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world-of-puppets · 4 years

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Puppetry Lost Media

In honour of reaching 50 followers last week (now 55 followers, as of writing this) I decided to cover two subjects of great interest to me: puppetry (of course) and lost media.

Everybody online loves a good old bit of lost media. Whether it be being a part of the many searches for the media in question, or watching documentaries about them on sites like YouTube. I’ve been mildly addicted to the latter kind of content for a while. From what I’ve seen, though, there aren’t many videos or articles out there specifically covering lost puppetry. So, in no particular order, here are a couple of pieces of lost puppetry I found while scrolling through the lost media wiki.

銀河少年隊 - Ginga shounen-tai AKA Galaxy Boy Troop (1963 - 1965)

Osamu Tezuka is one of the most pioneering figures in Japanese art and animation. Starting as a manga artist in the 1940s inspired by the animated works of American studios such as Walt Disney and the Fliecer Brothers, he adapted and simplified many of the stylistic techniques of both artists to create his own signature style of big shiny eyes, physics defying hair and limited animation. A style that would go on to heavily influence the world of anime and manga as a whole.

But animation and graphic art were not the only mediums Tezuka would dabble in. Ginga Shounen-Tai, or Galaxy Boy Troop in english, was a television series that aired on the public broadcast channel NHK from April 7th, 1963 to April 1st, 1965. Running for 2 seasons with a total of 92 episodes.

The series was a mixture of marionette characters that utilised the Supermarionation marionette technique, popularised by Jerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds, and limited traditional animation. The story revolves around a child genius named Roy who leads a rag-tag group of heros around the galaxy in a rocket ship in order to revive the earth’s sun and later protect it from alien invaders.

Out of the 92 episodes that aired, only episode 67 still exists in its entirety with French subtitles, and the full episode can be found on YouTube with English subtitles uploaded by user Rare TezukaVids. According to user F-Man on the Tezuka in English forums, footage of episode 28 exists but with no audio, and episode 87’s animated segments exist without the marionette segments. F-Man also claims the reason for Galaxy Boy Troop’s disappearance is due to Tezuka not being proud of the series and having all episodes of it destroyed.

Personally, I think it’s a shame that pretty much all of this series is gone. From what I’ve seen in episode 67, it looks really charming. Tezuka’s signature character design style was adapted suprisingly well to marionettes, and the puppetry itself isn’t that bad either. I love the little face mechanisms like the blinking eyes, flapping mouths and others. It gives the puppets a lot of personality and charm. Like, just look at this old mans eyebrow mechanism and tell me you wouldn’t want to watch 92 episodes of this show;

Tinseltown (2007)

Tinseltown was a 15 minute sitcom pilot created by the Jim Henson company under thier Henson Alternative banner. The pilot was commissioned by the Logo Network and aired as part of the Alien Boot Camp programming block in 2007.

The pilot (and likely the series, had it been picked up by the logo network) features a cast of both puppets and live actors as characters. The premise revolves around Samson Kight, an anthropomorphic bull preformed by Brian Henson and drew Massey, and his partner Bobby Vegan, an anthropomorphic pig prefomed by Bill Barretta and Michelan Sisti, as they attempt to balance thier lives working in Hollywood with life as parents to thier sullen 12-year-old foster son, Foster, played by Paul Butcher. Other human characters included Mia Sara as Samson’s ex-wife Lena and Francesco Quinn as the family’s manservant Arturo.

The Tinseltown pilot used to be available on the Logo Network’s YouTube channel, but was later removed for unknown reason. Since then, the pilot has not been made available online. However the characters Samson and Bobby have made appearances in other Henson related works, such as the improv stage show Stuffed and Unstrung, where they played the role as the shows producers, and in a 2011 video on the Jim Henson Company YouTube channel celebrating Jim Hensons 75th birthday.

I find Tinseltown pretty interesting as I feel like it should be more noateable or known, considering that this is (as far as my knowledge goes) the first Jim Henson Company project featureing openly lgbtq characters as its leads, and would have been the first Henson show to do so had it been picked up. As someone who’s interested in lgbtq+ representation in creative media such as animation, I realised that there’s not many examples of canon lgbt characters in puppetry. The only ones aside from Samson and Bobby I could think off the top of my head would be Deet’s Dads from The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and Rod from Avenue Q. Though, obviously, there could be more I’m not currently aware of. I don’t think the Tinseltown pilot was a masterpiece or anything. After all, there’s probably a couple of good reasons Logo didn’t pick it up for a full series. But I think it be cool if either Henson co. or Logo made this available online again, if just so we could appericate it as an interesting little footnote in the history of lgbtq rep in puppetry.

With that said, considering the pilot’s obscurity and the fact that it’s main couple haven’t been used in any Henson Related projects in almost ten years, as well as the possibility that there may be legalities preventing the Henson company from releasing it such as Logo still owning the rights, it’s unlikely we’ll see the Tinseltown pilot anytime soon.

Sonic Live in Sydney (1997 - 2000)

Sonic the Hedgehog is a fictional character no stranger to multiple interpretations of him and his universe across a diverse range of media. From the more light-hearted and comedic stylings of The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Cartoon Networks Sonic Boom cartoon series, to more serious faire such as the Sonic SatAM cartoon and the Sonic Adventure videogame duology. One of the more obscure and stranger adaptations of the character came in the form of Sonic Live in Sydney, a one an a half hour live show hosted at the former Sega World Sydney amusement park in Darling Harbor, Sydney, Australia. Originally beginning as a live show with actors in meet-and-greet style costumes, the show eventually was replaced with a puppet show during its last two years.

The shows plot was set in an alternate timeline whos continuity was a mix of the SatAM cartoon and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, where Doctor Robotnik’s Death Egg crash lands in Sydney, Australia instead of Angel Island and attempts to take over before being foiled by sonic and friends. According to Phillip Einfeld of Phillip Einfeld Puppetoons, the company that made the puppets, Sega felt the costumed actor version of the show wasn’t dynamic enough, and wished to replace it with a version featuring live puppets with animatronics. Both versions of the shows plot are identical.

While Sonic Live in Sydney’s soundtrack is available on YouTube, and some photos of the show are available on the Lost Media Wiki, no footage of either the costumed actors version or the puppet show version have resurfaced. The show was closed down in 1999, possibly due to cost, shortly before the Sega World park as a whole in 2000. So unless there is someone out there who viseted the show between 1998 or 1999 who recorded the show via a handheld camera, footage of both incarnations of the show are likely forever lost to time.

On a personal note, I don’t have much to say on this one other than how gloriously peek gaudy 90s Sonic the set/puppet design is. I have no doubt finding footage of these puppets in action would truly be a silly delight to behold...

Legend of Mary (year unknown)

This one is a little different from the other entries on this list as while the film itself in its entiraty is available on YouTube for anyone to view, the information surrounding Legend of Mary, specifically its year of release, remains a mystery as of writing this.

I have mentioned the film before on this blog so I’ll keep it brief here: in summary, Legend of Mary is a short film retelling of the Nativity featuring the Rod puppets of Austrian puppeteer Richard Teschner. the video was uploaded to YouTube by user canada 150 archive. I looked up the people credited in the film and was able to find most of them, but didn’t find Legend of Mary listed in thier credits, and was unable to find the film on sites like IMDB, tMDB or Letterboxd. I reached out to Canada 150 archive asking if they had any info regarding the Legend of Mary’s release date, and after a coupe of months, they replied saying they didn’t know.

And that’s as far as I got on my search for answers, if anyone of you guys has any information regarding Legend of Mary, then it be of huge help in finding the release date.

Sam and friends (1955 - 1961)

Sam and friends was the very first puppetry television series created by Jim Henson alongside his colabarator and future wife Jane Nebel. filmed in Washington, D.C. and airing twice daily on WRC-TV and the NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C. from May 9, 1955, to December 15, Sam and Friends would mark the first apperence of Kermit (though not yet as a frog) and paved the way for Henson’s iconic and revered legacy in the realm of puppetry on film and television.

With the impact this show had in mind, it may come as a shock to some that almost half of Sam and Friends, specifically, 42 of the 86 episodes, are considered lost. With 16 existing, 8 documented, 9 known from memory, plus 8 existing Esskay commercials and 1 memory-known Esskay commercial. Some taped episodes have been shown at venues such as the museum of the moving image while others have been erased. It’s unknown if copies of these erased episodes still exist.

This post would become far to long if I were too list every episode missing from Sam and Freinds, but if your curious, the lost media wiki article has a comprehensive list of all lost episodes.

Annnd that about it for this post. This type of content is pretty different from the stuff I usually post. So I’m egar to see what you guys think about it. If you enjoyed this article, want to see more like it or have ideas for what puppetry-related topics I should cover in the future. And again, thank you all so much for helping me reach 55 followers. Your support really does mean a lot to me, and I hope you enjoyed this as a follower milestone gift.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this dip into lost puppetry, and have a happy holiday season!

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for-i-am-dying-of-such-love · 4 years

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a prelude (...the wanting comes in waves...)

Happy Valentine’s Day my loves! I’ve been working on this fic for a week or two now, and I was hoping it would be finished in time for today. Only, it’s not quite there yet. Buuuuuuuuuuuut, I was really tied to the idea of sharing something with you, so I’m going to post the first half of it here for you to enjoy while there’s still some Valentine’s Day left on the clock (at least here in the EST time zone).

This isn’t on AO3 yet, but it will be once it’s complete. In the meantime, you can read some of it below the cut.

Thanks to @moddieeee and @tunemyart for filling my brain with all of the WFC feels. I love you both dearly; you inspire me in so many ways. Smooches!

UPDATE: you can now read this on AO3!

a prelude (...the wanting comes in waves...)

It’s a curiosity at first. After the curtain call, before the reception. The single red rose that falls at her feet. Tossed in a soft arc from the balcony of the Imperial Box. From the hands of the Empress, no less. Gabrielle is careful to retrieve the lady’s favour from the stage, in clear view of the woman who was so moved to offer it. Bends low with delicate fingers to scoop it up to join the bouquet already nestled under one arm. Gaze intent on the keen eyes that cut through the distance between them, because, she tells herself, it would be impolite to look away. Adds the bloom to the others - nonchalant now, attention elsewhere - as if it were just another token bestowed upon her by any other appreciative fan. But even as she tucks it away, her fingers wind around the long, smooth stem and linger there, like the peculiar feeling that suddenly creeps across her chest and down her spine to settle in the dangerous spaces behind her knees.

She thinks she hears her name, a whisper dancing on the shell of her ear, a voice most familiar though she’s sure she’s never heard it. She scans the faces in the audience, listens behind the sounds for the murmur that is so close and yet so impossibly far, but is met with generous applause and nothing else. Except that peculiar feeling again. This time pulling her attention upwards once more. To that gaze, those eyes, only this time when her own eyes sweep the balcony she finds it empty. It’s something like grief that washes over her then, as her fingers tighten of their own accord around the Empress’ rose, and she prays to Aphrodite for the crowd to give her leave. They clap on instead.

When, at last, she steps backstage after the final round of bows, someone from her troupe offers helpfully to take the flowers from her. To put them away in the cozy dressing room she’s made into her writing space during her stay in Rome - so she can go on ahead to the splashy little soiree Caesar’s people have too loudly announced is in her honour for it to be anything other than just an excuse for the city’s most vapid and ambitious hangers-on to primp and preen and be seen by the Emperor. But Gabrielle declines the stagehand’s offer, hugs the roses a little closer to her chest, hopes no one notices the protective embrace, and makes some private joke about needing a few quiet moments to herself before being thrown to the wolves. There’s a shared chuckle, and then she’s making her way through the din and disarray of actors - unencumbered by further professional obligations and hungry for Rome’s after-dark delights - planning their evening’s exploits as they go about packing up for the night.

And it isn’t a lie - her excuse for wanting to hang back a while - at least not exactly. It’s no secret among her players that she hates these types of events - the lavish parties; the vanity for vanity’s sake; but maybe most of all, the prideful, boastful, gilded arrogance of self-important men and their mistresses (never their wives) as they condescend her intelligence with feigned interest in her plays and their insipid conversation. No, she’d much prefer to while away her free nights in whatever seedy-looking tavern she stumbled upon, with its day-old stew and watered-down port, trading bawdy jokes with the locals and flirting with the busty barmaids. Until a drunken fight cleared out the place. Or the sun peaked above the horizon. Whichever came first - though, Gabrielle always, not-so-secretly, hoped for a fight.

There was something oddly nostalgic, unusually comforting about the back-alley watering holes she’d wander into, though she could never reason why. She almost never visited the same establishment twice. Hadn’t even set foot in one until she found her way to Athens. Fresh-faced and hellbent on making a name for herself with her stories. Fuelled by a dewy-eyed confidence born from leaving behind - by way of an open window in the middle of the night on the eve of her wedding - the lonely, unfulfilling life she’d endured in the small, farming village of her youth. Mostly, though, it seemed her favourite spots were dimly lit; smelled of stale ale and horseshit and someone’s stomach’s misplaced dinner; and were almost always the preferred refuge of at least one soused lout with a lecherous grin and a pair of wandering hands. But they reminded her of the strange and fantastic adventures she once dreamt of having - back when she was still a slip of a girl who looked for pictures in the stars, and wished on the falling ones for someone special to share her secrets with - so she kept finding her way back to them, watching the door between rounds, waiting.

There would be no tawdry tales to tell from the underbelly of Rome tonight - at least not from her lips. Because, as it turns out, even the most sought-after wordsmiths - yes, even those summoned to Rome at the behest of the Imperial Court - have bills to pay. And stuffy parties - no matter how dull, or overflowing with pompous pissants - sparkle with the promise of patronage, enough to pay the bills and then some, when Gabrielle plays her part well. After all, what good are her words and the lessons they teach if no one ever hears them? So, she had long ago learned to smile obligingly, and swallow the impertinence on her tongue with the sip of her wine.

She just needs a moment to centre herself first. A few deep breaths and a head-start on the wine - just a quaff or two or three - reinforcements for the long night ahead. Nothing unusual there. Nothing except the red hot flush at the back of her neck; the bloom of curious wonder in her belly. She picks her way through the whorl of bodies and props and cloth in the theatre’s back of house, the peal of laughter, the good-natured ribbing being tossed in her direction as she passes. Her mind is leagues removed from its routine musings about the tedium in store for her this evening. She can’t seem to shake the Empress from her thoughts, and it prickles at her senses - some portent of danger? A spell to stupefy her? Indigestion from too much garum splashed on her supper?

She sighs, and pushes the fascination from her mind as she pushes aside the heavy curtain to her makeshift workspace. But images of the Empress - impressive and alluring in her height and bearing, draped in diaphanous gold silk and completely disarming with her patrician beauty - slip back into her thoughts as easily as she slips into the quiet of the small room. And, those eyes. The way they cut to the quick of her. She searches her memory for their exact shade, but can’t quite see beyond the shadows cast over the balcony by flickering lamplight. Remembers, only, that they reminded her of the sea under a new moon - so deep and dangerous in their pull that even Poseidon would be powerless to help anyone caught up in the eddy of her gaze.

And even now, nearly half a candlemark later, Gabrielle can still feel the Empress’ eyes on her, as surely as she can feel the Empress’ rose in her hand - pressing up against the flat of her palm - as surely as she feels the bite of imaginary thorns as they dig into her flesh. She knows the stem is bare but the sting is real, and when she looks down at her clasped hand, she still half expects to see a trickle of blood peeking out from between her fingers, stark against her fair skin.

She sighs again, and with the shake of her head, moves with quick, purposeful strides to the water jug on her writing desk. It’s only half-full, and the roses will make it a little top-heavy, but there’s no time to look for something else, and the flowers are much too beautiful to let go to waste, so it will have to do for now. Her hands shake in time with her nervous breath as she slips the bouquet into the carafe, though she’s careful to lay the one from the Empress aside. She’s confused by it - the power it seems to hold over her - but also by the Empress’ arresting stare; the swell of curious feelings that she just can’t escape; the fact that she should even be in Rome in the first place. A farmer’s daughter who stole away in the middle of the night to chase after stories and… love.

She decides she needs a drink.

So, she turns to the decanter of brandy left out by her hosts, pours a generous swig into a finely-etched glass snifter, throws it back in one quick swallow, then repeats the process for good measure. The brandy’s thick and just barely sweet, and it licks a delicious trail down her throat to warm her insides. It’s a slow and delicate burn and it reminds her of the sting she still feels against her palm from the rose that now lays on the desk in front of her. Gabrielle sets the glass down and turns her palms over to inspect them more carefully, to see if the Empress has, by some magic or dark art, left her mark upon her. But there are no scratches, no smear of bright red blood, no brand seared into the flesh there - her hands are fine. Calloused and maybe a little sweaty, but unmarred.

“Have I gone mad?”, she asks in a breathless whisper, decanter in hand once more.

The trickle of brandy spilling into her snifter doesn't propose an answer, but she finds the sound of it reassuring all the same. She brings the glass to her mouth, then moves to put some distance between herself and the desk, as if that might somehow break the spell; clear her thoughts. She makes it three steps before she’s back. Her resolve eclipsed by her curiosity. She trades her glass for the rose. Twirls the stem between her first two fingers and her thumb as she takes to pacing. Watches closely, the play of light from the oil lamp nearby, as it caresses the delicate folds of the flower. Runs the pads of her fingertips along the petals’ edges and is lost completely in the softness she finds there.

Her feet drift across the mosaic floor, as her thoughts drift back to the Empress.

“Maybe they’re green? Or blue? Or black?”

And, her eyes. Of course.

Their pull is irresistible. Gabrielle is helpless to it. And to the mystery of the way the Empress looked at her. The way her own heartbeat skipped in the moment. The peculiar flood of feeling that danced along her every nerve, like a static shock and a lover’s kiss all rolled into one. And then, all orderly thought abandons her. And she wonders why she’s even holding the Empress’ rose. Wonders if it had been genuine admiration or just polite courtesy that had inspired the Empress’ gesture to toss it at her feet.

Wonders if, maybe, she herself had been the...

She doesn’t let herself finish that thought.

“This is ridiculous.” Another incredulous shake of the head, hands thrown up in exasperation.

And then she’s standing in front of the makeshift vase trying to tuck the rose in amongst the others, as if it was just another token bestowed upon her by any other appreciative fan. As if she could ever lose sight of it, even surrounded by a dozen or more just like it. As if her mind hadn’t already mapped every one of its fine details into her memory.

Her clumsy, unwilling fingers are mid-jab when she is interrupted by the scuff of sturdy leather boot soles against stone, the brush of heavy fabric being pushed aside, the gentle clink of shifting metal settling again. Her hand stills, but she waits for the polite cough from her doorway before she turns her head to acknowledge the stranger she finds standing there.

She lifts an inquisitive brow at his intrusion, a question as much as an appraisal. He is handsome, she supposes, in a rugged sort of way. Not that she cares about ruggedly handsome men. Or, men in general. Or, men who are generals, and this man is a general - she is certain of it - the polished armour gives him away immediately; the red velvet cloak affixed to his cuirass. Even without the obvious signs of his rank Gabrielle would know it. Sandy-haired, square jawed, broad shouldered, compact - a fine son of Rome - he wears his station in his manner and his air, and he is here now on business. She lets her brow arch a little higher.

“My apologies for the interruption,” his head bows slightly, gracious, conciliatory, “but, the Emperor asked that I might escort you to the reception.”

She keeps her gaze fixed impassively on the man in the doorway, but doesn’t speak a word in return. She had long-ago discovered that the quickest way to useful information was to keep quiet. So many people found silence uncomfortable, and in the face of it would trip over their own tongues trying to fill the void it seemed to create. She watched her escort shift in his place, swallow around a dry throat, and she smiled knowingly to herself - even Roman strongmen were immune to the effects of careful, exacting scrutiny.

“That is, if you’re ready to go.” He seems caught between impatience and fluster.

She lets the corner of her mouth tug upwards, slips into the indulgent smile she’s picked out for the evening, like it was just another pretty peplos to be donned for a special occasion. But, she doesn’t turn to face him fully. Doesn’t move from what she is doing.

“How lovely,” Gabrielle says, and the cheer she injects into each syllable isn’t nearly as put upon as her smile, recalling, then, with sudden and vivid detail what - who - might await her at the party. This time the softness in her expression is genuine.

“It’s just that you’ve found me in the middle of something.” She tilts her head in the direction of her hand, still raised mid motion, rose resting between her fingers, its stem half buried within the bouquet. His eyes track briefly over her work before finding hers again, and the tension in his posture relaxes when she explains, “I’m nearly done. I only need a moment or two more, is that ok?”

Her heart has suddenly taken up a noisy hammering in her chest, and she can feel a violent blush creeping into her cheeks. She feels exposed, her hand on the Empress’ rose, thoughts of the woman’s commanding beauty circling the edges of her mind, threatening to steal the last of her concentration and betray her all the same. Not that her Roman general has a single clue what he’s witnessing. Still, she holds her breath.

“Of course,” he says, and Gabrielle feels her insides let loose. “I’ll just be outside,” and he gestures towards the curtain. “Please, take your time.”

She tries to keep the relief she feels from creeping into her voice.

“Thank you….,” she says, letting her tone indicate there’s a request in her statement as well.

“Brutus,” he supplies, in understanding.

“Thank you, Brutus. I’ll be along shortly, I promise.” Her hand, still on the rose.

He bows, gently, at the shoulders, and with a small smile turns on his heel to disappear through the fabric door, all cold, brusque efficiency; the only sound of his exit the whisper of his velvet cloak caressing his leather lappets, the brush of the curtain falling back into place.

She waits - a heartbeat. Then, another. Lets her breath push past her lips, slow and shaky. Her eyes drop back to the scene in front of her, fingers still engaged in trying to rearrange the roses packed into the water jug, trying to hide away the evidence of her preoccupation, the source of her growing fervour. Her brows knit together, bewildered, vexed. She has never been so unnerved by something as inconsequential as a flower. She should just toss it aside and be done with it.

And if Gabrielle had any good sense, any resolve left she would. She would absolutely pick it up and, and… A sigh. Instead, she watches as her traitorous body spurns whatever reason remains, and her hand moves, lifts, the rose with it, to bring the bloom to her face. Oh, sweet Aphrodite, how easily she breaks! How soft she’s gone for the memory of the Empress’ gaze, so open and unguarded; the pierce of it. The petals brush against her cheeks, nose, and she smiles at the feel; lets the flower rest a spell against the curve of her upper lip, inhales the delicate perfume. It tugs her eyes closed, and she imagines the smell of rosewater on the Empress’ skin, warm under her touch, and aching.

And it’s like a thousand-thousand tiny explosions up and down her spine, like Greek fire in her veins. Her head spins and her knees buckle and she’s grabbing at the table’s edge to keep her legs beneath her. And somewhere from the depths of her mind’s eye she sees it, a vision - of the Empress, but not the Empress - so familiar and clear, like unlocking a memory, only how could it be? Long shadows and the golden glow of firelight; long ebony hair fanned out on a pillow of furs; long, lean limbs with their long, hungry reach, searching, gripping, pulling closer and closer and harder and closer still; long, graceful arc of a strong back pushing off the ground, hips angling desperately, as fingers push deeper. Gabrielle’s mouth at the valley between her breasts, tongue tracing the same word over and over again: mine mine mine mine. And the flash of the clearest, brightest blue.

Her eyes fly open, and with them a flurry of thoughts blossom in her mind, wild and crazed. She clutches at the stem, wanton with misplaced desperation, feels it ready to give beneath her fingers, such a delicate thing. Like her sanity, surely. Her mind possessed by two insistent, competing thoughts. To tuck away this precious thing - the Empress’ favour - to keep it soft and safe and secret; for her eyes only, in the deep of night; the brush of it against her lips, and the raging, pulsing thrill of possibility in her blood. And then, all the more ludicrous, dangerous, the rush to pin it to her breast and walk into that reception - for all to see and know and whisper about - an audacious declaration, unequivocal in her intent, her offer; to see the Empress turn her way, a shrewd and feral glint in her eye.

But before she can register what’s happening - or do anything so foolish and provocative as to imperil her safety- her free hand is reaching for the latch on the writing box arranged neat and unsuspecting atop the corner of her desk; tossing aside a few extra scrolls, a quill or two, to make room. And then she’s gently placing the Empress’ rose inside and knocking back the rest of her brandy and smoothing down the front of her dress.

She turns on her heel, and feels dizzy; wonders briefly if the drink has gone to her head so soon. But the delightful shiver of anticipation that creeps along her warm skin seems to settle and curl around her belly, and she knows explicitly that she’s not woozy from the brandy wine.

“Utter madness,” she whispers, headed for the curtained door, thumb rubbing aimless circles against her unblemished palm, round and round and up and down, chasing away the lingering sting. She squares her shoulders, brushes an errant curl behind her ear; wishes she could brush off these lingering thoughts of the Empress as easily, but they’ve settled deep within her, like raindrops caught within the folds of a rose. And so, Gabrielle thinks as she slips into the hall, and on to Brutus’ waiting arm, it would seem - rose or not - the Empress has marked me just the same.

#xena #xena warrior princess #xena and gabrielle #gabrielle #wfc au #S06E18 When Fates Collide #when fates collide #a lovewornheart fanfic #wip #otp: for I am dying of such love #this is going to be a slow burn for the time being #the yearning #the wanting #i want High Romance #because they're idiots in love and deserve it

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adamwatchesmovies · 3 years

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The Best of 2020

Better late, than never. I enjoy seeing other people’s top-10 lists and I said I’d do one for 2020, so here we go. I haven’t had the chance to watch EVERYTHING I wanted to, but you’ve got to pull the trigger at some point. When the Academy Awards took place on Sunday, I felt like I hadn’t seen ANYTHING nominated but I could remember dozens of times where I felt like I wasted my precious minutes with cinematic detritus. I assumed putting this list together would be easy. It wasn’t. I’ve got a lot of runner ups but for now, here are my Top 10 “Best” (by which I kind of mean my favorite) movies of 2020:

10. Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Never Rarely Sometimes Always gave me a lot to think about. On the surface, it's about a teenager who has to travel outside of her hometown to get an abortion, but it could've been any kind of procedure she's uncomfortable (or unable) asking her parents for. It's about the lengths she has to go to when her main source of support is cut off. You feel uneasy throughout, wondering what lengths the girls will have to resort through and whether something horrible is just around the corner. For this reason, I think many parents would find the film enriching.

9. Mank

I haven’t posted my review of Mank yet - just haven't had the time so consider my star rating for it "spoiled". If you don't know, it's about Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) and the time he wrote Citizen Kane for Orson Welles. I can’t call Citizen Kane one of my favorite films, but I do often think of it. The story, the characters, specific shots, the overall look, etc. Every time I revisit it in my memory, my appreciation for it grows and in a way, Mank helps complete my relationship with the film. For that reason, I foresee myself revisiting Mank in the future - probably as part of a double-bill. I’d love to see it enough times to memorize some of Gary Oldman’s best lines.

8. One Night in Miami

One Night in Miami addresses the present while being set in the past but something about it clicked with me more than Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. It's essentially a series of long conversations, the kinds that force you to really examine tough questions and see these legendary figures as normal people. Unlike Mank, it isn't so much the individual lines that stand out, it's more the vibes you get from the exchanges. Out of all the movies on this list, it's probably got the best ensemble cast.

7. Sound of Metal

I'm sure you've seen that clip from Un Chien Andalou where an eye gets sliced with a razor? It gives me the willies just thinking about it because if I were blind I wouldn't be able to watch movies or draw. In Sound of Metal, we're dealing with a career cut short because of deafness but the dots are easy to connect. I immediately connected with this movie, which made its ending feel like a punch in the gut.

6. Tenet

I keep telling myself that I won’t love a movie Christopher Nolan directs just because his name is attached to it. Hopefully, this doesn't make me a fanboy, despite my falling for pretty much everything he's released. I love how ambitious Tenet is. The plot is so complicated but then again it isn't because once you're able to grok the mechanics of its reverse-entropy technology, you'll probably figure out most of the plot's mysteries. For me, that was the fun part. It felt good to see my understanding of the story and theories confirmed. I'll be watching it again once groups can gather so my friends and I can discuss everything in detail.

5. Trial of the Chicago Seven

I know The Trial of the Chicago Seven fudges history in ways certain people would say is irredeemable but I never go into a film “based on true events” assuming liberties won’t be taken. At the end of the day, I care about being entertained. My enjoyment was also amplified by the fact that I didn't know what the verdicts would be - my American history is spotty, at best. It's got laughs, outrage, drama, and inspirational moments. Aside from romance, you've got pretty much all the bases covered.

4. Palm Springs

Out of all the pleasant surprises of 2020, Palm Springs was the biggest. I thought the Groundhog Day thing was played out and the 0-star-worthy Love Wedding Repeat did nothing to convince me otherwise. Then, this movie comes along and does everything you want in one of those movies, and then some. Not only did Palm Springs give me the romantic comedy I'd been craving for (feels like we haven't gotten a good one since "Crazy Rich Asians" it also examines what love and relationships mean through smartly written metaphors.

3. Possessor

No, I didn’t put this movie on the list just because it’s Canadian; Possessor is on this list because it’s the most unsettling movie of 2020. I mean that in a good way. I've already talked about how unsettling the premise is but it's also the execution. Those bizarre “dream” scenes with the different identities merging in unnatural ways is unforgettable. That mask of Tasya's face, half-melted is already creepy enough, when worn by Christopher Abbott as he re-enacts her memories is just so weird it makes you wonder if you’re actually seeing what you’re seeing, or if you’re going mad. Then, there's that shot with the fingers at the end! Makes me wince just thinking about it.

2. Soul

During the Oscars, I get a little mad at Pixar. They effortlessly churn out these masterpieces that mean no other studio has a chance of winning an Academy Award for the Best Animated Film category. It makes me wonder if the voters even bother to watch the competition but I don't think anyone could argue against Soul. It's among their best films. It’s gorgeous, profound, and modern without showcasing any issues that might flush your day down the toilet.

Runner-Ups:

Enola Holmes

I never believed Enola Holmes would end up on my "Best of the Year" list but this movie is a lot of fun. If you haven't seen it yet, you should. Just wanted to remind you.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) I was disappointed when audiences didn’t seem interested in Birds of Prey. Seeing Margot Robbie go all-out and given a script that actually makes good use of her character was lots of fun. I also found it refreshing to see a superhero movie (not really, but kind of) that didn’t involve a plot to destroy the world, upheaval all of civilization, or shoot a giant beam into the sky. I think this is one people will discover down the line and go “why didn’t I go see this in theaters when it was playing?”

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm I’m not 100% in love with Borat 2 but boy am I looking forward to showing it to people who have no idea what’s coming. That scene with Rudy Guliani might not have the same impact down the line as it did when I first saw this sequel, but that’s ok. It’ll still have you picking your jaw off the floor.

Nomadland It’s a great movie and I might’ve put it on my list of the best… but I just don’t see myself watching this one again anytime soon. Great movie though. It deserves every accolade you see directed towards it. Chloé Zhao is shaping up to be a major talent. While before I might’ve said “Eternals who?” Now, I’m excited.

The Vast of Night Until I saw Possessor, this was my favorite horror film of 2020. I love the way this movie does so much without showing anything. It’s all about letting your imagination do the work.

Hamilton I’m still unsure how I feel about the casting in Hamilton. Everyone does a terrific job. I understand why actors of color were chosen to portray the historical figures we meet during this story. It still doesn't sit 100% comfortable with me. Then again, who can argue with those results? I’ve seen the movie twice and the songs are still playing in my head.

1. Promising Young Woman

I only had so much before this post went up. Enough for one more movie. It was a tossup between The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Promising Young Woman. As you can imagine, I’m pretty satisfied with the choice I made. Writer/director Emerald Fennell takes the rape-revenge genre and reshapes it into something that feels completely new. Like many of the other films on this list, it also feels relevant to what’s going on today. There are many reasons why I could’ve given it this slot. The writing, the performances, the way it puts your stomach in knots as you wonder what’s going to happen next, the pitch-perfect ending… but I’m going to pick a more personal reason. I try to look at films as snapshots of when they were made. There’s a part of me that winces when I look at Gone with the Wind but I’m also able to take a step back and say “but other than that…” and then just enjoy the movie. In Promising Young Woman, the past is confronted in a way that made me pause and think about two movies on my shelf: Wedding Crashers and American Pie. The Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedy, in particular, has a lot of questionable bits of comedy, bits made even more eyebrow-raising by the fact that it isn't an "old" movie whose entire cast is now dead. Let’s just say that when a movie makes me go “This movie is replacing X”, makes me think this hard about things, and does everything else you want in a thriller… it’ll stick in your head for a long time. That's why I'm calling it the best/my favorite movie of the year.

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thegayhimbo · 4 years

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True Blood Season 1 Review Part 1 (Spoilers Ahead)

It’s been about 2 years since I first saw season 1. Contrary to the hundreds of GIFs and posts that I’ve reblogged about True Blood, I’m a lot more familiar with the later seasons of the show than I am with the first season. When I first viewed season 1, it didn’t click with me, and the only reason I sat through it is because I had seen clips from season 2 that convinced me the show was worth watching. I’m not someone who usually gets into the vampire genre (aside for a brief period of time when I was in middle school), but something about True Blood hooked me in and got me to watch it. I can’t say that it’s a show I completely love, but I am inspired to talk about it.

In any case, I’m doing a rewatch for the first time as a way of getting closure on this show, and maybe moving on so that it isn’t in the back of my head all the time. I also wanted to view the show with fresh eyes, and see if my opinions changed while watching it.

This review will be split into 2 parts because I’m realizing that I have a lot to say about season 1, and it’s gonna get lengthy. Part 1 will just focus on my general opinion about the season. Part 2 (which will be posted a few days from now) will focus on my thoughts about how the vampires ar portrayed on the show.

Overall, my opinion about season 1 improved a little bit during rewatch. It’s not my favorite season of television (and Lord knows there are issues with it), but it’s a lot better than I remember it being. The casting is stellar, and I didn’t have any problems with the actors or how they played their characters. The interactions between the characters kept me engaged even when the main story started to drag (more on that in a minute).

While re-watching season 1, I was surprised to pick up on some subtle aspects that had been planted by the writers in season 1 that I missed the first time around, and that would come into play in the later seasons. For instance:

Sookie mentioning that her cousin Hadley had been missing for over a year since she ran away from the rehab center that Gran paid for, and that she didn’t know how to get hold of her (all of which makes sense come season 2).

The appearance of Theodore Newlin (Steve Newlin’s father), his subsequent death in the 3rd episode, and Steve Newlin taking the reigns of the Fellowship of the Sun

Bill warning Malcom, Liam, and Diane that he knew of “higher authorities” than Eric, and Diane saying “Well she can suck on sunlight for all I care” (All references to Queen Sophie Anne).

Diane mentioning that Bill “used to be fun” and that he had a very “sizable appetite.” Also, the reference to Bill having a sexual relationship with Diane in the 1930s (which is around the time he left Lorena).

Jason telling Amy about how his parents died, and how he felt responsible for it (the death of their parents becomes a major plot point later on).

There’s a lot to be said about the way the later seasons handled its arcs, but I think the writers were planting seeds in season 1 for future stories and twists that would be revealed down the road. Some of them were capitalized on. Others weren’t.

I will say for the record that I firmly believe the twist about Bill that gets revealed in season 3 was planned by Alan Ball and the other writers from the beginning of the show, and it does color the way I view Bill’s character and his relationship with Sookie, even in season 1. I should also point out that one particular aspect of the season 3 twist came directly from the books (and those who have read them know what I’m talking about here), so there’s that. Again, I’ll go more into detail about the Bill/Sookie relationship and my thoughts on it as I go through this rewatch.

In regards to the main story about a serial killer coming to Bon Temps and Sookie trying to figure out who it is, I will admit that not only did I NOT find this story engaging anymore, I thought it DRAGGED and should have been resolved within 6-7 episodes as opposed to 12. It’s a lot less thrilling when you already know who the killer is, and while there are some nice clues and red herrings that get dropped, the constant attempts at misdirection (like that scene when Sam goes over to Dawn’s house and sniffs her sheets, or Jason consistently being framed for murder) feels time-consuming instead of fun. It doesn’t help that the story loses momentum halfway through the season, and gets bogged down by all these other subplots that don’t connect to it at all.

Also, I didn’t pick up on this the first time, but rewatching has helped me realize there are some irritating plot holes with the story I couldn’t overlook. For instance:

In one scene, Sam goes to Dawn's house to sniff around and pick up Rene's scent. Later on, he’s at Gran’s house after Gran died where he also should have identified that same scent since Rene climbed through the window. And considering that Rene spent a huge amount of time at Merlotte's and interacted with Sam on many occasions, Sam should have been easily able to associate Rene's scent with the scents he found at the crime scene, and figured out early on that Rene was the killer. So why does it take him so long to connect two and two when Sam already knows what Rene smells like?

Likewise, it's been established that vampires have a good sense of smell. Bill was around Rene in several scenes, and should have been able to pick up his scent at Gran's house after she was murdered. So how come this doesn't happen?

On top of that, when Bill gets interrogated by Andy and Bud about Gran's murder, he claims that he heard a car (most likely Rene's) pulling up across the cemetery to Gran's house. He also claims that vampires had heightened senses. However, when Sookie finally reads Rene's mind in the season finale, it's shown that Gran screams and Rene shouts at her before killing her. So if Bill could hear Rene driving up to Gran's house.................then how come he didn't hear Rene and Gran shouting at one another before Gran got killed?

For that matter, why did Rene go over to Gran’s house in the first place? He knew that Sookie was going on a date with Sam. He saw them leave the church together, and he had no idea when Sookie was going to be back. It came off like really poor planning on his part for someone who’s been methodical about how he killed people up to this point.

Also, why didn’t Rene throw away the video he took from Maudette’s house, as well as the tape on bulding a Cajun accent? That seems incredibly stupid leaving that stuff around from someone (like Arlene’s kids) to find, especially since he no longer had use for that stuff.

There’s also the way Sookie’s mind reading abilities work. I thought the way that was handled was not only inconsistent, but that it also didn’t make sense how she didn’t pick up on Rene being the killer in the first place. Everything about that screamed “plot convenience.”

The other thing I noticed is that a lot of the problems that fans complain about in the later seasons (added side-plots, deviating from the books, added supernatural creatures, plot holes, inconsistent mythology, characters making stupid decisions, the focus on vampire politics, the problems with the Bill/Sookie relationship, etc) can all be traced back to season 1. To give a few examples:

There were a BUNCH of side-plots in season 1, from the Jason/Eddie/Amy arc to Tara’s exorcism and her conflicting relationship with Lettie Mae to Lafayette’s hook-up with the closeted gay senator to Sam’s backstory to Bill’s trial and so on. I didn’t have an issue with this because I get the idea was to do world-building and show different sides to the characters (if anything, I found the side-plots more interesting than the main story), but I always find it odd that one of the biggest complaints about the later seasons was the added side-plots and how people couldn’t follow them. Frankly, I thought they were pretty easy to follow, and could even be engaging at times.

Even in season 1, the show introduced other supernatural creatures besides vampires. Sam was revealed as a shapeshifter, Maryann was introduced as this unknown entity (and would later be revealed to be a Maenad), Sam mentioned the existence of werewolves to Sookie, and even Sookie was implied to be a supernatural herself because of her ability to read minds. Add in the fact that the books had a plethora of other supernatural creatures (werepanthers, faeries, demons, witches, etc) that were bound to be introduced, and I think it’s pretty fair to say that this show wasn’t always going to stay “grounded in realism” like some people complain it should have been.

Vampire politics was always there from the beginning: The show was NOT subtle about its “vampires as a metaphor for oppressed minorities” message that it kept shoving out there (and again, I will talk more about that in my part 2 review because there’s a lot to be said about they way vampires are portrayed on this show). Characters like Nan Flannigan and Steve Newlin were introduced in season 1 (albeit regulated to TV) as well as organizations like the American Vampire League (AVL) and the Fellowship of the Sun (FOTS). There was already a conflict within the vampire community between vampires who mainstreamed and vampires who wanted to keep killing humans like they’d done in the past. Bill’s trial gave an extremely ugly look into how vampires dispensed justice among their own kind. And there were constant references to the VRA (Vampire Rights Amendment). This show was pretty clear from the beginning that the driving force behind this story was about whether or not vampires could integrate into human society and co-exist peacefully with humans.

Also, in addition to the added side-plots, we also had the expansion of characters like Lafayette (whose character was completely different from the books) and the introduction of Jessica (who wasn’t in the books at all). Basically, this show was already beginning to deviate from the books even before the later seasons happened.

The way V works in this universe is all over the place. For some people (like Jason and Amy) it acts like an LSD drug, whereas with Sookie, it just gives her heightened senses and dreams about Bill. Lafayette does briefly tell Jason that V has different effects depending on the individual, so maybe this really isn’t a plot-hole. However, at the same time, it just feels like V was whatever the writers wanted it to be. In other words, inconsistent mythology was already a thing in season 1.

As for characters doing stupid stuff, this came as a surprise to me as well, but it isn’t just limited to Jason. Some examples include:

Tara deciding to drive drunk down the road in the middle of the night while downing a bottle of Vodka (and later getting arrested for it).

Sam sleeping on the same bed as Sookie in dog form, even though he knew (or should have known) that he could transform back into human form while sleeping, and Sookie would see him naked (which is exactly what happens).

Lafayette deciding it’s a good idea to sell Jason V instead of just giving Jason the Viagra he requested in the first place.

Bill letting Diane, Malcom, and Liam into his house when he knew Sookie was coming over to give him the numbers for the electrician. Also it was pretty stupid of him to not consider how Diane, Liam, and Malcom would react to seeing Sookie, or whether or not Sookie would be scared off by the way those three were acting.

Bill deciding it’s a good idea to mouth-off to The Magister about mainstreaming when a.) It is painfully obvious that the Magister doesn’t care about seeing humans as equals, and b.) Bill stands the risk of angering the Magister and making his situation worse than it already is.

Andy’s insistence that Jason is good for the murders without considering all of the evidence, and his refusal to admit he’s wrong. That, and he sucks as a cop.

Sookie using the gun to attack Rene, run out of the house................and then throw the gun into the bushes instead of keeping it as a weapon to defend herself.

Bill choosing not to erase the bite marks on Sookie, which could have made her a target for other people who hated fangbangers (although it’s debatable whether or not this was stupidity on Bill’s part or if this was done intentionally).

And I’m sure there are plenty of other examples, but my point is that Jason isn’t the only one making stupid decisions here. Again, YMMV on whether or not a character’s stupidity makes sense in the context of the story, or if it just screams “plot convenience,” but it was there. It seems like Jason gets made the scapegoat by fans for everything that was wrong with the first season whereas the problems with other characters/stories get ignored because of inherent biases in the fandom.

I know it sounds like I’m ragging on this season, and I guess in some ways I am because I’ve long been tired of the constant bashing of the later seasons, as well as the excessive hate that gets directed at some of my favorite characters (Jason and Tara) while everyone consistently ignores the other problems with characters and stories that existed as far back as season 1. I am being genuine when I say that season 1 had its moments (the Tara and Lafayette moments were probably the highlights of that season) and it was better than I remember it, but it’s not a favorite of mine. I don’t really see myself going back to rewatch season 1 as often as the other season. And if it had been the only season of True Blood they made, I probably never would have watched it again. Like I said, something about season 1 just didn’t work for me, and I think a lot of that has to do with the show placing more emphasis on the character’s flaws over their redeeming qualities. It was season 2 rectified this and helped to soften the characters in a way where I cared about them.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I’ll give my opinions on how I think the show handled vampires.

#true blood #tgh opinions #true blood rewatch #bill compton #sookie stackhouse #jason stackhouse #sam merlotte #lafayette reynolds #tara thornton #rene lenier #arlene fowler #diane hardwicke #liam mcknight #malcom beaumarchais #alan ball #vampires #the southern vampire mysteries #true blood season 1 #true blood spoilers

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dr-astormylasthurrah · 5 years

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spam’s character design tips!

(various designs I’ve done! adopt characters belong to their owners, I only include them here as examples and claim no current ownership.) *disclaimer: it was 9 pages before i added pictures so i’m not inaccurate

If you would rather read this as a Google Document, please click here! (The document has more examples as well!)

Hey! My name’s Spam and I write Danganronpa: A Stormy Last Hurrah! You may also have seen my art for various stories and users around the Internet, including RATS: 252 Chances at Redemption and the Alca Ronpa series! You may ALSO also have seen my character designs, including those for ASLH as well as certain characters in Alca Ronpa and Kill the Joker: AnotheR Game! I sell adopts fairly frequently as well and have miscellaneous designs floating around the web, so I figured I may as well write something about my process. This is mostly oriented towards human OCs! So hopefully this helps someone!!

Before starting this guide, I’d like to give credit to gaiacseas/gokuhara’s “How I Design OCs: Do’s and Don’ts”! When I was designing the ASLH cast, I found myself coming back to this guide again and again. A lot of my points are the same as theirs, but I talk a bit about my own process, especially when it comes to characters that I revamp and redesign.

All uncredited art was done by me, including character designs. Characters belong to their respective owners. All other art is credited.

So let’s get started!

CONCEPTS

The first thing I’m going to say is that my character designs, especially those for myself, take absolutely FOREVER. I usually go through many, many pages of concepts and color tests before I find something I’m satisfied with. It’s a long and very constructive process, and if I’m designing a character for someone else, it can take weeks before we can find something we’re both satisfied with.

Alexei Ilyich Bazhanov, ASLH’s SHSL Birdwatcher, was a design-first character, meaning that I came up with his design first and built his personality around it. Although to be fair someone who constantly wears a feathery halfmask in public is inevitably bound to be kind of dramatic, so there’s only so many ways his personality couldn’t be influenced by his design. However, his design took a bit of a downgrade from his initial design to his current iteration, largely because of his initial design’s similarity to Tatsumaru Harai, ASLH’s SHSL Kabuki Actor.

In Tatsumaru’s concept sketch, you can also see the inspirations I cited for their design! I don’t consume much media, so the characters I cite as reference are often OCs in my friends’ stories. Here, I cited Minami Tachibana (Danganronpa: Dead on Arrival), Alix Murasaki (Ultimate Danganronpa: Supernova at Sea), and… Rhanahad Electricrone (Alca Ronpa 2), for some reason. I… actually don’t remember how or why any of those influences connect to Tatsumaru at all? Actually, for almost all of the ASLH characters, I scribbled down some notes on design influences and proceeded to ignore them. So maybe don’t listen to me actually. But design influences are good! Just don’t straight up copy them.

ANYWAY, as you can see, Alexei and Tatsumaru both had longish coats with balloon pants. However, I had better reason to keep these traits for Tatsumaru than Alexei, because kabuki acting actually uses these elements in its costumes. Thus, it made more sense to change Alexei’s design, although I do think that he would still actually wear that original outfit. It’s very himcore.

The point is that this ended up in many, many more drafts of concept sketches until I found something I was satisfied with. Like, six pages. It was kind of insane. It’s worth it in the end to make a polished product, though!

BODIES

(Admittedly, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best when it comes to drawing distinct body types. It’s a weakness of mine that I’m getting better at, but I’m still not great at it.)

The #1 tip I can give here is to use shape language! This is what people use in pretty much all Western cartoons - ever think about how hard it would be to take Bill Cipher seriously if he was a circle? gaiacseas goes over shape language and silhouettes in far more depth in their tutorial, so I really advise looking at it! The basics are:

CIrcles/ovals convey softness and gentleness

Rectangles convey solidity and strength

Triangles convey sharpness and distrust

Combine shapes to modify the image your character conveys!

Also, just a tip: if you’re designing a cast of characters, please don’t just make them all the same body type! In real life, if you got any random sample of people, they’re not all going to be the same body type. Diversifying your body types helps a lot to distinguish characters from each other, too. Imagine if all of these characters had the same proportions as each other - even though they all have distinct outfits, you would have a much harder time perceiving them as different people.

If you’re going to draw characters of a body type you’re unfamiliar with, good for you! But first, take the time to look up guides on how to draw those body types. Studying real people also helps a lot to understand the vast varieties of body types. Just look at this picture of Olympic and Paralympic athletes from the 2016 Rio games - there’s already a ton of variations in “muscular” depending on what their sport is, and each athlete is optimized to their sport! It’s like that for literally everyone on Earth with literally every body type. There’s millions of ways to be skinny (bony? lean? malnourished?) or fat (most fat around their stomach, arms, legs?) or muscular (tall like a basketball player, dense like a weightlifter?) so make them count!

Also consider making characters with disabilities! My commentary on this as an abled person is fairly limited, but I will say to please note that what you think you know about disabilities is not necessarily true. This is in regards to their experiences having a disability, but can even apply to things you don’t think about - the wheelchairs most wheelchair-bound people use are not usually medical wheelchairs, for example. Research!!

On a related note, please don’t make racial caricatures or draw all your characters with the same facial features. People of specific ethnicities tend to (but not always) have certain features that are common to people across a regional area, but that’s no excuse to veer into drawing in the same way old racist cartoons are illustrated in. Again, there’s plenty of guides to help with learning about these! Or just look at the people around you and draw real people as practice. You’ll find the world is much more diverse than you think.

And speaking of references!! I’ve seen a lot of really good guides these days for drawing different body types and features! Go check them out go check em go!!

sdkay’s guide on drawing different facial structures (original post was deleted)

kenzandfriends’ guide on drawing fat people (original post was deleted)

nsfwbutts’ guide on drawing fat people (guide isn’t nsfw but their blog is so this is a reblog)

mel-lion’s guide on drawing black features

chuwenjie’s guide on drawing East Asian faces

“world of averages” - composite images of thousands of portraits of people from different places (re: certain facial features being common to certain ethnicities!)

calvin-arium’s guide on drawing characters in wheelchairs

Honestly if you’re looking for help just literally google “how to draw [character trait] and I GUARANTEE you there is a guide out there for you. While people not belonging to the demographic you’re drawing will probably not notice if you don’t portray groups accurately, those who are part of that demographic will be absolutely delighted.

MOTIFS

Motifs are a really neat way to make your character stand out in a crowd, especially if those motifs have meaning behind them! I mostly do this for adopts, but one of my favorite designs was Ophelia Zhang, a character I designed and proceeded to do absolutely nothing with.

She’s Medusa-inspired, as is obvious because of the snake motif on her jacket and the green hair/yellow eyes combination! Maybe you didn’t notice it until I pointed out, but now that I did, it raises intrigue about her character and her connection to the myth, doesn’t it?

Aside from Ophelia, most of my (own) characters aren’t very motif-heavy, but I like having common themes and patterns that run throughout their outfits at least. It just makes the outfit blend better. Some examples of this include Claude Bates, ASLH’s SHSL Violinist, and Chiyo Kumoshita, ASLH’s SHSL Cellphone Novelist.

Nonstandards are a great way of making a character Become Their Motif! Claude is based on snakes, specifically grass snakes - he’s got beady eyes, fangs, a grass snake pattern on his pants, and the combination of weird vesty jacket thing and striped shirt creates a belly scales effect. HOWEVER, he’s also got violin motifs! Most obvious are the f-hole patterns on his coat, but a more subtle thing is that his shirt has 5 stripes - a music staff (which sheet music is written on) is made of 5 lines!

(“so spam shouldn’t he have only 4 stripes on his shirt, for the 4 spaces on a music staff” shut up i realized i messed up his design too late. my orchestra director is going to kill me)

Chiyo, on the other hand, has a distinct cloud motif! This primarily is to match her surname (雲下 are the kanji for “clouds” and “under” respectively), but the other reason Chiyo has a cloud motif is because of ASLH itself - ASLH is loosely themed around the Shakespeare play The Tempest, and Chiyo, being ASLH’s protagonist, gets a “clear skies” motif. Neat!

OUTFITS

(“Incinerate” is the base for Puppet from Kill The Joker: AnotheR Game!)

There is SO MUCH that can be said about outfits and how I design them. The #1 tip I have is to look at what other people wear, and then decide what it is about that outfit you like so much! If you go somewhere where people are dressed differently from what you’re used to (a distant city or a foreign country), take notes! For me, some elements I come back to a lot include collared shirts, sweaters, oversized overdecorated overcoats, and cloud/sky patterning.

So here’s a little about what makes outfits distinct from each other!

Colors:

Bro this is SO IMPORTANT. There’s a lot that can be said about color theory, and gaiacseas says more than I do on the topic, but basically color conveys a lot about the character. Muted colors convey a muted personality, and brighter colors convey a brighter one! As gaiacseas says in their guide, however, this sets up a great way to subvert expectations about your character.

Protip! If you’re having trouble with a color scheme, just color pick from an existing picture! I don’t have any examples of this on hand, but I do know that sunset pictures are very yummy and I have a lot of pink/orange colored designs. Coincidence? I think NOT.

The number of colors you select is of course up to you, but personally, I don’t use too many individual colors for ease of creating reference images. Of course, realistically, no one’s going to wear clothes the exact same color as each other. Unfortunately for that realism, I am lazy and don’t want to color pick 10 colors, so this is how I live.

Layering:

This is the absolute #1 best way to build texture and silhouette in your characters! Step one, find a funky garment. Step two, find another funky garment. Step three, put them on top of each other. Step four, PROFIT.

The easiest garments to do this with is of course jackets, but they certainly aren’t the only garment that can be layered! Layering is just a matter of looking at clothes you would not usually wear together and going “I wonder what would happen if you wore this together?” In real life this is usually a disaster. But in the world of art and hypotheticals everything is fair game and NOTHING makes sense!

Patterns:

For when layers just don’t cut it! As far as patterns go, they could tie into motifs or just be a nice pattern. For example, Mal Jenkins is a painter, so the patterns on his sleeves, pants, and bag are based on Monet’s “Water Lilies”.

On the other hand, patterns could just be a pattern or recurring motif! The world is your oyster!

Materials/textures:

When combined with layering, clothes of different textures and weights can add a lot to a design! I mentioned before that I like designs with jackets, let’s look at a couple different hoodies! Featured here is Tristan McRae, ASLH’s SHSL Video Game Designer, and Hayato Kikuchi, Ultimate Parkourist (submitted to rebootmon’s Danganronpa: Zetsubou Panic!!).

You can see that Tristan’s jacket is made of much thicker material than Hayato’s, which is very baggy and loose. This already makes their designs a lot more distinct from each other! (They’re also wearing totally different colors so that helps too.)

Other textures I like to do include adding holes (like Spring from KTJ:ARG has holes in her coat), adding things onto fabrics (like Tsukino Chisaki, ASLH’s SHSL Flight Student, has studs on her coat and boots), and adding visible stitching (like Brendan Valdez, ASLH’s SHSL Flight Student, has patches on his coat).

Clothes:

Having a general idea of what clothes actually exist is a very good start! Such as:

Tops: t-shirts, collared shirts, long sleeve/short sleeve shirts, tank/tube tops, cold shoulder shirts, blouses, sheer mesh shirts…

Bottoms: Skirts, gym shorts, denim shorts, jeans (with and without holes), leggings, culottes, kilts...

Dresses: Prom dresses, casual dresses, ball gowns, formal full-length gowns…

Undergarments: tights, fishnets, garters, long socks, short socks, gloves, bras/bralettes...

Coverings: Hoodies, cardigans, overcoats, denim jackets, capes, ponchos, vests, suit jackets…

Shoes: Slippers, flip-flops, sandals, high heels, sneakers, athletic shoes, slip-ons, boots...

Accessories: Hats, barrettes, hair ties, jewelry, bags, headbands, belts, chains, suspenders, buttons, glasses...

So from there it’s just mix and match! Keep in mind the different styles of clothing as well - you can swap out things like collars and edges to create variety! There’s different types of boots, different types of skirts, different kinds of bags. The sky’s the limit!

No, I Meant Like Clothes Inspiration:

Oh. Again, keep an eye out for specific art inspirations! If you see a cool character design or outfit on social media, bookmark it! Just remember not to copy clothes exactly, because that’s called art theft! I have a storage Discord server where I keep screenshots and links of art and outfits I come across while scrolling social media.

I find that the best original outfits are a combination of different outfits. Take certain elements that you find cool in each outfit , then add a few elements of your own and stick them all together! It might take a few passes to work as cohesively as you’d like, but keep trying! The best outfits that take inspiration should look so seamlessly blended and original that they should only look like the references if you compare them to each other.

I also have a few characters inspired by songs, so sometimes I’ll incorporate the motifs of MVs for those songs into their outfits. I don’t really recommend this unless you’re 100% prepared to be called out on where the outfit came from, and I ESPECIALLY do not recommend lifting the outfit exactly. Again, that’s art theft.

Isaku Umitsu, my SHSL Kyudoka, is based on the Hitotsume-sama, Bun-chan, and Kulukulu characters from utaite Eve’s music videos Literary Nonsense and Outsider. Looking at them side by side, the inspiration is obvious, but when taken out of context, it shouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind unless you’ve watched Eve’s videos 100 times (like I have) (take my computer from me please).

References:

As for references! Here’s just a couple that I found digging through my Tumblr!

My main blog’s fashion tag!

moatdd’s layering how-to! This changed my life when I saw it.

OSF Costume Rentals - period accurate clothing!

leaf-submas’s hat and skirt style guide, feat. Napstablook!

Jfashionmagazines - Japanese street fashion!

If your mutuals have fashion tags or pages, that’s a good place to dig through as well! They almost certainly have different styles than you do, so you’ll get exposed to a lot of different styles!

Outfits are a lot of fun and my favorite part of designing characters! Hopefully it will be for you too! :D

REDESIGNING CHARACTERS/NEW OUTFITS

Ever got a character design you love, but then decided you weren’t feeling anymore? Or got a character from someone you ended up hating? Or you found character art from 5 years ago and decided you hated it? YEAH ME TOO TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE!!

ASLH has four characters who were adopts: Ririka Kashizaki (SHSL Nail Artist), Sentarou Sekisada (SHSL Seat Filler), Hirono Ekyou (SHSL Oendan), and Ryouji Atsui (SHSL Caterer)! For a “complete from scratch redesign” I’ll be talking about Ryouji, who was converted from an attempt at design to a fantroll to an original design!

As you can see, I had a lot of trouble with Ryouji’s design. (It probably didn’t help that I didn’t finalize his personality until basically the prologue though lbr.) I didn’t really know what I was doing, and though I had the concept for the vibes I was shooting for, nothing seemed right. Around the same time, I bought an OC design from my friend Marti, and I was having so much trouble I was like “y’know what let’s just fuse the two”.

My process for redesigning OCs, especially when doing something like humanizing a nonhuman character, is to pick the certain traits I’d like to keep and change the rest. For Ryouji, the elements of his concept art I wanted to keep were parts of the outfit (the apron and vest) and the elements of the fantroll I wanted to keep were his eyebrow scar and the squares pattern on the jacket. Thus, when redesigning him, I made him have all of these elements! This was probably one of my favorite designs to make ever, and I’m really glad other people seem to like it too.

Weirdly enough, as soon as I finalized his design for his first reference, his personality almost immediately materialized. Which really just goes to show how much design can influence character personalities.

(Fun fact, drawing Ryouji’s reference was the first time I drew his final outfit, so I’m extremely grateful it turned out as well as it did.)

Other characters, like Hirono, only need a quick outfit touchup. I loved Hirono’s design already, and it fit with what I had in mind with her personality. All I did to change her was the same process I use to make any other outfit, see above. She’s an oendan, so she gets a hapi coat and school uniform… though, honestly, that original outfit is still super cute. I should draw it again sometime.

Most of the characters that I redesign as heavily as I did Ryouji are fangems and fantrolls that I buy from my friends, because I know that they understand my mighty need to redesign things. I try not to redesign adopts I get from other sources because I don’t know how the people I bought them from would feel about my editing their design too heavily; Sentarou and Ririka fall into these categories, so when I got them I mostly changed their outfits.

For me, it feels weird to redesign already-existing human OCs, but it’s also not impossible - Tristan, for example, used to be white. No I’m not going to show you the sketches for that and all you need to know is that it sucked, mostly because I was having a lot of trouble making him look nerdy but also nonthreatening. I think how he looks now is a good balance. If you ever get stuck redesigning a character, a race or gender swap (if either is possible tastefully) can go a really long way, and can even subvert expectations about a character! Just keep in mind dynamics and messages as well - if you have a strong violent woman and go “hey she should be trans”, that’s really not the best stereotype you would probably want to display in your work. Be mindful!

2015 (og design) => later 2015? (RWBY AU) => 2017 (AR3) => 2018 (DE:OPH

CAST BALANCE: DESIGNS

I wasn’t going to talk about this but then I decided I was gonna talk about it! I mean this is kinda a guide for Danganronpa characters, but this applies to any cast that is presented in a group. The characters in ASLH fall into a few different categories:

Created for beta ASLH: Chiyo, Amal, Tsukino, Ririka, Kanemori, Tristan, Tiana, Claude, Iris, Aster

Created for current ASLH: Ryouji, Sentarou, Alexei, Tatsumaru

Preexisting characters: Hirono, Brendan

The largest problem I had putting all the cast members together was revising outfits so that, as seen with Alexei and Tatsumaru above, designs wouldn’t be too similar. For the most part, I had vague ideas of what I wanted for each appearance; even the characters whose designs materialized fully-formed (like Tiana and Brendan) were edited slightly for cast cohesion.

I wish I could say I was responsible in developing all 16 characters’ designs at once so I could keep an eye on their design consistencies, but I would be lying. Instead, I finalized them and then posted them one by one. This was a double edged sword. One, I couldn’t go back and readjust colors or designs without making a whole new reference (which I actually did for Tatsumaru). However, because I was able to take a birds-eye view of my cast, I could see what design elements I needed more of - ESPECIALLY for color scheme! You’ll notice that a lot of the first row in my cast pic is very dark and grey-dominant, so I made a conscious push to include more colors in the second row of characters.

My one regret is not doing more talent-related designs. For a majority of the ASLH cast, you wouldn’t be able to tell their talent from appearance alone. In some cases this would have been impossible anyway (how do you convey to a Western audience a SHSL Cellphone Novelist through design?), but the only really distinct and obvious talent related designs are probably Tatsumaru (who probably doesn’t count because kabuki acting is maskless); Claude; Iris Sumitama, the SHSL Honors Student; and Kanemori Shionaga, the SHSL Football Player. Can you guess who they are?

Also, Alexei’s outfit should have been more extra. I still regret not making it so.

TOO LONG, DIDN’T READ

Go look at gaiacseas’ thing.

I do at least a page or two of concept art before settling on a single design.

Pay attention to body types!

Motifs can make a character look really cohesive and thematic.

Pay attention to what you like in outfits, too!!

Color schemes give an at-a-glance idea of your character’s personality.

Layering creates distinct silhouettes and can be done with more than just jackets!

Varying materials and textures makes the same garments look distinct from each other.

Making interesting outfits is as easy as mixing and matching garments.

Find outfit inspiration, but don’t plagarize!

To redesign characters, take the elements you like and shift everything else until it looks the way you want it to!

Balancing cast designs is a tricky process; going one-by-one is possible but has its ups and downs.

A LAST NOTE

In general, when you make a character whose life is different from yours - especially those belonging to marginalized communities - for the love of GOD please do some research about the experiences those communities have. It is a very bad idea to make them into a mouthpiece for your views of the groups. (SHSL Activists that are portrayed as unreasonable SJW strawmen irritate me to no end.) If you don’t feel you can portray a character respectfully, through either drawing or writing them, either a) research and listen to people of these groups so that you can or b) don’t do it, and maybe reevaluate yourself and figure out what about making this character makes you so uncomfortable.

Which isn’t to say that you have to be 100% perfect at everything, of course. In general, so long as the misinterpretations are unintentional, people belonging to the groups you try to represent tend to be pretty happy that you’re trying at all. You have no idea how happy I am to see agender representation in fanganronpa casts, especially because the Danganronpa OC scene likes to stick to hard gender binary balances. So it is worth it if you want to try it!

GOOD LUCK

And happy character creating!

If you enjoyed this document, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi or checking out my commissions! Or, of course, read Danganronpa: A Stormy Last Hurrah.

#tutorial #art ref #tips #character development #danganronpa #danganronpa oc #dr #fanganronpa #fangan #my art #my ocs #not aslh #spam speaks #long post #q

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Complete DC Comics Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

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Your complete guide to DC Comics references, Justice League movie hints, and DCEU Easter eggs in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice!

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Feature

Books

Mike Cecchini

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

Mar 22, 2019

Batman

Superman

Zack Snyder

DC Entertainment

Justice League

Wonder Woman

This article contains nothing but Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and DCEU spoilers.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the second movie in the DC Extended Universe series, which began with Man of Steel, and continued in the Wonder Woman movie, will continue further with the Justice League movie, and more. As a result, it's positively packed with references to DC Comics, and hints about the future of the DC Extended Universe.

Here's our complete and spoiler-filled breakdown of everything you might have missed in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Batman's Origin

- Just as Man of Steel opened with Superman's origin (his literal birth, in fact), so does Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice open with Batman's origin story. Thank heavens for that, because if we don't see what motivated young Bruce Wayne to become the Batman, we might never know! That is, of course, a joke.

While Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, we didn't see his actual origin until a two-page segment in Detective Comics #33. To make up for that six month gap, DC Comics and their media partners are now contractually obligated to re-tell Batman's origin in some form, whether it's in the comics, on the screen, or via finger puppets, every six months in perpetuity. That's not true, but it sometimes feels that way.

The visual inspiration for this origin sequence is, like many things in the film, taken from Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley's seminal The Dark Knight Returns, which was first published in 1986. Things like the mustachioed Thomas Wayne and the string of pearls caught on the barrell of the gun are right out of there, as well as the (dream?) sequence where young Bruce is surrounded by bats after accidentally discovering the bat cave.

Watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on Amazon

The Waynes leave the movie theater after a revival screening of the 1940 version of The Mark of Zorro starring Tyrone Power. That particular Zorro film holds up really well, is a great watch, and feels like a superhero movie before there was ever really any such thing. Totally worth your time. I also believe that The Dark Knight Returns was where it was first revealed that this was the film the Waynes saw on that fateful night.

You can also spot Excalibur on the marquee, which is John Boorman's highly stylized, overly serious 140-minute take on the King Arthur legend (sounds like another movie we know), here to help illustrate that this sequence takes place in 1981. Excalibur feels like a very long film at 140 minutes. Batman v Superman, on the other hand, feels even longer than its 153 minute run time.

We wrote lots more on John Boorman's Excalibur right here, if you want to learn more about this crazy movie.

I owe a special thanks to Peter in the comments for catching this next little detail, Excalibur is listed as "coming next Wednesday." Now, aside from the fact that the movie actually opened on Friday, April 10th, 1981, "coming next Wednesday" is still pretty significant. First of all, new comic books come out every Wednesday, so this is a nod to that.

The Justice League can be seen as a modern day Knights of the Round Table. Couple that with the fact that the Excalibur movie is "coming soon" (and on a Wednesday, no less!) it's kind of an in-joke about how the Justice League movie is next on the schedule. That's pretty cool.

There's more on Excalibur coming down below, just be patient...

- Visible in the Wayne graveyard is the name "Solomon." Solomon Wayne was Bruce's Great, Great, Great Grandfather. When the Batman comics decided they wanted their Gotham City to look a little bit more like Anton Furst's Gotham designs from Tim Burton's Batman movies, a story was crafted to make it happen, and Solomon Wayne was part of that.

- It's also worth noting that this movie marks the first time we've seen Bill Finger's name in the opening credits of a Batman movie. That's a huge deal, as Finger was a major creative driving force behind Batman and his supporting cast, but for years, Bob Kane took all the credit. We have a little bit more about Bill Finger's bat-legacy right here.

The Supporting Characters

- Anatoli Knyazev is known to comic book fans as (wait for it) the KGBeast, because he was created in 1988 when that was what you named these kinds of villains. Anatoli has appeared in non-beastly form on a number of episodes of Arrow, as well. He first appeared in a story called "Ten Nights of the Beast" which is a pretty cool read if you can track it down.

- The photographer who is apparently working for the CIA during Lois' misadventure in the desert is played by Argo's Michael Cassidy. And yes, as credited and as revealed in the film's Ultimate Edition, he is indeed Jimmy Olsen. "Superman's Pal" is promptly and brutally murdered. So, yeah, you can forget about that little piece of Superman mythology in the DC Extended Universe, as well. Read more about Mr. Snyder's comments on the matter here.

- Alfred Pennyworth first appeared in 1943's Batman #16. Like most enduring Batman characters, he was created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson. Alfred cut a rather different figure in his early appearances, and through the years he has become more of an aggressively badass figure.

Lex Luthor

- Lex Luthor has been around since Action Comics #23 in 1940 (you'll note that at the end of the movie, his prisoner number is AC23-1940), and as we see here, he had lustrous red hair. Later appearances alternately identified Lex as a shortening of Alexander or Alexei, and even later appearances revealed he was a childhood friend of Clark Kent, before a lab accident stole his luscious locks.

read more: The Actors Who Have Played Lex Luthor

- Lex Luthor's prison garb has the prisoner number of 16-TK421. TK421 is a reference to Star Wars when Luke and Han took on Stormtrooper disguises. You know, "TK421, why aren't you at your post?" Batman v Superman and The Force Awakens were tweaking each other with little social media crossovers during filming, but it appears this is the only one of those in-jokes made it to film.

Also, while orange prison jumpsuits certainly aren't just a DC Universe thing, Lex was looking a bit like Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's vision of the character from All-Star Superman in this scene.

The Lex of this film is "Alexander Luthor, Jr." Which means his father's name isn't "Lionel" as it was in the Smallville TV series or a handful of the comics that followed. Something tells me that Alex Sr. didn't die of natural causes.

Luthor has been something of a jerk-of-all-trades during his career, from straight mad scientist to captain of industry to President of the United States. I wrote much more about that stuff right here.

Mercy Graves is Lex Luthor's bodyguard, a super strong badass, although you don't see any of that in this movie. Mercy was first introduced in Superman: The Animated Series where she had considerably more to do than she does in this film, and has recently appeared on the Supergirl TV series.

Kryptonite

Let's get into a few notes about Kryptonite...

- It's amazing that Man of Steel went an entire movie without going down the Kryptonite road, but we do finally get it here. Kryptonite was actually a creation of the (awesome) Adventures of Superman radio show, a necessary plot device so that original Man of Steel Bud Collyer could take a vacation from the radio show's punishing, almost daily schedule. For weeks, Superman was played by another actor, who was only required to groan in agony while Supes was at the mercy of the alien mineral.

- Here's something I never would have noticed (thanks to JACS in the comments!). Ralph Lister is credited as Emmett Vale, and he isn't the guy who finds the hunk of Kryptonite in the Indian Ocean as I initially thought, but he appears in Lex Luthor's laboratory. Dr. Vale is the creator of Metallo, the cyborg with the Kryptonite heart who would be a great choice to give Superman a headache if we were ever going to get another Superman solo movie, but since who knows if that will ever happen, well...forget it.

The way Kryptonite looks in this movie is a little like how it was shown in Superman: The Movie. Later in that film, when Supes is debilitated by the effects of Batman's Kryptonite spear, Lois chucks it in the water to get it away from him. That kinda' reminds me of the Supes/Miss Teschmacher exchange from the end of that movie, too.

Speaking of that Kryptonite spear, wireman (cool handle, by the way) in the comments found this little gem from the comics, that I wasn't aware of:

The Dark Knight Returns Influences

In The Dark Knight Returns, a comic which obviously has influenced this movie quite heavily, when Batman first returns to action he lends a hand to two cops in pursuit of suspects, one who isn't old enough to remember Batman in action, and one veteran who advises him to chill out and enjoy the show.

The rookie cop and the veteran cop, who Batman encounters while out whupping ass, remind me a little bit of this pair from Dark Knight Returns:

It can also be noted that this exchange played out much the same way in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises when Christian Bale's Batman first returns from retirement, much like in the iconic Frank Miller graphic novel.

By the way, the two officers in question are named "Officer Rucka" and "Officer Mazzucchelli." Greg Rucka was the writer of the excellent Gotham Central comic, and David Mazzucchelli was the artist on Frank Miller's other great Batman story, Batman: Year One.

The news montage (which, rather surprisingly, features a cameo by Andrew Sullivan!) is another nod to The Dark Knight Returns, which helped set up its near-future vision of the DCU via TV news clips. You may recognize some of the anti-superhero sentiment from these, as well. Also, we get the return of Glen Woodburn from Man of Steel, too.

read more: Ranking the Superman Movies

- Alfred's quote about "the next generation of Waynes" facing "an empty wine cellar" is lifted straight out of The Dark Knight Returns. You're going to read words very much like that a lot in the course of this article.

While most Batman costumes are fairly similar in essence, the proportions and lines on this particular version are also right out Frank Miller's artwork:

Pretty cool, right?

The bit with Batman sighting a rifle atop a tower calls to mind still more stuff from Dark Knight Returns, albeit there it was a "grappling hook" gun, while here it's to fire a tracer.

- Also, I don't suppose that I need to explain Bruce's "freaks dressed like clowns" joke, right? Of course I don't.

The shot of Superman lifting the Russian rocket (numbered 300 of course) over his head has a hint of this page from The Dark Knight Returns to it...

Batman's opening gambit in his fight with Superman is to hit him with a sonic blast, this (again) is straight out of Dark Knight Returns. Same with the Kryptonite dust/gas projectile.

There are lots of other direct similarities to the comics in that battle, too...

Look familiar? Check out that first panel on the left!

That armor looks pretty familiar too:

You get the idea, I'm sure.

- When Batman shows up to take out the KGBeast, the action comes right out of the first chapter of (say it with me now, kids!) The Dark Knight Returns. Batman bursts up out of the floor to whup ass. Batman bursts through the wall to take a giant honkin' gun from some dude. Batman says "I believe you" after armed asshat says "believe me, I'll kill her" and then takes him out. All from DKR. Just change the names of the goons.

During the Doomsday battle, complete with lightning bolts, we get a recreation of the cover of The Dark Knight Returns #1. No, seriously, check it out...

Told ya.

Also in Dark Knight Returns, Bruce is often brooding over a Robin costume in a glass case, and Alfred reminds him about "what happened to Jason..." which brings us to...

The Robin Connection

Needless to say, there's only one character who would have spray painted that on Robin's body, so this mirrors the events of the 1988 Batman comic event, "A Death in the Family," which allowed readers to decide (via a 1-900 number... those were different times) whether the second Robin would survive a brutal beating (with a crowbar) at the hands of the Joker and a subsequent warehouse explosion.

It's tough to really see the colors on this, and they're certainly muted, but the basic design certainly mirrors that of the first Tim Drake Robin costume, which also happened to be the first one in the main DC Universe continuity that looked genuinely badass.

It was designed by legendary Bat-artist Neal Adams and first brought to comics by Norm Breyfogle (thanks to our very own JL Bell for keeping me honest here!) and remains one of my favorite costume designs of all time. You can see Jason Todd's Robin costume in a similar glass case in the above image, as well.

It's never made clear which Robin this is supposed to be in the movie, but it's certainly Jason Todd. After all, there's a Nightwing movie in development and they can't do that if Dick Grayson is dead.

Zack Snyder clarified that whoever this Robin is, he died about ten years ago. He later specified that it's probably Dick Grayson. But since we know that this version of Batman has been active for at least 15 years (Alfred says 20), and that's about enough time for this to line up with the Jason Todd version of the character.

The Knightmare

During Batman's weird little nightmare/dream sequence, you can spot several clues as to the identity of the big villain of the DCEU. There's a gigantic Omega symbol in the sand, and Earth appears to have had fire pits (ala the planet Apokolips) installed.

Couple that with what appeared to be Parademons attacking the Dark Knight, and, well... it's looking more and more likely that Darkseid, Jack Kirby's most famous DC Comics creation (and one of the greatest comic book villains of all time) was supposed to make his debut in Justice League 2.

The strange symbol carved into the desert there is Darkseid's, while the winged creatures flying around are his Parademon minions...

For reference, here's what they look like when drawn by Jim Lee in the New 52 Justice League re-launch, which featured Darkseid as the team's first big threat, and which was clearly meant to inform their film efforts...

Also, the sharp-eyed JACS (who is quickly becoming the MVP of the comments on this thing) pointed out the similarities to Batman's Mad Max garb here and the nightmarish future Batman that Damian Wayne becomes during Grant Morrison's run as writer on the character.

Doomsday

- Doomsday was created by Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern in 1992 with the express purpose of killing Superman dead and driving up sales. He succeeded in all possible respects in Superman #75.

Doomsday's Kryptonian origins weren't revealed until much later, although he was never a Frankenstein's Monster version of Zod, nor did he have Lex Luthor's DNA, nor did he... ummm... you get the point. But the idea of Doomsday as a highly evolved/continuously evolving killing machine came right out of the comics, as does the "he grows more spikes as he takes damage" thing.

- When Superman and Doomsday take their battle to Stryker's Island, we're told it's uninhabited. In the comics, Stryker's Island is the home of a massive Metropolis penitentiary. Clearly that isn't the case here...unless in the bleak moral universe of the DCEU, the inhabitants of a prison are completely expendable forms of human life.

- Superman getting caught in a nuclear explosion, becoming a weird zombified thing, and then charging up/healing via the power of the sun comes straight out of a particular Batman story that has been referenced numerous times throughout this article... you have three guesses. Go ahead. Guess.

-Superman flying to almost certain death while carrying a Kryptonian object (albeit a much smaller one) also calls back to mind a similar storytelling beat from the end of Superman Returns.

- Lex Luthor in Zod's old ship, talking to the AI, feels similar to Lex's infiltration of the Fortress of Solitude in Superman II.

- Luthor using the ship to turn Zod's body into Doomsday is also quite reminiscent (intentionally or not) of Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor using Kryptonian crystals to make a giant Kryptonite continent in Superman Returns.

Also, when Lex is talking to Zod's corpse (oofah), he says "you flew too close to the sun." This is a reference to the myth of Icarus, which doesn't remotely seem to apply to anything regarding Zod's arc. Unless he means "you flew too close to the son," as in "The Last Son of Krypton," but somehow I don't think that much thought went into this scene.

read more: Complete Schedule of Upcoming DCEU Superhero Movies

- Lex didn't create Doomsday in the comics, but in many recent versions of the story, Lex did create Bizarro, notably as an imperfect Kryptonian duplicate. There's a little bit of a similarity to that here. Bizarro is, of course, not in the movie, despite some hilariously inaccurate rumors.

Miscellaneous Cool Stuff

- Clark bringing Lois flowers and groceries is faintly reminiscent of their brief shot at domestic bliss in Superman II where Superman famously cooked Lois a souflee using heat vision, and flew around the world to get her some nice tropical flowers. This scene also illustrates the age old Supes/Lois problem, where she knows that he "belongs to the world" and not to her.

- Pery White refers to Clark as "Smallville" more than once in the film. That was Lois Lane's affectionate/condescending nickname for Clark on Superman: The Animated Series, which is an excellent way to spend your time, I might add.

Later, while admonishing Clark for actually, y'know, wanting to be a reporter and tell the truth, Perry says, "It's not 1938 anymore." 1938 is, of course, the year that Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman, was published. In other words, here's Perry White speaking for Zack Snyder, telling fans to stop whining over the fact that Superman doesn't behave very much like Superman in these movies.

- It appears that the Metropolis News channel, Channel 8, is indeed a GBS/Galaxy Broadcasting affiliate station. You can also spot a GBS microphone during a press conference later on, which is perhaps representative of their cable outlet or something similar.

- You can spot a mention of Gotham's Blackgate Prison when Clark is doing his investigation into Batman.

Incidentally, the Ultimate Edition has a lot more going on as far as Clark's investigative reporting, and that along with Henry Cavill's performance remind me quite abit of the better moments of the 1950s Adventures of Superman TV series. George Reeves routinely played Clark has a hard-edged reporter, and Cavill definitely channels some of that here.

read more - Men of Steel: 11 Actors Who Have Played Superman on Screen

- Bruce Wayne's "one percent chance" logic is childish and horrifying, and sounds like something Donald Trump would say about immigrants. It certainly was the logic that Dick Cheney used to condone "enhanced interrogation techniques."

- You can spot "Nicholson Terminal," which the Batmobile obliterates. Maybe this is a nod to Jack Nicholson's iconic take on the Joker. Maybe it isn't. Does this movie really ever make sense?

- When Senator Finch is asked "Must there be a Superman" well, that's a reference to a classic Superman tale. Not just any classic Superman story, either. The first published Superman story by Supes-writer extraordinaire, Elliott S! Maggin (that's not a typo) in Superman #247 from 1972. That story is far more nuanced and interesting in its 24 pages than this movie in its two and a half hours, and it's 100 percent worth reading.

- There's a pretty hilarious Wilhelm Scream when the Batmobile overturns some poor hood's car.

- Ma Kent's "you don't owe this world a thing" speech marks the return of evil, dystopian, Hunger Games Smallville logic to the series. For real, is it any wonder that the DCEU's Clark Kent is such a brooding mope? Between stuff like this and hallucination Pa Kent telling Clark about the time he drowned a bunch of horses by accident, it's a miracle that Superman isn't just snapping necks like... oh, wait, he already did that.

read more: Does Superman Have a Future in the DCEU?

- Hey, remember when the internet said that Scoot McNairy was playing Hal Jordan/Jimmy Olsen/Ted Kord/Morgan Edge/Che Guevara/Spider-Man/Ad Nauseum? Yeah. That didn't happen. He's Wallace Keefe, a character we've never heard of. The only Keef I give a damn about is Richards.

- Ma Kent is now working at Rolli's Diner. Now, there's two smaller Lex Luthor stories from the comics that Rolli's ties into. Superman #9 (1987) featured a backup story called "Metropolis, 900 miles" which dealt with Lex Luthor offering a kind of "indecent proposal" to a waitress at Rolli's.

Lex's kidnapping of Martha Kent is also kinda' like a story from Superman #2 (1987) where he kidnapped Lana Lang after he figured out that young Superman had ties to Smallville. He ended up figuring out that Superman was Clark Kent but refused to believe it.

- In the background during these scenes there's a prominent piece of question mark graffiti, which may or may not be a reference to the Riddler. There's some "Who Watches the Watchmen?" graffiti (not in this image), too.

- Lois boards a red helicopter on the Daily Planet rooftop, which reminds me of the best scene in the best Superman movie, the immortal Superman: The Movie.

The Justice League Connection

- So, in case you cannot tell because he's almost unrecognizable, the lightning tornado dream sequence echo voice thing is the DC Extended Universe version of The Flash (and that's Ezra Miller in the role). The Flash appearing in mysterious form, kind of like a dream, and possibly from a different point in time, is very much a reference to Crisis on Infinite Earths where Flash was appearing to various heroes trying to warn them of what was to come while he was busy dying later in the story fighting the very same threat.

Flash also seems to be teasing something about Lois Lane being "the key." If Bruce is right about Superman, that means Flash is speaking to Bruce from a time in the future where Superman has become a threat, perhaps because of the death of Lois Lane...or maybe Lois is the key to turning him good again, or bringing him back to life.

This could be a reference to the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game and comics, which features a morally compromised DC Universe where heroes fight each other and Superman is a terrible person. So, you know, that sounds awfully familiar all of a sudden, doesn't it?

We wrote more about the Injustice comics right here, if you're interested. I'm saving some more about the implications of this for another article, too.

- I'm sure you all realized that was Jason Momoa as Aquaman during the underwater sequence, right? His look here is reminiscent of how he appeared on the excellent Justice League animated series and his mid-90s makeover.

- The weird horror movie/RoboCop sequence is the origin of Cyborg, played by Ray Fisher, who made his next appearance in Justice League. He was scheduled to get his own movie in 2020, but that no longer appears to be happening.

read more: Every DCEU Easter Egg in the Aquaman Movie

One cool thing about that scene is that the weird cube thing that apparently makes the Cyborg project successful is a Mother Box, which makes this the film's second overt Jack Kirby reference, and the imminent arrival of Steppenwolf as the villain of Justice League.

Wonder Woman

- By the way, Wonder Woman first appeared in All Star Comics #8 in 1941, but the Wonder Woman in this movie is even older than that. Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman garb is reminiscent of how artists like Alex Ross drew her in Kingdom Come and Darwyn Cooke did in New Frontier to make her look more like the warrior princess she's traditionally depicted as.

You can also spot Chris Pine as Steve Trevor in that photo from 1918 and the rest of his World War I crew that we got to meet in her movie.

Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman performance is even better with a little more context after seeing her in action in her solo flick. For example, I only just noticed how immediately bored/disgusted she is with Lex Luthor when he's giving his little speech at the party. She sees right through him. It's awesome.

The Death of Superman

A few notes about the "death" of Superman...

I have to admit, this is really cool. Remember all the Excalibur stuff up top? It's back! A few of you sharp-eyed folks pointed out the similarities to this scene in Boorman's flick, and they are undeniable...

Video of Excalibur Mordred's death

- When you see his body cradled by Lois Lane, it's a nod to Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding's art from Superman #75.

- In the Ultimate Edition, before Lex is captured, he's seen communing with a mysterious figure on the ship. This is likely Steppenwolf, the villain of the Justice League movie, although there's a slight chance it's Yuga Khan, the father of Darkseid. But really, it's probably Steppenwolf.

- Ending on "Amazing Grace" and an ambiguous/hopeful note is more than a little reminiscent of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which featured the death of Spock. Superman has somehow managed to show even less emotion and seemed even more alien than Spock ever did in this franchise so far, so it's really, really appropriate.

- You can see the weird little telekinetic effect that was used to show that Superman's powers were about to manifest in Man of Steel. So, y'know, of course he's not dead.

I explained the implications of Superman's death and the ending of this movie in greater detail here.

- Superman's coffin is black with a silver "S" logo. When Superman returned from the dead during the Death and Return of Superman story in the '90s, he wore a black suit with a silver "S" on it.

- By the way, it's worth noting that Warner Bros. has been trying to kill Superman on screen since at least 1995. Virtually every draft of every Superman movie of the last twenty years featured some form of Superman getting croaked (occasionally at the hands of Doomsday), while most others at least teased, it, too...including Superman Returns.

- To bring things full circle, I should also bring up the fact that The Dark Knight Returns also ends a "death" albeit Batman's (he isn't really dead, either). That hopeful ending involves Superman overhearing Bruce's heartbeat. Some folks claim they can hear a heartbeat as we zoom in on Clark's coffin, and that's another DKR reference for you!

Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.

from Books https://ift.tt/2JzT7p6

#aion-rsa #Books

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soapberryspringsrpg · 6 years

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Forbidden Fruits

Hello Berries! The nights are getting longer, the air is getting crisper, the lattes are getting pumpkin spicier so you know what time it is. Time for the third ever Soapberry Springs writing prompt!

This prompt is meant to appeal to that part of many of us that once devoured cheesy romance books, thrilling over cliche after cliche so long as the right people ended up riding off into the sunset together. To play along, please choose one of the scenarios under the cut inspired by the brave harlequin romance writers and their specific books.

You are free to change genders and names, of course; the only two things that must remain as posted are a) the title and b) the plot.

As always there is no time limit and no due date. Players are welcome to write self-paras, blurbs or novellas, poetry, chatzys or threads, to edit graphics, make playlists, etc. All creative takes on the theme are welcome and encouraged!

Select below from prompts!

Feyness By E.S. Carter In this dark and sexy story, Faye’s cruel, powerful father forces her to marry wickedly gorgeous Cole. She’s convinced that Cole is pure evil — and he’s determined to break her…

Delicious Temptation By Sabrina Sol

After years of keeping her family’s struggling bakery afloat, pastry chef Amara is tired of being safe and predictable. Can she convince Eric, her brother’s ex-best friend, to make good on his bad-boy reputation? A smoldering erotic romance!

An Unconventional Courtship By Scotty Cade

Personal assistant Tristan and his CEO boss, Webber, both struggle to hide their true feelings from each other. But when the pair travel to the Caribbean on a business trip, they discover they can’t hold back their desires forever…

Grayson’s Mate By Tamsin Baker

An alpha werewolf in search of his mate is led to the last person he expected: the handsome stranger he rescued from a car accident. Their desire is undeniable, but can a werewolf and a mortal man find a way to be together?

Make Me Want By Katee Robert

Lucy is a confident, high-powered lawyer — but her ex-boyfriend gave her self-esteem issues in bed. Can her friend Gideon help her realize she has the power to drive him wild?

Bound by Honor By Cora Reilly

To fulfill her father’s promise, Aria must marry notorious, coldhearted Luca. But can she break down Luca’s walls and find the passion within him?

Bad Neighbor By M. O’Keefe

Sparks fly when Charlotte meets her sexy new neighbor Jesse. He’s an alpha bad boy who isn’t afraid of anything — except for his growing attraction to Charlotte, as their desire for each other rages out of control…

London Calling By Clare Lydon

A charming, witty romance: Jess never expected to be moving back in with her parents at the age of 32. But just as things seem hopeless, she makes an unexpected connection with a gorgeous woman. Could happily ever after be on the horizon?

Three Wrong Turns in the Desert By Neil Plakcy

Aidan can’t stop thinking about Liam, the alluring bodyguard he met in a Tunisian bar… When a high-octane chase takes them into the desert, their desires reach a boiling point in this steamy adventure!

Tempting Boundaries By Carrie Ann Ryan

Decker has always lusted after his best friend’s little sister, the woman he can’t have. But when Miranda decides she wants him, he may not be able to resist any longer…

Camp H.O.W.L. By Bru Baker

A sexy shifter romance! When Adrian finally turns into a werewolf — eight years late — Tate, a counselor at a camp for new werewolves, is ready to guide him. But cynical Tate never expected Adrian to be his destined mate…

Roller Girl By Vanessa North

When newly single Tina joins Joanne’s roller derby team, their friendship ignites a steamy passion behind closed doors…

The Shop on Main By Kay Correll

Bella is devastated to learn that she may lose her small shop — and an attractive businessman is the root of her worries. When they clash, can she settle her financial woes on her own and embrace a second chance at love?

The Road to You By Harper Bliss

Serious Katherine and free-spirited Ali have been enemies since college… but fate keeps throwing them together. As the years go on, will they see another side to each other — one they could learn to love?

Road to the Sun By Keira Andrews

When his eight-year-old daughter is kidnapped in Montana, single dad Jason Kellerman enlists the help of park ranger Ben Hettler. Suppressing their burning mutual attraction, the two men begin a wild and desperate hunt through the wilderness…

Captive of the Hitman By Alexis Abbott

When Alicia gets caught up in a dangerous situation, Mikhail takes her captive for her protection. But their sexual chemistry is off the charts — and he refuses to let her go…

Feeling Hot By Elle Kennedy

Home from deployment, Navy SEAL Cash McCoy forms a tantalizing connection with a mysterious blonde. Little does he know that she’s Jen Scott — his commanding officer’s sister! Can he keep his hands to himself around the one woman who’s off-limits?

Professional Distance By Silvia Violet

Heartbroken Thornwell swears off love — until he hires aspiring chef Riley as an escort! Though the two men couldn’t be more different, they begin to fall for each other. Can Riley convince Thornwell to set aside his doubts and live deliciously?

Black By T.L. Smith

Left heartbroken by his first and only love, hit man Liam Black is surprised to find her a decade later. But Rose isn’t the woman she used to be…

Training Sasha By Becca Jameson

Sasha is eager to explore her submissive side, but BDSM club owner Lincoln — who’s also her brother’s friend — won’t admit his attraction to her. Can she convince him to help her explore her sexual desires?

Stalking Buffalo Bill By J. Leigh Bailey

From the moment coyote shifter Donnie spotted buffalo shifter William at his cafe, he was smitten. When deadly figures from William’s past come back to settle unfinished business, the pair team up to ward off danger — and protect their future together.

Dog Days By TA Moore

Apocalyptic weather conditions are wreaking havoc across the globe. But weredog Danny has more immediate problems — including his wolfish ex-lover, Jack…

Dirty Girl By Meghan March

When Greer is drunk one night, she posts an embarrassing personal ad — and now she has thousands of takers! But bad boy Cavanaugh is a cut above the rest…

Tonight’s Encore By Parker Avrile

When Zac returns to his small hometown, he renews his relationship with Reed, who knew him before he became a rock star. But the pressures of fame could tear them apart in this steamy gay romance!

The Longest River By Hildred Billings

After the death of her twin sister, Helen moves to a secluded mountain village to find her independence and heal. There she meets widowed bookstore owner Kiyoko — an introduction that feels like fate…

Dirty Daughter By JB Duvane

Emily is determined to seduce her mother’s former psychologist, Max. But she doesn’t realize that he has his own plans for her — and soon she’ll be locked up in his remote cottage, forced to satisfy his every desire…

Mr. So Wrong By R.C. Stephens

A searing, sexy romance! After finding wealthy bad boy Al caught in a blizzard, Samantha brings him to her ranch to nurse him back to health. She doesn’t want to let anyone close to her heart, but why can’t she keep Al out of her bed?

Tempt the Playboy By Natasha Madison

After arrogant playboy Noah has a one-night stand with Kaleigh, he’s determined to claim her again. But she may not fall for his charms so easily…

One Last Heist By Dahlia Donovan

Partners in love and in crime, Toshiro and Mack plan to get their crew together for one last heist. It was supposed to be easy — but as they become embroiled in a deadly conspiracy, the stakes will rise out of their control…

Little Liar By W Winters

With so much pain in her past, there’s no way Allie should be drawn to bad boy Dean. And yet she can’t seem to stay away from him…

Seducing Cinderella By Gina L. Maxwell

Physical therapist Lucie needs help wooing her crush, so she asks her brother’s best friend, Reid, to teach her the art of seduction. But their arrangement leads to an unexpected chemistry, and Reid can’t give her up…

Tormentor Mine By Anna Zaires

In this “darkly addictive and hauntingly beautiful” romance, assassin Peter comes to torture Sara. But then he becomes obsessed with her…

As Sure as the Sun By Elle Keaton

After a brush with death, retired US Marshal Sacha starts anew in a small town. As he works to restore an old building, he crosses paths with history enthusiast Seth — and discovers a sizzling attraction that may persuade both men to risk their hearts.

The Endgame Duet By Cleary James

When her life takes a turn for the worse, Lisa offers herself to wealthy Grayson in exchange for the money she needs. For seven days he can do whatever he wants with her — but will they be able to control their sensual desires?

The Beat of Love By L. Loryn

In this passionate gay romance, brooding musician Wolfe and handsome actor Miguel court the media by pretending to be a couple. Will their fake celebrity relationship crash and burn — or turn into a connection more powerful than they expected?

The Isle of... Where? By Sue Brown

When Liam Marshall travels to the Isle of Wight to fulfill his best friend’s dying wish, Sam Owens helps him through it. They swiftly develop a connection — but does their budding relationship have an expiration date?

Ruthless By Dani René

Dangerous bad boy Callan always gets whatever he wants — so when he sees sweet Madison at a BDSM club, he must have her. A darkly delicious erotic tale!

Fire and Flint By Andrew Grey

When single father Jordan turns to sheriff’s deputy Pierre with his concerns about a corrupt judge, the two men discover they’ve made a powerful enemy. They’ll do whatever it takes to protect each other in this stirring and suspenseful read.

Entangled by Nikki Jefford

Two months after dying, Gray wakes up in her twin’s body. She’s forced to spend every other day impersonating snobby Charlene — and only warlock Raj notices the difference. Can Gray be saved, or will she fade altogether?

Southern Spirits by Angie Fox

When Verity discovers the power to commune with the spirit world, she teams up with local bad boy Ellis to evict some undead tenants.

Witch Slapped by Dakota Cassidy

Stripped of her powers, ex-witch Stevie Cartwright teams up with the ghost of a sexy British spy to solve a murder case involving a bogus psychic medium.

Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL by Cora Seton

Navy SEAL vet Brian has always dreamed of owning his own ranch — so when he’s asked to marry a general’s daughter, Cass, in exchange for a share of her land, he can’t refuse.

Sit… Stay… Beg by Roxanne St. Claire

Garrett, a dot-com millionaire turned dog rescuer, keeps his heart on a tight leash — until journalist Jessie is hired to write a profile on him…

Earthrise by M.C.A. Hogarth

On a mysterious rescue mission, no-nonsense ship captain Reese Eddings commands her vessel Earthrise straight into danger, battling pirates and slavers to save elf prince Hirianthial…

Chez Stinky by Susan C. Daffron

Kat inherits her great-aunt’s dilapidated house, which is filled to the brim with pets and complications. As she adjusts to her new surroundings — and connects with Joel, who’s as handy as he is handsome — will she embrace her new start?

Rumor Has It by Elisabeth Grace

When an embarrassing video goes viral, Ellie Wagner’s reputation pays the price. Her life seems ruined, but a fresh start awaits when she falls for Mason Nash…

Smart Tass by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Hunter has been tormenting his bookish neighbor Tass since they were children. But when she’s challenged to date him — and he needs to take her virginity to win a bet — can a fake relationship solve their problems and reveal their true feelings for one another?

Once Upon a Time by Blair Babylon

When princess Flicka decides to flee her violent ex, her bodyguard Dieter is the only one who can help her. But their irresistible attraction heats up in ways neither of them expected…

Malevolent by Jana DeLeon

PI Shaye Archer takes on the baffling case of Emma Frederick, a woman convinced that her abusive husband is out to get her. Except Emma killed her husband weeks ago…

Club Shadowlands by Cherise Sinclair

Stranded during a storm, Jessica takes shelter in a nearby house. But when she discovers it’s actually a private BDSM club, she begins to explore her fantasies with a sexy dominant…

Stripped by Stacy-Deanne

Baltimore cop Dee Quarter investigates a cult whose charismatic leader, Jonathan Wild, is determined to ensnare her…

Kiss of Fire by Rebecca Ethington

Joclyn just sent her high school bully flying through the air! Could her phenomenal power have something to do with the strange new scar on her neck? Her handsome best friend Ryland holds all the secrets…

Heaven in His Arms by Lisa Ann Verge

Forced to take a bride, André chooses sickly Genevieve, assuming she won’t survive the harsh winter. But Genevieve is not the frail noblewoman she appears to be, and André soon realizes that he needs her more than he ever expected…

In Search of a Love Story by Rachel Schurig

Tired of losing at love, Emily undertakes a research project: she’ll binge on romance novels and chick flicks until she learns their secret. Handsome Greg could be her Prince Charming — but why is Emily’s friend Elliot so unhappy about her plan?

The Chef’s Mail-Order Bride by Cindy Caldwell

Tripp trained at an elite culinary school, but he can’t get a loan for his restaurant without a wife. Raised in a bakery, Sadie agrees to head west as Tripp’s bride. Can the two learn to work together as they open their new restaurant — and find love in the process?

The Witch Hunter by Nicole R. Taylor

Cursed by an ancient witch, vampire Zachary will die a slow, agonizing death. His only shot at survival is Aya, the so-called Witch Hunter, who has been asleep for 150 years… But she has no interest in helping him.

Ignite by Kaitlyn Davis

When Kira discovers her mystical powers, she must fight for her life — and choose between sweet, goofy Luke and gorgeous, blood-hungry Tristan.

Crash by Drew Jordan

Stranded in the Alaskan wilderness, Laney takes refuge in the arms of the stranger who rescues her. But will he be her savior — or her destroyer?

Going Hard by Kelsey Browning

When rich playboy Grif Steele returns to his hometown, he reconnects with Carlie Beth Parrish. But with a murderous stalker on the prowl, can Grif protect her — and the daughter he never knew he had?

Hers to Take by Talia Ellison

When Octavia gets caught in a dangerous situation, her rival, Aaron, offers her a deal she can’t refuse — to escape with her life, she must pretend to be his sex slave. But they don’t expect a forbidden attraction to ignite…

Claimed by Evangeline Anderson

The Kindred race is primarily male, and must choose among human women for their brides. When Olivia is drafted into marrying broken and tortured Baird, she’s determined to resist — but she hadn’t counted on falling for her alien warrior husband…

Forever a Soldier by Genevieve Turner

When Hank returns from combat, he agrees to move into a 100-year-old house owned by his great-great aunt and uncle. His peace is disturbed by Lale, an inquisitive scholar digging into his family’s secrets. But their attraction will open up hidden places in their hearts…

Liam by Kimber White

Though forbidden to be with his fated mate, sexy shifter Liam will stop at nothing to claim Molly, the spitfire who sets his heart aflame. But is Molly ready to embrace his wolfish identity?

The Second Sister by Rae D. Magdon

When Eleanor’s father dies, she’s left with her unhinged stepmother and two stepsisters, Luciana and Belladonna. Eleanor must prevent wicked Luciana from bewitching a prince — but meanwhile, beautiful Belladonna stirs up feelings she can’t resist…

Time to Upsize by Graeme Aitken

Blake’s the perfect boyfriend as far as Stephen is concerned: easygoing, gentle, and sweet. But lately, Blake has been getting increasingly jealous, and it doesn’t help when gorgeous Rick moves next door. Can Stephen resist temptation?

Playing Games by Liliana Rhodes

Cassie gets her dream job working for billionaire Gabriel — and she’s determined to remain professional. But their irresistible attraction ignites after she’s caught trying to watch him in the shower…

Kindling Flames: Gathering Tinder by Julie Wetzel

After landing a job as assistant to a handsome CEO, Victoria feels like her life is finally on the right track. But when she discovers her new boss is the city’s most powerful vampire, she’ll have to decide whether her attraction to him is worth the risk…

Switching Hour by Robyn Peterman

After a stint in witch prison, Zelda is on magic probation — and if she can’t finish a mysterious task in the next month, she’ll be stripped of her powers forever. But a gorgeous werewolf may prove to be a tempting distraction…

Sacrificed to the Dragon by Jessie Donovan

Dragon shifter Tristan has despised humans ever since hunters killed his mother. But his clan insists he needs an heir — and a human mate. When he meets gorgeous Melanie, a slow-burning fire ignites deep within…

The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter

Running from the mob, Delaney becomes a mail-order bride in the spooky town of Nocturne Falls — only to learn her fiancé is a 400-year-old vampire!

Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase

When empath Jade Calhoun moves into a haunted New Orleans apartment, she must use her unique abilities — and the help of her sexy landlord — to ward off a powerful spirit.

#sbsprompt

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heatherrosebabcock · 6 years

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Beer and Blood: The Birth of the Public Enemy

THREE DETROIT GANGSTERS MASSACRED: DEAD VICTIMS STILL HOLD CIGARS THEY SMOKED WHEN GUNS SPOKE, screamed a rather poetic real life Globe newspaper headline on September 17th, 1931.

Prohibition, now over a decade old, had transformed ordinary citizens into lawbreakers and everyday hoodlums into wealthy, bloodthirsty demigods. 1931 could arguably be summed up as “the year of the gangster”: the newspapers were full of ‘em – stories of “bloody bootleg rackets” and “bootlegger bandit death trysts” dominated the headlines and, thanks to the Warner Brothers studio, the silver screen as well. The studio, which only a few years earlier had revolutionized the industry by ushering in sound (or “talkies”) with 1927’s The Jazz Singer, began 1931 with a bang when they released Little Caesar.

“Be somebody,” Rico, Little Caesar’s ambitious thug, played by the incomparable Edward G. Robinson, enthuses at the start of the film. To “be somebody” is to be rich but as Rico warns “Money’s all right but it ain’t everything. Be somebody. Look hard at a bunch of guys and know that they’ll do anything you tell ‘em. Have your own way or nothin’.”

In other words, to “be somebody” is to live the American Dream and in an America caught in the double fisted grip of Prohibition and the Great Depression, it was a dream gone dangerously delirious - a dream fueled by buckets of bathtub gin; a dream which could be poisonous if taken straight.

Little Caesar was a massive hit – so much so that theaters had to keep it running twenty-four hours a day just to satisfy audience demand; they had done the same thing almost four years earlier with Underworld, Josef von Sternberg’s 1927 gangland epic for Paramount Pictures. Underworld, a film dripping with both beauty and brutality, is considered by many to be the first successful gangster picture – the Grand Daddy of all gangster movies if you will – but it was a silent film; it wasn’t until the gangsters began to talk when the genre truly secured its choke-hold on the public’s imagination. It is a testament to the power and influence of the movies that when we picture Prohibition-era gangsters today it is not the real-life criminals, such as Al Capone or Jack “Legs” Diamond, who immediately come to mind but rather Edward G. Robinson, a cigar anchored between his lips, or James Cagney, shooting his words out quicker than bullets from a Tommy gun.

Riding the wave of gunfire, Warner Brothers followed Little Caesar with The Public Enemy, released in April of that same year. In The Public Enemy, James Cagney stars as the nasty break-your-word-and-I’ll-break-your-face bootlegger Tom Powers. One wonders if we would still be discussing this film eighty-seven years later if it were not for Cagney. I say that not to lessen the talent of the movie’s other stars, but there has never been any question that The Public Enemy is Cagney’s picture. Originally Edward Woods was signed on to play Tom Powers, with Cagney as his side-kick Matt. However when director William “Wild Bill” Wellman was viewing the early footage he realized that it was Cagney, and not the handsome but reticent Woods, who crackled with an almost frightening intensity. Wellman switched the actors’ roles and both a classic movie and a star were born.

He was beloved by both cast and crew as the nicest guy on the lot but onscreen Cagney could be as terrifying as he was captivating. Watch closely his movements in The Public Enemy – particularly his hands – his gestures are as sharp as a boxer’s jab yet as graceful as a ballet dancer’s pirouette. Indeed, the street smart Cagney had been both a boxer and a dancer. In his own words, from his 1976 autobiography Cagney by Cagney:

“I learned how to dance from learning how to fight. It was feint, duck, quick dance around your opponent on your toes mostly, then shoot out the arm like a bullet.”

Cagney ignores the rules of the early talkies – to speak slowly and to enunciate clearly – instead he spits words out at breakneck speed in his proud Lower East Side New York accent. As we follow Tom Powers’ rise from a young roller-skate snatcher to a vicious bootlegger, we can’t keep our eyes off of him. That is, until Jean Harlow shows up. There is a very good reason why Warner Brothers borrowed her from Hughes for The Public Enemy and for why she shares top billing with Cagney even though she has less than half of his screen time: in the 1930s, studios catered to a female audience and they undoubtedly knew that women would be more likely to buy a ticket to see a gangster flick if Jean Harlow, the original Platinum Blonde and most influential 1930s style and beauty icon, was in it. Just one year later, Harlow would come into her own both as an actress and a comedian: she would make them laugh in Red-Headed Woman (1932) and cry in Red Dust (1932). But her early acting, particularly in The Public Enemy, has always inspired negative criticism and cruel mocking. I for one though appreciate the glitter and grit that Harlow brings to the role of Gwen, Tom’s trophy moll. In Harlow’s hands, Gwen is not a society dame but a dame who craves society – like Tom and Rico she wants to “be somebody”. Working class audiences, the audience that Warner Brothers proudly catered to, adored Jean Harlow. Whiplash may be a viewer side-effect of watching Cagney and Harlow together on screen – it feels as though we are watching a game of ping pong but the ball is their fire. Make no mistake though – the passions that they unleash are at each other, not for each other; Gwen and Tom are not a couple mating but rather individuals fighting for their own place in the world. Their one love scene together is the only time in the film when Cagney appears truly vulnerable but when Harlow says to him “You don’t give – you take,” she could easily be talking about herself. That love scene goes unconsummated, ending with a frustrated Harlow smashing a champagne glass against the wall as Tom carelessly walks out with his friend Matt. Cagney didn’t do romance and The Public Enemy isn’t a romantic film – nor is it really a movie about guns and bootleggers. The Public Enemy is a film about family. The script was adapted from Kubec Glasmon and John Bright’s novel Beer and Blood and that title sums up all of Tom’s world: his “beer” family of bootleggers and his “blood” family, played here by Beryl Mercer as his naïve, loving mother and Donald Cook as his conservative big brother Mike.

The relationship between brothers Tom and Mike is interesting. It is complicated and intense in the way that relationships between real-life siblings often are. Tom Powers may thumb his nose at Mike’s responsible lifestyle (“He’s too busy going to school – he’s learning how to be poor”) but the hard-core gangster, who can literally shoot a man in the back before calling his moll for a date, doesn’t defend himself when his disapproving brother gives him a sock in the jaw (and the punch was reportedly real – Cook hit Cagney so hard that Cagney cracked a tooth). In one of the film’s best scenes, Mike picks up a keg and throws it across their mother’s kitchen, angrily accusing Tom that “there’s not only beer in that keg – there’s beer and blood!” Tom replies that Mike, who has just returned home from the War and is incidentally shell shocked, is a hypocrite. “You didn’t get them medals from holding hands with them Germans,” he sneers. “You killed and you liked it!” He is projecting in the way that siblings often do – for of course it is Tom, not Mike, who “kills and likes it.”

In the early 1930s, gangster movies used real bullets but the most explosive scene in The Public Enemy doesn't involve gun fire at all – yes folks, it's time to talk about the Grapefruit. The film's most notorious moment happens as Tom sits down to breakfast with his moll Kitty, played by the lovely Mae Clarke. They have obviously just had sex and Tom is acting more than a little cold and distracted. Kitty, looking fabulous in a pair of silk lounging pajamas, asks him if he has met someone he likes better. Cagney’s sneer curls up like a fist as he picks up a half grapefruit and smashes it in Mae’s face. It is a cruel scene which still shocks today and it confirms our suspicion that Tom Powers is a sociopath.

It seems that almost every man who had a hand in making the film has their own story of how this scene came to be shot; the most commonly accepted theory is also the most condescending - the belief that the scene was improvised by Cagney and Wellman, without Clarke's knowledge or consent and that her response was thus genuine. This assumption irritates me as it is dismissive of Clarke's admirable acting talents and relegates her to little more than a prop. Well, Clarke was no prop and she sure as hell wasn't a hack either: in 1931, in addition to the Public Enemy, she delivered strong performances in three important films: Waterloo Bridge, Frankenstein and The Front Page. As for that grapefruit, I'm going to go with Mae's version of the story, both because I trust her talent and because I like her better than all those other mugs: in a 1983 interview with American Classic Screen, Mae said that the script originally called for Cagney throwing the grapefruit at her and then storming out. Wellman and Cagney however felt that this wasn’t quite working so they took Mae aside and asked if she would be okay with Cagney pushing the grapefruit in her face. Mae didn’t like the idea but agreed to do it on the condition that the scene be shot once and with no retakes. Still, according to her close friends, Mae always hated the “grapefruit scene”. Viewers today may honor her talent by watching this great actress in the powerful role for which she would undoubtedly prefer to be remembered – as chorus girl turned prostitute Myra in James Whale’s Waterloo Bridge. Mae Clarke was much more than just “the dame who gets the grapefruit facial". The most criminal thing about the Public Enemy is that she did not even receive a screen credit.

Like the grapefruit scene, the film’s ending also packs a wallop with rival gang members tossing Cagney’s mummified corpse through his mother’s living room door. It is Cook’s nuanced performance though that makes this scene truly haunting – his slow, stunned lurch towards the camera to the tune of a broken phonograph record. Will Mike avenge his brother’s death, we wonder? Or will this be the final straw that breaks him? And how will he tell Ma that her baby is finally home but not in the way that she hoped?

Like other gangster films from this period, The Public Enemy is book ended by title cards warning of the dangers of a gangster lifestyle. Audiences accepted these admonishments as broccoli to the film’s ice cream dessert. “(Gangster pictures) are intended to point out the lesson that crime does not pay,” insisted Harry Warner and you can almost see Tom Powers sneer in response. “Crime doesn’t pay, does it?” I picture him saying. “Baby, these days it’s the only thing that pays.” The popularity of films like The Public Enemy is indicative of how most Americans really felt about Prohibition. Eighty-five years later the film’s heat remains as unquenchable as a forest fire. Who needs CGI when you’ve got James Cagney?

#the public enemy #thepublicenemy #james Cagney #mae clarke #jean harlow #james whale #william wellman #1930s movies #gangster movies #pre-code #the great depression #prohibition #classic film review

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imaginingteamiplier · 7 years

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Cafes and Christmas Balls (Markiplier) (2nd Day of Christmas)

Title: Cafes and Christmas Balls

Word Count: 1713

Not Requested

Summary: Mark Fischbach, Tyler Scheid, and Ethan Nestor are the wealthies, and most attractive, guys in the area. Reader just works in the local cafe, so why is she invited to the Fischbach’s annual Christmas Ball?

A/N: Okay, so this is way longer than anything I’ve written and it’s a little late but I really like it. If you guys want me to post anything else from this AU, let me know. If you guys want I can add some stuff about the girls later on, just let me know. Enjoy! (Also the gif is so funny and lowkey part of the inspiration for this.)

Working in the cafe was nice, especially for you. Money was tight, but with a job at a cafe in the upper end of town, tips were pretty nice.

Christmas was near, and even though it wasn’t much of a winter wonderland, everyone around was definitely festive. Christmas lights hung from the front of the counter and paper snowflakes were strung from the ceiling. Soft Christmas music was playing over the speakers and you hummed along.

The holiday season was busy at work and as much as you didn’t want to, you usually picked up some extra shifts. The work wasn’t typically so bad, and the money was always worth it, so when a friend plead ‘family emergency’ you took over his Saturday shift. So, there you were at 10 am on a Saturday, standing behind the counter in a dumb reindeer antler headband, and trying to keep orders coming out at a somewhat steady pace.

The bell over the door gave a faint ding as a group of new customers entered. You said a bright hello, barely looking up from the latte you were making. Once they reached the counter, you lifted your gaze, and you could swear time stopped. In front of you stood the three wealthiest men in town and easily the most famous, hell, maybe the most famous in the country.

Tyler Scheid. The youngest in a long lie of entrepreneurs. He was known best for breaking the line. He was a model and he was good at it. Everyone recognized his face (not to mention his abs). Ethan Nestor. An up and coming actor, son of some rich politician. He was younger than most of his friends, but nobody really minded. Mark Fischbach, the younger son of the Fischbach family, one of the most influential families in town. They had money, they had everything from restaurants to recording companies.

Right in front of you stood the Princes, as they were so affectionately nicknamed. You straightened our back and put on your most charming smile, trying hard to ignore the fact that you were just an idiot wearing a dumb Christmas headband and they were the men who held actual balls and galas in their free time.

“What can I get for you guys?” You asked sweetly. The boys gave their orders and you nodded at each of them, carefully writing each of their names on their cups before they went to sit down. You could hear your coworkers mumbling to each other about the Princes. Apparently this wasn’t the first time they’d come in. Little did you know, it was the first time they’d come to stay. A few minutes passed and you finished up, calling their names and trying to be as casual as you could. The boys came up, taking their cups and thanking you. You couldn’t believe it, even if their voices dripped with confidence and rich boy charm, they were really nice. At least, they seemed to be from the tiny interactions you had.

Nearly an hour later, you noticed Mark had hung behind for a moment. As you called out an order, you caught him say something to a coworker. You brushed it aside, judging by the starstruck look on her face, he was likely flirting with her. You turned back, wiping down the counter before your next customer came in.

“Hey, (Y/N). Mr. Fischbach asked me to give you this.” The younger girl that worked with you passed you a simple envelope. You flipped it over, trying to figure out what it was. On the front you saw that he’d even written your name. For a moment you were confused before remembering your nametag. You excused yourself as she offered to take over the last couple minutes of your shift before heading to grab your things and leave. You carefully opened the envelope. First you pulled out a couple bills. Two hundred dollars? That was insane! You checked inside the envelope for what was left. A small note was inside. You pulled it out to read it quickly.

I hope this isn’t creepy. I’d really like to get to know you. Buy yourself something nice. And please come. -Mark.

Please come? Come where? This had to be a giant practical joke or something. You reached into the envelope once more. A ticket. Your heart stopped. In fancy writing, the ticket simply said ‘The Fischbach Christmas Ball ‘ Beneath that it said ‘Formal.’ With the address for one of the Scheid’s hotels. Was this really happening?

Three weeks had passed and you couldn’t believe you were really doing this. You had managed to find something to wear that fit the formal requirements. With a glance in the mirror of your car, you felt sick. This was fake, it simply had to be. But if it wasn’t…you couldn’t pass it up. When you arrived, you saw that there was a line out the door.

You joined the queue, taking a moment to glance at someone else’s ticket. Identical. You of all people were going to the Fischbach’s annual Christmas ball. It took quite a while to make it inside and when you did, you were in shock.

The ballroom had vaulted ceilings higher than you could have imagined, candles lined the walls and there were beautiful Christmas decorations everywhere. The room was decked out. There was an enormous tree decorated with gold and silver ornaments that you could never afford in your life. Around the outside of the room, there were small tables draped with red clothes and fancy plates. At the front of the room was a buffet bigger than any you’d seen before at at the other end was a table, likely set for Mark’s family. You didn’t belong here, but even more so, you couldn’t just stand around like an idiot with your jaw on the floor.

“You look amazing.” You were startled from your thoughts by a faintly familiar voice. You turned, meeting the deep brown eyes of none other than Mark. You felt a smile form on your face as he gently took your hand, lifting it to his lips. Charming. “Tyler said you weren’t going to show, but I was hopeful.”

Talking to him was easy, flirting was even easier. He led you to a table right near the main one that he’d be required to sit at. Ethan and Tyler were already sitting there, both dressed up. Ethan had a boyish look, one that he was known for, and Tyler looked sleek. Nothing surprising there. As the feast began and an orchestra began playing Christmas music, you hit it off instantly with the boys and their dates. How could someone from such a different social setting seem to fit in so well. Nobody seemed to question your presence and you hardly asked yourself if you were being proper enough. That only lasted a short while.

Slowly, couples began moving to the dance floor at the center of the room. Tyler and Ethan both excused themselves to dance with their dates. This left you sitting by yourself at your table with a glass of wine that you hadn’t even touched. There was a tap on your shoulder and you turned to see a man you’d never spoken to before. He gave a charming smile, inviting himself to sit with you. You did your best to keep up a conversation with him before Mark joined you, gently excusing you. He took your hand, pulling you to dance with him. You quickly shook your head, repeatedly mumbling ‘no’s and ‘Mark, wait’s.

“Come on. The least you can do is dance with me.” He begged, pausing halfway onto the dance floor. You felt a small nagging feeling of guilt.

“I know we’re at a ball but….” You trailed off, not wanting to admit that you didn’t know how to dance at such an elite ball. You didn’t need to because he quickly caught on.

“Just follow my lead.” Before you knew it he was whisking you off to dance. He smiled as he gave you soft instructions, leading you. Luckily you caught on fairly quickly. You weren’t sure if it was the dance or your partner, but it just made sense. You felt eyes on you as the two of you danced to the classical music.

“Everyone’s staring at us and I feel like I’m going to trip over my own feet.” You admitted softly, glancing aside as you two danced, trying to locate where the staring was coming from, though this only made you a bit dizzy. He shook his head, gently guiding you to look back to him.

“Ignore them. They’re jealous. And there are probably cameras.” He added, a small smirk rising to his lips. Your stomach plummeted. Cameras? He laughed as he saw the look of mild terror cross your face. “I’m kidding. About the cameras, not the jealousy. Anyone would be jealous with you looking like that.”

“Stop, you’re embarrassing me.” You told him, your cheeks going red.

“You should have expected that when you decided to be my date.” He seemed to stop, realizing his mistake as his words came out. You smirked and ran with it.

“I never said I was your date.” You could almost see the man deflate in front of you and you quickly spoke to clear it up. “I was joking. If it makes it any better, this is easily the best date I’ve ever had.” You flashed a smile, different from the ones you wore at work or put on when you spoke to the wealthy strangers that would stop by your table to talk to Ethan or Mark. It was genuine now.

“Can I try something?” Mark asked. He was closer than you’d realized. Your heart was about to beat out of your chest and surely everyone in the ballroom could hear it. You nodded and suddenly the two of you weren’t moving anymore. You were both stopped near the center of the crowded dance floor. Then his lips gently met yours. It only lasted a moment, but you could have sworn it lasted a year, and even then it wasn’t enough.

“Definitely the best date I’ve ever had.” You whispered, the both of your beaming brightly.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hey guys! So, this is like 1,000 words more than I usually write but hopefully you guys enjoyed it! If you like this AU and want to see more of it, let me know. Hopefully tomorrow I can get the requested Christmas imagines out but I’ve been hella busy so we’ll see. Thank you guys so much! Feel free to send it requests! -Cass

#markiplier imagine #teamiplier imagine #mark fischbach imagine #markiplier #youtube imagine #youtuber imagine #imaginingteamiplier #12 days of christmas

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minrazinc · 6 years

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All the "Star Trek Ask Meme " questions.😅 I wonder all but maybe answer your favourite ones

Whoa. It’s so long. But here you go. 😝

1. Top 3 favorite female characters?

Janeway, 7, Kira2. Top 3 favorite male characters?

I’ll put tos triumvirate aside, cuz if not it won’t be fun. 🤣I just love them too much they’re beyond “Trek characters to me”. Because I’m watching ds9 recently, it’s Odo, Quark, Garak.

3. Top 3 least favorite characters?Don’t really have. There are less-developed characters tho.4. Favorite alien species?

Cardassian!

7. Who would make up your crew dream team?

Aha I like this question. Chief security: Odo. CMO: The Doctor/Bones Science officer: Spock Chief engineer: Scotty Operation: 7/9 Second officer: Sisko Captn: Kirk (I can’t help it)

8. Which captain would you most want to serve under?

Sisko or Janeway. (Cuz Kirk is too distracted to me ╮(╯▽╰)╭) But on the other hand, Kirk is most friendly one… but still, I’m shaking every time seeing Bill… whoa tough question

9. Which episode plot do you prefer? a. Time traveling to the past or dealing with time travelers from the future? Depends. I love time travel in tos, but afterwards it becomes boring. b. Going undercover to spy on enemies or going undercover to explore pre- warp planets? Depends. I love undercover as Klingons etc. c. Holodeck malfunction or space anomaly? Nope. d. Ship being taken over or being stranded on a planet? Love it! Especially in VOY e. Rapid aging or de-aging? How can I not love the Deadly Years??? f. Diplomatic negotiations or all out battle? Nah…

11. Top 3 OTPs?Spirk… I don’t really have the same passion for other ships…

12. Top 3 NOTPs?I ship Janeway/Chakotay for a while, and then there comes 7, everything is messed up. Maybe J/7. Garashir. Quodo.

13. A ship you wish had been canon and why?Spirk (wait is there some one saying Spirk is not canon???)

15. Top 3 favorite alien crewmembers?Does Garak count? 7. Spocko.

16. If you could steal the basic plot of an episode for one show and apply to another which would you choose?I don’t really know what this means. But I want some Trek anomaly to happen in Boston Legal. Says… Leonard appears. Or Denny Crane is just Kirk playing around, and Spock comes to rescue.

17. What role would you have aboard a starship?Counselor (I know it’s boring… but …

18. If you had to fight a character who would you choose?Kirk! Who wouldn’t want to fight Kirk???

19. You can undo one plot point, which do you choose?Kirk is not dead! Kirk never dies! Kirk lives forever!

20. Which piece of technology do you wish existed in reality?Replicator, beaming tech…

21. What kind of stories do you hope the new show does?Crossover with old plot. Like the way Trials and Tribble-action does. But clearly these dudes in creative team don’t want to.

22. Would you rather serve on a starship or a space station?Both are ok?

24. Which character do you relate to the most?Spocko! But I’m not as intelligent though.

25. Favorite villain(s)?Garak. Gul Dukat. Borg… Gorn(?)

27. What do you wish they had handled differently?Kirk is not dead! Kirk not dead! Not dead!

28. Character(s) you want to cosplay as?I’m so interesting in Bajoran’s nose make up these days? But I probably don’t know still… or Cardassian… if someone could do the makeup for me…

29. Favorite and least favorite episodes?Favorite in ds9 is the one Jake thinks he loses Sisko? VOY episode is Blink of an Eye. I haven’t watched many tng yet. Favorite in TOS is just too many… and there are too many Trek episodes I find boring…

31. A crossover with another show/movie/book/ect, that you’d want to see?

Boston Legal! 😂(I know I know I’m being weirdo again…)

33. Whose twitter feed would you most want to follow?

What r u talking about? Is there any other twitter feed besides Shatner’s existent? I guess this is probably about character’s but still…

34. What do you think *insert character*’s tumblr would be full of?Kirk. Full of his own pictures. ( ´▽｀) And Spocko’s, and Bones’s angry faces… and flowers.

39. You have to relocate to a planet other than Earth, which do you choose?Sun? So that I can choose the temperature of where I live?

40. If you got a trek inspired tattoo what would it be?Something Shatner related of course… I don’t like tattoos but if I ever have something permanently on my skins it’s Shatner related…

42. Which episode(s) made you cry?My favorite episode from DS9 and VOY.

43. Order of shows from most to least favorite?TOS>everything else

44. If *insert crew* ended up in the modern day what would amaze them the most?I think everything in our time period would *amaze* people from 23rd and 24th century. How stupid we are.

45. Which alien culture would you most want to live in/would feel most comfortable? Vulcan.

46. If they rebooted *insert show here* who out of modern day actors would you pick to play the main characters?tng. James McAvoy plays Picard because of reasons. I don’t know can Tom Hiddleston play Data. And so on…

47. An unpopular opinion you have?Spirk don’t necessarily have made love??? And Spock is asexual but he just happens to fall in love with Kirk. And Kirk is still very much heterosexual (including human females and alien female though). He just happens to fall in love with Spock as well. But I’m only saying… I still enjoy every kind of Spirk fic/art. Just sometimes more canon thing, talking about how they interact daily, with all those subtle but erotic thing that excited me most.

49. A favorite ST fic?Shatner’s Return

#asks

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amazingproductschristmas · 4 years

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As I Have Loved You Love One Another John 13' 34 T Shirt

This is going to be one special show cat deeley joins the As I Have Loved You Love One Another John 13' 34 T Shirt band on the road in sao paulo and in the studio at abbey road for ‘u2 live at the bbc dec 19th bbc1 9pm u2songsofexperience u2. Ok a while back ago I bought mascara if that’s what you want to call it so I get credit ok fine so I use the credit to give another chance and my shipment comes in today and the box looked like it came out of garbage on top of besides my bill inside they included someone else’s bill with that person’s address really aside from that I decide to try the two different lip stains and I literally have to scrub it off till my lips are red it’s seriously like a damn marker so besides crappy products packaging is horrible and they give out people’s information very angry enclosing picture of box. My mom’s the inspiration for me becoming a representative and she’s a total beauty boss avon gold leader ivanna diaz hansen on why she’s celebrating her mom this mother’s day and all other 364 days of the year feeling inspired by this mama love enter to win the ultimate mother’s day gift basket for your mom by a sharing why she’s the boss in our momsthebosscontest full contest details in the prize post above

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Yesterday was a As I Have Loved You Love One Another John 13' 34 T Shirt busy day of meetings and airplane travel for peter and connor but last night peter took some time to share his thoughts on the passing of the great christopher lee christopher lee was the tallest actor I ever knew he was also by far the most literate when we first met in a los angeles studio where he was recording his lines as king haggard in the last unicorn he had just recorded haggard’s speech about his first sight of unicorns and I mentioned that it was probably my favorite speech in the book he immediately wanted to know well did I do it properly we can always redo it right here of course he’d handled the lines perfectly but writers and writers’ opinions about their work mattered intensely to christopher that same afternoon we discovered that between the two of us we we could call to mind just about all the lines of g k chesterton’s poem the rolling english road we also discovered a mutual need to hit the men’s room and my son dan in his mid teens at the time still has a very clear memory of christopher simultaneously peeing while declaiming in that voice which no one could ever keep from imitating after fifteen minutes with him before the roman came to rye or out to severn strode the rolling english drunkard made the rolling english road a reeling road a rolling road that rambled round the shire and after him the parson ran the sexton and the squire I leave it to the reader to imagine that voice in the tiled acoustics of a hollywood bathroom we met a second time in munich where the last unicorn was being dubbed into german most of my memories of that time and of chris lee have to do with books and authors he had known both j r r tolkien and a writer who mattered more to me t h white we had a long ongoing argument in munich about a chapter of the sword in the stone that appears in the english edition of the book but not in the american one he turned out to be right he usually was he never failed to mention the last unicorn as one of his very favorite books and as one of the movies he was most proud of having made indeed he left my whopperjawed as mark twain would have put it when we were being interviewed together on austrian television and he announced oh yes I simply couldn’t resist a chance to play king haggard one more time even in another language after all and he looked straight into the camera it’s the closest they’ll ever let me get to playing king lear the camera swung toward me to catch my stunned reaction and chris looked across the studio at me and winked but my most vivid memory chilling as it remains to this day has to do with the day that I and michael chase walker associate producer of the last unicorn and the one who really got the film made in the first place somehow found our way out to dachau I can’t now recall how we managed it considering that neither one of us spoke german and that you had to take both a subway and a bus to get there from the hotel where the crew were staying but we got there somehow and spent a good half of the day roaming with other tourists around a legendary concentration camp peering blindly into the huge crematoriums but staring with equal horror and fascination at the endless rows of filing cabinets containing every record of every human being who was ever imprisoned starved gassed or simply worked to death in this place michael and I grew quieter and quieter that afternoon until by the time we started back to munich we weren’t speaking at all I think we both felt that we might say anything in words again the first person we met in the hotel lobby was christopher he took one look at us and announced you’ve been to dachau we nodded without answering chris strode toward us looked all the way down from his six foot five inch altitude lowered his voice and inquired still smells doesn’t it with the end of world war ii christopher as a member of the special forces and whose five or six languages included fluent german had been assigned to hunt down and interrogate nazi war crminals and had been present at the liberation of dachau and yes the smell of death had undoubtedly faded somewhat since 1945 but it was still as real as michael and me wandering dazedly between the ovens and the filing system we just didn’t know what it was but christopher did and i’d know it again I never saw him again after munich though we spoke on the telephone a few times on the last occasion when I had called to wish him a happy 90th birthday I remember him assuring me that if by the time you come to make your live action version of your movie I have passed on do not let it concern you I have risen from the dead several times I know how it’s done he worked almost to the last as the real artists of every kind do they work to be working because that’s what they do and they die when they stop I always regarded him as the last of the great 19th century actors that bravura larger than life style went with him no modern rada trained performer would ever attempt it today nor should they it would inevitably come out parody however earnestly meant yet there was always more to christopher lee as an actor than dracula or the mummy or saruman or sherlock holmes for that matter though he was very proud of having played not only both holmes and watson but sherlock’s brother mycroft as well lord summerisle of the original the wicker man probably his favorite of his own movies is most likely closer to chris’s dark benignity than any other role he ever inhabited I believe this because lord summerisle sings a surprising amount in that movie and chris passionately loved singing if there is any such thing as an afterlife or reincarnation I truly hope no believe that christopher lee will return as a wagnerian opera singer if he hadn’t been considered too old in his 30s to be accepted for formal vocal training he might have been in his own eyes at least a happier more fulfilled man but we would have 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dinamicus · 7 years

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as I promised to @elenatria

this probably needs a number of corrections

But, here: Chris's interview where he talks unknown aspects about his family

Chris Hemsworth's confessions:her children and Thor's "ridiculous" outfit

The actor, the only superhero whose weapon is a Diy tool's, is a guy with a lot humor sense y much more common sense than this fits in mesh clothes.

The premiere of Thor:Ragnarok is in Octuber, and he 's the new ambassador for Boos Bottle and reveals that his idol has nothing to do with the movie business

Germany, September 13, 2017

To understand why Chris Hemsworth has become one of the most desired guys in the planet, it's better not to become obssesed with his (certainly excessive) measures.

It's enough put aside the tape measure and watch some SNL's sketches on Youtube to conclude that maybe the muscle that works best for this Australian( 33 )is the laugh.

Few know about self-parody so much as the Elsa Pataky's husband.( spanish, 1976,Madrid) when he mocks his own success or his status as stereotype from muscular guy.It turns out that the action star, the celebrated incarnation of Thor, the sexiest hero in the Marvel universe, is a born comedian.

Hemsworth, the new image of Boss Bottle perfume by Hugo Boss, wait for us.He appears tanned,in contrast to on another cloudy day in Metzingen, a town in southern Germany where the central building of the German company is located, created by the Riehle & Partner architectural firm. In this office, everything from work spaces to rest spaces responds to that Germanic precision of which the firm is proud.

The actor is accompanied by his agent, a mature and attractive woman with the rictus and the uniform (black and expensive) that seems to be made for someone who exercises lightning rods's proffesion for celebrities.

It's comforting to observe how the actor treats her (to her and all those around him) with those unforced manners that distinguish a good education.Hearty,too, but in balanced measure.

He was born in 1983 in Melbourne and grew up in "an aboriginal community". "I remember going without shoes, surrounded by buffalo and crocodiles," he says. He's brother of the also actors Luke and Liam Hemsworth.Hemsworth started his career at 18 years age in the popular Australian series Home and Away, a long tv series and local star's factory begins in late 80s,which have circulated, among others, Naomi Watts, Heath Ledger, Simon Baker, Guy Pearce, Fisher Island or Dannii Minogue.The natural step for every actor who triumphs in this land ( at the antipodes)is to travel to Los Angeles, and that's how Hemsworth jumped with barely 25 years age to the harsh fighting ring of Hollywood.

It was not easy. Too big, too tall and too muscular for most roles, maybe that experience gave him a bath of humility that has only been positive in the long run.It's like that, if you put his name on Google, along with Elsa Pataky, family and muscles, another of the most repeated words is precisely that, humility.In that, the always present search engine is right

From a closer point of view, he calls the attention his absolute lack of pretensions, the good nature, the affable smile and, yes, Chris Hemsworth is one of those actors who do not fulfill the rule and his appearance in person is better than on screen.

Finally, in 2010 and thanks to the Thor's first movie, his luck changed.He becames in one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. Since then and to the beat of the Marvel saga everything in his life grows without stopping.However, he seems to be a man attached to reality, with an idyllic memory of his childhood. But not so much of his adolescence.

"As a child I learned a lot from the land, nature and aboriginal culture, their dances and traditions. In my house we were very lucky for that experience, my best memories revolve around those years "

He has a closed accent and a neck excessively burned by the sun. Signs that reveal his new life: "Yes, now we live in Australia".

The chosen place is the paradisiacal Byron Bay, a town with just 5,000 inhabitants, belonging to the state of New South Wales, on the east coast of the country, and that in tourist guides is presented as "the happiest place on the planet ... hippie, quiet and simple"

"When we have children, Elsa and I decided that this would be our home" explain"We did not want to live in a city where we could never disconnect from work. In Los Angeles everything reminds you of the show business.Everything you see and all the people you talk to remind you of what you have or, even worse, what you have lost, and that did not seem good to our children. "

"In Australia we live near the beach, in contact with nature, until they go to school without shoes, they spend the day running without clothes, they are raised like wild children, and that is something wonderful that they have these moments of their life. They love living like that and I think it's been a great decision. "

With Pataky he got married in 2010. They have three children: India Rose, Tristan and Sasha. The actor doesn't hide that his values born on his origin family - his father was a teacher and his mother, a social worker - .A family pressed for lack of money.

"From my parents and my brothers, I learned that the important thing in this life is to be good and generous.Also, to have compassion for others, and that it does not matter where you come from or where you have been raised.

The Life is nothing other than the decisions you make. My parents taught us to be free in our decisions. We grew up without any money and as a child I was very aware of the stress they were going through at home to pay the bills each month."

"I remember perfectly asking them when they could finish paying for the house and I remember too that they told me that they would probably never finish doing it.That feeling of frustration marked my adolescence, but I don't know why, really. Actually, that was the reason why I started working as an actor, it was an easy way to earn money.At the beginning, that was my only goal: pay the house, forget the bank. It was very weird because the day we finally liquidated all the debts,I had to look for a real reason to do what I was doing and that scared me a lot. I had to find out if I wanted to act or not.And that's when my great luck came: I really liked it! "

Hemsworth mentions his wife more than once, even her name emerges to justify that his face is now identified with a perfume like Boss Bottled. "Elsa liked the smell."

From the antipodes( the reports likes this word O_o), she answers by e-mail what are the attributes that she most admired of her partner.

"His honesty and his sense of humor:he always makes us laugh. I have learned a lot with him, I'm impressed by his work's capacity and how he overcome oneself. I have learned to be more patient, less impulsive and more rational, we have grown a lot together "

Their common path, he says, will be closer to Spain in the future. "I've been in Madrid and Barcelona for work, it really was two or three days nothing more. Before we lived what our profession forced us, but since we decided to break with that and settle in Australia things have changed. I know ,for Elsa it is important that our children speak Spanish and know her culture,too"

"She always speaks to them in her language, although they respond in English. The truth is we would like to spend more time in Spain, travel with them a couple of times a year and spend at least a month together there. Maybe, that's could my Spanish got improves . Do you know that Elsa speaks four or five languages?Is not that something insulting?

Everyone says that Australians and Spaniards are alike, and I think it's true, we are very passionate and social, we like festive life, friends, going out, dinners, barbecues ... Surely that's why we get along so well.."

To the question abouth who are his idols, his referents, Hemsworth offers a unexpectedly answer, worthy of one of the protagonists of The Great Wednesday, cinematic bible of surfing and the only film that practitioners from the religion of the waves recognize as a masterpiece .

For Hemsworth, it's clear: "Along to my parents, Kelly Slater, the 11-time world surf champion, is my great idol," he confesses. "For me he was a god because of everything he did and how he did it. His determination, how he loved the sport, how he transmitted that love, inspired me a lot as a kid. To top it off, over the years I have come to know him and it has been very exciting for me, because my idol from my young years turns out to be a great guy that I like very much, "he laughs.

We proved that Hemsworth's heroes are flesh and blood, and so, he remembers that it was hard for him to enter into the skin of the mythological Thor,whose third installment, Thor: Ragnarok, opens on October 27. Hemsworth takes up the role of the Norse god in a film that features actors Tom Hiddlestone, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Hopkins and Mark Ruffalo, among others.The synopsis is more or less the following: the Marvel's God of the Thunder (Chris) will have to deal with the fatal Hela,(his compatriot Blanchett), who at the beginning of the film destroys the almighty Mjölnir (Thor's hammer) Hela invades Asgard,and the defeated son of Odin (Thor) finishes in the planet Sakaar fighting like a gladiator next to Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Together, with the help from Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), they will have to stop Hela. Does it sound a bit convoluted? The thing works better in images, according to the movie's first trailer.

Interestingly, the photography's director from Ragnarok is the Spanish Javier Aguirresarobe, who for six months lived with the team in Australia, where the film was filmed. A film, says the collaborator of directors such as Woody Allen, Pedro Almodóvar or Alejandro Amenábar, which is nothing like what he had done until to date and whose visual display sums up with two words: " it's monstrous"..

"You become in one part in a chain, you work side by side with the visual effects team and create an atmosphere, that ultimately,you don't know very well how it'll come out of all at the end,." And in the center of that universe, the actors: "Chris already has a lot of experience and knows how to fight very well against nothing" Aguirresarobe only praises him: "He's normal, very natural. A cheerful and happy guy. Always smiling. he's very human. they live in that paradise of Byron Bay and being with them is a pleasure. He's a sensational, quiet guy. He transmits everything with his eyes and his looking"

According to Aguirresarobe, both Hemsworth and Cate Blanchett does make him think that the Australians "are not purely Hollywood, they are something else". "It's amazing the physical and dramatic exercise of Cate Blanchett in the film. Lift the leg as in an aurresku( local dances form basque, I think). What a woman! "

Hemsworth's sense of humor also helps him empathize with a character, and he delivery to it with more than just superpowers. Despite this, he admits that the first time he wore Thor's suit he couldn't help and the nervous laugh entered him: "All the time I looked myself ridiculous, I thought that nobody was going to like it. And the first time I wore it on, the suit was too small for me! Really, it was pretty ridiculous. The truth is that for a while I felt very silly. "

After seven years stuck in thor's skin, the actor has had a lot of time , and that's why he says that Thor: Ragnarok has arrived the change that the character needed.

"It's very different from previous films and that's something I needed because I was getting very bored with him and myself. I needed something new, I feel that everything was so much familiar. I needed feel scared again in a set, leave my comfort zone and feeling that something unexpected could happen at any time. It's been so different that I just can be grateful to the director, Taika Waititi, for giving to Thor such a fresh air. He has done a really interesting job and I'm sure that the movie will surprise all us a lot. " Regarding the future, and despite the fact at least one new sequel has been announced, he's prudent: "Contractually I do not have any more obligations, but it'll depend on what they offer me. The truth is that I enjoyed so much with this last film that right now I would not mind repeating at all. But we'll see. "

With his personality,so grounded to the reality, he admits that his was never escaped towards reading superhero comics. "I liked Superman, things like that, but nothing else"

Even if today it gave him superpowers he would have it quite clear: "First I would change the most obvious things: I would give with the hammer in the head to some another human beings for change our attitude towards the planet, we have very little time left.But above all, I would intervene in our way of communicating, all the negative consequences of social networks. I would try to make everything go back a little slower, a little more seriously, that things would not be seen only as transitory impacts. The things would ceased to be adored or despised , without let exist a range of grays in between. I would like to erase all the bad things that simplistic way of seeing the world has brought. "

Fuente:x

#this needs a lot of proofreading; Chris hemsworth

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lady-divine-writes · 7 years

Text

Kurtbastian one-shot - “Final Game” (Rated PG)

After his final hockey game, Kurt gets stopped on the way out of the rink by a boy who came a long way looking for an important interview. (2465 words)

Part 23 of Outside Edge.

Read on AO3.

“Kurt! Kurt Hummel! Can I have a word with you? Please?”

Kurt looks up when he hears his name being called, rather enthusiastically, from the direction of the front door. Straining against exhaustion to drag his enormous gear bag down the carpeted hallway, he sighs. He’s five feet from the corner that leads to the stupid front door himself, with his Navigator parked just a few feet beyond that.

Close. He’s so close.

The last traces of postgame adrenaline quickly circle the drain, threatening to plunge Kurt into oblivion before he has the chance to drive home and take a proper shower. He downright refuses to shower in the locker rooms at the rink for any reason (barring nuclear fallout, of course). He’s seen those suckers backup during the rainy season. The black, goopy sewage that comes bubbling through those pipes is enough to keep him from ever setting foot in those showers.

He’s been told by Coach Beiste that the rink deep cleans the grout and disinfects the tiles every six months, but he’ll never be convinced that any amount of cleaning gets all that garbage out.

Even after wiping down with an entire box of Yuni shower sheets in the relative safety of the coach’s office and switching into a fresh change of clothes, he can feel latent sweat coagulating on his skin. Ugh! Just the thought of the bacteria that must be seeping into his pores makes him want to retch. But grossed out and tired beyond belief, he still manages to find a smile for the young man bounding his way, dressed in head to toe Abercrombie and Fitch, and waving his cell phone over his head like a beacon to ensure Kurt will see him.

“You’re here kind of late,” Kurt points out, gently setting his bag down. “Everyone else is gone.”

The boy slows to a walk, and Kurt can’t help noticing how clean and unwrinkled he appears for having just watched a hockey game – one that was standing room only before it even began. Kurt isn’t one for stereotyping, but in his crisp, clean, button-down shirt and spotless charcoal-grey slacks, he doesn’t strike Kurt as the ‘hockey enthusiast’ type.

He seems more like the ‘watching an Indie band play at the opening of a new fusion restaurant’ type.

“I know,” he says, “but I wanted to catch you before you went out celebrating.”

“Actually, I plan on celebrating at home, alone, with a long, hot shower and a mug of warm milk,” Kurt says, subtly hinting at the fact that he would really like to get going.

The boy catches on quickly, his bright smile slipping at the corners. “Oh. I’m sorry. I understand completely. It’s just … my name’s Colin Quinn, and I was hoping I could interview you for my paper. I came here all the way from Dayton.”

“Wow. That’s far,” Kurt admits, rubbing his sore shoulder.

“Yeah. I---I waited till everyone else left because I … wanted to talk to you alone.”

“Oh?” Kurt raises a cautious eyebrow. This late in the season, it’s not too unusual to see reporters from the local papers and from the high schools in the stands. But they normally descend immediately following the final buzzer, and they mostly want to talk to Sebastian, seeing as he’s team captain. During his short but illustrious tenure as a hockey player, Kurt has had his picture in the paper once or twice before, but he rarely gets approached for an interview, even on the few occasions when the article centers around him. “And which paper is that?”

“It’s kind of a new one,” Colin says, fidgeting nervously with his phone. “It’s my pet project. I run it, I print it, I circulate it. I also take the pictures and write all the articles.”

“That sounds like a lot of wo—aaahhh-rk.” Kurt yawns – a first of many, he knows. Since he‘s stopped moving, he’s losing momentum, minutes away from falling asleep on his feet. He doesn’t want to be rude to this kid. He did drive over an hour to talk to him, after all. But still, Kurt starts thinking of anything he can do to move this interview along.

“It is. It’s mainly aimed at LGBT+ students on my high school campus.” Colin’s voice lowers, probably out of habit, Kurt assumes, seeing as there’s absolutely no one consciously around to overhear them. His eyes drop, and he starts shifting uncomfortably on his feet. “We don’t have much in the way of readership. I think that maybe some of the kids at school don’t want to be associated with my paper? Because they’re scared? But I was hoping, you know, that by featuring people who are part of our community and kind of kick ass, I’ll get more support.”

Kurt starts to wake up after Colin’s explanation. Aside from being flattered, he knows exactly how Colin feels. He had hoped for the longest time that by being a visible out-and-proud gay at McKinley, he might inspire other closeted gay kids to come out. And that having strength in numbers might benefit them all. Together they could change the political landscape of McKinley High. They could start a chapter of PFLAG on campus, have their own LGBT student union. They’d have a support system, one that could stand united against bullies and discrimination.

They would have a voice, one that couldn’t be ignored.

But it backfired. In the end, all it seemed to do was make him more of an outcast, put a bigger bull’s eye on his back.

He can’t turn Colin away now, not when he’s trying to succeed at something Kurt himself failed so royally at.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk to Sebastian instead?” Kurt asks, certain that, under the superlative of “kickass”, his boyfriend fits the bill a bit more accurately. “To be honest, he’s the star hockey player around here. The team wouldn’t be half as good without him. I’m really just a glorified EBUG*.”

“I know why you’d think that, but I’ve been following your career for a while now ...” Colin begins to blush uncontrollably “… and I think you’re where the real story lies.”

“And why is that?” Kurt asks, hiding a devious grin behind another serendipitous yawn. Colin’s face goes drastically pale, and Kurt feels bad about putting the boy on the spot – but only slightly. If he’s going to keep Kurt from getting home on the ASAP and passing out for the next twenty-seven hours, Kurt’s going to put him in the hot seat.

“Oh God,” Colin mutters, an anxious chuckle cutting in, “there’s no good answer to that one.”

“It’s alright. I promise, whatever you say, I won’t take offense.”

“Okay.” Colin takes a deep breath, his eyes once again falling as he assembles his thoughts into an explanation that he hopes will sound better out loud than it does in his head. “Well … yeah, so … um … when you read about LGBT people in the media, a lot of times they focus on those actors, athletes, and activists who are … passing …” Colin lets the word linger, eyes rising slowly to assess the look on Kurt’s face, wary of what he might see. Kurt, for his part, keeps his expression impassive, waiting patiently for further explanation, but he knows what Colin is getting at. And as much as he could be upset over Colin’s reasoning, or offended on Sebastian’s behalf, Kurt has to admit that Colin has a point. “Gay men are acceptable if they can be hyper-masculine alpha males. Trans people are okay if they can pass 100% for their gender. Lesbian women are fine as long as they’re model gorgeous, that sort of thing …”

“Yeah,” Kurt says sadly. “I know what you mean.”

“With your boyfriend …” Colin’s face pinches. He knows he’s treading into dangerous territory, but there’s nowhere for him to go from here but forward. If he’s going to be a journalist, he can’t shy away from difficult topics, even if that means possibly insulting people he admires “… I see someone that most people wouldn’t peg as gay in particular because they have a preconceived notion of how gay men look and act. And Sebastian doesn’t fit that. But you … a---and me … even if we were straight, people might automatically assume …”

“I understand,” Kurt intervenes, giving poor Colin a pass from having to explain any further, especially since he’s holding his phone so tight in his hands, the screen might crack.

“Sebastian on the cover of my newspaper, dressed in his hockey uniform, might get me more readers, gay and straight - I’ll admit that. But it won’t have the impact that you will. Not to the kids who really need to see a person that represents who they might see when they look at themselves in the mirror.”

“It’s alright,” Kurt says, putting a hand on Colin’s shoulder when he hears the boy’s voice shake. “I get it. You don’t have to say anything else.”

Colin nods, a pained but grateful smile stretching his lips. “I---I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I only have a handful of questions.”

Kurt gives Colin’s shoulder a squeeze before going back to rubbing his own stiff muscles. “Go for it. Lord knows I need a break from lugging all my stuff around.”

“Wonderful!” Colin stops throttling his phone, switches it to the camera setting, and starts recording. “Okay, well, to start, that was an exciting game! You had that goal covered! I mean, shot after shot, you were on it! It must have taken a lot out of you!”

Kurt yawns again - a long one this time - before he answers. “You can say that.” He laughs. “Figure skating is hard, but hockey is hell on a whole other level.”

“Would you say that hockey is harder than figure skating?”

“Yes and no,” Kurt says, massaging his other arm. “There’s so much technique you need to master in figure skating –required elements, posture, edge placement, arm movement ... Remembering it all can get exhausting! You need to have the grace of a ballerina, the strength of a football player, and the balance of a trapeze artist, all the while knowing that one wrong landing can, at least, end your career, and at worst, injure you for life.”

“That sounds terrifying!” Colin says, snapping a quick picture before Kurt can yawn again.

“It is. You have to be a special kind of crazy to want to be a figure skater, especially for those of us who’ve broken a wrist or a leg and still get back on our blades. But you have to be a special kind of crazy to play hockey, too. It requires just as much strength and skill. The finer details may not matter the way they do in figure skating, but power and agility do. Plus, you have to be able to look ninety places at once, anticipate the moves of a dozen different people, and control your blades all while pushing a puck the size of a small avocado around the ice.”

“It seems like hockey would be the safer sport, though, because you get to wear all sorts of padding and a helmet.”

“Believe me, that helps,” Kurt replies, “but it’s still scary to see three or four equally padded players racing at you at Mach 30 with sticks in their hands, who have no problem knocking you to the ice or flipping you in the air. A few of them even keep tallies of how many teeth they knock out in a single season – theirs and other players’!”

“Yikes!” Colin laughs, more at ease than he’d been a few minutes ago. “That final play though, with you throwing yourself in the way of that forward …” Colin shakes his head in disbelief.

“That was all Sebastian’s idea,” Kurt says proudly. “He pinpointed that kid’s weakness right off the bat and came up with that play. Sebastian is an exceptional hockey player, but he’s one helluva captain.”

“But the goalies pull all the weight, right?” Colin says with a wink.

“That’s right.” Kurt gets the feeling that Colin might be flirting with him. But Kurt doesn’t get any negative vibes from Colin, who’s already acknowledged that Kurt has boyfriend, so he doesn’t let it bother him. The way Colin talks, the way he behaves, the way he dresses, reminds Kurt of Blaine. He thinks Colin and Blaine could even hit it off.

Bearing that in mind, Kurt wonders if Colin is single …

“Still, if that play didn’t go the way he planned, that could have put you out for not just the next hockey season, but figure skating as well.”

“True. But I didn’t have to do it. He gives me the option to decide how much risk I want to take. He knows what’s at stake. It was kind of a harebrained and gutsy move, but then again, that describes Sebastian to a T. I think he was trying to make my final game one to remember, you know?”

“It definitely was that. It’s great that you guys have that kind of relationship.”

“We do have a great relationship. But Sebastian cares about his entire team. We’re not mindless pawns to him. He doesn’t force any one of his players to do something they’re uncomfortable with. He always keeps a plan b and c up his sleeve, and they’re equally as brilliant as plan a.”

Colin glances nonchalantly left and right, as if he’s expecting someone else to join them. “So, where is Sebastian? Is he out celebrating with the team?”

Kurt’s shoulders stiffen up again at the mention of his boyfriend. “No,” he grumbles, and thumbs behind him to the gear bag he’s been pulling. Colin peeks over Kurt’s shoulder and snickers. There, lying on top of Kurt’s bag, which is larger than most considering the size of the pads in it, is Sebastian, curled into the fetal position and knocked out cold.

“Does that happen a lot?” Colin asks. He raises his phone to snap a photo of Kurt’s sleeping boyfriend, but waits for Kurt to give him the ok, which Kurt does with a jerk of his head that could be best translated as be my guest.

“It’s about 50/50, to be honest.”

“You’d think he’d help you out, seeing as you were obviously the MVP of this game.”

“Yeah, well, you said it yourself,” Kurt says, bracing himself for the moment when he’s going to half to lift the handle to his gear bag and roll Sebastian’s ass out to his SUV, “goalies pull all the weight.”

#kurtbastian #sebkurt #sekurt #frankie writes

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vanyel-or-just-van · 7 years

Text

It Burns

Welp. @sessomesmaru looks like you’re the Thing to break my dry spell. This is inspired by a GORGEOUS piece of artwork done by sess, as well as some words from @the-female-gaymer during the stream of said art (once the pic itself is released im gonna edit this post and include the link).

Here we go.

UPDATE

HERE IS THE GORGEOUS PIECE OF ART IT IS BASED ON

Read it here on AO3 (if you do PLEASE come back and reblog the post, otherwise it stagnates and im a Sad)

TW: Alcoholism, minor blood/knife inclusion

It burns.

The whiskey burns as he knocks it down his throat, cold fire searing from the inside out. He welcomes the familiar feeling. He’s lost count of how many he’s had tonight, and he doesn’t care to try and count right now.

The ice barely has a chance to warm in the crowded bar before he slams the cup back on the table. No more. Too many people. He shoves over a handful of bills.

Neil nods, not even bothering to count. They can deal with shortage or overage the next time he comes in, which will be tomorrow.

Now, he goes to drink alone.

Again.

----

It burns.

Lying on his bed, he stares up at the ceiling, watching the fan turn slowly. The summer heat is particularly bad tonight, and his electricity hasn’t run out from the time he last paid for it yet.

He feels the tears forging paths through the dirt surrounding his eyes. They leave thin trails of stinging skin behind, losing themselves in the stubble.

Weakly, he lifts his arm, looking at the black symbol decorating the base of his thumb. It stares back at him like an unblinking eye. Like a black sun. It weighs cold judgment down upon him.

A reminder.

----

It burns.

He pulls back a little too slowly, glancing down. The side of his jacket had caught on the lid and slid up against the edge of the grill. A faint smell of burning hair drifts up as he surveys the marks on his arm.

One of the other dads sees the marks, wincing. “Ow, that looks like it hurts!”

He laughs dryly.

“After that tangle I got into with Johnnyboy a few years ago, this is nothing. Should have been there - smelled like a campfire.”

The dads eye him. They’re pretty sure he’s joking.

Pretty sure.

He notices Joseph’s eye on him, and tugs the sleeve back down, tipping back another sip of whiskey and starting into a story for the crowd before he can offer anything.

----

It burns.

The antiseptic sinks into the cut, and he rubs it in a little harder. A quick wrapping with the bandage, cut with the knife and tied off.

Then, he goes to clean his knife again. It got dirty from running into his skin

Soon, the cut will be just another whittling accident. Another scar.

No one will ask questions.

----

It burns.

Curled into a ball in the front seat of his truck, trying to pull his jacket over his head. By now he should be used to the headache, the glare. The price of whiskey’s bittersweet release.

But today the sun is vicious. It turns on him harder. And his calendar reminds him.

There is a moment, and then he accepts his fate. Unlocks the door, lets the jacket fall back onto the seat, shucks his shirt with it, and steps out of the truck.

He tilts his head up to the sky, and extends his wings, letting the blackened edges of his feathers flutter in the faint breeze gracing the hilltop. They twitch awkwardly from cramping and disuse.

He can feel his hand grow warm, the symbol pulsing with light. His eyes open, looking towards the sky. Letting the sun gaze into him.

The eyes are on him for a moment.

And then they pass, and he feels as though a door has been slammed in his face. Three years is not enough. He may never be enough to return. The wings fold back up, the sun dims, the symbol turns cold and black once again.

And so, too, does his world.

----

It burns.

The sound of his own laughter rings hollow to him. Even Mary looks at him with a skeptical eye.

Or, perhaps, just a very drunk one. Who knows what she had before he walked in.

“If there’s some shit eating you, lay it out,” she snorts, knocking back a shot. “I could use a good laugh.”

He closes his eyes and drinks to cover the haze in his mind a moment.

“Nothing.” A murmur, just enough growl to sound like him. “Just slept like shit.”

“More than usual, you mean.”

“I know what I said.”

----

It burns.

He leans against the wall behind the theater, rough wall digging into him even through the jacket. A hand covers his mouth, letting the sound of rain drown out the little of the world that bothers with this hour.

The other clutches at his shirt, fingernails digging into his skin through the worn fabric. It’s been weeks since he last broke them on purpose.

Popcorn-ass drivel shouldn’t be able to do this. There weren’t supposed to be good actors, good acting, good stories anymore.

He tilts back his head, letting the water stream onto his closed eyes, run down his cheeks.

Too close to home.

----

It burns.

The layers of dirt fight every step of the way, each inch its own battle. The soap almost gives up halfway through. It sloughs into his eyes, but he doesn’t care.

He’s going to be better today if it kills him.

He digs through the piles, sniffing lightly. There has to be something here that resembles clean.

The razor is rusted. He tosses it aside, going for his knife instead. A nick or two won’t kill him.

Finally, he admires himself in the mirror, looking a little less haunted.

He’s going to enjoy something for once.

The Game is on tonight. Maybe that.

----

It burns.

The feeling of the body beside him is too warm. He kicks off the sheets, letting it crumple over them as he stands. Stretches. Feels sore in a way that aches deeper than the flesh.

He thought it would help.

He thought repeating his sin would help him understand. Remind him why he did it in the first place.

A glance over at the other man, still curled on the pillow, fast asleep. Looking far too relaxed for his tastes, considering.

His eyes drift to the corner, to a picture frame face down. Dust covers the back like a blanket.

He rubs the symbol, as if to hide from its unending stare.

It didn’t help.

All it did was make him feel more lost.

----

It burns.

The hood of the truck is still warm when he sits on it, parked at the overlook. There are grooves in the way the grass grows that match his tread. His shirt already lies discarded on the ground.

He sips his whiskey. He knows sunrise is several hours from now.

He can wait.

It’s the footsteps that break him from his reverie - far too close, far too suddenly. He sets the bottle down, turning to see-

“...you never come this far out of the city.”

A soft chuckle, as sharp to him as any knife. “Well, you rarely come out of your house anymore,” Joseph says, smile almost bright enough in the faded starlight to make him wince. “Thought it was worth the curiosity of seeing that truck leave your driveway.”

Robert turns away again, pouring another glass of whiskey.

“So. You’ve seen I’m up here. We done?”

He can feel the other man pout behind him. More footsteps, coming up against the side mirror.

They don’t say anything for two hours.

Finally, to even his own surprise, it’s Robert that breaks the silence.

“You shouldn’t be here. Not tonight.” He grabs the bottle. He knows it’s empty, but he has to try anyways. “You should be with Mary and the kids.”

Joseph snorts. “The kids are asleep. And you’d know better than I would where Mary is tonight.” Even the seemingly bitter words don’t mar his tone. It’s as sweet and even as ever.

Robert knocks back the empty glass. “You never changed. Four years, and you sound like we’re still up there.” He gestures vaguely at the stars peeking over the treeline.

“Up there isn’t the only place where you can be happy, Robert.” He steps past the mirror, forcing himself fully into Robert’s peripheral. “I saw you up here last year, and the year before. We both know the answer is never going to change.”

Neither of them hear the bottle break, hurled too far into the woods.

“Of COURSE you can say that! You’ve got it all!” He whirls on Joseph, fire burning in his eyes as he balls his fists. “Even after they cast us out, you landed on your feet, didn’t you? They put your mark in a place you have to look for to even notice, while mine stares me in the face every time I raise a glass to try and forget for a moment. And don’t think I don’t hear what they call you down there - the Angel of Maple Bay, huh? Good luck follows you? Still the favorite even with my TAINT keeping you here - and you’re the one with a chance to GO back!”

Robert stabs a finger at him, and it’s enough to make Joseph actually step back with the force of the motion.

“The last time I tried to set foot in your damn church, I burned my hand on the doorknob - and yet you practically live there half the time, and I don’t see as much as a SUNBURN on you. If that doesn’t tell you which one of us will go back-”

“I don’t want to go back.”

It’s soft, yet stops him in his tracks like a wall. Robert falters, anger tangled into confusion knots too tight to keeping running.

“What?”

Joseph looks at him. He reaches up, unties the cardigan, and lets it fall to the grass. The shirt follows in a pile. A small thump as the cross joins them both.

His hand skirts the edge of his symbol, tracing over the lines branching out like sunrays. Slowly, his eyes raise back up to meet Robert’s.

“I don’t want to go back up there, Robert. That would mean regretting what happened. And I don’t.” The sincerity is too clear for even the most insidious doubt still coursing through him. “The only thing I regret is losing you on the way down.”

Robert stares at him, sees the faint tips of wings beginning to unfurl. His own, cramped, come out nevertheless in response, seeming ragged and ashen next to Joseph’s midnight blue.

“But...you could...the church...the holy, it…”

Words came and faded before they could be spoken.

“It doesn’t reject me because it doesn’t see me as fallen.” Joseph steps forward, past the hood of the car, giving his wings room to stretch. “It sees me as human. The man that enters that church each Sunday is just that - a man, and nothing more.”

One wingtip curls in, almost offended, and the corner of his mouth curls up.

“Well. Maybe a little more. But not what I was up there, and not what I was when I hit the ground. I don’t even have these except for tonight.” His eyes are warm in the moonlight. “Or when I’m near you.”

It’s too much. The dam breaks, and all of the anger begins to flood out of Robert in heaving sobs. He stumbles forward one step, two, then collapses into Joseph’s waiting arms.

All this time. All this time, alone. Forsaken and the only one.

Watching what he’d gained and lost settle into a life he couldn’t even try to live.

The arms around him are warm, and he nearly pulls away, but their grip is too strong for him right now even gentle as they are. He places his hand on Joseph’s wrist.

“I lost everything,” he gasps. The weight settles in his eyes, pushing out. “I lost everything, and I lost you, and by the time I found you again you were already okay without me.

He feels a hand slide up the back of his neck, the other moving to his cheek. They are warm and broad and ache. He tightens his grip.

“I knew…” Robert pauses, choking on a sob. “I thought I knew they’d take you back. I thought they were waiting for us both, that I was keeping you here because I hadn’t figured it out like you did and I just wanted to be with you again I just wanted to have what we had…”

They both ignore the taste of salt. Joseph still tastes like sunset.

“We can have it again,” he murmurs, pulling back just enough to breathe. His thumb strokes over Robert’s cheek as the first rays of sunlight crests the trees. “We can have it all again, right here.”

The symbols glow, Robert’s eyes opening against the sharp pain. He stares at Joseph’s shoulder for a moment, seeing how the light seeps from the circle outwards. His hand grows warm. Something inside of him long forgotten awakes, pushing him further into Joseph’s arms. Their wings cast long shadows, shifting in the faint fog, and he feels his heart grow warm for the first time in four years.

It burns.

And he embraces it.

#Vroom Vroom #vanwrites #sessomesmaru #the-female-gaymer #ddadds #Dream Daddy #Robert Small #Joseph Christiansen #Roseph #AU #Fallen Angel AU #fics #It Burns

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batterymonster2021 · 5 years

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Real Lawyer Reacts to L.A. Law, Boston Legal, Rick & Morty, and Ally McBeal

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Real Lawyer Reacts to L.A. Law, Boston Legal, Rick & Morty, and Ally McBeal

Probably we would attain as excessive as 50 75 with all due admire mr. Bracken this is not a negotiation it is without doubt a negotiation whats up authorized eagles D James Stone here educating you find out how to think like a lawyer so that you would be able to crush regulation school I knew from an awfully early age that I desired to be a legal professional and no longer simply any attorney a trial legal professional and that i learned that by way of looking at legal professionals on tv now having been a trial legal professional for over 10 years now I see that some indicates are more realistic than others so I idea i’d make the effort to check one of the most most noted legal scenes from tv history the primary scene comes from the exhibit Ally McBeal good as I mentioned her arm brushed mine and when she brushes an arm it is with sexual intent objection simply tell us what happened at however she brushed your arm sir so that is in reality a fairly excellent objection the style of objection that you’d see in most trials the witness right here is testifying to things that he has no personal expertise of which is specially what the mental impressions are of yet another individual you are not able to testify as to what one more person is pondering so the objection that’s being made was right and the decide was once right to sustain it they failed to definitely say objection lack of personal expertise or speculation however the judge understood that made the proper call good I checked out her there was I was feeling a bit of chemistry she then introduced her hand to my Maya so that is a excellent recovery through this witness the judge sustained the objection to well-nigh hypothesis and the witness then proceeds to talk about only these matters that he in my view discovered and he testifies to 2 matters one as to his possess interior state of mind which he’s allowed to testify to and he additionally testifies as to bodily acts that he sincerely watched he used to be a percipient witness to an proficient can opine about things that are external of their private knowledge however a lay witness like most witnesses can handiest testify to the things that they have seen or heard or individually witnessed so that is what this witness is doing here growing area she commenced to fondle me just a little and so generally there are outbursts in court docket that is now not exceptionally distinguished I consider the the screeching that the attorney has achieved here’s a little bit exotic and is particularly bad for his customer so he would be better served through retaining his mouth shut and not screeching in a method that prejudice is his client possibly that’s a prejudicial act to his consumer which you realize usually you cannot manage matters and you know things occur however being respectable in court docket is a very predominant factor you don’t want to lose credibility in entrance of the choose or the jury and whilst that special Yelp was once in most cases unrealistic what’s truely more practical about this exhibit compared to most is that the attorneys will not be strolling around the good of the court docket the the subject between the decide and assistance desk like they possess the location it appears that the legal professional who’s asking questions is right in entrance of counsel desk and in general if if you are conducting an examination you are no longer gonna be correct up towards the witness you are not gonna pacing up and down the good you’re going to be both at suggestions desk or you’re gonna be behind it and here it appears that the attorney is solely in entrance of counsel table which is regularly allowed you ought to ask permission of the choose if you are going to enter the well however they may be now not doing whatever that’s loopy like running around yelling like you’ll be able to see in a number of procedural dramas in order that part is sincerely sensible the Yelp is often no longer not so sensible the next scene is from Boston authorized usually go to church on Sundays and ceremoniously eat the physique of Christ drink his blood he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and that i in him Jesus said that how dare you what who have I offended now oh yeah you take a holy sacrament literally is that now not accomplished you will have equated it with the final and despicable actor ok so right here a pair things are happening appears that the attorney is giving a closing argument a few purchaser who has performed an energetic cannibalism and he is defending that by way of pronouncing that there are other devout orders that habits an act that’s much like cannibalism the choose here has completed basically the the worst thing you are able to do as a judge which is to opine in my opinion in opposition to a different lawyer so he is taken offense it’s anything that the lawyer has stated he isn’t making a legal argument he’s without problems simply issuing his own individual ideas about what’s or is just not allowable according to the the scripture that’s that’s the worst factor a decide can do a decide is supposed to be neutral and when you have misplaced your impartiality and it’s clear to the jury that you are are no longer impartial then it can be your obligation as a judge quite often to declare a mistrial and probably there would be some legitimate accountability moves taken in opposition to the choose considering he’s shown that he can’t be neutral the next move that that i might do if I was once an attorney is move to brush aside the decide for being prejudiced and i’d use the record of the court docket to show this lack of impartiality possibly that’s the the plan that this lawyer has done is to show that the choose isn’t being neutral and trying to get some prefer from the jury however an extended standing choose because it appears this judge could be would under no circumstances make these variety of statements and in the event that they did they could be removed from the workplace I express regret Your Honor I undoubtedly do not imply to indict Holy Communion but let’s no longer raise on with the notion that the inspiration of cannibalism offends the sanctity of existence it has roots no longer only in sacraments not to be taken actually but additionally Greek mythology it can be nonetheless glorified in specific sections of each the south and i consider Malibu and that i could add it is not illegal so the the legal professional here is making an impassioned plea which you are allowed to do to the jury however in so doing it feels like he is bringing in quite a few details and figures that nearly obviously did not come out in trial and it’s really predominant for the jury best two to use data that came out in trial to base their choice and and all of those these information it can be possible that the that the attorney introduced them in via a system referred to as judicial detect which is that repeatedly there are statistics which are so incontrovertible that the court will simply allow them to be introduced into courtroom with out showing an underlying foundation for example in case you were going to say that a specified date occurred on a designated day like Monday Tuesday Wednesday you might exhibit that on a calendar and and that fact could be so incontrovertible that you are allowed to carry that in these statistics about cannibalism and in regards to the the proposal of who and who will not be cared for by way of the federal government that looks like a gorgeous a long way stretch and it could be flawed for him to cloud the document with these extrinsic tips that didn’t come out the following scene comes from LA regulation UCLA Harvard legislation who UC editor of the regulation assessment pursuits competitors first-class oralist so the objectives competitors is a real-life competitors at Harvard law that is for moot courtroom and they’re announcing that this person received pleasant oralist on the Moot court docket competition moot court docket is where attorneys pretend to be appellate attorneys not trial attorneys they usually control a fake appellate courtroom case in entrance of a panel of judges and the ambitions Moot court docket competition could be very famous they’re so noted in fact that they most likely get Supreme court judges to evaluate the the competitors so that is a fun real-lifestyles incontrovertible fact that they threw in there i am impressed mr.Rollins thanks sir a legal professional might commonly be impressed with the aid of that resume he went to UCLA for undergrad Harvard regulation college gained the Moot court docket competition and he’s now interviewing for a job in los angeles that is now not a bad resume to bring in there I was once so good about your self good let’s have a look at my my mom’s an legal professional my father’s a professor of economics at UC Riverside I’ve clerked for the past few summers at Felder IV McCoy as a matter of fact they supplied me a everlasting role however below the heading less is extra I consider that a small prestigious businesses reminiscent of Mackenzie Brockman would be extra responsive my personal wants or at the least bill Howard thing that’s quite intriguing so that is a very realistic means of going about getting a job in regulation tuition this seems to be a recent graduate from Harvard regulation tuition he mentioned he clerked for a few years at a regulation firm that i don’t think the regulation organization is actual but often the way in which you get a job in legislation college is you clerk it is referred to as a summer companion ship with a regulation company and in the event you do a just right job on your 2l summer season then they’re going to most often present you a job upon commencement and what this young man is pronouncing he is doing is he doesn’t need to work for this big prestigious regulation organization rather he desires to return out and interview with this boutique law company on account that it suits his anything it’s that he’s looking for in los angeles so thus far a lovely realistic reason for this younger man to apply for a job at this this legislation company so far so good at the least no Howard suppose so invoice Howard as in Howard corporations sure sir he’s been an in depth personal buddy of my loved ones years oh boy um i do not think it is particularly sensible to drop names in the interview that might go unsaid however to convey it up and and to boast about your family connections within the core of the interview that is now not that’s not a good kind it occurs it probably occurs more almost always than it will have to I mean individuals regularly are higher served via going in by way of merit than connections but you recognize normally family connections subject it’s it is a it’s part of the arena thank you what would you be watching for in the way of compensation seventy two five and i wouldn’t be hostile to your designating a percentage of that as a signing bonus excuse me however we’ve got been opening our pals ordinarily commensurate with the going cost which as i’m certain you’re mindful is notably scale back I recognize sir however I’ve already been furnished 71 with Horton gold so much for your doctrine of much less is extra regularly more is extra that is fairly fascinating it can be no longer regularly that junior buddies bargained so tough for their income but what he’s pronouncing is that the company that he was a summer season associate at and he he clerked there has already given him a job offer which is average he spent his summer there and so they gave him an offer upon graduation and he is trying to leverage that to get a better salary at this law corporation and most law corporations do definitely adhere to variety of a average fee that is in the early early 90s or the late 80s they usually’re speakme about salaries of $70,000 or extra that that appears about proper for the time at the present time graduates from prestigious legislation companies going into the top-notch regulation organizations are prone to get a cash of between a hundred and sixty and one hundred ninety thousand greenbacks per year and they’re style of a typical scale that’s utilized and most law corporations say they’re lockstep so you have no bargaining vigor they pay all first-12 months buddies X amount between 160 a hundred ninety and he is seeking to do his first-class to to get much more out of this organization so just right for him I I desire it was once viable for extra regulation scholars to cut price extra however however regrettably most regulation firms are lockstep and now not various bargaining power there well perhaps we would attain as high as 50 75 with all due recognize mr.Bracken this is not a negotiation it is undoubtedly a negotiation gents it’s been a exact honor and a pleasure thank you very much he is a winner i would like him to be our winner I strongly disagree i’m on pulling rank Douglas what are you gonna do when his earnings turns into fashioned advantage among the many different pals we will see that it does not ooh that’s actual since legislation firms ostensibly pay first-yr associates the entire identical if it grew to be public advantage that one associate was once paid vastly greater than the rest that may reason some dissent the following clip comes from Boston legal value of human life it can be a bugger my pal Jerry Spence tells a story of this paperboy providing his papers on this morning route 1 Dave throws the paper via the windows shatters the class strains a girl what is the value of that hmm paperboy decides to give the lady his gains for the week not very so much seeing that she’s blinded now right here we have a lack of life an avoidable loss now not in basic terms an accident one they would have prevented well I believe that paperboy the correct inspiration on the finish of this trial i’m gonna stand up i’m gonna ask the defendant to pay my client one week’s profit now let’s make that a day’s revenue let’s not get grasping right here we is probably not able to put a rate on Mary affinities existence however we can at least pay your loved ones the earnings for the day they killed her so there is a couple things going on here which can be pretty interesting quantity one is that there are mostly two phases two fundamental individual injury instances commonly they’re tried collectively generally they are tried separately and so they’re their factors for that and and the two things that you simply ought to show is legal responsibility because of this that the defendant is responsible for the injuries of the plaintiff but then break away that’s how so much compensation will have to the defendant pay the plaintiff if they’re in charge and those are ordinarily referred to as liability versus compensation so right here the legal professional is beautiful positive or that possibly they’ve already founded liability and so they’re effectively going to the damages section of the trial and and what he is hinting at is how do you compensate a plaintiff for the damage that they’ve received and within the law there are two ways of going about it one is pure compensation for the injuries so nevertheless much you’re injured you’re gonna get a financial sum that is the same as that but when the defendants moves are so egregious that they warrant punishment it can be rare in civil circumstances however typically you are allowed what are known as punitive damages and that’s what William Shatner right here is hinting at he’s saying that as a punitive measure the defendant will have to be required to disgorge a single day’s profit for the injuries that they brought on and that i have no idea what what law is being broken here that would enable him to get punitive damages punitive damages are relatively rare they require they generally require some type of egregious habits but if you’re allowed unitive damages regularly they’re set by regulation and repeatedly they’re just without difficulty a fraction that’s set through the judge of the jury of the worth of the defendant or in many instances even the profit that they’d have got in a day or a month or a 12 months it can be the punitive damages must be colossal sufficient to punish the defendant so if you’re coping with a particularly rich defendant then it wants to be colossal sufficient to punish them for them considering that repeatedly you probably have what would look like a gigantic amount if you’re coping with a multi-billion buck company it does not really punish them in a technique that they’re going to take detect so that is what William Shatner goes after here a day’s profit to fairly make them believe the pain that they inflicted on the plaintiff here what might be more fair than that what would be more reasonable so hmm my purchasers profits will not be relevant the number of retailers they have is just not crucial how dare you go into that and how dare you not shut him down so whether or no longer the the defendants gains are imperative would be decided long before they get to trial there could be motions that may lay the groundwork for why enterprises earnings are critical to punitive damage there could be a two of pretrial motions to decide whether or now not the prophets and the punitive damages of a company are primary to the case or not if certainly there was no movement for that and there’s been no from side to side between the attorneys and the judge then it could have been tremendously wrong for William Shatner to convey that up in entrance of the jury probably even main to a mistrial but what television suggests most of the time get flawed is the mountain of paperwork that occurs before trial all of those decisions all these legal questions are settled long before you get to court they shouldn’t have a sidebar like what’s going on right here to come to a decision within the center of trial whether or not he is allowed to make these arguments or now not that is absolutely unrealistic may just i’m going off the file in brief all right head thank you this isn’t for your ears by the way you silly bastard instances hardly ever activate what’s legally central however you must be worried with here is it all store makes 100 and sixty million bucks of pure revenue a day a day the jury will get wind of these numbers in which case will enchantment quality do you feel you’ll be able to be the lawyers to manage that appeal when your patron will get whacked with a fifty million buck judgment you’re an ass you’re an ass you are yes so a pair matters happening here he is sincerely admitted that the profits of the defendant aren’t significant not anything you want to do if you are seeking to get those gains in in front of a jury generally not a excellent concept to confess to the choose that the they’re no longer relevant due to the fact that the choose has a responsibility to make sure that no inappropriate evidence comes earlier than the the jury William Shatner does trace at some thing that’s generally the case which is that the same lawyers that tried the case are not often the ones to take the enchantment regularly they do frequently they don’t there are specialists who handle the appeal however the opposing lawyer is definitely proper that if he brings in these prejudicial info in opposition to the desire of the court docket then he has a dead winner on attraction or at the least he should now whether they are going to need to go through the the rate of going through another trial once more after the appeal that is a higher query however it appears like a enormous corporation and they may just need to go by means of all that once more on the proposal that the plaintiffs attorneys is not going to wish to go by way of the trial yet another time and and probably lose so a few of that’s practical but this whole monologue in entrance of the decide that that isn’t going to occur the next clip comes from Rick and Morty you’re about to enter the courtroom of choose Morty Durham jr.The humans are actual the instances are real the rulings are ultimate this is his court docket that is judge Morty 60 year historical inmate Rick Allen is being accused of committing homicide of a fellow inmate at Georgia detention center mr. Allen claims that he is being established and that his lawyer is inquiring for sexual favors in exchange for correct authorized recommendation okay ok mr. Mr. Allen right I believe that I think that your case is was going to be going to trial no longer this Monday however the following Monday do you fully grasp that sure k I let you know should you have got to tell me some thing i would like i’m going to let you come up here to the rostrum so that you could converse into the microphone so my working out is that this clip is without a doubt a real-life transcript that happened in a criminal continuing that the the makers of Rick and Morty then set to the voices of Rick and Morty and animated it and it fairly sounds just like the one of the vital loopy stuff that can occur in criminal court cases what’s going down right here is not distinct more commonly the defendant may not be completely happy along with his publicly appointed attorney and he or she will request that that legal professional be either substituted or that the defendant is allowed to only manage matters on their own and that’s the item that happens it’s known as representing your self pro se while you symbolize yourself and there may be an historic adage that any individual who represents himself has a full for a customer and the judges do not find it irresistible you are now not more commonly gonna do an excellent job even though you will have been proficient as an lawyer which most humans have not however judges hate it considering it slows things down they fairly have to maintain the hands of the defendants who signify themselves and it might probably relatively just muck things up which i’m guessing is what occurs right here you have got a proper to an legal professional this legal professional has you would not have a correct to a detailed attorneys attorneys made sexual advances on me he’s ignored misrepresenting my case he told me if if I desired him to do a excellent job I had to let him supply me oral sex he’s had doctors oh boy so defendants will say a lot of loopy matters to take a look at and get their way and i am i’m guessing the legal professional did not make sexual advances i am pondering that this guy is just announcing some thing he can to get another legal professional he is had medical professionals at imperative State health facility put a false medical professionals at principal State health facility however a false prognosis on me k i do not you realize i know mr.Wyatt beautiful well and i don’t feel he has the ability to make doctors at significant State do whatever well they did it and he’s the person who had me take a seat down there good you recognize they are going to have executed it however i do not think that it he had something to do with it all proper well he will not give me the discovery well there’s matters in discovery he is supposed to present me the incident and advised me that it was once the discovery k they are alternating comments that I wrote if you want okay so here there may be a ring of reality in what the defendant is saying the prosecution has an responsibility to reveal all of their evidence to the defendant and that includes documentary evidence that includes what witnesses they’re going to name towards that character at trial legislation long gone are the times the place either the prosecution or the safeguard could ambush the other aspect you ought to reveal all of that ahead of time and so what this defendant is claiming is that he didn’t obtain a few of that evidence and that he wants it and if that’s certainly the case it’s in general now not the case due to the fact this man sounds loopy if there’s anything that has been withheld the prosecution wishes to turn that over to him all correct so those are a few of my favorite legal television suggests i will see some of those instances happening in actual life but others would get the attorneys disbarred and commonly get the judges thrown off the bench in the event you loved this video and like to peer more attorney Reax movies or hear about my legislation college experience click on this quick playlist that I put collectively it includes my reaction to probably the most most famous legal scenes in the films and please subscribe so you do not fail to notice the next video in any other case i’ll see you within the next one

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