#universal soldier andrew scott imagine

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Andrew Scott

(Not my gif)(Requested by @sweet-dorky-crazy )

- They say that death is like eternal sleep—that your body remains at the mercy of the living while your consciousness floats endlessly inside of your own head. When Andrew Scott is brought back to life, he finds that he is still asleep, hibernating inside of himself while his body is controlled by somebody else. The UniSol serum flows through his system and acts like anesthesia: it keeps him under, keeps him asleep, keeps him at peace. At peace until he begins to wake up....

- Andrews memories undulate in clarity. They spill out smoothly from the darkest corners of his brain, pulling back from his hands just before he can touch them. You live inside of them—crashing into his head like waves before slipping through his fingers like water. Your presence is fleeting, fading in and out of view like a ghost. You're like the view of the shoreline when his heads being pushed underwater. The short gasps of breath that he catches between mouthfuls of water. He works against the current to get to you and you keep him conscious enough not to drown.

- When his previous life begins to come back to him, it's the carnage that comes first. It cracks across his skull like gunfire: a sudden and violent reminder of the man he once was. He stands in a warzone, in the middle of a jungle surrounded by bodies and blood. He remembers it vividly—but he doesn't recognize where he is. He's lost and there's no way out. Not until he sees you....

- Recognizing you is like wading through molasses, like reaching out towards nothingness and trying to grasp onto something blindly. You appear to him in flashes. Flashes of your hands and your eyes and your face. Flashes of your touch: soft and gentle and caring. Flashes of your voice, the sound of comfort and the voice of reason in a room full of traitors conspiring against him.

- When he walks back into the command center after killing Colonel Perry, his eyes linger on you the longest. He pieces your features together one by one: makes one whole person from a patchwork of different snapshots pulled from his mind. He fits your eyes to your nose, to your lips, to your face—puts you together like a puzzle and lets everything snap into place. You come to focus like a camera, like the clearing of tv static: a crisp image made out of grainy pixels. His gaze doesn't leave you until it has to, until he's turning the corner to set down a pair of ears onto the operating table.

"I've relieved Colonel Perry of his command." He informs everyone inside of the vehicle, stopping to inspect the soldier that you and the rest of medics were attempting to resuscitate.

"G13. This mission has been cancelled. I order you back to the cooling chamber. Now!" An officer barks out at him.

"Orders? I'm giving the orders from now on. ...We have a mission to complete." The click of a gun rings out from behind him: a foolish attempt to subdue him while his back is turned. The outspoken officer from before reaches for his own weapon, moving in solidarity with the man who stands just at the corner of Andrews eye. He shoots the officer first, a perfect shot right between the eyes, then he turns on the medic who started it all, snapping his neck in one swift motion.

"Any questions?" He asks the other two medics, waiting for any sign of opposition. They remain silent and he turns away from them, traces his eyes over the area you'd once inhabited before he finds your figure yet again. In the absence of his attention, you've managed to plaster yourself against the far wall, making yourself as small as possible in an attempt to hide from view. You shake your head 'no' when his eyes lock onto yours, assuming that he's waiting for an answer. The barest hint of a grin pulls at his lips.

“Good.”

- The mobile command center has always been quiet but with Andrews sudden coup d'état, the remaining medics; including yourself, have taken to working in complete silence. The three of you communicate with your eyes, scared to even open your mouths when asking for a scalpel or other surgical device. You work far slower than usual, pausing when assistance is needed: hesitating when trying to decide how you'll voice what you need without actually speaking.

- A whistle breaks the silence, an incredibly successful attempt at gaining the entire rooms attention. Everyone's eyes jump to the man sitting at the vehicles control center. Your stomach drops when you find that his gaze is locked on you. He smiles when your eyes meet, pointing and curling a finger at you, an obvious sign for you to stop what you're doing and come closer. Your hands shake as they slowly set down the things in your grasp, hesitantly making your way over while you and the rest of your team anticipate the worst.

- You stop in the entrance of the operating room, waiting for him to tell you what he wants from you. Instead of speaking, he ushers you closer, curling his finger yet again, amusement crawling across his features. He doesn't let you stop until you're standing just a couple inches away from him. You worry for a moment that he'll reach out and touch you, but you're relieved to find that he doesn't. He asks for your name, asks how your work is going, asks when you think you'll be done.

"I'm making you my second in command, y/n. Make sure they stay on track." He informs you with a wink—you can't tell whether he's trying to intimidate or tease you. You simply nod your head, retreating back to your work as Garth and Woodward exchange worried glances with you. You wonder if it's Andrews comment that ultimately makes them go against your advice....

- When Woodward urges Andrew into the cooling chamber, you try to dissuade him from carrying out his plan. You whisper reason after reason as to why they shouldn't take action, yet none of them seem to get through to the men. You watch helplessly as Garth approaches the sleeping soldier, watch as Andrews hand springs up and latches onto his wrist, watch as he kills the man right in front of you. When he's finished, the soldier turns back to you and Woodward, locking eyes with you from behind the glass. He focuses on the man beside you, more than he does you, and you get the impression that he might have been listening in on your conversation the entire time.

"No more games." He tells the two of you with finality. Woodward, stammers, nervously trying to explain himself. You remain silent.

"Y/n, what did I just say," Andrew interrupts him, eyes still locked on the man beside you. It's obvious that he doesn't believe any of his excuses, or his obvious attempts to lie to him. You hesitantly repeat his words back to him and he smirks. "See. At least someone's listening...."

- After that, you're the only member of the team that Andrew seems to trust. Though that isn't saying much, not when there's only two of you left; besides the two bloodied soldiers that you're still attempting to stitch back together. When Andrew wants something done, he goes to you. When someone needs to get close to him, he makes sure it's you. When Woodward says anything, he looks to you for confirmation. You suppose that after your coworkers attempted betrayal, you've actually become his "second in command".

- He insists that you accompany him whenever he exits the command center, expects you to follow after him whenever he orders you to. It's why you're outside of the vehicle when Woodward manages to blow himself up, standing a few feet away from Andrew as the bar goers take turns taunting him. You keep your gaze on the ground, tensing and grimacing every time one of them makes a comment or a beer can goes flying towards your "superior". You know how this ends, they unfortunately do not.

- When the explosion goes off, you practically jump out of your skin. You're so taken aback that you actually move closer to Andrew, bumping into his solid body as he drops the man he's holding by the ankle. He storms away from you with a curse, storms into the still smoking truck and tosses Woodward's body out into the street. He lands at your feet, not entirely in one piece, and Andrew appears in the doorway soon after, ordering you to get inside.

- He rants to you as he drives to the nearest supermarket, yelling about traitors and killing and war. When he parks the truck, he barks at you to follow him, taking the two dead soldiers, each by one arm, and dragging them out of the vehicle. You follow behind him as he pulls them through different aisles, kicking things out of the way so that he can fit them inside of the freezer. He commands you to fix them and you explain that the cold will do it, if they'll even come back at all.

- One of them makes it, but the other doesn't. You flinch as Andrew kicks at his body, yelling at him to get up and stand at attention. You gently try to break it to him that he isn't gonna make it, tensing in anticipation when the man goes quiet, staring down at the body that lays lifeless on the freezing ground. When he gives up on the man, he grabs you by the wrist, pulling you out of the room as he yells about his platoon dropping like flies.

- He pinches his nose in frustration as the two of you exit the freezer, yelling out at the supermarket customers who have stopped to stare at the scene. He doesn't let go of you, and you're forced to stumble after him as he pulls you this way and that.

- He rants about the war he's fighting and the traitors who are trying to get him, and you realize in that moment that he's never left Vietnam. That he's still stuck in his final moments: fighting for his country and trying to keep himself alive.

- When you finally leave the supermarket, he drives you out to an empty motel, ordering you to stay behind while he finishes tracking and exterminating Deveraux. You wait there obediently, wondering whether or not you should flee.

- Ultimately, you decide to stay put, though you're not entirely sure as to why. You think that maybe it has something to do with you feeling responsible. Andrew is your Frankenstein's monster; a product of your own creation, and as the last of your team left alive, it's your responsibility to deal with him; regardless of what that may entail. A part of you wonders if the man will make it back, but you know better than to doubt him....

- He returns to you in two days time, knocking on your door with bloodied hands. You don't ask what happened, you don't even think you want to know, you simply usher him into the bathroom and gather as much ice as you can. He blinks at you lazily as you fuss over his injuries, covering him in bags of ice and monitoring his wounds as they slowly begin to heal. He calls you nurse, and you wonder if, when he looks at you, he sees you sitting there in an old red cross outfit, taking care of him in some hospital overseas. You tell him that the war is over and hope that the message sticks.

- In the morning, there's a suitcase sitting on the bed opposite your own, it belongs to neither of you and it's undoubtedly stolen from one of the rooms next door. Andrew is already dressed in a t-shirt, one that doesn't quite fit him, and a pair of old jeans. He tosses a dress at you and you go to take a shower, ignoring the stray ice cubes melting at your feet.

- He smiles at you when you exit the bathroom, telling you that you clean up nice. He takes you to a diner down the road and you sit in a booth silently, waiting for the waitress to come and take your order. He orders for himself and then for you, unbothered by your awkward demeanor and the fact that you're struggling to act like everything is normal.

"Not hungry," He asks almost teasingly. On the contrary, you're starving, but your more so worried about what's going to happen when the waitress comes back with the check. Andrew doesn't seem worried though, especially not when he lets out a playful: "I’m buying."

- Andrew makes a habit of talking at you, pretending he doesn't notice your discomfort as he makes one-sided banter and tells you stories from his past. He seems to have a very 'fake it till you make it' mentality, speaking to you like you're both good friends, grinning and winking at you from across the table while stealing fries off of your half eaten plate.

- You're surprised to see him pull out a wallet once you've both finished eating, though you suppose you shouldn't be: not when he's wearing another mans clothes. He pulls out some of the stolen bills and sets them down onto the table, sending you a knowing smirk when you look at them in surprise. He asks if you're ready to go and when you nod, he rises from his seat and wraps an arm around your shoulders, leading you out of the diner and back to your stolen vehicle.

- The two of you drive for the better part of a day, only stopping for gas and the occasional bathroom break. You're not sure where you're going, and you're not sure that Andrew does either, but he still continues to drive, making conversation the entire time.

- At the end of the day, you wind up in a seedy country bar. Andrew leads you to a table at the back of the room, patting the seat next to him when you move to sit across from him. You hesitantly sit by his side, smiling back at him awkwardly when he shoots you a grin. He pats your knee when he jokes with the waitress, like a calling card for when he wants you to smile or laugh. His arm winds up wrapped around your shoulders halfway through dinner, his one hand toying with your hair while he uses the other to talk. You don't want to admit that having his hands on you has begun to elicit feelings other than fear....

- His flirtation starts slow, a stray comment here and there, usually a compliment or something of the sort. You wonder if it has anything to do with him running out of things to say, or if its an attempt to get you to open up. He tells you that you look nice in your dress, better than the scrubs he's used to seeing you in. He asks if you've always had "that scar/beauty mark", gently brushing a finger against the blemish as though he expects it to come off, or maybe just to emphasize what he's talking about. When the sun goes down, he asks if you're cold, tugging the bottom of your dress just that half an inch lower, his hand coming to rest of your knee and not leaving your skin until you're both exiting the car.

- One week on the road turns into two, two turns into three. Andrew starts to get better, starts to claw his way out of the past. The progress is slow but it's there, and you find yourself wanting to be there with him.

- You try to suppress your feelings, try to ignore the guilt that comes with liking a person as rotten as him, but it's really no use. You don't know the exact moment you fall in love with him, you just sort of realize that you have. You see him get hurt and your chest tightens—an undeniable physical reaction, one that proves the very thing that you dread.

- You take him back to the motel room you're staying at, bearing the brunt of his bodyweight as he stumbles through the door. He steadies himself on different walls and furniture, trying not to crush as you help him through the room. His hands leave bloodied fingerprints and his boots leave tracks of mud, though neither of you care very much about either. He mutters out comments about the fight he got into, jokes about his blood "leaving a mark" and how you're stronger than you look.

- He watches you lazily as you gather up ice, clutches onto you like a lifeline as you help him into the tub. You stay silent, too preoccupied with your own thoughts to worry about making conversation. You're sure he can tell that there's something wrong with you, sure that your emotions are written all over your face. You doubt that you're hiding them very well, but at that point you simply don't care.

"I remember this one song you used to play when you worked on me," He interrupts the silence. He imitates the song, snapping his fingers and halfheartedly dancing in an attempt to get you to smile. "That one. ...You used to talk to me sometimes. You knew I could hear, but you didn't think I'd remember. You told me about the people you worked with, things wrong with your apartment, traffic...."

- When his body was still being controlled by UniSol, you'd sometimes find yourself alone in a room with him. Oftentimes, you were tasked with cleaning his injuries or injecting him with one of the many serums that the program administered to their augmented soldiers. You'd make one-sided small talk: used to working on normal patients who appreciated a distraction from what you were doing to them. He'd glance at you sometimes and you'd feel a bit like a veterinarian: like you were speaking to an animal who could recognize that you were addressing it, but couldn't understand a word you were saying. Your coworkers used to tease you for it, but you never really managed to stop.

"Did you do that with everyone or just me?" He asks.

"Just you." You say quietly, just a hair above a whisper, and after he takes a long look at your face, he grabs you by the back of your neck and pulls you into a kiss. You kiss him back before you manage to remember that he's still healing. You pull away from him, holding him at arms length when he makes a move to follow your lips.

"C'mon, don't say you didn't like it." He says, and you know that you won't: because you know that you did.

"You're gonna hurt yourself." You tell him and he raises a brow at you, an amused smirk pulling at his lips.

"Oh, you're that good, huh?" He teases, playfully twisting your words. You shake your head at him, hiding your smile as he settles back down onto the ice....

- Andrew is naturally affectionate but it reaches whole nother level when you're out in public together. There's rarely a moment where he doesn't have his hands on you; when he isn't holding onto you like a prized possession and flaunting your relationship to everyone in sight. A part of him does it because he's scared that you'll get away from him, either run away or just plain disappear— like your life together was nothing but a dream, and that he'll wake up back in the UniSol program or the jungle that he died in. Having his hands on you keeps him grounded, reminds him that he's out of that terrible place and living a; relatively, normal life.

- Another part of him just likes touching you; especially if you're shy and have a tendency to get embarrassed. He likes seeing other peoples reactions to his loving behavior as well. He thinks it's fun to make bystanders; especially his enemies, feel like they're witnessing a hostage situation. He hangs all over you: kissing your skin and pulling you close, keeping an arm wrapped around your shoulders, and pressing you up against his side. Sometimes he'll hug you from behind and press your faces together like you're taking a picture. "Aren't we a perfect pair?" He'll ask whoever's there with a smirk, loving the awkward/concerned way that they react.

- When he's in a less playful mood, he'll make it obvious that he wants the two of you to be left alone, sending glares to whoever's unfortunate enough to make eye contact with him and/or interrupt the two of you while you talk. It's in these moments that he prefers to hold onto your clothes instead of your body: gripping onto your sleeves or the collar of your jacket, worried that he'll hurt you on accident if his mind starts to wander. Most of the time, he'll just stay glued to your side, leaned in close so that the two of you can whisper to each other and keep your conversations private. Sometimes he'll play with your hair or your clothes, wanting something to do with his hands while the two of you go over your plans.

- He has a slightly concerning habit of playing with your ears: tugging on the lobes, toying with your earrings, twirling the hair around them, etc. He does it absentmindedly but it always makes you a little nervous....

- Forehead and Temple kisses. He'll shamelessly pucker his lips whenever he wants a kiss from you; regardless of wherever the two of you are and whoever may be watching.

- Andrew is ravenous when he kisses you: he pulls you in by the back of your neck and doesn't stop until your body goes weak against his own. He's passionate, rough, and sometimes a little dirty—definitely not the type of person you want to be kissing in public.

- Cuddling with Andrew can get a little complicated. If you're just sitting together randomly during the day, then he'll happily wrap himself around you and cradle you in his arms; usually while you lay in his lap. But if you're expecting to cuddle every night then prepare to be disappointed. Some nights he's forced to cool down instead of relax in bed beside you, spending hours in the bathtub surrounded by ice or outside in the cold where the natural chill of the air can fix his issues. Other nights, he's plagued with nightmares and isn't able to sleep, usually opting to keep his distance from you while trying his best to clear his head.

- On good nights, however, he'll keep an arm wrapped loosely around you, nudging you whenever he asks a question/makes a joke—keeping you from falling asleep until he's ready to—or waking up every time you shift in the slightest. You usually rest your head on his chest, shoulder, or in the crook of his neck, nestled close to his side while his space heater of a body keeps you warm and toasty.

- In his more vulnerable moments, he'll lay with his head on your stomach/chest, making comments about how you're "a proper pillow" and that you "can't get this in 'nam". He went down a bit reluctantly the first time the two of you laid like that, so much so that you had to pull him onto you, but once he mumbled out a "this is nice", you knew he was down for the count.

- He's very big on you showing him affection. Choosing to sit on his lap, giving him a kiss with little to no prompting, hugging him, snuggling into his side, wiping dirt or blood or what have you off of his skin for him, etc. It reassures him that he isn't actually holding you hostage; even if he likes to pretend.

- He uses a lot of pet names when addressing you; some more teasing than others. When he's being sweet, he'll call you things like honey, pumpkin, sweetpea, little lady, my girl, etc. Sometimes he'll coo out a "baby", but that's usually when he's in one mood or another. When you fix him up, he calls you "doc" or "nurse". When you cook, he calls you "chef". When he's teaching you something or being bossy, he calls you "soldier". Like I said: he uses a lot of pet names.

- He thinks it's fun to dominate you domestically: trapping you against him, throwing you over his shoulder, picking you up when you're being feisty and playfully reminding you of who you're talking to. It doesn't matter how much you weigh, he picks you up like it's nothing; because to him it truly isn't.

- Andrews compliments aren't the smoothest or the most romantic, but they're always authentic, and they get his point across all the same. He'll call you "the prettiest damn woman [he's] ever seen" and other; oftentimes vulgar, things of the like. And though he might resemble a catcaller more than a loving boyfriend, he somehow manages to make it endearing: whistling and grinning and getting all handsy with you, even when you're looking and feeling your ugliest.

- There's nothing better to him than waking up in the morning and watching you get dressed, smiling at you lazily as you walk around in your undergarments or one of his shirts. A close second is the mini fashion shows you put on whenever you get new clothes and/or want his help in deciding what to wear.

- It's best not to question it whenever he comes home with anything: whether it's food, weapons, different cars, or different clothes.

- Occasionally, he'll come home with jewelry and hold it out to you like a proud cat with it's newest hunt. Sometimes he'll slip it onto you wordlessly or talk about irrelevant things, wait for you to say something about it yourself and/or give him a kiss as a thank you. Other times he'll play with it lazily, twirling it on the table or winding it around his fingers, waiting for you to sit next to him and look curiously at his hands. He'll stop toying with it, hold it out for you to get a good look and ask if you like it.

- On occasion, he'll simply tell you to "c'mere", grab you and tug you closer, or lean in close to you himself, gently securing it around your skin or pulling it over your head. Once he's done, he'll hold you in place and look at it sitting against your skin, admiring the sight; and usually acting a little more subdued and in love.

- Whenever you're around to see him acquire his aforementioned goods, he's even more of a little shit than usual. He goes window shopping on passerby's, asking what you think about strangers necklaces and coats and things of the like. If you compliment anything, he'll ask if you want it: like it's perfectly normal to mug someone on the street just because you can. Even when you insist you don't want something, he'll sometimes say "yeah you do" and just take it anyway; though thankfully it's usually when he's robbing a store instead of a person.

- One day, before the two of you actually started dating/before you considered yourself his girlfriend, he'd somewhat intimidatingly mentioned that " [he] gives you all this stuff" yet never gets anything in return. You'd frozen in response, brain scrambling for something you could give to him before nervously deciding to offer up a bracelet of yours, fully expecting him to scoff at it. Instead of doing so, he'd grinned at you instead, slipping it onto his own wrist or tucking it into his pocket, patting the fabric happily. He gives you stolen gifts nearly every week, yet he's still all smiles and surprise whenever you give him anything of yours. "Must really love me" he'll tease you, claiming that the item will be his good luck charm whenever he's apart from you.

- Andrews a menace who likes to prompt you into action then tease you for doing what he'd essentially forced you to do in the first place: things like cuddling close to him when it's cold or squeezing past him when he's blocking the way. He also loves to joke about you "just wanting to put your hands on [him]" whenever you touch him in any way, smirking at you while you roll your eyes and/or tease him back. Don't be surprised if he makes cheeky comments towards you/about you in front of other people just to see them get all uncomfortable/awkward.

- The two of you have a lot of back and forth in your relationship. He likes banter; likes being kept on his toes, so he likes having a girl who can keep up with him and keep him in check. He also likes seeing you be all quick-witted with people outside of your relationship, it makes him proud to call you his girlfriend.

- He talks at you a lot, yammering on and on about nothing in particular, saying "you know?" after nearly every sentence even though he never waits for an answer. He's like a professor giving a lecture on respect and war and things of the like. Like an old man ranting about things that have changed since he was a kid. Sometimes you think he just likes hearing himself talk, other times, you think that talking to himself out loud; with you as an audience, helps him work through things in his head.

- It's not being on the run if you call it a road trip!

- Visiting nearby lakes whenever the two of you need to cool off; or potentially living near one if you decide to settle down someplace warm. Sometimes, after he's done exerting himself, he'll hose himself off or dump buckets of ice cold water over his head. You'll come over with a towel to dry his hair off for him; since every other part of him is hot enough to boil the water off itself, and when you ask if he's feeling better, he'll smile down at you and claim that he always feels better when you have your hands on him.

- Impromptu picnics. The two of you have all the time in the world; particularly when you're driving cross country, so you pull over whenever and wherever you want, eating and doing as you please.

- He likes stealing cars and speeding around in empty areas, doing donuts and going as fast as possible down long stretches of road.

"Let's see how fast this baby goes, eh?" He'll turn to you with a smile, and you'll just have to prepare yourself for a adrenaline filled, heart racing experience.

- Dates in the middle of nowhere. Gas stations, diners, random areas where you just camp out: they might not be places that normal people would consider proper dating spots, but neither of you have ever claimed to be normal; at least not since getting together.

- When the two of you want to have "normal" dates—bowling, mini golf, things of the like—he either breaks into the places you want to go, or scares everyone off so that the two of you can be alone. Once there's no one in sight, he acts all jovial and cheery, like he didn't just threaten to kill a room full of people just so that the two of you didn't have to be in a crowd/wait in line.

- Most of the time, you try to dissuade Andrew from leaving the house/car with you whenever you need to go anywhere; preferring to keep your deadly super soldier with a lust for violence safely away from the general public. But, sometimes he gives you no choice: wanting to be around you to keep an eye on you, or to take you someplace normal for a date, or even just to run errands with you because he's bored at home. Whenever you do take him out in public with you, he has a tendency to act concerningly extroverted, and while it might make you slightly nervous whenever he jovially interacts with random strangers, it's always a relief whenever things don't go south.

- That being said, there might be some slip ups every now and again: days where he attempts to intimidate people, acts loud and obnoxious/causes a scene, makes threats, or wordlessly "deals" with whoever's managed to get on his nerves; particularly whenever your back is turned. Thankfully, however, he usually listens to you whenever you tell him to stop, reluctantly releasing the persons shirt collar as you reprimand him and pull at his arm. He'll give them a devilish grin before he lets go, calling them lucky before turning to you with a casual "sorry baby" like he's committed some minor infraction. When it comes to him, you suppose that it counts as one; at least no one died....

- Though he'll refuse to admit it, rest assured that your boyfriend has attachment issues. He always needs to know where you're going and how long you'll be, and he hates having you out of his sight for longer than a few minutes. His behavior can seem somewhat controlling, but it's more about his fear of losing you than it is an urge to control you. It's hard for him to admit weakness so his nervousness can, occasionally, come off as aggression. He'll catch your arm as you go to leave and demand to know where you're going, telling you to be quick when what he really wants to say is "be careful".

- You had to temporarily cut contact with a lot of your friends and family while out on the run with Andrew, but you're able to reconnect with them once the two of you settle down. One of your friends doesn't like Andrew at all, and while you try to keep their disapproval of him a secret, your boyfriend finds out about it anyway.

- When they come to visit you for the first time, he manages to get them alone, and while he never directly accuses them of anything; never outwardly says that he knows that they've been trying to break the two of you up, he certainly alludes to it. He sits there like a cat ready to pounce and makes vague; oftentimes intimidating, comments about your relationship—about how much he loves you and how he doesn't know what he'd do if somebody tried to get between the two of you—and "jokes" about how he doesn't think that they like him very much.

- He'll act like nothings wrong when you finally come looking for them, cheerfully claiming that he was just showing your friend something outside, giving them a somewhat goading smile as he pulls you into his side. Your friend will remain silent, too scared to speak to the contrary, and they'll stay like that for the rest of the night. Though it'll be obvious that something happened between the two of them, you'll never find out exactly what that something was, and your friend will never bring Andrew up to you again....

- Though you'd likely move in together someplace else, if he ever had the chance to spend time in your personal place of residence, he'd make himself right at home, acting like he owns the place and everything in it. He lays in your bed, eats your food, uses your expensive shampoo, etc. He's a bastard, but at least he has the decency to clean himself up before he ruins all of your pretty belongings: chucking his boots off at the door, hosing himself off outside/showering right when he comes "home", etc. He likes to jokingly tell people that you would kill him if he tracked mud through the house.

- You liken loving Andrew to loving a reformed fighting dog. Time has turned him sweet, turned his claws dull and taught him to kiss instead of bite. He's gentle with you, gentle with his person, but there's always a violence that lingers beneath the surface, hungry and waiting. There's skills that he's never forgotten, there's triggers that've never gone away. He may never use his teeth on you, but he'll easily tear into somebody else and instantly remind you of what he once was and what he still is.

- It's in those moments that you're reminded of how comfortable you've grown in his love for you. You act like you're in charge, you yell at and give him hell, you order him around and expect him to obey. And for the most part he does. He listens because he cares and he takes your disrespect with a smile on his face, allowing you to act out and scold him without repercussion. Instead of calling you his person, he calls you his "old lady", and as Andrew would playfully put it: you "have [him] by the balls".

- Having a super soldier that needs the cold to survive, you'd likely choose to live somewhere with frosty weather. Because of this, you'll occasionally see him laying out in the snow with hardly any clothes on, looking like he's tanning on the beach instead of turning himself into a human popsicle. You'll bundle yourself up and join him outside, expecting him to say something sweet from the way that he's looking at you as you approach him, only for him to tell you that you look like the Michelin man.

"Too cold for you to be out here." He tells you halfheartedly as you settle down next to him.

"I think I'll be fine for a little while." You insist, enjoying his quiet company for the next few minutes.

"Your nose is all red." He interrupts the silence, trailing a finger down the feature. You grab his hand and pull it away, holding it in yours and resting them both in the space between you.

- Sitting out on your porch and watching the sunrise/sunset.

- Lounging on the couch together, watching VHS movies and television shows. That being said, he is the type of guy to have his own personal armchair.

- If you have cold hands, he'll develop a habit of grabbing them and putting them against his skin whenever he gets a little too warm: resting them against his heart, his neck, or his face. The chill doesn't last very long, since he's practically a heating pad, but it still soothes him and benefits you in the process.

- Sharing cold beers. Sometimes, when he goes to grab them from the fridge, he'll chuck a couple ice cubes into his mouth and crunch on them like they're a normal snack. You'll have to remind him to not do it around you if the sound of it drives you nuts; though he might occasionally do it anyway just to annoy you.

- This man can eat you out of house and home so keep that in mind whenever you go food shopping. Catch him guzzling a literal gallon of milk in the middle of the night, like damn man can you at least leave some for my morning coffee??

- He doesn't see a problem with using your toothbrush and/or drinking straight from the carton. Living through war ensured that very little is sacred to him: he's used to rations being scarce and having to do some arguably gross shit because of it. After practically swapping spit with several men in his platoon, doing the same with the woman he's been giving and getting head from is child's play.

- If you insist on learning to defend yourself, he'll put you through a makeshift bootcamp, making the experience as difficult as possible because he thinks it's kind of pointless. He's resolute in the fact that he'll always be there to protect you; and that you have no chance against any of his enemies anyway, so he'll put you through hell in an attempt to dissuade you from wanting to learn. If you think that seducing him will make him go easier on you, you're sorely mistaken: he'll play along before sweeping the rug out from under your feet, telling you to drop and give him twenty just as you think he's falling for it. "Had enough?" He'll question when you finally give up, kneeling in front of you as you lay in a heap on the ground. You'll nod your head tiredly and he'll demand that you give him a kiss before picking you up and carrying you inside.

- Asking him to teach you how to use a gun will earn you a suspicious once-over, but he'll ultimately agree: not like you can do much damage to him with one anyway. He'll set up some targets and come up behind you, wrapping himself around you as he teaches you what parts to move and how to aim and so on and so forth. Once you've got the gist, he'll stand back and watch you give it a go, hooting, hollering, and letting out proud "that's my girl"'s anytime you manage to actually hit whatever you're shooting at.

- Andrew keeps his old stuff in a lockbox. Where he keeps that box depends on how healed he is: the farther away it is, the more willing he is to let go of the past and begin to move on. If you ever got pregnant, you'd hear him digging in your yard late in the night; probably the same day that you told him. You'd discover the box gone soon after, buried deep in the Earth and away from prying eyes and curious little hands. He isn't ashamed of his old life, but it's certainly no place for a baby.

- Helping him through his PTSD. Even when he starts to get better, he'll still occasionally have flashbacks—only you'll be there too. Sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, he'll grab you and force you down low to the ground, barking at you to "keep your fucking head down before someone sees you". You'll have to recognize when there's an actual threat vs when he's reverting back to his old memories: have to recognize when it's best to listen to what he's telling you, or try to assure him that everything is alright.

- At one point or another, in one way or another, he's gonna make sure that you're bound in blood. Your blood, his blood, someone else's: it really doesn't matter whose it is, it just matters that it gets spilt. It's proof to him that you're serious, that you're not gonna leave and that you're not going to betray him. Although, even if you did betray him, he'd likely forgive you—as long as you could prove that it was an accident, or as long as you'd be willing to feel the same pain....

"Should have known you couldn't leave. We got too much history, you and me."

- Your aforementioned betrayal could come in many forms, but a physical betrayal is the one he'd respect the most. Stabbing him to get away from him or to buy somebody else some time to escape would be the most likely scenario; and the easiest for him to understand since he likely left you with very little choice. When you'd finally go back to him, claiming that you were sorry, he'd make you prove it to him by letting him stab you. So you'd stand there completely still, letting him press a knife against your torso, locking gazes with him until your eyes instinctively squeeze shut at the contact. You'd brace yourself for the pain but the pain would never come, and soon enough, the sharp tip of the blade would leave your skin completely.

"Welcome back, honey," He'd murmur as you slowly blink your eyes open in surprise, watching him put the weapon away before pressing a long kiss to your lips. "Next time I won't be so nice...."

- Andrew likes to show you off so he's not an inherently jealous person. He's fine with people finding you attractive, fine with you wearing whatever you want, and even with you jokingly flirting with people from time to time. But the moment people show too much interest in you, his amusement turns sour. He sobers up, straightens in his seat and turns accusatory. He verbally backs people into corners, confuses them into admitting things they don't even necessarily believe, and then uses their words as an excuse to threaten or attack them. If they're lucky, they escape with only a baffling and slightly frightening interaction weighing heavily on their minds. If they're not, they might not escape at all.

- People having the audacity to try and disrespect him has always amused him, but he never finds it funny whenever they try it with you. Sometimes he'll warn people to "try that one again" whenever they address you rudely; occasionally with a weapon pointed at them in a concerningly casual manner. Other times, he'll wordlessly beat them, prepared to kill them in an attempt to protect your honor. Unfortunately for everyone else in the world, he's always been more of an actions first, words later type of guy.

- The two of you have game plans for every situation you could possibly be in: where to meet if you get separated, what to do if you meet a certain person, etc. You're his everything so he wants to ensure that you're safe, and that he can always find you if something goes wrong.

- Andrews always been an "end of discussion" kind of guy. He leaves no room for argument whenever he's serious about something, and since he's the expert on survivalism and being a fugitive, you usually let him call the shots. When he isn't passionate abut something or convinced that he knows what's best for the two of you, he usually lets you win whatever argument you're having, wanting to stay in your good graces whenever he can.

- The first time you got mad at him, Andrew was amazed by how much you resembled an angry kitten. It made taking you seriously kind of difficult. But, even if he brushes off your attempts to act tough and start a fight, he'll still usually listen to you and correct himself in whatever way you'd wanted him to. The two of you don't fight very often but you do occasionally bicker, usually about silly things that neither of you care very much about.

- After an argument, he usually tries to kiss up to you. He'll sweet talk you, giving you teasing puppy dog faces as he wraps himself around you and/or caresses your skin. He'll tell you jokes, trying to get you to smile or make you laugh, make you loosen up and stop giving him the cold shoulder. He might not apologize, especially if he thinks he did the right thing, but he'll coo at you and tell you he loves you, claiming that whatever he did, he did it "for you". But, if you'd rather an insincere apology, he can give you one of those too.

- He says he loves you pretty often. Maybe not every day, but certainly enough; and usually with a peck on the lips.

- He likes to joke about making babies, but he's never fully joking....

- At the end of the day, Andrew wants a quiet little house away from all the noise. He wants the home, he wants the wife: he wants the domestic little slice of life that everyone promised him he'd have once his tour was up. If the war is really over like everyone says that it is, then he wants what's rightfully his: what was owed to him after years of combat, what he was fighting to come back to after all that time. Once he's sure that it's safe, he wants it all.

[scotianostra]

On June 20th in 1723, Dr. Adam Ferguson, Scottish historian and philosopher, was born.

Adam Ferguson was a student at St Andrews, later Professor of Natural Philosophy and in time, Moral Philosophy and Pneumatics at the University of Edinburgh.

In 1767, Ferguson published his masterpiece, the Essay on Civil Society. It was a natural history of the progress of mankind, of the kind that had been pursued by many Enlightenment philosophers. David Hume once claimed that Ferguson had “more genius than the rest”, but he disliked Ferguson’s essay, regarding it as superficial. This was the period called the Scottish Enlightenment and it was in Ferguson’s house Sciennes Hill House in Edinburgh, (a famous meeting place of the local literati) that Robert Burns and Walter Scott are thought to have met for the first and only time, when Scott was an adolescent. Can you imagine how the young Walter Scott must have felt being in the company of all these giants of The Enlightenment?

The story goes goes, as Scott recalled it later in 1827: “I was a lad of fifteen in 1786-7, when he came first to Edinburgh, but had sense and feeling enough to be much interested in his poetry, and would have given the world to know him; but I had very little acquaintance with any literary people, and still less with the gentry of the west country, the two sets that he most frequented.“Mr Thomas Grierson was at that time a clerk of my father’s. He knew Burns, and promised to ask him to his lodgings to dinner, but had no opportunity to keep his word, otherwise I might have seen more of this distinguished man.“As it was, I saw him one day at the late venerable Professor Fergusson’s, where there were several gentlemen of literary reputation, among whom I remember the celebrated Mr Dugald Stewart. Of course we youngsters sate silent, looked and listened.“The only thing I remember which was remarkable in Burns’ manner, was the effect produced upon him by a print of Bunbury’s, representing a soldier lying dead in the snow, his dog sitting in misery on the one side, on the other his widow with a child in her arms. These lines were written beneath, – ‘Cold on Canadian hills, or Mindens’ plain, Perhaps that parent wept her soldiers slain: Bent o’er her babe, her eye dissolved in dew, The big drops, mingling with the milk he drew, Gave the sad presage of his future years, The child of misery baptized in tears.’ “Burns seemed much affected by the print, or rather the ideas which it suggested to his mind. He actually shed tears.“He asked whose the lines were, and it chanced that nobody but myself remembered that they occur in a half-forgotten poem of Langhorne’s, called by the uncompromising title of The Justice Of The Piece.“I whispered my information to a friend present, who mentioned it to Burns, who rewarded me with a look and a word, which, though of mere civility, I then received and still recollect, with very great pleasure.”

Ferguson retired to St Andrews (his house, with sundial over the door, can still be seen on South Street) and died in St Andrews in 1816. He is buried in the grounds of St. Andrews Cathedral.

[komotionlessqueenmm]

Imagine # 899

Picture NOT mine.

Year posted - 2021

Tag(s) - @joikima-joestar

----

"(Y/n) its time." Dr. Colin's called out to his niece, after he and Miles prepped the soldier. "How are you feeling today sugar?" (Y/n) asked as she peered up at the blond. "Good." Andrew responded in a monotone voice, his eyes locked onto her own. "Stop calling him that." Dr. Colin hissed at his niece. "It feels weird calling him a good boy, he's a grown man." (Y/n) retorted. "And you're calling him sugar." Her uncle pointed out with an unamused expression. "I think he likes being called sugar." (Y/n) grinned at her uncle, rolling her eyes when he glared at her. "He does not like anything, he does not feel anything. He is a weapon, and nothing more." The Dr. hissed before walking off to work on something else, his words making Andrews frown deepen, and (Y/n) sigh. "God I can't stand him sometimes." She muttered under her breath, before plastering a smile on her face and continuing her work with Andrew. Making the soldier wonder what it would be like if it were only the two of them, and if he could get her away from her verbally abusive uncle. Later that same day Andrew got the answer to his second question, and was determined to get the other. "Where is my uncle?" (Y/n) asked Andrew as he entered the room she used as a temporary bedroom. "Dead." Andrew answered without hesitation as he stood before her. "What happened?" (Y/n) asked as she stood from her seat, looking into Andrews blue eyes. "I killed him." Andrew admitted, his head tilting a little when (Y/n) took a small step away from him. "Why?" She asked with fear quivering in her voice. "Because I didn't like him... He was cruel to you." Andrew explained casually. "Are you going to kill me?" (Y/n) asked with fearful eyes. "No, I like you." He smiled softly, a sight (Y/n) had never seen before. "Then what now sugar?" (Y/n) asked slowly relaxing, knowing deep down he was true to his words. "We get out of here." Andrew held out his hand, another smile blooming on his face when she took his hand.

----

A few days later.

----

"Who am I?" Andrew asked as he sat across from (Y/n) on the bed of the motel room they were staying in. "Your name is Andrew Scott, you were a Sargent in the Vietnam War, where you died some time ago." (Y/n) explained calmly. "What am I?" He asked as his memory faded in and out a bit. "You're a victim of government experiments. A soldier brought back from the dead, and enhanced to serve them in war. You're stronger faster and incredibly difficult to kill, a type of super soldier in a way." Andrew frowned a little as flashes of his memory came back to him. "What role do you play in this?" He asked with an angry tone, suddenly feeling like she was against him. "I don't have a role, my uncle kidnapped me and brought me here with him. I never understood why he brought me along, but all I ever did was ask those stupid questions of theirs." (Y/n) defended herself, only feeling a little worried about his change in mood. "Why did you ask those questions?" He asked seemingly calmer. "Because my uncle threatened to let the NGU model assault me if I didn't do as he said..." (Y/n) admitted with glossy eyes, having been terrified of that particular model. "Why those questions?" Andrew asked, choosing to ignore the angry bubble that formed in his stomach at the mention of her uncles threat. "I don't know, they were just part of their program, a way of determining if the soldier was fit for duty." (Y/n) shrugged her shoulders, wiping away the tears in her eyes. "I'm remembering who I am." Andrew stated before tilting (Y/n)'s head up to look into her eyes. "But I still need your help, will you help me?" He asked in a surprisingly soft tone. "Of course I'll help you sugar, if I could have broken you out of that place ages ago I would have." (Y/n) agreed in an instant, making a brash decision she leaned up and hugged Andrew tightly, burying her face into his neck.

----

*A little something something because I fucking love Dolph Lundgren, and so many of his characters. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

[oneboxofmatches]

All You Need to Know About Matchups!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WAITLIST

Hi y'all!

This account is solely for matchups for several different fandoms. That means requests for imagines, oneshots, headcanons, etc. will NOT be taken.

Here are some basic things to know about requesting a matchup!

Unless otherwise specified for a certain fandom, a request yields one romantic pairing AND one friendship pairing as well as information on why I think you work well with the individuals I choose. Of course, if you only wish to receive either just the romantic matchup or just the friendship matchup, just let me know!

You can request matchups for several different fandoms at once! For each fandom you request, I will match you up with one romantic partner and one friend unless you request differently.

You can ask to exclude any character(s)!

Where can I request a matchup?

Requests can be made in the MATCHUP REQUESTS/ASK ME ANYTHING tab.

What do I need to include in my request?

Required

Fandom(s)

Your gender and/or pronouns

Your sexual orientation and/or preferences

Description of personality

Optional (but definitely helps me out!)

Description of appearance

Hobbies

Personality alignment (Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, Hogwarts House, etc.)

What you would look for in a partner and/or friend

Any other information you think would be helpful – the more you provide, the more I can work with!

Now with that out of the way, onto the fandoms!

Listed directly below is a shortlist of all the fandoms I take requests for as well as some extra information as needed.

Disclaimers

If a title is in italics, it means that while I feel comfortable providing matchups for this show, I have not watched every season. If a character drastically changes after a certain point, I may not be aware. The last season I watched of these shows will be included in parentheses.

All movies/shows based on novels will most likely focus on the on-screen adaptations of characters.

SHOWS

The 100 (6)

Good Omens

The Good Place (3)

Lucifer (4)

On My Block

Parks and Recreation (4)

Prodigal Son (1)

Sherlock

Space Force

Supernatural (14)

The Walking Dead (8)

MOVIES

Clueless

The Greatest Showman

Harry Potter -- Unless specified in request, will entail 2 sets of matchups as a student (Golden Trio and Marauders eras respectively)

The Hunger Games

Marvel Cinematic Universe -- Unless age is specified, underage characters will NOT be available for romantic matchups

BROADWAY

Anastasia

Beetlejuice

Carrie (2012 Off-Broadway)

Hadestown

Hamilton

Les Misérables

The Phantom of the Opera

Six

VIDEO GAMES

Detroit: Become Human

Red Dead Redemption 2

What’s below the cut?

A masterlist of characters in each fandom that will be considered for each request (unless marked with an asterisk (*), all characters are assumed to be available for both romantic AND friendly matchups while names marked with an asterisk are only available for friendly matchups). Listed alphabetically by first name.

Don’t be afraid to tell me about a typo!

Any questions? Just want to talk? You can also use the  MATCHUP REQUESTS/ASK ME ANYTHING tab to get ahold of me!

SHOWS

Bellamy Blake

Clarke Griffin

Echo

Finn Collins

Harper McIntyre

Jasper Jordan

Johnathan “John” Murphy

Jordan Green

Lexa

Lincoln

Marcus Kane

Monty Green

Octavia Blake

Raven Reyes

Roan

Wells Jaha

Aziraphale

Anathema Device

Crowley

Newton Pulsifer

Mme. Tracy*

Witchfinder Sgt. Shadwell*

Chidi Anagonye

Eleanor Shellstrop

Jason Mendoza

Michael*

Tahani Al-Jamil

Amenadiel

Det. Chloe Decker

Det. Daniel “Dan” Espinoza

Ella Lopez

Eve

Dr. Linda Martin*

Lucifer Morningstar

Mazikeen “Maze”

Cesar Diaz

Jamal Turner

Jasmine Flores

Monsé Finnie

Oscar “Spooky” Diaz

Ruben “Ruby” Martinez Jr.

Andrew “Andy” Dwyer

Ann Perkins

April Ludgate

Benjamin “Ben” Wyatt

Christopher “Chris” Traeger

Donna Meagle*

Gerald “Jerry” Gergich*

Jean-Ralphio Saperstein*

Leslie Knope

Ronald “Ron” Swanson*

Ainsley Whitly

Det. Dani Powell

Edrisa Tanaka

Lt. Gil Arroyo

Det. James “JT” Tarmel

Jessica Whitly

Malcolm Bright

DI Greg Lestrade

Mrs. Hudson*

James “Jim” Moriarty

Dr. John Watson

Mary Morstan*

Molly Hooper

Mycroft Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

Dr. Adrian Mallory*

Capt. Angela Ali

Brig. Gen. Bradley Gregory*

Dr. Chan Kaifang

Duncan Tabner

Erin Naird

F. Tony Scarapiducci

Kelly King

Maggie Naird*

Gen. Mark Naird*

Abbie “Bela” Talbot*

Adam Milligan

Alex Jones

Balthazar

Benjamin “Benny” Lafitte

Castiel

Charlene “Charlie” Bradbury

Claire Novak

Crowley

Dean Winchester

Sheriff Donna Hanscum

Eileen Leahy

Ellen Harvelle*

Gabriel

Garth Fitzgerald IV

Jack Kline

Jessica “Jess” Moore*

Joanna “Jo” Harvelle

Sheriff Jody Mills*

John Winchester

Kaia Nieves

Kevin Tran

Lucifer

Meg Masters

Michael “Mick” Davies

Patience Turner

Robert “Bobby” Singer*

Rowena MacLeod

Rufus Turner*

Samuel “Sam” Winchester

Aaron

Abraham Ford

Andrea*

Beth Greene

Carl Grimes*

Carol Peletier*

Dale Horvath*

Daryl Dixon

Dwight

Enid*

Eugene Porter*

King Ezekiel*

Father Gabriel Stokes

Glenn Rhee

Hershel Greene*

Maggie Greene

Michonne

Morgan Jones*

Negan Smith

Paul “Jesus” Rovia

Rick Grimes

Rosita Espinosa

Sasha Williams

Tara Chambler

Tyreese Williams

MOVIES

Cher Horowitz

Dionne Davenport

Josh Lucas

Tai Frasier

Travis Birkenstock

Anne Wheeler

Charity Barnum

Jenny Lind

Lettie Lutz*

Phillip Carlyle

Phineas “P.T.” Barnum

W.D. Wheeler

Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody*

Albus Dumbledore*

Arthur Weasley*

Cedric Diggory

Cho Chang

Draco Malfoy

Fleur Delacour

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Ginevra “Ginny” Weasley

Harry Potter

Hermione Granger

James Potter

Lily Evans

Luna Lovegood

Minerva McGonagall*

Molly Weasley*

Neville Longbottom

Nymphadora Tonks*

Oliver Wood

Remus Lupin

Ronald “Ron” Weasley

Rubeus Hagrid*

Severus Snape

Sirius Black

Viktor Krum

Cinna

Effie Trinket*

Finnick Odair

Gale Hawthorne

Haymitch Abernathy*

Johanna Mason

Katniss Everdeen

Peeta Mellark

Anthony “Tony” Stark -- Iron Man

Dr. Bruce Banner -- Hulk

Carol Danvers -- Captain Marvel

Dr. Christine Palmer*

Clint Barton -- Hawkeye

Drax the Destroyer*

Edward “Ned” Leeds

Gamora

Groot*

Harold “Happy” Hogan*

Dr. Henry “Hank” Pym*\

Hope van Dyne -- Wasp

Sgt. James “Bucky” Barnes -- Winter Soldier

Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes -- War Machine

Loki Laufeyson

Luis*

Mantis*

Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Carter*

Cdr. Maria Hill*

May Parker*

Lord M’Baku

Michelle “MJ” Jones

Nakia

Natasha Romanoff -- Black Widow

Nebula*

Col. Nicholas “Nick” Fury*

Okoye

Peter Parker -- Spider-Man

Peter Quill -- Star-Lord

Agt. Phillip “Phil” Coulson*

Pietro Maximoff -- Quicksilver

Rocket*

Samuel “Sam” Wilson -- Falcon

Scott Lang -- Ant-Man

Shuri

Dr. Stephen Strange

Steven “Steve” Rogers -- Captain America

King T’Challa -- Black Panther

Thor Odinson

Valkyrie

Virginia “Pepper” Potts

Vision

Wanda Maximoff -- Scarlet Witch

W’Kabi

Wong*

Yelena Belova

Yondu Udonta*

BROADWAY

Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov

Dimitri Sudayev

Gleb Vaganov

Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch*

Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna*

Vladimir “Vlad” Popov*

Adam Maitland

Barbara Maitland

Beetlejuice*

Delia Schlimmer

Lydia Deetz*

Carrie White

Christine “Chris” Hargensen

Susan “Sue” Snell

Thomas “Tommy” Ross

Eurydice

Hades

Hermes*

Orpheus

Persephone

Aaron Burr

Alexander Hamilton

Angelica Schuyler

Elizabeth “Eliza” Schuyler

George Washington

Hercules Mulligan

James Madison

John Laurens

Margarita “Peggy” Schuyler

Maria Reynolds

Marquis de Lafayette

Philip Hamilton

Thomas Jefferson

Cosette

Enjolras

Éponine Thénardier

Fantine

Insp. Javert

Jean Valjean

Marius Pontmercy

Carlotta Giudicelli*

Christine Daaé

Erik “The Phantom”

Mme. Giry*

Meg Giry

Raoul de Chagny

Anna of Cleves

Anne Boleyn

Catherine of Aragon

Catherine Parr

Jane Seymour

Katherine Howard

VIDEO GAMES

Carl Manfred*

Chloe

Det. Chris Miller*

Connor

Elijah Kamski

Lt. Hank Anderson*

Capt. Jeffrey Fowler*

Josh

Kara

Leo Manfred

Lucy*

Luther

Markus

North

Rose Chapman*

Simon

Abigail Roberts

Arthur Morgan

Beau Gray*

Charles Smith

Daniël “Dutch” Van der Linde

Eagle Flies

Hosea Matthews*

Javier Escuella

Johnathan “John” Marston Sr.

Josiah Trelawny

Karen Jones

Kieran Duffy

Leonard “Lenny” Summers

Marion “Bill” Williamson

Mary-Beth Gaskill

Micah Bell

Molly O’Shea

Penelope Braithwaite*

Rev. Orville Swanson*

Sadie Adler

Sean MacGuire

Simon Pearson*

Tilly Jackson

[twh-news]

[TL;DR: It debuts on 11 August 2021 on Disney+]

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has made a splash on the small screen since the beginning of 2021 — first with the classic sitcom-inspired WandaVision, then with the intense The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and now with the weekly Multiverse craziness that is Loki. Now, with the Loki season finale episode set for next week, we finally know when Marvel’s next series — What If…? — will debut.

The Marvel Studios trailer [above] for the upcoming animated series confirms that it will debut on the Disney+ streaming service on August 11, 2021. The official description of Marvel’s What If…? reads:

What If…? flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways. Coming to Disney+ in Summer 2021, Marvel Studios’ first animated series focuses on different heroes from the MCU, featuring a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their roles. The series is directed by Bryan Andrews; Ashley Bradley is head writer.

The series, which will imagine what could have happened had things in the MCU gone differently than they actually did, will see the return of numerous live-action MCU Avengers franchise stars, including Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/the Hulk), Josh Brolin (Thanos), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Michael Douglas (Dr. Hank Pym), Michael B. Jordan (Erik “Killmonger” Stevens), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier), and late actor Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/Black Panther).

Other characters that will appear in the series include Tony Stark/Iron Man and Doctor Strange. Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) will portray the all-seeing Watcher, narrating the series.

At this time, it is unclear if any of the Loki variants — including Sylvie (Sophia di Martino), Kid Loki, Alligator Loki, President Loki, and Classic Loki –, who have been recently introduced into the Marvel Universe, will appear in What If…? in any capacity.

Earlier this year, Discussing Film spoke to What If…? writer, A.C. Bradley, who shared:

“Kevin [Marvel President Kevin Feige] said that we will be exploring every movie in a new way, but not every episode is about one movie if that makes sense. On the reel [shown at D23 Expo], there is this image of a Star-Lord T’Challa because we wanted to see what if the worlds of Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy collided? That was taking two universes, two to three movies, kind of twisting them in new ways.”

[lene-loki]

REQUESTS

Hello guys! You can request Imagines per direct message for the following characters:

MARVEL

LOKI LAUFEYSON

STEVE ROGERS / CAPTAIN AMERICA

BUCKY BARNES / WINTER SOLDIER

MATT MURDOCK / DAREDEVIL (charlie cox)

THOR ODINSON

PETER PARKER / SPIDER-MAN (toby maguire, andrew garfield or tom holland?)

SCOTT LANG / ANT-MAN

PETER QUILL / STAR-LORD

BRUCE BENNER / HULK (mark ruffallo)

TONY STARK / IRONMAN

CLINT BARTON / HAWKEYE

DOCTOR STEPHEN STRANGE / DOCTOR STRANGE

T’CHALLA / BLACK PANTHER

VISION

STEVEN GRANT / MARC SPECTOR / JAKE LOCKLEY / MOONKNIGHT

ERIK LENSHERR / MAGNETO (michael fassbender)

PROFESSOR CHARLES XAVIER (james mcavoy)

STRANGER THINGS

JIM HOPPER

JONATHAN BYERS

STEVE HARRINGTON

BILLY HARGROVE

EDDIE MUNSON

You can request Fluff, Smut, Angst

Tell me beforehand if you have a certain idea for your Imagine otherwise I’ll let my creativity run freely! You can also request Song Imagines (just tell me with which character) with the following songs (maybe I’ll add a few more later):

SONG IMAGINES

Parallel Universe - Alaina Castillo

Naked - Ava Max

Demons - Hayley Kiyoko

Self Love - Emily Vu

Good 4 You - Olivia Rodrigo

Overdrive - Conan Gray

He Loves Me, But... - Sofia Carson

Heartbeat - Mougleta

Gone - Rosé

Break My Heart Myself - Bebe Rexha

Sacrifice - Bebe Rexha

Hopelessly Devoted To You - Olivia Newton-John

Maybe This Time - Liza Minelli

No Fear - DeJ Loaf

Kiss Me More - Doja Cat feat SZA

On The Ground - Rosé

Love Again - Dua Lipa

Positions - Ariana Grande

Just What I Needed - The Cars

Levitating - Dua Lipa feat DaBaby

Make Up - R. City feat Chloe Angelides

Salt - Ava Max

Cry About It Later - Katy Perry

Old Habits Die Hard - Allie X

Like That - Bea Miller

Bad Love - The Aces

I Loved You - Dj Sava feat Irina Rimes

Backbeat - Dagny

9-40 pm - Romina

God Is A Woman - Ariana Grande

Calm After The Storm - The Common Linnets

More Than Friends - Victoria Duffield

Bulletproof - The Score feat XYLO

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Heal Me - Grace Carter

Body - Emma Kern

Keep It to Myself - Ellise

Maybe I’ll post a Prompt List separetly soon. I will post a Masterlist as soon as the first Imagine is out, so don’t hesitate type out your requests, I’ll wait! 

Léne xx

[patriotsnet]

Who's Right Democrats Or Republicans

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/whos-right-democrats-or-republicans/

Who's Right Democrats Or Republicans

Views Of The Democratic And Republican Parties

Just under half of Americans have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while a slightly larger share have an unfavorable view.

The GOP is viewed more negatively 38% say they have a positive view of the Republican Party, while 60% rate it unfavorably. These views are modestly changed since last summer, with the share of Americans rating the GOP unfavorably slightly higher than it was in August and the share of Americans with a negative view of the Democratic Party down slightly .

About three-quarters of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents view the GOP favorably, while 81% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents view the Democratic Party positively.

Nearly all Republicans who say they strongly identify with the Republican Party express a favorable opinion of the GOP. Among Republicans who say they not so strongly identify with the party, 77% say have a favorable view, while 56% of independents who lean toward the Republican Party say the same.

Democrats who very strongly identify with the Democratic Party nearly universally view their party favorably, as do 87% of Democrats who describe themselves as not-so-strong Democrats. About six-in-ten Democratic leaners have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party.

Within both partisan groups, views of the opposing party are overwhelmingly unfavorable across-the-board, with more than eight-in-ten strong partisans, not so strong partisans and leaners alike saying this.

Why Are An Elephant And A Donkey The Party Symbols

The Democratic party is often associated with the colour blue and the donkey mascot.

That dates back to Democratic candidate Andrew Jackson’s 1828 presidential campaign, when opponents called him a “jackass” for his stubbornness.

Instead of taking the nickname as an insult, Jackson embraced it and used the donkey image on his election posters.

It was then quickly adopted by newspapers and political cartoonists.

The Republican’s elephant symbol came along years later.

Many believe it came about, in part, due to a widely used expression during the Civil War led by Republican president Abraham Lincoln.

Soldiers entering battle were said to be “seeing the elephant” a phrase that means learning a hard lesson, often with a profound cost.

The symbol was then popularised by political cartoonist Thomas Nast; an early rendition featured in the 1879 edition of Harper’s Weekly.

Both symbols are still largely used for political campaigns.

Democrats Tend To Have A Lot More Anger And Negativity In Their Rhetoric According To Them If You Support President Trump Well Then You Are A Racist And A Nazi

They generally seem to be out to get someone making things more personal.  Why are they so afraid to use the facts to reinforce what they want to do? Its agenda first then find or make up facts to support the rhetoric.

If they cant beat you at the polling booth, they try and beat you in court and thats just a great example of something thats not a pleasant experience. And not quite working in the long run. They keep getting overturned.

Crime And Capital Punishment

Republicans generally believe in harsher penalties when someone has committed a crime, including for selling illegal drugs. They also generally favor capital punishment and back a system with many layers to ensure the proper punishment has been meted out. Democrats are more progressive in their views, believing that crimes do not involve violence, such as selling drugs, should have lighter penalties and rehabilitation. They are also against capital punishment in any form.

Conservative Endorsements Of Democratic Candidates

During the 2004 election, several high-profile conservative writers endorsed the Presidential campaign of John Kerry, arguing that the Bush administration was pursuing policies which were anything but conservative. Among the most notable of these endorsements came from Andrew Sullivan and Paul Craig Roberts, while a series of editorials in Pat Buchanan‘s The American Conservative magazine made a conservative case for several candidates, with Scott McConnell formally endorsing Kerry, and Justin Raimondo giving the nod to Ralph Nader.

In South Carolina in , the Democratic candidate for United States Senator was Bob Conley, a traditional Catholic, and a former activist for the presidential candidacy of Ron Paul. Conley failed in his bid to defeat Lindsey Graham, receiving 42.4 percent of the vote.

In his campaign for reelection, Walter Minnick, U.S. Representative for Idaho’s 1st congressional district, was endorsed by Tea Party Express, an extremely rare occurrence for a Democrat. Minnick was the only Democrat to receive a 100% rating from the Club for Growth, an organization that typically supports conservative Republicans. Minnick lost to Raúl Labrador, a conservative Republican, in the general election.

Think Republicans Are Disconnected From Reality It’s Even Worse Among Liberals

Arlie Hochschild

A new survey found Democrats live with less political diversity despite being more tolerant of it with startling results

In a surprising new national survey, members of each major American political party were what they imagined to be the beliefs held by members of the other. The survey asked Democrats: How many Republicans believe that racism is still a problem in America today? Democrats guessed 50%. Its actually 79%. The survey asked Republicans how many Democrats believe most police are bad people. Republicans estimated half; its really 15%.

The survey, published by the thinktank More in Common as part of its Hidden Tribes of America project, was based on a sample of more than 2,000 people. One of the studys findings: the wilder a persons guess as to what the other party is thinking, the more likely they are to also personally disparage members of the opposite party as mean, selfish or bad. Not only do the two parties diverge on a great many issues, they also disagree on what they disagree on.

Read more

This effect, the report says, is so strong that without a high school diploma are three times more accurate than those with a postgraduate degree. And the more politically engaged a person is, the greater the distortion.

Should the US participate in the Paris climate accord and reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of what other countries do? A majority of voters in both parties said yes.

Yes Dictators Sometimes Cloak Themselves In Socialism But Tyranny Here And Elsewhere Is Always Right

Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump

The meaning today of the Big Lie almost always refers to the false claim by Donald Trump and his right-wing cronies that the 2020 presidential election was somehow stolen by the left and Joe Biden, with the help of foreign agents.

Not only is this claim false, it is absurdly false.

This is hardly the first Big Lie from the right. Not even close. The right has been promulgating Big Lies for decades.

In fact, lying is the only way the right wing can win elections. After all, its policies are profoundly unpopular with ordinary people because the right-wing favors the 1% rich over the 99% working and middle classes.

How in the world could 1% of the population ever win elections over the 99%? Simple. The 1% bamboozles the 99%. To win elections, the right must conceal its true intentions from the voters and instead engage in manipulative tactics, like lying and fearmongering.

The lies are not just little lies.They are whoppers. They are the complete opposite of the truth. They are 180 degrees from the truth. They are the polar opposite of the truth, like from the North Pole all the way to the South Pole. Hence the term Big Lie.

Yet, shockingly, many of these egregious lies actually work. They take hold. They create a false impression in the mind of the public.

Once again, this is the exact opposite of the truth. Dictatorships and fascism are right-wing, not left-wing.

Shockingly, this nonsense actually works.

Who’s Right Democrats Or Republicans

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Neither, that is shy you discuss and debate and come to an agreement. It is time that the people make them sit back in their seats in the house and Senate, give the a bucket to go to the bathroom and PBJ’s for breakfast lunch and DinnerWhen the come to an agreement, then they can go home for a good night sleep and we will pick another issue and lock them in their chambers the next day and have them work that one out.Bet it would not take long for these idiots on both sides of the aisle to get the picture

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They are both wrong, but I think the Democrat senate is more wrong because they are trying to force an agreement using police stationed at national parks and monuments to make life hell for everyone. Also earlier last week the senate rejected a bill from house Republicans that would have delayed the shutdown for awhile./Edit:give the a bucket to go to the bathroom and PBJ’s for breakfast lunch and DinnerNo no no, PBJs are too tasty. Give them bread and butter.

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Liars are the worst kind of thieves-Only trust Hell No Kitty

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What Does Left Mean

In politics, left refers to people and groups that have views. That generally means they support reforms, especially those seeking greater social and economic equality.

The farleft is often used for what is considered more extreme, views, such as and . Collectively, people and groups, as well as the positions they hold, are referred to as theLeft or the left wing.

Trump Supporters The Exception

Despite political rhetoric that places them at opposite ends of the spectrum, Republican and Democratic voters appear to be similarly compassionate.

Democrats view compassion as a political value while Republicans will integrate compassion into their politics when their leaders make it part of an explicit message.

There is a caveat to this: I asked these survey questions about personal feelings of compassion in a 2016 online survey that also asked about choice of president.

The survey was conducted a few days after Republican presidential primary candidates Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio had dropped out of the race, making Donald Trump the only viable Republican candidate for the nomination.

In their responses to the survey, a large percentage of Republican voters said they would rather vote for someone other than Trump, even though he was the unofficial nominee at that point.

The Republican voters who didnt support Trump were similar to Democrats on the survey with respect to their answers about compassion. Their average scores on the compassion items were the same. This is in line with the other survey data showing that liberals and conservatives, and Republicans and Democrats, are largely similar in these personality measures of compassion.

But Trump supporters answers were not in line with these findings.

The research indicates that appeals to compassion if made by trusted leaders should work for voters of both parties.

Republicans And Democrats After The Civil War

Its true that many of the first Ku Klux Klan members were Democrats. Its also true that the early Democratic Party opposed civil rights. But theres more to it.

The Civil War-era GOP wasnt that into civil rights. They were more interested in punishing the South for seceding, and monopolizing the new black vote.

In any event, by the 1890s, Republicans had begun to distance themselves from civil rights.

Taking The Perspective Of Others Proved To Be Really Hard

The divide in the United States is wide, and one indication of that is how difficult our question proved for many thoughtful citizens. A 77-year-old Republican woman from Pennsylvania was typical of the voters who struggled with this question, telling us, This is really hard for me to even try to think like a devilcrat!, I am sorry but I in all honesty cannot answer this question. I cannot even wrap my mind around any reason they would be good for this country.

Similarly, a 53-year-old Republican from Virginia said, I honestly cannot even pretend to be a Democrat and try to come up with anything positive at all, but, I guess they would vote Democrat because they are illegal immigrants and they are promised many benefits to voting for that party. Also, just to follow what others are doing. And third would be just because they hate Trump so much. The picture she paints of the typical Democratic voter being an immigrant, who goes along with their party or simply hates Trump will seem like a strange caricature to most Democratic voters. But her answer seems to lack the animus of many.  

Democrats struggled just as much as Republicans. A 33-year-old woman from California told said, i really am going to have a hard time doing this but then offered that Republicans are morally right as in values, going to protect us from terrorest and immigrants, going to create jobs.

The Democratic Party General Policy And Political Values

The Democratic Party generally represents left-leaning, liberal and progressive ideological values, thus advocating for a strong government to regulate business and support for the citizens of the United States. Thus, one of the key values emphasized by Democrats is social responsibility. Overall, Democrats believe that a prominent and powerful government can ensure welfare and equality for all. Much like the Republican Party, political opinions within the Democratic Party stretch across a wide spectrum, as both parties are, to a large degree, decentralized. However, from a general point of view, Democrats tend to support heavy taxation of high-income households. In comparison to Denmark, where taxes are generally high, the Democratic taxation policy may not seem excessive, but on a U.S. taxation scale these tax percentages are in the heavy end.

  Left Wing And Right Wing Politics

Politics is said to be split in half and you either have left or right political views. Left-wing politics is typically associated with progressive ideas and equality. Democrats are viewed as left-wingers. Right-wing politics values tradition, equity, and survival of the fittest. Republicans are viewed as right-wingers. 

Left-Wing

Left-wing beliefs are liberal in that they believe society is best served with an expanded role of the government. Examples of an expanded role for the government include entitlement programs such as social security and Medicare, Medicaid, universal healthcare, food stamps, free public education, unemployment benefits, strong environmental laws, and other regulations on industries.

Right Wing

Right-wingers believe that the best outcome for society is achieved when individual rights and civil liberties are paramount and the role and especially the power of the government is minimized. Right-wing ideology would favor market-based solutions to the issues that these government programs aim to tackle. For example, encouraging a freer marketplace for healthcare, driven by consumer choice to drive down costs. Or privately held retirement accounts like 401 plans instead of government-guaranteed Social Security.

Democrats V Republicans On Jim Crow

Segregation and Jim Crow lasted for 100 years after the end of the Civil War.

During this time, African Americans were largely disenfranchised. There was no African-American voting bloc. Neither party pursued civil rights policies it wasnt worth their while.

Photo Credit

Democrats dominated Southern politics throughout the Jim Crow Era. Its fair to say that Democratic governors and legislatures are responsible for creating and upholding white supremacist policies.

Southern Democrats were truly awful.

Where Do Trump And Biden Stand On Key Issues

Reuters: Brian Snyder/AP: Julio Cortez

The key issues grappling the country can be broken down into five main categories: coronavirus, health care, foreign policy, immigration and criminal justice.

This year, a big focus of the election has been the coronavirus pandemic, which could be a deciding factor in how people vote, as the country’s contentious healthcare system struggles to cope.

The average healthcare costs for COVID-19 treatment is up to $US30,000 , an Americas Health Insurance Plans 2020 study has found.

Todays Republicans Really Hate Democrats And Democracy

1) Trumps supporters have embraced anti-democratic ideas

This chart shows results from a two-part survey, conducted in late 2020 and early 2021, of hardcore Trump supporters. The political scientists behind the survey, Rachel Blum and Christian Parker, identified so-called MAGA voters by their activity on pro-Trump Facebook pages. Their subjects are engaged and committed Republican partisans, disproportionately likely to influence conflicts within the party like primary elections.

These voters, according to Blum and Parker, are hostile to bedrock democratic principles.

Is God A Democrat Or A Republican

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party of the United States are political parties.  God is so much bigger than any political party.  He is bigger than the United States of America or any other country.  He is bigger than the world we live in.

Psalm 8:3 says God created the stars with His fingers.  Considering that our local star, the sun, is 70 times the size of the Earth, that would make God very big.  Human issues are very small to Him but we will be judged by what we do.

We as believers need to keep our political party in check and be praying for the leadership of our nations.  In the United States, historically parties or groups of organized political interests came later.  The majority of the early settlers were true Christians fleeing persecution and the government trying to control them through a political church.  The Democrats have been considered the party of the people or working class and the Republicans the party of business professionals for decades.  In actuality, that is not true.

Abraham Lincoln was the US President who fought to hold the United States together when division arose about whether African slaves were people or just property of their owners.  It was the Republican party that won the right of the slaves to have true freedom not the Democrats.

Vice Presidents Of The United States

John C. Breckinridge, 14th Vice President of the United States , United States Senator from Kentucky , Member, United States House of Representatives from Kentucky’s 8th District , Member, Kentucky House of Representatives from Fayette County . He was presidential nominee of the southern Democratic Party in 1860.

John C. Calhoun, 7th Vice President of the United States , United States Senator from South Carolina , 16th United States Secretary of State , 10th Secretary of War , Member, United States House of Representatives from South Carolina’s 6th District . He was a supporter of slavery, state sovereignty and a proponent of the theory of nullification.

John Nance Garner, 32nd Vice President of the United States , Member, United States House of Representatives from 15th District of Texas , 39th Speaker of the House of Representatives , House Minority Leader , Leader, House Democratic Caucus , Member, Texas House of Representatives from Texas 91st District , County Judge, Uvalde County Texas . He supported the poll tax. Although he served as vice president under Franklin D. Roosevelt, he turned against Roosevelt during his second term, taking a more conservative stance on several issues.

Thomas A. Hendricks, 21st Vice President of the United States , 16th Governor of Indiana , United States Senator from , and member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana’s 6th congressional district and Indiana’s 5th congressional district .

What Is Happening To The Republicans

In becoming the party of Trump, the G.O.P. confronts the kind of existential crisis that has destroyed American parties in the past.

Save this story for later.

Save this story for later.

Content

But, for all the anxiety among Republican leaders, Goldwater prevailed, securing the nomination at the Partys convention, in San Francisco. In his speech to the delegates, he made no pretense of his ideological intent. Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, he said. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Goldwaters crusade failed in November of 1964, when the incumbent, Lyndon Johnson, who had become President a year earlier, after Kennedys assassination, won in a landslide: four hundred and eighty-six to fifty-two votes in the Electoral College. Nevertheless, Goldwaters ascent was a harbinger of the future shape of the Republican Party. He represented an emerging nexus between white conservatives in the West and in the South, where five states voted for him over Johnson.

agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.

History Of The Republican Party

The Republican Party came into existence just prior to the Civil War due to their long-time stance in favor of abolition of slavery. They were a small third-party who nominated John C. Freemont for President in 1856. In 1860 they became an established political party when their nominee Abraham Lincoln was elected as President of the United States. Lincolns Presidency throughout the war, including his policies to end slavery for good helped solidify the Republican Party as a major force in American politics. The elephant was chosen as their symbol in 1874 based on a cartoon in Harpers Weekly that depicted the new party as an elephant.

Democratic Candidate Joe Biden

Reuters: Carlos Barria

The Democrats are the liberal political party and their candidate is Joe Biden, who has run for president twice before.

A former senator for Delaware who served six terms, Biden is best known as Barack Obama’s vice-president.

He held that role for eight years, and it has helped make him a major contender for many Democrat supporters.

Earlier this year, Biden chose California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate.

The 77-year-old has built his campaign on the Obama legacy, and tackling the country’s staggering health care issues.

He is known for his down-to-earth personality and his ability to connect with working-class voters. He would be the oldest first-term president in history if elected.

According to 2017 Pew Research Centre data, a vast majority of the African American population supports the Democratic party, with 88 per cent voting for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential elections.

The Philosophy Behind Republican Economic Policy

Republicans advocate supply-side economics that primarily benefits businesses and investors. This theory states that tax cuts on businesses allow them to hire more workers, in turn increasing demand and growth. In theory, the increased revenue from a stronger economy offsets the initial revenue loss over time.

Republicans advocate the right to pursue prosperity without government interference. They argue this is achieved by self-discipline, enterprise, saving, and investing.

Republicans business-friendly approach leads most people to believe that they are better for the economy. A closer look reveals that Democrats are, in many respects, actually better.

A Record Number Of Americans Say Democrats And Republicans Are Doing Such A Poor Job That A Third Party Is Needed Polling Shows

Dissatisfaction with two-party politics is at an all-time high, new Gallup polling shows, with 62 percent of Americans saying Democrats and Republicans are doing such a poor job of representing their constituents that a third party is needed.

But the zero-sum, winner-take-all dynamics of U.S. elections make it nearly impossible for third parties to gain electoral traction, despite survey data that shows fully half of Americans do not identify with any party and label themselves independents. This was underscored this past weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference, when former president Donald Trump ruled out creating a third political party to promote his brand of nationalist conservatism.

To hear those calling for change including many scholars and some lawmakers the inherent problem with our current system is that it shoehorns the into just two parties. Warnings that the nation has backslid toward autocracy driven in large part by the Republican Partys shift away from democratic norms bring added urgency, they say, and reversing that Trump-era trend will require something radical: breaking up the Democratic and Republican parties.

[statetalks]

Who’s Right Democrats Or Republicans

Views Of The Democratic And Republican Parties

Just under half of Americans have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while a slightly larger share have an unfavorable view.

The GOP is viewed more negatively 38% say they have a positive view of the Republican Party, while 60% rate it unfavorably. These views are modestly changed since last summer, with the share of Americans rating the GOP unfavorably slightly higher than it was in August and the share of Americans with a negative view of the Democratic Party down slightly .

About three-quarters of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents view the GOP favorably, while 81% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents view the Democratic Party positively.

Nearly all Republicans who say they strongly identify with the Republican Party express a favorable opinion of the GOP. Among Republicans who say they not so strongly identify with the party, 77% say have a favorable view, while 56% of independents who lean toward the Republican Party say the same.

Democrats who very strongly identify with the Democratic Party nearly universally view their party favorably, as do 87% of Democrats who describe themselves as not-so-strong Democrats. About six-in-ten Democratic leaners have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party.

Within both partisan groups, views of the opposing party are overwhelmingly unfavorable across-the-board, with more than eight-in-ten strong partisans, not so strong partisans and leaners alike saying this.

Why Are An Elephant And A Donkey The Party Symbols

The Democratic party is often associated with the colour blue and the donkey mascot.

That dates back to Democratic candidate Andrew Jackson’s 1828 presidential campaign, when opponents called him a “jackass” for his stubbornness.

Instead of taking the nickname as an insult, Jackson embraced it and used the donkey image on his election posters.

It was then quickly adopted by newspapers and political cartoonists.

The Republican’s elephant symbol came along years later.

Many believe it came about, in part, due to a widely used expression during the Civil War led by Republican president Abraham Lincoln.

Soldiers entering battle were said to be “seeing the elephant” a phrase that means learning a hard lesson, often with a profound cost.

The symbol was then popularised by political cartoonist Thomas Nast; an early rendition featured in the 1879 edition of Harper’s Weekly.

Both symbols are still largely used for political campaigns.

Democrats Tend To Have A Lot More Anger And Negativity In Their Rhetoric According To Them If You Support President Trump Well Then You Are A Racist And A Nazi

They generally seem to be out to get someone making things more personal.  Why are they so afraid to use the facts to reinforce what they want to do? Its agenda first then find or make up facts to support the rhetoric.

If they cant beat you at the polling booth, they try and beat you in court and thats just a great example of something thats not a pleasant experience. And not quite working in the long run. They keep getting overturned.

Crime And Capital Punishment

Republicans generally believe in harsher penalties when someone has committed a crime, including for selling illegal drugs. They also generally favor capital punishment and back a system with many layers to ensure the proper punishment has been meted out. Democrats are more progressive in their views, believing that crimes do not involve violence, such as selling drugs, should have lighter penalties and rehabilitation. They are also against capital punishment in any form.

Conservative Endorsements Of Democratic Candidates

During the 2004 election, several high-profile conservative writers endorsed the Presidential campaign of John Kerry, arguing that the Bush administration was pursuing policies which were anything but conservative. Among the most notable of these endorsements came from Andrew Sullivan and Paul Craig Roberts, while a series of editorials in Pat Buchanan‘s The American Conservative magazine made a conservative case for several candidates, with Scott McConnell formally endorsing Kerry, and Justin Raimondo giving the nod to Ralph Nader.

In South Carolina in , the Democratic candidate for United States Senator was Bob Conley, a traditional Catholic, and a former activist for the presidential candidacy of Ron Paul. Conley failed in his bid to defeat Lindsey Graham, receiving 42.4 percent of the vote.

In his campaign for reelection, Walter Minnick, U.S. Representative for Idaho’s 1st congressional district, was endorsed by Tea Party Express, an extremely rare occurrence for a Democrat. Minnick was the only Democrat to receive a 100% rating from the Club for Growth, an organization that typically supports conservative Republicans. Minnick lost to Raúl Labrador, a conservative Republican, in the general election.

Think Republicans Are Disconnected From Reality It’s Even Worse Among Liberals

Arlie Hochschild

A new survey found Democrats live with less political diversity despite being more tolerant of it with startling results

In a surprising new national survey, members of each major American political party were what they imagined to be the beliefs held by members of the other. The survey asked Democrats: How many Republicans believe that racism is still a problem in America today? Democrats guessed 50%. Its actually 79%. The survey asked Republicans how many Democrats believe most police are bad people. Republicans estimated half; its really 15%.

The survey, published by the thinktank More in Common as part of its Hidden Tribes of America project, was based on a sample of more than 2,000 people. One of the studys findings: the wilder a persons guess as to what the other party is thinking, the more likely they are to also personally disparage members of the opposite party as mean, selfish or bad. Not only do the two parties diverge on a great many issues, they also disagree on what they disagree on.

Read more

This effect, the report says, is so strong that without a high school diploma are three times more accurate than those with a postgraduate degree. And the more politically engaged a person is, the greater the distortion.

Should the US participate in the Paris climate accord and reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of what other countries do? A majority of voters in both parties said yes.

Yes Dictators Sometimes Cloak Themselves In Socialism But Tyranny Here And Elsewhere Is Always Right

Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump

The meaning today of the Big Lie almost always refers to the false claim by Donald Trump and his right-wing cronies that the 2020 presidential election was somehow stolen by the left and Joe Biden, with the help of foreign agents.

Not only is this claim false, it is absurdly false.

This is hardly the first Big Lie from the right. Not even close. The right has been promulgating Big Lies for decades.

In fact, lying is the only way the right wing can win elections. After all, its policies are profoundly unpopular with ordinary people because the right-wing favors the 1% rich over the 99% working and middle classes.

How in the world could 1% of the population ever win elections over the 99%? Simple. The 1% bamboozles the 99%. To win elections, the right must conceal its true intentions from the voters and instead engage in manipulative tactics, like lying and fearmongering.

The lies are not just little lies.They are whoppers. They are the complete opposite of the truth. They are 180 degrees from the truth. They are the polar opposite of the truth, like from the North Pole all the way to the South Pole. Hence the term Big Lie.

Yet, shockingly, many of these egregious lies actually work. They take hold. They create a false impression in the mind of the public.

Once again, this is the exact opposite of the truth. Dictatorships and fascism are right-wing, not left-wing.

Shockingly, this nonsense actually works.

Who’s Right Democrats Or Republicans

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Neither, that is shy you discuss and debate and come to an agreement. It is time that the people make them sit back in their seats in the house and Senate, give the a bucket to go to the bathroom and PBJ’s for breakfast lunch and DinnerWhen the come to an agreement, then they can go home for a good night sleep and we will pick another issue and lock them in their chambers the next day and have them work that one out.Bet it would not take long for these idiots on both sides of the aisle to get the picture

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They are both wrong, but I think the Democrat senate is more wrong because they are trying to force an agreement using police stationed at national parks and monuments to make life hell for everyone. Also earlier last week the senate rejected a bill from house Republicans that would have delayed the shutdown for awhile./Edit:give the a bucket to go to the bathroom and PBJ’s for breakfast lunch and DinnerNo no no, PBJs are too tasty. Give them bread and butter.

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Liars are the worst kind of thieves-Only trust Hell No Kitty

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What Does Left Mean

In politics, left refers to people and groups that have views. That generally means they support reforms, especially those seeking greater social and economic equality.

The farleft is often used for what is considered more extreme, views, such as and . Collectively, people and groups, as well as the positions they hold, are referred to as theLeft or the left wing.

Trump Supporters The Exception

Despite political rhetoric that places them at opposite ends of the spectrum, Republican and Democratic voters appear to be similarly compassionate.

Democrats view compassion as a political value while Republicans will integrate compassion into their politics when their leaders make it part of an explicit message.

There is a caveat to this: I asked these survey questions about personal feelings of compassion in a 2016 online survey that also asked about choice of president.

The survey was conducted a few days after Republican presidential primary candidates Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio had dropped out of the race, making Donald Trump the only viable Republican candidate for the nomination.

In their responses to the survey, a large percentage of Republican voters said they would rather vote for someone other than Trump, even though he was the unofficial nominee at that point.

The Republican voters who didnt support Trump were similar to Democrats on the survey with respect to their answers about compassion. Their average scores on the compassion items were the same. This is in line with the other survey data showing that liberals and conservatives, and Republicans and Democrats, are largely similar in these personality measures of compassion.

But Trump supporters answers were not in line with these findings.

The research indicates that appeals to compassion if made by trusted leaders should work for voters of both parties.

Republicans And Democrats After The Civil War

Its true that many of the first Ku Klux Klan members were Democrats. Its also true that the early Democratic Party opposed civil rights. But theres more to it.

The Civil War-era GOP wasnt that into civil rights. They were more interested in punishing the South for seceding, and monopolizing the new black vote.

In any event, by the 1890s, Republicans had begun to distance themselves from civil rights.

Taking The Perspective Of Others Proved To Be Really Hard

The divide in the United States is wide, and one indication of that is how difficult our question proved for many thoughtful citizens. A 77-year-old Republican woman from Pennsylvania was typical of the voters who struggled with this question, telling us, This is really hard for me to even try to think like a devilcrat!, I am sorry but I in all honesty cannot answer this question. I cannot even wrap my mind around any reason they would be good for this country.

Similarly, a 53-year-old Republican from Virginia said, I honestly cannot even pretend to be a Democrat and try to come up with anything positive at all, but, I guess they would vote Democrat because they are illegal immigrants and they are promised many benefits to voting for that party. Also, just to follow what others are doing. And third would be just because they hate Trump so much. The picture she paints of the typical Democratic voter being an immigrant, who goes along with their party or simply hates Trump will seem like a strange caricature to most Democratic voters. But her answer seems to lack the animus of many.  

Democrats struggled just as much as Republicans. A 33-year-old woman from California told said, i really am going to have a hard time doing this but then offered that Republicans are morally right as in values, going to protect us from terrorest and immigrants, going to create jobs.

The Democratic Party General Policy And Political Values

The Democratic Party generally represents left-leaning, liberal and progressive ideological values, thus advocating for a strong government to regulate business and support for the citizens of the United States. Thus, one of the key values emphasized by Democrats is social responsibility. Overall, Democrats believe that a prominent and powerful government can ensure welfare and equality for all. Much like the Republican Party, political opinions within the Democratic Party stretch across a wide spectrum, as both parties are, to a large degree, decentralized. However, from a general point of view, Democrats tend to support heavy taxation of high-income households. In comparison to Denmark, where taxes are generally high, the Democratic taxation policy may not seem excessive, but on a U.S. taxation scale these tax percentages are in the heavy end.

  Left Wing And Right Wing Politics

Politics is said to be split in half and you either have left or right political views. Left-wing politics is typically associated with progressive ideas and equality. Democrats are viewed as left-wingers. Right-wing politics values tradition, equity, and survival of the fittest. Republicans are viewed as right-wingers. 

Left-Wing

Left-wing beliefs are liberal in that they believe society is best served with an expanded role of the government. Examples of an expanded role for the government include entitlement programs such as social security and Medicare, Medicaid, universal healthcare, food stamps, free public education, unemployment benefits, strong environmental laws, and other regulations on industries.

Right Wing

Right-wingers believe that the best outcome for society is achieved when individual rights and civil liberties are paramount and the role and especially the power of the government is minimized. Right-wing ideology would favor market-based solutions to the issues that these government programs aim to tackle. For example, encouraging a freer marketplace for healthcare, driven by consumer choice to drive down costs. Or privately held retirement accounts like 401 plans instead of government-guaranteed Social Security.

Democrats V Republicans On Jim Crow

Segregation and Jim Crow lasted for 100 years after the end of the Civil War.

During this time, African Americans were largely disenfranchised. There was no African-American voting bloc. Neither party pursued civil rights policies it wasnt worth their while.

Photo Credit

Democrats dominated Southern politics throughout the Jim Crow Era. Its fair to say that Democratic governors and legislatures are responsible for creating and upholding white supremacist policies.

Southern Democrats were truly awful.

Where Do Trump And Biden Stand On Key Issues

Reuters: Brian Snyder/AP: Julio Cortez

The key issues grappling the country can be broken down into five main categories: coronavirus, health care, foreign policy, immigration and criminal justice.

This year, a big focus of the election has been the coronavirus pandemic, which could be a deciding factor in how people vote, as the country’s contentious healthcare system struggles to cope.

The average healthcare costs for COVID-19 treatment is up to $US30,000 , an Americas Health Insurance Plans 2020 study has found.

Todays Republicans Really Hate Democrats And Democracy

1) Trumps supporters have embraced anti-democratic ideas

This chart shows results from a two-part survey, conducted in late 2020 and early 2021, of hardcore Trump supporters. The political scientists behind the survey, Rachel Blum and Christian Parker, identified so-called MAGA voters by their activity on pro-Trump Facebook pages. Their subjects are engaged and committed Republican partisans, disproportionately likely to influence conflicts within the party like primary elections.

These voters, according to Blum and Parker, are hostile to bedrock democratic principles.

Is God A Democrat Or A Republican

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party of the United States are political parties.  God is so much bigger than any political party.  He is bigger than the United States of America or any other country.  He is bigger than the world we live in.

Psalm 8:3 says God created the stars with His fingers.  Considering that our local star, the sun, is 70 times the size of the Earth, that would make God very big.  Human issues are very small to Him but we will be judged by what we do.

We as believers need to keep our political party in check and be praying for the leadership of our nations.  In the United States, historically parties or groups of organized political interests came later.  The majority of the early settlers were true Christians fleeing persecution and the government trying to control them through a political church.  The Democrats have been considered the party of the people or working class and the Republicans the party of business professionals for decades.  In actuality, that is not true.

Abraham Lincoln was the US President who fought to hold the United States together when division arose about whether African slaves were people or just property of their owners.  It was the Republican party that won the right of the slaves to have true freedom not the Democrats.

Vice Presidents Of The United States

John C. Breckinridge, 14th Vice President of the United States , United States Senator from Kentucky , Member, United States House of Representatives from Kentucky’s 8th District , Member, Kentucky House of Representatives from Fayette County . He was presidential nominee of the southern Democratic Party in 1860.

John C. Calhoun, 7th Vice President of the United States , United States Senator from South Carolina , 16th United States Secretary of State , 10th Secretary of War , Member, United States House of Representatives from South Carolina’s 6th District . He was a supporter of slavery, state sovereignty and a proponent of the theory of nullification.

John Nance Garner, 32nd Vice President of the United States , Member, United States House of Representatives from 15th District of Texas , 39th Speaker of the House of Representatives , House Minority Leader , Leader, House Democratic Caucus , Member, Texas House of Representatives from Texas 91st District , County Judge, Uvalde County Texas . He supported the poll tax. Although he served as vice president under Franklin D. Roosevelt, he turned against Roosevelt during his second term, taking a more conservative stance on several issues.

Thomas A. Hendricks, 21st Vice President of the United States , 16th Governor of Indiana , United States Senator from , and member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana’s 6th congressional district and Indiana’s 5th congressional district .

What Is Happening To The Republicans

In becoming the party of Trump, the G.O.P. confronts the kind of existential crisis that has destroyed American parties in the past.

Save this story for later.

Save this story for later.

Content

But, for all the anxiety among Republican leaders, Goldwater prevailed, securing the nomination at the Partys convention, in San Francisco. In his speech to the delegates, he made no pretense of his ideological intent. Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, he said. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Goldwaters crusade failed in November of 1964, when the incumbent, Lyndon Johnson, who had become President a year earlier, after Kennedys assassination, won in a landslide: four hundred and eighty-six to fifty-two votes in the Electoral College. Nevertheless, Goldwaters ascent was a harbinger of the future shape of the Republican Party. He represented an emerging nexus between white conservatives in the West and in the South, where five states voted for him over Johnson.

agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.

History Of The Republican Party

The Republican Party came into existence just prior to the Civil War due to their long-time stance in favor of abolition of slavery. They were a small third-party who nominated John C. Freemont for President in 1856. In 1860 they became an established political party when their nominee Abraham Lincoln was elected as President of the United States. Lincolns Presidency throughout the war, including his policies to end slavery for good helped solidify the Republican Party as a major force in American politics. The elephant was chosen as their symbol in 1874 based on a cartoon in Harpers Weekly that depicted the new party as an elephant.

Democratic Candidate Joe Biden

Reuters: Carlos Barria

The Democrats are the liberal political party and their candidate is Joe Biden, who has run for president twice before.

A former senator for Delaware who served six terms, Biden is best known as Barack Obama’s vice-president.

He held that role for eight years, and it has helped make him a major contender for many Democrat supporters.

Earlier this year, Biden chose California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate.

The 77-year-old has built his campaign on the Obama legacy, and tackling the country’s staggering health care issues.

He is known for his down-to-earth personality and his ability to connect with working-class voters. He would be the oldest first-term president in history if elected.

According to 2017 Pew Research Centre data, a vast majority of the African American population supports the Democratic party, with 88 per cent voting for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential elections.

The Philosophy Behind Republican Economic Policy

Republicans advocate supply-side economics that primarily benefits businesses and investors. This theory states that tax cuts on businesses allow them to hire more workers, in turn increasing demand and growth. In theory, the increased revenue from a stronger economy offsets the initial revenue loss over time.

Republicans advocate the right to pursue prosperity without government interference. They argue this is achieved by self-discipline, enterprise, saving, and investing.

Republicans business-friendly approach leads most people to believe that they are better for the economy. A closer look reveals that Democrats are, in many respects, actually better.

A Record Number Of Americans Say Democrats And Republicans Are Doing Such A Poor Job That A Third Party Is Needed Polling Shows

Dissatisfaction with two-party politics is at an all-time high, new Gallup polling shows, with 62 percent of Americans saying Democrats and Republicans are doing such a poor job of representing their constituents that a third party is needed.

But the zero-sum, winner-take-all dynamics of U.S. elections make it nearly impossible for third parties to gain electoral traction, despite survey data that shows fully half of Americans do not identify with any party and label themselves independents. This was underscored this past weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference, when former president Donald Trump ruled out creating a third political party to promote his brand of nationalist conservatism.

To hear those calling for change including many scholars and some lawmakers the inherent problem with our current system is that it shoehorns the into just two parties. Warnings that the nation has backslid toward autocracy driven in large part by the Republican Partys shift away from democratic norms bring added urgency, they say, and reversing that Trump-era trend will require something radical: breaking up the Democratic and Republican parties.

source https://www.patriotsnet.com/whos-right-democrats-or-republicans/

[annychristine831]

Joaquin Phoenix and Ryan Reynolds May Join the Cast of Doctor Strange 2

According to the latest sensational rumor, the “Joker” actor Joaquin Phoenix and the fan-favorite X-Men character Deadpool are set to join the cast of the second Doctor Strange film titled “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Other MCU characters like Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man are expected to have an appearance in the film as well. According to the films’ IMDb page, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff will have a pivotal role in the film.

Daniel RPK, who is renowned for covering sensational Hollywood news, has confirmed a rumor that Marvel CEO Kevin Feige wants to cast Joker actor for the role of Stephen Strange (in the parallel universe). Daniel has added that Feige wants to cast Phoenix because he wants to add those actors in the film who were once considered for specific roles in the MCU. Feige wants those actors to play such roles in the Marvel multiverse, explored in the upcoming films.

As far as Deadpool is concerned, Marvel wants the character to be “self-conscious” in Doctor Strange 2, where he will give comic relief to the fans by making fun of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.

Joaquin Phoenix was considered for the role of Doctor Strange before Benedict Cumberbatch became involved. The director of the film Scott Derrickson said that apart from Phoenix, Ryan Gosling and Jared Leto were also discussed before the role ultimately went to Cumberbatch. If this is true, then it means both Jared Leto and Gosling might have a role in the second film.

It is imperative to understand only a few things are official about the movie at the moment, and the rumors mentioned above should be taken with a pinch of salt.

In addition to Phoenix, Feige also wants a new Avengers team in one of the parallel universes where we would see different actors take on Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, etc. Feige has mentioned explicitly that he only wants those actors who were once in talks with Marvel for a role in the MCU.

According to this, we might see Joaquin Phoenix as Doctor Strange, Tom Cruise as Iron Man, John Krasinski as Captain America, and Sicario actress Emily Blunt as Black Widow. Additionally, Edward Norton might return to play the role of Hulk.

Wait. Don’t call this madness yet. There is more to it.

Several sources have confirmed that they already have Toby Maguire as Spiderman for the film, and Feige is now pushing to bring back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine for one last time. Just imagine the budget of this film.

Phase 4 of MCU will largely revolve around the multiverse storyline, which will be introduced in the WandaVision (soon to be released on Disney+). Apart from WandaVision, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are also set to arrive on Disney+.

As far as films are concerned, Black Widow has already been made and is ready for a release. The third Spider-Man film is also in development, which will see Jamie Foxx’s return as Electro and esteemed actors Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield as Spiderman from different universes.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be a film directed by Sam Raimi, and currently, its release date of March 2022 is intact, but it is likely to change soon.

Source: Joaquin Phoenix and Ryan Reynolds May Join the Cast of Doctor Strange 2

[firehawk12]

Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes

Angels in America is an interesting play for me because it was one that I studied back when I was an undergrad. I still remember being entranced by it when I read it because of how cinematic it appeared on the page (Perestroika in particular). Yes, many of Shakespeare’s plays have the same qualities, as we’ve seen with the countless film adaptations of his work, but Angels read like a movie script instead of a stage play.

The HBO miniseries certainly added to that particular understanding of the play, with its big Hollywood cast (Al Pacino and Meryl Streep!) and location shooting (although it’s metaphorical Heaven leaves a bit to be desired), so I was excited when I saw that National Theatre Live was going to produce the play as a part of its series this year. I was finally going to have the chance to see how the stage can be made into a “live” cinematic experience.

I put live in quotes because the National Theatre Live experience does compromise the experience of a play in the expected manner — the relationship between the audience and the actors is mediated by the cameras, and because I live in Canada, the performance is live to tape. There were times when it felt like the actors were positioned and blocked for the cameras rather than for the live audience.

But that caveat aside, I was mesmerized by the stage design. Millennium Approaches was presented in a minimalist fashion for the bulk of the play. The three positions of the stage were divided into three smaller stages placed on rotating platforms, effectively allowing them to have nine or more different stage configurations at any time. This staging is used beautifully in the scene were Harper and Joe’s scene crosses over into Louis and Prior’s scene. The scenes are meant to happen simultaneously, and in the film context there are many ways to use editing to convey that effect — the Mike Nichols HBO adaptation simply cuts between the two scenes — but this adaptation has the four characters on stage at the same time, with the two corresponding pairs of characters standing in opposition to each other (Joe and Louis as the “villains”, Harper and Prior as the ones being wronged). It’s a wonderfully staged and directed sequence that connects the two stories together in a visual manner.

When Harper enters her Valium induced hallucination and travels to Antarctica with Mr Lies, she “breaks the frame” and moves down stage. A change of lighting hides the sets upstage and you are immediately sympathetic with how she chose to escape the reality of her husband’s closeted homosexuality by being transported to Antarctica with her. All of that with a simple stage direction and lighting changes.

Perestroika’s staging is much more dynamic, but that also reflects the more fantastical nature of the second half of the play. Instead of three rotating platforms on the center of the stage, we see stagehands dressed in black hurriedly scurry across the stage to change the set under the cover of darkness. Even though you can see the stage change before your eyes, the activity helps create a sense of urgency, as each of the stories in the play reach their climax. The stage is also three dimensional — when Prior successfully wrestles the angel and ascends to heaven, he climbs a set of stairs that are slowly raised to the rafters. Moments later, we set a set of stairs pop up from the bottom of the stage and Prior climbs up into heaven itself.

The Angel America is similarly dynamic. In this adaptation, she is carried by several actors in black (credited as Angel Shadows) to give her the illusion of flight, with two other actors flapping her wings. Although you can’t clearly see the actors carrying the Angel, they also don’t pretend that the actors don’t exist. When the Angel is on the ground, you see the Shadows crawling around the ground beside her, giving her an ethereal quality that simply wouldn’t exist otherwise. Certainly this version of the Angel was more interesting to look at than the version we see in the HBO adaptation (simply Emma Thompson in a blue dress with wings).

Admittedly I’ve read more plays than I’ve seen, so my experience with theatre has always been theoretical rather than practical, but seeing a production of Angels in America has opened my eyes to the qualities of theatre that I haven’t really considered. Even though the stage is by definition a static and fixed space, it can still be as dynamic as film. Once you give in to the experience of watching the play, your mind fills in the gaps that would otherwise be filled in a film adaptation. It’s very much in line with Scott McCloud’s theories developed in Understanding Comics, where the imagination fills in the information between the panels. Yes the staging is quite minimalist, but you don’t need anything more a park bench and the sounds of traffic to understand that you are watching scene set in Brooklyn.

I’ve avoided talking about the play itself because I don’t know if I have anything particularly insightful to add to the greater conversation. In the ten or fifteen years since I’ve read it, it’s become a staple of drama courses and academic essays (when Sparknotes and Schmoop have study guides for the play, you know it’s mainstream now). This particular production has also been covered by many of the big outlets, perhaps in part because it stars Andrew Garfield, and I’ve already seen writers trying to make it seem as if it was a contemporary play (Roy Cohn advised Trump). I can see some of the parallels — as America lumbers through the Trump presidency, people have begun to question the nature of America as a project, and the play certainly asks and demands audiences to think about what America represents. For me, the play is very much tied to its time — not just because of when it was set, or the almost naive optimism of the end of the play (Gorbachev’s Perestroika leading to an authoritarian government controlled by oil billionaires was probably not what people expected from the end of the cold war), but because of what queer identity meant at the time. Obviously the battles aren’t over, as Trump’s latest attack against trans soldiers in the military show, but for gay men in the 80s, the very nature of their existence was being questioned. It wasn’t a question of rights — these were men facing extinction. So the hopeful message at the end of the play is meant to be a requiem for the dead, but also an understanding that life will continue. For a play produced in the early 90s, this would have been a powerful message.

I will say, the one aspect of Angels in America that has always stuck with me is how it uses religion. It treats the mythology of the bible as if it were real, so it’s not a question of faith, but a question of why “God” has abandoned humanity. Kushner’s answer to “why do bad things happen to good people?” is that God has simply walked away from his obligations to humanity and heaven, leaving everyone to fend for themselves. I think in this context, the use of Mormonism is apt, since it’s a uniquely American version of the Judeo-Christian mythology that has come to define the “old world”. If America is meant to represent the movement of human civilization, then featuring the newest iteration of the Jesus mythology makes perfect sense. The answer to God’s abandonment is to be in motion, to look forward, and that includes moving past what we assume to be true of God.

This religious aspect of the play has always been in my mind because I read Garth Ennis’ Preacher around the same time as I read the play. I won’t spoil what happens at the end of Preacher, but needless to say that it is also about how God has abandoned his responsibility to his creations and how we must learn to accept and respond to that fact. What specifically made me connect the two seemingly disparate texts was a speech that I remember Roy Cohn making at the end, when he decides to sue God on behalf of the Angels he abandoned:

Paternity suit? Abandonment? Family court is my particular metier, I’m an absolute fucking demon with Family Law. Just tell me who the judge is, and what kind of jewelry does he like? If it’s a jury, it’s harder, juries take more talk but sometimes it’s worth it, going jury, for what it saves you in bribes. Yes I will represent you, King of the Universe, yes I will sing and eviscerate, I will bully and seduce, I will win for you and make the plaintiffs, those traitors, wish they had never heard the name of . . . (Huge thunderclap) Is it a done deal, are we on? Good, then I gotta start by telling you you ain’t got a case here, you’re guilty as hell, no question, you have nothing to plead but not to worry, darling, I will make something up.

I was confused when this performance of Perestroika did not include this scene, since having Roy agree to defend God in court is diametrically opposed to what the Saint of Killers does to God at the end of Preacher. Then I saw Kushner state this in the definitive version of the play text:

In previous published versions of Perestroika I included two scenes which were almost always cut in production. In preparing this new version, I decided it was time to acknowledge the verdict of twenty-two years of production history and remove the scenes from the play. I’m including them here for whatever enjoyment and interest they provide readers; the play in production unquestionably works better without them (2013).

(The other scene removed from Perestroika is the one where Prior meets Louis’ grandmother).

I’ll concede that the scene does take away from the final moments of the play, which is redemptive and all about hope. We don’t need to know whether or not God will return, because we will move on with or without him — just as the gay community has developed and grown from the AIDS crisis of the 80s. Indeed, the fact that this play seems dated at times is a testament to how much progress has been made since it was first produced. That said, it’s still a very memorable scene to me because it makes God a “real person”, whatever that might mean, and at least acknowledges that he is accountable for the damage he has done through his neglect of his creation.

I enjoyed revisiting the play, since it was one of the big reasons I developed an interest in drama. Being able to finally see it come to life over a decade later was a bit of a revelation, showing me how powerful live theatre can be and why it still has a place in a world dominated by screens.

The National Theatre Live experience is a decent compromise — it’s still a mediated experience, and your viewing experience is left to the whim of the director, but knowing that the experience is live (or even live to tape) allows for that urgent energy to capture your attention. It solves a long-standing problem I have with live theatre, that it should be recorded and made accessible to more people, and I can only hope that eventually theatre companies will begin to sell performances for home exhibition.

(There will be a North American encore of Millennium Approaches on August 5th and of Perestroika on August 13th at select theatres)

[allspark]

IDW have released solicitations for their June 2017 Hasbro Universe titles! Read on for the details!

You can discuss these upcoming books in the Allspark Forums!

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Sub cover A – Casey Coller

Optimus Prime #8 John Barber (w) • Casey W. Coller (a) • Kei Zama (c) Jazz confronts his past—and the Autobot’s future—in front of millions of television viewers. But will he make the people of Earth understand Optimus Prime’s mission… or turn against it? FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Optimus Prime #8—Subscription Variant John Barber (w) • Casey W. Coller (a) • Casey W. Coller (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Optimus Prime #8—Andrew Griffith Variant John Barber (w) • Casey W. Coller (a) • Andrew Griffith (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points: • Variant cover by James Raiz!

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Sub cover A – Nick Roche

Transformers: Lost Light #7 James Roberts (w) • Jack Lawrence (a & c) AFTERMATH! The war with the Functionalists is over—and Rodimus is left wondering whether he won or lost. It’s the beginning of a new chapter for the displaced crew of the Lost Light, as decisions are made that will change their lives forever. FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Lost Light #7—Subscription Variant James Roberts (w) • Jack Lawrence (a) • Nick Roche (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Lost Light #7—Alex Milne Variant James Roberts (w) • Jack Lawrence (a) • Alex Milne (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points: • Variant cover by James Raiz!

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Reg cover – Livio Ramondelli

Transformers: Salvation—SPOTLIGHT John Barber (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a & c) Exiled from civilization, the Dinobots are the last line of defense against the ultimate Cybertronian dinosaur—Trypticon! But how much are the Dinobots willing to sacrifice for a world that hates them? FC • 48 pages • $7.99

Transformers: Salvation—Subscription Variant John Barber (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a) • Jeffrey Veregge (c) FC • 48 pages • $7.99

Bullet points: • Dinobots versus the biggest dino of them all—Trypticon! • John Barber and Livio Ramondelli finish their Dinobot trilogy that started in Transformers: Punishment and Transformers: Redemption!

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Reg cover – Sara Pitre-Durocher

Transformers: Till All Are One #11 Mairghread Scott (w) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (a & c) With Elita One’s influence closing in around Starscream, he’s desperate to make any alliances he can. Turns out, a powerful ally might already be within his grasp. But is he willing to risk his own sanity to reach them? FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Till All Are One #11—Subscription Variant Mairghread Scott (w) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (a) • Priscilla Tramontano (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points: • Variant cover by James Raiz!

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Reg cover – Leonardo Manco

Sub cover A – Nathan Greno

Sub cover B – David LaFuente

RI cover – Raffaele Ienco

Rom #12 Chris Ryall & Christos Gage (w) • David Messina, Guy Dorian & Sal Buscema (a) • Leonardo Manco (c) “Long Roads to Ruin,” part 2. Rom and the other two Knights face off against a dire new threat; and Guy Dorian & Sal Buscema illustrate a dark tale of the Solstar Order! FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Rom #12—Subscription Variant Chris Ryall & Christos Gage (w) • David Messina (a) • Nathan Greno (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Rom #12—Subscription Variant Chris Ryall & Christos Gage (w) • David Messina (a) • David LaFuente (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Rom #12—Subscription Variant Chris Ryall &a Christos Gage (w) • David Messina (a) • Nick Roche (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points: • Variant cover by Raffaele Ienco!

In addition to the Igor Lima cover attached to this month’s solicit, we’ve included the Ron Joseph cover released last month that will likely end up on this issue.

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Sub cover – Ron Joseph

Sub cover – Igor Lima

REVOLUTIONARIES #7 John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • John Royle (c) SGT. SAVAGE VS G.I. JOE! The greatest hero of World War II is back—and not for the first time! Vanishing on the battlefields of Europe while fighting robotic soldiers, Sgt. Robert Steven Savage reappeared—in the extreme era of the 1990s! Now he’s reborn again—a ’40s hero with a ’90s ’tude… and G.I. Joe isn’t ready to go retro. FC • 32 pages • $3.99

REVOLUTIONARIES #7—Subscription Variant John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Tone Rodriguez (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

REVOLUTIONARIES #7—Subscription Variant John Barber (w) • Ron Joseph (a) • Igor Lima (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points: • Variant cover by Pierre Droal!

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Sub cover – Sam Lotfi

RI cover – Marcelo Borstelmann

Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2 (of 3) John Barber & various (w) • Robert Atkins & various (a) • Fico Ossio (c) If you’re new to the Hasbro Universe or a long-time fan, this book is for you! Featuring a veritable TON of bios on your favorite characters, from E to O, plus papercraft projects, a map of Metrotitan, the current base of Optimus Prime, and an exclusive story featuring Kup and Bryce Chan’s adventures in London! FC • 48 pages • $4.99

Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2 (of 3)—Subscription Variant John Barber & Various (w) • Robert Atkins & various (a) • Sam Lotfi (c) FC • 48 pages • $4.99

Bullet points: • Written by today’s top Hasbro U talent including John Barber, Aubrey Sitterson, Chris Ryall, David Mariotte, Brandon Easton, Cullen Bunn, Mairghread Scott, and Jimmy Johnston. • Art by some of today’s top Hasbro Universe artists including Robert Atkins, Guido Guidi, Simon Gough, Marcelo Ferreira, Fico Ossio, and Jack Lawrence! • Exclusive paper-crafts, posters and stories in every issue! • Variant cover by Marcelo Borstelmann!

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Sub cover A – Giannis Milonogiannis

G.I. JOE #7 Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Giannis Milonogiannis (a) • Aaron Conley (c) G.I. Joe’s subterranean mission takes a turn for the worse after the team is attacked by one of their own! Meanwhile, back in their underground base, Scarlett’s command is challenged and a long-simmering rivalry boils to a head! Plus: Monsters, explosions, jokes and more in The Crown Jewel of the Hasbro universe! FC • 32 pages • $3.99

G.I. JOE #7—Subscription Variant Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Giannis Milonogiannis (a & c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

G.I. JOE #7—Subscription Variant Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Giannis Milonogiannis (a) • Drew Johnson (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points: • Variant cover by Ed Luce variant cover!

M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand #8 Brandon Easton (w) • Igor Lima (a) • Tone Rodriguez (c) Determined to end the threat of Ore-13 radiation poisoning, Matt Trakker and the M.A.S.K. team go on a mission into the depths of the Earth where they discover much more than they could have imagined—a race of powerful mutated creatures borne from the strange Cybertronian energy source. Are these monsters too powerful even for the technology of M.A.S.K.?! FC • 32 pages • $3.99

M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand #8—Subscription Variant Brandon Easton (w) • Igor Lima (a) • Davide Fabbri (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand #8— Subscription Variant Brandon Easton (w) • Igor Lima- (a) • Vincenzo Federici (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points: • All-new storyline starts here! • Variant cover by Marcelo Perez Dalannays!

Micronauts: Wrath of Karza #3 Cullen Bunn & Jimmy Johnston (w) • Andrew Griffith (a) • Alex Ronald (c) Baron Karza has begun his invasion of Earth! Leading his people from the impending doom of the Entropy cloud to a single planet capable of sustaining all of Microspace. With M.A.S.K, G.I. JOE, the TRANSFORMERS, and the MICRONAUTS defeated, Karza stands triumphant. Can anything keep him from conquering the planet? FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Micronauts: Wrath of Karza #3—Subscription variant Cullen Bunn & Jimmy Johnston (w) • Andrew Griffith (a) • Chris “Panda” Mercier (c) FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points: • Variant cover by Marco Turini!

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Cover – Sara Pitre-Durocher

Cover – Ariel Olivetti

Transformers: Till All Are One, Vol. 2 Mairghread Scott (w) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (a & c) Epic space-opera action continues as the dramatic TRANSFORMERS continuity leads on to new and explosive revelations! REVOLUTION is over but the danger isn’t! A wave of undead TITANS threatens CYBERTRON! STARSCREAM will need more than secret police to stop the oncoming horde, but our Fearless Leader finds himself short on friends and firepower. Who can be called upon–and why aren’t they stepping up to the plate? Collects issues #5–9. TPB • FC • $19.99 • 120 pages

Bullet points: • “A great book with some serious art design that fully compliments the Transformers universe as a whole and adds weight and importance to the characters.” –Big Glasgow Comics Page • Advance solicited for July release!

Revolutionaries, Vol. 1: Crisis Intervention—SPOTLIGHT John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio & Ron Joseph (a) • Fico Ossio (c) THE REVOLUTION MAY BE OVER, but the future is just beginning! KUP is a CYBERTRONIAN literally older than the universe; ACTION MAN is the ultimate special agent trying to live up to an impossible legacy; MAYDAY is a G.I. JOE leader trying to rescue her first command; and BLACKROCK is a CYBERTRONIAN that thinks he’s human. It takes the mind-bending clash against the OKTOBER GUARD to bring this unlikely team together… and the secret they learn threatens to unravel the entire universe. Good thing they’ll have help from ROM, the MICRONAUTS, the ADVENTURE TEAM and more! Collects issues #1–4. TPB • FC • $17.99 • 104 pages

Bullet points: • All-new Hasbro team-up! • The follow-up to REVOLUTION, revealing the secrets behind the new shared universe! • Advance solicited for July release!

G.I. JOE, Vol. 1—SPOTLIGHT Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Giannis Milonogiannis (a) • Ariel Olivetti (c) G.I. JOE finds a new role in a world of globalization, TRANSFORMERS and aliens! After the events of REVOLUTION, the G.I. JOE team returns to the fray and their mission has become a global one–leading the charge against invading TRANSFORMERS and other aliens. But when a US military defense base goes dark, Scarlett has reason to suspect that these enemy forces may have infiltrated G.I. JOE. It’s up to her, Roadblock, Rock ‘n Roll, Quick Kick, Wild Bill, and Shipwreck to move in and root out any traitors before the facility falls into the wrong hands! Collects issues #1–4 and the G.I. JOE: Revolution one-shot. TPB • FC • $19.99 • 120 pages

Bullet points: • It’s a new look and new mission as G.I. Joe finds itself part of a larger battle. • Advance solicited for July release!

M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, Vol. 1: Mobilize—SPOTLIGHT Brandon Easton (w) • Tony Vargas & Juan Samu (a) • Tommy Lee Edwards (c) Launching from the events of REVOLUTION, the M.A.S.K. team streaks into a dangerous, unstable landscape of dark wars, high intrigue, and non-stop action where they’ll encounter the nearly unstoppable threat of Miles Mayhem and his black-ops squadron known as V.E.N.O.M. How will an untested Matt Trakker lead M.A.S.K. through a complex new world order where nothing is what it seems? Collects the M.A.S.K. Revolution One-Shot and issues #1–5 of the series. TPB • FC • $19.99 • 136 pages

Bullet points: • Expected in-store date: 7/19/17 • It’s a new look and new mission as M.A.S.K. finds itself part of a larger battle. • Advance solicited for July release!

IDW Solicitations for June 2017 IDW have released solicitations for their June 2017 Hasbro Universe titles! Read on for the details!

[scotianostra]

On June 20th in 1723, Dr. Adam Ferguson, Scottish historian and philosopher, was born.

Please note some sources give July 1st as his birthdate, others give both! This down to the  Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S  calendar change when 11 days were struck from the year.

Adam Ferguson was a student at St Andrews, later Professor of Natural Philosophy  and in time, Moral Philosophy and Pneumatics at the University of Edinburgh.

In 1767, Ferguson published his masterpiece, the Essay on Civil Society.  It was a natural history of the progress of mankind, of the kind that had been pursued by many Enlightenment philosophers.  David Hume once claimed that Ferguson had “more genius than the rest”, but he disliked Ferguson’s essay, regarding it as superficial. This was the period called the Scottish Enlightenment and it was in Ferguson’s house Sciennes Hill House in Edinburgh, (a famous meeting place of the local literati)  that Robert Burns and Walter Scott are thought to have met for the first and only time, when Scott was an adolescent. Can you imagine how the young Walter Scott must have felt being in the company of all these giants of The Enlightenment?

The story goes goes, as Scott recalled it later in 1827: “I was a lad of fifteen in 1786-7, when he came first to Edinburgh, but had sense and feeling enough to be much interested in his poetry, and would have given the world to know him; but I had very little acquaintance with any literary people, and still less with the gentry of the west country, the two sets that he most frequented. “Mr Thomas Grierson was at that time a clerk of my father’s. He knew Burns, and promised to ask him to his lodgings to dinner, but had no opportunity to keep his word, otherwise I might have seen more of this distinguished man.“ As it was, I saw him one day at the late venerable Professor Fergusson’s, where there were several gentlemen of literary reputation, among whom I remember the celebrated Mr Dugald Stewart. Of course we youngsters sate silent, looked and listened. “The only thing I remember which was remarkable in Burns’ manner, was the effect produced upon him by a print of Bunbury’s, representing a soldier lying dead in the snow, his dog sitting in misery on the one side, on the other his widow with a child in her arms. These lines were written beneath, – ‘Cold on Canadian hills, or Mindens’ plain, Perhaps that parent wept her soldiers slain: Bent o’er her babe, her eye dissolved in dew, The big drops, mingling with the milk he drew, Gave the sad presage of his future years, The child of misery baptized in tears.’ “Burns seemed much affected by the print, or rather the ideas which it suggested to his mind. He actually shed tears.“ He asked whose the lines were, and it chanced that nobody but myself remembered that they occur in a half-forgotten poem of Langhorne’s, called by the uncompromising title of The Justice Of The Piece. “I whispered my information to a friend present, who mentioned it to Burns, who rewarded me with a look and a word, which, though of mere civility, I then received and still recollect, with very great pleasure.”

Ferguson retired to St Andrews (his house, with sundial over the door, can still be seen on South Street) and died there in 1816. He is buried in the grounds of St. Andrews Cathedral.

[komotionlessqueenmm]

Imagine # 905

Gif NOT mine. (Found on Pinterest.)

If this gif is yours (or you know who's it is) please let me know, so I can give you/them credit.

Gif credit goes to - Unknown.

Year posted - 2021

Tag(s) - @joikima-joestar

----

When his eyes laid upon the girl in an olive green dress, he was stunned in his tracks for a moment. His eyes drinking her in, as she looked the same as the day he left for that war. When she turned around and laid eyes upon him, dragging two bodies with him, her eyes widened, and she dropped the bag of frozen peas she had been holding. "Help me." He requested in a soft tone, the faintest of a smile tugging at his lips when she nodded her head. And against her better judgment, she did just that. Rushing over she grabbed the arm of one of his men, and assisted in dragging the body further into the store. Her assistance wasn't needed, but he needed an excuse to get her to follow him. "Where's your freezer?" Andrew asked as an employee, who directed him to the back with a simple hand gesture, ignoring the man's protests afterwards. "What happened to them?" (Y/n) asked as they dragged the bodies into the freezer, letting the man's arm go when Andrew released his hold on them. "Doesn't matter now, they'll be fine." He turned his attention to her. "What do you mean?" She asked, her body shuddering from the chill of the air. "You'll see." He hummed as he approached her, slowly backing her against the wall. "What... What's your name?" (Y/n) asked as her body shuddered at the feeling of the freezer wall against her back. "Sargent Andrew Scott." He responded as he leaned his body against hers, effectively trapping her against the wall. "My names (Y/n) (Y/l/n)." She whispered soflty, her hands grasping Andrews biceps. "That's a lovely name." He murmured with a charming smile, his proximity and words making (Y/n) shudder in a different way.

"You're very beautiful." Andrew added as he stroked his thumb across her cheekbone. "T-thank you." (Y/n) stammered with a bashful smile, a gasp escaping her when he nearly closed what was left of their proximity, his nose just a centimeter away from her own. "You're shivering." He stated with a grin, pressing his body into her further, subtlety grinding his growing bulge against her thigh. "O-oh." (Y/n) stuttered in surprise at the feeling of his girth against her, sending a deep and needy throb through her pussy. "What do you say I warm you up?" Andrew asked as he brushed his nose against hers. "How d-do you plan on doing t-that?" (Y/n) whispered softly with a grin of her own, unable to deny her attraction to the man before her. "I think you know exactly how I'm going to keep you warm." Andrew mused as his hands took a firm hold of her plush hips, his thumbs rubbing circles into the fabric of her dress. "Show me." (Y/n) bit her lip, a giggle escaping her when Andrew quickly closed what little distance was between them, kissing her hungrily. His hands roaming up her body, pulling her dress up in the process. He then placed his thigh between her legs, and pulled her down flush against his thigh, forcing her to grind against his thigh. "Mmm." (Y/n) moaned into his mouth, wrapping her arms around his shoulders she allowed him to pull and push her hips as he pleased. "How's that?" He asked as they parted lips, a chuckle escaping him when she moaned in response, her hips bucking on their own every so often. "Warm enough?" He murmured while watching her with a pleased grin, his eyes roaming from her face to where her hips met his thigh.

"No I need more, I'm still cold." (Y/n) breathed out, her eyes opening and looking up into his hypnotic blue eyes. "Please give me more." She begged with desperate eyes, whining when he flexed his thigh, the bulging muscle rubbing against her clit. "Alright Princess, I'll give you more." Andrew smirked, before pulling her away from the freezer wall, he walked her across the freezer, and proceeded to bend her over a stack of plastic crates. "Is this what you want Princess?" Andrew taunted as he pulled her dress up over her ass, smirking when he seen she wasn't wearing panties, his cold hands groping her ass firmly. "Fuck yes." (Y/n) jumped when his cold skin met her flesh, giggling when his fingers traced her pussy lips. "You want me?" He asked as he leaned over her body, his fingers teasingly podding at her entrance. "Yes I want you, I need you." (Y/n) moaned when he slid one finger into her. "Please Andrew." She begged as she pushed her hips back into him, moaning at the feeling of his large bulge rubbing against her. "How badly do you need me?" He taunted as he slipped in a second finger, smirking at the wonton moan that she gave in return. "So fucking bad, I've never needed someone so much before, please Andrew fuck me already. Please baby fuck me, please please please." (Y/n) begged desperately, her words sparking a fire within Andrew. Who was quick to undo his belt, pulling out his cock he gave a few hasty pumps before lining himself up at her entrance. "Say my name Princess." Andrew cooed into her ear as he rubbed the head of his cock along her wet pussy. "Andrew." She breathed out, moaning when he dipped just the head inside, his teeth nipping at her ear playfully. "Louder Princess." He murmured into her ear, giving a playful lick at the shell of her ear, pulling his dick out of her tauntingly. "Andrew!" (Y/n) shouted with a desperate whine, moaning when he shoved himself all the way inside. "Fuck." He hissed through clenched teeth, burying his face into the crook of her neck. "You're so warm." He chuckled as he gave a firm thrust, his grip on her hips practically bruising.

"So big." (Y/n) moaned as he began thrusting erratically into her, her eyes rolling back as he abused that special spot of hers, as if he knew her body like the back of his hand. "Fucking wet." He growled as he reached around with his right hand, taking a hold of her throat and pulling her back so their faces were side by side. Knowing he didn't have much time, Andrew picked up his pace, fucking into her at an ungodly pace. "Oh fuck!" She cried out at the sensation, her legs shaking and her breath coming out in labored breathy moans. "Just- like- that." She praised between breathes, a cocky chuckle rumbling in Andrews chest, as he continued to us his Universal Soldier abilities to his advantage. "You like that Princess?" He murmured against her cheek, his breath mixing with hers as they panted in pleasure alike. "Yes, fuck yes." (Y/n) moaned like a regular whore in a whorehouse. "I can feel you're about cum, you gonna cum for me Princess?" Andrew asked as he released his hold on her neck, instead choosing to play with her clit, loving the squeaked moan that she gave. "Yes! I'm gonna... I'm gonna cum... Please sir please let me cum!" (Y/n) cried out, her use of the title sir making him give a particularly hard thrust, which jostled her entire body. "Cum Princess." Andrew ordered in a growl, the tone of his voice mixed with how well he was working her body sending her over the edge. The sensation of her pussy clenching down on him, pulled him down right with her, pumping his seed deep into her greedy cunt. "T-thank you sir." (Y/n) breathed out gratefully, groaning with a grin when he bit down onto her shoulder, giving her one last thrust. "Good girl." He praised as he pulled out of her, watching his seed slowly seep out of her used hole with a smirk. "Warm enough now?" He asked with a playful chuckle, moving to lay against her back once more. "For now." (Y/n) mused with a grin, giggling when he groped her ass firmly in both hands. "I'm not letting you slip through my fingers again, you're going to come with me." Andrew murmured, his words confusing (Y/n), who chose to ignore her confusion. "Where we going?" She asked as he pulled her to stand up, smiling when he used a bandanna to wipe her clean, afterwards adjusting her dress to cover her back up. "To deal with that trader Deveraux." He explained as he turned her to face him, her eyes widening when she noticed one of the guys was standing there stagnant, staring at the far wall. "Okay." She muttered without much thought, her mind clouded with him, and her judgment left behind.

[hqnatalia]

TOP 10 BEST MOVIES OF 2017

The year of 2018 is now in full swing and, with the year of 2017 completed, it’s time to exam the “best” and “worst” ssrmovies that of that year. Indeed, there was a lot of movie releases seeing in 2017. In total, I’ve personally seeing (and reviewed) over 81 new movies in 2017, some that were very recognizable, while others were “sleepers” that flew underneath the mainstream radar. There were also a lot of movies that made big money at the box office in 2017 as well as some that gained critical praise from both critics and moviegoers.

I’ve already posted my list for Top 10 Worst Movies of 2017 and now I’m ready to share with my list for what were the best movies of the 2017 year. These films, whether met high expectations, creativity imaginative, or just simply really good, were my personal best choice of the movies I saw throughout the course of the 2016. Surprisingly, Disney had a terrific year in movies, grossing billions at the box office, so you can imagine some (if not most) will be on my list. What can I say… I’m a sucker for Disney. But before I begin with number 10, take a look at some honorable runner-ups that almost made it on my top ten best movies of 2017.

Runner-Ups

A MONSTER CALLS

“How Does the Story Begin (And End)?

THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE

“The Dark Knight Returns (In LEGO Brick Form)”

JOHN WICK CHAPTER 2

“John Wick 2.0 (Faster, Harder, Stronger)

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

“The Tale as Old as Time Returns”

LA LA LAND

“Old School Hollywood Magic”

(technical a 2016 release, but it was nationally released in 2017)

And now my top ten!!!

10 – Patriots Day

Ratings: 4.4 Out of 5Review:

Patriots Day

In amidst terrible tragedy and frantic chaos, courage and everyday heroism unfolds. Director Peter Berg’s Patriots Day presents (through a cinematic lens) the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing in a raw and emotion way, showcasing the horrors of the terrorist attack as well as the bravery shown by those who were affected by the attack. It’s powerful and emotional film, which is compiled and presented with enough attention to detail (both thematic and in entertaining) thanks to Berg’s direction and to the film’s cast. More profoundly, the film’s ending message echoes into recent events with love being stronger than hate, especially acts of terrorism and hate crimes are on the rise. While I do love Patriots Day, my heart does go out to the real-life individuals who were affected by this event and those who aided in the capture those who caused such a violent attack of terrorism. To those people, and for that matter the people of Boston, stay strong…Boston Strong!

9 – Spider-Man: Homecoming

Rating: 4.4 Out of 5Review:

Spider-Man: Homecoming

In 2017, everyone’s favorite “webslinger” superhero swung back with a new face (Tom Holland) and new challenges into theaters in Spider-Man: Homecoming. While actors Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield have already played the character of Peter Parker before, Tom Holland’s charismatic energy and meaningful sincerity to the character is what sold me (and a lot others). Director by John Watts, Homecoming worked on multiple levels, working as both a high school comedy and a MCU comic book tale about a youthful, but inexperienced superhero. The movie doesn’t necessarily move the MCU’s overarching story forward, but ultimately succeeds at being more of a standalone (and smaller) entry rather being dependent on its own cinematic universe world-building and “larger story” components. The story was solid, the cast was great (especially Holland and actor Michael Keaton), and it was an entertaining summer blockbuster. It will be interesting to see where Holland’s Spider-Man will go next. I can’t wait to see him in Avengers: Infinity War.

8 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Rating: 4.4 Out of 5Review:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

What can I say, 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy was a smash hit, bringing a different angle to the MCU by introducing lesser-known Marvel characters to the big-screen and providing a solid sci-fi / superhero adventure that was still a part of the MCU, but able to stand on its own merits (and awesome soundtrack). 2017 saw the return of the cosmic ragtag team of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and the adorably cute Baby Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Much like its predecessor, director James Gunn cultivates a second cinematic installment of humor, heart, and sci-fi nuances. While it didn’t outshine the first film, it was still a solid and very entertaining movie, offering a dazzling array of visual appeal, humorous bits, character driven moments, likeable performances (both from the return cast and its new ones) and the sounds of Star-Lord’s “Awesome Mix Vol.2”. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 already confirmed, I’m curious to see where their solo adventure will take them. That being said, I can’t wait to see the Guardians meet the Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War!

7 – Logan

Rating: 4.4 Out of 5Review:

Logan

While many X-Men fans out there will debate on which vitality of the X-Men cinematic universe, no one can deny that actor Hugh Jackman makes for the absolute best portrayal of the infamous mutant character of Logan (aka Wolverine). The movie Logan represents the final performance of Jackman as the titular Wolverine, which director James Mangold, bids an emotional farewell to the character. While most of the previous X-Men movies rely on heavily visuals and superhero nuances, Logan is the most “grounded” entry in the franchise, providing an emotional “human” tale of Logan’s last stand as well as mutant newcomer Laura. Additionally, the film’s R-rated violence (the first in the franchise) worked and provided the nearly representation of Wolverine’s comic book source material. Naturally, Jackman was excellent in the role as well as Patrick Stewart and young actor Dafne Keen. Whatever happens in future X-Men movies is still unclear (whether they recast someone else in the role or omit the character completely), one thing is profoundly clear…. Hugh Jackman will always be the definitive movie version of Logan / Wolverine…and he’ll be missed.

6 – Baby Driver

Rating: 4.4 Out of 5Review:

Baby Driver

While most of these 2017 films on this list I’ve either heard about or was looking forwarded to seeing them, Baby Driver was one of the movies that quite literally took me by surprise. Directed by Edgar Wright, this movie, which followed the exploits of a young (music-loving) getaway driver, was a high-energy heist adventure, finding Wright’s effectively tweaking the classic scenario to his style of filmmaking. The end result is fantastic, especially thanks to Wright’s direction, editing, musical nuances, and a group of talented actors who play some interesting and colorful characters. In the end, Baby Driver was a sleeper hit for the summer of 2017 movie season, proving that you don’t need an expensive pre-release marketing campaign…. just a good “word of mouth” and engaging cinematic story to tell.

5 – Blade Runner 2049

Rating: 4.5 Out of 5Review:

Blade Runner 2049

In 1982, moviegoers everywhere were introduced to director Ridley Scott’s sci-fi / neo-noir film Blade Runner. To this day, the film is regarded as definitive masterpiece for its science-fiction concept and storytelling nuances. In 2017, Blade Runner 2049, the long-awaited sequel to the original film, was released. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049 expands upon Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi classic, bring all the right set of nuances from the original film and translating / updating them for a modern movie going audience. The film was a visual gorgeous and cinematically beautiful as well as great performances (from a stellar cast), and a deep and compelling sci-fi story. While there’s been some debate on this movie (causal moviegoers vs. the cult following), Blade Runner 2049 stands tall and proud in the cinematic world, achieving greatness on its own merits as a sequel and as a self-contained story, while standing shoulder to shoulder to its sci-fi classic predecessor.

4 – Coco

Rating: 4.5 Out of 5Review:

Coco

Pixar has always been known for their animated features, producing emotional “human” drama as well as being colorful and dazzling with its cartoon animation and imagined characters. 2017’s Coco stands as a testament to that statement. Director Lee Unkrich and co-director Adrian Molina present the nineteenth animated film for Pixar Animated Studio, infusing their signature style into a heartwarming tale about family, music, and the celebration of the Mexican culture. The movie, the journey of Miguel in the Land of the Dead, is a fantastic addition to Pixar’s film library, offering up incredible colorful animation, solid voice talents, and a touching story that can resonate with everyone. Coco stands tall and proud as a Pixar classic masterpiece, proving that the animation studio’s still reigns supreme in children’s cartoon feature films and that their original ideas are just as strong as ever. In short, Pixar (via its release of Coco) seizes its own moment!

3 – Dunkirk

Rating: 4.5 Out of 5Review:

Dunkirk

When Christopher Nolan releases a movie, everyone celebrates with eager anticipation at what the acclaimed director will present. Dunkirk, his 2017 release, was a bit of a departure from his previous works, diving into the WWII historical drama, but reimagined in his own way and style, which made the film succeed in the eyes of many. The film, which told of the evacuation of the British soldiers from Dunkirk from three different points of views, was technical marvel to behold and a crowning achievement in moviemaking history, thanks to Nolan’s masterful directorial work, cleaver storytelling, technical marks (sound editing / mixing and film score), its cinematic visuals, and its solid actors. While there’s been many war movies out there, Dunkirkshines the bright for Nolan’s ingenious work at breathing new life into the WWII genre of films.

2 – IT

Rating:  4.5 Out of 5Review:

IT

Hollywood loves adapting bestselling author Stephen King’s work. Some there are good (like ShawshankRedemption), while other times they flop, which was the case with 2017’s The Dark Tower. However, while that film bombed at the box office (and with critics and moviegoers), King’s other 2017 movie adaptation ITwas indeed a cinematic success. This movie literally took me by surprise as I’m not much of a fan of horror movies, but IT is now definitely one of the favorites. Directed by Andy Muschietti, the movie, which followed the tale of seven children (aka the Losers Club) who battle against an enigmatic being known as “IT” (or Pennywise the Dancing Clown), brings Stephen King’s terrifying novel to the big-screen, capturing the right amount of disturbing / horror scenes as well as balancing the movie with a “coming-of-age” story that perfect works within its context. While the film only tells half of the novel’s story (IT: Chapter 2 is set to be released in 2019), the movie is still a highly effective adaptation, respecting King’s source material (both narrative and horror-based imagery) and succeeds in its storytelling, thanks to the film’s directors and the talented cast, especially the younger ones and Bill Skarsgard’s Pennywise. In a nutshell, IT hauntingly floats…and you’ll float too!

1 – War for the Planet of the Apes

Rating: 4.5 Out of 5Review:

War for the Planet of the Apes

So, what could beat out several favorable superhero blockbusters, a Pixar feature, a unique WWII drama, and Pennywise the Dancing Clown…. War for the Planet of the Apes. While there’s been series of films out there, usually (the ones that are not based on books) usually falter and loose their steam by the time they get around to the third installment. However, War for the Planets of the Apes is that exception. While it’s processor (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) is slightly better, War for the Planet of the Apes is masterful and entertaining film.

Directed Matt Reeves, the movie, which continues to further follow the story of main protagonist ape leader Caesar, brings this new Planet of the Apes trilogy full circle, culminating in a wholesome feature that blends a compelling cinematic storytelling with incredible CG visuals, and amazing motion capture performances, especially with Serkis’s masterfully work as Caesar. The movie itself is hugely entertaining and powerful told; proving once again that a movie doesn’t have to be a “dumb” popcorn flick to be a summer blockbuster release. While the movie concludes Caesar’s tale by the time the end credits begin to roll, the movie’s ending leaves the door open for additional Planet of the Apes movies, further bridging the gap to the original 1968 classic (with plenty of room in-between). As it stands, War for the Planets of the Apes is a crowning hallmark achievement, delivering an emotional and highly satisfying final chapter of this trilogy. Which is why War for the Planet of the Apes is my #1 movie of 2017.

And so that’s my top ten “best” movies of 2017. There were some movies that I didn’t get to see, so (naturally) I can’t critique them and pass my movie critic judgement on them, which is why they might not be on my list. So, what do you guys think? What were your “best” movies of 2017?

[komotionlessqueenmm]

Imagine # 898

Gif NOT mine. (Found on Pinterest.)

If this gif is yours (or you know who's it is) please let me know, so I can give you/them credit.

Gif credit goes to - Unknown.

Year posted - 2021

Tag(s) - @joikima-joestar

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When she first came into contact with GR13, (Y/n) was at a loss for words. But she was quick to help him when the opportunity arose, her moral compass telling her it was the right thing to do. Although she was surprised by how docile he could be, how almost domestic he could be. Like now she sat across from the soldier, casually prodding at her ice cream. "Do you want to try some?" (Y/n) asked as she peered into his blue eyes, which were unsurprisingly devoid of emotion. He gave no response, he just kept watching her, as always. "Here, open." (Y/n) instructed as she held the spoon in front of his mouth, a smile tugging at her lips when he did as she said. Carefully she placed the spoon into his mouth, a giggle emitting from her when he simply sat there with his mouth ajar. She placed a gentle finger under his chin, and closed his mouth, then she carefully slipped the spoon out of his mouth. "Don't chew, just let it melt on your tongue a little, then swallow." (Y/n) instructed, watching the soldier closely as he did what he was told yet again. "What do you think?" (Y/n) asked after he swallowed the ice cream. "It's cold." He stated casually, making (Y/n) snicker. "Yeah it's ice cream, it's suppose to be cold. But did you like it?" (Y/n) asked before taking a spoonful of the ice cream herself. "Yes." GR13 agreed, making (Y/n) grin at him. "Do you want more?" She asked with a small tilt of her head, her smile widening when 13 simply nodded his head in agreement.

She happily spoon fed the soldier her ice cream, very content with sharing it with him. But when the ice cream was gone, (Y/n) noticed a hint of sadness in GR13s eyes. "Do you wanna try more foods?" (Y/n) asked as she set the bowl down beside her on the table she was perched upon. "Yes." 13 nodded his head, a faint eagerness deep within his blue orbs. "Come on I just went grocery shopping yesterday, I've got all sorts of things for you to try. And I can work on cooking a proper dinner while you snack, I have a feeling you can seriously eat." (Y/n) chuckled as she got up from her seat, her breath hitching in her throat when 13 stood up with her, their proximity mere centimeters. "Um." (Y/n) licked her lips before chuckling nervously, stepping away from him, and grabbing her dirty bowl before heading to the kitchen, GR13 hot on her heels. After she sat the bowl in the sink, she grabbed a jar from the fridge, and a bag of chips from the cupboard. "Sit up here, that way I can work around you." (Y/n) pointed to the counter, smiling softly when he hopped up into the counter. "Chips and salsa." (Y/n) mused as she scooped some salsa onto one of the chips, carful not to make a mess as she fed the soldier again, finding it incredibly endearing. "Chew this thoroughly before swallowing." (Y/n) instructed, her heart swelling when he hummed in response as he chewed, clearly pleased with the snack, the faintest of a smile tugging at his lips. "I like it." 13 mused after swallowing the food. "Good." (Y/n) smiled before munching on a chip of her own.

[scotianostra]

On February 22nd  1816, Adam Ferguson, the Scottish historian and philosopher died

Adam Ferguson was a student at St Andrews, later Professor of Natural Philosophy and in time, Moral Philosophy and Pneumatics at the University of Edinburgh.In 1767, Ferguson published his acclaimed masterpiece, the Essay on Civil Society. It was a natural history of the progress of mankind, of the kind that had been pursued by many Enlightenment philosophers. David Hume once claimed that Ferguson had “more genius than the rest”, but he disliked Ferguson’s essay, regarding it as superficial. 

This was during the period called the Scottish Enlightenment and it was in Ferguson’s house Sciennes Hill House in Edinburgh, (a famous meeting place of the local literati) that Robert Burns and Walter Scott are thought to have met for the first and only time, when Scott was an adolescent. Can you imagine how the young Walter Scott must have felt being in the company of all these giants of The Enlightenment?

The story goes goes, as Scott recalled it later in 1827: 

“I was a lad of fifteen in 1786-7, when he came first to Edinburgh, but had sense and feeling enough to be much interested in his poetry, and would have given the world to know him; but I had very little acquaintance with any literary people, and still less with the gentry of the west country, the two sets that he most frequented.“ Mr Thomas Grierson was at that time a clerk of my father’s. He knew Burns, and promised to ask him to his lodgings to dinner, but had no opportunity to keep his word, otherwise I might have seen more of this distinguished man.“ As it was, I saw him one day at the late venerable Professor Fergusson’s, where there were several gentlemen of literary reputation, among whom I remember the celebrated Mr Dugald Stewart. Of course we youngsters sate silent, looked and listened. “The only thing I remember which was remarkable in Burns’ manner, was the effect produced upon him by a print of Bunbury’s, representing a soldier lying dead in the snow, his dog sitting in misery on the one side, on the other his widow with a child in her arms. These lines were written beneath, – ‘Cold on Canadian hills, or Mindens’  plain, Perhaps that parent wept her soldiers slain: Bent o’er her babe, her eye dissolved in dew, The big drops, mingling with the milk he drew, Gave the sad presage of his future years, The child of misery baptized in tears.’ “Burns seemed much affected by the print, or rather the ideas which it suggested to his mind. He actually shed tears.“ He asked whose the lines were, and it chanced that nobody but myself remembered that they occur in a half-forgotten poem of Langhorne’s, called by the uncompromising title of The Justice Of The Piece. “I whispered my information to a friend present, who mentioned it to Burns, who rewarded me with a look and a word, which, though of mere civility, I then received and still recollect, with very great pleasure.”

Ferguson retired to St Andrews (his house, with sundial over the door, can still be seen on South Street) and died in St Andrews in 1816. He is buried in the grounds of St. Andrews Cathedral.