#mendoza (company series)

[fishfingersandscarves]

pov you abandon your work to run away with the reincarnation of your dead boyfriend

[thexfridax]

'Perry Mason' reboot's leading ladies discuss the show's fan-favorite lesbian romance

Actors Juliet Rylance and Jen Tullock discuss their characters’ sweet 1930s love story and the HBO reboot’s gritty noir appeal.

Juliet Rylance and Jen Tullock in "Perry Mason."

Merrick Morton / HBO

April 26, 2023, 6:55 PM CEST

By Elaina Patton

After their clandestine meeting in a restaurant powder room at the beginning of season two, “Perry Mason” protagonists Della Street and Anita St. Pierre, played by Juliet Rylance and Jen Tullock, became television’s favorite well-tailored sapphic duo. And from then on, fans tuned in to see the whip-smart aspiring lawyer and free-spirited Hollywood screenwriter try to beat the odds to find love in 1930s Los Angeles. That’s until the sophomore season of HBO’s gritty adaptation of Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason crime novels came to a quiet close Monday, leaving more questions than answers — as perhaps is always the fate of romance in noir.

“I love that first meeting in the powder room between us, because Della doesn’t come across that many women that are as quick-witted, if not more quick-witted, than she is. And Anita is so feisty and exciting and liberated,” Rylance told NBC News on a video call with Tullock before the season finale.

Juliet Rylance and Jen Tullock in "Perry Mason."

Merrick Morton / HBO

Della, who evolves from Perry Mason’s secretary in season one to his right-hand woman in season two, has had to “hide huge aspects of who she is to carve out a role in her chosen profession,” Rylance added.

“She’s been fighting to be seen and heard, but also trying desperately to hide. She’s created a world that is safe, dependable, reliable,” Rylance said, referring to her character’s season one arc. “Anita just comes in and changes everything for her.”

The electric encounter, which disarms Rylance’s perpetually composed Della, gave an early indication that the new season, helmed by showrunners Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, was going to give more time to what happened behind closed doors than the grittier, more crime-focused first chapter. And that’s partially because Rylance and her character didn’t have much time for romance when the new take on “Perry Mason” debuted in 2020.

The show — which is a reboot of the TV classic that ran from the late-1950s to the mid-‘60s and starred Raymond Burr — framed its first season as an origin story, via an infanticide case that transforms its eponymous hero from low-rent private eye into a quick-study criminal defense lawyer. So alongside Matthew Rhys, who plays the hard-boiled protagonist, Rylance spent most of that first chapter reintroducing audiences to her character, a reinvention of Mason’s secretary made famous in the original by Barbara Hale.

Matthew Rhys in "Perry Mason."

Merrick Morton / HBO

Despite having more scenes in law offices than not, Rylance brought to life the series creators Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald’s reimagining of Della as a card-carrying, if rather careful, lesbian. And with the help of her season one love interest, a much-younger boarding housemate named Hazel, played by Molly Ephraim, she delivered a fitting tribute to the original show and its star’s place in queer history.

The popularity of the series’ debut season then opened the door for an even bigger love story in the latest one, which sees a more established Della building her courtroom career in partnership op-turned-investigator Paul Drake, played by Chris Chalk. In season two, the trio take on a challenging case defending two Mexican American men — Mateo (Peter Mendoza) and Rafael (Fabrizio Guido) Gallardo — who are accused of murdering a Los Angeles golden boy. And an over-burdened Della finds herself increasingly craving the company of Anita, who then sweeps her off her feet.

“I got a couple of hate messages on Instagram, regarding Della and Hazel,” Tullock said with mock seriousness, referring to fans who were upset about Anita coming between the season one couple.

“I appreciated that, because I think it was just evidence that people were already invested in Della’s personal life from the first season,” she added, jokingly warning Rylance not to check her messages. “Watching that season, I remember feeling like you wanted more for them. There was such a sadness about these two women having to find private spaces in which to even communicate romantically, let alone be intimate.”

While Anita’s quick dispatching of Della and Hazel’s romance may have disgruntled a few fans, Tullock’s character faced her own hurdles to happily ever after in season two. Not least of all, there’s Della’s public, lavender relationship with her old friend, the closeted district attorney, Hamilton Burger, played by Justin Kirk, which gets even more complicated when he’s blackmailed while prosecuting the Gallardo case.

Between Della, Anita, Hazel and Hamilton, the second season ended up being a cornucopia of complicated queer storylines, which Tullock said is thanks to her co-stars’ pushing for the portrayal of different types of people’s experiences in the era and for storytelling that wasn’t exploitative or cliched.

“Chris and Juliet advocated for those storylines, consistently and with such love and care,” Tullock said, referring to Rylance and Chalk, whose character, in particular, deals with police corruption, racism and classism.

Tullock and Rylance — who said they immediately hit it off when they first met over martinis and whose chemistry is apparent even over a video call — said they were committed to portraying their onscreen relationship in a way that felt both historically accurate and true to their characters’ formative personalities. That meant researching the difficulties of having a queer relationship in the 1930s and adopting the coded body language people used to communicate in public. But it also meant thinking about how their connection would play out in more intimate moments.

When the women share their first kiss in episode three, for example, the bohemian Anita seems caught off guard by the sincerity of the moment. And yet, she’s totally at ease when introducing Della to novel experiences, from a boxing match to a packed evening at an underground lesbian bar, or whisking her off to a romantic Palm Springs escape.

Notably, the season ends with a moment in which neither Della nor Anita seem fully in control of their faculties. Having secured a courtroom win, Della celebrates with an evening out, flanked on either side by Anita and Hamilton. And, in a moment that Rylance said left both her and her character feeling conflicted, a photographer offering to take a picture “of the happy couple” prompts the deep-in-the-closet district attorney to cuddle up to Della and land an intimate kiss on her shoulder for effect. The look of foreboding on each woman’s face that follows says it all.

“There’s so much that’s unanswered — the idea that Della might, in the future, have to make a choice about whether she publicly says that she’s marrying Burger, for instance. If that’s where it’s heading, what does that mean, and does Anita have to do something like that, too? And is that a betrayal or is that survival?” Rylance said. “They’re such big questions — questions that people ask today on a regular basis, too.”

To Rylance’s point, while much has changed in the United States for gay couples since the 1930s, homosexuality is still illegal in nearly 70 countries. And even in countries where it is legal, many people fear the repercussions of coming out.

If there’s a next chapter, Rylance said, she’d like to explore more about the world Anita — who was modeled after the real-life writer of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” Anita Loos — inhabits and how liberated Hollywood truly was in the ‘30s.

“How hard is it being a queer woman writer in that world?” Rylance said, referring to a time when most queer creatives and stars, like Burr, needed to stay in the closet to protect their careers. “Della’s thinking all the time, ‘Oh, she’s from this liberated strata of society that I have no access to.’ And, actually, it’s not.”

Although a third season hasn’t yet been confirmed, based on calls on social media to renew the show after the finale aired on Monday, fans agree that there’s much more to see from the series. That could mean even more fervor around Della and Anita’s relationship, which inspired all kinds of internet tributes throughout the season.

“I did say to Juliet, like, ‘Watch, they’re going to put our character names together’ — because I have been on the generating end of that before,” Tullock said, joking that the most popular, “Dellita,” sounds like an erectile dysfunction medication.

The series newcomer, who describes herself as a “gay nerd,” also foresaw the two being featured in perhaps the most coveted of tributes to an onscreen sapphic romance: the compilation video.

“Unfortunately, I think this is a product of queer people being starved for representation. But, oftentimes, when there are sapphic storylines, you will end up getting these really amazing fan videos on YouTube, where people will cut all of their scenes together to, like, a Robin song,” Tullock said.

After Rylance inquired about whether their characters have any fan videos, Tullock enthusiastically replied, “Oh, we have many.”

“There have been several that people have sent me that were in other languages,” Tullock added. “There was one from Brazil, where people had cut our scenes together to a Brazilian love song. That part is really special and satisfying, because we love them so much, these characters.”

For Rylance, who tends to avoid reading much about herself and the show, the highlight of Dellita’s fame came in the form of a text message from her married aunts.

“I got a text in March saying, ‘Oh, my God, you’ve made Les Video Channel. Just give up now. You’ve peaked!’” Rylance said, referring to a popular YouTube channel that posts about onscreen sapphic romances. “That was my favorite thing all year.”

[hathorik]

I replayed Halo recently. Like the whole fucking series. And I couldn't help but remark that basically, the very foundations of the setting are that Humanity is on its last leg facing an alien threat more numerous and technologically evolved... which is essentially how you make fascism justified in-lore. We don't have a choice, this is an existential threat, we must be tough to survive.

Halo: Reach shows that 1) the Spartan project was NOT about the Covenant Threat, but about creating Übermensch to end the revolts in the Colonies to the benefit of the central Imperial Power (even though it's not openly stated), and 2) that beside ONE FUCKING GUY, the others are all treating the locals like shit.

In Halo 2 and 3, you deal with the de-facto military leader of Humanity, who happens to be a British Aristocrat.

The Covenant is a Religious hegemony of several alien races led by Prophets.

There isn't a single marine who isn't either white or black. Sure, there's a Mendoza who speaks Spanish and Jun has a strong unidentified east-Asian accent, but I haven't seen a single Arabic character despite one of the main places in Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo: ODST being a megalopolis in Kenya. Like I don't know I'd expect at least some people to be, you know?

Kat in Reach has been voiced by an Israeli actress.

And in Halo 4, the Covenant threat has been defeated, Humanity a progressed a lot technologically and... The central government and intelligence agency look a lot more like bad guys. But again, New Existential Threat Unlocked, so let's just roll with it, okay?

I love Halo. It's been my comfort game for my very, very troubled teenage, but returning to it came with some realization about it and the underlying message it carries. I will still keep playing it, and I'm not calling out the devs as like pro-fascists or anything (tbh if there's a dev company you should boycott for their FPS' content it's Activision, so), I'm just... realizing how the cultural background in which the games were made affected the content and, therefore, the message it must have carried to young players back in the 2000's and 2010's.

So no matter what game you play out there, stay sharp, stay alert and keep your critical thinking edge sharp. You fucking need it in this world.

I rly hate the Satanic Panic & the moral panic surrounding violence in video games in the 90s, coz it's now impossible to talk about the social implications of violent video games in a realistic sense.

No, violence in video games does not create serial killers in the way most people imagine it would.

However, it's very important to notice how after 9/11, a lot of violent video games pivoted their content from silly gratuitous cartoon gore to more realistic military shooters set in the Levant from a US American lens. It's also important to notice the connection of these games & their toxic online multi-player voice chats to Gamer Gate in 2014.

It's obviously not as black & white as it was presented in the 80s & 90s, I dont think everyone who played early Call of Duty games is a white supremacist who wants to join the military to kill people in the middle east, but I think it's dangerous to pretend like video games or any media can't have an impact on the way people think about violence.

I think what makes all the difference here is how that violence is portrayed, what the message behind it is, what the motives are behind the people who crafted that message, who the victims of that violence are, how they are portrayed & the greater cultural context that surrounds it.

[frontproofmedia]

MVP’S MOST VALUABLE PROSPECTS 9 EXPANDS TO CAGUAS, PUERTO RICO ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11

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Published: September 10, 2024

MVP’S MOST VALUABLE PROSPECTS 9 EXPANDS TO CAGUAS, PUERTO RICO ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11 FEATURING MVP’S NEWEST SIGNEES JAN PAUL RIVERA, KRYSTAL ROSADO, AND ALEXIS "CHOP CHOP" CHAPARRO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AMANDA SERRANO

NEW YORK, NY - Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced its expansion into Puerto Rico for the ninth installment of its Most Valuable Prospects series, set to take place in Caguas, Puerto Rico, at the Coliseo Roger Mendoza on Friday, October 11th, available globally on DAZN subscription. Universal Promotions will serve as the official promoter, with Boxlab Promotions serving as co-promoter for Most Valuable Prospects 9, presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy. Most Valuable Prospects 9 marks a significant milestone for MVP as it brings its up-and-coming talent showcase series to Puerto Rican soil for the first time in partnership with MVP’s boxing trailblazer, the most decorated Puerto Rican champion of all time, Amanda Serrano and her manager Jordan Maldonado. The partnership, first announced in March 2024 at MVP’s marquee event in San Juan, aims to identify, sign, and develop Puerto Rican fighters with MVP. The company now welcomes 23-year-old Puerto Rican National Team star Jan Paul Rivera, 21-year-old sensation Krystal Rosado, and three-time US national boxing champion and high-fashion model Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro to the MVP roster. 

Most Valuable Prospects 9 will be headlined by Jan Paul Rivera (10-0, 6 KOs) vs. Andy “Skeletor” Beltran (8-0, 5 KOs) in a 8-round featherweight bout for the WBC Latino regional title. Krystal Rosado (4-0, 2 KOs) and Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro will also compete on the main card. The event represents MVP’s expanding ventures in Puerto Rico to spotlight the island’s rich boxing heritage and identify development opportunities with Puerto Rican talent. Tickets for Most Valuable Prospects 9 are on sale now at ticketera.com.

In the main event, Most Valuable Prospects 9 will feature the highly-anticipated return of recent Most Valuable Prospects standout, Jan Paul Rivera (10-0, 6 KOs). Rivera, the 23-year-old featherweight prospect from Salinas, Puerto Rico, was a decorated member of the Puerto Rican national boxing team as an amateur, competing in over 200 bouts. His amateur accolades include winning two straight Puerto Rico Elite National Championships in 2020 and 2021, as well as the Puerto Rico Youth National Championships in 2018 and 2019. He also earned a silver medal at the AIBA Youth World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in 2018. Across his 10-fight professional career to date, Rivera has competed across the USA, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Colombia, furthering his aspirations to become a global star in the sport. He most recently took home a knockout win over then-8-0 Justin Goodson in the main event of MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 7. He now will compete in the main event of Most Valuable Prospects 9 against Andy “Skeletor” Beltran (8-0, 5 KOs) in a 8-round featherweight bout. Beltran comes to the ring from Las Vegas, Nevada ready to test his own undefeated streak and knockout power as they compete for the WBC Latino regional title.

"Signing with Amanda Serrano, Nakisa Bidarian, Jake Paul, and MVP is a great opportunity for me to become a star, and I’m proud to be joining such a dynamic, talented team,” said Jan Paul Rivera. “Most Valuable Prospects 9 is more than just another fight for me—it's a chance to showcase my skills and represent my home in Puerto Rico. I can’t wait to put on a show for my fans at the Coliseo Roger Mendoza."

Also joining the main card will be the 21-year-old sensation Krystal Rosado (4-0, 2 KOs), the first fighter signed by Amanda Serrano. The Carolina, Puerto Rico native made her professional debut on MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 2 show in August 2023, stunning fans with a ferocious second-round KO against Tarrethia Dixon. Rosado went on to compete on MVP’s historic Serrano vs. Ramos card in October 2023, earning her decisive second win over Hungary’s Kata Pap, before appearing in front of her home fans at the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan as part of MVP’s main card in March 2024. In front of her home fans, Rosado put on a ferocious show, displaying her championship potential against Gloria Munguilla. Rosado took home a majority decision win, which she followed with a swift knockout of Russia’s Veronika Dmitriyeva at MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 7 in July 2024. Rosado will now make her formal debut as an MVP fighter in her fifth professional bout on Friday, October 11.

"As the first fighter signed by Amanda Serrano, I want to make my island proud and put on a show every time I step into the ring,” said Krystal Rosado. “Joining MVP is an incredible honor, and I’m excited to grow further now with Nakisa and Jake in my corner. Competing in Caguas is a big moment for me, and I’m ready to show everyone what I’m capable of. This event is an amazing opportunity to highlight the young talent coming out of Puerto Rico, and I’m thrilled to be part of it."

Alexis "Chop Chop" Chaparro (2-0, 2 KOs) also has now signed with Most Valuable Promotions and will make his return to the ring for Most Valuable Prospects 9. The 23-year-old Chaparro, raised in Ridgewood, New York, is a three-time national boxing champion who competed at both the 2020 and 2024 USA Boxing Olympic trials. The gifted Puerto Rican athlete is also a high fashion model, having worked for Versace, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, and Polo Ralph Lauren, among others. Chaparro landed a sensational first-round KO win over Daniel Augare in his pro debut on Most Valuable Prospects 6 in April 2024, before scoring a stunning second round knockout over Kevin Hill on the preliminary card of MVP’s Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry in July 2024. 

"Signing with both MVP and Amanda Serrano is a big step in my career, and I couldn’t be more excited to represent my Puerto Rican roots on Friday, October 11,” said Alexis "Chop Chop" Chaparro. “Being part of MVP feels like the perfect fit, and I’m looking forward to making my mark in the ring and continuing to advance my career under Nakisa and Jake’s guidance. This is just the beginning, and I’m ready to show the world what I’m made of."

“MVP’s expansion into Puerto Rico in partnership with Amanda Serrano and Jordan Maldonado underscores our commitment to developing and showcasing the wealth of boxing talent from Puerto Rico,” said Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of MVP. “We are proud to formally welcome Jan, Krystal, and Alexis as the newest signees to the MVP family and look forward to featuring these young, exciting stars in front of their home fans at the Coliseo Roger Mendoza on Friday, October 11. We are continuing our mission to expand our talent roster and support fighters with the potential to become global stars at MVP. This event not only represents a new chapter for MVP but also reinforces our dedication to elevating the sport of boxing with top talent from around the world.”

“We’ve worked hard to identify fighters who embody the spirit and dedication of Puerto Rican boxing, and working alongside MVP to elevate fighters like Jan, Krystal, and Alexis is a dream come true,” said Amanda Serrano and Jordan Maldonado. “We know firsthand what it means to have the support of your home fans in the ring, and we’re excited to see the next generation of future champions shine on Friday, October 11. This is just the beginning of something special for MVP and Puerto Rico.”

[qnewsau]

Death of a Reality Star: New doco explores life of Miriam Rivera

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/death-of-a-reality-star-new-doco-explores-life-of-miriam-rivera/

Death of a Reality Star: New doco explores life of Miriam Rivera

A new documentary is set to explore the life and untimely death of Miriam Rivera.

Miriam famously starred in the 2004 British reality television series There’s Something About Miriam.

The show’s premise saw ‘six red-blooded lads’ fly out to a multi-million dollar Ibizan villa in the hope of impressing ‘one stunning babe’. The twist? Unbeknownst to the contestants, Miriam was transgender.

However, a general lack of understanding or sensitivity about transgender identity meant transphobia was a constant on the show.

The British Medical Journal went on to describe the show as “not a celebration of transgender people’s lives. It was designed to elicit horror from the winning contestant, discovering that his dream date had a penis.”

Morgan M. Page, a trans writer who produced a 2021 podcast series about Miriam, called the show “one extended joke that they’re playing on the male contestants that the woman they’re pursuing is transgender.”

Following the filming of the series, the six contestants filed a lawsuit against the production company.

However, while the contestants banded together, Miriam was left isolated.

New documentary explores life and tragic death of Miriam Rivera

“My sister was exploited, then abandoned,” Miriam’s youngest brother Ariel Mendoza said as per The Guardian.

“She was alone in a foreign country. Miriam was a tough girl but it broke her.

“After the show, Miriam went down and down. She looked sad whenever it was mentioned. Maybe she was ahead of her time but I hope her story teaches tolerance.”

After appearing on Big Brother Australia in 2004, work dried up for Miriam.

She returned to the US, but allegedly struggled with PTSD and drug addiction.

In 2007, in suspicious circumstances, Miriam fell from her apartment balcony, leaving her in critical condition. She later disappeared for six months and claimed she had been kidnapped at gunpoint and sex trafficked.

Eventually, Miriam moved back to Mexico with her husband Daniel Cuervo before she died in 2019.

Her death was classified as a suicide by Police, but some believe she may have been murdered.

The new three-part documentary will look at Miriam’s life and tragic death and the impact of the show that brought her global fame. 

According to Channel 4, the series will “restore Miriam as the star of her own story: a trans trailblazer who remains an icon for many in the transgender community.”

Miriam: Death of a Reality Star is not currently available to watch in Australia, but aired on Channel 4 on April 29.

If you need someone to talk to, help is available from QLife on 1800 184 527 or online at QLife.org.au, Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.

READ MORE:

Tragic mystery behind death of trans reality star Miriam

Tickle v Giggle: no laughs at landmark trans case

Here’s to more Trans Glamoré!

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[mattmickiewicz]

2023 Recap - A Year of Travel, Reading and Investing.

After COVID and two years of caring for a dog with heart failure which limited our travel, 2023 really amped it up.

In 2023, I visited 7 countries, across 4 continents, staying at 31 different camps, lodges, hotels, resorts, villas, boats and apartments.

Highlights included an epic Safari to Zambia where I celebrated my 40th birthday at Old Mondoro, learned to play the board game Nsolo, and a month spent touring (and eating) through Spain in September which turned out to be a great month to visit - but it was still very busy. During the grand tour of Spain across more than a dozen cities, we got to paint with Paco Broca in his studio in Seville, spend a day visiting the Roman ruins in Merida Spain, and eating countless tapas.

This year, I also finally got to spend a significant chunk of time in Argentina for the very first time, spending a month between Buenos Aires, Salta and Mendoza. Salta was simply breathtaking and BA surpassed expectations. A visit to the very private & exclusive James Tyrell museum at Colome was a highlight. Definitely want to go back to Argentina soon and visit Patagonia on the next trip.

Along the way, I managed to eat 17 different Michelin starred restaurants (mostly in NYC, London & Spain) while also visiting the #1 bar in the world after waiting in line for an hour before opening.

Dining highlights included Mantua in Jerez and Atrio in Caceres, though the Kochi, Al Coro (pasta tasting), Muse by Tom Aiken and Nakazawa where all excellent as well.

I also finally got to see Agatha Christie's Mousetrap in London, in addition to Burnt City and Funny Girl (on broadway). A visit to Las Vegas for the When We Were Younger music festival also allowed me to pop into the infamous Omega Mart for some nut-free peanuts, dehydrated water and tattoo chicken. A complete meal, if there ever was one.

Media

Along the way, I managed to read over twenty books with stand outs including Atomic Habits, Die with Zero, Power of Now, Turth: A Brief History of Bull*, Pompeii, The Second Sleep, Dark Star Safari, An Elephant in My Kitchen, The Black Nile and Am I Being Too Subtle . It was nice to devote so much reading time to topics that aren't directly business or investing related, and to read for the sheer joy of it. Favorite podcasts in 2023 included "The Explorers" (interview with Matt is amazing), and Fall of Civilizations.

On the streaming side, The Bear, Beef, Dave and White Lotus Season 2 stood out, alongside the final season of Succession and the first season of Silo and Last of Us on AppleTV+.

Investing

Over the course of the year, I also met with hundreds of amazing entrepreneurs and founders this past year, and ended up investing in a handful of really interesting companies in legal AI, spacetech, and SaaS. To my surprise, prices for early stage deals remained stubbornly high for most of 2023 as late-stage investors moved down market, causing me to pass on some great ideas and teams. Of my existing ~60 angel investments, one startup investment in LATAM shut down and returned some cash to shareholders, while several more did recaps and down rounds. I expect to see more in 2024 as the goal posts for a Series A have moved substantially and many companies that raised in 2021 won't be able to live up to their last round valuations given public market comps.

Final note

Lastly, to end on a sad note, my father passed away in June of this year from progressive supernuclear palsy at the age of 66. Watching his dramatic decline in the last year of his life was beyond brutal, and I hope he rests in peace. Having lost both parents and both my dogs in the span of just 6 years serves a a stark reminder that our time here is finite, and we should make the most of every day and not defer experiences, friendships, and goals.

[ptbf2002]

Peter Parker's Reaction Ladybug And Cat Noir Movie

Original Template: https://www.deviantart.com/yoshihorse/art/What-Makes-Peter-Parker-Gag-850107264

Spider-Man (1994 TV series) Belongs To Avi Arad, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, TMS Entertainment Co., Ltd. SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc. MARVEL Films Animation, MARVEL Entertainment, LLC, New World Entertainment, Saban Entertainment, Inc. FOX Kids Network, FOX Family Worldwide Inc. FOX Broadcasting Company, FOX Entertainment, And FOX Corporation

Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie Belongs To Jeremy Zag, Bettina Lopez, Mendoza, ZAG Inc. Method Animation, ON Animation Studios, ON Kids & Family, Mediawan Animation, Mediawan, The Awakening Production, Cross Creek Pictures, LLC, Société Nouvelle de Distribution, M6, W9, 6ter, Groupe M6, Metropole Télévision S.A. StudioCanal S.A.S. And Netflix, Inc.

Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug & Cat Noir Belongs To Thomas Astruc, Jeremy ZAG, ZAG Heroez, ZAGtoon, Method Animation, ON Animation Studios, ON Kids & Family, Mediawan Animation, Toei Animation Co., Ltd. SAMG Entertainment Co., Ltd. AB International Distribution, PGS Entertainment, Mediawan, DeAgostini Editore S.P.A. DeAgostini S.P.A. DQ Entertainment, DQ Entertainment International Films Limited, Assemblage Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. SK Broadband, Inc. The Walt Disney Company France, TF1, ABC ME, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, EBS 1TV, Korea Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), Disney Channel, Disney Branded Television, Disney General Entertainment Content, The Walt Disney Company, Family Channel (Canadian TV channel), WildBrain Ltd. Gloob, Canais Globo, Globosat, And Organizações Globo Participações S.A.

[netius]

Laugh Your Way to Better Mental Health with These Comedies

Laughter is a powerful medicine that can help reduce stress, improve mood, and boost your immune system. Studies have shown that laughter can have a positive impact on both your physical and mental health. If you're looking for a way to improve your mental health, adding more laughter to your life is a great place to start. Here are a few comedies that can help you laugh your way to better mental health: The Office The Office is a hilarious American mockumentary sitcom about the daily lives of employees at a paper company called Dunder Mifflin. It has great writing, acting, and comedic timing that make it a fan favorite. The characters are relatable and fully realized, which creates a strong connection with the audience. The show explores both humorous and poignant themes, making it enjoyable and entertaining. The Office is a comedic gem that stands the test of time and is a must-watch for anyone who likes clever humor. Parks and Recreation This beloved comedy follows the lives of hardworking employees in a small town's Parks and Recreation department. The positive energy, quirky characters, and laughs will keep you entertained for hours. Each character has a unique and lovable personality that adds to the show's overall charm. From Leslie Knope's enthusiasm to Ron Swanson's sarcasm, you'll be invested in their personal and professional lives. The show offers a heartwarming view of community, friendship, and teamwork. Brooklyn Nine-Nine This cop comedy is a true gem in the world of television, offering a perfect blend of physical humor, witty and clever dialogue, and a truly diverse cast of characters that will keep you entertained for hours on end. With its unique ability to blend a wide range of comedic styles, including slapstick humor and clever wordplay, this show is sure to leave you in stitches and constantly coming back for more. Whether you're looking for a quick laugh or a longer binge-watching session, this show is the perfect choice for anyone who wants to experience the very best that the world of comedy has to offer. The Good Place This fantasy TV series follows Eleanor Shellstrop, a self-centered woman who dies and ends up in the Good Place, an afterlife meant for good people. But she's mistaken for someone else, and she must pretend to be a good person. With the help of her soulmate, Chidi Anagonye, a philosopher, Eleanor learns how to be a better person. The group, including Tahani Al-Jamil and Jason Mendoza, faces ethical dilemmas. The show is funny but also thought-provoking about morality and the afterlife. Eleanor's journey towards self-improvement is heartwarming and captivating. Ted Lasso Ted Lasso is a sports comedy about an American football coach who moves to England to coach a professional soccer team. He struggles at first, but with optimism and determination, he endears himself to his players and fans. The show explores relationships between Ted, his assistant coach, and the team as they navigate obstacles on and off the field. Ted's positivity and humor prevail, making the show heartwarming and uplifting. It also touches on themes of leadership, teamwork, and perseverance. Overall, Ted Lasso is a delightful and feel-good series. "Laughter is a powerful medicine that can help improve your mental and physical health." These are just a few of the many comedies that can help you laugh your way to better mental health. So next time you're feeling stressed or down, put on one of these shows and let the laughter do its magic. Read the full article

[theraininthestars]

22 Favorites

Hi darlings, I wanted to make you this special post because last month was my birthday. So I'm going to recommend 4 movies, 2 TV series and 7 books.

Films:

The Invisible Guest -The movie revolves around Adrian Dova telling the story of how he didn't murder his lover to his lawyer, but as the story unravels, it's revealed another crime that he could have committed. It's an amazing movie, the suspense of this movie keeps you on the edge of your seat along with the mystery of what happened to the mistress? Why was she there? And what does it have to do with the disappearance of a young man? A very good script, the direction is fascinating and the acting 100/10.

A Monster In Paris - This movie isn't the pique of animated movies, but it's pretty cute. We follow Emile, Raoul and Lucille who have to literally hide and save a monster that Emile and Raoul created by accident. What I like most about the movie is the music, the voices are so beautiful and angelic. The song from La Seine is top tier, and no one is going to change my opinion.

Bloody Hell - This movie is only for the gore suckers. I'm a person who can't stand supernatural scary movies, but you play me gorey-slash movies, I loved them. A man runs from his stormy past and ends up being kidnapped. Loved the gore and black humor they use in this movie, it's so chaotic and insane.

Penelope - One of my favorite rom-coms, the final message is so beautiful. Penelope is about a young woman who is born with a curse of having a pig's nose until someone from her social class agrees to marry her. The acting is great, and I love the aesthetic of the movie. Plus it has Christina Ricci, James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon, couldn't ask for more.

Series:

Ugly Betty - Ok, read on, just read what I have to say about this soap opera. First, Ugly Betty tells the story of Beatriz Pinzón upon entering the fashion company, Ecomoda. She faces discrimination and harassment from her bosses, while she falls in love with the main boss. But she also tells the story of Armando Mendoza and how his fear of failure leads him to lose everything that matters to him. I understand that there are many soap operas that only seek to bring out drama and squeeze all the miscommunication that may exist, but this one has some good bases and an incredible script. HOWEVER, the show is fulled of misogyny, homophobia, transphobia and fat phobia. And before the defenders come with the IT WAS ANOTHER TIME! It's still misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic and fat phobic. The ending is disappointing, but I highly recommend this soap opera in terms of its story structure, character creation, and theme management.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend-The series follows Rebecca Bunch, a lawyer who is depressed and disappointed in her life, who meets Josh Chan, her ex-boyfriend, who encourages her to pursue her dreams and be happy. Which she interprets as following Josh to her hometown and looking for any way to be with him. The series works as a musical and also a satire, I love how the series develops like all the songs in the series.

Books:

Play - The first book in the Play trilogy follows the story of brothers Leo and Aaron. Leo has the dream of being famous and Aaron has the talent to become famous, both create a plan to fulfill Leo's dream and get Aaron back with his ex, what could go wrong? It is an easy book to read, and it was the first book I finished in one day. I am very fond of the trilogy, as it is the foundation of my love of reading.

The Reader - Wow, this book is strong. Here I am going to put a warning of pedophilia and the relationship between a minor and an adult. After the horrors of World War II, Germany and the young Michael Berg try to recover. Michael, especially, because he is entering puberty and he does it with the influence of one of his neighbors. The book does a time jump to the future with Michael as an adult and how he deals with the death of an influential person in his life. This story is strong, deep and raw. What grabs my attention is the way Michael deals with his childhood and how he see it affecting his life. It is a very interesting book but a heavy to read, read with precaution.

The four o'clock soap opera won't stop because someone managed to kill themselves. -This was my first approach to the author A. E. Quintero, and I have become a fan of his poetry. The author romanticizes the ordinary, and he makes you reevaluate your day to day. Highly recommended along with this other book, Countdown.

The Cruel Prince - Jude Duarte was seven years old when she saw her parents murder only to be kidnapped with her twin and older sister to the fairy kingdom. 10 years later, and all Jude wants is to be part of the court and prove once and for all that she deserves a place in that world. This is the first book in the Folks of the Air trilogy, and I am in love with the character of Jude. I would say that I am as in love as hers as her love interest, and I understand that one of the most attractive points of the trilogy is the love story, but for me is Jude. She is such a complicated, charismatic and amazing character that she is an excellent guide to this world of betrayal and hypocrisy.

The House in The Cerulean Sea - Linus Baker is in charge of supervising and reporting to the government on the quality of the orphanages that he visits, what he prioritizes is that they take care of the magical childhoods that inhabit these orphanages. He considers himself an excellent official until he gets the case of the house in the Cerulean Sea. After this visit, he questions everything he has done and what he should do for the good of all. This book is beautiful and you feel bad, read it. It has so much care and love put into the writing and the characters, I love it.

Anne Without Filters - Anne Shirley is excited to start college life and her writing career, she already has experience being one of the most popular fan fiction writers. Until one Gilbert passes her by and sends her into second place, it doesn't help that he's her new classmate. Even her best friend, Diana, thinks it's a good idea that she reached out to the writer. But with each day, meeting, and experiences only leaves Anne confused about who she wants, hates, and must let go. I love this novel, it's just as adorable as the previous one, but I feel that this is more like coming of age and doesn't complicate the love relationship, it just lets the consequences of the characters' personalities happen. What I mean (and I can't emphasize this more) many romance stories prefer to add external problems and pretend that they are internal. Not in this book, here the characters learn and grow from their mistakes.

Erebos - This book is very recent reading, but it is a very good vehicle to get into science fiction. Something weird is going on at Nick's school, and one afternoon he finds out that it's all because of the video game, Erebos. At first, it seems like a fun and somewhat mysterious game, but soon all the players get involved in something bigger than themselves, so big that they refuse to tell another person what's going on. I really liked the narrative and the world that Ursula builds for the book, they are very well done, and it works so well to tell this story of addiction and the desire to belong.

With this I finish my recommendations, I hope you like them, and you can tell me about others that you liked.

P.S.

I want to add my favorite song: Notion by The Rare Occasion.

[gardenvarietyunique]

I️ got a lil box of colored pencils in my stocking, so I️ drew some cyborg time travelers.

[youwontlikethisblog]

Marcela Valencia Part A

In this post I will be discussing Marcela and her toxic/abusive traits. There will be a mention of Armando but since this isn't the post regarding his abusive tendencies and toxic behavior in that relationship I won't really be focusing on him. I am not brushing off his behavior or painting him to be the victim. For the sake of this post I want you to keep that in mind because I won't be focusing on him, rather Marcela.

From the start of the series Marcela is an antagonist, full stop. I'm not referring to the romantic element of the story we are given but just in general.

An antagonist is usually the character used to press all the right buttons on the protagonist for the sake of pushing them. In a way they are the worst traits of the protagonist at all times, however they're not all that terrible so they aren't the story's true villain. Short words: They are the opposer or rival of the story.

She antagonizes Armando a lot, but at what point does just pushing buttons turn into abuse?

Abuse:

treat (a person or an animal) with cruelty or violence, especially regularly or repeatedly.

"riders who abuse their horses should be prosecuted"

We are told Marcela Valencia is in love with Armando the entire time. Her actions are justified by the ideology that women who behave this way are just passionate and deeply in love so they defend their territory and lash out because they don't want to lose the man they love and above all, wounds caused by love are justified.

Except we are shown something differently.

Marcela judges people by their looks, she is snotty, spoiled, emotionally immature/stunt, and as many say a misogynist. She looks at every woman as a competition and solely blames women for the actions that man were involved in as well(for example when Aura Maria had a relationship with Mario while he was in a relationship with Patty. She was constantly throwing remarks at Aura Maria after that. Now, I personally believe that Aura Maria is just at fault as Mario. She learned that he was in a relationship with Patty and didn't end it, instead for the sake of her ego continued to sleep with him to get back at Patty. She did have fault for that but Mario did too for taking advantage of his power in the company and being a whore.). Marcela never holds men accountable for what they do. Men have desires, men blah blah blah.

When Armando cheats on her, she does throw a fit and gets angry at him but usually her anger is imploded on the poor stupid woman who slept with Armando.

This we are shown at the start of the Novela, literally in the first couple of episodes we are told and shown this. So it isn't uncommon when we see her behave this way.

However later on we are given scenes where the disagreement that Armando and her are having aren't related to infidelity. They relate to Patricia, Betty, business deals, and so on.

It's understandable that Marcela wants to be the priority in Armando's life; the issue here is that Marcela does nothing to gain that. She demands it automatically. She demands to be his priority in everything. From the start she begins to spy on Armando, constantly wanting to know his whereabouts. She calls him every time they aren't in the same building. She expects him to answer her calls, tell her what he's doing and who with. She feels like Armando is supposed to do this because she owns him.

Take into account that at the beginning of the series Marcela is stomach-able in the romantic element. Later her lust turns into possessiveness.

Where she no longer looks at Armando as her boyfriend but an object for her to have. She sees him as a trophy that makes her look good. Marcela Valencia, the woman who manages to get Armando Mendoza, a man desired by every woman who is a womanizer, to settle down to one woman? and that woman be her, Marcela Valencia.

The problem is that we're told she is the one that is in love in the relationship however she constantly dismisses Armando's feelings, finds every excuse to be a helicopter and overbearing in his life when she can clearly tell he doesn't want that.

Their relationship is toxic and dysfunctional. They are both at fault but in this post I really want to focus on Marcela's side and her role in it.

I've been thinking a lot about Marcela and how it must be to be in a relationship like hers. Now not to get too personal on her but I have been in toxic friendships. I know what it's like to have someone gaslight you, use silent treatments as a form of punishment to make you feel guilty for calling them out, and breaking down your self-esteem. You really believe that no one will ever care for you like they do and you become depended on them and their validation.

However I don't identify myself with Marcela at all. She doesn't have low self-esteem, which cancels out that Armando's cheating deeply affects her. Marcela knows she's beautiful and desired by other men(I could be mistaking YSBLF with LFMB in this specific regard but I recall an early episode where Patty and Marce are talking about guys and Patty tells her she's desired by other men) . She thinks she's better than Betty and all the other woman that Armando has slept with and blames those woman9Not that they're so hot that he succumbed to their beauty but that they're classless women who go after men that are in relationships and that because he's a man and a woman wants to do the sinful dance with for Armando's infidelity and Armando never tells her that she's ugly, undesirable, that no one else will love her etc etc. So why does she stay with him? Is it love?

Love isn't possessive, jealous, angry, hurtful, boastful, arrogant, or selfish.

She doesn't love him.

So why does she stay with him?

I already mentioned it. She views Armando as an object. A trophy of sorts that is good for her self-esteem and her image. So she takes his infidelities as just stupid flings but Armando wants to marry her so she's better than they are. Those women are just for a day or two but she's forever and that makes her a champion.

She is so stubborn that she won't let him leave. Armando essentially becomes a bird with its wings clipped and trapped in a cage for her own amusement.

Many people don't see that because to everyone else Marcela is the poor victim of Armando and his infidelities.

The episode I'm on right now shows us this dynamic. Marcela is upset and angry at Armando for his fling with Claudia(she knows it happened even though he denies it.) and they're arguing over it. They're walking in the hotel as Armando asks her if she wants them to be the main show of the event or for them to kill each other, if that's what she wants than perfect he'll oblige.

She then tells him that she asked for one head and he hasn't delivered it, that he had his fling in her company to which Armando replies "It's mine too."

"Yes it's yours too but I asked you for one head! and you haven't given it to me! You aren't going to be laughing at me! I won't allow it!" she waves her finger in his face.

"I'm not laughing at you" Armando's tone is defensive and in the background we see Cata and a guest nearing them and here's the thing that demonstrates why Marcela is the perfect example of an abuser behind closed doors.

Everyone expects and sees Armando yelling at her and telling her things but often it happens after Marcela has pushed his buttons(not saying that she didn't have a reason to be angry at him, she did) often times we see the switch between being the abuser to being the abused. While one is being abusive the other is being an reactionary abuser.

What is the difference between someone who is abusive and an reactionary abuser?

The abuser often times is the one with the upper hand and the one causing or inflicting pain on purpose while the reactionary is reacting to the abuse in an a way that is abusive.

For example here Marcela is demanding for him to do what she told him to do and that she won't permite for him to laugh at her. The day has been a bad one for Armando so he is tense and already in a bad mood as he talks to Marcela.

However Marcela wants things done her way, despite knowing that Armando's hands are tied with Claudia the model he had a fling with, and that Armando doesn't want to fire his assistant. She expects and demands for him to do what she told him to do and she won't let him get away with not doing it.

What does this mean? Enter the space of reading between the lines. Hearing a phrase like that and understanding the context is a very vital and important bit. Let's reverse the gender roles here for a bit. If a man told a woman "You aren't going to be laughing at me! I won't allow it!" while waving their finger in their face what would we think of that situation? We'd think they guy is being borderline abusive, wouldn't we? While yes Marcela has every right to be justified in her anger, the problem lies with how she behaves or reacts due to her anger. Feelings are always valid, actions not so much. Actions can be explained but not always justified and this is where Marcela's behavior is wrong. Here she shows that she has the upper hand and control over Armando's fate in totality.

In this moment as Armando now starts yelling at her as Cata and the guest near them, Armando is the abuser and Marcela is the abused as she stands there taking his yelling they then get interrupted by Cata and the guest and great each other. Marcela then throws a jab at him to poke him, he turns to look at her and shakes his head and tells her that wasn't funny.

Marcela turns to look at him and says "No? You don't think that it was funny that you were locked in your office with a model and had your assistant sneak her out?"

This now becomes a public humiliation of Armando as his intimacy is thrown out there for the public to consume and Marcela is the poor victim of Armando and his infidelity.

[EDIT: I find this scene interesting because you'd assume Marcela wouldn't want to make it public that Armando cheats on her. She cares about public perception. However she throws this out to both Cata and unknown guest. A person who often suffers at the hand's of their partner due to infidelity carries a shame and an embarrassment due to it, so why does Marcela make it public? She does it to make Armando uncomfortable, to show that she has power in the relationship. Also because this is a a tactic many abusers use, which is victimize themselves to the public in order to gain sympathy votes and whenever the person who is the true victim of the situation acts out in defiance, anger, or even abusive/toxic ways, they can say "see I told you! They're the bad one, I'm just a victim!" this allows the abuser to continue having the upper hand in the relationship and further isolating their victim.

Which is something that Armando is dealing with. In another post I talked about how Armando never seemed to make many friends aside from Mario but it just hit me that often times Armando has said that he can't go somewhere or hang out with certain people because Marcela hates them and will not let him go out or use them as an excuse to go on his dates with Betty because Marcela would want to go to keep an eye on him. Often times Marcela is the one that is seen to be the one to have more friends than Armando.]

This isn't the first time that an incident like this happens.

Later on when Armando begins his romance with Betty in the early stages of it they get into a huge fight in his office due to a poem Betty left on his desk signed by Delmira Agostini(Post Hmm, Yeah, Who Knows Where He Spent The Night) and later on that night Hugo goes into his office and tells him about it.

Armando scoffed and said something along the lines of "Marcela went to you with the new piece of gossip, of course she would.". It wasn't until I heard him say that that it all made sense to me.

Armando doesn't just neglect to invite Marcela into his personal intimate life(his thoughts etc.) because he's a cheating whore but because he doesn't trust her.

We're never shown Marcela to be worthy of his trust(just because you're in a relationship with someone doesn't automatically mean you get ownership of their intimacy or that you deserve it for simply being a participating individual of said relationship) . Behind closed doors when he's not around she tells his business to Patricia, Hugo, or Margarita and from there on mouths run. She does it with every affair Armando has and I'm not saying she doesn't have a right to be upset, she does but the way she behaves and reacts to it is the problem.

She demands for Armando to respect her, prioritize her, do everything she wants and without doing anything to be worthy of it. Her possessiveness isn't only related to Armando, she's also possessive regarding her role in Eco Moda, which is a reason why she goes after Betty so much, even before she starts to cover for Armando's infidelities.

Marcela's abuse is by extorting Armando both emotionally and sexually. The man lives only to avoid fights in the relationship and uses affairs as a from of escapism from said relationship, is it justified? No.

This behavior of him feeds the cycle, however we understand that Armando's actions are wrong and not excusable, explainable? Yes but not excused. In the same vain, so are Marcela's actions.

In order for a relationship to be toxic, both people have to be abusive towards each other, if not than it would just be an abusive relationship but because both Marcela and Armando have these abusive tendencies and traits, they both lash out, they both inflict pain on each other and they both hate each others guts.

Due to Armando's gaslighting Marcela reacts fueled with anger to prove that she's right.

[EDIT: This other half(starting from this point on) of the post is written months after I first wrote the first half so there might be a bit of change in tonality when I talk about Marcela, however the point still stands which is why I didn't just write a whole new post in regards to this.]

I've just never understood why she wants to prove she's right and the only thing that comes to mind is ego.

Marce has proven that Armando has been unfaithful. She often says that if she ever caught Armando in the act of infidelity that she'd end him however we have been told countless times of the women Marcela has kicked out of Eco Moda and career's of whom she's ruined because she had enough evidence, just not of Armando with his pants down. This evidence has been enough for Marce to act this way...so wouldn't that be enough to prove that Armando is unfaithful? Enough evidence to end him and their relationship? Each time he denies this, each time he ends the argument with "fine I'll leave then." and she tells him not to.

Why does she stay?

I think Marcela's possessiveness comes from losing her parents and not being able to move through that pain. Losing a loved one is not easy and she lost both her parents and was told that to honor her parents she should marry Armando, that it's what her parents wanted most in the world, for both families to be united and to work for the company.

I do think for that reason Marcela also stayed in the relationship with Armando. She felt that she was honoring her parents final wishes, however, she truly thought or believed she loved Armando and was in love with him.

She didn't understand that what she felt for him wasn't real and genuine feelings.

After taking a break from YSBLF for a couple of weeks I've had to really reflect on my personal opinions of the characters, especially Marcela.

I don't think it's surprising for me to say that I'm not a big fan of hers, even when she's nice. I understand that Armando's actions are a reason as to why she acts the way she does, however while writing for Armando's Deep Dive Character post I came to realize something that made me look at Marcela in a whole new light.

I condemn Marcela so much, without an ounce of redemption, when she's just like Armando.

Pah pah pah

Hear me out.

Not in all aspects, but in some, they are.

This is highlighted a lot when Armando becomes toxic in his relationship with Betty, after she finds the letter.

As I was writing down that part of his post I realized that Armando was acting just like Marcela was when she'd accuse him of cheating and it wasn't until I did that that I decided to take some time and reflect on Marcela and wanting to give her a fair chance instead of making a post only condemning her with only a few nice things to say about her.

Again, emotions, feelings, they are valid but actions aren't always justified, only explained.

In the art of being objective, I must also be objective with Betty and as much as I hate to do this I must run her through the mud for just this once.

Marcela isn't insecure, I think we've established that already. The reason why she stayed with Armando was more in the act of egotism and wanting to be the 'champion', above all women she'd be the one the tame the slut(I use this term without gender in mind). She stays in the relationship because of her possessiveness, like a dog who has marked her territory already, and in a sense to honor her parents, in this order, from priority to lesser.

However there's more to her behavior.

Marcela has been gaslit by Armando for a couple of months, I won't say years because at the start of the Novela it was insinuated that though they were in a relationship for two years that it was understood it was pretty casual from Armando's side since he did make a promise to stop being such a sexual-*ahmm* social butterfly outside of their relationship and to settle down and become more mature. So again I won't say years for the exact reason as even Marcela knew that Armando had his other girlfriends, even if he denied it, like everyone knew.

Obviously this would cause her to act out this way, however very immature on her part. Since with her we don't really get an upbringing, even a small hint like we did with Armando it is really hard to pin point if she was always like this or if it was solely based on Armando's cheating that made her be that way.

However, again, since she was this way from the get go, one can assume she has always been like this.

She's classist, entitled, snobby, elitist, sexist, and so much more from the start.

Due to that we will asume that this is probably due to feeling like she needs to be in a constant competition with women, for Armando. However this in itself present itself as a double edge sword of sorts, for one it causes her to have a big idea of herself. She views herself as better than most women if not all, physically that is. This grandiosity she has of herself is really the factor that causes such a strain in their relationship because let's say that Marcela wasn't so possessive, sexually and emotionally manipulative, and selfish in her relationship, do you think Armando would cheat on her?

And the argument of "why is it only the woman's fault that their partner cheats on them?" its not important rn, this question isn't implying that.

There's a possibility he would, lets be honest, he wasn't in love with Marcela.

But at least he'd love her as a friend, no?

Enough to not want to hurt her.

While yes Armando was marrying her for three reasons, one of them being his ego inflation once he won the presidency of Eco Moda instead of Daniel(though this wasn't the only reason he wanted the gig) the other his parents and lastly the fact he wanted to prove to Marcela, his parents, and himself that he was capable of being mature and settling down with one woman and he chose Marcela to be that woman.

He did want to stay faithful to her and he did want to get serious.

However, this is where the but gets here and Marcela's fanbase will get upset but too bad too sad, this is an objective analysis.

Marcela became so much more possessive of Armando after their engagement. She became very entitled of him and wanted to know where he was, with who, what(who) he was doing, and with whom. His agenda and her fight to have it, against Armando's wishes, was a perfect example of that but also went to symbolize to want lengths Marcela would go to get what she wants, without someone's consent.

With her ever growing entitlement of Armando the more desperate that man became to flee from Marcela to the point that it no longer was about proving to himself and others that he was mature and settling down with Marcela but out of duty, responsibility, and fear that he stayed in the relationship.

We can agree that Armando is just as much to blame for the dissolvement of that relationship as Marcela.

I do think that growing up in an environment where Beauty is the status quo and "perfection" isn't only expected but required has caused her to be very vain and superficial, just like with Armando. She was a daddy's girl and it was implied by Roberto that Marcela was probably her father's favorite.

I already did a post where I talked in granted detail about a father's role in their daughter's development and life[Don Hermes: A Deep Dive] and I suggest you go read it if you haven't in order to continue this next theme.

It's always healthy to grow up with both parents, especially a father figure. It helps a girl out a lot in her life. The problem begins when the father figure isn't a good parental role.

For example: A father who always succumbs to all the tantrums and wishes their daughter has will teach them that they should always get what they want without much effort, that things should be handed to them. It teaches girls that certain things are possessions, even humans, that they deserve things if they so as much just want it. It makes them grow up with a huge ego and belief that they deserve things for simply existing and breathing, even if their behavior isn't in par with it.

Allowing your child to avoid the natural consequences of their actions teaches them that they can do what ever they want.

If Marcela was a huge daddy's girl, but grew up with a father who did absolutely anything she wanted and desired for simply saying it she won't have a balanced way of thinking when it comes to her partner. She would expect him to give her everything she wants and desires for simply being in the relationship and when not met her way she'd throw a tantrum in order to still get it.

What evidence is there in show of this?

One of the very first episodes there's a scene where she's with Margarita, talking about the agenda, I believe, and Margi tells her she's not acting like a mature woman but the same spoiled immature woman as always. Marcela gets offended and angry at this but the scene changes.

The tiny glimpses we get from Marcela aren't positive ones. They indicate someone who always has been this way.

Even though I haven't really sat down to watch the later half of the novela, only the last three episodes, Marcela still carried and acted as herself. Not once did she change, especially those crucial episodes in which she breaks up with Armando.

When she has moments of lucidness, of realizing what that relationship is, Margi and Patsy Pats are always there to pull her away from that lucidness and convince her to stay in the relationship, especially Margi as she constantly manipulates Marcela's emotions to continue the relationship. HOWEVER, even when it comes to that lucidness, Marcela only wants to break up with Armando for the simple reason that it grosses her out that Armando slept with Betty. That's it. It only hurts her that she's suffered and she doesn't want to continue suffering.

Yes this is a valid reason, one should end a relationship if they are unhappy in said relationship. So what is the problem?

Selfishness, even in the breakup, Marcela shows to be selfish. She uses this infidelity that Armando had with a woman, an "ugly" one, and that is the most despicable thing to her, not that he had an affair with a woman, but an ugly one. That is the affair that shatters her self-esteem because she herself realized that it wasn't only physical but emotional. He didn't just have a sexual affair but he literally replaced her in all aspects of their life and treated her better than he treated her, the ugly woman.

That alone is hurtful. We can sympathize with her for it.

Obviously she'd want to break up with him.

However, again, the hurt she feels is a hurt of "What he has done to me" not rather a hurt of "What this relationship has done to the both of us". Time and time again Marcela fails to realize or accept that she too is to blame for their failing of that relationship.

She is a victim to Armando's gaslighting. She is a victim to the cheating.

However as explained in this post we can conclude why Marcela stays in the relationship. She doesn't stay for love, out of fear, out of the fear that no one will love her or want her. She stays out of possessiveness and egotism. She stays to have someone to control. Someone to abuse.

You cannot say Armando did not suffer abuse from Marcela.

She sexually exploited him by not respecting his no's when he'd say he didn't want to or wasn't in the mood. The man would just lay there. Even when it was over, the final times, when did get short scenes of them afterwards, while Marcela was happy, Armando looked somewhere else.

She guilt him to stay in the relationship, she'd talk badly about him to others. She had an absolute control over his social life. Her constant threats of destroying his life if they broke up if she ever physically caught him in the act of cheating weren't empty as she did just that when she had a whiff of cheating on his part.

Yes her feelings are valid, her actions? No.

Even then this woman was severely hurt, either if she herself inflicted these wounds or others did, she did deserve to get well for her sake and not for somebody else. However the huge differences between Marcela and Armando are big. They aren't tiny ones and due to this it could sound like I'm justifying or excusing one's actions while condemning another's actions; which is not the case at all.

And since I already said this post isn't focused on Armando; I won't really explain or try to breakdown his side and I'm merely using these two examples as a means to compare and see how vile Marcela's actions truly were.

The huge differences are that Armando wanted to end the relationship, not for his sake alone, but for Marcela's as well. He didn't want to cause her more harm and knew that by staying with her, even as guilty as he felt hurting her, that he was miserable and would only cause her harm due to it. He knew how his actions would harm her and in order to not harm her anymore he decided that it was best if they broke up. While Marcela only wanted to end the relationship because her ego had crumbled but even then she still didn't want to lose her hold on Armando as an object.

Armando came to not only know why his actions were bad, but understand why and how bad they were as he paid the consequences to it. He lost absolutely everything but in that he also learned what true love is and what self-love/respect means as well. Sadly Marcela never had that. She never really changed her way of thinking, even after Armando expressed to her how he felt in their relationship when they broke up for the final time, Marcela at the end of the novela said she loved Armando and due to that she was telling Betty the whole truth; however the real objective was that Eco Moda wouldn't be abandoned for the banks to shred to pieces, so it wasn't out of love or self-sacrifice for Armando's happiness. She only did it for Eco Moda, in reality she did it for her parents which shows that she can in fact love correctly when it's convenient to her. By that point she knew Armando would never get back with her, no matter how much she wanted it so she did what she had to for Eco Moda and her parents legacy.

The episodes after Betty finds the letter are so emotionally heavy for me that I cannot sit down and watch them just because it stresses me out so much for a lot of reasons, which is why I've taken a break from it.

For one: Marcela entitlement and egotism is so huge and highlighted in these episodes that I get head aches from rolling my eyes.

Two: Armando's behavior pisses me off so much.

and lastly three: Betty. Oh if I were her friend and knew what was going on I'd slap her 'til she orbited Jupiter thrice

Now that those disclaimers are out of the way let's continue analyzing the final stages of Marcela's abusive behavior.

In this love, or relationship triangle Armando is always in the middle of it. He is always split between Marce and Betty. However, what truly highlights his abusive and terrible toxic traits are very much a mirror and identical to those of Marcela.

For example, as mentioned above, when he grabs Betty by the force to kiss her in the office; Marcela constantly going down on him when he tells her he isn't in the mood. When he follows Betty around; Marcela spying on him. When he accuses Betty of cheating; Marcela's constant accusations. When he beat up Nicolas; Marcela destroying the career's of the women he had affairs with and banning them from ever working for Eco Moda.

What's different here?

Well Marcela only ever seemed to let go of an argument when Armando would conclude his gaslighting for the night by threatening to leave the apartment but she never really let go of it. She'd always save it for later; to prove he wasn't trust worthy. Often times when a person says they'll drop it or forgive the person or forget about it and they save it for later this is done in a way to guilt the person, to shame them, and humiliate them and make them feel, even if they've changed, that they will never atone for their past mistakes, that they are in debt to the person and therefore continue to do as they say or stay.

When Betty and Armando would argue or discuss something they'd often do it with the goal of resolving whatever issue it was they were having, which is something that is done in healthy relationships.

When Marcela and Armando are arguing there is constant yelling, no attempt to actually resolve the issue just end the argument because often Marcela wants to be right. She wants to be the one that is to speak and be heard and most importantly be right. This builds an atmosphere of fear, of distrust, and of guilt. Even if Armando did want to confess to her that he had cheated with so and so; it wasn't that Marcela would leave him; it's what she would do in retribution that kept him with his lips sealed.

Armando was terrified of Marcela and what she would do to him, not only in a romantic and personal way but to his entire life.

I'm not saying Marcela didn't have a right to be angry; except again, all of this time we're being told that Marcela loves Armando and her actions always come from a place of love. Does this sound like someone who loves their partner?

Since we've established the reason she stays isn't for love towards Armando we can conclude she stays for the love she feels for herself.

However this parallels to Betty as well.

When Betty comes to find the letter with every right she feels angry, hurt, violated, and hateful. However even then, as valid as her feelings are, her actions are not.

It wasn't until I read @el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle post talking about Armando also being a victim that it finally clicked. For a while I felt like I couldn't really put my finger on it, like I couldn't understand why I disliked Betty so much at this point of the novela until THEN.

Betty takes on the role of Armando in her relationship with Armando, while Armando takes on the role of Marcela.

The papers are reversed. I'll talk more about this in the Armando post but just wanted to sort of bring it on here too because it displays Marcela's abusive behavior so well.

The thing is that Marcela's actions are often celebrated because she's a vengeful woman who was done wrong by the man she loves but we can conclude that Marcela doesn't love Armando, she isn't even in love with him or the idea of him. She's in love with the idea of herself being in love with him. She's in lust with him and she feels like he belongs to her for simply "winning against all the other women."

She uses a lot of tactics that Narcissistic abuser use. I'm not saying she displays symptoms of NPD. However she is very close to it.

Marcela Valencia has good qualities to her; for example deep down she's a romantic who when seeing Freddy and Aura Maria back together she softens and talked to Aura about being serious and not hurting Freddy. Seeing the way Freddy loves Aura Maria is what truly melts her ice heart and she ends up not firing them.

She helps out Patsy Pats even though she knows that she'll mostly likely never pay her back and that Patsy just manipulates her into giving her money and to leach her.

She wants to be loved. She's responsible, hard working, and truly cares about her role in Eco Moda.

These are good qualities of hers.

However they become overshadowed and covered up by all her other terrible qualities so it's really hard to find them and that's the whole point. While Betty is supposed to be "ugly" on the outside she's supposed to be quite beautiful and astonishing on the inside and contrary Marcela is supposed to be extremely attractive on the outside while ugly on the inside.

Yes, cheating is not something anyone deserves and it's not justified. If you're unhappy in a relationship be honest and leave it before you cheat. However both Armando and Marcela had so many responsibilities with other people for the relationship to continue and knowing how they both are they both stayed for those reasons but priorities are the main reason they stayed.

Armando was terrified of ending the relationship for the consequences and retaliation of Marcela. Marcela didn't want to end the relationship because she felt like she'd lose her favorite toy and she wouldn't feel like a champion anymore. Armando cheated to escape the relationship while this just ended up making Marcela even more unbearable. Had Armando never cheated on her after he proposed to her, do you think they would have ended?

Yeah.

Armando was miserable even at the start of that relationship and due to it he didn't trust nor share anything with her and that drove Marcela nuts and would continue to do so.

Healthy relationships, above all have mutual respect for one another and that moves their love to be selfless, their desires to work in harmony, and for issues to be resolved not because of egos but in order to restore the harmony of their relationship.

If we as a fandom condemn Armando for what he did to Betty and Marcela we should also condemn Marcela and Betty for what they did to Armando.

In this love triangle of sorts they were all victims of their borderline abusive and full on abusive traits. Also they're all victims of Margarita, in all honesty she should be the one that should be blamed, along with Roberto. They both sucked as(Step) parents, role models, and advisories.

Anyway hope y'all like this post. I know it's a little all over the place but I've been writing it for months and finally decided to post the first part.

[fishfingersandscarves]

hello i am once again continuing my tradition of redesigning my favorite book's cover

[penguinkinggames]

“Cerebos: The Crystal City” Actual Play Part I: Introductions

This is the first in a series of posts recounting a session of actual play from Cerebos: the Crystal City, currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter. If you’ve been wondering what on Earth players actually do in a game of Cerebos, read on!

This session was conducted on March 20th, 2021, with Matthew Dorbin as GM, and Amelia Gorman, Ashley Flanagan, Will Mendoza, and Kevin Snow playing. The events of play were recorded by Zach Welhouse.

Preamble

For this session of Cerebos, the GM volunteered to run a session with the Adventure! Conductor. The conductor’s Atlas Obscura power invites the players and GM to work collaboratively to create a Stops table unique to their journey. They exchanged a few ideas over e-mail, which the GM codified. He added this new Stops table, which was heavy on the hells, to five other Stop tables to create an Atlas. Then he selected six Event tables to create an Almanac.

Everybody met in Discord and talked about unrelated matters for a bit. Then it was time to introduce characters. Each character clings to three touchstones: objects that represented their past in the City by the Sea. Each touchstone has a single Trait.

Dramatis Personae

Tinderling. A woman who looks like a burnt match.

Iron rail spike (Odd Jobs)

A single match (Burns at Both Ends)

Bird bone sewing needle (Piercing Insight)

The Unqualified Robot. A mechanical figure with a light projection screen for a head. It indicates expression by placing a large slide with the image of an emotion on the screen.

Expression slides (Toxic Positivity)

Backpack of unsold gadgets (Abandoned Junk)

Flask of motor oil (Guzzlin’)

The Lady in Blue. A woman who is as regal as she is soot-stained: exceedingly.

Gun with a single bullet (Single-Minded)

Feathered hat (Life of Luxury)

Burned handbag (Lost Sister)

The Lonesome Seafarer. A sea captain far from shore.

Patchwork coat (Coat of Theseus) (“I like it because it’s vague and we’ll find out what it means during play.”) 

Blue tricorner hat (Air of Authority)

Spyglass with broken lens (Grizzled Survivor)

Some players came to the table with their whole starting concept, while others were less certain about their starting Traits. Everyone helped brainstorm starting Traits for the players who were less certain. This early riffing was the first sign of the collaboration to come. 

One player noticed they gravitated toward useless items or objects of purely sentimental value. The travelers themselves were quite worn, so we were already establishing a contemplative mood. These were travelers who had been beaten down by the world, but hadn’t given up yet. Their stories would be ones of struggle and inspirational determination or grim warnings about challenging forces larger than themselves.

Goals

Based on these introductions, each player determined why another traveler was headed to Cerebos. They shared the goals with the GM over DMs, so no one knew why their traveler was on the road. The truth revealed itself over time through flashbacks

Tinderling: Her newly unionized shop got shut down by union busters. She’s looking for a place with less draconian labor laws.  

The Unqualified Robot: Cerebos is home to a famous scientist who specializes in reprogramming obsolete robots for new jobs.  

The Lady in Blue: The Lady in Blue's sister, the Lady in Red is a criminal ringleader in Cerebos. The Lady in Blue aims to kill her and take over her crime empire.  

The Lonesome Seafarer: The Lonesome Seafarer is looking for someone lost at sea, and old rival/loved one who was believed to have perished but was seen alive in the City by someone the Seafarer trusts. They have something they want to ask them.

Based on their answers to the GM’s initial questions, the players were interested in telling a story about labor, power, and human connections.

For example, the GM asked the players if they intended to pay for passage on the train. One player suggested they might have company scrip from Tinderling's employers. The GM asked if the company had a name, at which point Inferno Heavy Industries was born. It had just opened its newest station for business, to (according to the fresh posters) was "bringing luxury to a land with so little of value".

The Journey Begins

When the travelers arrive, workmen are still unloading plants and doing their best to landscape the surrounding wasteland. The local ecosystem will probably recover. Tinderling notices a panhandler passing among the large crowds, who she recognizes as a scab from the City by the Sea.

The train still has that new train smell. It has fancy cushions and a conductor who’s knowledgeable and friendly, but not pushy. Only the best for the engine’s maiden voyage!

The Lonesome Seafarer follows the automated snack cart from car to car, loading up on the bounty of the rails. The Unqualified Robot, never having been on a train before (presumably), keeps getting in the way until Tinderling recognizes a proletariat in need and guides it to a seat. The Unqualified Robot slides a winking face into its project slot, gladdened by the kindness.

The train sets off and the GM rolls for an Event in the Almanac. The train plows through the desert, passing through a region of low hills and hexagonal pits that seep gas into the air. Plague doctors patrol the perimeter, keeping pit owls from approaching the train. 

This terrain is a Danger 3 Event. If the Danger level (that is, the total Danger of all active Events) is 4 or greater by the time the train reaches a Stop, the Stop will be especially dangerous. If the Event’s individual Danger is reduced to 0, one of the travelers will receive a keepsake of the encounter.

At this point, everybody takes an action with comments, suggestions, and general role-playing filling the space in between.

First Round of Train Actions

Tinderling is familiar with gas from mines and factories. It may be dangerous! She suggests people put on wet masks. She takes the Engage Event action and rolls a Success to lower the danger to 2. Several passengers see the wisdom of this advice and mask up.  

The Lady in Blue shares a story with whoever’s sitting next to her (it doesn’t matter, really) about the importance of staying calm and composed during times of danger. Take it easy, eat a little food. It will all work out. She uses the conductor’s Easy Confidence Train Action to understand Tinderling. Just a little. She gains a bonus to the next time they work together.  

The Lonesome Seafarer believes the unruly owls to be a problem. She shouts out the window and waves her hat at them: “Hey! Owls! Listen to those plague doctors! They have good medical advice!” Another Success. The Event’s danger lowers to 1.  

The Unqualified Robot, shocked by all the action, takes the Lady in Blue’s advice. It tries creating a meal from the snack cart, mashing snacks against its face until it’s a custardy mess. The Lady in Blue offers a napkin and they talk through the comedy of manners. Next, the Robot tries its flask. Empty. The Lady in Blue suggests whiskey for the both of them. They both Share a Meal and earn a keepsake: a tasty beverage that provides a one-time reroll of a 1 or 2.

The first round of Train Actions has ended. The train speeds on into the evening. A few owls follow, hovering just out of reach.

Second Round of Train Actions

Tinderling asks the Lonesome Seafarer about her spyglass. The Seafarer has a flashback to a terrible sea battle against a kraken. She orders her crew to battle stations!   Second mate Scurvy doubts her, shouting, “Are you mad, captain? We can’t fight this!” The captain disagrees, jumping into action and fighting back the kraken almost single-handedly, saving the topsman from a tentacle that may very well be an arm. After the battle, Scurvy is nowhere to be found.   During this flashback, Tinderling set up most of the action, while the Lonesome Seafarer filled in with her actions. Everyone else offered suggestions, commentary, jokes, and bit parts like sailors screaming in terror. Everybody spitballs ideas about what this scene reveals about the Lonesome Seafarer and agrees: the spyglass gains two ranks of the Tunnel Vision trait.  

The Unqualified Robot sees passengers all around it talking, and emulates them by asking the Lady in Blue a nice, innocent question about the gun she’s carrying. It seems like a safe conversation opener, but draws her into a flashback!   The Lady in Blue is playing cards in a seedy tavern. One hand is on her gun, which she’s holding under the table and pointing at her opponent. It’s a game of chance, but the Lady in Blue is exuberantly talking about her masterful strategy. Her opponent throws his hands in the air in disgust, knocking over several drinks. He goes to pick his mug off the ground, narrowly missing as the Lady in Blue passes her gun off to an accomplice who walks past. Her name isn’t Margaret and the Lady in Blue’s name isn’t Angela, but that’s how they refer to one another.   The Lady in Blue’s player had no idea how this game would turn out while it was happening. The accomplice was probably the lost sister alluded to in her Lost Sister trait, but only future flashbacks would tell. Everyone talks about what they learned about the Lady in Blue, and her gun gains two ranks of the Nick of Time trait.

At this point in the journey, two flashbacks have flashed back. The GM rolls on the Almanac for an Event, prompting an announcement from the conductor: “Hello passengers. It’s rare for a train to get lost, but we have.”

Inferno Heavy Industries hired several competing rail gangs for its line, leading to a labyrinthine snarl of tracks. Worse, the turbulence woke a swarm of chandler beetles that had been roosting in the overhead bins. Their waxy secretions have a way of ruining any train ride or picnic, most immediately threatening the Lady in Blue’s sippin’ whiskey. This is a Danger 3 event, which raises the Danger level on the train to 4.

The second round of train actions then continues:

The Lonesome Seafarer continues her conversation with Tinderling, ignoring the beetles for the time being, prompting a flashback. Encouraged by the Lonesome Seafarer’s tale of adversity, Tinderling recalls a time she had to stitch up a friend in the mines with her bird bone sewing needle. Inferno Heavy Industries at fault. That’s when she got the idea to blow up the mine and let those hateful ghouls know their workers had dignity.   Everyone decides the bird bone sewing needle gains two ranks of A Rough Patch.  

The Lady in Blue decides needs must. She sacrifices her hat to scoop up the chandler beetles that are threatening her drink. It’s a snap decision that she instantly regrets. That hat was a link to who she used to be, and possibly who she would like to continue being. It was an exclusive. A very nice hat.   The Lady in Blue rolls an 8 on her roll to release a touchstone. It’s an Ugly Break, so one of her other touchstones gains one Momentum. Even though her luxurious hat has been tainted by insects, she still has her fancy bag.   On the bright side, she gains one Contemplation for taking a step away from her all-controlling past. She doesn’t know much about who she is or who she wants to be, but her hat and the memories connected to it certainly aren’t going to hold her back.

The second round of train actions has now concluded! The Danger level is still 4.

Third Round of Train Actions

Tinderling finishes her conversation with the Lonesome Seafarer and looks across the car to the Unqualified Robot. It’s sipping whiskey from its refilled flask, watching the Lady in Blue go after the beetles with her hat.   Tinderling notices the flask looks like an oil can. The Unqualified Robot notices it’s being watched and becomes self-conscious.   It thinks back to when it liberated the oil can from an Inferno Heavy Industries factory. It was scrounging for oil, always finding just enough to keep it going. Even though the factory was out of commission, automated guards were still protecting its assets. The guards were large and dystopian, while the Unqualified Robot was small and scrappy. It scraped oil off the silent factory machinery with a tiny spoon. It listened to messages on the foreman’s answering machine. The electricity bill is due in three days. The Robot dutifully writes down the messages from the answering machine and takes a sip of oil.   Everyone agrees the Unqualified Robot’s story is going to go some dark places. The oil can flask gains two ranks of Drowning Sorrows.

Two more flashbacks have occurred, so the GM rolls for another Event. The players recognize the Danger is adding up, but are cavalier about it. “How bad can it be?” That’s how they get ants. Ants that are crossing the tracks in a line that stretches to the horizon. They’re carrying the components to build a death ray. Components that look suspiciously similar to the inner workings of a robot. The Event’s Danger is 1; the train’s overall Danger is 5.

The third round of train actions continues:

The Unqualified Robot Engages the Event. The ants know Morse code, as does the Robot so communication is not a problem. Understanding is more difficult. The Robot slides a diplomatic slide onto its projector screen and solemnly taps out, “Please don’t build a death ray with the components of robots. They are living creatures, demanding of dignity.” It rolls a 1 and a 2. A Setback.   The Robot takes a long pull from its whiskey, using the meal keepsake to reroll the 1. Its new results are a 2 and a 2, which is still a Setback. Worse, it’s rolled doubles. If the Robot chooses not to reroll at this point, it’ll gain a point of Momentum in addition to the penalty from the Setback. However, it still has several Traits it could use.   The Unqualified Robot decides a Setback makes more sense. It receives one Damage and gains a point of Momentum to its face plates. Everyone shares a good-natured laugh at how unlucky the robot is and how it will receive a Bad End at this rate.  

The Lady in Blue feels a looming sense of dread and takes a Stop the Train Action. The conductor cheerfully reminds everyone that due to paperwork they signed when purchasing their tickets, the train will be making a brief, unscheduled stop to investigate several findings of industrial importance. Naturally, the NDA also applies.  

Ordinarily, after calling for a Stop, any travelers who have yet to take their train action for the round would receive the opportunity to do so before the train pulls into the station; however, in the group’s eagerness to get away from the assorted owls and insects, the Lonesome Seafarer’s turn was accidentally skipped!

The First Stop

Inferno Heavy Industries scientists unload delicate instruments and set up camp. This is a burial ground, but the skeletons interred in the sands have beards and wigs made of precious metals. If they could determine how to extract metal from living bone, profits would be sure to follow.

In normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be an especially dangerous Stop. However, the travelers let the Event Danger pile up. The last remaining owls have lost interest and the conductor deals with the chandler beetles, but bad karma and the ants remain -- and they’ve decided to complement their death ray with silver and gold, both fine conductors..

In fact, the silver and gold threads are so conducive that several of the skeletons spring to unlife, animated by the scientist’s tools. They give of sparks and judder through the sands, inconveniencing scientists, passengers, and ants alike. Passengers watch the train in shifts, keeping the electric dead at bay with long poles.

The Stop has Danger 5. Since it’s so high, the travelers are unable to rest and take in the sights. Moreover, they’ll need to be very lucky if they want to leave with a fond keepsake or without suffering Damage. The train will remain for one round of Stop Actions. Tune in next time to find out how the travelers fare!

[trekscribbles]

Triple Threat: A Stone Triplets Fic (Chapter 2)

Fandoms: Leverage/Leverage Redemption, Librarians, and Almost Paradise

Cross-Posted: Ao3 and FF

Summary: Eliot and Jake are both in the Philippines for separate jobs that turn out to be related. Kai takes the existence of Alex's brothers as a personal attack on her mental health. Ernesto happily goes along for the ride.

Read Chapter 1 here.

Chapter 2: Double Trouble

The last time Eliot saw Alex was when they were 16 years old. Alex had been living with Uncle Danny for 6 years at that point, so the brothers didn't have much of a relationship even then, and the reunion had been awkward and tense. Jake was the one who tried to keep them together, who talked their father into hosting Christmas that year. He was the one who'd called Alex and begged him to come home for a week. Just a week.

They'd lasted three days.

At the time Eliot had blamed Alex—immature, bull-headed Alex, whose verbal and then physical fights with their father had led to his living with Uncle Danny in the first place. If he could have just learned to keep his mouth shut, most of the fights wouldn't have happened. Eliot and Jake had learned that lesson—why couldn't Alex? He always had to have the last word, no matter what the cost.

That last visit was what finally convinced Eliot to leave home. He thought about college, but eventually decided to enlist as soon as he turned 18 (without telling their father). Jake was supposed to go with him, but he'd wanted to see Alex one more time before they left. When months went by and Alex didn't come back, Eliot left both his brothers behind.

Age had given Eliot perspective, but by the time he was ready to apologize, Jake wouldn't take his calls. Alex had already joined the DEA, and a series of undercover assignments for both of them made it impossible for Eliot to reach out. And then he got involved with Moreau, and getting in touch was no longer an option. It would have put them in too much danger, and that was one thing Eliot would never do. But after a while, even that became an excuse. After he escaped Moreau, after Nate created a team and a family for him, he let the silence continue. He'd made that choice on his own.

And now apparently Alex was in the Philippines. Permanently, according to the detective who introduced herself as Kai Mendoza. That was all she would tell him (through gritted teeth, as though Eliot had committed some unforgivable sin by asking). "We have to take care of this mess," she'd grumbled. "Then we'll take you to see Alex."

She hadn't asked if Eliot wanted to see Alex, and part of him was glad for that. If he'd been given the option, he wasn't sure he'd have said yes. It would have been easy to say that he was too busy, that he couldn't stay, that it was better for them not to meet. But now that the offer was there, Eliot couldn't turn it down. One way or another, he was going to see his brother today.

Kai and her partner Ernesto drove him and the two men they'd arrested to the police station, where Eliot was firmly told to stay in the car. Kai paused after giving the order as if waiting for him to argue, even after he nodded and promised to stay put. Apparently Alex hadn't changed much since they were kids.

While the others were inside, Eliot took a few minutes to call Hardison and update him on the job. It was just the two of them on this one, with Hardison pulling the strings from somewhere in Vietnam while Eliot worked on the ground in Cebu.

Hardison picked up on the first ring. "All done? I booked you a flight back to New Orleans on—"

"I ran into a little snag," Eliot interrupted.

"What kind of snag?"

Eliot explained most of his encounter with Kai and Ernesto, but he couldn't bring himself to include the fact that he'd been mistaken for one of his long-lost triplet brothers. Hardison knew he had siblings, but Eliot hadn't ever gone into details about them. He wasn't sure what he'd say now, and he knew Hardison would have questions. Best to leave it be. He'd give Hardison a more in-depth explanation later.

"So now what?" Hardison asked.

"Now we wait and see if they can salvage the sting. If they arrest Flores, our work is done."

"And if they don't?"

"I'll let you know."

There was a pause, as if Hardison was trying to decide whether or not to voice his next thought. "Is there something else?"

Eliot sighed. He tried not to lie to Hardison or Parker, but he didn't want to have this conversation now. "Not about the job," he answered. "I'll explain later."

To his credit, Hardison didn't argue, even though he had to be burning with curiosity. "Okay. Call back when you have more to share."

"Yeah."

It was another twenty minutes before Kai and Ernesto emerged from the police station, both wearing grim expressions. They were talking as they approached the car, and Eliot caught the tail end of their conversation through the open windows.

"I didn't want to bring him in on this," Kai was saying.

Ernesto shrugged. "We don't really have a choice anymore."

"Things get messy when his family is involved. It'll only complicate things."

Interesting. Which of his relatives had already come to the island? Evidently Eliot's family had a knack for disrupting the locals.

"Ocampo's orders," Ernesto said. He opened the passenger door and slid into the car, turning to look over his shoulder at Eliot. "We'll take you to see Alex, but you're going to have to come back to the station and explain what you were doing with Flores."

Eliot crossed his arms. "Figured you'd want to know that first."

"We do," Kai said, with a frown at her partner. "You owe the delay to Alex. He's helped us out in the past, and Ernesto thinks we should tell him you're here before he finds out from someone else."

"The surprise could kill him," Ernesto said mildly.

"You just want to see his face when we show up with his doppelganger."

"Don't you?" Ernesto asked. Kai huffed and dropped into the driver's seat.

They lapsed into silence during the drive, which Eliot appreciated. His stomach had begun an uneasy churn, though he told himself it was just because of the heat. There was nothing to be nervous about. Sure Eliot hadn't reached out, but neither had Alex. Neither had Jake, for that matter. Eliot had gone home once, just after he got out of the service, and found Jake had taken over the oil company. Their neighbors said that Jake was turning things around, digging out of debt and even managing a profit, and Eliot accepted the blessing and drove out of town without stopping by the house. It was enough that Jake was happy. He didn't need Eliot coming back and ruining things for him.

Kai pulled into the parking lot of another hotel, dodging groups of brightly dressed tourists as she went. "He owns the gift shop here at the resort," Ernesto explained, flashing a friendly smile over his shoulder. Kai didn't look at him as she got out of the car, but Eliot was happy to keep his silence. He trailed behind her as she led the way through the resort, winding around pools and umbrella-covered tables, slowing every few moments so Ernesto could greet someone. Apparently the friendliness wasn't an act—or else it was a very good one. But something about the man felt genuine, as if he couldn't be bothered to put up a front.

Kai, on the other hand... she was harder to read. Especially now that she wasn't giving Eliot anything to work with except the occasional glare.

Before long the bustle of the resort faded as concrete transitioned to sand beneath their feet. A small building rose ahead of them, still against the backdrop of gentle waves and lazy clouds. A soft breeze ruffled Eliot's hair, filling his lungs with salt and sunshine. He wanted to stop, to look out at the water and breathe in the sea spray and the silence, but the others kept walking.

No wonder Alex had picked this spot. If retirement was in Eliot's future, he could see himself in a place like this.

Ernesto reached the door, and Eliot took one last windswept breath to brace himself.

"You look nervous," Kai murmured.

No he didn't. He knew he didn't, because the only emotions he gave away were the ones he wanted people to see. And he was most definitely not nervous. But her eyes lingered on his, and something softened in her expression.

"Don't worry," she said, giving him a small, hesitant smile. "It'll be fine."

"Alex," Ernesto called, and Eliot's stomach gave another roll. This was a mistake. He shouldn't have come. He tried to back away, but Kai put her hand on his arm and cut off his retreat, guiding him inside.

The gift shop was empty besides one man restocking a rack of post cards. He stood with his back to them, but it was impossible to mistake him for anyone else. He had the same build as Eliot, the same brown hair he'd have to fight to keep straight in this humidity, the same scarred hands from years of work and fighting.

"Hey!" Alex said without turning around. "Check it out, I got new cards."

Ernesto started across the room, gesturing for Eliot to follow. "How come you didn't tell us you had a twin?"

Alex looked at him. "A twin? I don't have a tw—"

His eyes fell on Eliot, and his words died. Eliot could feel Kai watching them, waiting for a reaction, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Hey, how've you been the last 30 years? Oh, me? Well, first I was an international assassin, and now I work with a group of thieves who steal from the rich and give to the poor. I still punch people for a living though. How about you?

Something started beeping. Eliot started—no, not started, just looked around for the source—but Alex slapped his hand to his wrist and the sound stopped.

"Everything okay?" Ernesto asked. Alex made a noncommittal sound, glancing at him before returning his attention to Eliot. His eyes seemed bluer than Eliot remembered. It was probably just the lighting, but since it was the only thought that didn't spiral out of control, it was the one Eliot clung to. Blue eyes like their mother's, like the pond water in the back yard. Blue eyes that had been red with anger and hurt the last time he'd seen them.

"Which one are you?" Alex asked.

Behind him, Kai made a choking sound. Ernesto shushed her.

"But—" she sputtered. "Are there more of them?"

Eliot refocused on his brother. "You don't recognize me?"

"You both look the same," Alex deadpanned.

"Well, we're in the Philippines and I'm speaking English."

For a long moment Alex simply stared at him as if trying to read the details of their separation in his face. Then he reached out, and Eliot braced himself for the punch. He wouldn't fight back—not at first, not unless things got out of hand. He could take a hit or two, let Alex burn off some of his anger, and then try talking. They weren't 16 anymore. They could handle this like adults.

But Alex didn't hit him. His arms flashed out past Eliot's head, wrapping around his shoulders, pulling him tight. "Eliot," he murmured, crushing him in a hug that drove the breath from Eliot's lungs. He didn't care. He grabbed two fistfuls of Alex's shirt and squeezed, pressing everything he couldn't voice into the embrace.

"It's good to see you," Alex said at last, gruffly. He pulled away without taking his hands from Eliot's shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh... work."

Alex frowned at the hesitation. "What kind of work?"

Eliot sent a look over his shoulder, where Kai and Ernesto still waited. They clearly had some kind of relationship with Alex, but how far did that extend? Likely not far enough to keep from arresting Eliot for the half-dozen laws he'd broken to secure his meeting with Flores. "I'll tell you later."

"Now's as good a time as any," Kai said. "You can tell us now or at the station, whichever you prefer."

"We can give them a little longer," Ernesto argued.

"Flores is still out there. The longer we wait, the more time he has to act."

"Who's Flores?" Alex asked. He let his hands slide from Eliot's shoulders, a frown settling over his face.

Kai gave him a pointed look. "I'll tell you later."

"I think you should tell me now."

"I don't care what—"

Ernesto held his hands up, putting himself between the two of them. "Kai, we can give them a few more minutes to catch up. We'll be outside, Alex. Ten minutes." He looked at Eliot. "Then you come to the station with us. Understand?"

"Fine," Alex said. "Ten minutes. I got it."

Though Kai looked like she wanted to argue, she allowed Ernesto to guide her toward the door. "Nice friends you've got," Eliot muttered.

He'd meant it as a joke, but Alex gave a serious nod. "Yeah. They are. They're closer than some of my family."

Apparently they were going to fight after all. "I didn't know how to contact you," Eliot said.

"You're smart. You couldn't figure something out?"

"Couldn't you?" Eliot countered. "The last I heard you were undercover. Reaching out would have put you in danger."

"I'm retired now," Alex said.

"So I hear."

Alex crossed his arms over his chest. "I did try to find you. There was a rumor going around that you'd died."

"I didn't. Well, I did once, but it didn't stick."

"How long ago was that?"

"While you were still undercover."

Alex gave a frustrated growl. "Fine. We both could have done more, alright? Just... fill me in on the case."

The case was a safe topic, so Eliot embraced the change without complaint. He gave his brother the basics as he knew them: Robert Flores was looking to set up a base to smuggle drugs to the United States. Hardison had been tracking him throughout Asia, but when business kept him in Vietnam he'd contacted Eliot about finishing the job. "Should have been simple enough," Eliot said. "Set up a meeting, figure out his weakness, take him down."

"But you weren't the only one after him," Alex said. He heaved a sigh. "How mad was Kai when you showed up?"

An involuntary smile pulled at Eliot's lips. "She thought I was you. I think she wanted to kill me more than Flores's men did."

Alex chuckled, sobering a moment later. "So this is what you do? You go after international criminals?"

"More or less."

"With who? I mean—CIA? Interpol?"

"It's kind of a freelance operation."

Alex shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It's a lot to explain," Eliot said. "And I will, I promise. Soon as we have the time."

"Right." Alex gave him another long look, and a small grin appeared on his face. "It's good to see you, man. It's been too long."

Eliot didn't try to stop his answering grin. "You go by Walker now?"

"You'd already taken Mom's name. Didn't leave me with much of a choice."

"Yeah, but... Walker? As in Texas Ranger?"

Alex hissed and shot a look toward the door. "Don't say it out loud, man. I've got a reputation to keep up here."

Eliot laughed, but Ernesto chose that moment to knock and peek into the gift shop, effectively ending the conversation. "You two finished?" he called.

"For now," Alex answered. "Where's Kai?"

"She went to get some coffee. She'll be back any minute."

Alex nodded. "Good. I wanna be back before the afternoon rush."

"You're not coming," Ernesto said. "I don't think Kai can handle two of you."

Eliot folded his arms. "For the record, I'm not Alex's double. If anything he's my double. I'm older."

"By eight minutes," Alex snapped.

"That's older."

Alex huffed a wordless reply, and Eliot felt a glow of something familiar in his chest. This was an argument they'd had hundreds of times—Eliot, being the oldest, started it most often when they were kids. Jake had come next, and then Alex—Baby Alex, they called him, whenever he was being annoying. Eliot was pleased to find the joke still funny.

Even better, Alex seemed to still find it annoying. Eliot couldn't say why that felt so comforting. Maybe it was just that he was thankful to see a glimpse of the old Alex, the one he'd known before they let their father and their pride get in the way of their relationship. Maybe it was the fact that Alex was relaxed enough to have this conversation in front of Ernesto. Maybe Alex had found a team the way Eliot had.

Maybe it was a good thing he'd come here after all.

[richincolor]

Learning About the Present Through Our Past

There are people who would say that students in the U.S. do not get a comprehensive education when it comes to history. So how can we understand our present and work toward our future without a clear view of our past? There may be some schools or teachers who are doing an excellent job, but in many cases we still have a very long way to go. This makes access to thorough and accurate accounts all the more important for young readers. Here are two recent books that could help fill in some gaps.

Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon [available Sept. 28] (Review copy provided by Candlewick)

Publisher summary: In this comprehensive, inspiring, and all-too-relevant history of the Black Panther Party, Kekla Magoon introduces readers to the Panthers’ community activism, grounded in the concept of self-defense, which taught Black Americans how to protect and support themselves in a country that treated them like second-class citizens. For too long the Panthers’ story has been a footnote to the civil rights movement rather than what it was: a revolutionary socialist movement that drew thousands of members—mostly women—and became the target of one of the most sustained repression efforts ever made by the U.S. government against its own citizens.

Revolution in Our Time puts the Panthers in the proper context of Black American history, from the first arrival of enslaved people to the Black Lives Matter movement of today. Kekla Magoon’s eye-opening work invites a new generation of readers grappling with injustices in the United States to learn from the Panthers’ history and courage, inspiring them to take their own place in the ongoing fight for justice.

A few thoughts: Aside from the middle grade book One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia and Kekla Magoon's own teen novels The Rock and the River and Fire in the Streets, not much literature exists for young readers featuring the Black Panthers. That was why I was very excited to see this available for teens, but I think adults will also appreciate it. Revolution in Our Time begins with one of the events that brought the Panthers to national attention, but also goes back hundreds of years explaining many actions and events in history that led to that moment. Readers can see how the organization came together, shaped their collective identity, and got to work.

It's a very comprehensive look at the members and their day-to-day activities, victories, losses, and the many challenges they ran up against. It also includes a look into the many instances of governmental opposition. The Panthers were strong and did want to be seen that way, but their opponents painted them as violent and dangerous and that image is the only picture that many folks still hold in their memories. Here people can see a much more complete and accurate view.

The actual details and the stories are awesome by themselves, but the way that Magoon connects the past to our present makes this an incredibly powerful work. The final sections of the book are a call to action. The Black Panthers' average age was 19. Young people can do amazing things. There's a lot to learn by looking at the past and there's so much potential and opportunity for young people to make change happen today.

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo Norton Young Readers

Publisher summary: America in 1982: Japanese car companies are on the rise and believed to be putting U.S. autoworkers out of their jobs. Anti–Asian American sentiment simmers, especially in Detroit. A bar fight turns fatal, leaving a Chinese American man, Vincent Chin, beaten to death at the hands of two white men, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz.

Paula Yoo has crafted a searing examination of the killing and the trial and verdicts that followed. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years’ probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage. The protests that followed led to a federal civil rights trial—the first involving a crime against an Asian American—and galvanized what came to be known as the Asian American movement.

Extensively researched from court transcripts, contemporary news accounts, and in-person interviews with key participants, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.

A few thoughts: It's clear that Paula Yoo did an incredible amount of research and she carefully unraveled many layers of this complicated story. Vincent Chin was brutally killed and though to some it may seem like an isolated event, it happened during a time when there was increasing anti-Asian sentiment brewing. Yoo takes the time to explain many things that had happened contributing to the creation of this environment. She uses the personal history of Vincent's family and even goes back through U.S. history as a whole to see the threads of hatred and racism that had been there over time.

The narrative includes many people involved in the case and explores their lives and actions--and where possible--their motivations. Seeing Vincent's friends and family up close makes the loss very difficult to witness even just via the page.

A powerful aspect of this book is seeing the way people pulled together and spoke up. They formed Asian American advocacy organizations and some aspects of the justice system were even changed as a result of the work done around Vincent's case. Unfortunately, this book is very timely. It was published during a time of rising violence and racism against people of Asian descent in the U.S. Yoo shows readers that our present has come about because of our past, but our past can also inform and inspire us.

Here are links to a few more YA nonfiction history books that we've featured in the past:

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz adapted by Debbie Reese and Jean Mendoza

We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by Claire Hartfield

Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles by Tanya Stone

Infinite Hope: A Black Artist's Journey from WWII to Peace by Ashley Bryan

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, & Harmony Becker

Pipestone: My Life in an Indian Boarding School by Adam Fortunate Eagle

Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White by Lila Quintero Weaver

The March graphic novel series books 1-3 by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell

In addition to books written specifically for the YA market, there are also some fantastic historical picture books for children, teens, and even adults. Here are a few that are exceptional:

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom by Teresa Robeson illustrated by Rebecca Huang

Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford and R. Gregory Christie

I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer illustrated by Gillian Newland

Twenty-two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank by Paula Yoo illustrated by Jamel Akib

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Tradition by Kevin Noble Mailland illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Hong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung illustrated by Chris Sasaki

A Day for Rememberin': Inspired by the True Events of the First Memorial Day by Leah Henderson illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome

Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War by Duncan Tonatiuh

If you are aware of other books we should watch for, please let us know.

[todaysdocument]

Report Re. Argentina, 6/21/1944

“La Rioja was originally settled for the purpose of developing gold and other deposits . . . poverty . . . prevails and is becoming worse as continuous deforestation is leading to progressive deminishment of rainfall.”

File Unit: 800 Political Affairs 1944 Part IV, June-July, 6/1944 - 7/1944

Series: General Records, 1936 - 1964

Record Group 84: Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State, 1788 - ca. 1991

Transcription:

File: No. 102

AMERICAN VICE CONSULATE

[[underline:  CONFIDENTIAL]]                                    Mendoza, Argentina,

                                                                                    June 21, 1944.

SUBJECT:  Brief Report on Three Days'

Visit to [underline: La Rioja]

The Honorable

       Norman Armour

           American Ambassador

               Buenos Aires.

Sir:

    I have the honor to submit a brief report on my

visit to La Rioja, June 17-19, 1944.

    Having seven letters of introduction to leading citizens

from various persons in Mendoza, i was able to meet

a fairly representative group in this city of some sixteen

thousand inhabitants. I spent most of the time chatting,

either in the homes of the men to whom i had letters, or

in the "Club Social", where many men gather at all times

of the day and evening to play cards and take refreshments.

    I found that approximately a quarter of the members

of the club had very little interest in chatting with me

or joining the group for the obvious reason that i was

an American, but approximately three quarters were cordial

and appeared friendly. I was told that perhaps ten percent

of the members of the club-which well represents

the business and professional men of the city-are very pro-nazi

and almost all of the balance pro-allied, with very few

neutrals.

    Among the six or eight men who were most friendly

towards the united States, at least according to their

own declarations and their superficial behavior, i was

shocked to find many misconceptions regarding our national

aims in Argentina, and a strong special prejudice against

what they termed "Yankee economic imperialism::. This

concept was rather vague in their minds and i was able

to dissipate a number of its component parts, such as the

question of foot-and-mouth disease, the main residue being

a prejudice against American mining companies. They consider

that the lead production in Jujuy and the smaller

productions by American capital of wolfram, copper and

other minerals in the northern Andean region represents

the absorption by our country of one of the main riches

of Argentina. Men who were genuinely friendly in all

other respects became so bitter on this subject that I

                         [underline: could]

[page 2]

-2-

could not resort to reason, nor offer any defense.

Perhaps one explanation for their bitterness is the

fact that La Rioja was originally settled for the purpose

of developing gold and other deposits and that ever

since colonial times the people have been looking

forward to the day when great mining developments would

lift them from the backwardness and extreme poverty

which prevails and is becoming worse as continuous

deforestation is leading to progressive deminishment of

rainfall. Doubtless the Pro-Nazi elements have stimulated

this bitterness, although i am sure that it existed long

before the beginning of the present war.

    A secondary criticism of the United States among individuals

who should be our friends is that the "Good Neighbor

Policy" is completely artificial and does not

represent either the feelings of the American people or

the true intent of the "trusts" which are said to be determining

our policies. The word "trusts" was often

repeated, suggesting to me that it had been introduced

through some form of propaganda.

    I am told that very few British live in La Rioja

and that none of them are important. The same may be

said of Germans. Of the three most friendly persons i

asked whether any axis interests should be investigated

with respect to the Proclaimed List, but was told that

there were none-with the exception of the "Tintoreria

Japonesa" of Calle Dalmacio Velez, a small cleaning and

pressing shop which is operated by Japanese.

    I am preparing a list of contacts, with my comments,

for the Vice Consulate's files, which may be of use if

an officer of the Embassy should have occasion to visit

La Rioja. The outstanding contact is Carlos Vallejo of

Calle P.B. Luna 875, former national senator and governor.

His wife is the only American in the province. Their

daughter "Beba"" teaches English in the Colegio Normal.

She says that approximately four hundred students of all

ages are studying English in La Rioja, which is a high

proportion, although the proportion studying French is

higher still. She would be the best contact regarding

the possible establishment of an American cultural

institute.

    My visit was successful, I believe, in the contacts

and friendly relationships established as well as in the

gathering of material for Confidential Biographies, which

was the main objective.

                    Respectfully yours,

                        [cursive signature : Richard H. Post]

                                                       American Vice Consul

RHP:jkc

File no. 800