#meanwhile adult albert is having the time of his life

[mitsundere]

university version meets in-game version...

[queer-and-dear-books]

Title: Sink or Swim

Author: Annabeth Albert

Genre: Adult Fiction | Romance | Military | LGBTQ+

Content Warnings: Explicit Sex Scenes

Overall Rating: 10/10

Personal Opinion: Sweet domestic goodness. I love dads that actually do their jobs as dads. Felix is a single dad raising his adorable daughters and Calder is their bonus dad who comes into their life by chance. But he stays by choice. This is so much more than a romance novel. It’s about learning that life isn’t always fun. But that doesn’t mean life has to suck because you can always ask for help.

Couple Classification: Calder Euler X Felix Sigund = Jock X Prep

Do I Own This Book? No but maybe someday.

Spoilers Below For My Likes & Dislikes:

Likes:

- I am such a sucker for dads and it helps that Felix is such a good dad. He gives his all for Charlotte and Madeline. They have seen so much loss at their young ages and he just wants to make sure they thrive and are happy and it’s just so sweet. It also helps that Calder is so good with them too. The bear pancakes, involving them in the cabin repair, watching musicals with them in bed after they got sick. My heart. They are such a good family unit and the way Charlotte called Calder their bonus dad had me almost sobbing. It’s so good. It’s so domestic.

- My biggest issue with Calder in the previous book was how self-centered he was. The fact that he realized it in this book and wanted to work toward amending that is admirable and I respect it so much. He is already doing better too, trying to be a better brother to Arthur and a more supportive friend. Best of all, he’s learned that winning isn’t the only thing that matters. Fun isn’t the only thing that matters. He has to be all-in, regardless of whether it’s fun or not.

- Calder proactively pursuing Felix and wanting to date him for real is refreshing. Too many times, an outside force pushes the characters to actually admitting they love each other. In this series, both the Euler brothers said, “I am going to stick to this man like gorilla glue.” I love that. It’s exactly what I needed.

- Charlotte is the cutest gift. I love her because she’s like a mini-goth with her obsession with the morbid. And she’s only six or seven years old and she manages to be the funniest character in the entire story. Felix was right when he had described her as a small dictator when she was making all those demands. She is spoiled rotten but I love that she just wants her family to be happy and I love her.

- The flirting and banter is just exquisite. I love how Calder was able to tease the heck out of Felix and when Felix started doing it back, it was so cute. I loved seeing them get so into kissing and I love that Calder is this guy in his 30s who has never realized just how good sex can be simply because he has never bottomed before. He’s never had anyone take care of him like that and it is so sweet of Felix to want to take care of him that way. Also, the fact that they talked about their sex preferences is honestly so important to me. There was this expectation for Felix to be the bottom because Calder is this muscle-bound jock but then it didn’t happen! Because they had an actual discussion before doing anything!

- Calder’s mom really came in clutch with the list of stuff to help Calder take care of the girls when they were sick. And while I have my issues with her, I appreciate her so much for accepting the girls into the Euler clan so easily. 

- Sabrina’s best person speech LMAOOOO. She really said, “How dare you raise the standards of love” to her best friend.

Dislikes:

- Fuck Tim. That’s all.

- I still have some issues with Calder. He's good with kids but he barely knows his own nieces and nephews. Meanwhile, he’s going to be a bonus dad for Madeline and Charlotte. As giddy as I am for the domesticity of that, it bugs me that he was always so eager to shove the babysitting duty onto Arthur when he is just as capable of making things fun for kids.

[somedayonbroadway]

newsies west side story au?

Okay, but just know that this isn’t going to be about race because it doesn’t work in my brain. The Jets will be the Manhattan Newsies and the Sharks will be the Brooklyn boys.

West Side Story AU

Characters

Jack Kelly — Tony

Katherine Plumber — Maria

Racetrack Higgins — Riff

Spot Conlon — Bernardo

Riddle — Anita

Hot Shot — Chino

Specs — Diesel/Ice (stage vs. movie)

Kloppman — Doc

Snyder — Schrank

Wiesel — Krupke

Okay, so…

Racetrack Higgins is the leader of the Jets, a gang that rules over the streets of Manhattan. They are well known throughout the city and people know not to mess with them, less they want to have the entire gang attack them for messing with one of their own.

Spot Conlon is the leader of the Sharks. They have ruled over the streets of Brooklyn for nearly a decade and are quite possibly the most feared gang in all of New York. But they are beginning to get hungry for more territory.

So they begin to infiltrate Manhattan.

Race and Spot had agreed on a truce about a year ago, but it’s clear that Spot is gearing to break it any day and Race is preparing his boys for the worst.

The Jets and the Sharks have been at each other’s throats for weeks, antagonizing each other, leaving bruises and never backing down from a fight.

But officer Weasel and Lieutenant Spider are always right around the corner to break up the fight. Snyder the Spider is known to hunt down the gang, more solely the underage kids, trying to bust them and get them put into the Refuge for the bonus he gets with every new “refugee” as most of these boys are orphans. But Race and Spot always manage to talk their boys out of trouble.

Knowing there’s going to be a party down at Jacobi’s diner, Race tells his crew that he’s gonna propose a rumble to Spot who was never one to back down from a fight. The dance was neutral territory. No one could get hurt there. The boys are hesitant as they’re afraid of the Brooklyn gang, but refuse to admit it. Knowing this, Race promises to get Jack to go to the party, his best friend and the Jets’ former leader who all the boys look up to very much.

Getting Jack to go is an entirely different problem. Race lives with Jack and Jack’s adoptive mother Miss Medda Larkin, as living with his uncle just gets Race new bruises every night. They’re as close as brothers can be.

Jack, who’s grown up and left the Jets for an adult’s life where he has a job and good money, doesn’t want to be a part of this rumble. Though Jack was the best fighter when he was the leader of the Jets, he no longer likes to resort to violence and is constantly trying to help Race grow up and get a job. Race doesn’t let that happen.

Regardless, Race invokes their brother bond with a word that means the other has to be there for them no questions asked, no matter what. So Jack promises Race he’ll be there, ten o’clock sharp.

Meanwhile, Spot is inviting his girl, Riddle (it’s weird to not write Sprace, but Riddle is an amazing OC of my friend @bexlynne and she’s great for this part) and his cousin, Katherine, to attend the party with him and his boys. Katherine is very excited about this as she doesn’t get out much. She lives with Spot and Spot’s girl as she and her father don’t get along and Spot offers her a place to stay and people to take care of her.

Riddle helps her get ready and they are the two most stunning girls attending the party.

At the party, Race and Spot basically have a battle to see who can have the most fun. Jack is trying to keep his boys away from the Sharks but gets distracted when he spots Katherine across the room.

It’s almost like time freezes. Like they’re the only two people in the world when Katherine’s eyes meet his own.

So Jack asks her to dance.

That’s when things begin to spiral downhill.

Jack and Katherine fall into an easy rhythm for an hour or two as they sneak out of the party, knowing they wouldn’t be widely accepted but also knowing that they wanted to get to know each other more.

Jack shows Katherine Manhattan. Katherine teaches Jack how to cheat at poker, which Jack comments will really help him when going up against Race who he believes uses the same tricks. It’s then that Jack begins to call Katherine “Ace”.

Katherine loves to explore. Her father has been looking for her. She doesn’t want to go back to him. So Spot doesn’t let her get out very often. Jack promises that he’ll protect her and then he takes her back to the dance where Spot has been worried sick. He takes Katherine home and threatens Jack who threatens him back only for Race to pull him away, reminding him that he can’t fight the Sharks on neutral territory.

Race then tells Spot to meet him at a little hang out (a drug store) called The Lodge for a War Council. Spot agrees before he leaves.

Jack follows Spot, Riddle and Katherine back to Brooklyn where he calls for Katherine and climbs her fire escape just to kiss her and tell her he had to see her again. Katherine tells him that she works at a theatre, sewing costumes and he can meet her there the next day. And he promises he’ll be there.

That night, Riddle tells Spot that if he meets the Jets for a War Council, she won’t be patiently waiting for him when he gets back. Spot still goes.

Spot and Race meet up at The Lodge, run by Todd Kloppman. Jack works there.

Race and Spot agree on a rumble, meeting beneath the highway. Jack talks them down, not liking the idea while he was falling quickly for Spot’s cousin, over whom he’s very protective. He talks Race and Spot down into only using their fists and no weapons, making the fight fair and less likely to end in disaster. Naturally, Spot, who’s been wanting to bite Jack’s head off ever since the party, believes he’ll be fighting the other man but Race tells him he agreed to fight the best fighter who is a current member of the Jets, who would be Mush, Race’s second. Spot doesn’t argue as they already shook hands.

After this, the Sharks leave and Snyder waltzes into The Lodge, questioning the boys, knowing a rumble is about to begin before trying to target them individually, asking how Albert’s mother’s corner is in business and how Crutchie’s dad is doing in prison. Kloppman and Jack get Snyder out, telling him he has no clue what he’s talking about and barely stopping Race from stabbing Snyder in the back.

The next day, Katherine is excited about seeing Jack again, but hears news of the rumble from Riddle who tells her that she’d be waiting to take care of Spot and give him a present when he comes home that night. Hearing this, Katherine is scared for everyone’s safety. When Jack arrives, Riddle promises she won’t give away Katherine’s secret but urges Katherine to end it anyway, despite Jack being right in front of her.

Jack tries to sweep Katherine off her feet again but Katherine stops him, begging him to stop the fight as she doesn’t want anyone getting hurt and if they can make peace between the gangs, maybe they can happily be together. When Jack agrees, Katherine melts and Jack and her dance in the theatre with a single spotlight on them and fall a little more in love with each other.

At the rumble, things are all going according to the agreement previously set up. Mush and Spot begin to wrestle until Jack meets them there and breaks up the fight, trying to unite the gangs through experience. Race tries to pull Jack back, knowing nothing good can come from this, but Spot just begins to fight Jack who refuses to put up a fight until Race, unable to watch his brother get hurt, instinctively punches Spot in the face.

This results in Spot sliding his pocket knife out, prompting Race to do the same.

Horrified at this, Jack tries desperately to pull Race away and talk him down, unable to watch the kid get hurt for him. But the other Jets hold him back. Jack cries out the secret word that they have that means “no questions asked, no matter what” so Race pauses, turning away and throwing his knife down until Spot calls him a not so nice name and Race turns around only to have Spot’s knife stab into his stomach.

The Jets let Jack go just in time for him to catch Race before he hits the ground. Race is crying, admitting for the first time in his life that he’s scared and not ready to die. He only lasts a minute before he’s gone.

Acting completely on instinct, Jack grabs Race’s knife and stands up, stabbing Spot in the exact place that he stabbed Race. That’s when a full fledged fight breaks out.

Jack is only able to process what just happened when the sirens are heard in the distance. Everyone scatters except for Jack who goes to hold Race again, closing the boy’s eyes for him before kissing him on the head and leaving him when Crutchie comes back to drag him away before Snyder gets him.

Katherine has no idea what transpired and she waits patiently for Jack to meet her at her window. When he doesn’t show, she goes out to find him, finding Hot Shot instead who’s getting a gun ready. He tells her that Jack killed Spot and Katherine doesn’t believe him, trying to run away before she hears Riddle screaming and sobbing in the other room calling Jack Kelly a murderer.

Eventually, Jack sneaks into Katherine’s room where she punches him in the jaw, sobbing and unable to cope until Jack brings her into his arms and apologizes again and again, telling her everything.

Despite what happened, Katherine still loves him. Jack is upset and Katherine is upset. So they comfort each other, inevitably leading to sex.

The Jets discover that Hot Shot is on the loose, looking for Jack. While they’re all on the run having no idea where Jack is, they panic, going off to try and warn him.

Jack and Katherine lay together for half the day, Jack promising that he would go get all the money he had and they could run away to Santa Fe and never have another worry in the world. But then there’s a knock at the door and Jack scrambles to get to the window.

Riddle is distraught, trying to get to Katherine, wanting time to help her through this but when Katherine opens the door to her room, Riddle immediately knows what happened and she begs Katherine to break it off and find another boy who wasn’t a murderer and hadn’t killed someone they both loved.

When Snyder arrives, trying to question Katherine about her cousin’s murder, Riddle silently agrees to go warn Jack about Hot Shot who’s out for blood. Unfortunately, the Jets find Jack first and when Riddle tries to warn them, they believe she’s a spy sent by the Sharks and attempt to soak her. Kloppman barely stops them in time to save her.

Angry and terrified, Riddle delivers a lie, telling the boys to tell Jack that Hot Shot found out about Jack and Katherine and had killed Katherine for getting Spot stabbed.

Then she leaves.

The boys go out, hoping to find Hot Shot, and Kloppman delivers the wrong message to Jack who rushes out, screaming for Hot Shot to come finish the job. He can’t live anymore. Not with Race and Katherine both gone.

But as he’s screaming, Katherine comes running. Jack is relieved and rushes to kiss her.

But Hot Shot wasn’t far behind Katherine.

He shoots Jack just as his fingers brush up against Katherine’s.

He tells Katherine he loves her for the first time, beginning to get delirious, claiming his dead parents are beside him and Race is calling his name. Katherine begs him to stay, but he can’t.

He dies in her arms.

Katherine grabs the gun from Hot Shot’s hands and screams, demanding to know how many bullets are left. She holds the pistol up to her head, crying about how they’d all killed Spot and Race and Jack with hate and that now she had hate too and could do what she wanted.

But she can’t pull the trigger.

The Jets and the Sharks alike move together to carry Jack off, creating a procession.

The feud is over and Katherine is named an honorary member of both gangs.

They bury Jack, Race and Spot side by side, having a funeral for them all.

And Katherine continues to live, knowing Jack would want her to.

For more Mood Boards and AUs, click here!

[doof-doofblog]

"Let's Have That Playdate Tomorrow!"

Friday 20th November 2020

Hello again everyone! Hope you all are doing well, this current lockdown is nearly at an end! Hopefully things will start to look a bit better when Christmas comes around! I apologise for me being so behind on the episodes lately, unfortunately I am still working during this current lockdown and of course with things happening in my own personal life, there are times I miss out on watching an episode, let alone even getting the time to review one and type up a blog. I want to thank you all for your on-going support, there have been so many spoilers as to what may be happening over the Christmas period on Albert Square, I'm really looking to watching it all unfold!

Meanwhile, let's carry on from where I was last up to, Friday's episode. The episode begins with Kat, she's slumped on the kitchen table as Stacey makes her way in. Poor Kat looks as if she hasn't been able to have a wink of sleep all night. She reveals to Stacey that she's tried calling everyone she knows trying to find the whereabouts of Kush, she's still trying to call him but his phone remains off. Who knows where he must've gone to after the robbery?! He seems to have just done a disappearing act. But Kat isn't one to just hang around and do nothing, as she grabs her coat, she informs Stacey that she's going off to the police station to give her statement and then she's going to try and find Kush. If the police haven't got him then he must be somewhere?!

Meanwhile, Callum looks absolutely lost. He's seems to be in a world of his own as he tends to his busted lip. As Ben walks in, they begin to discuss how the whole situation has turned into such a mess. Callum informs his boyfriend that he really didn't have a choice but to let Kush go, considering he'd threatened to take down Ben with him if he got caught. Ben then speaks his opinion that Kush should remain missing, he seems to be believe that they would've gotten away with the robbery if Kush hadn't set off the silent alarm - however things seems to take an interesting turn here, Callum then reveals to his boyfriend that there actually wasn't a silent alarm, and the other reason the police turned up was because they received an anonymous 999 call. Ben seems to look deeply concerned, but does he have an idea as to who grassed them up?! Wait till he finds out that it was his brother!!

At the laundrette, Max walks in on Linda drawing up some new ideas for her business idea. She shows Max her rough copies of the new superhero's she's made, and of course - Max is really impressed and suggest that she should post them online. Once again I'm sensing more flirtation between the two, they suggest bringing their children together for a playdate and perhaps modelling some outfits that Linda has designed, but it's just so blatantly obvious that Linda is flirting when she suggests having an adult in on the modelling too to be pose with the children. They share a giggle as Sharon enters the building, oooh Sharon knows she has walked in on something! Both Linda and Max act very coy when she asks if she's interrupting something, Linda reveals to her friend that Max is helping with her business idea for the Lucy Beale Award. Sharon knows that Max is up to no good, the last thing she wants is for Max to break up another marriage! What do you think, are Linda and Max just good friends? Or do you fear that something is going to happen between the two and they'll cross the line?!

In the Cafe, Tiffany is informing her husband that both Rainie and Stuart haven't been in touch with her for a while since she agreed to be their surrogate, however once Keegan notices that she's had her phone on "Airplane Mode", loads of messages seem to come through once she's taken it off. I mean, of course Stuart and Rainie are going to be in touch with her as much as they can, it's the excitement of being one step closer to becoming parents. Suddenly they make their way into the Cafe and insist on buying Tiffany breakfast, however in stead of buying a lovely full English Breakfast, Rainie brings up a plate of salad to her - I mean, I get she wants her to be healthy so she'll be able to look after their baby okay, but something tells me it would start being a bit of an insult if she starts telling her what to eat and what not to eat. Tiffany and Keegan can both see this is going to be a really long journey for them.

Out on the Square, Ian appears to be dressed in his finest as he gives an interview for the Walford Gazette newspaper. I'm unsure what that interview is for, possibly for his public image? Or wanting to get the word out that the Vic is now under new management. He's one again gloating to this news crew that if it wasn't for him, the Queen Vic would've hit rock bottom with sales, business, etc. However, unfortunate for Ian, Tina is stood behind him listening to every word he's saying. It's interesting how many people he's really beginning to annoy and how many people are/will have it in for him. As Tina walks away after hearing him insult her family, Suki approaches and acknowledges how happy she is that someone as up-standing as Ian is getting the recognition he deserves, of course she's only saying that because they've come to an agreement of some kind. I do have a feeling that things aren't going to continue going well for Mr. Beale.

Returning to the Mitchell household, Kat pays them a visit an informs Callum that she's been down the statement having to give a false statement. She informs the young police officer that he didn't drop him in it but she knows full well that he let Ben off, she demands to know where Kush is, if anyone would know, he would, right?! Callum informs Kat that he has no idea of the whereabouts of Kush, its then he also drops the bombshell that he did find Kush during the robbery, but Kush ended up punching him and fleeing the scene. Kat can't believe that Kush would punch Callum, but he informs her that it's probably best if Kush stays hidden for the time being, as he not also took part in a robbery, he also assaulted a police officer, so maybe he is just lying low.

At the Atkins household, Phil is questioning Gray whether they'll be any issues in changing the licence plates on the cars. But Shirley reassures her boss that the paper work needs to be absolutely spot on, which is why Gray is doing the paperwork and Phil isn't! Interesting, there seems to be a lot of people who are in-the-know about this robbery. It's amazing how none of them have grassed any of them up, well of course except for Ian. But there's Kat, Stacey, Phil, Shirley, Ben, Callum, Kush, Gray, Sharon ... (Well maybe she doesn't know about the burglary but she's felt comfortable about giving Phil a false alibi?!) As Phil leaves the property, Tina arrives back and it's clear to see that she is seething over Ian's insults to her family and his attitude towards them and the Vic. Tina pleads to her sister that they attempt to get the pub back in their name, but Shirley reminds Tina that Linda is still an alcoholic, that was the reason they sold up in the first place. But Tina seems to believe that Linda is doing a lot better recently, she explains that since they sold the pub, Mick hasn't been the same, he seems to be so unhappy and lost. Could there be a way for the Carter's to win back the pub?! Is the pub really in Ian's name or Sharon's name? As Ian has always said that he bought the pub for Sharon, but who's name is really on the lease of the building?!

Returning to the Vic, Linda is informing her best friend about application for the Lucy Beale Award. It's nice to see Linda looking more positive and happy about her future prospects, but it's clear to see that Sharon is worried for her friend about getting too close to Max. As Linda is glowing with the excitement of a whole new beginning, Sharon voices her concerns about Max, but in a loving, friendly way that everything seems okay now between them, but if things go on it won't be long before Max will have his tongue down her throat. (However little does she know that they have already shared a kiss!) Linda reassures her friend that she wouldn't cheat on Mick and that she literally just sees Max as a mate. But Sharon has a good point, whilst Mick is away staying with Lee, it's understandable she's enjoying the attention but I'd hate to think she'd cheat on her husband whilst he was away, especially considering what he's been dealing with in recent weeks.

Meanwhile at the restaurant, Iqra is sat doing paperwork. Ian is stood behind the bar as Suki walks in, subtly she hands him over an envelope with half of the amount she promised him inside. Ian doesn't seem impressed and pulls Suki into the back for a private word, leaving the money on the bar counter. As he pulls Suki to one side he asks Iqra to watch the bar whilst they're in the back. Iqra is quite reluctant but once both Ian and Suki are out the back, Iqra starts to clean behind the bar, until she eventually comes across the envelope with the money inside it - instantly she's looking a little confused as to where this money has come from, but suddenly she begins to hear voices. Ian and Suki are both discussing their plan, Suki tells Ian that he won't receive the other half of the money until he has held up his end of the bargain and put things into paperwork and he has signed some kind of formal documents she needs, planning approval etc. Iqra is really shocked to have heard what she has, but what will she do with this information? Will she tell Ash what her Mother is really up to?! Or maybe will she help Tina in getting the Vic back in the Carter's name, knowing full well that Ian is up to some dodgy deals with Suki! Who knows?!

Back out on the Square, Whitney is seen leaving the Minute Mart as car sirens can be heard, slowly Ruby approaches from behind and they both watch in amazement as from across the Square, the police pull up the Slater household and barge their way in as they look for Kush. Stacey's voice can be heard objecting to them entering the house. Ruby voices her opinion that it doesn't surprise her that the police have come knocking at their door, however Whitney's response is more sympathetic, she questions that maybe the police have got the wrong house? But Ruby just laughs at Whitney's response and says that it wouldn't surprise her if they found something at the Slater household. Hmm, does Whitney know more than she's letting on?! Why would she be so quick to defend the Slater's?!

At the Carter's household, Max once again is helping Linda with her costumes (Wow! Can I just say how big baby Abi has grown?! I know it sounds silly, but I still picture her as a little baby, not the toddler that she's become. Didn't realise it was that long ago that Abi Branning passed away! Only feels like a year or two ago - which may possibly be how old young Abi it?!) As Linda is eager to get the children in their superhero outfits, Max picks out one for Ollie to year, however Linda recalls that the one he picked was the one Mick made for him when Ollie was first diagnosed with Autism. You can see a slight look of sadness as she mentions how Mick didn't want their son to feel different from everyone, so instead of different they made him feel special. When Max puts the superhero outfit away, Linda admits to him that it was actually Mick's idea to make their son a Superhero outfit. Is there a sense of guilt between them now that Mick hasn't been brought into the idea of superhero clothes for children?! Or the fact that they're feeling guilty for spending a lot of time together and have quite visibly been flirting with one another? Who knows?!

Meanwhile, Iqra has found her way to the Prince Albert, unfortunately she doesn't seem to be listening fully to Tina as her head is replaying what she's overheard from Ian and Suki. Tina is voicing how much she's going to miss living with her and Ash, but she understands that her moving out would help Iqra and Ash spend some time together. However, Iqra feels trapped in a corner as she admits to Tina that she can't stand Ash's family. I have to say I really do like the friendship between Tina and Iqra, I did kind of wish that they were a couple instead of Iqra and Ash. Anyway Iqra finds it in herself to confide in Tina and reveals everything that she witnessed, Suki giving Ian some money in return for some approval on a planning application. Tina tells Iqra that she's got to tell someone, she knows full well how dodgy Ian is being at the moment. Iqra pleads to her not to tell anyone, especially considering the fact the Iqra can't tell her own girlfriend that her Mum is up to something. But what will Tina do with this information? Will she find a way of getting her own back on Ian herself?!

Back at the Carter household, Max and Linda are enjoying taking pictures of their children in Linda's new children's superhero outfits. Only things take a slight U-turn when Max comments that they both make a good team. I think Linda maybe feels a little uncomfortable with his comment, he thanks Max for all his help but expressions her opinion that once they're done he should leave. Only when Linda begins to take photo's of Ollie with the flash on her phone, it frightens the poor boy and he attempts to hide underneath the kitchen table with his hands over his eyes. Linda apologises to her son and tries to coax him out but to no avail, Max then decides to take it upon himself to try and gain the little boy's trust. He gets down to his level and squeezes underneath the table, softly he speaks to the little boy and after suggesting that they build a den after taking their photographs, the little boy removes his hands from his face, much to Linda's surprise. Eventually Max persuades little Ollie to get up and join in with taking photographs, to which Linda is incredibly thankful.

Back on the Square, Tiffany and Keegan are approaching the chippy (Yum! Everyone loves a chippy, right?!) As Keegan orders himself some food, Tiffany feels a bit gutted that she's having to stay healthy. As she's voicing her frustration, Stuart appears from behind and informs her that he's managed to go to the chemist and pick up some vitamins for her. He pulls out about 3 or 4 different tube bottles full of pills and Tiffany is looking pretty overwhelmed with this new information that she's having to take pills as well as eat healthily. However it looks as if enough is enough when Stuart asks her to start taking them that day, she understands that they want the baby to be healthy but she assures Stuart that she wouldn't let anything happen to their child once its in her womb. Stuart seems to understand, he apologises for coming on so heavy, its nice that they have come to acknowledge each other's understanding, Tiffany tells him politely that she's more than happy to carry their child for them, but it does not mean that they can start telling her what she can and can't do, and in all fairness - Stuart completely agrees and announces that they'll do it Tiffany's way, to which she then responds with happily ordering something from the chippy.

Once again, returning to the Carter household, Ollie and Abi are both playing happily together as they wind down after their photoshoot. Linda is sat with Max as they look over the photographs they've taken. This scene did get me a little worried as I sensed something, once again, was going to happen between the two. Max brings up the fact that he's trying to be supportive to Linda considering he was with her the last time she had a drink, he doesn't want her to feel that she's got no one to talk to, but regardless of them spending time together, he admits that he knows that she and Mick are solid. It's then Linda seems to look upset and reveals to Max that things haven't exactly been brilliant between them recently, she explains that each time she tries she feels she's just pushing him further and further away. Perhaps this is why she's been enjoying Max's company so much, it's made her feel something again - I mean when was the last time, Mick and Linda actually had a laugh with each other and showed each other some affection? It's been a long time, hasn't it?! Max seems to understand but he makes the big confession that the only reason he kissed her a while back is because he wanted to, and more interestingly, he stills wants to! Things are looking as if they are going to pounce on each other, however Ollie breaks the silence as he asks for his Mummy. As Linda goes to see her to son, Max suggests that they make another play date for their children, to which Linda coldly responds by saying she'll text him.

Back at the Slater household, Kat answers her mobile which is ringing on the kitchen table, it appears to be Stacey on the other end. She informs her cousin that she's been desperately trying to search for her boyfriend but can't find him anywhere. Suddenly, there's a knock on the backdoor and Kat is surprised to see Whitney stood there. It's then Whitney announces that there's something she needs to show her, pretty urgently and they both leave the house together. Meanwhile in the Vic, Ian is feeling positive about his interview with the newspaper, even though he is looking incredibly happy with himself, the fella from the newspaper seems less than impressed as he downs his bottle of beer. Across the bar, both Callum and Ben are trying to talk about something other than the robbery. Oh but just by coincidence, as soon as Ben questions whether Callum can trace who dialled the 999 call, Ian is stood behind the bar ear-wigging on their conversation. However Callum is unsure whether the call will be able to be traced, but then again the only thing they'll find out is that it was made from a telephone box. Maybe Ian did a clever thing for once and made sure he dialled from a phone box and not a mobile phone, that way it would be harder for them to trace?! Suddenly Tina enters the Vic and makes her way toward the bloke from the newspaper. Ooooh I'm liking the look of this!!! She questions whether he's writing an article  about Ian Beale, but the bloke doesn't seem interested if she's going to comment on how much of a aspect to the community he is, but then his attention in instantly grabbed as Tina admits that that is not what's doing, she mentions that if he really wants a story then she has one for him. Ooooh - I'm loving this! Yes! GO TINA!!! Is she going to spill what Iqra has informed her about and portray Ian in a terrible light?! In all seriousness, it's more than what he deserves! Only the downside is, will it fall back onto Iqra and will she get the blame?!

Eventually Kat makes it to what looks like Whitney's attic, she's questioning why Whitney has brought her up there, only as she turns around, Kush is seen sat in the very far corner, almost looking scared and very sheepish. Kat is absolutely elated to find her boyfriend is safe and sound, she announces how worried she's been about him, but Kush is nothing but deeply apologetic for making such a mess of things. He's tries to explain how he thought he would be able to start the car and how things just turned so messy. Kat is just happy to see that Kush is safe, she promises him that they will sort everything out together.

At Ruby's club, Linda is sat alone with a drink, Ruby enters the room carrying a huge box of wine. It looks as if Linda is feeling sorry for herself, she seems very agitated when Ruby politely asks if she's okay. Whether she's waiting for someone or something else. Linda then voices that everyone around her sees her not as Linda anymore, but Linda The Alcoholic! Ruby tries to persuade her that that isn't the case at all, she tries to explain that she has lots of friends and family around her who are just trying to look out for her. She questions whether she should all Mick, but Linda snaps back that he isn't her carer, he's her husband. She also makes sure to point out to Ruby that the drink she's got in her hand is only orange juice, nothing else! But Ruby is quick to throw in one last dig, she knows that she's drinking a soft drink, as she explains that all her staff have a list of who not to serve alcohol to, and it turns out that Linda's name is right at the very top of that list! Honestly, that's a bit of a big insult, I think that would hurt anyone really wouldn't it?! As Ruby leaves the room, Linda takes it upon herself to approach the box of wine which she's left at the bar and swipes a bottle before leaving. Once she's home, she's sat alone with the bottle and a glass already poured, to me it looks like that she really can't take Mick's behaviour anymore, she's feeling lonely, unwanted and maybe also missing her husband as well as missing their happiness and intimacy. She attempts to call him but to no avail as it the dial tone rings dead, I did fear at this point that she was going to take a big gulp of wine. She brings the glass up to her face and she gently smells the wine, she then plonks the glass back down and dials another number - Max! She agrees to go along with the playdate for the children for the following day, but something else is telling me, is she doing it for the company. If Mick isn't around then why not have Max's attention. I do thing as things go on, something will happen between the two, what do you think? Feeling a little more relieved she gets up and throws the glass of wine and the bottle down the sink!

A very interesting episode I have to say, some very interesting things taking place, I mean I do feel a lot of it will come to some form of explosion within the next few days. I do feel that all this that's happening right now will be the drama that's all going to explode coming towards Christmas! Christmas is only a month away and it's not going to be long now until huge secrets are revelled and big bombshells are going to be dropped. EastEnders is always explosive at Christmas, right?! I, for one, am incredibly excited to see it all unfold! Thank you all for reading, I'll be back again tomorrow with another blog. Enjoy the rest of your evening folks! Love you all xXx

[all-hail-the-witcher]

Idk if your asks are open, but, "I thought I could trust you" with ralbert???? Owo

…okay so….

hello everyone. oh boyyyy

so this fic, well, its a Bit of a train wreck. well, maybe kind of not? but theres a story and im going to tell it anyway.

Once Upon The Beginning Of Last Semester Sometime mikey and i were like “lol lets Finally have an angst off !!” and we had you guys pick prompts and were like okay bet lets Do This. and i came up with this completely wild crazy idea and was like “okay this is going to be Great.” well, spoiler alert, i got a few thousand words in and realized that it was Not what i wanted so i rewrote it and came up with a new plot. and then i got Stuck.

meanwhile, mikey had finished his fic like Weeks before and was like “saph cmon are you gonna finish it?” and i was like “uh maybe yeah” and i tried and failed. and tried and failed again. and then life smacked me in the face for awhile. and then mikey was like “okay im just gonna post mine cause i kinda like it and you post yours when youre ready” and he did. and its very good. and im kind of glad we didnt have a competition cause he could have won.

you can read his fic here (and i recommend that you do cause its some Grade A Mikey Angst) although if your someone who has a fear of someone leaving you because you cannot/will not give them sex i would suggest not

and so. that fic sat in my drive for several months. and then my short story writing teacher was like “you need to submit a 4th short story!!” and i was like “well shit the world is ending and im out of ideas!!” and then i remembered this beauty. in all its glory. half finished. actually less than half finished. it was a mess. a whole disaster. and i left my planning sheet at school, so…

but i hunkered down and i ground out some half decent garbage, complaining the entire time to mikey (thanks for listening to all that by the way) and finally, last night, at 1am, was the proud owner of this.

its not the best thing ive ever written. and its obscenely long. but it is finished. and actually edited. and also turned in to my short story writing teacher but were not going to talk about that. its also vaguely based off of several fall out boy songs. and this prompt. which has been sitting in my ask box for At Least a year. 

its essentially the epitome of This Great British Bakeoff Meme:

so. now that ive essentially written a fic about my fic, i give you This:

_____

Dusted

ship: ralbert

genre: angst no happy ending

warnings: violence, implied and referenced character death, alcohol, unknowingly being drugged, concussions, head injuries, weird hallucination type things, betrayal, loss of mother, anxiety, panic attacks, near death experiences, i think thats everything. also its based off of fall out boy songs. that should tell you everything you need to know.

words: 8108

editing: actually yes !!!

_____

due to the sheer Length i posted this only on ao3 to not clog up peoples dashes and theres a lot of italics and i didnt wanna do it all by hand cause tumblrs dumb okay. (also since its tagged as major character death it shows up with that Potential Adult Content thing. theres no sexy times i promise, ao3s just doin me dirty)

also yeah i made a new ao3 acc, expect more on there in the future

read the monstrosity here

_____

well this has been The Strangest fic posting of mine essentially Ever.

what did you think tho?

comments are always appreciated, hmm to be on the taglist!!!

tag list

@fairly-awkward-trashcan

@sun-kissed-star

@racetrackcook

@ughwaitwhat

@aw-jus-let-em-try​

@voice-foundshoe-lost​

@stopthe-presses

@ridin-in-style

@pinecovewoods​

@i-got-no-clue-what-im-doing​

@getchapapes

@be-more-chill-evan-hansen​

@stellar-alpaca

@saxoph-ella

@smolcanadiankid​

@disney-princess-sized​

@the-newsies-justice-for-zas-blog​

@spot-conlon-king-of-brooklyn

@have-we-got-news-for-you

@thatfancyclam

@myidkwhatmynameisblog

@legoflambwrites

@not-a-scab

@albertdasillvaprotectionsquad​

@entschuldigung-bitches

@thebroadwayaesthetic

@tea-and-theater

@seasickdolphin

@auspicioustarantula​

@newsies-of-ny

@mrs-higgins

@spot-me50-papes-deactivated2020

@papesdontsellthemselves

@deathcast-s

@the-poodles-of-pulitzer​

@hopefully-not-the-ghostbusters​

@humanracoon

@irondad-spiderson-duo​

@albert-eats-cookie-cake​

@nico-nat

@localfakeitalian

@carryyourownbanner

@writing-makes-me-antsy

@racetrackyeetgins

@panpervinca

[arcadianambivalence]

World on Fire, Episode 4, or How We React to “Normal” in a Crisis

Spring 1940

Months have passed since the last episode, and characters have had time to steady their nerves.  Kasia’s previous reservations about killing Germans is largely gone, Lois has decided to have the baby and not involve Harry in her life, Webster and Albert have resolved to stay together, and Nancy has repeatedly tried to sneak her discoveries into her broadcasts (or to smuggle her research out of Germany) despite blackmail.  

Other characters have started to lose their determination.  Claudia and Uwe’s marriage is falling apart over their differing ideas about how to protect Hilde, Harry is struggling with his responsibilities in combat, and Grzegorz is grappling with his empathy and endurance.

(More under the cut)

The Winter of 1939 – 1940 has ended, and with it, the illusion of peace for Western Europe.  Stationed in Belgium, Harry’s group retreats closer and closer to the French border as the German army arrives with far more resources.  

Meanwhile, the American hospital in Paris receives wounded soldiers from the front.  Refugees fleeing the war need attention too, like a Jewish emigree couple attacked by Anti-Semites, much like Albert was attacked by fascists in the first episode.  Henriette, a nurse and Webster’s friend, confides in him that she is Jewish and had hidden that fact when she applied for work at the hospital.  

Albert and Webster count their days left together.  Webster is happy just to be with him, but Alfred is afraid of being seen.  They’ve been together for half a year, and the closest Alfred can get to public displays of affection is a brief kiss after a furtive look around.  The reasons for this become all too clear when they return to his apartment to find a swastika on the door and a severed pig’s head on the doorstep.  

“I’ll never be safe anywhere in this world,” he tells Webster.  “People have got plenty choice of what they might hate me for.”

(I would like to take a moment and appreciate this show for pointing out the fascist movements and rising acts of intolerance all over Europe in the late 1930s and 1940.  This is especially visible in the Paris subplot, drawing attention to the wide swath of cultures in the city without entirely romanticizing it as a place of absolute refuge from prejudice.  It makes me think the show is laying the foundation for exploring Occupied France and Vichy France next season...)

The German gains in the invasion bring new worry to the Rosslers.  “The better the war goes, the worse for Hilde,” Claudia says.  Uwe is not happy that Nancy and Claudia continue to meet.  Claudia discovers Uwe has registered as a Nazi to cover the family after his conversation with the workers last episode.  She is horrified, and the two have a big argument with Nancy uncomfortably caught in the middle.  “The Nazis are going to win,” Uwe says.  They must appear to be on their side.

Claudia refuses to take the same course of action.  She brings Hilde to Nancy to say goodbye, perhaps permanently.  Mother and daughter will be staying in a little cabin far away from the city and its watchful denouncers.  

Uwe will not be joining them.

Nancy gifts Claudia a bottle of spirits and Hilde American candy, then asks them to listen to her radio show and toast to a better future.

The way Nancy makes sure to place her hand firmly over Claudia’s hurts.

Douglas has concern for his own children’s safety.  Tom returns home on leave and confesses that he is thinking about deserting and becoming an official conscientious objector.  His father has reservations.  Tom could be executed for desertion, and then there are the political ramifications of a pacifist letting his own son into the movement.  Hurt and betrayed, Tom leaves home as if he does not plan on returning.

Things fare little better between Douglas and Lois.  Although Lois adamantly states that she does not want Harry or his mother involved in her life anymore, Douglas tells Robina that Lois is pregnant in the hopes that Robina’s sense of social (and financial) duty to her grandson will override any qualms about class. 

(The cautious back-and-forth between Douglas and Robina is great, as always, and if Harry and Lois don’t get back together, can their parents have something?)

In the middle of these life-changing historical events, characters continue to talk about relationships and their social lives.  Lois can’t bring herself to sing one night because she’s heartsick over the realization that her feelings for Harry was a love for a person that never truly existed.  Robina and Douglas still have small talk while the latter spoons cubes of sugar into his tea.  Stan teases Harry for his two girls back home.  Thomasz and Kasia’s interactions are sweet when they get to act like two young adults who aren’t in an occupied country with their lives at risk every minute...then they casually discuss killing a soldier like it’s a fact of life.  

Moments like this feel like a kick in the teeth.  

On one hand, you could argue that the characters are too blasé about the killings and the risks involved.  At one point, Thomasz arrives late to a rendezvous and gives “There was a round-up” as his explanation, almost as if it’s a regular occurrence.  On the other hand, wouldn’t it have been?  Poland had been occupied for half a year by this point, and maybe Robina was right last episode (to a degree), you do get used to it...or at least, you continue to live alongside it.

All characters undergo a great change in this series, but it’s still startling to see how they react to their circumstances, especially when their reactions are so different from who they were before or how we expected them to be.  

Kasia, Harry, and Grzegorz are all placed in perilous situations that ultimately lead to the decision of whether or not to take someone’s life.  

Kasia lures an SS officer to a secluded part of town with the expectation that Thomasz will kill him, but when Thomasz has not arrived and the officer starts to go too far, Kasia draws a gun from her purse and kills him.  In retaliation for the death of an officer, a new raid is carried out, leading Kasia to come face-to-face with the family of an innocent woman executed for what she did.  

The moral quandary in her storyline returns: if killing the enemy results in the death of innocents, do you kill the enemy?

When Harry kills the German sniper, he does it to save his own life, but he also does it to save the lives of the men in his troop.  It is one of the few sequences in this show that has the kind of heroics expected of war depictions.  But what could in other hands be cathartic violence against non-character antagonists in battle is undercut by Harry’s emotional reaction after the skirmish and the way he freezes at the beginning of the conflict.  

He’s not calm-under-fire war hero of fiction, but he’s not exactly a romantic hero, either.  Yes, he is the romantic lead of the show, but unlike last episode, he spends his few moments of quiet dealing with his deep-seated familial issues brought out by his powerlessness.

On the run from a death squad, Grzegorz holds a German soldier at gunpoint. The soldier, barely an adult and crying in fear, lowers his jammed weapon.  But instead of killing the soldier like Kasia and Harry do, Grzegorz offers his hand.  Despite all of the atrocities he has witnessed in the past year: his father’s death, people burned alive in Danzig, narrowly escaping execution, the massacre on the farm, the starvation and sleeping in the woods...and there is still a kind little boy thrown into something much bigger and meaner than he is underneath the exhaustion and self-preservation.  

It’s Konrad who kills the soldier, to Grzegorz’s horror.

“I killed one German, just like a German killed your dad.” “Not that German.”

The landscape of the woods around them changes.  Snow dusted ground gives way to moss and mud.  A spring fog cloaks their journey.  And just as the natural landscape subtly changes, so does their luck.

The two stumble across a troop of British soldiers (wait, where are they?) and quickly join the men.  Their relief is short-lived, though, and they are soon back in combat.  Konrad is shot through the head.  

In order to air with a certain rating, World on Fire has to clean up some of the images of violence.  You don’t see blood spurt out of people when they’re shot.  The scenes of death are not drawn out. 

But the image of Konrad, dead before he hits the ground, blood covering face, with a stunned Grzegorz kneeling over him shocked me.

When Grzegorz grieves, the loss of his family comes out, too, for his father Stefan and father figure Konrad.

In Grzegorz’s final scene, he stumbles through a forest, the British soldiers long gone.  Spring is here and beautiful, the snow has melted away, the birds are chirping, and green has returned to the Earth.  Grzegorz seems unaware of the world around him, only the journey ahead in the middle of anywhere and nowhere.

Spoiler

The next episode’s promo places him on a beach.  Is he transported out of Poland by a ship on the Baltic sea?  Or are we supposed to believe Grzegorz and Konrad have spent all winter and spring walking through Poland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and finally into France?

Notes

Konrad calls Grzegorz son...

After a disastrous cup of tea with Douglas, Robina makes sure to pay for the both of their orders before leaving

Tom brings the canary home, a visual connector between Jan and his bird in the pilot and Tom now

When Kasia breaks the news to the Polish family of the executed woman, Thomasz notices a German officer kissing a Polish woman next door, which indicates that not all Poles consider Germans the same way they do (and raises the threat of someone recognizing them later)

Robina casually mentions the newly-appointed Churchill to see Douglas’s reaction

[galadrieljones]

That he may hold me by the hand: Chapter 5

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Albert Mason  

Rating: Mature (Adult Themes, Violence, and Sexual Content)

Summary: After saving Albert from stumbling off a cliff in the Heartlands, Arthur invites him to Valentine for a drink. What ensues after that is a quiet love story, in which both men find themselves completely undone.

Masterpost | AO3 | Epigraph

Chapter 5: I was a bird on the wire.

Like a worm on a hook Like a knight from some old-fashioned book I have saved all my ribbons for thee

-Leonard Cohen, "Bird on the Wire"

After she returned from St. Denis, Mary Beth spent the next week or so thinking and looking at Arthur from afar. Slowly, he was starting to move around the camp and do things for himself, and this reassured her and made her happy. He played a couple hands of poker with John, had dinner by the fire, went down to the water, but he didn’t seem interested in fishing. Mostly he seemed to just be drawing pictures. He spoke little. He did not really speak to Dutch or Hosea. There seemed to be something going on there and it had been going on for a while, but it was getting deeper, and Dutch seemed insecure, frequently checking on Arthur through side channels, but the two of them did not talk. Arthur held everything tightly inside, and he was not really talking to anyone about what had happened with Colm. Not even Hosea. Mary Beth asked him but he only smiled in his handsome way. He wouldn’t worry her, and though she knew it was walls, he was a tough cookie, and she did not know how to bring them down.

In any case, he was still calm and handsome, and his hair was getting longer. She brought him a lot of books to read, mostly shit penny novels she stole from the general store in Rhodes, a couple she even paid for. He would polish them off in an afternoon. She told him it was important for him to read crap as well as classics if he was to become a true gentleman of culture in the world, and this made him laugh, which relieved her. They walked together. He healed quickly and though he could not take sharp, quick breaths without pain, his bruises were getting somewhat better, and his ribs seemed to improve to such lengths that Charles, who had endured broken ribs in the past, speculated that perhaps Arthur had only bruised a couple ribs round the side. That none were broken. This seemed to relieve Arthur, but again, he did not talk on it much.

Meanwhile, Mary Beth could not really stop thinking about Albert Mason, a wholesome man who, regardless of intension, seemed to care about Arthur. A lot. But she was unlike John, who kind of always just had his hand on the truth, and instead, she tended to see what she wanted to see. She hung out with Arthur but he did not talk about Albert. She knew that if he wanted to talk about it, he would eventually. It was not important to her, what was really going on, as long as he was okay.

John, on the other hand, was very curious. He could not stop thinking about it and he would follow Mary Beth down to the water in the evenings where she would be washing clothes and ask her questions about Arthur and whether he had said anything. He was like a little old lady, she thought. He could not help himself. Once while John and Mary Beth were sitting down and smoking by the water, Arthur came down to join them. Mary Beth rolled him one neat cigarette and he lit it himself with a match off the sole of his boot. The color was back in his cheeks now as it had been almost two whole weeks. They all sat watching the birds flying in V-shapes in the sky and the steelhead trout doing flips in the twilight water. The stars were so bright it was like they were on fire, and after a little while of this, just smoking and sitting in a row on the sand, John started talking.

“So,” he said, glancing past Mary Beth, to Arthur. “Arthur. You gonna go see Albert soon? You seem like you’re back on your feet.”

“As soon as I can get on a horse, sure,” said Arthur. He seemed disinterested in the conversation.

“Did we tell you he made us tea?” said John.

Arthur gave him a funny look. “Tea?” he said.

“Yeah,” said John. “Some kind of weird tea. It was good. What was it called again, Mary Beth?”

“Earl Grey,” she said.

“Right,” said John. “Earl Grey.”

“Sounds like something out of Dickens, don’t it?” said Mary Beth.

Arthur smiled at her. “Little bit,” he said, smoking.

“Anyway,” said John. He took a drag. “He seemed like a really nice guy. Albert.”

“That, he is,” said Arthur, watching the lake. A sea bird flew down in an attempt to pick something out of the water with a fair amount of speed, came up empty. “How’d he seem?” he said.

John looked right at him and seized upon the opportunity. “What do you mean?”

Arthur scratched at his beard, smoked, stayed staring into the scenery. His eyes did not break from nature for a second. “I mean how’d he seem,” he said. “It ain’t a complicated question.”

John glanced at Mary Beth.

“He was worried,” she said, looking down at her cigarette. She smoked it, felt it getting low, trashed it in the sand.

“Real worried,” said John. “About you. He seemed to know you pretty well.”

Arthur looked down at his hands, took a drag, tossed the cigarette into the water. He opened up a little then, to their surprise. “We’re pretty good friends,” he said, elbows resting on his knees. “Sorry I never mentioned him before.”

“It’s okay,” said Mary Beth. She put her head on his shoulder. He was very sturdy and she liked the way he felt beside her, as a friend. “Not everything is for talking about, you know?”

“I suppose,” said Arthur.

The divulgence was not enough for John but he knew he was too eager and he was also good at reading moments, and he was good at reading Arthur, too. He let this one be. He finished his cigarette and tossed it out with the others. Then he looked back at the water and thought about Abigail. “I was thinking of maybe…I don’t know. Taking Jack fishing tomorrow. What do you think, Morgan?” he said.

“I think it’s about damn time,” said Arthur.

“You know any good spots?”

“Not really,” said Arthur. “Talk to Javier, though. I know he’s been scouting the shores for fish a lot lately.”

“Okay.”

“Arthur,” said Mary Beth, wistful. It seemed there was a meteor shower overhead. It was raining pretty things in the sky. She made a wish.

“Yes, Mary Beth?”

“I’m glad you’re doin better,” she said, looking at him. “Real glad.”

He sighed. “Yeah, me, too,” he said. “Thanks, Mary Beth.”

“You’re welcome, Arthur.”

They sat for a little while longer, feeling younger than they were, soaking in the celestial majesty and counting the stars.

When Arthur finally felt up to getting on his horse, he walked up the lake to a private spot and he cleaned himself of all the stench of his isolation and loneliness. He combed his hair neatly and tried to see about being presentable as a man in the world. He felt feral but also somehow like a kept child. He trimmed his beard, then he got on his horse and told Mary Beth of his business in St. Denis. He was leaving kind of late in the day, and she wondered aloud when it was he would return.

“I’m not sure,” said Arthur, finding his feet in the stirrups. Amelia was a small and beautiful horse, and she seemed comforted to have him back again. “Anybody asks, I’m just on an errand. I ain’t got a timeline though.”

“Okay, Arthur.”

“You been real good to me, Mary Beth,” he said. She was standing petting Amelia’s white mane. “You been a wonderful friend. I appreciate it, all of it. I wish I could repay you, but I don’t know that I can.”

“Please, Arthur,” she said, smiling up at him and shaking her head. “No need to repay me. You ain’t nothing but a fool for saying such things.”

“Well I do try to impress you so but I know how often I fail.”

She laughed, patted Amelia on the cheek. “Go on,” she said, looking at the horse. “Just be careful out there, Arthur. Go slow. You ain’t 100%.”

“I will.”

“Give Albert my highest regards.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He tipped his hat, as a gentleman, and rode away. She watched him go, her pale skirt swooshing in the southern breeze. For many years now, Mary Beth had been telling herself stories as a means of survival. She had always fancied Arthur as more a knight than an outlaw. Of course that was her girlish brain, but still. Even the way he rode that white horse, it was like the cosmos agreed. He was shiny. He deserved more than this. She sighed and turned around to face the camp, and Karen was waving at her from afar. “Mary Beth!” she said. “You ready?”

They were going to the Rhodes Parlor House to scam some rich dandies out of their ill-earned money. “I’m coming,” she said.

“I got you some lipstick from Molly,” said Karen. “We’re making you look like a harlot!”

Mary Beth laughed to herself as she went.

Arthur rode slow and maintained a sturdy posture on his horse. It had only been a few weeks, and it was still the south, but how he had missed the air, and the sounds of the sky and the wind as it bent through the tupelo trees. Riding hurt. It was full of abrupt and jerky motion that he did his best to ignore. He was sitting upright with his hands on the reins and soldiered forth. It was a thing he was used to—soldiering forth—and anyway, he could not for the life of him imagine spending one more monotonous night down at the camp in Clemens Point. The sounds of the voices there had been wearing him thin, and the clanking of the pots and pans and the moaning tedium of Dutch’s gramophone playing something longwinded and wistful over the sounds of his bitching with Molly had recently begun to fill Arthur with shame and dread and annoyance and regret.

Even still, as he rode away that evening, he knew that he was leaving something behind in Mary Beth. He didn’t know how he knew, he just did. Whatever potential there was there, it was gone now. He was a man, and he had thought of her fondly many times. He knew how women worked and Mary Beth was full of quiet looks and easy tells, tells he had given into once or twice in the time since he’d known her, but not anymore. He hoped he had not relied on her too much those past weeks.

Overall, he was unable to account for what she meant to him, as he was not very in touch with the things he felt beyond the impressionistic effects they inspired. She was kind and beautiful, but he did not want her that way, and even if he did, in some ways, want her, the last thing the world needed was another of his illegitimate children, running around, trapped inside a sad and lonesome existence. Her friendship was very important to him any how. He sensed its unconditional nature, and he knew that was rare for him, even amongst women who’d always had, for some reason, a penchant for fussing over his security as if he were a helpless creature even as he was not, and it had been like this since he was young. He was grateful and hoped to preserve her devotion with his own, though he would not have blamed her if she drifted away from him to find her own way and another man who would love her how she deserved. He just thought that, like him, she was prone to pleasing others almost like a compulsion, and he hoped that she did not come to rely too strongly on this aspect of herself. For he had fallen prey to that mistake, and it had cost him many years and in some ways, was still costing him to this day, even as he didn’t really know it.

Seeing Albert that night was like being crushed by a boulder. He was flattened and then at ease. Arthur realized something, which was that when you really know someone, and they really know you, not seeing them for a while does not cause disintegration of the ties that bind you. He, perhaps, did not realize how well Albert seemed to know him until that night. It took him for a fool.

“How are you?” Albert said as he closed the door behind them. His eyebrows went up with worry so you could see the little line in between them.

“I’m okay,” said Arthur. He held his hat with two hands in front of him. Glancing around he could see all of the things in the room and how they reminded him of Albert. Everything seemed neatly made and curated. He could tell which parts were just the hotel and which parts were Albert and his artistic regimen. There were the photographs, the little Chinese lanterns, a fine porcelain tea set and stacks and stacks of books. Arthur set his hat down on the purple sofa. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” said Albert, smiling after Arthur with a kind of weariness and relief. “John and Mary Beth came to see me.”

“I know they did,” said Arthur, taking a step toward him.

“They said you’d been in a bad scrape. Are you all right?”

Arthur nodded. “Mostly.”

“What happened?” said Albert. He was eager, but Arthur could tell he was trying to hold back. “I mean—will you tell me what happened?”

Arthur sighed. He spoke calmly. The room was dim, lit only with the Chinese lanterns and one little lamp by the window where he could tell Albert had been reading. “You remember when we got ambushed by those rough fellers out in the Big Valley that time?” he said.

“Of course,” said Albert. “How could I forget?”

“Well, it turns out that weren’t random. They wanted me, and, a few weeks ago, they got me. Or, their friends did, and their boss.”

Albert listened. “Why?” he said.

“Because,” said Arthur, “before you I ain’t much consorted with good people all that often, Albert. The man who—well let’s just say he’s a sorry son of a bitch and there’s a lot of bad blood. But it’s over now, and I’m alive.”

Outside, there was a bird on a wire, singing softly to the moon. Arthur wondered what kind of bird that was, singing in the nighttime. It was not so late that the tavern had silenced though, and you could hear the faint drumming of the voices below.

Albert smiled, nervous. “All right.”

“I’ll be okay.”

Albert studied Arthur then with a very strong focus. It was the kind of face he usually saved for his pictures, like he was searching for the thing that told the story. “If you say so,” he said.

Arthur went over to the photographs hanging from the clothesline. He sat down on the bed. It creaked beneath his weight. He hunched a little and placed his head in his hands. “The truth is,” he went on, feeling tired, “I’m just—I’ve been very bored, Albert. My life is filled with tedium. These past weeks, mostly all I did was read trashy novels given to me by Mary Beth, draw pictures of the water, heal, and think about you. I am relieved to be here.”

Albert had his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a pair of brown trousers with a light shirt, the collar undone. He came over and sat beside Arthur on the bed. “Does Mary Beth like to read?” he said.

“Very much,” said Arthur. “She reads more than anyone I know, and she reads more than just crap. But I guess she’s on some sort of crap spree lately, and she was dragging me along with her.”

Albert laughed at this, glanced. “She seems lovely.”

“She is,” said Arthur. “She’s a very good friend.”

Albert took a deep breath. He removed his hands from his pockets and placed them in his lap, looking at them. “I thought of you a lot as well, these past couple of weeks,” he said, smiling to himself. “And good god, have I been bored.”

Arthur found this amusing. “What you been up to?”

“Oh, you know,” said Albert. “The usual. Playing poker with magicians and taking pictures of French women holding balloons in the park.”

“Sounds incredibly strange to me,” said Arthur.

“I’ve also been reading,” he said. “Some things in Harper’s. Henry James. Dreadful stuff, bored me about to death. I think I would have preferred the crap spree with Mary Beth.”

“Well, that’s your own fault,” said Arthur. “If there’s anyone who deserved to be hanged, drawn, and quartered for his actions, it is Henry James.”

Albert chuckled. “Read him, have you?”

Arthur sort of waved this off. “I’ve read everything,” he said. “James is by far the worst. There are instruction manuals with more verve, if you ask me.”

Albert became wistful. “I missed you,” he said. “That was the consensus at the end of each day.”

“Yeah, me, too,” said Arthur. With little hesitation then, he picked up Albert’s hand. He studied the knuckles and how they were not so scarred as his own. He felt hurried, deep inside his chest. With his thumb, he traced the skin. Albert’s hands were not small. They were not as big as Arthur’s but they were not small. They were just finer.

They looked at each other then, at the same time, as if summoned. Arthur felt himself getting lost. “I’m feeling things,” he said, strangely.

Albert was there with him, inconspicuous in his anxieties. He seemed to feel the same way, however. “Me, too,” he said.

Arthur took a breath then, and they kissed, for the second time in their entire lives. It had been some weeks coming, and they were weightless from it. Nothing had changed. Their need, if anything, had actualized with time. This kiss was deeper and more meaningful than the last. For they had already done it once, and they knew it would work.

They parted briefly, as if to catch their breath and to look at one another in a sort of new awe. They were not simple men, but this thing between them, it was simple. They kissed again, and this time, it escalated. They were feeling past buttons and collars now, slipping out of their suspenders. Arthur leaned in to press Albert’s back to the bedspread. It was an instinct he understood, and Albert gave easily, tugging him closer by the collar, then by the waist. With his lips to Albert’s throat, Arthur felt himself letting go, but the moment he placed his full weight on his hands in front of him and began to lower, his left side seized painfully. The pain was bright and fast. It shot through out of nowhere and took over as an electric current, and he froze. He grunted loud, hung his head and took a deep breath through his nose, constricting his lungs so as not to expand them too quickly, as that hurt as well. He was disappointed and pissed off. The atmosphere, whatever it was between them sending them on their way, it dissolved instantly.

“Arthur?” said Albert. He hauled him up, back sitting with his feet both on the floor. Desperately concerned, he noticed the way Arthur was leaning and how he held that left side so gingerly. His shallow breaths were very disconcerting. “What’s the matter? How hurt are you?”

Arthur shook his head. It all seemed to be a great effort for him with his eyes squeezed shut. “I’m okay.”

“You’re not,” said Albert.

“I’m—” He composed himself, resituated on the bed so that he could face Albert but he kept his head hanging somewhat. “I guess I ain’t as healed as I thought I was. Or maybe the ride did me. I don’t know.”

Albert blinked. He placed his hand on Arthur’s shoulder, as if to comfort him, but he then seemed to realize how vastly he had underestimated what was going on. Assertively, he assessed Arthur’s posture and then pushed the shirt back off his shoulders, exposing the massive web of brand new, pink scar tissue in his shoulder and the fading but still ripe bruises around his lower left side. Arthur did not protest, even as he seemed embarrassed. The sight of him greatly disturbed Albert. “Oh, Arthur,” he said, shaking his head. He touched the scar with his fingertips, looked up. “This is not good.”

“I’m fine,” said Arthur, again. He shut his eyes and breathed. The pain was subsiding even as it was still something severe. “Really, I’m fine. You should've seen it before.” But then he felt Albert, further examining the bruises, the scar and all of the messed up business that had become his body. When he opened his eyes again and saw Albert’s face and the concern illustrated there so profoundly he didn’t know what to say.

“You don’t deserve this,” said Albert, looking straight at him.

Arthur shook his head, incredulous all of a sudden. “Albert, you don’t—”

“Yes,” said Albert, “I do. I know you. I don’t know what happened, but I know you, and you don’t deserve this.”

Arthur felt somewhat frayed. It seemed to take him by the throat. He had rarely encountered this sort of tenderness with men, and he had never processed what happened with Colm. It was too much for some reason, and when he blinked there were hot tears which he wiped away and bit back as quickly as they had materialized in the first place. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“Arthur,” said Albert. “Don’t be sorry.”

“I know. I—”

Albert took him by the hand. He held it in both of his. Arthur could not remember what he was going to say.

“I know it is usually you dragging me up from the ledge, dear friend,” said Albert, “but there is a first time for everything, I suppose. Here we are.”

Arthur shut his eyes. It was almost funny.

“Please stay here tonight,” Albert continued.

Arthur gazed at him, feeling his pride going away, feeling helpless. “Okay.”

“Okay,” said Albert

He didn’t ask anymore questions after that or make any presumptions about what Arthur was or was not. A trolley went by, ringing its stupid bell as they continued holding hands, and there were voices of the people as there always seemed to be so many of them even in the late hours, moving through the streets, moving through their lives doing whatever it was they did with such speed. The nighttime bird on the wire had moved along now, leaving them alone. They were alone.      

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Gankutsuou, Episodes 10-12

In which we learn who the Count truly is, the firing squad arrives, and I’m bitter over a poorly told romantic subplot.

Sins of the Father

Well, shit, we’re really getting into it now. The Count of Monte Cristo’s plans have finally reached the point where they’re starting to spill out into the open, unraveling the web of lies his foes have constructed in broad daylight. He’s prodded the beast so hard that the beast has finally started biting back, and now he’s got a prison sentence to look forward to as punishment for his arrogance. We’ve officially hit the end of the set-up phase here, folks; from here on out, it’s all-out war in the garish PS2 CG streets of future Paris. And something tells me however brutal things have gotten thus far, the second half of Gankustuou is going to blow all my expectations out of the water. Let the battle begin, comrades. It’s going to be a sight to remember.

Meanwhile, as for what we actually discovered over the course of these episodes, we may have just learned who the Count actually was all this time: a man by the name of Edmond Dantes. Apparently, the three fathers of our main cast of kids saw fit to convict this man for treason twenty long years ago, sending him to perish in the Chateau d’If, which I assume is some kind of max-security space prison, like a celestial Alcatraz. As such, Dantes should be dead. He should’ve died in prison long ago. And yet, here is the Count of Monte Cristo walking among us again, with cold corpse hands and a Great Old One chilling in his head. Something saved this doomed man from the cold depths of space, and now he’s returned to condemn his condemners. Something tells me that treason wasn’t the real reason behind his attempted execution; we learn that Albert’s mother was in love with Dantes, and considering how furious her husband gets when he realizes that she only married him after losing that first love... yeah, there’s no way envy didn’t play a part in this game. There’s some whack-ass abuse of power going on here, men misusing their influence for their own personal gain at the expense of the innocents and the deserving.

And I don’t blame Albert at all for making such a terrified face upon learning just how fucked the situation he’s gotten himself into is. This whole mess is rotten to the core, and his entire sense of self is crumbling around him as he realizes how deeply flawed his parents’ supposedly perfect relationship truly is. It makes sense that he’d run to the Count so ardently, refusing to listen to Franz’ concerns about him; he’s a boy suddenly cut adrift in a confusing, scary world, and he needs some point of stability to hold onto. Which, of course, is all part of Dantes’ plan as well; he presents himself as the put-together gentleman Albert needs, someone he can look up to in this time of crisis, to provide the boy a role model and guidance. But all the while, he’s still pulling more and more strings in the background, taking care of the loose thread of Valentine’s murderous mother by turning the poison he gifted her right back onto her, sending her into her husband’s line of fire and shattering her from the betrayal. Not that Valentine’s father is any more sympathetic; he mercilessly condemns his wife to a life of isolation, degradation and imprisonment because he doesn’t want his own reputation to be damaged. These adults are all monsters, and Dantes has proven himself effective at leveraging those monstrous qualities against each other. And now that he’s in the line of fire himself, I suspect he’s gonna show just how completely he’s wrapped them around his thumb while they haven’t been paying attention.

First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Love

So the Count’s plans are still progressing at an enjoyable clip. Sadly, over on the other characters’ side of things, I’ve run into a snag in their story arc; Eugenie and Albert’s relationship drama. For the past ten episodes, Gankustuou seemed to be building their relationship up as an unhappy engagement, a mirror to their parents’ own unhappy marriages. It tied bad to this show’s exploration of love; Albert and Eugenie were made to be together without having any real feelings for each other, and as the Count slowly undid their parents’ hypocrisies, they would be forced to re-consider what kind of companionship they should really have to be happy. That all made sense. But now, we’re suddenly told that they actually do have feelings for each other, and they’re suddenly blushing all over each other, and... and I just don’t buy it. Not after pretty much all the previous time we’ve spent with them seemed to be building up the idea that they had to break out of this mold their parents forced on them. But instead, they actually do love each other out of nowhere, so their parents’ desires to suddenly change overnight to keep that theme consistent.

And it’s blatantly obvious the only reason these characters suddenly developed feelings for each other, after showing no real signs of having any before, is so we can wring the maximum cheap drama possible out of them suddenly being forced apart by narrative convenience. This isn’t the relationship they had before, but because the story needed Albert to take a hit at this point to drive him closer to the Count, it has them spontaneously have the hots for each other so Cavitelli (or is his name Manicotti?) can separate them like the asshole he is and make you feel bad. But I don’t feel bad, because this was never built up as a relationship I was supposed to get romantically invested in. Albert and Eugenie’s story hadn’t primed me to consider them worthy romantic partners, so how can I get invested in the show suddenly trying to pretend they are? I dunno, maybe I’m just bitter over being denied more of that sweet Franz/Albert subtext (and let’s be clear, Franz and Albert have consistently had far more chemistry than Eugenie and Albert; two bros, going to check up on each other in their homes after a big fight cause they’re real gay), but taking this direction doesn’t really work for me. And as experience has shown, there are few things that can make me sour on a story more than a poorly told romance. Hopefully this isn’t an indicator of things to come, because if Gankustuou tries to build too much of its emotional investment off these two going forward, it’s going to lose a lot of momentum for me. And that would be a right shame.

Odds and Ends

-Well, so much for their snoop.

-Ooh, Grandpa spilling the beans. Though I wonder how he found out about it? Did he just suspect, based on Valentine’s relationship with her stepmom?

-Not sure what’s up with the preacher-man who’s also the count. Was that just a dream, or did that really happen?

-That wasn’t just any old wipeout, that was a PS2 wipeout. That’s gotta hurt.

-”I wish you wouldn’t worry me so...” Listen, Albert knows Peppo’s a guy, so there’s no other explanation for that blush than him being Big Gay, and I approve.

-Something about that show of Albert walking away from Franz’s house really speaks to me. The way the pattern grows smaller on his shirt as he moves farther away from the camera, until there’s only a circle left... I dunno, it’s cool.

-”Bide your time, and hold out hope.” Oh goddamn it, that’s where the episode preview narration comes from? It’s the Count’s hope we’re holding out? Yeesh.

-I know that feel, always peeking out of the curtain to see the audience.

-”It’s all part of the job.” And what job might that be, Lucien? I don’t recall professional cuckolder being in the yellow pages.

Halfway through now. Let’s see what madness the second half has in store for us... next time!

[janiedean]

Wait, you recasted JB in Mary Poppins? How!? Explain. I just saw Mary Poppins Returns today and I loved the sequel! You don't mind if I ask? What did you like about the movie? I'm just don't have anyone to fangirl about!

... I had XD

okay so, disclaimer: I don’t talk about it because who has the chance, but mary poppins used to be one of those movies I could rewatch for DAYS as a kid to the point where my aunt can’t look at it anymore without feeling sick ops and when the sequel came out I went like OMG SDLKGJSDKJLG NEED TO WATCH XD so, re the sequel: I realized it was a nostalgia operation but it was well-done, I really liked the take, I might have shed a few tears at the end and the fact that everyone wanted jane and jack to get together that was a++++, ADULT!MICHAEL ;________________; MY HEART ;_____; anyway I found it a really nice and enjoyable movie? not as good as the original but lovely anyway.

NOW, ON TO THE RECAST.

er.

basically the idea was... jaime being mary and brienne being bert just with switched personalities in the sense that OBVIOUSLY he’s way more chill and she’d be like WHAT THE FUCK WHY, but REWIND because I had come up with the srsly cracked backstory.

as in, the part about the original implied a prequel where the lannister kids were the ones actually getting the magical babysitter who happened to be *cough* the blackfish *cough* and we found out that all the tullys are actually in the magical nanny business right, and it’d happen when tyrion’s like six or seven and the other two are thirteen-fourteen-ish, obviously cersei stays who she is but having the external influence etc. etc. makes jaime put two and two together and he’s like damn but that sounds like a dream job I mean I do the same stuff with tyrion all the time surely can’t be too hard...?, and like tywin is too much of a terrible mess for anyone to fix so that doesn’t ever get fixed but before leaving they manage some arrangement I hadn’t thought in depth yet so that tyrion actually gets to have a nice life with jaime and not with his father or sister but at that point jaime goes to brynden like ‘hey you think that maybe there’s job offers where you come from’, brynden is like ‘hmmmmmm see you in a few years’. cue few years, jaime disappears somewhere and tyrion who at that point is a teen himself is like NO IDEA WHERE HE ENDED UP when he’s like the only person who knows where he ended up. oops.

CUE ACTUAL AU: years later, we have the actual movie setting with rhaegar/elia being mr/mrs banks and aegon/rhaenys being jane and michael with ADDED COMPLICATION THAT RHAEGAR HAS THE ILLEGITIMATE KID WITH LYANNA AND EVERYONE KNOWS BUT NO ONE WANTS TO BRING IT UP. cue rhaegar not being the nice person he was before blah blah and thinking too much about working in aerys’s bank the prophecy obviously they need the nanny and jaime shows up because he totally got the job (meanwhile he’s become besties with cat and edmure but shh) and he’s like oKAY WE NEED TO FIX THIS MESS, cue magical adventures in which he manages to do more or less what mary did in the original movie with just a lot more bad humor, managing to make sure rhaegar/elia/lyanna turn into a functional-ish ot3 with bonus extended stark family because WHY NOT, while the kids all wonder if the local chimneysweeper brienne with whom he seems like he has a history with is his girlfriend or not because DAMN IT WHAT’S IT BETWEEN THEM THERE’S UST! (spoilers: there is obviously and they met each other before either when they were kids or while jaime was doing the magical training but I had to decide on that lmao) brienne is not so keen to jump into moving murals on the ground but hey she apparently can’t deny jaime anything so WHY THE FUCK NOT. (obv. they make out like pros where no kids can see them.) anyway, after jaime finally manages to fix the ot3 and leaves again we do the time skip...

TO MOVIE TWO where we have grown up jon/aegon/possibly rhaenys - jon is the jane of the situation with ygritte being jack, aegon and rhaenys prob. share the house, one of them probably has oc kids from some crackship I’ll come up with or maybe they ended up with relatives’s kids on them idk that’s to be figured out, they’re about to lose the house and so on (while jon goes to organize union strikes lol), they obv. took from their father when it came to practicality (jon maybe less but he’s not the one living in the house ops), bam jaime comes back like GUYS YOU REALLY CAN’T HANDLE YOURSELVES CAN YOU, at this point I’d have probably had the tullys + tyrion show up, ofc he and brienne at that point are going steady and so on (EVERYONE AGES SLOWLY IT’S MAGICAL REALISM). cue plot for the second movie, there you go.

also if you want the extra casting I was def. gonna have stannis and davos as the admiral and the (platonic??) bf living in front of the banks’s, also fuck I knew I recast uncle albert too but who the fuck remembers could have been gerion?maybe? IDK I prob. should have written it down somewhere. anyway. ONE DAY MAYBE I’LL MANAGE TO WRITE IT. that said if you wanted to know ‘but was it an excuse to put jaime in a white and red dress with the pretty bonnet while he argued with penguins who were smitten with him’ the answer could have been: no but it was a good 30% of the reason why I decided it had to exist.

here you go anon XD

[alyblacklist]

Hi Aly, I would like to hear your thoughts on the theory that Red is Katarina's brother. Would it be plausible? Thanks

I’m not a fan of the uncle theory.  I don’t see anything in the on-screen interaction between Dom and Red to support a father-son relationship.  Quite the opposite - Dom tells Red after they believe Liz (Masha) to be dead:

No, you don’t. You don’t understand. You think because Masha’s dead, now you… you can understand me? You can… you can share my misery? …. She’s gone because of choices you made for both of them. First Katarina and then Masha. As far as I’m concerned, you killed my entire family! No, you’re not like me.  

That hardly seems like a father-son conversation about a granddaughter/niece and daughter/sister?

Likewise the buttermilk scene where Red takes a sip of the buttermilk and Dom explains

We drank it with every meal on the farm when I was a boy. But we had cows, and we made our own. In the summers, we made buttermilk pops in the freezer. Kept us all from passing out. 

I would think an adult son would know a story like that already?  Red and Dom have an easy familiarity between them but it doesn’t seem to go as far as to suggest a parent/child relationship.  Rather, they seem like two men who have just spent significant time together over the years. 

I’ve seen people point to Red’s comment in Season 5 that “I’ve always secretly wanted a Wagoneer. It smells like Dad’s car. Like peanut shells, gasoline,” and the fact that Dom has a Wagoneer as supporting the uncle theory.  But the Jeep Wagoneer was an incredibly popular car in the United States from the 1960s to the 1980s before it ceased production in 1991 and the older Wagoneers are in high demand and beloved by many today - in fact Jon Bokenkamp himself has one and has a photo of it on his Instagram with his daughter and some pumpkins in the back.  So I wouldn’t read too much into the Wagoneer.  

There are other facts that also negate a familial relationship between Red and Dom.  Red has spoken of his own father in episode 2.03 giving him advice:  

You know, when I was 15, I had a summer job installing carpets for Albert Kodagolian on Lake Charlevoix. Horrible job, hot, indoors, forced to listen to “The Gambler” on 8-track while the rest of the world was at the beach. Three days into the job, I knew I had to quit. I asked my father for advice. All he wanted to know was whether I’d given my word to Mr. Kodagolian that I’d work the summer. I told him I had. My father suggested I stick it out. I’d given my word. Worst eight weeks of my life. Until the last day. Mr. Kodagolian shows up at the jobsite, pulls me aside, and tells me that in 27 years, no kid has ever made it through the summer, gives me a bonus $40. The most valuable money I’ve ever made. A priceless lesson about life. Value loyalty above all else.

This story suggests that Red spent the summer he was 15 in Michigan (and was likely raised in the U.S.).  Meanwhile Dom tells Liz in Season 5 that “After the Cold War, I came to this country to teach analytics. I was granted asylum and citizenship.”  Dom being in Russia until the end of the Cold War in 1991 is consistent with Red telling Liz that “[y]ou were born in Moscow. Your parents – Uh, father and – They were both in foreign intelligence.”  And with Dom telling Liz that “I never heard from Katarina after she left for America” (implying he was not himself in America at the time).

This is what came to mind quickly and I’m sure there are references I have forgotten, but bottom line:  I don’t see anything in canon to support the uncle theory and a lot that goes against it.  I really don’t think Red and Liz are biologically related on her mother or her father’s side.  Thanks for the ask!  

[thecomicsnexus]

NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY #38, SUPERMAN #380-382 FEBRUARY - APRIL 1983 BY CARY BATES, PAUL KUPPERBERG, CURT SWAN, DAVE HUNT, KURT SHAFFENBERGER, JERRY SERPE, ANTHONY TOLLIN

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

It's Thursday, November 27th, and Superboy is flying towards Smallville Soames Reform School. Every year he spends Thanksgiving with the residents, in hopes of helping set them straight. And as every year, he offers a plate of roasted turkey to Lex Luthor as encouraging him to turn over a new leaf, only for getting his kindness thrown back in his face. After Lex has been taken back to his room, an upset Superboy wonders why he can't reach out to Lex. Mr. Soames, though, is certain Lex can be helped and nobody is beyond rehabilitation.

Superboy takes off, stating he will never give up on helping Lex, even though he has the feeling Lex will never want to reform. Superboy heads towards the Kent Farm for Thanksgiving dinner when he remembers he had planned a little trip into the future for the monthly meeting of the Legion of Super-Heroes, so he changes course and streaks into the time-barrier.

Unexpectedly, Superboy come across a massive tear disrupting the time-stream. Superboy can't avoid it, so he decides to plow right through it at top speed. Unbeknowst to him, his adult self has chosen that exact instant to travel to the past, and upon seeing the gap, also decides to streak through it. Both Clarks collide with each other. Unfortunately, because no physical entity can simultaneously co-exist with itself at the same time, both Clarks turn intangible, merge for a fraction of second and repel each other with such a brutal, owerwhelming recoil effect they're hurled backwards and out of the time-stream. Superman emerges on Metropolis and a barely conscious Superboy is thrown back into past Smallville.

Adult Clark Kent in his younger self's body hovers downwards unsteadily, wondering what knocked him back all the way to Smallville. Superboy heads towards a nearby lake to rest up for a bit by the lakeshore, and he gets shocked when he sees his own thirteen-years-younger reflection in the water. Trying to pull himself through, Superboy heads towards the Kent Farm in order to mull over his problem quietly.

On the Farm, Jonathan and Martha Kent are waiting for their son when they hear noises coming from the basement. Pa goes to check the basement trapdoor right when Superboy crawls out of his secret tunnel and gets the surprise of his life when he sees his parents still alive. Seeing their son seems exhausted and shaken, Pa and Ma help him to the couch.

Clark is utterly flabbergasted and he starts suspecting he was thrown back in time or his mind has swapped places with his sixteen-year's self.

The doorbell's ring interrupts his reflections. As his parents go to welcome their guests, Superboy changes clothes, thinking he can't tell his parents anything about him being their adult son or theirs deaths. The Kents have dinner with Lana Lang and Pete Ross as Clark does his best to not let anything on.

The next day, Lex Luthor takes a stroll around Smallville after breaking out of reform school, feeling confident that Superboy will never bother him again. He doesn't even get concerned when he is spotted by Chief Parker.

For his part, Superboy wakes up, and it's again Thanksgiving Day. Clark gets forced to relive the events of the last day, and realizes is trapped in some kind of time loop. He knows he can't escape by travelling into the future, so he comes up the idea of going back further into the past.

The next day, Luthor gets rid of Chief Parker with an electric force-field and is about to walk into a jewelry shop, sure that Superboy is trapped in the day before, when he sees the Teen of Steel rocketing towards him. Lex doesn't understand how his latest device can have failed, and Superboy reveals he escaped by flinging himself into the past. Since Albert Einstein postulated time is an unending circle, he travelled the whole circle backwards until reaching today.

Luthor isn't willing to give up yet and he pulls out a magnetic repellent device. Nevertheless, Clark Kent isn't in the mood to let Luthor believe he has a fighting chance. Knowing Lex will never change but he'll spend over one decade trying to kill him and ruining lives, Superboy gets mad and simply lays a beatdown on him, and actually considers to kill him to protect the future.

Superboy is stopped by Chief Parker. Superboy calms down, feeling guilty for want to kill someone and remembering his attempt would be futile anyway because he can't change the past. Superboy apologizes for losing his temper and flies away. Finally he has conceived a way to get his mind back into his adult body.

In the present day, Superman flies into the time-barrier to investigate the nomadic routes of Neanderthal tribes at the request of Professor Lewis Lang.

In the past, Superboy has to leave for a Legion of Super-Heroes meeting. Clark Kent/Kal-El says goodbye to his parents and leaps into the time-barrier.

As streaking across the time-barrier, both present and past Clark selves come across a massive tear disrupting the time-stream. Seeing the gap is impossible to avoid, both Clarks decide to plow right through it as fast as possible, and collide with each other. Unfortunately, because no physical entity can simultaneously co-exist with itself at the same time, both Clarks turn intangible, merge for a fraction of second and repel each other with such a brutal, owerwhelming recoil effect they're hurled backwards and out of the time-stream. Superman lands on Metropolis and a barely conscious Superboy goes back to Smallville.

Pa and Ma Kent hear noises coming from Superboy's secret tunnel and find their son staggering his way towards the trapdoor. Superboy is laid on the couch and asked how he is feeling, but he doesn't dare to tell anything.

In the present day, the young Clark Kent in his adult's self body arrives in Metropolis. He finds the city strangely different, and he is shocked when he sees his own adult reflection in a window.

Across the city, some bystanders spot a man intending to jump off a building. Most of them are horrified, except for one guy who encourages the man to jump and get over it. He's promptly punched by Jimmy Olsen, who is witnessing the scene. All of sudden, a stranger lassoes the would-be suicide. As the stranger talks, his rope glows and the man feels his pain lessening and his relief increasing.

Somewhere else, Clark Kent is busy saving people. He has already guessed he and his adult self have somehow switched bodies. Suddenly his body instinctively gets drawn to adult Clark's apartment in 344 Clinton Street.

Meanwhile, Lana Lang is interviewing the man who nearly jumped off a building but is now feeling invigorated and eager to turn over a new leaf. The mysterious man who talked him out of suicide slipped away, unnoticed, but was intercepted by Jimmy Olsen.

Superboy has gone over adult Clark's scrapbooks and learned many details about his adult life, his job, his friends and family... and the fact Lana Lang is his co-anchor.

Meanwhile, Lana is talking to Perry White about her disappointing personal life. Perry, whose pet terrier was ran over the last week, is commiserating with her when Jimmy Olsen barges in Perry's office and ushers the mystery man in. The man introduces himself as Euphor and tells he has the ability to leech away people's unhappiness.

Euphor uses his powers on Lana and Perry, who feel happier right away. Perry asks for an interview right now, but Euphor is only interested in making a tv appearance.

Feeling delighted for first time in months, Lana decides to call Clark and have a chat over dinner, but Clark is away, stopping bank robbers. Superboy runs into Lois Lane after she's dealt with a would-be purse-snatcher and he tries to not let on, but Lois realizes something is amiss.

Later, Superman saves a kid from getting struck by a car. As speaking to the kid, Superman finds out he is a school reporter who wanted to ask Clark Kent for an interview and leaves disgruntled when Superman has to tell him that Clark Kent is out at the moment.

Young Clark flies off, shocked at his adult version being so famous. His curiosity piqued, he heads towards Galaxy Communications and slips in his office. Clark changes clothes and is having a poke around his office when Lana comes in to drop off his mail and remind him he owes her a dinner. Clark tries to hide his jittery reaction and goes along with her.

Somewhere else, Euphor is absorbing more people's bad feelings, eager for his interview the next day when he will turn the whole Metropolis' unhappiness into power.

Superboy, stranded out of his time and trapped in his adult self's body pays a visit to present Smallville. After saving a man -whom he saved from a rattlesnake when he was teenager- and his son from an enraged bear, Superboy goes to the Kent Farm, hoping to talk to his parents. But Clark unexpectedly finds the house empty, and Chief Parker is its caretaker. Mr. Parker brings tears to Clark's eyes when he says he would like to think Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent would be happy with their house's state if they were alive today.

Meanwhile on Metropolis, a biker vandalizes a Superman poster, resentful because the Man of Steel captured all of his gang partners. Harboring revengeful thoughts, the man starts his bike and merges into the traffic. At the same time, a cab is chauffeuring Euphor to the WGBS-TV studios. When the biker passes by the cab, he absorbs some kind of energy given off by Euphor. He is suddenly donning a futuristic armor set, and his vehicle has transformed into a flying bike.

Over Galaxy Communications building, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane are arguing about Superman's recent unusually cold behavior which makes Lois feel forgotten. Euphor turns up suddenly and offers to take Lois' unhappiness away, but Lois refuses, thinking that isn't the right way to overcome grief, and walks away. Moments later, Euphor is interviewed by Lana Lang, and he absorbs all viewers' unhappiness.

On 344 Clinton Street, though, young Clark Kent isn't watching the news. He's engrossed in mourning his parents when he listens to an emergency. The disgruntled biker is going on a rampage in the Metropolis Park and blasting every Superman statue to rubble. He's shouting he just wishes the real Superman was there, when Superboy turns up. The biker shoots his bike's laser beam and it bounces off Superman's chest harmlessly. Superboy captures him, but the man and his bike revert to normal all of sudden. Superboy believes the man when he says he doesn't know why he was turned into a futuristic rider right when he was wishing for a super-bike. Superboy wonders what caused that transformation.

Later, at the Galaxy building, Lois is telling Lana about Superman's behavior. Lana thinks Lois is just overreacting when Clark Kent shows up. Lana and Clark leave together and report to make-up for tonight's six o'clock news.

Euphor learns about the transformed biker while watching the news, and guesses the man came near from him not long ago. Euphor is aware that his power is quickly increasing since he arrived in Metropolis thanks to the large numbers of unhappy people, and decides to put his plan against Superman in motion.

The next morning, a recruitment ad for people who has a gripe against Superman is published in the Daily Planet's classified page. Perry White assigns the story to Lois.

After helping fix a space shuttle, Superboy goes to meet Lana and flirts with her, ignoring he and Lana killed their love relationship several years ago and he is supposed to be dating Lois nowadays. Lana slaps him, and Superboy leaves, ashamed.

Some while later, a crowd is gathered around Euphor in the Metropolis Park. Euphor draws negative energy from everyone and then uses that energy to transform three crooks who hate Superman into two armored warriors and a human-headed dragon.

Alerted by the energy flare, Superboy approaches the place and is accosted by the three misfits. Euphor goads them into keep fighting as Superboy holds them back until their bodies are consumed by the very energy which transformed them. Superboy gets upset, but Euphor is not concerned at all.

Euphor turns Lois into some kind of flaming broom-riding witch and commands her to attack Superman. Superboy doesn't know what to do: even if he refuses to fight back, she'll eventually self-destruct. His adult self would know what to do, but he isn't experienced enough yet.

Euphor has ordered Lois Lane to kill Superman. Mind-controlled and super-charged by Euphor's weird energy, Lois strikes Superboy with strong energy blasts. Superman flies away, Lois hot on his trail. Delighted, Euphor hopes Superman stays ous of Metropolis from now on.

However, Superboy isn't running away. He's afraid that Euphor's energy will burn Lois up, so he's leading Lois away from Euphor, where he can take her out quickly.

Boasting about chasing Superman out, Euphor declares before his supporters he has spent days collecting negative emotions and turning them into energy as leaving his donors in a state of bliss, which is something Superman was never able to do.

Meanwhile, Superboy has brought Lois to the Fortress of Solitude after getting her fall asleep with a nerve-pinch. As she is unconscious, Euphor's energy and influence is wearing off.

Lois comes to, and remembering their earlier fight, she apologizes for letting her resentment turn her into Euphor's attack puppet. Superboy apologizes in turn and explains he's in reality sixteen-year-old Superboy in his adult self's body, and narrates the accident which caused he and Superman to switch minds. Lois suddenly realizes "Superman" was cold and distant to her for several days since his teen self barely knows her and still has a crush on Lana Lang.

Their conversation is cut short by the ringing of Superman's crisis alarm.

Few minutes earlier, on Galaxy Communications, Morgan Edge isn't happy to hear Lana and Steve Lombard have changed the schedule abruptly in order to make a special broadcast. When Morgan angrily stomps into the Studio, though, his employees are about make another guest-spot with Euphor. Morgan Edge wants him out of the premises at once, until Euphor uses his power on him.

The special broadcast begins, and Euphor starts to tell his story. Many years ago, Euphor's ten-year-old self was visiting a fair when he happened upon an elderly mentalist who billed himself as "Mr. Hypno". Mr. Hypno sensed Euphor was endowed with a psychic power that dwarfed his, and he set out to train the kid so he could help mankind one day.

Euphor declares that day has come. He has absorbed and turned into power all kind of negative emotions, and now he asks people to let him absorb their pain and unhappiness. Euphor sucks negative emotions from nearly a million of people and declares he'll cleanse Metropolis of negative feelings and then he will proceed to cleanse the entire world.

Superboy and Lois watch the broadcast from the Fortress. Lois thinks Euphor has gone nuts, corrupted by his own power without even realizing it, and Superboy has to stop him before he turns Metropolis into a city of drones.

However, Superboy doesn't know how to stop him. He isn't experienced enough yet. His adult self would know how to stop him, but they can't switch places because it's impossible to co-exist with yourself at the same time. Lois suggests since Superman is more experienced, he's already figured that out and is waiting on his side of the temporal storm for Superboy to show up so they can duplicate the mind-switching accident.

Back on Metropolis, Euphor's powers have been boosted to such a degree he is able to transmute matter and fly.

Superboy darts out of his Fortress and streaks into the time-barrier. A quick X-Ray scan confirms his other self is waiting for him on the other side of the time storm. Once again, both Clarks fly towards each other and merge briefly before being repelled backwards. Superboy is hurtled out of the time-stream into past Smallville. His mind is back in his proper body again, but the shock of the collision has left him stunned and with no recollection of the mind-switch.

Superman goes back to his own time and sees Lois pacing back and forth in his Fortress. Superman heads in there, and after a quick kiss, is filled in by Lois.

Superman flies to Metropolis and confronts Euphor. Unfortunately, Euphor is way more powerful than before. Superman challenges Euphor to follow him, and flies off. Euphor darts after him, proclaiming Superman will surrender his negative emotions to him or annihilate himself trying to resist him.

Superman goads Euphor into following him into the time-stream and flies back to the time of Krypton's destruction. Euphor rushes into absorbing Superman's overwhelming grief but it's too much for him and gets paralyzed inside a energy cocoon. Superman quickly grabs him and pushes him out of the time-barrier. All negative energy absorbed by Euphor bursts out of his body, and people starts to turn back to normal.

Euphor falls down, depowered and unconscious, but Superman catches him. As Superman takes his adversary away, he thinks maybe Euphor meant well, but he failed to realize no person can take on everybody's troubles without paying a heavy price, and every person must learn how to deal with their inner demons.

REVIEW

Carey Bates tends to fall for the same plot devices in many of his stories, usually around mental powers and psychics. But every now and then, he writes a very memorable Superman story. This one is no different, but it is, to me, recommended reading.

I am not sure if Cary Bates is criticizing the pharmaceutical companies and the use of anti-depressants... or if he is just giving us a lessons about facing our feelings even when we are down, and have proper mourning. I think the character of Euphor can be a stand in for many things. Like addictions, whatever that makes you numb, and takes the control of your life away from you. I am not sure what was the original meaning, but it is up for us to interpret.

The Super-love-triangle gets shaken a bit by putting Superboy in the present. I still think this pre-crisis Superman is a jerk with the ladies. He goes to the extreme of wanting Lana to want him as Superman and not Clark Kent. I know this is how it was back then, so it is not really Bates’ fault. I am just saying... it is not sustainable. He cannot have one girl as Superman and another as Clark Kent. That’s just not ethical.

But I think the great interest of the story is the switcheroo. Superboy finding out what happened to his parents and Superman seeing them alive again. It’s a big hit for Superman on both extremes.

It’s a story full of heart, you can really relate with Superman. He is more human than the other human characters for us.

The Superboy story is an episode on itself in all this drama, because it has the “groundhog day” plot device (before the movie did it). Now, I am not sure how Luthor managed to do that, but he could really use his brain for more useful stuff.

How these characters meet at the time barrier, escapes my reasoning. Technically... they should meet all their other instances that ever passed by it. But whatever... weird science.

Curt Swan and Kurt Schaffenberger bring even more humanity to both, Superman and Superboy. My only complain is that sometimes, you cannot differentiate which one is which. I think Curt Swan did a better job in differentiate the two.

I give this story a score of 9

[chrysaliseuro2019]

War@Lords & Dior

Chris and I headed off in different directions again today for quite diverse cultural experiences. Peter had very generously organised a ticket for the Australia v England World Cup clash at Lords. Quite an amusing scenario....Peter the Aussie living in England barracking for the Aussies whereas Chris the Pom living in Australia barracking for the Poms.

Meanwhile I had the Victoria & Albert Museum in my sights in particular the Dior exhibition. Had previously looked online for tickets only to find out it was booked out but a limited number are released each day when the museum opens at 10am. While I had seen the Dior exhibition at the Arts Centre in Melbourne a few years ago I thought this one might be more expansive and have some different exhibits. Arrived at South Kensington tube with numerous rowdy and excited school groups but gladly as I peeled off to the V&A they kept going towards the Natural History Museum. Joined the queue for tickets and 45 minutes later was offered a ‘rare as hen’s teeth’ ticket, to quote the ticket salesman, for entry at 3.45pm. Hummed and hawed a bit because also tempted by the Mary Quant exhibition but settled on the Dior one.

With ticket in hand I had a bit of a float around the museum before catching the bus back to Oxford Street with the thought of a floaty summer dress to ponce around in in Greece. Moseyed through John Lewis, House of Fraser, Selfridges, Anthropologie, Other Things, Scotch and Soda and even the much-cherished-by-the-Poms Marks & Spence but nothing took my fancy. Poms’ taste in dresses is far more fussy and flouncy than mine. Nevermind, did find a pair of navy loafers that I’ll have to make room for in the case.

Back to V&A to join the throngs of women with only a few men in sight at Dior. The dresses were speccy dating back to the original Dior creations right through to current designer Raf Simons. A lot of the dresses I’d seen in Melbourne but London had Princess Margaret’s 21st gown - 1 point to London, while Melbourne had Miranda Kerr’s recent wedding gown - 1 point to Melbourne. Think we’ll call it a draw. One amusing side note was a particularly well turned out mid 40’s woman and a debonair chap in his say 60’s with two equally resplendent young girls. From eavesdropping I assumed they were friends not partners. Amongst their chit chat I heard Mr Urbane say to oldest Little Princess...’Oh so you’re having a sitting with Dior...how marvellous.’ London has plenty of people living the life we mortals can only imagine yet not necessarily dream of.

All in all the exhibition was beautifully put together but I felt the Melbourne one held its own and possible had the advantage of more space and less crowds.

Evening was spent with the entire Box family which turned out to be a noisy and fun-filled evening with 9 adults and Nicholas and Leslie’s two lovely little girls. Being with the three Box children feels like being with family having known them since they were born and all three make great company.

Sue made life easy for all of us having cooked a curry to take to Nicholas and Leslie’s house. On second thoughts perhaps Sue thought this not such a good idea as she and I ran to catch the train from Victoria with her lugging a heavy Le creuset full of curry and me a bag clanking with three bottles of wine...we made the train with 10 seconds to spare.

Chris and Peter joined in after their day at the cricket a little oiled but not too far gone. Perhaps Chris had needed a little more oiling than Peter, because unlike the Dior draw, this one was Aussies 1 - England 0. I was momentarily confused when Nicholas was pleased with the cricket outcome saying something along the lines of ‘We knocked them off then!’ in his very British accent, forgetting that he was made in Australia and supports the Aussies in all things sport.

Lots of chat around the dinner table about the Box children’s careers including Elizabeth’s new job working for David Beckham, Caitlyn’s dating regime compared to our girls, sport, holidays and happy birthday wishes for Elizabeth’s partner Adam who was celebrating his 30th. Overall a wonderful evening.

Last day in London was a lay-day for me - head not 100% (not alcohol induced unfortunately) so it was spent dozing and occasionally reading followed by a short walk in the evening. Chris meanwhile headed out wandering London, taking in the sights and trying a pair of pants but deciding against them. Tomorrow we head to Athens.

A little observation about London. Last year the overriding smell of London was ‘hot’ ie hot pavements, hot people and that summery Australian smell of burnt grass. But 2018 was the summer Poms dream of but only see once in a blue moon. This year so far it’s a more typical English summer with temperatures in the low 20’s when we arrived so instead it was more the smell of Spring. At various times floral perfumes wafted through the streets most notably the sweet scents of jasmines and ginger flowers...lovely.

[travelysh]

Street Fair, History and Coffee 🎡

Last Saturday (June 15) was the annual street fair of Prince Albert. I borrowed Blaine’s bike and drove downtown in the morning. It was drizzling and kinda chilly, but it felt so good to ride the bike in the city. From 9-10 am. I met with other young adults in the Bison Café downtown at the Central Avenue. We’ve recently initiated regular Saturday morning coffee meetings at that place and I love the café and our meetings there!

After our meeting I waited for Johanna to arrive. She just finished high school in Germany this year and she came to P.A. in May to work as a nanny. It’s funny because both her job and my internship end on August 23.

It was raining very much, so we went down to the riverbank first because that’s where the historical museum is located. Entrance was free that day, which is why I definitely wanted to go there. The museum basically is a collection of ancient things that are related to the city’s history. The staff are very young and friendly. One of the guys is from Ontario and he had come to P.A. for this new job in May. It was interesting to talk to him about his experiences of Saskatchewan because we’re both strangers here, but in each in our own way. It gave me a little bit of comfort and it was good to talk to someone from my generation about things that we’re both interested in.

Yannes, a student from Hong Kong, thought the hood drier on the left looked like a rice cooker and I could only agree laughing! 😂

I’d love to come back here in the summer and have tea on the deck outside by the river.

German can be found here a lot!

Don’t these headdresses look magnificent?

One of the staff members himself is a First Nations and he told me that this man is looked down upon by many First Nations. He was a settler born and raised in Hastings, England by the name of Archibald Belaney. He adapted traditions and the lifestyle of indigenous Canadians and gave himself a new name: Grey Owl.

The people at the museum were trying to get rid of old postcards and they gave me quite a few. I must say, I don’t love all the photos on them. But I was thinking about buying postcards anyway and getting a bunch for free was pretty nice! Go check your mailbox every once in a while! 💌😉

Although it was still raining, we then went back to Central Ave. together with two girls, Yannes and Joyce, who we’d bumped into at the museum. I’d met them before and Joyce had been at the Bison Café in the morning. It was cold, but the streets began to fill with more people. We walked down the avenue looking out for lunch and then listened to a band playing on stage while we ate.

I wish I’d had an umbrella, too! Meanwhile my rain jacket did a very good job.

Not a hot dog, but a corn dog! I tried one for the first time and really liked it. 🌽

Very typical here is bannock: a kind of deep fried bread made from wheat flour. They say it’s a traditional First Nations food, although going back in history, European settlers were the ones who once introduced wheat to Canada’s indigenous peoples.

Local artists performed on two different stages.

And then there was this guy! 😃

Yannes and Joyce 🙂

I really like the meters here, haha! We don’t have this kind of meter in Germany. I thought it looked funny when they were all covered up in paper bags on the street fair day.

After spending some time in the Gateway Mall to warm up, the girls left and I went back to the fair in spite of the ugly weather. I wanted to roam around to see more of what people were promoting in P.A. Also I hadn’t eaten much the whole day and I wanted to use this opportunity to try something else that isn’t very typical for Germany.

I ended up visiting the Art Gallery. The owner told me a lot of stories from her life and how she grew up as a Canadian with a Scandinavian family background. It made me understand Canada, its people and their thinking better yet. Afterwards, I was so happy that I had just spent time listening to people although I’d actually wanted to get other things done that Saturday as well. When traveling, one of the best things you can do is spend time with locals because it lets you learn so much more about their way of life.

Who knows which kind of skull this is? 💡

I decided to take home something Filipino as there are many Filipinos in P.A. and they’re part of shaping this city.

What an exciting day! I loved roaming around the streets downtown and I got to know the city so much better in just one day. ✅

[astrogeoguy]

A Full Sap Moon as the Sun Brings Spring, plus Morning Planet Parade and Evening Zodiacal Light!

(Above: This paddy-green aurora was captured on February 8, 2019 by talented Canadian astrophotographer Alan Dyer. His image galleries are at https://amazingsky.net/.)

Hello, St. Patrick’s Day Stargazers!

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of March 17th, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested joining me on a guided field trip to York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory or the David Dunlap Observatory, visit www.astrogeo.ca.

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event, visit DiscoveryPlanitarium.com and request me. We’ll tour the Universe together!

(Above: This terrific image of Alnitak and the Horsehead Nebula (at left) and the Orion Nebula (at right) by Adrian Aberdeen of Toronto was taken in March, 2019. The remarkable aspect of the photo was that he collected the photons through a tracking telescope set up on his downtown Toronto apartment balcony!)

Public Astro-Events

On Sunday, March 17 at 6 pm at Burdock, 1184 Bloor Street West, the Solar System Social will feature Dr. Sara Mazrouei, who will talk about the moon, and Elias Fernando Solorzano, an engineer at MDA Space Missions. Tickets and details are here. 

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

On Tuesday, March 19 at 2 pm, Toronto Public Library’s Albert Campbell Branch will present a free public talk entitled Being an Astronaut Candidate. Details are here. 

On Friday, March 22 from 8 to 11 pm, adults can enjoy some suds with their science at Astronomy on Tap T.O. at the Great Hall on Queen Street West, a free event hosted by the U of T’s Dunlap Institute. Talks, trivia, contest giveaways, and more! Details are here. 

On Saturday, March 23, starting at 6:15 pm, U of T’s AstroTour will present their planetarium show The Life and Death of Stars. Tickets and details are here. 

Saturday, March 9 marked the opening of a six-month exhibition at the Aga Khan Museum entitled The Moon: A Voyage through Time. The museum will feature installations of art, culture, history, and science pertaining to the moon. A public talk, The Moon: Mirror of Faith, Science, and the Arts will be delivered by Dr. Christiane Gruber on Saturday at 2:00pm. Details are here. 

Happy Vernal Equinox!

Two few minutes before 6 pm Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday, our northern Spring, also known as the Vernal Equinox, officially begins! Here’s why… 

(Above: At the moment of the Vernal Equinox on Wednesday, March 20, the sun’s path along the Ecliptic (yellow plane) will carry it across the Celestial Equator (blue plane), leaving the sun to spend the next 6 months in the northern half of the sky and delivering increased daylight hours and radiant heat on the Earth’s northern hemisphere.)

The Celestial Equator is an imaginary circle around the sky that sits directly above the Earth’s equator. It divides the sky into two bowls - the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Meanwhile, as Earth orbits around the sun, the sun appears to travel eastward through the distant stars, tracing out another circle called the ecliptic. Due to the 23.5° tilt of the Earth’s axis of rotation, the Celestial Equator and the Ecliptic are tipped with respect to each other. Think of them as two hula hoops with the same centre, Earth - but one is tilted so that they intersect at only two spots. (The motion of the sun that I’ve referring to above is the one that causes new stars to appear each season, and is NOT the one that carries the sun across the sky every day. The first case is due to the Earth’s year-long orbit and the second motion is due to the Earth’s daily rotation.) 

The sun’s eastward motion along the ecliptic circle covers about one degree per day. At the precise moment of the Vernal Equinox, the sun is “stepping over” the equator (where the hula hoops cross) and its apparent motion is carrying it into the northern half of the sky. Six months from now, on the Autumnal Equinox, it will again cross the equator heading into the southern half of the sky. 

This produces two interesting effects. Firstly, for the next six months, the sun will spend the majority of each day in our northern hemisphere sky, overhead of the lucky folks in North America, Europe, and Asia! More daily sun time means warmer air and longer daylight hours! At the same time, folks in the Southern hemisphere have to accept shorter, colder days and longer nights (Warmly dressed astronomers don’t mind long winter nights!). Secondly, on the day of the equinoxes, we experience about 12 hours each of daytime and night-time (it varies by latitude). This is where the word equinox (Latin for equal night) comes from. 

The times around the equinoxes also offer better chances to see the aurorae at high northern and southern latitudes. Just as two bar magnets lined up with their poles in the same direction repel one another strongly, the Earth’s magnetic field repels the sun’s field. At the equinoxes, the Earth’s axis is tilted neither towards nor away from the sun, so the two “magnets” aren’t as parallel, reducing Earth’s ability to deflect the sun’s field and the charged particles that trigger aurorae in our upper atmosphere. 

The Moon and Planets

For most of this week, the moon will remain in view in the evening sky. On Sunday night, it will be a bright gibbous (more than half-illuminated) orb between Cancer (the Crab) and Leo (the Lion). On Monday night, the moon will land less than two finger widths to the left of Leo’s brightest star, Regulus. 

(Above: On Monday evening the orbital motion of the moon will place it 2 degrees to the upper left of Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, as shown here for 9 pm EDT.)

On Wednesday night the moon will reach its full phase. Although technically it occurs a few hours past the equinox, this is the final full moon of winter. The March full moon, known as the Worm Moon, Crow Moon, Sap Moon or Lenten Moon, always shines in or near the stars of Leo or Virgo (the Maiden). Full moons always rise in the east as the sun sets, and set in the west at sunrise. When fully illuminated, the moon’s geology is enhanced, especially the contrast between the ancient cratered highlands and the younger, darker, smoother maria. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landings by humans. 

After Wednesday, the moon will begin to rise in late evening and wane in phase. From Thursday to Sunday, it will traverse the stars of Virgo and then Libra (the Scales). 

Mars will continue to be an easy planet to see every evening this week, but only for a couple of hours after dusk. By midnight, Mars will set in the west. Once the sky has darkened, look for Mars’ medium-bright, reddish pinpoint of light less than halfway up the western sky. Mars has been slowly shrinking in size and brightness as we increase our distance from it little-by-little. Distant Uranus is situated two fist diameters below Mars – but it’s too low for observing nowadays. 

(Above: This week, Mars will continue to gleam as an ever-diminishing, reddish pinpoint located about halfway up the western sky after dusk, as shown here at 9 pm local time.)

The eastern pre-dawn sky continues to host a spectacular parade of three bright planets. Bright Jupiter will rise first, at about 2:30 am local time. By 7 am, it should still be visible in the southern sky. Yellowish Saturn, will rise at about 4:30 am local time and will become lost in the southeastern twilight before 7 am. 

Our sister planet Venus, now markedly closer to the sun, is starting to become engulfed in the dawn twilight. Look for Venus’ as a bright beacon sitting quite low in the east-southeastern dawn sky from 6 am local time until sunrise. In a telescope, Venus will exhibit a gibbous (more than half-illuminated) phase. If you have trouble seeing Saturn, search about midway between Jupiter and Venus.

(Above: The eastern pre-dawn sky continues to deliver a parade of bright planets, starting with Jupiter, then Saturn, and then Venus, as shown here at 6:30 am local time. Venus’ orbit, shown in red, is swinging the bright planet lower, towards the sun.)

The Brightest Stars

During full moon periods, only the brightest stars can still be spotted with unaided eyes. At this time of year, most of those stars are the ones that form the Winter Hexagon asterism. Start by finding the extremely bright star Sirius sitting low in the southern evening sky at 9 pm local time. From there, look for bluish Rigel sitting 2.5 fist diameters to Sirius’ upper right, then look well above Rigel for warm-tinted Aldebaran, and continue to Aldebaran’s upper left to reach yellowish Capella at the top of the asterism. Now descend on the hexagon’s left side. The bright matched pair of stars Castor and Pollux is three fist diameters to the lower left of Capella. Finally, bright white Procyon is well below those twins – roughly between them and Sirius. 

The only other bright star is Regulus in Leo. That white star sits about 3.7 fit diameters to the left (east ) of Procyon.

(Above: the full moonlight generally overwhelms all but the brightest stars. The Winter Hexagon composed of the bright stars Sirius, Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, Castor, Pollus, and Procyon will be visible on mid-March evenings, including Wednesday’s Full Sap Moon. The point marked ASP is the point of the sky opposite the sun. The moon is always fully illuminated when it’s near that location. The sky is shown here for 10 pm local time, )  

Evening Zodiacal Light

For about half an hour after dusk between today and the new moon on April 5, look west-southwest for a broad wedge of faint light rising from the horizon and centered on the ecliptic. This is the zodiacal light - reflected sunlight from interplanetary particles of matter concentrated in the plane of the solar system. The glow will be centred on the horizon directly below Mars. Try to observe from a location without light pollution, and don't confuse the zodiacal light with the brighter Milky Way to the northwest. I posted an image of it here. 

Pointing at Polaris

If you missed last week’s information about Polaris, the North Star, I posted it with sky charts here.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!

[doof-doofblog]

"You Can See Yourself Out, Can't You?!"

Tuesday 3rd November 2020

Good afternoon/evening everyone! I realise this will be my second post of the day but I am wanting to try my absolute best to catch up as much as I can. I am in work tomorrow morning, quite early, so tonight's episode will be reviewed tomorrow. This post will be covering Tuesday's episode. We have a lot to get through so I'm not going to waste any more of your time and jump straight into it.

This episode begins with Kush slumped on the kitchen table, it looks like he must've slept there during the night. He is woken by Kat walking through the front door. Understandably, things a looking pretty awkward between the pair. Kush voices his concerns to where his girlfriend had been through-out the night, but it's plain to see that she stayed out all night. Kush explains that one of her children were awake in the night asking for her and he made sure that they were okay. Kush once again goes very sheepish as he takes a huge breath and prepares to tell his girlfriend that he thinks he needs help for his gambling addiction. But his pleas fall of deaf ears as Kat completely ignores him and turns the conversation to wanting to get her children ready for school. I think it's going to need a lot more for Kat than him just accepting he has a problem, he needs to do something more in an attempt to fix the situation.

Out on the Square, Jay and Honey are sharing breakfast as she receives a phone call from the Detective who's working her case. Could this be the news regarding the sexual assault or whether they're going to charge Paul with his crimes? Either way, Jay pushes her to answer the phone, as he will be there to support her no matter what the outcome. Meanwhile, at the laundrette, Max finds Linda in the middle of her shift. Is it just me, or can you still sense sexual tension between them? It's like ever since they shared that kiss, they've both been nervous around each other. The reason Max has popped into see her is to ask her whether she'd be interested in working another shift at the restaurant for the afternoon, he insists that he wouldn't have asked if he wasn't desperate. I guess the Carter's need as much money as they can get right now, will she agree?

Back at the Slater household, Kat returns explaining that Stacey has taken the children to school instead. She informs Kush that she has been told the good news that they've been allowed to stay in their house, on the catch that they pay more rent, which Kush confirms that if they don't get they will kicked out of their house for sure! Kat takes a seat opposite and feels like this might be the time to hear him out, she needs an explanation. She asks him straight out why did he feel the need to gamble everything they had? At first, Kush doesn't know how to answer the question, until he reveals that the gambling gave him a buzz - which is the typical feeling an addict gets when they gamble. It's that rush of adrenalin and excitement, the buzz. As Kush continues, I begin to feel for the guy. He mentions to Kat about losing his Zaair, his son to Shabnam and then losing his brother Shaki, over the years he feels like he has slowly lost his spark, his swag, and gambling was kind of the only way to replace it. Kat looks as if she understands and agrees to give her boyfriend one last chance. Kush even admits he almost played another game last night while she was away, but he didn't and he forced himself to delete the game from his phone - which is a massive step for a gambling addict. Kush is deeply apologetic and regrets everything he has put his family through and panics how they're going to be able to pay Suki the rest of the rent, but Kat tries to reassure him and informs him that once Stacey returns, they'll sit down together as a family and sort it, as she has an idea.

Meanwhile, Honey is having her meeting with the Detective supporting her case and they have confirmed to her that there was no evidence of her being raped. However, just because there's no evidence of sexual assault, does not mean that she hasn't been assault in any other way. Unfortunately, the detective confirms that there are no possible ways of finding out such things, the main evidence they have is the video of her on Paul's phone. It's then that the Detective drops the bombshell to poor Honey that the case might have to go to court and she may have to give evidence. Honey's thought of this clearly worries her, she'd have to be in the same room as her attacker. But as Jay watches her with concerned eyes, she says she'll do whatever she can to help, to which he gives her a small smile, he looks quite proud of her and how brave she's being. I can seriously sense them both falling for each other during this storyline.

Back on the Square, Mick is walking down the street in his own world as he hears voices from across the Square. As he looks up he sees his wife and Max discussing her shift, before he leaves Max just happens to make a joke regarding a pair of knickers that we found attached to Linda's apron earlier. Obviously, Mick isn't going to react positively to this. As Max walks away, Linda sees her husband and approaches him asking whether he wouldn't mind her working another shift. But clearly it's a big deal for Mick, it looks as if he doesn't want his wife anywhere near him. But the only thing he says to her is "That's up to you!" and walks away. Once again, pushing away the people who care about him the most. Meanwhile on the other side of the Square, Tiffany rushes out from the undertakers. Rainie sees her catching for breath and understands what's caused her reaction. Stuart had taken her down to the refrigerators to see all the other deceased bodies. This, I feel is a brilliant scene, very funny! Again, with Stuart and Rainie, just a little bit of comedy that we need in the soap right now! Tiffany then proceeds to ask Rainie what happened with their previous beautician. I loved the fact that they share a mutual opinion at this point when Rainie explains that she used her expensive lipstick on a corpse! Tiffany completely agrees and when Rainie compliments her saying she'll do really well at the undertakers, a little smile grows her face.

At the Mitchell household, after having to skip breakfast with his boyfriend after preparing it so beautifully but then having to rush off due to call message from DI Thompson, Callum returns to the house. Ben approaches his boyfriend and being polite, asks how work went. But Callum doesn't really want to talk and insists that he has a banging headache and just wants to go for a lie-down. It looks as if he's shrugging of Ben again. Ben can see that his boyfriend is hiding something, he's been acting shifty for quite a while now and Ben has clicked on that something isn't right. Callum tells his boyfriend that he just wants to be alone and storms up the stairs, as he does so, Ben tries to tidy up his jacket on the banister when suddenly Callum's phone falls out the jacket pocket. For a split moment it looks as if Ben contemplates looking through his boyfriend's phone, I mean, I wouldn't blame him! But surprisingly, he does the decent thing and puts it back. Suddenly Callum returns and instantly accuses Ben of checking up on him and looking through his phone, Ben is quick to defend himself saying he was just tidying it up. Ben makes the valid point that Callum has been acting strangely over the past few days and it's no wonder it's given him reason to worry. He's acting like he actually has something to hide. Something is telling me that it must have something to do with Callum trying to dob in Phil, how the hell will Ben react when he finds out what his boyfriend has been up to? Even though I feel Callum doesn't want to do it anymore, he's definitely got himself in too deep and can't really find a way out. I think Ben should've looked at his phone while he had the chance! Callum accuses his boyfriend of not trusting him and walks away. Why do I fear things are going to go wrong for Ballum before things go back to the way they were?!

Back on the Square, Mick is sat gathering his thoughts. Suddenly Frankie appears as she exits the Prince Albert. Mick is quick to get a moment with his daughter. He hasn't seen or spoken to her the past week or so, he asks how she is and why she hasn't responded to any of his messages. Frankie simply tells him that it's been hard for her to deal with she's learned in recent weeks about her Dad and her Mum. Realising that her Mum sexually abused her own Dad, it must be tough for a young adult to come to terms with, realising that maybe she is the result of sexual abuse ... (I know that sounds awful, but it could be true). Mick tries to explain to her that he wants to help her as much as he can, but she make the very valid point that he can't even help himself right now. He can't come to terms with it either, so how on earth is he going to be able to help her? From the way I see it, they're both become victims of her Mother's actions, they're both suffering and having to deal with the devastating truth, to be fair, it should be the main thing that brings them closer as Father and Daughter. I have a feeling that maybe when Frankie's Mum arrives, Katy, it will be the main thing that brings them closer together. What do you guys think?! It's quite devastating, both Mick and Frankie admit that things were easier for them both before they entered each other's lives, Frankie suggests that they should not contact each other anymore and she walks away. The look on Mick's face, he is absolutely distraught, something tells me he's not going to be able to walk away that easy, how on earth could he walk away from his own daughter? Even though she had no idea she existed, he'd do anything for his kids like any other Dad, I don't think he'll be able to simply walk away from her, not now that she's made such a huge impact on his life.

Meanwhile at the Slater household, Stacey can't believe what she's hearing. Kat's idea of helping the family and getting some money in their pockets is a potential robbery. It turns out that the security guard Kat went on a date with the previous night got so drunk and told her all the information she'd need about the building. She knows all the lock codes she needs to get into the building, the only thing they need is a way to get inside and someone who will help them pull it off. Stacey isn't wanting anything to do with it as she insists that she's has been the best this year. Kat reassures her that she doesn't have to be involved, she needs to be able to stay at home and be with the kids, just in case something goes wrong. Kush voices his concerns whether it is such a good idea, but when Kat asks whether he has a suggestion, there isn't much that he can say in response. It's then that Kat reveals she's got someone in mind who might be willing to help them out …. but who could it be?!

Returning to Mick, he makes his way into Walford East ... now I don't know about you, but this is the Mick that we have been missing, don't you guys think? He sneaks his way into the restaurant and grabs a table and hides his face from his wife. As Linda approaches his table, he makes himself known and basically (in not so many words) apologises to wife for the way he's been acting and basically states the fact that he loves her more than anything in the world and is wanting her more than anything right now. Now it's nice to see Mick back to his old funny, flirtatious self, but is he really being able to forget all about Frankie and move on? Because even though this is nice to see after so long, something tells me its not going to last. Linda giggles at her husband's flirtation and they both giggle as they leave the restaurant together.

Meanwhile, in the Vic, Jay is finally catching up with Lola. They're discussing their offer on a potential flat they've looked at. It looks as if Lola is really wanting this future with Jay, but with him being at Honey's side in recent days, it seems Lola isn't being able to see her boyfriend as much. They had originally made plans that evening for a drink and a Chinese together. However, Jay admitted that he promised Honey he'd check on her, much to Lola's disappointment Jay asks whether they can postpone their date for another time. Lola is visibly upset but she reassures her boyfriend that it's fine and she understands. But when Jay just happened to describe Honey as "Amazing" - Lola's ears prick up, I mean, it's true that everyone loves Honey. But something tells me that Lola is going to be feeling a little jealous and upset that Jay is spending so much time with her lately. As Jay goes to check on her, Lola is left in the Vic, suddenly Isaac swoops right in after overhearing their conversation and offers Lola a drink. Uh-oh, is Lola going to cheat on Jay for a second time?!

Back at the undertakers, Tiffany is still experiencing her first day and is having her first lesson on what to do when there's a fire drill. This scene was once again brilliant, more comedy from Stuart and Rainie. I found it funny when Tiffany and Stuart were waiting for Rainie to appear whilst the alarm was still blaring. Eventually she emerges from the building with two cups of coffee in her hands. I just loved the way that Stuart commented how slow she was and she had a go at him claiming she wasn't as quick as she used to be! It's then that they turn to Tiffany and offer her the job as a beautician, which she completely agrees. I have a feeling that there could be some brilliant scenes ahead for them all in the undertakers, it'll be interesting when Keegan finds out, but surely he'll support his wife?!

Back at the Vic, Ben finds Callum sat alone with a pint. It looks as if this will be the opportunity Ben will only have to get to the bottom of what's bothering Callum. He sits beside his boyfriend and admits he knows what's been bothering him, explaining that he understands he's been pulled from pillar to post whilst helping his Dad with the whole Ellie situation. Callum doesn't know what to say, of course he has to just play along, he can't tell his boyfriend truthfully what's bothering him, only that it's really complicated. Ben tells his boyfriend that he'll never forget what he's done for his Dad, he makes the valid point that the Mitchells always remember loyalty. He tells his boyfriend how proud he is of him, Callum can't do anything but smile. Ooooo I just really hope that Callum will come clean eventually. I don't want to see the Mitchell family falling to pieces just because of something Callum was going to do. Something tells me Christmas is going to be explosive, it's going to cover all sorts of big reveals and secrets for all the families ... the Mitchell's, the Slater's and the Carter's. What do you guys think?

At home, it looks as if Mick's goofy flirtatious mood didn't last very long. He's sat in the living room in another world of his own, Linda walks again and tells him not worry as "These things happen!" - So he wasn't able to perform for his wife as things were still painfully on his mind. Linda suggests it could've been his anxiety medication, Mick softly agrees but also reveals to his wife that he was trying to pretend to be something he's not. Which is actually really sad, he shouldn't have to pretend to make an effort to perform for his wife. I mean, I think it's kind of nice he tried to make an effort as clearly things haven't been right for them in recent weeks, but it looks as if not being able to perform has made the blow much harder, mainly because he's got other things on his mind. I do feel for Mick right now, but as much as I'm not enjoying seeing him lash out to his loved ones, I feel like I just want him to reach out to Frankie, make an effort with his daughter and (I know it's hard) but he needs to come to terms with what happened in the past, and not pass the blame onto his Mother.

In the park, Honey is on her own as she watches a young couple canoodling. She's looking almost upset as she watches them laughing and enjoying their time together. Jay approaches her and she comments how the couple look so in love at young age, and no one has turned up to ruin it for them yet. Jay sits down beside her and comforts her, tells her that at some point she will meet someone. Maybe not tomorrow, not next week, not even next month - but eventually she will find someone who will love her, because plain and simply there is nothing to not love about her. Jay compliments his friend and says she is just too lovely to not let anyone love her. Honey smiles and thanks Jay for being there for her the past couple of days, he's been the one who's been there more than anyone, even Billy. They slowly swing together and share a small laugh and smile. Something really does tell me that eventually either Jay will fall for Honey, or Honey will fall for Jay. Do you see something happening between them? I'd love to hear your thoughts on these two!

The final scene of this episode, we're returning to Kat, we can see she's slowly approaching someone's house. The camera turns and we can see the Phil is approaching her from behind. Later inside she's trying her absolute best to convince him to help her with this robbery job. She confirms she's got all the information they need to get into the building and out, she proposes it'll be an easy job for them to pull off. But Phil gives her the blow that he isn't interested. He simply doesn't understand why she needs him for the job, to which she explains it's simply for the muscle and perhaps to make their getaway. But once again, Phil declines her offer, she begs him to help as this is the only thing that could help her family. Unfortunately it makes no difference and he asks her leave. Is Kat going to maybe attempt the robbery on her own? Will she get someone else to help her out, Kush maybe, considering he was the one who caused this whole mess, couldn't he be the one to help her sort it?! Or will Phil maybe change his mind and take her up on her offer?!

I hope you've all enjoyed reading this blog as much as I've enjoyed writing. I shall be back tomorrow reviewing tonight's episode. I'm slowly catching up and I promise you, by the weekend I will be completely up to date. Enjoy the rest of your night everyone. Love you all xXx

[theomnilegent]

2018 Upcoming Queer Fiction I’m Excited For!

This is my top nine for LGBTQA fiction featuring women that I’m most excited to read. All of these books sound like they have wonderful stories to tell, with a refreshing and unique mix of characters in each one. Lady drummers seem to be the theme of this year’s queer fiction, and let me tell you, I am here for it. Who didn’t spend their formative years staring longingly at the school band’s lone female drummer and feeling all sorts of feelings aflutter? Lesbihonest.

Below you’ll find titles, summaries and goodreads links to the above books. I really look forward to reading them, and to seeing what everyone else thinks of them too - this has already been such a great year for representation in literature, and that movement is growing day by day.

Leah On The Offbeat by Becky Albertalli “When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon. So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.”    

Out Of The Blue by Sophie Cameron “Ten days after Jaya Mackenzie’s mum dies, angels start falling from the sky. Smashing down to earth at extraordinary speeds, wings bent, faces contorted, not a single one has survived. Hysteria mounting with every Being that drops, Jaya’s father uproots the family to Edinburgh intent on catching one alive. But Jaya can’t stand this obsession and, struggling to make sense of her mother’s sudden death and her own role on that fateful day, she’s determined to stay out of it. When her best friend disappears and her father’s mania spirals, things hit rock bottom and it’s at that moment something extraordinary happens: An angel lands right at Jaya’s feet, and it’s alive. Finally she is forced to acknowledge just how significant these celestial beings are.”

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann “Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows with the smallest dash of adulting--working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she's asexual). Alice is done with dating--no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done. But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!). When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn, and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.”  

Nothing Happened by Molly Booth “This modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing takes place at the idyllic Camp Dogberry, where sisters Bee and Hana Leonato have grown up. Their parents own the place, and every summer they look forward to leading little campers in crafts, swimming in the lake, playing games of capture the flag and sproutball, and of course, the legendary counselor parties. This year, the camp drama isn’t just on the improv stage. Bee and longtime counselor Ben have a will-they-or-won’t-they romance that’s complicated by events that happened—or didn’t happen—last summer. Meanwhile, Hana is falling hard for the kind but insecure Claudia, putting them both in the crosshairs of resident troublemaker John, who spreads a vicious rumor that could tear them apart. As the counselors juggle their camp responsibilities with simmering drama that comes to a head at the Fourth of July sparkler party, they’ll have to swallow their pride and find the courage to untangle the truth, whether it leads to heartbreak or happily ever after.”

If I Tell You by Alicia Tuckerman “Seventeen-year-old Alex Summers lives with a secret and the constant fear someone will find out. But when a new family moves to town, they bring with them their teenage daughter Phoenix Stone. When Alex falls for Phoenix, there is no warning. In a small town with small minds, girls don’t go out with other girls, even if they want to. In fear there is bravery – you can either cling to the edge or have the courage to jump. But what do you do when you’re left spiralling through the freefall?”

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow “Melly only joined the school band because her best friend, Olivia, begged her to. But to her surprise, quiet Melly loves playing the drums. It’s the only time she doesn’t feel like a mouse. Now, she and Olivia are about to spend the next two weeks at Camp Rockaway, jamming under the stars in the Michigan woods. But this summer brings big changes for Melly: her parents split up, her best friend ditches her, and Melly finds herself falling for a girl at camp named Adeline. To top it off, Melly's not sure she has what it takes to be a real rock 'n' roll drummer. Will she be able to make music from all the noise in her heart? “

The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde “As a rock star drummer in the hit band The Brightsiders, Emmy King’s life should be perfect. But there’s nothing the paparazzi love more than watching a celebrity crash and burn. When a night of partying lands Emmy in hospital and her girlfriend in jail, she’s branded the latest tabloid train wreck. Luckily, Emmy has her friends and bandmates, including the super-swoonworthy Alfie, to help her pick up the pieces of her life. She knows hooking up with a band member is exactly the kind of trouble she should be avoiding, and yet Emmy and Alfie Just. Keep. Kissing. Will the inevitable fallout turn her into a clickbait scandal (again)? Or will she find the strength to stand on her own?”

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson “Sixteen-year-old Elena Mendoza is the product of a virgin birth. This can be scientifically explained (it’s called parthenogenesis), but what can’t be explained is how Elena is able to heal Freddie, the girl she’s had a crush on for years, from a gunshot wound in a Starbucks parking lot. Or why the boy who shot Freddie, David Combs, disappeared from the same parking lot minutes later after getting sucked up into the clouds. What also can’t be explained are the talking girl on the front of a tampon box, or the reasons that David Combs shot Freddie in the first place. As more unbelievable things occur, and Elena continues to perform miracles, the only remaining explanation is the least logical of all—that the world is actually coming to an end, and Elena is possibly the only one who can do something about it. “

The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk “Autumn always knew exactly who she was—a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan always turned to writing love songs when his love life was a little less than perfect. But when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow music is no longer enough. Now Logan can’t stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. Shay is a music blogger struggling to keep it together. And Autumn sends messages that she knows can never be answered. Each of them wonders: How different would my life be if this hadn’t happened? And now that it has . . . what’s next?”