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ruinofchimera · 3 months ago

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People forget or are too young to remember that when Order of the Phoenix first came out, everyone thought Lily was exceptional because she was coming to the defence of some random slimy unpopular kid she didn’t know just because it was the right thing to do. Nobody theorized for a second back in 2003 that they were friends, let alone best friends, because they DIDN’T ACT LIKE IT. She pays no attention to him in that scene because she’s so dialled in to James even at his worst. People theorized that Snape had a distant crush. Obviously JKR wrote it that way in Book 5 to conceal the Snily connection because it needed to be a big mystery reveal in book 7, but that means she needed to make Lily’s behavior - the flicker of amusement and the bantering with James while her friend is assaulted - in the Book 5 scene work retrospectively from a characterization standpoint in The Prince’s Tale. And she makes it work by painting a picture of a shaky friendship that had turned toxic long before the Mudblood incident, and not just because of his Slytherin associations and the threat of the war. He doesn’t understand why she cares about her sister, she puts all the blame on him for them stealing Petunia’s letter. He minimizes the harm Mulciber does, she tells him that he’s supposed to show gratitude to his abuser for drawing the line at murder. We’re not meant to read it as this loving, warm, equal relationship that Snape fucked up in this one moment.

I won’t even bother to hide that your writing hooked me right away. I fervently crave insights from the time when the books were just coming out and people didn’t yet see the whole picture. I find red herring to be a rather delicious literary device, so it’s a pity that I can only imagine how the final twists of the series blew the minds of the audience. Unfortunately, I was still a child at the time, so my brain cells could not yet process the subtleties of the material. Therefore, my judgments were formed after multiple re-readings in adulthood, and by that time, I had been shamelessly robbed of the intrigue.

Many fanon trends take on deeper meaning after you lift the veil of how the material was initially perceived (being misled by the narrator until the very end and all). Taking this into account, it becomes clear where the claims of Lily’s heroism may have come from. Someone in a reblog of my previous post mentioned that even Harry, who held a grudge against Snape, didn’t find the display amusing in the slightest. On the contrary, he was terrified. So even if there was no evidence of Lily and Severus’s friendship to speak of at that time, Lily’s glorification is still dubious to me. But for some people that might be enough to plant the roots of her chivalrous nature.

I see it now. You explained incredibly well why people might have overlooked the red flags in Lily as a friend, given that they didn’t perceive her as more than a mere bystander during the incident. Unfortunately, though, I have very little faith that people still base their opinions on what they read many years ago. I mean, I reread the series just last winter, and I had already forgotten a lot of important details (for example, Lily trying to make Severus feel grateful that James had saved him). And some folk intervene in discussions about Harry Potter when the last time they touched the original material was more than a decade ago? Well, if they seriously rely on their—dare I say—ancient reading, it would be so absurd it would almost be funny. Why am I even surprised? Maybe I’m just jealous of their superior memory.

Whatever. Once again, your meta is a revelation to be reckoned with. I hadn't considered it from this angle before, my critical thinking is almost purring with an enjoyment.

#lily evans #severus snape #marauders

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tgmsunmontue · 11 months ago

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It's not who you know 3/4

YEAR 3 - Non-angsty Nepo!Baby Bradley and his years at the USNA and his head-in-the-sand approach to the nepotism and the fact that he ends up being known as the guy with the two hot dads instead...

YEAR THREE - 2003 - PART 3

Bradley’s time in San Diego is now numbered in days rather than weeks and Tom helps him pack for his first extended stay on a cruiser. Tom wonders if his name was even put into a hat for a place on a submarine; unlike his relationship with Man and him, it’s no secret that Bradley wants to fly. If a carrier had been an option he’s pretty sure Bradley would have gotten that. He’s seen Bradley’s report though, knows he’s excelling in all areas, clearly determined to succeed and he’s so proud. Of course, Bradley still needs to take part in the standard summer activities, despite having grown up and having them happening around him constantly, getting dragged across the country to attend various things in his shadow.

“You know I’ll be visiting the USS Princeton while you’re onboard.”

“Yeah yeah, I promise not to have to be thrown overboard for insubordination.”

“No, that wasn’t… I was more thinking that you might find yourself hearing things about me which are going to make you want to pop someone in the nose.”

“Like what?”

“Oh god, all sorts of shit. People think I don’t know what they say behind my back but trust me, I know.”

“I haven’t heard anything!”

“You’ve not done any active service yet. Fresh greenie not even a proper upperclassman yet. You’ll hear stuff.”

The expression on Bradley’s face is equally angry and annoyed and Tom holds back a groan.

“Bradley, I’m serious. You’re really going to have to hold back if you get angry. Don’t worry about my honor okay. You’ve spent the last couple of years pretending you don’t know me and Mav at all, don’t blow your cover over something stupid that doesn’t matter. You understand?”

“Yeah. Thanks Ice. And thanks for going along with this whole thing, I know it probably feels a bit stupid some days, but it’s really nice knowing that the friends I’ve made are my friends because of me you know, not because of what connections I might have.”

“Yeah kid, I get it. Fair warning they might feel pretty pissed when they do find out though.”

“Nah, I’ve picked good friends. I reckon they’ll understand.”

“Okay. Now did you need anything else? I know Mav has been riding you hard about your flight hours…”

Mav of course has made the most of whatever spare time they’ve had and ensured Bradley built up his flight hours again so his license doesn’t lapse. Tom doesn’t think there are going to be very many other upperclassman with as much flight experience as Bradley. Talk about being overqualified. However he also knows it makes for a damn strong application so he’s supported Mav in his undertaking.

They say goodbye to Bradley on the porch, tell him they’ll see him onboard when he’s mixing with the enlisted personnel and Tom wishes they could watch him board, feels like it’s another milestone he’s going to miss. Reminds himself firmly that he’ll see him again onboard the same damn ship and he’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future to wave Bradley off on deployment.

… … …

He doesn’t punch anyone, didn’t even need the warning, wonders what Ice thinks people say about him. He’d heard them talk, but nothing more than him being brass and being very cool-headed in times of crisis. It’s all been pretty benign stuff really, and no-one had stopped talking when he entered a room or anything.

For the first time ever he puts up a photo of Ice and Mav beside his bed. It’s weird, but he can see why people don’t see Admiral Kazansky. He’s got a few copies of the photo, Slider having printed him off a bunch in thanks for forwarding him the electronic file and that is probably going to come back and bite him in the ass at some stage. Now he’s back in Bancroft, preparing to help with Plebe Summer, this time older and not being expected to have to deal with people yelling in his face while not reacting. It’s going to be a cake-walk in comparison to two years ago and he’s looking forward to it.

“You’re not meant to be in here,” Bradley says, seeing Natasha at the end of his dorm bed.

“I was sent to collect you, I have permission,” she says, hand waving away his concerns. “Let me look at that photo. Holy shit… I thought your first dad was hot, but your other dad? I mean… wow. I know I told you I like girls more than boys, but these are the type of boys that I prefer…” she says, tapping the photo. “Huh. Maybe it’s just men and women, because to be honest I don’t find anyone here very attractive.”

“Gross,” Bradley states, because he’s very firmly kept the company of his own hand when he’s been on base. His summers are probably a lot wilder than Mav or Ice think they are, but he tries to make use of every night he has home once they’re

“To you maybe… pretty sure you’d find my brother hot.”

“If I did, I wouldn’t tell you!”

“That’s because you’re repressed.”

“Rather be repressed than find either of my dads hot thanks!”

“Okay. That’s fair. And you probably won’t be too ugly once you grow into your face…”

“Wow, you really know how to flatter a guy…”

… … …

Plebe Summer starts and Bradley throws himself into being the best role model he can. He knows that in the future some of these people will be his peers, maybe even be his superior, but right now they have to get through what he still considers the hardest summer of their life. Of course hardly anyone drops out, the selection criteria is far too difficult and physically rigorous to make it something someone would easily just drop-out from without serious consideration first. There’s friendly competition and even friendlier encouragement, the brigades working together.

There’s one guy that keeps catching his eye and he’s not sure if it’s deliberate on the guy’s part, somehow magically putting himself nearly always in Bradley’s line of sight. Or whether he’s only got himself to blame, eyes just drifting to watch. Either way he’s really fucking horny and the guy is hot. Not that he will do anything, but it doesn’t stop him thinking about it.

“Now there is a guy who doesn’t need to grow into his looks…”

He silently agrees.

God what he wouldn’t do to get his hands on him.

Ah well. His own hands on his own body and his mind on another it is.

… … …

“Do I have a sign on me that says to tell me if you’re gay? Or a lesbian? Or bisexual?”

“Um… not literally. But there is the common knowledge that you have smoking hot dads and therefor okay with the gay.”

Bradley groans.

“I had another guy come out to me today. No reason. Just to tell me. Also he said he thinks we’re cute together.”

“Ew.”

“I just nodded and smiled.”

… … …

Michael Williams sighs. It’s the second… complaint? Notification? Information? Tips? Regardless, they’re both about Bradley Bradshaw’s relationship with Natasha Trace. They’ve been spied coming out of rooms together, otherwise small, dark, empty rooms like the store rooms. Fraternization. Actions unbecoming. Fuck. The kid wants to be treated like all the other kids, he’d be getting pulled into Mack’s office for a dressing down, short and sharp. Both of them would be.

Part of him wants to, still a little ticked off at the whole stunt Bradshaw is pulling. He’s not familiar with him outside of watching him last year, seeing a whole raft of his superior officers watch as Admiral Kazansky toured the campus dressed as a civilian. But also Bradshaw is good. He does everything well, more than well. And he’s cheerful and helpful and encourages the underclassmen and there had been no fault in any of his behavior.

Until now.

He walks down the corridor to Admiral Kerner’s office, nervous as he knocks on the open door.

“Sir. Do you have a moment?”

“Of course, come in.”

He does, closes the door behind him and notes the eyebrow raise and the lean back in the chair. He has his full attention.

“Sir. I need you to do a favor and make a call to your friend Kazansky.”

“Why, what’s happened?”

“I’ve got two instances of fraternization for Bradley Bradshaw and Natasha Trace.”

“And you want to do what? Tattle on him to his uncle?”

“No, I was actually after guidance on how I should proceed. I would pull them both into my office and give them a stern talking to, and a warning. Is that appropriate?”

“Bradshaw and Trace are the same rank Captain, it’s not exactly forbidden, just heavily frowned upon. The fact you have had two complaints tells me that this is more likely a case of sour grapes on whoever is complaining, so I’d be having a talk with them as well. But let me see if I can get Ice on the blower…”

Michael will never understand naval aviators and their call signs, but he stands and waits as Admiral Kerner dials, then asks to be put through. Obviously whoever it is on the other end knows not to mess with one Admiral ringing another. He listens to the one-sided conversation and watches Admiral Kerner’s face with interest.

“Hey Ice, it’s Sli. Yes, well, I didn’t think I’d be speaking to you today either. Look. Yeah. This is about Bradley. Did you talk to him about behavior?” Face curious, openly contemplative.

“Okay, so you covered that with him. Then why are we looking at two instances of fraternization?” Eyes narrowed and considering.

“No, it’s with a fellow midshipman. Also an upperclassman.” Serious.

“Yes, I’m aware it’s not actual fraternization.” An eyeroll.

“Yes, it is.” Face back to curious, speculative.

“Oh. Huh.” Surprise.

“I did think it was maybe a case of sour grapes, jealousy at his general capabilities and the fact that he’s generally well liked amongst his peers. Except by a couple apparently.”

“Yes well, he’ll be fine. We’ll pull them in and give them a heads up. Both of them. Midshipman Trace is equally talented and capable.”

“Yeah, was nice talking to you too. Will have to have a proper catchup when it’s not about work.”

… … …

Jake isn’t sure what he has to do to get the guys sole undivided attention, but he’s not going to give up trying. He’s so good at everything, competent in this easy way that turns him on in ways he’s never thought were possible, and he’s a teenager and being horny is pretty much a permanent state for him. Except when he’s too tired to even think, which unfortunately for his first year at USNA is a whole lot of the time. Either it gets easier or people just learn how to cope with everything better because Midshipman Bradshaw makes it look easy.

… … …

“Oh god, it was horrible. I can’t do it again. How do they do it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Submarines! Going under the water…”

“Uh…” Tom exchanges a look with Pete and opens his mouth. Closes it again. Bradley is back home for part of summer, having just experienced his first dive and he’s at a bit of a loss.

“Bradley. Buddy. Uh. You realize you’re in the Navy right? And that has, uh, a lot to do with the water?” Mav says.

“But I’m going to fly planes!”

“Maybe he should have joined the airforce,” Tom muses.

“You wash your mouth out right now!”

… … …

“Seriously, if I was going to fuck around I’d do it somewhere far less obvious than the fucking storeroom!”

Tom winces, because clearly Pete has heard the rumors about Bradley and Natasha Trace. God he loves the rumor mill of the US Navy, bunch of gossipers the lot of them. He hadn’t bothered mentioning anything, because he knew nothing was happening. Mav is of course mentioning it. In the worst possible way. Clearly having forgotten that Bradley came out as gay several years ago and that Natasha Trace is a woman. He’s going to need a coffee.

“Bradley! What do you mean Bradley? Don’t walk away from me young man!”

“You said we leave our ranks at the door with our shoes, so this conversation is over! And I said if!”

“I know what if means in this house, and it definitely means something definitely happened!”

�� … …

“Do I even want to know?” Tom asks, taking a quiet sip of coffee.

“Mav’s scared I might be having sex.”

Tom raises an eyebrow, he’s fully aware Bradley’s been sneaking out for the last couple of years. He guesses Bradley’s now feeling mature enough to talk about it. Good.

“Are you being safe?”

“Yes.”

“Good enough for me. Don’t get caught.”

Bradley scoffs.

“I learnt from the best remember!”

“He got caught plenty of times,” Tom says dryly.

“I meant you Ice.”

“Oh.”

It’s been a long time since he’s blushed.

PART FOUR

#Nepo!Baby Bradley Bradshaw #IceMav #Top Gun Maverick #Top Gun Maverick Fanfiction #AU where Bradley goes to USNA #Hangster #creeping in there a tiny bit #it's not who you know

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batsplat · 5 months ago

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do you have a favorite bit of motogp gossip that you either want to know is it’s true, or you just enjoy as a stand alone piece, no need for further investigation?

one of those where I initially stared at and like. lost all motogp knowledge in my brain. and then stuff did come back to me. this is all very much low hanging fruit and I'll add to it when I remember more interesting/quirky ones. BUT here are some things I want to know:

y'know how casey randomly suggests in his autobiography that valentino was sabotaged in the 2006 title decider? so, personally, I don't really buy this, because 'why' and also 'casey girl you are SO paranoid' - though, sure, if given the option I'd like to double check if valentino had a dud tyre (completely plausible) and also if somebody really deliberately gave him one (?? casey idk about this one). but what I'm REALLY curious about is... there's a change in his autobiography?? like I've seen this book excerpt float around online and the text is different from what's in my book!! mine's from the paperback version so I assume there may have been some edits for that, so that would make it the newer version... but like. this is a real editorial change. check this out:

version posted on the internet, from the hard cover edition???

version in my book, first paragraph is the same

But as soon as the lights went out Valentino was in trouble. I was one of six riders to pass him on the first lap and if you watch the footage you can see how much he is struggling to even keep up with us. His rear and front tyres were just not working together and on lap five the front inexplicably folded and he went down, right behind me. I couldn't help but wonder how he could be having such problems with his tyres. Could he really have been stitched up? It seemed so improbable, but I remember watching that race back in the motorhome that evening and thinking, Welcome to my world, mate.

this isn't 'gossip' because I haven't found anyone else who has spotted this, but like? that's a substantive change? if my one really is the newer one? ...?

let's set aside the fascinating insight you get into casey's knotty and at times bizarre valentino rossi complex with him adding the line "welcome to my world, mate" (oh my god. please just take him to dinner. I will crowd fund this I literally just need to be able to listen in. casey come on CALL him I NEED you to do the dinner thing, YOU suggested it not me). like we're not going to even touch that. but if my version really is the updated one, then he's kinda softened his stance, no?? "convinced he was stitched up" to "could he really have been stitched up"

what happened?? who wanted this change? casey? an editor? did dorna give casey a call? did some poor bloke from pr have to politely ask whether casey could please not state in his autobiography that the most popular rider ever had had a title stolen from him by the establishment?

(casey was talking about valentino's stolen tenth BEFORE it was popular. he did it even before valentino did, bless)

"there are a lot of commercial interests in the sport" also didn't make the jump to the 'new version', mind you. did Big America get to casey

come on you guys have to admit this is an odd change?? does nobody else thing this is weird??

okay fine moving on

Did Valentino Literally Curse Sete

(like. not literally as in did he curse curse sete, literally as in did he say it)

(though if he did literally literally curse curse sete, I suppose I'd also like to know that bit)

the commentators in 2003 brno say so and I'm inclined to believe them, but I need to double check whether sete and valentino really were partying on ibiza together right after that very painful valentino loss at the sachsenring. such a fascinating little detail, that's not something post-2004 valentino does I reckon

I mean, look, obviously a bunch of things from that time period I want to have fact checked. including valentino's friend hearing sete say in late 2003 that valentino wasn't going to be smiling so much after joining yamaha. classic bit of gossip, did it actually happen though

I've referenced this a few times before, but y'know how valentino said that marc's manager alzamora told him after sepang 2015 that marc had been angry at valentino for killing his title charge? I just want. to know. if this conversation actually happened. I don't think valentino would pluck a lie like that out of thin air, especially something so specific about somebody on marc's team, and he has known alzamora for decades but like. maybe almazora just said something valentino misinterpreted? I just find this such a bonkers thing from alzamora if it's true that I would like it confirmed for my own sanity, you know?

yeah look I would like to know if marc really did get casey kicked out of honda, obviously I've discussed this before and it's very he said she said but yeah it'd be fun to know the truth

this is literally peak gossip because I can't find a source for it but I swear a journalist did say it: the rumour is that marc blocked joan mir from joining honda in 2019. like, I'm only including this because I was explicitly asked for gossip as I just cannot find where it was said... but it is something that is. out there. and... again, just curious. like I buy it, but also it could be bullshit!

on a similar note, did he ever make clear to honda he didn't want either vinales or rinsy on his team circa 2016? was it just a vibe in the paddock or was this an actual demand from marc?

speaking of!! the whole thing about alzamora basically rigging the moto3 teammate situation between rinsy and alex marquez to ensure the latter won the title that year. what was that all about, how far did they go there

switching to valentino now. this doesn't quite fit the remit of the question because it IS something I've investigated. and my conclusion is basically a big *shrug*

did valentino block casey from joining yamaha in either 2005 or 2006, and did he attempt to block jorge?

there are completely contradictory sources on the timeline here that do make me feel like there's a chance yamaha was just fucking with casey at the very least in 2006 and valentino had fuck all to do with it, which a recent interview from casey did actually hint at too... he made it sound like maybe yamaha was just using him to try to drive down the price of another rider (which would then presumably be jorge)

I just want to know! and the thing is, it was a matter of open paddock discussion that valentino blocked casey (jorge explicitly references it in in 2007), but something doesn't quite add up between what jorge, casey, colin edwards, articles from the time and lin jarvis have said on the subject! my current pet theory is that valentino blocked casey in 2005 from joining the satellite yamaha team in 2006 (weirdly casey doesn't really imply valentino was responsible for this one in his autobiography, but whatever) but NOT in 2006 (casey does imply valentino was responsible here, you see my problem). and yamaha was fucking around with all four of valentino, casey, jorge and edwards in late 2006/2007. but. yeah. I have unanswered questions

the entire 'alex marquez blocked from yamaha' situation.... again. something is off there. you know the story from late last year about how he was blocked in 2019 from joining the petronas team in 2021? this completely threw me, because there was an entirely different story about this YEARS back in 2018!! I initially assumed the two stories were about the same event, but it can't have been! one's him being blocked in 2019 for 2021, one's him being blocked in 2018 for 2019

from the descriptions of both there's also no confusing them. the 2018 story has to be about the 2018 contract cycle because that's quite literally when it was published, and the 2023 story has to be about the 2019 contract cycle because it explicitly references the space fabio would create by moving to the factory team for 2021, which obviously wouldn't make sense before fabio's actual rookie season. like they have to be about different stories

and in that same 2018 story, marc said that back in 2016 lin jarvis told him no marquez would be joining yamaha:

again, this was in 2018!!

plus, he did say back in 2016 that he'd spoken to jarvis, which kinda backs up this is a conversation that did happen and marc isn't just misremembering the timeline/lying (the notion of marc joining yamaha in 2017 is fantastic, what an absolutely horrendous idea):

now what marc says in 2018 about his conversation with lin jarvis is very similar to petronas yamaha boss razali saying in 2023 that he'd been told by yamaha no marquez was allowed at yamaha. suggests that this is a thing that did happen!!

but again... razali was told that in 2019... after marc had already been told the same thing three years before that, and the exact same deal had already been blocked one year earlier... does nobody else think this is weird?? like, I'm not saying yamaha hq covered themselves in glory here, but is it not a little strange the satellite yamaha squad had basically almost signed a contract with the younger marquez again without checking in with yamaha, just ONE YEAR after this same contract had already been blocked???

again this isn't actually gossip because I'm apparently the only person going ?? about this but I'll say it: ??

kinda been annoying me since december last year, like I know it doesn't matter but I'm just curious about it! why's nobody else talking about the 2018 story!

idk my best guess here is that petronas yamaha was faffing about and playing weird games with the factory team, that the deal was never as likely to happen as they made it sound to the marquez camp. zero proof, that's me spreading rumours yeah... time to create some of my own unfounded gossip

(also of course I'm curious if valentino did have any actual involvement in this. like if lin jarvis was telling marc this in the year of our lord 2016, I'm assuming valentino didn't have to explicitly say to jarvis that 'inviting marc to the team for 2017' wasn't exactly high on his christmas wish list. it is interesting that marc frames it as jarvis making this about. like. all the marquez's way back in 2016, and again, would this really have been on valentino's radar at the time? that feels a bit...? alex marquez was thirteenth in that moto2 season? would certainly be very... thorough for valentino to already have had that particular talk with jarvis)

(mind u there's a fun moment in a 2019 presser where valentino is sitting between the two marquez brothers and the younger marquez is being asked about his contract situation, the implication being he'd had a motogp deal and no longer had a motogp deal. and he's answering and marc's doing his freak stare and valentino is Right There sitting between them... I <3 mess)

man did valentino actually ever fucking block anyone from joining his manufacturer #notmygoat. I still think he didn't know about jorge until the deal was basically done, had nothing to do with the younger marquez, at most blocked casey the one time but then yamaha wasn't actually seriously intending on signing casey in 2006 and was just using it as a play in their jorge negotiations, which.... idk. bit disappointing if true icl. I hope he blocked someone, I'll say it

(also. okay. I don't want to sound awful here because I do have a lot of sympathy for baby!casey but. ignoring the morality for a second, I do LOVE the idea that valentino blocked casey from getting a satellite yamaha seat fresh off his 250cc runner up season because it would conclusively prove valentino did ABSOLUTELY rate casey!! like he didn't even want casey to come close to being his teammate!! not even a sniff at his data!!) (genuinely this is the rumour I'm choosing to believe, I know there's a chance valentino didn't successfully block anyone and was just a complete flop but I want the 2005 one to be true. it really adds something to the rivalry idk... like ugh valentino saw how dangerous casey was proper early when much of the paddock wasn't yet convinced... cute)

moving on

there was a rumour in 2015 that valentino approached dani after aragon to complain about how sturdy his defence was, like moaning about denying him points and shit. now, there's exactly one article about this in marca that is the sole origin point for the rumour, and it says that valentino also interrupted a honda party after phillip island to complain to marc. this does not match up at all with anything either marc or valentino have said since then - and would mean you have to believe that marc wasn't actually blindsided by that presser... also feels a bit unlikely we would have heard NOTHING from any other source if vale was really gatecrashing a honda party

of course, neither dani nor valentino have spoken about this supposed post-aragon 2015 meeting either, not even when dani was kinda accusing valentino of hypocrisy during sepang 2015, but I suppose you could say maybe dani's just not the type of guy to bring it up again. however.... I do reckon occam's razor kinda applies here and if one of these stories is bullshit then they probably both are, plus it's not like marca is exactly a neutral source. still would love to be certain!! instinctively I don't really think that's valentino's style at all, but of course it'd be intriguing if the story were true because it'd be a sign of how 2015 kinda messed with him. but I still feel 2015 is more about him falling back on past tools he'd mostly discarded - rather than, like, acting wildly out of character, which again... well, this brings us back to how that kind of behaviour isn't really valentino's style. basically, I don't buy it, but that's kinda why I am so curious about it? because I feel like it would be really interesting and quirky if he had actually done that. does this make any sense

speaking of, again this doesn't really count because I did kinda investigate it last year.... but you know when valentino in that podcast referenced a conversation with marc around the time of sepang 2015, where marc stared blankly at him? I have a hunch about when that conversation happened, want to know if it's right. this also isn't really 'gossip' because this is a conversation I'm having with myself but

y'know when bez was injured on the ranch late-ish last year? a bunch of journalists pointed out how hush hush they were about what actually happened to bez - like they repeatedly drew attention to that because god knows THEY love some gossip lol. which probably means nothing, but I'm curious what the journalists' theory here is, like do they think it was an embarrassing injury?? OR. look. I suppose the conspiracy theory would be that pecco caused it (obviously accidentally!!) and everyone at the ranch knew it'd be a terrible look if they admitted that because of the whole title fight situation. call me casey stoner because those dots are not real and definitely have not been connected

okay, you know how there were rumours in the spanish tabloids bez said some real ugly stuff to marc at valencia last year, and bez didn't directly address it but freaked a little and did a sort of blanket denial that he'd said anything that bad? I don't actually think he did tbh, but again. would just like to check!

while we're already on bez, there was one report that the switch to aprilia was partly motivated by marc to factory ducati. again, not entirely sure I buy that this would factor into his thinking beyond the obvious 'this means the route to that factory ducati seat looks even more closed than it already did' angle'.... it's very much down my list of priorities but I'd quickly confirm/deny it if given the chance yeah

that's all for now lol

#these all feel INCREDIBLY boring but i'm stuck 2/3 of the way through a bunch of different asks and this was fast and fun so #anon i will return to this when i think of more interesting ones. my brain gave up on me. these are all so basic bleh #man i'm gonna miss lin i swear he was always up to some shit #i see u buddy. i know u were flat out lying to colin edwards for like. half a year. i see u #//#brr brr #batsplat responds #“welcome to my world mate” caseyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy #every day i wake up and think about Her (all the things casey wants to tell valentino but has never gotten the chance to)#like he canonically factually actually wants valentino to know what casey's pov on that rivalry was... doesn't that make you CRAZY #he doesn't want to interrogate valentino he wants to confess to him... he wants valentino to Understand... makes me ill #u know it's also like... because valentino literally has said Nothing substantive about that rivalry since mid 2013 #has casey like... noticed? I'm sure he doesn't WANT valentino to keep insulting him but idk it's kind of a bit. hm #like if you ARE looking for closure and YOU are still talking about it a lot but the other guy is just. Not. would that bother you?#idk!! maybe it really is completely a confessional impulse for him. casey constantly wanting to get his story out there #and not really caring what valentino contributes. that he's stopped contributing at all. orrrrr WOULD he like valentino to *respond*#does he want confirmation valentino is even seeing this stuff!! sending it out into the ether and waiting for the echo gahhhhh #what was this post about again #THE FUNDAMENTAL ALIENATION OF FEELING UNSEEN BY YOUR FOIL WHO SHOULD UNDERSTAND YOU BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE #alien tag

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hotheadedhero · 6 months ago

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Request Rules!

Currently closed! Here for more info

Here be the masterlist!

I currently accept headcanon/one-shot requests for 2007, 2012, Bayverse, and Rise. 2003 will be included once I've watched the show all the way through and refreshed myself (will later edit when that changes). Or, if you do want to make an 03 request, nothing plot-heavy

Be patient with me for I am a lowly worm trying my best. I'd like to adhere to a schedule but, unfortunately, my brain doesn't function well with routine. Whilst writing tmnt fics is my lifeline, it can be quite overwhelming, too. If you're waiting a while for your request, it's probably because of that or work but I will try my darndest to fulfil your wishes

Keep your requests simple-ish if you can, please. It's often quite difficult to follow through how I believe an idea can go if half the story has already been written for me

I hold the right to refuse a request should I choose to. This isn't anything malicious, sometimes I may just struggle with what has been asked of me

Where smut/18+ is concerned, I'm still a little nervous about uploading anything of the sort. That doesn't mean I won't give it a go, though. As long as you're prepared to deal with some potentially awkward writing XD

I love receiving fluff and angst requests! Nothing is too cute or too dark. I'm not past getting into something gory

This may seem like a weird one but I reckon I very much prefer to stick to human reader fics. Can't quite explain this one. Only that's how I always envision the circumstances when I'm writing

With 'reader' specifications in mind, I default to fem unless directly asked to write in gn. It's not that I don't think I could make a male reader but I definitely don't feel as confident

No Turtle x OCs, please. Just general reader stuff :)

I also won't write x child readers. The best way I can describe it is by explaining how I go about my process. I put myself in the reader's shoes during my writing to help me flesh out a story. It's probably why I also can't do male readers because it's a perspective I can't confidently replicate. The same goes for child readers, I'm an old lady who has forgotten what those youthful days were like 😭 At least, this is how it feels with my writing method, idk

No Tcest, which also means no poly x reader stories. I don't think I need to explain this one

(This may be edited along the way subject to any changes that I deem necessary at the time)

Finally, may everyone have fun and enjoy themselves on this board! We're all just here to enjoy the spoils of creation 💚🫶

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la-femme-au-collier-vert · 2 months ago

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From the Library of Anne Rice (Part 2)

Cherubs Angels of Love. Boston: Little, Brown, & Company, 1994. Inscribed.

Horst His Work and His World. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984. With a note.

Arroyo, Raymond. The Spider Who Saved Christmas. Sophia Institute Press, 2020. Inscribed.

Chester, Laura. Free Rein. Providence: Burning Deck, 1988. Ownership Signature. Inscribed.

Frankel, Ellen. The Illustrated Hebrew Bible. New York: Steward, Tabori, & Chang.

Hendrick, Susan & Vilma Machette. World Colors Dolls & Dress. Grantville, Maryland: Hobby House Press, 1997. Inscribed.

Kepler, Lars. The Sandman. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2018. With a note.

Laughlin, Clarence John. Ghost Along the Mississippi. New York: Bonanza Books, 1961.

Link, Luther. The Devil Mask without a Face. Reaktion Books, 1995. With a note.

Lopez, George R. and Perron Andrea. In a Flicker. AuthorHouse, 2015. Inscribed.

Nelson, Robert S. and Kristen M. Collins. Holy Image and Hallowed Ground Icons from Sinai. Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, 2007. Inscribed.

Pearson, Dave. Byzantium and Beyond. The Dave Pearson Trust, 2012. With a note.

Riesem, Richard O. Mount Hope. Landmark Society of Western New York, 1995. Inscribed.

Penny, Louise. The Nature of the Beast. New York: Minotaur Books, 2015. Signed and inscribed by Penny to Anne Rice.

Penny, Louise. A Great Reckoning. New York: Minotaur Books, 2016. With Anne Rice ownership signature and inscription.

Penny, Louise. Glass Houses. New York: Minotaur Books, 2017. Advance reading copy. Signed and inscribed by Penny to Anne Rice.

Penny, Louise, Kingdom of the Blind. New York: Minotaur Books, 2018. First edition, signed and inscribed by Penny to Anne Rice.

Penny, Louise. A Better Man. New York: Minotaur Books, 2019. Signed and inscribed by Penny to Anne Rice.

Cazeau, Jean-Louis and Rick Knowlton. A World of Chess. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2017. Inscribed by Knowlton to Anne Rice on the half-title: "You have given me many hours of pleasure with your vampire series! May you enjoy this peculiar corner of world culture I have been exploring...."

Brown, Nancy Marie. Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made them. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2015. With Anne Rice ownership signature and annotations in red ink throughout.

Chernev, Irving and Kenneth Harkness. An Invitation to Chess. New York: Fireside Book, 1985. Minor annotations in red ink by Anne Rice throughout.

Ackroyd, Peter. Dickens. [New York]: HarperCollins Publisher, 1990.

Bloom, Harold, editor. Charles Dickens. New York, Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.

Cotsell, Michael. Critical Essays on Charles Dickens's 'Great Expectations'. Boston, Massachusetts: G.K. Hall & Co., 1990.

Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2017. Gift inscription on the flyleaf.

Dickens, Charles. American Notes. Mineola, New York: Dover Publication Inc., 2017.

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. New York: Everyman's Library, 1991.

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: Barnes & Nobles Classics, 2004.

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: Everyman's Library, 1992.

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Norwalk, Connecticut: The Easton Press, 1979.

Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. [New York]: Penguin Classics, 2011.

Dickens, Charles. Little Dorrit. New York: Everyman's Library, 1992.

Dickens, Charles. Nicholas Nickleby. New York: George Routledge and Sons, [1880].

Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. New York: Everyman's Library, 1992.

Dickens, Charles. Our Mutual Friend. New York: Everyman's Library, 1994.

Dickens, Charles. The Mystery of Edwin Drood. New York: Modern Library, 2009.

Dickens, Charles. The Old Curiosity Shop. Mineola, New York: Dover Publication Inc., 2003.

Dickens, Charles. The Uncommercial Traveller and Reprinted Pieces. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Forster, John. The Life of Charles Dickens, Volume 3: 1852-1870. [Cambridge, England]: Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Goodheart, Eugene, editor. Critical Insights: Charles Dickens. Pasadena, California and Hackensack, New Jersey: Salem Press, 2011.

Hammond, Mary. Charles Dickens's 'Great Expectations.' [London]: Ashgate, 2015.

Ingham , Patricia. Dickens, Women & Language. Toronto, Buffalo: University of Toronto Press, 1992.

Jordan, Joseph P. Dickens Novels as Verse. Madison, Teaneck: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2014.

Jordan, John O. The Cambridge Companion to Charles Dickens. [Cambridge, England]: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Nelson, A.N. The Mystery of Charles Dickens. [New York]: Harper, 2020.

Pykett, Lyn. Critical Issues: Charles Dickens. [New York]: Palgrave, 2002.

Slater, Michael. Dickens and Women. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1983.

Slater, Michael. The Great Charles Dickens Scandal. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2012.

Tomalin, Claire. Charles Dickens: A Life. [New York]: Penguin Books, 2011.

Tomalin, Claire. The Invisible Woman. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.

Wilson, Angus. The World of Charles Dickens. New York: The Viking Press, 1970.

#Interview With the Vampire #Anne Rice #Bonhams Auction

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blairbarely · 1 month ago

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"If You Could Save Yourself (You’d Save Us All)" is not just a song but a statement of collapse, a reckoning. It belongs to Quebec, Ween’s 2003 album, a project born out of exhaustion, addiction, and the slow erosion of things that once worked. By then, the band—so often irreverent, sardonic, grotesquely playful—seemed to be on the brink of something irreparable. The humor that defined them had curdled. What’s left is this track: sparse, resigned, painfully clear.

The song is about failure, but not failure as an event. Failure as a slow realization. The kind that reveals itself in the smallest moments—a forgotten promise, a missed call, the quiet understanding that the person you once believed in, perhaps even loved, cannot fix what they’ve broken. “If you could save yourself, you’d save us all.” The refrain lands with the weight of inevitability, because we already know that they won’t, or can’t save themselves, let alone anyone else.

The song’s melody is deceptively lush, its softness betraying the severity of its message. There is no anger here, only a kind of suspended grief, the knowledge that sometimes we ruin things not out of malice but because we simply don’t know how to stop ourselves. Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman) sings as though he has been rehearsing this apology for years, but knows no apology will suffice. By the time he delivers it, it feels less like an olive branch and more like a eulogy—something for the living to hold on to after the fact.

Ween’s work has always thrived on ambiguity, but this track refuses to obscure. It is brutally specific and yet universal: a song about a band, a relationship, a person’s own self-destruction, and the collateral damage left behind. It doesn’t ask for forgiveness, nor does it offer it. It just lingers in the air, a reminder that sometimes the things we love most are unsalvageable.

The final line, “I was on my knees when you knocked me down,” lingers not just because of its stark simplicity but because of its layered implications, its quiet devastation. To knock a man down while he’s already on his knees is not simply an act of brutality; it is an act stripped of honor, a deliberate violation of an unspoken rule. A man on his knees is not just vulnerable—he is pleading, resigned, exposed. And yet, this plea is met not with mercy but with force, a cruelty that feels both personal and senseless.

Freeman’s admission, “I was on my knees,” carries its own weight. It is not just an acknowledgment of physical submission but of emotional collapse, of a self-inflicted damage so profound that no external force could truly worsen it. The act of knocking him down becomes almost incidental, a final indignity piled atop his own undoing. There is no victory here, not for either side. To win against a man already brought low is no triumph; it is a hollow gesture, a meaningless exertion of power in a fight that never needed to happen. The line forces the listener to ask: What was the point?

And then there is the voice—the way Freeman delivers the line, with anger, accusation, and with a weary kind of wonder. It does not simply ask, How could you do this to me? It asks something deeper, more existential: What are we even doing here? It is not just about this moment, this act of violence; it is about the futility of the struggle itself. The line is not an ending so much as a question, one that hangs in the air long after the song fades away.

Failure, in Black Sails, is also not a singular act. It is not a mutiny, nor a betrayal, nor a single, fateful misstep. Failure in Black Sails is a slow, creeping inevitability—the kind that arrives not with a bang but with a gradual hollowing out, until nothing remains but the separation of ways. From the beginning, the show has toyed with its audience, upending expectations of what a prequel should be. It is a story of pirates, yes, but it is also a story of myth-making, of lies told to cement legacies, of truths swallowed to bury pain.

In the fourth season of Black Sails the long-standing alliance between Flint and Silver dissolves, and what remains is two men stripped to their rawest forms, their truest natures. Flint burns—consumed by the fire of his need for revenge, a flame that refuses to be extinguished no matter how much it costs him. Silver freezes—his resolve hard and cold, a glacial determination to survive at all costs. Where Flint rages, Silver endures. Where Flint sees the fight as the only path forward, Silver sees the fight as a means to an end, and when that end threatens his survival, he steps away without hesitation.

In the series finale, Captain Flint’s dream for Nassau collapses at the hands of John Silver, the man he knew better than anyone else in the world. Flint makes pleas with his friend, but in the unflinching face of Silver’s resolve, he recognizes the inescapable truth: there is no path left for him to walk. In that moment, the myth collapses into the man, and we see not the towering figure of Flint—the pirate legend, the scourge of Nassau—but James McGraw.

The inevitability of Flint’s failure has always loomed over Black Sails. The audience carries it with them, a specter hovering in every scheme, every alliance, every desperate promise of revolution. We know Treasure Island. We know history. A figure like Flint—if he had succeeded in toppling empires, in rewriting the rules of power and freedom—would not have disappeared into the shadows of either fact or fiction. His defeat is preordained, as much a part of his story as the victories that led him here. And yet, in his final monologue, we see Flint not as a man defeated but as one reshaped, resolved, the sharp edges of his ambition dulled but not broken.

The speech lays Flint bare, revealing the man he has always been—a man who reshapes himself as the world demands, not to thrive, but simply to endure. When he says, “They paint the world full of shadows and tell their children to stay close to the light,” he is not simply condemning the institutions that shaped him; he is acknowledging their complicity in his turn. These forces did not merely fail him. They created him, forged him into the weapon that could be their undoing. But Flint learns over the course of the show that these institutions are even stronger than he once thought, and the only way to combat them is to appeal to his fellow man, trusting that none of them want to live under this tyranny that plagues them.

It’s why he begins his speech with

“This is how they win.”

He’s hoping he’ll be able to appeal to an impulse for freedom in Silver.

He then pleads with his friend-

“You know this. You’re too smart not to know this.”

And still, Flint is also too smart not to anticipate Silver’s answer, the blunt, unyielding, inevitable response:

“I don’t care.”

The words fall like a blade, severing any pretense of common ground. Flint’s argument, built on intellect and fire and an almost desperate need to be understood, collapses against Silver’s cold refusal to engage. Flint has spent his life fighting shadows, believing that if he could just explain, just show the truth to someone who mattered, it might make a difference. Silver’s indifference, his calculated choice not to care, is more devastating than any physical blow. It is not just a rejection of Flint’s plea—it is a rejection of Flint himself.

If you believe Silver’s story of Flint’s end—that Flint agreed to lay down his war and be reunited with his lover Thomas in Savannah—you believe in a man who, in his final act, stripped away the layers of armor, deceit, and vengeance he had worn for so long and became something else entirely: a man willing to let go. It is not a capitulation but a transformation, a quiet surrender that reclaims the humanity he sacrificed in pursuit of his impossible dream. To walk away from the war is not to admit it was meaningless; it is to acknowledge that the war forged him, broke him, and, in some strange way, remade him. In this telling, Flint’s concession is not a loss of nerve but the ultimate act of courage—a refusal to let the fire consume him entirely.

But that is *if* you believe Silver’s story. The alternative—the one the show never dares to explicitly portray—is that Flint refused to abandon his war, that he met his end at the hands of the man who once stood at his side. It is a brutal possibility, a counter-narrative that denies Flint the peace Silver so artfully weaves into his tale. And yet, many believe it. They believe it because the Flint they know cannot stop fighting, because to lay down his arms feels as much a defeat as death itself. The absence of this ending on screen feels less like ambiguity and more like omission, as if Silver—the most potent storyteller in the show—has erased it, choosing instead to craft a version of Flint’s fate that serves his own need for resolution. To speak the truth aloud would be to admit the cost of what he has done, and so he leaves the question unanswered, the war unresolved.

The story of Black Sails was always going to end in failure for Captain Flint. But failure, here, is not the absence of victory; it is the inevitability of a man who fights against a world too vast, too unyielding, to ever truly be conquered. Flint’s story lingers not because of how it ends, but because of what the fight revealed: the fire, the humanity, and the unrelenting complexity of a man who, in the end, is as much a myth as he is a memory.

When the final season of Black Sails was announced, the audience could, for once, feel ahead of the game with a show that delighted in keeping them on their toes. Prequels come with certain obligations, after all. We think we know how this ends, because Treasure Island tells us. Flint and Silver must diverge, not merely ideologically but physically, narratively. This certainty feels like a compass in an otherwise tempestuous sea. But Black Sails was never a show for the obvious course, and its final season delights in using that foreknowledge against us. Every scene between Flint and Silver tightens the noose of inevitability, but it also plants doubt: is this the story we thought it was? Was it ever?

The brilliance of Black Sails is not just in the way it subverts the archetypes of pirates and plunder, but in the way it makes us question the archetype of storytelling itself. Each glance, each confrontation between Flint and Silver, plays out as if it knows we are watching, as if it knows we are anticipating the rift. And yet, when the moment arrives, it does not feel like the triumph of clarity, but rather the shattering of it. The show does not merely end; it folds back on itself, leaving the audience pondering whether the story was ever about truth at all.

This is the kind of brilliance that unnerves because it demands more of us. It asks us to sit with the discomfort of ambiguity, to grapple with the possibility that Flint and Silver’s tale—this grand chess match of ideologies and betrayals—may be just another myth. It refuses the clean resolution we expect of prequels, because it understands that the weight of failure, and the inevitability of parting ways, is not in how it ends but in the echoes it leaves behind. In the haunting thrill of its refusal to play by the rules, Black Sails achieves something rare: it becomes not just a story, but a piece of art that leaves a mark.

#black sails #captain flint #James mcgraw #long John silver #flint x silver #treasure island #billy bones #ween band #music

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illiana-mystery · 2 months ago

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Well...color me impressed...😲

#damn #he's bendy #he's very bendy #shout out to my mutual #that brought this movie to my attention #they know who they are #aye #he is fine as hell in this movie #i am in love #also he was 48 in this movie #just so you're aware #like bruh #just slay me #martin #the reckoning #the reckoning (2003)#willem dafoe

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teenagemutantninjatrauma · 2 years ago

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2003//

Oh, I just realized

Y’all remember the Triceraton invasion? And how they showed Donnie on TV while he was having the worst time of his life up to that point?

How many people do you think.. recognized a ninja turtle that they’ve seen before?

Like at that point the turtles hadn’t been involved in that much stuff, relatively speaking, but.. still, right? Still, there had to have been a few people who happened to see a screen and on it a familiar and hardly forgettable turtle face, right??

And I think this could lead to some neat interactions between the New Yorkers, like.. before this event it was just like “nobody is gonna believe me if I talk about a fuckin ninja turtle” but now… now it’s like.. less of a random topic to bring up, now it’s not a “in the middle of the night I got saved during a mugging by a giant turtle,” now it’s “hey so did that green guy on tv that the aliens used for ransom look familiar to you?”

And of course, 90% of the time, the response will be “just another alien,” or even “they must’ve confused another race for an Earth human, fuckin idiots lmao” but…

Do you reckon, once in a while, someone’s eyes light up as they hesitantly tell you that yes, they think they might’ve seen that guy before.

“Could’ve sworn his eye mask was red, though.”

“He was wearing swords.”

“Shared leftover pizza with him because he was dumpster diving behind my house.”

“Two of them dragged me out of a burning house. I thought I was hallucinating from the smoke.”

“I think one time I saw one of them roughhousing with a human? I thought at the time that it was maybe.. their little sibling in a superhero costume?”

Because I refuse to believe Donnie’s appearance on live television had zero impact.

Additionally, after a confirmation that you both saw them, that or you’re both going crazy and separately making up imaginary ninja turtles, a second part of the conversation starts:

“You think he’s okay…?”

#tmnt 2k3 #tmnt 2003 #chatter #I am once again abnormal about the impact of the turtles on the world and on their hometown specifically #PLEASE someone write about normal people realizing that the turtles are real #otherwise I’M GONNA HAVE TO DO IT #AND I AM ALREADY WRITING SO MANY THINGS #2k3 donnie #2k3 triceratons #blasting headcanons #looks at some of my followers…….. hope you like this one

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lordshroom · 11 months ago

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I'm studying for my ecology exam and got distracted.

So natural selection increases favorable traits and decreases unfavorable traits in a population. Darwin and his birds. Survival of the fittest, yada yada.

In my notes, it's described as "favored individuals pass down their good genes to the next generation". And, being silly, thought of "Good Genes" from 2003.

And the two wolves inside me (the bio nerd and the English nerd) did a team-up, and now I'm must share their findings.

Before, "Good Genes" was just a fun, alliterative title that foreshadowed Donnie's transformation. But things get interesting when we put a "survival of the fittest" spin on the concept.

In any typical environment, an organism with a superb offensive and a strong defense, like monster Donnie, would be favored by natural selection. Hell, his brothers stand no chance against Donnie without the technology Leatherhead/ EPF provides. He's a force to be reckoned with, so much so that Bishop considers putting Donnie down when he escapes. Basically, this version of Donnie is an organism that can survive almost anything thrown at it.

One of my few complaints about these episodes was that Donnie's monster design could be used for any one of his brothers; it wasn't special to him. Maybe that's the point. Donnie is turned into a monster fit for violence and destruction, something so unDonnie that it fails to even resemble him. These "good genes" suck anything that made Donnie, Donnie out in favor of a monster.

Maybe the real good genes were his brother's perseverance and resolve to help Donnie at any cost. The turtles are strong, not because they're physically the strongest, but because they're a unit, a family. They're strongest when they combine their unique talents and work as one mind. Perhaps the good genes were the family we made along the way.

#i know monster donnie's cells were decomposing and he was going to die but ignore that for the sake of me looking way too into things #biology is so cool you guys #tmnt #tmnt 2003 #tmnt donnie #tmnt bishop #2003 tmnt #2003 donnie #2003 bishop #tmnt good genes

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petervintonjr · 2 months ago

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"...the people who dwell in the land of dimness, the people who could not see themselves except as formless shadows moving in a mist, the people who had gouged out their own eyes to keep from looking at themselves in the mirror, these people, these glorious people were none other than ourselves: The Americans." --from Jonoah & the Green Stone

A fascinating "What If?" story, today we look at the all-too-brief life and career of Henry Dumas, author and poet. Born in 1934 Arkansas, Dumas's family moved to Harlem when he was ten years old. A lover of Gospel music and an admitted fan of the standup comedy of Moms Mabley (see Lesson #32 in this series), Dumas married Loretta Ponton in 1955 and had two sons, and served in the Air Force until 1957, which included postings in Texas and in the Arabian peninsula (the latter of which would inform a great deal of the underlying mythologies and storytelling narratives of his work). He completed some coursework at Rutgers University but never graduated.

By 1967, Dumas had established himself as a teacher and director of language workshops at Southern Illinois University. Some of his earliest works appeared in the Hiram Poetry Review, of which he later himself became editor. On May 23, 1968, Dumas was shot and killed in the 125th Street/Lenox Avenue station of the New York City subway, by a (white) New York City Transit police officer who claimed that Dumas had been threatening another unidentified person with a knife. Unfortunately there were no witnesses and no testimonies, and the records of the incident itself were unrecoverable in 1995.

With an honest reckoning of events forever out of reach, much of Dumas's work might otherwise have been lost to time, were it not for the resurgence of interest visited upon him by novelist Toni Morrison. Morrison had read and studied several of Dumas's posthumous publications, significantly Ark of Bones and Other Stories, and Poetry for My People, both of which had been published by Southern Illinois University Press in the 1970's. Inspired by Dumas's literary gift, Morrison kicked off a "book launch party" in 1974 to generate fresh interest in Dumas's work.

Much of Dumas's posthumous work is represented in many anthologies, including: Black Fire edited by Imamu Amiri Baraka (1968); the play Play Ebony, Play Ivory (1974), which prompted Julius Lester to name Dumas as "the most original Afro-American poet of the sixties;" Goodbye Sweetwater: New and Selected Stories (1988); and Echo Tree: The Collected Short Fiction of Henry Dumas (2003).

#black lives matter #black history #henry dumas #toni morrison #harlem renaissance #teachtruth #dothework

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ncisfranchise-source · 2 months ago

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LONDON (AP) — Once again, Austin Stowell is having the best day ever — all thanks to him winning the role of legendary TV character Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins.”

“Since I got this job, it has just been day after day after day of the greatest day of my life,” says Stowell, smiling.

The actor has his shoulders back and chest up to portray the ex-Marine-turned-naval investigator, set 25 years before audiences first met “NCIS” star Mark Harmon.

Harmon and his son Sean are behind the idea of this origin story of the special agent, who was on-screen for 19 seasons from 2003 to 2021, solving crimes for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Virginia.

Stowell says he’ll be doing his best to live up to the role Harmon made famous and give viewers a new perspective on “how the hero was born.”

Harmon, who narrates and pops up occasionally in the show, has been very supportive of Stowell, making himself available to chat about life, visiting the set and even texting (something technophobic Gibbs would never).

“Mark and I talk a lot about what it means to be the leader of a team, about what it means to be a leader of this set and crew,” he says. “Those conversations have been invaluable to me because I don’t know what it’s like. I’ve never been No. 1 on a TV show before.”

The lessons he’s learned: be on time, be kind, respectful and professional.

He’s also studied up on the “NCIS” universe, something he knew about but wasn’t yet a super fan.

In a pop quiz Stowell correctly names all the franchise’s four spin-off shows and only stumbles when it comes to rule three of Gibbs’ famous guidelines: “Never believe what you are told.”

(He keeps the full list to read from time to time.)

0 seconds of 1 minute, 55 secondsVolume 90%

As for the enduring audience appeal of Gibbs, Stowell reckons it comes down to his humanity.

“Gibbs doesn’t wear a cape. He just has to use his brain and use his heart. I would argue that that makes him the most super of the heroes because it’s real. It’s something that we can all accomplish.”

“NCIS: Origins” isn’t just the procedural that people know and love, says Stowell, despite it having all the crime-solving and fun banter of the franchise.

Stowell and Mariel Molino in a scene from “NCIS: Origins.” (Sonja Flemming/CBS via AP)

His co-stars and fellow NIS investigators (the C hadn’t been added in 1991 when the show starts) include Mariel Molino as Lala Dominguez and Caleb Foote’s Randy.

It’s Gibbs’ first job since leaving the Marines. He’s got personal trauma and a big reputation, but he’s also got the sniper focus and built-in lie detector needed to be an integral part of this mystery solving team based at Camp Pendleton, headed up by Kyle Schmid’s charismatic Mike Franks.

“I just got to play this for the first time ... the other night where I look at a character and I just go, ‘You know, don’t you?’ And just get to bury them in my eyes,” Stowell says, laughing.

Those eyes have been enhanced by special contact lenses to provide the correct “Mark Harmon crystal blue.”

“NCIS: Origins,” which debuts Monday on CBS, has been shooting for three and half months. In that time Stowell has come to realize the parallels between himself and Gibbs, a character who mistrusts technology, loves nature and spends years building a boat in his basement.

When he got the call about getting the part, Stowell was off grid in Vermont.

(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Has Stowell learned to trust his gut, Gibbs’ style?

“I read the pilot and immediately connected with who this guy was. And so my gut has told me that this is where I’ve been meant to be from the start,” he says, on the verge of tears.

“There is something that has awoken inside of me, almost like it was the character I’ve been waiting to play my whole life.”

#ncis origins #ncis #interview

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