Revell, Lucinda Shaw, Sam Stones, Adam Taylor, Jennifer Tierney, Sophie Wallis, Francesca Williams, Laura Wilson and Kevin Yates.

Laura Main (Princess Fiona) says: ‘I’ve been waiting a long time for an adventure like this to come along and now that it has I am ready to swap the surgery for the swamp in one of my favourite musicals. Shrek has made a Believer out of me and I can’t wait for this fairytale to take me across the country.’

Caro Newling (Co-Producer, Neal Street Productions) says: ‘At Neal Street we take pride in bringing together colleagues from different disciplines in new creative collaborations. For this Shrek tour, we are particularly excited to be bringing together Nigel Harman, with whom we have worked on many successful Neal Street projects, and Laura Main who joined Call The Midwife for the very first series back in 2012. Since Shrek the Musical’s West End debut in 2011 we have opened our doors to nearly 2 million audience members nationwide. It’s great to be out on the road again, ten years after Neal Street co-produced the first incarnation of the show with DreamWorks Animation in Seattle and then on Broadway.’

Nick Salmon (Co-Producer, Playful Productions) says: ‘I am thrilled that the show will be reuniting many of the talented team members who have been involved in the production since day one. Nigel has gone from being Lord Farquaad, in the West End to directing our touring production and Steffan, who was previously one of our hilarious Three Pigs, will be stepping into Shrek’s ogre-sized shoes. We can’t wait to bring this much-loved story to audiences across the country once more.’

Opening at Edinburgh Playhouse for the Christmas 2017/18 season from 12 December to 7 January, the production will then tour to Manchester, Sunderland, Birmingham, Aberdeen, Northampton, Sheffield, Cardiff, Stoke, Blackpool, Woking, Liverpool, Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Llandudno and Leeds, plus newly added venues in Norwich, Nottingham, Belfast, Dublin, Plymouth and Southampton.

As previously announced, Nigel Harman will return as director, having made his directorial debut on the first ever tour. Since then Nigel has gone on to direct Lunch & The Bow of Ulysses (Trafalgar Studios) and will direct Kelsey Grammer in Big Fish The Musical (The Other Palace) this autumn. Best known for his stage and television work, Nigel originated the role of Lord Farquaad in the West End, winning the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

Steffan Harri starred in the first ever UK tour of Shrek the Musical, covering the role of Lord Farquaad. West End theatre credits include Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre), Spamalot (Playhouse Theatre) and Children of Eden (Prince of Wales Theatre). Steffan also played Lyn in Welsh language soap opera Rownd a Rownd.

Laura Main is best known for her role as Shelagh Turner in the award-winning Call the Midwife (BBC/Neal Street Productions). Appearing initially as Sister Bernadette, she left behind her life as a nun to marry Dr Turner. Laura has appeared in all six series to date and will return for this year’s Christmas special and series 7 in 2018. She has also had regular roles as Rebecca Howlett in The Mill (Channel 4) and DC Alison Bain in Murder City (ITV). Stage credits include Company (Southwark Playhouse), Me and Juliet (Finborough Theatre) and State Fair (Trafalgar Studios / Finborough Theatre).

Marcus Ayton’s recent credits include Sammy Davis Jr in The Rat Pack Live, Ray Charles in A Tribute to the Brothers Live and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour).

Samuel Holmes is currently appearing as George in the UK Tour of The Wedding Singer. Other stage credits include Mrs Henderson Presents (Theatre Royal Bath; Noel Coward Theatre), Water Babies (Curve Theatre), Spamalot (Playhouse Theatre), Kiss Me Kate (Chichester Festival Theatre) and Crazy for You (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre; Novello Theatre).

SHREK THE MUSICAL® is based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek! and the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks Animations feature film. Originally directed in the West End by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, the production has book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Jeanine Tesori with multi award-winning set and costume design by Tim Hatley.

The UK and Ireland tour of the original DreamWorks Production will be presented by the original West End production team Neal Street Productions and Playful Productions with Ron Kastner, Saracen Films, Tulchin/Bartner Productions, Gavin Kalin, Glass Half Full Productions/Just For Laughs Theatricals, Lee Menzies and Mark Cartwright.

*Laura Main is scheduled to play at the following venues; Edinburgh, Manchester, Sunderland, Birmingham, Aberdeen, Northampton, Sheffield, Cardiff, Woking, Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Southampton and Leeds. The producers cannot guarantee the appearance of any particular artists subject to holiday, illness or events beyond the producers’ control.

UPDATED LISTINGS INFORMATION

Tuesday 12 December 2017 – Sunday 7 January 2018 EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE http://ift.tt/2j83diG 0844 871 3014

Tuesday 16 January – Sunday 28 January 2018 PALACE THEATRE, MANCHESTER http://ift.tt/2j8iwaX 0844 871 3019

Wednesday 31 January – Sunday 11 February 2018 SUNDERLAND EMPIRE THEATRE http://ift.tt/1iLKBx0 0844 871 3022

Wednesday 14 February – Sunday 25 February 2018 NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM http://ift.tt/18ppj5O 0844 871 3011

Wednesday 28 February – Sunday 11 March 2018 HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE, ABERDEEN http://ift.tt/2kQXKyz 01224 641 122

Wednesday 14 March – Sunday 25 March, 2018 ROYAL & DERNGATE, NORTHAMPTON http://ift.tt/1iPylOe 01604 624 811

Wednesday 28 March – Sunday 8 April 2018 SHEFFIELD LYCEUM THEATRE http://ift.tt/Z3Lm6I 0114 249 6000

Tuesday 10 April – Sunday 22 April 2018 WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE, CARDIFF www.wmc.org.uk 029 2063 6464

Wednesday 2 May – Sunday 13 May 2018 REGENT THEATRE, STOKE http://ift.tt/NLleAa 0844 871 7649

Tuesday 15 May – Sunday 27 May 2018 BLACKPOOL WINTER GARDENS THEATRE http://ift.tt/1qEXBeX 0844 856 1111

Wednesday 30 May – Sunday 10 June 2018 NEW VICTORIA THEATRE, WOKING http://ift.tt/1QYWy3i 0844 871 7645

Tuesday 12 June – Sunday 24 June 2018 LIVERPOOL EMPIRE http://ift.tt/2j87SkD 0844 871 3017

Tuesday 26 June – Sunday 8 July 2018 *On Sale 25 September NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL http://ift.tt/1dPahbf 01603 630000

Wednesday 11 July – Sunday 22 July 2018 MARLOWE THEATRE, CANTERBURY http://ift.tt/1dw0U00 01227 787787

Wednesday 25 July – Sunday 5 August 2018 MILTON KEYNES THEATRE http://ift.tt/1Txe0cK 0844 871 7652

Wednesday 8 August – Sunday 19 August 2018 THE BRISTOL HIPPODROME http://ift.tt/1c2BQfa 0844 871 3012

Tuesday 21 August – Sunday 2 September 2018 VENUE CYMRU, LLANDUDNO www.venuecymru.co.uk 01492 872000

Tuesday 11 September – Sunday 23 September 2018 THEATRE ROYAL NOTTINGHAM www.trch.co.uk 0115 989 5555

Tuesday 9 October – Sunday 21 October 2018 BELFAST GRAND OPERA HOUSE www.goh.co.uk 02890 241 919

Tuesday 23 October to Sunday 4 November 2018 *On Sale 27 October DUBLIN BORD GAIS ENERGY THEATRE http://ift.tt/RbxcU5 ROI : 0818 719 377 / UK & NI : 0844 847 2455

Tuesday 13 November – Saturday 24 November 2018 THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH www.theatreroyal.com 01752 267222

Tuesday 27 November – Saturday 8 December 2018 MAYFLOWER THEATRE, SOUTHAMPTON www.mayflower.org.uk 02380 711811

Tuesday 18 December 2018 – Sunday 6 January 2019 LEEDS GRAND THEATRE http://ift.tt/1k0ZJHO 0844 848 2700

FURTHER TOUR DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED

http://ift.tt/2xqrat9 LondonTheatre1.com