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phroyd · 3 years ago

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One of our Great Comedians leaves us this day! Rest In Peace, Jackie! - Phroyd

Jackie Mason, whose staccato, arm-waving delivery and thick Yiddish accent kept the borscht belt style of comedy alive long after the Catskills resorts had shut their doors, and whose career reached new heights in the 1980s with a series of one-man shows on Broadway, died on Saturday in Manhattan. He was 93.His death, at Mount Sinai Hospital, was confirmed by the lawyer Raoul Felder, a longtime friend.Mr. Mason regarded the world around him as a nonstop assault on common sense and an affront to his sense of dignity. Gesturing frantically, his forefinger jabbing the air, he would invite the audience to share his sense of disbelief and inhabit his very thin skin, if only for an hour.“I used to be so self-conscious,” he once said, “that when I attended a football game, every time the players went into a huddle, I thought they were talking about me.” Recalling his early struggles as a comic, he said, “I had to sell furniture to make a living — my own.”The idea of music in elevators sent him into a tirade: “I live on the first floor; how much music can I hear by the time I get there? The guy on the 28th floor, let him pay for it.”

The humor was punchy, down-to-earth and emphatically Jewish: His last one-man show in New York, in 2008, was titled “The Ultimate Jew.” A former rabbi from a long line of rabbis, Mr. Mason made comic capital as a Jew feeling his way — sometimes nervously, sometimes pugnaciously — through a perplexing gentile world.“Every time I see a contradiction or hypocrisy in somebody’s behavior,” he once told The Wall Street Journal, “I think of the Talmud and build the joke from there.” Describing his comic style to The New York Times in 1988, he said, “My humor — it’s a man in a conversation, pointing things out to you.”“He’s not better than you, he’s just another guy,” he added. “I see life with love — I’m your brother up there — but if I see you make a fool out of yourself, I owe it to you to point that out to you.”He was born Yacov Moshe Maza in Sheboygan, Wis., on June 9, 1928, to immigrants from Belarus. (Some sources give the year as 1931.) When he was 5, his father, Eli, an Orthodox rabbi, and his mother, Bella (Gitlin) Maza, moved the family to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where Yacov discovered that his path in life had already been determined. Not only his father, but his grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfathers had all been rabbis. His three older brothers became rabbis, and his two younger sisters married rabbis. “It was unheard-of to think of anything else,” Mr. Mason said. “But I knew, from the time I’m 12, I had to plot to get out of this, because this is not my calling.”

After earning a degree from City College, he completed his rabbinical studies at Yeshiva University and was ordained. In a state of mounting misery, he tended to congregations in Weldon, N.C., and Latrobe, Pa., unhappy in his profession but unwilling to disappoint his father.Hedging his bets, he had begun working summers in the Catskills, where he wrote comic monologues and appeared onstage at every opportunity. This, he decided, was his true calling, and after his father’s death in 1959 he felt free to pursue it in earnest, with a new name.He struggled at first, playing the Catskills and, with little success, obscure clubs in New York and Miami. Plagued by guilt, he underwent psychoanalysis, which did not solve his problems but did provide him with good comic material.Nevertheless, he found it hard to break into the nightclub circuit in New York — in part, he claimed, because his act made Jewish audiences uncomfortable. “My accent reminds them of a background they’re trying to forget,” he said.

While performing at a Los Angeles nightclub in 1960, he caught the attention of his fellow comedian Jan Murray, who recommended him to the television personality Steve Allen. Two appearances in two weeks on “The Steve Allen Show” led to bookings at the Copacabana and the Blue Angel in New York.Mr. Mason’s career was off and running. He became a regular on the top television variety shows, recorded two albums for the Verve label — “I Am the Greatest Comedian in the World Only Nobody Knows It Yet” and “I Want to Leave You With the Words of a Great Comedian” — and wrote a book, “My Son the Candidate.”

After dozens of appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” Mr. Mason encountered disaster on Oct. 18, 1964. A speech by President Lyndon B. Johnson pre-empted the program, which resumed as Mr. Mason was halfway through his act. Onstage but out of camera range, Sullivan indicated with two fingers, then one, how many minutes Mr. Mason had left, distracting the audience. Mr. Mason, annoyed, responded by holding up his own fingers to the audience, saying, “Here’s a finger for you, and a finger for you, and a finger for you.”Sullivan, convinced that one of those fingers was an obscene gesture, canceled Mr. Mason’s six-show contract and refused to pay him for the performance. Mr. Mason sued, and won.The two later reconciled, but the damage was done. Club owners and booking agents now regarded him, he said, as “crude and unpredictable.”

“People started to think I was some kind of sick maniac,” Mr. Mason told Look. “It took 20 years to overcome what happened in that one minute.”His career went into a slump, punctuated by bizarre instances of bad luck. In Las Vegas in 1966, after he made a few ill-considered remarks about Frank Sinatra’s recent marriage to the much younger Mia Farrow (“Frank soaks his dentures and Mia brushes her braces,” one joke went), an unidentified gunman fired a .22 pistol into his hotel room.A play he starred in and wrote (with Mike Mortman), “A Teaspoon Every Four Hours,” went through a record-breaking 97 preview performances on Broadway before opening on June 14, 1969, to terrible reviews. It closed after one night, taking with it his $100,000 investment.He also invested in “The Stoolie” (1972), a film in which he played a con man and improbable Romeo. It also failed, taking even more of his money. Roles in sitcoms and films eluded him, although he did make the most of small parts in Mel Brooks’s “History of the World: Part I” (1981) — he was “Jew No. 1” in the Spanish Inquisition sequence — and “The Jerk” (1979), in which he played the gas-station owner who employs Steve Martin.Rebuffed, Mr. Mason set about rebuilding his career with guest appearances on television. His new manager, Jyll Rosenfeld, convinced that the old borscht belt comics were ripe for a comeback, encouraged him to bring his act to the theater as a one-man show.

After attracting celebrity audiences in Los Angeles, that show, “The World According to Me!,” opened on Broadway in December 1986 and ran for two years. It earned Mr. Mason a special Tony Award in 1987, as well as an Emmy for writing after HBO aired an abridged version in 1988.

“I didn’t think it would work,” Mr. Mason said. “But people, when they come into a theater, see you in a whole new light. It’s like taking a picture from a kitchen and hanging it in a museum.”In 1991 Mr. Mason married Ms. Rosenfeld, who survives him. He is also survived by a daughter, the comedian Sheba Mason, from a relationship with Ginger Reiter in the 1970s and ’80s.“The World According to Me!” generated a series of sequels — “Politically Incorrect,” “Love Thy Neighbor,” “Prune Danish” and others — which carried Mr. Mason through the 1990s and into the new millennium.He published an autobiography, “Jackie, Oy!” (written with Ken Gross), in 1988. He also found a new sideline as an opinionated political commentator on talk radio. In the 2016 presidential campaign, he was one of the few well-known entertainers to support Donald J. Trump.Mr. Mason’s forays into political commentary caused him trouble. He was reported to have used a Yiddish word considered to be a racial slur in talking about David N. Dinkins, the Black mayoral candidate, at a Plaza Hotel luncheon in 1989. Mr. Mason was a campaigner for Mr. Dinkins’s opponent, Rudolph W. Giuliani. Mr. Giuliani said the incident had been blown out of proportion but nevertheless dismissed Mr. Mason from the campaign. Mr. Mason at first refused to apologize but did so later.

He drew attention for using the same word regarding President Barack Obama during a performance in 2009.Appearances on the cartoon series “The Simpsons,” as the voice of Rabbi Hyman Krustofski, the father of Krusty the Clown, confirmed his newfound status, and earned him a second Emmy. Not even the 1988 bomb “Caddyshack II,” in which he was a last-minute replacement for Rodney Dangerfield, or the ill-fated “Chicken Soup,” a 1989 sitcom co-starring Lynn Redgrave that died quickly, could slow his improbable transformation from borscht belt relic into hot property.“I’ve been doing this for a hundred thousand years, but it’s like I was born last Thursday,” Mr. Mason once said of his career turnaround. “They see me as today’s comedian. Thank God I stunk for such a long time and was invisible, so I could be discovered.”

Michael Levenson contributed reporting.

Phroyd

#rip #jackie mason

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nvalentino · 4 years ago

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𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 {𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬} • 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐨

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: this is my way of putting the story of two against the world into my own style and fixing things that bug me about the game. This is in no way meant to diminish the writer’s work, but everyone has different taste.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2k+

Movies have always been my escape. A way to distance me from a crumbling economy and stressful days at work- something simple. There’s nothing quite like mindlessly inhaling popcorn in the dark, alone with no one to judge you. All the while staring at an enormous silver screen for two hours straight. I love that it’s a world away from my own.

My town’s movie theatre isn’t much, but she’s got character. Sat on the corner two run-down cross streets, her paint- peeled walls crawling with thick vines and the crooked marquee sign whose lights don’t work has almost become a second home. So when I heard she was hosting an all-night crime movie marathon, I’ve never bought a ticket faster in my life.

When I show up to the theatre, there’s a line wrapped around the block and they’re all dressed as mobsters, Femme Fatales, wise guys... these are my people. I look up at the marquee, which reads: ‘FILM MARATHON: ALL NIGHT GANGSTERS.’

My heart nearly jumps from my chest. I’d been waiting all week for this, for my break. I finally reach the front of the line, and I’m greeted by Murray, the owner of the place. I think he’s been hunched behind that ticket booth since Bogart ruled the box office.

“What’s a looker like yourself doing here alone on a Friday evening?” It’s always the same. No matter how many times it seems I show up in his lobby- Murray always forgets me. It’s lovely to know I’m so memorable.

“Are you ever alone when you have the characters on screen?” I keep my tone light and teasing. Can’t be cruel to Murray- bit like roundhouse kicking a puppy.

“You look familiar, you a regular here?” Ah, there it is. Scratch my previous statement, I’m at least a little important. Guess all those hours spent in front of him’s paying off.

“That I am.” I rest an arm on the counter, an even smile on my face. Murray leans closer, getting a better look at me. I’m all too used to all his antics by now, and smiling is the easiest way to get alone.

“And your name is?” Can’t have everything in life, I suppose, and, as lovable as he is, he hasn’t been all there for the better part of a decade.

“Murray, it’s me, {Y/N}.”

“Oh, right,” he smiles, straightening back to look me over. “Why didn’t you say so? You know my eyes ain’t what they used to be.” I have to hold back a laugh, but it’s easily covered with a large grin. “I didn’t take you for a fan of gangster movies.”

This time, an amused scoff passes my lips. Resting my hip against the counter I feign an offended look, “It’s like you don’t even know me anymore, Murray. I love gangster movies.”

“So do I, kid. The slick-talking, the high drama, the whirlwind romances.” A wistful look crosses his eyes, like that of a family member flicking through family photo albums reminiscing about the old days- then his face clears up. “Speaking of romance, where’s your date?”

Talk about beating a dead horse. I nearly always turn up alone to the movies- no matter how much I’d like to have someone to bring. But I come the same way each time- all by myself. “I just told you. I fly solo. I don’t need a wingman. Besides, why bring a date when you have the company of the beautiful people on the big screen.”

A look of concern washes over Murray’s face- something much unlike anything I’ve seen on him before like he was deep in thought. “Fair enough. A movie star will be your date tonight, then.”

“Exactly,” I laugh. “Now, can you let me in?”

“Can you show me your ticket?”

I reach into my pocket, eager to get inside so I can buy a box of popcorn and soda. But my pocket’s empty. Oh, god no. I reach into my other pocket. And to my absolute shock, there’s nothing inside but lint and a cracked phone. Instantaneously, I’m checking everywhere: coat pockets, shirt pockets, back pockets- each and every one of them like the last: empty. My heart sinks- I lost the ticket. Only me. I nervously read my surroundings. A line of impatient movie-goers behind me, an elderly ticket-take in front of me, and a sign in big bold letters that hangs above him. Tonight’s showing: Sold Out.

“Your ticket, please?”

“Oh, god, Murray- I-I can’t find it,” my hands glide over every pocket again- desperately trying to find some trace of the ticket.

I feel a lump burning in my throat and a wet gloss beginning to coat my eyes. If losing my ticket wasn’t bad enough- feeling the burning stares of the long line behind me is tipping my scale. “I’m sorry, dear. I’m not sure what I can do. We’re all sold out.”

My eyes fall to my feet as murmurs sound from behind me, doing my best to hold back the disappointment and embarrassment boiling over. “Right. My fault.” My cheeks feel hot, my entire body’s burning. I can’t believe it. A week’s worth on excitement drained out of me in a matter of seconds.

Just as I take a step away from the counter- Murray calls my name. “Hold on. Maybe there’s something I can do.” I turn around, and Murray looks at me with a sceptic’s eye. “You really want a date with a movie star tonight, do you?”

“Yes. Please, I can’t tell you how long I’ve been looking forward to this.” My pride’s the last thing on my mind, focusing solely on pleading with the man in front of me.

He reads my expression, seeming to gaze straight through me, and then he straightens out his vest. “You’re positive?”

“Murray, I’ve never been more positive about anything in my life.” Okay, drama queen- dial it back a bit.

“Very well.”

“One of my customers cancelled their reservation last minute. And they were very important. From Hollywood. You can take their place if you’d like.” And with those words, my face is overtaken with joy.

“Wow, Murray, thank you so much.”

Murray retrieves a golden ticket stub from the booth, and it sparkles underneath the glow of the marquee. He rips the stub in two and hands me the other end. Something in his eyes sparkles like he knows something that I don’t. “Choose your adventure wisely, kid. It’s almost showtime.”

For a moment, I’m captivated by the ticket- the grumbling line behind me forgotten. Admit One has never felt so... special. I stride past Murray, toward the doors to the lobby, the sweet smell of salted buttered popcorn pulling me inside.

But when I waltz inside, everything about the rundown movie theatre is different. The sticky floors have been replaced by slick velvet carpeting. A grand staircase sits where the pinball machine used to be. Thick red curtains have replaced the shredded B-Movie posters. And the people around me are dressed like they’re from a ball in the 1920′s. This room alone could buy all the places I’ve ever lived. This isn’t my theatre. The dimensions aren’t even correct. I’m either hallucinating or this is all a dream. Either way, I’m spooked. I’ve got to get out of here.

I pivot back to the door and yank at the handle. But it won’t budge. I can feel my heart bursting from my chest. Everything feels so real- there’s no way I’m dreaming. I wrap both hands around the handle this time, clutching the ironclad door. But it’s completely seals shut. Okay. Don’t Panic. There has to be an explanation. For why... for how... for how I’ve been magically transported to a movie palace from the early twentieth century. Just hearing myself think that makes me light-headed. This can’t be real.

I turn around once again, and in my delirium, I see a sharply dressed man eyeing me from amongst the crowd. His angelic smile looks like it’s worth a million bucks, and his eyes are like none I’ve ever seen in person. The colour of honeyed whiskey and unbelievably sharp. This only happens in the movies. He only exists in the movies. One of the crime flicks about the Roaring Twenties. But I can’t place exactly which one. With a sly wink, he confidently turns away from me and moves through the crowd.

Intrigued, and left with little other options, I follow him. But he’s elusive. I walk faster, but the faster I walk- the further away he seems to be. He reaches for an expansive, gold-plated door. And before I can even call out to him, he’s on the other side of it. Oh, come on.

I hurry my pace, clumsily weaving my way between the other guests until I reach the door myself. Without so much as a thought, I pull the door open and step into a buzzing room packed with boozy patrons dancing to the boisterous symphonies of Broadway jazz. I watch in amazement as women in sequin flapper dresses do the Charleston with men suited up in black tuxedos. Unless I’m mistaken, I’d say I’ve just stepped foot in a rowdy speakeasy from the jazz age.

Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming. I pinch myself. Ouch. Not dreaming. I turn my attention to the crowded bar, its customers getting tipsy on saccharine highballs. If there’s one thing I need right now, it’s a glass of something strong. I move swiftly to the stool studded counter.

“What’ll it be?” The bartender, a bow-tie clad man whose greying hair is slicked back from his forehead, asks.

“Oh- uh, what are my options?” He points to a chalkboard behind him, which has the names of several drinks etched into its surface. Fuck. I should’ve paid more attention to the drinks featured in all the movies I watch because I have no idea what any of these mean.

“She’ll have a Gin Rickey with a dash of syrup.” The words come from behind me, saving my breath. “And I’ll be having an Old Fashioned, old-timer.”

The mystery man pulls a glistening silver case from his jacket pocket as the bartender begins synthesizing our drinks. He flips open the case revealing a handful of perfectly rolled cigarettes inside. How do you talk to a man from an entire century ago? Especially one so... gorgeous. Don’t reference memes. Easier said than done.

“Care for a smoke?” He flashes that five-star smile at me again as he retrieves a matchbook from his coat. I shake my head- mind racing. Don’t mess up, don’t mess up, down mess up...

“Where am I?” Way to go- not crazy at all. Definitely, something a completely normal and functioning human being would ask.

“You don’t know where you are?”

You’ve fucked up- own it, but try and keep your stupid contained. You’re supposed to be wooing him- not scaring him off. “Not exactly.”

The man ignites a match, the flicker of a flame painting his face in moving shadows as he lights the cigarette. He returns his silver case and the matchbook to his jacket pocket. “You tell me your name and I’ll tell you where you are.”

“{Y/N}.” So far so good. My mind is still reeling- eyes combing over every inch of the room- trying to find a sign, anything, to prove that this is all real. “I’m dreaming. Aren’t I?” The sudden sensation of being spun around takes over my body.

“If this is a dream, I don’t ever want to wake up.” I feel my cheeks warm at the words, at least one of us is articulated. “The names Nicky. Nicky Valentino.” Nicky brings my wrist to his lips, pressing a kiss to the top of my hand. I swear I can feel my soul departing

“Charming as you may be, I’m not from here-” my already jumbled sentence gets interrupted by the bartender. He places the candied, kaleidoscopic drinks before us. Nicky slips the man two bills, then looks at me with those mischievous hazel eyes.

“Cheers.”

I hesitatingly clink my glass with his and place the cold drink to my bottom lip. I take one sip and my mouth contorts with the overwhelming taste of tart. “Right- so as I was saying.” My tongue feels dry, tight as I glance around the room once more. Think, think.

“Doesn’t take a wisehead to know you ain’t from New York.” Even with my own tense posture, all his words hold a lilt of teasing.

“Yeah. But I don’t think I’m supposed to be here.” What do you even say? ‘Hey, I’m not just out of state, I’m out of century.’ I don’t know how that’d go over, but I’m imagining not well.

“Of course you’re supposed to be here,” it’s a good thing I’m not standing because the look on his face is enough to buckle my knees. “You’re the person of my dreams, and this is my dream, right?” His honeyed and soft words do loosen my shoulders- but I can’t help my tangled mind.

“Okay. How can I explain this... I’m not even from your...” Right words, right words. “Your... dimension” Could be better.

“So, like from upstate?” I have to hold back a scoff- he’s a total dork. Nicky coyly grins to himself, expression morphing into one I’ve only ever seen on a silver screen. “Can you pinch me? ‘Cause now I know I’m dreamin’.“

The tightness in my shoulders dissipates as I laugh at the remark. If there’s one thing he’s exceptional at- it’s being annoyingly charismatic. “I’m still not sure I can explain this right. Do you like going to the movies?”

“Yeah. I like the ones about wise guys, car chases, and the ride or die sidekicks.” Fitting.

“W-well... it’s- it’s... it’s like everything became a... a movie for me.” How in the world do you word this? “You’re like a-”

“A movie star?” I nod, and he considers this like it isn’t the slightest bit absurd. He exhales a thin stream of smoke from his lips then chases it with a sip of the Old Fashioned. “Listen, if it’s a movie, you gotta know some things. This movie is fast, it’s dangerous. Until about five minutes ago, all I wanted was the entire world and I wanted it all to myself.”

“And now?”

“Now I still want the world. But I want it for two.” Between the alcohol and the compliments, my head is spinning in the best way possible. Nicky was right: if this is a dream, then keep the damn lights off.

“That’s very poetic of you, F. Scott.” Everything about him is magnetic, drawing me closer with each word. I can’t help myself but lean in.

“You forgot my name already? It’s Nicky.”

Lord, he’s definitely a dork. “No it’s- never mind.” Nicky places his hand into the pocket inside his coat and pulls out a thin black jewellery case.

“I want you to have something.” He cracks open the case, and inside sits a breathtaking diamond bracelet with enough shimmering carats to blind me. It’s excessive. It’s perfect.

“Nicky, what is this?” I train my eyes on him, trying my best to get a read on him, but he’s impossible.

“Do me a favour. Just try it on.”

“I can’t... I’ve only just met you. And-”

My argument is cut short with a raise of his eyebrows, “I’m a movie star, right? So why not play the part. You can’t take it off soon as you finish your drink.” I let my eyes fall back to the case, combing over the bracelet.

“I may never finish my drink.” The words tumble past my lips with little thought- nearly catching myself off guard with the brashness.

“I’m counting on it.” I watch as Nicky removes the bracelet from the case, fingertips brushing my skin as he cuffs it delicately around my wrist.

“So, what’s your game, Nicky?”

“My game?” He seems confused by the inquiry, but I can’t think of a reasonable time someone would fork over something so expensive to a total stranger.

“Yeah. What do you want from me?” Nicky stares at the strand of diamonds that fits perfectly around my wrist. I suddenly feel off- like I’d overstepped an unspoken boundary. “It’s a fair question considering five minutes after meeting me you’re giving me diamonds. Usually, guys wait to the third date for that.”

“I’m setting my price.”

“Your price?” Baffled by the words, my eyebrows knit together, “your price for what?”

“Leaving it all behind.” Shoulders dripping, I scan over his face. He’s just as unreadable as before. What does it mean? Leaving it all behind. Nicky only offers a warm smile, like he can read mind and in his eyes, I catch a glint of sincerity behind the bravado. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have somewhere to be.”

“You’re kidding?” I scoff.

“We’ll be in touch. I guarantee it.” I can’t even protest, Nicky gets up from his stool and walks away.

“No, Nicky- you’re not- you can’t leave me with this bracelet!” My protest is futile, falling to deaf ears. He’s already a third the way to a far door. “Nicky!” But he either can’t hear me or doesn’t want to hear me. “Damn it!” Once again, Nicky eludes me as he finesses his way between guys and dames.

This time, I’m not letting him get away from me. I leap out of my seat, and the barstool nearly crashes to the floor as I hurry after him. I knock into a couple in the throes of a drunken kiss, interrupting what would have been a perfect moment. I collect my footing and peer ahead. Nicky is more than halfway now.

I’m a foot from the couple before a hand circles my wrist, spinning me on my heel to find a man already a few drinks deep. “Where you goin’, sugar?” His breath reeks.

“I-I... gotta,” his fingers are curled into the bracelet. “Let me...” I wrench myself free from him, stumbling back into another drunken couple standing behind me, “go.”

As Nicky’s hand wraps around the door handle, I take off, leaving the man and couples in my rearview. Just as I get within spitting distance, he pushes the door open. I reach out for him, grabbing a hold of his wrist before he can take another step. Feeling my grip, Nicky spins around to face me. The door slams shut behind him. A brash grin enveloping his face.

“You’ve done good, kid.”

“What do you mean? Was this some kind of test?”

“If it was, how do you think you did?”

“I’m not sure the type of person who wants to test me is the kind of person I want to be around.” Nicky lays his eyes on my hand, which is still tightly gripping his wrist.

“You sure about that, toots?” Instantly, my skin goes hot from embarrassment. I quickly retract my hand from his. He’s so frustratingly sauve.

“I’m- I’m sure.”

“Hold on, I didn’t say you should let go.”

“You didn’t need to.” Nicky inches closer to me, interlocking his fingers with mine.

“{Y/N}, I was only teasing. I don’t want you to let go.” He grasps my hand as if letting go would mean he’d lose a part of himself, a lifeline. “In my world, the less people you keep close, the less chance you have at getting hurt. But... you’re not from my world, right? So maybe there’s room for an exception.”

I squeeze his hand tighter, our hands clasped together in an unspoken devotion. I look up into Nicky’s eager eyes, and then at his lips before asking, “you want me to be your exception?”

“That’s right.” Nicky lets go of my hand and turns away from me. “Follow me.” He pushes the door open, enthusiastically walking into another sizable group of strangers outside. As I follow Nicky out of the room, he’s gone from sight. And so is everyone else.

I’m back in the movie theatre lobby- my movie theatre. The place is completely empty, and an eerie quiet has set over the room. I pace a few steps until I’m smack dab in the centre of the room. And now that I’m back to my world, I’m already longing for the adventure promised by the other. And my hand’s feeling awfully empty. So is my wrist. The bracelet. Fuck. I’ve had the damn thing for forty seconds and it’s already been nicked.

“Is someone going to explain all this to me? What the hell is going on?” Then, a hand taps me on the shoulder. “Whoa!” I yelp, startled at the other presence in the room. “Murray! Jesus, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“What’d ya think, kid?”

“The movie. What’d ya think about my movie?”

“Murray! You knew about all- all this?”

“I know what goes on in my theatre.” Murray momentarily looks down and polishes a brass button on his coat. “I’ve been showing movies for the better part of my life, and I know when I see a movie star. You, my friend, are a movie star. The question is: are you ready for your close-up?”

“What... what do you mean?” Everything is hitting me at once. That really wasn’t a dream.

Murray inhales with pride as he observes his theatre. “There are many theatres in this joint, all playing crime films from the great American eras. You’ve been fortunate enough to see the trailer for one, but did it suit you?” He places a hand on my shoulder, and we walk to the entrance of the first theatre. “Is the ostentatious world of Gatsby’s New York, of raucous speakeasies and illegal rum-running in the roaring twenties your adventure?”

He turns to look at me, kind eyes shining with expectancy. My heart rate jumps at the question, giddy for the prospect of adventure but anxious for the consequences. No movie is perfect. “I can just... be a part of it?”

“For now.”

“What about this world? The real world?”

“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to escape. Besides, who’s to say what’s real and what’s not.” Murray smiled a wistful and weathered smile. Like what I pictured a clock would smile, full of known and unknown. “What’d you say, kid?”

He’s right, I’d be fooling myself if I said otherwise. I want this- I think I’ve always wanted something like this. With a calming breath and a final look around the theatre, I nod. “Yes.”

“Very good, your co-stars are waiting inside.” Murray steps aside, gesturing to the door. “Enter whenever you feel ready.”

“No time like the present.” I take another deep gulp of air, trying to silence my screaming heart rate. I’m not dreaming. This is real.

“But remember, this is a cinema: once the movie begins, there’s no rewind button.” Thanks, no pressure. I’m nervous, to say the least- but this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I proceed into the movie theatre entrance, its double doors awaiting my arrival. I push open the doors and walk into my starring role.

Lights. Camera. Action. Two Against the World.

#fictif #two against the world #nicky valentino #fictif nicky #fictif two against the world #nicky valentino x mc #nicky valentino x reader

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vanchlo · 5 years ago

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Sweet & Sour / Part 1

**There is now a Part 2, check it out here!

Blurb Synopsis: You're not sure why you walk into the same bar after the concert, just like you had last year. But when Harry walks in through that door again, and your eyes meet, you find your reason for doing this all over again.

Genre: 2015 Harry, fluff, romance, angst, and mentions of smut.

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol and drinking as well as one night stands, and references to smut.

Word Count: 5.7k words

Pairing: Harry x Reader

Music Inspo: Affair Across a Crowded Room by Murray Head (click to listen bc this so feels like a song Harry would love)

Your senses were bombarded with the sounds of cars honking, street lights flashing, and the ringing of your ears. When your hand meets the grimy wood of the door, you push it open to be met with the smells and sounds of a bar. With the beads of sweat dripping down your skin, the air-conditioned room greets it with a smile. Familiar faces meet your eyes and nods pass between the two of you. The cool metal of the bar stool surprises your bottom clad in jean shorts, even after the countless number of nights you’ve spent in these four walls.

“Just a Malibu Coke,” you murmur to Sandy, the bartender, when she comes to take your order.

A group of older men clad in professional suits sit in a corner, their laughter gracing your ears. Blink 182 trickles from the speakers hidden around the room, although you can’t place the song for the life of you. It bothers you and insults the label of ‘music nerd’ you have invisibly tattooed on your forehead. The buzzing between the confines of your skull and the glass she sets in front of you causes you to forget about the song. When your eyes catch the tall figure walk in through the door, the untraceable lyrics of the song are the last thing on your mind.

The past shoulder-length curls framing his face make you second guess yourself for a few seconds. When he walks by an ancient neon Coors Light bar sign on the wall, it lights his features and clicks with that of the face that’s never left your mind. Not to mention, your dreams. Well, neither that of your eyes either about forty minutes ago, albeit hundreds of feet away. Doubt and insecurity coat your thoughts within moments, and your attention falls back to your drink. The icy glass is slippery between your fingers, but you blame that on the person who just walked back into your deep thoughts, and the few Budweisers you consumed earlier. He steals your thoughts away from you when his footsteps trail to another part of the room, bringing your eyes back to the screen of your phone.

Texts crowd your screen, and as you draw shapes in your glass with your straw, you avoid them by looking through friends’ snapchats. Scenes from the night you spent together appear in front of your eyes before you close out of them when you get a new text. The question filling your mind is whisked away by the very one that fills your ears to the left of you. Trying to ignore it, you flip your cascading hair over your shoulder. Nights like tonight make you itch to cut it to your shoulders, and never have to worry again about the summer nights making it damp with sweat.

“Well, aren’t you predictable?” somebody hums with a lilt to their voice. It takes you a tick to locate the voice inside of your mind, bringing your head up and over to them.

“I live here, so I get to be,” you retaliate, sarcasm dripping from your voice.

The tanned color of his cheeks creases with a smile he tries to hold back. Soon, it covers his face as the hint of a laugh accompanies it. Lost moments pass between the two of you, and you find yourself admiring his curling locks that cover the collar of his button up. The very ones that around this time last year your fingers could run through comfortably. Unsolicited, a thought appears in your head wondering how different it would feel to run your hands through them now, although you hardly remember the sensation.

“Did ya go t’ tha concert tonight?” he wonders aloud, cocking his head past the door and towards the stadium a couple blocks away. His olive-colored eyes break from yours for a moment to thank Sandy when she sets a whiskey sour in front of him.

You let your glance fall to your drink in front of you, notes of the coconut from the rum meeting your nose. Bringing the black straw to your lips, you take a long drag, making him wait. You wish you could make him wait longer than you can manage, but the bubbly excitement growing in your gut takes hold of your actions. Compromising, you only nod your head with a mumble passing your lips. Crossing your long sun-kissed legs, your red Chuck Taylors nose at the edge of the wooden bar.

“Again, predictable,” he titters softly, raking his fingers through his hair from the corner of your eye. “What’d ya think then?” he queries, the clanking of the ice against his glass following his accented voice. One you sometimes can’t believe the words you had heard whispered into your ear by it.

Harry.

Your Harry.

“I think last year’s was better, I’m mad you didn’t sing my favorite this year,” you quip, shrugging your shoulders. Returning the straw to your lips, you quiet your lips with another drink. The molasses taste of the carbonated soda is lined with the tropical yet steely taste of the alcohol.

You hear him tsking his tongue at you first before an audible exhales leaves him. “Yer gonna get it fer that,” he retorts, a hint of banter heard in his voice. Your mind continues working in overdrive, suddenly wondering if anybody else could detect that. Or is it just because of the night you spent with him in between your sheets much after a scene like this? “Here, take one. And I won’t take no fer an answer, cos ‘s notta choice.”

Finally, you let yourself look over at him, again. A twinkle sits in his eye when he holds out a shot of pink liquor to you, raspberries wafting from the glass. Taking it from him, your fingers brush against each others, causing you to wonder if you imagined it was for a few seconds too long.

“Cheers,” he smirks, clinking his glass with yours before throwing back the identical contents of that which sit in yours. Your eyes stay locked when the frosty liquid passes your lips, the delightful taste only fleeting until the harsh burn coats your throat.

“I see you haven’t changed a bit,” you comment with a croaky voice, coughing. You wash it down the burn with another, less sharp, burn.

“Neither have you, love.”

The voices of Weezer sit in the space between you now, but as you marinate with thoughts buzzing around in your head, the sharp yet sweet smell of his cologne tickles at your nose. The very same smell that lulled you asleep with him beside you, and the very one that ghosted your sheets the subsequent morning you woke alone.

“I think Fool’s Gold is my new favorite,” you comment shyly, watching how the dark Coke swirls around in the glass, the ice chips almost shining under the light. Your bottom lip comes between your teeth, biting back the truth you want to speak. The thoughts that have consumed you at times return, wondering how certain titles like Change Your Ticket or Night Changes fit your feelings so exactly. Perhaps even his, too.

“Yeah, I like that one too. ‘s ratha beautiful,” he remarks, a squeaking signaling him taking a seat beside you. The almost undetectable brush of his leg against yours causes a breath to hitch in your throat. “What, did ya forget how t’ talk ova tha last year?” Harry wisecracks, pulling your eyes over to his.

Caught between his thumb and forefinger, he plays with his bottom lip. The light shines off of its slippery surface, leading to unwanted thoughts blooming between your ears. The trademark dimples have caved into his cheeks, and you’re reminded of how adorable his slightly crooked bottom teeth are as he smiles at you.

“No, I’ll remember once I have a few drinks in me.”

“Then lemme help,” he replies, calling over the bartender to order a couple more shots.

Your lips curl with a conflicted smile, but once the shots of Fireball, Tequila, and a Lemon Drop are tickling your throat, you start to let go.

“Wait, holy shit, is your hair longer than mine now?” you exclaim, words falling short with a laugh. Moving closer to him, your hand grabs a section of your hair to compare side by side to his.

His eyes fall from the foamy white topping of his golden drink. His lips part, little bubbles sticking to them, “I dunno, looks like ‘s gettin’ there. Not quite, tho’,” he answers, his eyebrows knitting together over his focused eyes.

“Oooo, I bet I could braid it,” you note excitedly after dropping your hair that somehow doesn’t feel as buttery smooth as his. Soon, your fingers are holding onto a section of his tangled curls, breaking it up into three sections.

“Hey, watch tha hair, would ya? Tha girls love me hair, can’t have anythin’ bad happenin’ t’ it now.”

“Damn, thanks for the confidence in me, Mr. Self-Absored Rockstar,” you reply curtly, banter clinging to your words. To rile him up, you drop his long brunette lock, turning back to your drink. Away from him.

“Heeeeey now, I am not and y’know it,” he pouts. From the corner of your eye, you can just make out him looking over at you - brows knitted, lips pressed together, and begging in his eyes. You don’t give in, and instead you lose yourself in the questionably empty glass in your hands.

“Sandy, can I have another?” you call out, avoiding his question and his sulking, but not when his knee bumps yours.

“‘m talkin’ t’ you, y’know. ‘m not self-absorbed,” Harry repeats before taking a pull from his drink, a rather long one. You can only wonder why.

A smile tempts at the corners of your lips, enjoying how you’re making him squirm. Because you always thought he was the king of being able to make somebody do that, not you. A memory plays before your eyes, reminding you of how much he made you squirm when you were sitting at this very bar, last year. Alcohol in both of your veins, and goosebumps covering your flesh. Especially when he pressed that first kiss to your lips.

Pushing it away, you clear your throat before thanking Sandy when she sets another drink in front of you. With your lips wrapped around the straw, they part, “Sure, keep telling yourself that, bud. You’re not gonna get me with that pout, so don’t even try it on me.”

“Hmmph, that’s not whatcha said befo’,” he whines, turning back to the drink he nurses.

Yeah, we said and did a lot of things the last time.

I really wish you hadn’t said that, or done anything in the realm of reminding me of the last time, because I don’t need you reminding me when I can’t stop remembering.

The thoughts racing through your head almost make you want to leave right then and there, but something stops you. His hand. It touches you arm and when you look over, he smiles at you goofily with white foam covering his top lip. Like a mustache, or like Santa Claus. Your lips dissolve into a laugh, and those thoughts fall to the recesses of your mind. Not gone, but still there, like they’ve been for the last year. His rose-colored lips echo your own laugh, the two sounds mixing together and creating your favorite song in the entire world. One that you thought you had forgotten the sound of.

Perhaps not after all.

You watch how his lips move effortlessly when he orders a couple of more shots for the two of you, and another whiskey sour. Your insides shrink at the sight of his lips when his tongue passes over them, and then at the way the light shines on them. You observe how they move with every word that he speaks to you, although embarrassingly because you have to ask him to repeat himself. You don’t mind, though.

“I ordered us sum more shots,” he tells you with a little nod, carding a hand through his hair to restyle it. Your fingers ball into a fist in your lap, wanting nothing more than to be touching those curls again. The very ones that fell over your face so intimately and tickled the insides of your thighs once long ago. Glancing away from him, that night seems like it was a lifetime ago. With him sitting next to you, so close that you could touch him, you think perhaps now it doesn’t feel so long ago. Then again, the few inches of distance between you detest that, feeling instead like miles.

“Thanks,” you mutter, picking at your chipped red nail polish.

“I like it, it suits you.”

Lifting your head, you find one corner of his mouth quirked into a partial smile. He does that thing again where he nods to what he’s talking about. This time it’s your lap, and more specifically, your anxious hands accented with the nail polish. Another ‘thank you’ exits from your lips before you busy them with your painfully cold drink. The second you set it down on the red and white patterned coaster, he places a red and blue layered shot beside it. The alcohol in it seems to defy the laws of gravity with the blue layer sitting atop the red layer undisturbed.

“Cheers t’ reunions,” Harry mumbles, a hint of lemon flowing from his words to meet your cheek.

“Cheers,” you agree, picking up the shot.

Turning to your left, you find him there waiting with a smile. It gleams in his eyes that are beginning to change from the liquor. You notice this when your glasses meet with a ding! Throwing back the shot you remember is called a Pornstar, you hope the alcohol laced with notes of oranges and berries will make you forget. But they don’t make you forget the smile that claimed his face that night as he made love to you. Or the same one that you saw on his lips when he spoke his first words to you tonight.

“Ya still at tha U ova there?” he questions, bringing a giggle from your lips when he tries to nod to where the college would be. It’s obvious he doesn’t know what direction it’s in, even if the stadium you saw him perform in tonight was on the campus, unbeknownst to him.

“No, I didn’t go back this fall.”

“Hmm, how come? I thought ya were likin’ tha nursin’ program ya were in,” he inquires, causing feelings to bloom inside of you. Ones you’d rather not feel because of the fact that he remembered. Amidst all of the alcohol from that night, as well as tonight’s.

“I found out I didn’t like it, and I couldn’t see myself spending my life doing it, either,” you explain, trying to douse your thoughts in more rum from your mixed drink, but you’re still only at a buzz. There’s a long way to go until you’re drunk, and you’re uncertain if you want to go that far.

“Mmmm, ya couldn’t see yerself wipin’ old people’s asses, could ya?” he quips, glancing over at you. A smirk plays on his lips in the background, his lips hidden behind his full coupe glass.

“No, I tried when I worked at the nursing home, and I found out quickly it wasn’t for me.”

His laugh tickles at your ears, reminding you quickly of all of the times you missed it, as well as how good it was to hear it earlier tonight. It’s only made better when your eyes flit to him, and you find him biting the flesh of a cherry from its stem. You’re itching to continue sharing, but there’s not enough alcohol in your system to do that, quite yet.

“I bet ya I can tie it into a knot again,” Harry murmurs, words masked by the maraschino cherry between his lips.

You remain silent, and the only acknowledgement he receives is the moving of your head. The words are slowly getting to you, sneaking in past the defense of alcohol you try to build to ward them off.

Before.

Again.

Last time.

“I bet you can’t,” you finally argue, resolve in your voice.

“Do ya now? Whatcha gonna bet then, love?”

“Hmmm, I bet you twenty bucks you can’t after all of the drinks you’ve had,” you counter, your chin finding your palm to rest in, your eyes locked on his.

“Oh ye o’ li’l faith,” Harry scoffs, brows pointed down into a V, his curls tickling his chest. Playing with his bottom lip, he squints an accusatory eye at you, adjusting the striped white and black button down revealing his sun kissed chest.

The heaviness in his voice finds your Achilles heel, stirring feelings in your gut that you’d wish would remain silent.

“I bet I can, I even betta kiss from you,” he giggles, pink appearing on his cheeks as he chews on the tip of the red stem.

Your breath hitches in your throat when his proposition hits the air. It’s nearly impossible to hide away the happiness budging at your lips, especially as you watch it unfold on his face. That face with the devilish grin and shining eyes. Drowsiness tugs at the corner of them, and you wonder if only you can see it there.

“Deal’s a deal,” you announce, removing your hand from your lap to hold out to him. His large hand adorned with rings and black ink wraps around yours. You could melt right there and plant your lips on his that very second, you’re sure of it. Somehow, his firm yet sweet handshake wants to make you believe he’d like that, especially when he doesn’t let go.

Slipping the stem between his excited lips, new goosebumps prickle on the back of your neck. You just hope that he doesn’t notice them growing on your arms, and that they aren’t covering your hand that’s enveloped in his. That he doesn’t feel them under the pad of his thumb that he brushes along the back of your hand. Few thoughts live in your mind at the moment, his eyes staring into yours as your joined hands sit on his thigh clad in holey black jeans. A few titters escape his concentrated lips and his eyes jump to the ceiling, meanwhile his lips move as he tries to tie it in a knot. All while your insides mimic the same shape as you’re reminded of the saying about people who can tie a cherry stem into a knot with their tongue.

“Come on, Styles,” you mumble, raising your eyebrows at him. He rewards you with a laugh, and his thumb stills against your hand, his face screwing up in concentration.

A few seconds later, he squeezes your hand and a smile covers his face. Wiggling his eyebrows now, one corner of his mouth reaches his ear. His lips part, and he sticks out the stem, adorned with a knot in the middle.

“Can’t believe ya didn’t believe in me, love. ‘m hurt,” he pouts, a fake cry sounding from his frowning lips. Kicking your foot against his under the table, he chuckles as he sets it down next to his drink. “Alright, betta pucker up, angel.”

Biting your lip, you watch his adam’s apple bob when his drink meets his lips. Setting it down, he rubs his hand across yours, the same shade of red donning his cheeks as yours.

“Fine, let’s get it over with,” you groan, trying to remember the last time you put chapstick on. You just hope your lips don’t taste like beer by now.

He winks at you before leaning in and catching your chin between his two fingers. Pulling you forward, you let your eyes fall shut, and soon you feel his breath on your face. The brash smell of alcohol sweetened with lemon, and a hint of cherries. You taste the sweet, and then the sour when his lips touch yours. His top lip is soft between yours, and prickly from the stubble smattered across his skin. He smiles into the kiss, moving his lips with yours as he laces his fingers with your own, his rings cold against your skin. Then you taste it at the back of your throat, the sweet and then the sour.

Breaking the kiss, you pull away, unsure of if you can do this again. If you can try to detach yourself from your head for another night, only to have it eat away at you for the next year- who knows how fucking long.

“Nah, come back ‘ere,” Harry whispers quickly, his fingers crawling to your cheek, and then the back of your head.

He pushes at the back of it, smashing his lips against yours once more, and you let him. Melting into a puddle in front of him, because that’s what you do best. That’s what you’ve done all these years yearning for him over his pictures and his songs. Then from the crowd at his concert last year, swearing he made contact with you once while singing your favorite, Happily. Once again, just earlier tonight when you stood in the sea of people at another concert of his, feeling yourself fall all over again, and now you know you are.

You should stop it right here and right now, but you try to ignore the convincing hurt that will follow if you just let yourself enjoy the moment. As well as the moments that follow.

His fingers find a home in your hair as you savor his lips between yours, pillowy soft and sopping with sweetness. Tasting of lost time, forgotten kisses, and the bittersweetness that you know another night with him will bring. Ignoring it, you kiss him back, your hands climbing his thigh until your thumb collides with his crotch. Giggling against his lips, you stop there, but wish you didn’t have to. A titter leaves his lips, followed by his tongue edging at your bottom lip. Somebody slurs ‘get a room’ with a laugh, and your lips soon part.

A chuckle hugs his lips now, no longer yours, much to your disappointment. You find comfort in your drink, although after a few gulps, you find yourself missing the taste of him. As well as his smell, much like vanilla and spice, quickly reminding you of the saying in Powerpuff Girls.

Recalling it, you guess at notes of warm nutmeg, tobacco, and hints of vanilla bean clinging to him. Just like the last time, but somehow it surrounds you, almost taking the breath away from you. You had tried so hard to remember just how he smelled, always wishing you knew the name of the cologne he wore. It’s too late when you realize it, but you’re smiling into your drink. You’re unsure if you ever want to stop, you ponder, suddenly remembering the tautness of his upper thigh beneath your hand.

Your hands.

“Can we getta check, please?” Harry murmurs next to you, his fingers moving between yours slowly. More goosebumps rise along your body at his words that come rushing from his mouth.

Sandy walks over to you, braid bouncing on her shoulders. She sets the check down and thanks you both for coming. Harry plucks the check from the table, before it’s even had time to lay flat on the tabletop. Grinning, he looks at it as he holds it away from you in his left hand.

“No, you don’t get to do this again!” you exclaim, lips melting into bubbly laughter.

“Do what, love?” he questions dumbfoundedly, giving you a funny look that only makes you laugh harder.

“Pay the bill! Let me do it this time,” you argue, trying to reach past him, but he uses his long arm to his advantage. “Ugh, why do you do this?”

“I haven’t done anythin’,” he disagrees, placing the receipt between his fingers as he reaches behind him, still facing you. Watching, he grabs his leather wallet from his back pocket, all while holding the receipt and not letting go of your hand. His name drops from your mouth, and he acts as if he didn’t hear it, but his lips tell you otherwise.

“Shhh,” he tells you, in the middle of a giggle. “I pay, that’s jus’ how it goes, so stop arguin’, cuz ‘s not gonna change me mind.”

Glancing over to you, he meets your searching eyes and cocks one eyebrow. His glistening lips do something to you, and you think he knows it, because he drags your joined hands to the hardness between his legs. Winking, he softly tosses his credit card and the receipt to the table. Picking up his drink, your eyes follow his tongue as he scoops up the ivory bubbles at the top, all while looking at you. Certain you’re blushing, you turn away and pick up your drink, quickly downing the rest as he gulps loudly beside you.

The lukewarm summer air welcomes your skin when you step out onto the sidewalk. Busying your hands with the cloth strap of your purse, you walk beside Harry who taps away on his phone. Soon, you reach a stoplight and unsure of where you’re going, or more like where each of you are going, you come to a stop. Lips poised and ready with a question, you’re about to ask him what the plan is. He beats you to it and presses the button to wake the crosswalk, sliding his phone into his tight jeans.

“Ya still make those ‘outta this world’ cinnamon rolls?” Harry wonders aloud as you stare ahead. The lights of the metro flash in front of your eyes, and the sounds of cars and people trickle past you.

“Yeah. You’re lucky, I made a batch this morning and I have a few left over.”

“Great. Ya think I could stop by t’ have one?” Harry requests. Words pause between your lips, and he steals them away from you when he intertwines his hand with yours. “Let’s hurry befo’ it stops,” he blurts out, walking forward and pulling on your hand to follow him across the blinking crosswalk, just as you hum an ‘mmmhmm’.

You can’t remember what you talked about on the way to your apartment, because all you could focus on was his hand in yours. Something he didn’t even do the last time, and you start to wonder why, before you stop yourself. Words pass between the two of you during the short walk, but the songs of the city do most of the talking.

Soon, you’re turning on the lights in your apartment, calling out for your roommate. It takes you a minute to remember past your alcohol buzz that at the concert she said she was staying somewhere else tonight. Toeing off your shoes, you watch Harry discard his to the mat by the door.

“Aha, there they are!” Harry cheers, padding over to the kitchen. He finds the round baking dish full of them, peeling back the wrapping to pluck one from the dish. “I swear ya make tha best cinnamon rolls ‘ve eva had, angel,” he murmurs, locking eyes with you as he takes a bite. Closing his eyes with a smile adorning his lips, he moans from the taste.

Giggling, you take off your purse and hang it on a chair sat at the other side of the counter where you often eat your meals. Seeing as it’s a tiny apartment and just the two of you, you and your roommate opted out of buying a table to eat at. The old pet name bounces around inside of your head, and drags your eyes over to Harry. Lifting his own from the large cinnamon roll, it astonishes you how it shrinks in comparison to his massive hand. He looks back at you while licking the sugary frosting from his lips, a smile tugging at them. A knowing smile.

“Wann’a bite?” he volunteers, holding it out to you where you stand across the counter from him. He tempts you alright, but the only thing you want to taste on your lips is his coated in frosting.

“Sure.”

Padding over to him, his thumb ventures between his lips, licking the frosting from them. He really knows what he’s doing, doesn’t he? you groan inwardly, wishing you could spew the words out loud. You know they’d jumpstart something, and you don’t think you can wait for it any longer. Your footsteps stop in front of him, and he holds out the half eaten pastry to you. Although from this morning, the silky bread still melts on your tongue, decorated with the flavors of cinnamon and sugar.

“Wait, ya got some frosting on yer nose,” Harry smiles. Soon, his thumb brushes against your nose, wiping it away. You don’t let him stop there, grabbing his wrist and bringing his digit between your lips.

Observing the changing expression on his face, you suck the frosting from his thumb. Letting go of his thumb slowly, he looks like he’s slowly losing his mind in front of you. Join the club, bud.

“Yer givin’ me a run fo’ me money tonight, aren’t ya, angel?” he rasps, bopping your nose with his finger before he takes another bite. You nod unabashedly, licking your lips before you turn to walk away. His sigh is just a whisper, but your ears pick it up as you make your way to the bathroom, leaving him to squirm once again.

After splashing cold water on your face and freshening up, you find him at home on your tan sectional. Looking at something on his phone, he hears your return and soon his sparkling eyes find yours.

“You look tired,” you smile, breaking eye contact to check your watch. “It’s almost one, Harry. You must be tired after tonight.”

“Not really, I think ‘s tha jetlag,” he lies, leaning back into the plush cushions of the couch, letting his eyes fall closed after all. Settling down beside him, you stretch out, looking around the room hurriedly to check for any messes. Luckily, you and your roommate had left your apartment rather neat this afternoon before leaving for the concert. Just a few discarded clothes on the floor and hanging off of chairs.

“You’re such a liar. Do you wanna call an Uber or somebody to bring you to your hotel? I’d drive you, but I probably shouldn’t after those drinks,” you comment, your eyes falling over him. The light catches the silver cross necklace hanging around his neck, and how it moves with his chest that lifts slowly with his every breath.

“‘m not tired, jus’ thinkin’,” he insists, opening his eyes and turning his head towards you. You can’t help it, your fingers dive into his hair, pushing it back. He smiles dopily up at you, a faint mewling dropping from his lips at the sensation.

“I don’t believe you. Do you want to go to sleep? You can have my bed,” you offer, your fingernails lightly scratching against his scalp. With your eyes on each other, you know that you have him in the palm of your hand now, and you don’t want him to go anywhere.

He remains silent, his eyes closing again as you play with his hair, unaware this was something he enjoys. You didn’t really have the chance to explore this as much last time, although you were dying to. His name leaves your lips in a question, wondering aloud if he’s fallen asleep. His head goes from side to side and he opens his eyes, blinking hard at you.

“No, don’t wanna go t’ sleep. There’s sumthin’ else I wanna do instead.”

“What’s that?” you ask, his lemony breath ghosting over your face. His lips curl up towards his eyes, dimples collapsing into his cheeks.

“You,” he smirks, sitting up. Your eyes roll so hard into the back of your head at his dad joke that you don’t see him slip his arms under your thighs, hoisting you over his shoulder in one swift move.

“Harry!” you almost scream, losing your breath when your chest meets his back in a surprising turn of events. “What are you doing?” you groan, your face coming to meet his ass almost, not that you’re complaining.

“You’ll see soon enough, angel,” he murmurs in response, and he begins to walk.

You can’t play the annoyed card anymore, because excitement shivers through your body quickly. Inside your chest, underneath your One Direction shirt and the layers of your body, your heart goes wild. It hasn’t been able to stop ever since his fingers touched yours earlier tonight. It only dances harder inside of you as his footsteps near your bedroom, one he seemingly remembers the route to well. Feeling spunky and sick of it teasing you, being right there and all, your hand hits his ass with a satisfying clap.

“Heeeey!” Harry titters as you squeeze his soft bum, seconds before he throws you forward. Leaving his arms, your back soon hits the springy surface of your bed. “I guess ya can do what ya want with me tonight, cuz ‘m all yers, baby. Again,” Harry coos from above you, crawling onto the bed to kneel over you with his hands planted on either side of your head.

At a loss for words, you just stare up at him, your mouth permanently curving upwards. Moonlight pours in from the window, his skin glowing underneath it.

“I thought ya rememba’d how t’ talk afta we had those shots,” he winks, his eyes dancing along your face as his hand comes to cup your cheek. Your own are tempted to roam his body, and the very interesting area between his legs. You just shrug your shoulders at him, and his grin widens. “Maybe ‘ll hafta remind those lips how t’ work then.”

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newagesispage · 4 years ago

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MAY 2021

The Rib Page

*****

George Takei is sweatin’ with the oldies. He stars in a fitness app for gay seniors, Bar Belles. It was his April Fool’s day joke.

*****

Fox will bring us Crime Scene Kitchen on May 26 with host Joel McHale.

*****

Joel Hodgson has launched a new kick starter to create a new independent season of MTS3K, The goal is $2mil.

*****

Bob Odenkirk will release: Comedy, comedy, comedy, drama: A Memoir on Jan. 18 2022

*****

Leslie Jones will host the 2021 MTV Awards.

*****

$3 mil was raised for Next for Autism with help from Conan, Kimmel, Charlize, Chris Rock, Jack Black and Sarah Silverman.

*****

Have ya noticed that Gayle King looks great in yellow.

*****

Some people are not too happy that Elon Musk will host SNL on May 8. Miley Cyrus is the musical guest.** Musk tweeted: Let’s find out just how live SNL really is. Cast member Bowen Yang tweeted back, : What the Fuck does this even mean?

*****

Oh Seth Meyers: Every time I see the sea captain on your show, I miss him so much!!

*****

There is a spotlight on Foxconn which made a big splash for Trump at the start of his presidency. The company has done a lot of nothing but still gets tax cuts. Homes were demolished, roads were widened to nowhere and money was spent. Wisconsinites are upset that this big business is just folly and a big glass orb.

*****

Mike Lindell is a kook but he did try to appear to be a good sport on Kimmel.

*****

When will weed be legal on a federal level? When will drug testing for employment be illegal? We hear so much about personal rights with the gun laws and vaccines and masks. What about the right to do what we want with our bodies when we are not at work. Think of the administrative costs that could be saved if we just removed drug testing. Our experience and work ethic should mean more that what we do with our free time. This is not a problem at all companies. There are places in this country where it is near impossible anywhere in your area to get hired without a drug screening. One joint on a random Saturday night could keep someone from a great opportunity. A person in pain who reaches for an edible might miss out on the job that saves their lives.

*****

NASA sent the first flight to another planet. The Mars flight made history with the 30 sec feat.

*****

What? The Menendez brothers are popular again? From the Ramsey case to the Manson murders or Bundy, it all comes back around again.

*****

The Lizzie Borden house just sold for $2mil to Lance Zaal of U. S. Ghost Adventures.

*****

Quarantine and so much television et al proves one thing, the pharmaceutical and insurance companies have way too much $.

*****

Trump told everyone to boycott Coke and is later seen drinking diet Coke.** Trump sent out a statement about how bad the Oscars are. They threw it right back in his face. ** Federal agents have searched Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment. It stems from the 2 year investigation into activities in Ukraine.

*****

X-VP Pence is said to have pressured the Navy to reinstate former Mo. Gov. Eric Greitens. Greitens was accused of tying up, blindfolding, taking explicit photos of and blackmailing a woman.

*****

There is a crisis in schools with the lack of civics and history being taught.

*****

Hulk Hogan was hit with a chorus of Boo’s at his latest event.

*****

The latest sexual harassment news: Matt Gaetz is being looked into for sex with a minor and sex trafficking. Bill Barr opened the investigation.** Tom Reed has been accused of sexual misconduct by former lobbyist, Nicolette Davis.** Marilyn Manson has been sued by Game of Thrones, Esme Bianco for sexual abuse.

*****

What is going on with Bank of America? I am hearing from multiple people that often they do not get their statement in the mail. Is this a bad Postal service? Is this bad business practice? How many late fees had to be paid because of this? Not everybody wants to pay their bills online.

*****

Jack Hanna has revealed that he has dementia.

*****

Tiny Tim : King for a day is a new doc I must see. The film contains footage shot from Warhol’s Factory. There are excerpts from Tim’s diary read by Weird Al Yankovic and the story of how Tiny’s friend, Bob Dylan wanted to make a film with him.

*****

Lindsay Lohan’s Father, Michael has been charged with 5 counts patient brokering and 1 count of attempted patient brokering. This is an apparent scam of steering addicts into rehab for cash.

*****

Aaron Sorkin and Paulina Porizkova are dating. Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor are dating.

*****

JB Smoove has a new podcast brought to you by TeamCoco.

*****

Hey.. People working on the new Law and Order: Organized Crime….. TOO MUCH MELONI!!

*****

Zach Avery, actor, was arrested for his participation in a $690 mil Ponzi scheme.

*****

President Biden has restored aid to the Palestinians.

*****

MLB put up a wall in Georgia but the Masters stayed.

*****

Hank Azaria has brought Brockmire to a new podcast.

*****

Tommy Chong isn’t allowed on FB because of his weed posts but they allow an imposter to use his name to sell weed.

Pennsylvania is trying to push thru 14 voter suppression bills.

*****

Joe Manchin. Ugh!!** Marjorie Taylor- Greene has let go of her America First caucus.** Ted Cruz has allegedly used $154, 000 of his campaign funds to buy up copies of his book to boost sales. This is an old trick but still illegal.

*****

For the first time, The Carter Center became involved in a U.S. election. They published videos and live webcasts as well as deploying observers across Georgia.

*****

Most health programs in Uganda, Nigeria and Ethiopia have resumed after Covid.** Tom Vilsack from the Dept. of Agriculture has announced the USDA will provide assistance to 30 million kids.** It is sad to me that we have to entice people to vaccinate. Football games, Church’s and shot for shot in bars?? Really? Saving the lives of others should be enough. WTF?

*****

Alec Baldwin, Alec Mapa and Kelsey Grammer are shopping around a new comedy that ABC decided to pass on.

*****

Chauvin was found guilty.

*****

Days alert: C’mon Ben, calm the fuck down! Don’t prove how out of control you are like everybody thinks. ** Xander is so funny right now.** How many people will Kristen be and how many times can one person melt down?? **Bring Carrie back!! **Jackee’ seemed a bit nervous in the beginning but she is fitting right in. More!

*****

The SAG awards came and went. With the Trial of the Chicago 7 winning best ensemble, Michael Keaton is the first person to be in 3 best casts for SAG’s.** Other winners include Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Daniel Kaluuta, Youn Yuh-Jung, Mark Ruffalo, Anya Taylor- Joy, Jason Bateman, Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek and The Crown.

*****

The Oscars were held on April 25. It was a bit of a yawner and why would a show set themselves up for an awkward end?? There was a commercial from P&G right before the broadcast that stated, “ Widen the screen so we can widen our view.” Nice sentiment. Mank had so many noms and only 2 wins. People looking their best to me were Leslie Odom Jr., Glenn Close, Riz Ahmed, LaKeith Stanfield, Colman Domingo, John Batiste, Mia Neal, Questlove (gold crocs and a mask!), Desmond Roe, Travon Free, Trish Summerville, Marlee Matlin, The Lucas Brothers, Andra Day, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Nicolette Robinson, Regina King and Margot Robbie. Laura Dern looked like Big Bird, there were just too many feathers. Tiara Thomas had feathers but they looked great. Angela Bassett had some power sleeves and Tyer Perry looked like a little boy. Hooray for Emerald Fennell for her win for original screenplay but not sure about the dress. And Viola Davis?? Dana Murray?? Ashley Fox?? Hmm?? Winners seemed to have trouble getting to the stage. They often refused the steps or the walkway and sort of climbed up the side. I did love the intimate setting and it did remind me of the old clips of years before. Sound of metal and Ma Rainey both won. Tyler Perry and for the first time, an organization, the motion picture and television fund, took home the humanitarian award. I was thrilled to see My Octopus Teacher win for Doc. I loved Crip Camp too, that was a hard category. The acting winners went in all directions. Many critics complained that the films were real downers . Nomadland won best picture. Michael Moore put it best I think. Of the films this year, he said, “They force you to look backward with 2021 eyes.”

*****

Why the Fuck do we need a militarized police force?

*****

R.I.P. victims of the multiple mass shootings, victims of police shootings, the crush in Israel, Cosette Brown, Midwin Charles, DMX, Paul Ritter, Ethel Gabriel, G. Gordon Liddy, Buddy Peppenschmidt, Prince Philip, Anne Beatts, Diane Adler, Vartan Gregorian, Monte Hellman, Jim Steinman, Michael Collins, Michael wolf Snyder, Johnny Crawford, Eli Broad and Walter Mondale.

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avoutput · 6 years ago

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Room by Room || Bad Times at the El Royale

I have never been to a novelty hotel. I don’t think I have ever seen one in real life. It seems like they only exist in movies or old wedding photos of people in Las Vegas. I feel like a certain bit of Americana is either dead or I have consistently missed out. Somewhere in my mind, I think that Hollywood implanted the idea that only degenerates, low lifes, and drug addicts spend time in these special places. Those categories also encompass politicians, clergy, and celebrities. These posh hotels feature awesome sex, deep conversations, shootings, maybe even serial killers. For most people, anything but a good time is happening in these hotels. So, Bad Times at the El Royale is more than self-explanatory, it is the same thing all Hollywood novelty hotels stand for. The bad times are exactly why you came. Stay at your own risk.

This film is a bit of period piece. Somewhere between the end of Vietnam, the height of Cult fever, and the end of Nixon’s presidency. Much like in real life, pop-culture is playing in the background, becoming a part of history, while people continue to live their lives. Some are affected, others are not. What the film does well is making use of every current event the camera pans by or the characters ears pick up. The foreshadowing is heavy handed in this film, but not for nothing. The film bobs and weaves through intersecting vignettes, room by room, carefully directing the plot forward. Director Drew Goddard puts in motion a overlapping scenes from different perspectives that screams Quentin Tarantino or the Coen brothers. There are moments where you could swear it was one of their films. Goddard does have his own style, he does a great job in tight spaces and with tight stories like in 10 Cloverfield Lane or The Martian, but here he gets to open up a bit and let the camera breath. Every moment is used to further unravel the plot, which is a bit simple and you can easily find yourself ahead of it, but it never feels dull because the cast and crew bang out excellent performances. You will also be privy to some great visual compositions, like on the walls of the rooms, the lobby of the hotel, and in the world of the El Royal.

The entire cast really helps tie the story together, but the standout was Cynthia Erivo as Darlene Sweet. She has an incredible presence and an amazing voice and benefits from having the best response to every situation she's in. A great, strong female character we need more of. Jon Hamm pulls out his famous Don Draper act, only more smarmy and conceited, but for good reason. Jeff Bridges is always great and it’s hard to imagine him not at the top of his game, and this role is no exception. If anything, you get a little sad that he is getting older. Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, Dakota Johnson, and Nick Offerman round out the cast, Pullman and Spaeny really pulling their weight in gold. The two have a special way of looking right at the camera and drawing you into their world. Finally, the most surprising performance of the film is from Chris Hemsworth. Not because he was especially good or bad (he was great), but because of this crazy affectation he put on that I can get out of my head. He has the same accent and attitude as, believe it or not, Garfield. The cat. Bane of Jon’s existence. It was seriously a thought I couldn’t shake. Imagine a super hot Bill Murray swaggering around using his Garfield voice, and that is Hemsworth in this film.

I was thoroughly entertained watching the debauchery and violence of the El Royal, but I am not sure the film will be a repeat watcher. I didn’t leave dying to tell anybody about it or even really wanting to discuss it, outside of Cynthia Erivo’s performance. On the other hand, I have often found that this exact feeling leads me back to similar films, again and again, just for a single performance by a well liked character. For now though, I would have to say this one is good for a single viewing. It’s not especially deep in all places, but it does have some great character defining reveals.The vignette-style, interwoven perspective presentation isn’t masterfully utilized, but it isn’t a novice act either. Bad Times at the El Royale is good times for you, but the novelty may wear off shortly after checkout time.

~* 8/10 *~

#Film #Reviews #Review #Bad Times at the El Royale #Cynthia Erivo #Jon Hamm #Jeff Bridges #Chris Hemsworth #Caliee Spaney #Lewis Pullman #Dakota Johnson #Nick Offerman #Quentin Tarantino #Coen Brothers #Novelty #Hotels #California #Nevada

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themalhambird · 6 years ago

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21 Tag

Tagged by @princess-of-france :D

RULES: Answer 21 questions and tag 21 people that you’d like to get to know better. (Make a separate post!)

@verecunda @the-sound-of-distant-thunder

1. Nickname: My dad calls me Sares sometimes which is ironic given that my mum hates names being shortened and chose Sarah partly because it was already so short that people would…not do that (which is annoying, because if she didn’t mind names being shortened she might have put my middle name first, and I like Elizabeth SO much better than Sarah). My stepdad calls me Squidgit (pronounced Squidge it, btw, I don’t know when I decided to spell it squid git, but apparently I did and I’ve only just noticed how it could potentially be misread)

2. Zodiac: Gemini

3. Height: idk and I don’t have a tape measure handy. Over five foot though.

4. Last movie I saw: er… I can’t remember. The last thing I watched on Netflix was two episodes of How To Train Your Dragon: Race to the Edge. I love that franchise.

5. Last thing I googled: The cinema times for HTTYD 3 this Thursday, my dad also loves it so we’re going together

6. Favorite Musicians: Handel, Queen, Keane, Murray Gold.

7. Song stuck in my head: Nothing right now, which is unusual. I had Merlin Buries Lancelot stuck in my head for a bit at work earlier though.

8. Other blogs: I occasionally consider setting up a side blog where I talk about theatre productions I’ve been to see but I don’t know if anyone would actually be interested in that, so…

9. Do I get asks? Yes, frequently, and they always make me very very happy. (If I don’t answer straight away, it’s because I meant to and stuff happened. I’ll get there eventually. Usually.)

10. Followers: 272

11. Following: 244

12. Amount of sleep: it depends, but if you want me to be anything approaching functional in the morning, I need to have had around 7 or 8. I mean, I’ve survived over twenty four hours without sleep before (there was a thing, involving my house keys, and losing them, it sucked majorly) but sleep is good.

13. Lucky number: I don’t have a lucky number. My favourite is thirty three…

14. What am I wearing: My green skinny jeans with six fully functional pockets, blue t-shirt with a badge from Canterbury Cathedral pinned to it, my purple fluffy dressing gown.

15. Dream job: Realistically, working in a bookshop and getting to do fun things with displays and activities for children because children deserve all the book-related fun they can possibly get. Unrealistically, I’m a published author raking in the millions (or at least enough to live on) popular enough to go do book signings in Europe and/or the US (or, y’know, popular enough to warrant doing book signings somewhere.)

16. Dream trip: My biggest motivation for learning to drive* is so I can go to Pontefract Castle. My dream trip would be going from castle to castle in England and Wales, drinking in the Plantagenet/Tudor feels and basking in history and sunshine.

*I am not, currently, learning to drive, I’ve got enough going on without having to figure out that as well. But I’m going to learn at some point.

17. Favorite food: I’m not sure, for me food just sort of tends to…be there. Eating is a thing we have to do so I do it, but I don’t really care enough to have a favourite. Unless drinks count, in which case my favourite food is tea.

18. Play any instruments?: I can. I don’t. I’ve had piano lessons and violin lessons, but I haven’t touched a violin in six years, and the only interest I really have in playing the piano is messing around picking songs out by ear for five, ten minuets till I’m bored and go do other things. I do sing, well enough to sing the alto solo for “O thou that tellest good tiding to Zion” and the soprano solo for “The Heavens are Telling”, and a handful of other fun things with my church choir (granted, the rest of the choir were all in their seventies so I was pretty much the only option, but the choirmaster/organist wouldn’t’ve agreed to do the pieces in the first place if he hadn’t thought I was good enough to pull it off)

19. Favorite song: I don’t have a favourite, as such, there’s lots of different ones I absolutely adore. Father and Son from Guardians of the Galaxy 2 always gives me feels, and is now stuck in my head, so I’ll put that.

20. Random fact about me: I hate phonecalls so much that deciding I was prepared to ring up and ask about buying a drawing was all the proof I needed to know that I really, really, really wanted it.

21. Describe yourself as aesthetic things: The smell of old books. The smell of new books. Daffodils, conkers. Blossom on the trees as spring kicks in and the skies get warmer; walled gardens when the roses are in bloom. Berries in bramble bushes and red and orange leaves crunching underfoot. Excitable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, grass after rain, ruins, and castles and churches and towns that are so, so old but still standing. That stretch of the River Avon between the theatres and the Church where Shakespeare’s buried. Nice hot tea, thinly ruled notebooks and ink-stained fingers. “You look so pretty without your glasses!” is a trope that can bite me- my glasses are fine thanks, albeit perpetually smudged.

#i'd tag more people but I think the Shakespeare crowd has probably all been covered #if you follow me and want to please feel free to do it and @ me #i'm interested #I just don't know enough of you well enough to tag #...I know the whole point of this is to get to know people better but I worry about being annoying so #anyway thanks @princess-of-france this was super fun #both times round *death glares at tumblr*

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seanomahony-blog1 · 6 years ago

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The Changing Web - ‘Web 3.0, 4.0 & Blockchain Technology’

THE CHANGING WEB

‘Web 3.0, 4.0 & Blockchain Technology’

Table of Contents

Intro - Review of Blockchain Technology ................................................ 3

Bitcoin Definition ...................................................................................... 4

How it Works ............................................................................................ 4

Impact of Blockchain Technology ............................................................ 5

The Black Market ..................................................................................... 5

DApps & Smart Contracts ........................................................................ 5

Banking Sector ......................................................................................... 6

Reflection on the Evolution of Blockchain Technology ............................ 7

Unbanked and Undocumented ... ............................................................ 7

Business ................................................................................................... 8

Conclusion ............................................................................................... 8

The Changing Web – ‘Web 3.0, 4.0 and Blockchain Technology’

“A blockchain is a digitized, decentralized, public ledger of all cryptocurrency transactions. Constantly growing as ‘completed’ blocks (the most recent transactions) are recorded and added to it in chronological order, it allows market participants to keep track of digital currency transactions without central record-keeping. Each node (a computer connected to the network) gets a copy of the blockchain, which is downloaded automatically.”i

Intro - Review of Blockchain Technology

In late 2017, a cauldron started to boil similar to the ‘dot com’ bubble of the 1990s and 2000s as billions of dollars poured into the unregulated, ‘wild west’ of cryptocurrency markets. Millions of people worldwide, traded ‘cryptos’ using exchanges based in Hong Kong, China and New Zealand.

As Large amounts of capital flooded into these volatile markets prices could shoot-up or drop off the bat of a single tweet, or Reddit post. ‘Noobs’ were encouraged to ‘HODL’, a purposely misspelt acronym - ‘hold on for dear life’, and not to panic sell as prices would eventually recover. Like wall street on amphetamines, a week in crypto markets were equivalent to a month on the NASDAQ. Market leader ‘Bitcoin’ at one-point hit $21,000 a coin (in December 2013 it was trading in the mid $300s).ii Like all bubbles, it eventually popped in mid-January and a lot of capital changed hands. A classic gold rush, those who got in early made money and those who were late to the party generally got scalded.

But what are these crypto-currencies? Why have they become so popular in recent years? Are they important to the development of digital technology? And if so, why? In order to understand it’s development, we need to go back to the financial crash of 2008 where elusive and enigmatic creator ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ first conceived Bitcoin.iii

Roots and Political Importance

2008 was a devastating year for financial markets as the world economy collapsed due to reckless lending practices and a deregulated credit market caused a huge bubble that eventually burst, destroying the U.S. economy, leaving millions homeless and wreaked havoc in Europe, especially Ireland, Greece, Spain and Italy. Due to this, many began to distrust centralized financial institutions, seeking safer alternatives. This is when Bitcoin was born. In 2013, Cypriots fearing the safety of their bank deposits drove the price of bitcoin up 87% in March of 2013. iv 13,000 miles away from and 2 months later in June of 2013, and13,000 miles away in Hong Kong former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked documents to the Guardian and Washington Post exposing the American National Security Agency’s spy program PRISM “which forces biggest US internet companies to hand over data on domestic users” and “collects over 25 million email inbox views and contact lists a year from online services like Yahoo, Gmail and Facebook” encouraging people to become aware of how their data is being collected and and the importance of encryption as a necessary protection in our day to day lives (these leaks have paved the way to the recent GDPR data protection act in Europe earlier this year).v At the same time as these leaks, libertarian Ross Ulbricht (arrested in October of 2013) was running a multi-million global online drug and weapon bazaar on the dark web called the Silk Road. This network was fueled by bitcoin.

It’s important to note the political climate and general public sentiment between 2008 and 2013 to understand the blockchain space today as it demonstrates a psychological shift as distrust in banks were at an all time generational low which has paved the way forthe ‘post-trust’ economy blooming today.

Bitcoin Definition

“Bitcoin (BTC) is a digital currency, which is used and distributed electronically. Bitcoin is adecentralized peer-to-peer network. No single institution or person controls it. Bitcoins can’tbe printed and their amount is very limited – only 21 million Bitcoins can ever be created.”vi

Bitcoin is a monumentally important development in both financial and digital history for the simple reason that it is a trustless payment system with no central governing body.

How it Works

Understanding how bitcoin works is fundamental to understanding blockchain technology and what I believe the future of web development, the basics of which are easy to understand –

Any given blockchain consists of a single chain of information, arranged in chronological order. In principle this information can be any string of 1s and 0s – emails, contracts, land titles etc.… however in bitcoin's case the information is mostly transactions. Another name for a blockchain is a "distributed ledger" and Bitcoin's ledger is public.Anyone can download it in its entirety or head to any number of sites that parse it. You can

see, for example, that

15N3yGu3UFHeyUNdzQ5sS3aRFRzu5Ae7EZ sent 0.01718427 bitcoin to 1JHG2qjdk5Khiq7X5xQrr1wfigepJEK3t on August 14, 2017, between 11:10 and 11:20 a.m.vii

Person A sent X bitcoin to person B, who sent Y bitcoin to person C, etc. If this was through an online banking service, the bank, or both banks (if they have separate banks) would validate the transaction. Bitcoin transactions are different because they are decentralized.

In other words, everyone keeps an eye on everyone else. No one needs to know or trust anyone as transactions are validated through a distributed consensus system called ‘mining’, which enforces a chronological order to the blockchain, protecting the neutrality of the network, and allows different computers to agree on the state of the system, or in simple terms, a global network of computers set-up to automatically validate transactions in chronological order. Every transaction is recorded by a distributed public ledger of which each miner has a copy (automatically downloaded after each transaction). This makes the system difficult to corrupt. viii ix

Impact of Blockchain Technology

The Black Market

In the early days, bitcoin had a huge impact on the black market and became known as a medium of exchange for illegal activities online. A new kind of drug dealer was born. Most famously is a man named Ross Ulbricht (inspired by the Austrian economic theory of Ludwig Von Mises and Murray Rothbard), set-up and ran the Silk Road, an online international illegal drug and weapons bazaar similar to Ebay and Amazon where buyers, sellers and their product would be rated through a user review system. This website was run on bitcoin as it allowed frictionless cross-boarder payments between buyers and sellers. Many pubs also started to accept BTC as payment, and in 2010 Papa Johns once accepted a bitcoin payment for pizza in the US.x xi

In recent years a number of ‘privacy coins’ have sprung up such as Dash, Monero and Verge. Monero is similar to Bitcoin however, payments are scrambled 3 times before being recorded on the Monero ledger making it near impossible to trace payments, providing an ideal medium of exchange for illegal activities. Verge is an interesting one, as it has both a private and public ledger, and you can choose to switch between them depending on what you are purchasing. Verge partnered with adult entertainment giant ‘Pornhub’ earlier this year allowing anonymous safe anonymous payments for pornography.

DApps & Smart Contracts

Although still a minority sport, the influence of crypto currencies began to trickle into the technology sector with the emergence of new coins such as Litecoin and Swiftcoin in 2011, (which can perform transactions much faster than its predecessor). However, 2015 saw the biggest change in the cryptocurrency space that would have a huge influence on the technology sector. The birth of Ethereum, a planetary scale computer powered by blockchain technology” was the first decentralized application blockchain that allows developers to build and release applications on the network. While the Bitcoin blockchain facilitates electronic cash payments, the Ethereum blockchain facilitates the running of code on any decentralized application, so as bitcoin is a new currency and accepted as a medium of exchange, ‘ether’ is gas to fuel the applications. xii

Imagine all of Google’s servers in one place, then break them up into virtual tokens (ether) and distribute them to people across the world. Each token is a node on the Ethereum network and the aggregate grid of these nodes now becomes the world’s largest web server, like a brand new internet system.

DApps are made possible by ‘Smart Contract’ technology -

“A contract is an agreement having a lawful contract entered into voluntarily by two or more parties, each of whom intends to create one or more legal contracts between them. A smart contract is a computer protocol that facilitates, verifies, or enforces the negotiation of a contract, or that obviate the need for a contractual clause” Smart contracts eliminate the need for a middle-man or third party, so any application that is centralized, a decentralized version can be made. For example, a decentralized version of

Dropbox is called Storj. Storj allows anyone around the world to lease out hard-drive space to anyone using the Storj protocol.

As a user, your experience is similar to that of Dropbox as I am accessing hard drive space in the cloud, however it isn’t governed by a central body. Storj is run on the Ethereum network using EC20 tokens. Ethereum and other Dapp and Smart Contract blockchains are important because the public distributed ledger technology allows no third party interference and no censorship, which could revolutionize law and voting practices and make society and private business a fairer place. New organisations and companies are competing with Ethereum to become the first mainstream DApp network, mostly importantly EOS and Cardano.

Banking Sector

The banking system as we know it has been disrupted by crypto-currencies and many banks such as Santander, JP Morgan Singapore and Bank of America are beginning to adopt this new technology.xiii Bitcoin was embryonic in the development of this space because it clunky and slow, however paradoxically, it paved the way for 2 important currencies are Ripple (XRP) and Stellar (XLM) which have become important in the development in the movement of money, particularly the settlement of cross-border payments and digital settlements. The way to understand these currencies or systems, is to think of banks as software companies. These software companies need a safe and secure back-end rail network for their transactions which these currencies allow, For example;

Ripple is a near instantaneous system that facilitates money transfer (partnered with Santander, the first UK bank to introduce blockchain technology, they are also partnered with 61 Japanese banks)xiv xv. For example; if person A sends person B 10XRP it will arrive in person B’s digital wallet almost instantaneously, or if bank A wants to send bank B $1 million, it will be converted into XRP momentarily and back into $ on the other end. So in this way XRP is used as a medium of settlement. Ripple is also a centralized blockchain who controls most of it’s supply, the first central bank of cryptocurrency.

Stellar Lumens (originally a hard-fork from Ripple) is a similar protocol however it is completely decentralized and a non-profit organization aims to be the backend lightening railway for P2P money transfers, for example facilitating and speeding up Western Union and Moneygram payments, allowing money to ‘move like email’. IBM have partnered with

Stellar Lumens and have just launched their ‘World Wire Payment System’ which aims to "clear and settle cross-border payments" in near real time and could “drastically improve international transactions and advancing financial inclusion in developing nations."xvi Stellar have also partnered with Deloitte, and Stripe (Stripe are partnered with Open Table) digital payments system.

Reflection on the Evolution of Blockchain Technology

To reflect on the evolution of blockchain technology I will paraphrase Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson – the future will be decentralized (or at least it will be a viable option). I believe that decentralization can do good for the world and help to improve people’s lives in less developed societies. I also see the blockchain and smart contracts as a necessary tool in the evolution in the business world.

Unbanked and Undocumented

Currently approximately 4 billion of the world’s population is banked and documented, and the other 3 billion unbanked and undocumented. Take John for example, an Irish male, 30 years of age, university educated, decent work history, owns a modest house and car, has insurance for both, and has access to relatively cheap credit. Then take Ahmed, a 45-year-old Afghani male who has no formal documentation (passport, driving license, or birth certificate) lives in a cash economy, has no verifiable work history, does not own deeds to his land, and the only credit he has access to is from his friends or family. His brother sends him money from India with a 15% remittance cost, and all his assets are also uninsured.xvii

Blockchain and smart contract technology allow Ahmed to build a digital history, register and store documents such as land deeds in the blockchain regardless of third party threats or the country’s government, once information is in the blockchain, it cannot be taken out. Ahmed’s brother in India, can also send send money at a fraction of a cent over the Stellar network for example which can be accessed almost instantaneously and with a tiny remittance fee. Smart contract technology also allows Ahmed access to decentralized microlending and micro-insurance which in-turn offers Ahmed a chance to develop a credit score.

The next problem is that only 51% of the world’s population is online, so how can Ahmed access these services? As any web service can be decentralized just like mining bitcoin, or using Storj to store files, so can ISPs (internet service providers). So, by using old Wi-Fi hardware or an old mobile phone, Ahmed can be a node on a network providing internet to his community.xviii

Business

Not all blockchains are decentralized, and the private sector has begun to adopt this technology. For example, IOTA, a leading organization in the ‘internet of things’ space is a private blockchain based in Germany and provides a platform for the machine economy (currently working with Samsung and Volkswagen). They have also been funded as part of the EU Horizon 2020 ‘Smart City’ initiative which is overseen by the University of Oslo and aims to make selected European cities produce more energy then they use. The Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba is partnered with Waltonchain, an IoT (internet of things) logistics project which facilitates supply-chain management, and VeChain another private blockchain used for supply-chain management is currently partnered with BMW and DB Schenker.

Governments are also starting to use blockchain technologies, for example;

• Chile are using the Ethereum network to track data and finances from the energy grid.xix

• Canada is testing out the Ethereum blockchain for transparency of government grants as a means to fight corruption.xx

• Britain are testing blockchain technology for registering documents in the national archives.xxi

• Australia is using the blockchain to build a social welfare system.xxii

• Estonia is using the blockchain to secure health records. xxiii

Conclusion

Unfortunately, cryptocurrencies make illegal activity a lot easier. Online drug and weapon bazaars continue to crop up since the Silk Road has been shut down. Currencies such as Monero and Dash are almost impossible to trace, and and anyone who knows what they are doing can access these sites on the Dark web. Overall I believe the shift toward blockchain and smart contract technology to be a positive one and a very important development of our time, leading us into web 3.0 and 4.0.

Although still in it’s early stages, this technology has the power to democratize the internet through decentralization and using smart contracts to protect our data, which in-turn redistributes the power that big corporations Facebook, and Google have accumulated over the years through data collection back into the hands of the individual, protecting people from the potential abuse of power like the Cambridge Analytica scandal which came to light earlier this year.

Politically, this technology is also very important, and can aid in the fight against corruption. For example, the use of the Ethereum network to aid the transparency of government grants and the government of Estonia using the blockchain to secure health records are positive steps toward safer governance. As more and more start to utilize this technology, the potential for data collection by big tech companies and governments operating within legal grey areas will be diminished.

Edward Snowden’s 2013 NSA leaks exposed the extent to which governments and third

parties have access to our personal data which was a wake-up call to many. Following these revelations, Austrian native Max Schrems took on Facebook for being in breach of EU law, which led to the collapse of the ‘Safe Harbour’ data agreement between the EU and US which thousands of companies were using to their advantage. This ultimately resulted in the GDPR law implemented in the EU in 2016. Blockchain and smart contract technology will act as a data protection mechanism in the future and disempower data collection companies through encryption of personal data. As demonstrated the same technology can also be used to protect and aid people in less-developed countries providing access to loans and insurance, and provide a safe place to store data which was previously not easily available.xxiv

At the moment, this space is similar to the internet 1994. It’s too early to tell, but big change appears to be on the horizon as individuals, big companies and governments continue to invest in the blockchain.

Bibliography

i ‘What is a Blockchain?’ (2018), Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/blockchain.asp (Accessed: 13 September 2018)

ii ‘Bitcoin Price, a Year In Review’ (2014), Available at: https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoinprice-2014-year-review/ (Accessed: 13 September 2018)

iii ‘Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s Enigmatic Creator’ (2018), Available at:

https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2018/09/01/satoshi-nakamoto-bitcoinsenigmatic-creator (Accessed: 13 September 2018)

iv ‘Bitcoin Price Surges Post-Cyprus Bailout’ (2013), Available at:

https://money.cnn.com/2013/03/28/investing/bitcoin-cyprus/index.html (Accessed: 13 September 2018)

v ‘Edward Snowden Timeline’ (2014), Available at:

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/edward-snowden-interview/edward-snowdentimeline-n114871 (Accessed: 13 September 2018)

vi ‘What is Bitcoin?...’ (2018), Available at:

https://cointelegraph.com/bitcoin-forbeginners/what-is-bitcoin#bitcoin-definition (Accessed: 13 September 2018)

vii ‘How Does Bitcoin Work?’ (2018), Available at:

https://www.investopedia.com/news/how-bitcoin-works/ (Accessed 14 September 2018)

viii ‘Bitcoin Confirmations’ (2018), Available at: http://bitcoins.net/guides/bitcoinconfirmations.asp (Accessed: 13 September 2018)

ix ‘How Does Bitcoin Work?’ (2018), Available at: https://bitcoin.org/en/how-it-works

(Accessed: 14 September 2018)

x ‘He Paid How Much…’ (2014), Available at: https://www.coindesk.com/he-paid-how-muchcoindesk-releases-bitcoin-pizza-day-price-tracker/ (Accessed: 14 September 2018)

xi ‘…Buy Pints Using Bitcoin in Dublin’ (2015), Available at: http://publin.ie/2015/heres-howyou-can-buy-pints-using-bitcoin-in-dublin/ (Accessed: 14 September 2018)

xii ‘Ethereum: The World Computer’ (2015), Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6rYoXJ_3BbPyWx_GQDDRRQ (Accessed: 14 September 2018)

xiii ‘Comprehensive List of Banks Using Blockchain Technology’ (2018), Available at:

https://hackernoon.com/comprehensive-list-of-banks-using-blockchain-technology-97c08fa88385 (Accessed: 14 September 2018)

xiv ‘Ripple Partners with 61 Japanese Banks’ (2018), Available at:

https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/news/ripple-partners-61-japanesebanks-develop-domestic-payments-app/ (Accessed: 14 September 2018)

xv ‘Santander Becomes First UK Bank to Introduce Blockchain Technology…’ (2018), Available at: https://www.santander.com/csgs/Satellite?appID=santander.wc.CFWCSancomQP01&canal=CSCORP&cid=1278712674240&empr=CFWCSancomQP01&leng=pt_PT&pagename=CFWCSancomQP01%2FGSNoticia%2FCFQP01_GSNoticiaDetalleImpresion_PT48 (Accessed: 14

September 2018)

xvi ‘IBM Introduces World Wire Payment System on Stellar Network’ (2018), Available at:

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/ibm-introduces-world-wire-payment-system-stellarnetwork/

(Accessed: 14 September 2018)

xvii Hoskinson, C, (2014), TedxBermuda, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ufCT6lQcY

(Accessed: 15 September 2018)

xviii ‘Global Internet Usage’ (2017), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Internet_usage

(Accessed: 15 September 2018)

xix ‘Chile is Using Ethereum’s Blockchain...’ (2018), https://www.coindesk.com/chile-to-useethereums-blockchain-to-track-energy-data/ (Accessed: 15 September 2018)

xx ‘Canada Leverages Etheruem Blockchain…’ (2018), https://www.ethnews.com/canadaleverages-ethereum-blockchain-for-public-transparency-of-government-grant (Accessed: 15 September 2018)

xxi ‘Trustworthy Technology…’ (2018),

https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/trustworthy-technology-future-digital-archives/

(Accessed: 15 September 2018)

xxii Welfare Payments in Australia Could Be Delivered Over The Blockchain’ (2018),

https://www.zdnet.com/article/welfare-payments-in-australia-could-be-delivered-overblockchain/

(Accessed: 15 September 2018)

xxiii ‘Estonia is Using…’ (2016), https://www.businessinsider.com/guardtime-estonian-healthrecords-industrial-blockchain-bitcoin-2016-3?r=UK&IR=T (Accessed: 15 September 2018)

xxiv ‘How Did We Get Here?’ (2018), https://eugdpr.org/the-process/how-did-we-get-here/

(Accessed: 16 September 2018)

#blockchain #cryptocurrency #bitcoin

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scatteredenthusiasticwriter · 6 years ago

Text

Rag Doll

Sarah sat on a flat back chair from the 1800s and her elbows were resting on an antique dining table from the 1900s. Her long brown hair hung down, covering her face, while she scrutinized a cameo brooch trying to date it for a client. Antiques acquired over the years surrounded her with history. Sarah was so involved inspecting the brooch she didn’t hear the bell ring when the door to her little shop opened.

“Dr. Miles?” Sarah looked up and her face emerged as her dark black hair parted. Her glasses had a magnifying glass attached to each lens. Standing before her was a tall, lanky man wearing a black suit. He looked like a G-Man from the Prohibition Days. “Dr. Sarah Miles?” Sarah nodded in acknowledgement.

“My name is James Murray. I am with the law firm Finch Bellows Marten. I am sorry to tell you this, but, your uncle Benjamin Miles passed away a few weeks ago. The reading of his will is tomorrow at noon at my office on the corner of Main and 5th. I apologize for the late notice.”

“I am surprised my Uncle Benjamin included me in his will. We didn't speak to each other for years. We were at an estate sale years ago, engaged in a fierce bidding war for a rare seventeenth century vase. He won the bid. I never forgave him,” directing her attention back to the brooch.

“I am sorry to hear that. Your Uncle’s three children will be in attendance also," reaching the letter out to her. Sarah accepted the letter and tossed it towards the pile of unread mail teetering at the edge of the table.

James Murray turned and walked towards the door leaving Sarah mumbling to the brooch. He then exited the shop.

Sarah reached for the letter and opened it with a dagger shaped letter opener. The letter said, Sarah Miles is named in the will of Benjamin Miles. We ask that you attend the reading of his last will and testament.

Could he be leaving me that vase? Curiosity got the better of her and decided to attend the reading.

# # #

“It’s noon, shouldn’t we start? I can’t wait around to hear what the old man left me,” Lydia stated while pacing.

“That’s if he left you anything. Dad told me I will always be his favorite, even after he’s gone," Elizabeth said.

“Enough from the both of you vying for the top position. What does it matter? The fact is he’s gone, never to return, thank God," stated John.

James Murray shifted papers, uncomfortable with the conversation. There was a knock then the Sarah stepped inside. The three cousins looked at each other, mouths agape. Making no eye contact, Sarah walked to the back of the room and sat down.

“What the hell is she doing here? I thought this was a private reading for family only," Elizabeth bellowed.

Lydia agreed adding, “You’re not family. When was the last time you saw or spoke to my father? Ahh yes, it was at that auction where you lost out winning the vase. It looks very nice on Dad’s mantle.”

Sarah shifted in her seat hoping this would be over soon.

James began,“Today we are reading the last will and testament of Benjamin Miles.”

John interrupted, “Skip all the legal gibberish and get to the bequeathed part.”

James inhaled, then exhaled, “I, Benjamin Miles, being of sound mind and body do bequeathed the following. To my daughter Lydia, I leave her a set of china that belonged to my great grandmother, and $5,000. To my daughter Elizabeth, I leave my rare collection of bottles, and $6,000. To my son John, I leave my Volkswagen Beetle and $1.00. To the local museum I leave all my antiques. To my niece Sarah, you never forgave me for winning the bid on the seventeenth century vase. I am giving you that vase along with my curio cabinet and any and all items contained within.”

“Wow, I thought John got cheated. Looks like Sarah wins the prize for the most cheated. I have no doubt you will research that cabinet to death," Lydia said.

“Hopefully your PhD in History pays off. Maybe there is hidden treasure inside," laughed Elizabeth.

# # #

Sarah instructed the delivery men to place the curio cabinet against the wall in the living room. Sarah tipped the movers and escorted them to the door, locking it behind her. She stood in front of the dark wooden cabinet, her fingers gliding along every smooth inch. When Sarah opened the framed glass door, something jumped on her shoulder and propelled into the cabinet, sending tingles of fear down her spine. Milo, you silly cat, get out of there before you scratch it. Milo sniffed and pawed at a spot in the center of the shelf, until Sarah pulled him out. What did you find? Using her fingers, as though reading braille, she glided them around. She discovered an indent, circular in shape like a quarter sized button. She pushed down on it. Without warning, the bottom panel of the cabinet shot open hitting both of her shins, causing her to yell and jump backwards into Milo, sending him running. There were stories going around the antique community about a handful of curio cabinets, built in the1800s, having secret drawers. Her smile broadened as she gazed upon at.

The drawer contained a skeleton key, an old newspaper dated 1878, and a rag doll. The headline read, The Town of Goldchester’s Mysterious Illness Targets All Its Young Girls. The next story was about a young girl named Sally Monroe who died in a gold mine collapse also in Goldchester. Sarah read when the town’s people dug her out, she was cradling her rag doll, fingertips bloodied and black. She fully opened the paper and an envelope fell to the floor. It contained a deed to a house in Goldchester, Arizona.

# # #

The cab driver waiting outside of Sarah’s shop honked twice. Sarah emerged juggling her suitcase and a well worn brown leather briefcase. The driver placed the suitcase in the trunk and reached for the briefcase. “I got this one," Sarah insisted then sat in the backseat. The briefcase held the skeleton key and the deed. The cab driver shrugged his shoulders. He closed the trunk, got into the cab and drove Sarah to the airport.

The plane landed with a thud, startling her. She set her watch back two hours to adjust the time difference from Massachusetts. She exited the airport and right into Arizona’s dry heat. A cab pulled in front of her and she got in, instructing the driver to take her to the Goldchester Bed & Breakfast. After a twenty minute ride, the cab slowed and pulled over in front of a two story building with a wrap around porch and a two seater swing. Sarah tipped the driver and collected her suitcase. She climbed the three creaky wooden steps and entered the Bed and Breakfast.

Sarah hit the gold bell on the counter. From the back appeared a stout woman wearing an apron covered with flour.

“Welcome. You must be Sarah Miles. I’m Haddie Wilcox. Been expecting you.Your room is ready, handing Sarah the key. Second floor, first door on the right. Dinner is at 6:00pm sharp," Haddie said returning to the back.

Sarah climbed the stairs and entered her room. She placed the suitcase on the bed and headed back out to find the Town Hall, briefcase in hand. Unsuccessful in her search for information, Sarah walked the few blocks to the house. She stood in front of 111 Miners Circle, a quaint little blue two story house with a white picket fence and white shutters.

Sarah used the skeleton key to unlock the door. She stepped inside to find the entire bottom floor completely furnished with white sheets covering each piece. Sarah removed the white sheets from a couch, two Queen Anne chairs, and a writing desk she dated around 1825. She spied a curio cabinet in the corner, her eyes widening in disbelief. The curio cabinet looked exactly like hers. Sarah walked over to the cabinet and opened the glass framed door, thankful there was no cat this time. Sarah glided her fingers across the shelf, discovering the indent. This time she stepped back as she pushed down on the button. The bottom panel opened, just like hers, revealing the same newspaper, but this time it contained a gold key. The room turned cold as ice. An even colder breeze circled around Sarah, causing her to shiver. Sarah snatched up the newspaper, the gold key, and threw the rag doll into the briefcase as she ran out of the house.

Haddie, and her young daughter Laura, were waiting at the table when Sarah rushed in, out of breath. She apologized for being late. Haddie smiled and passed the chicken and gravy. After dinner, Sarah and Haddie retired to the living room to have coffee.

“Haddie, back home I found a deed and skeleton key in a hidden drawer inside the curio cabinet I inherited from my Uncle Benjamin. I went to Town Hall today for information but the house doesn’t have much history. The address is 111 Miners Circle, so I went there and to my surprise, the skeleton key opened the door. Inside I found a curio cabinet, just like the one back home, that has the same hidden drawer. It too contains the same old newspaper with the story about Sally Monroe, who died in a gold mine that collapsed. When they dug her out she was still cradling her rag doll. The rag doll in both papers looks exactly like this one". Sarah held the rag doll out to Haddie.

Haddie gasped, “Did you say your Uncle’s name was Benjamin? Benjamin Miles?”

Sarah nodded. “Oh my, his grandfather, your great grandfather also named Benjamin was the one who found Sally. Story has it that Benjamin was more of a grandfather to Sally than her own. She would visit often to see the rag doll inside the curio cabinet. During one visit Benjamin gave Sally the rag doll. Oh, how she loved that doll. After the funeral, Sally’s mother gave Benjamin the rag doll back as a reminder of Sally. Shortly after Sally’s death, young girls in town began getting sick with strange symptoms. The girls complained of a heaviness on their chest. Their skin dried like a mummy’s skin and their fingertips turned black. Each girl cried out for their doll while gasping for air. No one could figure out why each girl cried out for their doll before they passed. The town lost every young girl that year.”

Sally asked, “Was the cause ever discovered?” Haddie shook her head.

The following morning, Sarah walked back to the house, taking her briefcase containing the rag doll with her. As she approached the house, she thought she saw faces staring down at her from each window. Sarah entered a bone chilling house. All the furniture was upside down, the white linens rolled and twisted into a large rag doll. Sarah’s briefcase started shaking. She opened it and watched the rag doll convulse. She shut the briefcase with shaking hands and ran for the door. As she reached for the handle the door slammed shut. She heard children’s laughter and running overhead. Sarah’s curiosity overshadowed her fear. She stood tall, and after taking a few long breaths that could be seen, she climbed the stairs. The doors on the second floor opened and slammed shut repeatedly, all except for one. Sarah approached the unopened door when something touched her, chilling her to the bone.

“What do you want?” Sarah shouted. The landing swayed throwing her off balance. She tried to run but the stairs got further away with each step. Her chest felt like a heavy weight was on it, causing her to fall, then her finger tips turned blood red, then black. Sarah watched in horror as the skin on her arms shriveled, shrouding her bones. She began gasping for air as she cried out, “Sally stop.”

The walls heaved as though breathing. The door in front of her swing open revealing a blinding light. At its center a silhouette appeared. Sarah attempted to get up but the weight held her hostage. The silhouette glided towards her, the blinding light blown out like a candle. The white silhouette swayed like a sheer curtain in the breeze. Sarah watched as more silhouettes came into focus. Young girls now encircled Sally.

Sally’s face began to distort, blood red eyes glowing. She ascended, weightless arms outstretched, and with a deafening scream, demanded her Maggie be given back. Sally plunged down onto Sarah pinning her in place. The girls were now screaming for Maggie to be returned. Sarah nodded in fear, hoping they understood. Sally rose, allowing Sarah to get up. She ran down the stairs, but, at the bottom Sally blocked the path, her distorted face aflame.

“I have your doll. Please, let me get it.” Sarah pleaded.

Sally glided aside. Sarah ran to her briefcase and pulled the rag doll out. Sally was instantly upon her and snatched the doll from her hands and began cradling it. Sarah watched as Sally and the girls rejuvenated into themselves again.

They motioned for Sarah to follow them upstairs. The once closed door now opened, revealing a white light bright as a star. Sarah watched as each girl entered the light, waving goodbye as they disappeared. Sally remained.

“I am so happy to have Maggie back. I missed her so. I took the young girls from town to help me find my Maggie. You brought Maggie home,” Sally said with a contented smile as she walked to Sarah and kissed her on the cheek. Sally made her way towards the light. As she entered, the light folded into itself engulfing Sally, then darkness.

Sarah went downstairs and noticed a glow coming from the corner of the room. It was the gold key. A faint voice whispered in her ear, “Go to the painting of your family.”

Confused, Sarah walked over to a painting of her great grandfather and Uncle Benjamin. This is my ancestor’s house? She tried to take the painting off the wall then noticed the hinges. She pulled the picture aside, revealing a wall safe. Sarah used the gold key to open the safe and was flabbergasted at what was inside.

# # #

The wall safe contained some of the gold Sally’s father mined. He gave it to Sarah's Great Grandfather Benjamin as a way of thanking him for trying to save Sally. The gold was now worth $500 Million.

The cork popped off of the Dom Perignon hitting the ceiling then bounced back in front of Milo. He jumped and ran. Sarah raised her Champagne filled glass thanking her uncle.

“I guess I was your favorite after all.”

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hockeyobsessedloser · 7 years ago

Text

10 song challenge

Rules: write the first 10 songs that come up on shuffle (no skipping) and quote your favorite lyrics from each song, then tag 10 people.

I was tagged by @camwarden aka the lovely Lila.

I’m doing the same thing as Lila and bolding my favorites. I’m using my iTunes library, as that’s what I listen to most.

The Diadem - Alexandre Desplat (from Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows part II) *no lyrics*

Float On- Modest Mouse “hold on, good news is on the way”

Lost it All- Black Veil Brides “I’m just trying to breathe, just trying to figure it out, because I built these walls to watch them crumbling down”

Jesus of Suburbia- Green Day “There’s nothing wrong with me. This is how I’m supposed to be”

Clocks- Coldplay “Am I part of the cure, or am I part of the disease”

Throne - Bring Me The Horizon “So you can throw me to the wolves, tomorrow I will come back, leader of the whole pack”

Doctor Who XI - Murray Gold (and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales) *no lyrics*

Severus and Lily- Alexandre Desplat (from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II) *no lyrics*

Learn To Let Go - Kesha “Life ain’t always fair but hell is living in resentment. Choose redemption, your happy endings up to you”

I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) - The Proclaimers “And I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more, just to be the man who walks a thousand miles to fall down at your door”

Can you tell I love the Harry Potter soundtracks? I listen to them way too much. This was actually a pretty good representation of what I listen too. Luckily my old emo songs didn't show up too much..... I tag @nhanifin @alindy510 @newyorkcitysubway @pure100percent @selectivehoe @warqueenfuriosa @nhlinfluenced and anyone else who wants to do it!

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drunklander · 7 years ago

Text

Drunj!Der Yells About Outlander

Thoughts on Ep. 308

I’m an Eeyore, blah, blah, blah, whatever, sorry. Ramblings under the cut but seriously maybe just keep scrolling. Why am I even here.

Oh cool. More voiceovers. They’re bugging me way more this season than they used to and I’m not sure why. Maybe because they’re not used as much so when they show up again it’s more jarring?

Young Ian being proud of his skills as a criminal is adorable. Young Ian being proud that Fergus thinks he’s a good criminal is adorable. Young Ian in general is adorable. I’m basically just hanging on to how much I like Young Ian because I’d like to be positive about something.

Ok, I’m sorry, I want to like Jenny. But jfc. Calling Claire a stray? I get that she has complicated feelings about the situation or whatever but can people please stop treating Claire like she’s a piece of crap who no one wants around? It’s getting old. And annoying af.

Also, can Claire please stand up for herself? Like Claire. You suffered enough and were shit on for so long. You don’t need to put up with this crap anymore. You didn’t fucking kill a guy in cold blood. A guy tried to fucking rape you, you defended yourself, he fell, and you tried and failed to save him. That’s a far cry from the fucking murder they’re making it out to be. And it took all of one fucking sentence to explain.

Although good on Jenny for seconding how Claire called out Jamie last week for how he was with Young Ian. Because wtf, Jamie.

Oh hey, Jamie remembers how he learned that beating people isn’t the best form of “punishment.” The smallest of gold stars for you, JAMMF.

Ok I don’t get why they didn’t just have Janet be Kitty. Like we’ve been introduced to Young Jamie, Maggie, Kitty and Ian. Why bother even introducing another rando Murray kid?

Also, did the Murray kids start having babies at like 16? Because the smols running around are pretty old considering Maggie and Young Jamie are like in their early 20s.

Also if Claire and Jamie lived at Lallybroch for a year that the show basically skipped over in season two, Young Jamie would probs definitely remember Claire. But cool that the show needs literally everyone to make Claire feel unwelcome. *eye roll*

Not sure how I feel about Jenny acting like she was entitled to Jamie sharing his grief. Like that’s his call? You’re not entitled to anything? I get wanting to help your brother and stuff, but idk. She seems to be making it about her and what she needed and I’m not here for that?

“I barely wanted to breathe, let alone speak of it.” Cool, Jamie, then maybe start acting like you actually want Claire around? Because last week you were a douchenozzle of epic proportions to her.

Good on Jenny for knowing Jamie’s full of shit when he tells her the BS about where Claire went. The story like isn’t really believable.

Yes, Claire. Tell Jenny the truth. Dooo it.

But fuck Jamie for thinking Jenny wouldn’t be able to accept the truth about Claire. Literally everything in this episode makes it seem like she’d believe them. And it’d work so well if they’d just tell her. If they tell her next week, fine, but I’ll still be mildly annoyed because like why drag it out unnecessarily?

Also, they bring up Murtagh and Jamie forgets to tell Claire he’s alive? Because if she knows and they had that conversation off-screen I’ma be pissed.

The shots of Jamie climbing up to the tower thing are so overly dramatic I can’t even. Like when his hands come up over the wall thing but then he just like casually steps over it. Like wat? What am I watching.

Also the jewels in that box look like the plastic stuff I had in my dress up box when I was a kid.

Caitriona Balfe’s face during the whole greylag thing kills me. Basically Caitriona Balfe’s face during this whole episode kills me. *throws awards at Caitriona Balfe’s face*

Glad they didn’t have the kiddos interrupt sex because Joan is basically a fetus, but the “daddy” thing is still so weird. Especially from Marsali. An 18 year old who calls her stepdad “daddy” is fucking weird. Especially if that stepdad only lived with them for a couple months.

Good to see Laoghaire is still just as fucking terrible as ever. *eye roll* Seriously. After ep. 208, I was like cautiously optimistic that maybe Laoghaire would have some character growth. Like yeah, she’s still fucking insane, but to have her just barge in with the same old over the top “my whole purpose in life is hating Claire because I’m unhealthily obsessed with Jamie” nonsense is annoying af.

Claire’s reaction during this terrible nonsense, though... *throws more awards at Caitriona Balfe’s face*

Ok Joan’s adorable and Da!Jamie is lovely, but like, did we really need to spend this much time on this scene? I get it, Jamie loves the girls. Jamie really loves being a dad. But I’m just getting really annoyed that literally anything and everything keeps taking precedence over Claire, and fixing the relationship between her and Jamie.

“Well there are other redheaded men in Scotland, Claire.” Jfc, dude. Read the fucking room. Does this really look like the right time for sass? He’s been so hot and cold toward her it’s like fucking whiplash since she came back and now that his other marriage is out there he like can’t stop for a minute and fucking be serious with her? Fucking asshole.

“You’re the one that told me to be kind to the lass!” Go fuck yourself, Jamie. Do not throw this back on Claire. Claire asking Jamie to thank Laoghaire could be part of how Jamie rationalizes it being ok to marry her to himself, but to throw it on Claire like somehow that’s the equivalent of her giving her blessing is not a good look. Fucking own your damn choices, Fraser.

“I’m a coward. I couldn’t tell you, but I’ll totally twist your words so I can feel good about myself for marrying someone I know tried to kill you.” Yes. Jamie. You’re a fucking coward. Own that cowardice. Sit in that fucking cowardice. Don’t fucking say you’re a coward and then immediately try to throw the blame for the situation back on Claire. Own your fucking mess, dude. You fucked up. You need to work to fix that. Jfc.

Yaaas Claire, call him on his bullshit about leaving him. Call him on ALL THE BULLSHIT. Seriously her face though. *throws awards*

Ok don’t you mansplain your manpain at Claire, bro. She had 20 fucking years of manpain being mansplained at her and my girl deserves fucking better.

Really wish Claire would throw more back at Jamie. She still hasn’t gotten across to him just how hard things were for her. It really does seem like Jamie thinks he won the pain and suffering contest. (It’s not a contest, but it’s getting super old that he seems to think she just went back to this cushy life and sure, was sad, but because he was in prison and a cave and stuff he somehow has the moral high ground now.)

Claire spent 20 years not being able to speak. She spent 20 years just enduring a terrible situation and not being allowed to feel or grieve or be herself. Jamie needs to fucking hear that. Because how dare he think that she doesn’t know what it’s like to live without a heart. How fucking dare he. Fucking drag him, Claire. He needs to hear it and you need to say it. But of course we don’t get that. Because have you seen this season? Why would they start treating Claire well now. It’s only 8 episodes into a 13 episode season. Ugh.

I know Jamie’s like insecure and jealous and whatever but at some point who gives a fuck about Jamie’s manpain. Claire needs to say her piece and she still hasn’t been able to and I’m really annoyed about it apparently.

Also I really wish they cut them starting to rage bang and instead just had them yell more. Because they’re definitely not done yelling. Yes. They use sex to communicate, but rage banging isn’t going to make things better. Especially rage banging that isn’t welcome on Claire’s side at first. They haven’t done enough actual communicating yet. And by they, I mean Claire. Let Claire fucking speak, show.

Like oh hey, Jamie says he loves her, but like I’m distracted by Claire not wanting him to touch her and him still touching her? And you haven’t been acting like you love her, Jamie, so this line feels like the same lip-service as you saying you were a coward and then immediately punting blame?

Ok fuck Jenny very much for her little rant at Claire. Yes, it’s fucked up that Claire dropped off the face of the earth. And I get she had to see Jamie go through a ton of shit. But to just automatically be this much of a dick to Claire? Jfc. I’m so over everyone being a fucking dick to Claire. Claire needs a fucking spa weekend or some shit.

But ffs, why can’t they just tell Jenny and Ian the fucking truth. (If it happens next week I’m just going to be annoyed. They’ve set it up like 23985230589 different ways this week to do it. Just fucking do it.)

“I’m still the same person you fell in love with.” But you’re really fucking not, Jamie. That’s the whole fucking point. Ughhh, wtf.

Ok but where the fuck did Laoghaire get this gun? Like who gave her a pistol? (Yes, I know, it’s from the book. It’s still fucking stupid.) There has to have been a way to do the Laoghaire stuff in this episode that isn’t like dialed up to 11 on the crazy meter. Because this is just absurd.

Also wtf is with Claire’s like body check thing? Like push her away or something if you have to but like full on hockey checking her or whatever is dumb af?

Oh hey, Young Ian is being a cinnamon roll again about Claire’s surgical tools. Just going to enjoy that for a minute. Keep being adorable, Young Ian.

“You’re the only one who calls me [Auntie].” “Uncle Jamie’s lucky you’re here.” PROTECT YOUNG IAN AT ALL COSTS. GET HIM A WOLF PUP TO ASSIST WITH THIS.

Ok but wouldn’t Claire feel that Jamie has a fever when she’s checking his bandages? No? Ok, whatever. Moving on.

Jamie’s face when Claire’s giving him the cup makes me want to smack him a little. Like, dude, do you not know how much shit you’re in? Like his little smile and heart eyes or whatever he’s doing there makes it seem like he’s not taking the situation as seriously as he should be.

Making Jamie agreeing to marry Laoghaire be all about the kids is the only way it could possibly work even a little, I guess? Because yeah, Jamie wants to be a dad. A lot. But still, two minutes with rando children at a party is really not enough to then say you’ll spend the rest of your life with the crazy bitch you know tried to kill your wife in an effort to get you to love her. Also, there are approximately 29358238923598 smols running around Lallybroch and I’m guessing a fair number of other widows out there who aren’t fucking insane. Whatever. Jamie’s reasons for wanting to get married are all legit. But I’m still side-eyeing the choice of woman given what he knows about her. (Yes, it’s in the book. Yes, I still get to side-eye it. Yes, he’s still a fucking coward for not telling Claire sooner.)

“To care for Willie...or Brianna.” Cool that Bree’s still the afterthought. Cool cool cool.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of someone being afraid of my touch.” I still wish they would have found a way for the marriage to fail that didn’t involve Laoghaire being a victim of abuse, but given what Jamie went through at Wentworth, that’s a legit reason for him to leave. But like, if the whole thing was about the kids and him being a dad, wouldn’t he fucking move somewhere closer than fucking Edinburgh? I guess the kids don’t actually matter that much? This whole thing is a fucking hot mess.

OK BUT THIS CONVERSATION ON THE STAIRS WITH JENNY WHEN SHE’S TALKING ABOUT NOT KNOWING WHERE CLAIRE CAME FROM AND HOW SHE SAVED THEM WITH THE POTATOES IS THE PERFECT FUCKING TIME TO TELL JENNY THE FUCKING TRUTH AND GAH, WHY CAN’T YOU JUST DO IT. THIS IS APPARENTLY THE HILL I’M WILLING TO DIE ON.

Ned Gowan gets the award for having the correct reaction to seeing Claire again. Gold star for you, Ned Gowan. Ned Gowan, Young Ian and Fergus should start a club for people who aren’t dicks to Claire.

I’m here for Jamie not wanting Laoghaire transported because of the girls. I’d side-eye him like whoa if he wanted to go that route. But jfc, they can’t use that as leverage to lower the alimony? Like sure, send them some money so you don’t leave the kids hanging, but not the insane amount she was apparently asking for?

“I’m just not sure if we belong together anymore.” I hate that they end the episode like this, with no actual resolution between them. Like I’d like to think that Claire would never believe what she says, but jfc, she’s been treated basically like how Frank had treated her by pretty much everyone except Fergus and Young Ian since she got back. To the point where she’s fucking romanticizing the 20 years she spent just going through the motions and being basically emotionally abused by a vindictive husband. The fact that it doesn’t seem out of character for her to say she thinks it was a mistake kills me because jfc, sorry, but she deserves better than she’s gotten.

“I had a life.” Yeah, one where you were constantly told that you weren’t enough and that you were a horrible person.

“I didn’t hate Boston.” Girl. Listen to yourself. That’s how you phrase it when you’re trying to convince yourself it’s true. Not how you say it when you actually believe it’s true. (I know, she didn’t hate everything 100% of the time, but she’s still just trying to convince herself that what she had was better than it actually was because now that she’s back, she’s just getting more of the same BS thrown at her.)

“I had a career.” Yeah. You did. And you deserve to be around people who respect that and see how important it was to you.

“A home.” You really want to keep those rose colored glasses on about that, Claire? Seriously, I needed her to like lash out at Jamie about what it was really like for her because I still don’t think he fully gets it. Whatever. Le sigh.

“Friends.” Girl you had one friend. Which I guess is more than you have back here... #TeamJoe

Noticeably missing from Claire’s list? Fucking Bree. Wtf?

Can I just give Claire a hug? Because jfc, if someone has ever needed a hug in the history of hugs, it’s Claire.

“It wasn’t so bad, really, was it?” Yes. Yes it was, Claire. And fuck the show for dragging this out for yet another episode. Everything is still somehow Claire’s fault and Claire’s still just like flailing around, trying to be fucking seen and heard for once.

“When has it ever been easy.” Jamie, ffs, don’t brush off her pain like that. Can you just listen for fucking once to what she’s telling you. But nope. He gets like one romantic line per episode and apparently that makes everything cool? Blergh.

Oh hey, a random book line followed immediately by them getting interrupted so lol who cares about that failed emotional beat. I’m sensing a pattern, show. And it’s not one I’m enjoying. At all.

Also there’s no way that fucking ship pulled up its sails or whatever the actual term is that quickly and then dropped them again in the span of like two minutes.

So now we’re off to start the shipnanigans but still no fucking resolution between Jamie and Claire. Because why would you spend part of this episode with them actually working through their shit and coming to a new normal while they’re home at Lallybroch when you can save it for when they’re on a fucking ship in the middle of high seas adventure nonsense? Because lol #angst. Whatever. This is fine. Le sigh.

This show is fucking exhausting.

#*#drunj!der yells about outlander #outlander starz #outlander 3x08

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britesparc · 4 years ago

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Weekend Top Ten #453

Top Ten Films That Make Me Happy

So every once in a while I do one of these things and the world ends up moving so fast that between me having an idea, writing the list, and it going up on Tumblr of a weekend, the plates have shifted and it doesn’t seem quite as relevant anymore. I remember listing ten films I wanted to see because cinemas were reopening; I think only two of them ever actually saw the inside of a Cineworld. And so we have this week; when I came up with the idea for the list, I thought either we’d all be in a celebratory mood, or else need commiserating. And at the time of writing, it’s looking – thankfully – that we’ll have enough reasons to be cheerful to be getting along with. But who knows? If you’re reading this on Saturday there may be a new president, or maybe the old one’s bombed China.

It’s a funny old world.

Anyway, like I said, my initial thought was that, in this time of darkness, we might need a little light; that everything is rather remorselessly grim and difficult, and we could do with a bit of cheering up. We’re all back in lockdown, the idiots are in charge, and Halo Infinite was delayed till next year. Lots of crap is going on. And, yes, fingers crossed, maybe we will be celebrating the Idiot in Chief getting booted out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue before too long, but life has taught me never to count chickens, and you can always do with a little restorative nip in your pocket, just in case. And what is a good curative for the blues? A fillum.

Yes, feel-good films. Cheerer-uppers. Movies that make ya happy. There are lots of them, of course; it’s practically a genre. But one man’s meat is another man’s poison, and one man’s (end of) It’s a Wonderful Life is another man’s (middle section of) It’s a Wonderful Life. Which is to say that what makes me happy might not make you happy. I found this when doing a bit of research for this list; as is common, I often have quite a few ideas when I’ve thought of a topic, but I like to Google it (or Bing it, as I get Microsoft Reward Points and I’m saving up for a few months of Game Pass), just in case there’s some obvious film that has escaped my mental grasp. In this case what I found was some of the films that people consider to be uplifting are downright weird – Forrest Gump? Really? And a lot of truly mediocre romcoms seem to float people’s happiness boats, from the wildly uneven Love Actually to the tepid You’ve Got Mail to the overlong and overly twee The Holiday (a film which I hated on first watch but which has grown on me, Stockholm-style, as I’ve seen it over and over again every year). And some people even list stuff like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars or Pirates of the Caribbean; good movies, true, but are they feel-good? I mean, loads of people die in all those films; in one of them an actual planet blows up. I know we like zombie monkeys and Harrison Ford in a waistcoat, but they’re not really the most relentlessly cheerful films, are they?

Or are they? I mean, when I got right down to it, there were quite a few blowy-uppy pictures that are genuine comfort blankets for me (Air Force One, which I watched so much at one point that I used to fall comfortably asleep to it when I was on my own, nearly made the cut). So, y’know, who am I to judge? I think what makes us feel comfortable, happy, and upbeat can be wildly diverse and erratic, even within our own taste window.

And really that’s what I was after here; comfort movies, films that uplift or inspire or just, well, make you smile. Not just because we’ve blown up the Death Star or because Tom Hanks has snogged Meg Ryan again. But there’s something about the film, from its story to its characters to its composition, that is continuously joyful.

So whether we’re lifting a glass in celebration or drowning our sorrows with an armful of Stella, here’s to the films that make us feel better. Chin up, folks. It might never happen!

Paddington 2 (2017): what is it about this film that evokes such joy? I’d say everything, from the script to the performances to the music to the shot choices. The bad guy is funny, the dire situations rarely threatening, almost everyone is nice, and it ends with a redemption and a musical number. Beyond all that, though, Paddington himself is such a supernova of absolute goodness that you can’t help but feel optimistic just by watching him. It’s perfect, really.

WALL-E (2008): a film that starts with the end of the world but it gets better. It’s a cinematic joy, the virtually dialogue-free opening giving us dystopic vistas and a real sense of mood. But it’s WALL-E himself who brings the real feels, a mechanical wonder who does nothing but make other people happy and improve their lives almost by accident. he saves the human race and the planet simply by trying to be nice to one person at a time, and that’s a hell of an optimistic message.

When Harry Met Sally (1989): far sarkier than the other two films, and obviously a bit more, well, grown up (we all know what you must not do with Mister Zero), this is nonetheless a beautiful film. A slow-burning romance between two friendly, funny people, witticisms flying from every mouth, some absolute, genuine emotional stakes that you really, really care about, and the single most romantic ending a film has ever had.

Groundhog Day (1993): let’s face it, it’s the best film either Harold Ramis or Bill Murray has ever been involved in, and I bought every issue of Transformers/Ghostbusters. A tour-de-force of cynicism and sourness from Murray, but he gradually unravels (in more ways than one), becoming a happier and better person. It’s funny, it’s sweet, and the complexities of its chronally-displaced plot means there’s loads you can unpick. Masterfully written, directed, and edited, and that’s some of its joy, too.

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994): the Coens have, obviously, made a lot of very good films, and not all of them are darkly serious (No Country) or darkly hilarious (Fargo); they also have lighter fare, but none as floaty-light or so supremely joyous as Hudsucker. The script is pure screwball but also a precisely-honed, fast-spoken, Golden Age charm; the performances are all fantastic (we also get the best Lois Lane, Perry White, and Steve Lombard scene ever shot, and it’s not even in a Superman film). Look, it’s hilarious, it’s arch, it’s fantastically put-together, and it’s actually, genuinely hopeful and optimistic. It’s my favourite Coen Brothers movie.

Singin' in the Rain (1952): I’ve always got a lot of love for movies about Old Hollywood, but Singin’ isn’t really some kind of backstage satire; really, it’s a story about love, honesty, and creativity – movies are just the backdrop. But it’s the songs. Let’s face it, it’s the songs – and dances. These are some of the most joyous songs put to celluloid, and Gene Kelly absolutely attacks them from all sides. But I’ve gotta say, my favourite number is probably Donald O’Connor running up the walls in “Make ‘Em Laugh”.

Strictly Ballroom (1992): there’s a personal touch to this one, as my wife and I chose “Love is in the Air” for the first dance at our wedding. But there’s more to this film than memories of me being a shit dancer: it’s a supremely romantic film, possibly the most enjoyable straight-up romance from Luhrmann’s Red Curtain trilogy (spoiler alert: no one dies). A great underdog tale, two kids taking down a corrupt system, a story of the unlikely girl nabbing the hot guy; it’s timeless, it’s well-told, and its unusual setting (ballroom dancing competitions in Australia) gives it an extra kick.

My Neighbour Totoro (1988): Ghibli films often present us with a nicer, fairer world, where even the nasty monsters are there to teach us important lessons, or at the very least plucky kids can do the right thing and save the day. Totoro is different in that there isn’t an antagonist; there isn't much drama or, really, plot. It’s two very small girls dealing with a complex life situation, and also a giant bear-monster thing with a massive mouth who could be scary but is actually really nice and magical and saves the day because the girls deserve it, and also there’s a hollow cat that’s also a bus. It’s fantastic, but it’s also so nice, just a load of nice people and nice monsters being nice to each other, and if – let's say – the elements can be good, can't we be good too?

Die Hard (1988): yeah, okay, contradiction corner; a supremely violent and sweary action movie that makes me “feel good”. Is it the bit where he throws a bomb down a lift? Or shoots a dude from beneath a table? Or when Ellis dies? Honestly, yeah, there’s a little bit of that; the action stuff is so well-done. But it’s also a film with a ton of heart and soul and wit and life. John McClane is a masterpiece of character design, a gruff cop with a heart of gold, a capable action hero but also a working-class schmo who just wants to try to get back with his wife. He struggles and bleeds and doubts himself; he’s not a superman. The villains are incredible, with great lines and great designs and a great scheme; you care about these guys, they’re interesting. There's a part of you that wants Gruber to get away as much as you want John and Holly to get back together. It's a Christmas movie, all about family and forgiveness, and It's just plain fun, uncynical and sentimental and really, really funny. It's the best action movie ever made, I watch it every year, and it brings me great, great comfort and joy.

The American President (1995): oh no, too soon! But I couldn’t include The West Wing in a list of feel-good films, so this is the next best thing; smart public servants being smart, as well as moral and just, wearing their immense power with the right amount of humility. Sorkin really believes in the majesty of the office of President, and the founding myth of America and what that means, and he makes you believe in it too. His dialogue is, of course, exceptional, witty bon-mots and one-liners, but the love story is great too; two people finding each other later in life and trying to make it work despite everything. So it’s a great film, a funny film, a sweet film, a romantic film, but also kinda important; a film that makes you aspire to higher ideals, that gives you hope and confidence in the institutions of government. I suppose it is a fantasy – God knows, the last four years have shaken these institutions to their very core, over here as much as in the States – but The American President can make you believe again.

There you go. Ten films that just make me happy if I'm down, or cement that happiness if I'm already in the mood. All of these films, you’ll notice, are also very, very good; not some kind of “guilty pleasure” (if such a thing exists; don’t pleasure-shame!). Funnily enough, it’s the quality of the films that adds to their charm; I appreciate the craft as much as the plot or theme or performances. Like when I watch American President (or, more accurately, The West Wing) and I just enjoy seeing people good at their jobs be good at their jobs, then watching a well-made film makes me happy because I like seeing people good at their jobs be good at their jobs.

Anyway. Tear yourself away from Twitter, stop refreshing fivethirtyeight.com, pour yourself a drink, and – hopefully – make yourself happy this weekend. Unless you voted for Trump, then you can get in a bin.

#top ten #feel-good films #feel-good movies #movies #happy #optimism #biden #harris

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thedivinefish · 5 years ago

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divinefishingtips · 5 years ago

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TGIWednesday and rising above the fray

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365dailyaffirmations · 5 years ago

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TGIWednesday and rising above the fray

TGIWednesday News

TGIWednesday Download

MySwitchWorks Event - last Wed. of each month

Next Live Call June 24th 7:30pm EDT

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell The Fish: 365 Daily Inspirations & Affirmations

LIVE Appearances - Free Healing

Monday June 15th at 2pm EDT/ 11pm PDT Inspiration from Spirit Livestream on YouTube with host Rev. Lea Chapin WATCH HERE

Monday June 22nd at 4pm EDT/ 1pm PDT Straight Talk for the Soul w/ Cari Murphy - Register Here Thurs. July 30th - Your Divine Uniqueness with host Moncef Akfir - Register Here

The Jimmy Mack Healing Radio Show

TUESDAY'S at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT CALL IN (206) 806-9965 https://www.freeconferencecall.com/wall/goldylocksproductions

Click Here for Previous Weeks' Show and a full archive of past guests & replays.

From the Fish Box

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

Sessions at the Tampa Office

FRIDAY KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! To All Mastery Students: If you haven't taken the time to complete the course and book your Certification test with Jimmy - now is a great time!!

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