#summer fashion hacks

[kids-worldfun]

Affordable Kids Summer Fashion in Dubai: Tips and Tricks

Dubai’s summer season calls for light, breathable, and trendy clothing for kids. With extremely hot weather keeping the kids comfortable yet stylish can be a big task. Especially when you are on a budget. But don’t worry. Here are some tips and tricks to help you find affordable kids summer fashion in Dubai ensuring your kids stay stylish and comfortable without breaking the bank. 1. Shop During…

[randomfoggytiger]

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson: Skin Tones and Sneaky Fashion Tricks

Had time, a bit of curiosity, and no real motivation to do any "work" this weekend; so, I popped open a photo editing app; used the dropper tool to extract David Duchovny's and Gillian Anderson's skin tones, hair colors, and eye colors; then had a some fun comparing them to their Seasonal Color palettes (post here.)

Behold: what happens when a girl just wants to have a little fun~.

**Note**: Just realized I've already created a post like this before (here). Consider this a less crazed follow up~.

DAVID DUCHOVNY

(Pictured: David's skin, hair, and eye colors are labeled 'DD' while his Soft Autumn palette colors are labeled 'SA'.)

Monsieur (feelin' fancy today) Duchovny's skin tone is primarily very soft and very low contrast: as we know, too much brightness or richness or lightness or darkness quickly overwhelms him. And because his undertone's warm hue is a secondary feature-- not a primary one-- any color that is "soft" or muted will look better on him than one that is bright and warm (ex. a Light Spring yellow) or rich and warm (ex. a True Autumn orange.)

Too Warm and Too Cool

Even when DD's pictures are professionally edited to appear warmer, cooler, brighter, darker, etc., the muted warmth in his skin still peeks through.

In the above left picture: the photo is given a rich warm wash. However, David's skin still appears less intense than his very dark jacket and very light pants, and less rich than his luxuriously relaxed green button up. I

n the above right picture: David's warmth shines over the cool overexposure added in post-- the two pink colors to his left were only located and extracted after hovering over a particularly blinding white patch of his skin.

Younger and Older

Young or old, David's soft, warm hue is inescapable.

Even when a little paler and a little more salt-and-pepper, his grays lean warm instead of cool and his sunburns lean red-orange instead of red-pink.

While not his best color, the softened black background in the above left picture helps blend more naturally with DD's skin. The very bright, very cool white backdrop (and darker, less malleable jacket) to the right, however, stands out against and easily overpowers it.

Lastly, we see David in cool, bright colors for contrast.

Above, left: The brightness of David's white shirt dominates his primary muted quality; and the coolness of its hue clashes with the warmth of his neck, further highlighting (in detail) the sunburn patches along his chest and neck. (If the color were matching, the sunburn would still be visible but more smoothly "washed out" rather than easily mapped out and traced.)

Above, right: The brightness of David's shirt, again, overpowers his skin tone-- if you squint at the photo, the juxtaposition between the clothes and "him" are stark, not compatibly blended. In fact, the wall behind DD's head-- while not a perfect color match-- would work better because it allows "David" to be seen before "clothes." And, again, the black (and blue) color is too pigmented and too cool, standing out further against the redness in his undertone.

GILLIAN ANDERSON

(Pictured: Gillian's skin and eye colors are to her left while the Clear Winter colors are to her right.)

Mademoiselle (the fancy feeling continues) Gillian's skin tone is primarily very bright: as we know, any color too muted will dull the natural radiance to her skin, making her appear more drab or tired or "off." And because her undertone's cool hue is a complementary feature, any color that is very bright (ex. a Clear Spring orange or Light Spring green) will harmonize with her features better than a cool muted one (ex. a Light Summer gray or Soft Summer purple.)

But here's where Gillian (and her team) demonstrate the chameleon ability of fashion: knowing your colors and your limitations, and how to bend them.

Behold, the power of spray tan:

(Pictured: Gillian's natural skin tone on her feet and legs-- as well as parts of her forehead and cleavage-- compared to the spray tan on her face, chest, arms, and hands.)

As used by every other model and celebrity that walks the red carpet nowadays, spray tan helps shift one's skin tone more warm (red or orange or etc.) as per the client's or stylist's needs.

Gillian prefers to wear her hair warm blonde; but if she wore that blonde without disguising her cool undertone, it would appear unnatural or brassy or "separate than" herself. So, she uses spray tan to tint the pink into peach or beige, blending her head-to-toe cohesively.

Too Warm, Too Edited, and Just Right

Lighting, again, is very important when spotting a person's true skin tone.

In the above, Gillian is wearing the same dress and hairstyle. The only difference between her left and right picture is the post-production editorial touchup, which turned GA's entire ensemble golden (left.) The coolness of her undertone can still be spotted when compared to the wall behind her; but is, of course, clearly visible when shown in tempered, more natural lighting (right.)

In the left photo, GA's bright blue eyes and bright chroma stand out against the warm, rich, burnt orange backdrop while her "pinkness" becomes more apparent in the right's outdoors daylight.

And lastly, Gillian looks quite charming in light chroma (a.k.a. Bright or Clear) photoshoots, her skin illuminated and in its element.

The differences between the left and the right are mainly in their hues: the warm beige-brown shirt on the left is slightly too warm for her neck (making it appear more red than pink, despite a lack of sunburn) while the cool white dress on the right perfectly matches both her sun-reddened hands and the pale inner part of her arm.

DAVID AND GILLIAN IN THEIR COLORS

I found a few photos of DD and GA in differing lighting and stages of their life.

Despite the darkness of the room, the photographer excellently captured Gillian and David's true skin tones: his medium apricot red and her pale red-pink.

The iconic 2021 selfie: the lighting overhead is too warm, making them both appear more red than they would in natural light; yet, despite that, Gillian still sports cool undertones in her extracted semi-circle compared to David's muted warm rectangle and dots.

DD's Soft Autumn skin matches up with the Soft Autumn palette; and the paint-over brings out a nice, surprising olive in his undertone.

GA's Clear (also known as Bright) Winter skin matches up with the Clear (also known as Bright) Winter palette; and the paint-over brings out even more lightness and brightness from her undertone, unveiling yet another layer of luminosity.

This last paint-over proves that David's Soft Autumn and Gillian's Bright Winter would have worked rather well in the Revival series. (In fact, I'm pretty sure the suit he's wearing is-- at least in this shot-- already an Autumn muted blue. The blue shirt she's wearing is definitely a Winter.)

I also tried, a little, to match their silhouettes to their Kibbe body types (posts here and here); and even threw in an Ingenue Essence bowtie for the fun of it (Kitchener Essence posts here and here.)

ALTERNATE SEASONS

For the fun of it, I threw David and Gillian into three other paint-overs.

...Only three because Tumblr is a cruel mistress who blocked me from uploading more.

(Pictured: Left, DD in Soft Autumn blues, GA in Clear/Bright Winter blue; Right, David in Dark Winter blue, Gillian in Light Spring blue.)

David looks more awake and less bogged down by two layers of (bulky) blue colors on the left compared to the singular, leaner layer of blue on the right. Meanwhile, Gillian's skin looks more luminous and healthily flushed on the left in contrast to the yellower, paler, slightly sickly color on the right.

Oh, David. Never change.

Spring blue makes David's skin look waxy and sick; Summer blue is too cool against the red-gold-olive of his undertone; Autumn blue blends right into its mixture; and Winter blue stands right out and far away from it.

Look-- Gillian in Spring blue!

Gillian's skin agrees with the brightness but not the hue of Spring Blue (top left); disagrees with the muted depth of Summer Blue (top right); responds to the richness but rivals against the warmth of Autumn blue (bottom left); and sings harmoniously with the chroma and hue of Winter blue (bottom right.)

CONCLUSION

Had fun doing edits~.

Will do a Kibbe-Kitchener-Seasonal Color combination post for GA and DD sometime in the future.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[daisys-notes]

Sarcasm in Small Doses: How I Learned to Torture People

Sarcasm and humor are like a Rubik’s Cube for your brain: only smart people can solve it. And if you also enjoy sadistic jokes? Congrats, you’ve unlocked the dark mode of intelligence. The art of complimenting someone while actually suggesting they find a hobby that doesn’t require any brainpower. Just so you know, I wasn’t born this way. No, I carefully “fine-tuned” this skill, like a chef…

[lesb0]

I'm always trying to stay on the cutting edge of every permutation of our constantly evolving visual culture but the elusiveness of every new form makes it difficult for me, even as one of the youngest possible millennials. in fashion, my freshman students are all wearing 2000s or "y2k" fashion: baggy grungy or baby phat hiphop, with an elevated touch of modesty, good color theory, and a stark awareness of bodily proportion. in memes, legendary 00s icon, lisa frank. its embarrassing to follow influencers with over 10 mil, now, as if it breaks the parasocial connection.

someone asked yesterday if tiktok is now the premier vehicle of visual culture. I open tiktok. on one side, a zoomed in interview with the mother of a shooting victim. but the other side is a compilation of slime videos, a woman cutting soap, life hacks, and chinese "smart" product placements. you can hear and see both. this bizarre genre, I can only recognize as content. on social media, content is technically anything you can doomscroll, the action of spending over 2 hours on a social media feed, a for you page, a timeline, a dashboard to tumblr addicts.

I'm watching cable TV with a girl I'm seeing. the ads are remarkably only geared towards boomers and older gen x. but, so is the 'content', bad action movies made for cable and reruns of 80s/90s TV shows, but the exact same show marathoned in hours long successions.

to be an effective art historian, I have to take things from this ever-shifting visual culture and translate it into the equally fickle and amorphous art world... so what does 'content' look like for museum shows? my first 100+ object loan show was in part by a colleague, a younger curator at BAMPFA. a massive exhibition of all female nonbinary artists, from the 60s PoMo feminists to the self obsessed identity displayers of today. I absolutely LOVED it. I had no problem enthusiastically flitting from object to object, frontwards and in reverse twice, to spend special time with all my favorites. a fave professor stopped me. I hadn't even recognized him in the excitement. he looked bewildered, but laughed about how giddy I was. he didn't write any criticism on the show. my boss at the time, our museum director, told me she thought it was "such a big mess". my favorite lesbian professor clutched onto her wife with an anxious look. my lesbian artist friend had panic attack and put his headphones on in a dark corner. on the other hand, the younger undergrad girls from berkeley looked elated and delighted, flitting around and oohing and aahing at my same pace. I learned one of them was an engineering student named erin who needed a feminist pickup from the disouragement in her male dominated field.

so how has the 'content' show, or the art world reception to them, changed in the past 4 years? well for one, it seems like major flagship institutions are dropping the mononym altogether. as the french impressionists take over the east coast, none of shows feature one painter as a sole focus, but curators use juxtapositions to keep people interested. in MoMAs, monoynym shows are reserved for major retrospectives or figuratively and literally, monolith artists like simone leigh. the older art historians are hesitant to adapt to these changes. one of my favorite shows this summer, over 300 very different collection pieces packed onto the floor and across the hall, wasn't enjoyed by any of the critics I know. My dates all hated it. except one, a hot ADHD butch who had a tiktok doomscrolling addiction.

what does this mean for the future of how shows are displayed.... how do museums let go of the traditional princely standard: 3.5 inch hangings with a 25 degree downwards tilt? is it better or worse to compromise museums into messy 17th century curiosity cabinets?

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Protective bachelors headcanonssssss?

Yeeesssss!

Usually when people ask for "bachelors", I think about like "they are not yet 'Farmer's partner" because they are a 'singles', but I'm always not sure if I'm getting it right. Therefore, I try to find an alternative and write in a way that candidates would behave in both cases. I hope this makes sense.

By the way, I took the word "protective" in different ways. I mean, you can protect them from bullies, from natural disasters, from danger, from themselves if such a case ever occurs. I was interested in experiencing with this writing. Feel free to write criticism and suggest if such a headcanon deviates from the essence of the issue, I'm interested to know your opinion.

Anyway, thank for your ask, anon))))

_________________________________________

Alex:

Alex has been volunteering as a beach lifeguard for years. Given his physical qualities, ability to swim well and basic knowledge of first aid, this role suits him perfectly, so he agreed to volunteer and keep the beach safe every summer.

But it's fall now, too cold for the beach season, so no one needs his skills for now. So Alex thought until the Farmer, fishing on the river bank near Alex's house, fell for some reason directly into the rushing waters. The athlete acted faster than he thought: a jump into the water - and he is already dragging the Farmer to land. Alex carefully examined the Farmer to understand their condition, and when he was convinced that everything was alright with them, he took them home, where Evelyn brought a blanket and a cup of hot tea for the Farmer after a cold bath.

Whether or not the Farmer knew how to swim at the time, Alex now always watches over them when they fish near his house and moves them away from the river to prevent this from happening again.

Elliott:

There was one case when one of the tipsy tourists began to pester the Farmer with an offer to go on a date together. And when the Farmer politely refused the offer, they received threats and promises from the interlocutor to spoil the image of their farm. No one knows how long this clowning would have continued if an enraged Elliott had not approached them.

I can't get the fact out of my head that Elliott will challenge this asshole to a duel like the old fashioned way. It doesn't matter if the Farmer is just a good friend or his partner, the writer is determined to uphold their honor. Of course, here it will do without pistols, but still there is a theatrical note.

But that doesn't mean that Elliott is deliberately turning it into a theatre, oh no. He is fully prepared to fight this ill-mannered interlocutor on the battlefield, whether it be a verbal skirmish or a fist fight. Even if physical superiority is not on Elliott's side, he was able to successfully teach the offender a lesson, although now his nose is covered in blood. The Farmer, treating Elliott's wounds, must admit that they obviously did not expect this from him and were grateful for the support.

Sebastian:

Sebastian was surprised that the Farmer knew so little about social media. Like, they and Sebby are the same age, but if Sebastian himself makes magic with his programming skills, then the Farmer is more like an elder who was given a new phone by grandchildren and don't know how to use this device.

Therefore, Sebastian suggested that they create their own page on the Internet, where they will post their photos and posts on their favorite topics, for example, about farming, or life hacks on growing different crops. To which the Farmer happily agreed, rejoicing at the opportunity to put up tips that will help people. But, unfortunately, in addition to good people there will always be fools, trolls and bots in the vastness of the World Wide Web, which can not only spoil a person’s mood, but also put them into a depressive state.

Sebastian may still feel awkward talking to people face-to-face, but with a snap of his fingers, he will permanently ban nasty people from the Farmer's page while they don't see. Fair criticism is one thing, but just being toxic is another. Sebby won't just watch his friends get bullied by some idiots on the other side of the monitor, right?

Shane:

Shane doesn't get paid enough for this shit. Stupid boss, stupid Joja products, stupid co-workers (not counting Sam and that cashier). This was not enough for him, so now he saw through the window of the store how one of the Joja loaders clings to the Farmer. He can't make out what started the skirmish, but Shane heard loud and clear the phrases about the Farmer "our goods are better than yours", "bastard" and "bitch".

And at that moment, Shane's patience snapped. This pissed him off so much that he went to yell at that freak, not afraid of losing his miserable job.

Do you think Shane can't intimidate a bully enough? Have you ever seen his face when he's angry? This is the face of a man who will fight with God for the sake of people dear to him. For his aunt, goddaughter, chicken Charlie and the Farmer (friend or partner), he will tear off the offender's hands. Even though Morris issued a fine to both Joja employees for "spoiling the image of the company", Shane does not care. No one dares to offend them and think that the asshole will get away with it.

Harvey:

Merciful Yoba, give Harvey great patience. Because if he does not have enough patience, then brute force will come into play. What kind of stubborn fool do you have to be to get out of bed immediately after you had an emergency operation!?

The wounded Farmer after another adventure in the mines became an all-too-frequent sight in Harvey's clinic, but this time the case was quite dangerous. Harvey, as a professional in his field, quickly treated the Farmer's wounds, brought food and ordered them to rest for at least a couple of days. But they declared that the farm would wither without them and were preparing to get out of the hospital bed.

Because of this, Harvey's angelic patience finally snapped and he barked that he would tie the young troublemaker to the bed if they tried to get up again. This cooled the Farmer's ardor, and they obediently lay down again. Harvey, regretting his words, quickly apologized to the Farmer, explaining that he was very worried about their health no longer as a doctor, but as a friend (or more than a friend?). Every time he worries about their health, because they have become a close person to him. To which the ashamed Farmer also asked for forgiveness and thanked Harvey for his care and patience.

Sam:

After Sam's first concert ended successfully, he invited his band members and the Farmer to stay a little longer in Zuzu City for a bite to eat before the road. The Farmer offered to buy everyone burgers and sodas in the cafe while Sam, Sebby, and Abby took a table outside. It's been 30 minutes, and the Farmer still hasn't left the burger place, so Sam decided to check what took them so long. And the delay was because of another visitor to that cafe, who, in a drunken stupor, tried to prove to everyone that the Farmer had stolen their wallet. Neither the seller nor the Farmer themselves were able to calm down the raging visitor.

Sam approached the Farmer at the moment when the problem was solved by itself: no one stole the guy's wallet, he just put them in another pocket of his jacket. But instead of apologizing, the drunkard said that the Farmer could have stolen anyway.

To which Sam, with all his positive and ability to find a common language with everyone, barked at an unpleasant person, saying that the loser should get lost. His tirade somehow worked, and the man left. Sam doesn't like watching his friends get hurt, so he apologized if he scared the Farmer with his swearing. To which the Farmer themselves thank for the help and note that they have never heard such cursing from Sam. Well, yeah Sam is no longer a child! ... But anyway, don't tell his mother that he expressed himself like that, okay? For silence - delicious burgers, at his expense 😉

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Notes on the first couple days back to school:

Felt very old (both complimentary and derogatory) in the first undergrad class, but managed to exchange names with another student.

Poor summer children didn't know the professor, so it was painful to see the light go out of their eyes as they realized what the course is going to be like

One of them had a powered off, open laptop in front of her, the whole lecture. She took no notes, but she didn't close the laptop either. Sir, this is my emotional support laptop.

I may get to write a report on The Industrial Revolution through Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, so there's that to look forward to (professor suggested Hard Times for that. "or any Dickens". I did not make a smartass comment about Little Dorrit. Believe it or not, I do want to pass this course).

I had forgotten how much I liked looking at people on the bus! Their sense of fashion, the variety of faces and features and hair you get to see. A woman wearing red lipstick and big golden earrings in true 1980s style. A man wearing a camel colored coat and some fine, fine black loafers. And so on and so forth.

Grad seminar had more people around my age, and almost everyone was friendly. And they gave us granola bars! Truly the childhood experience of it all sometimes.

re-hacking the bus system was a lot more fun than I expected it. It's almost like the "you never forget how to bike" thing. Also, missed doing all the roundabout way through Old City and seeing the bay.

At least 2 more starbucks have sprung downtown. We hates it, we hates it, precious, with the force of a thousand suns.

[lif3lessb0dy]

PICK A WINX CHARACTER AND ILL TELL YOU STH

BLOOM

• short-tempered, inpatient and impulsive. But also you'll do anything for the loved ones

• probably running away from problems

• likes color blue and bunnies. no, you LOVE bunnies

• messy hair, messy makeup, messy life

• kinda likes studying

• pretty outgoing

STELLA

• extrovert

• thinks that every time she goes outside she's doing a fashion show

• probably likes the beach

• lover of white chocolate

• parents issues!!!

• hurt inside happy outside core

FLORA

• animal & plant lover

• probably have a pet (or many pets...)

• likes eating strawberries

• summer time = skirt time

• pinterest is your life and your fyp on TikTok's full of aesthetic things

• that shy person with thousands of crushes be like

• would do anything for her family & friends

MUSA

• music lover

• mommy issues???

• cat person ig

• searching on Pinterest ideas for outfits (you're an icon with your fits but you don't think so)

• your fav school subject is history or english

• often buy and eat whole chocolate by yourself

TECNA

• good with computers (your parents are kinda afraid bc of your hacking abilities...)

• underrated.

• you seem confident, but inside you're afraid you're not enough

• probably dye hair at 3am

• fan of my little pony (at first you wouldn't admit that 🙄🙄🙄)

• science person

• always late with TikTok trends

AISHA/LAYLA

• likes going to the gym

• often watch Disney movies

• that person who doesn't smoke or drink

• very honest

• probably lost an important person

• you're scared of rejection

[brooklynislandgirl]

borrowed with grace from new friend Vee over @reyestr

FIRST MEETINGS MEME

A meme for first meetings and introduction threads, aka a ‘What you will notice about my muse first’ cheat sheet.

Repost, don’t reblog. Bold what applies. Fill in details.

(Please do not remove the credit + blank meme link)

blank meme: x

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Sex: Masculine. Feminine. Non-Binary. Notes: Beth was born a cis-gender female and most of the time she's comfortable in that shape/body.

Race: Polynesian/Caucasian {Hawai'ian and Irish, respectively, or as she'd say it, hapa-haole}

Complexion: Beth's natural skin tone is a tawny/dusky shade that might be compared to sand or toast. Most public photos taken of her tend to lighten her skin as much as possible per the Admiral's request. When she spends her time out-doors she tans easily and resembles more her Island kin than the Irish side of the family. Beth tends to wear minimal make up, and when she's doing a dramatic look she usually sticks to eye make up and bold lipsticks, highlighting what she considers her best features. Upon closer inspection one might notice a small constellation of tiny freckles that hover around the right side of her mouth and chin, and another sweep of fainter freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her skin tone leans towards the autumn spectrum, and it is incredibly fine, soft.

Height: Beth is just barely five feet tall.

Body Type: Endomorph. Mesomorph. Ectomorph. Other / More Details: Beth is actually somewhat underweight for her size, ranging between 90-96 lbs. Most of her curves tend to remain in her hips and backside, and her chest is narrow, sporting a very modest b-cup.

Body Build: Small. Medium. Athletic. Muscular. Soft. Curvy. Voluptuous. Other / More Details: Beth has been called small, delicate, bird-boned. From behind or at a minor distance, she has been mistaken for a young teen or larger child. It is hard for her to put on or maintain muscle tone.

Body Hair: None. Shaves/Waxes. Trims/Grooms. Untamed. Color: The colour on her arms and legs matches that of her hair, a dark to medium dark brown. Notes: Beth's body hair tends to be incredibly fine, almost non-existent, and thus she doesn't feel the need to wax or shave very often.

Head Hair: None. Buzzed. Short. Medium. Long. Very Long. Asymmetrical Cut. Color: Naturally Beth has dark brown almost black hair with natural red highlights. Occasionally she might do a subtle colour, either deep auburn or honey-brown. Style: Beth tends to style her hair to within an inch of its life, keeping it sleek and straight so that the Admiral has nothing to complain about. Naturally it tends to be incredibly wavy/curly {3b hair}, with a tendency to become a touch frizzy in moist/damp air. Most of the time Beth keeps her hair long and loose. For work it's in a ponytail or bun, and when her mental health is at its absolutely lowest, she hacks it pretty much down to a bob.

Eye color: Beth has green/brown central heterochromia,which is what most people call hazel. Her noticible colour is green, with an almost honey brow mixed in. It is a far softer colour than her brother's.They tend to shift colour via lighting or dilation of the pupil. Details: Wide, upturned eyes tend to give her a Disney-Princess look. Her lashes are naturally long and thick.

Scars: Beth's left leg has a large shark-bite scar from the bottom of her knee to the top of her ankle. Within the borders of the scar the muscle is visibly atrophied and has the texture of something close to a burn scar. The tendons are shortened, making her left leg a fraction shorter than her right.

FASHION

Fashion Style: Vintage. Traditional. Casual. Artsy. Vibrant. Geeky/Nerdy. Tomboy. Sporty. Trendy. Preppy. Girly. Bohemian. Elegant. Formal. Grunge. Punk. Rocker. Gothic. Other:

Color Palette: Beth tends to wear seasonal colours {lighter pastels in the spring and summer, darker secondary colours in the fall and winter}.

Typical Clothing: Beth tends to wear as little clothing as she can manage without making a scene. During warm weather she tends toward camisole tops or bikinis. She tends to wear ankle/floor length skirts. For work, she wears scrubs. Beth does. not. wear. pants. unless she's out jogging, doing yoga, or wearing a wet-suit. And while she has a walk-in closet full of designer and custom gowns and other clothing, the kinds of which would make Paris Fashion Week drool in their dreams, she tends to prefer vintage clothing.

Piercings: Beth's ears are pierced in multiple places which differ from ear to ear. She has a sub-dermal piercing at her hip.

Tattoos: Beth has a tattoo of a honu {sea turtle} on the back of her left hip, whose shell contains the Hawai'ian archipelago and a hibiscus flower. Other tattoos vary verse to verse.

Other Information: Beth tends to hate shoes and will wear 'slippahs' whenever she can get away with it. At home she tends to be barefoot, or during cold snaps, she might tolerate socks. She likes to wear rings, bracelets, earrings when not at work. She keeps her nails manicured.

EXPRESSION

General Facial Expression: Beth's features tend to be open, friendly, and at worst, neutral.

Default Body Language: As stated above, she tends to have open, inviting body language that changes only when/if she has disengaged with someone, or it's the Admiral. Around the Admiral her body language is closed, defensive, on the verge of flight/fight.

General Movements: Beth's incredibly graceful from a lifetime of surfing, swimming, dance. She tends to flow through the room, slow and cautious. The longer she has been awake, or the longer she's been on her feet, it becomes apparent that she does have a faint limp, due to shortened tendons and ligaments, atrophied muscle in her shark-scarred leg.

NOTABLE FOR RP

Presence: Beth's entire presence rests on the fact that she is warm and gracious, curious until she's given reason not to. Everyone is treated like a friend. As such, she tends to be a soothing comfort, and someone a person can open up to easily.

Appearance: Beth is always perfectly dressed for every situation, impeccably garbed in public, perfect but often subtle make up. This does not carry through to being at home where she feels comfortable.

Scent: She makes her own essential oils/lotions and people tend to describe her as tropical; lightly floral, a touch of sea salt, coconut, macadamia, something very faintly herbal. Too soon after work, she tends to carry the smell of hospital antiseptics {and/or blood}.

Voice Description: Her voice tends to surprise people. Being so short and slight, most people expect her to have a high/thin/child-like voice. She speaks so softly that she rarely speaks above an audible whisper, and her tones tend to be a little husky/smokey, warm, layered. When she does have to raise her voice, it is the kind that doesn't brook arguments and carries the tone of command of a queen or a soldier, though she is neither.

Accent: yes / no More information: Beth has always had problems with certain digraphs {th in particular} and is most comfortable speaking her native pidgin with a slight speech impediment. She can, however, speak perfectly serviceable "Haole" {American English}. She also understands a host of other languages, and takes a small measure of pride in being able to pick local idioms/slang easily, despite her audio processing disorder.

Speech Mannerisms: Beth tends to be a touchy person; conveying meaning or clarity with minor touching of other people's hands, knees, shoulders when speaking closely. She also tends to gesticulating while she's talking. When she speaks "Haole" it is far slower, measured, careful than when speaking pidgin, with slight pauses occasionally as she struggles with a phrase or sounding out words in her head. When conversing with someone, she tends to watch the person's mouth and eye area to pick up contextual clues and mouth-shapes to help bolster her understanding.

Anything else to add? Beth tends to sometimes come across as the most real person in the room, is magnetic despite her best efforts. However, if she doesn't want to engage with someone, she tends to slowly slip away from their thoughts/memories, until she is absolutely forgotten. Perhaps the eeriest noticible trait is that she never fully blinks. Her eyes tend to only half close, three quarters at best. {It almost feels like she's missing a nictitating membrane}. The second most noticible trait is that she has small, sharp teeth, almost preternaturally so, and slightly crooked. {{Certain kinds of hunters and others like her recognise these as 'primal markings' and might speak to her slightly less than human dna}} {{Beth's main face claim is Kristin Kreuk, and her secondary face claim is Smiley Arianne}}

[oddbuthappy]

Spring/summer 2024 fashion favorites

As we head into the swing of spring (and summer), let’s dive into what we can love to see as the weather gets warmer!

1.MINIMALIST BASE MAXIMALIST JEWELRY RUFFLES

This is a classic banger. You can go wrong with a little juxtaposition to balance out the look. Starting with a basic foundation of great structured clothing, ideally with a solid color, juxtaposed by some maximalist jewelry as a way to explore and express yourself with fashion. How chic!

2.RUFFLES

It’s so light and feminine, perfectly emblematic of the lovely spring and summer weather ahead. Oftentimes perfectly structured to add just the right amount of dimension to an otherwise simple outfit. Ruffles are the perfect tactile and fun design you just might want to add to your closet for the season.

3.DRESSING TO THE NINES

Transcending the spring/summer restrictions, overdressing should be adopted across all seasons. Enough of the sweats and errand uniform, the goal now is to look a little too good. Of course it’s important to dress for your environment. I cannot in good conscience suggest that you go hiking in a high heel sandal and floor length skirt, but elevating your look just for everyday life is the ultimate life hack. You can still be overdressed without sacrificing comfort, so focus on looking good and feeling great.

More about this on my blog! What else are you loving for summer?

[typingtess]

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch:    “Sleeping Dogs”

The basics:  When several Drona subjects are attacked, NCIS is on the case.

Written by:   Andrew Bartels wrote or co-wrote "Allegiance", "Zero Days", "The Grey Man", "Humbug", "Fighting Shadows", "Driving Miss Diaz", "Angels & Daemons", "Where There’s Smoke…", "Glasnost", "Old Tricks" "Battle Scars", "Fool Me Twice", "Warrior of Peace", "Reentry", "The Prince", "Smokescreen", "The One That Got Away"/"No More Secrets" two-parter, "Yellow Jacket", "Missing Time", "If the Fates Allow", "Red Rover, Red Rover", "Divided We Fall", "Genesis" and "Survival of the Fittest".

Directed by:   Gonzalo Amat is directing his first NCIS: Los Angeles episode. 

Guest stars of note: Ava McCoy as Jordyn Rountree returns from “Perception” in season 13, Ashley Sharpe Chestnut as FBI Special Agent Summer Morehurst returns from "Let it Burn", both Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier as Agent Shyla Dahr and Duncan Campbell as Agent Castor return from “Shame”, Milissa Sears as Leah Novak returns from “Genesis” in season 13, David DeSantos as Anthony Beltran.

Our heroes:   Keep droning on about Drona.

What important things did we learn about: Callen:  In a roundabout way, asks Sam to be his best man. Sam:   In a roundabout way, says yes t being Callen’s best man. Kensi:  Absent. Deeks:   See Kensi. Fatima:  Hacks into the Drona files with Shyla. Rountree:  Willing to be shot at to protect Sam and Fatima. Kilbride:  Leaving after work to see his son.

What not so important things did we learn about: Callen:  Worshipped by Castor. Sam:   Thinks Castor getting knocked out twice in three months is a bad look. Kensi:   See Deeks. Deeks:   Absent. Fatima:   Likes Rountree with Summer. Rountree:  Runs after school buses, bad guys and through sand castles. Kilbride:   Hired Shyla because Shyla remembers everything.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange?  Seemingly in a small town on the border of Turkey and Syria warning Drona subjects that they are in danger.

Who's down with OTP:  Kensi and Deeks are off doing family things.  Rountree and Summer seems to be doing well. 

Who's down with BrOTP:  Callen popped the question – will Sam be his best man?  Callen has a side buddy in Castor.

Fashion review:  Callen wears a green, blue and yellow plaid shirt.  A long-sleeve black tee for Sam.  Fatima wears a tan leather field coat over a black turtleneck.  A pale purple fleece sweatshirt for Rountree.  Kilbride has on a dark brown three-piece suit with a white dress shirt and a brown and gold tie. 

Music: Not today!

Any notable cut scene:  Not today!

Quote:  Shyla:  “Oh, uh, your ride to the airport just pulled up outside.” Kilbride:  “I thought I told you to cancel that flight.” Shyla:  “Did you? Oh, I-I don't remember.” Kilbride:  “You remember everything.  That's why I hired you.” Shyla:  “Do you still want me to cancel it?  Bear in mind, it is nonrefundable and I know how much you hate wasting money.  Not to mention missing an opportunity to see your son after all these years...” Kilbride:  “All right, all right, I'm leaving.  Remind me to fire you when I get back.”

Anything else:  A gentleman is out walking his dog in a small park area surrounded by businesses.  The dog, Rebel, starts barking and jumps into a bush.  Returning to his owner, Rebel gifts the man a dead squirrel, which was not on the man’s breakfast meal plan.  The man’s phone rings – it is an older, flip phone.  A text message reads “DHRISHTADYUMNA”.  The man breaks the phone in half and tosses his phone, causing Rebel to play fetch.  While the dog is away, a person wearing a ski mask shoots the dog owner in the back of the dead.  Rebel returns to his fallen owner and sits right next to him because dogs are the best.

At a table by a coffee shop, Fatima, Rountree, Jordyn and FBI Agent Summer Morehurst are chatting.  Fatima is teasing Rountree for yelling “Federal Agents” as they were trailing a suspect.  The suspect ran (because he’s obviously watched the show).  “Tree” caught the guy after a 10-minute chase.  Jordyn is all in for the Rountree mocking.  Rountree always liked to show off how fast he was.  He’d forget to give Jordyn her school lunch on purpose and then run alongside the school bus to give it to her like Keanu Reeves.  And she hated his lunches – avocados and bean sprouts.  She was 14 and didn’t want to eat that stuff back then.  Summer says she’s not interested in eating it now.  Rountree says it all worked out for the best.  Jordyn aced her MCATs and is on her way to medical school.  Summer starts mocking “Treefontaine” when she gets a call – FBI wants to see her.  Jordyn is off to class as well.

Shyla is giving a not paying attention Admiral Kilbride notice about a meeting with his British and Australian counterparts.  Still not paying attention.  She would be willing to go.  Still not paying attention.  Kensi and Deeks are out because Rosa’s aunt had a stroke.  Still not paying attention.  Office minutiae like the security system doing a reboot and Agent Castor’s performance review aren’t capturing the Admiral’s attention either.   Shyla mentions a radioactive group of pubescent turtles foiling and armed robbery at the Santa Monica Pier and nothing.  Shyla sees a suitcase and realizes that he’s flying up to San Francisco to see his son.  She will arrange transport to the airport at 7PM but he wants to leave at 7:30PM – he’s not much of an airport guy.  With spring break, Shyla recommends the earlier departure time but the Admiral promises her he’ll be fine.  Eventually he relents but warns Shyla that if he is stuck with a “posse of frat boys you will never hear the end of it.”  She thinks that would be a great story.  As Shyla leaves, the Admiral wants a BOLO on the turtles and their giant rat leader – can’t have mutant vigilantes running around.

Sam walks in to the bullpen, greeting Callen.  On Sam’s desk is a printout of a man in a tuxedo.  Callen explains it is the tuxedo Anna, sorry, he and Anna, want Sam to wear to the wedding.  Sam thinks he can dress himself.  Callen brings up Anna’s, his and Anna’s color palate for the wedding.  The tux is just for Sam.  “Is this your way of asking me to be your best man?”  Callen thought Sam being the best man was a given.  Sam’s not so sure.  Callen has been spending quality time with Castor – they had some drinks and dinner after Castor was knocked out by Miraslava.  Sam notes that Castor worships Callen, even dresses like him.  Castor arrives, dressed similarly to Callen.    Callen breaks down and asks if Sam would be his best man.  Of course, Sam replies but he hates the tux.  Callen agrees.

Shyla walks down the stairs.  Callen asks if they have a case.  She replies “you tell me” as she brings them up to Ops.  Once in Ops, she launches all the security protocols that lock the door, shut the shutters and turn down the lights.  She was sent two encrypted files through a DOD top secret/special compartmented information channel, JWICS.  The first file is the driver’s license for the man the park – John Jenkins.  He’s the CEO for a software company.  The second file is the ID card of an FBI Analyst, Patrick Hertel.  Both men were found dead that morning.  Hertel was killed in his backyard, Jenkins in the park.  There were numbers with the file – eight, 11 and 22.  Maybe August 11, 2022. 

Callen isn’t interested in figuring out what eight, 11 and 22 mean.  JWICS files are sent by known people.  Who sent the file?  Shyla doesn’t know, it came from a SCIF on the border of Turkey and Syria, the town of Al-Rai.  It was Hetty’s last known location, who else would send cryptic clues.  Shyla seems excited –“are you talking about who I think you’re talking about?”  Callen confirms – Hetty.

In the Admiral’s office, Callen makes the case that to Kilbride that the JWICS file came from Hetty.  The Admiral wants to know why she would send the names for two men and some random numbers.  It isn’t an urgent message, it is a top secret butt dial according to the Admiral.  He’s checked – the SCIF was closed months ago.  Callen thinks Hetty could have routed the JWICS through the SCIF but if she did that, why didn’t she identify herself the Admiral asks.  Maybe Hetty thinks JWICS is compromised according to Callen.  More being a pain in the ass according to Kilbride.  Callen wants to investigate the victims to see if there is anything there.  Since Hetty bailed Kilbride out with the Simon Williams case, Callen can investigate as long as he stays in his lane – stay away from the official investigations.

Fatima and Rountree show up at Hertel’s home, which is covered with police tape.  They start to work on a story to get involved with the case when they see Summer working the case.  She comes to see Rountree and Fatima, who think there is a connection between Hertel’s killing and an NCIS investigation into John Jenkins.   Summer starts asking questions and Rountree drops “national security”.  Since Rountree and Fatima can’t share their info on Jenkins, which is none other than Callen and Sam are investigating what Hetty sent, Summer can’t working with them.  When they can share, so can she.  Hertel is FBI – they’re working for one of their own.

At the park area, Callen learns from LAPD that all the cameras were down due to routine maintenance when Jenkins was walking his dog.  Callen also shares that Summer is working the Hertel case.  Sam thinks it was a robbery – no wallet, no keys, no phone and the killer took away the shell casings.  LAPD found half the phone in Rebel’s mouth.  Callen gives Shyla a call.  She has not found a link between Jenkins and Hertel yet. 

Looking into Jenkins, his start up tech company has one employee – Jenkins.  They haven’t created a product in the last five years.  Jenkins and his company have been doing very well, despite offering no products.  He’s likely laundering money.  Asked about family, Shyla tells Callen and Sam that Jenkins was adopted and his adopted parents are long dead.  Turning back to the crime scene, if the dog found one half of the phone, Sam would like to see if he could find the other half.

Back at the FBI crime scene, Rountree sees an older couple arrive and go right under the police tape.  Fatima is on the phone.  Rountree calls for Summer, who is a bit embarrassed.  She asks about the older couple – they are Hertel’s adopted parents.  An arriving Fatima, who was on the phone hears adopted and notes that Jenkins was also adopted.  Summer isn’t impressed until Fatima tells her both men were shot in the back of the head to make it look like a robbery.  Summer never told them how Hertel was killed.   NCIS is now part of the FBI crime scene.

Callen and Sam talk about Callen setting a date but Anna is giving him time to find Hetty.  Sam hopes this is the case that gets them to Hetty.  Callen doesn’t believe that.  If Hetty wanted to be found, Hetty would be found.  She would tell them where to find her.  Callen wants to get married and it is unfair to make Anna wait so long.  Sam is looking forward to his best man speech – he has a lot of wisdom to share.  Callen thinks he’s heard most of Sam’s wisdom but the wisdom is for Anna, who needs to know what she’s really getting herself into.  Callen is having second thoughts about Castor.  The dog finds the other part of the phone.

As the Admiral arrives in Ops, Shyla has an update about eight, 11 and 22.  Both Jenkins and Hertel went through the LA foster care system.  They are both single, in their 40’s and both had government jobs.  Hertel is with the FBI, Jenkins is an NSA Analyst.  He’s not in most common databases for the NSA.  Shyla learned about his NSA role through some friends in Washington.  Shyla is about to call this in to Callen and Sam but the Admiral wants her to way.  He needs her to pull some files instead. 

Hertel was watering his plants when his killer walked up behind him and fired one shot into his head.  There was no cartridges left behind, just like the Jenkins crime scene.  Summer apologizes for stonewalling NCIS.  Fatima says they would have likely done the same if the roles were reversed.  Summer doesn’t understand the connection between the two killings. 

Fatima gets a call from Shyla, who asks if Hertel has a birthmark on his back.  A little reluctantly, Fatima asks Summer to pull up Hertel’s shirt.  There is a rather large birthmark on his back.  The Admiral, with Shyla, wants her to call Callen.   When Callen answers, he starts a sit-rep for Shyla but the Admiral stops things.  Eight, 11 and 22 are people, not numbers.  Hertel and Jenkins were eight and 22 from the Drona Project, “your alma mater Agent Callen.”  Callen has a flashback to his time with Drona.

The Hertel-Jenkins cases are now joint FBI-NCIS investigations.  Shyla is told by Kilbride to share everything they have on the case except Hetty’s involvement.  Since Hetty’s involvement was speculation anyway, Shyla wasn’t going to share it.  With subjects eight and 22 accounted for, who is subject 11?  That is Leah Novak, who Callen contacted in the prior year.  Callen is trying to find Novak now.

Callen calls Leah who doesn’t want to talk to him.  She is walking through a really sketchy looking indoor parking lot.  There is a team of masked men following her.  Sam tries to get Leah to listen to him but the masked men open fire.  Shyla, who was monitoring the phone call is able to trace Leah’s location to a Mid-City parking garage. 

In the garage, Callen and Sam find an empty shopping bag with wrapped up money inside.  Callen sees a badly wounded Leah, who says “14” before losing consciousness.  

Returning to Ops, Fatima and Rountree are told by Shyla that Leah is in surgery.  With someone targeting Drona subject, Callen could be in danger.  Rountree disagrees – Hetty would have warned Callen in her JWICS communications if he was in trouble.  The Admiral arrives, warning Rountree not to read too much into anything Hetty does.  There is another Drona subject who may be danger – number 14.  The Admiral wants Shyla to cancel is flight to San Francisco to see his son.  As he leaves, Shyla tells Rountree and Fatima to go to the gadget area to study Jenkins’s phone.  When she knows who number 14 is, she’ll update them.

There was brass left behind at the Leah’s shooting which means she likely hit at least two of her assailants.  Callen found a go-bag in Leah’s car with water, MREs and a satellite phone.  She knew she was in danger.  Sam thinks the same of Jenkins – that’s likely why he tossed his phone.  Callen thinks Pembrook is behind the killings – Callen found him and is now cleaning up what’s left behind of Drona.

While Rountree is sweet talking Summer, Fatima is working on Jenkins’s phone.  Once in, Rountree is off his phone and working with Fatima.  The “DHRISHTADYUMNA” text message is the name of a Hindu warrior who killed his teacher Drona.  There are contacts in the phone – Hertel and Leah Novak are there.  So is an Anthony Beltran, a former Army Ranger turned history professor.   Fatima sends his address to Callen and Sam.

As Callen and Sam pull up outside of Beltran’s home, Beltran is putting a duffle bag into his trunk.  When Callen and Sam try to speak to Beltran, Beltran runs.  Callen makes things worse by yelling “federal agents” while Sam gets in his car to cut Beltran off.  Beltran starts shooting at Callen, who promises they are not there to hurt Beltran.  “Leah sent us.”  Beltran is talked into putting his gun down.  Callen introduces himself as Special Agent Grisha Callen, subject 17.  He assures Beltran he’s safe.

In the boat shed, Beltran is in interrogation while Callen and Sam in the main room.  The duffle bag in Beltran’s truck had MREs, cash, burner phones.  He also got the same text message sent to Jenkins before Jenkins was killed.  Callen wonders who sent the text message and Hetty earns a message.  Callen isn’t pleased – this is Hetty training an agent, people are being murdered. 

Shyla pops up on the screen.  There was one vehicle seen on security/traffic cams at the Jenkins/Hertel/Leah shootings.  Backtracking with Kaleidoscope, Shyla traced the vehicle to a building downtown. Rountree and Fatima are going to the building and Sam will meet them.  Callen wonders why he’s not going but Sam wants answers from Beltran.  Callen is the best person to get the answers.

Callen starts to question Beltran, who won’t sit on the wrong side of the table right away, wanting to stand instead.  Beltran eventually sits.  As an alibi, Beltran says he was home when Jenkins and Hertel were killed.  Callen asks about the text message.  Beltran was preparing a lesson – he teaches ancient history – and missed the message when it was sent.  Once he saw it, however, he called Leah.  Leah told him about Jenkins and Hertel.  Beltran put his phone in his garbage disposal, packed his things and was going to hit the road when Callen and Sam drove up. 

Beltran thought Callen and Sam were working for “him” – Howard Pembrook.  Beltran shows Callen scars on his arm from Pembrook’s abuse.   Jenkins, Hertel, Leah and Beltran started working together a year ago, after Callen told Leah about Pembrook.  They wanted to take him down with lawsuits.  There was talk about bringing Callen in but the men in the group were angry Callen lied to Leah.  Beltran believes Pembrook found out about them and now he’s having them killed.  Beltran wants to see Leah – they are “very close.”

With Summer’s FBI team 30-minutes out, Sam, Rountree and Fatima in tactical gear go into the downtown building.  The vehicle has not returned to the location.  This is their best chance to scope out the building.  Sam breaks down the door.  It is a warehouse with huge computer servers, a desk, file cabinets.  While Fatima and Shyla try to get into the server, Rountree finds a photo of Callen on the wall from when he was in Pembrook’s garden.

Callen shows Beltran the photo and explains he was trying to confront Pembrook about the past.  Pembrook was fine.  Beltran is interested in what was in the building where Sam, Fatima and Rountree are.  He’s also furious at Callen for going to see Pembrook.  Everything bad that’s happened started when Callen met Pembrook.  If this was true, Callen asks, why didn’t Pembrook go after him?  Beltran talks about the lawsuit being a bigger threat.  Castor appears – the doctor says Beltran can see Leah now.  In Leah’s room, she’s on a ventilator.  Beltran is holding Leah’s hand, saying Pembrook must pay.

As Fatima and Shyla get access to the server, the previously opened files pop up. There were files for black-ops missions in Crimea, Somalia and Brazil.  Pembrook is still in the game.  An audio file has Leah and Jenkins using their Drona numbers as they work on a mission.  They aren’t being targeted by Pembrook, they work for Pembrook.  Sam can’t contact Shyla to warn Callen – signal jammers knocked out the cell service.  Gunmen rush near Sam, Fatima and Rountree.  Gunfire is exchanged.  Fatima and Rountree are pinned down.

Sam is able to get Fatima and Rountree to a safer location – people are still shooting.  If they can hold out, the FBI could rescue them but Sam is more worried the FBI is walking into an ambush.  More gunfire is exchanged.  Sam takes out at least one of the shooter.

In Leah’s room, Callen gets a call from Shyla about the lost comms with Sam and company.  The Summer-led FBI team suddenly is unreachable too.  Callen is going to the building, Castor will take Beltran back to boat shed.  Beltran wants to stay with Leah.  He’s not worried about his safety, he just wants to be with her.  Callen realizes there were only three Drona subject numbers – eight, 11 and 22.  Hertel, Leah and Jenkins.  Beltran wasn’t on the list – he was never warned. 

Rountree is willing to create a diversion by running – but not in a show-offy way.  Fatima thinks he’ll get killed.  Sam assures them nobody is getting killed today.  He has a plan.

Callen has his weapon out and orders Beltran away from Leah.  Leah said 14 to Callen before losing consciousness – Beltran was 14.  Callen knocks on the door to get Castor in as back-up.  Beltran is impressed that Callen figured it all out but is more impressed with his own handy work when a Drona gunman, not Castor, walks into the hospital room.

Using some flashbangs, Sam, Fatima and Rountree move the people shooting them out of their secure locations.  Once they were seen, team NCIS shoot them.  Summer and the FBI arrive.  Sam finds the signal jammer and shuts it off, he’s quick to contact Callen.

Explaining that once again, Agent Castor is out cold, Beltran takes Callen’s gun.  Beltran doesn’t kill people who don’t deserve it – he didn’t have Castor killed, won’t kill Callen.  Callen notes that Beltran was going to kill Leah, who was in a coma in a hospital bed.  Beltran wasn’t going to kill her – she’s no longer a threat.  He just needed eyes on her to make sure.  Beltran says he and Callen are on the same side – they want to kill Pembrook.  Beltran’s partner has a sedative prepared for Callen – not going to kill Callen, just a long nap like Castor.  Callen hits the partner.  Beltran runs and after Callen gets the sedative in the leg, he runs after Beltran.  As Callen runs after Beltran, he has some Pembrook flashbacks before the sedative takes hold.  Callen is out cold and Beltran is gone.

Shyla updates Kilbride.  Callen and Castor are fine – it really was just a sedative.  Beltran and his partner are gone but the FBI are hunting them down.  Shyla also has Kilbride’s ride to the airport waiting outside of the office.  She doesn’t remember his order to cancel the flight.  Kilbride is not amused – he hired her because she never forgets anything.  She offers to cancel the flight but is non-refundable.  The Admiral hates wasting money, according to Shyla.  “Remind me to fire you when I get back.”  And the Admiral is off.

In the Armory, Fatima and Rountree are packing up their things.  Fatima asks about a story Summer started at breakfast.  Seems Rountree and Summer were having a lovely walk on the beach when the wind kicked up.  Summer’s hat went flying and Rountree went flying after it.  As he was catching up, he destroyed a kid’s sandcastle.  He got the hat back and then spent an hour helping the kid rebuild the castle.  Fatima thinks Rountree really likes Summer.  He admits he does but realizes he’s late for dinner with Summer.  He races away.

Callen is at the back balcony in the boat shed when Sam arrives.  Callen said had Beltran and he let Beltran get away.  And maybe he did it because he wants Beltran to kill Pembrook.  But if Beltran kills anyone else, well, Callen knows that’s his fault.  Sam thinks they need to find Beltran and Pembrook.  Callen wants to know how Hetty knew the Drona subjects were being targeted.  “Add it to the list,” Sam replies.  Callen is going for a drink with Castor.  Sam notes that it is the second time Castor got knocked out and lost his gun – maybe Castor shouldn’t be trusted with the wedding ring.   Callen tells Best Man Sam to knock it off.

What head canon can be formed from here:   So done with the Drona/Callen’s childhood storyline.  The program has a handful of episode left and this one and one down the road eat up valuable time with this tedious storyline.  And the episode down the road – where I will be screeching about retconning Pembrook – could have been used for more of Rountree’s history beside his sister, more of Fatima’s history period, more of Sam with Raymond, Kensi’s mom’s with Rosa.  There were other “personal history” episodes besides this nonsense.

As for the episode itself, it was really well done, if a bit talky, for a set-up episode for what comes in episode 19.  It was all about Pembrook without Pembrook physically in the episode (flashbacks don’t count).  It is still up in the air if Beltran, Leah, Jenkins and Hertel are villains or victims.  Beltran is a mess – no issue with killing Leah, Jenkins and Hertel but knockout syringes for Callen and poor Agent Castor.  The Drona drama is such a mess.

Episode number:   Episode number 16 in season 14.  This is the 318th episode overall.

[pb-dot]

Film Friday: Summer Wars

The Favorite Film Train continues chugging along. Today, I'm going to talk a bit about a movie that never fails to make me emotional. I was going to say "cry" because there's also a bit of that, but it feels like too general of a word since this film takes me on a cathartic journey that most films can't even do on first viewing. What's weird about all of this is that all of this is from a romantic comedy that also features a plot about an evil AI taking over "The Metaverse if it actually worked and was popular and interfaced with everything" I am of course talking about Mamuro Hosoda's Summer Wars.

After narrowly losing out on being the Japanese representative in the international Math Olympics, it looks like Kenji's summer is going to be largely uneventful as he does low-level moderation on the social media/metaverse Leviathan OZ. This all changes when a classmate of his Natsuki hires him for an untraditional summer job.

Natsuki wants Kenji to pretend to be her fiance as she goes home to meet and celebrate the birthday of her aging grandmother, a strong-willed matriarch of an old family rendered penniless by her deceased husband. As it turns out, Natsuki has been telling some slight mistruths about her love life to her family, and now wants to lend some credence to her swarm of white lies with an actual appearance just in case this celebration is her grandmother's last. Surely, no shenanigans of a personal or international nature will come to interfere with this plan.

To make matters worse, in a quiet moment between meeting Natsuki's robust, and more than a little kooky, extended family, Kenji solves what he believes to be a number puzzle that turns out to be encrypted with the OZ security algorithm. This allows a mysterious entity going by the name Love Machine to start a takeover of the whole platform that in good old-fashioned over-featuring tradition, holds everything from bank and card details to access codes to public and private systems for its many, many users. What follows is an honestly pretty impressive balancing act as Kenji has to try to undo his mistake in OZ through whatever limited means he has by outsmarting the increasingly unlimited and unhinged Love Machine, while also dodging whole generations worth of shenanigans when the cat comes out of the bag about Natsukis plan and his possible involvement in the OZ hacking scandal.

Where the film goes from good to great though, is when the two storylines start merging. Kenji seeks help from the young pro gamer Kazuma almost immediately, but as the problem with Love Machine escalates, he finds himself involving larger and larger parts of Natsuki's family to help. Natsuki herself does go through a somewhat more limited arc, but her untangling the relationships and loyalties around her half-uncle Wabisuke and his involvement in this sorry business, as well as standing up to her older and more skeptical relatives in order to buy Kenji some breathing room, and eventually even support, is also pretty impressive although it lacks the heft of the Kenji plot.

Where Natsuki really shines though is in the third act, where the plot, for reasons I will not spoil here, pivots on the most important game of Koi-Koi the world has ever seen, and Natsuki is good at Koi-Koi. The game is such a picture-perfect example of climactic pacing and plays with both hope and despair so effectively that I kind of want to do a shot-by-shot breakdown of the whole thing just to capture the sheer dramatic majesty of the thing. Watch this space for that whenever I feel up to it, I suppose. For now, though, suffice to say that it gets pretty intense.

The hardest part about writing about this movie is honestly how easy it is to forget all the really good quiet moments between the visual fireworks of Oz and the charged emotions and very human shenanigans of the real-world portion. Hell, I arguably forgot about mentioning how the "fake dating" scenario ends, as these things so often do, in an actually cute romance as Natsuki and Kenji grow to trust and depend on each other.

This movie has some fantastic moments of quiet, though, from the beats of rest after moments of high emotion that are almost painterly in their composition, to absolutely heart-rending visual storytelling in pivotal moments of character development, it's just hard to remember them when contrasted with the abovementioned spectacle or an 80-year-old woman swinging a naginata at a family member who has displeased her. Still, I believe these small quiet moments are part of why this movie gets to me. Every time the plot slows down even a little, it isn't just to rest, but to deepen the stakes and make us care for the characters.

There are also some historical parallels going on in this movie, the chief one being comparing the relative unimportance of Natsuki's family now compared to their relative glory days during the Warring States period, although their lot was still relatively humble even at that zenith. What is a bit spicier though are some parallels with WW2 history, although I haven't done quite enough research to be comfortable to say much more about those parallels other than that they're there. Chalk this one up to another one I'll get into if I have time and energy at a later date I suppose.

When all is said and done, writing about Summer Wars feels a lot like dancing about cooking. It's a deeply emotional journey for two characters that embody the best of the broad characterization I often criticize anime storytelling for using, and it pulls the viewer along. It's a beautiful, messy, chaotic movie about the beautiful chaotic mess that is family in both direct traditional form and the expanded "we are all one family" sense of the word. Check it out if you have the chance. Maybe bring some tissues just in case though.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (26 May-1 Jun 2024)

Lady Parts are BACK and I am beyond delighted!

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 The Red House Mystery (AA Milne, author; Simon Hester, narrator) - a really entertaining golden age detective story. Genuinely sad he only ever wrote the one.

😊 Someone who cares (Just_my_latest_hyperfixation) - cute, entertaining single dad Steve/nanny Eddie fic

😐 Strange Medicine: Dr. Maxwell Thornton Murder Mysteries (S.C. Wynne, author; Matt Haynes, narrator) - p much a standard but entertaining cozy in thoroughly fictional small town. Until the surprise fatphobia in the epilogue! And the epilogue was literally just setting up the next murder so it was TOTALLY SKIPPABLE! I wish I'd known bc I would have just stopped and not had my mostly pleasant experience tainted. I do have to say that the narration was really stellar on this, doing a great job with the buttoned-up, tense voice for Maxwell and the relaxed drawl for Royce

💖💖 +102K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

What’s Your Order? (JJK) - 9-1-1: Buck/Tommy, 18K - "5 Times Buck Guessed Tommy’s Coffee Order + 1 Time He Didn’t Have To"

eight ways to say i love you (middyblue (daisyblaine)) - 9-1-1: Buck/Tommy, 8K - "Homemade tomato sauce; a team barbecue; a drunk dial; getting ready to meet the parents; a basketball sub; sex; oranges; a stolen sweatshirt. Whatever he’s feeling, he doesn’t need to put a name to it right now. He can keep an eye on Evan’s tomato sauce and enjoy dinner with him and cradle this warmth in his chest until they’re ready to say it out loud."

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

The Brokenwood Mysteries - s10, e5

Thousandaires - s1, e1

D20: Misfits & Magic - "Class Conflict" (s10, e2)

D20: Adventuring Party - "True Facts About McDonald's Apple Pie" (s5, e2)

D20: Misfits & Magic - "Family On Six" (s10, e3)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Wet Fire (and Bad News Brooms)" (s5, e3)

D20: Misfits & Magic - "We're The Heroes" (s10, e4)

D20: Adventuring Party - "That's The Squad" (s5, e4)

D20: Misfits & Magic - "Misfits and Magic Holiday Special" (s10, e5)

Doctor Who - s1 (series 14), e4-5

We Are Lady Parts - s2, e1-6

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐ What Next: TBD - Why Hospitals Keep Getting Hacked

Re: Dracula - May 26: Count Me in Every Time

⭐ Working - A Classic Opera Gets an Overdue Update

WikiHole - Saving Private Ryan (with Jason Mantzoukas and Paul Scheer)

Re: Dracula - May 28: Despair Has its Own Calms

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Terrible but bingeable TV shows

The Allusionist - 195. Word Play 5: 100 Pages of Solvitude

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Canada Obscura: The Feral Horses of Sable Island

Shedunnit - Dylan's Whodunnits

Shedunnit - Bonus: Poets, Politics and Popularity

99% Invisible #352 - Uptown Squirrel [update]

Vibe Check - Your Fate Has Been Decided

⭐ Code Switch - White evangelical Christians are some of Israel's biggest supporters. Why?

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Canada Obscura: The Giant Orange Sphere

Pop Culture Happy Hour - We Are Lady Parts rocks with bracing honesty and nuance

Consider This - How these newly included MLB stats recognize the legacies of Black players

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - Nursery Rhymes

Ologies - Anagnosology (READING) with Adrian Johns

Short Wave - A Silky Shark Named Genie Swam 17,000 Miles, a Record-Breaking Migration

Re: Dracula - May 31: New Scheme of Villainy

NPR's Book of the Day - Two books trace the social and historical impacts of food

Dear Prudence - I’m 39 and in Love With a 67-year-old. I’m Concerned About Judgment From Others. Help!

⭐ Pop Culture Happy Hour - Best Fictional Bands And What's Making Us Happy

Endless Thread - SwordTube, En Garde!

t's Been a Minute - Is it time to re-name "summer?" Plus, prom fashion is all grown up

⭐ Slow Burn - Gays Against Briggs | 6. The Murders at City Hall

⭐ Slow Burn - Gays Against Briggs | 7. Turn Around. Fight Back.

Welcome to Night Vale #249 - Rifts

Welcome to Night Vale - Bonus Episode: Behind the Scenes (May 2024)

Hit Parade - The Bridge: Girl Groups (Lindsay’s Version)

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Bonnie Raitt Radio • Chill

Pop Radio • Upbeat • 1970s

Shaun Cassidy radio

The Partridge Family radio

Pop Radio • Romance

We Are Lady Parts (Music From The Original Series - Seasons 1 & 2)

[niemernuet]

I am a one-trick-pony (my one trick being a shameless sucker for Ginodi) (it's not a good trick)

Before Date Night

"I feel gloomy just looking at it."

Loïc shrugged. "Eh, it's actually still rather bright outside. Also, the snow is just perfect, so that is worth everything. But you haven't answered my question: Why are you calling me on Zoom?"

Marco frowned out of the screen of Loïc's laptop. "You're not answering your phone so I thought you're probably busy clicking through five hundred pictures of Finnish nights."

Loïc blushed, and with a sheepish grin dug through the unmade blanket spread around him. "Sorry…," he said as he looked at the dozens of notifications. "What is it?"

Marco took a deep breath. "I'm not asking you because I have to, technically…" He broke off with a new scowl when he saw Loïc's grin grow wider and wider.

"Okay, that was a mistake," he muttered. "Sorry for interrupting."

"No no no!" Loïc yelled, though he could not contain his smirk. "Don't hang up! I promise I won't laugh! So, you need my fashion advice."

"I don't need anything at all from you!" Marco snapped, though the fact that he did not end the call spoke for itself.

Loïc kept grinning at him until Marco turned away from the screen with a groan, and returned a few moments later with two coats.

"Black or camel hair?"

Loïc cocked his head, and chewed on his lower lip. "That depends…"

"Great answer," Marco griped, "thanks a bunch!"

"You can't just jump that question on me like that!" Loïc exclaimed. "There's so many variables you need to consider. What's the occasion? Who's coming with you? What are you wearing underneath?"

Marco sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Dinner with Gino in Locarno to mark the real beginning of the season. His parents recommended the place, apparently they know the owner, and I don't want leave a bad impression."

"Half a dozen crystal globes make up many fashion mistakes," Loïc said. "You could rock up in Crocs and nobody would care."

Marco glared at Loïc while he giggled at his own joke. When he realised that Marco would not join him, he got serious again.

"What kind of place is it? Pizzeria? Trattoria? Grotto?"

Marco shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does! I need to know the setting!" He paused when a thought occurred to him. "Don't tell me you're going to that hack Ivo Adam!"

With another sigh, Marco put one of the coats down, and scrolled through his phone. "Osteria," he read from the screen. "Not by Ivo Adam. Also, could you come to a decision? I have to leave in ten minutes."

"With that hair?"

"Coats!" Marco snarled, and waved the garments in front of the screen again.

Loïc sighed, and thought about his next words. "Do you still have that black and grey shirt with the flowers that you wore when we met in Montreux last summer?"

Marco nodded.

"That shirt, jeans, black sneakers, and the camel hair coat," Loïc said, and leant back in his pillow.

Marco pondered his words for a moment. "Really?"

"Well, brown leather shoes would fit better but I suppose you still haven't bought a pair, have you?"

Marco shrugged, and grumbled something inaudible.

Loïc's grin came back with a vengeance. "Thought so."

Marco put the coats down, and leant over to reach the laptop. "No need to be so smug."

"You're welcome."

"Yeah, yeah, thank you. Just…don't tell Gino I asked you."

Loïc hissed. "I'm not sure I can do that."

Marco groaned. "But at least wait until I've had a chance to talk to him."

"Of course, no problem," Loïc said with a smile.

-----

A stiff, not too cold wind was blowing over the piazza and taking all the dry leaves with it. Gino was waiting behind a pillar of the arcades going around the entire square when Marco stepped out of the hotel. The clock change had shifted nightfall a few days ago, and there was still a bit of grey light outside the reach of the golden street lights.

"I was about to come back up," Gino smiled, and pulled Marco into a lingering kiss.

"You can't rush perfection," Marco muttered, his forehead pressed against Gino's.

"You're right," Gino said, and tenderly pushed a lapel of Marco's jacket aside. "My compliments to your fashion consultant."

Marco's shoulders slumped. "That rat!" he grumbled.

With a laugh, Gino took him by the hand, and pulled him along.

[bomberqueen17]

warmth & fashion

so here’s the problem, we’re coming down to the wire on this vacation we’re going on-- we’re leaving for Cartagena, Colombia early next week-- and I’m trying to mentally pack my suitcase, and-- I mean I’ve had some things set aside for over a month now, i’ve been preparing for a while-- but my real problem is that

this is sort of hilarious and embarrassing

i cannot remember for the life of me what it is like to be somewhere that the outdoors is warmer than room temperature. like i keep planning out outfits and i’m like “camisole and leggings for warmth, then-- wait” “I know I’ll need to dress warmer for travel than the destination but if I wear my leather jacket then I’ll have it for the evenings-- wait” and I know, intellectually I know, I live in a place where for part of the year, it is warmer than the ideal room temperature outdoors. I know this! I can leave my house in July and not bring a coat for later! i can wear a dress without an undershirt and leggings! these are things I do!

but I can’t remember how, and it’s really hilarious to me that my memory is so shit I can’t even remember what I wear when it’s July here.

I know enough that I made a bunch of linen and cotton dresses to bring, but I keep mentally accessorizing them with scarves and legwarmers and layered shirts and shit. *NO*.

Anyway, it’s kind of a hilarious problem to have but it is also a problem, I genuinely do not know what clothing I’m going to bring. i’m going to wind up filling my suitcase with leggings and socks I won’t want to wear once I’m there. Like, genuinely, I cannot conceptualize of a place where it is 85F.

Meanwhile, I also dug out my giant sun hat-- I have to figure out a way to bring it, it’s too great not to have-- and it’s sadly undecorated and I have become quietly obsessed with the notion of making fabric flowers to decorate it, in the like, thirty seconds I have left during which I need to be finishing the linen Rockwell dress. Last night I did manage to finish weaving the second waistband for it (I mentioned that i was inkle looming that, right? and that to accommodate my majestic girth I was going to have to make two waistbands and join them in the center front? anyway i finished the second one last night), and I also managed to finish hemming the maroon linen Honeybourne dress so I’m wearing that today and realizing that my hack of adding width to the bodice to avoid a zipper accidentally added width/depth to the neckline so it is wider and lower cut than I like, oh well that’s fine for summer right??? i don’t know!! because i don’t remember summer!! but anyway. i have it done.

The Rockwell, I put in the bust gathers, so now I just have to sew those down to a length of twill tape on the inside, and then I’m figuring out how to attach the belt on the outside so it’s removable for washing-- I might put a buttonhole where I join the two sides of the waistband, and then attach a button to the dress?? Enticing concept. I could then switch out waistbands for a whole different look to the dress!

The other thing that’s been exciting is like, for once in my life accessorizing-- that black and white slip dress matches a pair of great earrings I own, and the rainbow waistband for the Rockwell matches a pair of rainbow tassel earrings I own, and I just like, sometimes get excited about the concept of fashion, we’ll see how I do with this.

One time I camped with a girl who did Lolita fashion cons, and we weren’t doing that but she had all these beautifully-accessorized outfits and I was like “how??” and she was like “gallon ziploc full of accessories, packed separately with each outfit, never fail” and i have never achieved that but i’m gonna try. For the lakehouse weekend this winter I did pack each outfit rolled around its layers/accessories (including the compatible bra with each neckline) and that worked a treat, so. Might try it for this.

[twc-thoughts-you-didnt-ask-for]

Hiiiiiii! So 👏 I must say I deeply ENJOY your tumblr post (Gave me alot of faves and materials for DAYYZZ!). I do know your a F and M main! But I must ask! Who are your Detectives!? I am curious on them, alongside some funfacts/headcannons that your inclined to share!

I’m so glad you like it here :) I’m excited for the book 3 release so I can go back into hyperfixation mode and live here all day again

So I only have one detective (Dinah Greene) and I use her to play all the routes but like, canonically for me, she is Mason’s girl. She’s my disaster baby who should absolutely not be in charge.

For her physical appearance, she’s very short (like five feet on a good day), strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, with lots of freckles. My headcanon is that in book one she has very, very long hair but after facing off with Murphy she is left traumatized and one night she has an episode and hacks off her hair messily so now she has choppy, unevenly cut hair (not quite shoulder length but close) and she feels like she’s harder to grab that way (she got bit on the neck btw). She has the worst taste in fashion, wearing a summer dress, cardigan, and tights and the clothes never match in color or print and are usually very loud and hard to look at most days.

Her apartment is very cozy in color but she feels bad for certain items that never get bought at stores so it’s whiplash with the cozy setting versus the horrific and ugly decorations scattered about.

She’s very friendly, compassionate, and genuine, not a single bad bone in her body. She’s very much an open book and has like zero defenses up unless it comes to the topic of her mother who she has a bad relationship with and will not forgive. Her solution to everything is to try and talk it out. Incredibly accident prone. Also incredibly innocent.

All in all, she’s kind of Mason’s nightmare personified and I love her for that.

[satoshi-mochida]

Cyberpunk visual novel Solace State launches this summer for Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC

Gematsu Source

Cyberpunk visual novel Solace State will launch for Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC via Steam this summer, developer Vivid Foundry announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

Can you retain your humanity while fighting against a corporate biotech conspiracy? Play as the young hacker Chloe who confronts political plots as she fights for her friends and her neighbors. Your choices in building up relationships and communities can revolutionize into more or less freedoms.

A Drama of Friendship, Civic Duty, and the Biotech Revolution

Play as Chloe, a gifted hacker who is searching for her missing friend Rebecka while a biotech crackdown embroils the city of Abraxa. As the political climate heats up and the corporate-sponsored militia threaten lives in unusually cruel ways, Chloe is faced with leveraging her relationships and friendships to help her navigate unrest, protect the communities she cares about, and heal herself in the process.

Navigate Authentic Friendship, Romance, and Hope

Friendship can be formed through all sorts of circumstances, whether it be through tragedy or making impactful change. Get to know this colorful, queer, and fashionable group of characters as you navigate complex societal issues and political intrigue together.

In the midst of escalating tensions, will romance bloom, or will you choose to keep the one you have gotten close to as a friend and confidant? Do you find yourself with the wholesome local boy Torrent, the experienced activist Sueli, or the old flame Alden?

Investigate Corruption and Influence Change

Utilize the power of “social hacking” to dissect power dynamics that affect violent divisions locally and in the country. Your choices in how you dive deep into personal relationships, build rapport with storied communities, and exert your moral influence on arbitrary militarization will bring about more or less human rights in the world.

What is activism and responsible, moral truth? Whatever you choose, Chloe’s personal challenges intersect with her activism. Her hacking abilities allow her to take on another person’s identification and find encrypted data at the top of someone’s thoughts. With such abilities, what does it mean to share your truth responsibly?

In a world where more and more folks are having their plans for their future squeezed out, will Chloe’s actions incite violent backlash… or bloom into hope?

Key Features

38 endings based on your choices in endless combinations.

Hand-drawn characters brimming with personality, expressiveness, and sense of fashion.

31 fully illustrated, recurring characters, and many more background characters. Three characters are dateable!

3D cityscapes look like impressionist paintings brought to life, from weathered and charming apartments to cut-throat corporate skyscrapers.

Dynamic visuals where the camera abstractly “hacks” through 3D buildings to reveal key story information.

An original soundtrack by Lex Metcalfe of moody electronica romanticized with acoustic instrumentals.

Evocative writing that captures the personal moments to power dynamics of characters from all walks of life.

Expected playtime is over eight hours for one playthrough, with over 14 hours of content across all branches.

Characters (seven out of 31)

Chloe Lee – Our intrepid, chaotic hacker protagonist.

Rebecka Limbaco – Chloe’s mentor and oldest friend.

Torrent Tam – An Abraxan local and a locational hacker.

Sueli de Moraes – A community director for health services in Abraxa.

Alden Aldridge – Chloe’s ex-lover who now works for a biotech conglomerate.

Safore Hirawa-Sarkar – A superstar actor and producer who is Rebecka’s partner.

Raylene Contreras Yang – A politician aiming for influence in corridors of power.

Watch a new trailer below.

Release Window Trailer