#the big nerd who arrived super early to a performance

[inundatae]

it tends to drive me up the wall the way a large chunk of the fandom seem to completely misread neuvillette's character. like to such a distressing degree for me as it feels like such an injustice to his writing (hah. get it??)

like do most people realize that like along with a large chunk of the fontaine cast, neuvillette is also not above being a performer. that his role as the iudex is also a mask. that the stern and imposing figure is actually someone who is gentle and vulnerable. that he is a person that feels so much that he can't sort through his own feelings?

that it was the entire point? nearly everyone was fooled into thinking he'd be an incredibly insufferable and stuffy old man. and then we meet him in the opera house, not sitting in his high seat as the iudex, staring down at us, but sitting right beside us, with the most soft and and gentle demeanor to him. in that first meeting, he patiently listened to us, was polite despite paimon's rudeness and was never dismissive well, until a certain lady entered the scene.

all i'm saying is stop erasing neuvillette's gentleness!

[love-takes-work]

Notes on SU Commentary Tracks

I watched the commentary tracks on the Complete Steven Universe DVD Set and I took some nerd notes.

The episodes with commentary tracks are “Reunited,” “Change Your Mind,” and “The Future.”

I’ll bold stuff that was maybe bigger news or more surprising for easier reading. And yes, some of this was already known from podcasts, other Q&As, or interviews, but I listed it if they said it again here.

Read on after the jump to read these and other highlights:

Steven’s original wedding speech

Older ideas on dialogue for Lapis when she came back to the beach

Scrapped concepts for the scene that ultimately included Steven communicating with the others in a mindscape

Discussions of earlier concepts for White Diamond having a power to “freeze” Gems into statues to make them perfect and having a gallery of them on Homeworld

Pink Pearl’s original fate

The translation of the writing on Obsidian’s sword

The origin of Pink Steven’s design

What Rebecca did to pitch the “SHE’S GONE” scene

Earlier plans to include Shep in “Change Your Mind”

An unused concept of how Steven feels about Biggs

The inspiration for the Heaven and Earth Beetles’ healed design

How Volleyball/Pink Pearl was almost a mini-villain

Discussion of how they did not get to share the origin of the Diamonds

Jasper’s scrapped participation in the movie

“Reunited” - 

Commentary with Rebecca Sugar, Ben Levin, Matt Burnett, Hilary Florido, Joe Johnston, Ian Jones-Quartey, and Kat Morris.

In 2015, an episode idea called “If You Love Yourself So Much” was discussed but rejected. It included some early ideas that ended up getting incorporated into “Reunited,” most notably Garnet marrying herself and putting rings on both hands.

The idea of the Cluster arm wrestling was planned for a long time. A scrapped idea of Steven banging his fist on a vending machine to get some Chaaaaps was supposed to visually parallel some of that scene, but it was axed.

When they got pushback on the wedding idea, they kept adding more and more “high entertainment value” items like a big musical number so the episode would be absolutely unmissable and appealing to everyone.

The song at the beginning of the episode was meant to check in with the entire cast and sort of remind you they exist and what their state of mind is going into the wedding.

Ian made a comment joking about “All 15 people in Beach City” being in the audience.

Just about everyone on the Crew touched this episode, despite that there are four main storyboarders credited for “Reunited.”

In 2016 Ian Jones-Quartey proposed marriage to Rebecca Sugar. They felt like the characters based on them (Sapphire and Ruby) HAD to get married in the show now because otherwise it wouldn’t be honest. But then their characters got married before they did.

They really love the idea of having characters get married who have known each other for a really long time, versus the fairy tale trope of movies ending with weddings between people who have met very recently.

Steven’s speech as officiator at the wedding used to be longer in its first draft--it was described as being weird and full of jokes, and there would have been a scene with Pearl getting weepy and pulling tissues out of her pearl.

Ian mentions loving a joke Jeff came up with having Greg play one chord to make Steven fall asleep--it’s sort of a “dream” chord you hear in cartoons a lot before a dream sequence.

The Crew discussed what it might be like if someone had never seen the show before and started with this episode.

Ian really wanted Steven’s psychic powers to figure into the episode.

Blue using a sadness wave to attack the Gems was a very old idea they’d planned for a long time. So was Lapis’s arrival.

There was a discussion of having Lisa Hannigan performing her lines as Blue VERY early in the morning.

Ian was happy the sword got broken because it was so momentous but it was just a sword. And later appeared on a shelf in the house as an artifact.

Miki had drawn a torn dress for Garnet at one point so she could be shown fighting and moving around more accurately, and this led to a long discussion of whether Gem clothing can even actually get torn the way human clothes can. They concluded that no, it shouldn’t be torn, so they backed up and gave Garnet an open-front dress from the beginning so the fighting version would make more sense.

Lapis originally might have had a longer speech upon arriving back on the beach. They eventually decided to just have her say “Hey.”

The barn falling on Blue Diamond was an intentional Wizard of Oz reference.

They point out that Steven even once said “drop the barn on the beach” (in a previous episode, “Can’t Go Back,” which was also a Miki episode).

Destroying the house was a big deal, and they always thought they’d end up doing it but backed away from it until “Reunited.” They almost even did it back in “Coach Steven”! But it just ended up with a little damage to the porch.

The Crew thinks Miki is really good at drawing ensemble shots.

Rebecca was always overwhelmed whenever she got to have Patti LuPone record for Yellow.

Originally the giant figures of everyone’s statue bodies in the mindscape were too dark and had to be revamped so they could be seen.

An earlier idea of Steven’s “psychic-ghost-situation” had him as a ghost actually trying to interact with the other characters during fighting action, but it was pulled back to this mindscape so there wouldn’t be as much confusing action to keep track of and more focus on what Steven was doing to encourage his teammates and contact the Diamonds.

Hilary was glad not to have to block out a fight.

Ian mentions loving having Bismuth back in the group.

They originally wanted the “Diamonds sensing Pink’s energy” plot to happen when Steven was in the palace somehow, but everything got moved to this scene--which the Crew all agrees turned out incredible, like how cool it was to have Steven essentially reminding each character why they fight and summing up their whole arc in a sentence.

“Change Your Mind”

Commentary with Rebecca Sugar, Ben Levin, Matt Burnett, Hilary Florido, Joe Johnston, Ian Jones-Quartey, and Kat Morris.

They like to refer to this episode as “The movie before the movie.”

They loved incorporating “princess tropes” into Steven’s time on Homeworld, which is why there were so many references to “mice” (well, Pebbles) making clothes, being locked in a tower, being reminded of his manners, loving animals and freeing imprisoned pets, etc. 

Deedee did the voice of the rainbow worm pet. She apparently didn’t find it memorable and was surprised when she was reminded she did the voice.

Rebecca was super excited for the confrontation with Blue.

There was some discussion of how Steven would have died of starvation if he didn’t have someone practical like Connie to remember to bring food.

They love working with the huge scale the Diamonds present.

The Crew always wanted to put someone in Blue’s hair loop. Originally they wanted Blue to tuck Greg in there when she kidnapped him, but they didn’t end up being able to do any hair-loop-carrying until this episode.

The Crew bantered back and forth about what the heck those Pebbles’ names were and how hard it was to track them.

They agreed that Paul draws the best Yellow Diamond, which makes sense since he also drew the first episode with Yellow (and her stink face). 

The scene where Yellow asks Blue to stop using her powers on her and then realizing she’s crying on her own was one of Rebecca’s favorite scenes to get to finally.

Steven Sugar thought Gems would spend a lot of time in their own chambers/rooms just not really doing much of anything unless they had to fulfill their purpose.

Some of the Homeworld ideas were based on a Soviet artist’s concepts, Boris Artzybasheff, and also many ideas were inspired by Busby Berkeley regarding how people were objects and furniture.

The mech was an old idea. Once they had the hand ship from “Jailbreak,” they knew there had to be bodies somewhere.

They focused a lot about what could be the coolest and funniest way for something to happen. The concept of the yellow and blue spaceship arms appearing out of the sky to smack the White Diamond mech around was one of those.

Rebecca really wanted things to look more and more cartoony and bizarre as you get deeper into Homeworld.

They spent a very long time trying to decide on characters’ new outfits.

The trash can lid is said to be a reference to “a flying bear cartoon” and they dance around speaking a direct reference because they’re not sure they’re allowed to say its name.

In discussing the powers of the Diamonds, there were debates on what White’s power would be; with Yellow being physicality-based and Blue being emotion-based, they thought White as identity-based made the most sense.

Different ways to express this were played with before settling on the idea that she thinks she’s perfect and others’ colors make them less like her and less perfect. But then she becomes a hostage to her own beliefs about herself because if she does anything that reflects on everyone else, so it’s best to do nothing.

They had some cool earlier ideas of White’s powers making statues out of other Gems and having a gallery full of frozen Gems, frozen by White to make them perfect.

They also weren’t sure what fate befell the original Pink Pearl and discussed whether she might have been destroyed. 

Rebecca discussed how creepy it was to have White Pearl speaking in Christine’s voice and not Deedee’s--that we should find it fundamentally disturbing at this point.

Tom Herpich came up with the crack on White Pearl’s face.

In real life, pink diamonds aren’t understood as well as yellows and blues. It’s more known what makes a diamond yellow or blue, and some of those facts Rebecca researched were originally woven into the speech White gave about their “impurities.” But it turned out to be too dry and most of it got cut.

Rebecca loves having Lapis with pants and sandals for easier cosplay.

Ian had to draw the scene where Steven is falling and fusing with inert characters--he wasn’t able to properly explain it to Rebecca so she had him draw it.

They really wanted Rainbow Quartz 2.0 to have a scarf, but they couldn’t figure out how to get that into Pearl’s design. They miss the scarf.

It was really important to have these Fusions display call-forwards of the Gems’ new outfits which we hadn’t yet seen.

Rebecca points out that Sunstone’s design breaks a design rule and she feels like Sunstone should have Garnet’s pant leg colors on their legs, but at the same time she understands the rule of cool and likes it like this.

It’s discussed how none of Steven’s fusion weapons are exclusively offensive weapons either.

Rebecca still really wants a suction cup Sunstone toy.

Sunstone’s ability to transcend reality and break the fourth wall was a joke that exploded in the discussion room among the Crew. As soon as the idea was pitched everyone kept coming up with ideas. Sardonyx’s fourth-wall-breaking is more snarky, but Sunstone’s is helpful.

Rebecca was disappointed that the rule about Steven’s clothes wasn’t always followed with having his clothes appear on Obsidian’s hand, but she was delighted that you could see them in one scene.

They spent a lot of discussion time on making sure Steven-Obsidian was different somehow from Rose-Obsidian. The hair is different.

Old versions of Obsidian were drawn with wrapped-together Twizzlers legs, which sort of is reflected in the present design.

The sword had been planned forever--and it first appeared in “Bubble Buddies.”

Miki worked on the Ninja Turtles show so Rebecca was really excited to see her depictions of Bismuth and Sunstone.

An early plan to have Obsidian draw the sword from their mouth was complicated because fusion weapons should be combinations, so they finally reached the solution of having them combine to make the hilt, then get the blade out of Obsidian’s mouth.

The blade of the sword is thought to say “We’ll always save the day,” but you’d have to ask Steven Sugar.

Another really old idea was climbing into the White Diamond mech eye.

Rebecca was disappointed that some of the merch made of White Diamond did not feature her cape sparkles.

There were many debates early on about where Rose might “actually” be. There were tons of references to this fundamental question throughout the show--introducing Lapis as a Gem trapped in an object, having Pearl ponder pulling Steven’s Gem out as a baby, straight-up wondering what would happen to him in “Bubbled” when Eyeball was trying to take his Gem, etc. They all decided Rose was definitely gone but that the idea of her possibly being inside him should be on his mind a lot, leading to disturbing images like dreaming about coughing up her hair.

Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond both challenged Steven about things he was very confident about, but White’s question of his identity got to him because he in fact is not confident about that.

The black and white eeriness of the fuzzy background and the other characters having their colors washed out helped make the scene in White Diamond’s head so disturbing and creepy.

The split screen showing Steven’s two perspectives was exciting to Rebecca, and was a pretty old idea. And she points out it sort of “breaks the show.”

The Gem Steven, Pink Steven, was represented by a slightly modified version of his model sheet. Everyone laughed when they saw what was getting used.

They decided that an earlier idea of Pink Steven looking angry should be replaced by an emotionless version of him. All the emotion should be with Organic Steven.

In the pitch meeting for this episode, Rebecca herself screamed “SHE’S GONE!!” and shocked the hell out of everyone. She pointed out how no one expected this of her because she’s pretty quiet, but she just wanted to shock everyone the way Steven would in the show.

They point out this is the first appearance of the geometric shield that got so much use in Future.

The fact that Steven is Steven is the ultimate reveal of the show. Usually in fantasy shows there’s some other kind of revelation, but Steven just being amazingly human and amazingly Gem and amazingly himself is wonderful here.

They like having the pilot reference with “What’s your excuse?”

If Rose had somehow still been alive in him, all of this would have been cheapened.

Ian loves that you can faintly hear Sadie’s concert from way out in space as the camera approaches Earth.

They got a lot more use out of the Beach-A-Palooza stage than they thought they would when it had to be designed for “Steven and the Stevens.” There was a joke about how at one of the conventions a real Beach-A-Palooza stage was constructed and they had a thought about how oh good, it’s getting reused.

Sadie having green hair in the finale was a late change but they liked showing her progression. 

They had originally kicked around the idea of Sadie already having her new partner Shep at this point, but decided to develop that in Future instead.

They compare White Diamond’s stepping gingerly into the fountain to skeptically getting into a public pool.

Some silliness they didn’t get to use was that Biggs would be “beloved by everyone” except Steven. They never got to cover it, but originally Steven was just going to not really understand why everyone loves her so much and doesn’t personally much care for her.

The Heaven and Earth Beetles are based on the Mothra Ladies.

The healed Gems’ horns are supposed to be side effects of the corruption that they continue to bear in the present.

Larimar and Orange Spodumene ended up different in the ending scene than they became in Future. Many of the designs were retroactively pulled into this scene after being designed for the movie.

Rebecca wrote “Change Your Mind” as a personal song to express her feelings surrounding her fight for the wedding.

“The Future”

Commentary with Rebecca Sugar, Kat Morris, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, Hilary Florido, Joe Johnston, and Ian Jones-Quartey.

The animatic for this episode ran SO long--they’re supposed to be just over 11 minutes but this one was 17 minutes.

Steven’s calisthenics routine, a callback to “Future Vision,” was on the chopping block to make the episode shorter but Rebecca wouldn’t allow it to be cut because she wanted to show that Steven’s been taking care of himself.

They were very excited to get a chance to cover some of the things in Future that they couldn’t squeeze into the original show, like the unbubbled Rose Quartzes, Volleyball, etc.

The new writers on the show also helped bring forward the idea of Steven finally making some of his OWN mistakes to fix.

This also helped construct the idea of Steven essentially being the “final boss” of his own battle.

Usually stories that involve someone being in a fight and winning don’t explore the effect just being in a fight has on a person, regardless of whether you won. 

Rebecca really wanted to play Ocarina of Time after beating it so she could go back to all the places and see how people were doing. She wanted this epilogue series to explore that a little too.

Little Homeschool is sort of a Tiny Toons reference--older cartoons teach younger cartoons how to be cartoons, and this is Gems teaching other Gems how to be Gems on Earth. 

Lamar came up with the silly joke about receiving that art set with all the different media types in it--the one artists are always getting from a well-meaning relative at holiday time.

A scrapped plot idea involved Volleyball/Pink Pearl as a sort of “mini-villain,” with a focus on her activating the un-activated Pearls.

There’s discussion of how victimization turns people into villains sometimes. But since showing that happening with Volleyball wouldn’t have served the interests of Steven’s arc, they couldn’t fit it in.

There was also a “very specific” Gem origin and Diamond origin story that’s quasi-religious in nature--it’s very cool and complicated. But they do not tell us what it is.

Ian and Joe both really wanted to have Jasper living alone in the woods and stacking rocks. They’re glad they got this series to do that with her.

There was originally an idea for a B-plot involving Jasper in the movie. They don’t discuss the specifics.

There were many ideas they didn’t get to work on because they would have started new arcs and Future was not about kicking new plots into gear.

“Mr. Universe” was the last episode they wrote/finished.

Miki really wanted to include a kiss between Connie and Steven to show their relationship was okay. Among the Crew everyone knew their relationship was basically eternal but Miki wanted to make sure WE knew that.

Steven driving conveyed momentum for Future; in the original show, we always came back to the laundry hand, back to home, but in Future that’s changed and home isn’t what it was. 

They were really excited that a gourd family made it to the crowd scene in Future.

Thanks for reading!

Note: The movie had some commentary tracks too, but the one on this DVD set is the same as the one released on the original standalone movie DVD, so I did not outline it here. Here is my post about the DVD commentary from the movie.

[bananagukkie]

sidekick. jjk

summary.⇢ You didn’t realize that your best friend was in love with you or the fact that he was Busan’s “newest” hero. 

genre.⇢ fluff, a pinch of angst

words. ⇢ 6,583k

rating. ⇢  idk, can you handle neck kisses?

a/n ⇢ well i finally finished it JKEFNKJFN it kinda sucks but I’m new to all this. oh well, hope you like it??? <33 also i wanted to change the fuCKING TITLE BUT I ALREADY MADE THE IMAGE SO I  T WAS TOO L A TE

As a kid, you were always fascinated by super-heroes. Whether it was the superhero saving the innocent citizens of Busan or the western superheroes on the TV. When you were a kid, your mother had always told you that heroes were just humans and at one point they needed to be saved too. The idea of a superhero -- a savior -- needing to be saved was a concept that you were never able to grasp. You scoffed at the idea, they were far too strong to ever get hurt, at least that's what you thought. Countless memories of you staying up late at night to watch your favorite movie and getting up early in the morning to watch the news. It was a strange sight for your mother whenever she would walk into the small living room to see a six-year-old take notes of the heroes on the news. Your childhood consisted of freaking out over any hero poster in the stores, buying costumes for Halloween, and hours upon hours of staring at the TV. Your obsession was almost as comical as it was serious. 

When you reached your teenage years, it didn’t get any better. You had saved up all your money to buy yourself a bicycle and a camera- right after quitting your two part-time jobs. Your daily routine was to head the living room (or any nearby television) to watch the news, head to school, come back from school, watch the news again and take pictures whenever a Super-Hero was in the city. To be honest, people thought you were some nosey fan account whenever they saw you with your bike and camera. Not that it wasn’t true- but it still hurt. Being called an Aspiring Journalist would’ve been better.

You still remember it vividly. The terrified screams that ripped through the city’s air, the sound of buildings collapsing and the thousands of footsteps running away from the epicenter of the battle like a stampede. 

To others, it was the most terrifying moment in their lives- but to you, it was the most exciting. 

Camera in hand, it was the fastest that you’ve ever peddled. Your muscles screamed at you for a quick break, the pain spreading up your body. Did you ever stop? No. You couldn’t, The fear in your body was overshadowed by the adrenaline, the excitement, the anticipation. Ignoring all the shouts and the screams, your eyes held stars in them. You were finally going to see a superhero up close. The closer you got, the more chaotic the situation was turning.

Squinting at a blurry black figure, you tried making them out, taking mental notes in your head along the way. It was a new villain- someone you’ve never seen before. They seemed almost abnormal. Big muscles bulging out inhumanely, their hands had large claws for fingers, their teeth were pointy with extra sets in the back. Worry settled in the back of your head, they were far larger than the hero fighting them off. 

Pedaling backward on the breaks, your bike vibrated as more buildings began to collapse when the villain jumped on them. Hopping out of your bicycle seat, you swiftly guided it to a small alleyway, “please don’t fall on my bike,” you whispered to yourself, it’d suck if the building destroyed your hard-earned bike. 

Camera in hand, your eyes searched the sky for the two. A flash of bright red and blue appeared from behind a large building, hanging onto what seemed like a small thread. An audible gasp escaped your mouth in shock. The new hero. You’ve seen them on the news before, though everything they did was small. You swore you saw him helping an old lady across the street once. Their body seemed too frail to be an experienced hero, if you saw them on the streets you’d guess that they were just a cosplayer.

Crouching down, you quickly took as many pictures as you can of the two. The monstrous villain and the rookie hero. Don’t want to flatter myself but I’d totally rock as a photographer, you snickered to yourself. Humor was the only way that you could successfully push all your fear away. 

The ground vibrated once more, but this time it had been much stronger. The villain didn’t latch onto one of the skyscrapers- it decided to land on the ground, cracking the cement beneath it. Its chest was heaving up and down rapidly, tired of the chase. The fear had begun to settle, your muscles tightening up in discomfort. As scary as it was, you couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a close-up shot. The shutter of the camera sang loud and clear.

“Ah shit.”

Your breath got caught in your throat as the monstrous villain turned to face you. A nervous laugh escaped your mouth, “ah shit”. A chill ran down your spine as you came face to face with the monster. They didn’t look too different from the hero that they were fighting. Though the only similarities you found was the web pattern on their body and the shape of their eyes, the symbol on their chest was a bright blood red, mimicking the spider on the hero’s chest. You felt frozen in place, your feet suddenly weighing more than a boulder. For the first time ever, you felt fear resurfacing from the depths that you forced them under for so long.

Locking eyes with the villain, you felt your body tremble under their stare, chills running down to your bones. You didn’t dare blink, scared that the  monster might pounce on you when you did. Apparently, you didn’t need to blink.

The weight of what seemed like a thousand bricks jumped on your small body, the air getting knocked out of your lungs. The monster released an odd sound that resembled a sinister laugh mixed with a screech. The only thing you could do was kick and scream, your throat burning at how loud you were. It’s weight pressed down on you further and further, small cracking noises reached your ears but there was no pain.

The monster was quickly shoved off of you. 

Finally opening your eyes, they were a few feet away from you. It was completely silent other than your own heavy breathing and someone else’s.  Looking up at your savior, you felt your breath getting caught in your throat. The hero stood over you, a gloved hand reaching for yours. “Ah shit, I’m so sorry,” he apologized, his voice muffled by the mask over his head. He analyzed you for any injuries, guilt settling itself in his stomach. He shouldn’t have let that happen; it shouldn’t have happened.. “I have to get back to chasing this big guy away,” the hero mumbled, patting your head as he shot out a web and flew off into the distance.

Dumbfounded, you stayed in your spot. The pain coursing through your body was strong but your confusion was much stronger. Forcing yourself onto your knees, you scrambled towards your camera in hopes that it had not broken due to the collision with the ground. Releasing the breath that you didn’t even know that you were holding, you ran towards your bike. 

“Holy shit, holy shit, that did not just fucking happen,” you repeated. Disbelief floods your mind. First, you were attacked by the villain himself, then rescued by the hero. “What the fuck?!” you shouted, hopping onto your bike and pedaling off as fast as you can, avoiding the debris.

In your peripheral, you saw a bright red blur following you. His eyes looming over your fleeing figure protectively.   

It was late at night. You had slipped into your pajamas earlier, expecting Jungkook to arrive back at the dorm. He never did though. “So much for having a roommate,” you scoffed, slipping your head through the over-sized shirt. 

The performing arts major never arrived at the dorms early. He was either out with friends or in the studio dancing his. It was an admirable trait- a hardworking student. While you tried your hardest at everything, your roommate was easily able to outshine everyone with ease. “What a flawless man,” you mumbled to yourself, closing the door to your room behind you. There was nothing he couldn’t do.

You didn’t want to admit it but you always felt lonely when he wasn’t around. He was constantly doing something- sometimes he wouldn’t arrive until early morning around 6 am. You felt like you didn’t know him. After a few years of attending the university, you were stuck to the male by the hip- he was your only friend after all, as embarrassing as it was. Nobody wanted to be associated with the odd journalist major who had a weird obsession with chasing heroes. You learnt to accept it after your first year.

Walking towards the small couch, you quickly turned on the TV and went onto the News. Bringing your knees up close to your chest, the TV sprung into action and displayed the daily news and events. It was funny, you always held the same habit of instinctively walking towards the TV, your fingers knowing what buttons to press to get to the news channel. A small content hum left your mouth as you wrapped yourself in your warm blankets. 

The solitude was comforting on hard days. Though the minute you returned to the dorm on a good day, a sudden melancholic feeling appeared in the pit of your stomach. “Jungkook and his stupid schedule,” is what you would always blame. 

The vibration of your phone moved the entire coffee table. Jumping in surprise, you glanced at your phone. A text from Namjoon happened to pop up.

Namjoon was another close friend of yours that you had met in the library, sulking while preparing for a test that you were not prepared for. Turns out, he was just a friendly nerd who happened to have an alarmingly high IQ. He insisted that he’d help you study for the test since the subject was easy for him. You reluctantly obliged and from then on, the two of you became friends. You would meet each other every so often at the coffee shop or the library, becoming closer and closer.

Smiling fondly at the memory, you grabbed your phone and unlocked it to see the text. The television providing background noise, you weren’t paying much attention to it anyways.  

Namjoonie: Hey!? Get on the news asap. There's something wild going on right now…

You sat there rereading the text multiple times, confused. Wild? There was nothing going on right now. Not for you at least. The phone began to vibrate aggressively against your hand as you saw an incoming call from Namjoon. If he was really that panicked to call you right after texting- it must’ve been urgent. Quickly picking up the call, he shouted your name. “Namjoon! What the hell?”

“Ah, I’m sorry but it seems pretty serious. I’m sure you’d think the same if you saw it,” he paused, “are you watching the news?” his question muffled by the sounds of his own television.  

Finally averting your attention to the small TV in front of you, you felt like an idiot for ignoring it the entire time. The crew was filming from a helicopter, hovering over the city’s skyscrapers, zooming in on the familiar hero. The camera was shaky but it did it’s best to focus on the hero. Finally, the lens focused and you felt your heart drop to your stomach. The striking red and blue suit brought back memories you thought you had forgotten. They looked exactly the same as before- no - they seemed much more mature now. They seemed stronger and taller, their movements radiated confidence and bravery. Unlike before, the spider-like hero seemed like a true hero. 

The kind of hero you’d obsess over if you were still a young teen. 

The villain that the spider hero was fighting came into view, releasing an inhuman screech that caused the camera to move in surprise. “Even the people in the helicopter were able to hear that,” you told Namjoon as he hummed in acknowledgement. Quickly reading the headlines, your mouth murmured the words on screen. 

“The new hero in Busan: Spider-Man.”

New? He was anything but new. He had been there since you were a teen. The memory felt in your mind fresh now that you saw Spider-Man once again. 

The villain attempted to leap onto Spider-Man though it was quickly dodged by the agile hero, rolling out of the way. Latching one of his webs onto the villain’s back, he swung the villain into an already damaged building. Your eyes widened at the power he had. “Namjoon-ah, does the villain have a name?” you asked, curious about the villain. If you guessed correctly, it had been the same villain that attacked you years ago. “Yeah, they’re calling him Black Widow,” he informed. 

It made sense. It’s body was bulbous and had muscles sprouting from every limb, their eyes bright red along with the small patterns on their body. Black Widow finally sprouted from under the debris, picking up a column before launching it at Spider-Man. The speed was frightening, surely you’d be killed if something that big was thrown at you that fast. Your nails dug into the couch, your heartbeat quickening. “Please, Spider-Man,” you whispered, quiet enough that Namjoon wasn’t able to hear it. Getting up from your couch, “Namjoon, I'm heading out to see it closer,” you told him as you grabbed the keys to your car from the coffee table. “Don’t you fucking dare,” Namjoon scolded you through the phone. Staring at the small device in shock, your jaw hung open at his words. Namjoon was not fond of cussing in front of others, he claimed that it made him look stupid and immature. For you to hear him cuss- especially at you - had you flabbergasted. Slowly setting the keys back down onto the table, he sighed. “I’m sorry but you should know by now that you shouldn’t be risking your life for some news article on your blog, YN. I know how much heroes matter to you, as well as journalism- but please take your life into account as well,” his voice was apologetic and gentle. When he said sorry, he truly meant it.

“Yeah,” you whispered, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so careless,” your eyes glanced at the Television once more, your grip on the phone tightening. 

Just then, Spider-Man fell onto the floor Black-Widow on top of him. Gasping, you walked closer to the TV touching the screen. “Get up,” you silently pleaded. He was struggling to get Black Widow off- no doubt about that. Even after all these years, Black Widow was still significantly bigger. You saw a web shoot out from his arm, grabbing onto a stray piece of debris before flinging it at the monster-like villain, hitting him in the head. It wasn’t enough to knock him out but it let Spider-Man get out from under Black-Widow. 

A small surge of relief passed through your body. “What a hero,” you heard Namjoon say, he sounded just as relieved as you were. A loud screech reached your ears before the TV shut down entirely. Relief was quickly replaced with panic and fear. “Namjoon?” you called out, though you were met with silence. Soon after, the lights were quick to shut off as well. 

Chucking your phone aside, you ran to the window behind the TV and saw the city’s lights slowly turning off. Building by Building. “What the hell,” was all you could muster. A chill ran down your spine as the entire city of Busan was dark as midnight, the buildings were barely visible. A loud knock was heard from your bedroom window. Tensing at the sound, you stared at the open door. “What the fuck,” you whispered, your voice shaking with fear. 

Slowly approaching your door, you peeked into the room and saw a familiar figure hanging onto a web, hand on the window. You felt like you couldn’t move. A hero was at your window. Snapping back into reality, you released a startled yelp before running to the window to open it. Lifting the heavy window, the suited hero stumbled in and collapsed on the floor groaning in pain. The window sill was tainted red with a thick substance, it had not been there before either. Looking back at the groaning hero, you quickly crouched down at his level. Flipping his body so he can face the ceiling, “Fuck- I’m so sorry,” he groaned, his hand covering his gash. 

His voice…

His voice sounded like music to your ears, it felt like centuries since you’ve heard that muffled voice. Everything about him matured. “I’m so-” “you’re bleeding…” your voice sounded more like a sad whisper than a statement. He turned his masked head to face you, shocked by your somber tone. Gently removing his hands from the wound, you internally cringed at how bad it was. The blood stained suit. It was hard to see with the lack of light because of how much blood was seeping out of the injury. Shifting in your spot, “I saw you on the news,” you bit your lip, not sure what to say. What could you say when a hero was in front of you? This caused Spider-Man to chuckle quietly, “did you now?” he smiled under the mask. He knew you weren’t able to see it, nevertheless, he smiled. “Did I look good?” he said with a teasing tone. 

Stiffening and retracting your hands from his wound, you refused to answer such a question. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment, “I’m not going to answer that,” you replied quietly, “You look better than you did years ago though”. Spider-Man shook his head, a giggle escaping his lips. “You’re so cute,” he commented, pinching your cheek. He knew who you were, hell- he lived with you. The two of you were never seen without each-other in public, it raised suspicions. ‘How could some weird writer get at someone like Jungkook?’. You were an angel in his eyes, the most beautiful woman on the entire planet, not some weird writer girl. Jungkook would keep you safe if it meant risking his life.

He never had the courage to tell you. He doubts he ever will. Spider-Man and Jungkook were entirely different people. The confidence and bravery that he has with Spider-Man completely disappears when he’s Jungkook. It never stopped him from being his full self around you though.

The gentle pinch reminded you of Jungkook, it was a habit of his whenever you did something dumb, sometimes he just did it out of random. Smiling at the hero, “stay here”.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go, babe”

Your face flared with heat and color at the nickname. It was something you weren’t used to. No one dared to call you such things, they’d rather call you ‘nerd’. Leaving the room, you shined your light from your phone and made a quick trip to the restroom. Opening the door, your eyes landed on the cabinet beside the shower. Quickly grabbing the first aid kit with shaky hands, you accidentally dropped your phone in the process. 

Apparently, it was loud enough for Spider-Man to hear. “You okay in there, babe?”. There he goes again with the embarrassing pet-name. “shit,” you cursed yourself, picking up your cracked phone and running back into your room. 

“Are you okay?” you asked, afraid that you had left him waiting for too long. Kneeling next to him, your clammy hands opened the first aid kit. Namjoon had shown you how to stitch and clean wounds when you had cut your palm open with glass before, he was like your mom. It was safe to say you knew what you were doing. “Me? I heard you fall or something. Seems like someone is clumsy,” his voice was a lot more quieter, trying to preserve his energy. “Coming from the bleeding hero,” you retorted, pouring hydrogen peroxide on a clean rag. His eyes glued to the rag, he gulped harshly and grabbed your wrist gently. “Maybe, we should use water,” he suggested, obviously on edge because of the hydrogen peroxide. You rolled your eyes, “shut it and be a good boy for me. You act like you didn’t just get slashed from a villain” you mumbled, shaking his hand off your wrist.

It was odd how easy it was to talk to him, it felt like you’ve known him since forever even if you’ve barely started talking. You halted, staring at his wound. Realization hit you like a ton of bricks, averting your gaze to Spider-Man. “Uh… I'm gonna need you to take your suit off,” you stuttered your words out miserably. “Right… wanna help me?” 

There wasn’t a teasing tone apparent in his words, it was him genuinely asking for help. Nodding slowly, “I’ll be gentle, I’m sorry,” you weren’t sure how you got yourself in this situation. Staring at your figure for a few more seconds, he nodded. Reaching behind his neck, there was a small click. Tilting your head, you watched him with interest. The hero paused, “you know you should probably take me out somewhere before I get naked in front of you,” he joked, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Oh my gosh,” you buried your face into your hands, it felt like your face was set on fire.

His hands dragged the tight bodysuit as far down as he could without hurting himself. Pushing his hands away, “there. I’ll do the rest, please. I don’t want you to get hurt even more,” you said, grabbing the suit. A fond smile tugged at the corner of his lips, letting go of his suit, “go ahead, babe”. Removing the suit from his torso, you frowned at the nasty sight of the wound. It was worse than you thought. 

Grabbing the rag, you wiped away any of the blood around the wound, being as careful and gentle as possible. Jungkook watched you diligently as you worked on him. He noted how your cheeks were visibly red even in the dark. He noticed how ethereal you looked when the moonlight hit you at a certain angle. Your lips were hanging open slightly as you worked hard on him, concentrating on treating his wound. The wound was on his lower side, above his hip. He couldn’t help but smirk at how flustered you were to see his bare upper body. 

You felt like you couldn’t concentrate. He was built like a Greek god for fucks sake. Not only that but he had a cute little birthmark on his collarbone, which only furthered your embarrassment. Sure, you’ve seen shirtless guys here and there, but Spider-Man was on an entirely different level of attractive. Looking back up at his masked face, you frowned. “I’m sorry if this hurts,” you warned. He simply shook his head, “as long as it gets the job done, right?” he pinched your cheek again, making you smile.

Nodding, you gently dabbed the rag with hydrogen peroxide on his wound. His entire body tensed up in pain, it wasn’t overwhelming- but it wasn’t the nicest feeling ever. 

Swallowing hard, “you know, I used to think of Heroes differently.” you begun, sending him a sorry smile. Tilting his head, you took it as a cue to continue. “I’ve always been obsessed with heroes. For as long as I can remember, I would go out of my way to look for heroes doing their job, taking pictures and notes. I had an entire book dedicated to heroes,” You remembered how much time you dedicated to finding heroes in Busan. “I saw them as people who couldn’t get hurt,” you looked up when you were done cleaning his wound and stitching, only to see him staring at you. Taken aback, you shyly smiled at the hero. ‘But I guess, along the way… I realized that they were just humans,” you finished. “They need a hero of their own, I suppose,”

He wasn’t sure what to say. Jungkook felt his cheeks burn with heat, his mouth agape. Gently, he held you cheek in his hand, cherishing the warmth that you radiated. Bringing you closer, he felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. You felt like a deer caught in headlights but you hastily made up your mind. Turning your body to face his, you place your hand on the ground to support your weight, the other lifting his mask to reveal his mouth, a small mole under his bottom lip stood out to you. He didn’t complain or stop. Pulling you closer, your lips were centimeters away from his. His hot breath was fanning over your cold skin, sending goosebumps to spread all over your body. “

You didn’t have a chance to kiss him. 

The city lights of Busan turned back on, the high volume of the TV in the living room startled the two of you. Spider-Man stiffened, suddenly reminded that he had a job to finish. Getting off of the ground, he pulled his mask down. Coughing awkwardly, “I’m so sorry, but I really have to go,” he said, panic evident in his voice.

You couldn’t deny the fact that you were disappointed. A frown appeared on your face, making Jungkook’s heart clench. He wanted to kiss you as much as you did, but he couldn’t. Not with a city to save. Walking over to the bloody window, he fit his body through.

“Wait!”

He turned back to you.

“Thank you for being my hero”

If his heart didn’t break right then and there, he’s not sure what happened to it. “I’m sorry baby,” and with that, he carefully closed the window, shot out a web and left you alone on the floor.

It felt so familiar. To be left alone in the dorm. The air around you felt empty, the only sound providing you with comfort was the TV. You felt your chest tighten, you wanted to hear his voice one more time. Your hero’s voice.

Your eyes fluttered open, the ambient noises of the city filling your ears, keeping you safe from the silence. The window from yesterday was still stained with blood that had now oxidized, the curtains bunched up away from the window, allowing the light to seep in. The memories from last night flashed in your mind, reminding you of what happened. Looking on your bedside table, the small electronic clock displays the time in bright red numbers. You had two hours before your first class of the day, there was still plenty of time for you. 

Mustering enough strength to drag your body out of bed, you stretched your tired limbs, groaning in relief. Dragging your feet towards the living room, the sound of cans clinking together and items being moved around filled the room. 

Eyes landing on the suspect, a small smile tugged at your lips. Jungkook was digging through the small fridge, looking for something to eat. The boy had quite the appetite after all. An evil smirk appeared on your face. Running towards the male and jumping on his back, wrapping your legs around his waist while your hands grabbed at his shoulders. The noise that came out of the male’s mouth alarmed you. He groaned in pain and grasped at his side, quickly realizing your mistake- you got off of him. “Kookie?” you whispered, worried for the boy. A small yet pained chuckle escaped his lips, turning to face you. “Ah.. I’m sorry, I’m just a little sore,” he dismissed his pain with a blatant lie. Jungkook wasn’t one to lie, so the suspicion of him lying to you was out of the question.

Your eyes trailed up and landed on his face, a small gash on his cheek right below his eye. “Jungkook!” you scolded the boy, causing him to sheepishly wince at your tone. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. He wasn’t planning on seeing you today, not after what happened yesterday. He didn’t want you getting suspicious. Placing a hand on the side of his face gently, “when did this happen, Kook?” you questioned, your bottom lip sticking out in a pout. 

You’ve known him for a while now, it was only natural for you to be protective of him. You cared for him more than you really should. 

Jungkook hung his head low, “I got in a fight yesterday”. Another lie. 

It hurt to lie to you so blatantly, you didn’t deserve to be lied to. It was for your and his own good, though. ‘Hey, YN. Did you know that I’m Spider-Man?’, it was easier said than done. Leaning into your touch, “If it makes you feel better, it doesn’t hurt a lot,” he gave you a weak smile. Scoffing lightly at the boy, “come on, it looks like you slept without taking care of it,”  he giggled, pinching your cheek, another reminder of what happened last night. 

“Yes ma’am”

The two of you walked towards the small bathroom. Everything was how it was yesterday, even the cabinet was still open. Jungkook seated himself on the toilet, looking up at you as you grabbed the first-aid kit. ‘Guess I might just make friends with this thing since I’ve been seeing it a lot’ you joked, opening the kit. “How’d you get in a fight?” you asked, the silence killing you in the inside.

Jungkook tensed up. “I… They were just saying some stuff,” he shrugged, toying with his bruised fingers. His entire body ached. The fight with Black-Widow really took a toll on his body. The injuries on his side and cheek were only one of the many. You frowned at Jungkook, “C’mon Kookie, you have better shit to do,” you scolded the boy, swatting his nose gently. His wide doe eyes followed your movements, not flinching when you hit his nose. “I guess I did, huh?” he offered you a smile which was hard to deny. Smiling back at him, you never really noticed how cute his smile was until now. An odd feeling settled itself in your stomach, you decided to ignore them.

Dabbing the small cotton ball on his wound, he grimaced. “I’m sorry,” you mumbled, biting your lip in concentration. You didn’t want to see him get hurt, especially for small things such as fighting. He was far too pretty to have gashes and cuts on his face.

Instantly, his eyes landed on your lips. The brief memory of yesterday flashing in his mind. They were so rosy and plump, he wondered if they were soft. Scratch that- he knew they were soft just by staring at them. Swallowing hard, he shifted in his seat. “You okay, Kook?” you asked, placing a bandage on his gash. “Now that you’ve healed me up, Nurse YN,” he joked. He was left disappointed when your hand left his cheek, he craved nothing more than to be loved and touched by you. 

Slumping, “Hey YN,” he called out at you before you had the chance to leave the bathroom. Turning around to look at Jungkook, the tips of his ears were red and he was fumbling with the end of his shirt. “Can we go get coffee?” he asked, shooting you his best attempt at puppy-dog-eyes. Your chest clenched at his ministrations, it was hard to ever say no to Jungkook. “Of course,” sending him a smile of your own. It’s been a while since you’ve spent some time with Jungkook other than being with him during class.

Averting your eyes to the clock on the wall, the two of you had plenty of time. “Let me get dressed, okay?” you told him, walking to your room to change out of your pajamas.

--

The weather was fairly nice today. No cloud in sight, not too hot or too cold. It was perfect, hell, even the breeze was perfect.

The warmth of the coffee protected your hands from getting cold from the breeze. You were walking alongside Jungkook, who towered over your small frame. You had agreed that you would watch each other to class after you finished the coffee, hence why the two of you had your backpacks on. There was a comfortable silence between the two of you, but you decided to break it with a question that had been itching at the back of your mind.

“Kookie...  Why are you never at the dorms?” pausing, “It gets lonely sometimes, and Namjoon won’t always be there to provide me company when you can’t” you finished, gluing your eyes to the ground, biting your lip. There was a moment of silence, Jungkook gathered his thoughts for his next lie. Well, half of it was a lie.

He spent most of his time dancing when he had the chance, the other percentage was his defending the city of Busan as SpiderMan. The moment you looked up at him, he was already opening his mouth to answer.

“I’m sorry,” he started off with an apology, because you deserved it. No- you deserved more than a sorry. To him, you deserved the entire world. Bringing up his hand to rub the side of your cheek gently, “I’m sorry I'm not always there. It’s not that I don’t want to be there, I’m just always so busy either at the Library or dancing my ass off,” he offered you a joking smile, “Dance is competitive, YN. When you’re not practicing, someone else is. When you’re not taking opportunities, someone else is”

It wasn’t a lie. Well, it was but it also wasn’t. Maybe he should use his expert lying skills when he gets into a fight more often. 

Looking down at you, you were toying around with the straw sheepish at how you even asked such a selfish question. “I know… But even the best dancers take breaks,” you gently hit his arm. Overreacting, he groaned and grabbed his arm. “Did you get stronger, YN?” teasing you as he pinched your cheek affectionately. “Yah! You’re gonna give me a bruise,” you scolded the male as he laughed.

He looked down at your hand, sliding his own into it. “I’ll try and make it up to you, okay?”

“You better, I’ve watched at least every single Netflix movie by now. Alone”

Rubbing the back of his hand with your thumb, “I just worry about you sometimes,” you whispered, leaning into his side and staring at the ground to avoid his gaze. And yes, he was staring at you. And yes, you felt that shit.

He felt like he was going to melt. His face felt hot and his heart sped up when you leaned into him. Jungkook knew damn well how whipped he was for you. Stopping, you looked up at him with confusion. “You’re so perfect,” he whispered, his finger lifting your chin up, his other hand brushing stray hairs away from your face. Shocked by his choice of words, you felt your face heat up, flustered. He noticed the familiar red hue on your cheeks, smirking in victory. 

“You can’t say things that aren’t true. That’s lying,” you pouted slightly, dismissing his flirtatious comment. 

Perking a brow at your words, he gently shoved you against the wall in an alley. Where did it come from? You guessed it was nearby, you didn’t question it. 

“It’s too bad you don’t see it,” his hands were at the sides of your face, his lips hovering over yours. You felt everything. The warmth of his calloused yet gentle hands, the hot breath that came out of his mouth, his knee between your legs. His hand trailed down your body slowly, sending chills down your spine, it landed at your hip. Squeezing it, “because to me, every inch of you is perfect”. You felt your heart beating at a thousand miles an hour, like it was going to jump out of your chest. You took this time to admire how attractive he was, the cut on his cheek, the mole under his bottom lip, his doe eyes. Everything about him was ethereal. “Kiss me,” you breathed out, eliciting a smirk from the male. “Don’t have to tell me twice, baby”. Instantly, his hot lips collided with yours, a sense of neediness and desire evident. His hand on your waist was rubbing soft circles, trailing further down slowly. Pulling away, you took a small gasp for air. “Do you know how good I’d take care of you?” he whispered in your ear, his voice deeper than usual. You surely weren’t complaining though, if anything it only gave you butterflies in your stomach and an ache in your arousal. 

“How good I’ll be for you?” he continued, dragging his lips down your neck, planting kisses as he goes. Gripping his shirt, you were nearly embarrassed at how hard you were breathing. “So show me,” the words you tried so hard to speak managed to slip out. You felt him smile against your neck, “I’ll show you”. Jungkook bit down on your neck, a wanton moan escaping your mouth. “Fuck,” he groaned at the dirty noise that came out of your mouth. “You sound like an angel, baby” he sucked on the tender skin as you squirmed under him. Kissing the forming bruise, his lips trailed further down. “Jungkook, please,” you whined, tugging at his hair. 

His ministrations stopped, the ground beneath your feet rumbling softly. Detaching his lips from your neck, he looked around. “Earthquake?” he thought out loud. Earthquakes weren’t so common in Busan, so he quickly dismissed the assumptions. “You felt that right?” he looked back up at you. Gulping down your worries, you nodded. “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, though’. 

The ground started to rumble harder than it did before, “nevermind” you piped up, gently pushing Jungkook off of you. Walking out of the alleyway, with Kookie right behind your trail, a black figure was hanging off the side of a building, looking down at both of you with hawk eyes. “Ah shit, Here I was thinking I fucking scared him off,” Jungkook exasperated, putting his hands on his knees and crouching over. “Huh?” turning to face him, nothing but confusion evident on your face. 

Jungkook shook his head in dismay, “I love you, YN. But I got a job to do,” he pulled your wrist, bringing you close to him. Placing a soft kiss on your lips, he smiled at you. “Gotta protect what I love right?” with a wink, he walked into the dark alley that you two were just in. It took a moment for you to fully register what was going on. 

Wait he said I love you?

You heard a ‘Syoom’, turning your head to face the alley, a web shot out and latched onto the building near the villain. A familiar body flew across your vision, landing on the tall building. A blur of blue and red combined. Gasping silently, a proud smile tugged at your lips. “Well how about that,” you mumbled. Cupping your mouth with your hands, “SpiderMan!” you shouted, your voice echoing through the street. It was enough to get the hero’s attention. 

“I love you too,” you mouthed.  

You didn’t hear it but his chest bobbed up in down as he laughed. Bringing his hand up, he formed a small heart with his fingers.

[mooshs-crack-headcanons]

Hi! Can I ask some headcanons with Sanji, Zoro, Franky and Robin where they meet a female reader who is a singer, she and Brook are good friends and have had perform together (on the time skip), and later on they find out she actually sings metal or some heavy rock? How would they react? :3

Brook hadn't shut up about you for literal days.

An advertisement for your upcoming concert was plastered all over the World Economy newspapers, your fans littered the streets with fan posters and clad in your merch.

The News coo of the day flew by the Sunny early that morning, the Strawhats after their breakfast off to do their own activities for the day while they traveled for the next island. 

Out on next Brook had been sharing a cup of tea with Robin, him quietly humming Binks sake to himself as he tapped his foot and both skeletal hands cupped his tea.

The News coo flew hovered over him, landing in his afro.

"Why hello, News coo-san." He greeted the bird. 

The News coo chirped in response demanding for its payment.

Out of his pocket the musician pulled out a few berries and dropped it in the small bag around the bird's torso.

The News coo chirped once more in acceptance of the payment before it pulled out a newspaper and plopped it in the skeleton's lap.

Robin next to him smiled at the scene.

In a matter of moments as the bird took back off, Brook picked up the newspaper with interest.

Let's see what was going on in the world.

His eyes (except he has none, Yo ho ho ho!) scanned the headlines.

Nothing really caught his interest.

Until he saw your ad. 

The skeleton absolutely squealed in excitement! So loud in fact it drew the interest of the rest of the crew.

They all gathered around the skeleton concerned, asking him what was the matter.

And so Brook then excitedly told them about you! 

In the two years the Strawhats had separated, you were just an upcoming phenomenon. 

And with Brook also starting out it made sense for the two of you to collab, and you did, many times

He really got into the sound of your voice, how it made the messages of your songs more defined.

Sure, Brook could be a creep sometimes but you liked his skeleton jokes! He was a joy to be around. 

From the sound of your ad, your concert wouldn't be for another two weeks, a perfect amount of time for a visit. So he began to write you a quick letter.

With luck and skill you managed to come onto the Sunny unfollowed. 

It'd look really bad if a celebrity like you were conversing with not just wanted pirates, but ones that had declared war on the World Government itself. 

But fuck the government, right?

Sanji 

This is Sanji. 

You know what the first interactions going to be like. 

But after all the nosebleeding and swooning over you, did Sanji take a good look at you.

You looked nothing like you did in your ad.

In the ad your face was heavily covered with makeup and your hair was pushed back to the extreme to show off your sharp features. The clothing you wore was heavily leather clad and chains covered your every joint, your expression alone could kill anyone on sight. 

This was definitely not the woman standing before him.

A wide grin spread wide on your face as you conversed with your old skeleton friend. You clothing was lose yet comfortable and your hair carelessly flowed down your shoulders. 

How could a woman look like two completely separate people? 

No, but you still looked hot either way. 

Sanji finally got his answer when Chopper was the one to pipe up and ask what type of music you sang.

Heavy metal. 

Like the type of music with shredding guitars and screamed vocals? 

Huh.

Well.

Something about that awakened something in him he never knew about.

Zoro 

So what? You're a singer, that's not really a big deal. 

Sure, Brook's music makes him feel relaxed enough to tap his foot while he's looking to take a nap but that doesn't mean anything.

You know what IS a big deal? Swords.

Swords are a big deal. 

What was that? You have an album called The Call of the Righteous Blade?

Okay maybe he's willing to hear you out. 

Late into the evening you arrived Luffy excitedly asked for you to play a song with Brook.

For old times sake you two decided to go for it. 

Brook provided the instrumental with his guitar while you sang a hard melody that popped in your mind. 

Zoro found himself caught on every word, the sound of your voice mystified him. 

Okay, maybe it was a medium sized deal. 

Franky

Sweet, you're a musician?!

SUUUUUUPER!!!

He considered himself a patron of the arts as well as being a SUPER cyborg.

From what Brook showed him of your old albums covers he came to the conclusion that heavy metal was your thing.

Franky respected that. 

As well the apocalyptic theme they seemed to heavily themed robots as well as cyborg imagery.

It brought a little tear to his eye. 

The moment you stepped on ship he and Brook were the direct first ones to immediately greet you.

With one look at him your lips gaped like a goldfish before the absolute nerd burst out of you. 

You gasped in awe at his robotic arms. 

Don't get me started how you reacted when you saw his hair change function with his nose.

Honey, the sight of it alone almost made you cream your pants with the full force of NERD.

The whole time you stayed on board a constant smile was on your face as you studied Franky's tech. 

You jokingly suggested about writing a song about his possibly ridiculous struggle of daily life as a cyborg, thinking it would get a giggle out of him.

He only stared back, his face 10000x serious. 

It took you and the Strawhats, who had never seen him this serious before, back.

"It better be called the Ultra SUUUPER life of Cyborg Franky. That's not a suggestion, that's a demand."

Robin

Robin is a woman of many arts.

Her archaeology, her gathered knowledge of history,  her passion to read, her love to draw.

Her enjoyment of music was also one of them.

She was the one to see first handily Brook’s reaction to seeing your ad, so she could tell right off the bat that you and the skeleton were old friends even before Brook explained that to the rest of the crew.

But something else caught her interest when she asked Brook about your songs.

A lot of them seemed to hold interesting hidden meanings to them.

Messages that a ‘higher power’ was holding the ‘truth’ of the voided days from the lower rest of the ‘followers’? Messages that the ‘absuructed past’ was orchestrated with foul intentions of grandeur?

Not only did it seem that you somehow knew that the void century was purposefully covered up by the World Government, but you  seemed to get away with passing along the messages to your audience somehow with them not realising it.

Something made her heart swell by the thoughts of rebellion against the bastards who Buster Called down her island.

When you were asked to perform with Brook by Luffy did she find herself entranced even more than the rest of her crew at your voice.

The thought that your same voice demanding for truth from the World's oppressors really did make her hang onto your every sung word.

Long after you left to go back to traveling to your first concert venues did she find herself humming your song time to time.

Every time, your messages loud and clear in her head.

[spacerockwriting]

I’m feeling much better now, so I’m going to talk about the time I saw Cursed Child. It started over a year ago. When the raffles were being released I entered every single one and when I failed at winning, I, like everyone else went to enter the queue on the main day.

The tickets went on sale while I was at work, and I put everything on hold, stressing myself out for the tickets. I get really anxious when I buy tickets for concerts because most of the time I’m fighting for really good concert seats, and with this, it was no exception. However, as I entered the buying portion, I didn’t know what to do. My first plan was to try and see the show in April, as my best friend and I were already planning a trip to see George Salazar and Joe Iconis’ Two Player Game while we were there. I was very impatient with my desire to see Cursed Child. In fact, I was so impatient to see Cursed Child I was willing to throw sums of money at a person who is no longer in my life, just so they could report to me the story. Desperate, amirite?

After much conversing with my best friend, the decision became clear that we couldn’t go see the show in April. We had a lot going on already for that trip, so the decision became that we would just have to go again! When I got in line to buy tickets, september became the time period I was most easily able to get. At first, the decision was like many, to do both parts in one day. However, my best friend is not a Harry Potter fan like I am. They’re familiar with it, they know the franchise, but the thought of having to spend six hours in a theater is not something they’d personally be interested in. Fair enough, so I got the two day tickets, which I’m glad I did!

So in a hurry, I buy two tickets to the September showing of CC. The queue went so quick, and the ticket buying process is a blur. I had no more than ten minutes to make a decision and I called him shortly after buying them and was like “guess we have to go back to New York in September” which he was obviously fine with.

When I bought the tickets it was too quick to really know where I was sitting and what I had bought. When we got there in April, we went past the building and saw a few of our favourite Marquees for shows, but at the time I wasn’t able to go in the HP shop. We saw George Salazar and met him and Joe Iconis at their concert, went to Irving Plaza for a last minute 5SOS show for their upcoming album, and had a blast.

Weeks before our September trip, my best friend asks if his little brother can come to the trip. I say sure, as long as he can finance his own way. A few days later I am asked if it is okay if he goes to the HP show instead. His little brother is a really big HP fan, so I get it. I have no problem with this. We make plans for the trip and I arrive in NYC late on Wednesday before the show.

The Thursday of the show was exciting! I had started to plan out a head of time all the things I wanted at the shop.We decide that my best friend should go see a show while we’re at our show, so he buys last minute tickets for Book of Mormon, and then later that afternoon we eat lunch at Ellens Stardust Diner. The food is really good, and if you’re into Broadway and musicals, I’d suggest it.

After, we go pick up Will Call tickets and he heads back to the hotel while we get to the venue. I am overly excited. I’m in my Hufflepuff backpack and Hufflepuff shirt (my Cedric one I got at Universal) and we wait and wait. We got there like an hour early, and I highly recommend that. We were close in line, but like fifteen minutes later the line was wrapped around in like a U shape. Going in, one of the people at the door told me that “Lounge is downstairs and to the right.” My friend’s brother looks at me and is like “Comet, what did you do?”

I had just pressed buttons on the ticket site until I received tickets. I didn’t know what I did, or pressed. I just blindly bought tickets. So we went to get merch and big reminder IF YOU ARE IN LOUNGE DO NOT BUY THE SOUVENIR PROGRAM which I didn’t know so I had to return my copy of the program, lol. While in the lounge they have a name list by the entrance and you give them your last name and then we got one free beverage (alcoholic or non) and snacks, and at intermission we had desserts and one free beverage (alcoholic or non). It was a blast. Everyone we sat near was excited and hyped up and people beside us were sharing alcohol with us, and tasting and it was like a party. Everyone was excited.

At the end, the waiters in the lounge told us to come back tomorrow and have a wonderful day. The service was excellent, and they were so nice and respectful about everything. They were happy to take pictures, whatever.

At the end of Part 1, the show just stops. There is no curtain call, there is no cast coming out. Just a screen with To Be Continued... Note: the cast does not meet after part 1. If you want part 2 merch, you can only buy it behind the counter after part 1, or during part 2. You cannot buy it in the regular shop. (it is available online, however.)

On part 2 day, I wore my Malfoy quidditch shirt from Universal and kept my Hufflepuff backpack. A LOT of staff were confused why a hufflepuff was wearing Slytherin and I’m a dork about Scorpius so, theres that. Because we were in The Lounge, as we came to call it, my best friend’s little brother and I got in the “special entrance” on the side of the shop. We supposedly counted as VIP and could enter early.  As soon as we got in line, my best friend bid us farewell and went to see his night of Book of Mormon, and then we entered the venue and Voldemort Day started. All the staff hammed up the event and it just became even more of a party. In between snacking I got more stuff because I’m a nerd and tbh Scorpus’ wand is just as cute as Albus’ and I decided I needed a Voldy shirt too. (I also got two more plush fuzzy owls. One for my bestie, and one for his little brother.) During Intermission we got our free souvenir programs, the plastic cups, and I actually had more alcohol which is rare since I don’t really drink hardly ever because of my extreme reflux.

As soon as curtain call ended I told my friend’s brother we needed to high tail it to stage door because we were going to meet the cast. He had no objections, so we got in line and that queue was amazing. It was just a straight line and not a cluster and it was so calm. Some mum’s near us would pull out their programs and yell down the line who was coming which is very helpful because so many characters are in the show. When we were there, almost all the cast came out except for Jamie, the woman playing Hermione, I don’t think Rose came out, and sadly, Sam was not out. I did get to meet Antho, which I was really excited about.  Lol, I went to show him my shirt and he was like do you want me to sign it?? and I misheard and was like “Oh, no! I was showing you!” and oops. But no hard feelings. The gentleman playing Dumbledore was VERY talkative and had conversations with pretty much every person in line. My best friend’s brother is actually a HUGE Marauder’s fan, so he was upset after we realized Myrtle was ALSO Lily and declined the pictures, lol.

When the cast was done, my best friend showed up and we all went back to the hotel and saw the goodies he got from BOM (my favourite musical btw)

We found out a few days later that Jo was at the Sunday performance of the Cursed Child, and Monday the cast of Fantastic Beasts were on GMA which we were SO upset we missed. I would’ve high keyed out in the middle of Times Square at 3AM for a glimpse of Ezra Miller, lol.

Some tips if you’re seeing Cursed Child:

Arrive Early! This gives you PLENTY of time to look around the theater and buy merch & food. Trust me, the theater is WORTH exploring.

There is NO HP food there. I saw A LOT of people ask where the gummy slugs/chocolate frogs/butterbeer was. They can’t sell those there, as Universal owns the rights to those items. That being said, Cursed Child, Fantastic Beasts, and HP are 3 separate franchises, so you won’t find them intermixing.

You CAN bring food into the theater!! Drinks too!

If you have Lounge Access, you have your own bathroom. Trust me, that will save you a TON of time.

Part 2 Merch is only available during Part 2 or after Part 1.It is kept behind the counter so you can’t get it during normal shop hours.

There is no curtain call after part 1. House lights come up and thats the end. No cast come out after part 1 either.

Seeing it in 2 days isn’t as bad as one would think. I think I liked it better than I would have seeing it all in one day.

The playbills have recaps of important HP events crucial to the plot. This is helpful for anyone who hasn’t read the books in a long time, or isn’t super familiar with the story. (i.e not me or my best friend’s brother).

I think this is long enough, but if anyone has any questions about seeing the show in NYC I’ll be happy to help!

[aion-rsa]

Netflix’s Never Have I Ever: Great TV Comedies to Watch Next

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If there’s justice in this world, high school comedy Never Have I Ever will return for at least a third season. The story of 15-year-old Devi Vishwakumar, a Los Angeles teen reeling from her beloved father’s sudden death while trying to navigate all the usual boys/school/friendship mess of adolescence, deserves to continue long into the future. (Here’s our spoiler-free season two review.)

While fans wait for news on a third season commission, the 10 great shows below are well worth discovering or (re)discovering. They’re not all teen shows, nor are they all strictly comedies, but somewhere along the line, they share some DNA with Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher’s Never Have I Ever. Add your own additional recommendations below.

Fresh Off the Boat

Six seasons (2015 – 2020)

Since the cruel early cancellation of her show Don’t Trust the B**** in Apt. 23 (Krysten Ritter’s funniest performance to date) it’s pretty much mandatory to watch anything Nahnatchka Khan makes. Fresh Off the Boat was her follow-up comedy for ABC, based on the early life of celebrity chef Eddie Huang as his family moved from Washington DC to Orlando. It’s set in the 90s and concluded last year after six seasons. The cast is great, in particular Randall Park (WandaVision, Always Be My Maybe) and Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians) as young Eddie’s Taiwanese immigrant parents, each of whom has very different mileage on adjusting to life in the US. 

The Mindy Project

Six seasons (2012 – 2017)

This romantic comedy was Mindy Kaling’s post-The Office project – the story of self-absorbed, pop-culture obsessed, lovable OB/GYN Dr Mindy Lahiri (Kaling) and her search for love in Manhattan. After some cast changes in its first season, it really found its feet and settled into a sharp workplace comedy with a great ensemble. It survived a post-season three cancellation by FOX thanks to being picked up by Hulu for a further three seasons, and ended in 2017. US comedy fans can enjoy playing actor bingo too, thanks to appearances from many of Kaling’s The Office co-stars, including writer-producer B.J. Novak, Ellie Kemper, Ed Helms and more. 

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Four seasons (2015 – 2019)

Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna’s comedy-musical series is inventive, boundary-breaking and packed to the rafters with talent. Like a few of the shows in this list, it’s distinctly adult in theme and not a high school comedy but still shares the wit, high-key colour and bold approach to life’s harder moments as Never Have I Ever. It’s the story of high-flying NYC lawyer Rebecca Bunch, who gives up everything to move to a backwater Californian town to pursue her summer camp first love Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III). Rebecca’s love of musical theatre bleeds into the show, turning it into a mental health musical complete with funny, original, sharply written song-and-dance routines.  

Popular

Two seasons (1999 – 2001)

The debut series from super-producer Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Pose, Glee, Nip/Tuck) co-created by Gina Matthews, Popular is the story of Brooke and Sam, two high school sophomores from opposite ends of the popularity spectrum who are forced together when their single parents become a couple. It ran for two seasons on The WB before being cancelled, and has since attracted a cult following for Murphy’s characteristically sharp blend of comedy, romance and serious themes. It landed in the 90s, so yes, the teens are played by 25 year olds, the unpopular nerd (Carly Pope) has model good looks, it’s not exactly diverse (though there is LGBTQ representation) but it’s seminal in Never Have I Ever’s genre. 

Sex Education

Three seasons so far (2019 – )

Laurie Nunn’s charming British comedy-drama is a frank and funny look at sexual hang-ups and teen relationships. It has a great ensemble cast led by Otis (Asa Butterfield), a shy teen embarrassed by his sex therapist mother’s forthright attitude to all things physical. When Otis teams up with ‘bad girl’ Maeve to offer anonymised sex therapy to their schoolmates, he discovers that he’s not the only one with issues. It’s a bright and funny high school series with characters to invest in, a stand-out performance by Ncuti Gatwa as Eric, and oh, the sex therapist mother is played by Gillian Anderson. Season three arrives on Netflix this September.

Read more

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Never Have I Ever Season 2 Review: This Netflix Teen Comedy Deserves to Run and Run

By Louisa Mellor

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Never Have I Ever Season 2: Episode 3’s Last-Minute Celebrity Narrator Change

By Louisa Mellor

Freaks & Geeks

One season (1999 – 2000)

A must-see high school comedy. Paul Feig and Judd Apatow’s 1980s-set series is most discussed these days for the outstanding cast of unknowns gathered by Allison Jones (who went on to cast The Office, Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, Arrested Development, Veep and basically every US sitcom worth watching). The prematurely cancelled NBC series kick-started the careers of Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, Busy Phillips, Linda Cardellini, James Franco and more. It’s the story of Cardellini’s Lindsay Weir, a maths star who crosses social boundaries from ‘geek’ to slacker ‘freak’ after the death of her grandmother. It’s brilliant, weird, funny and painful, and a total antidote to mainstream, slick, rich-kid Beverley Hills 90210 high school glamour, so of course, hardly anybody watched it, the network didn’t get it, and it was cancelled well before its time. 

The Wonder Years

Six seasons (1988 – 1993)

Husband and wife team Neal Marlens and Carol Black created a classic in The Wonder Years, a coming-of-age story about Kevin, the youngest son of a suburban American family, growing up against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the hippie movement. It’s fuelled by nostalgia and the sweet romantic yearnings of its young lead Kevin Arnold (played by Fred Savage, now a top comedy director-producer), but doesn’t gloss over life’s more serious moments. Never Have I Ever’s choice of John McEnroe as its wry adult narrator may well have been influenced by Daniel Stern’s role on The Wonder Years. It’s available to stream now on Hulu in the US.

Skins

7 seasons (2007 – 2013)

Not strictly a comedy, but with plenty of comedic moments, Skins has to be in the running for the best British teen show ever made. The first four seasons especially are filled with great writing, strong performances, and characters whose lives – and complicated love lives – are easy to invest in. It followed the students of a Bristol sixth form college through their A levels, giving it the chance to renew the cast every two years as the previous generation graduated/dropped out/ran away/were murdered. Like Freaks and Geeks, its cast of young actors, from Nicholas Hoult to Dev Patel, Joe Dempsie, Daniel Kaluuya, Jack O’Connell, Kaya Scodelario and more went on to very big things. Much more layered and satisfyingly weird than the reputation it was given by the British press as an orgy of sex, drugs and bad behaviour, it’s another must-watch. 

Daria

Five seasons (1997 – 2001)

Developed from a character created for Mike Judge’s animated MTV comedy Beavis & Butthead, Daria Morgendorffer is a cynical 16-year-old with a gimlet eyed take on suburban US life. She’s a 90s icon with a monotone voice (provided by Tracy Grandstaff) and a wry take on her schoolmates, parents, and cheerleader sister Quinn. Her witty, dry animated series aired for five seasons plus feature-length TV specials, and is soon to have a new spin-off coming to Comedy Central, focused on Daria’s classmate Jodie’s travails in the modern workplace.

My So-Called Life

One season (1994 – 1995)

When My So-Called Life aired its only season on ABC in 1994, it was the anti-teen TV show. Muted and realist rather than upbeat and aspirational, it cast actual teenagers, not models, and ventured into areas avoided by many other teen dramas of the time: alcoholism, sex, domestic abuse… Its first-person narration from Claire Danes’ lead character gave it a distinctive voice, and influenced many shows to follow. It’s worth saying that My So-Called Life is a drama, not a comedy, and paints teenage life with a totally different colour palette to bright, satirical Never Have I Ever. Acknowledging that, it’s a cult favourite, and possible to trace a line from Devi’s love triangle with nerdy academic Ben and hot, popular Paxton, and MSCL’s Angela Chase’s love triangle with nerdy academic Brian and hot, popular Jordan (would that line continue all the way back to Pretty in Pink? Probably). 

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Never Have I Ever season 2 is available to stream on Netflix now.

The post Netflix’s Never Have I Ever: Great TV Comedies to Watch Next appeared first on Den of Geek.

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, is a big city with small town vibes. As I strolled down Richmond Row, the historic shopping district in ’s downtown core, the old buildings seamlessly merged with modern boutiques. On a sunny, summer day, the patios were packed and the streets were buzzing with groups of families and friends. Starting at Richmond Row and beyond, there are so many fun things to do in .

If you’re looking for a weekend away, there’s really something for everyone: the outdoor adventurer, the foodie, the museum lover, and the gaming nerd. As I consider myself to be a mix of all of the above, I’m going to share my favorite activities and attractions that you can easily do in one weekend. Also, I’ll share my top food and drink options from some of the best restaurants in . Seeking what to do in ? Let’s go!

Things to Do in : Treetop Trekking

Did you know that , is known as the “Forest City”? ’s roots are very green, indeed. Back in its early days, it was a city in the middle of a dense forest. There were vast expanses of greenery and trees as far as you could see.

While construction and development may have diminished some of the trees, has plans to maintain its Forest City moniker. For every 1500 trees that are chopped down due to poor health, the city replants 5000 trees. If you’d like to explore one of the city’s green spaces, head directly to Boler Mountain. In fact, this is one of the most unique and fun outdoor activities in : you’ll be right up in the trees!

The treetop adventure park at Boler Mountain is a great place to connect with nature and get some exercise. By winter, Boler Mountain is a ski park. By summer, there are non-stop adventures in its natural Carolinian forest. There are five ropes courses for all ages and abilities. I participated in the beginner, intermediate, and zip line course. Watch the video below to see my treetop trekking skills in action!

My Treetop Trekking Experiences

Treetop trekking adventures at Boler Mountain are so much fun, and it’s one of the greatest outdoor activities in . Reconnect with nature as you hop and swing through the trees. I was challenged by each apparatus that I encountered. It was interesting to figure out how I was going to swing from one platform to the next.

Some of the platforms and planks were easier to navigate than others. There was one circular bit of wood that unexpectedly spun when I stepped on it, so I completely lost my balance and flew up into the air. But, that’s no problem at all! You are safely connected with harnesses and cables, so you can quite literally hang out up there while staying 100% safe.

As you can see in the video above, I got to fly through the air on a Tarzan swing right into a pirate net. Of course, I missed grabbing onto the net and flew backwards into the middle of the course. Not to worry: there are staff members positioned at spots throughout the course. This particular staff member was quite helpful in describing how to climb out of my situation!

What to Know Before You Go

Here are a few helpful tips to know before you go treetop trekking:

You can’t bring any bags or backpacks with you on the course. You can bring cameras, as long as they are attached to you in some way as you’ll need both hands free. My BlackRapid camera strap came in super handy here for keeping my DSLR safe. Highly recommend bringing a GoPro to take photos and video of your adventure!

Don’t wear sunglasses on the course. It’s perfectly fine to wear them (and I wore mine). However, I wish I didn’t. The canopy of the forest blocks out most of the sun. And you might not want to wear your sunglasses on the zip lines as you could lose them in the forest.

Bring your own pair of work gloves. You’ll need something that allows you to grip the ropes without hurting your hands. If you don’t bring your own pair, Boler Mountain will supply you with some gloves. However, you’ll likely end up tossing these ones at the end of the trip, and that creates a lot of waste. It’s best to bring your own durable pair from home.

There’s a training session at the beginning of the ropes course so you can familiarize yourself with the equipment. Bring a sense of adventure and have a great time!

Indoor Activities in : Rec Room

The Rec Room is 30,000 square feet of games, food, and fun in ’s Masonville Place. If you’re seeking indoor activities in at night or on a rainy day, gather your pals and head straight to the Rec Room. Justin and I love playing video games, so we were pretty pumped to visit the Rec Room for the first time.

You’ll find tons of brand new games and fun activities at the Rec Room. There are modern video games (four player Mario Kart, anyone?), redemption games, ping pong, pool, virtual reality, and even axe throwing. The two of us played lots of video games and redemption games. We even amassed enough points by the end of the evening that we came away with some boxes of candy.

Playing Games at the Rec Room

It’s easy to play games at the Rec Room. Add credits to a wrist band. Hold your wrist band up to the game that you’d like to play. That’s it! Any points that you earn from redemption games are stored on your wrist band. You can keep your wrist band and save your points or redeem them in the shop at the end of the night.

Our favorite game was one that combined air hockey and Pac-Man. We’d both never seen it anywhere else before. The game starts off quite normally. We were hitting an air hockey puck back and forth, trying to score on each other’s goal. After a couple of goals, a panel at the side of the game unleashed a fury of pucks on our game. Dozens of smaller pucks spilled onto the game field and chaos ensued. There were pucks flying around everywhere. I was doubling over with laughter. I really don’t think that I’ve laughed that hard in a long time. After a couple of moments passed, more miniature pucks fell down. And more of them again. I think our final score was something like 91-77, which is insanely high for a game of air hockey. You’ve gotta try it when you go to the Rec Room!

Admire Art at Museum

Museum is Southwestern ’s leading gallery for regional art, culture, and history. They have one of ’s most important art collections, featuring over 5000 regional and Canadian works, as well as 45,000 artifacts illustrating ’s history. This museum continues to inspire and represent the community by sharing and preserving its art and history. If you’re looking for things to do in , add this amazing museum to your list. It’s also a great rainy day activity, too!

Kent Monkman Exhibition

The exhibition by Kent Monkman, Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience, runs from June 1st to August 25, 2019. You absolutely need to check this one out, whether you’re visiting or you’re a local resident. It’s very enlightening and quite moving.

This exhibit was created by Monkman as a response to the 150 celebrations happening a couple of years ago for ’s 150th birthday. The history of is written by the victorious and in this case, European white men. Kent Monkman is a Canadian Cree artist who brings attention to the complex and devastating history of ’s First Nations. He works in a variety of mediums (paint, installations, video, and performance) to reinterpret romanticized North American landscapes and historic events. In doing so, Monkman explores themes of colonization, sexuality, loss, devastation, genocide, and resilience.

Through Monkman’s gender-fluid alter-ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, we travel back in time through ’s history from its beginnings as New France. This exhibition details how ’s history is told through art and stories from the lens of newly arrived white Europeans. Then, it juxtaposes the mainstream history with Monkman’s art, which brings some of ’s darkest chapters in history to light.

We’ll see romanticized portrayals of the fur trade, the signing of treaties, and beautiful landscapes. Monkman gives us a window into alternate perspectives and devastating realities for First Nations from history to the present day, including the reserve system, residential schools, mass incarceration, and destitution. The piece illustrating the genocidal nature of residential schools is particularly moving.

Visiting the Monkman exhibition should be required viewing for all Canadians. Definitely check it out at Museum this summer before the exhibit is over.

The Rhino Lounge

Fancy a sweet treat before or after your visit to Museum ? Pop by the Rhino Lounge bakery and coffee shop, right inside the museum. While it’s not an exclusively vegan cafe, they cater quite heavily for vegans and vegetarians with many plant-based offerings. Browse their Facebook page for lots of drool-worthy photos of vegan treats: vegan calzones, tarts, doughnuts, vegan and gluten-free chocolate cake, and more.

Tea Time at The Tea Lounge

If you’re looking for what to do in and you’re a tea lover, don’t leave the city without visiting The Tea Lounge. It’s a peaceful place, just off Richmond Row, to savor a cup of tea and light meals. There was a very serene atmosphere when I dined on the front porch, as I enjoyed a light breeze with my freshly brewed tea.

You can choose from a variety of over 100 high quality loose-leaf teas from around the world on their expansive menu, as chosen by their tea sommelier. Then, you can drink tea from a traditional tea set that corresponds with its country of origin. For instance, I chose the Uji Gyokuro tea from Japan, so my tea was served in a traditional Japanese tea set. I was shown exactly how to steep my tea properly, and there was an endless supply of hot water (at the ideal temperature for the tea).

Vegan at The Tea Lounge

Next, I enjoyed a delicious lunch at The Tea Lounge. The menu is predominantly vegan and plant-based, with the small exception of a few vegetarian items. I tried a vegan cheese platter with a variety of local, nut-based cheeses. Artisan vegan cheese is absolutely delicious, so I urge you to order this one, even if you don’t follow a vegan lifestyle. I also ordered a nourishing bowl of miso soup, which matched my Japanese tea quite perfectly.

If you’re feeling a little hungrier, order one of their Mason jar salads. I tried the Sexy Mexi Jar (love the name!), which includes greens, black beans, peppers, onions, corn, chickpeas, guacamole, and vegan cheese. To top it all off, I had a vegan chocolate chip scone for dessert, complete with coconut cream and local jams. I haven’t had a scone in years and years, so it was such a treat to try this veganized version.

Treat yourself to afternoon tea, a light lunch, and dessert at the Tea Lounge. It’s one of the most memorable things to do in , and it’s also a fabulous place to gather with your partner, friends, or family. In fact, there was a birthday party indoors when I attended…for the cutest little dog named Pip!

Sample Craft Brews at Curley Brewing Co

I’m a huge fan of craft beer and microbreweries, so I just had to check out Curley Brewing Company. Curley Brewing is a nano brewery, meaning that they produce beer in small batches. You can only find their beer in house, so head straight to Curley Brewery to sample a flight or a pint. There was also a fantastic duo playing some rock tunes during my visit on a Friday night, which boosted the lively atmosphere. It’s one of the best places to visit in .

The Beer

There were so many unique kinds of beer on tap. I couldn’t decide between the Citra Blonde (blonde ale with cascade and citra hops), Kettle Bird (lightly soured and dry hopped ale), or the Mocha Stout (stout with coffee, bourbon soaked vanilla beans, cacao). But, I eventually ended up choosing the Strong Hill for something a little fruity (saison with raspberries and blackberries). It was a wise decision as it was very refreshing and like summer in a glass!

Vegan Brew Cafe

Curley Brewing Company is also the first vegan brew cafe I’ve ever visited. Their pub grub is so yummy and pairs perfectly with the beer. There’s just about every comforting dish or snack imaginable, all made completely with plants. I was tempted by all of the options: burgers, sandwiches, quesadillas, grilled cheese, and more. In the end, I couldn’t resist a big ol’ plate of vegan nachos – yum!

The Best Vegan in

If you’re looking for the best vegan restaurants in , you’ve come to the right place. Don’t forget about the options I listed above (Curley Brewing Company, the Tea Lounge, and Rhino Lounge) as they’re fantastic options, too. Here are some more amazing vegan restaurants and restaurants with vegan options where I suggest you dine when you visit , .

Plant Matter Kitchen

I’m not a stranger of Plant Matter Kitchen. In fact, I visited Plant Matter Kitchen a few years ago during a trip to where I explored local markets and the local food movement. PMK not only lived up to my memories, but potentially exceeded my expectations once again.

Plant Matter Kitchen focuses on vegan, organic, fresh and healthy meals made from local ingredients when possible. Only the good stuff here! It’s always difficult to choose something from the menu when it all sounds so delicious. I decided to try the Holistic Enchilada and it was super tasty. Every ingredient worked so well together: refried beans, kale, sweet potato, peppers onions, sour cream, and cheese sauce, smothered in tomato sauce in a wheat tortilla. I quenched my thirst with a black currant kombucha.

The folks at PMK have two other vegan establishments in : Plant Matter Bistro and Plant Matter Cafe. I’ll have to try the other two on my next visit!

Garlic’s of

Garlic’s of is a farm-to-table restaurant in downtown that has served up chef-driven meals for over 25 years. They source the highest quality ingredients from local farmers and producers, merging rustic eats with a modern flare.

I was pleased to see a few vegan options on the menu. My server was happy to point out all of the plant-based meals, as she also happened to follow a vegan diet. I decided to order the Slow Roasted Garlic Bulb to start, which has apparently been on the menu since the restaurant opened 25 years ago. It only seemed fitting to eat a bulb of garlic at Garlic’s (also, the perks of dining solo: no one was there to smell my garlic breath!).

For my entree, I selected the vegan Pad Thai with tofu, rice noodles, bean sprouts, toasted peanuts, chili, lime, scallion, and coriander. I loved how both dishes were so artfully arranged on their respective plates, and both meals were tasty and full of flavor. I highly recommend checking out Garlic’s if you’re planning a date night or having dinner before catching a show at the local theater that’s around the corner.

The Little Bird Cafe

The Little Bird Cafe is a cozy spot in Wortley Village with a cute patio. I got there pretty early in the morning for breakfast and the patio was nearly packed. I was a little bit cold, so I didn’t mind eating indoors. There are a few vegan options for breakfast, and I ordered two of them: the chia seed pudding (which had interesting flavors that actually worked quite well together – pineapple, coconut, and dark chocolate) and the grapefruit brulee.

I thought the chia seed pudding was delicious, but that grapefruit brulee really stole the show. There was a layer of sugar on top of the grapefruit, which had been heated with a flame, much like a creme brulee. I had to crack the top of the sugar layer to get to the fruit, eating a spoonful of crunchy sugar with each bite of grapefruit. It was sinfully sweet and not like anything I’ve tried before.

Save Room for Dessert

Even if you’re full, I advise that you save an extra little space of room in your stomach for a sweet treat. After all, desserts go in a separate area of your stomach right? Here are a couple of spots where you’ll find vegan dessert in .

Chick Boss Cake

When you walk into Chick Boss Cake, you feel like you’re walking right into a beautiful Instagram feed. There are gorgeous decorated spaces throughout the bakery and even entire walls devoted to taking selfies.

They also have vegan cupcakes, which was my primary reason for visiting. I ordered a rainbow colored cotton candy cupcake. Then, it only seemed fitting to order a matching rainbow lemonade. Their Pride lemonade celebrates Pride Month, and it also tasted like Skittles. Yum!

Chil Frozen Yogurt

Did you know that Chil Frozen Yogurt has over 100 toppings and they have an absolute ton of vegan options? Chil was my last stop on my tour around the city, and it was such an amazing surprise that tops my list of things to do in . Essentially, it’s a frozen yogurt bar where you pay by weight for your dessert.

There are four different kinds of vegan ice cream bases, so I did a mix of vanilla and chocolate. Then, there are a variety of kinds of cookie dough, candies, syrups, sauces, fruits, nuts, and more. You name it, it’s a topping at Chil Frozen Yogurt. The vegan options are clearly marked all around the shop. After you’re done, you weigh your masterpiece and then…eat! I was rather pleased with my ice cream creation, which looks like a child went a little crazy at the ice cream shop. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Where to Stay: The Park Hotel

If you’re seeking the top things to do in , it’s a good idea to stay in a prime location. The Park Hotel has one of the best locations in the city, right in the middle of it all. Located right off Richmond Row in the downtown core, you can easily walk to many spots in right from the hotel.

My suite felt more like my own little apartment in the city. There’s a living room with a TV, a separate bedroom with another TV, a desk, a clean and modern bathroom, a microwave, a mini fridge, and a Keurig coffee maker. Wi-Fi is complimentary, and you can also park for free in their underground parking lot.

The staff of The Park Hotel were super friendly and helpful, and I felt right at home there. Although I didn’t do this, you could actually order room service from the Jack Astor’s restaurant next door, which I felt was a really nice touch. I can’t imagine wanting to stay anywhere else when I travel to . Book your stay at The Park Hotel or check out more reviews from fellow travelers.

Getting There

As I spent a couple of days in Windsor before visiting , I traveled from Windsor to aboard the VIA Rail train. My journey was quick and easy, and the service is always excellent on the train. I also took VIA Rail from back to Union Station in Toronto, too. If you have a car, you can always drive to , but the train is such a relaxing experience (and more environmentally friendly, too!).

Getting Around

I mostly walked around on my own two feet as many neighborhoods in are quite walkable. However, when the distance was a little too far, I used Uber to get all over town. Uber drivers are plentiful in , especially since it’s a university city.

.kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap {background:rgba(206, 249, 248, 1);padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;border-width:0px 0px 0px 0px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover {border-color:rgba(238, 238, 238, 1);background:rgba(206, 249, 248, 1);} .kt-blocks-info-box-media {color: 0px 0px 0px;padding:10px 10px 10px 10px;margin:0px 15px 0px 15px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-media {color:#444;background:transparent;border-color:#fff;} .kt-blocks-info-box-title {color: 0px 0px 0px;margin:5px 0px 10px 0px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-title {color:#444;} .kt-blocks-info-box-text {color:#444;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-text {color:#444;} .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore {color: 0px 0px 0px;padding:4px 8px 4px 8px;margin:10px 0px 10px 0px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore {color: <div id="" class="wp-block-kadence-infobox"><div class="kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap kt-blocks-info-box-media-align-top kt-info-halign-center"><div class="kt-blocks-info-box-media kt-info-media-animate-none"><div class="kadence-info-box-icon-container kt-info-icon-animate-none"><div class="kadence-info-box-icon-inner-container"><span style="display:block;justify-content:center;align-items:center" class="kt-info-svg-icon kt-info-svg-icon-fas_camera"><svg style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle" viewbox="0 0 512 512" height="80" width="80" fill="currentColor" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M512 144v288c0 26.5-21.5 48-48 48H48c-26.5 0-48-21.5-48-48V144c0-26.5 21.5-48 48-48h88l12.3-32.9c7-18.7 24.9-31.1 44.9-31.1h125.5c20 0 37.9 12.4 44.9 31.1L376 96h88c26.5 0 48 21.5 48 48zM376 288c0-66.2-53.8-120-120-120s-120 53.8-120 120 53.8 120 120 120 120-53.8 120-120zm-32 0c0 48.5-39.5 88-88 88s-88-39.5-88-88 39.5-88 88-88 88 39.5 88 88z"><div class="kt-infobox-textcontent"><h4 class="kt-blocks-info-box-title">Want to see more photos of ?<p class="kt-blocks-info-box-text">See all of our travel photos in one place at our travel photography page. You can also click the “buy” button on any picture to purchase gifts made from our photos.<div class="kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore-wrap"><a class="kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F%2F-2019&sref=rss">Learn More <p>If you’re looking for things to do in , whether you’re a local or a visitor, I hope that my list has helped inspire your plans. There are so many activities in that I couldn’t possibly visit all of them in just one stay. Just as there are so many more vegan restaurants to try, too! I can’t wait to make another trip down to for another incredibly fun weekend away. <ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3-683x1024.jpg" alt="Fun Things to Do in : Guide to the Best , and Guide data-id="18440" data-link="https://justinpluslauren.com/?attachment_id=18440" class="wp-image-18440" srcset="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3-200x300.jpg 200w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3.jpg 735w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2-683x1024.jpg" alt="Fun Things to Do in : Guide to the Best , and Guide data-id="18439" data-link="https://justinpluslauren.com/?attachment_id=18439" class="wp-image-18439" srcset="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2.jpg 735w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1-683x1024.jpg" alt="Fun Things to Do in : Guide to the Best , and Guide data-id="18438" data-link="https://justinpluslauren.com/?attachment_id=18438" class="wp-image-18438" srcset="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1.jpg 735w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /> <p style="text-align:center">PIN one of the above images to Pinterest for future reference. Click the top left corner. <p><em>Thank you so much to <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ontariossouthwest.com%2F&sref=rss" target="_blank">’s Southwest and<strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvisitwindsoressex.com%2F&sref=rss" target="_blank"> Tourism for hosting my visit. This post contains affiliate links. If you click one of them, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. <div class="kt-simple-box" style="background-color:rgba(232, 232, 232, 1); min-height:1px; padding-top:15px; padding-bottom:15px; padding-left:15px; padding-right:15px; "><div class="kt-simple-box-inner"> <center><strong>Did you find this post useful? Show your appreciation with a small tip! <div id="JPL01" class="quid-slider" align="center" quid-currency="CAD" quid-product-id="JPL01" quid-product-url="https://justinpluslauren.com/things-to-do-in-london-ontario/" quid-product-name="Justin Plus Lauren" quid-product-description="A Tip for Justin & Lauren" quid-text="Tip Us!" quid-text-paid="Thanks!" quid-amount="1"> <h4>What would you like to do most in , , ? <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://justinpluslauren.com/things-to-do-in-london-ontario/">Fun Things to Do in : Guide to the Best , and appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://justinpluslauren.com">Justin Plus Lauren.

[privilege-archives]

Thank you for your audition, MICKY. We are thrilled to welcome you into the group as the Second Abrams who you have chosen to name ARTHUR JAMES, with the faceclaim of Kevin McHale, and we truly cannot wait to meet them. Please send in your account in the next 24 hours, and read over the new members checklist before sending in your link.

ALL ABOUT YOU ➝

Your name or alias Micky She/her, Old  I will confess if you want me to GMT. 

YOUR ACTIVITY ➝

either a 5/6 or 7/8 depending on current family situation .But I am  normally around every evening and all day during weekends and Holidays.  I officially have no life.

ANYTHING TO ADD? ➝

Removed.

YOUR CHARACTER ➝

Arthur “Artie” James Abrams He/him FC Kevin Mcahale

AGE, ORDER & BIRTHDAY

22 2nd born 2 June singular.   will change birth order  or change to multiple if required should any one else want to join the family 

GRADE & MAJOR ➝

Sophmore - Film

SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION ➝

Hetrosexual  , Hetroromantic.

FAMOUS FAMILY ➝

Nancy was a famous singer and has now turned into a very successful entertainer . Seth is a very famous defense attorney representing all the stars and has made several helpful connections throughout the years thanks to the clients he has represented. He has yet to lose a case in his career..

BIOGRAPHY ➝

Arthur “Artie” Abrams came along as a bit of a surprise to Nancy and Seth  Everyone  adored Artie and the fact that he was a very easy going  and happy child just drew people to him.   Growing up watching his mother performing on stage , he loved learning the dance routines used by her back up singers and by early childhood was becoming quite an accomplished dancer himself, and along with his mothers inherited singing voice it was obvious to the world that Artie was destined to be a star. A few days after his eighth birthday , he was approached by a casting agent about auditioning for the role of  Gavroche in the  Broadway production of Les Miserables.  It was just short of  a week later on the 15th of June whilst travelling to the airport to attend the audition that tragedy  struck .  Artie and Nancy were crossing an intersection , when the driver in a truck, failed to stop at the red light and ploughed straight into them.  The passenger door buckled and embedded itself into  Artie’s back, shattering his spine and severing his spinal cord.   Nancy escaped with just a few bruises and the driver of the truck  walked away unscathed, Later  after being questioned by the police, it was discovered that his lunch time business meeting had included generous amounts of champagne.

Airlifted to hospital Artie’s life hung in the balance for a while, but as he slowly recovered, it was confirmed what they had already suspected that the future Broadway star would never walk again , the accident having left him permanently paralysed from the mid chest down.   Once the doctors were satisfied his injury was stable enough for him to be moved he was transferred to a rehabilitation centre, where he was forced to relearn the  simplest of tasks that only weeks before had been second nature such dressing, bathing and even getting in and out of bed.  As he struggled to adapt to life in a wheelchair the little boy plunged into a deep depression knowing that his life would never be the same again.    Returning home was difficult for Artie.  The press were waiting by the Abrams’ gate trying to catch a glimpse of the famous couples son.  And he became the main topic of any interview that ever took place.  Particularly after Nancy put her her career on hold , to take care of him and Seth successfully sued the driver of the truck for a multi million dollar figure.     Realising that his dream of becoming a dancer was over , Artie retreated into his books , studying hard ,  watching the world from the sidelines     The next couple years went by in a blur, any real friends that he had before the accident,  didn’t want anything to do with him and those that remained only did so because of who his family were, but they weren’t real friends and Artie often heard them laughing at him when he couldn’t keep up as they raced off to play and he found himself falling deeper into depression.

It was after the arrival of Levi into his  life that things began to turn around for Artie.  Led to believe that Levi had been adopted from India , Artie noticed the sadness in new brothers eyes and it made him start to think that life could have been a lot worse.  and he was determined to be the best big brother he could possibly be., He may have been stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life but at least he was  alive and whilst he still has bouts of depression, his out look on life began to change.   Seth had began to notice that Artie had become a people watcher and one day came home from the office with a present for his  son.  A video camera,   Artie loved it and spent hours making short movies to entertain his family, and after a while he knew that this was what he wanted to do with his life.   High School was a challenge for Artie.,  As he found himself at the mercy of the football and hockey teams, regularly finding himself locked in the dumpster or hoisted up the flag poles ,  but thanks to the AV and Glee clubs  , he had for the first time since the accident, real friends. and after graduating with honours  he knew he wanted to go to college to  study the love of his life.  Movie making.  He figured if JJ Abrams could be come a star behind the camera then so could AJ Abrams , but fear of stepping or wheeling out of the comfort zone that was home delayed his decision to go.   All sorts of thought ran through his head.  What if the campus wasn’t accessible , what if something went wrong medically as he was fully aware of the complications that could arise from his condition,  But worse was the discovery that his father had been  having an affair  with a younger woman and that she was pregnant with his child.   Knowing that Nancy had halted her  performing career  to look after him, left him feeling duty bound to stay and be there for her.  Be the emotional support she needed but Some how she finally managed to convince him that she would be fine and he packed his bags and headed for PSU, determined to try and let nothing stop him obtaining his film degree and  his dream of being the first paraplegic to win an academy award. 

AESTHETIC ➝

Artie is your typical nerd.    Is obsessed with Game of Thrones , DC super heroes and Swedish noir drama and is usually seen darting around campus wearing the most unflattering sweaters known to humanity.  He may dress like your Grandad, but it suites him.  He is incredibly  shortsighted and chooses to wear glasses as he finds contacts make his eyes sore, but he does wear them for special occasions. 

He is extremely protective of his family and friends even to the point that it gets a little obsessive,  He doesn’t drink alcohol, having been a victim of it’s negative effects , and tries his hardest not to become too preachy on the subject, but doesn’t always succeed in airing his opinions.  

[gadget-reviews]

Best Place to Buy a Laptop

If you’ve been on the hunt for a new laptop, but aren’t sure which stores (online or otherwise) are going to offer you the best combination of price discounts, shipping speed, and customer service, then you’ve come to the right place! So, after more than 30+ hours of research, ordering, returning products and testing each store's customer service team, we can confidently say that Newegg is the best place to buy a laptop. The site offers a powerful suite of search tools, the selection is almost unparalleled, and the support staff ranked A+ during our testing. We've spent the time and man hours necessary to research many of the top retailers in the laptop space to break down the good, bad, and the ugly when it comes to your online (or offline) laptop buying experience. This means buying laptops from many of the top retailers and tracking dozens of metrics to whittle down exactly what you need to know about the top shopping portals online.

How We Picked the Best Stores for the Best Experience

Our Laptop Buying Process

To evaluate which stores on this list were the best possible place to buy a laptop on the web, we personally bought laptops from each of them and recorded a series of metrics which fed into the overall performance score they received. This included the price of the laptop itself (compared to other sites at the time of purchase), the cost of shipping (to our testing facility located in Portland, Oregon), the amount of selection available, the most recently updated models added to the lineup, as well as the effectiveness of their customer service departments and the amount of time it took to receive our refund after the return process was complete. Taking all of these different factors into consideration we were able to test and review many of the top portals and whittle down our options from around 12 different major stores on the web down to five. These five exemplify everything you should look for when you want to optimize your laptop buying experience, and represent the peak of buying a laptop online!

Our Laptop Purchase Metrics

Delivery Options: With Amazon setting a new bar in online delivery, many e-commerce retailers have stepped up their speeds in kind, offering programs and shipping options that often rival (and sometimes even beat) the juggernaut at their own game. Optimally we want anything under two days, though we know for testing some of the smaller retailers it’s more reasonable to expect times between three days to one week. Anything over this (as a default option) was seen to be too slow, which would disqualify them from making it on our top list. The price of the shipping method was also an important delineator here, though we were unable to standardize this portion of the test due to the area where we personally shipped the items to. Given that Portland, OR is a major city we experienced shipping times and quotes that may be significantly lower than what rural customers can expect, though we did our best to include this variable as much as possible when arriving at our final rankings. Shipping Insurance: Also, since we were shipping laptops which are both fragile and expensive, we wanted to make sure that all the stores chosen for this list offered some level of insurance that could be purchased during checkout. The last thing you want to open up your box to is a shattered screen or a busted hard drive with no option for recourse, Shipping Options: Finally - in terms of shipping - we looked at the actual number of shipping options available, whether it was through UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, or otherwise. Amazon was the only standout in this category (given that some laptops can actually be found on their Prime service and will arrive from their own fleet of vans in two hours or less), but several others did offer alternative shipping methods if one provider or another didn’t deliver to your specific area. Return Policy: When shopping for laptops it’s important to keep an eye on their return policy, because it can change pretty significantly from portal to portal. Whenever you get a new laptop it helps to be able to actually get your hands on it for a bit to see how it handles the tasks you need it to, and if for any reason it’s underpowered (or overpowered) for your standard tasks, being able to ship it back or replace it with a new one in a reasonable amount of time is paramount to a pleasurable user experience. A pleasurable experience includes the company covering re-shipping costs, as well as not being sticklers about restocking fees or what they define as an "opened" package. Customer Service: This is a big one, because the differences in customer service between say an Amazon and an Overstock.com couldn’t be greater. We reviewed several metrics here, including the number of customer support options, the quality of support received, as well as how effectively the support reps in question were able to handle our inquiry. Selection: This metric was measured in two separate areas: actual number of models they have in stock, as well as the frequency at which they update their stock with new models. Laptops are one of the fastest evolving technologies on the marketplace today, with bigger hard drives, better graphics cards, faster processors and higher-resolution webcams being added to them upwards of twice or three times per year. This means we only considered outlets that are constantly refreshing their available options, and made a special note to keep track of the number of laptops they would get in for each tech refresh. User Experience: When it comes to technology like laptops, it’s important that the sites we selected offered an easy way for customers to quickly sort through the noise and find the laptop that’s right for them. This means offering search parameters which allow you to sort by dozens of different metrics, whether that be hard drive capacity, screen size, CPU, and more. For example, special exceptions like Newegg even let you go so far as to sort by the RAM type and included graphics card, which for the extra nerds out there is a must-have feature in the laptop buying process. Payment Methods: The number of payment methods accepted by a retailer was also an important factor in our decision making process, though there wasn’t a whole lot of differences between most of our top picks. Bonus points were awarded to any retailers that offered alternative payment options like PayPal or Moneygram. Price: Of course, this wouldn’t be a list of the best places to buy a laptop without taking price into account! Though heavy hitters like NewEgg used to dominate in this category, in recent years companies (like Amazon, of course) have started to narrow the gap between who can offer the absolute bottom dollar prices when it comes to laptops and other pieces of technology.

#1 Newegg - Best Overall

Bottom Line: Even though they’ve slipped from the limelight over the past few years and no longer offer the insane tech deals they became known for in the early days, Newegg still beats out everyone else as the best place to buy a laptop online. From the forgiving return policy and restocking fees to the ridiculously granular search functions, Newegg makes it easy to find exactly the laptop you want at a price that’s still comparatively competitive with Amazon. Add to this a huge stock of available models to choose from alongside a great support staff, and you’ve got a recipe for success for the #1 place to buy a laptop online! Return Policy: 14 days, restocking fee is damage dependent Pros

Huge number of available models

Perfect search function

Decent return policy

Great support staff

Good sale frequency/discount amounts

Cons

Prices not as low as they used to be

#2 Best Buy - Best for In-Store Pickup

Bottom Line: Though physical Best Buy stores have suffered from a major drop in quality in recent years, their online business continues to set a gold standard for laptop buying. The company offers a 15-day return policy with no restocking fees to be found, and also runs a robust search option that comes close to rivaling what we found at Newegg. The company offers a large number of available support options, however the one drawback we noticed was that our over-the-phone experience was more frustrating than it needed to be. Aside from that small complaint however, Best Buy easily glides into the #2 slot for our dollar as one of the best places to buy a laptop online today! Return Policy: 14 days, no restocking fee (30-day and 45-day return periods available for Best Buy Elite and Elite Plus members) Pros

Great search function

Large number of available models

Good discounts during sales

No restocking fee on laptops

In-store pickup option for immediate buying

Cons

Return policy might be too short for some buyers

Customer service over the phone could have been better

#3 Amazon - Fastest Shipping

Bottom Line: As much as we might have liked to give this slot to another specialty store, there’s a reason why Amazon continues to be one of the best online retailers in the business. Screamingly quick delivery times for Prime members (and even some speedy picks for non-Prime buyers), combined with a great selection and some crazy discounts during big sales adds up to an awesome laptop buying experience. Their 30-day return policy is about as good as you can expect in this business, and there’s no denying the gold-star nature of their customer support team/number of available contact options. If we had to fault them for anything, it would be the inconsistencies we found in resellers, some of whom would take advantage of a model going out of stock and jack up the price by several figures more, hoping that less knowledgeable customers would buy their laptop at the extremely gouged price point. Return Policy: 30 days, restocking fee dependent on level of damage (0-15%) Pros

Great return policy

Super fast delivery (Prime and non-Prime members)

Good number of available models

Won’t find deeper discounts during big holidays

Cons

Resellers pollute the market with overpriced, older models

No control of stock between resellers

Search function could be more in-depth

#4 Ebay

Bottom Line: Even though eBay has a sporadic selection and doesn’t always line up perfectly on search results, it’s still a great place for bargain hunters to find some of the best deals on laptops on the web. That said, we do have to dock points in a couple major areas (which is why it’s lower down on our list). These include the pretty abysmal customer support team (worst of all five options), as well as the inconsistencies in restocking fees and model availability. This isn’t so much the fault of eBay itself as it is the nature of the platform, however when dealing with high priced electronics like laptops we would have liked to see a bit more standardization between all the different stores, resellers, and individual sellers if possible. Return Policy: Varies from seller to seller (average 15 days) Pros

Best prices on the web for laptops, hands down

Good search function

Lots of models to choose from during big holiday shopping seasons

Large number of payment options

Cons

No centralized sellers

Varied restocking policy/return times

Poor customer service

#5 Overstock

Bottom Line: Yup, Overstock.com is still in business, and although they struggle to maintain focus in some core areas of competency, overall they’re still a solid option when it comes to buying a laptop online. One of the main reasons it gets high marks in our books is the humongous number of search parameters you can choose from when whittling down your choice, rivaling only Newegg in its breadth and depth. As it is with most other products on the portal, Overstock.com makes an effort to provide some of the lowest prices on the web for laptops, and for refurbished items it should be your first stop thanks to its large stock of older models that have long since left the shelves of more prolific buying sites. Return Policy: 30 days, no restocking fees on undamaged items (partial refund past 30 days) Pros

Extra long return policy

Great prices on refurbished and new items

Decent selection

Spectacular customer support/good number of available support options

Cons

May not have all the newest models in stock

Limited stock on popular models

Shipping times might be longer than some buyers are used to

Everyone Else: Trusted, But Not Ideal for Buying a Laptop

The retailers listed below, while decent enough for what they are, don’t combine all the elements of a great buying experience into one fluid process like what we expect from the top options on this list. This isn’t to say they’re necessarily bad choices, but just not our first pick when we know it’s time to look at adding a new laptop to the roster.

Apple.com

Bottom Line: High prices combined with a prohibitively limited selection (of course, it’s all Apple laptops all the time), means that unless you’re dead set on sticking within the Apple ecosystem for every step of the process you’re probably better off getting your Apple laptop from Newegg or Best Buy instead. Both companies always have a large stock of the newest Macbooks and Macbook Pros as soon as they drop, and will even offer discounts during the earliest days that Apple wouldn’t even think of putting on their site (lest anyone mistake their products as “bargain” options). That said, take a look at Electronics Valley on Ebay. They at times will offer high competitive pricing that is sometimes unrivaled. Return Policy: 14 days, no restocking fee Pros

Every current Macbook model in stock

Easy to navigate website

Fast checkout

Pick and return in store

Cons

High prices that generally never see a discount

No sales during holidays

Customer support options for sales site were lacking

Target.com

Bottom Line: Target is great for buying a lot of different things for around the home, but on laptops alone the company falls flat. A limited number of models available, at higher-than-average prices means that unless you’re absolutely desperate to bundle a pack of paper towels in with your laptop shipment you’re probably better off going with one of the other options shown in the list above. All this in mind, I was a fan of the SquareTrade protection programs, which offered decently priced insurance on your laptop purchase against just about every different type of damage scenario imaginable. Return Policy: 90 days unopened, variable otherwise depending on condition and price Pros

Good insurance options

Can return in-store

Large number of shipping choices

Cons

Very limited selection

Average prices

No consistent return policy, item dependent

Who We Can’t Recommend and Why

Finally, we come to the list of retailers who should be avoided at all costs. Whether this is because they’re a poor choice or it just looks like they’re at risk of going out of business (here's looking at you Sears) any minute, these are the picks of online laptop retailers we wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. Walmart.com: Terrible selection, horrible comparative pricing, and just the fact that they’re Walmart alone should be enough to steer you clear of this company. Although Walmart is great for a lot of different items (such as buying a TV) technology has certainly never been their strong suit, and we wouldn’t recommend you buy anything tech-related from them in the near future. Frys.com: Though it pains me to say it (I basically grew up inside of Fry’s), in recent years the company has really let the online side of their retail operation fall by the wayside. If you live locally and want to place an order for a laptop to pick up this might be a decent option, but aside from that small use case the limited selection, mediocre pricing, and abysmal customer support should be enough to scare any prospective buyers away.

Best Place to Buy a Laptop is available on www.gadgetreview.com/

[bestmovies0]

6 Terrible Stereotypes (That Came From Positive Things)

You probably expressed the view that every slur and negative stereotype jump from the minds of history’s most bigoted people, like that time Sir Misogynist fabricated sexism whole cloth in 1204. But history is more nuanced than that. Sometimes inventions, positive trends, and good aims end up harming the exact people they were supposed to help. Take how …

6

Every Witch Stereotype Comes From Women Working A Cool Job

Picture your favorite witch. Unless you moved with ‘9 0s Sabrina, you’re likely picturing an old woman wearing all black, with a pointy hat, a broom, and maybe hovering over a black kettle. You might have a felines in the mingle as well. Everything you portrait was a relic of a kind of cool minute in history when women could earn a living doing a very concrete task: brewing beer.

Medieval people who didn’t know jack about how the Universe operated, how to read, or why someone should fabricate toilet paper as soon as possible understood at least one thing us sophisticated modern characters can agree with: Their clean drinking water was garbage. Which was why some of them skipped water wholly and booze brew instead. In a world in which hunting, warring, whoring, and maybe cobbling (?) took up most of the day, boys didn’t have time to wait near a kettle to make their own beer. So the brewers were usually( pause for dramatic impact) … females . i>

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You could find them if you knew the right signs. Typically she’d be near a big black kettle. And she’d have a cat to retain all the barley-eating vermin at bay. She’d likewise have an ale stake, which they were required by law to display. What’s an ale bet? A long wooden pole with a bunch of branches at the end, like a broom. And if you were out and about at the market, you could look for the big black pointy hat they wore to stand out while selling their brewskies at marketplace. Sound familiar yet?

David Loggan The green skin thing may have been from a hangover.

But everything started to change for lady brewers in the 1300 s. Men suddenly decided that they craved in on the rising booze market, which entailed girls had to move their ass out of the behavior. And when they refused? Well, there was a certain medieval saying about smart, strong-headed females: witch! She’s a witch! Burn the witch!

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5 Hilariously Disgusting Minutes From Your Favorite Shows

Suddenly , now that it suited the men, the tall hat became the witch’s evil uniform, and the barley-protecting feline a “familiar” given to her by Satan. And the broomstick? She plainly rode it to go to her secret devil sessions. And that simmering brew wasn’t beer anymore, but some sort of evil beverage that would induce you go all weird — you know, unlike brew. By the 14 th century, people had been poisoned( ironically) against the idea of female homebrewers, right in time for large-scale breweries to take over. And so today, super vexing guys will make sure you know all about their latest microbrew , not realizing their shitty hobby get girls burned at the stake.

5

“Dumb Blondes” Was Accidentally Birthed By The Suffrage Movement

Once upon a time, a troupe of blonde performing women arrived in New York from Great Britain. They set up shop doing a burlesque performance and constructed indecent sums of money. The purpose. Except that the particular day this story was in was 1868, so a lot of sexist bullshit then occurred.

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When we say these blonde wives performed burlesque, it wasn’t burlesque as we think of it today, which is basically stripping with better music and nipple tassels. No, this was the extremely-risque-for-its-time burlesque, wherein women put on a play-act while presenting their legs ! Legs covered in thick tights, like they’re some kind of comfortably warm prostitutes. Some of them even dressed like boys. The nerve! Being a living, breathing girl would have been enough for most misogynists at the time, but add in the sexy prancing, the cross-dressing, and the fact that these British immigrants were taking indecent American occupations, and you have massive outrage on your hands.

Via Musicals1 01. com “Is that a dog garmented as a lamb ?! Will these loose wives stop at nothing ?! “

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So far, so depressingly normal, right? Nonetheless, at the same time, these UK gals were drawing the ire of American suffragettes. These proto-feminists had a difficult tightrope to stroll. On the one hand, the burlesque musicians were owning their sexuality and succeeding at a task in public. On the other, they were openly mocking the suffragist movement — among many other things, like Shakespeare, way, and marriage. In the end, many decided to speak out against the blonde British beauties, enabling another stereotype: that of the sour-faced suffragette who can’t take a bloody joke.

One in particular, Olive Logan, simply couldn’t let it go, even denouncing the women in front of Susan B. Anthony, who had most significant shit to deal with than throwing tint. Logan talked at length about how these blondes were a detriment to the gender, as they had nothing to give intellectually or talent-wise, and people simply went to see them for their bodies. Soon the latter are being put down with the insult “British Blondes, ” which we’re sure we’ve understood printed on a Maxim cover somewhere.

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Eventually, this jargon wasn’t used to refer to simply the burlesque dancers anymore, but to any woman who was famous for her appears, the so-called “professional beauties.” “British Blondes” transformed into “dizzy blondes, ” which is an old-timey term for hella dumb, and so we arrived here the quaint insult still used to this day. It certainly is tragic that Susan B. Anthony, who fought her entire life for equality, could have nipped one of the most damaging female stereotypes in the bud by telling her friend to chill for a second.

4

Cops Eating Donuts Came From Long, Terrible Hours

During the daytime, you can stop in for little bit anywhere, but in the old days, if you were working the night shift and craved something to feed, your options were limited. Sure, you try to find an all-night diner or pack a big lunchbox and thermos, but for cops on the job, one of those is very impractical and the other constructs your collaborator call you a big ol’ nerd.

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But after World War II, a new food fad made the entirety of the U.S .: donut shops. And because donut shops basically operate like bakeries, they open crazy early. Abruptly cops had a one-stop shop to grab food and coffee on the go, keeping them fed and alert as they roved the street. And “its been” cheap too, so even when other options becomes available, they bided loyal to the hole.

Of course, donut stores enjoyed the fact that policemen would hang out at their venues — especially before dawn, when the drug fiends are at their most feral. Dunkin’ Donuts founder William Rosenberg claimed in his autobiography that he actively induced his stores the kind of places policemen wanted to hang out for a while.

3

The Idea That “Lesbians Drive Subarus” Saved The Company

Here’s one you might not “ve heard quite a bit about” “unless youre” homosexual: All lesbians drive Subarus. Weirdly specific, sure, but the stereotype has been hardwired into gay culture. Why? Because of a logical fallacy. Not all lesbians drive Subarus. But for a period, all Subarus were driven by lesbians.

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It all started when Subaru was completely bombing as a company. In the 1990 s, big flashy autoes were coming into manner, and the company’s modest, compact brand wasn’t cutting it anymore. Simply one part of their line was selling well: the four-wheel-drive vehicles. However, the company couldn’t figure why. Then, one executive had a mind-opening converses with a homosexual friend and realise the reason: lesbians.

Lesbians loved everything about the outdoorsy Subarus. They were small, dependable, and cute in an off-road culture that leaned more toward dick-swinging big rigs. This revelation did pose a problem, as Subaru couldn’t openly advertise to lesbians, because this was the ‘9 0s and even Friends was making a million gay gags. Alienating their heterosexual customers, nonetheless few there were, “wouldve been” corporate suicide. They had to stay in the wardrobe, advertising-wise, and had to be subtle. Their new ad bureau created a series of publish ads showing Subaru vehicles from behind, all of them with sapphic-signaling license plates. One plate said “Camp Out, ” and the other said “Xena Lvr, ” after lesbian icon Xena: Warrior Princess .

Subaru Since then, their ads have gotten a bit more direct.

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The final one said “P-towny, ” which supposedly stood for “Provincetown” and not the other favorite p-word.

By 2000, when we all started to loosen a bit more, Subaru decided to go all in, gay-wise. They hired ex-tennis-player and famous lesbian Martina Navratilova as their spokesperson. As dog whistles run, it perked all the ears in the country. And it worked! 12 months ago, and Subaru had its best-ever sales time. The lesbian gamble had paid for by in spades.( Lesbians like gardening, right ?)

2

Hollywood Made The Festive Latina Stereotype To Sell Movies To Latinos

During WWII, Hollywood had a problem. Europe was being overrun by Nazis, which means they weren’t buying American movies!( Likewise demise and demolition, etc. etc .) So the studios necessity a new foreign market to compensate for the loss in revenue. Fortunately, there used to be plenty of movie fans waiting for them south of the border. Simply one problem: They were the same people Hollywood had been racist to since day one.

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Previously, South Americans and Mexicans had been negatively typecast as the bad dudes in movie — bandits tying females to qualifies and things. But with this new upsurge of Latin-oriented movies, they had to become good guys. However, Hollywood kind of … overcompensated. Needing a new Hispanic stereotype, Hollywood looked to Brazilian Carmen Miranda.

20 th Century Fox

She was the fruit-wearing, banjo-strumming, happy-go-lucky Latina who managed to get people crazy about bananas. And despite her best intents, a new Hispanic stereotype was born, one of the constantly happy, guitar-playing, sing, samba-dancing dummy.

According to one novelist for The Washington Post in 1942, the new movies constructed it seem like it was always Carnival and everyone “re dressed like” Carmen Miranda with skimpy clothings and fruit on their heads. You can see why this didn’t go over so well with people who lived there, those hard workers who were mostly non-fruit-covered.

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Miranda’s influence can still be felt today, when you ascertain person like Sophia Vergara. Now the highest-paid wife on television, her “act” is the happy Latina — she even dyed her blonde whisker brown to conform to the dark and somewhat stereotype. A stereotype that trumps other stereotypes. Ay, caramba . i>

1

Most Racist Job Stereotypes Come From Success Stories

This might shock you, but Americans used to be rather shitty to immigrants. Hard to believe, we know. Not content to simply impair them economically, socially, and culturally, people had to start calling them names as well. But despite those severe limitations, many immigrants rose to the occasion, creating empires out of the scraps that had been left for them.

Which simply devoted people further ways of being racist.

While now a lighthouse of progressiveness and decent coffee, 1800 s San Francisco had a serious racism difficulty, what with the many immigrants “re coming out” over the Pacific. Most San Franciscans discovered them far too … what’s the word … not-white for their inclination, and refused to work with them. Eventually, the only two areas these Chinese immigrants observed openings were in the restaurant business and taking in laundry. The pioneer of laundry was Wah Lee, who called himself “King Lee”( awesome) and set up a laundry business in Chinatown around 1855. As his business thrived, his Chinese employees were inspired by his success and started setting up their own laundry enterprises. Soon there were dozens, then hundreds, and by the 1880 s, over 7,500 all across California. So naturally, as a reward for their ingenuity and drive, 150 year later, Chinese immigrants are still linked to the idea they are the absolute best at getting stains out.

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The exact same has come to Vietnamese. During the Vietnam War, Hollywood royalty Tippi Hedren( of The Birds fame) noticed two phenomena: 1) Many Vietnamese women fleeing their homeland were stuck in refugee camps with no way to earn money, and 2) Get your fingernails done cost a lot of fund. Hedren decided to kill two issues with one stone and fly in her own manicurist to teach Vietnamese the trade and give the free market of nails a shot in the arm. Soon, business was booming. These days, 51 percentage of all manicurists (8 0 percent in California) come from Vietnamese backgrounds. But while Hedren is celebrated as both a great actress and the godmother of the fingernail industry, Vietnamese females only get stereotyped to hell.

Via BBC Hedren in back row, middle.( We guess. All white people seem the same to us .)

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Of course, America didn’t invent occupational racism. For that, you have to look to the treatment of Jews in medieval Europe. They were are prohibited from doing or owning almost anything, but one field that was open to them was banking. Christians were are prohibited from accusing concern because of something Jesus had once said in the Bible, so they weren’t that keen on the whole banking nonsense. Nonetheless, Jews had no such restrictions, so European commonwealths utilized this religion loophole to get their financial infrastructures off the ground. Eventually, Jews had a decent job prospect, and all that was asked for in return was for them to live in ghettos and wear a badge or hat so that you are able tell who they were at first glance — a bargain that really didn’t work up in their favor.

Unfortunately, like bankers today, Jews didn’t build themselves popular by charging people interest, and soon the stereotype leapt up that Jews were greedy and money-hungry. So you force outsiders into a profession and then dislike them for doing that profession correctly? Stop being such a Christian stereotype.

Screw it, be a witch. Brew some brew at home. Here’s a good read on how to get started . i > b>

If you desired such articles and want more content like this, support our site with a visit to our Contribution Page. Please and thank you . i > b>

For more, check out 5 Gender Stereotypes That Use To Be the Exact Opposite and 6 Absurd Gender Stereotypes That Science Says Are True . i > b>

Also follow us on Facebook. We’ll love you for it . i > b>

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[patrickbowienewman]

My Uncut Love for “Blade Runner: 2049″ Hasn’t Diminished (And Probably Never Will)

It’s been months since Denis (Sicario, Prisoners, Arrival) Villenueve’s sequel to Blade Runner was unveiled to American audiences, and in an unfortunately surprising twist of fate, many of us Yanks didn’t show up to watch it. 

As soon as those first exhilarating trailers struck social media, I fully expected Blade Runner 2049 to be the instant cultural phenomenon Ridley Scott’s original film never was - vindicating Blade Runner’s decades-long crawl from cult curio to global ubiquity, and reviving the moviegoing public’s obsession with replicants, spinners, origami, steaming food truck noodles, and Johnnie Walker sipped from those gorgeously sculpted tumblers.

If you’ll indulge me while I do a little bean counting, Blade Runner 2049 cost in the ballpark of $150 million to make. In those first few weeks of release, audiences eventually bought enough tickets to raise the domestic total to $83 million. This disparity lead many to construe Blade Runner 2049 as a box office bomb and all-around disappointment, even though foreign box office handily netted producing partners Warner Bros., Alcon Entertainment, and Columbia Pictures an additional $142 million. I haven’t a doubt that it’ll break even when the dust finally settles.

At the risk of sounding trite, I’ll assert that matters of business and budget have zero to do with Blade Runner 2049′s cinematic merit, no matter what trades like The Hollywood Reporter might suggest. The essence and quality of any movie need only be valued by the sound and picture flickering from within the big bright rectangle. Everything else is just noise.

When the nerd holiday of Blade Runner 2049′s opening weekend finally arrived, I watched it on the best and largest screen I could, joined by a little fellowship of family, friends and coworkers. The verdict? 

Few would deny that 2017′s timeline has been a non-stop deluge of terror and portent. Everything from politics and national tragedy after national tragedy to my own personal quagmires had left me craving the escape of Blade Runner’s unmistakable brand of sci-fi super-noir. Villenueve’s lavish sequel couldn’t have come along at a better time.

Once a certain father met his long-lost daughter and the movie cut to black and credits, the lights went up. My party went their separate ways, and I sullenly returned to a life bearing little resemblance to the vivid landscapes in which I had swam for three blissful hours of lucid dreaming. 

The best films establish permanent residency in our creative imaginations. We long to inhabit them, even after the theater is empty and the ushers are sweeping stale popcorn away from our feet. 2049 was one such experience for me.

Despite the enormous volume of criticism already generated, I thought I’d offer my detailed take on it anyway.

In an effort to keep this essay wide-ranging and interesting, I’m going to have to spoil much of the narrative. Please watch the movie already, so we can diffuse any risk of ruining the movie’s many delightful surprises...

The advertising campaign for 2049 was brilliant at both enticing hardcore Blade Runner fans with throwbacks to the many things that made that film so iconic and unforgettable, while also giving the curious uninitiated a comprehensive tour of the countless appealing visual and thematic qualities that could be enjoyed separate any primer or context.

Each trailer seamlessly obfuscated practically every aspect of the plot that had the potential to be a narrative surprise - Except, of course, for the presence/return of a grizzled-as-hell Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford).

I was thrilled to discover upon first viewing that Ryan Gosling’s “Officer K” is himself a replicant - a cop working for icy LAPD Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright, unsurprisingly perfect) to snuff out certain older model replicants who managed to slip into lives of anonymity before their corporate overseers put out a product recall.

It’s easy to draw parallels between Gosling’s Officer K and today’s American ICE stormtroopers. 2049′s first onscreen replicant (played with gentle grace by human redwood trunk Dave Bautista) is brutally “retired” by Gosling while a pot of garlic boils on a range top nearby. This jolt of an opening scene deftly introduces us to a robot humbly trying to adopt a simple human life, eking out a peaceful existence in solitude, living off the grid as a protein farmer.

Using Gosling’s K as the button man, Bautista’s character Sapper Morton is brutally gunned down by the technical arm of 2049′s despicable government, crystallizing the black-hearted fascism of this future vision of LA. By the end of the sequence, 2049 manages to both brilliantly depart from and add to Ridley Scott’s established world of monolithic corporations and their mutinous android labor force. 

As a movie obsessive who has always believed Rutger Hauer’s Roy Batty (the antagonist from the first film) had Blade Runner’s most charismatic screen presence AND emotionally involving story arc, the decision made by Villenueve and Ridley Scott to tell 2049′s story through the eyes of a replicant instead of a human is an inspired one.

Gosling’s Agent K is a Good German whose only extra-professional pastime is the oddly touching Stepford-meets-Siri romance he carries out with “Joi,” a holographic fellow AI. Joi adds compelling new layers to 2049′s preoccupation with the line (if we decide there even is one) separating humans from replicants.

According to blind zillionaire industrialist Niander Wallace (Jared Leto, adding another tic-filled personality to his growing gallery of loathsome weirdos), the continued and assured inability of replicants to conceive children is essential to keeping his legions of android slaves subservient. In the world of 2049, Wallace is a sort of God (or Pharaoh, as his incredible pyramidal fortress seems to signify), and replicants who reproduce of their own free will would be a mortal threat to this Pharaoh’s monopoly on slavery and world expansion.

The ideas surrounding Wallace are articulated in a violent and disturbing scene that completely repelled me upon first viewing (men’s prodigious violence towards women is a subject I’m frankly exhausted to see dramatized during these dark days), in which Leto pontificates about his ambitions while sterilizing a newborn replicant by taking a knife to her uterus. 

Wallace has built - and continues to expand - an empire to rival Alexander’s, and that God complex seems to have allowed his absurdly grandiose ego to eclipse any considerations of morality or human compassion. He’s a creep.

As Wallace leaves his chattel bleeding and naked in the same spot she was minutes-ago conceived (presumably to be shuttled to some salt mine or brothel "off-world”), Wallace’s personal secretary Luv (an advanced model replicant played by Sylvia Hoeks), sympathetically regards the brutalized woman from a sentry position nearby, tears streaking across her otherwise stoic, painted face. So much is already happening beneath the surface in this film.

Through Luv, Villenueve continues contrasting human characters with scant empathy and monstrous cruelty with replicant characters who have deep reverence for life’s creation and preservation, be that human life or the lives of other replicants.

Luv's attitudes lie somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. A scene-stealer from minute one, Luv is first introduced as an HR cipher sent forth to meet K as his investigation takes him deeper into the halls of power. When she needs to be, Luv is a polite charmer and the world’s most attentive and fastidious secretary, but she can also be an asset when a coroner's head needs to be squashed like a melon, or when the chief of police requires violent interrogation at knifepoint or with shattered glass. 

Luv’s finest moment of effortless aggression might just be her casual drone-bombing of a junkyard Gosling’s K investigates during a crucial sequence - she has a manicurist do her nails on one hand while she fires a volley of mortars via iPad with the other.

The crux of the film is the gradual unveiling of K’s identity, followed by an interesting subversion of what I initially assumed was a fairly predictable twist. K’s chief assignment is to kill the hidden offspring of Rachael (the replicant played by Sean Young in Blade Runner) and the long-absent Rick Deckard (Ford). 

K finally deduces that he may very well be Deckard’s son, which throws his entire code of ethics and sense of purpose into disarray. He goes on the lam from his oppressive LAPD handlers to find Deckard and determine whether this whole “being half human with actual, non-implanted memories” bombshell revelation has genuine merit.

There are several amusing scenes seeded throughout the movie in which Officer K has to take a psychological evaluation or “baseline test” (conducted by an asshole robot, of course). In the early part of the film, K suffers zero identity crisis, so he passes the test with flying colors. But as his case begins to unravel the assumptions he had long held about himself and the system he serves, K’s answers to the robot’s questions become more erratic and threatening to his handlers. 

A transcript of the first test might be worth printing verbatim here...

Interrogator: "Recite your baseline."

K: "And blood-black nothingness began to spin... A system of cells interlinked within cells interlinked within cells interlinked within one stem... And dreadfully distinct against the dark, a tall white fountain played."

Interrogator: "Cells."

K: "Cells."

Interrogator: "Have you ever been in an institution? Cells."

K: "Cells."

Interrogator: "Do they keep you in a cell? Cells."

K: "Cells."

Interrogator: "When you're not performing your duties do they keep you in a little box? Cells."

K: "Cells."

Interrogator: "Interlinked."

K: "Interlinked."

Interrogator: "What's it like to hold the hand of someone you love? Interlinked."

K: "Interlinked."

Interrogator: "Did they teach you how to feel finger to finger? Interlinked."

K: "Interlinked."

Interrogator: "Do you long for having your heart interlinked? Interlinked."

K: "Interlinked."

Interrogator: "Do you dream about being interlinked... ?"

K: "Interlinked."

Interrogator: "What's it like to hold your child in your arms? Interlinked."

K: "Interlinked."

Interrogator: "Do you feel that there's a part of you that's missing? Interlinked."

K: "Interlinked."

Interrogator: "Within cells interlinked."

K: "Within cells interlinked."

Interrogator: "Why don't you say that three times: Within cells interlinked."

K: "Within cells interlinked. Within cells interlinked. Within cells interlinked."

Interrogator: "We're done... Constant K, you can pick up your bonus.”

- - 

Such is the cross the obedient replicants of 2049 need to bear.

The movie is long and weighty, but never a chore to watch or difficult to follow. If memory serves, top-billed Harrison Ford (as iconic replicant killer Rick Deckard) doesn’t even appear onscreen until two hours in, but his applause-worthy arrival enhances the movie without drawing any interest away from Officer K. Once Gosling’s investigation brings him to the doorstep of Deckard’s booby-trapped casino hideaway (itself contained in a stunningly radioactive, vacant and dust-caked future vision of Las Vegas), the movie’s costars initially face off as adversaries before finally forming an uneasy partnership to speak truth to power, and - on a more human level - reunite Deckard with his long-lost progeny.

I suppose it’s in this last stretch of the film that director Denis Villenueve’s soul bares itself in a way that distinguishes this new film from its famous predecessor. Instead of culminating in any kind of epic conflict affecting global change, or placing the replicant vs. tycoon class war center stage, the movie narrows its focus on what Gosling chooses to do as he contemplates whether he is human or not, and what the distinction really means to him.

The finale’s centerpiece is a vicious physical contest between replicants K and Luv on the shores of future LA’s “Sepulveda Wall,” where a spinner/prison transport vehicle has crash landed and sinks gradually into an onslaught of crashing waves. As the warriors clash nearby, a handcuffed Deckard watches patiently and waits for what could just as easily be his demise rather than his salvation. 

By rescuing Deckard from certain death, K liberates himself from his previously programmed destiny, as well as any selfish baggage we can agree is very key to the human condition. Lying in the snow, bleeding out in 2049′s poignant final moments, K finds peace in having healed the only part of the world he could.

I couldn’t end a review like this without tipping my hat to the genius DP Roger Deakins, who I would insist is as much an author of 2049 as Villenueve or Ridley Scott. It was wise to select a cinematographer whose visual ambition matches the subject and content of a movie so epic and complex, and the result - hyperbole be damned - is one of the most gorgeous movies I’ve ever seen. 

In a movie designed from the ground up to convincingly plunge us into an endless procession of jaw-droppingly unique and visually stunning environments, Deakins never fails to precisely, carefully discover inspired new ways of capturing the work of his similarly gifted production designers, costumers and effects artists. If there’s one aspect of 2049 that would be obvious to anybody from frame one, it’s the confident belief that the visual experience of the movie ahead is going to be unmatched and unprecedented.

“Blockbusters,” which I suppose describe any kind of film made with a large budget, featuring movie stars and wielding all of the trappings necessary for worldwide distribution, can be a tiresome proposition for those of us that consume movies frequently and ask a little more from the cinema experience than some of our less-discerning peers.

Blade Runner: 2049 accomplishes everything movies of this scale and pedigree tend to attempt, does so with perfection, and then reaches for (and attains) even higher levels of technical, narrative, and performance ambition. This truly is a tentpole Harrison Ford action movie that is also without question an “art film,” entertaining from the surface to the core, and dense with subtext, intriguingly unanswered questions and hauntingly iconic images. It will stand the test of time as all great movies do, and impressively earns its proud place alongside the revered sci-fi film that inspired it.

[hellothisisourhouse]

Birth Story

Pic: omg I really was pregnant, Lois at 1 week old, Lois last week.

First-time moms like me carry a lot of baggage into the hospital with them - yeah I’m talking about the overstuffed hospital bags, but also 30+ years (and then 9 more focused months) of thinking and planning and obsessing about labor and delivery.  Heading into it, my mindset was all over the place - as a feminist I wanted to feel powerful, and as a nerd I felt (over?) informed - but mostly, really, I was feeling like a huge chicken.  My whole life I’ve had low pain tolerance (a hangnail will depress me for days) and a total aversion to physical feats (see my tortured cross country participation, or my one day of skiing that I absolutely hated).  I was the one who swore I would close my eyes during the videos in birthing class because I didn’t want to accidentally cry in public.

Two things kept me from total melt down as the big day approached.  One was the idea of epidurals.  We attended a lecture on “pain management options” at UCSF and I asked all my mom friends - everyone seemed to say that they help, like a lot.  I also found out that modern ones are more measured and humane than in times past, which was reassuring.  I know they are not for everyone, but for me, every time I thought about labor and wanted to panic, I would remember epidurals and feel better.  The other was an analogy - that this whole thing is just a rollercoaster.  I calm myself down with analogies a lot - maybe someone deeper would call them mantras or something.  So the rollercoaster was just a reminder that all you have to do is strap in, and the fun happens to you.  Unlike taking a big test, giving a speech, or running a race, it’s not about effort or performing - it’s about showing up and riding it out.  Maybe I’m not describing it well, but it helped me.

Be warned - the story below contains words like cervix and crowning and many references to both pee and poop - read at your own risk of feeling icky.  Also, it’s really long - I mean scroll to the bottom and see what you’re in for.  Ok, you’ve been warned.

So three weeks before the due date (which was Oct 22) I stopped working and settled in at home to eat pasta, read about politics (the presidential election was coming up), and further research pregnancy and baby stuff.  I also did the typical 9 months pregnant thing, which is furiously cleaning out drawers and closets - I organized everything from the cake decorations tub to my miniature hotel shampoo collection.

On the evening of Wed, Oct 12, I had been cleaning all day in anticipation of my mom arriving the next day.  I was dirty, with my hair up, pajamas on, dusty from handling old paperwork files, and the house was a mid-cleaning disaster zone.  Brian was on his way home from work and I wanted to finish just one or two more things before throwing dinner together.  At about 6:30pm I reached down to move an ottoman in our bedroom and peed my pants.  It’s not the first time that had happened that day - cleaning makes me sneeze and sneezing makes 9 months pregnant women pee - but it was the biggest one.  So I trundled to the bathroom to change and noticed the pee was tinged pink.  A small alarm bell went off in my head because one of our classes had taught us that amniotic fluid is pink.

Deep in denial (I was sure sure the baby was going to come late - not early!) I googled “how do I know if it’s pee or water breaking” and read a bunch of unhelpful message boards where people swear that water breaking starts with a pop and/or gushes like a waterfall.  I thought about calling Brian, but didn’t want to panic him while he was driving - so I called the nurse line at UCSF instead.  “Umm hi - I’m pregnant and I’m not sure but maybe my water broke or maybe I just peed.  I’m not having any contractions.” I told her it was pink but the amount was little.  She said, “it doesn’t sound like your water broke, but because you are GBS positive, you should come in and we’ll check it out.”

Too bad I hadn’t packed our hospital bags yet - I grabbed the nearest duffel and stuffed it with the basic items (thank goodness I had at least created a packing list in advance).  I circled the more complicated items thinking - if this is a false alarm, I’ll add these in when we get back home.  Brian walked in the door, probably just wondering what was for dinner, but instead he got me announcing that I think my water broke and UCSF wants us to come in.  He lept into action - ok, car seat, check, bags, check, grab extension cords and the camera, check, car keys and house keys, check, ok, let’s go.  Later we looked back at that car ride and neither one can remember what we talked about, if anything.  I think it was pretty quiet as we each processed our feelings and wondered what the night would bring.

At the hospital, I stopped in the bathroom in the lobby and noticed that I had continued to leak, so that seemed significant.  We headed up to the birthing center to check in.  We might have been the calmest couple-in-labor they saw that night - maybe a little too calm.  I was dreading being told that this was a false alarm, but also sort of dreading it being the real deal, so I think I overdid it playing super casual cool at the desk.  “Hi, yes, we are here to perhaps have a baby, you know, if that’s how things should pan out.  I called about it in advance?”  They checked us in.

We went to triage and I got hooked up to monitors, which is when things got interesting.  The nurse told us, “this one shows the baby’s heartbeat and this one shows contractions - so you are having contractions, and they are pretty regular.”  Well that was news to me - it’s really weird to be told you are having these things you can’t even feel - I literally had not even had any braxton hicks practice ones.  As we sat there waiting to be seen by the doctor, we played a game where I would look away from the monitor and try to guess when I was having one.  Brian would confirm yes/no - but for a while I kept being totally wrong.  If these were contractions, sign me up! (Yes I realize that at 9 months pregnant, I was already very much signed up.)

In triage we also met a medical student who was there to observe - everyone we met that night was so very cool and nice, which helped a lot.  We made a joke about him later because it seemed to be his main job to collect our birthing plan paper, which we had left in the car.  He asked several times over the next couple hours before Brian finally took pity and went to grab it for him.  Our plan was pretty uninteresting (basically, “please just help me out and yes I’m open to an epidural”) and as it turned out, not even useful in the end.  Also while in triage, my mom (is she magical? mom esp?) called to ask Brian a computer question.  It was pretty funny to watch him talk her through some troubleshooting before finally saying, “oh yeah and we are at the hospital because we think Ani’s water broke” - and go on to explain the whole situation.

When the doctor arrived, she did a speculum exam - by that point I was leaking fluid all over the table and she (and we all) concluded that yes, my water had broken.  Interestingly, she said that from her exam (which is different from a proper cervix check), my cervix looked “visually closed” which clued me in that this could be a long process.

The standard procedure for when your water breaks and you’re GBS positive, is to induce labor to get the baby out sooner rather than later.  In my case she explained that since I was already contracting (in labor) this was more “augmenting” than “inducing.” Ok then…  We decided on a dose of pitocin and made plans to move me to an empty labor room to get the party started.  We grabbed our stuff, walked down the hall, met our friendly on-call nurse, and found our room.  I think the time was about 9:30pm.

By this time, I could feel my contractions - they started as a slightly nauseous feeling and worked their way toward period cramps as time wore on.  Lindsey, our nurse, ran us through the gamut of paperwork and Brian joked with her about how the paperwork must be a lot more hectic if the patient is deep in labor.  We signed off on everything and I got the misoprostol - at the last second the doctor came in and recommended that instead of the pitocin.  I was thinking about my one friend who had been induced earlier that month (also at UCSF), and how she had waited 2 whole days to give birth.  Everyone seemed to think I should rest up, get some sleep, and we would see how labor was progressing in the morning.

Brian realized we hadn’t had dinner (or packed any snacks) so he ran down to the cafe, which closes at 10.  He came back with a haul - I ate an apple turnover and some fruit salad because sweets sounded good.  I said I was too nauseated to try the burrito, so save it for later.  After that, Brian changed into pajamas (I was already in the hospital gown) - we both brushed and flossed and put our mouthguards in.  In the Heung household that signals bedtime.  We tucked in and I felt uncomfortable (groaning through contractions) but basically ok.

At some point the misoprostol must have kicked in because the contractions were no joke anymore - I kept jumping up from the bed at each one.  Lindsey came in and we talked about options - she recommended fentanyl because it was early in labor and I should be resting.  It would take the edge off the contractions and make me sleepy, which should be just the ticket.  It did make me feel groggy so I laid back down…  Until it didn’t anymore and the contractions came raging back.

Here’s the part where I try to describe what a contraction feels like - after all, that’s the scary thing of labor that I always wondered about.  Was it an ocean wave coursing through your body like the natural moms said?  Was it a full body charlie horse like I imagined (I super hate charlie horses)?  Why was everyone always comparing it to period cramps (which I already did in the paragraph above)? Well due maybe to the fentanyl, or just my weird body or something - I’m still not really sure what a contraction feels like.  I can honestly say that the main sensation I felt - and this is going to get icky - was intense intense pressure, like I-need-to-poop pressure.  I’m sorry, but there’s no other way to say it.  If I could think of another way to say it without the word poop, I surely would.  Soooo - strong period cramps?

A couple other things happened during the intense part, but the order they happened escapes me. One - during one contraction, I really felt that pressure pressure feeling and begged Lindsey to help.  I whined like, “I don’t know what to do with this feeling what am I supposed to dooo….” 23 cumulative hours of birthing class and I seemed to remember nothing.  She calmly looked me in the face and said, “you need to breath” - and actually that is exactly the reminder I needed.  Deep deep deep deep breaths and the contraction was over (until the next one).  Even in my addled state I was thinking like, yeah, nurses are baller for dealing with this all the time.

Two - my main MO (probably to the annoyance of Lindsey) was to lie down between contractions and keep up the farce that I was still going to get some sleep that night, and then immediately jump up and and pace or run to the bathroom as soon as a contraction would start.  The reason I say annoyance is that the up-and-down required removing my monitors, which I’m allowed to do, but then the nurse has to come check why my monitors are off.  So it was a lot of up and down, on and off, in and out and checking on me.  During one of these trips, I barfed projectile vomit all over the bathroom.  Weirdly, I decided that I should try to clean my totally barf-soaked slippers in the bathroom sink and I actually tried for about 10 seconds before another part of my brain was like, girl, you’re in labor and these are from Ikea - please throw them away.  So I did…RIP pink slippers.  Then Lindsey, the baller with the patience of a saint, came to check on me and I apologized profusely for completely destroying the bathroom with my fruit salad vomit.  She assured me it’s ok.  Thinking about it afterward, I bet that happens constantly in these rooms, but at the time I was so embarrassed about the mess.

Three - at some point we all realized the fentanyl was not doing its job anymore (it only lasts like 45 minutes per dose) so I took a second shot of it for relief.

After a particularly frenzied round of me groaning about “the pressure! the pressure!” Lindsey called the doctor back into our labor room.  She announced it was now time for a cervix check - went on in for a second, then pushed her stool back, looked at us and said words that are some of the most surprising of my life - “you’re at 10 cm.”  You could have picked my jaw up off the floor where it was resting on my slipperless feet.  Hello our endless hours of birthing class, you did not prepare me because this is not how it is supposed to go (but like, in a good way?).

The room seemed to spring into action - lights went on, the team assembled, and I heard talk of it’s time to push.  Brian and I were like - oh hey but wait can we still get that epidural?  I knew that pushing usually lasts 1 to 3 hours, and that’s a long time to be oh-so-very uncomfortable.  In my mind the doctor said slowly, “ok sure we can do that for you…” while shaking her head side to side.  I’m sure she didn’t actually do that, but that’s the feeling I got.  I read the room - no one thought I should get the epidural - just push they said.  I’m very trusting so I went with it - feet in the stirrups, face in the nitrous oxide, let’s do this thing.  Later Brian said they could pretty much see the baby crowning the minute I was in position.  At first he held one leg, but the nurse redirected him to hold my head - it felt really good to have him there for the literal and figurative support.  By now I was used to the rhythm of contractions and it made sense to push during and rest between.  Pushing her out felt like you might imagine - painful, but sort of necessary too.  I took puffs of the nitrous in between pushes because I thought it was funny (the idea of laughing gas amuses me, like I should be at the old timey dentist right now).  I also thought about the birthing class video (the one I had dreaded watching) and remembered how easy they had made it look.  First the baby is in, then you push, then she’s out!  Maybe I didn’t have enough reverence for the miracle that was happening, but sometimes your brain just thinks what it thinks.

Pushing, like the rest of labor, went pretty fast.  Each contraction I could feel her moving and then she slipped out - head first, body second, and they put her up on my chest.  It’s the moment we had all been waiting for and it was here - 1:51am, Thursday, Oct 13.  My first reaction was just to laugh (not sure if I did out loud or just mentally) because it was so unexpected.  Later on the medical paperwork confirmed it - ten minutes of pushing - it just seemed so fast and it took me a minute to get my bearing on the situation.

When they realized that the baby was going to come quick, and that I had just redosed on fentanyl, they placed a couple extra doctors on hand in case she came out drugged (a bit scary).  But she came out screaming (yay!) and immediately started rooting around when she was on me.  My first visual of the human creature that made us parents will forever stick in my mind.  The room was dark but there were spotlights in my eyes backlighting her little head, which was inches from my face and craning from side to side, like a little baby dinosaur.  Everything we had learned about skin-to-skin and the magic hour made me so excited to see her moving like that, marking the first time I was already proud of our girl for doing her thing.

It took them about an hour to fix me up (yeah, the downside of a fast labor) but between Brian by my side, our fascination with baby’s every move, and a few more puffs of nitrous, I barely noticed.  Lindsey the nurse told me my pain tolerance must be higher than I reported because I had been talking to her even during my later contractions (I don’t know about that - in my post-childbirth life I’m back to being a wuss).  The nurses also said I should watch out if I ever have another kid - they might be born on the freeway since successive births tends to be faster than the first.  They did apgar and the basic tests on the baby and everything looked good - height 21 inches, weight 7 lbs 8 oz.  Her temperature was slightly low, but came back up by the next time they measured.  We must have slept because the next thing I remember was a 5am wake up to move us to the recovery room.  

The next 2 days in the hospital were pretty fun - it rained a lot, we ordered way too much food from the cafeteria, had visits from our parents and a few friends from birthing class who had had their babies just days previous.  The staff at UCSF was so so very kind and good - they taught us to feed her, diaper her, swaddle her, and basically keep her alive.  I have so much gratitude for them just doing an excellent job, and for our parents swooping in to take care of every other little detail so that we could make recovery and learning our main focus.

So that's it!  I realize that parts of this birth story sound a little humble braggy - “I couldn’t even feel my contractions!” “10 minutes of pushing!” - and I do, and have, felt weird about that at various times ever since Oct 13.  When other moms are telling their seriously heroic tales, I feel like I have to rush through mine, or add focus on the bad parts to make it sound more gritty.  But of course that is silly - our story is what it is - everyone’s story is what it is.  Of course I feel lucky (relieved?) that things went smoothly.  Of course I had nothing to do with it, it’s just how things went.  Afterward, I even googled a bunch of stuff like “are birthing hips a thing” so I could at least feel like maybe this was sweet payback for a life of larger-than-desired jeans sizes, but it turns out birthing hips is not really a thing.  Long labor, short labor, smooth labor, complicated labor - it’s pretty impossible to predict.  And no one’s really permanently sad about it - even my friends with the longest and hardest labors look back and say, “worth it.” Who knows, but it’s our story and I like it - it brought us Lois and I wouldn’t change one second of the rollercoaster ride that we had.

[ask-frisk-and-friends-blog]

Gift For Men Unique

We've got super fast shipping from Melbourne so it's now easier than ever to shop online and get your parcels delivered super quick.  gift for men If you are looking for an item of a certain price, don't panic; we have items available for all budgets, which you can filter using the options on the left of the page. Tracing the genre to its roots, you're taken on a world tour through the legendary clubs and key moments of musical history, from the early Eighties at London's Mud Club, through Manchester's Hacienda, and onto Paris, Detroit, New York and Chicago. A self-proclaimed rap nerd,” Ross has been collecting hip hop ephemera and memorabilia since he was 15, whether it's classic boomboxes, rare records, zines, early hip hop flyers, or t-shirts.

What's crazy is that Dr. Dre was using the same artist as Metallica back in the early '90s with the Pushead shirts around the Chronic so it's not necessarily a new thing to do that. Having sold out in just a few hours, anyone wanting to get their hands on their own ‘hip hop gift for men may be forced to shell out even more vie eBay to get that Kanye look. We're the best at it.” That was their mentality going in. You can see that in the shirts and I think when he went back and looked at the shirts it brought back a lot of memories of the time.

Hip-hop shirts give you a way to express your individual style and recognize your favorite style of music, support current artists, or remember the pioneers of the industry. The Frontier Touring Company wish to advise ticket holders in Adelaide & Perth that the venues for the upcoming Panic At The Disco concerts have been changed. Some of the book's examples flew in the face of that looming mass dissemination, especially the varsity jackets that served as promotional items for record labels like Def Jam, Luke Skyywalker, Roc-A-Fella and what appears to be Heavy D 's personal Big Tyme Records jacket. If you are still stuck for ideas then the perfect gift idea may be a gift card so you can let him choose the best gifts for him. As long as you keep providing these quality shirts you will have me as a customer.

And many weren't by the musicians at all, but bootlegs made on the cheap and distributed broadly. Manchester Evening News left their local show impressed, announcing Panic At The Disco a must see live act this year for fans of unconventional rock,” while The Guardian were floored, awarding a recent performance four stars. After additional tour dates, the bandmembers announced that they were eliminating the exclamation point from their name, a sign that seemed to foreshadow the mature, less emo-driven rock featured on Pretty.

At the Disco tickets, get in touch with our in-house customer service team at 866.848.8499 or via the online Live Chat service. Our hip hop shirts gift for men and women come in various styles and designs that let you express your love for great music and great talent. It was especially amazing that the band had decided that all of the money from the merch sales that night would go to Cancer Research. Our custom hip hop designs offer you the option to create great looking t-shirts without having to learn expensive design software or pay a designer to create a hip hop t-shirt design for you. Returning with their first album in almost two years, Death Of A Bachelor, the tour will start on 17 November at Manchester's O2 Apollo. I'm usually a XL so I got the 2X They're a good size tall tee like back in the days but not so baggy up top which is what I like.

Hos os kan du også finde T-shirts i store størrelser, lang i længden - i rigtig hip hop T-shirts fit. Tickets for all three dates will go on general sale at 9am on Friday, April 29. However, O2 Priority customers can purchase them 48 hours in advance from 9am on Wednesday, April 27. Get custom printed hip hop t-shirt designs and custom hip hop designs without minimum order or set-up requirements. We're working with great graphic artists to produce hip hop street wear that stands out from the crowd. During the 2000's Weezer went on tour and continued to release albums such as Maladroit (2002), Make Believe (2005) and Hurley (2010).

DJ Ross One , a tenacious and sharp-eyed collector, owns about half of the shirts in the book, and he tracked down and photographed the rest. If you decide to pick a present from our range of gift for men, you can also take advantage of a free gift card with every item! Favourite moment: Dallon winking at me and the songs Vegas Lights and Dont threaten me with a good time. Hopefully we've put to rest some fears about finding the perfect gift for men, we've helped restore your faith in the X chromosome and we've set you up for a big, beardy hug! The album was released in 2011, and received great reviews ultimately persuading Urie and Spencer to take the album on tour.

Everything but Flowers offers premium and luxurious gift wrapping for every item in our range. For most of those guys, it was the first time for them seeing the shirts in like 30 years. Don't forget - standard delivery is ?3.99, next day delivery is ?8.99 and Saturday delivery is ?9.99. No matter how last minute your gift buying is, we have numerous delivery options for you to choose from to ensure your gift arrives on time. The 35-city tour kicks off February 24 in Uncasville, CT and includes a stop here on April 2! Sadly for crazed collectors, rap fanatics, and people who just really want to wear a Lil' Kim Hard Core tee from 1997 (me), this book is purely aspirational browsing: Most of these shirts are unavailable, he says. gift for men Twenty one pilots have just announced that they'll be joining Fall Out Boy's Save Rock and Roll Fall Arena Tour with special guests Panic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-shirt

[aion-rsa]

Marvel Gifts: Avengers, Spider-Man and More in our 2019 Holiday Gift Guide

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From Blu-rays to bikes and beyond, here are the Marvel gifts you'll want to give...and get!

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It's a fantastic time to be a Marvel Comics fan! Between the stellar MCU releases to the comics and merchandise, there's endless gift ideas for Marvel maniacs. Here are a few of our favorites!

Avengers: Endgame

This year's biggest film event is not only a must-have physical media release, but arguably the greatest example of superhero filmmaking ever. The unprecedented achievements of the MCU that led to the production of Avengers: Endgame have yet to be fully realized by us mere mortals, with this film being a landmark moment in nerd culture that proves how fully the geeks have inherited the Earth.

Buy Avengers: Endgame here

Spider-Man: Far from Home

Spidey's latest big screen outing was a hugely satisfying adventure that removed any lingering doubt that Tom Holland's take on the webslinger is the best ever. With Marvel/Sony having worked through their issues (for now), we have all gotten an early Christmas present -- the promise of more amazing Spider-Man films to come.

Buy Spider-Man: Far from Home here

Venom

No one is going to declare Venom to be a A-list superhero flick, but buoyed by Tom Hardy's bananas performance, it is way better than a Spidey-less symbiote film has any right to be. Delivering pure goofy dumb fun, that's this one's greatest asset.

Buy Venom here

Captain Marvel

Take your movie collection higher, further, faster with Captain Marvel's movie debut, complete with all the Brie Larson awesomeness included therein.

Buy Captain Marvel here

Deadpool: The Ultimate Collection (For Now)

Don't miss a sarcastic, ultra-violent moment of Deadpool fun with this collection of the first two Deadpool films in 4K Ultra HD.

Buy Deadpool: The Ultimate Collection (For Now) here

Thanos Hallmark Christmas Tree Ornament

Make trimming your tree a snap (too soon?) with this Thanos ornament that features the Mad Titan wearing the Infinity Gauntlet.

Buy the Thanos Hallmark Christmas Tree Ornament here

Peter Porker: The Spectacular Spider-Ham: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1

You loved him in Into the Spider Verse, now you can see where the fun began in this collection of Spider-Ham comics. Debuting in what was originally intended to be a one-shot appearance back in 1983, Spider-Ham became an instant hit among comic readers/pun lovers the world over. Soon he was joined by other animal-inspired takes on the denizens of the Marvel Universe like the Fantastic Fur and Hulk Bunny for his ongoing title, the first volume of which is collected here. Let the hammy humor commence.

Buy Peter Porker: The Spectacular Spider-Ham: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 here

Little Golden Book: Avengers: Battle on the Moon

Young readers will love this cosmic adventure in which Captain Marvel, Iron Man and the Hulk facing off against enemies on the surface of the moon. For adults who grew up on Little Golden Books, they'll love introducing the next generation to the format that is packed with fun storytelling and great illustrations.

Buy Little Golden Book: Avengers: Battle on the Moon here

Part of a Bigger Universe: Unforgettable Quotes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Think of this book of memorable and inspiring quotes from the first three phases of the MCU as Chicken Soup for the Nerd's Soul.

Buy Part of a Bigger Universe: Unforgettable Quotes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe here

Captain Marvel Single-Speed Bike by Schwinn

Unless you have the ability to fly, one of the best ways to get around is this Captain Marvel single-speed Fixie-style bike by Schwinn. With 28-inch wheels, fixed gear capability, dual alloy caliper breaks, this is a stylish set of wheels that is just as cool as its cinematic counterpoint.

Buy the Captain Marvel Single-Speed Bike by Schwinn here

Lego Marvel Avengers Hall of Armor Set

Builders of this Avengers-inspired Lego set can craft their own instant Iron Man armory. With 524 individual pieces and five included mini-figures, this is the ultimate Iron Man Lego playset.

Buy the Lego Marvel Avengers Hall of Armor Set here

Marvel Avengers Iron Man Gaming Chair

Whether you decide to use this as your work, computer, movie watching, or gaming chair, this beautiful seat is full of comfort and style. Created by Neo Chair, it measures 23" X 22" with 23.5" back size and his full reclining capabilities and can hold up to 400 pounds. And yes, we absolutely think that Tony Stark is narcissistic enough to own one of these.

Buy the Marvel Avengers Iron Man Gaming Chair here

Spider-Man: Far from Home Spider FX Mask

Even not equipped with Edith, this Spidey mask offers up plenty of role-playing fun.

Buy the Spider-Man: Far from Home Spider FX Mask here

Marvel Studios Character Encyclopedia

An A to Z of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this exhaustively researched tome showcases the strengths, weaknesses, and background information of all of your favorite heroes and villains.

Buy the Marvel Studios Character Encyclopedia here

Thor Mjölnir Tool Set

For the truly worthy there is thus 28-piece tool set that comes packaged in a durable replica of Mjölnir, Thor's mighty hammer. Released by Buyton, this is the ultimate gift for home improvement buffs.

Buy the Thor Mjölnir Tool Set here

The Thing T-Shirt

This unisex T-shirt available in various colors and sizes allows anyone to show off their fondness for the ever-lovin', blue-eyed Thing. Clobberin' time has never been so fashionable!

Buy The Thing T-Shirt here

Captain Marvel Goose Plush

From Hasbro comes this plush version of Captain Marvel's Goose the Cat that hides a very special feature -- if you press on its chest, the sweet-seeming kitty's true Flerken nature is revealed!

Buy the Captain Marvel Goose Plush here

Funko Marvel 80th Anniversary Advent Calendar

Mark down the days until Christmas with this Advent calendar that reveals 24 mini Funko Pop! Marvel characters. From Thanos to Captain America, these are treats that will make the wait until Santa's arrival a fun one.

Buy the Funko Marvel 80th Anniversary Advent Calendar here

Garmin Legacy Hero Series Captain Marvel Smartwatch

If someone on your shopping list is both a techie and a Marvel maniac, impress them with this Captain Marvel smartwatch. Part of Garmin's Legacy Hero Series, this beautiful piece includes all of the typical smartwatch acoutrements (fitness tracking, notifications, etc), as well as "Captain Marvel watch faces and goal animations plus specially designed Garmin connect badges, avatars and insights to elevate the superhero experience." In other word, it's a high-end gift idea that is, as you may have guessed, beyond Marvelous.

Buy the Garmin Legacy Hero Series Captain Marvel Smartwatch here

Capcom Marvel Super Heroes Arcade 1Up Cabinet

Featuring the Capcom games Marvel Super Heroes, X Men: Children of the Atom, and The Punisher, this release from Arcade 1Up brings the thrill of retro-gaming home.

Buy the Capcom Marvel Super Heroes Arcade 1Up Cabinet here

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Nov 29, 2019

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ARTHUR ABRAMS ➝ SECOND SIBLING

I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN

❖ FULL NAME: Arthur 'Artie' James Abrams. ❖ PRONOUNS: He/Him. ❖ AGE: 22. (June 2nd). ❖ BIRTH ORDER: Second. ❖ GRADE: Sophomore. ❖ MAJOR: Film. ❖ SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Heterosexual. ❖ ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Heteromantic. ❖ FACECLAIM: Kevin McHale.

I'LL FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE ME

Arthur “Artie” Abrams came along as a bit of a surprise to Nancy and Seth Everyone adored Artie and the fact that he was a very easy going and happy child just drew people to him. Growing up watching his mother performing on stage , he loved learning the dance routines used by her back up singers and by early childhood was becoming quite an accomplished dancer himself, and along with his mothers inherited singing voice it was obvious to the world that Artie was destined to be a star. A few days after his eighth birthday , he was approached by a casting agent about auditioning for the role of Gavroche in the Broadway production of Les Miserables. It was just short of a week later on the 15th of June whilst travelling to the airport to attend the audition that tragedy struck . Artie and Nancy were crossing an intersection , when the driver in a truck, failed to stop at the red light and ploughed straight into them. The passenger door buckled and embedded itself into Artie’s back, shattering his spine and severing his spinal cord. Nancy escaped with just a few bruises and the driver of the truck walked away unscathed, Later after being questioned by the police, it was discovered that his lunch time business meeting had included generous amounts of champagne.

Airlifted to hospital Artie’s life hung in the balance for a while, but as he slowly recovered, it was confirmed what they had already suspected that the future Broadway star would never walk again , the accident having left him permanently paralysed from the mid chest down. Once the doctors were satisfied his injury was stable enough for him to be moved he was transferred to a rehabilitation centre, where he was forced to relearn the simplest of tasks that only weeks before had been second nature such dressing, bathing and even getting in and out of bed. As he struggled to adapt to life in a wheelchair the little boy plunged into a deep depression knowing that his life would never be the same again. Returning home was difficult for Artie. The press were waiting by the Abrams’ gate trying to catch a glimpse of the famous couples son. And he became the main topic of any interview that ever took place. Particularly after Nancy put her her career on hold , to take care of him and Seth successfully sued the driver of the truck for a multi million dollar figure. Realising that his dream of becoming a dancer was over , Artie retreated into his books , studying hard , watching the world from the sidelines The next couple years went by in a blur, any real friends that he had before the accident, didn’t want anything to do with him and those that remained only did so because of who his family were, but they weren’t real friends and Artie often heard them laughing at him when he couldn’t keep up as they raced off to play and he found himself falling deeper into depression.

It was after the arrival of Levi into his life that things began to turn around for Artie. Led to believe that Levi had been adopted from India , Artie noticed the sadness in new brothers eyes and it made him start to think that life could have been a lot worse. and he was determined to be the best big brother he could possibly be., He may have been stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life but at least he was alive and whilst he still has bouts of depression, his out look on life began to change. Seth had began to notice that Artie had become a people watcher and one day came home from the office with a present for his son. A video camera, Artie loved it and spent hours making short movies to entertain his family, and after a while he knew that this was what he wanted to do with his life. High School was a challenge for Artie., As he found himself at the mercy of the football and hockey teams, regularly finding himself locked in the dumpster or hoisted up the flag poles , but thanks to the AV and Glee clubs , he had for the first time since the accident, real friends. and after graduating with honours he knew he wanted to go to college to study the love of his life. Movie making. He figured if JJ Abrams could be come a star behind the camera then so could AJ Abrams , but fear of stepping or wheeling out of the comfort zone that was home delayed his decision to go. All sorts of thought ran through his head. What if the campus wasn’t accessible , what if something went wrong medically as he was fully aware of the complications that could arise from his condition, But worse was the discovery that his father had been having an affair with a younger woman and that she was pregnant with his child. Knowing that Nancy had halted her performing career to look after him, left him feeling duty bound to stay and be there for her. Be the emotional support she needed but Some how she finally managed to convince him that she would be fine and he packed his bags and headed for PSU, determined to try and let nothing stop him obtaining his film degree and his dream of being the first paraplegic to win an academy award.

BABY, THERE'S NO OTHER SUPERSTAR

Artie is your typical nerd. Is obsessed with Game of Thrones , DC super heroes and Swedish noir drama and is usually seen darting around campus wearing the most unflattering sweaters known to humanity. He may dress like your Grandad, but it suites him. He is incredibly shortsighted and chooses to wear glasses as he finds contacts make his eyes sore, but he does wear them for special occasions.

YOU KNOW THAT I'LL BE YOUR PAPARAZZI

Nancy is a famous entertainer that started her career as a singer. Seth is a very famous defense attorney representing all the stars and has made several helpful connections throughout the years thanks to the clients he has represented. He has yet to lose a case in his career.