#when things aren’t happening he’s expo dumping

[foxcort]

i think it would’ve been better if rhysand hiding his wings chafed a bit. like his body prefers to have them out and that hiding them goes against what’s natural to him. but he does it as a way to ‘fit in’ with the rest of High Fae society who would probably not take him seriously or treat him as lesser if he showed up to a meeting with his wings out. i think it would humanize, for lack of a better word, him if he had moments around feyre or the ic where he lets his wings out and it’s a relief to, instead of using them as a scaring tactic or a display of strength.

[gravityfall]

All I want (is nothing more)

Peter is five years old when his mom and dad drop him off at Ben and May’s tiny apartment. Aunt May is a new name in his head that belongs to a new face, and Uncle Ben is only familiar from the pictures Peter has seen at his house. He looks older now, Peter thinks. He looks like Dad.

He stands on the stained linoleum of an unfamiliar kitchen, looking at the cookies on the counter and wondering if any of the four adults will notice if he grabs one.

Aunt May said she made them for him. Now she isn’t saying anything, and her eyebrows are drawn together in a way that makes her face look sharp.

Peter’s dad is saying something in the voice he uses at night sometimes, when Peter sneaks up and sees him and mom looking over lots of words printed onto lots of papers on their kitchen table.

Peter’s mom hugs him goodbye and his dad tells him to be good, and then the door is closing behind them and Peter looks again to the counter.

Aunt May asks him if he wants a cookie, and he tells her no.

Peter is five years old when his uncle comes home from work with red eyes and broken words. It is Aunt May who has to tell him that his mom and dad won’t be coming back.

“They promised.” He tells her plaintively. Aunt May starts crying then too. Peter looks at the door and decides he doesn’t believe her.

————

Peter is six when his uncle hugs him tight, like he had at the funeral, and tells him that the adoption papers went through. He asks if Peter wants to celebrate. Aunt May has made cookies.

Peter tells them no.

May and Ben help him put up a Harry Potter poster up on his wall and take him shopping for new bed sheets and tell him that he gets to keep this bedroom as his own now.

Peter hasn’t seen his old bedroom in months. No one took him back home again. He doesn’t remember what his mom’s hair smelled like when she hugged him goodnight. He cries himself to sleep every Sunday night for two months. They told him they would be back on a Sunday, and it takes eight of them before he starts to believe what Aunt May told him.

They aren’t coming to take him home.

————

Peter is eight when he excitedly tells Uncle Ben about the Stark Expo that is coming to Queens. He pours out his blue piggy bank onto the kitchen table and carefully counts every coin. He doesn’t have enough, not nearly, but Aunt May says that his birthday isn’t too far away. Maybe he’ll be surprised.

He gets the tickets two weeks before he turns nine. The exposition is that weekend. He tells Ned about it at school on Monday. Ned says he would die to go, but Peter tells him then he wouldn’t even get to see any of the cool stuff.

Peter is eight when he sees, through the slits in his plastic Iron Man mask, a suit of armor aim its repulser at him. He feels a swoop of fear, but he lifts his arm to match the gesture. Surely this is one of the displays, he thinks.

It isn’t.

The suit explodes before him. Someone says something that is drowned out by a ringing in his ears, and then Aunt May is crying next to him. She hugs him like he’s about to blow away, and he can smell her strawberry conditioner in her hair where it’s pressed on his cheek.

Someone took off his mask. He feels scared without it. Maybe he was about to be hurt, he thinks. He wonders what Ned will say about this.

———

Peter is twelve when he first gets shoved into a locker in the halls of his middle school. He doesn’t even know his harasser’s name, but apparently that doesn’t matter. They want his lunch money. Peter doesn’t have any; Aunt May always makes his for him, and he always makes sure he eats it or, on the turkey meatloaf days, dumps it out so it looks like he did. She works so hard on his and Ben’s every morning. It makes her happy.

The bully doesn’t care. He tells Peter as much with his small, meaty fist. Peter can see the kid they usually pick on out of the corner of his eye. He’s smaller and looks more scared. Maybe being beat up in front of a locker is the worst thing to happen to that kid, Peter thinks.

He wishes, quietly and in the back of his head, that it was the worst thing that had happened to him.

The next week he comes home with a split lip and a bruised cheek for the third time, and Ben teaches him how to throw a punch. May gently tells him it’s always okay to stand up for himself. Peter’s heart twists a little when he remembers his mom telling him the same thing when he was scared to go to kindergarten.

He can’t remember what her voice sounded like, but he can hear May’s, so he hugs her tight instead.

“I know.” He tells her. He thinks he does.

——-

Peter is fourteen years old when he goes on a field trip he’s been geeking out about for weeks. Ned elbows him through first period all day, both of them over excited about what’s to come.

He comes home an aching mess, his vision blurring in and out until he isn’t even sure if he’s conscious. When he wakes up the next day he bends his metal bed frame nearly in half, and snaps the lid off the toilet when he goes to open it.

Two weeks later he stops a mugging in an alley two streets down from their apartment. He wants to tell May and Ben, wants them to be proud. But mostly he wants to ask them what to do. He’s seen the news, he knows what this might mean.

He gets home and washes the blood off his knuckles and wonders what Ben would think of his right hook.

He never tells either of them.

He doesn’t tell anyone.

———

Peter is fifteen years old when he watches Ben shot twice in the chest. His feet are rooted to the wet cement, the takeout Ben had asked him to carry slapping onto the ground. He doesn’t move when the lady behind them screams, or when his ears pick up the sound of a phone from the end of the street, dialing 911.

Ben's eyes are staring, up and up and up, reflecting the lights of the windows around them. There are no stars to see.

Peter’s vision blurs in and out and his knees hit the ground next to a still warm body. All he can see is the red.

They tell him Ben was dead before he hit the ground. They tell him it was quick and painless.

For who? Peter wonders.

He sees the anguish in every defeated line of May’s body. He sees the blood stained under his fingernails, no matter how many times he scrubs to get it out.

It does not feel painless.

Peter wears Ben’s jacket to bed every night for the first two weeks after the shooting. During the third one, he goes out and buys a blue and red hoodie with a mask, and he dons a makeshift suit for the first time.

The next week he tells a lady he stops from walking into traffic to call him Spider-Man. His voice only cracks a little.

And if Peter spends the first few weeks of this new double life up and down a street that had been recently stained with blood, nobody's the wiser.

———

He couldn’t save his mom or dad. He could’ve saved Uncle Ben, he tells himself every night, but he didn’t. The only thing he has left now is Aunt May, and with every purse snatcher or would be mugger he stops, he thinks of her eyes the first time she went out after Ben had died.

“Peter, will you come with me?” She had asked. She was afraid to go out alone.

He won’t let her get hurt. He can’t let her get hurt.

He could’ve stopped Ben from getting hurt.

———

Peter is fifteen and he can still remember the way his Uncle's eyes crinkled when he laughed at May’s singing or Peter’s puns. He can’t remember the smell of his mother’s perfume but he can remember her voice, and he remembers how he saw his dad in Ben's eyes sometimes.

He is so afraid that he will forget them all that his lungs seize for a moment, and his heart twists like it wants to come undone in his chest. He sometimes wishes it would.

———-

He stops a bus with his bare hands and helps a little girl in it find her sobbing mother. He watches from a rooftop as they reunite with her dad, and his heart twists some more. He’s used to the feeling now.

He sits on the rooftop until the sun sets over the buildings in front of him. Peter wonders how many people the world can strip away from him before he breaks.

When he sneaks home that night he finds that his arms are streaked with blood from a cut on his hand. It’s been hours since he stopped the bus. He never even noticed.

He wonders if maybe he already has broken, cracked down the middle, and he just didn’t feel it.

---------------------------------------------------

Idk what this is. But I think I can take a lot of things from it to make more fics!

(Idk, why not? Just making more WIPs that I can't finish yay)

[bolddeducktionneverfails]

Launchpad’s Association With Della Duck: Ballads of Dangerous Chemistry

Part 1 | Part 2 || Part 3 | Part 4| Part 5 || Continued from Part 6

One of the many things I've noticed in DuckTales is that certain elements from earlier episodes tend to return in the later portion of the season. Sometimes as a running gag or an Easter egg, but other times, they end up revealing to be an important concept that's extremely relevant to the story. 

The Season 1 finale was a good example of this: The boys hijacking Donald's Houseboat in the pilot to go to Cape Suzette comes back as Donald wanting to move there when the boys no longer want anything to do with Scrooge. The bag of marbles Scrooge gave the boys when they first arrive to the mansion comes back as a way for Scrooge to reminisce about having them around. The silly cutout of Gyro from "Beware of The B.U.D.D.Y System!" is seen floating around in the underwater lab after the area was destroyed by the shadows. 

Sometimes it doesn't even take that long for the early elements to reappear; they can be contained within the episode itself by giving us hints in the very beginning of it and later come into play towards the ending. Scrooge was right from the start when he blamed Glomgold in "The 87 Cent Solution!" and the ending of the Darkwing Duck series finale basically foreshadowed the entirety of "The Duck Knight Returns!". If Della paid attention as she was attempting to fix the rocket on her own, she would have known about Gold Tech way ahead of time.

Two years ago at the D23 Expo, it was announced during the DuckTales panel  that Duckworth was already shown, but no one had found him yet. Many of us searched around for the butler dog and every character we guessed was rejected by the show-runners. It wasn't until "McMystery at McDuck McManor" that Duckworth was revealed to be the ram-headed spirit we've been seeing in the intro! The answer to the mystery was right there in front of our faces! But we didn't realize it because the appearance of the person we were looking for was altered.

Bᴇғᴏʀᴇ Dᴜᴄᴋᴡᴏʀᴛʜ’s ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ, ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ʜɪɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇs ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʜɪs ʟɪᴋᴇɴᴇss ᴡᴀs ᴏʙsᴄᴜʀᴇᴅ: Tʜᴇ ɢʜᴏsᴛ ᴄʜᴀsɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪᴅs ɪɴ Mʀs. Bᴇᴀᴋʟᴇʏ’s sʜᴏʀᴛ , ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜ ᴏғ ᴀ ғʟᴏᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴏʀʙ ᴏғ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴏɴ Wᴇʙʙʏ’s ʙᴏᴀʀᴅ

Sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʟʏ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ, Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛ ɪɴ "MᴄMᴀɴᴏʀ" ᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴsɪᴏɴ' s ɢᴀʀᴀɢᴇ...

This proves that we don't always have to look too far to figure things out, so, after thinking about amnesia, I had to take another look at "The Ballad of Duke Baloney!". It features a confirmed case of the condition and a good example of applying one similar character to another.

The episode begins with a flashback to the happenings of "The Shadow War!", a pretty significant event. Glomgold fails to prevent his shadow from flying off and ends up falling into the marina. He loses consciousness and is eventually found by two fishers, trapped in their fisher net. He can no longer remember the whole ordeal that caused him to take on his false Scottish persona and reverts back to who he used to be: Duke Baloney.

The name Duke Balony, derives from a completely different character named The Duke of Baloni. He comes from an old Carl Barks story that predates Glomgold's character and was the first to be titled "Second-Richest Duck in the World". The show-runners used this similarity as a part of giving an in-universe explanation to why Flintheart Glomgold went from South African like he was in the earlier Scrooge McDuck comics, to Scottish like he was in the original DuckTales series.

Four months later, after Flintheart is reported to have gone missing, Webby and Louie stop by Bait 'N' Such to find him as a completely different person: His demeanor is much kinder, he talks with a different accent, he sports a real beard and now wears a fisherman outfit.

Speaking of which, Duke and LP share a lot of similar colors. Even Young Duke wears teal and green; something that was mainly exclusive to both Launchpad and Della.

The kids aren't exactly sure what to think. Was this really Glomgold? Or were they mistaking a random stranger for him? Was he genuinely suffering from amnesia? Or was this another one of his crazy schemes? As they try to figure out his true intentions, they discover Duke has a suspicious, gold money clip in his possession. This causes Webby and Louie to start an investigation where they discover Duke Baloney's records are non-existent and Flintheart Glomgold's records do not extend past his arrival to Duckburg in the 80's.

Meanwhile, Duke's evil persona slowly starts to re-emerge after one of Scrooge's fishing boats roll into the dock. He can't remember Scrooge's name, he can't even remember his face when they meet, but he suddenly grows negative feelings towards the boat and he's not exactly sure why. He starts coming up with elaborate plans to outrank it and he ends up having a dream full of subliminal messages about his past.

As Duke starts to question who he really is, he notices that Webby and Louie are out at sea as a thunderstorm is approaching. He plans to go out and rescue them but a boat crane hits him on the head, causing him to fall into the marina much like he did before. It's in his second time of unconsciousness where he remembers why he started his Scottish persona in the first place: When Duke was a child, Scrooge failed at teaching him a sense of self reliance by only paying partially for his shoe shining services. Feeling cheated, he secretly stole Scrooge's money clip and vowed to do whatever it takes to out-best him at everything and steal his title of "Richest Duck in the World".

When Duke comes to at the surface, he reverts back to his evil ways. He displays this as he tricks Webby into giving him her hand only for him throw her out of the boat to make room for himself. The other fishers are very shocked to see their friend act like this.

Glomgold makes his way back to his office to reclaim his company from Zan Owlson and to challenge Scrooge with the fiscal year bet. Scrooge refuses until Glomgold taunts him with the money clip he had stolen from him. McDuck becomes surprised, and angry, that his greatest rival has a significant connection to his past.

So, if Launchpad has amnesia, what could Glomgold's situation be telling us about his?

Glomgold's amnesia was tied to a big event as well as LP's could be if he was involved with the cosmic storm.

Glomgold goes missing in the sea, an environment that is very similar to outer-space.

Following his disappearance, Glomgold ended up looking like a different person with a new profession. Launchpad is completely unrecognizable to Della in spite of many signs that they could have something to do with each other's backgrounds and there are also possible signs that he might not be a legitimate airplane pilot.

Glomgold had Scrooge's money clip on him. Maybe LP has some sort of mysterious item or something like a scar or a birthmark that could help prove that he's the father.

Information on both Duke and Glomgold is extremely limited. Launchpad's records probably don't go very far either. 

Duke's sudden hatred for Scrooge's boat reminds me of Launchpad's sudden attachment to Dewey. The triplet hasn't done much to or for Launchpad prior "Terror of The Terrafimians!”; he caused a trap to dump a pile of snakes onto Launchpad without apologizing. Dewey doesn't show any concern towards him until he comes back from his search in "Gander"...and yet, Launchpad established him as his best friend. He may not even be sure why he does. I've been theorizing for the longest time that Dewey could be reminding him of Della. 

In the Theme Song Takeover, Launchpad sings about being on the Houseboat with Dewey specifically without acknowledging that Scrooge, Donald, Huey and Louie are there too. He did a similar thing in “Jaw$!” when he simplified Huey and Louie as “Dewey’s Brothers”. Aside from giving us potential clues about Della, Issue 18 highlighted Launchpad’s friendship with Dewey as well. When he realizes the severity of the tsunami alert, he immediately grabs Dewey and wants to head to safety instead of thinking to grab both Dewey and Webby at the same time. The retail incentive cover for this issue features a bunch of Dewey photos with Launchpad facing them.

Duke has a dream full of symbolism revolving around his Scottish persona. Launchpad’s line in “The 87 Cent Solution!” when Scrooge causes Gizmoduck to accidentally shoot the Sunchaser with a torpedo, reminds me a bit of this. He said the situation reminded him of every nightmare he’s ever had....why is he having dreams of accidentally hitting Dewey with the plane? What does this mean? Is he afraid that there will be a day where he hurts someone he cares about? Has this already happened in the past?

Was the mishap reminiscent of what happened during the cosmic storm? Scrooge accidentally causes Gizmoduck to fire his torpedoes (lightning?), they hit the plane (spacecraft?), smoke fills the vehicle (radiation clouds?) and he comes close to hitting someone he cares about (Della?)

After seeing the boat, Glomgold's old ways start to creep back into his mind. I think after being exposed to Della's presence for the first time in years, Launchpad will start to act a bit like his older self and do things that Della will recognize.

Glomgold had to get knocked back into the sea to return to how he normally is. Will Launchpad have to have another stressful incident or head injury to help him remember who he was?

 There's a line from "The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest!" where he says "NO! This is not the end of Launchpad McQuack! It WILL be by plane crash, or not at all!" Was that possibly hinting towards this?

Duke actually says a line a bit similar to this where he says “All I need to know, is that I came from the sea...and I’ll die buy it...”

 A thunderstorm was involved and a rescue was underway, just like how Della could have been trying to rescue the father while she was caught up in the cosmic storm.

Glomgold's beard gets zapped with lightning from the storm, burning it into nothing. Launchpad possibly implied that he himself survived a lightning strike of some sort.

This episode was about a villain turning back into a good guy after losing his memory. Did Launchpad use to be a bad person? Or someone who was generally good, but made a bad decision? Or just unknowingly caused a bunch of bad things to happen? If Launchpad was the reason behind Della taking the Spear, then it’s partially his fault for Della getting stuck on the moon, losing her leg, Donald and Scrooge's separation, the boys growing up financially unstable without a mother, the depletion of the Money Bin, almost making Scrooge go bankrupt, Scrooge's retirement and depression, the family splitting up for a second time, Donald being sent to jail and the upcoming invasion. Even if the incident was beyond his control, he'll still feel horrible about causing such a chain reaction.

Not really counting on this, but if amnesia caused Glomgold to revert back to his original accent, could breaking out of amnesia cause Launchpad to revert back to his? In the original DuckTales series, Launchpad had more of a Northeastern accent. There are certain points in the cadence of Della's voice that reminds me of how Launchpad speaks in the reboot; more notably when she slips into a lower register

"Iiiit's fiiiine, I'm sure the flavor will wear off soon…"

"I've activated my distress beacon, so you can pinpoint my location and COME GET ME."

"I bet the boys have hatched by now... I'm not even sure what they look like…"

"I was gone for a decade and everyone was just fine…"

Glomgold's change in voice was brought on by copying off of Scrooge. Perhaps Launchpad is emulating Della in that way as well.

There are a few other lines in this episode that reminded me of some lines Launchpad has said in the previous season:

When Duke shares his crazy plans to outdo Scrooge's boat by over-fishing, Mann makes a comment.

 "...But it's like you always say, 'sharing is caring'."

 Duke takes a moment to think about this.

"That does sound like me...or does it?"

This reminds me of the scene in "The Spear of Selene!" where Scrooge orders Launchpad to get the plane back in the air after crash landing on Ithaquack. Launchpad responds.

"Sorry, Mr. McDee, gotta figure out what this flashing red light means. I always say: Better to be safe than... whatever the opposite of safe is!" 

He then looks off to the side with uncertainty afterwards, like he's not exactly sure where this phrase came from, but he could have sworn he said it at some point.

"Yeah, I do say that.”

But then Scrooge fires back.

"WHEN HAVE YOU EVER SAID THAT?!"

Could this little break in character be implying that Launchpad was a safer person at some point in his life?

When Duke notices Webby and Louie out at sea when the storm is about to start, he begins to speak.

 “I'll save ya! Or my name isn't--” 

But then he gets hit with a crane and falls into the water. This reminds me of LP's quote in “The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!” when he's trying to help Scrooge win his parents’ approval. In disguise, he says

“He's a real family man or my name isn't Launchpad Mc...Donald Duck.”

We all know he isn't Donald and he was close to saying Launchpad McQuack wasn't his real name.

This may not count, but When Duke reached out to Webby and said “Give me your hand!”, it reminded me of when LP said the same thing to Dewey in “B.U.D.D.Y” as well as Scrooge in "Last Crash" when he's going after Dewey outside of the plane. Duke pulls Webby into the water and the limo rides over a rock causing Dewey to come out of the self-driving car and fly out of LP's grip.

After developing my new theory about Della and Launchpad's connection, I later realized how the two episodes I’ve been zeroing in on the most, are next to each other in order of production. One dealt with the ideas of genetic mutation in a space-like environment, combined with the concept of going on a secret trip to meet up with a family member and a lover. Then right after that, there's the idea of someone having amnesia after a big event causes their long absence and then struggling to figure out who they really are when elements from their past start to seep back into their life. A connection between the two is looking very likely. Both stories were set in aquatic places and may have even occurred around the same time. I came across a theory that Huey, Dewey and Launchpad visited the Mid-Atlantic ridge while Webby and Louie went fishing, which would explain why they weren't present in the other's episode. __

If Launchpad was affected by the cosmic storm, what else could it have done to him aside from changing the way he looks?

I've put together a list of abilities he may have gained from this:

Immortality

In "The Most Dangerous Game...Night!" Louie tells Huey that he's convinced Launchpad is immortal due to the amount of plane crashes he's survived.  LP doesn't respond to this comment and later refuses to answer Huey about how he survived the Tower of Infinity when it collapsed.

I think there's enough weight to Louie's remark for it to be more than simply a one-off joke because there are multiple times where he's shown to be pretty resilient.  Launchpad can get sick or hurt, but he recovers incredibly well to injuries and has, as Fisher said when he was describing Duke,  "a freakishly high tolerance for pain".  

After the snakes from the Atlantean trap bit him, he brushes the situation off like it's not a big deal. He's hindered by the venom, but he's still conscious enough to climb down the bridge when it breaks (for the most part) and helps Webby to lie to her grandmother by posing as a Swedish person. When Glomgold announced that he's about to blow up the city, Launchpad’s facial swelling suddenly goes down and he’s well enough to quickly drive the sub to safety. Also, when Launchpad returns to the Sunchaser after looking for Ziyi, a bunch of arrows are pierced through his armor and he has an eye-patch over his eye. He’s winded by having to run to the to the plane in time and escape the danger he went though, but he isn’t wincing from his injuries. He isn’t really fazed by them at all.

Sᴛᴏʀᴋᴜʟᴇs sᴇᴇᴍs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇʜᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ғᴏʀ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴇ's ɴᴏᴛ ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴄɪᴘᴀᴛɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ᴇᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇs. Pᴇʀʜᴀᴘs ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛs Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ's ɪᴍᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴡᴀʏ.

Strength

“The Missing Links of Moorshire!” is a good example of Launchpad’s strength. Towards the end of the episode, he’s shown to lift Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby and Scrooge with ease. Even earlier in the episode, he’s able to push a water-logged golf cart out of a lake, which on average is somewhere between 900 to 1100 lbs when it’s dry.

The cosmic storm may have increased his strength, but the workout equipment in his room would indicate that he needs to maintain it to a degree. Maybe it's a Hercules-type situation; even during his weaker points, he’s still pretty strong, but working out just makes him even more abnormally strong. 

Agility 

As seen in “Shadow War” and “Duck Knight”, LP is a very capable fighter. He has good reflexes, allowing him to dodge most attacks. Even though the venom from the snakes impaired him, he was still able to defend himself from Glomgold’s henchmen. In “Last Crash”, he ran on top of falling items to keep himself from falling out of the plane. And when he was fighting off the shadows on top of the plane, he never lost his balance.

Speed

I'm not really sure with this one, but in "Game Night" Launchpad was able to make it over to Louie and Huey after getting struck with the shrink ray. Perhaps this was ignored for convince, but running fast would explain how he was able to survive the collapse of the Jenga tower.

Aquatic Respiration

I think this is starting to become more apparent. After "Whatever Happened to Della Duck?!" aired, I started to wonder if Launchpad may have used Oxy-Chew when he went to visit Oceanika. But after "Friendship Hates Magic!"....I don't think this is the case. In the scene where he's drinking pea soup through a silly straw, one of the peas gets stuck and he struggles with it until his face starts to turn blue. He faints and all the air in his lungs exits his body before face-planting into his bowl. Then he makes a muffled inhaling noise without choking…

Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ sɪᴛs ɪɴ ғʀᴏɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴘᴀɪɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴀsɪᴅᴇ ᴀs ᴛʜɪs ɪs ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴɪɴɢ.

In “Neverrest”, Launchpad keeps his mouth open as he falls into the hot spring and doesn’t gasp for air when he bursts out of it. When he comes back to the lighthouse in "Depths", he simply resurfaces with no problem. He isn't panting for air until he has to climb up onto the platform, which can be a bit tiring after staying in the water for so long. So, uh...I guess Launchpad has gills somewhere on his beak...? Granted, if he did have Oxy-Chew at some point, he could have ended up swallowing it; I mean, that stuff is pretty powerful when you chew it alone, but I'm leaning on mutation with this one.

Electrical Powers

After getting caught in a cloud full of radiation and lightning, it would make a ton of sense for Launchpad to have some sort of connection to electricity. But what kind of connection exactly? Can he generate his own? Can he bend and levitate metal objects to his will? Does he serve as a special conductor?  It's really hard to tell since there aren't any on obviously examples, but perhaps there could be something with the latter option.

The ending to “The Spear of Selene!” was very baffling. During my first viewing, I thought Launchpad was scared to leave the plane for some reason, but he ends up disassembling the plane; preventing the family from leaving and bringing him out in the open. Then, during my latest viewing, I realized that the plane isn’t simply taken apart, it looks like it was ripped apart. The pieces are damaged...one of the engines are chipped and dented, one of the propeller blades are also chipped, the tail of the plane has a cracked wing, the control board is all dented with the yoke snapped off...was he really that obsessed with figuring out the problem that he couldn’t just use tools to separate the plane properly? This made me wonder if there could have been an explosion from inside of the Sunchaser. Could another lightning bolt have hit the plane and it was strong enough for Launchpad to react to it? The first time the plane was struck, he’s quickly able to engage a control to stop it from affecting the plane.

The plane parts don’t seem to have any burn marks on them and Launchpad’s clothes aren’t singed or anything, so perhaps there was a different kind of electrical mishap or something that resulted from another side effect of the cosmic storm.

Sixth Sense

Maybe this is purely for meta humor, but LP seems to have this underlying fourth wall-y awareness. At the end of “Moonshire”, the camera is gone, but he still faces the audience and addresses the lesson to be learned. He then undercuts himself as if he didn't want us to know how insightful he is.

In "Terror of The Terrafimians!", he questions if Huey, Webby and Lena were the only three missing from the group when Magica technically counts as a fourth person. 

Good Hearing

You would think that after constantly hearing the sound of breaking glass and denting metal on a daily basis, it would take a toll on Launchpad's hearing, but he seems to be a good listener. 

Even though we weren't able to see his reaction to Scrooge's story about the Spear of Selene, he must have heard it in spite of being all the way on the other side of the plane and being sorta barricaded by a bunch of stuff to help balance the weight. If the boys informed him about what happened, he would have taken their word for it when he was talking over the intercom in "Shadow War", not point out how they’re the ones who blame Scrooge.

After "Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!" aired, I've been trying to figure out how Launchpad knew that Della was in the houseboat. She wasn't being very loud and he said "Thought I'd come over to introduce myself," implying that he knew about her being in there and stalled afterwards. He could have seen her as she was walking to the other side of the pool to board the houseboat, but it would have to have been somewhere where she wouldn’t have been able to notice him. Maybe looking out the window from inside the house. If not, he could have heard her in the boat as he was passing by. She didn’t start talking until around the time he came over, so if this were the case, he would have already known whose voice it was coming out of the houseboat. If he knew about Della being in the mansion this whole time, why did it take him so long to talk to her?

Weight Manipulation?

Part of me sorta wonders if LP has the ability to make himself lighter when he needs to be; holding back so he won't hurt anyone. This would explain things like how Scrooge was able to save LP from falling out of the plane in “Last Crash” without dislocating his shoulder and how Webby was able to knock LP down in “Shadow War”. 

But then again, determination, anger and stubbornness act a bit like super powers to some of the characters. It gives them a boost of strength when the stakes are high and allows them to do things they wouldn’t normally be able to do or shouldn't be able to do based on their body type. Scrooge was able to throw everyone off of him in “87 Cent Solution”, and enjoys swimming around in one of the most heavy metals in existence. Huey dragged LP back to the log in “Only Child” even after he wasn’t able to lift any part of that log. He was also able to lift three kids along with his uncle in “Moorshire” and was strong enough to keep the demon dog at bay in “McManor”. Then there's both Drake and Jim who can go through a bunch of injuries and still get back up after them.

This guess, along with the others I've discussed in this list, might just be part of cartoon logic and isn't meant to be an indication of anything outside of humor or convenience.

The Ability to Be Manipulated?

As I was putting this list together, I suddenly thought: If there's a Greek connection to the cosmic storm, what if Zeus is able to manipulate LP similarly to how he was able to manipulate Storkules with the siren? If Launchpad does have good hearing, what if he heard the siren and that's what caused him to destroy the Sunchaser? Launchpad loves music and, as seen in "Sky Pirates", gets easily distracted by it. The plane was fine when Donald was trying to leave the lightning barrier, but then after the singing and fighting continued, it's in shambles.

Zeus used the siren because he knew it would affect Storkules directly. Scrooge, Huey and Louie were not affected by the singing after later taking their hands from over their ear...holes. Dewey, Webby and Selene couldn't be affected because the temple was way up high on the island. The Sunchaser, however, was located right around the corner. Since Zeus wasn't affected by the siren either, perhaps there's something in the lyrics that affects immortals who rank lower than himself.

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Back in April, I observed the Spear manual scenes in “Whatever Happened” and noticed that “DT-87” and “DT-18” were mentioned. These are abbreviations for “DuckTales 1987”, the year the original series came out and “DuckTales 2018”, the year Season 2 premiered. The numbers  “7-15”, “7-16”, “7-18” and “207” were also featured. 

“207” as well as the other 7’s refer to “Whatever Happened”’s production code, so I figured 15, 16 and 18 were also referring to other Season 2 episodes that might relate to 7. So far, Episode 15, "The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee!"  and Episode 16, "The Duck Knight Returns!", have provided things that could be leading up to why Della took the Spear and how it could have to do with the father. Launchpad was present in both episodes, and both shared some similar themes. 

Episode 15 opens up with a thunderstorm storm. Gizmoduck is facing off against an evil scientist named Dr. Atmoz Fear, who's taking advantage of the storm by using one of his devices to manipulate the lightning. When he tries to zap Gizmoduck with it, it reminds me a bit of Gyro and his shrink ray in "Game Night".

Dʀ. Aᴛᴍᴏᴢ Fᴇᴀʀ sʜᴀʀᴇs sᴏᴍᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀs ᴡɪᴛʜ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ: Hᴇ ʜᴀs ʀᴇᴅ ʜᴀɪʀ, ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴇɴ sʜɪʀᴛ, ᴀ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴍᴀsᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀs ᴏғ ʜɪs ғᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴀʙ ᴄᴏᴀᴛ, sᴇᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴠᴇʀsᴇ ᴏғ LP's ғᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ғᴜʀʀᴇᴅ ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʀ.

After the villain is defeated, Fenton meets Gandra, someone else who also works in the scientific fields. Unlike Fenton, who's more professional with his work, she's more on the rebellious side. A similar thing can be said about Della and Launchpad when it comes to aviation.

Fenton schedules a science date with Gandra, but he's very hesitant to call it such. If Della took the Spear because she was trying to save the father and failed, I can see her being very hesitant about getting back into a romantic relationship.

On their way to pick up Gandra in the limo, Launchpad conversates with Fenton by going down a list of special someone’s he’s previously dated. A couple of mentions in this list caught my attention; the first being how Launchpad claims to have dated a clone of himself. I think this is a meta thing we aren't supposed to take seriously. Because...why would this be suggested if a legitimate clone of yourself is basically your twin sibling, your child or somewhere in-between that...?  Maybe it’s just me, but he blinks rather oddly right after he says this. There's also a pause as he stops the limo and begins to furrow his brow. Either he’s thinking really hard about everyone he's dated or he's a bit confused to where these more weirder memories are coming from.

What makes it even harder to take this clone claim seriously is that this is the same character who thinks Fenton is an actual robot because of the Gizmo suit and who also confused someone for a yeti in “Neverrest”. The word "clone" does have a non-literal meaning, so if we consider this and break it down...LP previously dated another goofy pilot who tends to wear teal and green, has a positive outlook on life in spite of all the hardships they face, never gives up, loves adventure, loves family, and doesn't like the idea of being replaced...?

I’ve joked to myself in the past about Della sort of being a female version of Launchpad due to their colors and how they have a similar way about themselves. Della's character pre-dates Launchpad but she was never described as a fearless pilot until the "Family Ties" comic was released in 2014, twenty-seven years after DuckTales debuted. (This comic is where the reboot got its inspiration for Della's character and story arc.)

If LP really does have amnesia, he can’t remember Della as a person, so it would be easy for him to consider her as a copy of himself. Scrooge made it extremely difficult to get information about Della after she went missing so anything that Launchpad is emulating from her had to be based on knowledge prior to that point.

Another reason why this could be a sly reference to Della is because every time we get information about Launchpad’s love-life, we’re always given something that can be traced back to Della: Della isn’t a deadly ninja, but Ziyi’s situation in “Gander” involved her disappearing and possibly leaving her offspring behind. (I’m assuming Ziyi was being referred to due to the order of  the list and being the only previously mentioned lover with an Asian background. Perhaps she has some Japanese origins as well as Chinese.) Della isn’t a forbidden mermaid, but Oceanika’s situation in “Depths” involved her calling out to Launchpad in a sing-song manner, wearing similar colors to both Launchpad and Della, and ended with Launchpad returning with a golden spear and trio of color-coded sea creatures that come from eggs. One of Launchpad’s lines in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” involved his true love giving him “eleven planes a-flying”. Regardless of how strange that statement was, it still planted the idea that there are two Launchpads, which technically, may be true persona-wise.

Tʜɪs ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ Tʜᴇᴍᴇ Sᴏɴɢ Tᴀᴋᴇᴏᴠᴇʀ, ᴀғᴛᴇʀ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ʜɪᴛs ʜɪs ʜᴇᴀᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏɢᴏ ᴄʀᴀsʜ, ʜᴇ sᴇᴇs ᴀ ʟᴀʀɢᴇʀ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴅᴏᴡ. Nᴏᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴇ ʀᴇғᴇʀʀɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀᴍ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ɢʀᴏᴡ ʙɪɢɢᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ.

The second mention in Launchpad’s list of lovers that caught my attention was the talking cloud of energy. Similarly to the pause after talking about a clone, he gets cut off right after he says this. A cloud of energy is basically a cloud full of lightning and that reminds me a lot of the cosmic storm. Since the cloud had the ability to talk, could this claim be based on a memory of Della trying to contact him while he was in the cosmic storm?

Fenton and Gandra’s date takes place at night in Gyro’s underwater lab. The moon is mentioned and it’s likeness is sort of shown through the string of lights used to decorate the room. Outside of the lab’s window is a starfish that is colored with a shade very close to Fenton’s purple shirt. He sits on the side of the table where the creature is located. The scenery is reminding me of the sea-space connections the show has been making. The starfish not only reminds me of stars in general but how the blue starfish attached to Launchpad at the end of “Depths” was a similar color to Della’s teal scarf. I’ve noted in another post that the starfish could have to do with Della because it also shares traits with Dewey and he’s constantly being compared to her, but what makes Della even more like the starfish is her ability to adapt. She lost her leg, but she was able to make a new one. Starfish can regenerate their limbs when they lose them.

When Fenton shows Gandra his Fentonium project, he described the invention as "An innovative generator from a mild-mannered source." If Launchpad has any electrical powers, this makes me wonder if they'll eventually be put to scientific use.

It’s later revealed that Gandra is a spy working for Waddle. Her main objective for going on a date with Fenton was to get him to say his Gizmoduck passcode to activate the nanite serum she made for Mark Beaks. For Gandra, the nanites gave her the power to deliver electrical shocks. For Mark, the nanites enhanced his body by giving him a muscular physique, a more prominent chin and gruffer voice to go with it.

Tʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇᴘᴛs ᴏғ ᴇʟᴇᴄᴛʀɪᴄɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇ ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛʀᴀɴsғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴs sᴇᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴀsɪɴɢ. Tʜᴇ ᴍɪᴅ-sᴇᴀsᴏɴ ᴛʀᴀɪʟᴇʀ ғᴏʀ Sᴇᴀsᴏɴ 2 ғᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇs ᴀ ᴄʟɪᴘ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀɴ ᴜᴘᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴇᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ Hᴜᴇʏ ᴛʀᴀɴsғᴏʀᴍs ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ Sᴜᴘᴇʀ Sᴀɪʏᴀɴ ɪɴsᴘɪʀᴇᴅ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ʟɪɢʜᴛɴɪɴɢ ʙᴏʟᴛ ʜɪɢʜʟɪɢʜᴛ ɪɴ ʜɪs ʜᴀɪʀ. Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ Mᴀʀᴋ ᴀʀᴇ sʜᴏᴡɴ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜɪs.

After the secret plan unfurls, Fenton turns into Gizmoduck. He responds to Mark's mutation:

“You've always been a monster, but now, you are a literal monster!” 

This reminds me a lot of the monster stuff in "Terror". I always feel weird when I try to make sense of that portion of the plot because I feel like I haven't figured it out yet, but something is definitely going on. Since that episode has aired, there have been multiple cases where a character is considered a physical or figurative monster and whether that makes them a good person or a bad person. And there's always an "M" alliteration tied to it:

Mole Monster and McQuack in “Terror of The Terrafirmians!”

"I can't believe my best friend is a mole monster..."

"Wait...am I a mole monster? But I'm a good guy! Then that means...mole monster can also be good guys."

Magica and Monster in “The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!”

"They'll turn on you; call you a monster!

“You’re the monster here!  And I know just the hunter to take you down...”

Monstro and M’Ma in "Who Is Gizmoduck?!"

"Eres un monstro, Diego!"

Monster and Mitzi in "The Depths of Cousin Fethry!"

"She's not a monster, she's a Mitzi!"

Moon Mite and Mother in "Whatever Happened to Della Duck?!"

“The mite isn't a monster, it's a mother!"

In an earlier post, I began to wonder if it would end up circling back to Launchpad since he's the one who started it. I thought maybe he'd feel like a monster in a figurative sense for accidentally abandoning his kids, but now it could also be something involving his genetic mutations. Maybe even a betrayal or theft of some sort since those concepts seem to be lingering in the background.

With all these M's going on and the high possibility of Launchpad's foreign names being used for Huey and Dewey, perhaps Launchpad's real name is Maxwell as in his Danish name, Max Motor. Joseph as in his Spanish name, Joe McQuack could also be another possibility. Since HDL went from more outlandish names to more plausible names, it's likely Launchpad's real name is something more standard.

Lᴀsᴛ ʏᴇᴀʀ, Dɪsɴᴇʏ ʀᴇʟᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ᴀ sᴇʀɪᴇs ᴏғ sʜᴏʀᴛs ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ Wᴇʙʙʏ Rᴇᴀᴄᴛs, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴄʟɪᴘs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ Dɪsɴᴇʏ Cʜᴀɴɴᴇʟ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀᴇᴡ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀɪsᴏɴs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏᴡ. Dᴜʀɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ Bᴇx's sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ғʀᴏᴍ Aɴᴅɪ Mᴀᴄᴋ, sʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴏ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ᴀs sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ's "ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇs". Tʜᴇɴ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ, ɪᴛ's ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ Bᴇx ᴡᴀs ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ Aɴᴅɪ's ᴏʟᴅᴇʀ sɪsᴛᴇʀ; sʜᴇ's ʜᴇʀ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. Tʜɪs ᴄᴀᴜsᴇs Wᴇʙʙʏ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀ ᴡʜᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ɪs.

When Fenton and Gandra make amends and try to come up with a way to stop Mega Beaks from wreaking any more havoc, Fenton points out that in spite of Mark's body being altered, he's still the same weak, ego-fuel person underneath those alterations. A similar thing can be said for Duke; even after he forgot about his Scottish persona, he was still Flintheart Glomgold and this became evident as he began to revert back into him.

When Mega Beaks is able to catch the Fentonium-laced paddle ball Fenton throws at him, he's amazed.

"Wow, I never actually caught a ball before! Well, who's the loser now, coach DAD?!"

This is the second time someone's father was mentioned in the episode. Before the date, M'ma mentions Fenton's father when she gives her son his suit to wear. Perhaps Della has one of the father's belongings that she'll pass down to her sons too.

___

Episode 16 was about two different people sharing the same alternative persona: Jim Starling as the original Darkwing Duck and Drake Mallard as the new one. Jim is outraged that he’s being replaced on a new Darkwing production after years of trying to make a comeback. Being disappointed by the gritty direction of the reboot, Launchpad sees Drake in a negative light and agrees to help Jim sabotage the movie. It was supposed to be for the greater good, but when Launchpad tries to go with the plan and lock Drake in his own trailer, his heroism is questioned. Drake isn’t a bad person and it turns out that he’s a huge Darkwing fan much like Launchpad himself. Was crushing the dreams of playing his childhood hero the right thing to do? 

Once they find common ground, Launchpad devises a new plan where all three of them work together to help make a Darkwing Duck movie that new and old fans can enjoy. Unfortunately, Jim is too full of obsession and desperation to finally give the show a proper conclusion, that he becomes selfish. He ignores Drake when he tries to propose LP’s new idea to him and locks him away. He then refuses to follow the script and ends up destroying the movie set with his defiance. Drake soon breaks free and challenges Jim, leading Darkwing into fighting with himself. Launchpad tries to snap Jim out of it and remind him of the hero he’s supposed to be. While it does cause Jim to literally reflect on what he was becoming and helped him to save both Drake and Launchpad from the surging lightning tower before it exploded, it ultimately wasn’t enough. The one who was presumed to be bad turned out to be good, and the one who was presumed to be good, became bad, leaving Darkwing as both the hero and villain of his own story.

Ok, so, there’s a lot of identity struggle going on along with frustration over getting replaced after years of trying to get back into the spotlight. This seems like more supporting evidence that Launchpad will be faced with a situation where he’ll be confused about who he really is, but could this also be hinting that Della might go a little too far with her rivalry against Launchpad? 

A lot of DW episodes so far seem to contain LP’s fear of being fired...but he’s considered honorary family; it’s hard to imagine Launchpad getting kicked out to take a permanent leave to St. Canard in this continuity. Launchpad wasn’t working for Scrooge in the original Darkwing Duck series because it took place in an alternate universe. Even with DW’s world integrated into the reboot, it’s still DuckTales at it’s base. It wouldn’t feel right for Launchpad to suddenly get removed from the main cast. I think similarly to Drake, Della will find some common ground with LP before anything is able to get out of hand.

When Dewey expresses his ideas to make the Darkwing film better, he mentions aliens, Megavolt and lightning towers. When Jim threatens to zap Alistair Boorswan with Megavolt's lightning ray, Launchpad steps in between them; willing to get hit to protect the director. Drake displays a high tolerance for pain as he survives a box of explosives going off, getting a piano dropped on him and getting zapped several times. 

As Dʀᴀᴋᴇ ɢᴇᴛs ᴢᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ᴀ ᴠɪsɪʙʟᴇ ᴄʀᴀᴄᴋ ɪɴ ʜɪs sᴋᴜʟʟ; ᴀ sɪɢɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ's sᴜsᴛᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ɪɴᴊᴜʀʏ.

...ᴡᴀɪᴛ ᴀ ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇ, ᴡʜʏ ᴅɪᴅ Dᴇᴡᴇʏ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ?!

An artificial thunderstorm is created when Launchpad turns on the rain machine to stop the movie set from being on fire. When he delivers his speech about how heroic and important Darkwing Duck is as a character, he stands in front of one of the lightning towers. At the mention of the word "light", there's an upsurge of power as the camera pans from Launchpad to the top of the tower. The structure sends sparks everywhere, but Launchpad is completely unfazed by this and continues his speech. 

A tattered image of the moon and a starry sky hangs in the background as this is going on... could this scene be proving that Launchpad has some degree of electrical manipulation? Is it only evident when he's extremely passionate about something? If this was purely the result of the rain machine being activated, wouldn't it have taken a much shorter time for the lightning tower to react?

Tʜᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ's sᴘᴇᴇᴄʜ ɪs ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ɪɴ "Tᴇʀʀᴏʀ"'s sᴜʙᴡᴀʏ ᴄʀᴀsʜ. Iɴᴛᴇʀᴇsᴛɪɴɢʟʏ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ᴀ sᴘᴀʀᴋɪɴɢ ғɪxᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏɴ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ's sɪᴅᴇ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʜᴇ ᴇxɪsᴛs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʜᴇ ʟɪᴛᴇʀᴀʟʟʏ ʀᴇғʟᴇᴄᴛs ᴏɴ ᴡʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴇ's ᴀ ᴍᴏʟᴇ ᴍᴏɴsᴛᴇʀ ᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ, ᴛᴡᴏ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ's ᴀʀᴇ sʜᴏᴡɴ.

When Jim and Drake notice the lightning tower is growing unstable, they both run towards Launchpad to save him. In a hassle to be heroic again, Jim pushes both of his fans out of the way and suffers from the explosion. The rescuer is believed to be dead but he's alive and takes on a new persona: Negaduck. The event figuratively turns him into a monster. 

So, there's a rescue, an electrical based event, survival from that event, a re-branding of oneself and someone is considered a monster. If Launchpad truly is responsible for blowing up the tower, he's the one who "killed" Jim. Drake blames himself, kinda like how everyone blames Della for the Spear incident when it could have been due to her going after Launchpad.

Wʜᴇɴ Dʀᴀᴋᴇ ᴀɴᴅ LP ᴀʀᴇ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ DWD ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ғɪɢᴜʀᴇs, Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ᴘʟᴀʏs ᴀ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟʟʏ ᴋɴᴏᴄᴋs ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀ ᴄᴜᴘ ᴏғ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʟᴇᴀᴅs ᴛᴏ Dʀᴀᴋᴇ ʜᴜʀᴛɪɴɢ ʜɪs ғᴏᴏᴛ.

This episode made me realize a loose pattern that seems to be going on with two similar character that rival each other. One pretty much stays consistent (Scrooge, Lena, Drake), while the other goes through a major change that emulates the other (Glomgold, Violet, Jim). There’s usually an event and or a disappearance tied to their change (Scrooge’s Africa visit, the Shadow War, the tower explosion). The changed character is seen negatively and could be considered a monster. And at some point, one of the rivaling characters realize that the other has a significant connection to their past (The money clip, the amulet, the table signing).

I think Della and Launchpad could be following this pattern too. As noted by Scrooge in “Nothing Can” and “Raiders of The Doomsday Vault!”, Della’s hasn’t really changed at her base. Thus, making Launchpad the one who has most likely gone through a major change. Launchpad was established as Della’s double when she considered him to be her replacement and views him negatively. We know for sure that one of them went missing during an event and there’s enough potential hinting to suggest that they have a significant connection in their past.

Tʜᴇ ʟᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴘᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀᴛᴛᴇʀɴ ᴡᴀs ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛ ɪɴ "Lᴀsᴛ Cʜʀsɪᴛᴍᴀs!" ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇɴᴅɪɢᴏ ᴡᴀs ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Gʜᴏsᴛ ᴏғ Cʜʀɪsᴛᴍᴀs Pᴀsᴛ. Iɴ sᴘɪᴛᴇ ᴏғ ʜɪs ᴍᴏɴsᴛʀᴏᴜs ᴇxᴛᴇʀɪᴏʀ, ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴛɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴsɪᴅᴇ.

Another number featured in the Spear’s manual was “800”. I couldn't figure out what it could mean at the time, but it could stand for "Friendship Hates Magic!". WDTV press has it listed as Episode 8 in order of production.  This episode featured concepts of taking a dangerous risk to bringing someone back from the unknown, Launchpad bonding with a co-worker, possibly displaying one of his special abilities, hinting towards “Duck Knight” and the idea of someone who was thought of as being gone but they’ve actually been hanging around this whole time. When Lena is back to her solid form, Launchpad appears soon after the magical clouds of smoke begin to clear.

The number 17 is missing in the sequence that was highlighted in the manual. Perhaps there's something secretive about Episode 17. Or maybe the plot could be dealing with something or someone that’s missing. It could be when the family realizes Donald is missing or how his jail time is going on the Moon. It could also be something regarding the father; like Della opening up to the boys about him. I guess it could mean that this episode isn’t relevant to Episode 7, but that feels a bit less likely.

In my next post, I'm going to discuss how the arrangement of a scene can give us subtle hints about the future; starting with a closer look at Donald's family photo wall.

Are you up for even more reading? Continue here.

[marshmallowgoop]

Goop Plays Kill la Kill the Game: IF (Satsuki Episodes 1-4)

For those playing Kill la Kill the Game: IF on the PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Switch, you might be blissfully unaware of the many numerous glitches and bugs present in the Steam port of the game.

Some folks certainly had it better than others, but I was definitely one of the unluckier ones. I bought and downloaded IF the moment I could, but it always ended up crashing before I could even play. There was a lot of uninstalling, reinstalling, program closing, and joking about how my not-even-a-year-old, $1,500 gaming laptop can’t handle even one game, but finally, I found my way! 

rhys000lightning, you are a lifesaver. The feeling that I could finally experience the story mode, for real, is just, like. Indescribable, y’all.

Things aren’t perfect, of course, which is why this post’ll have some pretty low-quality images. But simply being able to play is more than good enough for someone who’s been as hungry for new Kill la Kill content as I have.

Anyway, I plan on making a few of these posts as I play through! Major spoilers ahead!

Episode 1

I already wrote about my thoughts on episode 1 right over here!

Episode 2

From early reviews and comments about the story mode, I kinda got the impression that the game is mostly a rehash of the anime from Satsuki’s point of view and that there are minimal differences until the end.

But, um. Just seconds into episode 2, and there is already a huge change.

Ragyo: The naked fools never showed up. Pity.

Satsuki: We raided the areas we believed to be their bases, but they had already fled.

I mean. The whole purpose of Satsuki’s Raid Trip failed?? How did Nudist Beach anticipate the attack and flee?? Is this explained in Ryuko’s story?? We totally miss that big fight in episode 15 between Ryuko and Satsuki?? And Ryuko isn’t interrupting the raids to put Senketsu back together because he hasn’t been torn apart, right? Because she didn’t go berserk after the Naturals Election because she didn’t find out there that Nui killed her dad?

When I saw this, I was just, jeez! We are going fast through this story!

But also, I wondered what Satsuki’s reaction to the Raid Trip failure is, for real, when her mother’s not around. Since the game was promoted as Satsuki’s story, I really wanted to see more of her inner thoughts and what she doesn’t show the world. But I guess this is only episode 2.

I also have to say that I was a little disappointed at the lack of new world building information in this episode. Ever since the first trailer at Anime Expo last year, I’ve been so interested in possible Life Fiber and Kamui history because of Satsuki’s proclamation to Ryuko that she “hold[s] all the secrets, behind the Life Fibers and the Kamui legacy.” But... we just get stuff we already knew here.

Ragyo: That is where the Kiryuins come in. We are the spokespersons for the COVERS’ will.

Just. I’m really curious about how the Kiryuins found the Original Life Fiber and why they’re so down with the Life Fibers’ goal. C’mon, the glossary even teases about the history here....

But anyway, early disappointments aside, I couldn’t stop smiling while watching this story play out. Ragyo giving her speech here is just so over-the-top and ridiculous.

And my brother watched me play this episode, and now I can’t look at Rei’s reaction to Satsuki’s backstab without thinking about the Surprised Pikachu meme.

I do have to admit that the backstab isn’t nearly as shocking and powerful as it is in the anime, but it’s satisfying to actually fight Ragyo. I’ve seen some reviews say that they’d rather just watch the scenes and not interact, but I’m in complete disagreement. I love being able to engage in the story.

And, you know, I’ve only played Satsuki like once in the demo because I’ve been focusing on Ryuko, and I’d maybe played her a handful of times at conventions, so I think I did pretty hot on three-star difficulty, lol.

One thing that is really interesting about the episode, however, is what it implies about Satsuki’s past. How does she know what Mind Stitching is, for example?

Seriously, I’m scared for the poor girl. Ragyo and Nui both use Mind Stitching, after all....

On a lighter (?) note, though, Satsuki getting defensive about her Elite Four is really, really sweet.

Nui: Tee-hee! I’ve never seen you freak out before, Lady Satsuki! Were these kids really that important to you?

Yes they are Nui shut your face.

But I was kinda surprised at having to fight the Elite Four as Satsuki, which is maybe a bit silly in retrospect. It took me a sec to figure out exactly how the battle worked, but I think it says a lot that Satsuki can just take on all the Elite Four at once. Ryuko at least had breaks!

(Well, at once in theory, anyway. I wanted to fight them all at once!)

This was also the first time I looked at Satsuki’s command list, and I gotta say: I appreciate the justification behind Satsuki having the lowest HP in the game:

Episode 3

The Elite Four are really cute in how they hated that they were forced to hurt Satsuki. I kinda wish we got a similar reaction from Ryuko after she takes off Junketsu in the anime, but at the same time, I can’t complain that much about the most romantic moment in Kill la Kill.

But, um, my ridiculous biases aside, the Elites lost their uniforms? Do they get identical ones made, since they seem to be wearing the same uniforms later, or...?

Also, this line struck me as quite intriguing:

Houka: She can stitch Life Fibers into the brains of anyone wearing a Goku uniform. How terrifying.

So, people have to be wearing Goku uniforms to be Mind Stitched? And Satsuki knew this, which is why she knew to destroy their uniforms?

Hmmmmm.....

Speaking of “Hmmmmm,” Ryuko’s storyline with Nui in this game still makes no sense to me at all. As I’ve written in the past, “[W]hy would Ryuko be willing to trust Nui? She would have to know—or at least be able to easily find out—that Nui is the Grand Couturier of REVOCS. Will Nui disguise herself as she does in the anime? Is the possible training image simply an actual fight between Ryuko and Nui? Or is there some more severe trickery at foot?”

Here, it’s clear from Ryuko’s reaction that there ain’t disguises happening. Ryuko knows Nui on a personal level—personal enough to use her first name rather than the “Harime” that Ryuko tends to use in the anime.

Ryuko: What in the blue hell’s going on, Nui?!

I think Ryuko asks a good question, too. What in the blue hell is going on? Nudist Beach still wants to stop the Festival, right? So Ryuko would presumably be on their side, maybe? But then again, can we be sure that she got the info dump from Nudist Beach that would convince her to be on their side and storm the Festival? After all, Aikuro only spills the beans once he sees Ryuko “beat” Satsuki in battle, and that doesn’t seem to happen here....

Gosh, I’m sorry, but claims that this is just a simple rehash of the anime are totally unfounded.

I’m sure Ryuko’s story will get into everything I asked, but I’m just... wow, watching this. What in the blue hell’s going on?

I do feel really bad for Ryuko, though. Maybe she considered Nui a friend. And, just. Especially when Maiko and the Mankanshokus have already betrayed her, assuming episodes 4 and 7 still happen here, which I presume they do based on info in the glossary...

Ouch.

And speaking of “ouch”...

Nui: Your dad was way tougher than you.

OUCH!!!!!

Now, I did admittedly find Ryuko’s decision to fight both Nui and Satsuki kind of strange. Like, gurl, didn’t you just see Satsuki chop her mom’s head off? Didn’t you just see Satsuki about to kill the chick who killed your dad? What do you think you’ll accomplish by fighting Satsuki as well, exactly? Isn’t it kinda clear that she’s not really against you anymore? I know you want answers, but maybe you’ll have a better chance of getting answers if you don’t try to beat up the person who’s actually on your side?

I know you’re probably not gonna make the best decisions when you’re that upset, but my goodness. Senketsu, I hope you’re at least trying to talk some sense into this girl.

Ryuko: Nui Harime and Satsuki Kiryuin... I’m gonna take both your asses down!

And speaking of talking sense, I really liked Satsuki playing the Senketsu role here, telling Ryuko to calm down.

Satsuki: Calm down, or you’ll be possessed by the Life Fibers’ urge to destroy!

Sniff... they are so alike, y’all. Can they be friends? Can they please be friends?

More seriously, “the Life Fibers’ urge to destroy” is mentioned in the anime as well, I’m pretty sure, but I’d love some more exploration of that later in this game.

Episode 4

I’m a sap for my kids, so I gotta say it hurts to see them lose. 

I also main Ryuko, so in these battles, I keep looking to her as if I’m playing her. Whoops.

But it makes sense. Ryuko and Senketsu probably haven’t done a lot of bonding yet without the Raid Trip developments, and Ryuko’s obviously not in the best state of mind.

And while it was already implied in a screenshot on the game’s official website that Satsuki is the one who tears up Senketsu rather than Nui, seeing this actually happen opened up so many possibilities in my mind.

Senketsu still gets torn up due to a failing on Ryuko’s part, but it’s far from the same situation as the anime. There, Ryuko becomes afraid of her power after she loses control and hurts Senketsu, and so she struggles to fight again later, ultimately hurting him even more. Here, Ryuko also loses control and hurts Senketsu... but this hurt has the intensity of the second hurt in the anime. This time, Ryuko can’t mope about how she’s no good for Senketsu and how they shouldn’t be together. Senketsu probably can’t save himself, so if she wants to make it up to him, she has to act, not retreat. It’s a much different approach—and one that most folks will probably like better, given some reactions I’ve seen to episode 13 of the show.

I’m also (of course) curious about Senketsu and Satsuki’s relationship after this. If the two end up working together, will Senketsu still be sore about how she kinda, uh, tore him up?

And on that note...

What is Ragyo gonna do with Senketsu’s piece??? Use him to power up Shinra-Kouketsu??? Does Senketsu play a part in the final boss?! Is that why the final boss has been described as “cute and grotesque”?! 

What is this story.

Anyway, it’s kinda sloppy to me that it takes Ragyo forever to regenerate here when she’s very quick in the anime...

Ragyo: Finish what you start... for as long as a single strand of thread connects my head to my body, I can always regenerate.

I mean, obviously this is just for plot convenience. It’s not a big deal to me, but it definitely... yeah. 

But I was literally cracking up about how Ragyo seemed like she was just gonna walk away from Satsuki. Like Sats just a little kid throwing a tantrum.

Ragyo: I’m sorry, Satsuki. You were saying...?

...Actually, this is really horrible.

But what’s not horrible is that Satsuki gives a “My friends are my power!” speech. For real. Legitimately. I never thought I’d see such a thing. I am at a loss for words.

Satsuki: Junketsu and I did not defeat you with our power alone. Gamagoori, Sanageyama, Jakuzure, and Inumuta are in Junketsu. They are the reason I have the strength to beat you now!

I guess I just have to ask... are you speaking metaphorically or literally about other people being in Junketsu, Satsuki.

I really, honestly can’t tell with this series.

Like, I mean:

Ragyo: Actually, the Life Fibers can transcend space.

I always say, “Life Fibers: ain’t gotta explain shit!” as a joke, but it’s kinda totally true.

I dig it, though.

Glossary

This post is already long enough, but me being me, I of course couldn’t resist reading every dang entry in the gallery like as soon as I could. I have a lot I could say, but just some standouts:

✄ Senketsu is in both the “Characters” and “Clothes” sections!

✄ I don’t like that he’s referred to as an “it” in the “Clothes” section, though.

✄ The “Kinki King” trophy makes a lot more sense now.

✄ Dat last line.

✄ And this one...

✄ “He is one of only a few people that Satsuki opens her heart to.” My heart.

✄ Wait what. “He was in the process of inventing a weapon that could withstand the Life Fiber weapons like the Scissor Blades and Senketsu”???

✄ I think Mako has the longest entry LOL. Trigger, your favoritism is showing.

✄ WHAT TRAGIC WOUND WHAT.

✄ LOL. Does this actually come up in the plot.

✄ What the what when has Guts ever saved anyone. Citation needed.

✄ Tsumugu is definitely like the over-protective big brother who wants to “save” Ryuko from a “bad” boyfriend.

✄ It sounds mean, I know, but I really didn’t want Junketsu suddenly having a personality in this game. I’d love for that to happen in a reboot or something of that nature, but I just don’t think there’s time to pull that off well here. It doesn’t seem like Junketsu’s getting any of that, so I hope that development goes more towards our already established characters instead.

In Sum...

I’m not sure where things are going, but I’m enjoying it so far! All this new Kill la Kill content... I still can’t believe it....

[tinyavenuesailor]

Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?

Set when Peter had the Symbiote but Harry and Peter are dating and he kept it a bit longer

When Harry walked into the café looking for Peter and knew something was wrong immediately from the, “Yo, over here what’s uppp?” Peter laid back in his chair with his feet cocked out in the air, waving at Harry and was he wearing sunglasses? Inside a building?

“Pete?” Harry went to take a seat with his boyfriend despite his odd behaviour.

“So, Toomes is a professor at Oz academy now,” just like Peter to jump straight to the topic before Harry could order a drink especially when it's about science (not that Harry doesn’t love that about him), “what’s up with that?”

“Hey, we’re lucky to have him,” Harry lifted up his arms and curled his hands into little fists before exploding them open into a mind-blown gesture, “The guys a genius.” And just to show off the new tech to Peter – only to tease and with no hopes that it could help convince Peter to transfer to Oz Academy. “Plus now Oz has his vulture tech. I was trying out that sonic scream earlier, pretty sweet.”

Peter fixed his glasses and continued unfazed at the mention of new tech, “Yeah pretty sweet for a criminal.” He brushed his bangs to the side. Well, that was not the reaction Harry expected. “And I’m not buying the whole fresh start bit. People don’t just change overnight H.O.” H.O? That’s a new one. Peter took a huge bite out of his chocolate cupcake while Harry observed his from across the table.

“You seem to have,” Harry said with a hard edge in his voice.

“What?” Peter immediately threw his arms up and mentally Harry could imagine him taking two steps back, “Just a little confidence babe.” Hold up… babe?! Peter Parker called him babe without even the slightest blush. Peter drank his cup of what Harry would guess was their usual spinach smoothie and licked his lips, “If I was like this a Midtown I would have been way more popular.”

“Didn’t realize that was important to you.” He guesses it wouldn’t do harm for Peter to have a confidence boost.

Peter downed the rest of his smoothie and stood up, “Gotta bolt working on that Expo- or that thing that cannot be discussed.” He bent down so his face was levelled with Harry’s and tapped his cheek. It was nothing but asking Harry for their usual cheek-kiss send-off. Harry cupped the other side of Peter’s face and reached up to press his lips to Peter’s cheek. He didn’t expect Peter to turn his head so quickly so the lips could meet for a kiss. Harry’s eyes almost pop out at the shock. Peter backed up with a smirk over the face and threw his cup over his head for it to land in the garbage. “Text me later babe.”

Harry furrowed his eyebrows and watched Peter leave in the direction of his school. That was weird. Definitely weird but maybe not a bad weird with the feeling of Peter’s kiss still tingling on his lips.

This wasn’t bad at all. Being pulled into a back alley and thrown against the wall didn’t sound as sexy to Harry as it felt. Even with Peter’s odd behaviour, the last thing he saw was Peter pushing his body up against the graffiti wall and shoving his tongue down his throat. Not that Harry minded. If anything he could get used to this.

“Pete,” Harry moaned into the kiss. Peter’s hand slipped from the wall to around his waist and sunk down to Harry’s butt to give in a firm squeeze. Harry already clutching at Peter’s hoodie gave a light push to separate their lips. “Whoa, what’s got you so excited today?” Harry chuckled.

“What can I say, babe,” Peter grabbed Harry’s waist and pulled their bodies together, “you make me do crazy things.”

“I make you do crazy things,” Harry cocked up an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Peter dipped his head into Harry’s neck and growled, “with this smoking body of yours.”

Harry gasped when Peter took a small bite on his neck and sucked on the skin. “No hickeys,” Harry pushed away again, “I still have school and yours is about to start.”

“I can spare a few minutes,” Peter reached for Harry’s lips again but this time Harry covered his mouth with his hand.

“No you don’t and I promised John to come in early to help test his project.”

Harry expected Peter to lay off but was surprised to feel the grip on his waist tighten. Peter frowned and said with distaste, “John?”

“Yeah, my lab partner John Jameson remember?”

“Can’t he get someone else to help?” Peter stepped back and folded his arms. Harry would have normally let a comment like that slip and joke it off but the low growl in Peter's voice set off a warning bell.

“Well he is my partner and he’s also my friend. What’s wrong with asking for my help?”

“You guys just spend a lot of time together.”

“No more than what you spend with Miles or Gwen,” Harry narrowed down his eyes at Peter. “I can have friends at Oz Academy too you know.”

Peter rolled his eyes, “Whatever.”

Harry's eyes widened at Peter’s dismissal. He clenched his teeth and jabbed a finger into Peter’s chest, “What is your problem?”

Peter looked ready to answer when the sounds of sirens filled the air. He spared a look towards the direction of the noise and sighed, “It’s nothing babe.” He pressed a quick kiss on Harry’s lips and grabbed his bag by their feet. “School is about to start so gotta run. Talk to you later.” Peter ran out of the alley with the explanation for his bizarre behaviour.

Something was up with Peter. Forget the hot make-out sessions and the confidence boost. It was not worth it if he had to deal with self-righteous, arrogant person that has taken the face of his boyfriend. “Babe!” Harry stepped faster on the sidewalk with the voice right behind him, “Babe! Slow down!” Peter had managed to catch up to him and side-stepped in front of Harry.

“Peter move,” Harry growled.

“Chill out H.O, you ran out before I could give you your shake,” Peter raises the two-to-go cups of their spinach shake.

“I don’t want it!” Harry snapped.

“What’s your problem? I’m just trying to give you your drink.”

“What’s my problem?!” The boy had the nerve! “My problem is you flirting with the barista while I’m standing right beside you Peter!” The husky voice, the suggestive comments, that damn wink Peter gave to the giggly girl. Harry isn’t sure why he didn’t just dump his shake on Peter right there.

“Babe, its nothing serious, I was just playing along.” Harry has seen that smug grin enough times on Peter’s face to want to knock it right off. His eyes glanced over to the shakes and he sees black numbers rotating around the cup. He grabbed the cup from Peter and keeps himself from screaming in the middle of the city.

“Is this her number?!”

“I guess so,” Peter shrugged.

“Do you not see anything wrong with this?!” Harry pointed to the thick black numbers with a giant call me underneath.

“She wanted some of this,” Peter gestured to himself, “I really don’t blame her but I only have eyes for you.” Peter tried to grab Harry’s waist with his free hand but Harry immediately flinched out of this.

“Do you even hear yourself?” Harry looks up to the sky and groans, “You get jealous over me helping my lab partner with his project but I’m just supposed to be fine with you getting flirty with the barista and trading numbers.”

“Babe, I’m probably never going to see her again.”

“Stop calling me ‘Babe’!”

“What you hate when I call you that now?” Peter looked unimpressed.

“When I’m furious with you yes!” Harry felt like he was talking to a stranger. “Look I don’t know what’s going on with you right now but when you are ready to stop acting like a jerk and talk about it then you can come and find me but until then bye Peter.” Harry moved around Peter and stomped off, ignoring the calls for his name until they stopped.

It was impossible for Harry to enjoy his drink when he had ton constantly stare at that girl’s number written so neatly and cute for his boyfriend. Harry would admit that he felt way more satisfied than he should, dumping the cup down the trash. He thought his day couldn’t get any worse he finds Spider-man attacking Dr.Toomes. He couldn’t see what Peter and the rest of the city saw in that menace. He literally just tried to frame his professor for a crime he didn’t do after doing his time in prison. Some hero he was. Safe to say he was having a bad day. Peter hadn’t called or texted Harry so he was surprised to see him sitting in the café that morning and thankfully without those ridiculous shades.

“Harry,” Peter raised his hand to catch his attention. No, H.O or babe has the evil spirit that's possessed Peter’s body finally left and returned his boyfriend. Maybe. It was too soon to say and he was still pissed so he met Peter with a glare. He watched the brunette shrink in his chair and good he needs to see the guilt on Peter’s face before starting this talk.

Harry took the seat right across from Peter, “So.”

Peter's eyes widened at the sudden assault. His hands reached for the cup in front of him and push it towards Harry, “Should I start with the apology shake?” There was that cute dorky smile on Peter’s face that Harry wanted to give in to but the attitude from Peter yesterday was still fresh in his head and he kept up his cold act.

“If we aren’t going to talk I could just take this and leave,” Harry took the shake and sucked on the straw.

“Okay, I know I deserve this,” Peter gestured to Harry and his behaviour. Harry could see a slight pout from Peter’s bottom lip. “I’ve been an absolute jerk lately and I am so sorry Harry.”

“Is this apology for the flirting yesterday in particular?” Harry crossed his arms.

“Well, yes? No? For everything really and how I’ve been acting for the past few days.”

“Great,” Harry said, “because that hurt Peter.” He tried to hide the tiny crack in his voice.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t myself yesterday. I was an idiot and I promise it will never happen again.” Harry didn’t feel he could be angry at Peter for much longer considering how sincere he sounded. “It’s just been tough,” Peter continued, “I’ve just been dealing with a lot between school and my job.”

“Peter, I’m not just your boyfriend, I’m your best friend,” Harry grabbed Peter’s hand, “I’m here for you.”

“I know,” Peter squeezed his hand back. Harry smiled and sucked on his shake. Peter was back to normal or as normal as Peter Parker could get. “So, am I forgiven?” Peter asked with a small smiled.

Harry hummed, “Maybe after an apology blueberry muffin.”

“Coming right up,” Peter jumped out of his seat and placed a giant kiss on Harry’s cheek. Harry loved his science-loving, geeky, awkward boyfriend and was glad to have him back

[timeisacephalopod]

Dramatics

I got bored so I figured what the fuck, why not another of the Peter Q/Stephen/ Tony YouTube AU shorts.

When Peter reads the topic this week he laughs and Tony grins because yeah, he figured Peter would enjoy that. And this week they have special guest Wong to back up all their crazy ‘Stephen Did A Really Dramatic Thing’ stories. Stephen glares at him because he doesn’t have a facial expression in between pleased and pissed and that has led to a whole lot of audience questions that are mostly ‘how do you know when he’s actually mad’ and the answer is that Stephen is screaming. Usually not literally, but he’s got a penchant for complaining that Peter and Tony have discovered is a trait they both found secretly appealing. Tony because he can use Stephen’s inability to keep his opinions to himself as a way to drive off reporters and Peter because he thinks its funny to set Stephen on people like some kind of personal pit bull.

In his defense it actually is pretty hilarious to watch this happen.

“Well, what’s the topic?” he asks and Tony hands the slip of paper to Wong, who reads it and lets out a loud snort. They don’t say anything to Stephen because all three of them know that if they say anything Stephen will deny all dramatics, but if they keep him dangling he’ll do something dramatic. Then he can’t deny his tendency to put on one hell of a show one hundred percent of the time.

“This is going to be fun,” Wong says, grinning.

Stephen squints at him, “how the hell is anything supposed to be fun when I don’t know what we’re doing?” he asks and they all start laughing.

“Exhibit A in Stephen Is Dramatic,” Peter says. “Obviously none of us can have fun if you don’t know what we’re doing.”

Stephen sticks his nose in the air, “its not my fault its true. And I am not dramatic,” he says like he didn’t just decide that it’s impossible for Tony, Wong, and Peter to have fun without him.

“Yes you are Stephen, face it. You’re more dramatic than Tony and that’s difficult to do when the man has literally coordinated pyrotechnics to his entrances,” Wong points out.

“In my defense,” Tony says, “that was Stark Expo and it was an important event.” Also he’s always wanted to walk into pyrotechnics and that seemed like a good way to fulfill his childhood dreams. Wong doesn’t seem to think this serves as a useable defense if the look on his face is any indication. Well, its not Tony’s fault Wong is no fun.

Peter snorts, “its funny that I write movies because living with the two of you is basically like living one.”

Stephen takes much more offense to this than he does. “I am not like living in a movie, I am a doctor and to most people that’s boring,” he says.

“A doctor that does a lot of international conferences, has revolutionized the way people do surgery, and has made significant headway in research in various fields related to spinal surgery. That’s not really boring,” Tony points out. “Its me, but with people instead of technology.”

“Right down to the flashy personality, ridiculous cars, and arrogant attitude,” Wong agrees but Peter wrinkles his nose.

“Tony is fake arrogant, Stephen is arrogant arrogant,” he says.

Wong presses his hand to his heart, “that’s so beautiful and eloquent, I can see how you managed to get several writing jobs,” he says sarcastically. Peter flips him off but Wong remains unaffected.

“I am not arrogant arrogant,” Stephen says, “but I agree that Tony is mostly good at faking it. Give him a sad child and a kitten though and he’ll show his true colors.”

Honest to fucking god Wong pulls an actual ass cat out of the bag sitting at his feet and hands it to Tony, who takes the furry little bugger immediately. “Why aren’t we doing a video on Wong’s dramatics,” Stephen says, frowning at him.

“Because I never insisted anyone call my cape a cloak,” Wong says.

“Or decided to get my colleagues to quiz me on seventies music while doing surgery just to prove how smart and able to multitask I am,” Peter says.

“Or convinced a guy’s girlfriend to dump him just so he’ll stop driving up the price of the rare car you want and can’t even drive,” Tony adds, petting the cat’s head.

Stephen squints at him, “I know how to drive,” he says.

Tony snorts, “yeah, if you consider stomping on the gas petal and riding your breaks like you do my ass driving. Your cars are screaming at you Stephen, I know this because I’m the one servicing them. Please stop killing your break pads,” he says. And he has to go fast everywhere. Like sure, Tony loves speed, always has, but Stephen lives on it and has a bad habit of being a distracted driver.

“I’m not worse than Peter,” Stephen says and Tony lets out a laugh.

“Honey, that’s like me saying I’m not a bad surgeon because I’m more competent than a fucking gibbon. Peter drives like he fucks- absolutely crazy, entirely selfish, not really aware of what he’s doing, but somehow ends up at his destination in one piece with everyone else there with him even if you have no clue how you got there,” he says.

Wong bursts out laughing, doubling over. “That is probably the best description of sex I have ever heard,” he wheezes out while Stephen joins him in laughing. Peter looks offended though.

“Am I really that bad at sex?” he asks and Tony shrugs.

“As a sex style I don’t understand how its working for me but it does. As a driving style, I’d rather trust Jesus to take the wheel and I don’t even believe he exists.” That is, he’s sure, probably because of the bad luck he’s had with cars he isn’t driving but that’s not the point. A goddamn goat probably has more skill than Peter behind the wheel.

“He’s right,” Stephen wheezes, “that’s exactly how you drive and fuck. That’s so funny.”

“Okay you know what, this video should have been about dramatic Tony is,” Peter says.

“I don’t necessarily agree, but technically we’re supposed to be talking about Stephen’s dramatics,” Wong says, preforming wrangling duties like he belongs in these videos. Clearly he keeps up with them if he knows to play into the existing structure and running joke. Funny, because Stephen doesn’t think Wong watches them at all and he’s sure Wong lets him believe that for whatever reason. The man is a more subtle dramatic most of the time, but dramatic nonetheless.

“Right, yeah, lets talk not talk about my totally normal not bad sex habits,” Peter says. “Stephen once decided to learn magic and insisted everyone call him ‘Sorcerer Supreme’.”

Tony snorts and starts laughing because he forgot about that. Stephen’s magic phase was short lived, but he did manage to learn quite a lot so now its a useful party trick he uses to steal drunk people’s keys at parties. Tony thinks that’s for the best even if Stephen’s ability with sleight of hand is much better than simple key stealing tricks.

“I was good, I deserved credit,” Stephen says, nose in the air.

“You were good sure, but that good? Eh,” Tony says, shrugging.

Stephen gives him an annoyed look before he sits up and Tony swears to a god he doesn’t even believe in that Stephen pulls a fucking bowl of goldfish out of nowhere. “Those aren’t real fish,” he says, handing the cat off to Wong before reaching for the bowl. Stephen lets him take it until he sticks his hand in there and lets out a loud yelp as Stephen pulls the bowl back.

“You don’t grab fish, Tony!” he yells as Peter does the same thing Tony does and reacts the same way as Stephen pulls the bowl away from him too. “I just told Tony not to grab the fish!” Stephen tells him. “What is wrong with the pair of you?”

Wong hands the cat back to Tony and pulls the bowl from Stephen’s hands and looks into it. “Yeah, those are definitely real fish. Where were you hiding four fish, a bowl, and all the water? I know you didn’t have all that on you when you sat down,” he says.

Stephen sticks his nose in the air, “I am the Sorcerer Supreme,” he says in a haughty tone.

Peter stares at Stephen like he’s preformed a miracle but Tony knows there has to be some kind of explanation. But who the hell keeps a bunch of fish, a tank, the water, and the rocks at the bottom of the bowl on them at all times? And how did he assemble all that in less than seconds when Tony knows there was no fish bowl hiding under his clothing. He’s wearing normal clothes, there’s nowhere for him to hide the bowl. But he had to manage somehow.

“This is why we’re making an entire video about your dramatics,” Wong points out, preforming wrangling duties again.

“You know what,” Stephen says, “I resent that I’m the dramatic one when Peter has cost people literal millions of dollars all in an effort to fund his self insert characters that are really his way of trying to avoid actual therapy for his daddy issues. And then he cast his boyfriend as his fake father- I feel that this is more dramatic than the fish,” he says matter-of-factly. 

Tony and Peter let out twin noises of disgust because they’d only just gotten past that. “Can’t you shut the fuck up about that?” Tony asks, wrinkling his nose at Stephen.

“No, because its true. And mini Peter is fake child Peter that you mentored into manhood. How do you feel about mentoring your boyfriend’s self insert into manhood?” he asks, smiling because he damn well knows he’s just ensured that Peter and Tony won’t be able to look each other in the eye for the next month or better. Shooting the damn movie was bad enough even if Peter is actually a pretty good director though it helps that he knows Tony well.

“This is why the video is centered on your dramatics, Stephen. Its not like the other two weaponize your parental relationships they way you do just because you like being the center of attention,” Wong says, going back to wrangling. Dude is good, Tony might keep him.

Peter frowns, “okay but how does this get him more attention?” he asks and Wong looks at him like he’s stupid.

“With you two alienated from each other you both pay attention to him more. He’s terrible really, he could have just asked for more attention like a normal person but instead he went through this convoluted plan to trap you both in your own web of daddy issues. Dramatic,” he points out.

Peter and Tony look at Stephen, who shrinks into his seat as his cheeks turn a little red. “Wong is lying,” he says with zero conviction.

*

Christine snorts, “he claimed he wasn’t dramatic? He should listen to the way he describes the other doctors at the hospital then. He once said that Glen was so old the Grim Reaper was reaching out and clutching his heart for safekeeping,” she says. “Then went on to point out he’s ‘lucky that he works in a hospital otherwise he would have surely turned to dust by now,’” she adds and they all know that last bit was Stephen’s phrasing. Christine isn’t that dramatic nor does she have a flair for flowery language like Stephen.

“That’s nothing- it turns out he’s been sabotaging mine and Tony’s relationship just to get more attention. He could have just asked,” Peter points out but no, Stephen can’t be a normal human.

“Oh yeah, he does that. Don’t let him get away with it, he’s like a kid. Give him an inch and he’ll take every mile he can squeeze out of you,” Christine says. “A good way to get him out of that habit is to do the opposite of what he wants. And he’s a fast learner.”

Tony and Peter exchange a look, knowing that they’re both keeping that in mind for later. Damn Stephen. “So,” Tony says, “did Wong give you a cat too? Because he’s given us three and Stephen hates them all as much as they love him.” Its like he’s catnip and he hates it. Tony doesn’t mind though, he’ll stand near Stephen and when he doesn’t pet them they go to him and he loves all the cats. Peter mostly doesn’t care about them until he trips on them in the kitchen.

Christine sighs, “yes, I have two. Where is he getting all these cats and why is he pawning them off on us? I had to go buy a cat tree yesterday so they’ll be entertained when I’m not home,” she says.

“Wong’s cat that he previously thought was a fat neutered male cat turned out to be a very pregnant female cat so he has some spare cats,” Stephen explains as he enters the room. The cats mill around his feet as he tries, and fails, to escape them. “Please rid me of these damn fang-y beasts,” he adds as he beelines to Tony.

Tony decides to put Christine’s words into practice and he calls the cats over but ignores Stephen. He watches as Stephen looks over to Peter, but he’s trying to get the attention of the third cat that’s just out of Tony’s reach. Then he looks at Christine, who decides to pick up one of the cats at Tony’s feet. “How come Wong gave you guys the cuter ones?” she asks. “One of mine looks like it has butt hole eyes and there’s nothing wrong with it, I took it to the vet to make sure,” she says.

Peter lets out a sharp laugh that scares off the kitten at his feet, “oh my god, come back kitty I didn’t mean to scare you!” Peter says, offering the cat a bad apology before he tries to call it back.

“I don’t know, maybe Wong decided you like the ugly ones. You had that pug in college,” he points out. And fuck was that thing ever a product of its entirely fucked up genetics. It looked in two different directions, the tongue hanging out of its mouth was nearly poking it in the eye, and Tony swears that one of its legs were shorter than the rest. That thing was a caution of science gone wrong but Stephen reports that Christine loved that ugly ass mutt.

“You leave Maribelle alone, she was a proper lady,” Christine tells him.

*

Peter and Tony are watching Rocket’s rough cut of Peter’s latest way of working out his daddy issues and Tony has to admit its good. A ton of shit still needs to be cut out, but its good. Mini Peter gives a great performance and Tony knows he’s acting, but it looks so natural that it doesn’t seem like he is. “You did an amazing job,” Peter says, wrapping an arm around his waist.

He smiles, “thank your directions, I don’t know how to act,” he says.

“That’s not true, you act all the time. Peter, cut that entire scene that’s basically just Tony laughing at Mini Peter’s jokes, its useless to the plot even if its cute. And that weird three minute scene where Tony is just standing there. Who’s bad style choice was that? I like the fishing scene but it should go too, its just Tony screaming at fish that I notice he does not try to grab,” Stephen says, giving him a look. Okay it was one time and forgive him for thinking it was nuts that Stephen had actual goddamn fish in a bowl he pulled out of literally nowhere. He’s gone through that video frame by frame and he still can’t figure out how he did it. The bowl wasn’t there and then it was. Like actual magic but Tony refuses to believe that.

They ignore Stephen still, deciding to steep him in his own stupid manipulation tactics for a little while longer while he stands there looking like a tit on a log. “Okay fine, I’m sorry I messed with your relationship please pay attention to me,” he says finally. Tony and Peter must be thinking along the same line because they both snort and start laughing before Tony extends his arm to Stephen, not looking away from the screen.

Stephen happily plods over, throwing himself on the couch beside them before laying down with his head in Tony’s lap. Peter shifts so his arm is on Stephen’s shoulder and Tony pets his hair. “That’s what you get for being an ass,” Tony tells him. “Also I think the way this turned out is not very much like Peter’s usual dad self inserts. I think Rocket heard us crying,” he says.

Peter shakes his head. “Nah, he just knows how to find the best takes and sticks them together to make a somewhat cohesive storyline,” Peter says. “So I guess the best scenes deviated from my original script. Also Stephen that’s all good advice, I was thinking the same thing but honestly at this point I’m too involved to know what’s good and what’s bad.”

That, and Tony knows Rocket probably realized that right away that the cutesy scenes didn’t work but kept them in for Peter to come to the same conclusion. They’d been relevant in the script, but not so much once it’d been shot. Turns out he and Mini Peter have enough on screen chemistry to believably build a relationship without all the bonding scenes they had in there before. Well, there were only like four but still.

They sit and watch the rough cut for another good twenty minutes before Stephen speaks again. “Are you even acting?” he asks Tony. “Because this doesn’t look like you’re acting at all.”

“I am, yeah. Peter gave me good directions,” he says but Peter snorts.

“Good directing gets you a lot, but it doesn’t replace talent. You were an actor in another life,” he says.

“Technically he’s an actor in this one too,” Stephen points out. “But he should have made a career out of it. You’re better than most current actors. Certainly better than Nicolas Cage,” he says.

Tony sighs, “remember what I said about the gibbon? This is another gibbon.”

Peter snorts and starts laughing. “I’m keeping that.”

[your-dietician]

Sticky substances have more 'direct effect' than steroids

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/sports/sticky-substances-have-more-direct-effect-than-steroids/

Sticky substances have more 'direct effect' than steroids

SAN DIEGO — Former slugger David Segui can’t help but laugh at the irony.

He remembers the public’s outrage learning about the rampant use of steroids in baseball during his career, but now that Major League Baseball is cracking down on pitchers for using illegal foreign substances, the league is being chastised.

“I think pitches using the illegal substances have more of a direct effect on our performance than the steroids,’’ Segui told USA TODAY Sports. “Everybody and their brother were using steroids, but not everyone was breaking the home-run record.’’

There may have been only one Barry Bonds, but with the way pitchers have been dominating and obliterating strikeout records, everyone suddenly had become Nolan Ryan.

“It was a joke the way the pitchers were cheating,’’ San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham says. “Guys were coming back to the dugout all of the time saying, ‘That’s the best slider I’ve ever seen.’ I mean, before the crowds came back, you could actually hear the Spider Tack [traction] off guys’ fingers. I could tell you who was cheating on every team I faced.

“I don’t think people really understand the benefits of it, but we as baseball players do. If your ball is moving more and it’s sharper, that makes it harder to square up. We were playing whiffle ball out there.’’

David Segui with the Expos in 1997.

USA TODAY Sports

Indeed, look at how pitchers’ spin rate has dramatically decreased since June 3, when MLB informed the owners that they were going to begin the crackdown. Spin rates, when controlled for velocity, are at their lowest levels since 2015, according to Statcast.

“We’re already seeing certain guys’ spin rates down by 500 rpm,’’ Pham said. “Their horizontal and vertical movement are less by inches. It’s so [messed up]. Guys made careers out of it.

“These front offices should be mad signing guys to that kind of money, expect a certain thing, and now find out it wasn’t real.’’

Indeed, just like the steroid era. GMs would be furious signing or trading for a player who was using performance-enhancing drugs, only for the players to suddenly play the game clean, either because they were forced to stop with the drug testing or suddenly found morals.

Look at the difference now since June 3. You think it’s a coincidence teams are now averaging 4.59 runs a game, up from 4.36, or that batting averages are up (.244 from .236), OPS is rising .730 from .707) and strikeouts are down (23.3% from 24.2%).

And how about that silly argument by pitchers saying they need substances besides rosin to control their fastballs so they don’t hit batters?

Well, guess what?

Hitters are being hit fewer times now with pitchers being clean, with the percentage of hit batsmen dropping from 1.16 to 1.13 per game.

“That was such a cop-out,’’ said Chicago Cubs All-Star Kris Bryant. “I love that things are kind of going the other way.’’

Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer is checked for foreign substances on June 23.

Orlando Ramirez, USA TODAY Sports

Really, the cheating should have been cleaned up years ago, but everyone refused to enforce it. MLB warned pitchers two years ago to stop using illegal substances. The pitchers were told this spring that baseballs would be routinely confiscated and spin rates closely monitored.

It made no difference, and the cheating only magnified, with one starter telling USA TODAY Sports that his own agent was lobbying his clients to use illegal foreign substances.

“Unfortunately, the enhanced monitoring we implemented at the start of the season has had no impact on the behavior of many pitchers,’’ MLB said in a memo sent to every club. “The information we collected over the first two months of the season shows that the use of foreign substances by pitchers is more prevalent than we anticipated.’’

Simply, it was so out of control, MLB had no choice but to stop it now. If MLB waited until the offseason, it would have been too late.

“From a competitive standpoint, man, it was frustrating,’’ Pham said. “I play the game clean, I’ve never taken anything. I never tried to cheat the game. But most of the pitchers I was facing were cheating. We needed the commissioner to step up. I’ll be curious to see how many guys get busted. They’re going to get embarrassed. I wish MLB hardened it and took away their pay too.

“I know the pitchers aren’t happy about it, but if every batter had a corked bat, these pitchers would be outraged as well.’’

It was like back in the heart of the steroid era when MLB told its players to stop using, and came to an agreement that if at least 5% of the players tested positive for steroids in the spring of 2003, there would be testing the following year.

The players, after being given advance notice they would be tested that spring, and knowing they could start juicing without repercussions once they submitted their urine test, still couldn’t help themselves. They soared past the threshold, and MLB’s random performance-enhancing drug testing program began.

“Guys weren’t even hiding it back then,’’ said Segui, who acknowledged using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. “Come on, nobody could figure out when we came back jacked, with 3% body fat, and 20 pounds heavier. Really, you’re telling me you couldn’t tell the difference?

“It’s the same thing with these pitchers, they weren’t hiding what they were doing, either. The spin rates were out of control, and no one cared until it started to affect the game.’’

There’s no reason to blame your star pitchers who no longer are striking out 12 batters a game with a sub 2.00 ERA. Not everyone can be Jacob deGrom. But you can’t blame them for trying, right?

“Why wouldn’t you?’’ Segui says. “That’s an athlete’s mindset. If the speed limit is 40, and they’re not enforcing it, you think people are still going to drive 40?

“I’m not trying to justify it. We knew we were breaking the rules [using steroids]. But if I’m losing every race because I’m not breaking the speed limit, and the guy breaking the rules gets the trophy every time, either you start breaking the speed limit to win the race or get out of racing.’’

If you’re watching Gerrit Cole get $340 million in free agency, and Trevor Bauer getting more than $30 million a year, after their spin rates soared dramatically, what are you going to do?

“People forget that becomes the measuring stick in which you’re measured,’’ Segui said. “If you’re failing miserably in the eyes of analytics, you’re not going to be around very long.

“So, then you have a choice to make. Nobody forces you to make the decision to use Spider Tack or whatever they were using. But if you don’t, you’re going to get left behind.

“People say, ‘How about morality?’

“Come on, when has morality ever been part of professional sports?’’

Ugly in the desert

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo.

Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

The most frequently asked question among baseball executives these days is, “Why hasn’t [Arizona Diamondbacks manager] Torey Lovullo been fired?’’

The team is pitiful. They entered Sunday having lost 43 of their last 50 games, including a Major League record 24-game road losing streak. They are on pace to become only the third team in history to lose at least 117 games.

They already are the first team to have a 13-game losing streak and a 17-game losing streak that began this close together since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, according to Jayson Stark of the Athletic.

The D-backs, embarrassed by their play and on the verge of dumping players beginning with infielder Eduardo Escobar to the Chicago White Sox, privately provide three reasons for Lovullo staying on the job.

It’s not his fault the team stinks, already losing eight games this month when they’ve scored five or more runs

He’s on the final year of his contract, anyways, with no talks of an extension.

Why pay two managers at the same time when there’s no human alive who’s capable of stepping in and turning things around?

Around the basepaths

– Please, enough with the silly narrative that St. Louis Cardinals All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado may opt out of his contract. He loves St. Louis and is staying put. He told friends he wasn’t even going to opt out of his contract if he stayed with the Colorado Rockies, and it certainly isn’t an option now.

Arenado still is owed $179 million by the Cardinals through 2027, with deferred payments that will pay him $3 million a year until he’s the age of 50.

You really think anyone in their right mind would leave that and test free agency?

Not happening.

– There have been nearly 400 different pitchers who checked by Major League Baseball since the enhanced enforcement began. Only two, notably Nationals ace Max Scherzer, complained.

“Honestly, I didn’t mind it,’’ Mets Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom said. “It was quick and it went pretty easy.’’

Said Red Sox manager Alex Cora: “The way deGrom did it, he’s the best pitcher on the planet, and he took no exception. So everybody should follow suit.’’

– It can be a bit confusing in the household of Tampa Bay rookie Wander Franco, who arrived for his major-league debut this week in style, behind the wheel of a $330,000 Rolls Royce.

You see, his dad’s name is also Wander Franco. His oldest brother’s name, the one who once played with the Kansas City Royals, is Wander Javier Franco. And his other brother, who played with the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants, is Wander Alexander Franco.

Oh, and Franco’s 2-year-old son’s name? Yep, Wander Samuel Franco, Jr.

– The playoff races, as it turns out, promise to be much more intriguing this year without the expanded postseason. If the same postseason rules applied like a year ago, the Giants, Dodgers, Padres, Cubs, Brewers, Mets and perhaps a sub-.500 team would make the National League field. In the American League, the Rays, Red Sox, Yankees, White Sox, Cleveland, Astros, Athletics and the Blue Jays or Mariners would be in.

Now, we’ve got the runner-up in the NL Central fighting with the No. 3 team in the NL West for the final wild-card spot. And in the AL, you’re going to have at least seven powerful teams vying for only five spots: the Astros, Athletics, White Sox, Cleveland, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees.

It could make the July 30 trade deadline a doozy.

– Two of the greatest moves in baseball last year were by the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants for simply tendering $18.9 million qualifying offers to starters Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman.

And perhaps they were the luckiest, too, with Stroman and Gausman being the only two players who accepted the offers.

Gausman has been the best pitcher in the National League not named deGrom with his 8-1 record and 1.49 ERA. And Stroman has been a godsend for the Mets’ rotation with his 6-5 record and 2.35 ERA.

– Padres manager Jace Tingler on third baseman Manny Machado’s defensive brilliance: “That’s a bad man. I mean, just an absolute bad man. What he’s able to do defensively, and on the bases, and his baseball IQ. These plays he’s making … it’s unbelievable.”

– The pitching crackdown certainly has had a major impact on the Yankees’ offense. They ranked 13th in the American League, averaged 3.77 runs a game before June 3.

They rank eighth in the league in runs per game, 4.69, since June 3, with 29 homers in their last 15 games entering Saturday. Then again, it’s affected their pitchers, too, particularly closer Aroldis Chapman, whose spin rates have dropped dramatically.

Before June 3: Chapman was yielding a .088 batting average, .213 on-base percentage and .176 slugging percentage. After June 3: .417/.481/.750.

– While everyone else’s offense may stink, check out the Houston Astros.

They outscored the opposition 93-24 during their 11-game winning streak. Their .277 team average is 16 points higher than any team. They have struck out the fewest times. They’ve scored 35 more runs than any team. And they have have four players with an OPS above .900.

“Right now, they’re as good as it gets,’’ Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “I played against the Big Red Machine. We’re not quite the Big Red Machine, but maybe we’re the Orange Wagon or something.’’

– Is there a pitcher who has been more affected by MLB’s crackdown than Red Sox starter Garrett Richards? His spin rate on his curveball has dropped 534 rpm, and his fastball and sliders have each dropped by more than 200 rpm.

The result: In his last three starts, Richards is yielding a 9.82 ERA, lasting just 11 innings.

“It’s changed pretty much everything for me,’’ he said. “This just got brought on us real quick so I’ve only had about a week to work on it. So some guys are figuring it out sooner than others but for me, it’s taken a little bit more time so I’m just trying to figure it out.”

– The craziest part of the Cubs’ combined no-hitter this week against the Dodgers?

The only three people in the stadium who didn’t know the Cubs had a no-hitter working, as it turns out, were the Cubs’ three relievers who came into the game after Zach Davies.

“The whole bullpen had no idea, like completely oblivious,” said Cubs reliever Andrew Chafin, who pitched the eighth inning. “We couldn’t see the scoreboard with the line or whatever at the bottom.”

– Former Boston Red Sox great Dustin Pedroia, after the Red Sox ceremony honoring him Friday night and electing him into their Hall of Fame: “I’m now at peace.’’

– Los Angeles Dodgers esteemed broadcaster Charley Steiner on the haves and have-nots in baseball: “It’s the ghost of Red Klotz,’’ Steiner said, “with the Harlem Globetrotters playing the Washington Generals.’’

There already are four teams that are at least 18 ½ games out of first place without even being at the halfway mark of the season: Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies.

CC Sabathia weighs in on MLB’s “sticky” situation

CC Sabathia on how Major League Baseball needs to change

SportsPulse, USA TODAY

– Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is one of the most talented players in baseball, but that talent has been wasted with his array of injuries, costing him 279 games since 2017.

He has now missed games because of a groin strain, migraines, fractured toe, strained wrist, wrist contusion, concussion, dislocated shoulder, labrum surgery, sprained foot, hip strain and now a fractured hand that will sideline him at least a month.

“This isn’t fair,’’ Twins manager Rocco Baldelli says. “That’s how I feel about the whole thing.”

– Orioles slugger Trey Mancini will participate in the home-run derby, 15 months after having Stage 3 cancerous tumor removed from his colon.

– Keep an eye on Padres starter Blake Snell, who is starting to feel comfortable in San Diego, and vows to have a monster second half.

– There still is not a single TV broadcasting team traveling this year, and several broadcasters predict that they’ll never be on the road again. They’re not sure they are even welcome any longer on team planes, with their seats now being occupied by extra coaches and team’s analytic departments, and no one wants to pick up the extra expense.

– Shohei Ohtani, who has 24 homers this year, has hit only one of his homers while pitching in the same game, but he could still catch Babe Ruth. Ruth had four homers as a pitcher in 1915.

In Ruth’s last appearance as a pitcher on Oct. 1, 1933, he pitched a complete game and homers in the Yankees’ 6-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

The record for homers by a pitcher is Wes Ferrell, who had nine homers in 1931 for Cleveland.

– Nationals slugger Kyle Schwarber, who was non-tendered by the Cubs last winter, is playing with a chip on his shoulder to prove them wrong, and everyone else for not showing more interest.

He just hit 13 home runs in the past 14 games for the Nationals, giving him 22 for the season, after hitting only 11 homers in 59 games last season with the Cubs.

The only hitter with a greater two-week streak was Barry Bonds in 2001 when he hit 14 homers in 14 games, to go along with his insane 1.926 OPS.

– The Dodgers have played only 11 games all season with Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy in the same lineup.

– Kudos to Atlanta starter Ian Anderson, who became the first native New Yorker to defeat the Mets and Yankees in New York during the same season. Anderson is from Clifton Park, N.Y., about 25 minutes north of Albany.

“Pretty cool,’’ he said.

– Congratulations to Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson, who reached his 10 years of major-league service this past week. Not bad for a 50th-round draft pick in 2006, the 1,475th player chosen in the draft.

“I’m definitely going to enjoy the milestone for me, getting 10 years,” Dyson said. “Not many big leaguers get 10 years in this game. For me being a 50th-round draft pick, and to get 10 years, is a blessing.”

– The Yankees are the first team to have a no-hitter and turn three triple plays in the same season since 1886 Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers.

– It was strange and uncomfortable for Tigers manager A.J. Hinch to listen to Tigers’ fans booing and taunting Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa this weekend for his role in the infamous cheating scandal. Hinch, of course, was the manager of that Astros team who was caught cheating in 2017 when they won the World Series.

“I understand the league in general, not just Tigers fans, has an opinion,’’ Hinch says. “But I also was in the same dugout with those guys not too long ago. So yeah, it’s uncomfortable.’’

– The Dodgers are expected to finalize plans to visit the White House on their upcoming trip to Washington D.C.

“I’m personally excited if the opportunity presents itself,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says. “I think our coaches and players are as well. I hope the Vice President, Kamala (Harris), is there. I’d love to meet her as well as the president. It’s an honor.

“Most champions get that opportunity, so it’s something I’ve always dreamed about.”

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[whovianfeminism]

Reflecting on Grief

Forwards or Backwards? Earth, or an alien planet? Or somewhere entirely outside of time and space as we know it?

That’s part of the thrill of watching Doctor Who. Step inside that blue box, and you could be taken anywhere. And every fan has wondered, at some point, where they would go if they were given that chance.

Peter Capaldi was asked where he would want to go at Calgary Expo earlier this year. He gave a few lighthearted answers about seeing the Beatles or the pyramids, before eventually saying: "I think I’d go see my folks, who aren’t here anymore.”

I used to have wild dreams about where I might go too, but since my I lost my dad, grandpa, and uncle this year, my heart has been right with Peter. 

Hand on the lever, with all of time and space before me, all I would want to do is go home.

Doctor Who has always been comfort food for me. No matter how confused or messed up this world could be, it gave me hope that there was something I could do to get through it. Evil could be defeated, justice could be found, and loss – while painful – could be overcome.

But after everything that happened, I was reluctant to come back. With my own pain so fresh, even Doctor Who could be too much. There are too many painful losses. There’s too much to dwell on. There are too many girls with dead and dying fathers. 

I did come back to watch Series 10, thinking I might be safe from those painful feelings. And then along came Bill Potts, who lost her mother when she was a baby and had almost no photographs of her to keep her memory alive.

At the time “The Pilot” premiered my family was preparing for my father’s funeral, and I was in charge of collecting photographs from family and friends. It was a heartbreaking task. I marked out the whole path of his life, from childhood to adulthood, documenting the things he loved to do and his relationships with the family and friends he left behind. There were official photographs with his sarcastic smiles, and candid pictures capturing small tics of his personality that we’d never see again.

Bill asked the Doctor if pictures could really help after someone’s gone, and my immediate, bitter thought was that they don’t help nearly as much as you want them to. 

But then the Doctor traveled back in time to capture new photos of Bill’s mother for her. The dam burst and I cried through that scene as Bill did. Pictures aren’t nearly good enough, but when they’re all you have, they help more than you could imagine.

It was little moments like this that brought me back to Doctor Who while I grieved each of my losses. So much of grief is wrapped up in time – time borrowed and lost, regretted and re-lived, stolen and reclaimed. You spend far too much time reliving each terrible moment of your loss, pulling it apart piece by piece to figure out where everything went wrong. You regret the moments you didn’t take advantage of – the conversations you never had, the questions you never got answered. And you’re haunted by the future you were supposed to have with that person in your life. 

Friends and family and a good therapist will tell you that you have to accept that there’s nothing you can do to change what happened. That’s true and good advice, but not always advice we’re ready to act on when our pain is fresh. Doctor Who gives you space to say to hell with that. Every impossible scenario ever dreamed up in grief is possible in a show where time and space aren’t boundaries any more. We’re free to imagine the impossible and indulge in denial and bargaining for just a little while longer. We can imagine going back in time to see the people we loved one last time. We might even imagine going back in time to save their life.

When my dad was in the hospital, I kept going back again and again to “Father’s Day,” the story from Series 1 where Rose goes back in time and tries to save her dad from being killed in a car accident. I’d only ever seen it once, and it shook me so much that I never wanted to watch it again. It wasn’t just the thought that one day I would also lose my dad – that just seemed like an inevitable fact of life. I was terrified by the thought that maybe I’d know his death was coming, and still be powerless to stop it. That I could only sit there and watch it happen. 

The moment where Rose finally says goodbye to her dad tormented me while my dad was dying. All I wanted to do was go back in time and just fix it. I knew exactly what I would say and do, but instead I was stuck waiting for the inevitable to happen. But when all I wanted to do was run away and hide from it all, I reminded myself that I wouldn’t get any do-overs. 

I stayed, and I held his hand.

Grief, like time, doesn’t move in a straight line. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance don’t pass one after the other in a neat, predictable order. You swing back and forth between each emotion, sometimes going around and around in circles. 

If you want to know what grief looks like, watch “Heaven Sent.” Grief is our own bespoke torture chamber, a hell of our own making. It has a way of bringing out all of our deepest regrets and fears. And every time you think you’ve found a way out, you’re dumped back in again.

Until one day, you’re free.

I finally went back to watch “Father’s Day” a few months ago. It was painful, but unexpectedly easier to watch this time around. After all, my worst fear had already been realized. There was nothing it could scare me with anymore. Yet strangely, I felt comforted afterwards too. It felt like exorcising a bad dream. 

After a loss, it’s normal to obsess over what you or anyone else could’ve done differently. It’s not entirely rational – even if you did think of something that could’ve been done differently, you can’t change what happened – but that doesn’t stop the thoughts of “if only…” from keeping you up at night. 

Knowing you can’t change anything is very different from accepting it. And somehow it was easier to get that message from a science-fiction show where everything might be possible. Doctor Who doesn’t answer phrases like “If only I could have done this differently" with “You can’t.” It says, “Let’s try.” There’s space to release every grief-driven fantasy that’s trapped and clawing at your chest and tormenting you in nightmares.

But Doctor Who rarely provides pure wish fulfillment. The Doctor and his companions can’t always save everyone. Rose doesn’t get to save her dad. He was always going to die. And as awful as it sounds, it was comforting to see the Doctor and his companions fail. Even with hindsight and a time machine, they can’t change everything. 

It took all the power out of thoughts of “if only…” Somehow I needed to go to the most absurd, impossible scenario to accept that there was really, truly, nothing I could change that would bring my loved ones back. Because no matter what I could go back and change, it still might not have been enough. Seeing the Doctor and Rose and Bill and Clara and so many others discover the limits to their own abilities helped me accept how limited my own actions were. 

The thoughts of “if only...” won’t go away, not entirely. But they can’t hurt me anymore.

Life moves on, and I get a little closer to acceptance and something almost like being okay. It doesn’t help that this year manages to exceptionally suck even beyond my own family’s grief.

After Deborah Watling passed away in July, I went back and watched “The Tomb of the Cybermen” again. It’s one of my favorite stories, but I’d been avoiding it this year. At the start of this story, Victoria has just lost her father, but the poor girl doesn’t get much time to grieve. Instead, she’s rushed in and out of the TARDIS with barely enough time to change into a short dress before she’s thrown back into another terrifying adventure. 

But midway through the story, we pause for one of the most heartfelt scenes in the whole history of the show. As the rest of their companions sleep, the Doctor and Victoria sit together and talk about their families. Victoria confesses that although she enjoys being with the Doctor and Jamie, she still misses her father. She’s convinced that her memories of him will always be sad, tainted by the memory of his death. When the Doctor tries to convince her they won’t, she says that he probably can’t even remember his family, considering how old he must be.

The Doctor responds:

Oh yes, I can when I want to. And that’s the point, really. I have to really want to, to bring them back in front of my eyes. The rest of the time they sleep in my mind, and I forget. And so will you. Oh yes, you will. You’ll find there’s so much else to think about. 

The first time I watched this story, the Doctor’s comment felt unnecessarily cruel. After all, Victoria’s still coping with her father’s death. The last thing she wants to be told is that one day she’ll forget him.

But now I realize that’s not what the Doctor is saying at all. Victoria will always carry her memories of her father. But at that moment, they’re looming over everything else in her life. She can’t enjoy her time with the Doctor and Jamie without thinking about how her father isn’t there to enjoy it with her. But in time, they won’t overwhelm her. That grief and pain and sadness will fade. And Victoria will eventually be able to move forward with her life.

This, I think, is the hardest part of grief. Building a life without your loved one is a way of acknowledging that they are gone. It feels like we are leaving them behind. It feels wrong to imagine a future where my grandfather and uncle won’t get to tease my partner, where my father won’t walk me down the aisle, where none of them will meet or help me raise my children. 

But as another dearly missed companion once said, everything has its time. I wish we had more together, but I’ll treasure every moment that I had. 

[dailyironfamily]

day 05 - soulmate au

Day five of my November Fic Challenge is a personal favorite, soulmates! I went with soulmate identifying marks as the particular trope, always a classic.

This fic features Tony/Rhodey morphing into Pepper/Tony/Rhodey and takes place mostly pre-IM1 and some during IM2.

When Jim wakes up on his twelfth birthday and sees the partial soulmate mark on his skin, he’s both exhilarated and frightened. Not everyone gets one, and he’d been worried he’d be one of those people. Now that he sees it, however, bright blue mark like a beacon on his inner thigh (and that’s going to be an annoying spot, isn’t it, but at least it’s easy to hide), he’s more worried about what it means. The thought of having someone out there who’s supposedly your one true love is pretty big for a twelve year-old to process.

From what he can see, it’s some sort of triangle pattern inside a circle, but he won’t be able to tell for sure until he finds the person who has the other half of the design. Though...it’s awfully small to be half a soulmate mark. It looks kind of like there’s more missing than there should be.

He shows him mom and asks her if something’s wrong with him, that his mark is even less complete than it’s supposed to be. She hugs him and tells him there’s nothing wrong, but he’s pretty sure that’s what moms are supposed to say in situations like these.

Ughhh, he really should not have drunk that much, Tony laments as he pulls a pillow and all the blankets off the nearest bed, dropping them on the floor and then laying face down on top of the pile. He’s only met the roommate of his current drinking buddy a couple times—James something—but he’s sure he won’t mind.

He’s halfway into what he’s pretty sure is a coma when he hears the door open behind him and he says, “What, you strike out with Martha already?”

The voice that answers is definitely not the one he’s expecting.

“Who are you and why are you on my floor?” asks the mysterious roommate, James something.

“It’s Tony,” he mumbles, but when he tries to look over his shoulder it makes his forehead throb and he drops his head back onto the pillow he stole. He hunches his shoulders, clutching the pillow closer, and groans. “I’m in the middle of dying, so if you could leave me alone—”

“Hey, that’s—that’s mine!”

At first he thinks the guy’s just offended that Tony had stolen stuff off his bed, but James sounds shocked, and slightly horrified, which is a bit of an overreaction to borrowed blankets, in Tony’s opinion. So he forces himself up on his elbows, twisting around to see James pointing at him.

Tony looks down at where he’s pointing, then back up at the guy, and grins. “My ass?”

“No!” He takes a step forward, then stops as if thinking better of it. “That.”

It’s only then that Tony realizes his shirt had hidden up, exposing his lower back and, more importantly, the bright blue of his soulmark. He feels even sicker than he did a minute ago, the implication of James’s words hitting him like a sucker punch to the stomach.

“No way,” he says, sitting up the rest of the way, ignoring his aching head. James starts taking off his jeans and Tony panics even further. “What are you doing!”

“What—? Calm down, I have to show you—”

Tony decidedly does not want to see anything this guy has to show him under his pants, but he doesn’t look away, even as James kicks off his jeans and twists his leg to show Tony his inner thigh, a frighteningly similar blue mark on his skin.

“Holy shit.” He’s up on his knees in a flash, crawling closer to get a better look. It’s the same color as his, and the same design: the corner of a double triangle, with a circle around it, and lines connecting the two. Turning around, he tugs his shirt up and tries to look at his lower back, comparing the two marks.

James is staring too, one hand on the bedpost to steady himself. “Holy shit is right. Aren’t you like, twelve?”

“I’m fifteen,” Tony protests. “And I know you, you got in a year early, didn’t you? You’re only like, seventeen.”

James is still staring at his back, so Tony drops his shirt, pulling the hem down.

“Does it seem like…we’ve only got thirds?” James asks tentatively after a moment. Tony doesn’t answer. He’d suspected as much since he saw his mark for the first time as a kid, but seeing James’s mark now confirms it. They each only had a third of a mark.

“Christ.” James sinks down to the floor, sitting in the nest of blankets Tony had made. “There’s another one of us.”

Tony was way too drunk to process this right now. He’d already found it hard to wrap his head around the fact he had one soulmate, but two? It happened sometimes, sure, but not to him. Two people who could love him, supposedly for forever. It’s impossible.

James pulls him from his thoughts by holding out his hand. Tony stares at it, confused, before slowly taking it in his own hand. “I’m James Rhodes,” James says, shaking his hand. “I think we’re soulmates.”

“Hi,” Tony says stupidly, staring up at his face instead of their clasped hands now. “I’m Tony Stark.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Tony.” James smiles, and even through his drunken haze, Tony doesn’t think he ever wants to look at anything else but that.

Pepper has never shown her soulmate mark to anyone. She keeps it hidden, even from the people she’s dating. Sex complicates things a little, but if someone really wants to dump her for keeping a bra on the whole time, they weren’t worth dating anyway.

Regardless, most people assume she doesn’t have one, and she likes it that way. If there’s someone out there who truly is perfect for her, they’ll have to earn her love just like anyone else.

So the first time she sees Tony Stark’s lower back, and the mark on it, she chokes on her coffee.

“Don’t be such a prude, Potts,” he remarks idly, because she’s holding paparazzi photos of him naked on a beach, and clearly he thinks she’s horrified by the sight of his bare ass.

She clears her throat, gratefully grabbing onto the unintended misdirection he provided. “I just hadn’t expected them to be such…clear shots.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I even promised Rhodey nobody would find us there.”

And that’s the real kicker, isn’t it. She’s only been Tony’s P.A. for a few months, but she knows that Tony and Rhodes are an item, of the soulmate variety, despite them keeping it on the very down low. But here’s Tony Stark, nude photos in hand, bearing the same mark she has carefully covered above her right breast. Even if she was mistaken about him and Rhodes being soulmates, she certainly wasn’t going to break them up because of a silly bit of ink.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Stark,” she tells him firmly, gathering up the photos. “I’ll take care of this. The photos’ll be gone before you know it.”

Tony smiles, that same grateful little smile he seems to direct at her more often than not, the one she’s never sure how to interpret. “You’re the best, Potts.”

“I know,” she agrees with a nod, then heads off to get to work.

It’s fine for years until finally it isn’t. She’s not sure where the tipping point is—the incident in Afghanistan? Before that? The night he danced with her and then disappeared? Whenever it is, she’s watching Tony tell the world he is Iron Man, and something breaks.

She loves Tony Stark.

He and Rhodey are still together though, and she’s not breaking up a relationship that’s gone on, from what she can tell, for over a decade. She loves Tony Stark and he doesn’t love her. Which is fine. She’s always thought this soulmate nonsense was exactly that: nonsense. Nothing in the world is perfect and fated and whatever other lies the media likes to tell about soulmates. Real people have problems.

Granted, most people’s problems don’t involve kidnappings and betrayal and giant metal suits, but Tony’s always been special.

It’s not until Tony’s handing her the keys to the kingdom, so to speak, that she personally snaps.

“That’s it! I can’t do this anymore,” she mutters, setting down her glass of champagne and grabbing the hem of her shirt instead.

Tony, understandably, freaks out as she pulls her shirt off. “Jesus, Pep, stop—you don’t have to have sex with me to get the company, that’s not—”

She ignores him, dropping her shirt, and tugs at the edge of her bra, revealing the blue mark there, almost too pale to see against her fair skin. Tony freezes, shocked into silence. Pepper takes this rare opportunity to speak.

“I haven’t said anything because I know you and Rhodey...you’ve got something really good, and I didn’t want to mess that up. You’re my best friends, and honestly, soulmates are ridiculous, you know? So what if we’ve got matching tattoos we didn’t ask for? Why does that have to mean—”

Tony finally finds his voice only to say, “Oh my God, Pepper,” and she startles, falling silent. Instead of saying anything else, Tony pulls out his phone, fingers flying across the screen, and she frowns in confusion.

“What are you—?” She catches sight of a series of what look like racy photos and she leans back, saying, “Don’t you dare show me a dick pic right now, Tony.”

“No, wait, listen.” He taps on one to enlarge it, using his other hand to cover anything indecent in the photo. It wouldn’t have mattered either way, because Pepper only has eyes for the mark on Rhodey’s leg—because whose else could it be? Her jaw drops slightly, staring at a second identical mark to her own.

“So you—you are soulmates?” Her brow wrinkles in confusion, looking back up at Tony.

“I think we’re all soulmates,” Tony says slowly, looking her straight in the eye, and Pepper sees only sincerity and, to her surprise, hope.

“I think you need to call Rhodey,” she says after taking a deep breath, picking up her shirt and putting it back on. “We’ve got a lot to discuss.”

“I can’t believe I told you we were soulmates and you didn’t tell us you were dying!” she shouts as soon as they’re all alone. Vanko’s done, Hammer’s in jail, SHIELD finally isn’t bothering them, the expo’s a mess, but at least they’re all together and alive.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” Tony says weakly, because it had sounded like a good idea at the time but now that he’s faced with Pepper and Rhodey’s wrath it was clearly a terrible idea.

“Oh yeah, because your behavior really rid us of any worry,” Rhodey snaps, then sighs, wrapping his arms around Tony and pulling him into a tight hug. “You idiot.”

Pepper hovers on the edge of the hug, uncertain, then steps in to throw her arms around them both. Tony just closes his eyes and basks in their warmth until Rhodey lets go and steps back, saying,

“All right, so let’s see it.”

“See what?”

He points to Tony’s chest and oh yeah, neither of them have seen the new reactor. Suddenly embarrassed, he pulls up the hem of his shirt, showing them the new design. It’s a circle, of course, with two triangles inside it, and lines connecting the outer triangle to the circle. Their full soulmark, finally complete.

“Oh,” Pepper says very quietly, hand covering her mouth.

Rhodey smiles, grabbing Tony’s hands and tugging them away from his shirt, drawing him back into his embrace. “You’ve always been a huge sap.”

“I’m still mad at you,” Pepper mumbles, but she doesn’t stop them from pulling her back into the hug too.

“I think I can live with that,” Tony replies, settling his hand on her hip, “as long as it means you’re sticking around.”

Pepper smiles, glancing between both men and their hopeful expressions. “Yeah. I guess it does.”

[slrlounge1]

Four Decades Later: An Interview with Rick Friedman | SLR Lounge Artist Feature

Our “SLR Lounge Artist Feature” articles highlight some of the very best photographers in the world. This article features award-winning photographer Rick Friedman of Rick Friedman Photography (Boston, MA). Rick has been a photographer for going on four decades, getting his start in photojournalism in the mid 1970s. We recently met Rick while hanging out near the Tamron booth at WPPI 2019, and got to know him a bit further over a few emails and phone calls. So, what’s Rick up to in 2019? Well, read on and be inspired by a true master of photography, lighting, and story telling!

[Related: “Interview with Kate Woodman | SLR Lounge Artist Feature (NSFW)”]

Thanks so much for taking the time for an interview, Rick. Could you start out by talking a bit about how you got into photography?

When I got out of college, I was working as a teacher and got a part time job working at a camera store in Harvard Square [mid 1970s]. Soon after, they offered me a full-time job, and I didn’t go back to teaching. A couple people that would come into that store had a big influence on me and my career. One was George Riley, who worked for UPI (United Press International). George was always willing to teach any young photographer the trade, as long as they were willing to put in the time.

The other person was Arthur Grace, who, at the time, was working for Time. But it was really George Riley who taught me how to be a photojournalist. And, more and more, I began working for UPI on a regular basis.

By a fluke, I went and took a photograph of Arthur Fiedler, long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. On a whim, I went and rang his doorbell. I asked if I could photograph him, and he said I could. It was the fist time in 50 years that he would not be conducting on July 4th. I took a roll of black and white for UPI and a roll of Ektachrome, but no one was interested in the color. Undaunted, I called Black Star, and they were interested. Now, at that time, you mailed in the film. You didn’t develop it. You overnighted it. Unfortunately, Mr. Fiedler passed away while the film was in transit. Of course, everyone called me back and wanted the film, but Black Star had it. And from there, I suddenly had a connection at Black Star.

My first real assignment for Black Star was to cover Pope John Paul II coming to the US. And that was the beginning of a twenty-eight-year relationship with Black Star. All done on a handshake. What a nice way to do work, right? Within a short time, I was also regularly doing assignments for Newsweek. And I am still an active photojournalist today, currently represented by Polaris Images.

You’ve covered several presidents and are still covering politics. How has the landscaped changed? What’s a piece of advice you’d give someone looking to cover politics as a photojournalist?

Well, from the very beginning, I loved covering early presidential campaigns. You quite simply have more access. It’s before the motorcades, the crowds, Secret Service, and all the security.

When I first started, I did a little bit with Carter and did a lot on the Reagan v. Bush campaign. My first Newsweek cover was actually when Reagan won the New Hampshire primary. I was on assignment to cover Bush. After Reagan won, I photographed Bush’s speech and then drove from Manchester to Concord, dumped my car in a snow bank and ran into the room, setting up 15 minutes before Reagan’s speech. I got a photograph of Reagan that made the cover of Newsweek.

Of course, today, you can’t do that. You can’t just walk into the room 15 minutes before a high-profile politician is about to speak. It’s unheard of. But yeah, it’s the access that you have early on that makes it fun. When they’re campaigning in a bar with twenty people, for example …

And as far as advice? Be nice. When you are covering a campaign early on, introduce yourself to everyone, especially security and police. Because when access is restricted or they’re only allowing in three photographers? They’ll remember you and let you in.

You have photographed quite a few celebrities, and also regularly photograph professors from local universities. That’s a diverse, and very interesting, clientele for head shots. How do you make that happen, i.e. get a celebrity to be comfortable with you or relate to a professor who is an expert in area with which you aren’t familiar?

When you deal with celebrities, you, of course, get a ‘Do and Do Not List’ from their people. For Anthony Hopkins, for example, the entire ‘Do Not List’ was simply that I couldn’t have anyone on set who wasn’t working. We spent an hour with him, telling jokes, etc. In preparation, I watched several of his earliest movies. And I asked him, because I was wondering about it, if he ever went, wearing a disguise, to see how people reacted to his movies when he first started out. He said he didn’t have to wear a disguise, because no one knew who he was! He couldn’t have been nicer.

Basically, my rule is to know everything I can about a subject before I photograph them. You have to be able to talk to your subjects/ask them a question about what they do. It accomplishes a couple of things. First, it breaks down any barriers. Second, it helps them relax, because it shows them that you care enough about what they do to learn something about it.

And it’s similar with professors. I photographed, as another example, a professor of physics, where I had 15 minutes to photograph her. In fact, I had been reading up on physics for three days in advance of the session: textbooks and some work on string theory, which was her area of expertise. I asked a few questions, and she asked how long I’d been studying physics. I told her three days, and our 15 minutes became an hour. And then we had lunch.

So, that’s how you get through to a subject. Realistically, anyone can buy a camera and push a button. Not everyone knows what to do with their subject to create a photograph …

You’re well-known for your lighting workshops, and your Location Lighting Workshops in particular. What are a few of your go-to lighting tips for lighting “on location”?

First, know your lighting equipment.

Second, do your best to plan everything out in advance, so you are ready for any possible situation.

Third, know how to control your light and plan what light modifiers you might need. For example, I will often mix speedlights and portable studio strobes. For speedlights I use Nissin Flashes. In the studio I use Dynalite, and on location I use Dynalite Baja portable strobes.

On major shoots, I will bing several sizes of soft boxes, strip lights, grid sets, gobos, and, of course, my Sekonic flash meter. If I am using speedlights, I’ll bring Rogue Flashbender XL2 and Rogue Grid sets. I also work a lot using Rosco gels and cinefoil. On some shoots the gels become a major part of the final photograph, and, other times, I might just use a 1/2 CTO (orange filter) to bring out warm highlights in the hair …

The photograph above is a good example of a quick lighting set up. The model in the photograph is my former assistant Hyunah Jang, who is now a successful photographer in the San Francisco area. And that’s the basis of what I teach in my Location Lighting Workshops, I teach across the US and UK.

Likely, most photographers reading this interview are wondering how you are still rocking it some 40 years later? It’s impressive! So, can you give us your secret?

It’s fun. I love the challenge of all the different kinds of work I get to do. I could be covering the President one day, a noted scientist or professor the next, and then be off on a travel story overseas. Truly, I have the best job in the world. I get to jump in and out of people’s lives. I describe it like this: I have gotten my college education one hour at a time, from some of the greatest minds in the world.

And one last question, Rick! Who and/or what companies are you working with that make your job that much more enjoyable?

First off, I have a wonderful photography partner (pictured above). Her name is Keiko Hiromi, and we’ve been working together for 15 years now, even though she is an award-winning photographer in her own right. As far as companies and products, I only have relationships with companies whose products I actually use and have used for years. I am very proud to represent Tamron as an official Tamron Ambassador, and with Rosco, I created the Rosco Location Lighting Kit by Rick Friedman. I also work with the following companies that I didn’t mention in the interview already: Click Props Backdrop, ExpoImaging, Hoodman, LensBaby, Mindshift, PocketWizard,  and ThinkTank Photo.

You can check out more of Rick Friedman’s work on his website. Also, be sure to connect with him over on Facebook and Instagram as well. Finally, you can learn more about his upcoming education events and lighting workshops here, including the Can Am Photo Expo (Buffalo, NY, from April 26-28, 2019), a Tamron Benefit Seminar for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life  (Commack, NY, May 2, 2019), and his next Location Lighting Workshop at Cardinal Camera in (Lansdale, PA, May 4, 2019).

Thanks for checking out our latest artist feature! Quick reminder before you go! Don’t forget to submit by the April 30 deadline to be considered for SLR Lounge’s April 2019 awards competition. Remember that anyone can sign up for an SLR Lounge account for free and submit. However, Premium Members are able to submit up to three photographs each month!

      from SLR Lounge http://bit.ly/2GtD33C via IFTTT

[flauntpage]

What Did We Learn About the 76ers this Weekend?

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  I guess we could start by saying that the Hawks and Hornets aren’t very good.

One team is 34 and 44, the other is 22 and 55, and neither is going to the playoffs.

But the Sixers played both on the road, first beating Atlanta in Atlanta by double digits without Joel Embiid. Then they turned it around for a quirky 1 p.m. Sunday game in Charlotte without Embiid and Dario Saric, winning by an even bigger margin.

That has to count for something, right? This team took out the trash on the road while short-handed, which is what great teams do.

Ben Simmons

He put up 13, 12, and 11 on Friday night followed by 20, 8, and 15 yesterday afternoon. Add 4 blocks, 4 steals, and just three turnovers, and that’s a pair of lines that will win you games.

Simmons has compiled 60 assists over the last five games against a total of just 12 turnovers, so when you calculate his assist/TO margin, he’s pulling a flat 5 number. That’s well above his season average of 2.39 and also eclipses Spencer Dinwiddie’s league-leading 4.24 mark. In more simple terms, he’s just slinging the basketball around with incredible efficiency since the calendar hit “spring,” which is funny to me since it’s snowing outside.

And it’s not like Simmons is getting a ton of bogus assists on dribble hand-offs or easy dump off passes, he’s putting up that A/TO while trying high-degree difficulty stuff like this:

You can’t name 10 guys in the world who run the fast break better than Ben Simmons, my goodness. pic.twitter.com/1FkFrGzGWP

— Kermit (@HeyItsKermit_) March 31, 2018

And that’s one reason why I think the Sixers’ turnover issue is overblown. You connect on that pass and it’s ambitious, highlight-reel stuff. You miss, it’s an awful turnover. There’s just a higher degree of risk/reward when it comes to some of the passes the Sixers are throwing, which is responsible somewhat for their turnover issue. Obviously that doesn’t take into account Joel Embiid losing the handle or the stepping out of bounds that seems to happen at least once per game, things that have nothing to do with passing the ball.

That said:

Turnovers

They’re still happening.

Even in ten straight wins, this is what it looks like:

They went for a season low of five turnovers in the Brooklyn win, then coughed it up more than 15 times in four of the next five games, all wins.

So they’re 10-0 dating back to March 15th with 14.2 turnovers per game. Seems like a lot, but that number actually puts you right in the middle of the league, 16th place between Miami and Oklahoma City. The Sixers are still the worst turnover team in the NBA, but it’s not affecting the win/loss column at all, and they’ve steadily driven that number down to something manageable over the past two months.

More importantly, they’re playing good defense, shooting the ball well, and compensating in other areas, which is what they’ve done all year long.

The bench

Does Bryan Colangelo get any credit for bringing in Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova or nah?

I asked that question on Twitter Sunday, sort of a rhetorical query for people who are down on the Sixers’ general manager. On one hand, these are easy, post-deadline acquisitions that didn’t require the loss of resources. On the other hand, you could say these guys simply wanted to come play with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

“They chose us.”

Really, then, do you give Colangelo props for boosting the Sixers bench, or not?

No. He did nothing other than pick up the phone. Give him credit for drafting Fultz. Oh wait he traded a pick when he could have stayed at three. He gets credit for JJ, Amir, and my favorite Bayless. Are you impressed yet?

— philly fan. (@jcallan27) April 1, 2018

Hard to argue with that.

Another one:

Yes. They have improved the team depth quite a bit. I don't think they were really genius GM moves, but he gets credit.

— Rob Zane (@zaner28) April 1, 2018

And this:

No, They were both released from their previous team and it didn’t cost them anything. Both are better than what they had. Adding both was a no-brainer.

— The Lion King (@TTP_ThatsMe) April 2, 2018

The overwhelming thing with Colangelo is that everything he’s done has seemed to be… how would I say it…

….I guess everything he’s done – all of the positive things – were pretty obvious and straightforward. Need a veteran shooter? Sign Redick for 22 million. Need another veteran shooter? Go get Marco Belinelli for free. Trevor Booker not cutting it for you? Go get Ersan Ilyasova for free.

Beyond that, I think everything he does, anything super meaningful, is always going to be met with this line of thinking:

“Well, did Paul George come to Philly because of Bryan Colangelo? No, he came to play alongside Embiid and Simmons.”

“Well, did Redick take a pay cut because of Colangelo? No, he took one because he likes playing for Brett Brown.”

“Well, did the Sixers become relevant because of Colangelo? No, that was Sam Hinkie’s doing.”

Know what I’m saying?

I don’t know how much credit BC does or doesn’t deserve, but he’s going to be dogged with those kinds of qualifiers for however long he’s in charge. His job is to take what Hinkie did and get the Sixers to the finish line, and his Philadelphia stint will always be judged as complementary to what Hinkie put in place.

Whether or not you want to applaud the Ilyasova and Belinelli additions, their contributions are undeniable. They went for a combined 38 points on Sunday and 32 points on Friday.

Belinelli is currently shooting at his highest marks dating back to his first San Antonio season:

Not bad.

And Ilyasova is giving you 9.9 and 5.6 off the bench with the ability to step in for Dario Saric as a similarly-skilled power forward, putting up 16 Sunday in a starting role.

Long gone are the days of Jerryd Bayless and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot junking up the bench, and even if Bryan Colangelo is the one who put that bench together in the first place, at least he got it fixed without giving up any assets, unless you want to loop in the Booker trade, which was more about getting rid of Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas.

We’ll see what happens this summer before passing ultimate judgment on the GM.

Amir and Richaun

Getting the job done.

Brown played it exactly how I thought he would on Sunday, starting Amir Johnson and handing him 17-20 minutes, then letting Richaun Holmes play a bigger chunk off the bench while using Saric and Ilyasova as that 5/4 combination.

It didn’t work that way yesterday because of Saric’s absence, so Johnson was asked to play 31 minutes in a starting role and Holmes was given 17 off the bench.

As soon as Saric comes back, I think you’re looking at the former being the case again. Assuming Dario can go tomorrow against Brooklyn, I think it’s high-teens minutes for Amir, 20 or so for Richaun, then show your smaller lineup in the third and fourth quarter. The Nets shouldn’t present much difficulty at home, but you’ve got a tricky back-to-back in Detroit the following night.

I don’t really see the big deal with the Johnson vs. Holmes debate right now. They like Amir’s defense and veteran savvy. Holmes is the better offensive player. With Embiid out, you’ve got meaningful minutes for both players, and when you move on from Amir and his $11 million in the summer, Holmes steps in to be Joel’s backup next year.

Richaun has played 623 minutes this season, so it’s not like he’s been glued to the pine for the entire year. He’s been squeezed out of the rotation for chunks at a time, but nothing that I think is hindering his development or growth. When next year rolls around, he theoretically takes on a more meaningful role while hopefully improving his contributions on the defensive end.

So what did we learn from two rather pedestrian wins?

I think Ben Simmons is your (obvious) rookie of the year, this team has depth for the first time in a long time, and they’re handling the cupcakes in business-like fashion.

          What Did We Learn About the 76ers this Weekend? published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[ratharee]

1-117 do it :')

Okay fine, I suppose I did ask for it 😜

1: Let’s start with a tricky one; what is the real reason you are confused right now?

How people can be so blind and ignorant. It confuses me.

2: Do you ever get “good morning” texts from anyone?

Yes I do sometimes and it’s quite nice.

3: If your significant other smoked pot, would you care?

I’d prefer it, but he doesn’t.

4: Do you find it easy to trust others?

No.

5: What were you doing at 11PM last night?

Probably something with the reptiles or on here.

6: You’re drunk and lost walking down the road; who is with you?

God lmfao

7: What would you do if you found out you had been cheated on?

I called into work and managed to through my incoherent babbling tell them I couldn’t come in, screamed and threw shit, cried, lots of crying. Burned some of his stuff and threw other stuff off a cliff. I’m not going to type the rest because it went on for awhile and I’m not proud of the shit I did afterwards. Now I’d just move the fuck on.

8: Are you close with your dad?

I met my bio Dad when I was 14, it’s been weird. We are ok now but I wouldn’t say close. My Dad who isn’t biological my Dad, I am very close to. He’s the shit!

9: I bet you kissed someone last night, right?

You win!!!

10: What are you listening to?

Schneider skinks digging around in the sand.

11: You can only drink ONE liquid for the rest of your life - what is it?

Gasp get ready for this….WATER!!!

12: Do you like hickeys?

Not where people can see them, but I like them.

13: What time do you go to bed?

Four am ish.

14: Is there someone who continuously lets you down?

Yea that would be my Mother.

15: Can you text as quickly with one hand as you do both?

Naw bitch.

16: Do you always answer your texts?

No, no I do not.

17: Do you hate the person you fell the hardest for?

No, I don’t.

18: When was the last time you talked to one of your best friends?

Today.

19: Is there someone that makes you happy every time you see them?

Quite a few people actually :)

20: What was your last thought before you went to bed last night?

Did I remember to turn off all the geckos UVBs?

21: Is anyone else in the room with you?

Human, no.

22: Do you believe what goes around comes around?

I do, that’s why some people don’t even have friends or people who like them or even a place to live because no one wants them around :3

23: Were you happier four months ago than you are now?

Nope, the opposite.

24: Is there someone you wish you could fix things with?

A couple people I suppose.

25: In the past week, have you cried?

I have several mental illnesses, crying is just part of my life lmao.

26: What colour is the shirt you are wearing?

It’s black, like my soul.

27: Do people ever call you by your last name?

Like one person.

28: Is anyone ignoring you right now?

Not that I know of.

29: Do you have a best friend?

I have a couple.

30: Would it be hard seeing someone else kiss the last person you kissed?

Yea, yea it would be.

31: Who was your last call/text message from?

My father.

32: Are you mad at anyone?

I’m always mad fam 😜😡

33: Have you ever kissed someone older than you?

I have.

34: How old will the last person you kissed be on his/her next birthday?

He will be 26.

35: How many more days until your birthday?

277 days until I turn 24!

36: Do you have any summer plans yet?

I’m leasing a horse, hopefully vending at the Vic reptile expo, lots of beach time/hikes with my boys. So not a lot so far no.

37: Do you have any good friends of the opposite sex?

I do have a few .

38: Are you keeping anything from your best friend(s) now?

Not intentionally, if anything.

39: Do you have a secret that you’ve never told anyone?

Yes?

40: Have you ever regretted kissing someone?

I have, yes yes I have.

41: Do you think age matters in relationships?

If it’s legal, then who cares?

42: Are you available?

Noooo.

43: How many people have you had real, strong feelings for since high school ended?

Less than one handful.

44: If you had to get a piercing (not ears), what would you get?

All of them. Lol I have/have had so many, maybe some dermals?

45: Do you believe exes can be friends?

Yes, I’m friends with a few.

46: Do you regret anything?

Everyone regrets something, I regret yes but you can’t change shit so why dwell.

47: Honestly, what’s on your mind right now?

That new boa coming, I can’t stop thinking about him and all the gorgeous babies I’ll be producing soon.

48: Did you ever lose a best friend?

Yea I’ve lost a couple, some I’ve more just distanced myself for my own well being.

49: Was your last kiss a mistake?

No it was great.

50: Why aren’t you pursuing the person you like?

I don’t have to, he’s snuggling me lol.

51: Has the last person you kissed ever seen you cry?

Uh yea.

52: Do you still talk with the person you LAST kissed?

Everyday.

53: What was the last thing you ate?

Green grapes motherfucker.

54: Did you get any compliments today?

I sure did 😊

55: Where are you going on your next vacation?

Well that probably won’t be for awhile but somewhere in South America or New Zealand. I’ll think about it more in depth when it becomes more likely to happen soon.

56: Do you own anything from other countries?

A White lipped python I imported from Indonesia, coins from around the world, bits and bobs from England

57: Are most of your friend guys or girls?

A mix of both.

58: Where have you lived most of your life?

BC

59: When was the last time you took a long drive?

My friend and I went for a decently long drive last night, and we got tea as well :)

60: Have you ever played Spin the Bottle?

Yes yes I have.

61: Have you ever TPd someone’s house?

No lmao, do people actually do that?

62: Who do you text the most?

Hmmm I don’t know, I message a fair amount of people on the daily. Probably Emily, Joel, Amelia, or Alyssa.

63: What was the last movie you saw?

Mechanic: Resurrection 64: What’s preventing your current boyfriend/girlfriend from going back to their ex?

Oh boy, I could write a book on this 😂😂😂

65: How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have in 2011?

None that were significant lmao.

66: Is the last person you kissed younger than you?

Older.

67: Do you curse around your parents?

I sure fucking do, but I try to tone it down.

68: Are you happy with where you live?

Yea it’s pretty decent for the price and the town I live in.

69: Picture of yourself?

Tomorrow I’ll post one, promise :) Like I have said before I don’t know how to attach a photo to these on mobile cause I’m dumb shit.

70: Are you a monogamous person or do you believe in open-ended relationships?

Monogamous.

71: Have you ever been dumped?

I have been dumped once, I didn’t like it very much.

72: What do you most like about making out?

All of it ? I like lip biting and teasing.

73: Have you ever casually made out with someone who you weren’t seriously involved with?

I’m a bit of a hoe so yes, a lot of people. Girls, guys. I like to have a good time and I didn’t give a fuck when I was younger.

74: When you kiss someone for the first time, is it usually you who initiates it or the other?

I think not, maybe 68% of the time.

75: What part of a person’s body do you find most attractive?

In a girl, I love curves…hips and soft thighs oh fuck me!!! In a guy I’d say chest and shoulders.

76: Who was the last person you talked to last night before you went to bed?

Joel.

77: Had sex with someone you knew less than an hour?

Shhhh noooooo , maybe, yes fuck D: Maybe it was a little over an hour, had to have been. I don’t know for this one for sure.

78: Had sex with someone you didn’t know their name?

Nope!

79: What makes your heart flutter and brings a big cheesy smile to your face?

Reptiles 😊

80: Would you get involved with someone if they had a child already?

Yes, I would. I did.

81: Has someone who had a crush on you ever confessed to you?

Only a lot. We call them Zanbies 😜

82: Do you tell a lot of people when you have a crush?

I hate the word crush, it’s irritating. I usually would tell a few people.

83: Do you miss your last sweetie?

😂 hehe sweetie? That’s cute. Sure sometimes maybe for a brief second.

84: Last time you slow danced with someone?

Last week, awkwardly in the living room.

85: Have you ever ‘dated’ someone you’ve never met?

Yes? I suppose when I was like 14.

86: How can I win your heart?

You can’t, I don’t know you 😜

87: What is your astrological sign?

Aquarius.

88: What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

Probably the same thing I was doing at 11pm.

89: Do you cook?

I can, I don’t do a ton of it if I can avoid it. I cook for Jasper.

90: Have you ever gotten back in touch with an old flame after a time of more than 3 months of no communication?

I have yes.

91: If you’re single right now, do you wish you were in a relationship?

I’m not though.

92: Do you prefer to date various people or do you pretty much fall into monogamous relationships quickly?

I prefer to do whatever it is that I feel like doing at the time.

93: What physical traits do you look for in a potential interest?

I don’t, if I like them I like them.

94: Name four things that you wish you had!

My own house.My own horse.My own storefront/shop.My own dog(s). Presa Canario and Great Dane.

95: Are you a player?

I don’t think so.

96: Have you ever kissed 2 people in one day?

I’ve kissed more than two people in one day.

97: Are you a tease?

I’ve been told I am. I don’t know maybe.

98: Ever meet anyone you met on Tumblr?

Not someone that I didn’t already know.

99: Have you ever been deeply in love with someone?

Yes I have.

100: Anybody on Tumblr that you’d go on a date with?

If I was single, a couple yes.

101: Hugs or Kisses?

Both!!

102: Are you too shy to ask someone out?

Nope!

103: The first thing you notice about the opposite sex?

Eyes!

104: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you babe?

I like it.

105: If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was in relationship, would you go for it?

Lololololololol

106: Do you flirt a lot?

Yea I think I do. I’m flirty, it’s part of my personality. I’m not even aware of it most of the time.

107: Your last kiss?

Was right after he blew his load in my mouth.You so needed to know that, right!?

108: Have you kissed more than 5 people since the start of 2012?

Yes, I have.

109: Have you kissed anyone in the past month?

Durrrrrrrr

110: If you could kiss anyone who would it be?

Jason Momoa!!!!

111: Do you know who you’ll kiss next?

My boyfriend.

112: Does someone like you currently?

Uh I’d like to think the man I’m dating lmao.

113: Do you currently have feelings for anyone?

Other than my boyfriend? Nope

114: Do you like to be in serious relationships or just flings?

I liked flings a lot. But serious relationships have a lot more benefits.115: Ever made out with just a friend?

Yes yes I have.

116: Are you happier single or in a relationship?

I wasn’t very happy when I was recently (before Jasper) single, but I was going through some fucked up insane shit. I wasn’t very happy in my relationship until recently either. I’m still not at times, but no ones relationship is perfect. My boyfriend can be a dick, but I also have a severe personality disorder and several other mental illnesses that affect our relationship. That’s why we go to counselling and work on learning the tools no one ever taught us, so we can actually have a healthy relationship. And oh god yea it’s been shit in the past, and I’ve vented on here because some of you actually are supportive and caring. And sometimes after a long day a few kind words make me feel a thousand times better. But!!! Most of the time now it’s good between us. We are working on bettering ourselves and supporting each other. I still go to bed alone and bawl my eyes out some nights, but I choose to do that. I push him away, that’s my fault. I’m happier than I was when I was single, but honestly every relationship has its issues and you have to keep working at it everyday.

117: Your own question that you want me to answer. Just write it.

Uhhhhhh ok, why do you follow me?

[slrlounge1]

Four Decades Later: An Interview with Rick Friedman | SLR Lounge Artist Feature

Our “SLR Lounge Artist Feature” articles highlight some of the very best photographers in the world. This article features award-winning photographer Rick Friedman of Rick Friedman Photography (Boston, MA). Rick has been a photographer for going on four decades, getting his start in photojournalism in the mid 1970s. We recently met Rick while hanging out near the Tamron booth at WPPI 2019, and got to know him a bit further over a few emails and phone calls. So, what’s Rick up to in 2019? Well, read on and be inspired by a true master of photography, lighting, and story telling!

[Related: “Interview with Kate Woodman | SLR Lounge Artist Feature (NSFW)”]

Thanks so much for taking the time for an interview, Rick. Could you start out by talking a bit about how you got into photography?

When I got out of college, I was working as a teacher and got a part time job working at a camera store in Harvard Square [mid 1970s]. Soon after, they offered me a full-time job, and I didn’t go back to teaching. A couple people that would come into that store had a big influence on me and my career. One was George Riley, who worked for UPI (United Press International). George was always willing to teach any young photographer the trade, as long as they were willing to put in the time.

The other person was Arthur Grace, who, at the time, was working for Time. But it was really George Riley who taught me how to be a photojournalist. And, more and more, I began working for UPI on a regular basis.

By a fluke, I went and took a photograph of Arthur Fiedler, long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. On a whim, I went and rang his doorbell. I asked if I could photograph him, and he said I could. It was the fist time in 50 years that he would not be conducting on July 4th. I took a roll of black and white for UPI and a roll of Ektachrome, but no one was interested in the color. Undaunted, I called Black Star, and they were interested. Now, at that time, you mailed in the film. You didn’t develop it. You overnighted it. Unfortunately, Mr. Fiedler passed away while the film was in transit. Of course, everyone called me back and wanted the film, but Black Star had it. And from there, I suddenly had a connection at Black Star.

My first real assignment for Black Star was to cover Pope John Paul II coming to the US. And that was the beginning of a twenty-eight-year relationship with Black Star. All done on a handshake. What a nice way to do work, right? Within a short time, I was also regularly doing assignments for Newsweek. And I am still an active photojournalist today, currently represented by Polaris Images.

You’ve covered several presidents and are still covering politics. How has the landscaped changed? What’s a piece of advice you’d give someone looking to cover politics as a photojournalist?

Well, from the very beginning, I loved covering early presidential campaigns. You quite simply have more access. It’s before the motorcades, the crowds, Secret Service, and all the security.

When I first started, I did a little bit with Carter and did a lot on the Reagan v. Bush campaign. My first Newsweek cover was actually when Reagan won the New Hampshire primary. I was on assignment to cover Bush. After Reagan won, I photographed Bush’s speech and then drove from Manchester to Concord, dumped my car in a snow bank and ran into the room, setting up 15 minutes before Reagan’s speech. I got a photograph of Reagan that made the cover of Newsweek.

Of course, today, you can’t do that. You can’t just walk into the room 15 minutes before a high-profile politician is about to speak. It’s unheard of. But yeah, it’s the access that you have early on that makes it fun. When they’re campaigning in a bar with twenty people, for example …

And as far as advice? Be nice. When you are covering a campaign early on, introduce yourself to everyone, especially security and police. Because when access is restricted or they’re only allowing in three photographers? They’ll remember you and let you in.

You have photographed quite a few celebrities, and also regularly photograph professors from local universities. That’s a diverse, and very interesting, clientele for head shots. How do you make that happen, i.e. get a celebrity to be comfortable with you or relate to a professor who is an expert in area with which you aren’t familiar?

When you deal with celebrities, you, of course, get a ‘Do and Do Not List’ from their people. For Anthony Hopkins, for example, the entire ‘Do Not List’ was simply that I couldn’t have anyone on set who wasn’t working. We spent an hour with him, telling jokes, etc. In preparation, I watched several of his earliest movies. And I asked him, because I was wondering about it, if he ever went, wearing a disguise, to see how people reacted to his movies when he first started out. He said he didn’t have to wear a disguise, because no one knew who he was! He couldn’t have been nicer.

Basically, my rule is to know everything I can about a subject before I photograph them. You have to be able to talk to your subjects/ask them a question about what they do. It accomplishes a couple of things. First, it breaks down any barriers. Second, it helps them relax, because it shows them that you care enough about what they do to learn something about it.

And it’s similar with professors. I photographed, as another example, a professor of physics, where I had 15 minutes to photograph her. In fact, I had been reading up on physics for three days in advance of the session: textbooks and some work on string theory, which was her area of expertise. I asked a few questions, and she asked how long I’d been studying physics. I told her three days, and our 15 minutes became an hour. And then we had lunch.

So, that’s how you get through to a subject. Realistically, anyone can buy a camera and push a button. Not everyone knows what to do with their subject to create a photograph …

You’re well-known for your lighting workshops, and your Location Lighting Workshops in particular. What are a few of your go-to lighting tips for lighting “on location”?

First, know your lighting equipment.

Second, do your best to plan everything out in advance, so you are ready for any possible situation.

Third, know how to control your light and plan what light modifiers you might need. For example, I will often mix speedlights and portable studio strobes. For speedlights I use Nissin Flashes. In the studio I use Dynalite, and on location I use Dynalite Baja portable strobes.

On major shoots, I will bing several sizes of soft boxes, strip lights, grid sets, gobos, and, of course, my Sekonic flash meter. If I am using speedlights, I’ll bring Rogue Flashbender XL2 and Rogue Grid sets. I also work a lot using Rosco gels and cinefoil. On some shoots the gels become a major part of the final photograph, and, other times, I might just use a 1/2 CTO (orange filter) to bring out warm highlights in the hair …

The photograph above is a good example of a quick lighting set up. The model in the photograph is my former assistant Hyunah Jang, who is now a successful photographer in the San Francisco area. And that’s the basis of what I teach in my Location Lighting Workshops, I teach across the US and UK.

Likely, most photographers reading this interview are wondering how you are still rocking it some 40 years later? It’s impressive! So, can you give us your secret?

It’s fun. I love the challenge of all the different kinds of work I get to do. I could be covering the President one day, a noted scientist or professor the next, and then be off on a travel story overseas. Truly, I have the best job in the world. I get to jump in and out of people’s lives. I describe it like this: I have gotten my college education one hour at a time, from some of the greatest minds in the world.

And one last question, Rick! Who and/or what companies are you working with that make your job that much more enjoyable?

First off, I have a wonderful photography partner (pictured above). Her name is Keiko Hiromi, and we’ve been working together for 15 years now, even though she is an award-winning photographer in her own right. As far as companies and products, I only have relationships with companies whose products I actually use and have used for years. I am very proud to represent Tamron as an official Tamron Ambassador, and with Rosco, I created the Rosco Location Lighting Kit by Rick Friedman. I also work with the following companies that I didn’t mention in the interview already: Click Props Backdrop, ExpoImaging, Hoodman, LensBaby, Mindshift, PocketWizard,  and ThinkTank Photo.

You can check out more of Rick Friedman’s work on his website. Also, be sure to connect with him over on Facebook and Instagram as well. Finally, you can learn more about his upcoming education events and lighting workshops here, including the Can Am Photo Expo (Buffalo, NY, from April 26-28, 2019), a Tamron Benefit Seminar for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life  (Commack, NY, May 2, 2019), and his next Location Lighting Workshop at Cardinal Camera in (Lansdale, PA, May 4, 2019).

Thanks for checking out our latest artist feature! Quick reminder before you go! Don’t forget to submit by the April 30 deadline to be considered for SLR Lounge’s April 2019 awards competition. Remember that anyone can sign up for an SLR Lounge account for free and submit. However, Premium Members are able to submit up to three photographs each month!

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