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amphibious-entity · 3 years ago

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TMBS Book 1 Brain Dump

~An Embarrassingly Long Post~

I don’t know why I’m writing this or why I’m so determined to do it. Maybe to finally assume my true form and become a mega dork on main, or maybe just for fun!

This is basically a compilation of all the main points running through my head after reading The Mysterious Benedict Society (2007) for the first time. Rather than posting a ton and spamming the tag, everything’s here in one neat package! (hopefully this gets it all out of my system rip)

Contents:

The Book Itself

The Book Itself, for real this time

The Characters

A Funny Parallel

The S.Q. Section

Lines & Scenes I Liked

Spoilers abound!

The Book Itself

Upon acquiring the first three books (don’t judge me pls), I was surprised at just how long they are. Like, they’re still pretty light being paperbacks and all, but these books are hefty lads.

The first book has this Disney+ Original Series circle thing printed on it, which is kind of unfortunate. Regardless, I love the cover illustration and yellow is actually my favorite color :D It made me weirdly quite happy whenever I saw the book lying around in my room

Also, it’s really cute how there’s a letter from Mr. Benedict at the end! (It only reveals that you can find out his first name if you “know the code”, meaning the bit of Morse printed below the summary on the back.) Shock and horror, though, as I realized I’m starting to recognize some of the letters

The Book Itself, for real this time

It’s wonderful how the tone of the book really shone through to the show adaptation. Something about the deliberateness of the aesthetic, from the set designs to the fashion to scene compositions, that really sells that particular style— like it’s very clear that this story is being told to us, rather than one we’re seeing unfold, if that makes sense.

Where that narration style stood out to me the most was the first chapter. We are told (rather than shown) how Reynie gets himself to the point of the second test, and there’s this whole twisty time maneuver for that whole sequence of events that’s really interesting

A super secret fun fact about me is that I wanted to be a writer when I was younger! So this particular balance of show vs. tell is really neat, since it runs counter to my own tendencies. The sheer amount of commas in every sentence is also kind of comforting, since Ahah, I Do That in those few serious-ish attempts at writing lol

Overall this book’s style reminds me a lot of Roald Dahl’s books, which are very nostalgic for me :D The whole “kids are more competent than adults” angle helps a lot too haha

The Characters

Oh boy here’s where I get a little bit critical! Overall I did really like this book!! it’s just that that expresses itself in all this weird “”analysis”” lol

Reynie - much better in the books than in the show

It’s sort of a lukewarm take but I feel like show!Reynie is kind of boring? He doesn’t have a lot going on flaw-wise, and obviously since he’s the protagonist he can’t have too many weird traits or else the kids watching can’t project themselves onto him as easily

(I call it the difference between an aspirational protagonist and a vessel protagonist. Going off of the Roald Dahl vibes, think Matilda vs Charlie. show!Reynie is more of a Charlie)

Thus when we get to see him really struggle with the Whisperer and doubt himself it gives him a lot more dimension, at least in my opinion

It is a federal crime that the white knight scenes were not adapted into the show

Sticky - my son

I’ve long held to no one besides myself and my long suffering sister that Sticky is The Best Member of the Society

He happened to hit a lot of the Bingo squares of Stuff I Like In Characters: glasses, anxious, nice :), kind of a coward but ultimately is there for his friends, etc

For some reason I don’t talk about him nearly as much as you-know-who, but I love him just as dearly

Kate & Constance - I don’t have much to say

Kate is really interesting in this book! I like how we get to see more of her depths, in particular that one passage about her belief that she is invincible being the only thing that keeps her from falling apart? :c

Also her constant fidgeting is relatable lol

Constance is somehow a lot more tolerable in the book. I think I’m just one of those people with no patience for small children, unfortunately lol

(Some of) The Adults

It’s interesting that they had such an offscreen presence for most of the book. Giving them more time was probably one of the stronger changes of the show

However if that decision was made at the expense of the white knight scenes I think the choice should have been clear

I like the way Rhonda and Number Two are written

Milligan always on sad boy hours 😔✊

The “mill again” passage is touching but kind of messes up the pacing of the getaway, at least for me. Maybe I should read it again to make sure I didn’t miss something

Miss Perumal is much better in the show. We see so little of her in the book she doesn’t function well as an emotional anchor for Reynie, imo

The Institute Gang

Jackson and Jillson serve their purpose well, and Martina was surprising to say the least. I like the direction they took her in the show! I can’t imagine how funny it must have been to watch the tetherball subplot come out of nowhere lolol

These sections were written out of sequence, so random tidbit I couldn’t fit in The S.Q. Section: I like how he stumbles over his words. relatable

Mr. Curtain

While I think I know why they decided to not give Curtain the wheelchair in the show, we were totally robbed of Actor Tony Hale’s performance for the reveal during the final confrontation

Speaking of the wheelchair, it’s such a powerful symbol of his need for control or rather, his fear of losing it

The Contrast between him and Mr. Benedict. This point is expanded on in A Funny Parallel

Mr. Benedict

Oh boy, Mr. Benedict… How do I say this

I find it hard to trust Mr. Benedict, unfortunately

I mean to say, I do in the sense that I know he would never hurt the kids, thanks to knowing that a) this is a children’s book series and b) the meta (tumblr) states that he is really nice and lovable and stuff, but seriously. Why do the kids trust him at first?? I probably missed something somewhere

I like to think I’m an optimistic person, but unfortunately I’m also super paranoid. The premise of “a bunch of vulnerable orphans team up with a strange old man” is just so odd to me I don’t know how to explain it

I don’t know!!! I really want to trust Mr. Benedict

One of the strengths of the show is that we get to see him more often, and thus he gets to acknowledge more often that the plan is weird and that he feels really badly for putting the kids in danger and that he’s trustworthy and genuine

But his lack of presence for most of the book just makes him into something of a specter, invisible and unknowable, speaking only in riddles from across the bay

Which is why the white knight scene is so important!! I loved that scene ;-;

Because here’s an actual emotional connection! We can actually see it happening, rather than only being told that it exists

Reynie asking for advice and receiving encouragement, in words that demonstrate that Mr. Benedict actually cares about him and worries about him and agghh

It is a federal crime that the white knight scenes were not adapted into the show

But overall this whole issue didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book at all! It’s just ->

A Funny Parallel

Okay, ready for my biggest brain, hottest take ever??

Mr. Benedict and Mr. Curtain…. are… the same

I mean obviously not entirely, given that one is benevolent and kind and the other is… Mr. Curtain

But seriously. Genius old man seeks out children (mainly orphans) to enact a plan. Said children often end up incredibly devoted to his cause and deeply admire him this is a little flimsy

Undoubtedly that’s intentional and is supposed to show the difference between them, like some kind of cautionary tale? “Let yourself be vulnerable and let others help you, lest you turn eeeeviiillll”

I guess that’s where the aforementioned epic contrast comes in. You get Mr. Curtain, strapped into his wheelchair and hiding behind those mirrored sunglasses, terrified (but unwilling to admit it) of ever showing the tiniest hint of vulnerability, vs. Mr. Benedict, who can let himself fall knowing that someone will catch him :’)

Anyhow I have nothing against the parallels, I just think it’s funny

The S.Q. Section

The S.Q. Quarantine Thread so it doesn’t leak out everywhere else <3

I’d like to meet the emo angstlord genius who read this book and decided to make SQ into Dr. Curtain’s son. What in the world

Okay I should probably preface this by saying that I absolutely adore both book!S.Q. and show!SQ with all my heart. Somehow, despite being a completely different character in both mediums, he has managed to be one of the best characters in either and certainly one of my favorites (besides Sticky of course) in the entire franchise, despite the fact that I’ve only read the first book/watched the show so far. I am confident in this statement.

But seriously! How?? Why?? I could probably write a whole other essay about why show!SQ is such an interesting character, and the change works so incredibly well. I’m just. Baffled

Okay, focus. book!S.Q. is such a sweetheart, oh my goodness. Like, 100% one of the most endearing characters in the book. Poor guy. I don’t even know where to start!!

He just seems to be a genuinely good guy at heart, despite being technically one of the bad guys. He’s genuinely happy for Reynie and Sticky when they became Messengers and helped Kate when she “fell” and was concerned about Constance when she looked sick and how he was in that meeting with Mr. Curtain and Martina?!!? aaahhhhghgh ;-; he just wants people to be happy TT-TT

Comparing him against literally every character at the Institute is probably what makes him so endearing tbh. When everyone else is so awful to the kids, it really makes him stand out. Like a cheerful little nightlight in the worst, most humid and rank bathroom you’ve ever been in

It’s kind of pointless to theorize about a book series that’s already concluded (I think?) but. Is the implication of S.Q.’s forgetfulness supposed to be that Mr. Curtain used him in brainsweeping experiments somehow? The timeline probably definitely absolutely doesn’t line up but like. How did he get to being a Messenger being the way he is now, given how cutthroat the process is? And then of course Mr. Curtain keeps him around as an Executive because he’s fun to mess with and presumably his loyalty. I’m very curious as to how their relationship develops in the other books, if at all. Those are probably where the seeds of the “let’s make them family” logic were planted

But wouldn’t it be hilarious if the reason we don’t know what “S.Q.” stands for in the books is that he just. Forgot

Another thing that occurred to me. Given that he and the other Executives were Messengers at some point, what were their worst fears? What is S.Q.’s worst fear?? Inquiring minds need to know

One last horrible little anecdote: I was thinking about book!S.Q. while eating breakfast, as one does, and suddenly it hit me.

I want to believe The Author Trenton Lee Stewart had the name for a character, S.Q. Pedalian, and was like, “Hm! What sort of quirky trait should this young fellow have?” Because, of course, in this style of fiction every character has to have at least one cartoonish or otherwise distinguishing trait to stand out in the minds of children. (For instance, Kate has her bucket, Sticky has his glasses, Constance is angry, and Reynie is Emmett from the Lego Movie)

Anyhow, he looks around the room, searching for inspiration. Suddenly he comes across a jumbo box of plastic wrap. Completely innocuous in design, save for one line of text. 300 SQ FT.

“…large… S.Q. …feet? THAT’S IT!” i’m sorry

Lines & Scenes I Liked

In no particular order!

Sticky quotes Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Evil combination aerobics/square dancing in the gym with the Executives

Everyone being happy at the end :’)

Everyone partying after Sticky reunites with his parents, and later finding Mr. Benedict asleep at his desk from the moment they shook hands :’’)

Literally any scene with Sticky in it

Any time Kate says “you boys” or “gosh”

[“Um, sir?” S.Q. said timidly, raising his hand. “A thought just occurred to me.” / Mr. Curtain raised his eyebrows. “That’s remarkable, S.Q. What is it?”] clown prince of my heart </3

S.Q.’s determined monologue about searching for clues after he bungled up the first time

Literally any scene with S.Q. in it (please refer to The S.Q. Section)

Reynie trying to resist the Whisperer.

[Let us begin. / First let me polish my spectacles, Reynie thought. / Let us begin. / Not without my bucket, Reynie insisted. He heard Mr. Curtain muttering behind him. / Let us begin, let us begin, let us begin. / Rules and schools are tools for fools, Reynie thought.]

NO MORE HURTIN’ WITH CURTAIN

Milligan showing up on the island!!

Remember the white knight hhhhhh

“controle”

A Super Secret Bonus Section

I would be extremely surprised if anyone read through all the way down here lol. Regardless, here’s a little acknowledgements section :D not tagging anyone since I don’t want to bother all of these people

Special shoutout to tumblr blog stonetowns for unknowingly yet singlehandedly demolishing my reluctance to read the books by posting a ton of cute quotes. Thank you for your service o7

Thanks to the two OGs that liked the post I made right before this one, for being my unwitting enablers and for sticking around despite being a) technically an internet stranger (hello!) and b) someone I haven’t spoken to irl in literal years (hey!!)

Last but not least thankz 2 my sister for putting up with me ranting about the book when I first got it and for asking about “CQ” sometimes lol. (i desperately hope you’re not reading this orz)

#the mysterious benedict society #this took me like three days to finish rip #it’s worked though! i feel less of a Mighty Need to think about this stuff constantly now #however!!! today through some conniving i have gotten the Second Book #now I’m at 3 out of 4 infinity stones. muahahaha #was going to include my villain origin story about why i like show!SQ so much but cut it for being too long and irrelevant. however #if the words jeff naomi and Sweet Dreams are Made of These mean anything to you please hit me up. it’s kind of a funny story

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crazyariaisa · 3 years ago

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Sara Shepard makes her debut in “The Homecoming Hangover” (1x07) as a substitute teacher for Mr. Fitz while he’s away. She’s writing up two main questions regarding a book that she’s teaching her grade to read. First, I’ll analyze Madame Bovary and the questions and how they could relate back to Aria. What Ms. Shepard wrote on the board was...

“Is Emma Bovary responsible for her own downfall? Or is she the victim of her own surroundings...”

There is more to the passage Ms. Shepard is writing on the board, but this is all that we get to see. If Emma is represented by Aria, the question that I’m getting is...

“Is Aria Montgomery responsible for her own downfall? Or is she the victim of her own surroundings...”

Regarding Aria, if she were -A, she’d be responsible for her own downfall. As the show progresses, Aria descends further into insanity and loses control. Her surroundings could be represented by -A, her family, her best friends, and Ezra Fitz. If Aria was a victim along with her best friends, she wouldn’t be given any form of special treatment, and -A would be quite hard on her. Aria is most likely responsible for her own downfall.

“Madame Bovary” by French author; Gustave Flaubert was published in 1856. Here’s some information about a character from the book named Charles Bovary, Emma’s husband.

Charles Bovary is a shy, oddly dressed teenager arriving at a new school where his new classmates ridicule him. Charles struggles to a second-rate medical degree and becomes an Officier de santé in the Public Health Service.

So, Charles is an oddly dressed and shy teenager and gets a second-rate medical degree. He’s a mediocre doctor. Oh, the book is considered an Oxford World’s Classic. We only know of one doctor in the show. He rowed for Oxford University in “Pilot” (1x01), and his name? Wren Kingston. Apparently, Charles had his fair amount of struggles, and I remembered a conversation between Spencer and Wren from “The Jenna Thing” (1x02) that went a bit like this...

Wren: “I didn’t grow up in a family like yours. So I don’t know that kind of pressure. But I could imagine it could be unbearable at times.”

Spencer: “You’re not exactly a slouch Mr. Oxford. That drive had to come from somewhere.”

Wren: “Yeah, it came from me. My life has been my choice.”

He then approaches Spencer and says that the hat trick chair was inspired by an apple crate, revealing that he loves design, and he continues to flirt with Spencer. He commits adultery and proceeds to kiss her. The word (trick) now takes us to Ravenswood and The Great Charlemagne in (Now You See Me, Now You Do Not), (4x12). The mime pulling off the trick with Aria taking Emily, Spencer, and Hanna's attention so Cece could snag Emily and lock her in a crate had a heart. He made the heartbeat notion towards Aria instead of Spencer. This goes back to his love of beauty in (The Jenna Thing) (1x02). In (This Is A Dark Ride) (3x13), Aria is locked in a crate. Is this symbolic of Aria helping Darren Wilden and Melissa Hastings with the Queen of Hearts on the Halloween Train? It most definitely is.

Considering Aria is in the scene from “The Homecoming Hangover” (1x07), it implies that Charles and Aria could have some type of relationship. Do I think they were romantically involved? No. Do I know they’re related? Most definitely. Also, Aria’s dress has yellow roses scattered all over it.

The color yellow is bright and conveys happy thoughts, so it's no wonder that yellow roses showcase positive feelings of warmth. The yellow rose meaning is often considered that of friendship. However, the color once signified the negative traits of jealousy and greed.

The color yellow happens to be Bethany’s favorite color, and since I believe that Cece is Bethany, it means that Aria and Bethany have known each other for quite a long time. In “Scream For Me” (5x08), when Spencer goes to learn more about Bethany from Declan at the horse riding stables, she’s kicked in the face by a horse after being locked in a stable by Cece. The only weird thing happening with Aria when she starts volunteering at Radley Sanitarium is Eddie Lamb recognizing Aria instantly and not trusting her. The same as he did when he gained a gut feeling that Wren was up to no good when he was volunteering at Radley Sanitarium for the reading program during Aria’s junior year at Rosewood High. Rhonda and Aria have a revealing conversation that went like this...

Rhonda: “Was she a friend of yours?”

Aria: “Bethany? No, I never met her.”

When Aria answers Rhonda’s question, she avoids eye contact, turns away, and folds her arms over her chest to give the fans something to read and let the fans know that she’s lying. Considering how much Bethany and Aria have in common, it would appear that they’re more than friends, and they’re actually family.

If Charles and Bethany are both related to Aria, that means Aria is the most favored and gets away with everything she’s done. The family would go to any lengths for each other.

“The consequences have always worked for you, haven’t they?” - Jenna Marshall to Aria Montgomery | Kingdom Of The Blind, 3x03.

#crazyariaisa #pll #pll theory #pll clues #pretty little liars #pretty little liars theory #pretty little liars clues #aria montgomery #wren is charles #cece is bethany #wren is -a #aria is -a #cece is -a

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vapcrwaves · 4 years ago

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━♡ guess the 24 YEAR OLD JULY baby just arrived to dallyeog! it makes sense, because AOKI IMOJEN is just as BLAZING as the month of JULY. wait, why do they remind me of HIRAI MOMO? beyond that, they seemed SELF-RELIANT & BUOYANT upon first glance. i heard someone say they’re sort of INSURGENT & RECKLESS though. i hope they get acquainted here in COMPLEX # 3 / APARTMENT # 2 / FLOOR # 2 ; they seem to have a lot going on with HER job as TATTOO ARTIST / BASSIST.

bonjour , y’all !! my name’s jade ( she/her , twenty-one , gmt+8 ) !! and i’m super excited to meet and write with everyone !! this is my spunky kid , imojen , and i hope you’ll come to enjoy her as much as i did writing everything about her :D if you wanna plot , do not fret because i’ll be dropping in everyone’s IMs hehe , but if you prefer to plot over at discord , don’t hesitate to tell me !! <3

* 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖚𝖊 ╱ ʙᴀꜱɪᴄꜱ .

name : aoki imojen nicknames : yoki , jen . age : twenty - four . birthday : july 27 , 1996 . zodiac : leo sun , aquarius moon , sagittarius rising . place of birth : tokyo , japan . currently living : seoul , south korea . occupation : tattoo artist , bassist . pronouns : she / her . orientation : bisexual biromantic . ethnicity : japanese . spoken languages : japanese , korean , english . character insp. : kat stratford from 10 things i hate about you , bridget vreeland from sisterhood of traveling pants , effy stonem from skins uk , young carol rhodes from gossip girl tv series , rhonda smith , mia’s backstory from if i stay . label / tropes : hoyden , icarian , insurgent , reveller , the rebellious spirit . pinterest : here . aesthetics : scared of commitment , but has 7 tattoos. a habit of endlessly lighting a lighter. platform boots to boost your height. but then again, sneakers for comfort while running from the cops. forgetting to discard empty cigarette packets from your bomber jacket. spilling your fifth espresso onto your drawings and designs , maybe it’s time to sleep. a frightening look on your face which millennials like to call a resting bitch face. the heat ruining your collection of leather jackets. finding comfort in your friends who seem to understand your mood swings. having a pet cat who’s as feisty as you. spontaneous adventures live inside your head and your friends fall victim to those ideas. liking the rays of the sun more than the moon despite being a night owl. oversleeps anyway. trimming your bangs yourself because you couldn’t be bothered to go to the salon. overcooking your sunny side up eggs. sleeping to forget problems. drinking to forget problems. epitome of a ride or die.

* 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖘𝖙 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 ╱ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ .

aoki imojen was born to understand what it was to live a life with no structure. her father was part of a rising band in the 90s, toured all over small venues in japan that they slowly rose to a known local name, and imojen has seen all the chaos unfold from backstage in the arms of her mom. however, slowly transitioning into the year of 2000s, the economy was still struggling from the lost decade and the income from touring never sufficed for a growing family. imojen’s father was forced to leave the music scene with the help of her mother’s influence: “it’s time to be serious”; and work multiple jobs in order to fully provide for his first child and the another growing one inside his wife’s womb.

growing up, imojen’s no stranger to music and her father loved to introduce rock music and bands to imojen’s upbringing. she adored b’z and the gazette, and it leaves no doubt that imojen’s father had been her greatest influence in life. as she grew older, not only did they share identical music preferences and influences, but imojen’s learned to play various instruments— the bass being her favorite. imojen’s also stemmed from that infamous reckless behavior his father’s known for back in the day, and when the teenage years came, so did the impetuous reputation begin.

imojen and her mother aren’t exactly as close as she was with her father. in fact, their relationship was a toe out of the civil line. it got worse when imojen started to focus on the band she created with friends instead of school and late night practices turned to never returning home for a few days and having the audacity to blatantly lie when asked where she was when asked. it’s hard not to blame her mother when she assumed things for the worst. imojen’s gone quite defiant especially when she discovered that her and her father’s relationship had began to run askew. imojen blames her mother’s interference with her father’s music career as much as her father did, she loved him so much that she was completely blindsided to always take his side. and when the divorce papers came and went, imojen chose her father as she always would.

her father got a job as a musician locally and eventually overseas, however, money didn’t come by so fast and easy initially. instead of going to university, imojen invested in learning the arts in tattoo design and worked as a tattoo artist to help with the bills. the pair finally thought to settle in korea when imojen’s father got a permanent job. and at this time, imojen has decided to try pursue a career as a musician as well, hoping that the thrill in her early band days are still well stored in her system.

* 𝖘𝖊𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖉 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 ╱ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛ .

imojen can never be satisfied of living in the same area for so long, or at least under the roof with the watchful eye of her father. work’s payed well and imojen decided to move out and get an apartment of her own. hence, she found dallyeog, parties almost every single day, drags everyone into spontaneous adventures, comes home terribly drunk and wakes up with a huge hangover—well, still pretty normal. aside from the norm, imojen working at the tattoo parlor and taking gigs at bars as a bassist, imojen’s investing in writing music as well. she hopes one day to finally finish at least one song she’s been procrastinating for far too long and convince her father to make them a rock duo instead, but a band of her own would fantastic too.

* 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖉 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 ╱ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ .

imojen looks quite mean at first glance, and it doesn’t help that she’s indifferent towards anyone who isn’t part of already her friend. she doesn’t hate, hate is such a strong word, she simply doesn’t have the attention span for people that don’t interest her or she doesn’t know fully well to enjoy a conversation with.

honestly has the gina linetti energy “how was i supposed to know there’d be consequences for my actions” as she literally does anything she wants before her brain can even weigh the pros and cons to it.

imojen enjoys taking risks despite the relaxed attitude and seemingly nonchalant view in life. it might be a surprise to learn that she’s quite ambitious, but underneath, she does aim for the highs (both meanings) in life, except there isn’t exactly a time frame for those and would much rather pursue them steadily.

everyone can depend on imojen to have a good time, or if someone needed a friend to vent to, she can surprisingly be all ears, but never follow her words of advice. she does mean well, it’s just that she doesn’t know what she’s saying half the time and is quite reckless,, like ask her to pick between two choices and she’ll advice you to take the riskier one bc “it’s fun don’t be a prude”.

she is more sympathetic than she let on. imojen’s not very vocal especially with her emotions and on what she exactly feels about other people’s situation. serious conversations? catch her yeet away from those. they render her uncomfortable, most especially if it is about her. however, seeing her friends gloomy doesn’t sit right with her that she does anything to make them crack a smile.

believes that people should be left to roam free and that authority is useless and ruins the fun— hence why she’d always be caught defying them. yes, she uses her brain, but acts more towards intuition and what she felt like doing that day. so yes, she might loves setting her life on the line.

* 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖙𝖍 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 ╱ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ .

plastic hearts ╱ someone whom imojen shares a passion for music with. the both of you are like peas in a pod as you both are in the same wavelengths as each other. they may not have the same types of music, but open enough to share a plethora of music playlists.

angels like you ╱ the typical bad-good influence trope wherein imojen’s reckless behavior and liberated thoughts on legalities have gotten your muse in various dangerous but fun adventures. on a flip, your muse may be the reason why imojen’s woken up at 8 in the morning, bright, well, and not hungover.

prisoner ╱ an angsty and toxic relationship that imojen could not get enough of. everyone sees this partnership (romantic or platonic) of destructive nature, both of you may or may not know, but regardless it can never be broke off no matter how hard both try.

gimme what i want ╱ the typical fwb relationship, we can add spice to it, but on the base that’s the idea.

night crawling ╱ imojen’s ride or die, the person she would instantly run to for an adventure, midnight strolls, alcohol escapades, and vandalism. but as things you both do burst into haywire, you’re both aren’t afraid to be open to each other too and spill secrets or bodies hidden in the closet.

midnight sky ╱ perhaps a new acquaintance?? friend?? that doesn’t exactly have a first good impression of imojen?? maybe vomited on your muse the first time they met, or jen was really mean for no reason under the influence of alcohol?? she’s chaotic so perhaps it wasn’t a good first meeting.

bad karma ╱ imojen hasn’t been exactly an angel all her life, and perhaps karma has run around to bite her in her ass. your muse might’ve been somebody who hurt imojen; either a terrible break up or severing trust, let’s explore :D

golden g string ╱ a band :D maybe nothing too serious, just a group of pals playing and making music together :D or maybe the group's been playing gigs for awhile now and wants to head into the big leagues :D

honestly im so down with anything so !!!!!!

#[ PINNED POST ]#dallyeog:intro #this has gotten too long SORRYsdfsdf #but thanks for reading <3

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toongrrl-blog · 4 years ago

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Netflix make these crossovers happen!

Yo I got an idear (to quote Some Jerk with a Camera):

GLOW/Stranger Things: Set in the 1980s! At least have the ST characters watch or talk about GLOW or the GLOW characters talk about avoiding a scary town in Indiana!

GLOW/Never Have I Ever/On My Block: Set in LA, of course if characters from latter two shows meet GLOW characters, the latter would be older. Like Yolanda might have remembered the strange events in Freeridge, Devi and Arthie with Kamala running across each other, Ben runs across his Sunday school teacher Melrose who waxes about her wrestling days, Paxton and Jamals’ football teams compete with one another, Ruth and Debbie and Sheila mentor Eleanor, Monse and Fabiola talk about identity while Kendra checks out the robot, Monse hangs out with a group of girls, Jasmine hangs out with Rebecca, Rebecca meets Jenny, Ben has connections to Bash and Rhonda? I can see Ruby and Ben hanging out. Abuela gets it.

Baby Sitters Club/Never Have I Ever: The club takes a trip to California (inspired by one of many super specials) where Dawn runs into old reading buddy (thinking either Rebecca or Fabiola). Kristy’s stares and Devi’s “firecracker” personality do a face-off. Stacey rolls her eyes at Ben’s name-dropping but also tells him a bit about life in Manhattan. Claudia gets impressed with Eleanor’s wardrobe and their creative interests. Stacey and Claudia squee over Rebecca’s fashion designs. Mary Anne and Fabiola, as two black young women with mixed ancestry and chill personalities, dish it with each other and Fabi helps Mary Anne manage her emotions. Stacey and Devi connect over what it’s like to go through sudden changes. Fabiola helps out Janine and Janine talks about medical science with Kamala.

EDIT: Nalini and Richard bond over being stern parents who just want the best for their kids and not act like privileged assholes.

On My Block/Gentefied: The latter is my least favorite but I can see characters running across one another. Hell put the BSC in maybe too (like Dawn’s dad or stepdad have family in Boyle Heights.

#Netflix #Crossovers #Wish List #the babysitters club #BSC #babysitters club netlix #on my block #gentefied #Never Have I Ever #GLOW Netflix #stranger things

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themuppetmasterencyclopedia · 6 years ago

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George the Janitor

PERFORMER Frank Oz

DEBUT 1974

DESIGN Bonnie Erickson

George the Janitor is the crotchety old custodian of the Muppet Theater whose most prominent appearances were on the first season of The Muppet Show.

George appeared in The Muppets Valentine Show, the 1974 pilot for The Muppet Show. In the special, George grumbles as he cleans up after the Muppets, who are trying to define "love". George insists that he doesn't "go for that valentines and love stuff," but guest star Mia Farrow realizes that George does love something -- his mop. "Aw, that's crazy," George says. "I don't love this mop. It's a good mop... it's useful. It's... cute." In the end, George proudly proclaims his love for his mop.

On The Muppet Show, George was primarily featured in the backstage plots, but he made occasional onstage appearances, most frequently in "At the Dance" sketches, where he danced almost exclusively with Mildred Huxtetter. George was credited with discovering an act called the Raggmopps, a group of singing and dancing mops who performed "Rag Mop" in episode 111. George approvingly referred to the group as "my kinda act."

In episode 106, George revealed that he had been working at the Muppet Theater since before J. P. Grosse owned it, perhaps implying that he is the theater's oldest employee.

In the second season of The Muppet Show, George made a handful of background appearances, most notably in "Cigarettes and Whiskey" in episode 219 and "For What It's Worth" in episode 221. However, he was no longer seen backstage as the janitor. By the third season, George had been replaced entirely by Beauregard, the theater's new resident janitor.

Although George made no further appearances on The Muppet Show, he continued to appear in the show's opening sequences throughout its run, and made cameos in several Muppet movies, including The Muppet Christmas Carol, where he was again portrayed by Frank Oz (using a slightly different voice) in the song about Ebenezer Scrooge. Like J. P. Grosse and other Muppet Show alums, George's identity had become increasingly transient at this point, functioning more as a utility puppet than a distinct character.

George appeared in the premiere of Muppets Tonight as Benjamin Franklin, with a different voice. However, in the next episode, for George's final appearance to date, he returned to his custodial roots, as he was shown sweeping the KMUP studio.

George returns in the background of the first issue of the Muppet Show Comic Book, where he and Beauregard give each other a surprised stare, referencing the fact that both first appeared 2 years apart from each other. He also pops up in Issue 4, when Madame Rhonda reads his palm.

FILMOGRAPHY

The Muppets Valentine Show

The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence

Des O'Connor Entertains

The Muppet Show

"The Muppet Show Theme" (Seasons 2 - 5)

Episode 101: Juliet Prowse (At the Dance)

Episode 102: Connie Stevens (At the Dance)

Episode 103: Joel Grey

Episode 104: Ruth Buzzi

Episode 105: Rita Moreno

Episode 106: Jim Nabors

Episode 107: Florence Henderson

Episode 108: Paul Williams (At the Dance, "Sad Song")

Episode 109: Charles Aznavour

Episode 110: Harvey Korman (At the Dance)

Episode 111: Lena Horne ("I Got a Name," At the Dance)

Episode 112: Peter Ustinov ("(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song")

Episode 113: Bruce Forsyth (At the Dance)

Episode 114: Sandy Duncan ("Try to Remember")

Episode 115: Candice Bergen (At the Dance)

Episode 116: Avery Schreiber

Episode 117: Ben Vereen ("Mr. Cellophane," Veterinarian's Hospital)

Episode 118: Phyllis Diller

Episode 119: Vincent Price (At the Dance)

Episode 120: Valerie Harper

Episode 121: Twiggy

Episode 122: Ethel Merman

Episode 123: Kaye Ballard

Episode 124: Mummenschanz (At the Dance)

Episode 208: Steve Martin

Episode 219: Peter Sellers ("Cigarettes and Whiskey")

Episode 220: Petula Clark (At the Dance)

Episode 221: Bob Hope ("For What It's Worth")

Episode 308: Loretta Lynn (The opening credits)

The Muppet Movie ("The Rainbow Connection" Finale)

The Muppets Take Manhattan (Wedding Finale)

The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Muppet Treasure Island

Muppets Tonight

Episode 101: Michelle Pfeiffer

Episode 102: Garth Brooks

↑ hide

BOOK APPEARANCES

The Muppet Show Annual 1977

The Muppet Show Book

The Muppet Show Comic Book

Issue #1 - "Kermit's Story"

Issue #4 - "Miss Piggy's Story"

Muppet Robin Hood issue #3

The Muppets Character Encyclopedia

GEORGE THE JANITOR From Muppet Mindset

Performed by…George

Frank Oz

First appearance…

The Muppets Valentine Show (1974)

Most recent appearance…

Muppets Tonight Episode 102: Garth Brooks (1996)

Best known role…

Grumpy janitor for the Muppet Theater; Mildred Huxtetter’s dance partner; mop lover

WHO IS GEORGE THE JANITOR?

George the Janitor was the original and only member of the custodial staff of the Muppet Theater for quite some time. He was always around mopping up during Season 1 of The Muppet Show, but in Episode 106 he complained about J.P. Grosse’s ownership of the Theater, implying that he had worked there prior to J.P. owning it.

The first time George appeared was in The Muppets Valentine Show pilot which aired in 1974. George was extremely grumpy and fed up with the Muppets trying to define love. However, guest star Mia Farrow soon discovered that George truly loves his mop, which he calls “cute,” proving that he’s not as coarse as he may seem. George went on to appear in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence pilot and Des O’Connor Presents before The Muppet Show debuted.

Once The Muppet Show debuted, George was a secondary player exclusively in Season 1, featuring mostly in backstage plots. However, one of George’s best known roles was in the “At the Dance” segments on the show, where he was partners with Mildred Huxtetter. George’s favorite jokes in these segments were variations on a classic in which Mildred would ask something like, “Do you like Kipling?” and George would respond, “I dunno! I never kippled!”

After Season 1, George was delegated exclusively to background roles in acts on the show. Throughout Season 2 and for one episode of Season 3, George would make occasional, non-speaking appearances. However, by Season 3, George was completely phased out as janitor in favor of Beauregard, who has held the job at the Muppet Theater ever since.

But that was not the end for old George, the janitor had a singing line in the song “Scrooge” in The Muppet Christmas Carol and also popped up in The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and Muppet Treasure Island. George’s final onscreen appearances were in the first two episodes of Muppets Tonight in 1996. In Episode 101 he portrayed Benjamin Franklin, but in Episode 102 he was fittingly seen cleaning KMUP Studios, back with his beloved mop. Though he hasn’t appeared onscreen in over 15 years, George brief comic book cameos recently in The Muppet Show Comic Book and Muppet Robin Hood.

#jim henson #the muppets #george the janitor #information

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feeshies · 6 years ago

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(almost) all of my d&d characters over the years (pt 3)

lamai, a very tall girl with my favorite design

half giant / paladin

ended up leaving the party due to some irl not-fantasy racism lol

mabai, a very tall magical girl trapped in the english dub of her own show

human / magical girl

my gf played her gf (another magical girl named rhonda who transforms into a tank) and they would have childhood flashbacks to get inspiration before a battle

naka, what happens when the dm lets you play whatever furry race you want pt. 2

bigeye sixgill shark / paladin

naka was the only non-human in the party. also google bigeye sixgill shark

otho, a bodyguard for hire in a 20s campaign. thought his client was some big-name actor, turns out he was just wearing a hat of disguise

human / fighter

he was the one who purposely knocked the hat of disguise off of his client’s head, exposing his con. it was hilarious

omid, the other legend

human / cleric

he had the power to control time and it was kind of terrifying. also he could summon dinosaurs. i cut some of this stuff from my webcomic

peaches, a girl with a tragic backstory that would be like if the baudelaire orphans purposely killed all of their guardians

elf / rogue

the only other party member was her adoptive brother and half the fun of the campaign was seeing how horrified we could make the dm by adding more to their monstrosity of a backstory (you know the improv rule “yes, and...”? this was like “yes, and here’s how it gets worse”

soo san, sometimes a family isn’t a mom and a dad. sometimes it’s a girl, the legacy of her evil father which hangs over her head, a vampire squid, and the giant worm who loves her very much

dwarf / shaman

no one ate her chili :(

vevari, slippery when wet

undine / druid

20 hairstyles, 0 shirts

susie q, the ghost(?) of a bigtime celebrity from the 20s

samsaran / bard

she was always bouncing up and down like a fleischer cartoon

elvira, made for a disastrous yet glorious game where 3 dms tried to run and play at the same time

astomoi / shadow dancer

her character arc peaked when she challenged her former dance partner/lover/rival to a cyberpunk burlesque dance off

#okay i'm done now #unless i remember some more

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truthshield · 2 years ago

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Lehigh Valley Launchbox holds gig-economy themed Teen Entrepreneur Challenge giving teens a head start on business savvy The Morning Call

For seven years, Penn State Lehigh Valley’s LaunchBox has held a business learning summer camp, Teen Entrepreneur Challenge, for high schoolers, culminating in a “Shark Tank”-style competition. The program adopts a new theme each year; last year, the camp hosted speakers versed in cryptocurrency, and this year, the teens will hear about the post-pandemic economy. 2022′s theme is “The Future of Work: The Gig Economy, the Creator Economy and Remote Work.” The program went online for two years during the pandemic, and now it is back in person, instructing a cohort of 13 budding entrepreneurs on how to navigate such cultural phenomena as the Great Resignation and the widespread reconsideration of 9-5 jobs. It began Tuesday, and runs through Sunday at the Perkiomen School in Pennsburg. Each year, the program selects a slate of speakers and activities apt for the economic and cultural moment, curriculum director Rhonda Walker-Footman said. The themed content supplements a core curriculum on finance, values and business structure. During the week, students also work, as part of assigned teams, on conceptual business models of their own design. The camp concludes with a contest for the best business presentation and model. The winners get $50 Amazon gift cards. Devin Lu, a rising senior from Marlboro High School in New Jersey, is developing a music software business concept with his team. “It would be used to take your favorite sounds from various artists and easily export them to other software; for example, clipping or isolating a specific instrumental,” Lu said. “It would be easily downloadable and small, so that it could be an app.” Most of the business ideas conceived at Teen Entrepreneur Challenge are not launched in the real world, although some campers choose to build on their designs after the program. Joshua Dawson, a Teen Entrepreneur Challenge alumnus and resident assistant, parlayed his camp business model into a business that grossed $13,000 last month. Now a sophomore at the University of Delaware, Dawson runs the business, Capital Payments, with his peers from the program. Capital Payments is an ATM distribution company. “Attending this camp is one of the best things I’ve ever done; they’ve really helped to mold me and my interests,” Dawson said. “It’s been a full circle moment to come back and help the kids who want to go into business, as I did.” Walker-Footman, who directs the program and advises the campers, had a long career in business before switching to education. She worked at firms such as Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase and Citigroup, and she shares her industry experience with the students. Besides learning about the fundamentals of business, campers learn about character and have down time to bond with one another. Lu said that his biggest takeaway from the program is “to stay humble, no matter who you’re surrounded with,” as well as to value diversity in business. Walker-Footman said that she enjoys witnessing how tight knit each group becomes after a matter of days, a sentiment Lu echoed. “Ultimately, my favorite thing has been spending time with these people,” he said. “They’re really an amazing bunch.” https://ift.tt/QFamzwO https://ift.tt/DPOQguv

#Saas #softwaresystems #productdevelopment #software #practice #optimization #accuracy #efficiency #productivity #softwareprojects #cracksthecode

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rhonda-with-a-book · 5 years ago

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This post is part of a Rhonda Pods About Books podcast episode, which you can listen to on your favorite podcatcher, or right here:

https://rhondablogsaboutbooks.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/aminterview.m4a

What I brought from my experience as a filmmaker is that I write in a very cinematic, visual style… it’s basically like seeing a movie in your head. I actually make a movie in my head… and I write down what I see.

Anna Mocikat has been writing for over 20 years, though in a way, her latest book, Shadow City, released November 7, is sort of her debut.

Originally from Poland, she moved to Germany as a child and lived there through young adulthood. There she found success as a filmmaker and screenwriter, as well as releasing several successful novels through one of Germany’s biggest publishers.

But three years ago, Mocikat needed a change. So she moved to the East Coast of the U.S. and wrote her first English-language novel, and her first work for an American audience, calling it Shadow City:

Los Angeles is an apocalyptic wasteland. The few survivors of a horrific catastrophe live under the constant threat of radiation, mutated creatures, and worse… lurking in the shadows.

In the ruins of the deserted city, the scavengers Jean and Louis come across a nameless stranger and bring him to the only safe zone, once known as Hollywood. What’s left of society is divided among different factions; mistrust, brute force, and anarchy rule everyday life.

If the struggle for survival wasn’t bad enough, the nuclear disaster has shifted realities as we knew them and brought something into our world which threatens to exterminate the human race. Something so dark, that every living being is horrified of it. Something that feeds on suffering and violence.

But humans aren’t alone in this existential fight. Unexpected allies emerge from the shadows and in the final stand, the nameless stranger will decide humanity’s fate.

The book is full of Mocikat’s favorite things to write and read about–horror, science fiction, fantasy–and takes place in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. There are cyborgs and vampires and portals to other worlds, all things Mocikat has always wanted to write about, but wouldn’t have landed with a European audience.

Shadow City is the kind of book I always wanted to write, and I couldn’t write back in Germany because my publisher and my agent said the story is too big, too high concept.

Mocikat’s film background definitely shows in her new novel, as well as her experience in video game design; Shadow City plays out like a popcorn action flick in your head as you’re reading, with a world rich in detail and history and just enough scares to appeal to horror fans, as well.

The characters are fully-realized, the setting feels real (Mocikat lived in L.A. for several months), and the overarching conflict (extermination of the human race), though nothing new in fiction, feels fresh in a way that is weighty and horrifying.

When trying to think of other works to compare it to, my mind always went to film and TV, more so than other books: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Underworld and Terminator film franchises, even The Walking Dead in some ways. Fans of any of these will find a lot to love in Shadow City.

Shadow City is available now. Click here to buy through an independent bookstore!

A Conversation with “Shadow City” Author Anna Mocikat This post is part of a Rhonda Pods About Books podcast episode, which you can listen to on your favorite podcatcher, or right here:

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mariedtofiction · 7 years ago

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50 bookish questions tag

Thank you @thevajunglebook for tagging me! (I’m always up for being tagged in anything btw)

1. What is your favourite book and/or book series of all time?

It’s maybe a boring answer but it simply can’t be anything other than the Harry Potter series

2. What is the longest book you have ever read? How many pages?

According to Goodreads it's Winter by Marissa Meyer at 827 pages

3. What is the oldest book you have ever read? (Based on its written date)

I read parts of the Iliad for class, but the oldest book I’ve read in its entirety is probably Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing

4. What is a book series that everyone else loves but you do not?

I wish I’d read The Mortal Instruments when I was younger where I would have probably loved them. But I read them last year and though they were entertaining enough they’re not worth the hype in my opinion

5. What book or book series would you like to see turned into a film/ TV series?

The Shades of Magic Trilogy! I just want all the Lila and Alucard scenes tbh

6. What is your favourite stand-alone book?

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. I reread it at least once every year

7. What is a book that you feel glad for not reading?

I’m proud of myself for DNF-ing Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. I was 200 pages into it and thought it was kind of stupid and kind of sexist..

8. What is a book that you feel guilty for not reading?

The final book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy, Dreams of God’s and Monsters. I really should have read it last year when I finished the second book, but for some reason I didn’t and now I need to reread the previous books

9. What is a book you have read that is set in your country of birth?

Hamlet by Shakespeare

10. What is a book that you own more than one copy of?

I own four copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone...

11. What horror book made you really scared?

I don't like horror oops

12. What book do you passionately hate?

Shadowland by Alyson Noel. I’m embarrassed by how long it took me to realize how bad the Immortals series is, but they were my first books in English and I was just high off the fact that I understood what I was reading

13. What is the biggest book series you have read? How many books are in it?

I loved everything Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen when I was little so I own a lot of the books inspired by their movies and TV-shows. I owned and have read the first 32 books of the Two of a Kind Diaries

14. What book gives you happy memories?

The first book in Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series is so precious to me. Again it’s a series I read when I was younger, but I reread them last year and I still absolutely adore them even if it’s mostly because of the nostalgia.

It was the first book where I felt more connected to a character than to my real life friends. I wanted Mia Thermopolis to jump off the page and be my friend

15. What book made you cry?

I’m not really a book/movie crier... The only book I can think of where actual tears left my eyes is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the part where SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS Harry walks towards the forrest to die

16. What book made you laugh?

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Banard made me laugh mostly because it was so incredibly cute! It’s so sweet and meaningful at the same time, it’s possibly my favorite read of 2017

17. What is your favourite book that contains an LGBTQ+ character?

We are Okay by Nina Lacour is amaaazing! I love it

18. Have you read a book with a male protagonist? What is it?

Ha! Yeah I have. History is All you Left Me by Adam Silvera is one of them

19. Have you read a book set on another planet? What is it?

The Martian by Andy Weir is one of my all times favorites I recommend it to everyone!

20. Have you ever been glad to not finish a series? Which?

All of the Percy Jackson spin offs. I started the first book of the Heroes of Olympus series and promised myself to never pick it up again. It wasn't Bad and I liked the original Percy Jackson, but I don't need any more Rick Riordan in my life

21. Have you ever read a book series because you were pressured?

I'm ashamed to admit I'm more likely to be the one pressuring others when it comes to books. But there was this fantasy-series when I was maybe 8 yo that my teacher forced the class to read and I absolutely hated it (it had more male characters than Dead Poet's Society)

22. What famous author have you not read any books by?

Brandon Sanderson but I plan to fix that

23. Who is your favourite author of all time?

Rainbow Rowell

24. How many bookshelves do you own?

7 but most of them only hold like 10-15 books

25. How many books do you own?

Around 200 I think

26. What is your favourite non-fiction book?

I think it’s Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Rhonda Vilcox

27. What is your favourite children’s/middle-grade book?

I don’t really read middle-grade anymore, but back when I did The Shamer Chronicles by Lene Kaaberbøl were my absolute favorites. They’re translated into English and if you enjoy great characters and dragons I highly, highly recommend them! Here’s a little link

28. What is your next book on your TBR?

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson has been calling my name lately or maybe The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

29. What book are you currently reading?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the audiobook read by Stephen Fry

30. What book are you planning on buying next?

I own way too many books I haven’t read yet so I’ve set myself a goal for the summer: I can only buy five books in total from June-September. The books I’m itching to buy right now are:

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

(However I’m going to a yard sale tomorrow and there’s no way I’m not bringing back a book or ten...)

31. What was the cheapest book you bought?

My copy of City of Thieves was just 1$

32. What was the most expensive book you bought?

It’s either the Hamiltome (Hamilton: The Revolution) or the illustrated Harry Potter books 1 and 2

33. What is a book you read after seeing the movie/ TV series?

Matilda by Roald Dahl

I first watched the movie and thought it was way too revenge driven. But maybe the original story would be better so I bought the book, but ended up seeing the musical before reading it. The music was great and the show had its moments, but I’m sorry to say I didn’t really like it that much. Finally I read the book. And though it was better than the movie I still didn’t really like it.

34. What is the newest book you have bought?

The Hufflepuff version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

35. What three books are you most looking forward to reading this year?

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake!!

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

and I’m finally going to get around to reading Radio Silence by Alice Oseman (I know I’ll love it)

36. What is a book you love that has a terrible trope? (Love triangle, etc)

The Raven Boys series. There are several tropes to point out, but I think the forbidden-lovers-trope is super terrible. But I still really like the 2/4 of the books that I’ve read!

37. Have you read a book in a different language? What was it?

I read almost all of my books in a language that isn’t my native one. I’ve read books/novella in English, Danish, Swedish, and German

38. What is a book you’ve read that is set in a time period before you were born?

Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars

39. What book offended you?

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

40. What is the weirdest book you have read?

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and I really didn’t like it

41. What is your favourite duology?

I wouldn’t exactly call it a favorite, but I haven’t really read that many duologeis, so I’m going to say The Wrath and the Dawn

42. What is your favourite trilogy?

Captive Prince or The Hunger Games!

43. What book did you buy because of its cover?

Rebel of the Sands was a pure cover-buy. It’s not something I do all that often although I will search and search for the prettiest cover of a book if I like the summary

44. What is a book that you love, but has a terrible cover?

I hate the design of my copy of Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

45. Do you own a poetry anthology? What is your favourite poem from it?

Poetry is kind of a hit and miss for me but I do own two anthologies. I loved the one I’ve read which was the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace. My favorite poem from it is this one

46. Do you own any colouring books based off other books?

I was gifted a Harry Potter one and it’s too pretty I can’t color it in!

47. Do you own any historical fiction?

I own The Bronze Horseman as an e-book, All the Light We Cannot See, The Book Thief, and a few others

48. What book made you angry?

Sophie’s World!! Grrrrrrrr.... I cannot talk about that book calmly

49. What book has inspired you?

I don’t 100% agree with the message of Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson but it inspired me to think about my summer in a way I previously hadn’t

50. What book got you into reading?

We start and end with Harry Potter. The first time Harry helped me was when my parents read them to me as a kid and one day I took over and read them myself. And then Harry helped me again two years ago after I hadn’t picked up a book in years

I tag @thebookgiver, @bookswithmichelle, @thoughtsfromaravenclaw and anyone else who wants to do it!

#book tag #booklr #If you want to talk to me about any of the books I've mentioned #please please do

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stlgeekgirl · 8 years ago

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Let me just start by saying: Yes, I originally reblogged the tumblr post thinking it would be cute for some sort of prompt. Then @mikosarthouse spoke, my bunnies (who adore her) listened, somehow Tad got involved and well... 2,600 words later, this is what happened.

“Explain to me exactly why you two oddballs want to go to IKEA?” Rhonda asked, one eyebrow arched up in question.

The idiots in question; namely Thaddeus Gumblethorpe and his partner in crime, Helga Pataki, were grinning widely.

“Because,” Tad started as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. “IKEA is like the Disney Land of home furnishing stores. “It’s a day trip Rhon. One Helga and I are planning to partake in.”

Rhonda’s gaze flicked between the two cautiously. “I don’t trust the two of you together in an IKEA. Separately, maybe but definitely not together.”

“Then come with us cupcake.” Tad suggested. Helga elbowed his side.

“We’re going to explore,” she stated. “She won’t let us explore.”

“If by explore you mean get kicked out within twenty minutes of getting in the building, then no, I won’t let you explore. Neither will I go with both of you without backup.” She pulled out her phone and began texting. “I’m calling Arnold for backup.”

She was so focused on texting Arnold in order to forestall any possible problems that she missed Helga and Tad giving each other a subversive low five.

Arnold looked pensively at the ginormous blue and yellow square behemoth of a building.

“I’m not sure about this.”

Beside him Helga grinned at the approaching building. “Did we mention it has a restaurant in it? A restaurant Arnold!”

Tad spread his arms. “Swedish meatballs…far as the eye can see.”

“And its own grocery store if you need even more Swedish meatballs.” Helga added. Tad nodded.

“Because on cannot have enough Swedish meatballs.”

“Enough with the Swedish meatballs, you two!” Rhonda exclaimed as she pulled into the closest parking space, which was still a long walk from the building.

“They need a tram system.” Helga remarked as they got of Rhonda’s car.

“Nah, how would they fit all the packages on the tram system?”

“Take one person and have them come back with the car?”

Tad held up a finger but stopped. “Hmmm. You make a compelling point.”

Walking behind them, Arnold glance at Rhonda. “Why did we agree to this again?”

“The two of them. Alone. In an IKEA. Unsupervised.”

“Ah. Right.”

They walked the half length of the parking lot to finally reach the front of the building. As they took the escalator to the main entrance, Rhonda gave both Tad and Helga a hard look.

“Behave yourselves. Both of you.”

The two looked at each other and then at Rhonda and Arnold.

“It’s just an IKEA. What could we possibly get into trouble over?”

“I suddenly feel an ominous feeling lingering around us.” Arnold stated.

They reached the top of the second escalator and looked around.

“Well? Where to first?” Arnold asked. Helga and Tad barely glanced at the restaurant takin gin instead the marked walls and the signage above the entrances directing people in which way to go.

“Backwards?” Tad asked. Helga grinned.

“Backwards.”

The two headed the complete opposite direction of the arrows, heading towards the end of the store where the stairs that led to more department’s lay. Arnold and Rhonda, not expecting the sudden change, hurried after them.

“Wait!”

They finally caught up with Tad and Helga in the bed area. Helga was pushing down on mattress pads, fascinated with the slow rise and disappearance of her hand print. Tad was perusing beds, stopping every once in a while to bounce on one.

“You think my parents would freak if I came home with several large boxes?” he yelled out to Helga across the room.

“You have to get one of these mattress pads.” She yelled back, pushing down on another pad. “These things are supposed to mold against your body, right?”

“That’s the idea, yeah.” Tad bounced on another bed before laying down on it.

“So…if you have sex on it, does it hold the shape? Like would anyone know just by looking at your mattress pad what your favorite position is?”

“Oh my God!” Arnold rushed past a giggling Rhonda to pull Helga away from the mattress pads and more than one family giving her dirty looks. “Helga!”

“That is a damn good question.” Tad mused hopping off of one bed and heading towards another. Rhonda sighed as she followed passing Arnold who was still tugging at Helga.

“I thought sure mine would’ve been the first one to embarrass us.”

“Lucky me.”

“Hey Helga!” Tad suddenly poked his head around a corner. “You totally belong here. Your name fits in perfectly with the entire store. You’re like, the ultimate accessory.”

Helga suddenly grinned. “I’m gonna go look at furniture.” She said, easily slipping out of Arnold’s grasp and rushing-against the flow of foot traffic- towards the wardrobes. Arnold gave Rhonda a helpless glance before following her.

“And…I’m on my own.” Rhonda muttered as she wandered around the corner in an effort to find Tad. She turned another corner and stopped.

He was lounging on one of the king-sized beds, arm propping up his head and giving her the come hither look. Grinning mischievously, he lightly patted the mattress in front of him.

“Honey, come join me.”

She huffed, folding her arms.

“Thaddeus, if you don’t put your shirt on right now, I’m legitimately going to leave you here.”

“That’s not what you said last night.”

“Last night was not in the middle of an IKEA store and no!” she held up a finger as his eyes brightened at her comment. “I am not coming here after hours to sleep with you.”

“Has the magic died cupcake?”

“Shirt. On. Now.” She hissed. Laughing, he pulled on his tee shirt and laid back down just as a sales person stepped around the corner.

“Hi. You two have any questions?”

Tad grinned at the man as Rhonda covered her face with a hand. “No. Just testing out the softness of the mattresses, trying to figure out if I could get away with a king-sized bedframe or not in my room.”

“We have several loft sized bed frames that will quite comfortably fit two people but can be fit into a loft sized apartment.”

Tad’s eyes sparkled as he jumped off the bed. “Lead the way good man!”

Arnold found Helga in a maze of wardrobes and dressers, muttering under her breath as she checked each tag, sometimes backtracking to look at one she’s just walked away from.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to find the wardrobe that leads to Narnia.” She said as she passed him for the fifth time. He sighed, letting his head fall back so he could look at the ceiling. She opened a wardrobe and stuck the entire top half of her body inside.

“Helga!” he groaned. She popped out and shut the door, eyes wide with excitement. As she passed him this time, she grabbed his arm and tugged him along.

“Now what are we doing?” he asked, exasperated.

“Looking. Did you know I can’t pronounce a one of these names?” She lifted the tag on a wardrobe. “Like this. Brimnes. Okay…well, that one was easy. But there’s one around her called a Koppigges.”

“A…what?”

“A kopinhagenshiga.” She shrugged and pulled him towards a dresser, picking up the tag. He read it.

“Helga, it says Koppang.”

“These words. These are not American words.”

“Possibly because they’re Swedish?”

She wandered around, looking at more tags. “New plan. I’m gonna choose a random tag and whatever unfathomable word is on it, I’m gonna name our kid that.”

“Please stop.” He begged. She stopped in front of a wardrobe and picked up the tag.

“Our first child will be named.” She read the tag. “Kullen.”

He frowned. “That…actually isn’t too horrible.”

“Nope.” Letting go of the tag, she headed back towards the dressers. “Sounds too much like a Twilight name, I’m not naming my imaginary kid after a Twilight character.”

“Wait. You’ll name our firstborn after a piece of Swedish made furniture but you won’t name them after a character in a book?”

“I have standards Arnold. Ah ha!” She stopped at a white dresser and picked up the tag. “How about…Trysil.”

“Again. Not horrible.”

“Kind of Game of Thrones. I could work with it. Oh wait.” Turning, she picked up another tag. “Dyfjord! Perfect!”

“No!”

“But Arnold…”

“I am not going to name our imaginary first born Dyfjord! And why am I even arguing this point with you?” Grabbing her hand, he pulled her out of the furniture section. “I’ve half a mind to just lock you in one of the wardrobes…”

“Oh! Maybe that way the doorway to Narnia will open. Let’s do it!”

“Helga!”

She lost him around design room number three. He took one look at the kitchen area and looked heartbroken, his lower lip wobbling before he rushed out and headed towards one of the design children’s rooms. She could hear him wailing further down the path and for once was torn between looking at the design rooms, honestly, some of the rooms were just amazing and she’d love to own a kitchen exactly like it or trying to find her darling little madman.

She did a little of both. Halfway through the room, she finally found him in the loft living rooms- how to make an entire design plan home out of 700 square feet- sitting on a couch with a book in his hand, looking devastated. Sighing, she sat on the couch next to him.

“What?”

He merely looked at her, lower lip stuck out and quivering. She merely rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Tad, you have got to stop crying about all the rooms.”

He sniffed once before wailing. “I can’t help it! Most of them don’t have windows and all their books are in Swedish, it’s so tragic!”

He fell onto his side onto the couch, sending a couple of people in the room looking into titters. Rhonda just sighed again, feeling a headache coming on.

“Tad, they’re design rooms.” She said.

“They never even got the chance to be real rooms!” he wailed from his spot on the couch, still clutching the book to his chest. “Maybe they don’t want to be pretend rooms, maybe all they want is to have real people living in them to make them feel whole.”

“I can’t believe I’m feeling bad for a design room.” One person muttered to his partner as they passed the couch. Tad stroked the couch beneath his cheek.

“Don’t worry, you’re a real room to me.” He said to the couch. “I’ll make you real, you’ll see.”

“Oh for Godssake!” Rhonda exclaimed, standing up.

Tad sniffed again. “Helga would understand me.”

Rhonda whipped out her phone and began texting. “And I’m going to get Helga up here right now to sort this out. This is just getting ridiculous.”

Somehow they’d made it downstairs.

Arnold had no idea where Tad and Rhonda were, but he currently found himself staring at a college dorm desk set up that he might have been slightly jealous of. He should really text Rhonda to see where they’d run off too but he really liked this desk. And Helga had since gone quiet and wasn’t running around like a woman on a mission as she had been upstairs so he was counting it as a temporary win.

However…

It had been really quiet.

Leaving his dream desk set up, he wandered around the other design rooms trying to find Helga. He finally found her in the middle of six or seven desks, studying each one as if trying to weigh a decision.

“Hey,” he said, sliding up behind her and dropping a kiss on her cheek. “What are you doing?”

Her eyes narrowed in thought for a moment before she answered. “I’m wondering which of them you’d look best pinned aga-“

His eyes widened and he jumped forward, slapping his hand over her mouth before she could finish her sentence. Her own gaze widened as she stared at him over his hand. He could feel the blush rising on his cheeks from her words. The blush deepened when he felt her smile against his hand and suddenly realized that in his haste to shut her up before she could finish that sentence, he’d inadvertently placed himself between her and a desk and had effectively given her an answer to her query. She moved his hand from her mouth, not letting it go, the smile still on her lips.

“While you do look good in this position, this is not the desk.”

His phone rang in his pocket, interrupting any further comments and he gratefully pulled it from his pocket, moving away from the desk as he read the text.

Get over to the loft design rooms! Tad’s distraught over imaginary rooms!

“Come on, we have to go save Rhonda from a distraught Tad.”

“But I have six more desks to test.” Helga protested as he pulled her through the kitchenware section.

“Later,” he said absently, blushing again when he realized what he’d just agreed to. Helga chuckled.

“I’m holding you to that football head.”

They found Rhonda standing just outside the design room for loft living, looking frustrated.

“What the…” Arnold asked as Helga wandered into the design room. “I have no idea, I found him in here clutching a book and wailing about how these never got a chance to be real rooms.” She said as they entered in after Helga. The blonde sat on the couch next to the still sniffling Tad and handed him a melon baller.

“Here. I found you something.”

Rhonda and Arnold just looked at each other helplessly. Tad looked at the silver instrument and took it, sitting up.

“That’s so sweet. Where did you find this?”

“Downstairs.”

His eyes widened. “There’s a downstairs?”

“Yep. With desks and all sorts of utensils and an entire area with pillows and towels I didn’t even get to.”

“Hey, how about meatballs?’ Rhonda interrupted, not about to allow either of them into an accessories area, especially if there were pillows involved. They’d managed not to get kicked out so far. Arnold looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.

“Would you prefer the two of them in an area with decorative pillows?” she hissed. His eyes widened and he looked back at them grinning.

“All the meatballs. And Lingonberry juice.”

Helga and Tad looked at each other.

“What about my melon baller?”

“Take it with you.”

“Okay.”

The book was tossed haphazardly onto the couch as Tad stood up, melon baller in hand, following Helga, Rhonda and Arnold towards the restaurant.

“Today was the best day ever!” Helga announced as they headed back to the car. After several hours inside the story they managed to leave with only one melon baller for Tad and three large bars of Swedish chocolate for Helga. After eating lunch in the restaurant, Rhonda and Arnold managed to get the other two past the accessories area and only had to go through the lighting area- where they got held up while Helga and Tad played with rope lights- before making it to the checkout and out the door.

“Sadly, there were a couple of things that caught my eye.” Rhonda told Arnold quietly while keeping an eye on the two people in front of them who were discussing the practical purposes of a melon baller. “I wouldn’t mind coming back here…without those two.”

Arnold nodded. “Truth be told, I kind of covet this entire dorm desk setup they have that I would love to have in my room. You think maybe we could sneak back here one day?”

“I think that could be arraigned.” She looked at the Tad and Helga who were now sharing one of Helga’s chocolate bars. “I’d ask why we bother with these two when they act like children sometimes.”

“Because our lives would be boring without them.” Arnold answered. Rhonda smiled.

“Hey Arnold,” Helga said as they approached. “I need to take a look at your desk.”

He could feel the blush come back. “We’ll talk about it later.”

#Hey arnold #Mouse9 writes #shortaki #Gumblelloyd #all the crack

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betterbetsny · 7 years ago

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Fashion Meets Animation

Designs by Jason Wu

Combine Saks Fifth Avenue, leading fashion brands and the soon to be released Sony Pictures Animation feature, The Emoji Movie, and what do you get? A custom designed, emoji-inspired fashion collection, available exclusively at Saks New York flagship and Beverly Hills stores, as well as Saks.com.

John Antonini

The Saks Fifth Avenue x The Emoji Movie collection features ready-to-wear clothing and shoes from design houses such as Jason Wu, Mackage, Del Toro Footwear, Orlebar Brown, Gents and Havianas. This fashion and film collaboration may seem like an unusual partnership at first, but John Antonini, Saks Fifth Avenue Director of Stores explains why Saks and Sony Pictures Animation have created the perfect synergy, “...the smiley emoji is a big part of the movie and it sort of sums up how customers should feel when they interact with Saks Fifth Avenue. They should walk into our stores, go to our website and feel happy.”

Designs by Mackage

In honor of the Saks Fifth Avenue X The Emoji Movie collection, Saks has devoted six windows at its Fifth Avenue store to an immersive fashion and film experience that allows viewers to interact with Emoji characters from the film. The windows were unveiled last week at a red carpet event that took place, appropriately enough, on World Emoji Day. “I think that when you talk about The Emoji Movie, it has to be about fun,” Antonini explained, “When people use emojis today, it’s about bringing to life their emotions in different ways, and I think putting that together in our windows with product from some of our favorite designers, really brings that all together for us.”

Designs by Mackage

On hand for The Emoji Movie event were members of the cast, including T.J. Miller, Maya Rudolph, Jake T. Austin and Liam Aiken. Also in attendance were the film’s director, Tony Leondis, and producer, Michelle Kouyate, as well as designers, Sony Pictures executives and celebrity fans of fashion and the movie like Paula Abdul.

Tony Leondis

In keeping with the expressive theme of the movie, Leondis, a native New Yorker, was very enthusiastic as he reflected on the way in which the film came about, “ In animation we’re always looking for new worlds to discover and I was thinking about my next movie, what I wanted to make and I looked down on the phone and I saw these emojis and I thought ‘Oh My goodness there’s a whole world that exists in our phones and there’s already a society that is inherent which is everybody has to be their one thing’ so the smiler always has to smile, even if she’s really angry and the frowner is always frowning. So I thought it would be interesting to do a story inside the phone and explore what that would be. What happens behind the scenes.” And how does Leondis feel about Saks Fifth Avenue and fashion becoming a part of the equation? “ Oh my gosh, I‘m so thrilled ! We spend so much time on our production design and our color and how to light a sequence and how to bring these worlds to life...and so I‘m thrilled that other designers could get inspired by something we did.”

Paula Abdul interacts with one of the store windows

The Emoji Movie opens nationwide on July 28th. Saks Fifth Avenue New York Flagship windows will be live through the end of July.

-Rhonda Erb

All Photos: Rhonda Erb

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