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salvatoreschool · 4 years ago

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Kaylee Bryant On "Legacies," The Importance Of Queer Rep On TV, Hosie, And More

"I have so many people constantly telling me that watching Josie on the show has made them feel more comfortable in themselves."

This week, Kaylee Bryant squeezed us into her schedule to talk about their role as Josie Saltzman on Legacies. As a huge Josie fan, I couldn't think of a better way to spend a morning than talking to Kaylee about The Vampire Diaries, Hosie, our favorite books, and more! Here's everything we talked about:

1. What was your audition for Legacies like?

My audition process was very interesting because they kept a lot of it a secret. I had no script and a fake character name. And then I had my second audition, a chemistry read, which Jenny Boyd [Lizzie] wasn't even at. I walked in and immediately just flat-out asked, "This is for the twins, right?" So it was long, but short and intense at the same time.

BuzzFeed: Wait, did you know which twin you were going to be playing?

I initially auditioned for Josie, and then during chemistry reads, they started asking me to read for Lizzie. And then we had our final callback where I finally met Jenny and we both read for both roles. They never told us [who was playing who] until Jenny had her appointment to go dye her hair blonde.

2. What's a typical day on set like?

Gosh, it changes every time. If it's a busy day on set, we're talking like 8 a.m. call time where we spend about two hours on hair and makeup and go straight into rehearsals. If it's a big sort of episode that involves stunt work and wire work, you're talking about doing maybe two scenes in a day. But if it's an average day, we can do anywhere from three to five scenes and we can start at 8 a.m. and wrap at 8 p.m. It really depends. I'm surprised if I'm not surprised.

3. You’ve said you’re a huge fan of The Vampire Diaries. Josie played Elena in the musical episode — what was that like?

It was surreal for sure. They had talked a little bit about doing a musical episode since Season 1. And I always thought that they were joking when they talked about doing Salvatore: The Musical!, so when they said Josie would obviously play Elena, I was like, "Hahaha." And then I got the script and realized I actually was playing Elena. The musical aspect of it was the easy part. The difficult part was, I think, getting into the iconic Elena attire and trying to feel normal. Because we have a lot of crew members that worked on The Vampire Diaries, and they kept coming up to me being like, "This is weird. I feel weird."

4. Do you have a favorite scene you’ve filmed with Courtney Bandeko (Finch) this season?

I really did love the scene that we had in the town square [when] we got on a moped. There were so many fans in the town square that were huddled in the rain — it was pouring rain, freezing cold — trying to snap photos of us. And it was kind of one of those surreal moments where it felt full circle, that I was on a Vampire Diaries spinoff in town square. It was a lot going on, but it was a lot of fun. It's always fun working with Courtney.

5. You and Danielle Rose Russell (Hope) also have amazing chemistry — what’s your favorite scene you’ve filmed together?

Oh gosh, we have a lot that are pretty amazing. Honestly, I'd say [Season 3] Episode 14 — we finally got to do a lot more scenes together. And it's always fun, especially when it's Josie, Lizzie, and Hope, because we have so much history character-wise. Any time you really get to dive into that, we love it.

6. I know Josie and Finch are working through some things right now, but I gotta ask — how do you feel about Hosie?

I love it. Danielle and I loved the idea of Hosie starting from Season 1, and we kept asking and asking and asking for it. So it's kind of funny and full circle that now the fans have kind of taken our side with things, and now they won't stop asking for it. All we want is this beautiful, dynamic relationship. And I think that the fans want that as well.

BuzzFeed: Yeah, I mean, people have even been asking me about Hosie, and I don't work on the show!

Oh, I'm sure! [Laughs] Obviously I love it, though.

7. Is there a particular Josie moment you’re really proud of?

Josie has a scene coming up in Episode 18 — or 19? — I don't know, but it's good. It's sort of the pinnacle of everything that Josie has felt over the past three years kind of culminating into one moment. So, I'm excited for people to see it.

8. You recently came out as queer. How has playing Josie, who’s pansexual, impacted you personally?

I felt a lot of pressure when I initially booked Josie because I was still figuring out who I was and what my label was. And playing a character who was so comfortable in who she was, it was inspiring [to me] in a way that I think a lot of other people watching the show have been inspired. I have so many people constantly telling me that watching Josie on the show has made them feel more comfortable in themselves. It's kind of amazing that we all have the same experience in that having queer representation makes you more comfortable.

9. You’ve been vocal about your Asian identity, and your character has spoken Japanese on the show. Did you have a hand in incorporating that into Josie’s character?

No, not at all! So, I spoke Japanese a few times on the [Instagram] Live and one of our writers, Penny Cox, saw me speaking Japanese and immediately went to Brett [Matthews] and was like, "We need to make this happen somehow." And then all of a sudden, I had a script in my hands. So it was a surprise, but a fun one.

BuzzFeed: Are you fluent in Japanese?

Gosh, no! I'm barely fluent in English. [Laughs] I would say I speak at the level of maybe a second-grader on a good day, though.

10. If you could pitch any storyline for Josie, what would it be?

I always joke that I want an episode that takes place overnight. That way, we all have to be wearing pajamas the entire episode. I just want to wear some comfy clothes for a whole two weeks, that's my main goal. So we can have a pajama episode, that's my pitch.

11. What's it like getting into character for Dark Josie scenes?

It's different in the sense that I know Josie so well. And knowing Josie in turn makes me understand Dark Josie. I have a whole different playlist of music that I listen to for Dark Josie — and I have the wig, which helps a lot with getting into character.

BuzzFeed: Well, now I have to ask what music is on that playlist!

I think "Bury a Friend" by Billie Eilish is a great one for Dark Josie. Also, "Villain" by K/DA is a prime example of a perfect song for Dark Josie, so I listen to that one as well.

12. What's your go-to Starbucks order?

Plain black iced Americano. Aria [Shahghasemi, who plays Landon] says I drink coffee like a sociopath. [Laughs]

13. What TV show are you currently binging?

I just finished watching Alice in Borderland, which is a Japanese show on Netflix. And I know Feel Good Season 2 just came out, so I think that's my next binge.

14. Damon or Stefan?

Stefan! They're both beautiful and I love them very much, but I'm Team Stefan when it comes to Elena.

15. If you could work with anyone from The Vampire Diaries, who would it be?

Ian Somerhalder has a lot of dogs. So, maybe I want to work with him for the sole reason of just talking about dogs. [Writer's note: Kaylee revealed she has two rescue dogs, one whom was sleeping right next to them during the interview! Kaylee described the dogs as "both complete and total nuts," but said she misses them about five minutes after getting into the car to go to work.]

16. Do you think you’re most similar to Josie, Lizzie, or Hope in real life?

I would say I'm an eclectic mix of the three. I can be very headstrong like Hope, very outspoken like Lizzie, and I try to be as loving as Josie, but sometimes that doesn't always work. But I'd like to think all three.

17. Is there a role people would be surprised to learn you auditioned for, but didn't get?

I've been auditioning since I was eight, so there's quite a few Disney Channel shows and movies. And I'm sure people would be surprised because I think I auditioned for like, all of them. It's very funny, one of the first jobs I ever booked in television was Kickin' It with Leo Howard [Ethan]. Talk about full circle — going from being 12 years old and having no idea what I'm doing to being a series regular on [Legacies] and welcoming Leo to the set.

18. Who's your favorite Disney princess?

Oh, I love Mulan so much. She was, like, my first crush ever. I also love Moana, but it's Mulan 1,000%.

19. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I mean, I do eat rice every day. So maybe just white rice — you can make rice into candy and...yeah, let's go with rice.

20. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one book, what would it be?

Oh no! I recently read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, and I really enjoyed that book. Oh god, Is that the one that I want to bring, though? I mean, I really enjoyed it and it has many different aspects to it. I don't know. Or should I go with Harry Potter? I go through different genres too, like right now I'm in a big sci-fi phase, but other times I'll go the opposite direction and only read biographies. Yeah, that's super hard. I don't think I would know!

21. On that note, what's your Hogwarts house?

Initially, when I was younger, it used to just be straight-up Slytherin. And now, I recently took the Sorting Hat Quiz and I got Ravenclaw. So I'm going to go with Slytherclaw.

BuzzFeed: What's Josie's house?

Josie would be Slytherin. She tries very hard and, you know, not everyone in Slytherin is evil. She just, you know, has her way of going about things.

22. Has anything super funny or embarrassing happened to you on set?

I trip a lot on set. I get scared very easily — if I come around the corner and somebody is walking the other direction, I get scared. Everybody knows to walk slowly around me because I get scared so easily.

23. What's your wildest fan story?

I've had people cry before. And I'm an empath, so if somebody starts crying, I immediately am like, "Please don't cry, because I'm gonna cry." And then it turns into this whole thing. Once we were shooting in the town square and this young girl with her mom started crying, and I just hugged her and I didn't know what to say. So there's a lot of that. There's also the occasional, "Where's your twin?" and...I don't have one, sorry! But yeah, I would say the people who cry always throw me for a loop.

24. How do you unwind after a long day?

I have an hourlong drive home from work, so I usually listen to a lot of music. And by the time I get home, taking off all of my makeup is very therapeutic. Because over time, we're working 13-hour days, 16-hour days, and it's just powder constantly building up on my face. So, washing my face is always very therapeutic. And then just laying back and reading a book and petting my dog is the best.

25. Is there a celebrity you get told you look like a lot?

Most recently, Sara Waisglass [from Ginny & Georgia and Degrassi]. We follow each other on social media now and I completely messed up because I don't know how Twitter works at all. I forgot that there's a DMing interaction, so we followed each other and I was like, "Oh, that's nice." And then just recently, I saw that she had messaged me being like, "We're twins! We should be friends!" And I immediately messaged back, "I'm so sorry, let's be friends!"

26. Who's your biggest celebrity crush?

Oh, I have so many. But consistently since I saw Orphan Black, Tatiana Maslany. Hands down.

27. Finally, have you ever caught someone watching a TV show or movie that you're in on a flight or anywhere else?

We were all, as a cast, flying to — was it New York Comic Con, or San Diego Comic Con? — one of the Comic Cons. And we were all sitting there and we saw that Legacies was actually on the airplane as an option. And we were all just uncomfortably staring at each other. Yeah, that was surreal.

Be sure to catch Kaylee in Legacies, which airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW!

#legacies #theoriginals #thevampirediaries #tvd #kaylee bryant #josiesaltzman #siphoner #witch #gemini coven #lizzie&josie #saltzmantwins #salvatoreschool #mysticfalls #julieplec #thecw #queer

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pynkhues · 3 years ago

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Random question, but I remember reading an ask of yours a while back about how you would recast good girls and thinking it was so much fun!! So, if there was a modern-day Friends (or a modern-day version of any of your favorite sitcoms/shows), how would you make it different? Would you make any changes to the main ch, who would you cast? Etc etc ♡

Ah! Thank you, anon! I genuinely love doing recasts, so I'm delighted you liked that one, and am thrilled you sent another!

Friends is actually such a tricky one, because it was such a perfect little catalyst in terms of its cast and its characters and their chemistry, and I think we've seen over the years how hard that is to replicate (because lord knows networks have tried). But! I love the challenge, soooo lets start with the cast:

Okay, yes, I loved her in both Bridgerton and Sex Education, but to me Simone Ashley is really an actress who's still growing, much in the same way Courtney Cox was in Friends. In so many ways, I can't imagine a greater role to grow in than Monica, who's equal parts funny and dramatic, protagonist and antagonist, romantic lead and narrative foil. She's a character who's always moving, and I just feel like Simone could play that so well.

Full disclaimer: I haven't seen How I Met Your Father yet, but I've always thought Suraj was an actor who should've had a better career. From Life of Pi to Homeland to Happy Death Day 2U, he's got both the range and the charisma. Ross isn't an easy role to play, and I feel like he could bring out the best sides of him. Plus seeing him play Simone's brother would be a delight, and I feel he'd just be an incredible romantic lead toooo....

I mean, come on, this feels like a no-brainer, right? I can't imagine an TV actress currently working who could better embody Rachel's charm and confidence and throughline vulnerability than Victoria, and I feel like her arc of runaway bride to successful and independent woman would just be one she'd embody so well.

I always feel like Darren sells the comedy in Never Have I Ever better than the dramatic sequences, and his himbo-with-a-heart-of-gold stylings just feels totally perfect for Joey.

In sooo many ways, I feel like Cheyenne in Superstore is an AU version of Phoebe, haha, but they're different enough too that I feel like the role of Phoebe would be something Nichole could really pivot to something fresh, modern and exciting. Plus she's so cute and I love her.

Chandler was genuinely the hardest one for me to cast. There are definitely older actors who fit the bill (Adam Scott being the one who immediately leapt to mind), but no one who fit that mid-to-late-twenties range that would be needed for a re-cast.

After a lot of thought, I landed on Shameik, which the more I think about, the more I love. Chandler's not really an easy role to play - he's got this not-quite-warmth-not-quite-coldness to him that's defined by an acerbic sense of humour and a genuine loyalty to those around him, a boyishness that's somehow contradicted by being the only one with a 'real adult' job at the start of the series, to moving from quippy sidekick to true romantic lead. It's not an easy role to balance, but Shameik's done all that and more across his career. To see him do it in the one role - and to do it opposite Simone and Suraj in particular - feels dreamy as all hell.

As for changes, yeah! There are a few. The biggest change I'd make to the show would be scrapping the plotline with Rachel's pregnancy. I don't think the show needed it, and the fact that it resulted in her staying in New York at the end of the show's run was, I think, a real betrayal of her character.

And this might be a controversial opinion too, but I think it was a bit of a betrayal of Ross' too. I forever wish the show had gone deeper in exploring Ross co-parenting Ben with Carol, and the fact that Ben was really overshadowed in later seasons for Emma really bummed me out.

In that sense, I think if I was to reframe the series, I'd definitely be making Carol and her new partner, Susan, and Ben much more prominent characters, and have Ross and Carol co-parenting being a bigger part of Ross' overall arc. (Also, okay, hear me out - Kiersey Clemons and Tati Gabrielle as Carol and Susan respectively)

The show wasn't Great with sexuality in general, but it kind of had these built-in avenues to explore it in much more exciting and authentic ways than it did, and Carol definitely offered that, but so did Chandler's father, who I'd love to write in in a bigger way, and I think it genuinely makes sense that both Joey, Phoebe and Rachel at least be bi.

Otherwise, I'm not sure! What do you think?

#this was such a fun one to think about anon!#thank you!#should i create a recast tag #since i've now done gg dawson's creek and friends?#it feels right haha #recasting asks #chandler x monica was always my fave on that show #the writing on rachel x ross needs a B I G update but the potential really is still there #jennifer and david having good chemistry carried them through a lot though haha #friends #welcome to my ama

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watusichris · 4 years ago

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Betty Davis: They Say She’s Different

It appears that everything anyone has written for the old Music Aficionado site has now disappeared from the web. A random Facebook post has prompted me to re-purpose this story, written in 2016, about my favorite funketress. **********

To this day, the name Betty Davis – Betty with a “y,” that is – remains best known to connoisseurs of Miles Davis minutiae and ‘70s funk obsessives. While it’s true that Betty played an important off-stage role in the career of the jazz trumpeter, to whom she was married for just a year, and she undoubtedly made some of the best hardcore funk records of her era, she deserves to be recognized beyond the relatively narrow provinces of the jazzbo and the crate-digger.

Uncompromising, intelligent, brazen, aggressive, and not incidentally gorgeous, sexually provocative, and a fashion plate always ahead of the curve, Betty was a prophetic figure. Spawned by the explosion of music, fashion, and alternative culture of the late ‘60s, and by concurrent leaps in black consciousness and feminism, she was a take-no-prisoners singer and writer who presented herself as something new, rich, and strange with her self-titled debut album in 1973.

There were some badass contemporaries working the soul and funk trenches– gutter-tongued diva Millie Jackson and one-time James Brown paramour Yvonne Fair leap to mind immediately – but they seemed to be adapting tropes previously worked by male singers in the genres. Betty still sounds like something new: a tough, smart, demanding woman who reveled in pleasure and insisted on satisfaction, unafraid to claim what she wanted.

Despite the fact that she was associated with some high-profile male musician friends and lovers – beyond Davis, the roll call included Hugh Masekela, Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, Mike Carabello, Eric Clapton, and Robert Palmer – she was no groupie or bed-hopping climber. Possessed of her own self-defining vision, she was producing her own records and leading a tight, flexible little band by the end of her brief run.

In 1976, after completing four splendid albums (only three of which were released at the time), she disappeared, not only from the music business but from the public eye entirely. What happened? It’s an old story that many women in the industry will recognize: Her record company didn’t know what to do with her, and wanted her to tone down her act. Betty Davis wasn’t having any of that, thank you, and she hit the damn road.

She was born Betty Mabry in Durham, NC, in 1945. She grew up country, and was exposed to down-home, get-down music early. On the title track of her second album, They Say I’m Different, she runs down the artists who served as inspirations: Big Mama Thornton, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf, Albert King, Chuck Berry. The blues, in one form or another, is the backbone of her style.

Her family relocated to Pittsburgh when she was young, but at 16 she left home for the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. There she was hurtled into the roiling cultural vortex of the Village. She took up modeling, working for the toney Wilhelmina agency, and began running with a posse of similarly disposed, equally beautiful women who called themselves the “Electric Ladies.” Sound familiar? One of her closest cohorts was Devon Wilson, for many years a notorious consort of Jimi Hendrix known for her freewheeling, outré sex- and drug-saturated lifestyle.

Mabry began to try her hand at singing, and cut a few self-penned singles. They were in an old-school mold in terms of structure, but her very first 45 hints at things to come. “Get Ready For Betty,” a 1964 track released by Don Costa (discoverer of Paul Anka and Trini Lopez and a key arranger for Frank Sinatra), is stodgy early-‘60s NYC R&B to its core, but its message is pointed: “Get out my way, girl, ‘cause I’m comin’ to take your man.”

She also made a stolid romantic duet ballad with singer Roy Arlington and, produced by cult soul man Lou Courtney, a homage to the Cellar, the New York club where she DJed. But she didn’t start reaching the upper echelon of the music biz until one of her songs, a hymn to Harlem called “Uptown,” was cut by the Chambers Brothers for their smash 1968 album The Time Has Come, which also included the psychedelic soul workout “Time Has Come Today.”

The Chambers association probably secured a singles deal for her at Columbia Records, and her first session for the major label was produced by her former live-in boyfriend, South African trumpeter Masekela, in October 1968. By that time, she had split with him: A month earlier, she had married a far more famous horn player, Miles Davis, whom she had met in 1967. Davis and his regular producer Teo Macero would head her second session for Columbia in May 1969.

Those two dates were released for the first time as The Columbia Years 1968-1969 earlier this month by Light in the Attic, the independent label that has restored Betty’s entire catalog to print over the last decade. While devoted fans can be grateful that the work is finally seeing the light of day, it does not make for easy listening, for it was clearly made by people groping in the dark.

Betty’s artistic persona was at that point completely unformed, and so her male Svengalis did their best to mold the clay in their hands, with feeble results. Masekela evidently completed just three tracks, two of which, “It’s My Life” and “Live, Love, Learn,” were issued as a flop single. The homiletic song titles give the game away; the music, straight-up commercial soul backed by a large group (which included Wilton Felder and Wayne Henderson of the Jazz Crusaders and Masekela), has nothing original to say.

The date with Miles is a bigger waste, if a more spectacular one. The personnel couldn’t have been more glittering: Hendrix sidemen Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell; ex-Detroit Wheels guitarist Jim McCarty; bassist Harvey Brooks, studio familiar of Bob Dylan and former member of the Electric Flag; and Davis’ then-current or future band mates Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, and Larry Young.

But nothing jells. The material is either weak (Betty’s directionless original “Hangin’ Out” is the best of a bad lot) or incongruous (lumbering covers of Cream’s “Politician” and Creedence’s “Born On the Bayou”). Worse, the jazzers are unable to lay down anything resembling a solid soul-rock foundation, and even reliable timekeeper Mitchell blows the groove on more than one occasion. Miles gets impatient with his spouse at one point, rasping over the talk-back, “Sing it just like that, with the gum in your mouth and all, bitch.”

Apparently intended as demos, the failed tracks were consigned to the tape library. By late ’69, Miles and Betty’s marriage was history. She left her mark on his music: She appeared on the cover of his cover of his 1968 album Filles de Kilimanjaro and inspired its extended track “Mademoiselle Mabry” (based on the chords that opens Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary”) and “Back Seat Betty” from his 1981 comeback album The Man With the Horn.

Moreover, she moved him toward the flash style that would dominate his music through the mid-‘70s, by exposing him to the slamming music of Hendrix and Sly and exchanging his continental suits for psychedelic pimp togs. Would we know Bitches Brew, On the Corner, and Agharta without Betty Davis? Maybe, maybe not.

For her part, Betty remained in the wings for a while. She collaborated on demos for the Commodores; in London, she modeled, worked on songs for Marc Bolan of T. Rex, and declined a production offer from her then-paramour Clapton. Drifting back to New York, she met Santana percussionist Carabello. They became involved romantically, and in 1972 she relocated to the San Francisco Bay area, where Carabello’s local connections led to the formation of a stellar band to back her on a debut album.

One reads the credits for Betty Davis in awe. The rhythm section was the Family Stone’s dissident, puissant rhythm section, bassist Larry Graham and drummer Greg Errico (who also produced). Original Santana guitarist Neal Schon, future Mandrill axe man Doug Rodrigues, founding Graham Central Station organist Hershall Kennedy, and keyboardist and ace Jerry Garcia collaborator Merl Saunders filled out the instrumentation. The Pointer Sisters, Sylvester, and Kathi McDonald were among a large platoon of backup vocalists.

Issued in 1973 by Just Sunshine Records, an independent label owned by Woodstock Festival promoter Michael Lang (who also released a set by another unique woman, folk singer-guitarist Karen Dalton), Betty Davis was one hell of a coming-out party. Since her abortive Columbia dates, she had developed a unique vocal attack that could leap from a velvety croon to a Tina Turner-like shriek in a nanosecond. The stomping funk of the studio band backed her up to the hilt.

Like Turner, she was one Bold Soul Sister. The lust-filled opening invitation “If I’m in Luck I Might Get Picked Up” announces that a new game was afoot. The statement of romantic/sexual independence “Anti Love Song,” the lovers’ chess match “Your Man My Man,” and the self-explanatory “Game is My Middle Name” offer up a startling, hard-edged new model of a hard-funking female vocalist.

The album’s most affecting track may be “Steppin in Her I. Miller Shoes,” Davis’ level-headed elegy for her sybaritic friend Devon Wilson, who sailed out a window at the Chelsea Hotel in 1971. “She coulda been anything that she wanted…Instead she chose to be nothing,” Davis sings, implying that route wouldn’t be one she would take herself.

“If I’m in Luck” grazed the lower reaches of the R&B singles chart and the album failed to reach the LP rolls at all, but Davis was undaunted. For 1974’s They Say I’m Different, she took the producer’s reins, which she would hold for the rest of her career. While the backup lineup is less glitzy (though Saunders, Pete Escovedo, and Buddy Miles, on guitar no less, appear), the support is still sizzling; crackling drums and burbling clavinet put over a set of songs that may have been even stronger than those heard on her debut.

No one who hears “He Was a Big Freak” is likely to ever forget it; it’s a startling dissection of a masochistic relationship -- inspired by Jimi Hendrix, and not, as many have assumed, by Miles Davis (“Everyone knows that Miles is a sadist,” Betty remarked later). Almost as notable are “Don’t Call Her No Tramp,” a prescient condemnation of what we now call slut-shaming, and the autobiographical title track, with slicing slide guitar work by Cordell Dudley.

Different and its attendant singles tanked, but Betty managed to maintain her profile with live gigs noteworthy for their uninhibited bawdiness, on-stage abandon, and the star’s Egyptian-princess-from-outer-space wardrobe sense. By early 1974 she had assembled a hot, lean road band that included her cousins Nickey Neal and Larry Johnson on drums and bass, respectively, plus keyboardist Fred Mills and guitarist Carlos Morales. This lineup would back her on her last two albums.

The end of Just Sunshine’s distribution deal liberated Davis, who, at the suggestion of then-boyfriend Robert Palmer, inked with Palmer’s label Island Records. The company released Nasty Gal in 1975, and it may be Davis’ best-executed work. The pared-down backing lets the songs shine, and there are good ones here: The shameless title song, the vituperative blast at the critics “Dedicated to the Press,” and the out-front ultimatum for sexual satisfaction “Feelins” get right up in the listener’s face. The most surprising track is the ballad “You and I,” an unexpected songwriting reunion with Miles, orchestrated by the trumpeter’s famed arranger Gil Evans.

It’s a tremendous album, and Betty supported it with live shows that ate the funk competition alive. A bootleg of an especially out-there set recorded at a festival on the French Riviera in 1976 literally climaxes with Nasty Gal’s “The Lone Ranger,” an in-the-saddle heavy breather that Davis wraps up by feigning a loud orgasm.

One should remember that at this particular juncture, Madonna was studying dance at the University of Michigan.

But Nasty Gal faded with hardly a trace, and Davis’ relationship with Island swiftly became fractious. It’s easy to see why the label declined to issue her final album, originally called Crashin’ From Passion and ultimately released, after years as a bootleg, by Light in the Attic in 2009 as Is It Love or Desire. The collection, which leans heavily on songs about sex, doping, and heavy drinking, includes “Stars Starve, You Know,” an outright condemnation of the games record companies play:

They said if I wanted to make some money

I’d have to change my style

Put a paper bag over my face

Sing soft and wear tight fitting gowns

They don’t like the way I’m lookin’

So it’s hard for my agent to get me bookin’s

Unless I cover up my legs and drop my pen

And commit one of those commercial sins…

Oh hey hey Island

And that was all she wrote. Until writers began to seek her out in the new millennium as her records became available again, Betty Davis was an invisible woman, one who had blazed a trail that other talents, such as Prince and Madonna, would blaze more profitably after her. She was definitively ahead of her time.

Asked by one writer what she had done since leaving music, Davis, who turns 71 on July 26, responded with the most tragic thing one can imagine any artist saying: “Nothing really.”

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prettylittlethings25 · 4 years ago

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MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS FROM NETFLIX SHOWS

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

1. Monica Geller (Friends)

Monica is a chef who likes things to be clean; and is competitive, obsessive and compulsive in nature. She was always dedicated to her friends. She never turned away a friend in need; like when Rachel ran away from her wedding, she allowed her to stay at her house even though Rachel was not in touch with her for many years after high school. She always cooked for her friends. Whenever it was Thanksgiving or someone’s birthday, she was the one who organized a get-together and fed all of them. Her parents always favoured her brother Ross, so she always competed against him to gain their affection. Monica always supported her husband Chandler and believed in him, even when he quit his job and started an internship. She was shattered when she found out that they cannot have a baby but was still strong and later adopted twins. The character is portrayed by Courtney Cox.

2. Klaus Mikaelson (The Originals)

Klaus is an original hybrid, i.e., he is one of the oldest vampires in the world who is also a werewolf. He is an overly complex character. He has a thousand enemies from all around the world. Though some people might think of him as ruthless or heartless, he has a good side despite all his sins. He took care of people who were dear to him. The protection of his family was always his first priority. He was an excellent father, brother, and friend. Despite daggering his siblings at a regular basis, he protected and saved them from all harm. His closest ally was his brother Elijah, who never let go of him. He adored Hayley, his daughter’s mother and his friend, and always made her feel like family. But most of all, he was an extraordinary father to his daughter Hope. Hope was the only reason Klaus redeemed himself. He loved Hope so much that in the end, he sacrificed his life to save Hope. The character is portrayed by Joseph Morgan.

3. Nairobi (Money Heist)

Nairobi was an expert in minting and forgery. She was one of the robbers who participated in the heist of the Royal Mint of Spain. Her task was to ensure that the money that was being printed by the hostages are of the highest quality. Later, she briefly took charge of the robbery and declared the beginning of “Matriarchy”. She was the most disciplined of the robbers. Her real name was Agata Jiménez. During her teenage years, she started counterfeiting due to lack of money. She got pregnant at that time and gave birth to a boy, who she named Axel. He was taken away from her at the age of 3 by the child services when they found out Agata is a drug dealer. The Professor and the robbers decided to select codenames after cities, because the rules were of no real names. Agata chose to be called Nairobi. The character is portrayed by Alba Flores.

4. Richard Hunter (The Bold Type)

Richard is a handsome in-house attorney for Steinem Publishing, the company that publishes Scarlet Magazine. He is a tall man with short brown hair. He is very dedicated to his job and avoids doing anything hazardous to jeopardize it. He has a clandestine affair with Sutton Brady, a stylist. He loves her very much, and even made certain adjustments to stay together with her. Later, he and Sutton got married. Their 15 years age difference did not affect their relationship until Sutton revealed that she never wants to have kids because she loves her career and does not want anything that can affect it. This is where their marriage hit a roadblock as Richard wanted to have kids and he could not wait longer for Sutton to maybe change her mind. Though he was a passionate lover, his decision of being a father was much more important to him. The character is portrayed by Samuel Page.

5. Joey Del Marco (Grand Army)

Joey is one of the most popular students at her school. Among her close friends is Tim, Joey’s best friend Anna’s brother, with whom she has a flirtatious relationship. She was strong, confident, and independent until one incident turned her life upside down. One night, she went to the movies with Tim, George, and Luke and decided to get drunk. In a cab, Joey sat on George’s lap and started flirting with him and Luke to make Tim jealous. Little did she know what was supposed to be fun, would turn out to be her worst nightmare. She was raped by the boys she thought were her best friends, while Tim just sat in stunned silence. Later when she was tried to press charges, they were denied due to lack of evidence. Joey looked for Tim’s support but did not get any. She changed her school and joined a dancing class hoping she would get over this trauma. The character is portrayed by Odessa A’zion.

6. Berlin (Money Heist)

Berlin was the Professor’s half-brother, and one of the robbers. He oversaw the heist of the Royal Mint of Spain. He was the perfect blend of both charming and arrogant. His real name was Andrés. He was diagnosed with Helmer's Myopathy and had little time to live, so he desired to enjoy everything in the moment intensely. He had eccentric ways of commanding and punishing the hostages as well as the robbers, but those psychopathic tendencies were a facade to maintain his leadership. His character development forces everyone to despise him at the beginning and then sympathize after his ultimate sacrifice in the end to protect others. The character is portrayed by Pedro Alonso.

7. Beth Harmon (The Queen’s Gambit)

Beth is an orphan girl who has a passion for chess. She discovered her aptitude for chess while living in an orphanage, where she met Mr. Shaibel, the orphanage’s custodian who taught her chess. The pills that were given to the children at the orphanage helped Beth to hallucinate the game on a level that most of us will never experience in our lives. When she was adopted by a couple and could not avail the pills, her susceptibility to substance addiction fuelled her chess proficiency. She was the only woman chess player of her time and expressed irritation with being solely renowned because of her gender. So, she proved herself to be the greatest chess player in the world. The character is portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy.

8. Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl)

Chuck is notorious for his flamboyant and impeccable sense of style and charisma. Though he was selfish, manipulative, and sleazy sometimes, he was loyal to his friends and other close acquaintances. He was abandoned by his mother and was raised by a cold-hearted father whose approval he longed for. His love interest is Blair, with who he has a typical hate to love chemistry. The time where he voted for Blair 150 times so that she could be the prom queen, even though they were not together at that time, is probably the most selfless thing he had done in his life. He is an epitome of character development. The character is portrayed by Ed Westwick.

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modestfuckup · 4 years ago

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Some rambles from me :)*

*about tv and film tropes and Industry stuff regarding real and fictional pregnancies.

I introduced the concept of Chekhov’s Pregnancy to my partner the other day, (Very similar to Chekhov’s gun except the idea that you have to have a pregnant person go into labor not only on screen but often at the most inopportune time) along with the world of on screen pregnancies in all varieties (hiding a pregnancy, scripted pregnancies, and irl pregnancies being written into the show) and it was really strange to me that they never noticed this phenomenon. And IDK if it’s because i grew up a cis women who was like hyper aware of pregnant people and was taught to care about pregnant people but it was a strange conversation to have to be like “no yeah i know a lot about pregnancy as a trope in tv and film (and I guess in literature too but i don’t really read many things with pregnant people) as well as how pregnancy is handled in the Industry.”

I have been watching Grey’s Anatomy, because why not, and the second season includes a member of the ensemble being pregnant with her first child, and naturally, the character goes into labor when 1) there is a man who was shot with a bazooka which is still live in his body, 2) a man is having life or death brain surgery in the OR next to the live bomb, 3) the man having life or death brain surgery is the pregnant woman’s husband, 4) the chief of surgery is having a heart attack, 5) the title character has her hand inside the bazooka patient and holding the live bomb, 6) the character giving birth is refusing to ignore her years of medical expertise and wants to delay having her baby until her husband can be there, and 7) the delivery doctor’s husband is doing brain surgery on the pregnant woman’s husband. (She delivers her baby with the help of her surgical intern while her husband is in surgery (this episode isn’t even the season finale what?!))

There are countless other examples of women going into labor at The Worst Time.

And like, obviously the different kinds of onscreen pregnancies differ depending on the media. Hiding or incorporating pregnancies is usually done in TV shows, where the character may or may not become pregnant depending on their current storylines. A great example of this is Melissa Fumero’s pregnancy in an early season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Amy and Jake had just started dating, and while Charles would have been delighted, the pregnancy didn’t make sense for their relationship, so Melissa had to hide her pregnancy. However, later in late 2019 her irl pregnancy was written into the show, because at that point Jake and Amy were married. How I Met Your Mother does this with Alyson Hannigan’s pregnancies at various points in Lily and Marshall’s relationship too.

In movies, there are examples of hiding pregnancies. The most notable ones I can think of was Scarlett Johansson in an Avengers movie, and Emily Blunt in Into the Woods.

Friends does a great job of hitting all these tv pregnancy types. Lisa Kudrow’s pregnancy was written into the show by making Phoebe becoming a surrogate for her brother. Rachel’s pregnancy was scripted. And in the final season, Courtney Cox had to hide her irl pregnancy because Monica wouldn’t have children.

I can’t really think of any movies that incorporate actor’s pregnancies into the script or final edit. I watched a movie called How Do You Know, starring Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd, where the assistant was pregnant and she went into labor which became a moment of clarity for Rudd’s character while also supplying a few laughs. Going to show that even side or minor character’s pregnancies do tend to happen on screen and are important enough to someone that they deserve to be on screen.

IDK, being pregnant seems like it sucks and is kind of a squick for me, so I have no idea why i’m so invested and interested in it as a trope. but yeah.

#pregnant

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theseadagiodays · 5 years ago

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May 4, 2020

This is Not a Performance

Irving H Bolano’s incredible repurposed newspaper fashion for the Met Gala Challenge on Twitter #HFMetGala2020

May the Fourth be With You as you reach the next chapter of this current sci-fi drama we seem to be living through. As the saying goes, reality can be stranger than fiction. But it just happens to be a many red-eyed virus rather than an evil, black-masked father that we’re fighting as we all walk around like Storm Troopers.

There are so many aspects of our lives, during Covid, which make it feel like we are actors in a make-believe story. First of all, we’ve all become movie stars, with our faces, homes, and even pets showcased on our own silver screens. As isolated as we are, our private lives now play out in the public sphere more than ever - no paparazzi required. For some, this invasion of privacy is unwelcomed. But for many people, it satisfies a secret longing to share themselves with a wider audience. After all, deep down, everyone wants to be seen and heard (I guess, me included, since I have this blog, after all). It’s why TikTok and YouTube and Facebook have become multi-billion dollar companies so quickly. And now, while this pandemic is a harsh daily reminder of the impermanence of all things, it makes sense that these digital missives are an attempt to seek immortality, in some strange way.

As someone whose work responds to human’s need to have a voice, I truly get why this is the case. And I love that this time has turned housewives into opera stars, and health care workers into hip hop dancers, and housepets into circus performers. But, at the same time, I have become very aware of the masks that we wear, even inside our homes, to portray a certain self to the world that may stray quite far from our authentic selves. The expression “dance like no one is watching” acknowledges the fact that we all tend to perform when we have an audience, and perhaps we’re only truly ourselves when we don’t. I understand that the way we “perform” ourselves online gives each of us a chance to reinvent the fictions we want our stories to have. So, while I surely take some guilty pleasure from intimate glimpses into strangers’ lives, I also do so with a certain skepticism about the veracity of what I’m seeing.

This became particularly true for me when I received a recent link from my friend and amazing singer/songwriter, Dominique Fricot. Capitalizing on this current trend of oversharing, he cleverly asked his fans to film their morning routines for the music video of his new song, Wake Up, by his duo, Flora Falls. Dom’s warm tenor voice blended with his partner’s breathy tones feel just like a lazy morning in bed. But I’ll leave it up to you to decide just how accurate these portrayals of people’s idyllic daytime rituals actually are.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EbsqXou5FeY

May 5, 2020

Homeschool Heroes

About twenty years ago, I was invited to adjudicate a youth music competition in the Yukon. Travelling to one of the northernmost inhabited spots on earth, I imagined that my greatest surprise might have been a polar bear or Northern Lights sighting. But it turned out to be something entirely different. Among the 25,000 residents of the thriving metropolis of Whitehorse exists a treasure trove of talent. I could not believe the incredibly honed skills and nuanced expression with which these 11-18 year-olds played. Wondering why, I developed a theory that I now call SLoW: Sheltered Living Wonder. When long, dark days, cold climates or pandemics force people indoors, they tend to spend inordinate amounts of time on creative endeavors and skill development. In other words, they slow down and take time for wonder.

This theory has surely applied during these past few months of sheltering in place. One of the most remarkable examples has been the inventiveness that many of my friends have brought to their first attempts with homeschooling. So, I wanted to give a few shout outs to some of these Homeschool Heroes and the highly imaginative projects they’ve done with their kids.

Stunning Easter Eggs made from natural materials and dye, by my friend Jane Cox and her kids (Botany lesson)

Candy Covid virus, made by Amelia, my friend Jen Sanke’s daughter, as she learned about the virus’ proteins (Biology lesson)

But perhaps the prize for most complex homeschool project has to go to my architect friend, Bryn Davidson, who upon returning from Australia, in late March, had to fully quarantine for 2-weeks. So, with his 5-year old son Bei as helper, this Physics lesson allowed him to enjoy home delivery beer while in isolation. Just brilliant!

https://youtu.be/FF9-2dWoUtc

May 6, 2020

Living in livestream

So today, 5 million British Columbian’s awaited our “sentence” with baited breath, as word spread that our provincial prime minister would deliver the Re-Open BC plan at 3 pm. I have to admit, it felt a bit like when you were “grounded” as an adolescent and then your parents returned certain privileges to you. Of course, I’m well aware that our province has already been far more licentious than many places around the globe. We’ve been fortunate to maintain reasonably low numbers of infection (just over 2,000), with counts as low as 8 new cases per day, at this point. So, while our provincial parks closed, our beaches never did. While we were encouraged, within a reasonable range of home, to be active outdoors, we were not restricted to walks only within the 100 metre radius of our house, as my Israeli friends were. And while we could still shop at gardening and furniture stores, to make sheltering at home more enjoyable, New Zealanders had nothing but grocery stores and pharmacies open, for two months.

I have sensed the gratitude my fellow Vancouverites have felt about these privileges. But that does not mean that we aren’t still anxious to return to other aspects of living which we’ve missed. When lockdown began, ominously on the Ides of March (the 15th), I’d harboured a secret hope that certain restrictions might be lifted on my birthday (exactly two months later). And it turns out that Phase Two of the BC ReOpen plan will commence on May 19th, just 4 days later than I’d hoped. What I most look forward to experiencing again are small gatherings with friends, (we’ll soon be allowed to socialize in public with up to 10 people); meals inside certain restaurants and pubs (those that are able to function within WorkPlace BC’s safety regulations); visits to registered massage therapists; and hugs with select people, (”using one’s own ‘risk assessment’.”)

But in the long-range plan, the harsh reality for artists has been laid out, as Phase Four (which includes resuming large-venue concerts, conventions, and international travel) can not occur until either a vaccine has been developed, an effective treatment plan is widely available, or herd immunity is achieved. And this is not estimated to occur until mid-2021 or later. So, the prospects are still bleak for symphony orchestras, opera and dance companies, artists who perform in crowded bars, or musicians who travel for arena shows and festivals. This likely means that in order to satisfy audiences’ need to access live performance, and for artists to continue to share their creativity, livestream formats will still have to persist for some time. Therefore, I thought I’d share a few regular weekly livestream arts events here, both from Vancouver, LA & NY.

Canadian National Live Art Champion, Dmitri Sirenko, who we featured at our non-profit’s annual benefit on February 20th, 2020

Every Monday Night at 7 pm PST (Vancouver) Poetry Slam: https://www.facebook.com/Vancouverpoetryslam/

Every Thursday at 5 pm PST (LA): LIVE Art Battles - Watch painters do their magic in just 20 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWJoWGVwzGtk99nTOCib9vg

Every Thursday at 8 pm EST (NY): Spotlight on Plays - famous actors perform readings of theatre pieces, online: https://www.broadwaysbestshows.com/post/the-best-of-series/

May 7, 2020

Collateral Blessings

So many thoughtful writers are adding to the discourse, as we all strive to make meaning from what can feel like a senseliess time. I have so appreciated the abundance with which people are sharing these missives, right now. Every day, bursts of inspiration or flickers of insight come my way, thru texts, emails and Facebook. Like adventurers, traveling together thru the dark of night, we shine light on guideposts, anywhere we can find them, as we collectively quench each other’s thirst for wisdom.

One of the most profound writings I‘ve recently discovered came from a stranger’s blog. In The Examined Family, Courtney Martin, without ever diminishing the gravity of the havoc that this virus has wreaked, writes about some of the assets that have also come out of this time. New friendships with neighbors. A long-neglected puzzle completed with her kids. The time to draw and truly notice an artichoke in her back garden. My good friend Juan calls these collateral blessings. This reference to the accidental gifts that this cruel virus has given us, is a beautiful twist on “collateral damage”, a term coined to explain accidental friendly-fire deaths during the Gulf War. Commenting on the anticipatory nostalgia that she projects she will feel about certain things, once this time has passed, Courtney writes:

“I instantly feel overwhelmed at the prospect of schedules and stuff. I don’t want to go back to our former accumulation or frenetic pace. I don’t want to stop texting (my neighbor) my little triumphs. I don’t want to forget about the artichokes in the garden. I don’t ever want to forget this happened--the grief and the beauty of it. I’m not even sure that will be possible, but if it were, I wouldn’t want it. I don’t want to vote like it didn’t happen. I don’t want to eat like it didn’t happen. I don’t want to consume like it didn’t happen. I don’t want to schedule like it didn’t happen. I don’t want to mother or daughter or befriend or neighbor like it didn’t happen. I don’t want to sit inside this little life, noticing and appreciating and breathing, like it didn’t happen. There is unnecessary suffering all around me, and inside of me, too, but there is also necessary meaning. May we hold on to that.”

You can read her full entry here: https://courtney.substack.com/p/unnecessary-suffering-and-necessary?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo3OTg0NDcyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozNzU1NDMsIl8iOiJCTnk2VyIsImlhdCI6MTU4NzA1MjgyMCwiZXhwIjoxNTg3MDU2NDIwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMjA5MjIiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.puI9NMne-783ypInpvTkJ96T237WcrTo2ItDhqlkMiY

May 8, 2020

Nostalgia

I’m rarely one prone to nostalgia. My childhood photo albums are in storage. I have no family heirlooms displayed in my home. My tendency is to revel in the present or dream about the future. But this pandemic has strangely turned me into a sentimental fool. Perhaps this return to simpler times, where we seldom shop, where we wander mostly by foot, or where we get to know our neighbors better, makes us long for the past in certain ways.

For me, I’ve honored this by resurrecting my daily teenage Twizzler habit - a candy I’ve rarely eaten since then, but that now feels so satisfying during my Netflix & Chill evenings (while watching films almost as old like Groundhog Day & Anchorman).

I’m also listening a lot to Old School Hip Hop, where the explative-free rhymes of the 90’s feel so strangely innocent. It’s refreshing to listen to these musicians spit verses that merely celebrate the joys of dance and rap, rather than ranting about gun violence and other societal ills. Run DMC It’s Tricky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-O5IHVhWj0) and Beastie Boys Body Movin’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvRBUw_Ls2o) happen to be personal favorites.

Last month, I was tickled by an old memory while planting a lilac bush in my backyard. I suddenly remembered a story about my college boyfriend, whom I hadn’t thought of in 30 years. Our relationship started a bit secretively, so as not to hurt his ex’s feelings. So, one May afternoon, we snuck away to a distant park that was hosting a Lilac Festival. Unfortunately, our ruse was quickly spoiled when a candid photo of our picnic under the purple blooms was plastered all over the front page of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle the next morning.

Another sweet memory returned in culinary form. Every Tuesday, for 7 years, my mother selflessly drove me an hour from home and back, for my flute lesson. And to break up the long drive, we regularly stopped at Bickford’s Pancake House for my favorite adolescent treat: breakfast for dinner. Their specialty was the Dutch Baby Apple. And I finally made my first homemade attempt at this deceptively easy delicacy, last Tuesday.

This has also been a time to return to bedtime stories (some I’ve read to friends’ kids, and others for adults to hear.) The Great Realisation by British performance artist, Tom Foolery, has been making the social media rounds. But in case you missed this touching tale that looks back on this time as if the tale is being told in a not-so-distant future, it’s a wistful story about some aspects of modern life that we may never long for in the future:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw5KQMXDiM4

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ellsey · 5 years ago

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Agents of Shield Rewatch 1x18 Providence

When last we met, we discovered that Grant Ward was a BIG TIME TRAITOR. But we can’t dwell on that with an entire episode to get through!

Raina is a snack even in these prison clothes

Ugh Ward

Raina’s about to be super disappointed when she meets the “Clairvoyant”

Yep, there it is

Ah yes, the old evil lair under the barber shop

Simmons is fretting in a super Simmons way

Fitz is freaking out in a super Fitz way

Poor Trip is caught in the middle

Remember when Talbot was just a blowhard?

Jealousy is not a good look Fitzy

But also I understand

Phil is taking everything in stride, but you know this is hard on him

Poor Daisy too. I mean she finally had a place to belong and people she could count on. Now she’s having to erase all traces of them. Do they ever explain this later? Like did they just replace data later? Do they still no longer exist? I have questions.

So I guess Garrett didn’t know Ward was into Daisy, but all of this is really disturbing

Bill Paxton is killing this by the way may he rest in peace

“Simmons got choked up when I asked for hers” hahahaha she would though

Coulson is legit running on the last threads of his sanity at this point. I feel for him though. There’s so much going on and so much to deal with.

“I’m everyone’s type” BARF YOU SUCK WARD

Brett Dalton is killing this too. There are two very distinct Wards here.

Mom and Dad are still fighting :(

But really it’s easy to see that Melinda cares about Phil so, so much. I understand how Phil feels betrayed, but I can also see why Melinda took this all on. It’s such a horrible burden to ask her to watch him and take him down if needed, but you know she did it because she wanted to be able to protect him as much as possible.

SHE JUST LOVES HIM SO MUCH

“It’s times like these you stick with the guy you believe in.” Everything Fitz is saying at this point has multiple layers, but poor Simmons isn’t really sure what’s going on. She just sees the person she cares about most in the world being annoyed with anything and everything while the rest of her world is falling apart.

HE JUST LOVES HER SO MUCH THOUGH

Man, it’s a rough time to be an Agent of Shield

So it turns out Shield was not actually getting rid of anything. Honestly, it’s not a surprise. Shield is kind of shady af a lot of the time.

Everyone is all cute in their winter gear awww

“At least we still have each other” HIS LITTLE SMILE

“Good, cause the last thing I want is for things to change.” “Fitz, it’s too late for that.”

And then he looks suuuuuper concerned, but honestly they were having 2 different conversations here. Get it together kids.

Melinda makes a very good point here that whatever Coulson is going through, he’s not the only person who has gone through something traumatic in all this.

“This means something! This has to mean something!”

“We are NOT agents of nothing! We are Agents of Shield!!”

This makes me so sad. This is where Phil loses his hope. This is the end of his rope.

But also this is what helps him discover the base so...

Mission accomplished Phil!

Keonig! What a cutie.

“Fury is not dead” and then that look from Phil

Hahahaha amazing

Ugh Ward looks so gross and predatory here at the end

Leave Daisy alone!

Also Ian Quinn is a giant whiner surprise

Man, there was so much good in this episode. Coulson’s little speech about being more than agents of nothing gets to me EVERY. TIME. This episode gets 10/10 on the Secret Canadian Bases scale. It also gets a 9/10 on the Wacky Romantic Misunderstanding scale because everyone of these people needs to chill out and talk about their feelings.

Song of the episode is “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen because poor Phil Coulson is running on fumes here.

youtube

Man, Courtney Cox was such a baby in this video.

#aosrewatch #aosrewatchs1 #earth vs space #team earth aos #phil coulson #melinda may #philinda #fitzsimmons #leo fitz #jemma simmons #grant ward #daisy johnson #john garrett #antoine triplett #Raina #also feeings #so many feelings

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ellvie · 6 years ago

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aaaand here’s the connections list for all of my characters that i’ve basically ripped off of everyone else so under the cut you can find taken & wanted plots for all four of my chars! pls lmk if i missed smth or if you would like to plot!

elvie croft

twenty - four, youtuber/tv show host. obsessed with halloween, horror movies and the 80s. is practically a living breathing cartoon character. from salem, massachusetts.

FAMILIAL

paternal cousins - maxine croft

maternal cousins - willow sparks

ROMANTIC

wife - astrea croft

unrequited crush - open.

flirts with him for clout - courtney summers

PLATONIC

best friend forever - margo massey

best guy friend - duncan mcleod and bennett rhys

close friend / ghost gallery costar - logan palmer

family friends - rosalind cox, open to more.

coolsville costars - margo massey, casey mitchell, rosalind cox

friends - wren daily, sahar santini, genesis iver-zaleski, chance kauri, camila jackson, reese villin, romeo harrington, callie mae randall, open to more.

friend/birthday twin - isla thompson

unlikely friends - eden o’connor, chance kauri, open to more.

online → irl friends - saint bonnay, open to a few.

acquaintances - torrance keynes, axel rivers, casey mitchell, open to more.

frenemies - beckley bovér, open to more.

pretends to be his friend for clout - open to a few.

NEGATIVE

enemies / on bad terms - angel almeida, open to more.

former friends - luna reyes, anastasia sangster, open to more.

hal zaleski

twenty - three, two - time olympic gold medalist and professional hockey player with the new york rangers. loves his cat, a fuckboy, a Tough Guy™, and surprisingly fluent in french. from toronto, canada.

FAMILIAL

former stepsibling - open wc on the main! P L E A S E

current stepsibling - torrance keynes

paternal cousins - warren daily and wren daily

maternal cousins / best friend - alek garcia

ROMANTIC

wife - genesis iver-zaleski

ex - fiancée - isabel nichols

ex on good terms - margo massey, alaska almeida, open to more.

ex on bad terms - ivy petit, open to more.

ex who cheated on him - isla thompson, alexis simmons, open to more tbh.

“ex” - reese villin

exes on good or bad terms - open to many. PLEASE he has a BUNCH especially on bad terms

former fwb - open to several.

PLATONIC

confidant - mia lancaster

acquaintances - courtney summers

friends - chance kauri, angel almeida, marnie marisol, cade jackson, saint bonnay, ian jensen, open to more.

frenemies - open to a few.

NEGATIVE

on bad terms - casey mitchell, open to more.

riley parker-warrington

twenty - six, lead singer and guitarist for punk band rabid porcupine. born into one of THE WEALTHIEST families in the uk. never goes anywhere without his favorite knife and has a dog named heroin bob. from cheshire, england.

FAMILIAL

older twin brother, can’t stand each other - rian parker-warrington

future stepsister - genesis iver-zaleski

maternal cousin, don’t get along - open.

paternal cousin, basically the only family member he likes - open.

ROMANTIC

girlfriend / love of his life - anastasia sangster

ex on good terms - rylee ames

unrequited crush - alek garcia

ex on bad terms - mia lancaster, open to more. P L E A S E

former on / off relationship - open.

former ewb - alaska almeida

former fwb - open to more.

PLATONIC

best friend / ride or die - ivy petit, mason grey

close friend / former pr relationship - reese villin

bandmates - millie windsor, mason grey, lavender brooks

acquaintances - phoebe sangster, open to more.

friends - warren daily, willow sparks, normani baldwin, carter baker, open to more.

party friends - chance kauri, cade jackson, saint bonnay, open to more.

friends / former boarding school roommates / menaces - augustus pierce

unlikely friends - wren daily, open to more.

frenemies - open to more.

NEGATIVE

enemies - give him a million more because he’s A GOBLIN

ex friends - margo massey, logan palmer, open to more.

enemies / lifelong feud - casey mitchell

childhood enemies - angel almeida

JYNX

twenty - five, singer and professional nuisance to record companies, managers, collaborators, exes, and basically anyone who’s ever met her. positive traits are often overshadowed and forgotten due to the intensity of her negative traits. from the upper east side, nyc.

FAMILIAL

maternal cousin - torrance keynes

paternal cousin - margo massey

stepsibling, grew up together - ajay adani

ROMANTIC

ex / first love - callie mae randall

ex on bad terms - logan palmer, chance kauri

pr relationship - open wc on the main! P L E A S E

exes on good or bad terms - open to a few although she probs has a bunch who hate her

fwb - open to a few.

ewb - open to a few.

one night stand - alek garcia, open to a few.

PLATONIC

best friends / #girlsquad - open to two!

pr friends - rosalind cox, open to a few.

friends ( fake or real tbh ) - alexis simmons, saint bonnay, open to many.

frenemies - open to many.

NEGATIVE

enemies - open to many.

ex - friend / collaborator - romeo harrington

ex - friends - open to many.

family rivalry - open.

people she used to advance her career and then ghosted - open to many.

failed music collaborations - open to many. she’s driven several potential collaborators to quit before the project is finished.

#× ❪ ⸰ ooc. ⸰ ❫#× ❪ ⸰ plots. ⸰ ❫#idk but it's heeeere #the goblin and ambrose apparenly need some plots so pls

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teabreen · 6 years ago

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midnight darling; dong sicheng

noun; the one he saw dancing through the neon brightness

“ you’re mine, always and forever. ”

he was one of the devils, his crown was made of blood

he wants to sing the moon to you, but he only as lungs of poetry

Sicheng told himself to always harden but he melted at the sight of you. The way your body was sculpted ignited a flame underneath his skin. Your soft, blossomed lips, how it would be so sweet against his, his brain was glistening with love-controlled madness and a soft-like-velvet desire. There was an ache in him, wanting to gently devour you.

The way his delicate rosebud explored every inch of your skin was enough to drive you into a state of haziness and love. Staying and draped his grasp of warmth, even when the black velvet sky touches the pines on the trees.

now taken to roses scattered on satin and lace thrown against the bedroom floor, a beautiful, hopeless tragedy.

“ You’re gonna be late,” Mina says, tugging at your blue sleeve-covered arm and attempting to pull you against her, the wind swirled through your hair and brushed your neck.

“ But it’s so early, why does the gathering have to be put at this time.” You whined, feeling Mina rolling her eyes. This was one of the times that you didn’t want to go to a best friend’s place. Taking to the orange horizon, you follow every step Mina takes. Your sight was filled with golden curls and a hyacinth scent.

“ We’re here.” You heard Mina speak, pressing her tanned finger against the bell of the house. This house didn’t just grow on you, it was like strong tree roots dangling inside of your guts. You knew Areum for a long time, she was the face that was covered through your blazing yellow memories.

The moment you saw the soft brown hue of Areum’s hair, you felt the serenity of the ocean dig inside of you, Areum was a peace, a saint, an angel. She was the quiet streets that healed the chaotic brain.

“ Y/N! MINA! ” Areum exclaimed, pulling you two into her loving, bear-hugging arms. Her embrace sweetened you but also tore away the oxygen.

As the morning sky melted deep into the windswept blue with darkly-tinted clouds, you said your goodbyes to the two dearest girls. You held onto your purse. Your boyfriend, Sicheng, would probably be waiting for you.

His heart was a spool of thread; each stare from your knotted it

“ Baby.” You hear Sicheng’s soft-cotton voice muffled by the white wood of the door, you decide to let him in, you were way too consumed by the blue light of your phone.

From Naeyeon: I mean like, I don’t know if he’s the right one. To Naeyeon: But you were talking about him for like 2 whole hours, you totally want him. Admit it, Lee Naeyeon.

“ You’re texting Naeyeon, aren’t you,” Sicheng asks, sinking his figure into the puffy sheets that laid over your bed. Picking up the remote, he turned on the television, he was met with Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox.

“ Yeah, she just met a guy.” You chuckled to yourself as Sicheng lazily eyed the television screen, wondering what mess Rachel has gotten herself into, his attention always seems to find the path back to you. “ She’s fallen in love.” You say, leaning back against the headboard. Sicheng huffs and turns the television off.

“ Aren’t you gonna put the phone down and talk to me, baby. Please?” Sicheng asks, groaning to himself. “ Sorry, Sicheng. I’m just really captivated, I suppose.” You laugh, oblivious to the devilish thoughts now unleashing themselves in Sicheng’s wonderous mind.

You later gasp as you feel Sicheng’s tender warmth circling around you, you look at him with wide, surprised eyes.

“ What-what are you doing?” You eagerly ask as Sicheng takes the phone out of your hands, a suggestive smirk laced around his soft lips.

“ Well, Y/N. Could you kindly explain why you’ve been completely worked up.” Sicheng asks, placing his lips against your rosy cheeks, making them even rosier. As you tried to pick up fragments of words for your sentence, you felt Sicheng press his lips against yours. Moaning at his wild mint tasted kiss, you grabbed on to his locks, almost desperate under his spell.

Sicheng watched the faint moonlight circling your skin, his lips touching your cheek and then your neck, leaving markings down.

“ I......I want more.” You only managed those words out of your throat as your boyfriend pressed his body closer against yours. You felt a blood bond as his body was warm against yours, your mouth dizzy with his ethereal taste, his whispers felt like the clouds whispering hymns to you.

Looking at you with his serpent eyes that held the beauty of a clear, springtime morning, he kissed your neck again, his wandering hands making their way to the hem of your dress. To your dismay, he didn’t take your dress off and take you right there. His lips stayed fixated on the skin of your chest, playing with the material of your dress.

“ Please, Sicheng. I want you so badly.” You croak out in defeat, he smirks at how desperate and needy you have become, smirking at the effect he had on you sexually. “ Princess, can you tell me how badly you want me.” He says, his hands now caressing your thighs, causing you to now feel the dampness of your underwear.

“ So badly that it hurts me. So bad that I can’t think of anything but you” You let out, longing for being touch finally consumes you whole, the aching almost pressing against your ribcage. This was hours but they felt like centuries.

Sicheng softly lifts your dress up, he started admiring every inch of your body. Admiring every curve that shaped it into you, admiring how your eyes were shut close. Pulling your dress off, he took off your underwear, leaving you nude.

Bending down to kiss you, Sicheng’s mouth was taken over of the tender and soft vanilla flavor, driving him absolutely mad, he kept himself in control. He wanted to bring you to the point of being delirious and hazed, you were the one to be brought to an edge; not him.

“ You taste so sweet,” Sicheng whispered to you, letting you unbutton his shirt as he reached to undo his belt and pants. As he now revealed himself to you, your warm bodies melted against each other; the heat felt like the heat of a phoenix, he opens your legs and puts himself in between.

“ Fu-fuck!” You manage to scream as you feel Sicheng’s tongue brush against your clitoris, electric waves of pleasure crawling down your spine, the only energy left in you as used to grab at Sicheng’s hair.

As he worked faster and faster, your thighs clenched around Sicheng, feeling your orgasm come up against you. Sicheng took note of this and immediately pulled himself back from you, extracting a few whimpers from you. “ Why did you stop.” You whimper, rubbing your legs together to chase the pleasure back.

“ Just be a good girl and cooperate with me. Please.” Sicheng said, flipping you onto your stomach and putting himself in between your legs.

Gasping at the velvet yet rough sensation of him entering you, you moaned as Sicheng pounded into you, feeling yourself almost cum at the previous stimulation.

“ Wait, baby. Don’t cum now, wait for me.” He grunted, trying to move faster and get himself closer than he already was. You, however, were softly delirious and weightless from the pleasure Sicheng was giving you, the way he moved you was enough to send you to the edge.

“ Oh my fucking god.” Sicheng moaned, snaking a hand up to your neck and pressing down. “ Cum with me, please.” He throws his head on to your shoulder, the room filled with the hazy tint of the both of you. Exhausted and panting from your orgasms, Sicheng pulls you on to his body and pulls the covers up. You were dizzy with ecstasy from your climax and were probably still seeing rose gardens yet you managed a faint laugh.

“ That was amazing.” You say, cuddling into your boyfriend’s chest, getting lovesick smiles from him. “ Yeah, it was. You did amazing, you really did” Sicheng praised, pulling you closer to him and hearing you purr against him.

“ Okay, try to get some sleep, okay baby.” Those were the last words you heard until you fell asleep.

#damn i got carried away whilst writing this #winwin #nct winwin #dong sicheng #winwin smut #winwin fanfic #sicheng smut #nct sicheng

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randomgirltalking · 6 years ago

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Real Housewives of Beverly Hills S09E02 Review

I love when Lisa V and Kyle get together. These two ladies always have a blast, just the two of them, and the opening of episode two’s scenes are no exception. Kyle pops over to Vila Rosa and the two ladies make their way to some sort of “make me look like I’m not 50, please” clinic. I suspect that in Beverly Hills, these clinics are similar to when Starbucks came around - one keeps popping up in every corner.

After being offered laughing gas by a man who looks 30 but is probably 60, Lisa V giggles her ass off, wriggling around in the surgeon’s chair whilst Dr Ken doll periodically jabs her neck with a syringe full of filler. What I like about Kyle and Lisa V is, while I know they’re both a fan of Botox, they don’t go overboard by injecting themselves with fillers that puff their faces up to look like they had a hard night on the town. I never understood why older women like this look and I’m thankful that Courtney Cox had all of her fillers dissolved.

Lisa R, Dorit and Erika prove that they were the only three people available for filming that day as they were thrust together for a restaurant scene. Erika takes MVP in this episode for being a woman after my own heart and ordering a beer - “anything in a bottle,” she tells the waitress while Lisa R and Dorit applaud her brave choice and reminisce of the times when they were poor and had no choice but to do keg stands.

I was wondering how they were going to segue into talking about a “girls trip.” Dorit laments the stressful time she’s had lately with the robbery (even though she escaped to do an Eat, Pray, Love scenario in Utah) and the dog saga. “Why don’t we have a girls trip?” She unsurprisingly suggests. I was taken aback that a trip was mentioned when were only two episodes in, but we quickly learn that this is not the “main” girls trip, just the entreè. After throwing around Lake Tahoe (where Erika thinks she may have a house) and other various locations around the US (where Erika may or may not have a house), Dorit suddenly remembers that her sister had just gotten back from a new resort in the Bahamas. Translation: This new resort wanted to put their business out there so approached Bravo and offered an all expense paid trip if they mention the resort name a few hundred times.

So it’s settled, then. Bahamas it is and all the girls are contractedly invited by Dorit. Yes, even Teddy, PK.

Teddy and Lisa R take a hike up one of the many mountain trails in LA. Teddy confides that she, like many other young girls, had originally moved to LA to become an actress. After being disheartened by hearing from her agent that the feedback from casting directors was that she needed to lose weight, Teddy spiraled into an unhealthy eating habit and gained even more weight. This event kick started her healthy eating and exercise regime and out of it grew her accountability business. I have to say, I didn’t quite understand what she did for a living - kind of like a toss up between a personal trainer and a life coach but I am completely for it now. Sometimes you just need a stranger to kick your ass and encourage you. I didn’t much care for Teddy last season but she’s truly come into her own on season 9. This is why I think you should give the new girl a second season as you never really get their full personality until the next season in and they’re more comfortable telling the other ladies where to shove it. Of course there are exceptions to this rule *cough* Kim Fields *cough*. *cough* Peggy Sulhain *cough*.

On the opposite side of the eating disorder scale, Lisa R chats honestly with her daughter (I wanna say Amelia?) about her eating disorder. Amelia’s not Lisa R’s. I don’t really follow much of these ladies outside of the show but apparently Amelia developed anorexia which she has come out of but is still working on. Good luck, Amelia, on your journey and well done for publicly telling your story as many girls and boys go through this illness. I won’t mention the flashback of Katherine joking that Lisa R doesn’t like to eat. Okay I’ll mention it, because we were all concerned that Lisa R had food issues on previous seasons where she turned down or barely nibbled on food that was offered to her. While she denies having an eating disorder, I’m glad to see her enjoying food this season. Maybe in previous seasons she had eaten before filming?

We also did not have to wait long until we hear from actual Charlie Sheen himself, even if it is via phone call. Denise lives in Malibu on a beautiful beach house. This is my favourite house out of the RHOBH castmates as, while smaller than the others mansions, it has the beach right at their doorstep and I’m a whore for the beach. Anyway, we are introduced properly to Denise’s newish beau, Aaron. He does some sort of body alignment thing - can’t be bothered learning what he does just yet. They seem good together, I suppose. Denise has three girls, two with Charlie and one she adopted. I did actually hear the rumour Denise jokes about that her adopted daughter, Eloise, is Charlie’s child with a stripper. *Cackle* I don’t believe it, of course, but it’s one of those rumours that, if turned out to be true, you would shrug and say “meh, I kinda figured.”

Denise reminds her daughter, Lola, that she can’t date until she’s 16 which she brands unfair (I can’t wait until my daughter is a teen). Denise then keeps her promise to the producers that she can get Charlie on the show by prompting her daughter to call him to ask about the upcoming homecoming dance and whether she can go with a boy. Charlie sounded good on the phone - clean, coherent and just like a Dad kept his place as the “fun parent” and promptly passed the rule making back to Denise. Insert anti climatic sound here.

Moving on, Kyle visits Mauricio at work where she has a waahh moment thinking about her third daughter moving out and off to college. Mauricio, typical man that he is, tries to comfort her by doing good news, bad news and reminding her that she’s done this twice already with their two older girls. Thanks, Mauricio.

Continuing with the food theme, Lisa R invites the ladies over where she has a chef round to guide them on stuffing chocolate heart molds with candy. I’m waiting for one of them to bring Gordon Ramsey round while he berates them as they try to debone a chicken.

Present are Erika, Denise, Dorit and Camille who I guess is on now as a friend of the cast mates but kind of a series regular without the corny tag line.

While Erika once again claims my heart by devouring cake and matter of factly stating that these ladies should just “eat the fucking cake, who cares,” the ladies quickly discuss their sex life. Denise confides that she hooked up with Aaron fairly quickly after visiting his clinic and fucking him in his office. For some reason Erika states that this image is up there with her favourite porn. Actually, come to think of it, it does sound like a cheesy porn scene. Woman with insanely large breasts visits doctor with insanely large... muscles...

Teddy tells the group that she met her husband coming out of a nightclub and she sealed the deal with him that night. High five, girlfriend! As someone who shagged their fiancé on their first “date” sometimes when you know, you know. Or in my case, are just a horny bitch. Teddy states that she and her husband have sex about twice a week. This earns shocked gasps from some of the ladies as Denise tells us in her confessional that she and Aaron have sex everyday. Ahh the throes of early love. How exhausting. Despite the outrage, I note that it’s radio silence from Erika and Dorit.

The biggest gossip we hear, and proving my comment on my blog from episode 1 that everyone is six degrees separated from each other in Hollywood, Denise tells us that Aaron is still married yet has been separated for two years. Lisa R adds that Aaron’s ex is Nicolette Sheridan who Lisa R’s husband, Harry Hamlin, used to be married to. She spills that they broke up when Nicolette attended a Michael Bolton concert while Harry Hamlin was away in Canada. She then took up with Michael Bolton immediately after the concert, dumping poor Harry Hamlin. The ladies raise their champagne flutes, toasting the oblivious Miss Sheridan for giving Lisa R Harry Hamlin and their two kids. I sipped my own beer in a bottle. Not as a toast but in commiseration to Harry Hamlin for putting up with Lisa R for so long.

Finally the ladies are ready to head off to the Bahamas. No cattle class for these ladies - not even first class. Bravo (or the new Bahamas resort) splashed out for a private jet to escort the ladies. Lisa V continues her British dark humour by boarding the plane and telling Dorit that she had “gotten something right for once.” I know some people may consider her mean but I think she’s a riot. And I can see that most of the time she’s just taking the piss (mostly). It was kind of mean (but mostly funny) when Dorit asked Lisa V to room with her in her suite and Lisa V reacted with horror. I’m still trying to decide whether Lisa V was joking or not when she mentioned Dorit’s snoring and gas issues as the reason for not wanting to board with her. She even asked for swapsies. Okay, since Dorit (and the Bahamas tourism board) planned this trip, it was kind of mean. But still fucking hilarious.

This episode, to be honest, seemed like a filler episode (even without Lisa V’s neck lift). Not much happened but I guess it helped build up the upcoming episodes. Can’t wait to see what kind of mischief these ladies get up to on tour!

#rhobh #the real housewives of beverly hills #vanderpump #review #erika jayne #season 9

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simdaisies · 6 years ago

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57 Facts

There’s a lot of facts about me here.

I was tagged by @phoenixfg a bit ago and I’m only now getting got around to doing it while I’m sitting on this flight to Halifax and inwardly panicking about being on a plane.

I don’t know how this meme works, or if you even had to have 57 facts. That feels like an arbitrary number. But since we’re doing arbitrary numbers, I’m tagging the last 7 simblrs in my activity log (sorry if you’ve already been tagged) @taylors-simblr @applezingsims @simageddon, @zx-ta @simgaroop @artemisa02 @vicarious-sims and of course anyone else who wants to do this.

(warning: 57 facts about me is not as described in gif)

(update: I’ve been back a week now)

So I guess fact #1 I have a fear of flying.

I was born in the Philippines. I was brought to Canada when I was two.

When I was a kid me, my little brother and neighbourhood friends would dissect dead frogs we’d find in the back lots.

I loved 80s music. I’d try to record songs off the radio with a tape deck, hitting the “record” button just as the DJ was done talking

Lots of my current tastes was formed in the 90s

I got into my first major car accident when I made a bad left turn. I totalled my parent’s jeep and wrecked a few cars. No one was seriously injured.

I wrote an entire book when I was sixteen. My friends helped me write it and I shared it only with them. I’m still carrying that idea around ( I drew the main character again recently )

My first memory of drawing was in the blank pages at the beginning and end of Encyclopedias. I’d draw a lot of princesses.

There was an old TV show in the 80s I really enjoyed called “The Misfits of Science”. Basically people with super powers. It starred a teenaged Courtney Cox.

I love(d) comic books.

My very amateur fan art was published in the reader submitted artwork section of Wizard magazine. I think I was about 16 at the time. We had no concept of webpages, social media and online portfolios in those days

I had a German Shepherd mutt named Sam. After about a year, he went to go live on a farm. No really, he did.

I went to college to learn Classical Animation

I worked on kids cartoons and children’s TV shows. I didn’t take my job seriously, I wish I did.

I was a goth in the 90s and in the early 2000s.

I now think goths are silly. Still love the aesthetic. (finished my trip, now I’m back home at this point!)

I worked for a time as an assistant clean-up animator. Basically that meant cleaning up the assistant animator’s in-between frames. It wasn’t inspiring work and I wasn’t great at it.

I worked briefly on a short film by Yoshitaka Amano (he does artwork for FF, Vampire Hunter D, among others). This was called 1001 Nights, and was shown alongside a live orchestra. I still have the poster hanging over my bed.

The first video game I’ve ever worked on and published was Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. I modeled and animated.

The second game I’ve worked on was Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes for the Nintendo Gamecube. I’m a ghost photo easter egg in that game. My name is in an IGN walkthrough. :D

I adopted my first kitty in 1996. He was a fuzzy kitten and I named him Thaddeus.

I moved to St. Catharines, ON for work. One of the places I lived there was a big Victorian that was divided into three apartments. Me and my partner at the time lived on the top floor (the attic). Probably the coolest place I’ve ever lived.

When we broke up, I bought my own little house.

I got sick with bacterial meningitis in 2004. I almost died. Was placed in a medical coma for two weeks. Woke up with lots of open skin wounds which would scar me for life. I’m okay. ^_^ This is documented on LJ here. My wonderful friend David kept my online friends in the loop.

I still have issues from being sick. I’ll have to deal with it forever I guess.

During my recovery I started playing World of Warcraft.

My first WoW character was a human warrior, and I named her Jinzou, after my Animal Crossing character.

I was a damn good tank. I lead raids.

I was laid off from video game company. This was fine, I was ready for something different.

I became a real estate agent for a bit, for many reasons. Some of that was fun, other parts of that was stressful. I made money.

I don’t think I have a favourite colour, but I do use a lot of purple tones in everything. Even my hair was purple for a while. I guess I like purple.

Music tastes change from time to time, but I always love big broadway musicals.

I saw Les Miserables over 10 times and met the Toronto cast at a point.

I’m currently listening to Come From Away.

My favourite movie is Spirited Away

I don’t watch a lot of animes, but I appreciate good ones. My favourite is still probably Cowboy Bebop. I’m taking reccs.

I’m an introvert. I don’t like big social events, and it takes a lot of mental energy preparing for them, and a lot of time for me to come down from them.

I don’t like dating. I met my fiancé online though.

I love my dude because he’s a big nerd and I’m comfortable with him. It’s a big deal for me.

He proposed to me this summer. We’re engaged. :D

I have made no wedding plans yet, but it’s gonna be small, cheap and simple. :D

I read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy when I was in highschool.

My favourite place to hang out when I was a kid was the libraries.

I learned HTML in the 90s.

I will be 45 this year.

My current favourite writer is Neil Gaiman. Read American Gods or Stardust.

I love horror, sci-fi, fantasy and superhero stories. Given all the time in the world, I could eat it all up.

I’ve read the Lord of the Rings many times through out my life and once more before the movies came out. I liked the movies.

I didn’t like the Hobbit movie trilogy though. So much unnecessary filler.

I love building worlds in the Sims.

I have no sense of style. Jeans, t-shirt, sweater, I’m good.

My handle “blackdaisies” is from one of my first webpages, called “Black Daisies Grow Here”... yeah that goth thing again

I’ve been playing the Sims since the first Sims City

My very first Sim was in the first Sims game. Her name was Alice Novak and she stole Bella away from Mortimer.

my default lunch lately is yam/avocado sushi

I live in a neighbourhood in Toronto known as The Beaches. Because there’s a beach. I don’t live on the beach though.

My dream vacation would be going up to a nice cottage by a lake in the Muskokas in fall.

#57 facts #meme #non-sims #tldr #way too much about me

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liuglobal · 7 years ago

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Yunnan and Sichuan Dreams

I was sitting in a noodle restaurant in Shanghai, one Saturday before we were set to leave for this legendary trip when I started coughing. It’s no big deal, I reasoned, these peanut butter noodles are spicy and there’s pollen in the air and plenty of smog, so surely the tickle in my throat is only that, nothing sinister. We live in a fair world, so there’s no way I could get a cold right before the amazing trip to the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces I’ve heard so much about.

It was a nasty cold, and I was banished from the trip.

I spend a week and a half alone, healing slowly, drinking buckets of water, and dreaming of the adventures my classmates were having. I was healed when they returned, and I eagerly cornered them and demanded stories. I began with Kate and Emma, shoving my phone in their face as we waited for our noodles.

Kate Yachuk: We talked to Professor Wang, I think, and he told us about the last living hieroglyphic language in the world, which is spoken by thirty people, of which he is one. He was one of the Yi people, he was super friendly and very knowledgeable. And he brought us to his house and gave us lots of candy!

Now, ask any Tom, Dick, or Harry, they’ll tell you how much I love candy, but what I love even more is linguistics. It drives my friends insane, but I’m proud of how truly nerdy I am. One of the main, nerdiest reasons I was so gung-ho for this particular field trip was to personally observe the culture of the Mosuo people, one of the last matriarchal society in the world, with whom I have been fascinated since I was ten years old. The Mosuo live around Lugu Lake, and Emma gave me the briefest of fill-ins on the matter.

Emma Barker: So, since we had to turn around and not go to the Tibetan village, we had to pull some strings, I think. We were going to the Lugu Lake anyway, but we had extra time from the change of plans, and Liu Wei said he had a friend nearby. We went and visited her house and talked about her culture and then we visited a monastery. We walked around there and were shown around by some monks and a living Buddha. Then we went back to this lady’s house and she wanted to dress us up in some traditional clothing; first we dressed up Zack and Samudra, then we roped Lyric and Liu Wei into doing it too. Everybody looked really good!

Jealous as I was hearing of Emma’s adventures, I continued to seek stories of the trip. I knew, from years of Global College field trips, that the programming frequently outshone the way it was described on our itinerary, like the way the performance in Taiwan was explained to us as mere children’s theater. Sophie confirmed my beliefs.

Sophie Gagnaire: So, on the trip we met this Naxi woman and she took us to a monastery where her brother works, where we met the living Buddha. I was really blown away by how decadent and extravagant it was. The monastery was in this compound that also had a four-hundred-year-old building, so we got to see these original wall paintings from four hundred years ago, and this massive, thirty- or forty-foot Buddha statue. It was amazing!

One of these things that most clearly marks a Global College field trip is the last-minute adjustments. It is not that Global is unprepared; quite the opposite, in fact. It is rather than a field trip of this nature, twenty foreign students attempting to experience something meaningful in the same place, year to year, lends itself to mishaps and unexpected schedule adjustments, and Global is admirable in the way in which it adapts to such itinerary shifts, and the way in which its students learn to adapt and participate.

Santiago Sanchez y Lucero: So, we drove seven hours into the mountains to make it to the Tibetan region [of Yunnan province], and about six hours in, we ran into police officers who told us that we had to turn back because we were arriving on the tenth anniversary of an uprising that was orchestrated by American student. We seemed like a suspicious group, which I guess is fair.

I caught up with Nicole after I spoke to Santi, asking if they ever did come into contact with Tibetan culture. We were all, at least in our late-night pre-trip debates, keen to engage with Tibetan culture, given that this may be our only chance. We are, after all, a crew of liberal arts students from the United States filled with radical ideas and a truly American inability to censor ourselves when it is appropriate.

Nicole Price: I forget which day in the trip this was, but it was a few days into our trip, and we visited a university where they have an entire portion dedicated to Tibetan language and culture. We got to see their archives of Tibetan language and culture, and also other minority languages that have almost died out, like the Yi language. It was really cool because we got to enjoy a perspective, through these archives, that not a lot of people would have access to. It was exciting to see in practice the things we had been learning about all semester.

Now, Global field trips are, first and foremost, about learning; after all, we wouldn’t be going into this much debt for a degree if we weren’t being provided an excellent education. Still, I spent most of my childhood at summer camp, and I have noticed some close similarities between a day at camp and a day on a Global field trip. Many similarities are superficial, such as the odd sleep schedule, unusual group activities, and the way you seem to fit more into one day that you would fit outside of camp/field trip in a week. What stands out the most, though, are the ability you develop to adapt, at lightning speed, to adversity, and the degree to which you bond at dinner time. At camp, social life revolves around the dining hall, and in the mountains with your Global classmates, you feel the most like a wonderful family when you’re swapping food and stories and recounting your day over more food that you could ever finish. Courtney-Lynn agreed wholeheartedly.

Courtney-Lynn Mellina: My favorite group dinner from the Yunnan trip was the Tibetan-style dinner we had with the living Buddha and the rest of the class. It was, by far, one of my favorite dinners in all of Global, and the food was spectacular! I made some new Tibetan friends, we had great conversation and I tried foods I had never tried before It was a real sense of community that I’m so glad I was a part of.

Now, in spite of certain commonalities, every trip is different. I love taking the things we learned in the classroom out into the field, and I know many of my classmates feel the same. It’s always exciting to find a new way of learning, exploring areas made accessible to you only by the luck of going on the trip; I hope my jealousy isn’t coming through in my writing, I’m not bitter, I’m fine, everything is fine. Sophia and I caught up over dumplings.

Sophia Cox-Wright: One of the highlights, definitely for me, going on this trip would be that, because of scheduling matters and some things, logistically, that just ended up not working out, which kind of just happens sometimes on Global trips, we got a bit more time to just hang out and be alone. It gives you a chance to just learn from the place that you’re in. For example, one of the things that I really enjoyed was going in to the town square in one of the villages and just sitting there and watching the tourist trade and Chinese tourists. It was interesting seeing the effects of it, if that makes sense, and seeing it for myself instead of just reading, trying to integrate myself into that space. That experience is definitely something I’m going to be thinking about for a while.

As I gathered these stories, both for the purposes of writing and personal gratification, I couldn’t help but compare them to the looks on my classmates’ faces when they returned and my own past experiences. This trip to Yunnan and Sichuan provinces was as intense an experience as promised, and like any field trip, the best and the worst part was coming home. After all that you learn, you just want to be somewhere comfortable to process it, even if that means leaving beautiful new places you have become attached to. By taking part in the post-trip emotional processes of my friends, I enjoyed the trip in my own way: vicariously. Until I have time to visit on my own, that will have to be enough.

by Julia McCoy.

#liuglobal #yunnan #china #college abroad #global college

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hellyeahrihannafenty · 7 years ago

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The Totality: Rihanna | ELLE Magazine

Let’s just call Rihanna what she is: the coolest woman on the planet—with beauty, talent, attitude, and personal style to spare. Here, the global megastar answers questions from a cross-section of her famous fans.

Somewhere between releasing her debut single “Pon de Replay” (to blitzkrieg effect) in 2005 and sitting down to discuss international education with Emmanuel Macron in 2017, Rihanna has become much more than a pop star. The music is still absolutely vital, yes—her eighth album, Anti, which has been kicking up dust on the dance charts since it dropped last year, was deemed by Forbes to be one of the most successful recordings of all time—but as an icon, she represents something far greater: what a woman can achieve when she tackles her career, and her life, on her own terms. Rihanna is always fearlessly, unapologetically herself, whether she’s making maverick fashion choices on the red carpet, calling out body shamers, or adding yet another unmistakably RiRi-stamped endeavor to her string of (singer-actress-designer-entrepreneur-philanthropist-etcetera-etcetera) hyphenates. We can now add beauty mogul to that list.

The singer has poured her uncompromising attitude into a much-awaited makeup line, Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, poised to launch with a big bang of 91 products on September 8 at Sephora (expect lines) and on the brand’s website (Internet = broken). Its focus, perhaps surprisingly from a practiced maquillage peacock who has been known to rock vivid blue and ink-black lipstick with defiant flair, is gleaming, satiny, flawless skin, built around an assortment of user-friendly highlighting and contouring sticks, and a whopping 40 shades of foundation. “The biggest void I’ve found in the industry is the lack of variety in foundation shades,” Rihanna tells us. “That’s one of the things that was most important to me—to make sure everyone was included.” It’s a nod, too, to the complexion-perfecting gateway drug that ushered the Barbados native into beauty in the first place: “Foundation was the first product I ever owned,” she says. “It was like magic, and I’ve been in love with makeup ever since.”

Avidly hands-on throughout the collection’s development, Rihanna helmed everything from the playful name selection (there’s a gold powder highlighter, for instance, dubbed Trophy Wife) to the packaging, which, like its creator, is multifaceted, with tough, graffiti-inspired outer boxes opening onto sleek, streamlined, sweetly pretty individual products. “There are plenty of options out there when it comes to makeup,” Rihanna says. “My approach with Fenty Beauty was just to do things my way.”

19 QUESTIONS FOR RIHANNA, FROM 20 OF HER FRIENDS AND FANS

Tyra Banks, Model/Entrepreneur: You’re so successful and surrounded by people who want to please you. Who gives it to you straight?

Rihanna: For me, it’s my mama. They all fake, LOL, and fired!

Eminem, Rapper: You don’t seem like you’re ever thinking about trends when you go in the studio, yet you end up setting them. What are you looking at when you start your recording process?

Rihanna: I rarely know exactly what I want to do, but always know exactly how I want it to make me feel. Feeling always leads the sound!

Wyclef Jean, Rapper: The last time I saw you was at the World Cup. If you could be any football player in the world, who would it be?

Rihanna: Cristiano Ronaldo. But then again, Beckham did marry Posh Spice.

Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, Designers, Oscar de la Renta: What’s your best vintage find?

Rihanna: On New Year’s Eve, 2016, I bought this costume from 1952 that was worn in the movie Singin' in the Rain.

“Rihanna is today’s most fascinating performer, a mysterious amalgam of amiable warmth and glittering charisma. With her keen creative eye for line and color, she has become a fashion icon, like Audrey Hepburn. Yet she is a tempestuous wild child and international adventuress, like Ava Gardner. Most importantly, as an artist in this overmechanized age, she bravely draws on deep wells of pure emotion, endearing her to millions of fans worldwide.” —Camille Paglia,Author/Critic

Tricky Stewart, Record Producer: Do you remember the first time a crowd gave you goose bumps singing all the lyrics to your song in concert?

Rihanna: Yes! I was on tour, and the whole crowd started singing “Take a Bow” word for word…to the point that I couldn’t even sing. They performed the entire song for me.

April Bloomfield, Chef: What do you cook when you want a little comfort?

Rihanna: Bajan macaroni pie, which is our version of a baked mac ’n’ cheese.

Zac Posen, Designer: What’s your secret family recipe?

R:It’s a secret! LOL. But they make a mean “cook-up” and pepper pot. Both are Guyanese recipes.

Jacquie Aiche, Jewelry Designer: What’s your favorite body part?

R: Well, my favorite body parts on pretty much any woman are the collarbone and shoulders.

Charli XCX, Singer/Songwriter: What’s your ultimate karaoke song?

R: Bon Jovi, “Livin’ on a Prayer”; Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin’ ”; Brandy and Monica, “The Boy Is Mine.”

"Rihanna brings ‘global gumbo’ to the culture. Her voice unites the world through positive music vibes." —Wyclef Jean, Rapper

Danielle Steel, Best-Selling Author: I love your shoe passion, especially your collaboration with Manolo Blahnik. How much of the designing do they let you do?

R; They really give me all the creative freedom I could ask for, but of course I have this unique opportunity to work with Mr. Blahnik himself, so his expertise is always more than welcome!

Kelly Fields, Chef (Willa Jean, New Orleans): Your preferences in fashion and art appear to embrace the entire scale of highbrow/lowbrow—which is how I like to cook. I’d love to know if your preferences in munchies run along that same scale?

R: You mean KFC on a private jet is not normal?

Laverne Cox, Actress: You’ve had so many iconic fashion moments and take so many risks. The CFDA Awards Adam Selman dress in 2014—what gave you the courage to take that risk that was so perfect and elegant yet daring?

R: Dear Laverne, I took advantage of my titties before they go south. I saw my window, and I took it.

Pharrell Williams, Musician/Producer: You’re a pluralist in every sense of the word. Did you always have these dreams to do so many things, in addition to being an artist? Or have you just figured that out along the way that there are other things you can do very well?

R: I’ve always been a dreamer…or let’s just say I kept my options open. In my heart, I knew singing was gonna be in my future, but I considered psychology, hairdressing, banking, teaching, acting, modeling, aviation, and philanthropy. I just didn’t know I’d pretty much be doing all of these things eventually!

Gary Ross, Director, Ocean’s 8: What’s the first thing I should do when I get to Barbados?

R: [Fast-food] Chefette and a rum punch!

"I love Rihanna. I love that she is herself with no apologies. Her sense of style and self is unique. I love how she transforms herself with each album, each campaign. Always evolving. A true icon." —Venus Williams, Tennis Champion

David Copperfield, Magician: I’m not kidding, this is a real offer: I can make you disappear and reappear anywhere in the world. Where do you want to go, and why?

R: Ten minutes before I lost my virginity…and I’m holding you to that offer. LOL.

Emilio Vitolo, Restauranteur (Emilio's Ballato, New York City): What’s the name of the soup dish that’s the most popular in our region of Italy?

R: It’s my favorite on your menu...pasta e fagioli.

A$AP Rocky, Rapper: Tupac, Bob Marley, and Time: Fuck? Marry? Kill?

Shit, well, we stay killing Time. Fuck Tupac. Marry Bob, duh.

Olivia Wilde, Actress: What’s the most valuable mistake you’ve learned from?

No cheese for Jay Brown before a flight.

Patricia Field, Stylist: Would you consider having a cocktail with me sometime in the near future? I’d like to get to know you better. (Not hitting on you.)

Your place or mine?

"Rihanna’s MTV 2016 VMA performances were groundbreaking, paradigm- shifting moments in female swag. She represents badassery, positive self-esteem, and in a great way. She is powerful and vulnerable simultaneously, which makes her a revolutionary. Yes, she’s sexy, but once she’s got your attention, I don’t think you can ignore what she’s saying to you: She is curated and deliberate without feeling staged, and her intent is as real as anything out there. I respond to her as a writer, a woman, and a fan.” —Courtney Kemp, Showrunner/Creator, Power (Starz)

HERE, RIHANNA'S INSIGHT AS THE PROPRIETOR OF FENTY BEAUTY

ELLE: When did you first wear lipstick?

Lipstick always got me in trouble. Whether it was at home as a kid, or my early teenage years in my career, I always had the urge to wear it. So I broke all those rules. Now lipstick is like my li’l secret weapon!

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done/tried for beauty? Would you do it again?

A corset! I’d do it again, though. I’d wear it every day if I could make it out alive!

What makes you feel dressy/“done,” beautywise?

My finishing touch is usually my highlighter. I love highlighter—it just adds this sense of fantasy to any look.

"What is incredible about Rihanna is that in a world facing a deadening crisis of leadership and the constant negation of creative efforts, her music globally moves and inspires us to be completely alive without restrictions or prohibitions." —Richard Phillips, Artist

Of all the celebrities you’ve met, who smells the best?

[Photographers] Inez and Vinoodh! Inez smells delicious. She actually gifted me her scent, because I always asked her about it.

Who’s your hair idol?

This is probably confusing to most, but it’s in between Toni Braxton from back in the day with all her short haircuts…and Cindy Crawford. She had the most effortless yet stunning hair.

Who’s your makeup idol?

I have to go with Veruschka. She made makeup look like silk!

This article originally appears in the October 2017 issue of ELLE. [Buy]

#Rihanna #Elle #Elle Magazine #Fashion #Fashion Icon #fenty beauty #cosmetics #full article #interview #2017 #magazine

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angel-princess-anna · 7 years ago

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Downton Abbey Character List

This is an updated list through Series 6. The original list is here, although I’ve also been updating own list in a Word Doc since 2013, which is what this is based on. Below are the characters listed in alphabetical order by last name (for the most part). Characters not ever appearing on screen are in italics. For real people mentioned, I’ve only included them if the Crawelys et al. knew them personally (references to real historical figures will be included in a separate list). While I’ve included some family members without names who are mentioned, I have left out minor characters with no names and also animals (if you need that info or have any questions on that, message me). This does include information that is only included in the S1-3 script books.

I hope that the Keep Reading works on mobile, because this list is very long!

A Acland, Lady Anne (S6E6) Acland, Lord (d.; Anne's husband who died in WWI) Adams, Mr (formerly of the schoolhouse)

Aldridge, Ephraim Atticus [goes by middle name] Aldridge, Lady Rose (née MacClare) Aldridge, Victoria Rachel Cora (b. 1925; we see photos of her) [Aldridge] Daniel, Lord Sinderby [Aldridge] Rachel, Lady Sinderby Other family members mentioned: Lady Sinderby’s cousin Sir John Gluck (at the S5E8 party but not on-screen), The Melfords (Lady Sinderby's cousins, including one named Anne) For Rose’s relations see the MacClares

[Allsopp] Lord William "Billy", Baron of Aysgarth Allsopp, Lady (d.) Allsopp, The Honourable Madeleine Other family members who appeared on screen: older sister to Lord Aysgarth (S4CS)

Ambrose, Benjamin Baruch (real life bandleader at the Embassy, S4CS) Ames, Captain [no last name given] Alice (S3 maid; no lines) Ansty, Joseph Gerald, the Honourable (winner of Ripon by-election of 1913, probably not a real person based on Fellowes' note in the script book)

Anstruther, Dowager Lady (née Mountevans) Anstruther, Lord, "Jock" (d.)

Astor, John Jacob "JJ" (d. 1912 on the Titanic) Astor, Madeleine (on the Titanic, survived in real life)

[no last name given] Audrey (Edith's S6 secretary) Avebury, Mr (person who helped the second earl, would be d.) Avignon, Arsène (real life chef at Ritz in London) Axford, Sir Patrick (racer, S6E7, blows gaskets)

B Bakewell, Mr Bakewell, Mrs Bailey-George, Lady Elizabeth (S4CS) Margham, the Duchess of (I am assuming this is Elizabeth's mother, she is presenting her) Barrow, Mr Thomas (Acting Sergeant in S2) Other family members mentioned: Father, sister, cousin

Barnard (Downton Abbey gameskeeper, S2CS. Mary references him, and while I'm not sure someone was assigned to play him, he'd be in some of the shooting scenes) Barnes (tenant, S4E1) Bartlett, Mrs Audrey Bassett (gardener at Downton Abbey, S2E1)

Bates, Mrs Anna May (née Smith) Bates, Mr John Bates, [Anna and John's newborn son] (b. 31 Dec 1925) Bates, Mrs (mother of John, d. 1916) Bates, Mrs Vera (d. 1918) Other family members mentioned: Anna’s father (d.), Anna’s mother, Anna’s step-father, Anna’s sister (possibly d.); John’s Scottish grandmother who was a Keith (d.), John’s Irish relatives; Vera’s cousin Mr Harlip.

Baxter, Miss Phyllis Beaumont, Lady (S5E5 cocktail party guest) Beet, Mr Alfred (Carson's old butler when he entered service; only mentioned in Rules for Household Staff book)

Bellasis, Tom (d. 1916) Bellasis, Lady Benton, Mrs Benton, Mr [no last name given] Beth (maid at Crawley House; never seen) [no last name given] Betty (maid at Dower House in S4; appears on screen in S6CS)

Bevan, Rita (S6E1, her fake name is "Ellen Gouse") [no last name given] Billy [also credited as "Race Stopwatch Man" in S6E7] [no last name given] Billy [mentioned by Mrs Hughes in S6E7, a hallboy maybe?] Bird, May (”Mrs” as she’s a cook) Family members mentioned: sister Blake, Mr Charles Blake, Sir Severus (Charles' father's cousin)

Bow, Mrs (lived in a cottage on the estate, the Bateses more than likely live in that same cottage now) Bramley (servant who wants to move the feeding pens and needed a decision, mentioned along with Cripps in scene seven in S1E3) Braithwaite, Miss Edna

Brocket, Mr (gardener at Downton Abbey, S1E4. Also mentioned in cut lines in S2E4) [S6E3 has a "Mr Brock" who cuts the flowers for the wedding. I assume that this is the same character]

Brand, Sergeant (works with Inspector Stanford) The Bransons of Cork (not related to Tom)

Branson, Kieran Branson, Lady Sybil Cora (née Crawley) (d. 1920) Branson, Miss Sybil "Sybbie" (b. 1920) Branson, Mr Tom Other family members also mentioned: Tom’s mother, Tom’s cousin in Boston, Tom's grandfather, other cousins (Bill [d. 1916], Nula, daughter of Nula)

Brennan, Mrs (Brancaster cook) Bricker, Simon Bromidge, Mr Bromidge, Mrs (mother of Mr. Bromidge)

Brook, Mr (The Bateses' tenant of their London house until S5E7) Brooks (Carlisle's valet) The Broughams (friends of Violet's who vacation in Cannes) Bryant, Major Charles Bryant, Mrs Daphne Bryant, Mr Horace Bullock, Sir John [Bunting] Imogen (Sybil's friend; in the final version Sybil doesn't say her last name, but it's in the S2 script book) Bunting, Miss Sarah

Burns, Ivy (d. 1912) Burns, Joe Burns, Peter Burns, Mr (Rosamund's chauffeur in S4E1, no relation to the others) Burton, Major General B. (real commander of Division at Richmond, S1E7) Bute, (”Mrs” as she’s a housekeeper) (Grantham House housekeeper, S4CS. No longer employed by S5E8)

C Callender-Becketts (where Sir Anthony was going when he stopped by to invite Edith to the concert in York) Carlisle, Sir Richard Carlisle, Mr Mark Other family members also mentioned: Sir Richard’s mother (d.)

Carson, Mr Charles Ernest ("Charlie") [middle name from prop] Carson, Mrs Elsie May (née Hughes) (”Mrs” Hughes as housekeeper) [middle name from prop] Other family members also mentioned: Charles' dad (d.) and grandad (d.); Elsie’s sister Becky Carter (partner in law firm Matthew works at in Ripon) Cartwright, Colonel (who had a place for Thomas as a medic in the Great War, S1E7) Cavendish, "Taxi" [While a real family from the time, Fellowes notes in the script book that this person's first name comes from a friend of his father]

Chamberlain, Neville (Minister of Health in 1925, later Prime Minister) Chamberlain, Anne de Vere Cole (real person, Neville's wife. Fictitiously, she is Robert's father's goddaughter) Anne de Vere Cole's father (who served with Robert's father in the Crimea War) Horace de Vere Cole (Anne de Vere Cole's brother)

Charkham, Mr (Reggie Swire's lawyer) Chetworth, Mrs (Sir Anthony's sister) Chirk, Mr (lives in a cottage on the estate, more than likely the Bateses’ neighbor) The Churchills Clark, Daniel Clark, Diana

Clarkson, Dr. Richard Cobb, Mrs (former tenant of the Carsons' cottage) Coates, Sir John (another doctor who examined Matthew after his war injury) Collins, Miss (Violet's S5 lady's maid, until S5E5) The Colthursts (guests invited to Robert's party) Colthurst, Kitty (friend of Rose's in S5E1, probably related to the above)

Coombs (This might be Edith's editor in S5E6 who appears on-screen for five seconds) Connaught, Duchess (Lady Reresby was her lady in waiting) (d.) Corville, Oliver Coulter (tenant farmer on the estate) Cox, Mr (former spice shop owner in Thirsk) Courtney, Lieutenant Edward (d. 1917) Courtney, Jack Coyle, Peter Craig Crane, (”Mrs” as she’s a housekeeper) (Duneagle housekeeper)

[Crawley] Cora, Countess of Grantham (née Levinson) Crawley, Lady Edith [see the Pelhams] Crawley, George (b. 1921) Crawley, Mrs Isobel (née Turnbull) [see the Greys] Crawley, Mr James (d. 1912) Crawley, Lady Mary Josephine [see the Talbots] Crawley, Mr Matthew Reginald (Captain; Esq.) (d. 1921) [what is her official last name??] Marigold (b. 1923; see the Pelhams) Crawley, Mr Patrick (d. 1912) Crawley, Dr Reginald (d.) [Crawley] Robert, Earl of Grantham (Lord Lieutenant, Colonel) [Crawley] Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham Other family members also mentioned: Robert's father/Violet's husband (d.), Robert's grandmother/Violet's mother-in-law (d.), the 2nd Earl and his mother (d.), Violet's mother (d.), Cousin Freddie, Anne Gordon (Robert's great aunt), Roberta who loaded the guns at Lucknow, Mrs Vanneck (cousin of Violet), James's mother (whom of which Violet hated), Matthew's great-great-grandfather (who was the son of the 3rd earl), the 3rd earl built the abbey (d.), the 4th earl put together the library and also collected "horses and women" (d.), an aunt that was good at macramé For Cora’s relations see “Levinson”

Cripps (an employee of the estate mentioned twice in S1) Crowborough, Duke of, Philip Crump, "Old" (smithy in the next village who was working at the old Skelton Estate all week in S1E5) Cruikshank, Henry [father of Amelia] Cruikshank, Mrs [mother of Amelia] Cunard, Lady [And Lady Cunard's daughter] Curley, Mrs (owns a dress shop in Ripon) Curran (Mentioned by Murray S3E1, possibly one of his partners)

D Darnley, Sir John Other family members mentioned: Marian, Tom, Sir John's father (d.)

Daunt, Mr (Sinderby's valet) Davis (Matthew's soldier-servant, possibly d.) Davis, Bella (Rose's friend, helps with Russians; is only mentioned in final version of S5, but appeared on-screen in PBS version of S5E5) Dawes, Mr (Headmaster of the school S5-6) Delderfields (the people Cora met along with Evelyn Napier at the Doncaster Races; in a cut scene, they were Tom's former employers, and his father was a tenant there. This was cut I suppose because Tom's family still lives in Ireland instead) Denker, Miss Gladys Dent The Derbys (cut S3E4 lines, pg. 204. Must have been real and just had a baby in 1920) Dominic, Father (priest that baptizes Sybbie)

Dorrit, Mrs "Mrs. Flecter" (guest at Mrs Patmore’s B&B) Dorrit, Mr Drake, John Drake, Mrs Drax, Miss (one of the young girls who is Mary's bridesmaids, name is in cut line S3E1) Drewe, Mr Timothy "Tim" Drewe, Mrs Margie Drewe, Peter Drewe, Billy Other family members who appeared on screen: daughter of Margie and Tim Other family members mentioned: Tim’s father (d. 1922)

Drumgoole, Lord and Lady (Laura Dunsany), and their sons (do not seem to be real) Dudley Ward, Mrs Freda (real person) Duff-Gordon, Lady Lucy Christiana (dress designer of "Lucille"; a survivor of the Titanic) Dufferin, Lady Maureen (socialite, friend of the Crawleys) Durrant, Mr Dupper, Mrs (S2E8 cut lines) Dupper, Mrs Jill (S6E6 dinner guest of Evelyn's; my guess is a reused last name that didn't make it in before) Dupper, Mr (Husband of S6E6's Mrs Dupper; d. in WWI) Dyer, General Reginald

E Edmunds, Miss Laura [no last name given] Ellen (maid at Crawley House) Elcot, Mrs. Elcot, Bob (d.) Elcot, Robbie Ellis, Lord (estate owner in Easingwold in S4) [no last name given] Ena (S5 scullery maid) [no last name given] Elsie (maid at the Stiles') Eltham, Lady (I believe this is a reference to the real Dorothy Isabel Westenra Hastings) Evans, Mr Walter (winner of an award at the flower show) Evans, Mr (man who makes headstones and plaques in S5)

F Fairclough (tenant, S4E2) Fairclough, Mr (on the hunt with Mary, S6E1. Unsure if this is a name reusual or the same character) Field, Mrs (Isobel's cook in S4E1) Finch, Mr (organizer of Fat Stock Show, S6E2) Fitzalan-Howard, Gwendolen, Duchess of Norfolk (real person and friend of Violet's; confirmed in S3 script book to be based on the real person) Frobisher (Mentioned by Murray S3E1, possibly one of his partners) Foyle, Anthony "Tony", Viscount of Gillingham Other family members mentioned: Johnny (Tony’s father), grandmama Fry, Roger (real life painter)

G Gannnon, Mrs (cut S3E1 lines, housekeeper at Easton Grange) Gaunt, Mrs (telephone operator) [no last name given] George (Grantham Arms bartender in S3CS) George, Marsha (friend of Rose's S5E5) George V, King Goldman, Dr T. Gordon, Major Peter ("Patrick") Gordon, Dr (a friend of Isobel's in Manchester, S1E2) [no relation] Graham, Adela (Peter Hexham's cousin and fiancee) Gregory, Lady Isabella Augusta (real life Irish revolutionary) Graves, David (Credited as "Ripon Wedding Registrar", but his name is visible on the sign) Green, Mr Alex (d. 1922)

Gregson, Mr Michael (d. 1922) Gregson, Lizzie [no last name given] Gertie [S6 maid] [Grey] Richard "Dicky", Lord Merton [the CC has a 'y' for most episodes but S5E8-CS is 'ie'] [Grey] Ada, Lady Merton [Grey] Isobel, Lady Merton (née Crawley, Mrs. Isobel (née Turnbull)) Grey, Larry Grey, Amelia Mary (née Cruikshank) Grey, Tim Grigg, Mr Charles "Charlie"

H Harding, Mrs Gwen, (née Dawson) Harding, Mr John Other family members mentioned: Gwen and John's children; Gwen’s parents

Harvell (a partner in the firm Matthew works at in Ripon) Haig, General Douglas (real person who later becomes a field marshal) Harriaby, Lord (S4CS first party guest) Harrowby, Lord (guest at first party in S4CS, friend of Madeline's father) Hays, Charles Melville (president of the Grand Trunk Railway that Robert invested in; he was real and d. on the Titanic) Henderson, Mrs.

Henderson, Mr Philip Henderson, Mrs (S6E1; this actress also appeared as an extra in S4CS; I don't believe that is this is earlier Mrs. Henderson) Other family members mentioned: Philip’s uncle

Hepworth, Lord "Jinks" Other family members mentioned: the late father of the current lord (d.) Hewitt, Major Hexham, Lord, Peter (d. 1925) Hexham, Lord ("Old Lord Hexham") (d.)

Holmes, Major The Howards Howard, Lord (of Glossop) (S5E5 cocktail party guest; I assume related) Other family members mentioned: the late father of the current lord (d.)

I Ingleby, Lady (S5E5 cocktail party guest) Ingraham, Lady

J Jackson, Mr (probably the groundskeeper, S5CS) Jackson (Merton's chauffeur, S6CS) Jarvis, Mr Jefferson, Mrs (S4E3 party guest) Jellicoe, Admiral John, 1st Earl Jellicoe (real person in the Royal Navy, Blake and Tony served under him) Jenkins, A. (person who wrote to Gwen about the job in S1E5) Jervas, Lady (she offered Sir Anthony and Edith a bit to eat after the hungry hundreds concert in York) [no last name given] Jimmy (S1 postboy) [no last name given] John, Sir (S3E2 party guest) [no last name given] John (S3 hallboy)

K Kelder, Fraulein Kent (soldier in Matthew's unit, d.) [no relation to Jimmy's family that we know of] Kent, James "Jimmy" Other family members mentioned: mother (d.), father (d.) Kerr, Ralph (officer in the Royal Navy; Mabel mentions a man by this name as a friend) Kuragin, Prince Igor Kuragin, Princess Irina

L Lane Fox, Lord Osweston (d.) Lane Fox, The Honourable Mabel (assuming that she did marry Tony as planned, Mabel would become Viscountess Gillingham) The Lanes (S2E8 cut lines; I am assuming Fellowes reused these names for S4) The Lane-Fox twins (S3E1 cut lines; the real life Lane-Foxes are Fellowes' neighbors. I think he reused their name for Mabel because the mention[s] got cut and still wanted a shout out to them. These would be two of the bridemaids in Mary and Matthew's wedding. There are two others, and one had a cut line in the rehearsal)

Lang, Cosmo Gordon, Archbishop of York (that's his name historically, Violet calls him "Dr Lang" once) Lang, Mr. Henry [no relation] Lawson, Lady (she was mentioned in another episode outside of S5E5) Lawson, Sir Henry (S5E5 cocktail party guest) (the Lawsons are a local family apparently and get name dropped often)

Levinson, Mr Harold Levinson, Mr Isaiah (d. this could possibly be Isodore's original name, as it's from cut S1E2 dialogue. Or Isodore's father). Levinson, Mr Isodore (d.) Levinson, Mrs Martha Other family members mentioned: Cora's aunt

[no last name given] Lily (the only housemaid to be in all of the first five seasons, barring Anna who was promoted. She does not appear in S6) Lisbon, the Earl and Countess (guests at the dinner of Edith and Bertie's engagement dinner) [no last name given] Louise (guest at Rose's wedding reception) Lynch [no last name given] Lucy (works for Tufton) M MacClare, Lady Agatha [possibly a spinster or a widow] [MacClare] Hugh "Shrimpie", Marquis of Flintshire MacClare, The Honourable James [MacClare] Susan, Marquess of Flintshire Other family members mentioned: Annabel and her husband (Rose’s sister and brother-in-law; I believe her and her husband were cut from the S5E8, as they were cast for S5 per agency sites); Shrimpie’s sister Louisa, Countess of Newtonmore (Shrimpie's grandmother)

MacDonald, Vivian (male friend who is studying for the bar, S1E2)

Mead (Rosamund's butler) Other family members mentioned: sister

[no last name given] Madge (S3-5 housemaid who also dressed Edith and Rose in the later seasons; is noted in S6E1 to be leaving service) Maley (Violet's gardener S4) Mall, Mrs (Ivy's former employer, deleted S3E5 scene) Manville, Lady (S3E2 Party guest, S5E8 reception guest)

Margadale, Terence Margadale, Mrs (Terence's wife) Markievicz, Countess Constance Georgine (real life Irish revolutionary and politician) The Marlboroughs Marsh, Mr (tenant, seen from afar in S4E1) Martin, James Dillon (socialist candidate at the Ripon by-election in 1913, probably not a real person bases on Fellowes' note in the script book) Mary, Queen

Mason, Mr Albert [first name from Celebration book] Mason, Daisy (née Robinson) Mason, Mrs Mason, Private William Other family members mentioned: William's siblings who did not survive infancy

[no last name given] Mavis (no lines, Mrs. Bartlett's neighbor?) [no last name given] Mavis (S3E4 cut lines, another fallen woman) [no last name given] Maud (asked a questions at the hospital meeting in S6CS) McCree, Mr McKee, General McKidd, Ian "Dr Flecter" McNair, Lady Anne McVeigh, Mrs [no last name given] Meg [S3E5 cut lines, Crawley House maid] Melba, Dame Nellie (real life opera singer) [no last name given] Michael [S5-6: this is per one of the extras who plays a hallboy's Twitter, his name is never uttered in the show] Mexborough, Lord (whom the family has their meal with after the Malton show in S6E2) Minterne, Lord (attended James and Patrick's funeral) Moncriffe, Isabella (someone Sir John Bullock mentions in S4E3) Monk (Gregson's butler/servant/person)

Moorsum, Freddie Moorsum, Jane Other family members mentioned: Harry (Jane’s d. husband), Jane's mother [idk Jane's maiden name], Jane's four siblings

Morgan, Trevor Andrew (Liberal Candidate in Ripon By-Election 1913, not a real person) Molesley, Mr Joseph [his name was originally Alfred until S4 when confirmed as Joseph on-screen] Molesley, Mr William "Bill" Other family members mentioned: Joseph’s mother (d.) Molyneux, Edward (real life fashion designer; Cora has a fitting with him in S5E3) Moore, Mr (man at other house were Thomas interviews S6E2) Mountevans, Harry (sibling of Lady Anstruther and Lady Renton) Murray, Mr George

N Napier, The Honourable Evelyn Napier, Viscount of Branksome (father of Evelyn) Other family members mentioned: Viscountess of Branksome (Evelyn’s mother) (d.) Neal, Alice (d.) Other family members mentioned: sister Nield, Mr The Northbrooks (family at who's conservatory Mary flirted with the Duke at) Nugent, Alfred Other family members mentioned: father (d. 1922), mother, sister See also the O’Briens

O O'Brien, Miss Sarah Other family members mentioned: sister (Alfred’s mother), and at least one brother (d.) See also the Nugents

The Olds (tenants, S4E2)

P Painswick, Mr. Marmaduke (d.) Painswick, Lady Rosamund Pamuk, Kemal (d. 1912) Parker, Andrew "Andy" Parks, Charles "Charlie" (probably goes by Charlie Bryant post S3?) Parks, Ethel

Patmore, Beryl (”Mrs” as she is a cook) Other family members who appear on screen: Lucy (Mrs Patmore's niece, her sister's daughter [which sister, we don’t know) Other family members mentioned: nephew Archie Philpots (d. 1916), sister Kate Philpots, another sister (d.), aunt (father’s sister) (d. 1924) and her husband (d.)

The Pascourts (friend of the Duchess of Yeovil) Pattinson, Mr (S4-5 Downton Abbey Librarian) [no last name given] Peter (S3-5 hallboy) Pegg, Mrs. (appeared in PBS' edit of UK episode of S4E4) Pegg, Greta (appeared in PBS' edit of UK episode of S4E4) Pegg, John

[Pelham, Mr] Bertie, the Marquess of Hexham [Pelham] Edith, Marchioness of Hexham (née Lady Edith Crawley) [middle name is 'Josephine' on a prop but that is also Mary's, which was actually uttered in S2] [Pelham?] Marigold [Edith probably changes her daughter’s name to "Pelham" when she marries Bertie] (b. 1923) Pelham, Mrs (mother of Bertie) Other family members mentioned: Bertie’s father (d.) See also the Hexhams

Portsmouth, Annabel (Mary's friend willing to cover for her with Tony) Potter, Mrs (Violet's S5-6 cook) Pratt

Primrose, Archibald, Earl of Rosebery (British socialite and Prime Minister Violet knew; d. 1895) Primrose, Hannah (née Rothschild), Countess of Rosebery (British socialite Violet knew; d. 1890) Pulbrook, Mr Clive ("Mr Pillbox" "Mr Pumpkin") (d. 1919)

R Rankin (soldier in Matthew's unit) (d.) Raven, Lady (S4E3 party guest) Radclyffe, Jane (S4CS) Derwentwater, the Countess of (I am assuming this is Jane's mother, she is presenting her in S4CS) Raycourt, Mr (Atticus' friend at his stag party) Raymond, Johnnie (someone Robert mentions in S5E1 as a general or colonel; I don't think he is real) Reed, Miss Renton, Lady (née Mountevans) (sister of Lady Anstruther) Reresby, Sir Michael (Dryden Park owner where Thomas looks for work - S6E3) Other family members mentioned: his wife Lady Reresby, two sons who d. in WWI Roberts, Mr (perfume seller in York) Robertson, General (I don't believe he's real) Rogers, Charlie (d. 1925) Rose, Mrs (nursed Sybbie) Ross, Jack Other family members mentioned: mother Rostov, Count Nicolai Rothes, Lucy (on the Titanic, survived in real life) The Russells (owners of Haxby when Carlisle wants to by it) Russell, Billy (d.) Ryder, Dr

S Salter, Mr (owner of the pub Bates went to in S4E8; mentioned in S5CS) Sampson, Terence Savident, Lord (whose valet Thomas wrote to about Pamuk and Mary which is what starts the rumors S1E5) The Scrupts [CC says Scroops] Semphill Girls (one of whom Evelyn Napier was engaged to in S1) Shackleton, Lady Prudence Shackleton, Lord Hubert (Prudence's husband) (d.) Shackleton, Lord Philip (Prudence's son) Shackleton [Philip's wife] See also the Talbots Sheffield, Billy Other family members mentioned: son The Schroders [Swiss family who adopted Edith's daughter at first] Shore, Miss Marigold Shortt, Edward (real life Home Secretary from 1919-1922) Shute, Basil Skinner, Mr (Edith's editor in S6) Skelton, Billy (Appears to be neighbor of the Crawleys, at Skelton Park) Simmons, Miss (Violet's lady’s maid who left her to get married) Simpson (tenant farmer? Mentioned S3E8) Slade, Mr Ethan Smiley, Captain

Smithers (Violet's S3E1 lady's maid) Smithers (Tenant at Oakfield farm in S5E1) The Southesks (attends of Sybil's funeral; could technically be the people leaving the house in the beginning of S3E6; named after Fellowes' friends) Spenlow, Agatha (Cora's friend in Malton)

Spratt, Mr Septimus ("Cassandra Jones") Other family members mentioned: niece of Spratt, niece’s husband; (Spratt's brother or brother-in-law is d.), nephew See also the Sterns

Stark (Chauffeur S3CS-S5CS) Stanford, Inspector Stapley, Mr (a veterinarian it seems) Stapley, Mrs Stephen (A Downton groom in S5E6) Stephens, Sergeant Stern, Mrs (Sister of Spratt) Stern, Wally (nephew of Spratt) Stewart, Mrs (family friend) Stiles, Sir Mark Stiles, Lady Stowell, Mr Strachey, Lytton [mentioned in S6E1 as having attended one of Gregson's parties] Strallan, Sir Anthony Phillip Strallan, Lady Maud (d. 1911) Strutt, General Sir Herbert Stuart, Ivy Stuart, Mrs (family friend who lives in Malton, not related to Ivy) Suter, Eugene (real hair stylist) Swann, Madame (Sybil's seamstress) Sweden, King of (knew Violet's husband)

Swire, Mrs Anne (from the script book) (d.) Swire, Jonathan Swire, Lavinia Catherine (d. 1919) Swire, Mr. Reginald "Reggie" (was at Lavinia's funeral but had no lines; d. 1919) Other family members mentioned: Cousin Binny (S2E8 cut lines) Sykes, Sir Mark (S2E8 cut lines)

T Talbot, Henry Talbot, Lady Mary Josephine (née Crawley) [note that upon marrying Henry, she'd probably change her name to "Lady Mary Talbot" but she is never referred to as such in S6CS] Other family members mentioned: Henry’s mother/Lady Shackleton’s sister, Henry's uncle the bishop See also the Shackletons

Tapsell, Sir Phillip Taylor Taylor, Mrs. Taylor, Mr. (a tenant at the S4E1 luncheon, no relation) The Tenbys Thawley, Sam Thompson (soldier in Matthew's unit, possibly dead) Thompson (doctor that performs abortions - at least that's the name on the bell) Tonkins, Mrs (Sir Michael Reresby's housekeeper)

The Townsends Townsend, Miss (the young daughter who is one of Mary's bridesmaids, cut line S3E1)

Travis, Reverend Albert Trent (tenant mentioned in S4E1) Trewin, Mr (schoolteacher who Molesley takes over for) Trader (from S3E1 cut Dublin scene) The Tripps (family that live in a cottage on the estate, neighbors to the Bateses) Truro, Duchess of and her three daughters (doesn't seem to be real) Tucker (tenant farmer? Mentioned S3E8) Tufton, Jos

Turnbull, Dr Edward Turnbull, Sir John (d.) [this is Isobel’s brother and father per the S1 script book] Other family mentioned: Isobel’s cousin Turner, Mr.

V Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Lady Edith, Marchioness of Londonderry [always referred to as Lady Londonderry, real person] Vyner, Inspector (S5 inspector)

W Wakefield (soldier in Matthew's unit, possibly dead) Wales, Prince of (became Edward VIII, was David back then) Ward MP, John (real person) Warrick, Lady (also "The Warricks") Watson, Mr (valet before Bates; name from cut lines S1E1) Watson, Mrs [no relation] Wavell, Mr (seen from a distance) Weaver [Lady A's chauffeur] West, Nanny

Wigan, Mrs (appears in S1 and S4 as "Postmaster's wife"; gained a name in S5) Wigan, Mr (credited in S1E1's one scene as "Postmaster")

Wilhelm, Kaiser (Sir Anthony met him) Willis, Sgt. (S5 & 6 policeman) Wilson, Lady Sarah (née Churchill) (real life female war correspondent) Wimborne, Lady Woolf, Virgina (real life author) Woolton, the Earl and Countess of (S5E5 cocktail party guest) Wren, Lady Wright, Corporal (soldier in Matthew's unit, probably d.) Wurkett, Ted (soldier who first comes to Crawley house, name is from the script book) Y Yardley, Mrs (the cook when Robert was a kid) Yeovil, Duchess of Yeovil, Duke of (d.)

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