#realistically speaking history suits her perfectly

[lunaechaos]

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[dweemeister]

Soul (2020)

2020 dashed the best-laid plans, disrupted dreams, and brought disease. For almost one full year now, COVID-19 has upended society the world over, and taken the lives of almost two million as of the publication of this review. The pandemic, as contemporary readers may notice, has taken its toll on the film industry too. If you are reading this in the distant future, Soul is the first film that I have written in which its release date was delayed and its distribution altered because of the pandemic (from June 19 to Christmas). Pete Docter’s first directorial effort since becoming the chief creative officer of Pixar is part of a phenomenon which may or may not last past the pandemic. Soul, like a few other high-profile releases in 2020 and early 2021, debuted simultaneously in reduced-capacity theaters and streaming, via Disney+. The film itself is middling Pixar. But given the studio’s high quality – albeit sullied over the last decade with underwhelming sequels and glaring missteps from some non-sequels – it is still something worth celebrating.

Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) works part-time as a middle school music teacher in New York City, but quietly harbors dreams of pursuing his dream of becoming a jazz pianist. Taking an opportunity to audition for professional jazz saxophonist Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett), Joe receives an offer to play with Dorothea’s band. Ecstatic, speaking giddily on his cell phone on the musical adventure that awaits that evening, Joe has forgotten to look wherever the hell he is walking. As a result, he falls down a manhole, Looney Tunes-style. He awakens as a fluorescent blue-green blob, his soul on a stairway to heaven. No, not yet, Joe says. He runs backwards, but ends up in the “Great Before” – a place where unborn souls are endowed the traits (in the form of a badge) that will direct, but not predestine, the course of their lives. In a case of mistaken identity, the Great Before’s leaders assign Joe to 22 (Tina Fey) as her counselor. 22 has been stuck in the Great Before for eons, fostering a cynical view of human existence that has confounded her previous counselors (“You can’t crush a soul here. That’s what life on Earth is for.”). If you are asking whether or not Joe will be the one that shows 22 life’s beauty, you clearly have never seen a Pixar movie before.

The English-language film’s voice cast also includes Graham Norton as a sign twirler extraordinaire, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Donnell Rawlings, Questlove, and Daveed Diggs. Veteran actress Phylicia Rashad plays Joe’s mother (who disapproves of his dreams of playing jazz professionally). This is the first Pixar movie without a character voiced by John Ratzenberger.

22 and Joe will prematurely escape to Earth, but the plot is unnecessarily complicated by a body swap and a tired trope of modern animated features: a non-white character accidentally spending more than half the film in the body of an animal. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) and The Princess and the Frog (2009) are among the highest-profile examples of the trope. Like Cuzco and Tiana in those past films, Joe is not white – and, automatically, is someone the likes of whom has very little history of starring in a mainstream American animated feature. To see him lose his bodily agency for almost the entirety of the film is frustrating. The screenwriting team (Docter, Mike Jones, and Kemp Powers) declines to explore Joe’s racial identity, instead favoring the hero’s journey (Pixar has never deviated from this template, but that has not prevented them from making great films) and the predictable pratfalls often present in Pixar’s movies. Soul’s body-swapping comedy not only brushes away any such exploration of racial identity, but relegates the film’s jazz (an African-American creation) as ornamentation, overcomplicates the narrative structure, and interferes with its messaging. None of these issues existed in Coco (2017) – an unabashedly Mexican glimpse into the culture surrounding Día de Los Muertos and Mexican regional folk music all while retaining its primary themes.

Soul shares the introspective spirit of Docter’s previous film, Inside Out (2015). The lack of external adversity in both films allow us to better understand the passions of the main character. Joe’s conflict stirs from within – his dreams and expectations against practicality and unexpected realities. More prevalent than in Inside Out, Soul’s moments without dialogue poignantly depict those contradictions and unmitigated thrills. In Joe’s case, his near-total dedication to jazz is celebrated – never excessively mocked by 22 or any other character. But his passion, the film says (and as revealed through 22’s temporary occupation of his body), cannot alone quench the fullest expression of his humanity. The film is at its best in two types of contradictory moments. The first type occurs while Joe is playing his piano; the other appears when the film stops for several seconds to admire a minor detail, overlooked by everyone passing by except 22, along New York’s streets. In the latter, the film is allowed to take a breath, allowing just the ambient noise to play in the sound mix – the rustling foliage in the wind, the light traffic of one-way streets, the whoosh of passing subway cars. It is the closest Pixar has ever come to refuting Alfred Hitchcock’s flawed, oft-quoted statement that the movies are, “like life with the dull bits cut out.” For it is in some of life’s mundanities that 22 sees life as worth living. It is life’s mundanities that lie at the heart of Soul’s most powerful moments.

With the assistance of a legion of cultural consultants, Soul is, in spurts, a casual, intentionally unremarkable foray into New York’s black community and a faithful depiction of jazz performance. Animation history has long caricatured black roles in various ways, so the Pixar animators took pains to faithfully render hairstyles and varying skin tones to highlight the diversity of appearance in African-American communities. Many reviews of Soul will justly extol the background art, but plaudits must also go to the character design of the numerous African-American supporting figures across the entire film. It endows the film with an authentic vitality that I cannot envision happening in a film released by a studio concentrating on CGI animated features. A short scene to a barbershop underlines this laudable attention.

As a pianist and violinist, one of my personal pet peeves while watching movies is when an actor is fake-playing an instrument – it can be comically, pathetically obvious. I am certainly not the only one, as I’m sure some orch dorks, band geeks, and other instrumentalists might attest. Animated movies are not spared our eyes and ears. Soul, however, represents a glorious break from expectation. In a film already boasting photorealistic backgrounds and uncanny lighting effects, Joe’s piano playing is some of the most “realistic” I have seen in an animated film. His posture and muscular movement made me forget, momentarily, I was watching an animated movie. Perfectly rendered, too, are his fingering patterns (for the sake of consistent character design, Joe has elongated fingers). This musical accuracy extends to all other musicians in the film, too. It is glorious to behold as a musician. Soul could easily have cracked jokes at the expense of Joe’s passion. That the film affirms his love for jazz, all while tempering his desires (through 22, his mother, and other factors), is a high-wire balancing act that triumphs.

Soul’s score is split in two: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails fame (2010’s The Social Network, 2020’s Mank) compose for the scenes in the Great Before and jazz pianist Jon Batiste composes for the scenes in New York. Anyone who has read in my past reviews about my thoughts about film music are probably guessing that I dislike Reznor and Ross’ compositions for film. They would be correct. So far in their nascent film scoring careers, Reznor and Ross’ ominous synths for David Fincher’s movies sound too much like background droning, minimalist aural wallpaper. Their scores – all texture and little else – have no life outside the contexts of the movies they appear in. In Soul, Reznor and Ross develop a soothing synth sound that is some of their most melodic film music yet. It sounds like Jerry Martin’s music for the less interesting moments from the early Sims and SimCity soundtracks. Still, the score – even in its best moments, such as the lustrous cue “Epiphany” – suits the portions of the film it appears in. Perhaps Reznor and Ross are finally making progress towards understanding how melodic structure can dramatically reshape a film’s drama.

Down on Earth, Soul plays the music of Jon Batiste, perhaps best known as the bandleader of his band Stay Human on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Not all of Stay Human’s members were selected to perform for the score, as Batiste chose a handful of musicians from outside his band. The jazz score is mostly original, but includes variations on four pre-existing songs: “Space Maker” (Walter Norris), “Cristo Redentor” (Duke Pearson), “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart” (Duke Ellington), and “Blue Rondo à la Turk" (Dave Brubeck). Batiste’s jazz influences are too many to name for a review not solely dedicated to the score, but suffice it to say that Batiste intended his part of the film score to serve as a soft introduction to viewers who might not be accustomed to jazz. In this half, Batiste captures the bustle of New York City with his signature floating piano solos. Backed by tremendous saxophone lines, percussion, and double bass, this is a decidedly acoustic affair in marked contrast to the music of Reznor and Ross. The musical contrast is profound, easing the viewer into Soul’s occasionally chaotic narrative structure. By film’s end, though, despite Batiste’s end titles cover of The Impressions’ “It’s All Right” (a wise selection in no small part due to its lyrics), I wanted more from the jazz half of the score and wished it was held greater prominence in the film. Am I unashamedly asking for someone to hire Jon Batiste and give him the freedom to compose an unconstrained jazz score? Of course!

In a year where straight-to-streaming movie releases have dominated the American film industry, Soul ranked third in viewership behind Thomas Kail’s live stage filming of Hamilton (2020) and Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). Has Pixar righted its inconsistent form apparent over the 2010s decade? Can they ever recover the alchemy that reeled off consecutive pop culture touchstones and wondrous films for fifteen years (1995’s Toy Story to 2010’s Toy Story 3, excluding Cars)? Soul might not be the fair winds needed to steer Pixar from its worst habits, and it is unfair to place such a burden on this film. That fifteen-year run might also never be matched again. For what Soul represents to Pixar’s rather monochromatic leadership and narrative groupthink, it is a fascinating step outside the familiar.

My rating: 8/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[bellamygateoldblog]

The 100 7x01: Discussion

My general takeaway from the episode can be summarised like this: Echo is spectacular. (I might’ve said “oh my god look at her!!!!!” and “ugh she is just The Best” too many times to count).

This is long-ish because I really just wanted to consolidate my thoughts in one place. Bitch it’s me i got a lot to say!!!!!

The Good Parts

— The farmhouse setting. While it’s existence is strange and “a sore thumb” and worked to further push Sanctum being the abomination born of clumsily mixing genres and time periods in terms of construction/costuming, making everything appear disconnected and obnoxious, it was still a nice change. It made me feel warmer and more comfortable as a ‘modern’ viewer. It’s a breath of fresh air from the constant dark element: dilapidated post-apoc buildings falling from their foundation, endless woods, and equally cold-feeling labs and skeleton dungeons.

— Echo. This was a damn good episode for Echo and every second reminded me of why she’s my favourite. She’s a badass. I always love to see her falling naturally into leadership of her little ragtag groups who accept it wholeheartedly. From the “testing a theory” moment where she went ‘when Gabriel doesn’t speak >>>’, to right at the end when she killed the solider about to “eliminate” Hope (hesitation is death...oh no he can’t hear us he’s got airpods in oh my god). It was Echo that got them through the whole sequence with the anomaly, Echo who figured shit out, Echo who quickly judged the situations and formed plans to overcome the obstacles. In other words: she did THAT.

Favourite scene: Echo coming face-to-face with the projection of her own insecurities in the form of Roan and Echo 1.0, and physically overcoming them (shooting them down), along with the trauma and pain that they both represent. The perserverence and getting the job done despite the emotional torture felt like a callback to the Psychosis episode of 6x02 when she was clever enough to sedate herself to silence the voices in her head. I also think the dialogue chosen was also foreshadowing that she would become a leader by the finale (commander?) and i love to see it!

— Clarke and Madi’s conversation. Oh Clarke, you just keep reinforcing and validating my perceptions of who you are as a person over and over again lol. In all her self-importance failing to remember that Madi, in fact, had and was raised by her biological parents for half of her life (and the new knowledge that she spent six years telling her little mind tales from the book of her life whilst apparently never taking the time to learn about Madi’s or acknowledge/honour her birth parents in any way) is “yeah that’s about right” to me. Sure you could say she was still reeling from the events of six and her death-almost death-almost death again. But I’ve always had this Thing about the relationship between Clarke and Madi. And i’ve seen some of the lighthearted humourous reception that scene got from fandom, “#where do you think the child CAME from?!” which only served to remind me of my own impression that Clarke views Madi as wholely ‘hers’, as if Madi’s existence was tied to Clarke, but i might elaborate in a seperate post.

This scene was a lovely display of self-awareness I’ve rarely seen on Clarke (never even got it when she electrocuted said child two seasons ago- however that absense of apology and acknowledgement of the sheer wrongness of that action also fits very nicely with my view of her lmao, still though, a weird choice for your ‘heroine’).

— Clarke’s “feels like a different world.” Felt romantically-coded. I think Gaia/Clarke might be the most convinient relationship to transform into romance at this point. However I’m sincerely hoping this road they could go down won’t reduce Gaia to a crutch/accessory for Clarke, and that she doesn’t become merely a love interest. I’ve seen talk already of Gaia being “Clarke’s happiness” etc.. which is already confirming my worst fears. Sigh.

This moment very much felt like found closure and the turning of a page. But i will say it was a very sharp turn from the three seasons of shoehorned-in mentions of Lexa, and last season’s emphasis on Clarke’s very-much intact emotional response to her memory- “it’s why you cry when you think about Lexa”- to her looking at an image of Lexa’s memory of her, reminicing but having no emotional response to it, and brushing it off while sharing a soft look with Gaia (and this is a few days since s6? I don’t know how this timeline is working but Tbh it’s not like these writers ever concerned themselves with ‘realistic time frames’ anyway lol). Yep, Jason’s seasons are individual “movies,” alright.

Other *nodding approvingly* moments

— Raven’s subtle “elevator eyes” on Clarke when she started giving her orders again. I see you, Miss Reyes, and I appreciate you.

— Raven + the foot in her mouth and the cute way she catches herself both times. I just love watching characters fail at existing LOL. She was feeling more human than stereotype or plot device this episode.

— "Mommy and Auntie O” and the implication that Hope is a child inside an aged-up body.

— This quote: “I know what it’s like to lose your family 100 years ago and yesterday at the same time.” It’s so literal but I like it a lot.

— Clarke being ‘leader’ again is, as usual, solely a matter of convinient (and familial/love) circumstances and it felt very true.

The Rest

— The Eligius Situation. So Clarke and her inner circle conquer and live in a nice home, and we’re specifically told Clarke takes the master suite (and the dog), and I was like ‘fair enough’ but then she orders prison labour. She tells them to build her a compound that they won’t actually get to be apart of, and to live in tents while they do so. They aren’t getting anything out of this (before they resist and set their own terms). This is slavery. Also, those aren’t her people to boss around, look down on, and use accordingly for her own gain (in fact they barely know her or why she’s gone from being that one unloyal woman who executed their men and got herself captured like an idiot, then couldn’t make up her mind about which side she wanted to kill- to one in the uppermost position of authority...like...they woke up yesterday) But, then again, that never stopped her.

— Too much and not enough at the same time. The pacing of the episode in general was awful. Too much happening in quick succession, no breathing room, too many factions (no, actually Raven, where is ALIE when you need her? smh). I blink, I miss an entire scene and a character is now beating someone else up. Amazingly, i was still bored 90% of the time.

— The Children of Gabriel calling themselves “The Children of Gabriel.” It was always goofy, even more so when a grown man is saying it.

— Murphy + his self loathing over Abby’s death. Did I miss the part where she was ever good to him? One of their final moments together was of her telling him he deserved to die over Clarke after she spent the entire series treating him like he was inferior and disposable. uhhhhhhhhhh.

— The picnic scene. Jackson’s sudden violent outburst was unearned (it wasn’t even set up???), and also disrespectful. Wrong place, wrong time, bro. He’s grieving? Okay. But when Abby’s daughter is sitting right in front of you, making this about you, ruining a perfectly good toast in her honour with your uncomfortable accusations loses you points you never even had to begin with. And this is a ‘me’ thing but I can’t be bothered to be sympathetic when this is about Abby Griffin.

Also, I have to say it. Eliza’s acting took me out of the scene every time I looked at Clarke. I couldn’t for the life of me work out what those expressions were supposed to be.

— Russell, his manpain, and a fury over the consiquences of his own actions  that could rival the grounders (”my brother died in your ring of fire [while he was trying to murder you all]” hmm sounds like a you problem). But the worst part is, I simply couldn’t tell where he stood or what he was feeling. He’s so one-dimensional. He’s an evil man (so much for ”grey morality”).

— Clarke + Jordan. A small point to make but all Clarke has done since Marper made her ‘Godmother’ of their son has blame him for everything bad happening lol. Marper loses a lot of my respect as time goes on for that choice. As much as I dislike Jordan’s presence in the show, still not a great pattern to have noticed.

— Raven seeking approval from Clarke (specifically) for the Prime idea was...weird and very bad. When has Raven ever cared for Clarke’s validation, especially in the last few seasons?

Was also taken aback by how Indra and Miller are both suddenly so protective of Clarke, like i can make sense of the Indra part even though it relies on me making things up that aren’t supported by what’s on screen, but Miller?

— (Bonus moment that was bad for me, but not for the same reason it was for the rest of you: the scene of Hope finding the message in her arm. When she was removing the blood-soaked bandage I freaked out because I thought she was peeling her skin off. You’re welcome for that visual.)

The Mixed/No Feelings

— Clarke’s full-dark-no-stars. How many times have they told me now she’s “the head”? LMAO. 

I have no actual formed opinion on it. Only disjointed thoughts. Like i might’ve just gone “good for her” if Clarke wasn’t the person she is, with the history she has.

I appreciate the idea, to have her spend the whole episode declaring she is, in fact, completely fine, to end it having her explode with the repressed pain.

I mean...i realise the cognition behind it, but it’s eye-roll inducing at this point. This- kicking Russell to death (giving him exactly what he wanted and set out to provoke), and burning down a palace she promised to keep intact, once again going against the group to do her own Thing that they all ultimately have the suffer the consiquences of and help clean up- is just a repeat of past patterns, and Monty’s “do better” mantra that she desperately clung to like she owned it last season is nowhere in sight.

(Also, I can’t be the only one who spotted her physically smacking that Sanctum girl as she walked onto the balcony? Not cool. Wasn’t cool when Murphy acted like a dick to one of them either this episode.)

The rushed switch did a number on me, too, like Jackson’s did. Literally five minutes before she was preaching about a peaceful life for Madi that doesn’t take revenge (I think I know what they were going for with that but it just left me feeling confused and frustrated).

Furthermore, I’ve seen talk that this was her “burning down of a symbol of oppression”, something she experienced first hand (not so unlike Blodreina and the bunker she desperately wanted to escape and deliver her people from), but there was no noble, calculated intention there. She burned the palace accidentally in her rage because she was in pain and disorientated. The moral stuff was just an after effect.

The speech was also very ‘Clarke’. Feeling entitled to and making decisions on who lives and dies right after declaring this wasn’t their kill to make. She wasn’t the only person hurt by the Primes (but we’ve also been given no reason to care about any of the other victims- the manipulated, enslaved population have been turned into a joke and a punching bag for the main characters which...isn’t great either). And the castle could’ve been used to shelter some of the “too many people” we had problems with through the episode (or used to harvest resources from). It really comes down to if i think the situation justifies the reaction and if i hold her wholely responsible...and this is the part where i reiterate that i have no intact opinion and don’t actually care to have one either ha.

[harrypotterfirsttime]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Movie

Once again this is being written while watching, so lots of jumping around and random thoughts. This movie is 2 hours and 54 minutes, that is LONG. No wonder so much had to be cut.

Daniel’s voice drop is WILD and suits Harry very well. I like Harry’s movie character, how he’s a little more reserved and careful than in the books. He’s more childish in the books, which I suppose is more realistic, but less enjoyable.

Having read the book, it makes WAY more sense why Dobby came to warn Harry and takes such drastic measures to keep Harry from school. At the very least, reading the book has made the movie more enjoyable because I know more context.

The car scene makes much more sense in the movie, waking Vernon up with the bars being torn off instead of Fred and George actually going into the house. This one makes way more sense. I’m still mad that JK Rowling expected us to believe that the Ministry knew magic was used but not that Harry didn’t use it, and I’m glad that was cut.

Molly Weasley still warms my heart just to see her. And Arthur’s look at Harry as if he doesn’t remember having quite this many children is unmatched. Molly wacking Arthur when he looks excited that his flying car was used is priceless, so well done. Possibly the most well cast characters in the whole movie.

I have completely missed that the scene with Lucius and Draco in Borgin and Burkes happens in the movies?? Just completely wiped from my memory apparently. (a Google search has revealed this was a deleted scene, not sure why it’s included in the version I’m watching)

“I’ll see you at work” is such a terrible line why was that added, the encounter with Lucius in the book was cringeworthy but not THAT cringeworthy.

The flying car randomly cutting out in the movie makes more sense in the context of the book when the engine has been sputtering for a while, and Ron looks like less of an idiot when he pulls out his wand to try to stop it when we know that’s how the car is started.

Filch catching Harry and Ron coming into the castle makes more sense than Snape, it makes Snape seem much less like he’s specifically targetting them. Filch, on the other hand, is always looking for people breaking rules.

Was Harry finding Filch’s Kwikspell envelope always in the movie too? I don’t remember that either, and Harry didn’t open it. (Google confirms this is also a deleted scene, how strange that this movie includes some deleted scenes) Even so, this is nowhere near where this happened in the book, so it makes absolutely no sense at all.

I also forgot that the scenes with the test given out by Lockhart about himself was in the movie? Or is this another deleted scene? (Google confirms it is, and noted that the extended version of the movie includes it, I must have stumbled upon the extended version of the movie)

Hermione already knowing what mudblood meant was much more powerful than having it explained to her in the book.

Movie Hagrid is so much better than book Hagrid. They’re both good, but movie Hagrid just has a much warmer presence because he’s less childish.

In the movie we jump straight from Harry hearing the voice for the first time during detention with Lockhart and following it to seeing spiders crawling away, noticing the floor is wet, and noticing the message on the wall along with Mrs Norris. Packing all of this in a short time seems like a lot, and in the book it might have been, but chronologically it makes a lot of sense, and doesn’t feel like too much too fast when done properly here.

Harry serving his detention and Ron and Hermione going looking for him when it took him so much longer than it should have makes WAY more sense than going to a weird deathday party. Thank goodness it was done this way instead.

As I said in the chapter, McGonagall explaining the chamber of secrets is just as good as the professor in charge of history classes.

Again, the movie switching Neville for Ron in the duelling club because of his wand makes much more sense, and the way Snape points this out and subs in Draco is much more convincing.

Harry speaking parseltongue in the movies is just as cringy as I remember it. I don’t think it could have been done better but still, yikes.

Is this ANOTHER deleted scene, listening to people whisper about Harry in class? I swear in the original movie there was nobody talking about where Justin was. (Confirmed that both this and the scene in the duelling club where Justin introduces himself are deleted scenes)

The “is there something you wish to tell me” line in the movie makes very little sense without the context given by the book, weird choice to keep it in the movie.

Another deleted scene of Fred and George making fun of Harry for being the heir of Slytherin, so weird to have this many deleted scenes stuffed into this version of the movie. Kudos to this website for giving me such a fun experience without giving JK Rowling a dime.

Another deleted scene, a short one, Hermione admitting she got Slytherin robes for them. So weird to have this many deleted scenes. Another one, Harry and Ron visiting Hermione in the hospital wing and talk about Tom Riddle.

I’m relieved that the movie skips the scene of Tom in Dumbledore’s office, because it’s unnecessary to the plot at this point. It’s better to just see the flashback that Tom uses to convince Harry that Hagrid is responsible for the attacks.

Cornelius Fudge is just as pathetic at his job as he is in the book. The actor was perfectly cast to play it. Again I like that the plot moves faster in the movie because they spot the spiders in Hagrid’s cabin instead of having to wait a lot longer for it, it makes equal little sense for the spiders to be in the cabin or the greenhouse.

The flying car still being able to fly out of the forbidden forest in the movie is an interesting idea, unnecessary but doesn’t really take anything away from the plot.

It’s a bit of a shame we didn’t get to see more of Lockhart being his self absorbed self. The movie showed enough to get it across, but the book was very entertaining with just how many times he has to pump himself up.

Lockhart losing his memory is so well done, the acting is beautiful. The fact that he was so oblivious before just makes it that much funnier.

The longer struggle with the basilisk is definitely worth it, makes the movie much more believable than the book, where Harry ran from it for a bit then just killed it on his first move.

I’m glad that Lockhart was cut from being in Dumbledore’s office at the end, Ron is sent to get an owl to fetch Hagrid from Azkaban, and Dumbledore and Harry still have the conversation about why he’s different from Voldemort.

I’m a bit disappointed that the movie doesn’t have Dumbledore explaining thoroughly why Ginny was chosen to give the diary, but also the movie doesn’t show enough context to make it make perfect sense, so it looks more like opportunity instead of a well thought through plan.

Harry’s quiet confidence is much more powerful than an outburst at Lucius over the diary. And like I said, sticking the sock inside is a much better way to free Dobby than wrapping the book in a sock. Although I must admit that I notice Lucius says the first word of the killing curse, which seems a bit extreme for what Harry’s done. Maybe to show Lucius as impulsive? But that makes little sense, he’s very calculated in everything else he does.

The ending is so heartwarming, hugging Hermione as she got back. The ending seems less rushed when Dumbledore makes the two announcements for the banquet. And celebrating Hagrid returning is the most touching scene. Showing Hagrid’s bond and friendship with the main three is so beautiful, one of my favourite moments of all the movies.

Just taking a moment to appreciate the scores made for these movies, they’d be worthless without all the hard work put into the music for all these movies.

[thelegendofclarke]

Sansa Stark is the best character ever. On a fantasy show with white walkers, dragons, assassins etc. she is a normal girl who has survived all 7 seasons with absolutely nothing and no one. How anyone can hate her is beyond me.

Hey anon! I love your Sansa Stark love lol, whenever I get #sansalove in my ask box it brightens my WHOLE DAY ❤️

Sadly though, you’re right; there are always going to be people who hate Sansa and characters like her… I think characters like Sansa are very easy characters to put in a narrative box, and that box places a lot of limitations and expectations on characters like her. Which is so sad, because he is so much bigger and better and more beautiful than the box that people want to confine her to. But when Sansa characters d a r e to start to moving outside that box— that’s when people start to get uncomfortable, that’s when people start to get angry.

I don’t really blame people for initially putting Sansa in this box either tbh, it’s such a prevalent theme and practice in regards to what are generally considered “traditional female characters.” And I do think it’s easy to get surprised when Sansa’s move out side their boxes and the realm of expectations for their characters as well; GRRM has even said that Sansa surprised him in that way. But so often that surprise turns to resentment and disdain, because nothing really changes about Sansa characters, they manage to move outside their boxes all on their own. Getting smarter shouldn’t enable a female character to start testing the boundaries of our expectations. Nooo, that’s a job for female characters who get stronger! So the surprise turns to resentment and disdain, which can soon turn to outright hatred.

There’s this quote that I think perfectly sums up reactions to and judgements of Sansa and characters like her: “the world never did help a smart girl.” Smart girls are allowed to be just that, but they aren’t allowed to be anything else. So people are comfortable with Sansa characters, as long as she stays in her smart girl box and doesn’t dare to pretend she’s a real Strong Female Character™…

Sansa can have a voice, as long as she speaks when spoken to. She can have an opinion, as long as she remembers her place. She can have political influence and play the game, but only in the North. She can contribute, as long as she doesn’t want or ask that her contributions be recognized. She can have agency and stand up for herself, but only to people who deserve it, like her abusers. She can be strong in her own way, as long as she doesn’t try to use her strengths for her own benefit. She can be confident and self assured, but she better not start thinking too highly of herself or getting too big for her britches, we wouldn’t want her to start getting power hungry.

Go ahead and love Sansa, but don’t make her into something she’s not. Don’t give her any recognition she doesn’t deserve. Don’t kid yourself into thinking she’s actually valuable. Don’t taint or white wash her character with your silly ideas that she’s an important character. You’re just going to be disappointed, Sansa’s are never that important. And why would she be? She doesn’t know how to use a sword, she doesn’t have dragons, she doesn’t have magic, she doesn’t have a wolf, she doesn’t have an army. All she has is her brain, that’s not impressive at all. For example, she couldn’t even fight back at her abusers or stop her own abuse, she had to “roll over and take it.” I mean yeah I guess it’s cool she managed to survive, but hopefully she learned her lesson. Characters like Sansa need to be taught lessons, after all. Who are they to be proud? To think that they are important?? To have dreams and want good things for themselves??? When there are other characters who are so much more deserving?! When there are other characters who have really earned it. Don’t compare Sansa to those characters, she’s nothing like them. How insulting!

Sure, Sansa is a smart girl. But that’s nothing special, and it doesn’t make her anything special. So how dare she think she is?? How dare anyone think she is!? Sansa isn’t a ruler or a heroine or a leader or a leading lady… Nooo no no don’t be stupid! Sansa is the side kick, Sansa is the girl friend, Sansa is the bff, Sansa is the little wife. Sansa is there to make other people look better. Why on EARTH would you make her a leading lady when there are other real Strong Female Characters who are much more deserving and much better suited for that roll than Sansa?!? I mean yeah she’s smart, but that doesn’t make her worthy of being a hero or a leader. That would be so unrealistic, for a character like Sansa to end up being in a leadership roll where someone else clearly belongs. What a joke!

Sansa’s don’t become queens, they don’t become powerful, they don’t become leaders; they aren’t heroes or fighters or legends or saviors. Sansa’s don’t save lives, their don’t make an impact, they don’t leave their mark, they don’t change the world or make it a better place. Noooo those are jobs for real Strong Female Characters, not Sansa’s. It would be unrealistic for her to do any of those things tbqh, especially when there are other, more important, more capable characters around. Sansa’s sit still, look pretty, and wait until they are called upon. Sansa characters can have a future, obviously; but just not a future that should belong to a real Strong Female Character. She should be grateful she’s managed to survive this long with nothing but herself and her brain, she’s clearly had help and she’s clearly gotten lucky. She shouldn’t expect to be important or powerful or loved or appreciated. And if she is at all, she should be grateful. Sansa’s should always be grateful for being “handed” things they haven’t earned and don’t really deserve. She should consider herself lucky.

Oh! And speaking of love: if you are going to ship Sansa with someone, make sure it’s someone who proves she isn’t shallow… She did need to be taught that lesson after all, and she should be smarter that that by now. That’s what her story is supposed to be about isn’t it, finally becoming smart and not being a “stupid girl” anymore? Also, Sansa’s are never anyone’s first choice, so make sure you don’t make that mistake. Why would anyone ever pick a Sansa? Be romantically interested in a Sansa?? Fall in love with a Sansa??? When there are other, more impressive, real Strong Female Characters who are far more deserving of love and admiration?!?

And I mean honestly, you don’t even need to ship her with anyone. Sure she’s smart; but like, she’s a victim. She’s damaged goods. Sansa’s don’t get happily ever afters, they haven’t earned it. Not like other real Strong Female Characters have. No, Sansa should settle for loving herself; she shouldn’t want or expect anything more than that. Don’t be stupid Sansa, don’t be unrealistic. Characters like Sansa should always be realistic and humble; they should realize they are disposable, because there are a dozen more where they came from.

No one tells stories or sings songs about Sansa Stark’s. She isn’t in the history books, there is no need to remember her when she’s gone. Sure, she’s smart; but Sansa’s are a dime a dozen. Better to write about the real heroines, the real strong girls, the real badasses, the ones who are really going to make a difference, the ones who actually deserve to be remembered. Sansa did nothing but survive and triumph all on her own in a world that tried to beat her down and tear her apart at every step and with every turn.

The world never helped a smart girl, and why should it? They’re nothing special.

[dororoscutesmile]

Summer anime preliminary reviews

Short, sweet, and to the point. I watched the first episode every new series so that you (hopefully) don’t have to! I try to make my brief reviews as unbiased as possible. My top recommendations from a variety of genres first, then the rest under the readmore in the order I personally liked them. There are a LOT of good anime this season, and I definitely recommend more than the first five.

Kanata no astra

Sci-fi/action. In a future full of space travel, a group of high schoolers are suddenly and mysteriously transported over 5,000 light years away from their home planet; they now must survive and work together aboard an abandoned ship trying to get home. The first episode is long and cinematic, which suits it perfectly. This one seems to have everything; action, mystery, comedy, wonderful character dynamics, sad backstories -- and all done very well. It’s going to be one of the best of the season.

Araburu kisetsu no otome-domo yo

High school/drama/comedy. This one is all about sex -- but it’s not ecchi or fan servicey. Girls in a literature club who are ignorant about sex make it their goal to learn about it as they make their way toward adulthood. If you don’t mind high schoolers speaking frankly about sex and their desires for it, but NOT in a way that seems objectifying or unnecessarily “sexualizing,” then this is an engaging coming-of-age story. It’s certainly different, and I believe it handles the topic tactfully and realistically.

Machikado Mazoku

Comedy/magic. A high school girl wakes up from a dream that reveals she is a demon who must defeat a magical girl and restore her family’s honor. This one’s really funny! It’s a fun twist on the “magical girl” genre. The main character is ditzy in a cute way, and she and the aloof magical girl play off each other really well. I was expecting to be bored based on the synopsis, but I ended up liking this a lot. Whatever you think of the magical girl genre, this series looks great.

Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator

Supernatural/action. In a city full of espers, the previously strongest one is recovering in the hospital after being shot in the head and is now being hunted down by a group of thieves using a special weapon. The main character is the cool, aloof, angry type. Intelligent, cocky, overpowered, an appealing design, and a soft spot for a small child. This character, rather than the plot, is what really drives this anime, at least so far. If he’s your type of character, then this is your type of anime.

Given

Music/BL. A high schooler who has lost passion for his hobbies meets another boy with a guitar with broken strings. He repairs the strings, and the boy starts following him around asking him to teach him guitar. Not much really happens in the first episode, but there are hints of a romance between the boys, which is obviously expected from BL. The animation with the instruments is good, and the characters have potential. For fans of BL or even just the music genre, this one seems pretty solid.

Dr. Stone

Sci-fi/adventure. This takes place in a future where all humans have turned to stone. The protagonists are one that is plain but charming, and another who is an enjoyable smart-ass; together, they start trying to revive all the people who were turned to stone. The characters’ dynamic together isn’t particularly interesting, but each character is enjoyable in their own right. There’s science, primitive technology, and some mystery in this. It’s definitely worth a watch.

Okaa-san Online/Tsuujou Kougeki ga…

Fantasy/comedy. A strange government program sends a boy and his mother into an online game. Having a mother and son dynamic here along with their generational gap in video game knowledge certainly makes for an interesting premise. The mom has a great personality and is surprising in a number of ways, and you can expect family bonding in this as the son is reluctant to have any kind of adventure with his mother. It’s cute!

Bem

Supernatural/horror. Three good youkai fight against evil youkai, trying to save humans as well as become humans themselves. At the same time, there’s a female police officer who gets involved and is fighting against corruption in the city. Warning for some gore. The tone of this show is jazzy and gritty, taking place largely on dark city streets. The characters have yet to be fully fleshed out, but the gritty tone is unique this season.

UchiMusume/Uchi no musume/Uchi no ko...

Fantasy/found family. Also known as “If it’s for my daughter, I’d even defeat a demon lord.” A young man meets an orphaned demon girl and adopts her as his daughter. This is incredibly, incredibly sweet. The first episode is very good at setting up the father-daughter relationship and making you care a lot about the little girl. If you want a cute and pure found-family story, this is the one.

Nakanohito Genome

Gaming/comedy. A group of various gamers are suddenly placed in a real life game where they must play well enough to gather 100 million viewers during what turns out to be a livestream. Think “The Hunger Games” but with gamers. The characters are fun, and it’s an interesting premise worth giving a shot. Give it two episodes before making up your mind, I think.

Kochouki: Wakaki Nobunaga

Historical/action. Based on the real historical figure Oda Nobunaga, starting from his teens and up through adulthood as a warlord. This was surprisingly engaging. The characters and the history are both interesting, and it does a good job of humanizing the historical figures. If you like historical anime, this one’s for you.

Yami shibai - Japanese ghost stories

Technically a returning series, not a new one, but it’s more of an anthology kind of series that doesn’t require previous viewing. Very short episodes, and exactly what it says on the tin. The animation is suitably creepy, and it’s great for a little scare.

Arifureta shokugyou de sekai saikyou

Harem/fantasy. A high school class was transported to a fantasy world where all but the main character gained powerful magical powers, whereas the main character only got a single common skill, and he is ostracized for it. Betrayed and dropped into a dungeon alone, he must fight his way out with newfound powers. The protagonist is engaging, and the action is alright, but the first episode doesn’t reveal much about the plot honestly. It could be worth giving a shot.

Enen no shouboutai

Sci-fi/action. In a not-too-distant future, humans have begun to spontaneously combust. Some have gained the ability to do this at will and retain their human form. A young man who can light his feet on fire at will joins a special task force of, essentially, firefighters who deal with the deadly combustions. This one’s got mystery, an engaging and well-designed misunderstood protagonist, and great action sequences.

Isekai cheat magician

Fantasy/adventure. Two high schoolers are transported into a magical world much like in an RPG. They join an adventurer’s guild where they learn they have unbelievably strong magical powers. The first episode merely sets up the premise, but the main characters’ friendship dynamic is nice, and it has good potential for an “another world” genre show, especially if you tend to like overpowered protagonists.

Vinland Saga

Action/historical. A viking boy, based on a historical Icelandic explorer, hones his skills to avenge his father. Solid animation, high quality in most aspects honestly, but a very slow start to the story. The first three episodes were released all at once, and it seems like they might together be a sort of prologue to the real story. If you don’t mind a slower pace and you enjoy vikings and/or historical shows, this does have a solid plot and solid character building.

Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi e

Action/fantasy. The premise of this is somewhat similar to Fairy Gone. One side of a civil war turned to using magic in order to create monstrous super soldiers. They start to develop symptoms that make them too dangerous, and now in a time of peace, one of them makes it his duty to hunt the rest. If you like the action genre, this seems pretty solid. The first episode was just a setup for the premise, but the main character is interesting, and the action scenes are pretty good.

Dumbbell nan kilo moteru

Girls lifting weights! There’s what some may call fatshaming in this right from the start, so if that puts you off, you may want to avoid. Very fanservice-y. But If you’re into the “muscle girl” look, this probably won’t scratch that itch. The female body types actually seem pretty average for anime (even the “chubby” girl) despite the heavy focus on strength training. The main character has a cute personality, and the show is fun with some actual strength training tips.

Cop Craft

Sci-fi/buddy cop. In a city near a rift between Earth and other worlds, a male human police officer and a female alien team up to fight crime. There’s not much to say about this one, it’s exactly what you’d expect from the buddy cop genre with aliens mixed in. It’s good for what it is, and the character dynamic of the two protagonists being opposites is good, so if you like the buddy cop genre, you’ll like this.

Maou-sama, retry!

Fantasy/adventure. A man is transported into a video game that he manages, a world in which is powerful due to his administrative controls over the game and is seen as a “Demon Lord.” He befriends and protects a young disabled girl who joins him on his journey, and their dynamic is interesting. This is a pretty generic anime, but if the “normal guy is transported into a fantasy world” trope appeals to you, you’ll like it.

Sounan desu ka

Adventure/comedy. After a plane crash, a group of high school girls must survive on an isolated island. There’s plenty of “fan service” (things like upskirt shots) which may make some uncomfortable. If that doesn’t put you off, this is otherwise a cute show with an interesting survival aspect to it, where you might actually learn real survival tips.

HenSuki/Kawaikereba hentai demo suki ni natte kuremasu ka

Harem/comedy/light ecchi. The genre alone should tell you nearly as much as you need to know if this one’s for you. A high school boy who wants a girlfriend finds a love letter left for him, along with a pair of panties. He then tries to figure out which of the girls in his life left the letter. There’s not too much to say about it. A cast of mildly perverted girls, and exactly everything else you’d expect.

Joshikousei no mudazukai

Comedy/high school. A group of girls with very different personalities try to navigate their new high school lives, with the main character being obsessed with finding a boyfriend despite being at an all girls school. This is silly and cute, very light in substance, but a nice break from more serious anime.

Tejina-senpai

Comedy/ecchi. A high school boy looking to join a club stumbles upon a girl practicing magic tricks in a “magic club”; however, she makes mistakes during every trick, and he has to help her out when her tricks don’t come out as planned. Keep in mind that this is in the ecchi genre and therefore aimed at tantalizing straight male viewers. If that’s your thing, you’ll find this to be a very cute and funny show.

Granbelm

Fantasy/action. This is a sort of magical girl mecha anime, from what I can tell. A high school girl is temporarily transported into an “illusionary” world full of magic where she learns she’s a descendent of a mage. There’s a heavy focus on both lore building and action scenes. If you wanna see magical girls fight in big mecha suits, this is the place to do it.

Hakata mentai Pirikarako-chan

Slice of life/comedy. Very short episodes about a little girl named Pirikarako. It seems to be mainly for children, having talking fruits in it and being animated in an overly cute style. It’s hard to explain, but it’s very silly and cute.

Re:Stage! Dream Days

Idol/slice of life. A middle school transfer student stumbles upon her school’s “lyrical club,” the members of which want to become idols, only the new girl turns out to have been an idol in the past. The girls are cute, and the singing/dancing parts are fun.

[fangedhqs-blog]

our second event is officially over ! feel free to continue the threads that you feel are important and you didn’t get to finish, but PLEASE tag your thread with something along the lines of “past” in order for others to know when the thread take place. as always, we would like to thank everyone for being active and having so many amazing plots going ! below are all of the plots that people messaged us about to be included in this plot drop, as we asked of our members a few times. if we didn’t receive a message about a plot important to a character or a character’s appearance, then it won’t be listed here. 

in the blissfully oblivious eyes of the founding families, the evening was an astounding success with a magnificent turn out. it was all captured through the perfectly aimed camera lens belonging to MARIAM VALE, including the portraits of the mandatory couples for the first dance & photos.

but as the first dance commenced and the mandatory couples parted ways, KOL MIKAELSON and OPHELIA BROOKS were followed by AVERY CHAMPNEY, who proceeded to stake kol in front of ophelia. unbeknownst to them, the whole thing was witnessed by PETER MAKRIS. being an original vampire, kol came back soon after being staked, angrier than ever. after finding avery, he almost killed them, but not before they killed a fellow party-goer for their suit, since his own was ruined upon being staked.

after leaving ophelia to find the hunter, she was kidnapped and tortured by MARCEL GERARD, who had turned off his humanity and snapped RAVYN NIGHTE’S neck earlier in the night. when he was done, VIOLET LEWIS took a stab. eventually ophelia was able to escape, being rescued by TAEYONG KIM in the woods. 

at the same time, what seemed like a tag-team feeding session outside of the ball between FOX DUBOIS and long-time friend kol, tensions rose when the fox was threatened & attacked by kol, for predatory comments towards who he claims to be his witches.

LOK LONGWEI wasn’t as lucky as avery, for in the shadows away from wandering eyes, ELIJAH MIKAELSON ripped the klaus ally’s heart out. and speaking of KLAUS MIKAELSON, not many witnessed the altercation that occurred after his seemingly innocent dance with LUCY BENNETT, involving both his aforementioned brother who seemed intent on protecting the bennett witch, and crown rival, tay, coming to her aid.

surprise appearances were made by NARI SHIM, a descendant of tay’s, and JOHN GILBERT, the uncle of jeremy & elena gilbert. along with the vampire and the hunter’s appearance, an unrelated but more significant arrival of the ORIGINAL WEREWOLVES surprised everyone, especially the mikaelson family, who have a long & brutal history with the wolves.

meanwhile, friends & students of beloved history teacher MAYA LHAMO FLEMMING found her absence quite peculiar. she’d been missing for a few days prior to the ball, as well, prompting people to ask around for information. in the middle of the event, there was an announcement made about her disappearance in order for people to keep an eye out for her in the coming days. the entire town is still in a frenzy, hoping she has not fallen victim to yet another supposed animal attack. she is still nowhere to be found. 

it is now SEPTEMBER 26TH. everyone is dealing with the aftermath of the ball in their own way. some are completely unaware of the supernatural events that occurred during the ball, while others did not get so lucky. we will be having about a two month gap (in-game) before our next event, but the following are things that can be written about in the meantime at any time before our third event:

SEPTEMBER 29TH. the sexy suds car wash fundraiser will be held by the mystic falls high school cheerleading team. 

OCTOBER 4TH. full moon.

additionally, as we have previously announced, during this gap in between our second and third event, we will be bringing in undead characters. we aren’t sure of the specific date yet, but it will be happening before we begin our third event, which will be the annual MYSTIC FALLS HIGH HALLOWEEN PARTY that is open to all residents of the town. it will take place (in-game) on OCTOBER 31ST. we will be deciding on a date for this to take place out of character in the future, as we want to make the two month gap between the ball and the party somewhat realistic. again, thank you all for your participation, we love every single one of you !

[xlisaleinx]

This episode was the missing link.

Ep. 3x05 is completely different from what we’ve seen so far - because it’s from Claire’s/Bree’s POV only. We don’t get to see any glimpses into Jamie’s life this week. And still, this is definitely one of my favourite episodes this season so far. If not my favourite. Why? Because, to me, it was the missing link. On so many levels. It was so important.

Claire’s emotional roller coaster ride

Contrary to the book, we get to see an honest portrayal of a woman facing a life-altering dilemma. The decision to go back always seemed rushed to me in Voyager. Of course there is an almost irresistible urge, a magnetic force drawing Claire back to Jamie, but she also has roots and responsibilities in the 20th century, especially when it comes to her child. And, most of all, she „shut the door on the past“, as she explains herself, and the spark of hope nearly broke her. So there’s also a strong self-protective mechanism in force. So, even if deep down she made the decision the second she learned about Roger’s discovery, I’m glad beyond measure that they chose to show it as a slow process. It takes time for her to make up her mind and justify her decision in front of herself. And they found some brilliant ways to show that process in the episode:

The opening scene: Dr. CEBRF slaying it, being herself: risking everything to save a patient’s life. Against all odds. This is her true nature, no matter the century. It’s giving her comfort and a purpose, and it also carries a responsibility that ties her to her current life. At this point, she’s shutting the door again, unaware of Roger’s discovery.

Claire’s reaction to Roger breaking the news to her. Her face screams relief, suppressed hope and longing, her words disagree. „I didn’t want to know“, „I could have lived the rest of my life not knowing.“ It throws her for a loop - for she has to make a decision now. No turning back.

Joe and Claire - I love how their friendship is fleshed out in this episode. It doesn’t only show their closeness (how great is their joined office?!), but also plays into Claire’s decision-making. It’s absolutely brilliant: Claire doesn’t tell Joe everything at once, like she does in the book. Instead, she tells him in multiple chunks, each time only as much as her current mind set allows. Before Roger’s arrival, she tells him about „someone“ from the past, that it was serious but that fate had decided to keep them separate. That’s where her mind is at. The second time they talk about it, she’s already considering the options and reveals to Joe that Jamie is (not was) Brianna’s real father. That she never stopped loving him. Joe’s advice to give love a second chance sure has some impact. When they talk about it for the third time, Claire actively seeks his advice - the decision has been made. 

The analogy between time-travel and a trip to space?! I’m in love. Claire’s inner monologue and face speak volumes - her defense is breaking. Visibly.

It seems very authentic that Claire finally decides to go back after talking it through with her daughter. Both of them will have to sacrifice a lot and it’s so important to both characters to lay their hearts on the table and make the decision together. Brilliant.

—> I simply love that it’s not a “boom, I’m going back, Jami, here I come. Boom, I’ll leave my daughter, it will hurt, but I can’t help it.“ kind of decision. It’s honest, it’s realistic, it’s human.

Bree’s identity crisis

Brianna’s way of dealing with the revelations of the past months has also been changed in the show - to the better, imo. Much like her mother, Bree is struggling to carry on with her life as it was before. The things she’s learned over the summer have a great impact on her and make her question everything. In short, she’s knee-deep into an identity crisis, wondering who she really is. This doesn’t only give her emotional journey the credit it deserves, but also clears the ground for what’s to come in season 4 (spoiler alert). She has this urge in her, the urge to get to know her father, because as Roger says, „everyone needs a history“, and knowing your father allows you to know yourself. It will make her decision to follow her mother and get to know her father look much more relatable. 

The class on misleading perceptions of history sets the stage perfectly.

Bree withdrawing from Harvard, questioning her affection for history is a great way of showing the way she’s questioning her identity, wondering if everything she thought she was was based on what Frank had been - not on what she herself was meant to be. The conversation with Roger in the arcade underlines this inner struggle: She discovers that she doesn’t really think like a historian. Her interests lie elsewhere.

The viewer gets to watch Bree coming to realize that she has to completely rebuild her life. Nothing is as it seemed, she is insecure and vulnerable. There’s only one thing she’s sure of: Her mother needs to go back to her father. To be with him, yes - but also to tell him about his daughter. We all know that it will eventually lead to Bree making her way to him, as well.

At the end of the episode, we see a woman who has faced her emotional insecurities and knows she made the right decision. During her quiet moment by herself in the kitchen after Claire’s departure, Bree’s face says it all: PURE Fraser determination. Hands clasped together, jaw set - ready for the future. A huge step closer to knowing who she is. Perfection.

I’d like to add that Sophie has grown on me in this ep - her performance was better, deeper, more believable than in previous eps. I’m glad they gave her and her character this amount of screen time, and I liked her interactions with Cait.

Forging a bond: A mother-daughter relationship There are some lovely - and necessary - moments where we get to see Claire and Bree bonding. The walls are coming down, truths are spoken, insecurities shared and reassurances given. They appear as a team, showing each other love, finally unconcealed. They’re two women united in the knowledge of otherworldly events, in pain and emotional confusion. And, most importantly, in the joint conviction that the decision they’ve made together was the right one. Bree giving the gemstone necklace to Claire (aahhh! The gemstones! Missing link!!) and Claire giving Ellen’s pearls to Bree is the perfect ending to that beautiful bonding experience.

Christmas Having all of the above set at Christmas time is a great idea, I find. It’s the time of contemplation, of family, tradition, togetherness. All of that plays a huge role in this episode. And after Claire has left, Roger is right there to catch Bree. Both of them are heartbroken - it’s Roger’s first Christmas without his father, and Bree has now lost both of her parents. Her gift to him: Making him familiar with an American (Bostonian) Christmas tradition. His gift to her: bringing a former Christmas tradition of hers back to life. There’s a deep understanding of each other involved in these gestures, and they both know it. The kiss seems perfectly realistic and authentic this time around. And so, they’re starting a new Christmas tradition. And a life together.

Other missing links

„Candy“ and Claire: weirdly necessary encounter.

THE BAT SUIT?! Yaazzz! We finally know what that was all about! Seeing Claire sewing her own outfit is giving me life - and makes soooo much more sense than buying it in some store. And it’s made from rain coats and has secret pockets - Claire’s practicality shines through and I love it.

(Not in the ep, but mentioned in „Inside the world of Outlander“: CLAIRE INCLUDED THE ZIPPERRRR and I’m totally fine!!)

I can’t even begin to tell you guys how much I adore the idea with the puddle/prologue/car/carriage. The prologue is such a perfect fit, and it’s just great to see it included. Combined with the parallel to the time-travel analogy in season 1 (car) - well, kudos to you, Toni Graphia! 

I don’t have to say anything in regards to the print shop scene. PURE, UTTER P E R F E C T I O N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All in all, this episode is everything I could have ever hoped or asked for, especially in terms of character development and links that were missing. The producers did an amazing job at improving the plot and the characters’s emotional journeys, making them seem way more realistic and relatable than in the book.

Now…bring on ep. 6! Dr. Claire to the rescue!!

[educatedinyellow]

For the headcanon game, Mycroft Holmes and Mary Morstan, if no one has asked them yet. ACD or 7PER.

Thanks so much for playing this meme with me, @sanguinarysanguinity! I do have quite a lot of headcanon about both of these characters, although most of it I have already written into my fics. But I’ll try to come up with some new thoughts for this post. I’ll start with ACD Mary, and then I will do a separate post for Mycroft tonight.

So, here we go with 4 headcanons for ACD Mary that haven’t previously shown up in my stories:

Headcanon A (Realistic): I think the Watson household is ahousehold full of writing. Mary writes fiction, just as John does, though I’dhave to think more about what kind. She is also Watson’s first reader – as heis hers – and her work as a governess has given her a great facility for fast,astute editing and commentary; the quality of his stories becomes noticeably moreerratic in the years after her death.

But a great deal of their individual writingtime goes into correspondence. Watson keeps in touch with a number of peoplethat he met through Holmes’s cases.  Withthe exception of Holmes himself, all his best friendships are long-distanceones, and among their old clients he is closest to Henry Baskerville. He alsokeeps in touch with a handful of friends from the war, like Murray and ColonelHayter. Mary, being a former client herself and the one person besides Holmeswith whom Watson shares the full details of their cases, reaches out through himand develops a correspondence with a number of the women we meet in the canonand even a few of the men as well.

I can see her having a rich correspondencewith Violet Hunter (they strike me as quite similar personalities and shareprofessional interests) and with Helen Stoner (Mary knows what it means to growup lonely and to discover too late how little one knew one’s father). I thinkshe has a delicate and mostly indirect correspondence with Beryl Stapleton as well. Watson triesto keep in touch with Mrs. Stapleton in an attempt to make himself available asa doctor who knows her history and will treat her domestic abuse with sensitivity, but to better develop such sensitivity he often relies on Mary for advice and information - she speaks to Beryl through him as well as occasionally in her own letters. She likewise knows Mr. Melas becausethey spontaneously invited him to dinner around the time of Orthodox Easter onespring, and both she and John are very fond of him.

Headcanon B (Funny): In her first years as a governess shewas far more demure and serious than suited her natural inclination, because she wasnervous about establishing her authority over students who were not all thatmuch younger than herself. In later years, though, she grew perfectlycomfortable allowing more wildness and silliness in herclassroom. She taught the Forrester girls some pranks she picked up from otherofficers’ daughters that thoroughly shocked and delighted them. She broke someof the same repertoire out on Watson on occasion, and he quickly learned that keepinghouse with her was far more reminiscent of keeping house with Holmes than he’dever expected. An adventure in every butter dish!

Headcanon C (Complete AU): In a modern-day setting, I thinkI would cast Mary as an archaeologist who is instrumental in directing museumprograms to repatriate stolen historical treasures to their countries oforigin. She meets John in Pakistan, I think, as he is preparing to deploy toAfghanistan and she is working on a dig. They hit it off immediately and keepin touch for a while, but John drops off the map after he’s injured and theyonly re-encounter each other years later in London.

Headcanon D (Canon Divergence): There’s so little about Maryin ACD canon that we are free to make her whoever we want her to be – she strikesme as one of the most protean characters in the canon, with so much potentialto fill in her off-screen life between the lines in as many different ways asthere are readers. The one bit of canon about her that I do consistently wantto diverge from, though, is the very quick romance and engagement between herand Watson. I generally don’t like rushed romances or marriages between people who hardlyknow each other, so my preferred headcanon is for them to begin courtingat the end of Sign of Four but to take a good year or so before theirengagement. The more time they have together to grow into friendship, love, andintimacy, the more easily I can believe that their feelings are real and basedon substance rather than initial impressions.

P.S. In case anyone is interested in those of my Mary headcanons that have showed up in fics, I will just link these below. I wouldn’t want anyone to wind up reading something they don’t enjoy, though, so I’ll just mention that all my stories treat the John/Mary marriage as a happy one in which they were in love, which may or may not be your thing :)

Someone at the scent of orange blossom (a post-Reichenbach Holmes/Watson romance that involves Holmes learning some things about John and Mary’s marriage, particularly the time surrounding her last illness. The story considers themes of remembrance alongside those of new love and commitment).

Rewriting History (a Holmes/Watson epistolary friends-to-lovers story that includes a subplot where I delve into more headcanons about the John/Mary marriage; it offers a positive spin on canon tidbits including her frequent absences from home and their childlessness).

Biblical References (a 60 word John/Mary ficlet, inspired by the first case that Watson took with Holmes after his marriage - The Crooked Man. One of the key clues in that case involved a wife calling her husband by the wrong name). Why does Mary sometimes call her husband James?

[impracticaldemon]

Nalu Fluff Week 2017 Within the Law, Chapter 2

fanfiction by impracticaldemon Words: ~3000 | Also on FFnet | AO3 (coming soon) | CH. 1

Author's Note:

Chapter 2 of Within the Law is based on the Day 4 prompt "History", with several nods to the Day 1 prompt "Soulmates".

I'd like to thank everyone who is reading, following and liking this story so far, with special thanks to those who have taken a moment to drop me a line to tell me what they think of the story. 

Chapter 2—Friend or Foe?

Prompt: History

I—Scrutiny

The interview did not go at all as Lucy expected. For one thing, it was a great deal more informal than any interview she'd ever had for a job (other than one for a paper route that her father wouldn't let her keep). The real shock, however, was finding out that the law firm of Makarov & Vermilion—known to lawyers as Fairy Tail—had a history with her family.

The room was more or less what she had envisioned—corporate-Fiore standard boardroom with an oval table, big comfortable chairs, and fully updated with the newest in lacrima technology. The artwork was a little unusual, and appeared to have been contributed by various members of the firm, since there wasn't any cohesion or similarity between the pieces that she could make out. Lucy couldn't help but glance at Natsu when her eyes caught what appeared to be an original Star Wars movie poster in all its kitschy, late- seventies glory, mounted in a place of honour on one wall. Natsu gave her two thumbs up, apparently aware of her interest—in the poster—and Lucy found herself smiling.

"That's the slightly more common version, of course," he stage whispered to her as she sat down in her designated spot. "But I have the Type A poster at home."

Lucy had no idea what he was talking about; apparently Natsu was an even bigger geek than she was. Also… was that a pick-up line? Gray either shared her concern or saw her expression. He punched Natsu none-too-lightly on the shoulder.

"Seriously, Pepto B? Lucy's here for a job interview and you sound like some kind of nerdy pick-up artist."

"What the hell, Gray?! I just thought she'd like to know—I mean she can recognize an Imperial Destroyer-class capital ship when she sees one!"

"So could anyone who's known you for at least five minutes," argued Gray, unconsciously pushing back his sleeves. His pale blue shirt was now unbuttoned most of the way down his chest, revealing a stylized silver sword on a matching chain around his neck—and some very nice muscle, and part of a dark blue tattoo.

Lucy saw Erza Scarlet, the firm's youngest-ever managing partner start to tense at the childish behaviour. She leaned forward, but Makarov Dreyar, the firm's senior partner, shook his head at her slightly, and Ms. Scarlet sighed but didn't intervene. Lucy wondered just how often this kind of thing went on around Fairy Tail. Were they at least more professional around clients? And did their lead forensic specialist really need to show off his chest like that? Lucy found herself looking back at Natsu in the hope that maybe this was a common habit for Fairy Tail guys. Hope?! Did I really just think that? Ugh! This is getting out of hand.

Ignoring Ms. Scarlet's glare, Natsu poked Gray in the chest with a forefinger. It didn't look like much, but Gray almost fell out of his chair.

"Hah!" crowed Natsu. "Shows what you know, Stripper! Lucy hadn't known me for five minutes yet!" He beamed at Lucy, who once again felt like a deer caught in particularly attractive headlights. She scrambled to get her wits together, her task made harder as Natsu reached up and loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar. Mercifully, he stopped with just one button.

"… I guess not," she ventured. "At least, I know it wasn't for very long."

Gray leaned forward toward Natsu with a predatory smirk. "Thought so. You didn't go fetch Lucy like you were supposed to, did you? I'll bet you ran home to let Plue out, set Happy to keep an eye on him, and then—let's see—you had to rush back here because you can't stand riding the subway. You know, I thought it was strange that Lucy got caught in the rain."

Lucy felt a blush starting—why had she lied to cover up for Natsu? Then she discovered that nobody else seemed especially upset, although Ms. Scarlet was obviously irritated.

"And which great detective are you today, Ice Cube Brain, Poirot or Holmes?" Natsu rolled his eyes. "I mean for crying out loud, Ice Princess, don't you—"

"That's enough!" Ms. Scarlet's hand smacked the table, and Lucy jumped right along with the guys. "Natsu—we'll have to have another chat about your billable hours later today. Gray, put your shirt back on and stop baiting Natsu."

Wait, what? Lucy stared at Gray, whose expensive broadcloth shirt was hanging neatly over the back of his chair. What the hell?

Okay, so the lawyers at M&V were a little… unusual. Lucy had already known that in advance. She'd done her research—and seen the news stories—so she'd been aware that Makarov Dreyar was extremely short and tended to conduct business sitting cross-legged on top of tables, podiums, bars, and—in one very famous case—the back of a client's expensive and extremely explicit Greek statue of three lovers.

Mr. Makarov had argued that as the statue was a perfectly functional chair, and as there were no obscenity by-laws regarding lawn furniture, the City of Magnolia had no right to either fine his client or force him to remove the object from his front lawn. He'd lost the case, but it had made his law firm known to most of Fiore by the time it was over. On top of that, the client had reputedly been pleased that he and his statue had been on the news for the better part of two months. It had allegedly doubled the client's business, which Lucy preferred to not think about too hard.

Lucy had also been prepared for Erza Scarlet to be a gorgeous redhead who was not much older than she was. Ms. Scarlet was known equally for her uncompromising courtroom tactics and her custom-designed suits, which had a strange tendency toward colorful bows and thematic patterns that she claimed were related to her cases. Three years ago, journalist Jason Khol had commented that if Erza Scarlet ever showed up for court in a regular black or navy suit, he'd know for sure to leave immediately; the case would either be boring or leave people dead. He had also reported that the lawyer's one weakness was strawberry torte with real whipped cream. Looking across at the giant portrait of a piece of cake so deliciously realistic that Lucy's mouth immediately began to water, Lucy concluded that the information might have been more accurate that Jason's usual offerings.

She was called back to the present when Ms. Scarlet cleared her throat and thanked Lucy for coming to the interview. Lucy almost hugged her for saying something so normal.

"I'm very happy to be here," she began.

"Well, that's just it," interrupted Makarov. "You see, we've had our eyes on you for some time, but since we're all very much like family here, we had to make sure that you weren't just applying for a position in order to spy for your father."

Lucy froze in place. This was actually worse than she'd expected. She'd become more or less inured to being courted for her family's wealth and connections, but she'd never ceased to be hurt on the rare occasions that she'd been met with grim scorn or open hostility because of her family's "opportunistic" business practices.

"Oi, gramps!" Lucy blinked in surprise. It sounded like Natsu was—angry?—on her behalf. Sure enough, the pink-haired securities lawyer waded in with total disregard for rank or protocol. "You didn't have to put it like that! Besides, it's perfectly obvious that she's not here to spy for Old No-Heart Heartfilia!"

No-Heart Heartfilia. Yes, that's what they called him—the nebulous "they" being almost anyone from whom he'd ever wanted something.

Lucy looked up when a heavy arm dropped around her shoulders and squeezed. She automatically noticed the high-quality wool of the suit and the fine linen of the shirt cuff. She'd been raised to notice things like that in the same way that others noticed hair and eye colour. Still a little in shock at the unexpected—well, not attack exactly, but close—she mused that she didn't like Natsu's cuff links and would have to choose him a new pair. That thought brought her out of her daze. What was it with him that made her think things like that? He smells good, her nose suggested. She didn't recognize the soap, so it was probably an off-brand—something he'd picked up for himself—but there was a hint of pine and fresh wood smoke that was both very odd and somehow comforting.

"I have to agree with Pinky, jiji." To Lucy's surprise, that was Gray's cool, rather deep voice, and it sounded like he was on her side too. "Lucy lied like a champ for Natsu and—as we've heard—she barely knew him. Not just that, but I'm pretty sure she didn't know he was a partner, so I doubt she was looking to buy favours." Gray must have moved closer, because she heard him murmur sotto voce: "Waste of time with Natsu anyway…"

Lucy looked up at Mr. Makarov, who seemed to be frowning at her. All at once she realized that Natsu was still hugging her. It was nice, but she preferred to stand on her own two feet, metaphorically speaking.

"Um, Natsu?"

"Natsu—personal space?" Erza's voice sounded slightly weary; no doubt they'd had this conversation before.

"Yeah, Natsu, she hasn't accepted your offer to come see your Type A Star Wars poster yet you know." Sure enough, Gray was right behind her.

"Gray—put your shirt back on."

"Oh—sure thing Erza."

Gray's presence disappeared from behind her and at the same time the warmth around her shoulders vanished. She felt surprisingly disappointed, but persevered.

"Mr. Makarov—Ms. Scarlet—is this still an interview for a job? Or am I here because you're angry with my father?"

"Hmmm, well, I wouldn't say I was ever angry with you, Ms. Heartfilia. It's just that your father has a way of hurting people when he doesn't get his own way, so I am… protective."

Lucy stood up, pleased to find that she was fully in control of herself and her voice again.

"There is nobody who understands my father's nature better than I do," she said in a clipped voice. "Am I here for a job? Or a trial?"

Mr. Makarov smiled at her, and to Lucy's surprise, his smile had quite a bit of the same elusive, sunny charm as Natsu's.

"Actually, if Gray and Natsu hadn't jumped in so quickly, I would have explained that although we were concerned about your motives for seeking employment here, we've already determined that you're just the kind of person we want here—and the right person to make sure that past history stays in the past."

"Oh." Lucy suddenly felt deflated. Then her normal good spirits—which had somehow survived her father's rule after her mother's death—started to bubble back to the surface. "Um, Mr. Makarov?"

"Yes?"

"Does this mean I'm hired?"

"If you want the position, it's yours."

Lucy nodded firmly. "Absolutely. I've dreamed of working here."

"Awesome!" That was Natsu, and he was grinning even more brightly than before.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail," said Gray, who still hadn't put his shirt back on. He offered Lucy a slight smile—the first she'd seen other than when he'd been laughing at Natsu.

"We're very happy to have you here," put in Erza. "Please, just call me Erza. If you have some time now, we can do up the proper contracts and so on."

"And discuss billable hours," muttered Natsu.

"Nonsense, she's a summer student," Erza told him sharply. "You on the other hand…"

"Right—got it! And, uh, I've got to get going… are we done here? I mean, gramps has a beer out now and all…"

Sure enough, Mr. Makarov was drinking placidly from a giant beer stein. Where had that come from?

"Fine. Go." Erza shook her head as Natsu rushed off. "That boy… brilliant, of course, but not focussed."

"He's young," murmured Erza's boss—to the extent that she had one. She started to nod in agreement, when Makarov added, "So are you, of course."

"Well then, time to wrap this up," said Gray. He was looking impatient, but was too polite to simply leave.

Just then, Natsu stuck his head in at the door.

"Lucy! I forgot! I'll walk you home, okay? Also—don't let Gray convince you to try out for the hockey team and don't let Erza talk you into putting on a musical. See you in a couple of hours!"

The pink hair vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Musical?" Lucy asked, puzzled.

"Oh yes!" replied Erza, suddenly looking much less severe and considerably younger. "I happened to notice on your résumé that you've done some amateur theatricals, and…"

Lucy heard a snicker from Gray; he patted her on the shoulder on his way out, careful not to interrupt Erza's excited description of the potential for the first ever Fairy Tail musical operetta. Seated to Erza's right, on the conference table, Lucy saw Mr. Makarov smile into his beer.

II—Not Alone

"So, how was your first day?"

Lucy looked sideways at Natsu, who looked cheerfully unrepentant about leaving work early. He'd told her that he'd probably go back later. Unless she wanted to see the poster today, of course. Lucy had declined, citing fatigue and a need to find a place to live in the city now that she could more or less afford to pay rent.

"Well, I didn't really do any work… I mean, I still have end of year exams to go before I can work full-time for the rest of the summer."

Natsu gave her a knowing look.

"I'll bet Erza talked you into the musical."

"True. But she agreed that it might be better to consider a play to start."

"Heh. She wants Gray to sing—he's a dork, but he's got a good voice. He's usually willing to go along with stuff, but he's put his foot down on the singing." Natsu paused, considering. "So far."

"I know exactly what you mean," Lucy told him with considerable feeling. "Erza's amazing, and she's been my idol for the last two years, but she's really… intense."

"Accurate," Natsu agreed. Despite the beautiful clothes, Lucy was starting to believe that he really wasn't much older than she was.

They walked along for a few more minutes, chatting and laughing with surprising ease, when Natsu stopped abruptly and looked toward a park about a half-block away.

"Come on," he said. "I've got to get Happy and Plue."

Bemused, and amazed that she was going with him despite her skirt and heels—she'd ditched the stockings and not bothered with her spare pair—Lucy trailed along behind Natsu. When they reached the park, the white dog and blue-grey cat came trotting up. At Natsu's request, Lucy carefully squatted down in her tight skirt to pet the dog. He was an adorable little thing, with short, velvety fur and dark, expressive eyes.

"So his owner is away?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah… Well, kinda." Natsu shifted from foot-to-foot, his cat Happy in the crook of one arm. "Actually, they're not coming back. But I didn't want Plue to go to just anyone, so I took him in. The building doesn't allow dogs, but I'm planning to get my own place soon anyway, so I thought—why not?"

There was obviously some kind of story there—more old history?—but for some reason, Lucy didn't feel the need to find out about it the way she usually did. She liked the dog—more of a puppy, really—and for some reason, she liked the man. She smiled when it occurred to her that Natsu seemed like a bit of a puppy himself at times. Corporate law shark he might be, but she hadn't seen it so far. She might feel differently once they'd worked together for a while, of course.

A hand reached down, and Natsu helped her to her feet. He seemed a little abstracted, so Lucy gave him his space. Or tried to, anyway. He appeared to like walking close to her, and—again, she wasn't sure why—it didn't bother her.

"How about I give you a hand with finding an apartment?" Natsu asked, after several minutes of silence.

Lucy stopped, since they were about to head down into the subway station, and it would be next-to-impossible to chat down there, given the noise and people. She was surprised by the offer—but not really.

"You don't mind?" She hesitated, and then said bluntly, "The thing is that I'm going to have to do a fair bit of looking. It's got to be nice enough to be comfortable, but not too expensive—although I've got some money saved up, which will help. But the big thing is that my dad's going to be really upset. So I need to look without him knowing."

Natsu nodded, obviously thinking. "So you're running away then?"

"Pretty much. But I've still got a year of school to go so… I don't know exactly how it will work out."

Her companion studied her face and then smiled reassuringly. "We'll make it happen—no problem! You're not on your own now, you know?"

An odd lump rose in Lucy's throat, and she hastily blinked away tears.

"Yeah. Thanks, Natsu."

"There is one thing, though."

"What?" Lucy could feel her original wariness return.

"I really hate subways. Worse than anything." He looked embarrassed and ran a hand through his pink hair.

"Oh. I see the problem." Lucy pulled herself out of her unproductive thoughts. She smiled at Natsu. "I think I can make it home from here on my own, to be honest. Besides, Erza will be happier with you if you head back to work, won't she?"

"Yeah… After I drop off these two, anyway." He seemed a little disappointed, and Lucy hoped it was because he was sorry she had to go. "Well, maybe you can come by on the weekend? Hang out with me and these guys?" His head indicated the cat and the dog.

Lucy didn't know what to say. She wanted to say yes, but it was ridiculous to trust a guy that she barely knew.

"Aren't you going to be working?" she temporized.

"Probably not; there's nothing big in the works for a couple more weeks. Actually, that's the thing—I don't always have a ton of free time, but this weekend's good. That's how it goes in my practice area—you're either working flat out or not too much. I don't mind it. But I want to help you find a place, so…"

"Well, okay then." Lucy gave in and decided to go for it. She couldn't tell if the guy was just being nice—very nice—or whether he was asking her out in a very, very circuitous way. It was impossible to tell. At the very least, he seemed to want to spend time with her. She definitely wanted to spend time with him, although she couldn't quite explain why. She felt less alone than she had in years.

Natsu was frowning again, but he grinned at her response. "Great! Okay, let's exchange numbers"—they each pulled out their communications lacrima—"and we'll aim for early Saturday afternoon. Good?"

"Works for me."

"Also, if you ever just want to come over and study, I can probably help. Gray's not too shabby either, though I wouldn't tell him that."

"Such fulsome praise!"

"I know, right?" Another blinding grin.

"See you on Saturday, Natsu!"

"Bye Lucy! Don't trip in the turnstile this time!"

Lucy opened her mouth to protest—it was Happy and Plue that had tripped her up—but Natsu was already jogging away. She suspected he was laughing.

[END]

A/Note: So, this chapter ended up three times longer than planned—mind you, I'm using the term "planned" in a very general kind of way.  I hope you enjoyed it! I'll probably do one more to wrap up Fluff Week. The story needs at least a kiss and definitely some cuddle time... but what do I know?

As always, your reviews and comments are very much appreciated! You'd be surprised how encouraging it is to know that people look forward to reading your work. :)

Confession time ~ I do have a law degree and practiced law in a large firm for just over two years after finishing law school. I practice law in Canada, which means primarily "common law" - that is, law based on both legislation and the decisions of the courts. The US, and most former British colonies, are also common law jurisdictions. The system is different in  "civil law" jurisdictions, such as Québec (in Canada) and most of Europe.

@shell-senji @nalufever @eliz1369 @nalu-natic @naluloverforever @unashamed-shipper @kazama-hime @sabinasanfanfic  @sanguine-fairy @very-x-vice @walk-tall-my-fr1ends @hakusaitosan @strawberrysweetlove35 @fic-writer-appreciation @ftfanfics

Note: I may not be tagging all the right people; I apologize to those I’ve included by mistake and (in absentia!) to those I’ve missed.

[insolent-puppy]

On The Qui Vive | 10/29/1784

After twenty-four hours of commotion and clamor, something of a lull had finally descended upon the household. A stillness, a dormancy of sorts. It was quiet now---almost unnaturally so, following the previously unremitting bustle. Or rather, everything was noticeably reticent by method of comparison. It only seemed too quiet. Realistically speaking, the residence had merely resumed an ordinary procession of sights and sounds---which had been a thing sorely overdue. Coming down from upstairs, he could hear the old grandfather clock tapping away again, always a few minutes behind. For some reason, his father had no care to replace or correct it. There was some weather outside; an intermittent gust of wind here and there. The air struck him as a little cold for October. Fires were alight and crackling in all rooms suitable to hold them. 

Gone were the successions of nervous questions, unheeded concerns, and well-paid assurances; reduced to a hazy vestige in his mind. The incessant flurries of footsteps, rustlings of garments, poorly hushed voices and creaking of floorboards; it had all abated. Dwindled away to the occasional coming and going, to reasonably well-mannered conversation carried by unagitated, unperturbed tones. Namely, those of his father and Doctor Choake, that was. Most everyone else had made themselves scarce by now. Aunt Agatha with her murmurs and mutterings had gone to bed promptly after being allowed to pay her respects upstairs, which suited him perfectly well. 

He’d endured enough of her rambling, inconsequential opinions to last a lifetime, if one could be expected to survive them. Missus Chynoweth, miraculously less trying for once by comparison, had done similarly, though he expected she would not retire permanently until her daughter refused visitors for the night. Verity was still about, though she remained at Elizabeth’s beck and call, and had not ventured down for nearly twenty-five minutes. The lapse of activity rang in his ears, adding to the surrealism, adding to the mental fog that presently dulled his thoughts and sensations. Physical exhaustion weighed heavily upon his eyelids, forming a steady throb somewhere behind them. 

His head ached, and his limbs were sore. Although, it had all gradually begun to dissipate after seeming to reach a pinnacle earlier in the day, having well and sufficiently elapsed any point of slumber. The past day and night had permitted little sleep for anyone, and certainly none for him. However---his nerves and mind were what had been grievously taxed; not his body. The details and events of the past twenty-four hours were an indistinct blur to him, a series of strenuous ordeals turned into something less than pragmatic. Of waiting, and waiting, of worrying for long intervals, of going for what had certainly felt like hours on end with no word, broken apart only by the occasional, equally unhelpful snippet of news. All of this was now bleeding together, fragmenting beyond recognition in his brain. 

Very soon, perhaps come morning, he expected it would feel as though none of it had ever happened. Until then, a thick haze had settled over him, permissible now that the immediate crisis had passed; numbing out the stress brought upon by the occasion. Elizabeth had first begun to show signs of parturition the previous afternoon. Doctor Choake had been sent for at once, and Missus Chynoweth soon after. The fact that they had proceeded to arrive within a few minutes of one another had spoken far better of Elizabeth’s mother than the country physician. According to Choake, no great alarm had ever been warranted.

But, Choake operated beneath the impression that so long as his sophisticated methods were properly observed, there were never any grounds for concern. Believing that if they failed to take the desired effect, the patient had surely and regrettably already been beyond the aid of modern medicine. Thus, his assurances came with their own restrictions. And Elizabeth’s labor had been difficult and protracted, having taken a little over twenty-four hours. The child---their son, had not appeared until shortly after supper the following day---this day. She had screamed more than once, and each time he had risen helplessly to his feet, with hands clenched, and cold, and sweaty---and utterly powerless to comfort his wife, or even to wait by her side.

He had abstained from sending for George until late yesterday evening. Of course, had it been a simple matter of having his way, the other man would’ve arrived along with the physician and Elizabeth’s mother, assuming there’d been no prior engagements to keep him elsewhere. However, it was hardly considered common practice---indeed was regarded as something of an uncouth thing, to have anyone other than relatives, doctors, and members of the cloth beneath one’s roof during such an intimate occasion. However, his longstanding history with the family allowed George some liberties, and his eventual arrival had gone largely unremarked upon. 

Preoccupied with their task, Choake and Verity had dismissed it entirely as a given, and his father had offered no fuss beyond a grunt and a throaty cough. For once in her life, Missus Chynoweth had been too distracted to react significantly, but she had offered no signs of displeasure. If anything, the addition looked to have pleased her. Although---so long as no one viewed him as blasphemous, Francis had not cared much at the time. He’d been on edge, white in the face, prepared to throttle Choake for his arrogant, nonchalant ambiguity had the man not been essential to Elizabeth’s welfare---or, supposedly essential. Once the birthing process had continued for several hours and shown no indication of being done with soon, he’d buckled and sent word over to Cardew sometime after nine o’clock, if only for the sake of his own sanity. 

The waiting had been the worst of it. Certainly---he’d been prepared for some manner of chaos, for apprehension and commotion. But not for a ceaseless night and the better part of another day spent in prolonged, nerve-wracking suspense and ignorance. Or at the very least, he’d not expected that to be the most difficult thing to contend with. In hindsight, he realized that he should have known, but---well, that was hindsight. 

And---though the household wide trepidation had largely and mercifully diminished, they weren’t entirely in the clear yet either. Both mother---mother, his young wife, newly turned twenty last month, was a mother now---and child, had been deemed fit and healthy by Choake. But after their son had appeared, Elizabeth had been terribly weak, dipping in and out of consciousness ever since. Choake attributed this entirely to her fragile constitution, and had reiterated multiple times that there was absolutely no warrant for concern. She would come to once allowed sufficient recovery time.

Francis would cease to worry once she was herself again and no sooner, however---he was greatly relieved that the thick of it was supposedly over and done with, and no longer found himself on the brink of utter disarray. If anything---it was leaning towards the opposite now. Everything was slow and muted where it had previously been turbulent. He padded monotonously down the steps, onto the landing below and past the room where his father and Choake could be heard conversing. He hadn’t been paying any attention, but there had been numerous mentions of ‘pride’, ‘expectations’, and ‘gratification’, he believed. Aloof and self-satisfied---and probably weary himself, Choake would of course be taking advantage of their hospitality for another night. He’d forgotten to check the time, but he imagined it was well past ten o’clock. 

He’d gone to sit with Elizabeth for a short while, and having come upon her during a lapse of consciousness, had asked if George could see the baby, but she had refused him. Although too fatigued and too distracted by her own experience to raise a significant objection, he understood that she disapproved of George being on premise at all, thinking it indelicate from a standpoint of principle. Of course, she was not without grounds on this account, but---Francis thought her stance not entirely fair, and a little unnecessary---if not ridiculous. Even setting aside George’s considerable past history with the Poldarks, Elizabeth had known him for over a year now herself. Surely, he merited some measure of exception. Apparently, she did not think so. 

However, Francis knew perfectly well that this rigid perspective stemmed entirely from personal insecurity, and an overly sensitive regard for social nuances. It was not a reflection on George, or her opinion of him. If anything, her liking and respect for him probably left her all the more concerned with maintaining what she considered to be appropriate appearances. Even so---though he wanted her to have her way, he also felt quite a bit sorry that George was being forced to wait, when everyone else had been to her room. Perhaps tomorrow---he could simply bring the child down, as he doubted Elizabeth would be receiving visitors beyond family and physicians for some time. Perhaps that would preserve everyone’s comfort and peace of mind.

He found George where he’d left him in the parlor, and he did not bother to close the door behind him. From disregard or absent-mindedness, or perhaps from some lingering need to leave himself easily accessed, lest there should be any urgent call upon his person. Though---he sincerely hoped not. He didn’t say anything at first---simply walked over to the decanter and poured himself a glass of brandy, with some visible weariness to his movements. Everything felt a little heavier than usual. For some reason, this left him with an irrational twinge of annoyance. 

He put it down and rubbed his face before bringing the glass to his mouth, only half turning back to the other man. He made a slight gesture with his free hand, though it was not particularly informative.

“Nothing new under the sun---or moon, I suppose.” He frowned after speaking, gaze shifting briefly to the window, where darkness pressed against the decorative panes. He would not offer up Elizabeth’s opinion on George’s presence here, as he did not like it, and was himself entirely indebted to George’s coming. The pungent astringency of the alcohol prickled at his nose and mouth before he took a swallow, and he subsequently thought better of it---finding the smell too potent for his presently dull, sluggish senses. He set the glass down, almost feeling a little sick, though he promptly shook it off, eyes returning to George. “Can I get you anything---?”

[thisdaynews]

Impeachment takeaways: Damning testimony and a surprise confession

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/impeachment-takeaways-damning-testimony-and-a-surprise-confession/

Impeachment takeaways: Damning testimony and a surprise confession

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. | Will McNamee/Getty Images

The House collected more damning testimony this week detailing President Donald Trump’s attempts to get Ukrainian help investigating his political foes. A surprise confession came from the White House lectern. And Senate Republican leaders urged their rank-and-file to prepare for a trial before Christmas.

Things sure are cooking on the impeachment front.

To help make sense of it all, we asked five reporters covering the Trump presidency and the investigations to offer insights on what’s happened and what’s ahead.

Does Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s timeline for impeachment — the House passing articles as soon as Thanksgiving and a Senate trial finished by Christmas — sound realistic?

Darren Samuelsohn, senior White House reporter:Not really. But I also think McConnell is making a political play here to set up expectations on the timing for this process when Speaker Nancy Pelosi and company are doing everything they can to avoid talking about a timeline. Washington loves to make deadlines, and when someone in power offers one this town gets even more obsessed about whether it will or won’t be met. So it’s a good move by McConnell to put this out there, even if things spill into 2021 like I think they will.

Natasha Bertrand, National security correspondent:No, but as Darren alluded to, that’s probably the point. Some Democrats I’ve spoken to, including Joaquin Castro, who sits on two of the three main committees investigating impeachment, have said that ideally they’d like to see the House vote on impeachment articles by the spring. But the Thanksgiving and Christmas deadlines floated by McConnell seem unrealistic and like a way to set Democrats up to fail.

Nancy Cook, White House reporter: White House officials are too busy fighting among themselves over who should oversee and coordinate the impeachment response to zero in too much on a timeline. But they are closely studying the former impeachment proceedings of President Bill Clinton and President Richard Nixon for clues about what to come, and they are basing their expectations, in part, on history.

Josh Gerstein, legal affairs reporter:The timing seems awfully ambitious, particularly with the slew of court fights still ongoing that could contribute to impeachment. Of course, Dems can just cry “Obstruction!” and sally forth, and those battles don’t yet involve the Ukraine matter. I do think McConnell’s discussion of timing and mechanics of a Senate trial is aimed in part at reminding Senate Democrats running for president that moving forward with impeachment means there will be a practical impact on their campaigns just as primaries and caucuses are getting underway.

Melanie Zanona, congressional reporter: That timeline is wishful thinking. Democrats are still in the “fact-finding” phase of their investigation — and some members have said they’re surprised by how many witnesses are still lining up to spill their secrets. Democrats also need to hold public hearings at some point and then actually draft articles of impeachment, which could be a time-consuming process. And not to mention, Congress also needs to fund the government by Nov. 21.

Are we any closer to Republicans breaking ranks with President Trump?

Darren:Not in any substantial numbers. After all, Mitt Romney, maybe the most outspoken member of the GOP to take issue with the president on so many different issues, is facing a withering series of attacks from his right. I imagine that message from Trumpworld is one that will have many Hill Republicans lying as low as they can on impeachment for as long as they can. What’s the point for anyone really to speak up until they are actually about to take a vote?

Natasha:No, but we haven’t seen many full-throated defenses either, especially in light of his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria and recent reports that Turkey, exploiting that power vacuum, may have committed war crimes against the U.S.’ Kurdish allies by attacking them with chemical weapons. Sen. Lindsey Graham, for example, normally a staunch Trump ally, told an NBC reporter this week that he would “become President Trump’s worst nightmare” on Syria if he didn’t reverse course, and a House resolution condemning the withdrawal passed with bipartisan support. But as our colleagues have reported, that revolt appears to have been short-lived.

Nancy:Toward the end of the week, we did see some cracks in the Republican support particularly after acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s startling press conference and his efforts to walk back his statements. House leadership was throwing him under the bus privately, and one of our congressional reporters, Melanie Zanona, had a really interesting conversation with Florida Republican Rep. Francis Rooney, who called Mulvaney’s quid pro quo comment a problem. The White House is not giving Republican lawmakers much help in defending President Donald Trump with their missteps and the avalanche of news out of the congressional testimony — and that puts Republicans on the Hill in a hard place politically.

Josh:I think we’re a tad closer because we have to assume that Republicans in the Senate privately share at least some of the views being openly expressed by others in the GOP. When Speaker Pelosi essentially accuses Trump of being a Russian stooge and someone like Rooney responds by saying, “She’s got a point,” it feels like there’s a level of growing Republican frustration with Trump that will eventually find an outlet. Just seems like under any normal conditions, any GOP lawmaker would dismiss such a suggestion as absurd and offensive.

Melanie: We’ve seen some Republicans start to dip their toes in the impeachment waters — but no-one has jumped in just yet. Sen. Lisa Murkowksi (R-Alaska), who has been pretty careful with her responses to the Ukraine scandal, said: “You don’t hold up foreign aid that we had previously appropriated for a political initiative — period.” And as Nancy and Josh mentioned, Rooney, who has been sitting in on the closed-door depositions, said he was stunned by Mulvaney’s admission of a quid pro quo and hasn’t ruled out supporting impeachment. “I want to get the facts and do the right thing,” he said. “Because I’ll be looking at my children a lot longer than I’m looking at anybody in this building.”

Does the White House seem closer or farther away from an actual impeachment strategy?

Darren:Things are going about how you’d expect they would for the Trump White House. There are too many conflicting messages coming out, and we have different power centers caught up in the scandal trying to save themselves. Chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s press conference this week, where he acknowledged the political reality of withholding military assistance to Ukraine, followed a pattern we saw during the Mueller and Stormy Daniels probes where Rudy Giuliani would blurt out damaging things that had been done but insist they were all perfectly appropriate. I can’t really tell what the point is other than to limit the damage among Republicans who have to be taking everything in and wondering which way the wind will be blowing when it does come time to vote on impeachment.

Natasha: Farther away, especially as Trump’s allies, particularly in Congress, work for days to try to deny that something happened — i.e., a quid pro quo — only to have someone from the White House or Trump himself completely undermine it in a press conference or tweet, as we saw on Thursday with Mulvaney. The closest thing to a strategy that emerged this week was a concerted attack on Nancy Pelosi, which seemed to have backfired as Pelosi proudly displayed a photo of herself standing up to Trump as her Twitter banner.

Nancy: Strategy has never the strong suit of this particular White House. We’re seeing the same pattern play out with impeachment, as everyone in the Trump orbit from lawyers to outside allies to top West Wing staffers vie for the opportunity to impress the president.

Josh:Still seems more like improvisation than strategy to me. Whatever they’re trying to do is poorly calibrated, even if there is a plan. I thought it was interesting that Mulvaney talked about the importance of having “our P.R. people” at the table, even as he made a confusing presentation that was entirely unhelpful to the president. There does seem to be some fairly consistent messaging about the process, but I suspect this may be because surrogates are too worried about being contradicted on the facts to attempt to defend Trump on those grounds.

Melanie: It still looks like the Trump campaign is taking the lead on the president’s impeachment defense strategy — and it’s not always consistent with the White House, which is creating some headaches for the GOP. Case in point: Even after Mulvaney walked back his admission of a quid pro quo (and Republicans sought to distance themselves from the comments), the Trump campaign embraced one of his lines from the press conference — “get over it” — and turned it into a T-shirt.

Do you think we will be seeing more or less of Rudy?

Darren:I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I think there will be less Rudy going forward. By all accounts, federal prosecutors from the office in New York that he once led are giving Giuliani and his business dealings in Ukraine a thorough scrubbing. And Giuliani knows better than anyone what he’s saying aloud on television and in print interviews can end up being used against him in an indictment. So, I expect Rudy to stop doing so many interviews but that doesn’t mean he won’t still be working closely with the president to strategize on impeachment, 2020 politics and probably some policy, too. And of course, this being Rudy, I completely expect to eat everything I just wrote when he does a full Ginsburg on the Sunday shows.

Natasha:Most experts believe it would be wise for Giuliani to lay low as federal prosecutors examine whether he violated any foreign agent registration laws or engaged in any financial improprieties related to his foreign clients, and indeed he’s been less visible on cable news in the last week and seemingly harder to reach than in the past. But he also just lost his lawyer, Jon Sale, who he’d been leaning on to deal with congressional subpoenas and documents requests. So it’s possible Giuliani will re-emerge to defend himself publicly without a lawyer around advising him not to.

Nancy: Trump campaign staffers, outside advisers and White House aides would love, love, love to see less of Rudy, but he’s like a security blanket for Trump. They share the same penchant for conspiracy theories, plus a really close friendship. Post-Bolton, the president also sees the benefit of not just dropping friends and aides by Tweet — lest they inflict more damage from the outside.

Josh:Rudy may be talking less from here on but there’s going to be plenty for reporters and now the legal system to plow through that will make sure he’s not far from the news. I suspect Trump will attempt exactly the same play he did with Michael Cohen: keep him close enough that he doesn’t get the feeling he’s being hung out to dry, but not so close as to be joined at the hip in case things for Rudy take a turn for the worse. Didn’t work with Cohen, of course. We shall see with Rudy.

Melanie:Publicly, I suspect we’ll see less of Rudy. Even before the arrest of Rudy’s two associates, the White House was trying to bring in new outside legal counsel because they wanted someone to replace Rudy as a surrogate on TV. But that doesn’t mean Trump is quitting Rudy: Not only do they have a long history together, but the president now has an interest in staying in Rudy’s good graces.

What are you most looking forward to next week?

Darren:The World Series. But over in politics nerd land, I’ll be watching to see whether House Democrats do indeed begin to send signals about their timing for impeachment. They technically only have four work weeks left before the Thanksgiving recess (there’s a break scheduled for that first week of November) so it’ll be notable if Pelosi or other committee leaders articulate where we are in the process. We’re also waiting to see how Judge Beryl Howell rules on the Mueller grand jury materials. I wouldn’t put a definite timeline on things but that decision seems imminent and should cause some significant waves in the impeachment debate if the Democrats do win and then the Justice Department appeals as one would expect.

Natasha: I’m curious whether the National Security Council’s lawyer, John Eisenberg, will emerge as a scapegoat for the White House, especially as they try to explain why Trump’s call transcripts — including the one documenting his conversation with Zelensky — were placed in a top secret codeword system meant to conceal the records from scrutiny. I’m even more interested in whether Eisenberg will resist being thrown under the bus and speak out in whatever manner he can.

Nancy:Who is going to take the fall in Trumpworld for the impeachment proceedings: Giuliani, Mulvaney or Energy Secretary Rick Perry? Does the White House move any closer to developing a strategy to fight the Democrats? What does the polling look like on public opinion for impeachment especially among independents and female voters? And what else are we going to learn from congressional testimony from mid-level agency aides and diplomats? It’s been pretty explosive so far and fast-moving.

Josh:The Giuliani-Ukraine story will get the full New York City press corps treatment next week as the two Giuliani associates charged with serving as conduits for U.S. political donations from Ukraine, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, make their first appearance before the federal judge in Manhattan assigned to their case. That should be a scene especially since their arraignment Wednesday is scheduled at about the same time as a big appeals court case in the very same courthouse over New York prosecutors’ efforts to get Trump’s taxes.

Melanie:On Tuesday, House investigators will get to question Bill Taylor, a top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine and a key witness in the impeachment probe. Taylor, as you’ll recall, expressed concerns in text messages to other diplomats about their effort to secure a public commitment from Ukraine to probe the Biden family. At one point Taylor asked: “Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?” To which the other diplomat replied: “Call me.” We’ll see whether Democrats — and eventually the public — get any answers about what was said in that phone call.

Read More

[jessicakehoe]

Everything That Upset the Internet This Week

What is the web-o-sphere angry about this week? From the casting of a black actress as a fictional mermaid to another Taylor Swift feud, here’s everything you need to know:

Disney casts Halle Bailey in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid

THE STORY: Halle Bailey, one half of musical duo Chloe x Halle, was just announced as the new Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live action remake of the popular fairytale and people are upset—because she’s black. Some of them are going as far as “using science” to prove that she couldn’t possibly be black because she lives so far under the ocean that she wouldn’t have enough sun exposure to get darker skin. #NotMyAriel began trending on Twitter, not just because of the racist objections, but because of the many hilarious memes and tweets users fired back in defense of Bailey’s casting.

THE REACTION:

In my opinion, Ariel should look like Merida: White skin and red hair. #NotMyAriel pic.twitter.com/w86xobxMeI

— Kawhi to the Lakers (@Kawhi_to_LA) July 5, 2019

I'm offended by the casting of a woman of colour as Ariel.

They should have used an ACTUAL, real mermaid.

Sick and tired of this human privilege.#NotMyAriel

— ZUBY: (@ZubyMusic) July 5, 2019

#NotMyAriel ??? You remember when they painted Jake Gyllenhaal orange and called him Prince of Persia? Take a seat.

— erfan (@ETGIA) July 4, 2019

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: This marks the first time Disney has cast a woman of colour in the role of a traditionally white princess character for one of its new remakes (the last time was Brandy as Cinderella in 1997), and is a huge win for people who never get to see themselves represented in children’s fairytales, whose characters tend to be overwhelmingly white. The fact that this furor is happening over a character that’s not even human—she’s an entirely fictional mermaid—makes the pushback even more absurd.

Ed Sheeran gets pulled into the Taylor Swift-Scooter Braun Feud

THE STORY: Earlier this week Taylor Swift shared a lengthy and emotional post on Tumblr explaining that the music from her last six albums—from her time at record label Big Machine Records—would now be owned by Scooter Braun, a music industry executive at whose hands she says she suffered “incessant, manipulative bullying.” A whole host of celebs jumped in with their own two cents on the matter, from Justin Bieber to Demi Lovato to Cara Delevingne. But for some reason the person most of the internet got mad at was… Ed Sheeran.

THE REACTION:

Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes were both opening acts for Taylor Swift's tours and it's no doubt that she give them so much support when they were small artists and needed it but yet they both remain silent when she needs their support. Trash.

— emma stands with taylor 🦋 (@shookswiftie) July 1, 2019

It's kind of ironic that @edsheeran wouldn't be where he is if it wasn't for @taylorswift13 and now he's making music with @justinbieber. Reason no. one million why I've never really liked Ed. He's just another male asshole in the music industry. #IStandWithTaylor #Lover pic.twitter.com/4h7U27zusc

— Perfectly Imperfect 🇩🇪#WeStandWithTaylor (@Aquarian_Lady) June 30, 2019

Fuck Ed Sheeran he’s never stood up for Taylor ever. she fucking took him on tour and featured him on her album when he was growing his career. he writes his music just as well, only difference is as a man he got the pretty side of the coin and gets praise from being a writer

— ⋆ taylor swift’s lawyer (@iwishyouwoulds) July 1, 2019

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Though he has not yet said anything publicly, Sheeran did respond to an Instagram comment on his account, saying “I have been speaking directly to her, like I always do,” which, fine. Instead of pointing fingers at all the secondary characters in this very public feud though, perhaps Swift fans should spend some more time actually looking into the specifics of the whole messy situation and Swift’s role in it as more than just a person wronged. Of course she has every reason to be upset that someone else legally owns the rights to (and will profit off) the music she spent years making but as Vox notes, it’s not uncommon for record companies to own an artist’s master recordings. It’s also hard to ignore the fact that a lot of this feud seems to be fuelled more by, ahem, bad blood than righteous indignation. In a lengthy piece on Complex.com titled “Taylor Swift Has a Long History of Omitting Facts to Fit Her Own Narrative,” the writer expounds on Swift’s tendency to play the victim and twist facts to suit her image. [For those looking to follow every step of this feud, journalist Yashar Ali has a handy thread going on Twitter.]

An animated sex scene in Euphoria

THE STORY: The new HBO show starring Zendaya and Storm Reid has been raising eyebrows since episode 1, when 30 penises were featured in a single scene. The latest to get the internet buzzing is an animated scene featuring the likenesses of Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson of One Direction. A character’s narrative arc on the show involves her penchant for creating One Direction fan fiction, illustrated in the show by a sex scene between Styles and Tomlinson. Fans were peeved, and Tomlinson himself took to Twitter to say: “I can categorically say that I was not contacted nor did I approve it.”

THE REACTION:

I’m? So? Confused? Who allowed Euphoria to use Harry & Louis’ names? Are lou & harry aware that this happened? Like they must be-it’s hbo so they probably had to like have some form of permission from lou & harry’s management or them themselves but why would anyone allow that?

— yaz ◟̽◞̽ (@kindlyloubear) June 30, 2019

@euphoriaHBO bruv you guys are old enough atleast think before you do something, isn’t that what old people tell us think first ? Just be respectful and delete the whole thing. @Harry_Styles @Louis_Tomlinson sorry for all this shit pic.twitter.com/7WCg4o8983

— adiba (@adiba_baba) July 1, 2019

i’ve never watched euphoria and i don’t plan on watching it,, but this shit is so nasty and embarrassing. things like this are the reason why they’re not close anymore. and the fact that they used harry and louis’ real names makes it worse. lawsuit wya ? pic.twitter.com/AWZnciMLfg

— nicole (@wybnicole) July 1, 2019

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Euphoria is a show that’s fully committed to portraying the dark, messy lives of teenagers, and what’s a more realistic reflection of teens’ weird obsessions than their love for explicit, detailed, NSFW fanfic? Throughout their time as bandmates in One Direction, Styles and Tomlinson were often “shipped” together in fanfic about them secretly being in a gay relationship. Larry Stylinson, a portmanteau of their names, became “a widespread conspiracy theory as One Direction grew more popular,” explains Vulture, with fans “overanalyz[ing] every single interaction between the two men.” Apparently it got to the point where Tomlinson said that his relationship with Styles suffered. “It made everything, I think on both fences, a little bit more unapproachable.” So it makes sense that he would be upset to see the fanfic resurrected, but the outrage of the fans themselves is a bit mystifying, considering they’re the ones responsible for hatching the theory in the first place.

The post Everything That Upset the Internet This Week appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Everything That Upset the Internet This Week published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by Guest Contributor on The Prepper Journal.

Editors Note: Another guest contribution from valknut79 to The Prepper Journal.  The opinions expressed herein are his and should generate a lot of comments as we all have our favorites on this subject. 

When the world as we know it comes crashing down, I think we all know the value of a farmer or an architect, and the value of a sharpshooter or outdoorsman.  Once things start to settle down again, I think that the value of a storyteller suddenly grows in importance, and a certain level of entertainment once again becomes an expected and valued part of society.  In ancient times, oral histories were a way of passing down stories certainly, but they also had great value in terms of teaching important lessons, changing perspectives, building communities, and bringing people together.

      As a high school English teacher by trade, I firmly believe in the power and the value of having a good library at home.  A book can provide knowledge or wisdom, companionship and life lessons, and can help you develop a lot of self-knowledge as well.  Here are my suggestions for books that would be potentially very valuable for preppers to own and read before, during and after an SHTF situation.

Pulp Fiction Collections

Pulp fiction is a specialized genre of literature that was particularly popular in the early part of the 20th century, referring to short stories that were published in literary magazines of the time.  My personal favorites are the Conan stories of Robert E Howard, the action-adventure stories of Tarzan and John Carter by Edgar Rice Burroughs, anything by HP Lovecraft, or while technically too early for their period but filling a similar role, the Sherlock Holmes mysteries of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Isaac Asimov is also considered part of this genre, and does good work with science fiction.

       These stories, which are all freely available online or available in collections at Barnes and Noble for a fair price, are not perfectly written.  Some reflect their times a little too accurately and are borderline racist or misogynist (especially Howard), and may not necessarily speak to everyone in a modern audience.  That said, these are the perfect campfire stories, and the plot, pacing, and occasional bits of character development are masterful. I equate these stories to a TV episode or sitcom – most are independent adventures that tell a complete story within 20 or 30 pages – and have a certain panache and style that I believe would suit the kind of stories you’d tell your buddies after an SHTF situation.  A take-no-nonsense hero who solves his problems with his great bran, superior intelligence, or tremendous cunning makes a simple and uplifting story that I think would inspire in a difficult situation.

The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

High Fantasy is a take-it-or-leave-it genre for most readers.  While I tend to lean on the leave-it side, I cannot underestimate the importance and the power of the Wheel of Time series.  This 15-book series (including the prequel) is easily the longest series I’d ever consider recommending, especially considering that each of the novels in the series is two to three times as long as your average best-seller.  As a series of great length, this is not the kind of series you can undertake lightly, but the payoff is very worthwhile.

The length and depth of the series, however, is not what makes it a recommended read for preppers.  At its core, the Wheel of Time series is about accepting that the world as we know it today is not going to last.  The end is near for these characters, and they know it. The individual reactions of each are predictable (these are the heroes after all), but may be illuminating and inspiring for those in your group who are not prepared for the worst.

Ultimately, the plot line follows the main character of the series as he struggles to identify with his destiny as someone who simultaneous destroys the world and saves it, and through the books he does come to realize that whether in living or dying, it’s important to keep fighting, to leave the world a better place than he found it, and to help build a legacy of which he can be proud.  The wide variety of characters add color and supply a steady stream of small pearls of wisdom and inspiration throughout, and many of them have become closer friends than some of the real people I interact with every day.  Those are lessons that every prepper should understand and appreciate, even if the format of these books may be too much for many to handle.

Shortly after I finished reading this series, one of my students was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.  She was understandably devastated.  I chose the first book in this series to give her, telling her at the time that, whether you like it or not, sometimes you just have to buckle down, accept what life gives you, and try to do your best anyways.  She lived her life according to those principles, and I like to think that perhaps this had some part in her emotional recovery.

And if you don’t like, it, you’ll have a year’s supply of toilet paper in the bindings.

   Walden by Henry David Thoreau 

Thoreau’s classic, Walden, also finds a spot close to the top of my list.  While his seminal essay on living life alone near a pond is sometimes very difficult to read and often highly opinionated towards minimalist ideals that may have preppers shaking their fists, Walden is, first and foremost, a story about learning to live a simpler life, being self-sufficient, and largely doing things your own way.  Preparedness is a lifestyle that so often leans towards an old-fashioned lifestyle, “useless” life skills like learning to make a fire or build a shelter, and Walden remains one of the most important stories of a life led largely apart from society, convention and modern convenience.  There is an illustrated hardcover version produced by Fall Creek Press which is often on sale for less than $10.

Life as We Knew It (series) by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Anyone who interacts with or parents teenagers knows of their penchant for being completely addicted to technology and instantaneous communication, knowledge and results, and their general disdain for the lifestyle of preparedness.  I find that the best way to start in interest in, or even a conversation about prepping might be to start with introducing your teens (and perhaps even your significant other) to the Life as We Knew It series.  This story, written from the perspective of a teenage girl’s diary, chronicles an SHTF situation which involves a disruption of tidal patterns.  This is perhaps not the most realistic novel, but in terms of story, pacing and plot, it does a very good job of not only entertaining, but also informing and getting the mental gears turning.  I think that this book more than any other SHTF novel I’ve experienced yet, will get teens talking about what they’d do in a crisis situation, how they’d adapt, and what they may be willing to look into now in order to help out later.

This book is part of a series, but I found the first novel to be far and away the best, while the later entries suffered.  If you try it and like it a great deal, consider getting the sequels.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

If there is one person who represents what it truly means to be American, I think that it might have to be Benjamin Franklin.  He remains perhaps the most approachable of all historical figures from that time period, and it’s not hard to imagine sitting down with him at the pub with a glass of his favorite Madeira wine and showing him the marvels of the internet age.  His Autobiography, while widely characterized as a too-heavily edited version of his life, does make for a entertaining read, but also one that has the potential to teach a variety of life lessons.

From his famous treatises on moral perfection, which systematizes Franklin’s own attempts to better himself, to his carefully worded passages on industry, in which he makes a very distinct point to say that appearing to be industrious is just as important as actually being that way, this book characterizes a simple, learned way of life that focuses on community and service to others.  Whether you see him as a fatherly scientist entrusting his lessons to a younger generation, or one of America’s greatest libertines and con men, the Autobiography is a book about building a new society from nothing, improving it far beyond what it was in former times, and at least ostensibly, doing so while preserving a hard-working character and social graces.  It’s not hard to see this man as a potential prepper or as someone you’d want by your side in an SHTF situation.

Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton

“Now” is actually a book about business leadership more than anything, but it has strong applicable life lessons that preppers could benefit from.

The ultimate thesis about this book is very simple – do what you’re good at, because you can’t be truly well-rounded – and goes through the identification of your individual strengths, a description of the science behind Strengths-Based psychology, and has a section on how you can work around your weaknesses (or areas of “non-talent”).  This is one the books that I think has most influenced my personal development, and is a valuable reminder to those who are the do-all types that want to pursue 75 different hobbies without specializing that this is a course of action that is designed to fail.  This may not be the most entertaining book in the list, but is one of the foundational reads that I recommend to anyone attempting to learn or better themselves.

This is the one book I’d recommend purchasing new rather than used – it comes with a one-time-use online code to take the “StrengthsFinder” test from Gallup, which is the method you’ll use to identify your Top 5 Talent areas.

   Narrowing down a list of books for a preparedness library is impossible without imposing certain qualifications.  I did not include cookbooks, survival skills books, or any strictly informational books on subjects like gardening, camping, farming, and raising chickens.  Those are, in my opinion, quite obvious choices for preppers and so abundant that you can just pick up a huge quantity at a local library book sale without being overly picky about gathering specific volumes.  These are stories, whether strictly for entertainment or for improvement through gaining wisdom.

These are not all personal favorites, and do not necessarily represent a wide variety of literary styles, but do have what I would consider to be valuable life lessons that reflect a “prepared” lifestyle.  I did attempt to focus on books that are uplifting – while I do love a good murder mystery or horror title now and again, I think that an SHTF situation requires a little tact – and these stories also have a certain element of timelessness or classicists to them.  One hundred years from now, I think there will still be those who love Conan and friends as much as I do now.

That said, my library is constantly growing, and I’m always open to learning about new books to add to my collection.  What books do you consider indispensable?

  The post Best Books for Your Preparedness Library appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

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