#mark bates

[anthonysperkins]

Tryp Bates and Greg Dixxon Leather Goods (2024) dir. Jasun Mark

[mitjalovse]

Have all the surprising musical successes from the noughts ended up being as the victims of their immensely popular flukes as they still struggle? Well, some did quite well for themselves, such as Dido. Look, I have to be honest with you about her – I thought her career would be much worse than what she still has. I agree that she doesn't get the same numbers as her albums from the noughts, though she continues to be cherished as one of the more intriguing personas in pop. There is just something warm about her, because she resembles someone you talk to about your problems over a cup of tea. Of course, she would've laughed at this assertion, yet I think she represents a type in music we need more often than we are willing to acknowledge.

[holybagelsstuff]

Imagine being a book author/movie director who creates a mentally ill, wicked man to show how dangerous he can be and your audience is like "lol he's hot"

[allieinarden]

[teethburied]

OLIVER REED & ALAN BATES Women in Love (1969) dir. Ken Russell

please commission me for a gifset to help a palestinian child get medical care!

[zero-rabbit]

I think I'm cooked

Also guess what Batman villian is my favorite

[theshineegirl]

rewatching dexter is so funny to me after seeing so many actors in other shows over the years like oh rita's ex husband is lucifer but also that guy who held eddie diaz hostage that one time and huh debs dating young john dorie senior and oh there's bobby singer being a deadbeat dad and omg baby finn wittrock?? wait isn't that the guy from bates motel hunting down hannah??

[onenakedfarmer]

Currently Watching

COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN Robert Altman USA, 1982

[deepdeanvsweston]

19, 24 & 25 for the MMU ask game please!

19. Best location

Cambridge University!!! The vibes are immaculate, Bertie's there, the night climbing... impeccable. MAM did in fact set off a fixation on Cambridge Uni for a while

24. Best book cover

The Body In The Blitz! I love the fact that you can see May, Eric and Nuala's faces, because I can't see characters' faces in my head :D also Eric with Pfote and May in his shorts!!!

I also love ALL the American covers for this reason. There is also something to be said for the gorgeous shininess of Death Sets Sail

25. Favourite character who's like mentioned maybe once

Lallie Thompson-Bates! (She's in Top Marks For Murder). Both her parents are attempted murderers, so are probably locked up and I always feel for Lallie and what happens to her. I think she has a lot in common with Hazel and I actually have a few snippets of a fic with them talking about their parents

[brevoorthistoryofcomics]

GH: THE FLASH #319

Ever since I was six years old, the Flash has been my favorite super hero. There was something about the combination of elements–the slick costume, the simple power, the gallery of recurring villains, the sort of serious-but-not-too-serious tone of the strip–that really connected with me. But as time went on and I got older, both I and the Flash started to change. There was a clear push away from…

[shelbgrey]

Sorting my favorite fictional characters into hogwarts houses because I'm board and I have writers block.

If I have the motivation I'll explain why later or you can commit your thoughts and I'll post them.

Grey's anatomy:

Derek shepherd - Ravenclaw

Meredith Grey - Gryffindor

April Kepner - Hufflepuff

Owen hunt - Gryffindor

Callie Torres - Ravenclaw

Miranda Bailey - Gryffindor

Alex Karev - Slytherin

Jackson avery - Ravenclaw

Arizona Robinson - Hufflepuff

Christina Yang - Askaban

Bridgerton:

Anthony Bridgerton - Slytherin

Benedict Bridgerton - Hufflepuff

Colin Bridgerton - Ravenclaw

Daphne Bridgerton - Gryffindor

Elois Bridgerton - Ravenclaw

Francesca Bridgerton - Hufflepuff

Gregory Bridgerton - Gryffindor

Hyacinth Bridgerton - Hufflepuff

Kate Sharma - Gryffindor

Penelope Fetherington - Ravenclaw

Marvel:

Tony stark - Sylthrin

Steve Rogers - Gryffindor

Clint Barton - Gryffindor

Bruce Banner - Ravenclaw

Thor - Hufflepuff

Natasha Romanoff - Sylthrin

Marc Spector - Gryffindor

Steven Grant - Hufflepuff

Jake Lockly - Slytherin

Scott lang - Hufflepuff

Stephen Strange - Ravenclaw

Wanda Maximoff - Gryffindor

Sam Wilson - Gryffindor

Vision - Ravenclaw

T'challa - Ravenclaw

Bucky Barnes - Sylthrin

Loki - Sylthrin

X-men:

Scott Summers - Gryffindor

Hank McCoy - Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff

Charles Xavier - Gryffindor

Logan Howlett - Slytherin

Jean Grey - Slytherin

Erik Lehnsherr - Slytherin

Storm - Gryffindor

Kurt Wagner - Hufflepuff

Rogue - Gryffindor or Slytherin

Bates motel:

Alex Romero - Gryffindor

Norma Bates - Hufflepuff

Norman Bates - Slytherin

Dylan Massett - Gryffindor

Emma Decody - Ravenclaw

Chick Hogan - Slytherin

Supernatural:

Dean winchester - Gryffindor

Sam Winchester - Ravenclaw

Castiel - Hufflepuff

Charlie Bradbury - Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff

Bobby Singer - Ravenclaw

Jack Kline - Hufflepuff

Lucifer - Slytherin

Gabriel - Gryffindor

Jody Mills - Ravenclaw

Clair Novak - Slytherin

Ghostbusters:

Egon Spengler - Ravenclaw

Peter Venkman - Gryffindor

Ray Stantz - Hufflepuff

Winston Zeddemore - Gryffindor

Bones:

Seeley Booth - Gryffindor

Jack Hodgins - Ravenclaw

Temperance Brennan - Ravenclaw

Lance Sweets - Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff

James Aubrey - Hufflepuff

Zack Addy - Hufflepuff

Angela Montenegro - Gryffindor

Caroline Julian - Gryffindor

Camille Saroyan - Slytherin

Arastoo Vaziri - Ravenclaw

Vincent Nigel-Murray - Hufflepuff

Finn Abernathy - Gryffindor

Colin Fisher - Slytherin

Wendell Bray - Ravenclaw

Daisy wick she shall not be named here - askaban

Once upon a time in... Hollywood

Cliff Booth - Gryffindor

Rick Dalton - Hufflepuff

Sharon Tate - Hufflepuff

The Outsiders:

Sodapop Curtis - Hufflepuff

Ponyboy Curtis - Ravenclaw

Darry Curtis - Gryffindor

Dally Winston - Slytherin

Steve Randle - Hufflepuff

Johnny Cade - Hufflepuff

Two-bit Mathews - Gryffindor

Twilight:

Carlisle Cullen - Ravenclaw

Esme cullen - Hufflepuff

Edward Cullen - Ravenclaw

Emmett Cullen - Gryffindor

Rosalie Hale - Slytherin

Alice Cullen - Hufflepuff

Jasper Hale - Gryffindor

Eleazar Denali - Ravenclaw

Carmen Denali - Gryffindor

Tayna Denali - Hufflepuff

Kate Denali - Gryffindor

Irina Denali - Sylthrin

Garrett - Sylthrin or Gryffindor

Benjamin - Hufflepuff

The Great Gastby:

Jay Gastby - Hufflepuff

Nick Carway - Gryffindor

Jordan Baker - Ravenclaw

Dasiy Buchanan - Hufflepuff

Tom Buchanan - Askaban

Once upon a time:

David Nolan - Gryffindor

Snow white - Hufflepuff

Robin Hood - Gryffindor

Killian Jones - Slytherin

Emma Swan - Gryffindor

Regina Mills - Slytherin

Henry Mills - Ravenclaw

Mr. Gold - Askaban

Belle French - Ravenclaw

Ruby - Gryffindor

August Booth - Ravenclaw

Archie Hopper - Hufflepuff

Elvis Presley's movie characters:

Vince Everett - Gryffindor

Chadwick Gates - Ravenclaw

Clint Reno - Hufflepuff

Steve Grayson - Ravenclaw

Ross Carpenter - Hufflepuff

ER:

Doug Ross - Gryffindor

Mark Greene - Ravenclaw

Susan Lewis - Hufflepuff

Peter Benton - Slytherin

John Carter - Hufflepuff

Ocean's 11:

Danny Ocean - Gryffindor

Rusty Ryan - Slytherin

Linus Caldwell - Hufflepuff

[mariocki]

An Englishman Abroad (BBC, 1983)

"The average Englishman, you see, is not interested in ideas. Say what you like about political theory. No one will listen. You could shove a whole slice of the Communist manifesto into the Queen's Speech. Nobody would turn a hair. Least of all, I suspect, HMQ."

[wrestlingchampions]

2022 in NXT UK’s Champions (RIP)

[i-aint-here-man]

Is there a Doctor Alchemy on this flight?

Every Flash-Fan, whether you watched the CW series or simply are a comic fan-whatever, knows Dr Alchemy

Albert Desmond is undoubtly the most popular one as he's "the 1st Doctor" and has been serving this role non-stop pretty much since 2004, but there were some "proteges" I'd like to delve into, hence this post will be about nearly everything

So, once upon a time in popculture there used to exist this trope of "opposite twins":

-Samantha & Serena in Bewitched (which seems to be the primal source of this trend),

-Gwen & Sunny in Ben10,

-Wayne & Lucien from The Cramp Twins and many many more

Anyway, in

July '80; in The Flash #287

Cary Bates starts the arc with Dr Alchemy's attack at the lab in CCPD. Naturally, the last wearer of the mantle - Al Desmond, comes first to Barry's mind, although he doesn't want to believe that Al would revert to his criminal career

'cause here's the thing: Mister Element appeared in Showcase #13 whereas Dr Alchemy debuted in Showcase #14, where even Flash pointed out the quick change in Desmond's alter ego

What's even more interesting, it seemed like Al just "wanted to be" a criminal

Since then, Al did his time in prison, became a model citizen...

Well, it wasn't perfect, because he happened to have few relapses now and then, whether he:

was mind-controlled by Professor Zoom [The Flash #147]

was possesed by this "evil star" that aCtUalLy had been influencing his mental condition from the beginning [The Flash #216]

orrr was possesed by a demon? [The Flash #230]

In The Flash #153 Albert feels an urge towards doing evil, hence he behaves compulsively, firstly imitating having a gun, attempting to rob a restaurant and then suiting up in Element's costume

He later returns as Mr Element in order to rescue Flash, simultaneously deceiving Thawne ['cause Zoom believed that was the result of his "evil-making machine"] Fortunately, Barry takes Al to 25th century, where the latter goes through some "electro-re-education programme"

[at least it worked all right here, right Alex DeLarge?]

Later on, Al relinquishes "the Dr Alchemy-self" in The Flash #230

[aight, I know, sorry for this long interlude but I found it necessary to include it - now back to #287]

Upon meeting Desmonds, Rita - Al's wife, reveals that her husband's been absent at the time of Alchemy's assault, further increasing Barry's suspicion; police arrives, takes Albert to custody and not long after - Dr Alchemy escapes, ultimately leading Allen to a terryfying conclusion

But, reaching the final page, the reader finds out that

*tum tum tuuuum*

The Flash #288

Soooo the new Dr Alchemy is an Al Desmond. Both Desmonds happen to be "astral/platonic twins":

-they both were born into Desmond families [although they aren't really related]

-they both are fond of chemistry

-they have the same voice

And the most interesting aspect about their "connection" - while one is a good citizen, the other tends to behave violently, albeit this doesn't explain Al's becoming a criminal in the first place

and yeah, second-Albert created a hypnotic serum, which he named...desmondium

...right

As the second-Albert battles and seemingly wins over Flash, he proudly reveals his secret. Barry obviously gets out of the trap, but at least now his mind is at ease about Albert. Talking about Albert, what's up with him?

...

[*sets "Without me" by Eminem]

The Flash #289

That's right, Mr Element's back in action, but despite his previous returns, this time Al ain't sinister nor controlled - he's deliberately a good guy, whose only goal is to stop Dr Alchemy. Albert donned his old alter ego as he felt responsible for Dr Alchemy's deeds

Barry learns from Rita about Alchemy's potential hideout.

And so, the final battle between Dr Alchemy, Flash and Mr Element...doesn't happen as Al's quickly rendered unconcious, but heyy, Barry's here to save the day

And so, the two pals walk into the night as Al confesses that it's over finally

...

The Flash vol 2 40

Years later, Wally tries to exorcise an irish ghost out of Linda. In order to do that, they pay a visit to Albert Desmond who apparently inhabits now a goth-like mansion

And then...Albert?

So not only does he look different, but he behaves oddly, too. He's clearly obsessed with recreating the Philosopher's Stone for some reason

aight, it's Alvin

But what is "concerning" is his usage of that stone; Alvin seems out of practice, sloppy and uncreative when it comes to choosing the post-transformed product; he makes a few pauses, ponders too long over what the Stone can transform things into

To put it simply, isolation & obession drove him even more insane, rendering him insensible

But well, Wally manages to defeat him; he and Linda find the real Albert Desmond

poor guy...well anyway, hopefully this time it's really ov--

Ehh, for fock's sake...

The Flash vol 2 41

Alvin somehow breaks out [only leaving a salty statue of himself behind in the cell] and creates chaos for kicks, but suprisingly - this time he utilises the Philosopher Stone's powers quite well even going as far as to defeating Wally

Simultaneously Albert returns as Mr Element, but it still isn't enough to beat Alvin

Then a slight retcon happens while Wally realizes that Alvin is pretty much just a manifestation of Al's evilness with fake memories implemented by the Stone itself. In result, Al accepts the reality and destroys Alvin once and for all - FOR REAL this time

In Who's who in DC Universe #14 we find out that, sadly, after retrieving the Philosopher Stone, Albert started to become more and more seduced by his artefact

And it looks like he gave in, 'cause he appears few times in Waid's run

When Johns took over, he made Albert into a stereotypical mystic, who spends a lot of time on reading and practising alchemy [even his cell's been decorated in goth-theme] and he stays this way till N52&Rebirth

But before I get to that "version", lemme talk a bit about the third Alchemy - perhaps the lest known, Curtis Engstrom. He worked as an advisor on a S.T.A.R. Labs project that would use Philosopher's Stone's special properties to cure blood diseases. He of course stole both the device and the Stone. In prison he met a guy, who later tricked him, stealing the device from the first thief. Curtis decided to get his revenge on the guy, got the Philosopher's Stone, calling himself the Alchemist. Engstrom, despite lack of experience, cleverly uses the Stone's power i.e. by creating copper stalagmites while it's raining [electricity conducive] or by lacing an area with thin molybdenum strings [sharp enough to slice Flash] Engstrom only appears in two issues - The Flash #71-72

Rebirth

In Rebirth Albert does appear a few times. In The Flash #764-766 Albert tricks Barry into wielding Philosopher's Stone in order to control Flash himself; oh and he kinda absorbs Stone's powers so he doesn't physically need it anymore

A propos, depending on the issue, Albert either used the Stone to access powers or used it to channel his powers

Exemplary:

-in The Flash #216 Al revealed that the elemental-gun only concencrated his elemental energy, although nothing like this had ever happened before

-albeit in The Flash #230 a similar thing happened, this instance regarding Dr Alchemy, thus he didn't need the Philosopher's Stone anymore

-ever since the Alchemy-excorsion, Al has been constantly using his Elemental Gun

[The Flash #41 & the coolest Mr Element design, along with his cool af machine gun]

-then in Rebirth Al initially used the Philosopher's Stone embeded in a ring, but later he acquired the Stone's powers thanks to lighzinium - a protective material layered on the Flash-ring by Barry

...

Additional notes: °although mostly it's been implied that Al's identity disorder wasn't caused by the Philosopher's Stone, The Flash #765 clearly states a connection between those two aspects °the ring from The Flash #764-766 resembles greatly the Dragon-Eye one back from #216

°reaction-image

°intriguing, but whenever Dr Alchemy appeared in Waid's Flash-run he has never been referred to by his name; NOT ONCE

In fact in Waid's run he looks a lot more like Alvin, although considering the Who's who in DC Universe we have to think it's actually Allbert

°more interesting, The Flash vol 2 Annual 8 takes place right before Messner-Loebs' run and guess who's the villain of the week?

That's right, Dr Alchemy, whose name's never called out and in opposition to later issues we can't assume it's Albert under the mas--the hood

What's even funnier, present Wally's telling Linda that story, mentioning at the end "amazingly enough, Alchemy would eventually turn up again...and again that's another story"

If Wally'd be talking about #40-#41, then it's stupid cos Linda knows about that incident first hand cos she was there

°[*"The Man who sold the world" plays in the back*]

Thug: So uhh mr Desmond, how much of that gold do we need to transform?

Albert:

La-li-lu-le-lo

[spinebuster]

[waifuigi]

Over on Cohost I wrote a little about the very strange Robert Altman movie Come Back To The 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean Jimmy Dean. What a strange film...