#that might have for her often tumultuous relationship with Marc?

[age-of-moonknight]

“Universe X,” Universe X (Vol. 1/2000), #6.

Writers: Jim Krueger and Alex Ross; Penciler: Dougie Braithwaite; Inkers: Bill Reinhold, Al Williamson, and Robin Riggs; Letterers: Laura Depuy and Peter Pantazis

[halfmoonshines]

can you write a fic of steven/marc x baker! reader. something where steven and reader are good friends, and he always gets something from her as an excuse to see her.

who quickly understands the marc DID situation, and reader could be a retired agent of sorts.

steven and reader have a cute bond, but marc and reader are absolute children bickering and pushing each other around

this is just an idea, please flesh it out in your own way if you can

Hello yes you sent this to me three days ago I'm so sorry <3 work has me swamped, but here we go!

Steven Grant x F!Reader x Begrudging Marc Spector

Happily

The quirky man from the museum down the street had quickly become your favorite regular. He introduced himself as Steven with a V when you walked up to the counter, looking exhausted with the bags under his eyes and nervous in his rumpled uniform. You quickly realized that he didn't have any clue what he wanted.

You spent the better part of twenty minutes explaining the different pastries the shop had, and pointing out your personal favorites. He had trusted you to give him 'whatever' - and that's how the first three meetings went. Him always coming in before his shift down the street, chatting with you and walking away with whatever pastries you decided fitted his mood of the day.

The fourth time he came in, he was decidedly not Steven. He held himself differently, shoulders back and eyes hardened. His irises even seemed like they were a few shades darker.

He'd come into the shop late into the day, approaching close. You hadn't seen Steven in a few days and while you worried, you chalked it up to your history in SHIELD. You were prone to worry and immediate threats when someone didn't come around as often, but he was just a customer that visited you sometimes. No need to worry.

Marc, however, literally couldn't help the itch in his bones that told him to go to this bakery. He had been fronting for days, finishing whatever business he needed when finally he could no longer keep himself from this tiny shop.

When he finally entered, he was underwhelmed. Both by the shop and the woman behind the counter.

At least, that's what he told himself.

"Who're you?" The question surprised him. Marc knew that this worker knew Steven, that they had some sort of rapport. Was she that observant?

"What'dya mean? I'm Steven." Marc could've flinched at his own shitty accent.

You had laughed at him then, head thrown back and full of humor. "You're definitely not my Steven. What's your name?"

"Marc."

'Well, Marc. Do you like pastries?"

And that was the beginning of your and Marc... tumultuous relationship. It was a coin toss between who you would see when that body walked into your shop, Steven always had a small smile and excitement - whereas Marc seemed like he wanted to be any place other than with you, although he always found the time to argue over the best kind of donut.

When they started coming in every day, buying anything from a dozen donuts to two pies - you started to think that he couldn't eat all of these sweets, system or not. You told him as much as you sat with him at one of the small tables.

Steven's blush was his biggest tell as he stammered a reply. "I uhm, I might stock up a bit. I mean we've started this tradition and I just enjoy talking with you-"

You cut him off with a hand placed on his and a kind smile. "You don't need to explain yourself, I'm happy to see you."

His own smile could've blinded.

When you decided to accuse Marc of the same thing, he was definitely different.

A snort and a cross of his arms, eyebrow hitching like he was being accused. "One, you have no clue how much I eat. And two you also have no idea what I decide to do with my time, so don't be so flattered."

You had put your hands up in mock surrender, hint of a smirk on your face. "Whatever you say, Marc."

He grumbled a bit, taking a bite of his croissant. "You do make the best sweets."

You were continually worried whenever either of them would walk through your door with cuts or bruises on them, always looking more tired and haggard these days. Neither of them had to say anything to you, you always got the tea ready and some cupcakes. Both of their favorites, the only way the two men were alike.

Steven always felt so lucky to have you on these days, and Marc could only think of how dangerously deep he was sinking in with you.

[yegarts]

“I Am YEG Arts” Series: April Dean, Executive Director of SNAP

April Dean, photo provided by the artist. 

Artists thrive when they’re connected to each other—when their desire for creation is reflected back in the hearts and minds of those they share space and time with. If that sounds like something you might hear at an artist-run centre, you’re not wrong. They’re the words of April Dean—a visual artist, teacher, and the Executive Director at the Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists (SNAP).

Connecting artists to each other and new ideas is something SNAP’s been doing for nearly 40 years. From their workshops and printmaking studio to their focus on being a community resource, support of artistic excellence and experimentation is at the heart of all their programs and policies. So is April Dean. An accomplished artist herself, she understands the consequential value of opportunity, practice, and mentorship. Paired with her ability to lead and determination to unlearn, she’s driven to improve the conditions of arts and culture, alongside others determined to do the same. This week’s “I Am YEG Arts” story belongs to April Dean.

Tell us about your connection to Edmonton and how it’s influenced your path.

I was born in Edmonton! I grew up in the northeast corner of the city, in Clareview, and was incredibly fortunate to have parents who went out of their way to encourage engagement with the arts. My entire family has now relocated to other parts of the country, and I find myself, often to my own surprise, still here!

What keeps you here, working and creating?

There is something intangible about how I want to respond to this question, and I’ve been asked it many times before. I have moved away from Edmonton in the past. I sincerely did not expect to return. When I chose to return, I didn’t expect to stay long. It turns out my professional network and relationships here continue to foster growth. I’ve never felt stagnant, and I keep finding opportunities for renewal—opportunities to extend myself and feel both challenged by and of value to other artists. I am driven by opportunities to improve the conditions of arts and culture, and the Edmonton arts community is currently full of other people equally driven to do the same.

Tell us a little about what makes the SNAP Gallery community special to you and the city.

SNAP is an undeniably special place that holds a lot of significance for artists and audiences alike. The connection between the studio and gallery is a critical one—it seems to make all the mystery and endless possibility of printmaking very tangible and inviting. The word community has been receiving some side-eye recently, and for good reason. It’s a complex label that is readily applied in the arts without thorough consideration of those it implies and those it might exclude.

SNAP, at its core, has been a place for artists for almost 40 years. Artists thrive when they are connected to each other, when their desire for creation is reflected back in the hearts and minds of those they share space and time with. What I have witnessed, and I hope fostered, at SNAP is a constant expansion and welcome plurality of what artistic practice can be here.

How did you become involved with SNAP and arts advocacy?

My earliest experiences with SNAP were as a volunteer when I was a university student in 2007/2008. Marc Siegner is one of SNAP’s founding members and has done a great job extending invitations to keen printmaking students to come and be involved at SNAP. I was finishing university and feeling modestly aimless about what to do next, and SNAP seemed like a place where my skills would be useful—so I spent a few years installing exhibitions, painting walls, teaching workshops, and planning events as a volunteer. I also had early career opportunities to work at the U of A museums, and the AFA on short-term contracts, and at Latitude 53 in a programming role, so I managed to gain a lot of insight and experience in a short amount of time.

Tell us about someone who’s been a mentor to you and what you learned.

Blair Brennan has been an incredible force of support and optimism in my life, as I know he has been for so many others. Blair’s buoyant support has always felt unconditional, and his magical thinking has often challenged my pragmatism. He’s been an inspiring teacher in his steadfast dedication to his own art practice, while managing to offer so much time, advice, collaboration, and generous attention to other artists.

More recently I’ve found a network of other women in leadership roles in Edmonton who have become critical supporters, collaborators, and teachers. These connections and relationships have had a profound impact on me due to the care and trust that has been established.

SNAP Printshop. Photo: Cooper and O’Hara

When you think YEG arts, what are the first three things, people, or places that come to mind?

This is a hard question, so I’m not going to overthink it:

1. The colourful bison mural in the Milner Library underground parkade (which also summons the undeniable sewer scent of the parkade).

2. Edmonton’s Indigenous Art Park: ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞

3. That buzzy feeling of energy and optimism after an event or gathering—being reminded of how many stellar intersections of people make up our unique communities here.

7. What advice would you give artists wanting to live and work here?

Show up!

Be generous and flexible!

Think about the work of others at least as much as you’re thinking about your own!

Collaborate!

Send letters to other artists (DMs count, I suppose)!

You can be critical and kind at the same time! Feedback is a gift.

Don’t buy into scarcity models!

Ask for what you want or need!

What has working with the YEG arts community taught you about yourself?

The past two years have been incredibly difficult for me professionally, and part of that difficulty comes from growing pains. I’ve learned how to unlearn! To begin challenging and rethinking some deeply embedded and systemic ways of being that simply don’t serve me as an artist or that don’t create or allow the kind of conditions I want for other artists. I’ve learned softness and generosity. I’ve learned what conversations I want to be having and which ones aren’t worth my time anymore. I’ve learned how to apologize! I haven’t learned any of these things on my own, and I am so grateful for the friends and colleagues who constantly model better ways to be in the world.

Tell us one of your favourite YEG arts memories.

In 2017 Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective created an enigmatic, haunting, and stunning performance at the Winspear Centre: in memoriam… by Postcommodity and Alex Waterman. This moving work will stay with me forever and truly crystallized for me how grateful I am to share space and time with Ociciwan and to witness their powerful work.

Describe your perfect day in Edmonton. How do you spend it?

After the tumultuousness of 2020, I’ve grown to really value rest and slowness. A perfect day for me would involve time outdoors (some crisp fall sweater weather please), ample coffee, zero electronic screens, and a healthy balance between quiet observation and generous conversation. I also really love to share a good laugh.

Want more YEG Arts Stories? We’ll be sharing them here all year and on social media using the hashtag #IamYegArts. Follow along!

Click here to discover more about April Dean, and visit the SNAP website for info about workshops, exhibitions, and more.

SNAP Gallery, displaying works by Andrea Pinheiro. Photo: Blaine Campbell

About April Dean

April Dean is a visual artist living in Amiskwaciwâskahikan, on Treaty 6 Territory. She maintains an active studio practice of all things print media; combinations of 2D & 3D works, and video. She is an arts & culture administrator, advocate, and teacher. With formal training in photographic technology and printmaking, her work is often constructed of lens based images and language fragments. In 2012 she was granted a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Fine & Media Art from NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 2016 she was awarded a public art commission from the Edmonton Arts Council and was awarded an Edmonton Artist Trust Fund award in 2018. Dean currently serves as the Executive Director of SNAP (the Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists), a non-profit & artist-run centre dedicated to printmaking.

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/wind-river-mudbound-hero-shine-day-3-2017-sundance-film-festival/

'Wind River,' 'Mudbound,' 'Hero' shine for Day 3 2017 Sundance Film Festival

Day 3 of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival saw some buyer action as Netflix scooped up the Jeff Orlowski, Chasing Coral documentary which looks at the state of the world’s coral reefs. This was the filmmakers follow-up to Chasing Ice, which looked at the melting ice caps. Chasing Coral had a lot of interest and bidders but Netflix made it’s second purchase this year being the highest bidder.

Wind River made news before the festival began after the Weinstein Company decided not to distribute it making worldwide rights go up. It was easily one of Jeremy Renner’s best films, but it still hasn’t been picked up yet.

Mudbound

For the second time in her rising career, director Dee Rees brought the house down at an Eccles Theatre premiere. Following her debut feature, Pariah, which played opening night in 2011, she came back with a primetime Saturday night bow of Mudbound, an ambitious but assured film about two families living uneasily on the same Mississippi farm during the tumultuous 1940s. The Jackson family works tirelessly and thanklessly as sharecroppers on land owned by the McAllans, Memphis transplants who struggle to adjust to the hardships of rural life. When World War II breaks out, one young man from each family leaves for an extended period of time, and then they both return as changed people to a culture of racism and degradation that hasn’t changed at all.

Suitable for a film that offers six distinct points of view, the post-screening Q&A allowed the cast and crew to describe their own personal connections to the material, as well as to one another. Author Hillary Jordan said that her novel, which was adapted for the screen by Virgil Williams and Rees, was loosely based on her own family, whose stories of owning a farm in the Deep South were passed along to her when she was growing up. Rees said, “There was a lot of there there” in Jordan’s book, and she was eager to “explode it out” for the screen. That partly included imbuing the material with her own family history.

“My grandmother was born in 1925 in Louisiana, and her parents were sharecroppers. She said she wasn’t going to be a sharecropper, that she wanted to be a stenographer,” Rees said, a detail that made its way into the film. “My maternal grandfather fought in World War II, and my paternal grandfather fought in Korea. Both men were from the country—one from rural Tennessee, the other from Louisiana. They both went away and came back and didn’t quite get what they should have gotten.”

Jason Mitchell, who plays Ronsel, a decorated sergeant in Europe who suffers racist abuse the moment he returns home, also connected deeply with the material, and with Ronsel’s resilience in particular. “I’m from the Deep South, my grandfather fought in the Korean War, and I always wanted to do a movie like this,” Mitchell said. “But I never wanted to do it with a character who put his head down, who ran and was afraid. I feel like there’s so much more to stand for as a black man even if it means your life. So when I saw this character I was like, yo. It blew my mind. The character felt right, and I think we did something right.”

Actresses Carey Mulligan (whose career took off in Park City in 2009 with her turn in An Education) and Mary J. Blige (the singer-turned-big-time-actress, thanks to this performance) talked about how they finessed playing characters who operate with a certain degree of mutual respect despite an obvious power disparity. The two had never met before working on this project together, and Mulligan said that on the first day of rehearsals, Rees put them across a table from each other, looking each other in the eye, “and it was awkward.”

“Right, because you were so tight,” Blige said, eliciting laughter from the audience. “It was very real. She didn’t come in trying to be my friend. She came in just like I came in, like, ‘Who are you?’ And then you’re like, ‘Oh, I love you.’ You know how it goes.”

“It got less awkward and then it felt very real, and interesting,” Mulligan said. “Mary is always really, incredibly truthful to act with. She’s just open.”

“As women we have a bond. This thing that people understand about each other—what it takes to be a woman,” Blige said. So we understand each other, and that’s what makes us connect. And that’s where the chemistry comes from, because automatically, if another woman is not being catty, and she’s open, the relationship is going to just fly.”

When a member of the audience asked Rees what advice he had for filmmakers just starting out, her answer resonated with what she accomplished with this film. “Don’t start with a message. Start with character. Start with a character that won’t get out of your head,” she said. “When you start out trying to leave a message I think it pushes people away. The thing I liked about this film was the opportunity to look at all of these relationships, these families constantly bouncing off of each other. Find characters that you love, find material that you love, and keep finding the core. That’s what makes people feel something.”

Wind River

Having written the much-praised screenplays for Sicario and Hell or High Water, Taylor Sheridan makes a persuasive debut as director with Wind River, a sometimes stark, often brutally violent mystery about the search for the killer of a young woman whose body was found on a Native American reservation in the snow-covered mountains of Wyoming.

In his introductory remarks at the premiere of the crime drama on Saturday, Festival director John Cooper confessed his surprise about the director’s work—it is so accomplished, he couldn’t believe Sheridan didn’t already have dozens of films on his résumé.

In some ways, Wind River, which is titled after the rugged reservation on which it takes place, serves as the completion of a trilogy of Sheridan’s previous work exploring the American frontier. Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner), a wildlife tracker haunted by the death of his own daughter years earlier, is forced to team with a rookie FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) to uncover the truth about the young woman’s murder. Sheridan has again created a forceful drama melded with memorable characters, realistic dialogue, and scenes that go in unexpected directions, often resulting in explosive violence.

Sheridan explained that he chose to make his helming debut with Wind River because the story is deeply personal to him. “I was trying to find an entertaining way to highlight atrocities that exist in an area in the world that most people don’t know about, where some very dear friends of mine have suffered,” he revealed. “I couldn’t risk another director interpreting that vision differently. If it failed, it had to fail on my shoulders, and if the mission was misinterpreted it would be because of me.”

He succeeded, it seems. Actor Gil Birmingham, who plays the father of the murdered woman and is one of many Native American actors in the cast, noted that he appreciated that Sheridan’s film addressed a rarely discussed statistic that approximately 2,000 Native women have gone missing or have been murdered during the past decade. “The resources to solve these things [were] reflected in the film in a very realistic way,” he stated.

The Hero

It’s a role that only Sam Elliott could play, and director/screenwriter Brett Haley confirmed that he and co-writer Marc Basch wrote The Hero specifically for the legendary mustachioed actor, noting, “There’s no other man on earth who could’ve played Lee Hayden.”

After a decades-long career as a Western movie star with an iconic voice, Lee finds himself doing radio commercials for barbecue sauce and not much else, besides smoking weed with his friend and drug dealer, Jeremy (Nick Offerman). But when he finds out he has pancreatic cancer, he goes in search of a way to make meaning of his life before he dies. He dreams of making one final movie; he tries to patch up his relationship with his long-estranged daughter, Lucy (Krysten Ritter); and he begins dating a much younger woman, Charlotte (Laura Prepon).

The age disparity between Lee and Charlotte is reminiscent of Haley’s previous film, I’ll See You in My Dreams, about a friendship between an older woman and a younger man. After the premiere screening of The Hero, Haley explained that he is drawn to stories about older people in part because of the ageism in Hollywood and in the world. He also told the audience that he didn’t want this romantic relationship to be seen as the typical scenario in which an older man goes after a younger woman.

“Marc and I really tried to make this a specific relationship. …It challenges you and it might be like, that’s weird, that’s different, but that’s what I want you to be thinking about. Why is it so weird or different? … I try not to judge too much and I try to just ask questions.”

The premiere drew many of the Festival’s more grownup crowd, and several attendees thanked Haley for his depiction of aging people, complimenting him for beautifully capturing something that is rarely seen on screen, and something that spoke to them directly. Elliott, in turn, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play a role like this, which doesn’t come around very often.

Haley revealed that he didn’t just have Elliott in mind for the movie; he also wrote the part of his ex-wife for Katharine Ross. And he was lucky enough to get every one of his top choices for the other main roles in the film. When the cast members were asked why they were drawn to this project, Nick Offerman joked, “Brett got a hold of me and said, ‘Would you like to play Sam’s boyfriend?’” and with that, he passed the mic.

The Yellow Birds

Four years after his acclaimed debut film, Blue Caprice, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, French filmmaker Alexandre Moors returns with his follow-up, the intense Iraq War drama The Yellow Birds. Based on a novel by Kevin Powers, which was adapted for the screen by David Lowery and R.F.I. Porto, The Yellow Birds tracks two young men, Murph and Bartle (Tye Sheridan and Alden Ehrenreich), from boot camp to battle ground, where they face extreme combat, tragic losses, and the unpredictable behavior of their sergeant (Jack Huston). Thanks to recurrent flashbacks, it becomes apparent that Bartle is holding onto a secret from the final days of deployment, a secret that might help explain why his fellow soldier has gone missing.

During the post-screening Q&A, Moors said that when he read Powers’s book, he “was crying by page ten.” When asked how he accomplished the realistic battle scenes, he said his goal was less realism than communicating the strong emotional impression the powerful material made upon him. “I wanted sometimes to go beyond reality,” he said. The war scenes were shot in Morocco, with the cast and crew relocating to, and immersing themselves in, the remote desert region.

“It was hard as hell to shoot,” Sheridan said. “But I’m so happy we shot it there. At times I did feel that isolation, being in a foreign land, and not speaking the language. I think that really translates to the screen.” Sheridan also described several nights during which the actors pitched their own tents and camped out under the desert stars.

“We went to a boot camp for about two weeks, which got us into a pretty tight unit,” Huston added. “It gave us the slightest glimpses into what it might be like to prepare yourself for war, and gave us a newfound respect for guys who actually go and do fight.”

“For those two weeks during boot camp, we just became brothers,” Sheridan said. “It’s easy to see how you can form those bonds when you have nothing but the guy standing to your right or your left.”

Chasing Coral

Five years after Chasing Ice, his documentary about melting glaciers, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, environmental activist/filmmaker Jeff Orlowski returned to Park City with another, equally valuable nonfiction film about climate change. Chasing Coral records underwater expeditions by a group of divers, photographers, and ocean scientists who set out to provide visual proof of coral bleaching, the destruction of coral reefs.

Orlowski creates a stunning narrative that focuses on Zackery Rago, a self-proclaimed coral nerd, and Richard Vevers, a former ad man who left his advertising career to become an underwater photographer, traveling to reefs around the world over the course of three years. The two team with various marine biologists and battle technical malfunctions and nature to record the unprecedented 2016 coral bleaching event at the Great Barrier Reef’s Lizard Island off the coast of Australia, ominously noting that 22 percent of the reef died during 2016 due to global warming and pollution.

Utilizing the first time-lapse camera to record coral bleaching, the film offers visuals of rarely seen underwater life that are breathtakingly beautiful.

Following the screening, the film’s team of scientists joined the director on stage and were unanimous in their praise for the documentary and the possible impact it will have on taking their decades of work to the next level. “This has to be the path that will get attention from the world,” one said.

Orlowski stated that he hopes Chasing Coral will serve as a call to action and plans screenings of the film in cities around the country. “We want this film to be a tool,” he said. “With our resources and team, we hope to develop the infrastructure to support campaigns in cities and states across the country. We want to go broad with existing groups and really deep in places where we can have the most meaningful impact and leverage.”

Chasing Coral was picked up by Netflix after a rather heated bidding war kicked in after it’s premiere. Orlowski commented, “This project has been a labor of love for so many years. We wanted to make sure that our film found the right home, especially given the global scale of this story. In partnering with Netflix, we’re excited about working together to make a huge impact around the world.”

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