#o’brien not withstanding

[midnight-mismanagement]

Thomas, shaking, crying: I didn’t know where else to go. Baxter: Who did this to you?? Thomas: Me. Baxter: :( Thomas: :( Thomas: Also I was scammed. Again.

[royaladvisor]

The Crossover no one asked for but works weirdly well. Ill post the first chapter here:

“You asked me once,” said O’Brien, "what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world." The door opened again. A guard came in, carrying something made of wire, a box or basket of some kind. He set it down on the further table. Because of the position in which O’Brien was standing. Winston could not see what the thing was. "The worst thing in the world," said O’Brien, "varies from individual to individual. It may be burial alive, or death by fire, or by drowning, or by impalement, or fifty other deaths. There are cases where it is some quite trivial thing, not even fatal." He had moved a little to one side, so that Winston had a better view of the thing on the table. It was an oblong wire cage with a handle on top for carrying it by. Fixed to the front of it was something that looked like a fencing mask, with the concave side outwards. Although it was three or four metres away from him, he could see that the cage was divided lengthways into two compartments, and that there was some kind of creature in each. They were rats.

"In your case," said O’Brien, "the worst thing in the world happens to be rats."

A sort of premonitory tremor, a fear of he was not certain what, had passed through Winston as soon as he caught his first glimpse of the cage. But at this moment the meaning of the mask-like attachment in front of it suddenly sank into him. His bowels seemed to turn to water. "You can’t do that!" he cried out in a high cracked voice. "You couldn’t, you couldn’t! It’s impossible."

"Do you remember," said O’Brien, "the moment of panic that used to occur in your dreams? There was a wall of blackness in front of you, and a roaring sound in your ears. There was something terrible on the other side of the wall. You knew that you knew what it was, but you dared not drag it into the open. It was the rats that were on the other side of the wall.”

“O’Brien!” said Winston, making an effort to control his voice. “You know this is not necessary. What is it that you want me to do?” O’Brien made no direct answer. When he spoke it was in the schoolmasterish manner that he sometimes affected. He looked thoughtfully into the distance, as though he were addressing an audience somewhere behind Winston’s back.

"By itself," he said, "pain is not always enough. There are occasions when a human being will stand out against pain, even to the point of death. But for everyone there is something unendurable—something that cannot be contemplated. Courage and cowardice are not involved. If you are falling from a height it is not cowardly to clutch at a rope. If you have come up from deep water it is not cowardly to fill your lungs with air. It is merely an instinct which cannot be destroyed. It is the same with the rats. For you, they are unendurable. They are a form of pressure that you cannot withstand, even if you wished to. You will do what is required of you."

“But what is it, what is it? How can I do it if I don’t know what it is?” O’Brien picked up the cage and brought it across to the nearer table. He set it down carefully on the baize cloth. Winston could hear the blood singing in his ears. He had the feeling of sitting in utter loneliness. He was in the middle of a great empty plain, a flat desert drenched with sunlight, across which all sounds came to him out of immense distances. Yet the cage with the rats was not two metres away from him. They were enormous rats. They were at the age when a rat’s muzzle grows blunt and fierce and his fur brown instead of grey.

"The rat," said O’Brien, still addressing his invisible audience, "although a rodent, is carnivorous. You are aware of that. You will have heard of the things that happen in the poor quarters of this town. In some streets a woman dare not leave her baby alone in the house, even for five minutes. The rats are certain to attack it. Within quite a small time they will strip it to the bones. They also attack sick or dying people. They show astonishing intelligence in knowing when a human being is helpless."

There was an outburst of squeals from the cage. It seemed to reach Winston from far away. The rats were fighting; they were trying to get at each other through the partition. He heard also a deep groan of despair. That, too, seemed to come from outside himself. O’Brien picked up the cage, and, as he did so, pressed something in it. There was a sharp click. Winston made a frantic effort to tear himself loose from the chair. It was hopeless; every part of him, even his head, was held immovably. O’Brien moved the cage nearer. It was less than a metre from Winston’s face.

“I have pressed the first lever,” said O’Brien. “You understand the construction of this cage. The mask will fit over your head, leaving no exit. When I press this other lever, the door of the cage will slide up. These starving brutes will shoot out of it like bullets. Have you ever seen a rat leap through the air? They will leap on to your face and bore straight into it. Sometimes they attack the eyes first. Sometimes they burrow through the cheeks and devour the tongue.”

The cage was nearer; it was closing in. Winston heard a succession of shrill cries which appeared to be occurring in the air above his head. But he fought furiously against his panic. To think, to think, even with a split second left—to think was the only hope. Suddenly the foul musty odour of the brutes struck his nostrils. There was a violent convulsion of nausea inside him, and he almost lost consciousness. Everything had gone black. For an instant he was insane, a screaming animal.

The circle of the mask was large enough now to shut out the vision of anything else. The wire door was a couple of hand-spans from his face. The rats knew what was coming now. One of them was leaping up and down, the other, an old scaly grandfather of the sewers, stood up, with his pink hands against the bars, and fiercely sniffed the air. Winston could see the whiskers and the yellow teeth. Again the black panic took hold of him. He was blind, helpless, mindless. “It was a common punishment in Imperial China,” said O’Brien as didactically as ever. The mask was closing on his face. The wire brushed his cheek. And then—

[DESTINATION] [AGREEMENT] [TRAJECTORY] [AGREEMENT]

Winston saw entranced as two massive beings spinning as if in a dance, twirling around each other in an endless void. A single piece, a shard of the beings greater whole split from the mass and rocketed towards a massive sphere, a planet, this planet before-

Winston wrenched his eyes open but they already were open, all six of them and he felt his teeth devouring something, it tasted delicious. His incisors tore at something gamy and raw and bloody and he heard squees of glee coming from his mouths as he burrowed deeper into… into… into what. He pulled back and saw the room in it’s entirety, but not from his chair but from the floor. Out of four rodent eyes he saw himself still strapped to the chair, unmoved, the mask still firmly around his head and he saw O’Brien. Or what was left of him. His corpse full of jagged holes, his bloodshot eyes staring at nothing. His finger still in it’s position where it flipped the third and final lever that should have sentenced Winston to his worst Nightmare realized.

Winston sat for a moment, he could do nothing else. The rats sat as well, he could feel them mirroring his intent in the back of his mind. Part of him wanted to reject everything he’s seen and felt as a hallucination. He must still be in the interrogation room and O’Brien must have set the dial to one hundred and left him there till he went completely mad. He wanted to forget, to forget forgetting and to forget that as well until all traces of this day, or was it night, could be erased from his mind.

Yet there he still sat, no one came for him, he guessed Room 101 must be one of the only places the party had no need for telescreens, he was alone in his madness. Yet he didn’t wake up from his madness leaving him only with the option of accepting the madness as his reality. The rats had not moved a hair since until Winston tried making them move towards him and gnaw at the bindings keeping him in place. He felt as their teeth cut through the bindings as if they were his own. They might as well be his own now.

It was not until he freed himself from the mask and saw through his own eyes O’Brien’s body that what he had done fell unto him. He had murdered a man, he had devoured him with glee. O’Brien, his friend, his protector, his torturer, his warden, the voice in his head, the one who betrayed him, who knew his mind, who was so intelligent yet so incredibly insane. He was dead. And Winston was alive.

A great bellowing laughter erupted from his lungs entirely on it’s own accord. Such laughter as was never heard before in Room 101. Doubling over, his hands clutching at his chest as more and more laughter came from him, he heard faintly as raucous squealing came from the rats next to him.

Drunk on his mirth, his vindication he struck O’Brien with his foot, flipping the corpse unto its back and began stamping it’s emotionless face in with his foot. With each strike he yelled, “AM I NOT HUMANITY NOW?!”, another stomp elicited the sound of cracking bones, “ARE YOU NOT DEFORMED AND HIDEOUS IN DEATH? LOOK AT YOU, RIDDLED WITH HOLES. YOU WILL ROT, YOU WILL FALL TO PIECES, STRIPPED TO THE BONE BY MY TEETH! NOTHING BUT A BAG OF FILTHY BONES!” Winston’s leg ached from it’s use and he pulled it back. Staring at the face of O’Brien, the face of a man from the inner Party, indented and bloodied beyond recognition. He saw from three sets of eyes as drops of water fell unto the face, mixing with the blood.

“I- I’ve beaten you.” Winston sobbed as he fell to his knees. A broken man before a broken corpse. With his face in his hands and his body wracked and heaving, he sent the rats forth. When he looked up again, maybe minutes or perhaps hours later all that was left of O’Brien was a complete set of bones and a crushed skull, all that was left of Winston was his body and the rats.

In the quiet of the room and the calmness of his mind which had known no peace in ages, he felt a part of it expand, like a new muscle being flexed for the first time. He felt rats everywhere, in the walls, in the streets and gutters below and outside of the Ministry of Love. He was no longer just Winston, he was hundreds of eyes, thousands of sharp teeth and carnivorous instinct, a great mass of stinking bodies forming a single mind. A mind to rival the great communal mind of the party.

Winston picked up O’Brien’s skull and opened the door of Room 101. In truth, there was no plan in his mind. He was tired but he knew that soon his deed would be discovered. Though they would likely not understand how he could have done it, the bullet would find him all the same. But he had rats, so so many rats and the party only had so many guards.

[obriencutstone]

O'Brien Cut Stone

O’Brien Cut Stone

Since 1925, O’Brien Cut Stone has been the natural stone company to trust for any remodeling project in Cleveland, Twinsburg, Shaker Heights, Strongsville, Painesville, Mentor, OH, and surrounding areas. We are a worldwide direct importer of natural stone slabs and tiles. We have recently expanded our business in Northeast Ohio by opening a new 12,000-square-foot showroom and warehouse. You can trust O’Brien Cut Stone for professional, experienced services in the Cleveland area. Our specialties include granite countertops, quartz countertops, and marble countertops. We can also perform complete renovation jobs for both commercial and residential customers using our quality natural stone products.

Durable and Affordable Kitchen Countertops in Cleveland, OH 

Kitchen countertops are the heart and soul of any culinary space, serving as a focal point for both style and functionality. But with so many materials, designs, and options available, how do you choose the perfect countertop for your home? Fear not, for this comprehensive guide will explore various types of countertops, customization options, and expert tips to help you make an informed decision and transform your kitchen into a masterpiece.  From natural stone to engineered quartz, custom designs, and high-end ideas, we’ll delve into the world of countertops to ensure your kitchen not only looks stunning but also withstands the test of time and daily use. So, let’s embark on this journey to discover the perfect countertop for your dream kitchen.

Stone Supplier

Key Takeaways

Explore countertop materials to find one that meets your needs and preferences. 

Consider natural stone, quartz, custom or solid surface options for their unique look and durability. 

Find a trusted contractor with experience to ensure quality results on your next kitchen project. 

Natural Stone Supplier

Exploring Countertop Materials 

The choice of countertop material has a significant impact on your kitchen’s aesthetic appeal, durability, and functionality. Given the diverse range of options, it’s worth examining the advantages and disadvantages of each material to identify what suits your space and lifestyle best. Whether you’re looking for a timeless classic or a modern standout, the world of countertop materials has something for everyone. To help you navigate this vast realm, we’ve divided our exploration into four main categories:

Natural Stone Countertops: Granite, Marble, Sandstone, and Limestone 

Natural stone countertops exude luxury and elegance while providing a unique look that is truly one-of-a-kind. Options such as: granite, marble countertops, sandstone and limestone offer a range of colors, textures, and patterns to suit any design preference. Renowned for their durability and heat resistance, natural stone countertops are an investment in both beauty and functionality. Sourcing natural stone materials from around the world, such as Italian marble, Brazilian granite, and Indian quartzite, ensures a stunning and high-quality countertop that can withstand the test of time. Keep in mind, though, that natural stone countertops may need regular maintenance, like sealing, to ward off stains and maintain their flawless appearance.

contact us

O’Brien Cut Stone https://obriencutstone.com/ ​​​ADDRESS: 19100 Miles Rd. Cleveland, Ohio 44128  PHONE: (216) 616-8004

Facebook

[anxiousstark]

Gone with the waves | JJ MAYBANK

Request:  Could I please get an imagine w JJ where everyone knows that you’re his only weakness and then something happens so y/n gets hurt so we get protective and worried JJ🥺 maybe Barry or someone else hurts her

I wanted to be original, and I got this idea! I believe it is quite cool? Hope it’s up to the anon’s expectations and that you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it! I’m quite proud of this tbh!

Warnings: Mentions of severe injuries, shark-related content, blood, swearing (a lot). Angst, but really just protective JJ confessing his feelings.

Word Count: 2067

All Rights Reserved. The author, me, don’t allow any type of copy or adaption.

A/N: If you guys like Teen Wolf or Dylan O’Brien, I have a Teen Wolf Rewrite. I would be so happy if you guys check it out.

BIG MASTERLIST

People screamed, cheering on. Smirks decorated their faces while their eyes followed the waves of the sea and the people riding the waves as if they were controlling them. Plastic bags were everywhere, hoping that people would throw their trash there, avoiding more sea pollution while they enjoyed the tournament.

A cold object against the back of your neck made you jump, a tiny screech coming out from in between your lips. "JJ, you scared the shit out of me." The blond boy smiled, sitting down on the sand, next to you. His fingers gripped a cold water bottle, extending his arm and offering it to you.

"The sea it's going to be colder today." He brushed his hands together, trying to get rid of the sand as he wanted to take off his shirt. You tried not to make it obvious that you were glancing at his body. "Nervous?" He grabbed your bag, pulling his shirt inside.

Swallowing two big gulps of freezing water, you nodded. "Yeah," You gave him back the bottle, which he gratefully grabbed, taking some sips. "It's been so long."

A couple of months ago, you had arrived at the Outer Banks with your big brother and his soon-to-be wife. Sadly, your parents passed away when you were younger, but you were lucky to have someone like Scott, your big brother. Emily, your sister-in-law, was also marvellous.

Back where you used to live, surfing was what kept you from wanting to give up. The heat of the day against the cold water, both fighting to change the temperature in your body. The sound of the calming waves, elegantly getting bigger and louder. The way your fingers grazed the water, helping to get you deeper into the sea.

However, two years before you had an accident.

The day you arrived at the Outer Banks, you spent the night wandering along the seashore. For you, the sound of the waves at night was magical. You were completely sure it had healing properties. The calm of the night was interrupted by a storm. A storm rounded by pretty girls, trying to flirt with him. A storm with blue eyes and blonde hair.

Without noticing, you got closer to the storm, which is something no one in their right minds would do. His name was JJ Maybank, and he was telling the story of how a shark had bitten him. You snickered, and he noticed, asking what was so funny about something that almost got him killed.

JJ Maybank didn't expect seeing you rolling your pants up, showing a real shark bite. For him, it was cool and badass. He immediately wanted to get to know you. He was even more mesmerized when he knew you were new to OBX. He wouldn't have forgotten your face so easily if you were from there.

For you, it was terrifying. It made you fear what you loved the most. The sea. It also meant that you weren't able to get into the sea. The physical and emotional pain being too much to withstand.

Now, exactly 11 months after arriving at the Outer Banks, you were ready to participate in your first Surfing tournament after what happened. You had to thanks JJ, who walked beside you, helping you get over your aversion towards the sea.

"Where are the others?" You asked, fingers slightly grazing your surfboard.

"They went to buy some food and drinks." He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the breeze caress his hair. He completely ignored the people screaming, and the ones that were participating in the tournament. "Told them to buy you something for when you come out of the water."

You hummed. Your heart started beating wildly when some of the participants came out of the water, meaning that the next ones would have to start getting ready. It was your turn.

"We are here!" Kiara's mouth was full of french fries, hands tightly holding a brown paper bag, offering it to the blond sitting next to you. The others were back too, sitting behind you two, knowing that your anxiety was kicking, and knowing that JJ was the only one capable of soothing you.

"Please, from number 5430 to number 5440. Get ready." The voice sounded all around the beach, making you gasp, trying to breathe.

"Okay," JJ moved, now looking directly at you. His hands grasped your thighs, moving you, so you were staring at him. "Did you warm up?" You nodded. "Did you put suncream?" Nod. His hands went down to your ankles, fingers rubbing circles, massaging them. "Any pain?" This time you shook your head. "Alright. Did you have a good breakfast and long ago?" Again, you nodded.

"Please, from number 5430 to number 5440. Go to the seashore. You know how this works. Every surfer will have their judge. They will take into account the precision to ride the waves, the height of the waves, time taken by the participants to ride them, times you fall, and times you continue trying. Have fun and enjoy the waves."

Maybank got up from the sand, one hand helping you stand. His other hand grabbed the surfboard, without any trouble, placing it under his armpit. He walked with you towards the seashore.

The surfboard was stuck into the sand, he turned you around, pulling up the zipper of your neoprene suit. "You got this." He whispered. When he stood in front of you, his eyes examined yours, knowing you were anxious. He bit his lower lip. "What did the great white shark say to the surfer?" You gazed at him, confused by his words. "Don’t worry, I’ll catch you."

You gasped, not being able to hold your laugh. "JJ, stop!" You groaned, a smile still in your face. "Don't do jokes like that!"

"At least you smiled!" He grinned, kissing your forehead. "You better concentrate on how loud I'm going to cheer you up." His hands squeezed your shoulders. "I believe in you. Good luck."

When JJ went back to the others, he couldn't eat his food. His stomach was upset enough to make him bite his nails, no appetite. "Should I say it now?" Sarah voiced, glancing at John B, who nodded. "Topper is in the tournament."

The blond moved his head so fast that he almost got dizzy. "As in at the beach?"

John B shook his head, burger being left on top of a brown paper bag resting on his lap. "As in the tournament. He is participating."

"What number?" JJ asked, glaring at them.

"5433." A voice behind him sounded. When JJ turned around, he saw Rafe Cameron, a smirk decorating his stupid face. "Isn't Y/N 5434? Aw, they are going to be next to each other."

Blue eyes snapped to the blue sea. You were already sitting on your surfboard, like the other participants, waiting for a great wave to come your way. Topper was a couple of meters away from you, but still quite close, also ready to ride those waves. "I swear to god," He suddenly got up, pushing Rafe. "If Topper does anything to her I will drown you both with my own hands." His fists clenched as he saw how Rafe walked away, smiling to himself. JJ turned around, looking at his friends. "Why did no one told me about Topper before Y/N went into the water?"

"Dude," Pope decided to speak. "Even if we had told you, you can't forbid her to get into the water just because of Topper."

"I can." He was convinced. "I can if I know Topper is in there. You guys know he doesn't play fair. She doesn't need to go through any of his fucking insane jokes."

"She's going to be alright." Kie tried to calm down her friend. However, she was terrified of what Topper could do. He wasn't going to play fair. He would do anything to win, especially when money was involved.

You kept calm, remembering all the things JJ had taught you. You were so thankful. Not only had he taught you to enjoy the waves again, but also to keep calm. At first, it was difficult. The fear of something big swimming under you, ready to attack, being fascinated by the smell of your blood. It terrified you more than ever.

There was no time to get lost in your thoughts as you perceived a magnificent wave coming your way. "This is it." Your chest was immediately pressed to the surfboard, arms moving faster, taking you to your destination.

You could hear people cheering back at the beach. They were cheering for you. You were riding the biggest wave of the day. Smiling to yourself, you forgot about concentrating because you were enjoying it, which was better than focusing.

However, you felt your surfboard abruptly shifting. Thankfully, you were able to maintain your balance. "Yo, get out of my wave." You snapped your head quickly, looking behind you. Then, concentrating on your balance again. Topper was so close to you. He was in YOUR wave, the front of his surfboard hitting the back of yours.

You could hear the commotion on the beach. Not only the judges had noticed that Topper was getting too close to you, breaking the rules. Not willing to follow the rules. "Stop," You screeched, your entire body tensing as you felt him hitting your board again.

Everything happened so fast, one minute you were telling Topper to get away from you, the second you were falling out of your board. The fins of Topper's board slicing your left shoulder. The sea consuming you.

Back at the shore, everyone fell silent, gasping. JJ held hands with John B, eyes wide open, dry mouth, heart beating like crazy. You weren't coming out of the water.

His hands went to grasp his hair as he saw three red boats getting father into the water, hoping to find you. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He gasped for air. "Oh my god." He aggressively rubbed his face. "I'm going to kill them."

JJ thought he couldn't feel as worse as he felt at that moment. However, when the boats came back with you, he almost passed out. You were violently sobbing, blood covering your entire left arm. One of the lifeguards was pressing as many clothes as possible, trying to cut the blood.

The blond boy didn't think twice, running towards the boat. He was scared of touching you, terrified of hurting you. "Oh my god." He didn't dare to ask if you were okay, you clearly weren't. "I-I-."

"Hey boy, who are you?" The lifeguard asked.

"She's my girl." He nodded, eyes not leaving your wet face. "Yeah, I'm her boyfriend." The man explained to him that he had to press the clothes tightly against your shoulder as he had to run back to the tower, getting what he needed to take care of you while the ambulance was on its way.

"S-so I'm your girl now?" You continued whimpering, avoiding looking at the blood dripping down your entire arm.

"Always were." He offered a quick smile, swallowing hard. "Just making it official."

As the ambulance came and you were taken into the back, JJ held your hand tightly after telling the others to meet you two at the hospital. He sighed. "I-I thought you were going to die." He started crying, tightly holding your hand.

"You aren't getting rid of me so easily."

"I think you are too busy not trying to bleed out, but you won."

You groaned, whimpering a little due to the pain. "Did I win because of this?" You referred to the wound. JJ shook his head, letting you know that it was already decided before Topper threw you off your surfboard.

"You are bleeding out, I thought you almost died, I'm going to kill Topper and you are 100,000 dollars richer."

"50,000 dollars."

"No, the prize is-."

"I know." You turned your head to look at him. "My intention all along was to give you half of the money if I got a big prize. All if I got a small one." JJ's heart thumped painfully. "You deserve it, and you need it." He was going to complain, but you didn't let him. "Just a girl sharing her prize money with her boyfriend." You grinned.

"Well, at least it wasn't a shark this time."

"JJ!"

[zalrb]

Can you make a list of m/f friendships on TV that you believe had chemistry, please?

Hmm, any m/f pairing of the core 6 in Friends but I’m going to put Chandler and Rachel because I think their friendship is underrated and I like how physically intimate they are without it being romantic or sexual

and Phoebe and Ross, they’re mentioned-ish but I feel like the Ross hate keeps people from talking about anything positive Ross so I do find them underrated too

Ron and Leslie in Parks and Rec

With Community, I mean do ship Britta and Jeff and I do ship Annie and Abed and Britta/Jeff/Annie have had romantic dynamics and Britta and Troy had a relationship but despite all of that, they all had great m/f friendships, with Shirley and Pierce included

I’ve been rewatching Downton Abbey and I mean, O’Brien and Thomas had a good villain in arms kinda alliance/friendship thing going until they turned on each other for literally no reason

I am going to put the Outer Banks crew because I do ship Kie and JJ and I know Kie and Pope is a thing but as I said in my post:

I really just cared about the dynamics between the friends and thought the show was at its finest when they were all together — they all riffed off each other really well, they had great chemistry [...] I thought the show was going to do this unusual thing of showing how platonic relationships can be not just as important as romantic ones but even more important, that friendship transcends and withstands and endures in ways that romance cannot, which isn’t to shit on romance, anyone who follows my blog knows how much I like romance, but I thought that the show was going to show this profound/soulmate platonic kind of love story between the four characters and it could be argued that the show does do this and that it showcases this, I mean there’s a reason I thought it was going to go that route [...]

I also do believe the dynamics in OMB even though they’re all shitty to Jamal

Lexi and Stefan and Caroline and Stefan had good platonic chemistry

I believe the “dysfunctional breakfast club” vibe of the Gossip Girl friendships when they all sort of come together for whatever it is

[buzzdixonwriter]

Compare & Contrast: Trumbo vs Mank

It’s the rare movie that’s about screenwriting, and rarer still the ones about actual screenwriters engaged in their craft.

Recently two films about two of the most famous (or notorious, depending on your point of view) screenwriters were released, and not only are they about actual screenwriters involved in writing scripts of actual films -- genuine classics in both cases -- but their protagonists are done in by the same group of antagonists (though to be fair, one film paints them merely as adversaries, not villains).

Yes, we’re pitting 2015’s Trumbo (directed by jay Roach, written by John McNamara off Bruce Cook’s Dalton Trumbo) nose-to-nose with Mank (directed by David Fincher, written by Jack Fincher), and may the best bio pic win.

First off, the bad: Neither film really jells seamlessly.

Both come across as a series of scenes, not a coherent story flow.

The dialog in both is too theatrical, too self-knowing though in the case of Mank’s Herman J. Mankiewicz, apparently a fair depiction of how he actually spoke (for the cheap seats:  Like a pompous asshole).

Advantage: Mank because it never asks us to pity Mankiewicz as a self-destructive alcoholic no matter how brilliant his writing is.  Mank’s struggles are more in the trenches -- even if those trenches run through the plush offices of MGM.  Trumbo talks a lot about the struggles of the little guy but never really dips down to street level.  For all its insights and good intentions, it remains a limousine liberal story.

You can’t do a Hollywood bio pic without having Hollywood celebrities in it, and for the most part Mank keeps the most famous names and faces at arm’s length.

Yes, Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried) plays a pivotal role but virtually nobody today remembers the real Davies except as she was unfairly depicted in Citizen Kane.

Orson Welles is the best known name and face in Mank and Tom Burke does a top notch job of capturing him at his charismatic young genius stage.  Other off screen personalities also serve to flesh out their roles adequately, including Ferdinand Kingsley as Irving Thalberg, Charles Dance as William Randolph Hearst, and Arliss Howard as Louis B. Mayer.

On the other hand, virtually none of Trumbo’s famous players look anything like their real life counterparts.  Dean O'Gorman as Kirk Douglas comes closest in a dinner theater level of resemblance, but Michael Stuhlbarg as Edward G. Robinson and David James Elliott as John Wayne are virtually unrecognizable as their actual counterparts.  

Trumbo also features Richard Portnow as their version of Louis B. Meyer and it needs be said thar Mank’s Meyer is far more dynamic and compelling.

Props to Christian Berkel as Otto Preminger for coming closest to capturing the real persona behind the role, but then Preminger himself deliberately created a living caricature of himself for public appearances -- no matter how far over the top you go, he’s already w-a-a-a-y ahead of you. 

Helen Mirren as Hedda Hopper is fairly accurate in her portrayal of Hollywood’s original queen of mean / notorious gossip columnist and plays the role as close to an absolute villain as possible.  

John Goodman and Stephen Root as producing brothers Frank and Hymie King are a delight, and Goodman simply backs up a truck and drives off with the picture every scene he appears in.

Advantage: Mank because less is always more.

In terms of direction and cinematography, Mank is filmed in gloriously luminescent black and white.  Mank also plays with and explores the boundaries pf film making much more than Trumbo.  Trumbo is an expertly made film, but a very conventional one.

Advantage: Mank 

The key question for both is how accurate are they?

Truth be told, not very for either of them.

Oh, both films get their broad strokes down, but a lot of minor details are garbled or misrepresented.

Dalton Trumbo, for instance, did not originate The Brave One, which won him a best screenplay Oscar under a pseudonym while he was on the blacklist.  That project was handed to him by the King brothers who acquired it from special effects legend Willis O’Brien (i.e., the guy who brought King Kong to life) but then stripped out O’Brien’s fanciful stop motion allosaur to concentrate on the story of a boy and his bull.

One understands why this aspect was ignored -- it would contribute nothing to the actual story of Trumbo -- but it is the height of irony that O’Brien’s participation was cancelled due to Trumbo coming onboard.

Likewise in Mank there’s a scene where Thalberg complains the Marx Brothers started a fire and roasted hot dogs in his office; in real life Groucho & his siblings roasted potatoes.  One can understand Mank changing the menu -- the audience can “smell” a roasted hot dog easier than a roasted potato.

But enough fiddle-faddle!  How well did each capture their central character and their dilemma?

Ah, there we have a split decision.  

While Trumbo focuses on Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston), it also spends a lot of time with the struggles of his coterie of fellow blacklisted scribes.

Both Dalton Trumbo and Herman Mankiewicz (Gary Oldmam) fell under the curse of always being the smartest guy in the room, and when you’re the smartest guy in the room you grow impatient with all the others.

In Trumbo’s case, he runs roughshod of the eminently justifiable concerns of others involved in his crusade, and in the end his miscalculations of the era’s real politik led to the notorious blacklist and the rise of McCarthyism.

That he subsequently tries to mitigate this by creating an underground talent pool of ghost screenwriters is shown as positive in one sense and capitulation in another.  Trumbo -- quite accidentally -- torments screenwriter Arlen Hird (a composite character played by Louis C.K. as if he were channeling the late Ricky Jay) , turning his already stressful life into pure misery.

Again, it is a tribute to Trumbo’s character -- at least the screen version of same -- that he recognizes the harm he inflicted and tries -- however inadequately -- to atone for it.

Herman Mankiewicz, on the other hand, was just an asshole -- a charming, entertaining asshole, to be sure, but an asshole nonetheless.

Both writers are laid low by far right politics determined to root out any and all “leftist” influence in Hollywood -- both the ideal and the workaday reality.

Trumbo depicts him as “a communist with a swimming pool” who enjoys the finer things in life while championing the largely unseen underdog.

The film doesn’t shy away from this and an encounter in prison with African-American felon Virgil Brooks (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is played as a reverse Shawshank Redemption in which Trumbo learns exactly how the underclass perceives his efforts on their behalf.

Mank makes more direct contact with this underclass -- while skewering Mankiewicz’ own hypocrisy in this area -- but Mankiewicz himself steers away from any direct involvement.

He’s bright and erudite and his scenes with Marion Davies do much to show the complexities found at the intersection of art / commerce / politics -- but in the end he remains more of a spectator (albeit a spectacularly self-destructive one) than a participant.

Mank creates the fictious character of Shelly Metcalf (Jamie McShane), a low grade MGM employee who makes anti-socialist propaganda for Hearst and comes to a tragic end.

This is part of what spurs Mankiewicz to a drunken rant at San Simeon aimed at Meyer and Hearst, and in the fallout of that, the inspiration for Citizen Kane itself.

This is where the two films share a profound overlap,

But with wholly contrary messages.

Both films try to humanize their players.

Mank gives Meyer, Thalberg, and Hearst very human and wholly believable reactions to Mankiewicz’ assholery -- they sincerely try to save him from himself and failing that, only then do they cast him quite literally into the outer darkness.

Yet in trying to humanize them it also shows their monstrous natures.

Hearst, escorting Mankiewicz out of San Simeon for the very last time, tells him the parable of the organ grinder’s monkey, and while the story is delivered in an almost sad patrician tone, the underlying threat and menace is unmistakable. 

Trumbo, on the other hand, does a better job of humanizing its players, Hedda Hopper not withstanding (and she is depicted with deeply personal motivations, not purely ideological ones).

Quoting from the real Dalton Trumbo’s acceptance speech for his WGA lifetime achievement award, Trumbo the movie takes pains to recognize its story possesses no simplistic duality of good and evil, heroes and villains.

Both sides were caught up in a storm of societal change that swept the world and both sides did what they felt they had to do in response to it.

Trumbo doesn’t shy away from choices having consequences, but it recognizes the vast spectrum of gray in the middle.

Advantage: Trumbo

In summation: Two good but not flawless movies.  Mank is the more fully realized one and all around better production, but Trumbo is then one that gives you the most to chew on.

    © Buzz Dixon

[rambling-at-midnight]

Protection: Part 12

Ayyyyy guESS WHAT’S BACK!!!

I’M ON THE HOME STRETCH AND I’M SO SORRY FOR THE HUMONGOUS PAUSE IN UPDATES BUT THIS IS EITHER THE SECOND-TO-LAST OR THIRD-TO-LAST CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!!!

You manage to avoid Tom and Harrison until the party by hiding in your room. Devin brings you food, somehow knowing about all of the drama despite not being involved with any of it. After picking the lock the first night you had decided to nearly starve yourself in order to save face, she’d become your ally, and you get the feeling when you look at her that she’s not to be underestimated. Too bad you’d not had any time to get closer to her before. After this party you’re not going to have anything to do with the Hollands ever again.

“This party is just so you can kill Dylan O’Brien, correct?” Devin asks while curling your hair. You know she already knows and is just fishing for conversation starters.

“Yep,” you reply. It starts at six and you know you have to wait a little bit before killing someone at these sorts of things so you’re probably going to kill O’Brien around eight or nine but you’re only going to show up around a half hour before that. Apart from the fact that you don’t want to go to this stupid party, you know you’re going to get harassed by power-hungry men and gossipy women. “And then I can leave and hide where no Holland will ever find me.”

Devin sighs. “Y/N, I know Tom can be a little… abrupt sometimes, but I really do believe that he—”

“Don’t say he loves me,” you interrupt. “Or even likes me. I’ve known him for, like, three weeks.”

“I wasn’t going to say either of those,” she says steadily, keeping her eyes on your hair.

You snort “Bull,” but your face still flushes.

“Studies say it only takes between a fifth of a second and 4 minutes to fall in love.”

“And we didn’t even… like each other,” you say weakly, lowering your gaze to your hands so you won’t meet her eyes in the mirror. It’s very easy to say when you’re not looking at the mob boss, but not easy to convince yourself. “Everyone knows about Holland’s flings. I never expected anything different. And how do you know that specific fact? It’s hardly common knowledge.” I don’t love Tom Holland, I don’t, I don’t.

“It’s my job to know a little bit about everything, dear,” she replies, patting your shoulder. “If you didn’t expect anything different, then why are you hiding from him? Eyes closed. Hold your breath.”

She sprays extra-strength hair spray on your hair until pretty much every strand will be iron-stiff. You suck in a breath of air once she’s stopped spraying and survey your appearance in the mirror. “I hadn’t thought about how awkward it would be,” you invent.

It’s her turn to call bull as she spins you around in your chair and examines your face. “You’ve killed the close relations of half the people at the galas you used to attend, and you still manage to smile into their eyes without blinking. I think awkwardness is the least of your worries.”

You smile grimly into the mirror. “That wasn’t awkward. That was me gloating.”

Devin hums, as if you aren’t talking about brutally murdering people and then not feeling an ounce of regret. “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, why’d you run from Tom when he yelled at you? You’d think the most feared assassin in America would have thicker skin.”

You grimace into the mirror. “You heard about that, then?”

“I’ve heard about everything.” Devin replies, almost teasing. She pulls out a makeup kit and you grimace again. That was perhaps your least favorite part about your life; you moderately enjoyed wearing the dresses and curling your hair and feeling pretty for a night, but the makeup always made you feel dirty and like your pores were being clogged. Still, you don’t flinch as she starts to apply mascara onto your eyelashes.

“Just… he reminded me a bit of my dad, you know?” You’re not sure exactly why you feel like telling Devin this, especially because you’ve spent most of your time here resenting her, but there’s something intimate in getting ready for fancy parties that makes girls want to trust each other.

Devin clucks her tongue. “He was strict, then?”

You laugh hollowly. “Just in case you were under any impression he was a great dad, let me just say that he trained me just like he trained every other assassin he employed. You know how we got good at withstanding torture? Experiencing it. And he had this set of rules, you know.”

Devin’s hand freezes. Your eyes scan her face, trying to find out what, exactly, has made her so surprised, other than the opening up of your childhood traumas, but her face is painted even more than usual and she’s as good as you at hiding your emotions. “I see.” She starts to paint your face again, and only you would be able to notice the little crease between her eyebrows.

“Waterboarding me was his favorite,” you say, like you’re talking about your father’s favorite movie. “And…” You suck in a breath, horrified at yourself. Everything your father ever taught you, every rule, every trick, has been thrown out the window in these past three weeks. And now you’re offering potential weakness to the assistant to the most powerful man in Britain?

You’ve gone so soft. What would your father say if he could see you now?

“I’m just so glad he’s dead,” you whisper, and it’s like a weight has been lifted off your chest. Despite all the pain he put you through, all the heartbreak and manipulation and torture, you’d still loved him in a way. You’d still been sad when he’d died, but you’d been so relieved, and you’d felt so guilty that you felt relieved. “And I’ll be so glad when I kill O’Brien, too,” you add, hoping to end with the impression that you’re still not to be trifled with, but you’re pretty sure the damage is done. She’s going to go tell Tom that you’re weak.

“You know, trauma is nothing to be ashamed of,” Devin says quietly. “Tom saved me from my husband, actually, and I’ll always be grateful to him for that. I just know… it’s not easy. And what you went through… I can’t imagine.”

“I’m fine,” you snap, shoving your walls back up as quickly as you can. “I’m fine. It wasn’t that bad. It’s what every assassin goes through—”

“But coming from your own father,” the redhead presses. “To have no escape—”

“I said I’m fine.” You glare at Devin and grab the hand she’s using to apply the makeup. “I’ll finish the rest of it myself.” You can’t forget that while she may have an important position, she’s no match to you. No one here is as good as you. You’re unparalleled. Your father loved to beat that into you; that you cannot in any way show weakness because you’re too strong to be weak.

Devin leaves. You don’t know how relieved she is to be free to go. If you did, her relief wouldn’t be because of the reason you think.

Harrison pounds on Tom’s door again, but his boss’s music is turned up too loud for him to hear anything. “Why the fuck are you such a drama queen sometimes,” Haz mutters, stopping in his pounding for a moment to soothe his aching fist. He really doesn’t have time for his boss to be throwing yet another temper tantrum because he still won’t grow a pair and tell you how he feels. I mean, Haz ponders, I guess considering it’s Y/N Y/L/N it’s sort of intimidating but she did fuck him and why else would she have gotten mad when he’d basically told her to get out if she wasn’t hoping for something more? He’d pointed that all out to Tom, and Tom had told him to pound sand.

God, what Haz wouldn’t do for a boss that doesn’t have his head stuck up his ass half the time.

“Come on, mate,” Harrison calls through the door. “We need to get ready—”

Tom responds by raising the volume of his music to the point where it rivals the volume at which you play yours most of the time.

“Harrison?”

Haz has to physically restrain himself from rolling his eyes at the sound of Devin’s voice. He turns around, pasting a completely fake smile onto his face, and tells her that he’s a bit caught up at the moment.

“We need to talk,” she says frantically. “We need to kill Y/F/N before he makes his public appearance.”

“What?” Harrison cocks his head and fights the urge to laugh. He knew it would happen someday; Devin’s finally gone ‘round the bend. Who wouldn’t, considering the amount of violence and double-crossing she watches on a daily basis without having been trained and raised to the violence, but he’d thought she had at least another year left in her.

“I need to talk to both of you,” Devin insists, pushing Harrison out of the way and knocking on the door smartly. “THOMAS STANLEY HOLLAND, YOU GET OUT OF YOUR ROOM THIS SECOND!”

“I don’t think he can hear you,” Harrison mutters, sulking behind her with his hands in his pockets. “I’ve been trying.”

Devin rolls her eyes at him and tosses her hair over her shoulders, fumbling with something at the nape of her neck. She extracts a pin out of the tumbling red locks and picks Tom’s door within seconds. She strides into the room without fear, and for the first time Harrison admires her for more than her looks and professional attitude.

The assistant marches right over to where Tom is nursing a glass of whiskey at his desk. She grabs the glass out of his hand before he can react. “We have a problem.”

Protection Taglist:

@littlemarvelqueen @musical-whovian @lemirabitur @childofcrystals @bubbles1642 @annymcervantes @sleepybesson

Forever Taglist:

@lemirabitur @annymcervantes @queenmissfit @quiet-because-it-is-a-secret @iksey

[timeagainreviews]

A Case for Older Companions

Back in 2013, before Doctor Who aired its 50th Anniversary special, there was a lot of speculation as to which Doctors would return. Would Christopher Eccleston make an appearance? Would any of the classic era Doctors return? Aside from a suitably strange appearance by Tom Baker as "The Curator," the answer would be "None… sort of." While Peter Davison’s age was explained away in "Time Crash," it would appear this explanation could not withstand the feature length of the episode. We most likely would not see the likes of the Fifth, Sixth, or Seventh Doctors. Enter John Hurt, the War Doctor and cypher for the classic era of Doctor Who. An old man to balance out the young faces of Matt Smith and David Tennant.

Perhaps it harkens back to the First Doctor, but it seems an important aspect of the War Doctor was to be a bit of an old curmudgeon. In many ways, the blueprint of Doctor Who has always lent itself to having a mature presence in the TARDIS. Usually, this role was reserved for the Doctor himself. Up until the Fifth Doctor, the Doctor had been portrayed by men in their 40’s and 50’s. However, it’s not always the Doctor who is the mature figure onboard. Sometimes, it’s the companions themselves.

While not old by any means, both Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright are perfect examples of older companions. Compare their ages to someone like Vicky, Zoey, or even Rose Tyler, and the difference is clear. These adults bring a different sort of energy to the role of companion than say a young woman working in a shop. I’ve touched on this before with Graham O’Brien. The ways in which an older companion can be a more realised person, have a capacity to change the dynamic of the Doctor/companion relationship. And with this, we get a different perspective on this relationship.

One of the things I hear constantly is how Edward Cullen-esqe it is for the Doctors to fall in love with their companions. People call it creepy that a 2000-year-old Time Lord would date such a young person. While I think this argument is often an excuse not to want to see romance in the TARDIS, it does bring up an interesting point about impressionability. Rory Williams said it himself- "It's not that you make people take risks, it's that you make them want to impress you... You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around." If you're going to make the point of a companion being too young to kiss the Doctor, you could also make the same argument about travelling with the Doctor.

This is where older companions have the upper hand. While many young companions join the Doctor in a whirlwind of confused emotions and self-discovery, an older companion such as Graham, or Evelyn Smythe bring a sort of self-realisation. The concept of choice is less muddled, as their lives are not threatened by peaking in their early twenties. They've seen the world, had their hearts broken, and become stronger people because of it.

Mind you, this is not always entirely the case. Donna Noble entered the TARDIS in a whirlwind of her own unhappiness, but even her problems were grown-ass woman problems. Stuck in a dead-end job, looking to do something of importance, and to see more of the universe, her bags were packed. Her choices were not made due to an infatuation with an older, dashing man. This isn't "An Education," this is a friendship. This is a choice. Compare this to Amy Pond, whose bags were also packed, by no choice at all. The Eleventh Doctor comments on the imprint young Amelia left on him as the first face his face had met. But in truth it was the other way around. The raggedy man left such an indelible mark on her, that it almost ruined her life.

Please don't construe this as me condemning the show. I think in many ways, Doctor Who is a bit of light entertainment that doesn't need to answer such heavy issues. And as with Amy Pond, it has explored this concept in depth. What I'm mostly getting at is that an older companion's maturity can bring a more active quality to the story. There's a sort of forward progression inherent in a character knowing why they choose to travel with the Doctor. And in many ways, this strength of choice bolsters their relationship to something more reasonable. Something responsible.

It's not just the rationality of the companion that is bolstered either. Older companions have a way of balancing the Doctor as well. After being followed around by two young women like puppy dogs, the Tenth Doctor's arrogance was put in check by Donna Noble's "take no shit from anyone," attitude. The result was her having a balancing effect on his more reckless tendencies. The same could be said about the relationship between the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe. With Peri, he was often over-bearing, selfish, and difficult. But with Evelyn, he seemed to be on better behaviour. His tantrums afforded him less capital with her patience. He strived to impress her with his scientific knowledge, over say, his own bravado. Because of this, she's my favourite companion of the Sixth Doctor era.

While maybe not full-on companions, both Jackie Tyler and Brian Williams had similar effects on the Doctor. In many ways, I like Jackie Tyler even more than Rose. As parents to companions, both characters act as a sort of reminder to the Doctor that his friends aren't just fodder. Their presence demands a responsibility on the Doctor's part that can be both sobering and grounding for the Doctor. They understand the importance of the Doctor's work, so much that they even join the fight on occasion. But they do so with little room for the Doctor's ego.

Thankfully, babysitting a petulant Time Lord isn't the only quality an older companion can bring to the table. Their perspectives often have a way of helping the Doctors understand themselves, or even the situation at hand. Wilfred Mott and the Tenth Doctor spoke like two old soldiers, allowing the Tenth Doctor a rare moment of nostalgia. It's easy not to look back when you have a young person with you. Everything is in the future (even when they're in the past). An old man like Wilfred gave us a surprising glimpse into the Doctor's sensitivity and vulnerability. Their adventure together in "The End of Time," remains one of my favourite Doctor/companion dynamics to this day.

Not only can an older companion bring perspective to the Doctor, they also possess the capacity to shed new light on the role of companion. Not only can their maturity aid their approach, but it can also add new levels of tension. A man like Graham, or even ersatz companions such as Jago & Litefoot, don't possess the same vitality of companions like Leela or Jamie McCrimmon. Instead, they have to rely on solutions that require less physical exertion and more planning. Think of women's roller derby or even the WNBA, where fundamentals of the game are given focus over the more aggressive approach of their male counterparts. These are companions with practicality by necessity. The wrong decisions could be even more disastrous when the outcome could mean relying on weak knees and stunted mobility.

It's easy to see why a young companion is an obvious choice for the show. They're often gorgeous people through which the audience can experience the Doctor. We watch them grow over time, to varying degrees of success on the writers' behalves. Martha Jones becomes a stronger, more independent person by choosing to leave the Doctor. Ace confronts some of her deepest fears. It's rare that an older companion brings the same vigour to the role. Bar maybe River Song or the Brigadier, few of them are action heroes. But almost without fail, these seasoned heroes exude charm and character that only age can bring. Even one-time companions (such as Amelia Rumford from "Stones of Blood,") remain popular within the fandom, due to their unique personalities. So much, that one may make the argument for their status as honorary companions.

Series eleven has been polarising on many different levels, but one of the most common bits of praise I hear was the choice to bring Graham onboard the TARDIS. In classic Doctor Who, we got companions out of time, companions from other planets, and even some robots. But in modern Doctor Who, not so much. Even futuristic Oswin became modern day Clara Oswald, for better or worse. The show was suffering from a line of predictable companions, from relatively similar backgrounds. You'll understand then, the pure excitement I had at the prospect of a granddad running around the TARDIS. It's sometimes easy to forget that the Doctor started out as "Grandfather." It's an important energy that was present at the genesis of the show.

Having companions always portrayed as young and attractive is about as believable as every superhero being a beautiful person. The truth of the matter is that you'd get the occasional old codger or school matron. This isn't American television where everyone has perfect teeth and washboard abs. It’s important to remember the value of the aged and elderly. Having aged companions is true to life. It is, essentially, rather British.

[bestkneeboards-blog]

Best Kneeboards

When you need to train your children about Kneeboarding, a proper board will let you do it in style. A premium board like O’Brien black magic is the perfect choice for any beginner as well as medium riders. Its low profile design allows it to give learners stable riding. Also, the dual tip shape enhances stability hence great for deep-water training.Apart from a low profile, the board is extra high performing. Depending on the user experience, it has retractable fins. It is these fins that enable it to improve stability hence allowing high-speed training. Also, the flat knee pad is impressive since it enables comfortable riding.Regardless of weight, the board is highly durable and robust. It features rotomolded plastic base that enjoys great sturdiness. To ensure the rider has full control, knee pads offer a snug fit for comfortable and perfect board maneuvering. Together with padded 3-inch strap, they ensure your knees are perfectly locked.Kneeboarding is one of the fun tow sports. Therefore, a kneeboard is the main requirement that one needs to have. In fact, the sports are very popular that, statistics indicate that over 100,000 kneeboards are sold per year. If you love the game, it’s time to join millions who also enjoy the sport. However, don’t be a victim of poor quality boards only to complement your performance.

These days, with stores shifting their muscles online, it gives you a chance to get the best products. Same happens to kneeboards; you can compare hundreds of brands while in your home. Getting best board always depend on your ability to examine features and quality. However, for beginners, it can be tricky.

Well, as you plan to buy a kneeboard, keep in mind there are available in different types. There are recreational and competitive. Also, styles differ depending on your Kneeboarding experience. Materials are also vital when it comes to the quality of boards. While taking all the aspects, we have reviewed top 9 best kneeboards in 2019. This gives everyone to have a fair chance of getting the best.

1. Rave New Defy Kneeboard

The Rave new defy is one of the premium quality kneeboards that are perfect for everyone. Especially, for newbies and intermediate riders, it offers all the qualities to sharpen their skills. Unlike the heavy boards, this one is classic and lightweight to enable easy maneuvering.

The construction is durable to withstand heavy utilization without breaking. The shell features LLDPE and PU foam inside. This combination creates a premium and lightweight board. Apart from the premium construction, it’s sleek and inspiring. With a glossy surface and matte bottom, it keeps riders inspired.

For comfort, the kneepad features a flexible sponge that ensures no hard spots. Even when water is rough, there is no hard landing as it excellently cushions your knee. With fitted Velcro straps, the keep your knees in position and allows precise board control.

2. O’Brien Black Magic Kneeboard with Hook

When you need to train your children about Kneeboarding, a proper board will let you do it in style. A premium board like O’Brien black magic is the perfect choice for any beginner as well as medium riders. Its low profile design allows it to give learners stable riding. Also, the dual tip shape enhances stability hence great for deep-water training.

Apart from a low profile, the board is extra high performing. Depending on the user experience, it has retractable fins. It is these fins that enable it to improve stability hence allowing high-speed training. Also, the flat knee pad is impressive since it enables comfortable riding.

Regardless of weight, the board is highly durable and robust. It features rotomolded plastic base that enjoys great sturdiness. To ensure the rider has full control, knee pads offer a snug fit for comfortable and perfect board maneuvering. Together with padded 3-inch strap, they ensure your knees are perfectly locked.

3. Leader Accessories Kneeboard with Hook

Everyone deserves to have the best kneeboards. However, some are only ideal for use by experts. To cater for any level rider, Leader Accessories created this kneeboard that helps everyone achieve their Kneeboarding dreams. Unlike the cheap quality boards, this one is sturdy and extremely durable. Besides boasting remarkable crafting, the board offers outstanding comfort. Featuring thick ¾ -inch foam padding, it cushion knees from impacts. Additionally, the thick 3-inch straps provide comfort and knee stabilization. Thereby, even when water is rough, the board doesn’t move even a millimeter. The economically designed knee pads keeps the rider enjoying maximum control.

When you think about safety, the kneeboard provides excellent measures. The edges are beveled which allows it to cut smoothly with less resistance. Moreover, with great cut, it achieves low profile riding hence delivering great stability. Having an integrated hook, this kneeboard is excellent beginners’ choice as well as veterans.

5. Driftsun Crush Kneeboard – 2018

If you want to get a kneeboard that is usable by the whole family, Driftsun Crush is the answer. Whether it’s for adult or kids use, the board is highly versatile. Designed to allow you to teach your kids, safety and performance are exceptionally enhanced. To keep it stable, it comes enjoying twin tip design that let it cut through water perfectly.

Every user enjoys riding this board. It fits all people whether kids or adults while cushioning their knees. In fact, the knee pads are extra deep and have generous EVA flex foam. Besides, the foam allows soft landing even when Kneeboarding is rough due to big water waves.

Regardless of the tricks, you want to perform; the board is excellent. Due to its sturdy and hard shell, it is hard to break or get damaged easily. Amazingly, the Rotomolded shell and EPS core give the exceptional kneeboard strength. To keep your knees correctly positioned, the board features reinforced and padded straps.

[iambraiden-blog]

DCEU v Masculinity

EDIT: This post was originally published on Creators.co on June 12th, 2017 - since then the site has now closed down.

The DCEU films to me - Man of Steel, Batman v Superman AND Wonder Woman - are actually everything that's right with the DCEU. Its narrative. How it's told, both visually and in story. It wasn't until I experienced Patty Jenkins's Wonder Woman, however, that I truly came to understand Snyder's intentions of the DC Extended Universe at large, beginning with Man of Steel (2013) and culminating with the anticipated Justice League (2017).

Have you ever wondered why Warner Bros - the same studio that gave us Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) not too long ago - placed Wonder Woman where it is in the DCEU slate, why it followed BvS and came before Justice League? Have you ever thought to realise that hiring a female director for Wonder Woman was intended from the moment Snyder laid the groundwork for the DCEU? What does 'dawn of justice' actually mean?

All the DCEU films are intricately linked and connected by masculinity, in more ways than one. And I don't refer to just male masculinity but female as well; not just white, but black; American and non-American (read: Atlantean); and human and non-human (read: Kryptonian). Even Rick Famuyiwa’s The Flash could have explored young masculinity, race and societal expectations in a culturally relevant piece of cinema.

Like what George Miller managed and succeeded with in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), it is my belief that Zack Snyder is using the DC characters to deconstruct and challenge cinematic masculinity within the action genre, to draw attention to the consequences of unchecked toxic masculinity / traditional white [hyper]masculinity, and address the importance and power of women - mothers, wives, sisters, friends, daughters - in our world and in the lives of the men they walk.

There is no "trilogy" in the DCEU. There is, however, an interconnected transition from male masculinity to female masculinity and leadership throughout the four films and an increasing focus on the power of emotion and love, passion and compassion, diversity and, well, humanness and human kindness. All traits that, as Diana (Gal Gadot) states, are worth cherishing.

"I used to want to save the world. This beautiful place. But I knew so little then. Because a land of magic and wonder is worth cherishing in every way. But the closer you get, the more you see the great darkness simmering within. And mankind? Mankind is another story altogether."

To arrive at a destination we must first make the journey. We must make the hero's journey ourselves. We needed the darkness - needed to literally fight our way through it - to get to the light. We needed to be divided to understand what it meant to stand together. Diana says that the Amazons "are the bridge of a greater understanding between all men. Snyder, through Patty Jenkins's direction and Allan Heinberg's screenplay, implies that Wonder Woman herself - a representation of the female body - is that bridge for men in the Hollywood industry, for men in pop culture, for men in today's society and across the globe. Wonder Woman's success is a win for all - it's a win against traditional masculinity and patriarchy and it's a win for women and the marginalised of our society. Wonder Woman is not just an origin for Diana but so much more!

I intend to illustrate how my claim is supported with evidence from the literature pertaining to action cinema and the hard bodies of Hollywood from the 1970s and the Reagan Era (it's going to get very political!), followed by a discussion of how masculinity is portrayed and deconstructed throughout the DCEU films (these films are far more political than people have given them credit for!), and concluding with how this could all play out in Justice League.

Tonally, the DCEU films are right. As George Miller asks but not explicitly states in Fury Road, "Who killed the world?" we understand the answer is, "MEN!" However, Zack Snyder takes it a step further: we perceive the destructible, bleak world of men, a world without much love, without much hope. It is why on all the promotional posters, the Justice League above and the Trinity further below, it is why there's a light behind Wonder Woman (edit: although with Justice League post-Snyder marketing probably had no idea). It is why, in Wonder Woman, Patty Jenkins opens the film on Themyscira, a land so different, lush, thriving, surrounded by glistening water and built on stone. We open on planet Earth, an object we could hold in our hands like a snow globe and we hear Diana's voice.

Bare with me here: before we can get to Wonder Woman we have to discuss how Zack Snyder and Patty Jenkins have addressed masculinity within the DCEU, and to do so you, the reader, must first have an understanding of how Hollywood has handled masculinity in the past and its relationship with American politics. (Prior to my research, I have never been more fascinated with US politics.)

The 1980s saw action film after action film being produced by Hollywood, with movies such as First Blood (Kotcheff, 1982), Terminator (Cameron, 1984) and Die Hard (McTiernan, 1988) showcasing a complex interaction between narrative and spectacle while addressing societal concerns of masculinity (Ayers, 2008). These films were largely based on visual attractions, with an emphasis placed on the bodies of the white male heroes and their weapons and vehicles as much as, if not more than, the dramatic violence and hyperbolic action sequences (Gjelsvik, 2013). According to Gjelsvik, the foregrounding of the male protagonist’s hard and sculpted muscularity represented the hero’s “almost invulnerability” and their capacity to cope and overcome any obstacle or challenge they're faced with. This was your typical action hero.

It is not surprising then that this hyper-masculine heroic depiction is associated with what continues to be described as “traditional masculinity”, an ideology that found prominence in the 1970s requiring a man to be capable of withstanding dangerous situations and be resistant to weakness (Beasley, 2009). To achieve this masculinity, men also needed to be powerful and authoritative, aggressive, and willing to take physical risks where violence is involved or necessary. This traditional masculinity influenced the films Hollywood produced and the heroes they presented, reflecting and representing an ideal American hero and nation.

Action films have found popularity leading into the 1990s and remain a drawcard for cinema-goers today, however it is important to consider when this body of film started, and more precisely, why.

The 1970s, from the Vietnam War’s eventual cessation in 1975 after twenty years of conflict to the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979 that lasted for four-hundred and forty-four days, saw the threat of death loom over the American people and negatively affect their way of life (O’Brien, 2012). A fear, hatred and aggression rippled across patriotic America following these traumatic ordeals. The then President was Jimmy Carter, elected for being a figure outside the mainstream landscape of American politics. He was optimistic, hopeful and untainted by the Vietnam War or the Nixon-involved Watergate scandal. Despite cultivating the image of the everyman and a set of strong values, Carter grappled with the complexities of the world and the country he was expected to lead and defend. His presidency was ultimately undermined by the hostage takeover, which headlined the news and media and subsequently influenced the American people to perceive his administration as weak, negligent and incapable of leading the nation (Priest, 2009).

With the turn of the decade, however, O’Brien suggests the threat of death moved on from American society to the actual body, and according to Susan Jeffords, this move was in part propelled by the ideals and policies of Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

In her seminal work on cinematic masculinity, Jeffords (1994) asserts that there is a strong relationship between the representations of masculinity in Hollywood and Reagan’s America, a reflection of the cultural zeitgeist of the 1980s. Jeffords posits that the male bodies of Reagan’s idealistic self-projection and Hollywood’s “hard bodied action heroes forged an interdependence between actions of the nation and those of the individual” - a nationalistic crisis evolved into a crisis of masculinity and male identity.

Therefore, many people were effectively excluded from the national body by characterising them as part of the “soft body”, which included women, people of colour, homosexuals, children, refugees and academics. According to Carrier (2015), women were targeted as the cause and benefactors of the anxieties and fears experienced by American men due to their lost privileges, which were in fact more broadly caused by globalization and capitalism. Jeffords suggests that, like President Carter, these marginalised and often underprivileged sections of society were perceived by white nationalists as an internal threat to the well-being and autonomy of America, whereas the Iranian students taking control of the United States embassy in Tehran, and even Vietnamese and Soviet enemies during the war, were foreign entities who have terrorized American citizens and the nation from outside its borders.

Ronald Reagan became the hero for traditional, white America; he self-projected himself as being like the hard body heroes of the Hollywood action films, a paternalistic figure who defended and separated America’s vulnerable and voiceless from foreign, non-white bodies. The characteristics of traditional masculinity and the hyper-masculine action hero - aggressiveness, authoritativeness, a resistance to weakness, lack of emotion, individuality - were inextricably linked with Reagan’s values, presenting Reagan’s body and administration, and therefore the entirety of the American national body, as invulnerable as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s hard bodied and determined Terminator (Beasley, 2009; Carrier, 2015; Jeffords, 1994).

This invulnerability of the national body had been explored to a degree in action films involving the Vietnam War. Hard bodied heroes like Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo and Martin Sheen’s Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now (Coppola, 1979) became representations and reflections of the 'true' American heroes of the Vietnam War, as claimed by Jeffords (1994). Through cinema, Americans were finally allowed to achieve the victory and strength that was unobtainable because of the weak and ineffective government administrations prior to the Reagan era. Jeffords points out that Ted Kotcheff’s First Blood involves a dire reclamation of the masculine body by rejecting the soft, overweight body as presented by Rambo’s judge and opponent within the film. Both films mentioned involve an excessive amount of violence too; Neale (1983) expresses that male audiences repress erotic desires for the masculine male hard body by displacing the eroticised gaze upon the weapons, vehicles and choreographed scenes that create the spectacle nature of this genre. Neale further specifies that these desires are not marked by an inclination towards violence and pain, but rather a want for violent acts to be unleashed on the enemies out of hatred and fear. Additionally, the pain experienced by the protagonists, self-inflicted through training or enemy-inflicted through torture, are a means by which male viewers can distance themselves from the male body and remain traditionally masculine, keeping homoeroticism at bay (Ayers, 2008). Most importantly, however, the heroes of these films, strong and capable like Reagan’s administration and America, would rather confront and oppose enemy states and fascist empires than submit and allow them to invade and take over (Jeffords, 1994).

Action films of the science fiction genre have used invasion narratives not only as a means of entertainment but to speak about both internal and external threats towards the American way of life and autonomy. The science fiction genre has often sought to ask what it is to be human (Kac-Vergne, 2012), and like the action hard body films, this fight to stay human (or alive) can be reconsidered as a fight to retain or reclaim masculinity, specifically to answer what it means to be a “man”. This genre treats obvious fictions as existing realities to support what Combe and Boyle (2013) describe as a social normal, with the abnormal represented by the monsters, the zombies, the robots and aliens in these films. Kac-Vergne acknowledges that the genre had become a mode for hypermasculinity in Hollywood, a vehicle for addressing what’s acceptable and normal. Tasker (1993) refers to alien invasion films, The Thing (Carpenter, 1982) and Predator (McTiernan, 1987), as being part of a hybrid genre - while engaging with science fiction conventions these films balance the tropes of action cinema, which emphasise masculinity and spectacle (Johnston, 2013). Moreover, in science fiction cinema femininity remains marginalised and not “real” (Beasley, 2009); the same can be more broadly said for action cinema.

If I broke this literature down for you straight to its relevancy to the DCEU's heroes it would go like this:

In Man of Steel, Kal-El (a     Superman-becoming) represents the everyman, who struggles with the power     he has (and a power he even struggles to use), and this continues into Batman     v Superman: Dawn of Justice - politically, his ideals and character is     like President Carter.

Throughout most of BvS, Bruce     Wayne/Batman is essentially the traditional hypermasculine hero, a man     charged by fear and anxiety due to internal/external threats on his way of     life and on the lives of the vulnerable and defenceless he has promised to     protect and watch over - he embodies President Reagan's hard bodies.

Wonder Woman and the 'others', as she calls     them at the end of BvS - Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash - non-male,     non-American, non-white, and non-masculine (or is that highly     intelligent?), represent the supposed 'soft bodies', as dictated by     traditional masculinity.

Now that the background around Hollywood, action cinema and their treatment of masculinity and of any non-white, non-male, non-American or "effeminate" person (with some exceptions such as Sarah Connor or Ripley, and more recently Furiosa) has been laid out, it's time to enter the DCEU and discuss Snyder's/Jenkins's fight against traditional [hyper]masculinity and the push for more women and diversity on screen at length.

You can bet that any criticism Snyder and Warner Bros. have received about Man of Steel or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice about character portrayals or spectacle, as well as the reviews of Wonder Woman by mostly white, straight men who've objectified and exotified Gal Gadot's appearances, has played into the DCEU's deconstruction and expression of masculinity as well as society's expectations and perceptions of masculinity and the action genre. The DCEU acts like a social experiment, an attitude measurement test, and audiences (and critics!) don't realise they're being experimented on. (Having previously studied psychology before film, this makes me as intrigued in the audience's attitudes as I am appalled at the behaviours of male critics.)

Masculinity in the DCEU

"I will honour the man you once were, Zod, not this monster you've become."

In the opening five minutes of Man of Steel we see the dichotomy of man. Russel Crowe's Jor-El, alone in front of the Council and armour-less, peacefully argues that although Krypton is doomed there is still hope, that he has held that hope in his hands (i.e. Kal-El, a child born by love and not by the machinations of a society). General Zod (Michael Shannon), on the other hand, storms in geared with guns and soldiers. He shoots the woman in power who questioned his male authority and claims that he can save the Kryptonian race by making them stronger, more assertive, by extinguishing the weak, internal degenerates that have threatened their planet.

After Zod's unchecked toxic masculinity destroys Krypton we cut to Kal (Henry Cavill), who, as an adult named Clark Kent, is a tough-looking, blue-collared everyman. Almost immediately Snyder captures Clark's selflessness on the fishing trawler - Clark doesn't watch out for himself. His masculinity, his manliness is questioned by the fisherman who keeps him from being "crushed" by a falling basket. And then when the trawler heads to the exploding oil rig, Clark has an opportunity to reclaim his masculinity. Reminiscent of the hard body action films of the 1980s Clark's body is bared. As he holds the rig to allow the chopper to escape, the camera pans down briefly to highlight Cavill's muscular body.

In a flashback to a younger Clark (Cooper Timberline), Clark's Kryptonian 'powers' suddenly dominate his senses; his X-ray vision forces his young male self to perceive his female teacher and classmate as bodies to fear, and this fear of his powers represents a fear of a hardening masculinity. This male emasculation, this emotional vulnerability even at such a young age, causes him to be othered by his peers. And when he is bullied as a teenager (Dylan Sprayberry) in front of Lana Lang, a girl he likes, she is the first to notice Clark after he saves the school bus. This approval by Lana propels him to save his bully Pete.

"There's more at stake here than just our lives, Clark; there are the lives of the people around us. When the world finds out what you can do, it's going to change everything: our beliefs, our notions, what it means to be human, everything."

Of course, Jonathan Kent is concerned about Clark's powers being known, but it more importantly connotes a form of masculinity that will be feared. Pete's mother's anxieties may be religiously motivated, but it's a fear of a potentially uncontrollable and destructive masculinity that will threaten her way of life, conservative or not. The "choice" Clark must make is not whether he should use his powers to save the human race or not, it's whether he should remain pure of heart, represent the goodness of humanity or let the hate and anger, the violence inherent in man consume him.

Man of Steel not only addresses traditional masculinity's harmful behaviour towards women, but the effects it has towards other men. In the pub Clark calls out a man for his inappropriate behaviour towards a waitress. The man, lacking Clark's stature, resorts to physical and verbal intimidation. His behaviour is approved by the other men - even the army men smile, remaining silent. The waitress steps in, keeping Clark's masculinity in check, and rather than resorting to violence Clark walks away. Instead Clark pummels and destroys a vehicle - the truck - that has played a significant part in shaping the aggressor's male identity, representative of a culture with toxic attitudes towards women. Clark, as a teenager and as an adult, is criticised for not living up to the traditional ideals of being a "real" man - authoritative and dominant, resistant to weakness and emotion, assertive and... violent.

When audiences call out Clark for being "mopey" and too emotional, they are in fact calling him out for being too feminine and not masculine enough. When Clark dons the Superman garb, it is still just a costume, nothing more. Clark understands that it is not how he is perceived that makes him a man or a hero, but how he behaves and what he uses the image of Superman for. Clark didn't give himself the name "Superman"; it was the media and the people who did. It was the people who claimed him as their hero, as their Superman, in much the same way that America elects and chooses their President.

Superman has shaped young boys' concepts of masculinity for decades, in both film and in the comics: what is ideal and what isn't. So when a cinematic portrayal of the man of steel is presented as being conflicted, unable to handle the complexities of the world he has been "called" to save against an external threat (similar to President Carter during the Iranian Hostage Crisis) then he is not their Superman, then Snyder doesn't understand - and will never - understand Superman.

This attitude is wrong.

"Be their hero, Clark. Be their angel, be their monument, be anything they need you to be... or be none of it. You don't owe this world a thing. You never did."

Superman is not a person. It is an image, a representation of something better, of what makes us good, of what makes us human. Snyder's portrayal of Superman is one of a masculinity kept in check - respectable yet respected, able to express love and yet be loved, able to be an emotional man yet be an assertive one, using his "hard body" for the right reasons, to make a change, to make a positive impact on the world. Holding onto a past Superman because of nostalgia is to be a sponsor for traditional masculinity and all that is wrong with today's conservative patriarchy. Cavill's Superman doesn't replace Reeve's Superman, he just enhances a character that has remained stagnant with old beliefs and ways of expressing. He is the Man of Tomorrow, not the Man of Yesterday.

Clark is not Superman in name alone. His suit is also apart of the Superman image. For Clark, though, that suit is associated with his Kryptonian ancestry, a demeaning representation of masculinity. For him to smile as Superman, teeth glistening, would be a fake display of happiness. The smile he produces as he saves people is one in which he must pretend to be assertive, dominant - a leader. By contrast, Clark shows his teeth when he's out of the suit, when he's just Clark Kent and in the company of Martha or Lois. There's a genuineness. Clark doesn't need to look like a leader in these moments, e.g. when Clark returns home to Martha in Man of Steel or when Clark arrives home with a bouquet of tulips for Lois (and then Lois brings up Superman and the smile fades).

Even for Trump teeth are not so freely given, as suggested by a psychologist earlier this year: “Although Trump instinctively recognises the demeaning potential of smiling, there are occasions when he is prepared to throw caution to the wind and give a full-blown smile, with his teeth on display and wrinkles around the corners of the eyes - the latter being the feature that defines a genuine as opposed to a fake display of happiness. Trump tends to produce these beaming smiles when he is in a convivial setting and when he doesn’t feel the need to look like a leader, or when he is with people whose company he enjoys.”

Don't misconstrue my intentions. I'm not insinuating that Trump is a hero or even a leader, nor do I believe Superman shares the ideals of Trump. But there's a difference between smiling with sincerity out of love and comfort and being forced to give an artificial smile because people demand it of you or because you think you're worthy of respect.

Holding onto a past Superman because of nostalgia is to be a sponsor for traditional masculinity and all that is wrong with today's conservative patriarchy.

MacInnes’s (1998) statement about masculinity as a concept is equally as relevant to Superman (and Batman and Wonder Woman etc.), that they are “shaped and expressed differently at different times in different circumstances in different places by individuals and groups”.

I jumped ahead earlier: The entire first half of Man of Steel is Clark discovering what he was sent to Earth for, learning that he's a force for change, for good. When Clark wears his suit and discovers his powers of flight, it's a self-affirmation or -confirmation that he has become someone good, not just as a man but as someone who could be a hero.

Clark then learns that Zod probed inside Lois's mind and then finds Zod threatening Martha shortly after - two women most important to Clark, two people who keep him human - Clark uses his strength against Zod. The destruction of Smallville, and then Metropolis, in the latter half of Man of Steel challenges Clark's masculinity.

When Zod's suit is damaged and becomes susceptible to Earth's atmosphere, he is disoriented. Seeing through his own armour and muscles, seeing the bones that make up his body, Zod is forced to question his invulnerability and mortality. "What have you done to me?" he asks. "My parents taught me to hone my senses," replies Clark.

There's no denying that there is A LOT of destruction, but it is caused by uncontrolled masculinity - there's no thought for anything other than the opponent. What made Zod feel powerful and assertive was having Kryptonians obey his orders. That's what made him masculine. In the end, Zod forces Clark to give in to the ultimate form of violence, the darkest act of humanity: killing. Yes, it meant saving Earth, saving the vulnerable family in that station, but to Clark it meant so much more.

With Lois there, however, Clark's violent act was justified. Lois's love, her empathy, her acceptance subsequently allowed Clark to reclaim his humanity, his individuality, the good masculine ideals instilled in him by Martha and Jonathan Kent, a final push against the toxic, immoral masculine ideals projected by Zod that would continue to consume him. Only one could survive and it was the choice Clark was meant to ultimately make.

Finally, in Clark becoming a journalist at the Daily Planet by the film's end, it provides Clark an opportunity to use words (not fists) to make the world better. He wasn't able to use words with Zod; Zod knew only violence and aggression. Like Jor-El at the beginning of Man of Steel Clark would attempt to reason through words, verbal and written, well into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Recently I’ve been reading a book by Bryan Doerries, The Theatre of War (2015), about what ancient Greek tragedies can teach us today and the relationship between story and human experience. It has also brought up many significant points for how relevant Batman v Superman is and how it is a tragedy like these Greek plays in it’s own right. But he brought up President Jimmy Carter who, in 1977, became the first American president to acknowledge that the nation’s resources and capacities had its limits. Carter said: “We have learned that ‘more’ is not necessarily ‘better’, that even our great Nation has its recognized limits, and that we can neither answer all questions nor solve all problems ... we must simply do our best.” A couple years later, Carter stated that the nation’s problems were due to a crisis of confidence due to tragedies and events, damaging the national spirit. 

Argo (2012), an adaptation about the hostage takeover in Tehran, was written by Chris Terrio, so it's no surprise that he came on to rework David S. Goyer's initial draft of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and with Snyder they further explored the dichotomy of masculinity as started in Man of Steel.

Clark's embodiment of masculinity, as expressed through his actions and ideals as Superman, continue to threaten the men of his world. The media, the people, government bodies and even Batman question his existence and "otherness" - who he is, who he should be, and what he should stand for (in other words, an image homogenous with the President).

Clark maintains his belief in words through the Daily Planet. Instead of confronting Batman head on about his uncontrolled behaviours as Superman, Clark intends to do it in a civil manner through the power of the press. And when he is called upon by Senator June Finch (Holly Hunter), to question him on the validity of his actions, Clark walks in civilly, hands together in front of him - unlike in Man of Steel he marches alone and not handcuffed by the military. He intends to talk, which is reflective of Jor-El before the Council at the beginning of Man of Steel. The same can be said for when he confronts Batman after learning that Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) has manipulated them both - Clark wants to reason, to talk. But Bruce is far too gone....

Backtrack: After witnessing the Superman/Zod fight from the streets of Metropolis, Bruce Wayne becomes fearful about the threat Superman imposes on his way of life and the lives of the vulnerable and defenceless he has promised to protect and watch over. Although he resides in Gotham, Metropolis and its citizens are as equally as important to him, to his business, to the business his father built. Wayne Enterprises and the wealth it has generated have played a hand in Bruce's masculine identity, particularly in his identity as Batman.

Bruce/Batman, like the hard bodied and tough, hypermasculine action heroes of the 1980s, embodies Reagan's ideals. As shown in the early moments of the film, Bruce is seen as paternalistic, helping school children across the rubble and then comforting a young girl whose mother was in the Wayne Enterprises building. And so, throughout BvS, with twenty years of crime-fighting in Gotham behind him and as a witness to plenty of familial losses (his parents and Jason Todd to name a few), Bruce exerts the traditional characteristics of masculinity - aggressiveness, authoritativeness, a resistance to weakness, lack of emotion, individuality. He acts alone; his losses have hardened him and his violence knows no bounds from here on out. These traits are not only seen in his branding of criminals (internal threats) but in his attitudes towards Superman (a foreign, external threat [i.e., powerful immigrant]). Bruce believes he, himself, represents the human population and that it is only him - a man with power, status, strength, weapons and experience - who can bring down the Kryptonian.

If you think about the action films of the 1980s you would have seen Rambo and Captain Willard bleed, feel pain, stitch themselves up again but not falter, keep going, keep persisting to their goal. In just three words - "Do you bleed?" - Snyder and Terrio (and I guess Goyer) interrogate hypermasculinity. Batman, in his powered exoskeleton armour (a means to make himself more formidable), questions Superman's ability to bleed because, well, he never seems to bleed (and yet a 'nationalistic hero' like Rambo bled). Bruce defends his masculinity by attempting to oppress a figure who seemed far too masculine - Bruce wants to know if Superman is weak, if he feels pain, if he has felt pain to the degree Bruce has.  

"Breathe it in. That's fear. You're not brave. Men are brave. You say that you want to help people, but you can't feel their pain... their mortality... It's time you learn what it means to be a man."

To Bruce, Superman is a fake embodiment of masculine heroic ideals, much in the same way that patriarchal, white America perceived President Carter as being. Bruce has let toxic masculinity and traditional ideals blind his world view and his perception of Superman. Masculinity to Bruce became entirely about the exterior; his inner emotional weakness suppressed deep beneath the hard body - the suit and the weapons - he has forged.

That is until Bruce connects with not Superman, the image of a [masculine] "hero" mythologised and perpetuated by the media, no, but with Clark, a person who has also experienced loss and who is about to again, someone who has been displaced, someone who demonstrates selflessness even when he is dying. It was a connection beyond the superficial, on a level Bruce never knew was possible. Bruce is reminded of who he has lost, who he loved, of someone he almost forgot because of a masculinity he hadn't controlled. In killing Superman, Bruce would have given into the darkness, the rage, consumed by a toxic masculinity as defined by a traditional world view and conservative ideals. Therefore, to find reconciliation and with the approval of a purer man - Clark (as Lois had with Clark in Man of Steel) - Bruce gets to reclaim his identity, his masculinity by rescuing Martha Kent.  

Lex is unlike Clark or Bruce. He is a male wanting entitlement, power and authority, wanting to feel masculine despite his scrawny appearance (his "daddy's fists" made him emasculated). He tries to be assertive. He attempts to be authoritative. He's a person with no moral code. Senator June Finch, as well as the metahumans, are a threat to his manliness, his masculinity, so he disposes of them the only way he knows how: manipulation. The manipulation of Wallace Keefe, a man who even himself has been emasculated ("I can't even piss standing up"), to wreak havoc at the Capitol and the manipulation of Zod's body, failed masculinity, to birth Doomsday - these are the consequences of when toxic masculinity goes unchecked.

Although Man of Steel indicated that one type of man (masculinity) must die for the other to live, in BvS Superman sacrifices himself to kill Doomsday because he has learnt that there are people that love him (Lois, Martha, and men who approve of him, like Bruce) and to truly destroy the consequence of unchecked masculinity he must push through the pain, his ultimate weakness (the Kryptonite) - to bring hope, light and be reborn. But when that toxicity kills a man pure of heart, when Doomsday pumps his black blood into Superman, will Superman return in Justice League as himself, guided by ideals nurtured by the Kents and Lois, or as a Kryptonian bound by blood, as Zod said he would.

Will his good nature and ideals win out? His humanity? Or will his body determine what sort of man he becomes? His blood?

It harks back to the scene in Man of Steel with Clark and Jonathan arguing, Martha in the back seat of the car observing:

Clark: ... I just want to do something useful with my life. Jonathan: So farming and feeding people, that's not useful? Clark: I didn't say that! Jonathan: Our family's been farming for five generations, Clark -- Clark: Your family, not mine. I don't even know why I'm even listening to you. You're not my Dad. You're just some guy who found me in a field.

As much as I like to see traditional masculinity attacked in film, it's also extremely powerful and heart-rendering to see female masculinity grace the screen as well, with a strength or set of powers and character that have been attributed to traditional masculinity, or in the least not seem less feminine simply because they're taking on or adopting traditional societal norms of men. We have experienced a powerful woman before in Man of Steel, but while Faora was produced through the machinations of Krypton to serve for war, Diana was created by Zeus to defend mankind against war.

From Diana's heart-pumping introduction as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman to her gladiatorial combat in the mid-point of her origin film with No Man's Land, she exerts her strength as a warrior and her determination as a person, never showing weakness - she was taught to be all these things on Themyscira. To speak to today's gender norms around "male" sports, activities or expressions, Hippolyta only doesn't want to lose her daughter, but she fears that her daughter will be unable to remain pure of heart if Diana becomes "masculine" and susceptible to the corrupted hearts of men. When Diana discovers some of her power for the first time when battling Antiope, Hippolyta isn't fearful of the powers; she's fearful that Ares will learn Diana has powers and a strength that only Ares believes is inherent in the gods - men - but that she still holds onto the values of love and compassion, duty and equality that have forged her as an Amazon, the true powers of women. What No Man's Land and the second act of Wonder Woman shows is that Diana can be both: she could be naive yet be strong, she can love and be compassionate yet express fury, she could be a warrior and show emotion.

In these moments I cried. My gender doesn't come into play, nor does my sexuality; rather it's seeing a reflection of my sisters, of my mother on the screen. I saw myself in Wonder Woman as much as I have seen myself in Superman.

Like Furiosa to Max, Wonder Woman is more experienced in combat and war than Batman and especially Superman, but she fights alongside them as an equal. The final fight shows that for society to break down social gender norms and traditional masculinity there will only be success if we work together, and that mankind (men and women) will need to sacrifice what makes them masculine but also use that masculinity to show true humanity and make the world better (Superman, Antiope and Steve Trevor present this physically). It's why Wonder Woman leaps at the end of her film - in her life Steve was the only man who showed that... until Superman. She departs the plane in BvS because men cannot defeat what they have created.

As the more feminine Diana Prince in BvS, she threatens Bruce's manliness, in much the same way Finch threatens Lex's. "Oh, I don't think you've ever known a woman like me." Bruce's assertiveness and dominance doesn't concern her; she's fought against the same toxic behaviour and traditional masculinity with Ares, the same kind Finch has most likely come up against in her own career.

But even then, people have complained about how Diana dresses as Wonder Woman. Why can't women be able to express their femininity yet wield masculine traits? Why can't she be beautiful and assertive? Why can't she bare skin, such as her thighs when men's hard bodied musculature bodies have dominated action cinema? To these people, Diana is not being traditionally female, much in the same way that Clark as Superman has been called out for not being traditionally male.

Masculinity is not only attributable to men, but women, too. As is femininity.

In Wonder Woman, Steve and his band of misfits, comprising of Sameer, Charlie and the Chief, all struggle with the masculinity they've traditionally meant to express. Charlie, for example, is haunted by ghosts when he sleeps, and when Diana goes to comfort him he pushes her away and storms off with his gun. It is after they experience Diana's strength and power, do they share their feminine traits: Charlie sits at the piano and sings, Sameer shares his desire to be an actor, the Chief denies the offerings by the Veld townspeople... and Steve learns to love.

I could have distilled all of the above, but I needed to address everything. I'm most likely forgetting about a number of other ways that masculinity is challenged in the DCEU - such as, which I will discuss below in regards to the importance of women in these films, following Jonathan's death and Clark's becoming of Superman, it was up to Martha to care for the farm, it was up to Martha to fulfill both motherly and fatherly roles for Clark. Even within Suicide Squad, masculinity is addressed by the characters of Amanda Waller and El Diablo, for example.

The Importance of Women in the DCEU

The DCEU's fight against traditional masculinity begins on Krypton with not Jor-El, but Lara (Ayalet Zurer). Man of Steel opens with her face, giving birth to a child that will become all that is good. It is Lara who becomes the bridge to a greater understanding between men, launching the pod. When Zod is ordered to spend eternity in the Phantom Zone it is to Lara, standing with the Council, that he yells, "I will reclaim what you have taken from us", in other words, reclaiming masculinity. In hard body terms, if Krypton is the national body, then Kal is the individual body who was to save them.

Lara's final words before the consequences of unchecked masculinity implode Krypton: "Make a better world than ours, Kal."

Jumping to nine-year-old Clark at middle school who's fearing his powers (and therefore his masculinity), it is his human mother Martha Kent who helps him understand that if he ever gets caught up in the perceptions of the world, in a society dictating how he should feel or act, that who he is is more important to those who love him. Martha is that person who will guide him to being a better self. Interestingly, as Clark became a teenager the advice came from Jonathan; yet following his death, and then well into BvS, it is Martha who advises Clark on what to do.

Although Martha remains the compass of Clark's journey into selfhood and manhood, it is Lois throughout Man of Steel that wants his identity, his type of masculinity to be known. Lois becomes Clark's guide for how to express his masculinity as an adult. Both Lois and Martha are the only two people who keep Clark from giving into the darker side of man, into the toxic masculine ideals forced upon him by Zod. It is these two people that he shares his genuine smile with.

There have been complaints about Lois's role in Man of Steel. For example, why does Lois board the scout ship when ordered by Faora on behalf of Zod? I used to think it was for plot convenience, to fulfill the screenplay's beats, but now I believe it's because Zod wanted to learn what it is to be human from someone connected to Kal, so that Zod can crack Kal's resistance to the Kryptonian way of life - the dominant way of man. Lois keeps Kal from giving into his Kryptonian blood, from a potentially destructive side simmering within. Jor-El understands this as well; when Lois's pod is damaged and hurtles for Earth, Jor-El says to Kal: "You can save her, Kal. You can save them all." Lois is as much apart of Clark's masculinity as Martha is, and it is them in which hope will shine through, not the man himself.

There have also been complaints that Lois and Martha as being convenient to Clark's narrative or that they're always portrayed as damsels-in-distress. But in the context of masculinity, in a world dominated by men and in a world being destroyed by men, Lois and Martha do the best they possibly can with what they have available to them - which is their love, their peacefulness, their use of words. When Lois is persuading Perry to allow her to investigate the bullet she looks at Clark who catches himself from speaking for her, but Lois manages to finish herself - she was her own white knight. Neither Martha nor Lois are threatened by men - Martha did not feel threatened by Zod nor was she in distress with Anatoli Kynazev (she doesn't scream, which is why Clark would be unable to hear her voice). It is the consequences of unchecked masculinity that stop them from doing what they've set out to do and accomplish: Lois's quest to help Clark prove his innocence or Martha wanting to raise a morally good son regardless of his power. To elaborate, Lois puts herself in danger and 'enters' the domains claimed by men (e.g., travelling to Nairomi to interview a terrorist) so that she can alleviate the public's fears back in Metropolis around Superman - even the CIA don't trust her relationship with Superman by sending a male in 'James'. Lois constantly puts herself in "man's world", such as the men's bathroom to speak to Swanwick; when Swanwick's authority and the state's actions are questioned by Lois, Swanwick resorts to questioning her reliability as a woman and her relations with Superman. Lois is willing to risk her job to discover the truth; Swanwick would rather keep his position of power. When she reaches the Capitol or goes to retrieve the spear, it is the consequences of Lex's uncontrolled actions that obstruct her goals, first the explosion and then secondly Doomsday.

Since his parents' deaths, Bruce has always lacked a stable female figure in his life - he insistently talks about his father yet can only dream about his mother. Bruce had a fatherly role model as he came of age in Alfred, but never a motherly one. His father's ideals - assertiveness, aggression (as seen just before Thomas is shot or the fact that his ancestors were hunters) - feeds into Bruce's masculinity. Unlike Clark, Bruce only matured with the male masculine. He sleeps with women and forgets about them. He even tries his ways with Diana but his attempts are ignored by her.

Diana, on the other hand, is more balanced than either of them - she came from an island of women who demonstrated both feminine and masculine traits. What Themyscira shows is the harm social gender norms play in the shaping of our ideals as humans, and that within a patriarchal world of traditional values it is women who will pave the way forward to a brighter, more balanced future.

On a related note, it was revealed by the Hollywood Reporter towards the end of May that Zack would be stepping down from finishing Justice League following the death of his daughter, Autumn, in March.

If Martha and Lois mean to Clark what Deborah and Autumn mean to Zack, then...

Zack believed he could overcome the despair, the loss of his daughter, in his work. Yet the pressures of his job as a director and producer, as a leader, got the better of him. With his films showcasing the importance of women in the men's lives and the love and comfort they bring, it would have been impossible for Zack to ignore the very messages he has been conveying. He almost gave in to the traditional masculine ideals he worked hard to break. Toughness. Resistance to weakness. Lack of emotion. Endurance and strength. 

So like with Clark, it is Zack's family - Deborah and his children - that give him the strength to continue making these films, even through all the criticism and all the hate.

Zack has become my Superman as much as Patty is my Wonder Woman and Patty is my Superman as much as Zack is my Wonder Woman.

The DCEU films matter to me. These characters matter to me. Zack and Patty's tireless work matters to me. They matter to who I am; I may not believe, even still at 24, that I'm masculine physically (I've never been physically aggressive or assertive; I've never acquired masculine confidence because I've never received approval for my masculinity from other men; I'm not muscular, not tall, have short legs and wears glasses; I read, I write, love theatre, have danced, hate the gym) but these films have taught me it's how I act, how I behave, how I am towards others that define my masculinity, not as a man but as a human being.

These films have highlighted the importance of my mother and sisters in my life. BvS made me think about my mum and Wonder Woman made me think about my sisters - I cried during both. And although I may have matured without a stable male role model, I've become who I am today because of these women, not because of some traditional social ideals.

We have a Batgirl film in development, as well as Gotham City Sirens and a sequel for Wonder Woman, but what could we expect from Justice League if all the above is true?

Mad Max: Fury Road barely broke $400 USD million worldwide. Yet it was still successful because of what it held. For Miller to go from producing a little independent Australian film with unknowns in the '70s to a modern Hollywood masterclass in masculinity and action cinema, do you really think Warner Bros. is concerned only about how female characters perform at the box office? It's a good incentive alright and definitely an achievement - as I write this, Wonder Woman is tracking well better than Fury Road did overall in just its second weekend - but a film's worth, its messages and who it inspires, are far more important than the worth it accumulates.

What does this mean for Justice League?

Man of Steel gave us a glimpse of what may happen if Kal lets his Kryptonian blood take hold. Zod showed him that.

In Batman v Superman the Knightmare sequence shows us a post-apocalyptic future if Superman became what Zod wanted him to be. It's a possible future of Kal giving into the blood and rage because of the loss of Lois, who is his hold on humanity. Even at the end of BvS, even after Clark dies, he is fighting to hold onto that humanity. Lois is the last person to throw dirt on his coffin, which then rises.

I don't believe we'll see much of the black suit in Justice League, but what there may be is a final push for Clark against the dominant masculinity as dictated by the Kryptonian blood flowing within him. However, Lois may not be the only person who will help him - Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman will fight for him and believe that he can change. These other 'heroes' are individuals who represent sections of people in society that have been oppressed or othered by a patriarchy and would understand Superman's plight - displacement, isolation, loss - as if it were their own (edit: in Justice League Kal El uses his heat vision, which harks back to young Clark at school unable to control his abilities). It is they who will finally make Clark feel like a leader. For so long he was ostracised for what made him different, but to then have others who are also different but ultimately remained good would make Clark feel like he finally belonged. He will then smile, teeth glistening.

To add to this, in the official Justice League trailer and even the first look presented at San Diego Comic Con last year it is Bruce who goes and recruits Arthur Curry and Barry Allen. Bruce lets Arthur use his dominant, threatening display of masculinity and it is through words - "I hear you can talk to fish" - instead of strength that may make Arthur come on board. With Barry, on the other hand, Bruce uses his money and gadgets to compel Barry to join. In the comic con footage it seems that, although Bruce brings the league together, it is actually Diana that orchestrates it all. As for Victor Stone, I believe Diana will be the one to convince him, using her compassion and love.

If we bring Hippolyta's (Connie Nielsen) tale of the war of the Gods from Wonder Woman into play it is pretty much a representation of the invasion to come - it actually is the tale of the first invasion as she then goes on to tell Diana that it was just a story (edit: Ares was not “bad” at first and it was he who had the final blow on Steppenwolf, but was then used as a pawn and someone to fear by Zeus to protect the Mother Box). 

Therefore, looking at the broader picture of the DCEU, Diana will lead the 'others' - Batman, Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg - against the invasion of Darkseid's parademon army in Justice League and to stop Clark/Kal from losing what makes him human and compassionate and good. This is why Wonder Woman is not just an origin for Diana.

It's why the only word Zack Snyder could say about her success is 'proud' (source). His true intentions of the DCEU became its success. Audiences will come to see Diana in a ground-breaking turn as the leader of the #JusticeLeague.

I'm gonna bet there'll be many great female-driven moments in Justice League and Wonder Woman has already had white, straight men complaining. If this understanding of Zack Snyder's magnum opi (with powerful work by Patty Jenkins) is any indication to go by, a heck of a lot of damage is going to be done to the patriarchy come November. Justice League will be a superhero, action film for the ages - a film for everyone.

References

Ayers, D. (2008). Bodies, bullets, and bad guys: Elements of the hardbody film. Film Criticism, 32(3), 41-67.

Beasley, C. (2009). Male bodies at the edge of the world: Re-thinking hegemonic and “other” masculinities in Australian cinema. In S. Fouz-Hernandez (Ed.) Mysterious skin: Male bodies in contemporary cinema, (pp. 57-76). London: Palgrave, Macmillan.

Carrier, M. B. (2015). Men and the movies: Labour, masculinity, and shifting gender relations in contemporary Hollywood cinema. Retrieved from Ohio University Thesis and Dissertation Services, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file?accession=ohiou1430322393&disposition=inline

Combe, K. & Boyle, B. (2013). Introduction: Of masculine, monstrous, and me. Masculinity and monstrosity in contemporary Hollywood films (pp. 1-26). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Deakin, P. (2012). Masculine identity in crisis in Hollywood’s fin de millennium cinema. Retrieved from Manchester eScholar Services, https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/item/?pid=uk-ac-man-scw:172532

Gjelsvik, A. (2013). From hard bodies to soft daddies: Action aesthetics and masculine values in contemporary American action films. In K. Aukrust (Ed.) Assigning cultural values (pp. 91-106). New York, NY: Peter Lang AG.

Jeffords, S. (1994). Hard bodies: The Readgan heroes. Hard bodies: Hollywood masculinity in the Reagan era. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.

Johnston, K. M. (2013). Science fiction film: A critical introduction. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Kac-Vergne, M. (2012). Losing visibility? The rise and fall of hypermasculinity in science fiction films. InMedia, 2, 1-15.

MacInnes, J. (1998). The end of masculinity: The confusion of sexual genesis and sexual difference in modern society. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.

Neale, S. (1983). Masculinity as spectacle: Reflections on men and mainstream cinema. Screen, 24(6), 2-17.

O’Brien, H. (2012). Action movies: The cinema of striking back. London: Wallflower.

Priest, A. (2009). From Saigon to Baghdad: The Vietnam syndrome, the Iraq war and American foreign policy. Intelligence and National Security, 24(1), 139-171.

Tasker, Y. (1993). Masculinity, politics and national identity. Spectacular bodies: Gender, genre and the action cinema (pp. 91-108). New York, NY: Routledge.

Film References

Berg, J., Johns, G., Roven, C., & Snyder, D. (Producers), & Snyder, Z. (Director). (2017). Justice League [Motion picture]. USA; Warner Bros. Pictures.

Coppola, F., & Aubry, K. (Producers), & Coppola, F. (Director). (1979). Apocalypse Now [Motion picture]. USA: United Artists.

Feitshans, B, (Producer), & Kotcheff, T. (Director). (1982). First Blood [Motion picture]. USA: Orion Pictures.

Foster, D., & Turman, L. (Producers), & Carpenter, J. (1982). The Thing [Motion picture]. USA: Universal Pictures.

Gordon, C., & Silver, J. (Producers), & McTiernan, J. (Director). (1988). Die Hard [Motion picture]. USA: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Hurd, G. A. (Producer), & Cameron, J. (Director). (1984). The Terminator [Motion picture]. USA: Orion Pictures.

Kennedy, B. (Producer), & Miller, G. (Director). (1979). Mad Max [Motion picture]. Australia: Roadshow Film Distributors.

Kennedy, K., & Wilson, C. (Producers), & Spielberg, S. (Director). (2005). War of the Worlds [Motion picture]. USA: Paramount Pictures.

Miller, G., Mitchell, D., & Voeten, P. J. (Producers), & Miller, G. (Director). (2015). Mad Max: Fury Road [Motion picture]. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Roven, C., & Snyder, D. (Producers), & Snyder, Z. (Director). (2016). Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice [Motion picture]. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Roven, C., Snyder, D., Snyder, Z., & Suckle, R. (Producers), &. Jenkins, P. (Director). (2017). Wonder Woman [Motion picture]. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Roven, C., & Suckler, R. (Producers), & Ayer, D. (Director). (2016). Suicide Squad [Motion picture]. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures.

[arcticdementor]

The phrase that probably best characterises the events of 2020 is the ‘New Normal’. Although it’s typically used to describe our changed circumstances under lockdown, it could just as easily be applied to the way in which we have all grown accustomed to the worst excesses of the social-justice revolution.

News stories that only five years ago would have been dismissed as asinine aberrations now recur with a quotidian certainty. Recent notable examples include: Princeton University confessing to ‘systemic racism’, leading to an investigation by the Department of Education on the grounds that racism is a violation of civil-rights law; the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts making a similar admission, thereby emboldening some of its students to produce a 100-page document full of demands so entitled that it would make Veruca Salt blush; and an academic and novelist stating that debate is ‘an imperialist capitalist white supremacist cis-heteropatriarchal technique that transforms a potential exchange of knowledge into a tool of exclusion and oppression’. Yes, the culture war is the ‘New Normal’.

Yet with all the evidence before our eyes, certain commentators persist with their view that the culture war is a right-wing myth advanced by those who are resistant to change. ‘There’s no actual “culture war”, is there?’, writes LBC’s James O’Brien: ‘It’s just a new way of describing disagreements between people who hate racism and discrimination and people who love it.’ Then there is the Guardian’s Owen Jones, who maintains that ‘a lot of what’s called “the culture war” is just younger people trying to assert their different social and moral values over older generations who run most of the media’. Nesrine Malik has argued that the culture war has been manufactured by the right, although it will not have escaped most people’s attention that the majority of salvos come from the left side of the battlefield.

It’s this kind of gaslighting – to borrow the language of social-justice activists – that we have already seen from writers who insist that ‘cancel culture’ doesn’t exist, in spite of abundant and incontrovertible evidence that it does.

…

The claim that the culture war is a right-wing concoction simply does not withstand serious scrutiny, particularly when it comes to its most egregious manifestations. Critical race theory, for instance, is a moral panic dressed up in the garb of academic respectability, and certainly cannot be dismissed as a fantasy of stuffy conservatives. Conor Friedersdorf in the Atlantic has written contemptuously of ‘trolls waging a culture war against critical race theory’ in relation to those who have applauded the US government’s investigation into Princeton following its confession of racism. Yet surely the true culture warrior in this instance is the university’s president, Christopher L Eisgruber, who offered the self-evidently untrue and grandstanding mea culpa in the first place. And now that the actor Laurence Fox has launched his own political party ‘to fight Britain’s culture wars’, we see the usual denials from those who have willingly applied blinkers to shut out the palpable ways in which the culture war has gone mainstream.

[auburnfamilynews]

https://twitter.com/AuburnMade/status/1264666332672524294

An overview of Auburn’s current 2021 class

Just two weeks ago, Auburn’s four man class was ranked #50 by 247 Team Composite. Two weeks and five commits later, Auburn has surged up 29 spots to #21 overall. Not a bad way to end the month of May.

With June right around the corner and more booms likely to come in the near future, it felt like a good time to take a high level look at Auburn’s current 2021 class. Often times, fans tend to focus more on whose next and less on who is already on board so I wanted to highlight what are likely to be the foundational pieces not only of this class but for the future of Auburn football.

https://twitter.com/The_Fridge7/status/1201887111554781186

4-Star Defensive Tackle Lee Hunter

Committed: 12/3/2019

Hunter is Auburn’s second longest tenured commit having pulled the trigger last December. The 6’5” 292 lb defensive tackle out of Blount High School is coming off a strong junior campaign where he racked up 77 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and eight sacks while also forcing three fumbles and recovering another two. He will be an immediate impact player for the Tigers next season if they can hold onto his pledge. Hunter is still being heavily pursued by Alabama, Georgia, Florida State and Tennessee. When campuses reopen, I fully expect to see Hunter take official visits to all those schools plus Auburn. The Tigers will have to fight to hang onto his pledge but as of today I feel good about that happening. He’s the central piece of this 2021 defensive class.

https://twitter.com/ArmoniGoodwin24/status/1224477992140922880

4-Star Running Back Armoni Goodwin

Committed: 5/22/2019

Between Goodwin missing the majority of his junior season due to an ACL injury and being Auburn’s longest committed class member, it’s easy for Auburn fans to forget that one of the best running backs in the 2021 class is already committed to the Tigers. Carnell Williams landed Goodwin’s pledge just over a year ago and the Hewitt-Trussville standout appears locked in with the Tigers. He’s flying under the radar right now but don’t be surprised if he challenges for a 5th star before this cycle is over. Despite only playing in three games last fall, Goodwin rushed for 485 yards on 52 carries. That’s 9.3 yards a touch. Oh and he scored on 10 of those 52 carries. He’s unquestionably one of the most explosive backs in this class.

https://twitter.com/Dematrius09/status/1262038477383876610

4-Star Quarterback Dematrius Davis

Committed: 5/17/2020

Originally a Virginia Tech commit, Davis decommitted from the Hokies early May before committing to the Tigers nine days later. After Chad Morris came aboard, Auburn parted ways with former pledge, turned NC State commit Aaron McLaughlin and focused in on Davis. Landing Davis not only gives Auburn one of the best dual threat QB prospects in this class but one of the best leaders in the 2021 class. Davis has reportedly been hard at work for the Tigers behind the scenes in an attempt to load this class with weapons for the future. I am very excited to have Bo Nix and Dematrius Davis in the QB room next season.

https://twitter.com/jaeden_kings/status/1265690739331280898

4-Star Offensive Guard Jaeden Roberts

Committed: 5/27/2020

Auburn’s most recent commit, Roberts is a massive prospect with tremendous upside. Teammates with Dematrius Davis, he helped lead North Shore to a 2nd consecutive state title last season. Roberts held offers from some of the top programs in the country including Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M. The Tigers will likely have to withstand some serious late pushes from those programs and others when things reopen but I feel pretty confident he will stick. He’ll compete early for playing time at right guard for the Tigers.

https://twitter.com/CalebJohnson70/status/1224533375890780161

4-Star Offensive Tackle Caleb Johnson

Committed: 5/15/2020

You could make the argument that Johnson is Auburn’s most important commit to date. The Tigers have not signed a blue chip offensive tackle prep prospect since 2017 when they landed Calvin Ashley and Austin Troxell. Johnson’s stock has been on the rise since last fall, climbing the rankings most every update. He’s likely need a year of strength training before being ready to compete for playing time but it would not shock me at all if Johnson takes over one of the tackle spots relatively early in his career. Auburn beat out Florida, Florida State and Notre Dame for Johnson’s pledge and will likely have to fend them off come signing day.

https://twitter.com/TarvarishD/status/1261328074089598976

3-Star Athlete Tar’varish Dawson

Committed: 5/15/2020

Dawson ended Auburn’s month and a half long commit drought when he announced two weeks ago he plans on being the Tiger. That was the first of three commits that day and one of the sneakier pickups to date. Dawson is a speedy athlete whose future position isn’t locked into place just yet. While I personally see him as a defensive back for the Tigers, he will reportedly get a shot at offense too when he arrives. It’s worth mentioning that Chad Morris was his lead recruiter so that opportunity is legit. He’s an exciting athlete that I fully expect will find a way to make an impact on the field in some way during his career.

https://twitter.com/PhillipOjr/status/1247350180241907714

3-Star Safety Phillip O’Brien Jr.

Committed: 2/1/2020

I’m an admitted big fan of O’Brien and his upside. The Florida native was a surprise commit during junior day earlier this year. He was pegged as a virtual lock to Florida State but loved his visit to the Plains so much he decided to go ahead and pull the trigger. Don’t expect the Noles to go away, especially now that Marcus Woodson is in charge of that secondary but O’Brien appears to be rock solid as of today. I love his upside and would not be surprised to see him shoot up the rankings this fall.

https://twitter.com/LangloGarner/status/1250947957664428032

3-Star Offensive Tackle Garner Langlo

Committed: 5/15/2020

Langlo was the final commit on that fateful Friday when Auburn’s class nearly doubled in twelve hours. Teammates with Caleb Johnson, Langlo’s recruitment exploded this spring landing offers from Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida State. There was some confidence in Tallahassee that once Langlo was offered he would quickly become a Nole but his relationships with Auburn’s coaching staff and the opportunity to possibly see the field early was enough for the Tigers to win his pledge. Langlo is the “thinnest” of Auburn’s commits coming in at a tiny 270 lbs at 6’7”. This 2021 OL class is one of giants.

https://twitter.com/GoochJmarion/status/1250959653242109952

3-Star Offensive Tackle J’Marion Gooch

Committed: 4/16/2020

Gooch’s commitment came as a bit of a surprise in April. There hadn’t really been any buzz around his recruitment outside of Tennessee likely being the leader. But Gooch connected with Auburn’s staff and likes the early playing time opportunity the Tigers can provide. An absolute giant at 6’8” 358 lbs, Gooch’s highlight tape might be the most entertaining of any of Auburn’s current commits. I don’t expect him to be a day 1 impact player but he’s someone that down the line could develop into an SEC left tackle. Despite his size, Gooch is an outstanding athlete and it’s hard not to get excited about his potential upside.

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/5/28/21273298/auburn-football-recruiting-2021-recruiting-class-lee-hunter-armoni-goodwin-dematrius-davis

[nightmare-afton-cosplay]

$27.5M NYC Apartment Spanning an Entire Floor Is Our Most Expensive New Listing

realtor.com

An apartment occupying the entire 10th floor of a Fifth Avenue building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side is this week’s most expensive new listing on realtor.com®. The “impeccably renovated” space with views of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is going for $27.5 million.

The luxury abode with four beds and 5.5 baths boasts a full remodel by designer Thomas O’Brien of Aero Studios. Completed in two years, the update succeeded in “preserving the key details and flow of the original space while incorporating 21st-century living and technology,” according to the listing. 

“It’s one of the most magnificent renovations,” says listing agent Mary Beth Flynn of Brown Harris Stevens. “I’ve seen [many] renovated properties. This is so classic, it’s so tasteful.” 

She notes that the owners, who updated the space for themselves, bought the place about 10 years ago. Now, a buyer won’t have to withstand the dust and approvals a renovation entails, and can instead move right in.

This week’s most expensive new listing

realtor.com

Living room with Fifth Avenue views

realtor.com

Dining room opens to living room

realtor.com

Breakfast banquette

realtor.com

The 5,000-square-foot home is entered by a private elevator. The entry opens to a 26-foot gallery. Featuring restored marble floors and casement windows, the space offers views of Fifth Avenue. It’s adjacent to the library and dining room.

For dinner parties, the elegant dining area opens to the living room through glass pocket doors, so the space can easily expand. 

At more low-key times, the main kitchen is the place to be, with a center island and top-of-the-line equipment. Plus, the cooking area includes a butler’s pantry and bar. The kitchen also opens to a family room with dining banquette and home office.

The expansive master suite includes a second room for a sitting area or private office. There’s also a luxurious marble bath with a deck tub and separate shower, along with a mosaic tile floor. 

Designed in 1930 by architect Emory Roth, the building features 17 stories and 18 residential units. Residents enjoy 24/7 door attendants, a private gym, and a live-in manager. The building is close to public transit, the Museum Mile, and shops along 86th Street.

The post $27.5M NYC Apartment Spanning an Entire Floor Is Our Most Expensive New Listing appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/27-5m-nyc-apartment-spanning-an-entire-floor-is-our-most-expensive-new-listing/

[eastendhq-blog]

wanted connections updated +4

MAVEN CALORE ( TOM HOLLAND ) would like to see ANY FEMALE FC WHO COULD BE TOM HOLLAND’S BIG SISTER fill the part(s) of SISTER. They would be a VAMPIRE around 2000 years old. What you need to know about this connection is that: she was more like his mother then his sister as their mother kicked them out when maven was only 4 years old -as it was the times back then. somehow they survived the horrible time period. throughout the years of their immortality they have been inseparable where one was the other would be lurking in the same place. totally love to brainstorm the ideas of these two though in more details. You DO have to contact the mun before applying. ( the-world-we-made )

ERIN DULLAHAN  ( HOLLAND RODEN ) would like to see DYLAN O’BRIEN, BILL SKARSGÅRD, CHRIS WOOD & ANY MALE FC fill the part of FIANCE. They would be a ANY SPECIES around 24-30 years old. What you need to know about this connection is that: they have been together since the end of high school, it was a little on and off during those times. but their love withstand everything they had gone through. i’ll love to brainstorm with you in more detail about this. You DO have to contact the mun before applying. ( whispersfrcmthedead )

ERIN DULLAHAN ( HOLLAND RODEN ) would like to see ANY THAT COULD BE HER SIBLINGS fill the part(s) of SIBLINGS 0/2. They would be a BANSHEE/HUMAN around 19-22 years old. What you need to know about this connection is that: the dullahan family is quite well off and the siblings never wanted for anything. loving environment with their parents until erin was 20 where both parents tragically died, leaving erin to take care of her siblings even if they were of age, she took the responsibility of taking over the family business and trending to her siblings. have family dinners on a weekly bases, so close probably closer then they were before their parents passed away. You DO have to contact the mun before applying. ( whispersfrcmthedead )

SELENA LEON ( SUMMER BISHIL ) would like to see MARK CONSUELOS, PEDRO PASCAL, OSCAR ISSAC, DANNY PINO, JIMMY SMITS, DEMIAN NAJERA, JAIME CAMIL, HISPANIC UTP fill the part(s) of HER FATHER. They would be a WITCH around 50+ (can fudge the age with magic) years old. What you need to know about this connection is that: selena is the product of an affair between this character and a hawthorne witch. he dabbled in some p dark magic, which combined with the affair lead to his excommunication from the coven. he took baby selena and went to offer his magic to the o'haras crime empire. You CAN BUT DON’T have to contact the mun before applying. ( moon-rivcr-s )

[bhadpodcast]

Hey Dob Stans, Let’s Talk...

So first off, I want to say that I don’t know if Dob is going back.  I personally don’t believe it, but that’s not what this is really about.  Secondly, this is for the stans, I don’t care to fight or discuss with the haters, they’re not worth the time. The only reason I’m even talking about this is because I know a LOT of you are up in your feelings and I just want to hit you with this friendly reminder:

If Dylan O’brien decides to go back to Teen Wolf, the only thing that makes him is a good and forgiving person. 

It doesn’t make him a flop, it doesn’t make him a failure.  It doesn’t make him gullible and it says nothing about his net worth, his cache in Hollywood nor will it have any negative impact on his future career and more importantly... my love for him and his craft. 

Y’all know I am petty af and this show has freaking hurt and burned me and because of that I would love nothing more than to see it burn to the ground so I can salt the earth it’s scattered on and nothing can grow there again. 

I’m not Dylan O’brien. 

Dylan O’brien who last year nearly got dragged to death, survived, persevered and shot as a lead in an upcoming franchise making film.  Dylan O’brien who traversed continents only to come back and fulfill his contract to a show that has a character he will always cherish and love. 

Dylan O’brien who is now preparing to traverse more continents to film a movie that will directly mirror the set on which he got injured.  Dylan O’brien who has always treated his fans with respect and decency and is always lauded for how kind, and generous he is.  Dylan O’brien who can do whatever he wants, when and however and he wants because he’s freaking earned it.  

I know Teen Wolf has used and abused him and treated him like crap. I know about stretching him thin and then using his name to try and hide their complete incompetence.  I know about using him to openly lie to the media and fans about their nonsense. I was there when they hinged an entire season on him knowing he wouldn’t be available and then decided to launch a romance knowing that he wouldn’t be there. I know about the ideas he had that they stopped listening to, about the scenes he had to say no to, about the ones they made him do anyway. I know about the times they told him no just because they could and I know how they’ve consistently shown exactly how little they respect him while denying (and yet somehow exploiting) how much they need him. 

What I don’t know is what it would take for Dylan to preserve the integrity of Stiles. I don’t know the relationships he’s formed with the people on set (not just the cast) and how he separates them from the show itself.  I don’t know what kind of pressure he’s getting to return and how it feels to try and preserve the love you had for a project while in the middle of its downfall.  I don’t know what could be said to convince him to come back, but I do know if he does, while I’ll be disappointed, I won’t stan for him any less, I won’t be worried about him.  Our boy is a trooper and he’s gone through hell; if coming out the other side for him means doing Jeff a solid and wrapping up this crap show then that’s what it means. I’ll just probably take a smooth break and wait until Amas comes out!

When Dob deserves to be dragged, y’all know I do so (albeit with great reservation because bae), but there are enough unknown variables involved in making a decision like this, that I don’t think it’s fair.  Dylan has shown us that he has the ability to make excellent choices. I don’t know what could justify him going back, but I trust him to know and understand his limits and the impact of his decisions. Call me a hypocrite, call me a stan, but he’s been through enough with this crap show, that he knows what’s up, even when we don’t. 

I’m still under the impression that all of this will be moot, but if you’re starting to waver over something we have no stakes in, and no control over, it’s time to refocus.  If anyone can withstand this mess completely unscathed, It’s Dylan. Rest in that fact and focus on the amazing future he’s going to bring us. 

[thetoptwoinches-blog]

Underdog tag still the most comfortable fit for Ireland..

How far away November now seems..

Ireland launched their 2017 6 Nations campaign with a tricky, but eminently winnable trip to Edinburgh to face the ever-embryonic Scots in the tournament opener. Fresh from a November to remember and the apparent return to the European top table of Leinster and Munster with stellar Champions Cup group stage campaigns, expectations were understandably high. All across the national newspapers journos tipped Ireland to win the tournament, with many predicting that the sweetest of victories over the unbeaten English on Paddy’s weekend would be the cherry on top of the Grandslam cake upon which we would gleefully feast. Stuff of dreams.

As it happened, Princess Anne had scarcely time to take her seat in the Murrayfield West Stand before the swashbuckling Scottish three-quarters had caught the Irish defence in the headlights and put paid to our Grandslam hopes, almost before proceedings had begun. Signs of relative improvement followed with a promising, if unsuccessful, second half comeback, followed by a 10-try rout in the Rome sunshine and a professional and somewhat routine victory over the French in Dublin.

As England stuttered briefly in the face of Conor O’Shea’s admirable manipulation of the laws, thoughts of nicking the championship from them on the final weekend - like the fairytale said we would - seemed to reignite. Then, on Friday night we went to Cardiff and ran headlong into an immovable red wall for 80 minutes, much like we did in 2015. We left battered, bruised and pointless, and with the prospect of the seemingly unstoppable English Chariot coming bellowing down the track.

So where did it all go wrong?

You could slice and dice Ireland’s fortunes a million different ways. You could point the finger at coaching, at individual players, even at key moments on which each of the defeats swung. I’m not going to get into all that, but the truth is we probably weren’t as good as everyone thought we were in November, and we probably aren’t as bad as everyone thinks we are now.

What I do want to look at are ten of the more prominent results in Irish rugby over the past two years and how the age-old Irish (sporting) psyche, which we thought we’d put behind us, appears to burn as strong as ever. Expectation? No thanks. But don’t give us a chance in hell and you might just regret it.

6 Nations 2015, Game 5: Scotland 10 – Ireland 40

After losing in Cardiff in round three, Ireland entered the final day level on points with England and Wales. After the Welsh put a cricket score on Italy, Ireland needed to win by 21 points or more and then hope England didn’t better their effort. You could argue that this was pressure; but covering that spread against Scotland wasn’t likely and so, with the shackles off, we played some lovely stuff to win by 30 and take the title.

RWC 2015, Quarter Final: Ireland 20 – Argentina 43

After a big win over France in the last group game ensured we avoided the All Blacks in the quarters, there was an expectation that this was our time. But injuries hurt us, we never really fired a shot and the brilliant Argies ran riot.

Summer Tour 2016, 1st Test: South Africa 20 – Ireland 26

We had never beaten SA on their own patch. The squad was decimated with injury and without Healy, O’Brien, O’Mahony, Sexton, Bowe and Kearney. CJ Stander was red-carded after only 23 minutes. Seemingly an impossible mountain to climb but we gutted out an incredible win with 14 men.

Summer Tour 2016, 2nd Test: South Africa 32 – Ireland 26

Huge expectation of a series win after the first test victory. Led 26-10 with twenty to go but couldn’t withstand a late surge from the monstrous South African pack.

Summer Tour 2016, 3rd Test: South Africa 19 – Ireland 13

Expectation remained after the first test victory and dominance for much of the 2nd, that we could do something historic and win a test series against a below-par Saffa side. Battered their line right up to the 80th minute to get that all important second try but to no avail. Ever more so in hindsight, one that got away.

November Series 2016: Ireland 40 – New Zealand 29

All Blacks on a record breaking 18-game winning streak and fresh from six bonus points from six in the Rugby Championship. We hadn’t beaten them in 111 years and 28 attempts and were rightly given no chance by anyone. Played the game of our lives to make history.

November Series 2016: Ireland 9 – New Zealand 21

Expectation through the roof after the heroics of Chicago. There was a real feeling that we could somehow do the double as the All Blacks came to town. NZ came out firing and although we competed for 80 and had our chances, 3 kicks at goal was never going to be enough.

November Series 2016: Ireland 27 – Australia 24

Anticipation of finishing the November series on a high and ranked 4th in the world was quickly scuppered as injuries to Zebo, Trimble and Payne in the first half left the backline hanging together with out-of-position youngsters. It looked one step too far as Australia took the lead on 58 minutes but, with our backs against the wall, we fought back with a Keith Earls try and defended like men possessed for the last 10 to see it home.

6 Nations 2017, Game 1: Scotland 27 – Ireland 22

Expectation at fever pitch once again after the autumn just gone. Schmidt’s 3rd championship and possibly even a Grandslam on the horizon. Defend horribly in the first half as Scotland rip through us with ease. Fought back well in the second half only to throw it away once again late on.

6 Nations 2017, Game 4: Wales 22 – Ireland 9

After improved performances against Italy and France and the return of Johnny Sexton, expectations simmered once again that the Championship showdown with England on the final weekend would come to pass. Not to be as our Championship hopes were smothered by a relentless red wall of Welsh defenders.

Granted, I’ve left out many games over that period (including the damp squib that was our injury ravaged 2016 6 Nations campaign), but this highlights the supposed bigger games - W L W L L W L W L L - the consistency of our inconsistency is quite remarkable. But more so than that; it is painfully clear that the tag of underdogs is still the one which sits most comfortably. 

We thought the days of Roy Keane and Brian O’Driscoll had seen us move beyond the old give-it-a-lash underdog mentality. And for a time, in rugby at least, I think they had. But on the evidence of the ten results above, the fact cannot be avoided:

Pre-game expectation = post-game disappointment.

The reasons for this outcome, of course, are altogether more complex. There are more variables on which a game of rugby is won and lost than I care to get into, but one simple stat which may be a reasonable starting point is this:

-          Average number of tries scored in the four ‘low-expectation’ wins: 3.5

-          Average number of tries scored in the six ‘high-expectation’ defeats: 1.33

It’s obvious that the fewer tries you score the less likely you are to win, but what if it’s the case that, when expectation is highest, we play more conservatively or with inferior execution, and are therefore less likely to score tries?

Against New Zealand in Chicago, we adopted the caution-to-the-wind tactic of kicking to the corner unless the 3 points was an absolute gimme. We scored directly or indirectly from driving mauls on each of the three occasions that we did so. But that was a special day, a day when the stars seemed to align and everything we tried came off.

Since then we have stuck with the tactic of turning down relatively easy 3-pointers in favour of the lineout but, be it pressure or otherwise, time and again our execution has let us down and we’ve been left to rue the decision.

The final point worth noting in relation to this unfortunately reemerging pattern is more a tactical one than a psychological one: Sean O’Brien did not feature for a single minute in any of the victories over the big southern hemisphere three in 2016. The number 7 jersey was instead shared equally between Jordi Murphy and Josh Van der Flier over the three tests. This is of no small significance.

Sean O’Brien is a world-class rugby player and has been an incredible servant to Leinster and Ireland. But with the literal adoption of human wrecking ball CJ Stander at blindside flanker in the past 12 months, the inclusion of both men on either side of the scrum creates an imbalance. Carriers for days of course, but that means less emphasis on winning breakdowns and therefore less quick ball for Sexton et al to play with. And when you come up against a willing and physical defence like the Welsh or like New Zealand in the second November test, they lick their lips at the thought of the oncoming battering rams.

Murphy and Van der Flier are both on the medical table at present, but we remain spoilt for choice in the backrow; Peter O’Mahony, Tommy O’Donnell and Dan Leavy are all chomping at the bit. Any of those three would serve to offer greater balance and breakdown emphasis and subsequently a little more time and space for the backs to play with. Whether we will see such a change is another thing.

Selection aside, the consistent inconsistency, along with a general feeling of little hope against the world record-hunting English, might just mean that the return to underdog status is still enough to derail the Chariot on Saturday. 

Richard Moffett, TT2I