#lieutenant rooney

[gnome-adjacent-vagabond]

For the love of god don't google this movie before you watch it, just go into it completely blind.

[thefudge]

If I may dare ask what are your favourite romance novels?????

this will sound obnoxious, but i tend to love romance best when i encounter it in other genres (and i could definitely make a list of novels from different genres where the romance isn't the point but it goes so hard for me, and i think i have made some lists like that in the past? i really have to organize my books/book recs/book rec tags. and maybe make more lists)

but if we're going by novels that are considered and (could be) classified as romance, here's an imperfect list:

all of austen of course, but especially pride and prejudice and persuasion

jane eyre by charlotte bronte

the age of innocence by edith wharton

anna karenina by tolstoy (where i think i'm fonder of the kitty/levin pairing)

doctor zhivago by boris pasternak

gone with the wind by margaret mitchell (hate/love relationship but i am not immune to it, i'm afraid! i will say i prefer the book to the movie)

excellent women by barbara pym (god, i love the grumpy hero/heroine pairing here)

bridget jones's diary (the first book especially)

girl with a pearl earring by tracy chevalier (the movie too! colin firth and scarlett johansson had such good chemistry, it was surreal)

the blue castle by l.m. montgomery (love that we have a genuine "plain jane" heroine that doesn't turn out to be beautiful if she lets down her hair or any of that nonsense)

the french lieutenant's woman by john fowles (a postmodern romance, in many ways, but the yearning is so good)

spring snow by yukio mishima (i do think this is a romance, first and foremost, and my goddd, the angst and the yearning)

eligible by curtis sittenfeld (a modern p&p retelling; i know a lot of ppl hate this one but i really like it, though it could have been shorter. some of the lizzy/darcy moments in this book made my brain go brrr. the humor is great too)

sofia khan is not obliged (but just the first book in this series - another fun p&p retelling with a muslim heroine)

conversations with friends by sally rooney (i promised i wouldn't stretch the genre but this to me read as more of a romance than anything. and though i struggled with some parts of this book, i will admit that the affair between frances and nick did get to me. there were some particular sex scenes where rooney was doing what i like with the smut in terms of revelation and vulnerability)

the princess diarist by carrie fisher (okay, i'm doing it again, this is technically classified as memoir but again, the sections about harrison ford?? INSANE in terms of romantic anguish and angst. theee RPF of all time)

who's that girl by mhairi mcfarlane (some scenes in this book literally made my heart skip a beat?? this is a celeb/journalist romance that really worked for me. mcfarlane doesn't always strike the right chord with me but here, omgg. i hated her a bit for that ending, but some of the moments between the hero and heroine made me kick my feet like a lil kid)

birthday girl by penelope douglas (i don't know if i'd call this favorite, but it did the age gap thing right, while also being hot and well-written. it didn't toootally win me over, but i appreciate it when an author takes the "fell for my boyfriend's dad" trope seriously)

[steelbluehome]

"(Sebastian Stan) does an excellent job, going beyond impersonation to capture the essence of the man. In a character study of a public figure both widely parodied and unwittingly self-parodying, Stan gives us a more nuanced take on what makes him tick"

The Hollywood Reporter

‘The Apprentice’ Review: Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong Are Superb in Chilling Account of the Unholy Alliance That Birthed Donald Trump (click for article)

Maria Bakalova and Martin Donovan also star in Ali Abbasi’s detailed chronicle of the future U.S. president’s rise in the 1970s and ‘80s under the tutelage of cutthroat lawyer Roy Cohn.

David Rooney

MAY 20, 2024 10:00AM PDT

To clear any confusion up front, The Apprentice has nothing to do with the NBC reality competition of that name, in which Donald Trump sifted through a field of aspiring businesspeople to identify the most promising of them, sending an eliminated contestant home each week with the brutal dismissal, “You’re fired!” On the other hand, you could say that Ali Abbasi’s biographical drama has everything to do with the television series.

It’s a reverse reflection of the mentorship process, in which the host becomes the hungry young upstart, laying the foundations for a business empire built in part out of smoke and mirrors, and operating under the guidance of a master manipulator.

Written by political journalist and Roger Ailes biographer Gabriel Sherman, the movie is first and foremost the story of a Faustian pact, in which the eager apprentice is schooled to ditch conventional notions of morality, ethics and empathy, eventually surpassing his Mephistophelean teacher in cold emotional detachment.

While a disclaimer acknowledges that some elements have been slightly fictionalized, the vast majority of Sherman’s screenplay deals in known facts. That could be considered a limitation, since many will wonder what’s the point of a movie that tells us nothing new.

One thing that will be interesting about this first English-language feature from Iranian-Danish filmmaker Abbasi — who forged his reputation in Cannes with Borders and Holy Spider and directed the terrific closing episodes of the first season of The Last of Us — is who will be its audience. Will either side want to see this? With no U.S. distribution deal in place as yet, that remains a mystery.

Liberals will see it as a stomach-churning making-of-a-monster account while the MAGA faithful might conceivably misconstrue it as an endorsement of their guy, who has made the killer instinct his brand. That’s not to say the movie’s political sympathies are unclear. But if the Trump years have taught us anything, it’s that truth is elastic and perception can be skewed to whatever angle is most expedient.

Beyond the specific portrait of the man identified by his vanity plates as DJT (Sebastian Stan) and the barracuda who took him under his wing, Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), the movie takes a broader view of the corruption of the American soul.

Sherman’s script zooms in on Trump when he’s a lieutenant in the employ of his real estate baron father, Fred Trump (Martin Donovan, scary), collecting rent from tenants who obviously loathe the landlord and his policies. The family business is under attack in a civil rights suit alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act, stemming from Trump Sr.’s discriminatory policies against Black prospective tenants. “How can I be racist when I have a Black driver?” bellows Fred.

It stretches from the crooked end of the Nixon years, a boon for sourness and and cynicism, through the Reagan presidency and the ascendancy of corporate greed. That time span consecrated the supremacy of the “winner” and the contemptuous mockery of the “loser,” one of the most obnoxious commonplace denigrations in American life. The chief tenet Trump learns from Cohn takes the distinction one step further, asserting that the world is divided into killers and losers.

Donald is eager to get out from under the old man’s shadow. The opening sequence shows him striding through the heart of Manhattan, a less graceful version of Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever, at a time of rising crime and fiscal disaster, when the town’s reputation had gone from “Fun City” to “Fear City.” His eyes are fixed on the crumbling Commodore Hotel by Grand Central Station, the site of his first luxury development.

Fred Trump is only marginally warmer to Donald than to his first-born son Freddy (Charlie Carrick). The latter’s airline pilot job is a source of shame to his father, who calls him “a flying bus driver.” Donald seizes an opportunity to win parental approval after a chance meeting with Cohn at members-only ‘70s nightspot Le Club. An amusing moment has him trying to impress his date by running down a list of the famous, important and wealthy who frequent the place. “Why are you so obsessed with these people?” she asks, before going off to powder her nose.

Cohn is indignant that anyone should try to tell Fred Trump to whom he can rent; he uses compromising information about a D.A. to get the case thrown out. That gets the Feds off Donald’s father’s back and clears the way for him to get investors on board for the Commodore project. A meeting engineered by Cohn yields a strategic partnership with Hyatt.

The lawyer who proudly sent the Rosenbergs to the electric chair and was a key force in the McCarthy witch hunts is a great role for Strong. He makes the character suitably icy, a fast talker with a withering stare and an almost inhuman intensity. The actor has fun with the hypocrisy of an unapologetic dirty trickster who claims unwavering fidelity to “truth, justice and the American way.” Sherman makes sure we see how the entire Trump playbook was forged out of their alliance.

It’s somewhat predictable that when Cohn early on explains his three cardinal rules, Trump will later claim credit for them as his own credo: 1. Attack. Attack. Attack. 2. Admit nothing. Deny everything. 3. Claim victory and never admit defeat.

While there are faint glimmers of a moral conscience in some of Stan’s early scenes, such concerns are quickly swept aside once Donald starts seeing the results Cohn gets with bullying chicanery. His gaze hardens, along with his lacquered hair, as he begins to construct a persona based on Cohn’s teachings.

There’s wry humor in the way Trump chooses to ignore the lawyer’s hedonistic excesses, along with the side-eye of Roy’s unofficial boyfriend Russell (Ben Sullivan). The ease with which Cohn tosses out anti-gay slurs while denying his own homosexuality is just one dish in a smorgasbord of double standards. The tenuousness of Trump’s loyalty becomes apparent later when AIDS hits first Russell, then Roy.

That’s seen as a factor in Trump’s gradual distancing of himself from Cohn — until he needs his counsel again — but mainly it’s because the student overtakes the teacher, often shrugging off his advice. It’s to Strong’s credit that, while playing an odious, utterly irredeemable human being, he finds notes of pathos in Cohn’s decline.

One matter in which Donald ignores Roy’s cautionary warnings is his determination to marry Ivana Zelnickova, despite the Czech model’s repeated attempts to brush him off. Trump’s first wife is played by Maria Bakalova with savvy self-possession and what seems like full awareness of her husband’s negative attributes, plus a convenient ability to overlook them. She also shows signs of sensitivity that make her mildly sympathetic.

But the marriage begins disintegrating once Donald tires of her. One primary reason is seemingly that she has a head for business and he finds that unattractive. His wandering eye and ample opportunities for philandering don’t help either. “Donald has no shame,” says Ivana at one point with matter-of-fact disdain, and she means it literally.

In addition to feeling he has outgrown Cohn as he becomes more at home with tax avoidance, unpaid contracts and various other questionable means of expanding his empire, Trump also flips the tables on his father, talking down to the man who once intimidated him. It’s implicit in his increasingly self-satisfied, blowhard demeanor that he doesn’t truly feel he owes anything to anyone.

A lot can be observed about Trump’s attitude toward women from his devolving relationship with Ivana, and one shocking scene that will likely raise hackles with the former president’s supporters feeds into the multiple accusations of sexual abuse against him.

The most revealing scenes are Donald’s seeming distance from a family tragedy that he might have helped prevent had he been more giving, and his private display of grief, refusing to show vulnerability even to those closest to him. It’s the steady hardening of his nature that defines the characterization — the stern glare, the mouth set in a sullen pout, the sheer amount of physical space his persona takes up. Stan makes it plain that this is just as much a part of Trump’s performance as his own.

Some will argue that Stan’s performance in the central role is a touch too likeable, but the actor does an excellent job, going beyond impersonation to capture the essence of the man. In a character study of a public figure both widely parodied and unwittingly self-parodying, Stan gives us a more nuanced take on what makes him tick.

Abbasi and cinematographer Kasper Tuxon (The Worst Person in the World) give the movie a grainy texture that evokes the ‘70s and ‘80s, while the neon yellow main title credits instantly suggest vintage television. Bringing the era to life with tacky authenticity, Aleks Marinkovich’s production design lavishes particular attention on the vulgar ostentatiousness of Trump’s domain once he cracks the big time and Laura Montgomery’s costumes walk the line separating expensive from stylish or classy.

It might be considered a cheap shot to show Trump undergoing liposuction and a hair transplant in queasy detail at a grave moment for someone close to him. But that kind of disconnect from anyone else’s suffering is a key part of the portrait. What Abassi’s film reveals most of all is the extent to which the toxicity that’s now an inescapable part of our contemporary reality was shaped by the unholy alliance between two men half a century ago.

The Apprentice

THE BOTTOM LINE

The art of the heel.

Venue: Cannes Film Festival (Competition)

Cast: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan, Catherine McNally, Charlie Carrick, Ben Sullivan, Mark Rendall, Joe Pingue, Jim Monaco, Bruce Beaton, Ian D. Clark

Director: Ali Abbasi

Screenwriter: Gabriel Sherman

2 hours

[aceghosts]

Can I have Mindoir and Leap of Faith please? (I know that first one is going to break my heart, though)

Leap of Faith is basically a retelling of Faith’s first cut scene but includes more of Blue’s thoughts and feelings. I haven’t written it yet, but it’s one of my planned fics for Blue.

And Mindoir is going to hurt so badly. It’s a retelling of Mindoir, from mainly Rooney’s perspective as they lose their home and family. That one is going to be so full of angst. Here is a snippet, but I'm putting it under the cut: (TW for death)

They don’t know how long they’ve been in the shed. Outside, Rooney hears screams of terror and wailing. Eventually, things grow quiet, and they’re left with the normal sounds of Mindoir. After a while, they hear footsteps, the first sign of life. Rooney raises the pistol, cocking the safety back. It’s empty, but the stranger doesn’t need to know that. The man steps into the shed, glancing around. He looks like he’s going to throw up. Rooney eyes eventually fall to his chest, noticing the familiar emblem. The man raises his hands in a “don’t shoot” gesture as he sucks in a deep breath. “Are you okay?”

Rooney laughs in relief. “Please my brother and cousin need medical attention. They’ve been attacked; Please you have to help them. You’re the Alliance.” The man just stares, pity shining in his eyes. Rooney wants to scream to tell him that’s he wrong. Jack and Danny are still alive, they just need-

The man calls up his omni-tool. “This is Lieutenant Zabaleta. I’ve got a survivor in the shed by the edge of the colony. We’ll need medical services.”

 “You found a survivor in the middle of this blood bath?” Someone asks over the omni-tool and Rooney looks away. Bile rises in their throat as grief threatens to overwhelm them. Maybe, the Alliance hasn’t found mom or dad yet.

[ulkaralakbarova]

When brilliant video game maker Flynn hacks the mainframe of his ex-employer, he is beamed inside an astonishing digital world…and becomes part of the very game he is designing. In his mission through cyberspace, Flynn matches wits with a maniacal Master Control Program and teams up with Tron, a security measure created to bring balance to the digital environment. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Kevin Flynn / Clu: Jeff Bridges Alan Bradley / Tron: Bruce Boxleitner Ed Dillinger / Sark / Voice of Master Control Program: David Warner Lora / Yori: Cindy Morgan Dr. Walter Gibbs / Dumont: Barnard Hughes Ram/Popcorn Co-Worker: Dan Shor Crom: Peter Jurasik Peter / Sark’s Lieutenant: Tony Stephano Warrior #1: Craig Chudy Warrior #2: Vince Deadrick Jr. Expert Disc Warrior: Sam Schatz Conscript #2: Michael Dudikoff Head Guard: Jackson Bostwick Film Crew: Original Music Composer: Wendy Carlos Visual Effects Design Consultant: Steven Lisberger Producer: Harrison Ellenshaw Producer: Donald Kushner Executive Producer: Ron Miller Director of Photography: Bruce Logan Editor: Jeff Gourson Casting: Pam Polifroni Production Design: Syd Mead Production Design: Dean Mitzner Art Direction: John B. Mansbridge Art Direction: Al Roelofs Set Decoration: Roger M. Shook Costume Design: Rosanna Norton Conceptual Design: Jean Giraud Stunts: Ross Reynolds Story: Bonnie MacBird Costume Design: Elois Jenssen Stunts: Glenn R. Wilder Stunts: Larry Holt Stunts: Charlie Picerni Stunts: Gary Epper Stunts: Walter Scott Stunt Coordinator: Richard E. Butler Production Sound Mixer: James LaRue Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Lee Minkler Costumer: Lorry Richter Costumer: Nedra Rosemond-Watt Visual Effects: Chris Wedge Visual Effects: John Beach Visual Effects: Tom Bisogno Visual Effects: Nancy Hunter Campi Visual Development: Larry Elin Digital Compositor: Liza Moon Visual Effects Camera: John Aardal Systems Administrators & Support: Richard ‘Dr.’ Baily Visual Effects Camera: Don Baker Visual Effects: William Dungan Jr. Digital Compositor: Art Durinski Visual Effects Camera: Kris Gregg Visual Effects Camera: Patric Kenly Digital Supervisor: Jeffrey Kleiser Systems Administrators & Support: Bill Kovacs Animation: Donald Leich Visual Effects: Larry Malone Systems Administrators & Support: Tim McGovern Visual Effects: Malcolm McMillan Animation: Gene Miller Visual Effects Supervisor: Kenny Mirman Visual Effects: Craig Reynolds Systems Administrators & Support: Frank Vitz Production Coordinator: Lynn Wilkinson Camera Supervisor: Christopher Dusendschon Technical Supervisor: John Hughes Visual Effects Camera: Peg Hunter Animation: Barry Cook Storyboard Artist: Bill Kroyer Storyboard Designer: Jerry Rees Animation: Darrell Rooney Animation: John T. Van Vliet Pre-Visualization Supervisor: Roger Allers Storyboard Artist: Andrew Gaskill Conceptual Design: Chris Lane Conceptual Design: Peter Mueller Concept Artist: John Norton Art Designer: John Alvin Concept Artist: Michael Peraza Jr. Art Designer: Drew Struzan Movie Reviews: r96sk: An acquired taste. For me, someone who has no knowledge of computer programming and the sort, it’s a very slow, tedious and boring watch. ‘Tron’, unfortunately, didn’t take my interest whatsoever. Not helped by the poor special effects (they get a pass due to it being an 1982 release; though I’m not convinced it’s good either way) and forgettable cast performances, it’s not a premise that’s easy to get into if you have no prior understanding of coding etc. There is some intrigue in there, but not nearly enough to satisfy my viewing pleasure – it felt like a much longer run time than 96 minutes, that’s for sure. All cool if you love this, but I very much didn’t. Hopefully the 2010 sequel gives the concept a major boost. CinemaSerf: I saw this again yesterday – it’s 40 years old! I didn’t see it at the time, I was one of those kids who hadn’t the slightest interest in “Space Invaders” nor did I ever have an Atari, but I do recall the fuss that was being made about Disney’s first foray into the wor...

[ntriani]

Fever dreams: the nearly man of Euro 2016 For the past month, Nick Triani has lived every moment of Euro 2016 in a fever dream of football nirvana. For the past month, Nick Triani has lived every moment of Euro 2016 in a fever dream of football nirvana. 

The Fan  I have to resign myself to defeat. Not a personal defeat you understand. This is far more primitive than that. More tribal. Over the last four weeks of rollercoaster rides, I’ve used my Facebook feed as a journal to document my match day concerns, predictions and general comments on Euro 2016. My rarely seen bravado is often found in all its brazen arrogance on this feed. My confidence oozes forth until the crash comes – and yes this year it did come – a double implosion. One was a ‘caught with your pants down’ realization that football may never again reign over the Queen‘s closest domain, at least not at an international level. The other exit was more respectable, and due to low expectation, almost taken as a victory in defeat. Supporting two teams at a major football event such as this is not so good for the old fingernails.

What I do notice when something like the Euros is on, is a new level of stereotyping – and not just within the broader media. Friends via social media suggest Italiansare all cheats. Some other proclaim that Italy are also so defensive and anti-football. They don’t recognize the art of a Bonucci or a Chiellini. These defenders even have Renaissance names for crying out loud. Of course, all English fans are beered up hooligans, and so this goes on. But the casual stereotyping doesn’t just affect me. Control is slightly lost and people choose their sides. In a country like Finland this means the approach tends to be from a neutral perspective. But still, temperatures rise.

The Italian coach Antonio Conte was the star of this competition. Animated to extremes, you’d want some of what he’s on. Often more interesting than the football on display (Italy vs Sweden?), Conte supplied the box office off camera too, with a series of interviews that showed his way with words could only be described as poetic and philosophical. Compare this to earnest Roy Hodgson, a laymen on the highest salary, trying to convince us that his lieutenant Wayne Rooney is the new Andrea Pirlo (surely Pirlo has never been more insulted). Hodgson’s ordinary, resigned demeanor offers enough reason why a team of talented players, let alone a nation, could never entertain the notion of England winning the bloody competition.

But since Conte (and Italy) left the competition, it all fell a bit flat for me (of course, I’m biased). The Icelandic defeat by France just confirmed it. Yes, Wales kept me dreaming of the underdog for a bit longer. On a managerial level, Didier Deschamps anyone? The everyman Chris Coleman? Or how about Joachim Löwand his amazing scratch and sniff testicles? Conte is in a class of his own in the personality stakes. With his perma-tanned sidekick, brother Gianluca, you could easily imagine these two fronting an Italian Bon Jovi tribute act. There was something of the spandex variety going on. The Football  I’ve watched a lot of the games – perhaps 80%. That’s a lot of football. What differentiates the experience is how my own mind and body behave when watching say England and Italy, compared to anyone else. When ‘my’ teams are playing, I become tense, unavailable, rude, a coil ready to unleash a stream of expletive bile into this known universe. There is confidence of course, but that threat of the ultimate disappointment, that crushing inevitability of knowing this unreasonable feeling, this taking part and being a part of, could end any moment – it’s actually impossible to put into words.

The England team were half of the Tottenham team this year (the club team I’ve supported all my life), so I had extra interest in how England got on. Eric Dierbecame my new god. After his no-nonsense season with Spurs, a man-crush ensued. Falling ill against Iceland was his only serious blot on a very blotchy English landscape. Harry Kane was a disaster. As were all England’s strikers if we’re honest. Kane got the brunt of the striker hate, once England got eliminated. Hodgson couldn’t accommodate a system that could release the considerable goal threat Kane, Daniel Sturridge and James Vardy posses. Raheem Sterling, along with Jack Wilshere (and to a lesser degree Jordan Henderson) should have stayed in England, so out of form and unfit these players proved to be. Hodgson stuck by his talisman Wayne Rooney, who often looked off the pace. The English media fawned at Rooney’s early midfield exploits, but he was average at best, as were England. Hodgson displayed much loyalty at this tournament, it was misplaced and cost him his job. The new, incoming England coach has the bones of a good squad. Some tactics of any form should bring better form and signs of progress.

But Euro 2016 didn’t only involve England’s self-subscribed Brexit. Zlatan said farewell: vulnerable, slow and humbled. Cristiano Ronaldo was strangely stiff (till Hungary) and then finally firing against Wales. Gareth Bale was a giant at times, but then uninvolved. Paul Pogba showed flashes. Thomas Muller was there in bodily form but in reality he was a real life ghost of his former self. Wayne Rooney played in midfield (ahem). Andrés Iniesta, still a class act, found himself surrounded by average, non motivated servants. The galactico football superstar has generally had a bad Euros, exemplified by Ronaldo’s injury in the final. None of these super footballers capturing the imagination like the Iceland team or even the showmanship of Conte. Of course there were exceptions: early tournament it was Dimitri Payet, then Antoine Griezmann came to life and has been the player at this Euros. Griezmann, like a dynamo whose duracell battery spluttered into life mid-tournament, has simply wanted it more than anyone else. France to me have not quite seemed the real deal. Their run to the final has in reality meant the French overturned Albania, Romania, Iceland, Republic Of Ireland, drew with Switzerland and then rather fortuitously beat their first real test – Germany. It was an enthralling semi-final, where the French were outplayed for large parts. But in this new football landscape, the French understood the new rules perfectly despite an overall lack of conviction. On the other hand, any team that can make the ‘looks like he’s treading water’ Olivier Giroud come across as an amazing, speedy goal scorer deserves some respect. The Euros has prescribed a new form of football entertainment that surely reflects the worldwide game at these times. This has been a tournament dominated by teamwork and pragmatic application. Very few goal fests or easy wins were clocked up – instead we viewed many tight and tense affairs, where the overall standard and technique on display has been more than competent. From Albania to Hungary, Poland to Iceland and Wales, these teams all played a very disciplined game. Tactically versed. Play deep, counter attack with genuine speed. Possession was for the ancients. This made most games close. Moments of explosiveness – Ronaldo’s in air backheel, Luka Modric‘s bullet voley, Emanuele Giaccherini‘s amazing first touch against Belgium, Griezmann in general. Then there was England and Russia, two teams without a plan A or B. Slovakia came close to matching their depths. Note to the English media: there are no easy games anymore in international football. The defeat to Iceland was not humiliating. It was just the natural order of things.

Mothman Prophecies  Someone left the lights on all night and the moths came to roost. There was a ‘day of the locusts’ type of dread surrounding the final. Ronaldo, felled by Payet rather innocuously, left the field injured after 20 odd minutes. There were tears. If the football didn’t quite ignite, surreal qualities certainly did. France, after a positive opening 10 minutes, stuttered and spluttered. Portugal lost their star, but their formation looked more solid. Ronaldo’s injury left the contest pretty redundant for 90 minutes. But Portugal came alive in extra-time whilst France floundered in a tired heap. Again, Portugal recalled the virtue of patience, whilst Pepe, much to a general annoyance, was excellent here. Eder, the player unable to score for and unwanted by Swansea, struck a glorious winner. The final was a disappointment. But this tournament did much for France after a dark period of national history. In the end, the tears turned to smiles as Ronaldo got one over on his biggest rival by lifting an international trophy.

Highs  Highlights were many: Zaza memes lead the way. Ronaldo’s preening self-love and over the top poses, mic throwing, Iceland blasting behaviour was fun. Conte’s expression. Pogba’s confidence and a pretty good standard of no-fuss refereeing – apart from that penalty! Hodgson resigns. That Robson-Kanu goal. Pelle’s hair. The self-obsessed tika-taka fanboys retreating further into their caves. The Icelandic chant ringing round stadiums. The great atmosphere that even translated to jubilance through my laptop headset. The fans, as always.

Lows Gianluigi Buffon‘s tears and Joe Hart‘s tunnel swearing and slow dives. The camera angles for offside decisions – plus the overhead camera shot for a third of the Germany vs Italy match. The reemergence of hooliganism, English and Russian fans running amok in France. There was much comment suggesting England fans were blameless. The taunting of refugee children by some of those English fans will stay with me for a long time. And despite not having those expectations, Italy getting such a tough route to the final despite topping their group: Spain, Germany and it would have been France. FFS, how did that happen? England disappointing again, the promise of youthful exuberance wasted. Harry Kane’s soul was lost at the Euros. And somewhere, with that loss, my own mortality swings into the frame. At fifty years of age, how many of these tournaments do I have in me? Five or six with some luck maybe? It’s too little. That makes me sad.

Team Of the Tournament Lloris Chester Bonucci Chiellini Bale Ramsey Modric Kante Payet Ronaldo Griezmann

Subs: Buffon, Walker, Dier, Pepe, Di Rossi, Williams, Pogba, Lukaku, Konchinsky, Iniesta, Renato Sanches

Games of the Tournament: Italy 2-0 Belgium, Czech Republic 2-2 Croatia, Croatia 2-1 Spain, Hungary 3-3 Portugal, Switzerland 1-1 Poland, Italy 2-0 Spain, England 1-2 Iceland, Poland 1-1 Portugal (first half), Wales 2-1 Belgium, Germany 1-1 Italy (penalty shoot out only), Germany 0-2 France.

Goal of the TournamentRonaldo back heel vs Hungary

Player of the Tournament: Antoine Griezmann.

[hiretrust]

Langy coulter pa

#Langy coulter pa code

He was then wounded serving in the line at the Battle of Ticonderoga. He is credited with being involved in the skirmish at Bernitz Brook where Lord Howe was killed, although his exact role is not clear. Such was his fame that French regular officers volunteered to serve under him in order to gain experience, so much so that Bougainville wrote: “A captain and seven lieutenants of our regulars march under the orders of an ensign.” He was then engaged in scouting against the forces moving to besiege Fort Carillon at Ticonderoga. in July that same year he was employed raiding and ambushing along the road from Fort Edward to Fort William Henry, cutting off supplies to the British fort.īy 1758, he was regarded as one of the best partisan officers in the army, with Montcalm simply writing: “Langy excellent … all the rest not worth mentioning.” He encountered Robert Rogers in March at the Battle of the Snowshoes, and, some say, defeated him, killing or capturing most of Rogers’ force. In 1757 he led raids in the area around Fort Edward with a war party of about 100 Indians, surprising a British wood cutting party, killing 20 and capturing about 12. Montcalm was so impressed by his abilities he wrote: “Sieur Langis de Montegron has never ceased being used for the most interesting of scouting, also the most laborious, and who has always distinguished himself.” However, he quickly showed promise and by June 1756 he was leading scouting parties around Oswego and gathered prisoners and intelligence that contributed to the fall of the fort in August that year. Some sources state that he took part in the Battle of the Monongahela, although this is uncertain. Langy was commissioned in 1755 with the rank of ensign in the Colonial Marines. Jean-Baptiste De Langis, or ‘Langy’, as the British knew him, was the quintessential French partisan soldier and is regarded as one of the most famous names of the war, although it is unlikely that you will have heard of him. People born in Coulter include Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney and baseball player Joe "Moon" Harris.We’re taking a look at one of the forgotten heroes of the French-Indian War – Jean-Baptiste De Langis became the nemesis of Rogers and his Rangers! Jean-Baptiste De Langis The CSX Keystone Subdivision runs through Coulter along a former B&O line that was originally laid by the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad. Established in 1864 as Duncan, the post office was renamed Coultersville in 1894 and Coulters in 1900.

#Langy coulter pa code

Ĭoulter has a post office with ZIP code 15028. Coultersville was a coal mining village until early in the 20th century when the local mines were depleted and closed. This land was conveyed by patent in 1855 to Margaret Coulter, who laid out a village in 1858. The community occupies land warranted in 1787 to Eli Coulter. The community is located along the Youghiogheny River 14.3 miles (23.0 km) southeast of Pittsburgh. Coulter (also known as Coulters, formerly also Coulterville or Coultersville) is an unincorporated community in South Versailles Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States.

[jjackfrost]

Rules: Tag 9 people you want to get to know better or catch up with

I was tagged by @frxstguardian

Favorite Color: Orange

Last Song I Listened To: Probably a song from Will Wood’s The Normal Album

Currently Reading: I’ve broken my one book at a time-rule so I’m currently reading The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles, Kraken by China Miéville, and Normal People by Sally Rooney

Last Movie: Don’t Look Up (it fucked me up)

Sweet, Savory, or Spicy: Savory

Currently Working On: Like, a project, or on improving myself?? I’m just editing my fanfic and watching Breaking Bad tbh

I’m tagging @magicaltear @lars-gb @reubeam @guardian-of-da-gay @znaccfair @bassymphonies @spookifrost and ive forgotten the rest of y’all usernames sorry

[stillbandofbrothersthirsty]

As Far As Friends Go

Summary: Emily Rooney has always wanted more than what her family wanted for her; to get married to a nice, wealthy young man and have lots of well-raised Catholic babies. So when her fiancee enlists with the marines she decides this is her chance to have an adventure before she has to get married. She finds herself outfitted with the 506th working alongside a flippant intelligence officer.

Chapter 2 (Chapter 1; Chapter 3; Chapter 4)

Nixon - September 1943 “Captain Nixon, sir?” “Hm? What?” Lewis Nixon barked. He turned to face the intelligence staff private who stood in the doorway. “Sir, I have the newest support staff member with me.”

“Who?” Nixon asked.

“Ms. Rooney, she’s being added to our staff. I gave you a memo before we boarded the train to New-.”


“Right, right,” Nixon waved his hand, ushering the private into the large room that would serve as 2nd battalion’s intelligence HQ while they were in Aldbourne. “What did you say her name was again?”



“Emily, Emily Rooney,” the young woman stepped out from behind the private. Nixon took in the neatly dressed young woman. Her dark red-brown hair was neatly curled and pinned back. Her full lips were painted a pleasing shade of red and, Nixon noted appreciatively, her stockings looked like real silk under the Army-issued skirt. “Ever been a secretary before?” Emily swallowed, “Well sir, I’m not a secretary, so no.”



Nixon raised an eyebrow, “is that not what you’re here to do?”



“No, sir,” Emily’s voice was stronger now. “I was working with the cartographers before,” she hesitated at his expressionless face, “with the O.S.S. but I told them I’d take any international assignment they have, as soon as they have it. So, here I am!” she enthused then quickly folded her hands demurely in front of her. “Did you come over on the, the uh..? “Samaria, yes sir.”


“Uh okay, well I’m guessing you know where you’re supposed to sleep and all that?” Nixon glanced at the private still standing by.

“Yes sir.” “Okay, well I’ll let you know when I need you I guess, and when we get working on things.” “I’m supposed to start with coding and morse code instruction, sir. Or at least that’s what I was told.” “Okay, great well- I guess you can get started with the radiomen as soon as they’re done with maneuvers.” Nixon turned away, signaling the end of the conversation. “Great, thank you, sir.” Nixon waited for the sound of footsteps before looking briefly over his shoulder to watch Ms. Rooney exit with the private behind her. Nixon’s brow furrowed in thought. He opened his leather valise and dug around through various papers. Not finding what he wanted, he shuffled through the loosely strewn papers across his desk. Around him typewriters still sat in their cases, reports sat in neat but forgotten stacks, abandoned by the soldiers who were called away before they properly settled in. The Army standard organization was there, but so was the unfamiliarity of a new workspace. “Davis!” Nixon called over his shoulder. After a moment the private who had introduced Emily came in. “Sir?” he asked. “I can’t find that memo you gave me. Do we have a dossier on this Ms. Rooney or something I can look at to get a better idea of who she is?” “Yes sir,” Private Davis said, “one moment.” Davis went to a pile of stacked brown file pockets sitting on the corner of Nixon's desk. A few seconds later he pulled a neatly paper-clipped folder from one of the file pockets and handed it to Nixon. On the top page, to the left of a small black and white photo read Miss Rooney, Emily R. “Thank you,” Nixon said, his eyes transfixed on her profile. The private nodded and exited the door. Nixon sank into his desk chair as he scanned the report in his hands. 5’, 5”, Brown Hair, Blue Eyes. Fort Wayne, IN. Unmarried, no children. Previously positioned with the O.S.S, cartographers. Languages: none. Special skills: morse code, code-breaking. Education: St. Mary’s College. Previous profession: typist. Nixon scanned the report with a guileless curiosity. Interesting, he thought. What was special about this young lady? How did she find herself working first a coveted intelligence post and what possessed her to seek out a job that got her outfitted with army battalion intelligence? Nixon passed the morning getting situated. He went back and forth between meetings with other intelligence staff, Lieutenant Strayer, and Major Horton. Nixon couldn’t help but wonder what Easy Company was up to. As much as he didn’t miss being at Sobel’s mercy, he did miss being among the men. Did he miss the physical training and the maneuvers? Not a bit. But a piece of him missed feeling in the thick of things. He was so removed as an intelligence officer. He was stuck between two worlds, and he wanted to be part of both of them. Nixon wanted to be the first to know but he also wanted to be among the men he trained with. Although he served the entire 2nd battalion, he would always consider himself a part of Easy Company. Luckily, he had Dick Winters. Winters served as his bridge between the regiment and the company. Winters had also become a dear friend and confidant during their time at Toccoa. So naturally, Nixon had to fill him in on the newest member of their battalion’s staff. “So how does she seem? Fit for the job?” Winter’s asked sliding his tray in front of the mess attendant. “I guess so,” Nixon said, following behind him, “whatever that is.” “I thought you were an intelligence officer,” Winter’s shot Nixon a skeptical little smile, “aren’t you supposed to know?”

“I know,” Nixon said brashly, “I just don't know what I’m supposed to do with her.” He emphasized that last word as if Emily were a random child he was handed and told to take care of. “I’m sure you’ll get a better idea as we continue training,” Winter’s reassured him. “I guess so. Apparently, she’s supposed to teach morse code, so at least she’ll be occupied with that for a while.” Winter’s chuckled, “she’s an adult woman, Lew, and you’re not her babysitter.” “Barely,” Nixon scoffed, “she’s twenty-two.” “We’ve got a lot of men here that are younger than that.” “Sure, even so.” Nixon and Winters sat down at a long mess table. Winters pushed the food around on his tray as Nixon continued to process what it would mean to manage and work alongside a female. “I guess we’ll see,” he said resignedly.

[helpagirlout-lander]

With a resume spanning nearly thirty years, Graham’s got a REP!! This post got long REAL fast as you factor in he’s been spotted in (by my best count) 137 television episodes! He’s no stranger to film either and now a fan fave in more than one fandom. He’s the only actor to have worked with Sylvester Stallone in films as both Rocky AND Rambo. Take a peek!!

Return to Treasure Island (TV Mini Series, 1986): Ned: S1E2 - Mutiny

Highlander (TV Series, 1996): Charlie Tarvise: S4E21 - Judgement Day

Casualty (TV, 1998): Gerry Talbot, 5eps: S13E10 Clip (Graham @ 7:01), Two / S13E18  Clip (Graham @ 8:34), Two (Graham scenes @ 5:01 & 6:12), Three (Graham AND Tobias Menzies @ 7:43), Four (Graham & Tobias @ 4:56, again @ 7:28), Five (Graham @ 8:14) / S14E1: Clip (Graham @ 7:44 & 8:23), Two (graham @ 4:35 & 5:57) / S14E3: Clip (Graham @ 7:42), Two (Graham @ 9:00), Three  / S14E6 : Clip (Graham @ 1:28 & 4:47, 5:43, 7:10), Two (Graham @ 2:54, 4:51, 7:19), Three (Graham @ 3:48, 6:15, 7:23, 8:16), Four (Graham @ Beginning, 0:36, 1:09, 1:48, 2:40 )

Red Dwarf (TV Series, 1999): Ackerman, 5eps: S8E3 - Back in the Red Pt3 / S8E5 - Krytie TV, Making of (Graham @ 7:46) / 30th Anniversary

Heartbeat (TV Series, 1999): Derek Flowers: S9E2 - Tricks of the Trade

Dinotopia (TV Series, 2002): Ajax: S1E3 - Handful of Dust

Rosemary & Thyme (TV Series, 2003): DI Taylor: S1E3 - Language of Flowers

Murder City (TV Series, 2004): Noel Fredericks, S1E4: Clip

Empire (TV Mini Series, 2005): General Rapax, 5eps: Episodes 1-3: Clip (Graham @ 1:58), Two (Graham @ 0:48), Three (Graham @ 3:19 & 4:28), Four (Graham @ 5:09), Five (Graham @ 2:38) // Episodes 5-6: One (Graham @ 4:39), Two (Graham @ 7:47), Three (Graham @ Beginning), Four, Death (Graham @ 3:27) // Watch Entire Series

Rome (TV Series, 2005): Urbo, 2 eps: S1E9 Clip 

The Bill (TV Series, 2005-6): Pete Larson, 6eps: S21E68 - The Boys Are Back in Town / S21E72 - The Scapegoat / S21E85 -  A Mean Game Pt1 / S21E86  - A Mean Game Pt2 / S22E8 - Spirits / S22E20 Connections Pt2

Jekyll (TV Mini Series, 2007): Gavin Hardcastle, S1E6:  FanVid

NCIS (TV Series, 2007): Aleksei, S5E6: Fanvid (Graham @ 2:05)

Lost (TV Series, 2008): Sergeant, S4E5: Clip (Graham @ 0:38), Two (First 20 Seconds)

CSI Miami (TV Series, 2008): Mitch Davis, S6E16: Clip (Graham @ 0:21)

Pushing Daisies (TV Series, 2008): Hansel Von Getz, S2E3: Clip

24 (TV Series, 2010) Mikhail Novakovich, 7eps: S8E16: Promo, Full Ep (ReDubbed in French) / S8E17: Promo, Full Ep in French / S8E18: Promo, Full Ep / S8E19: Promo, Full Ep / S8E20: Promo, Full Ep (In French) / S8E21: Promo, Full Ep (In French) / S8E22: Promo, Full Ep (in French)

The Good Guys (TV Series, 2010): Dolph: S1E7 - Hunches & Heists

Outlander (TV Series, 2014-2020): Dougal MacKenzie / Buck MacKenzie, 19eps: See Master Post

Colony (TV Series, 2018): Andrew MacGregor, 3 eps: S3E3: Clip (Graham @ 0:57), Two (Graham @ 0:15), Three / S3E4: Clip, Two (Graham @ 0:19) / S3E5: Clip, Two (Graham @ 0:31), Three (Graham @ 0:29)

Lucifer (TV Series, 2019): Father Kinley, 6eps: S4E1 - Everything’s Okay / S4E2: Clip / S4E3: Clip, Two, Three / S4E7: Clip, Two / S4E9: Clip / S4E10: Clip // Jibland2019, Two, Three

Preacher (TV Series, 2016-9): The Saint of Killers / The Cowboy, 42 eps: TVGuide / KTLA5 // S2 Saint Promo, Two, Three // Premiere: AP //  S1 Trailer / S3 Intro / S4 Teaser, S4 Featurette // SDCC 2016: IGN, MTV, IMDb Q&A, Panel Part One & Two, AMC, TVLine, Vulture // SDCC 2017: EW, MTV, Panel - Saint Clip, Full Panel,  IMDb, TVLine // Clips: Saint Shoots Thru Planet / Jesse & Saint in Australia // S1E9 Finish the Song - Clip // S2E1 On the Road - BTS, Clip  / S2E2 Mumbai Sky Tower - BTS, Two - Clip / S2E4 Viktor - Deals w/ Satan / S2E5 Dallas - Viktor / S2E6 Sokosha - BTS, Jesse & Saint, “Get On Your Knees” / S2E12 On Your Knees - Returns / S2E13 The End of the Road - BTS // S3E7 Hitler - Trailer, Visits Hitler (Graham @ 2:11) / S3E10 The Light Above - Saint vs Satan, Meets w/ Satan, Sydney // S4E3 Deviant - Turtle Pie / S4E6 The Lost Apostle - Preview / S4E7 Messiahs / S4E8 Fear of the Lord / S4E9 Overture - Trailer, Saint vs God / S4E10 End of the World - Jesse vs Saint, Saint vs God

Men In Kilts (TV Series, 2019-): See Master Post

For Queen & Country (Film, 1988): Lieutenant: Full Movie (w/ a young Denzel Washington!)

Freedom Fighter (TV Movie, 1988): Guard: Full Movie

Erik the Viking (Film, 1989): Thangbrand, Etc: Full Movie (Starring: Mickey Rooney, Eartha Kitt, John Cleese, and fellow S1 Outlander Alum Tim McInnerny (Father Bain))

Macbeth (Film 1997): Banquo: Full Movie

Dot the I (Film, 2003): Detective #1: Trailer (No Graham) / BTS with Tom Hardy & Charlie Cox, JUST BECAUSE (No Graham)

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (Film 2003): Submarine Captain: Deleted Scene

Good Girl, Bad Girl (Film, 2006): Gromek: Trailer (Graham @ 0:35)

Rambo (Film, 2008): Lewis: Mercenaries Clip / Die for Something Clip / Collider Interview / Wellington Con Interview

Sisterhood (Film 2008): Martin: Trailer (Graham @ 1:29)

Secretariat (Film, 2010): Earl Jansen: Trailer (No Graham)

The Wicker Tree (Film, 2011): Sir Lachlan Morrison: Trailer / Full Movie / BTS / Clip

The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey (Film, 2012): Dwalin: Announcement Trailer, Trailer #1, Trailer #2, Trailer #3 / Full Movie // BTS, Two, Three, Four, Dwalin’s Chair, Mr Baggins, Graham Does Metalica, “Middle Earth” (Graham @ 0:56), “Windybeard” (Graham @ 0:10), Archery Training, Beard Envy / Dwarf Bootcamp // Clip, Two, Three, Four, The Fish, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven // Premiere

Note: I tried my best to get the numbered clips in the right movie’s category. I haven’t seen the films, so I may have misattributed some...

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (Film, 2013): Dwalin: Sneak Peek, Teaser, Trailer #1, Trailer #2, Trailer #3 / Full Movie / Berlin Premiere /  Clip, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six / Costumes

Plastic (Film, 2014): Steve Dawson: Trailer (Back of Graham’s head @ 1:03) / Premiere (Graham @ 4:42) / Full Movie

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (Film 2014): Dwalin: Teaser, Trailer #1, Trailer #2 // Full Film // Premiere, Two, Anglophile / Clip, Two, Three,  Four, Five, Six, /  Deleted Scene / SDCC 2014 Full Panel

Creed (Film 2015): Tommy Holiday: Interview / Trailer (No Graham) / Clip (Graham @ 1:36), Two (Graham @ 1:08), Three (Graham @ beginning & 1:15, 2:25)

The Finest Hours (Film, 2016): Frank Fauteaux: Trailer (Graham briefly in background @ 1:53), Trailer #2 (Graham @ 1:07), TV Spot (Graham @ 0:40) / Clip, Two / BTS (Graham @ 5:09 and on) / Full Movie

The Stolen (Film, 2017): Bully: Trailer (Graham @ 0:42)

Aquaman (Film 2018): King Atlan: Extended Trailer (Graham @ 2:09) / Clip, Two (Graham @ 0:39)

Stakeout (Film 2019): Ibrahim Kozlov: Trailer (Graham @ 1:20) / Full Film

Actors Talk About Themselves / TheCouchCast

iFit: New Zealand / Scotland

ComicCons:

2013: HobbitCon, Two, Singing, Closing Ceremony (Bonn, Germany) / DragonCon: “Dwalin”, Panel #1 Full, Panel #2 Full / SupernovaCon, Two, SeaFM Interview @ 2:39, Q&A // 2014: FantasyCon: Who’s Line Is It Anyway, Dwalin, Kickoff Panel, Dwarven BootCamp / Wales ComicCon // 2015: Cincinnati ComicExpo, Two / MTL ComicCon / LIGeek / RingCon (Outlander) One, Two // 2016: RingCon: “Dwalin, Gloin and Bombur - At Your Service”/ MegaCon Tampa Bay: Hobbit Panel / “Finding Your Inner Dwarf” / Welligeddon: “Dwarves Believe They’re Giants”, “That’s Not Creepy At All”, “Fish Scene”, “Dwalin”, “HobbitCon” / MotorCity ComicCon // 2017: SupernovaCon: Lightsaber Presentation / CollectiveCon // 2018: SideshowLIVE! / TheOneRing Interview  // 2019: GalaxyCon

Charities:

Breakfast for SickKids - FanExpo Canada 

Commercial

Ford Focus (2005): One & Two

Jaguar (2017)

Upcoming Projects:

This Guest of Summer (2021): Mallory: Welcome / Caitriona Balfe “Auditions” / Sideshow Live! / Twitter w/ Stephen Walters

[movedtooh-westly]

Heyo, your ocs are so interesting! I already love them. Do you have a story line for the characters? What are some facts about them? Have a good day and don't forget to drink lots of water :)

Okay for starters, thanks for the ask! hope you’re well too! it makes me happy when people are interested in whatever i’m working on :D (it’s a long post, strap in)

A general plot to the story (mind you, it’s still in it’s early stages of being created):

Alinsky Cross, a dangerous combination between a kleptomaniac and a genius, is a master at orchestrating large scale tests and thefts, stealing items like priceless objects and large sums of money. However, he becomes increasingly confident and lets his guard down during a specific heist. The people he was stealing from were called the American Artefact Collection Committee (AACC). The AACC were able to pinpoint who stole their most prized artefact (which is a little acorn-looking thing with origins that are not human, dubbed ‘tenebrarius’), as Alinsky underestimated their security. However, they ruled out the possibility of Alinsky being the thief and instead, captured his father, Ernst Cross, in retaliation. Alinsky is unaware that it was the AACC who captured him or that it was even his fault to begin with. After about a year since Ernst’s abduction, Alinsky starts to explore different methods of finding him. Running out of new and successful ways, he turns to more mythological ideas. While Alinsky believes it was natural for his brain to wander into hypothetical territory, his actual influence came from a connection to the magic world he is unaware of. 

This magic 6th sense came from an encounter with a demon (which are part of the magic world) when he was barely five. He escaped it, only suffering a scratch on his left hand. wounds inflicted from Faefolk to humans leave the human with a connection to the magic world, which is why Alinsky can sort of sense magical presences. 

This leads him into capturing Esther Snowe, a member of the Faefolk council, in exchange for the secrets to fairy technology. Ernst is brought home a year after Esther is released with the tech, but the reunion isn’t a happy one. 

Facts about the characters: 

My main character lineup consists of 

Alinsky Cross

Bear (Harding Dietrich)

Esther Snowe (Elf)

Farley Coven (Harpy)

Odessa Dew (Elf)

Elisabeth Cavey (Dwarf)

Rooney Pelph (Centaur)

I’ve made a post about Alinsky already here. It has some general info and fun facts about the gremlin boy.

Bear is a martial-artist and had been training since he could walk, basically. When he graduated, he pursued an education in becoming a butler, before becoming bored and instead ending up on the wrong side of the law. He was employed by gangs and other underground companies as a tank or bodyguard. Bear also worked as a contract-killer for a while before deciding it wasn’t for him and instead used his 30s to travel the globe. He was finally employed by Ernst and Vivian Cross before Alinsky was born and the three became rather close friends. When Alinsky was born, Bear became his personal bodyguard. He’s a big softie but that’s usually only revealed after you get through the walls of blank faces and reserved nature. 

Bear facts: 

He used to be in a swing band (he played BARITONE SAX)

Bear likes to bake and can make one mean quiche

Bear is a big fan of ABBA 

Esther Snowe is the Elf Representative in the Council. She is one of 13 Reps (each corresponding with a Fairy race) and the only female to become a member in five centuries. She was apart of the FAE (Federal Army and Enforcement, hehe) and had actually made lieutenant before she quit. She had witnessed the death of some civilians and believed they were her fault and she found it easier just to run. She couldn’t properly let go, however, and often visits her old friends during breaks and stuff. Esther was a role model for aspiring members of parliament and her unexpected abduction was pretty tough on her. Esther is an optimistic and strong individual with a fighter’s spirit and one hell of a social butterfly.  

Esther facts:

Esther likes to collect knives and is quite skilled in knife combat

She’s scared of small spaces

Esther makes little pompoms just for fun

Farley Coven is the FAE’s technical person. They had upgraded the interfaces, tools and gadgets to their liking and it’s pretty much useless to try and use it without their help. Farley is a big fan of human TV shows and often watches famous sitcoms during work. They had been a bit of a nerd during their schooling years but had really come to grow on the FAE’s troops and atmosphere, especially since Dew is such a joy to tease. Farley is a cool and relatable individual with too many jokes and not enough time. 

Farley facts:

Farley is incredibly smart but likes to hide their intelligence under a laid-back facade

They have that ✨shrimp posture✨

Friends is definitely their favourite sitcom (they also probably watch buzzfeed unsolved tbh)

Odessa Dew (or just Dew, Commander, your highness, etc) is the Commander of the FAE’s 1st precinct. She’s a skilled fighter and takes a lot of pride in her job. Dew’s first job option was a teacher but found herself rather unfit for teaching (i.e she might have thrown a kid across the room). She’s well respected and is part of the family in the FAE. Dew specialises in retrieval missions and loves field action. she also may have a small crush on Esther but we repress that stuff don’t we . Dew’s a tough and enthusiastic person but has that that “i would fistfight god behind the 7eleven” energy. 

Dew facts:

Dew has a hoarding problem with plants

She likes watching sports

Her and Farley are best buds, even if she won’t admit it

Elisabeth Cavey is a competitive digger, which is a popular sport among the burrowing races of the fairies (e.g. gnomes, dwarfs). It’s mostly a hobby but she’s gained some popularity in the recent years. Elisabeth had started out wanting to become a nomad and live on the surface but had decided to become a sport star while she was in senior school. She’s pretty competitive but rather shy and spends her spare time gardening. Elisabeth is also quite sensitive and has a tendency to take things personally. 

Elisabeth facts:

She has totally thought of just bailing and living secretly on the surface

With help, she pirates human novels to read

Like Dew, Elisabeth is also a plant hoarder

Rooney Pelph is a national racer and competes in races and obstacle courses. He’s very hyper and barely sits still. He doesn’t really sleep much either. Rooney is a big fan of games (like tag and whatnot) and dreams of playing with others his age, but centaurs usually give up on games once they hit 60. Rooney is also a big fan of video games but due to his stardom, doesn’t really get to do much gaming. He’s quite a calculated individual and is a deep thinker but is pretty bad at converting his thoughts into words. 

Rooney facts:

i totally didn’t name him after the headmaster from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

He’s a big fan of feminine clothing! he loves frills especially :J

Rooney will consume entire cans of mints in under an hour. 

if you got this far, great job. hope you enjoyed my ramblings. my inbox is always open if you have any questions about my OCs, story or anything else :]

[365days365movies]

March 5, 2021: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) (Recap: Part Two)

This movie is fuckin’ hilarious, and it’s 77 years old!

The Three Caballeros came out this year, Mount Vesuvius erupted again, the...Holocaust was still happening, fuck, right, World War II. Um...yeah, I’m sure this movie provided some MUCH needed humor for American audiences.

I will say, the play for this film came out in 1941, and was MASSIVELY popular. Apparently, the stage play is just as funny, and I would absolutely love to see it in theatres one day, if it ever comes back. Anyway, the film trailers actually used the popularity of the play to market the film, which was also received very well!

And honestly...I don’t know if I can disagree. We’ll see, I guess! On with the show! Check out Part One of the Recap right here!

Recap (2/2)

So, who’s our mysterious scarred visitor and his friend?

The man strides into the place, calling it his childhood home. Abby and Martha, startled, ask who he is. It’s their long lost nephew Jonathan Brewster (Raymond Massey), and his alcoholic plastic surgeon and accomplice, Dr. Herman Einstein (Peter Lorre). Damn, Peter Lorre’s in this movie? Well, holy shit!

Well, they don’t recognize him because of Einstein’s work. That’s because he looks like Frankenstein, and the good alcoholic doctor may have been that film and had a bit too much to drink during the surgery. They plan on fixing that...in the basement, where Teddy’s still digging “the lock” for the Panama Canal. They also have another problem: a body in their car. Apparently, somebody insulted Jonathan by saying he looked like Boris Karloff. Which, to be fair...

As they’re trying to figure out where to put the body, Einstein becomes aware of the hole in the basement, unaware that it’s being dug for a body. The two plan on bringing their body there...even though there’s already a body that needs to go in there. Jesus, this entire family is FUCKED. Some misadventures lead to Jonathan and Einstein bringing the body in through the window, and into the cellar, next to the aunt’s grandfather’s laboratory. Oh, uh, their grandfather had a laboratory, by the way. This family is FUUUUUUUUUUUCKED.

As Jonathan and Einstein stumble in the darkness, we see them carry a body down to the cellar. But wait...no, they bring him in through the window, right after Einstein falls into the window seat, which is...empty...ohhhhhh. Guess the Panama Canal’s full again. And as these two are trying to get their body in, somebody knocks on the door. And oh fuck, it’s Elaine!

Elaine’s now coming to find Mortimer, or the two aunts. Instead, she runs into these two murderous chuckleheads. She’s aware of Jonathan’s identity from past conversations with the aunts, and his presence seems to explain the strange goings on that day. As they apprehend her, believing her to be dangerous to their enterprises, they kidnap her and bring her into the cellar. Just then, the two aunts come out in funerary grieves, questioning the screaming from downstairs. Elaine escapes from Einstein, only for Mortimer to finally arrive with the sanitarium folks. Dear Lord, that’s a lot.

Jonathan proves his identity by stating their past as children, during which he shoved needles underneath his fingernails in his sleep JESUS FUCKING CHRIST WHAT THE FUCK DID HE SAY THIS FAMILY IS FUCKED

By the way, we are an hour in, and this movie is fuckin’ BUMPING. It’s a LOT, and I love every second of it. Anyway, after much His Girl Friday fast banter from Mortimer, Elaine is absolutely FINISHED. Flabbergasted by Mortimer’s negligence of her near murder by Jonathan, she storms off and renounces their marriage (understandably). Mortimer hasn’t quite caught on, but he now has another concern: to get Teddy committed, he must get a signature by a doctor.

Not sure what to do, he sits on the window seat and thinks. He checks in on Mr. Hoskins...only to find Jonathan’s murder victim there instead! Egads, there’s another one!

He immediately blames the aunts, and talks to Aunt Abby about the body. But she doesn’t recognize him, and calls him an impostor! She refuses to hold the funeral services for a total stranger. He accuses her of lying, and she’s upset that she would accuse him of telling a fib! The nerve! I love this movie. Jonathan, intent to stay at the house permanently, comes down to kick Mortimer out, and Mortimer returns the sentiment. But when the aunts come out to look at the strange body, BOTH of the brothers run to the window seat! Mortimer figures out that the body is Jonathan’s doing, and the look he gives him is goddamn hilarious.

Mortimer now has the leverage he needs to kick Jonathan out, and threatens to call the police on him. And JUST THEN, Officer O’Hara shows up! He’s simply come in to check on the couple, and is about to leave when he realizes that Mortimer is an author, and asks if he’d like to read his screenplay. He agrees, and tells Jonathan that he will keep the cop busy IF Jonathan and the doctor leave with their body.

Jonathan is intent on coming back here, after dumping the body in the harbor. But just before they do that, Einstein finds the body of r. Hoskins in the cellar! Fuck, there goes Mortimer’s advantage. And as negotiations are about to continue between the brothers, O’Hara comes in, only for Mortimer to rush him out. Mortimer goes off himself, warning Jonathan once again to be gone.

Jonathan at first believes Mortimer to be the murder, only to quickly learn that the aunts’ past deeds, to his own actual surprise. This also greatly amuses Einstein, who notes that his aunts’ record is tied with Jonathan’s, in terms of murder. This awakens Jonathan’s competitive nature, and he decides that he needs to kill one more person to beat his aunts once and for all. Meanwhile, Mortimer arrives with Dr. Gilchrist (Chester Clute), just as the aunts are holding their service for Mr. Hoskins. He brings Teddy out to him, and this would appear to settle the matter. He finally goes to Elaine, who’s still quite upset (understandably). And that’s not made worse by the fact that he breaks off their marriage. Why? Well...

That’s actually a great line. And decent rationale, because Mortimer’s come to realize that mental illness runs in his family, and he’s afraid that he may one day be afflicted. But, he can’t resist Elaine, and the two kiss passionately...which is interrupted by Dr. Gilchrist, the new Ambassador of Bolivia (according to Teddy). He agrees to sign the papers, and a frustrated Elaine slams the window on Mortimer’s fingers (understandably).

Mortimer goes back to the house, finding his aunts upset by the fact that Jonathan is burying his victim (a “foreigner”, according to the aunts) in the same grave as Mr. Hoskins, which upsets them greatly. He promises to take care of that, before they go to the police! Downstairs, Jonathan sets his sights on killing Mortimer, and plans on doing it slowly at that! But Einstein’s tired of all of this, and actually tries to get Mortimer to leave, for his OWN safety at this point.

Mortimer’s not listening, despite Einstein’s actually good intentions for once. Instead, Mortimer makes a speech about a play he’d seen about a man in a house full of murderers, who refuses to leave, waiting to be trussed up and gagged. He sits down with his back toward the murderer, but never turns around. And as he mocks the typical protagonist of movies or plays like this...well...he was right.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: I love this movie, and it’s funny as shit. Jonathan’s got Mortimer now, and he’s planning on killing him slow and painfully. Unhappy at seeing the whole affair, Einstein goes through his supply of alcohol. Jonathan forces him to do this procedure, but Einstein can’t possibly do it without a drink! They grab the elderberry wine from before, and JUST as they’re about to take a drink, Teddy interrupts with his bugle, causing them to spill the wine!

And THEN, O’Hara comes back, and sees Mortimer tied up. Einstein fuckin’ nat 20′s on his Bluff check, and tells O’Hara that Mortimer’s simply re-enacting a play for them, and he believes it! Mortimer asks him to untie him...but now he has an actual captive audience, O’Hara instead tells him about his play.

THIS MOVIE IS FUNNY AS SHIT

Mortimer’s listening, unwillingly, and reacting through his gag, and it’s fuckin’ funny as FUCK, dude. Just then, Jonathan is about to kill the cop with a knife, but a fed-up Einstein knocks him out with a shoe! When O’Hara turns around, Einstein tells him that the play put him to sleep, and he AGAIN believes it, and he keeps going on about his play!

Just then, the OTHER cops come by, looking to warn the aunts that the neighbors are tired of the bugling by Teddy. Coincidentally, they find Jonathan there, and arrest him, as he’s VERY wanted. But he retaliates by telling the cops about the bodies in the cellar. As they’re about to go down there, Mortimer tries to stop them from doing so, still tied up. But they never get down there, as O’Hara says that Jonathan looks like Boris Karloff, which starts a fight between him and the three cops present.

Mortimer breaks free, and as the fight takes place, he’s just...he’s just done. He monologues to himself about this crazy-ass day, as the chaotic fight takes place in the background. And, again, FUCK ME IT’S FUNNY

The fight dies down, and Lieutenant Rooney (Jack Gleason) arrives. He reveals that Jonathan’s a wanted man, and also suspends O’Hara for being a dumbass and not reporting in for the entire night. He also berates the men for falling for Jonathan’s story about 13 bodies in the cellar. But just then, Teddy comes downstairs, and seemingly confirms it. However, they also ignore this statement, and Teddy comes willingly with them (believing that he’s going to interrogate Jonathan, a suspected spy.

Rooney goes to speak with Mortimer, and looks over the papers to commit Teddy. However, he signed the papers as Theodore Roosevelt, making them completely useless. AND JUST THEN, Dr. Witherspoon shows up to commit Teddy. Mortimer gets Teddy to sign with his real name, and tells him that Witherspoon is there to take him to Africa (AKA the Happy Dale Asylum).

Upon hearing this, the aunts are quite saddened. Rooney insists that Teddy has to go, though. And so, if Teddy’s going, well...they want to go, too! Mortimer definitely is all for this, but Witherspoon insists that they never take sane people at Happy Dale. Rooney also mocks this idea, and says that Teddy must go because he’s touting the idea that there are 13 bodies in the cellar. Which the aunts, uh...just straight-up admit.

Mortimer, realizing that they’re FUCKED, decides to distract Rooney by making himself appear insane, grabbing Teddy’s bugle and charging up the stairs in a show. Oh, and as this happens, Elaine is watching the WHOLE THING through the window. He manages to convince the men that the women are also in need of admittance, for their delusions. Mortimer also gets Dr. Einstein to sign the papers, just as he’s leaving. Meanwhile, Elaine makes her way into the cellar from the outside.

One more signature needed: next of kin, which is naturally Mortimer. But as Witherspoon leaves for a moment to help Teddy pack his things, Abby and Martha speak with Mortimer, worried about the signatures on the papers. They want to go to Happy Dale, but they’re worried that they’ll investigate the signatures, and find that Mortimer’s is a fraud. And why?

Because Mortimer’s not their next of kin. 

He’s not a Brewster at all.

I fucking love this movie. Anyway, as Mortimer is (understandably) celebrating this discovery, a scream is heard from below as Elaine finds the bodies! She ALMOST blows the whole operation, but Mortimer intercepts her and literally stop her from talking by kissing her OUT OF THE HOUSE

And after that, the two finally reconcile, and they CHAAAAARGE off to their honeymoon. Which, by the way, also drives the cabbie insane. Yeah, dude’s been here the whole movie waiting for them to leave, and I haven’t mentioned it, because this movie is chock-full of jokes, and I legit didn’t have the time!

And, yeah; that’s Arsenic and Old Lace! And I find myself once again saying...I get it, Mom. I get why you like this movie. Hot damn. See you in the Review!

[galaxywhump]

29 Day Whump Challenge - Day 21

[Masterlist]

[Challenge]

Prompt: Whipped

So uh. As much as I hate saying things like this about a story, because I consider it a self-fulfilling prophecy, this one just. kinda sucks :v But hey, at least it’s another day of the challenge done.

cw: whipping, filmed whump, forced partial nudity (not sure if it counts but. just in case.), creepy/intimate whumper, threats of noncon, humiliation, modern slavery, blood, restraints, strangulation.

taglist: @faewhump @inky-whump @whole-and-apart-and-between

EDIT: I ended up pasting the text from docs instead of word, so all formatting was gone (and I can’t live without my italics). Now it’s fixed, but gosh, this part really didn’t want to cooperate.

~~~

“Hey, you forgot the fu-”

He’s pinned to the wall by the throat, too shocked to even shout or fight back as the hand holding him starts to tighten.

“No!”, he chokes out, clawing at it uselessly, and the grip settles right before he starts to actually suffocate, just enough to make breathing a struggle. Cold metal closes on his right wrist and it’s pulled sharply, connected to the left and his struggles grow more frantic.

So it really is happening, the nightmare scenario becoming reality, started with the simple difference that he wasn’t given a shirt, and his usual sweatpants were replaced with loose shorts, and it took ten minutes of crying in the bathroom before he felt ready to get out of there and try to act tough.

And now it’s happening, and he’s pinned to the wall and cuffed, and he’s never been more exposed in front of Daniel and it’s really happening.

“No”, he whimpers and the pressure on his throat is suddenly released, leaving him heaving desperately. There’s a tug on the handcuffs and he stumbles forward, and Daniel is silent, so terribly silent.

Not this. Anything but this.

He expects to be dragged straight to the bedroom, but when they step into the living room, his heart threatens to crush his ribs.

There’s a goddamn filming setup here with two tripods with cameras on them, and three lamps lighting a small area - the set proper - with the familiar chain and pulley system, and some blue tarp spread on the floor.

“Wait…” He’s pushed onto the tarp before he can finish, not that there’s any coherent thought in his panicked mind; Daniel forces him to kneel in the center, still wordlessly, and attaches the chain. “No, wait-”

The chain is pulled, just a little bit, so that his arms are raised above his head, but he’s still kneeling, facing one of the cameras, with the other one pointed at an angle at his back..

The creep is going to film this.

The creep crouches in front of him and flashes him a dark smile before cupping Wren’s face in his hands, chuckling at the way he shrinks away from the touch.

“Please”, Wren says on the verge of tears. “Please, please don’t do this.”

“Do what?”, Daniel mutters, raising one brow, and eyes his half-naked captive up. “Ah. I see. No, it’s not what you’re thinking, kid.”

The relief Wren feels is almost painful, the claws of terror jabbed into his skin now torn out forcefully, and he’s close to forgetting about this situation, about being chained up on a film set.

“So why…”

“Berkeley wants an update, and I want to hear you scream.” Daniel lets go of him and gets up to adjust the camera angle before disappearing somewhere behind him; Wren strains his neck to see what’s going on, panic setting right back in. “You seem to be getting quite comfortable here, and I like it, but at the same time I want you to know your place.”

“I know my place”, Wren rushes to reply. “I do.”

“Great! So you know that you need to follow orders, for example. Here’s some: just look straight into the camera, look pretty and do whatever I tell you to. Got it?”

“But what are you-” His question is cut short as Daniel appears back in his field of vision, holding a black whip. “Oooh no. No.”

“No? You don’t like it?”, Daniel laughs, swinging it nonchalantly from side to side. “I do. It’s timeless.”

“But I-”

There’s a crack and Wren yelps, but the whip only hits the tarp, way too close for his liking.

“I definitely like it a lot.” Daniel points the whip at Wren’s face and grins at his expression of pure terror. “It was my favorite tool when dealing with new cargo I was asked to break, actually. And now I can finally use it on you.”

“But-” He flinches when the whip is cracked again.

“Ah-ah. No talking unless I tell you to.”

“You’ll have to fucking muzzle me then”, Wren spits and the next second Daniel closes the distance between and backhands him in the face hard enough for his head to snap to the side; it’s quickly forced straight with a rough grip on his chin.

“Remember what I said, sweetheart? I want to hear you scream. And talk, but only when I specifically tell you to.”

“I’m not your fucking sweetheart!” Another slap, this time drawing a choked yelp from Wren, and Daniel cups his face in his hands once again, gently stroking his jaw with his thumbs.

“Sweetheart? Yes”, he whispers, a slight smile forming on his lips. “Fucking? Not yet, anyway.”

Wren jerks his head back violently, his eyes widening, the facade of fury gone from his face in an instant; all he can hear is the beating of his own heart, and it’s beating fast, too fast; when Daniel lets go of his face and gets up, he thinks he might just pass out right here and now, black spots starting to appear before his eyes.

A cracking sound followed by his bare back flaring up in pain is enough to sober him up, and he cries out in shock, instinctively hunching his back, lowering his chest as much as the chain allows him to.

“Eyes on the camera.”

Crack.

It’s all too sudden, and he cries out once more, and it’s all wrong, he couldn’t prepare, he’s being filmed.

Crack.

“I said: eyes on the camera.”

He fights to lift his head and fix his eyes on the eye of the camera; tears are already trickling down his face.

He didn’t want to give Daniel and Berkeley the satisfaction of seeing him cry and hearing him scream, but he has already failed. Daniel’s comment, that one threat that he had been dreading above anything else, was enough to make him so much more vulnerable.

Another hit, another thin line of pure fire crossing his back, another scream.

“That’s better. And don’t worry, I won’t mess up the brand.”

Crack.

He sees his reflection in the camera, his grimace of pain, his teary eyes.

“If we weren’t both dead men I’d love to send this recording to someone”, Daniel’s voice is completely calm, monotone. “Maybe your squad. Wonder what they’d say if they saw you like this.”

Crack.

“No”, Wren chokes out, a sob forming in his throat, and he lets it out, his back on fire.

“I doubt they’d say ‘no’”, Daniel laughs. “I think they’d call you pathetic. Weak. You’re not their leader anymore. You’re just a wretched piece of shit.”

A failure, an inner voice suggests, helpful as ever, and Wren sobs again; his head drops involuntarily and he forces himself to lift it up again. He’s not fast enough and the whip falls on his back once more, a punishment.

“At least you’re learning.”

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Screaming, screaming, screaming.

“It’s been a while since I saw you covered in blood. It suits you.”

Crack.

“Okay, now you’re going to answer a few questions, got it?”

He’s panting, staring into the camera, focusing on his reflection, his vision more and more blurred with each passing second. His next scream is almost animalistic as the whip falls on his back again with what feels like the most force yet.

“Got it?”

“Got it!”, he yells.

“Your name and title?”

He has to take a couple of deep breaths and for a moment he forgets, because all he is right now is in pain.

“Lieute-”

Crack.

“Full title.”

“Fucking-”, he pants and there’s another hit which causes his back to arch, the welts exploding with a whole new kind of agony. “First lieutenant Wren Rackham!”, he screams and wonders how it’s even possible for him to still have some tears left.

“What are you?”

“What-”

Crack.

“What are you right now? Why are you here?”

His mind is racing.

“I’ve been kidna-” Crack. “I’m a slave! I’m a fucking slave!”

Crack.

He’s going to kill me. I’m going to die.

“Language, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry!”

“Last question: who do you belong to? Say it loud and clear.”

“Daniel Rooney.” His voice breaks and he sees in the eye of the camera that his lip is quivering.

They’d say I’m pathetic.

Crack.

“Full sentences”

He’s sobbing, he’s falling, his entire body is on fire.

“I belong to Daniel Rooney”, he mutters.

Crack.

“Loud and clear, idiot.”

“I belong to Daniel Rooney!”

He closes his eyes, too exhausted to keep them open anymore, and waits for another crack of the whip, another spot exploding with pain.

“Well done, kiddo.”

There are footsteps as Daniel turns the cameras off and releases the chain, the only thing supporting Wren’s body. He collapses onto the floor and screams again, the bloody mess that is his back flaring up with the shift in position. He takes a deep, shaky breath, on the verge of mercifully passing out when he hears and feels Daniel stand right over him.

“This might hurt a little.”

“No…”, Wren chokes out, and in the next second he yowls in agony when some kind of disinfectant is poured on the wounds, aggravating the pain, making it even more unbearable than it was during the whipping itself, and then a new kind of pain joins in when Daniel leans over him and whispers:

“You’re so beautiful like this, sweetheart.”

Next

[kwebtv]

The Tunnel  -  Sky Atlantic  -  October 16, 2013 - December 14, 2017  /  Canal+  -  November 11, 2013  -  June 18, 2018

Crime Drama (24 episodes)

Running Time:  60 minutes

Stars:

Stephen Dillane as Det. Chief Inspector Karl Roebuck

Clémence Poésy as Captain (later Commandant) Elise Wassermann

Angel Coulby as Laura Roebuck (Series 1–2)

Thibault de Montalembert as Commander Olivier Pujol

Cédric Vieira as Lieutenant Phillipe Viot

Thibaut Evrard as Gaël (Series 1–2)

Fanny Leurent as Officer Julie (Series 1–2)

William Ash as Det. Constable Boleslaw 'BB' Borowski (Series 2–3)

Juliette Navis as Lieutenant Louise Renard (Series 2–3)

Laura de Boer [nl] as Eryka Klein (Series 2)

Marie Dompnier as Madeleine Fournier (Series 2)

Emilia Fox as Vanessa Hamilton (Series 2)

Johan Heldenbergh as Robert Fournier (Series 2)

Hannah John-Kamen as Rosa Persaud  (Series 2)

Stanley Townsend as Chief Superintendent Mike Bowden (Series 2)

Christine Bottomley as Helena Carver (Series 3)

William Gaminara as Wesley Pollinger (Series 3)

Valentin Merlet [fr] as Commander Astor Chaput (Series 3)

Felicity Montagu as Chief Superintendent Winnie Miles (Series 3)

Angeliki Papoulia as Lana Khasanović (Series 3)

Sharon Rooney as Kiki Stokes (Series 3)

Brian Vernel as Anton Stokes (Series 3)

[kicacris]

BEHOLD MY DEAR ANON! The Teenager’s Great Pyramid of “Coolness”!

(I hope everything is readable enough, there are a lot of hidden details lmao)

Pretty much like KND, teenagers also have their own structure and sets of rules. Many believe the current teenager form of "government" was designed after the event that was known as the Great Junior High Rebellion of 1999.

The teenagers have a hierarchical form of government, with roles ranked according to levels of importance while respecting the three main corners of the popularity pyramid: academics, sports and the arts (as quoted in “Pepper Ann”). 

Right at the top of the pyramid are the Prom King and Queen and together they rule and command over all the ranks under them.

Next to them comes what are known as the 4 General-Captains: The Football Captain, the Soccer Captain, the Basketball Captain and the Volley Ball Captain. These 4 figures are the most important (and popular of course) personalities after the Prom Rulers, as their power not only assure the order over all the rest of the athletic factions but also are said to be pivotal in influencing the decision in the election of the Prom Kings and Queens. These very honored high-ranked positions had been granted to these four sports in particular after being the decisive key powerhouses that allowed teens to obtain their independence in the final battle of the Great Junior High Rebellion of 1999. Therefore, they're acknowledged with the highest form of respect and admiration. All bullies fear them greatly. 

After the 4 General-Captains come the Cheerleader Squad and the Teen Ninjas' Lieutenant-Captains, who are in charge of enforcing order and control over the non-combatant teen population. There was a time when the position of the Class President was ranked above these two titles, but the entitlement eventually became downranked and it's nowadays considered a mere powerless figurehead. The remaining sport divisions and social clubs battalions form the rest of the lower middle half of the pyramid and are directly overseen by the 4 General-Captains.

The Teen Ninjas and the Cheerleader Squad are loyal to Cree and are actively fighting against KND, but the truth is that the majority of the teenager population is non-combatant and prefer to remain neutral and outside any conflict with KND and/or the Adults. 

The neutral population of the teenagers is loyal to The Steve, who has been the Prom King of the Teenagers for a very long time. Everyone loves him and respect him greatly, but curiously he’s the greatest enigma of all the teen world as none even knows what’s his full name (not even the teachers know, which is pretty strange). He didn’t seem interested in the conflict with KND until The TREATY happened.

The 4 General Captains are the protectors of the Teenagers and are supposed to only be summoned by the Prom Rulers if, and only if, a great danger threatens them all. In that situation, the generals will summon not only their own teams but also ALL the secondary team sports all over the globe for support. Everyone will follow their call without a second guess. 

Cree is constantly trying to use them to fight against KND, but the 4 Generals always make an excuse to not answer her call. Chad did help a few times in the past (as seen in the canon) in order to make sure all of Cree’s plan with the FootBall team were sabotaged. 

The Secondary Sports Division is pretty much made of:

The Girls Soccer Team (Lead by Pepper Ann, who’s Ace’s Lieutenant)

The Swimming Team (Lead by Craig Bean)

The Baseball Team

The Tennis Team

The Hockey Team

The Wrestling Team

The Gymnastic Team

The Chess Team (Lead by Nicky Little)

Some of the Social Clubs:

The Junior Orchestra (also lead by Nicky Little)

The Drama Club (now lead by Cissy Rooney, who used to be the Volleyball Captain before Rachel)

The Science club (lead by Alice Kane and Stuart Walldinger)

“The Gossiper” which is the school’s newspaper (lead by Tessa and Vanessa James)

The language groups 

The DnD and board games club, which is pretty much referred to as “The Geek club” by the bullies.

Each one of these groups has their own distinctive military importance in battle :D but I can’t spoil that part yet.

And I think that’s pretty much everything I can tell you right now about this? I like to think that Teenagers are very very extra and like to see their society as a “kingdom”. The Prom Night is also another MASSIVE thing that has its own protocol and tradition, but I CAN’T SPOIL THAT YET.

Also, yes I do plan to tell the story about what happened in the Great Junior High Rebellion of 1999 (SOON!)

(And yes ALL OF THIS will eventually evolve and merge into TND)

[stuckonvenus]

𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐂𝐮𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧

Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand Workin' in the dark against your fellow man But as sure as God made black and white What's down in the dark will be brought to the light.

All the most beautiful places on Earth, no one wants to live. If it doesn’t have a Target or a Starbucks on the main boulevard — hell, if there are no boulevards, you won’t find any sucker born around or in the 21st century have a breath of interest in it. I don’t say this as someone who yearns for the good old days, because my good old days exist in the early 2000s and I depend on the very same things, but as someone who also was forced to endure a youth in fucking Missouri, where the Ozarks are the staple of nature and even they aren’t so impressive if you stare long enough and rub your eyes, I’d like to think I have some leverage in saying that sometimes a department store that sells overpriced coffee isn’t worth living in the Midwest.

Wyoming is empty and beautiful. So yeah, the select few that don’t give a shit about the same things you and I do would think it’s the perfect place to start a cult. A drop of cold rain splatters onto my forehead the second I look up to the sky. It’s grey, but it’s still the middle of the day so it’s a soft grey that doesn’t make you think the storm coming is going to be too severe. The clouds curl in around one another, ingest themselves, then regurgitate onto us all in a sudden downpour. The marshal who’s technically my boss now ushers us all underneath the pavilion located in a nice park that doesn’t look like it’d be under threat by extremists — it looks like a little spot of Heaven on earth, a place you’d wanna protect. Then again, the marshal told me that these people don’t believe in the Heaven the rest of us do, they don’t believe in Dante’s Heaven, they believe in a Collapse and then a rebuilt world, which reminded me a little more of the philosophies of John and Yoko than someone who sought out to be the next Applewhite or have some poor multimillion dollar company dock some sick shoes from those aforementioned Targets people love so much. The marshal was also mostly convinced it was a pyramid scheme gone horrifically wrong. Everyone else on our team who’s lived in this cozy town for ten, twenty, thirty years, knows that it requires a bit more nuance than that. From what I hear, this will either culminate into me being shilled designer leggings for half-price or being taken out by cyanide dosed Kool-Aid. I told one of the others this, and they said, They don’t do that here. They take Bliss. You’d go all cracked out and happy while you’re riddled with our bullets. And for a second I thought, shit, is this really all that bad? 

When I was younger, I had this persistent fear that I’d choke myself to death if I couldn’t catch my breath. But the reason I couldn’t catch my breath was because I kept getting stuck in this loop, a spiral, you could say, a thought spiral of numbers that I had to count in pairs whenever I did the most menial shit. When I researched it, self-asphyxiation, that is, and I compared that to bleeding out while blasted on a drug equated to that of cocaine, I couldn’t help but think this might be Heaven on earth after all. 

That’s just because they confiscated my Prozac as soon as we flew over the Rockies. I couldn’t be caught with antidepressants on cult territory, it’d have been taken from me anyway, and someone said if I really wanted to come out all Lieutenant Dan, I could’ve kept a spare script in my bag and let them find it and they’d brand me with the word sloth.

“They’ve got a penchant for that sort of shit,” said Rooney, who was an army specialist and gave me my camcorder — a Samsung from 1999 with a neat little viewfinder. “Y’know, the deadly sins. They only cherry pick the cool parts of the Bible to adhere to.”

I let out a snort. “Everyone does.” I said in return. When I asked why I could have a whole-ass camera and not a little bottle of pills, she said that it was considered a lesser offense than trying to ‘sedate’ yourself with anything that wasn’t Bliss, at least, that’s what they found from the other people they tried sending in with cameras. Other people with cameras? I echoed, to which she nodded, her copper brown ringlets rustling in the acidic breeze that preceded the storm, black eyes focused on tossing a coin to see which one of us got to be the humiliating first initiate, since we were both taking the plunge. I hadn’t been aware I wasn’t the first mole. It only occurred to me upon meeting Rooney that I was just the first that had a GPA above 2.0. I chose heads.

She got to be the grief-stricken mute that stood behind me. Figures.

Rooney taught me more than the Marshal had during our flight to Wyoming. She’s only twenty, so eighteen months my junior, and she’s from St. Louis, which is almost in Illinois like I’m from Kansas City and almost from Kansas, which we think is a little funny. She joined fresh out of high school, and was objectified by everyone else in what only the marshal referred to as our platoon, as if we were in Iraq and not a shitty modern American settlement, just like I imagine she had been in boot camp and wherever else she was stationed during her service. She was taller — five nine, eleven in her combat boots, and she had the built up curves serving two years lifting strategically will give you that in a tight tank-top that inspired a slogan in the platoon: I’d do it for Roo. 

As we stand under the pavilion and the rain ricochets off the pine roof, the marshal decides to brief me on my mission in particular as Rooney idles in the corner with a cigarette dangling, unlit from the corner of her grapefruit colored lips. It’s the last one she’ll be allowed for a while, so the marshal keeps his mouth zipped about it. In the distance, I can see the grouped up resistance members gawk at her as if they don’t have female soldiers of their own. However, I can understand the sentiment of living in such an isolated place that the most physically appealing thing with a hole would be a sheep.

“You’re what we’ve got listed as a negotiator,” says the Marshal over the thunderous racket of rain above our heads. “You don’t have to ‘negotiate’ shit, not with the people we want you talking to. All you have to do is keep that camera pointed where it counts, and get yourself out of any so-called mandatory games of musical chairs as possible.”

Rooney said that ‘musical chairs’ is what the higher ups like to say to poke fun at the Chosen’s preferred method of brainwashing — subliminal messaging through choir songs written by their expert team of singer-songwriters, alongside legit torture. 

“Alright,” I reply as I breathe in the nearby trails of smoke emanating from Rooney’s cigarette. I think I’ll miss the smell of nicotine after spending so much time around military personnel and their own little moles. 

“And this isn’t a fuckin’ documentary, you don’t need to be Roger Deakins, save all the space on that bitch as you can. You write down everything you can’t record in that notepad I gave you and you write it in Morse.” says the Marshal, and I nod along, yes sir, of course sir, I haven’t forgotten any of the brainwashing you’ve done to me for the past year sir. “You don’t come off as strong or resilient, you’re frail. You’re a broken bird. You get sent to those Cliffs first thing and we can’t save you, so don’t be cocky or ask too many questions or get into any arguments. None of what they say will make any fuckin’ sense to your preppy ass.”

A snort escapes Rooney from behind us, and I can’t decide whether or not it’s a good thing the people around here don’t take me as seriously as they did whenever I was recruited for this job. 

“Jacobsen, shut the fuck up.” snaps the Marshal, but you can tell it’s a lukewarm gesture in my defense, because a chuckle follows from her throat and nothing else is said about it. “She’s your backup. If you go down, she takes the camera and does the rest, albeit probably shittier than you because she doesn’t know when to keep her fuckin’ mouth shut.”

“Why are we casting her as a mute, then?” I wonder. Because it’s true — Rooney enjoys telling you everything you need to know, which sort of reminds me of my high school girlfriend, but then again, she’d run off at the mouth about nothing that mattered. Well, I guess it mattered to her, although I recall wondering why it mattered so much. I guess that’s why I don’t consider myself very good boyfriend material. That, and I can be the sort of sarcastic asshole that even my mother considers unpleasant at times. But none of these people know that. They just think I’m someone with the confidence of an up-and-coming career politician that could use this on his resume.

The Marshal rubs a wrinkled palm over half his even more wrinkled face. “Because she’s a fuckin’ pain in my ass, that’s why, but I give you full authority to do to her what I have to do to you right now so she stays in character.” he says, and my eyebrows stitch together as I drink in what he’s just told me. 

“What are you—” I begin asking before I feel four knuckles slam against my cheek, breaking the blood vessels underneath and potentially shattering the bone keeping a portion of my skull intact, and my first intake of that cold, spring Wyoming rainwater that surrounds us stings.

And for a second, I choke.