#1961 pattern

[miamaimania]

"Bluviola" (1961) by Carla Accardi ☀ Tempera marks spiral through violet and indigo

[thegikitiki]

Kitchen Breakfast Nook, 1961

[bobdylan-n-jonimitchell]

Joan Baez “The Cherry Tree Carol” A Pattern of Words & Music, November 20, 1960.

[fullmoondelinquent]

My silly sullu sillyl sily bird, Hopscotch :]

[thunderstruck9]

Vik Muniz (Brazilian, 1961), Flowers (Vaccinia Virus) Pattern, 2014. From Series of Colonies. Digital C print, 180.34 x 180.34 cm.

[prokopetz]

Can you go over what is going on with Paladins and Clerics in DND, not from a mechanical or in universe perspective, but from what different sources/genres/tropes they are drawing on? They always seemed to have too much overlap in the basic concept to me to make sense as separate things in the dnd classes/stock character line up.

Clerics originated way back in the pre-OD&D days, when the game that would become Dungeons & Dragons was still a fantasy roleplaying add-on intended to be paired with your favourite historical wargame. One of the players in Dave Arneson's original Blackmoor campaign had an army whose commander/player character was a vampire named Sir Fang, who proved to be sufficiently overpowered that a mechanical "hard counter" was desired.

This ended up taking the form of a vampire-hunting priest character heavily inspired by Peter Cushing's turn as Abraham Van Helsing in the 1958 Christopher Lee adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula; that vampire-hunting priest in turn developed into what would become one of original flavour D&D's three core classes (the other two being the fighter and the wizard – the thief/rogue came later).

The paladin, meanwhile, was originally a direct, 1:1 lift of Holger Carlsen, the protagonist of Poul Anderson's 1961 fantasy novel Three Hearts and Three Lions, and was introduced as a subclass of the fighter – rather than a class of its own – in the 1975 Greyhawk supplement. Over the game's editions it's wandered from being a fighter subclass, to being a high-level "advanced class" to which qualifying characters can switch at 10th level, back to being a fighter subclass, and finally to a core class, where it's generally remained.

So, in short, the cleric was originally a purpose-built hard counter to vampire PCs loosely patterned after Peter Cushing's Abraham Van Helsing, while the paladin was originally for people who just really wanted to be one specific Poul Anderson character.

(I'm sorry if that's not a terribly satisfying answer, but you need to understand that practically everything in old-school D&D is a 1960s or 1970s pop culture reference – it just doesn't read that way to modern audiences because nobody gets the memes anymore.)

[punkpandapatrixk]

❤️‍🩹I Just Want to be Loved ♦︎ Timeless Pick A Card

We attract terrible loves for various reasons; so many lessons; but now sorrow has got to lessen. Let’s reveal patterns by exhuming roots. We’ve got to stop this cycle of disappointments. Done being made to feel as if we’re hard to love.

We’re not hard to love. Many of us were simply denied love, warmth and affection as we were growing up… Don’t know how to love self; don’t know how to love others; basically don’t know how to even receive Love… Who’s to blame now?

Why the hell were so many children denied love, warmth, affection…?

What are you going to do with yourself when you were denied love, warmth and affection as you were growing up?

☆♪°・.

‘The child who isn’t embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.’ – an African proverb

People denied warmth and affection tend to fall into a desperate loop of fishing for attention as a result of love-deficiency, right? Some learn to lick love off a knife; some pursue success (whatever that means) all too frantically; some…shoot complete strangers in broad daylight; and some who ain’t got the guts to murder complete strangers in public places go instead for antagonising strangers on social media… Gosh, that is desperate.

But you know what, not all hope is lost because there’s still plenty of us who are blessed with this incredibly RARE thing called self-awareness. There are plenty of us who will take our traumas to the graveyard than pass them down the next generations.

You, don’t deserve to have your sanity and your Life ruined by some psychos who didn’t know how to love you. Reclaim lost pieces of yourself by understanding THREE Houses in your natal chart, babe:

4th House: your roots; tells you what was lacking in your home; explains your erratic 10th House ambitions

8th House: your marriage or your desire for a bond like it; this the House where trauma manifests itself in full spectrum

11th House: your wish fulfilment; where you connect with people who support your visions; breeds a healthy sense of connection, even community

SONG: Emptiness by BoA

MOVIE: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

[PAC Masterlist] [Part 2] [Part 3]

[Patreon] [Paid Readings]

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 1 – Because I Can’t Even Trust Myself

VIBE: Trust by Hamasaki Ayumi

lost pieces (pertaining to 4th House) – Ace of Pentacles Rx

It’s clear your childhood didn’t offer a sense of stability or security—the physical kind that children usually need. It could be that a grownup left early or it could be that you moved around a lot, so you easily lost contact with new friends you’d just made. In essence, it feels like you grew up feeling ‘everything disappears eventually; everyone leaves eventually’.

Some of you might’ve grown up not having a lot of material resources, but for the majority of you tuning into this Pile, it was more a feeling of a lack of warmth. For children, the pain of neglect and a lack of emotional connection do really affect our physical health more severely. You might’ve grown up poor and sickly due to all the grownups around you being inattentive, unaffectionate, and just…unreliable at best.

Because of this awareness, from a young age you realised you would have to do everything yourself. You wanted to grow up quickly and do your own things your own ways. It’s not like you had to grow up fast, you wanted to grow up fast to have your freedom and power! It was…hard to trust adults. It was hard to trust the world at large.

growing pains (pertaining to 8th House) – 8 of Pentacles

On the path of growing up, I think you became a hard worker of sort? This is very nuanced though—there are layers to your developing yourself to become a hardworking person. In many ways, you grew up responsible because you didn’t want to become like the adults who had disappointed you. But since this sense of ‘responsibility’ is a product of neglect and trauma…this is coming off as your feeling responsible for everything. Everything!

Some of you could’ve been too hard on yourself, expecting way too much for your age. You’ve felt like you’re always the one with everything to prove. It’s hard living like that. It feels like you’ve put so much effort into keeping everything together, and yet, nobody sees how much you care. Nobody truly understands the fear in your mind and pain you carry in your heart.

In matters of relationship, you cling extra hard to friends or lovers, too; because deep down you’re afraid of losing things and people, again and again. This unhealthy attachment—and to some extent, controlling behaviour—is truly your wounded inner child attempting frantically to keep your Reality from falling apart…

reclamation (pertaining to 11th House) – 4 of Cups

I’m very sure that at some point in Life, your Higher Self and team of Spirit Guides are going to kick in and meddle with your Earthly business. For some people, it’s possible you could lose contact with everybody you’ve ever known in Life and go into a hermit mode to find yourself again. For some, it could be that your whole Life is simply flipped, without necessarily losing key people in your Life, for you to look at Life and human connections from a very different point of view.

It’s going to be hard, of course. Emotionally, it could be devastating. Themes of abandonment and betrayal are big in your incarnation. But you know, ultimately, all of these challenges serve to remind you that the Cup of Love and Affection you’ve been looking for has always been right inside of you. You’ve had a bitter time with a lot of people because deep down you couldn’t trust them. You couldn’t trust other people’s loyalty because you didn’t even believe that you’re worthy of that Love and Loyalty you yearn for.

Your Spirit Guides are saying, that although at some point in Life things are going to get really tough, know that when you’ve graduated those lessons, you’re going to be rewarded with the most beautiful Soulmate-shit friendships, familyship and relationship. Truth be told, part of your Soul’s scenario in this incarnation is to find your Soul Tribe; and find your Tribe you shall~

A L O N E🔻💗

ALL of you – Red Alchemist (John Dee)

becoming ONE and whole – Priestess of Healing

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 2 – Misled by My Own Compassion

VIBE: Cry Me A River by Julie London

lost pieces (pertaining to 4th House) – Knight of Cups

It’s very likely your 4th House is in a Water sign, but if not, you’re still very much a Water-y person; perhaps your Ascendant or Moon is in a Water sign, or that you have Neptune/Moon near/in your 4th, 7th or 11th House. All of this generally makes you a deeply compassionate person. No matter what outer appearances give, you strive to look deeper into a person’s Soul. You have so much empathy and you want to believe in the good of people.

Alas! This rotten world doesn’t make it too easy. This world is not a world where kindness and compassion are truly rewarded, if we don’t learn to be a tad cruel ourselves. You’re not in the wrong for being so genuinely good and compassionate; it’s this world that’s the wrong world. You know that? Therefore, it is paramount you learn to be a bitchilante! But I’m getting ahead of myself.

In spite of this PAC’s intro, I sense the majority of you tuning into this Pile actually grew up quite well. Many of you actually grew up in loving homes and that’s why it’s been quite challenging for you to grapple with the realness of the ugliness of the world outside of your loving home. Really…people in the real world…are monsters! And you were taken aback!

But some of you instead most likely grew up in chaotic, battlefield-esque homes and that’s why you’ve striven to be so good to a point of detriment.

growing pains (pertaining to 8th House) – 0 The Fool Rx

Be that as it may, you being you… Well, you do put in the effort to try and understand what makes monsters the way that they are, right? It’s all good and wonderful, until you get yourself in deep trouble where nobody can save you but your own monstrosity. Depending on your age when reading this, this could be something that’s happened in the past or will happen; where you will be forced to grow up in the sense of seeing the world as it is and get firm with assholes!

Dr Jordan Peterson has this gold shit to summarise this spiritual lesson you will be taking at some point in Life: ‘You should be a monster, an absolute monster, and then you should learn to control it.’ Well, that’s male speech. In female speech, we just say: ‘you gotta grow up and be a bitchilante!’

Be a bitch only to those who deserve it. How would you protect yourself from monsters if you don’t have the strength to fight them at their own game, darling? If you’re harmless, weak as a fawn, if anything, the real monsters in the world are going to toy with your sanity: ‘I saw my “crazy” side once and decided I wouldn’t be involved with anyone that would take me out of my peace like that ever again.’

Be a bitchilante. That whole concept of ‘good, harmless, love and light, positivity-only’ bullshit was put out there not to really make you good but to weaken you against the truly monstrous ones. WAKE UP, BITCH!

reclamation (pertaining to 11th House) – 4 of Pentacles

So? So what if you’re selective with your affection? Not everybody deserves your compassion. That’s for sure. There are many people in the world and you can’t be nice to all of them. One at point or another, you’re gonna be a villain in someone’s story—so what? Everybody else is the main character of their own Stories; that, you can’t control.

Be careful that you’re not falling victim to your own narcissism in wanting to be praised in everybody’s Story, yeah? So then, pertaining to your 11th House, weirdly enough, your wish fulfilment is in the form of a psychological liberation from your own idea of yourself in the minds of others. I sense that if you’re East Asian this is gonna resonate much harder and louder LOL

Anyway, I want to assure you that once you’ve graduated from your spiritual lessons, you will be met with unique, courageous, rebellious weirdos who will be just as clear as you are about what it truly means to be a good person in a world that’s often very bad. How good should a person be to truly be considered a good person?

‘If I offended you, cry me a river. I’ll bring snacks and a raft. I will literally float down your tears eating chips and working on my tan.’ – Fuckology

A L O N E🔻💚

ALL of you – Green Geographer (Gerardus Mercator)

becoming ONE and whole – Priestess of Success

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 3 – Lights Out; I’m Out to Find Myself

VIBE: To. X by Taeyeon

lost pieces (pertaining to 4th House) – Ace of Cups Rx

I’ve to preface this Pile by saying this the pile that gets a little violent…

You were originally such a positive, happy-go-lucky kid, but quite early on, this world gave you so much darkness. So many reasons to be sad. It’s not been a very kind life, to be honest. Defo many of you have tragical placements here—your 4th or 5th House could start or end in Scorpio; have Lilith/Pluto/Chiron/Saturn there or in the sign of Cancer/Pisces; or it could be that your Venus/Moon is imprisoned in the 8th or 12th House and harshly aspected, too...

If your childhood has been violent or mightily confusing, it’s a group thing, OK? You can think like that. It’s not your fault. Know that practically everybody who has these harsh placements has gone through very similar things as you. So you’re really not the only one who’s failing—whatever that means. You’ve been gaslit a lot into believing there’s something wrong with you, but it was your environment that was just filled with totally terrible Human beings. That much I’d like to assure you.

It wasn’t natural how you were abused psychologically and emotionally. The people around you drew a parallel to Cinderella’s stepsisters in the Disney classic. It’s ridiculous like that. I think you grew up terribly lonely and created comfort characters in your head to console your sorrows? It’s very likely that your comfort characters were in actuality a mirror fragment of your Soul Family’s existence locked in your memory bank.

growing pains (pertaining to 8th House) – XIV Temperance Rx

Life, unfortunately, isn’t a Disney movie. As a result of the psychological and emotional abuse you’ve endured in childhood, your friendships and relationships might’ve been quite turbulent, at times even violent. Juuust a small number of you could’ve dealt with being called a violent kid, or you could’ve struggled with anger management and have terrible tantrums. All of these have made human connections quite difficult to navigate.

It’s not like you want to be a nasty person, right? Many times, you couldn’t help the way you react/respond to what’s being said and unsaid because, somehow, there are many things that people do and say that trigger a trauma response in you. There’s a very difficult Mars thingy going on here. I think many of you resonating with this Pile have some difficult Mars (ruler of Scorpio) placements/aspects that affect the way you manifest human connections in your Life.

Speaking in terms of synastry, it could be that you’ve attracted a great deal of people whose Mars aspected badly in your natal chart—consequently triggering bad traumas and manifesting violent outbursts in your connections. Ultimately though, these negative experiences with other people could’ve enforced your belief about how unlovable you are, which, really, is a false belief…

reclamation (pertaining to 11th House) – 5 of Wands

It is a false Reality that you’re unlovable or unworthy of a healthy relationship. That bullshit was implanted in you through the creation of a harsh environment that caused you a great deal of rage. Of course, you’re accountable for how you behave towards other people, but your foundation was never quite healthy or peaceful or harmonious, so… How about we put it all behind us and focus on healing? After all, it’s not like the people you’ve had a beef with were completely innocent? XP

It's kinda selfish to think like that, but you can depend on your own discernment to distinguish who amongst the people you’ve hurt or had a beef with to apologise to. Remember: sometimes apologies only make you weaker and looking at the unique bullshit astrological placements you were born with… apologising to the wrong fucker would only get you gaslit even more! So, don’t. Don’t apologise for the distress you experienced under other people’s lack of support.

Burn that bridge and detach yourself from that old stinking world. With your sheer willpower, you have it in you to rebuild your own little world of love and peace. After all, those harsh placements you were born with, are you aware of just how much power they bestow you? These placements come with a lot of turbulences but once you graduate your first Saturn Return, they also give you a burst of power unlike any other!

Lights out. Not entertaining aenergies that seek to nip your power at the bud anymore. Burn, baby, burn strong! Burn the whole Tower and find yourself on new lands~!

A L O N E🔻💜

ALL of you – Gold Alchemist (Roger Bacon)

becoming ONE and whole – Priestess of Solitude

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

[PAC Masterlist] [Part 2] [Part 3]

[Patreon] [Paid Readings]

[twintailedsiren]

Scythian images of the snake legged goddess

While I’ve written about the Scythian anguipede goddess, I haven’t made a post focusing on strictly ancient Scythian representations of this theme. Therefore, this post is on all the images of the tendril goddess I’ve researched so far, found in ancient Scythian territories.

Scythian goddess, 340-300 BC. Bronze pommel. Found: Alexandropol burial mound (Lugovaya Mogila)  Right bank of the Lower Dnieper, near Nikopol, Yekaterinoslav province, Russia.

Figure on left: MF Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum. Figure on right: St Petersburg Hermitage Museum.

Possible Scythian vegetation goddess. Pendants from the Kul-Oba burial mound, Crimea, 4th century BCE.

Object said to be St Petersburg museum, but I can’t find it on their website. Image from this website.

Scythain ancestral goddess, 4th century BCE. Facing for a Horse's Frontlet. Found in Tsymbalka Barrow, Dnieper Area, Zaporozhye Region, formerly the Taurida Province Russia (now Ukraine). The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

Serpent legged goddess plaque, from the burial mound in Kul-Oba, near Kerch, Crimea, Ukraine. First half of the 4th century BCE. The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

Scythian goddess, silver plate from Kuban region, Maykop, Mariinskaya village. 2nd half of the 4th - beginning of the 3rd century BCE.  Full view of plate here. State Historical Museum, Moscow. 

Scythian goddess, silver or gold dish from the Chertomlyk burial mound, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. Info from Laws 1961. Image from this website. Full post here.

Tendril limbed goddess, earrings from the Butory tumulus. Found in the Grigoriopol district in 1972.

“Sometimes the standard type of the tendril-limbed goddess evolved into a new pattern, of a still less human monster, for instance on earrings from the Butory tumulus" Info from Ustinov 2005. Photo from this news article (in Russian.)

Scythian goddess, plaque. “On a plaque found during excavations of a burial mound near the village of Elizavetinskaya (second half of the 5th century – 4th century BC; (Fig. 1, 2) a woman without arms is depicted with a kalaf on her head and two pairs of snake legs curved in a ring." Info and image from Petrov and Makarevich 1963. 

Scythian goddess, gold plaque, found in the village of Labinskaya. Info and image from Petrov and Makarevich 1963.

Ivory pendant from the Bol'shaya Bliznitsa tumulus. Info and image from Petrov and Makarevich 1963, and Ustinov 2005.

Gold diadem from the Kul'-Oba burial mound, Kerch, Crimea. Info and image from Ustinov 2005.

Winged goddess on a plaque from Chersonesos, Crimean peninsula. Photo from Artamonov 1961.

Image a of snake-legged creatures on the sides of Bosporan sarcophagi; plaque from a burial mound in Kul-Oba, Kerch, Crimea. Photo from Artamonov 1961.

Scythian anguiped goddess, terracotta plate. with an image of a female deity. Made in Crimea, Chersonesos Taurica necropolis. 1st century CE. State Historical Museum, Moscow. Full post here.

Winged, two tailed goddess, sarcophagus decoration, 1st-2nd CE. Northern Black Sea region, Panticapaeum site. Found in Kerch, Crimea. State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.

Snake legged goddess, plaster cast, 1st-2nd CE. Northern Black Sea Region, Nymphaeum necropolis. Found in Kerch, Crimea. State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Compare this image with a similar figure in a Berlin museum.

Acroterion with a double-sided image of the goddess. 1st century BCE / 1st-2nd century CE. Limestone. Pantikapaion necropolis, the north side of Mount Mithridates, Kerch. Exhibit: Treasures of Crimea. The Return. Treasury of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine.

This list is by no means exhaustive. I apologise for the images I couldn’t find actual photographs of. While I can read menus in Ukrainian, I really struggle with Russian, and most of the sources for these are in Russian. Also, I only have so much patience to track things down.

I’ll definitely be returning to this subject again.

Sources

Ustinova, Yulia. "Snake-Limbed and Tendril-Limbed Goddesses in the Art and Mythology of the Mediterranean and Black Sea." Scythians and Greeks: Cultural Interaction in Scythia, Athens and the Early Roman Empire (Sixth Century B.C. - Fist Century A.D.). Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2005.

V. P. Petrov and M. L. Makarevich, 'Skifskaya Geneologycheskaya Legenda,' Sovjetskaya Arkheologia. (1963), 20-31. G. Pinza (Ed.), Materiali per la etnologia … (Скифская Генеалогическая Легенда,' Советская Археология)

Article available here, in Russian: https://arheologija.ru/petrov-makarevich-skifskaya-genealogicheskaya-legenda

Image also seen here: Ancient Iranian image of the Chronotope as represented by a secondary source: https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/api/file/viewByFileId/2158389

Zinchenko S.A. No.18 (2023)Zinchenko S.A. Tops with the image of a female deity from the Alexandropol burial mound: on the possibility of identification / personification of the character

Софья Зинченко uploaded a paper Навершия с изображением женского божества из Александропольского кургана: о возможности идентификации / персонификации персонажа by Софья Зинченко 2023

Link to her article online: http://www.historystudies.msu.ru/ojs2/index.php/ISIS/article/view/334/764

M.I. Artamonov Anthropomorphic deities in the religion of the Scythians. // ASGE. [Issue] 2. Scythian-Sarmatian time. L.: Publishing house of the State Hermitage. 1961. P. 57-87.

Laws, Guitty Azatpay. "A Herodotean Echo in Pompeian Art?" American Journal of Archaeology 65, 1 (1961): 31-35.

[venussaidso]

Ashwini pattern in Romeo & Juliet

Someone smart explain this to me. I didn't know sir Shake-a-speare was Ashwini.

Romeo & Juliet — created by Ashwini Sun William Shakespeare.

West Side Story (1961) — starring Ashwini Moon Natalie Wood.

Romeo and Juliet (1968) — starring Ashwini Sun Olivia Hussey (RIP ❤️).

Romeo + Juliet (1996) — directed by Ashwini Moon Baz Luhrmann.

Romeo Must Die (2000) — starring Ashwini Sun Jet Li.

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) — starring Ashwini Sun James McAvoy.

Romeo & Juliet (2013) — directed by Ashwini Sun Carlo Carlei.

edit: a brilliant answer! (in the comment section)

[buglass]

Just a Little Bit

Summary: You can’t stand it any longer; after a long day of watching Elvis film his latest beach flick Blue Hawaii in 1961, you take matters into your own hands and give him bodily appreciation--specifically to his thighs.

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Reader

WC: ~1K

Warnings: 18+ - Smut: oral, dry humping, kissing, and suggestive language.

A/N: A girl can dream.

Based on this post here.

The two of you, Elvis and yourself, were tangled in the sheets without a care. You never believed someone like Elvis, a celebrity, would be possible to run into casually and later interest. The second you both locked eyes on one another, Elvis quickly decided to pursue you during his late lunch break for Blue Hawaii. Ever since you spotted his long, tanned legs being held together by his all-too-fitting swim shorts--you were feening for a bite to either quad or hamstring. You didn’t know why Elvis did it for you in that instant--plenty of men wore the same sort of bathing suit--but you weren’t ashamed to have the opportunity. That’s how you wound up in one of the few empty hotel rooms, post-check-out of the original guests, you cleaned and serviced.

“You sure no one is comin’ around?” Elvis asked between kisses.

“Promise. I’m the only one working this side of the hotel,” you reassured.

You were sat atop Elvis and hunched forward as the two of you locked lips. Though you’re both mostly clothed, he managed to strip some items away from your body; leaving you in just your maid’s skirt and bra. You liked the control, rubbing where you needed him most between your legs against the ever-growing bulge that formed beneath his trunks. Elvis watched you, his lips curled as airy moans withered past his lips. He still wore the captain’s hat you found him in earlier and that somehow also did it for you. Elvis’ unwavering desire leaving him too distracted to undress himself made you feel you had control of his libido. 

You undid the little knot he tied at the front of his shirt, the floral pattern wrinkled once it was free. Elvis watched on with bright eyes, your careful but pressing fingers rubbing into his skin. You leaned down to latch your mouth onto one nipple, making him gasp. Elvis could hardly resist the small upward turn of his lips and the lines forming on either side of his mouth. Your hips didn’t stop rolling against him either, a small promise of what was to come. Elvis was silently taken aback by your forwardness as he usually was the one to kiss a girl all over and make her sing for him. You smirk as you move to his other nipple, lashing it with barely-there whippings of your tongue that make Elvis groan and take your waist into both hands to rub your heat against his cock. 

“I should be careful… I don’t know how I’m gonna explain coming in my bathin’ suit if we keep at it,” Elvis panted.

“I won’t let that happen,” you smile.

Lifting your head fully, you begin scooting back down the bed along his legs and kicking the sheets clinging to you both. Elvis looks curious as you slide lower and lower, leaving kisses across his stomach. When you hook your fingers into his shorts he groans as his dick springs free and he obliges by lifting his legs to rid of them. He sits up temporarily to remove the rest of his clothing, including his hat, and lays back down. You were new and shiny, but seldom did a woman handle him like you did. You weren’t shy to grab his cock by its base, spitting onto it and licking a stripe along the underside before you began stroking his uncut length. There was a point where you weren’t sure if Elvis was fucking into your hand or your wrist tugged at him excitably. 

Elvis tried reaching for you between your legs but settled for your breasts instead as it was too far, squeezing and massaging at one while you took charge. His legs were spread for you now and his cheeks, neck, and chest grew red as you dipped your head to nip at the inside of his thigh. The twenty-six-year-old made a noise that sounded as if he didn’t think was possible. Elvis hissed when you moved to the opposite thigh, biting and sucking at muscular and equally supple skin.

“Oh, shit,” Elvis whispered.

He might not have known your name without looking at the name tag on your shirt, but he sure as hell wouldn’t forget the way your plush lips looked on him. You slowed your hand around him and his cock twitched against your insistent hold. You didn’t mind the hair of his legs against your tongue, he wasn’t very hairy at all. Besides, for you, seeing the Great Elvis Presley fold and whimper because of your touch did it for you alone. When you could tell he was going to come from your ministrations, you aimed for much more sensitive spots closer to his pubic bone. The scent of him was much more potent there. His breaths came faster, prompting you to lap and suck at his balls in favor of his orgasm. 

Elvis dropped a hand to the side of your face, stroking it a few times before sliding up into your hair for something to hold on to. Anyone else touching your hair would have had a stern talking-to for messing it up. You watched Elvis from below as he softly begged or questioned if he should come. He wasn’t the type to want to leave a woman dissatisfied but you were so sure about getting him off only. 

“Oh, you suck me so good, honey,” Elvis hissed. “I need your mouth on my cock. Don’t wanna make a mess.”

You moan against his sac one last time before assisting Elvis, closing your lips around the head. He fucks into your mouth shallowly, his face soon contorting as he ground his teeth and tossed his head back. You feel his seed spill into the back of your throat, causing you to gag, and instead push him deeper into your throat. His dick pulses, coating your throat with spurt after spurt. Only when he’s spent and whimpering from sensitivity do you remove your mouth from him and swallow. 

“Goddamn,” Elvis laughs breathily.

“I couldn’t help myself,” you grin, moving from between his legs.

“Where ya goin’? We aren’t finished yet, come sit on my face, honey.” 

[tavolgisvist]

Paul and drums

Our kid was first in a group with John called Quarrymen, and apparently, I’d forgotten the set of drums fell off the back of a lorry, as we say in Liverpool, and landed up in our house. So I was learning drums, and one of the Quarrymen came back and said, ‘I remember you’re coming down the house, and it was great when you played drums for us.’ I said, ‘Did I?’ I’d totally forgotten. But then I realized why I forgot. It’s because I broke my arm in a scout camp, and this hand dropped. It was dead, paralyzed. So it took several years to get it back, and at that time, those drums that I was learning on, first of all, my brother, no wonder the drums on the band on the road are good. That’s where he learned it from my drums. But I couldn’t play anything then. So I’d forgotten that I was even the drummer, and Ringo got the job.

(Mike McCartney)

Mersey Beat Founder and Editor, Bill Harry wrote a guest column for Beatle Fan Magazine in 2019. He stated “For their August 7, 1961 gig, the Litherland Town Hall classified advertisement in the Liverpool Echo carried the message: ‘Hear Pete Best Sing Tonight.’ Best had been talked into performing the song “Pinwheel Twist,” which Paul had written for him to sing. Pete recalled in a conversation with Spencer Leigh: ‘Paul wrote the song and asked me to do it. He coupled it with Joey Dee’s hit “The Peppermint Twist.’ I used to get up and do the twist onstage and Paul played my drums. It was a little novelty act and it went down well with the fans. When The Beatles performed it, Paul took over on drums, George played Paul’s left-handed bass right-handed and Pete sang.”

(Source)

I used to get on Pete’s case a bit. He’d often stay out all night. He got to know a stripper and they were boyfriend and girlfriend. She didn’t finish work until four in the morning, so he’d stay up with her and roll back at about ten in the morning and be going to bed when we were starting work…

(Paul McCartney, Anthology, 2001)

In Hamburg, one week Tony Sheridan’s drummer got sick, and I drummed for him, for the extra cash, for a week . . . I can hold quite a good beat.

(The McCartney Legacy Volume 1. 1969-73 by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair)

Q: When did you first play drums? A: My first recollection is in Hamburg. You’d get behind the kit to try and show the drummer what you wanted. That gradually grew to messing around on other people’s kits, which were lying around because there were a lot of groups playing in the places we played. You picked up the simplest beats very naturally. I remember one evening when Tony Sheridan’s drummer didn’t show up, so Tony said, “Come on, man, sit in!” I said, “No way! I can’t do this.” And he said, “Yeah, you can.” So I did it and then I was thinking, “Well! I’ve actually done a professional drumming gig!” Later, with The Beatles, there was a period where John, George, and I operated as a trio and picked up little bits of work. I remember playing in an illegal club in somebody’s basement on Upper Parliament Street in Liverpool’s Caribbean Quarter. One day this guy called Lord Woodbine, who ran the club, asked if we’d come in and accompany this stripper called Janine. We said, “Wow! Yeah, man! There’s a job.” He even paid us money. Q: It sounds like you would have paid him for that gig. A: Exactly [laughs]. So she came in and said, “Okay, I need you to play Ravel’s Bolero.” We said, “Oh, gee. Sorry, luv. We don’t read music. But we’ve got ’Raunchy.’ That might do.” I had somebody’s old drum kit, and I sat there with a broomstick between my legs, with a microphone tied to it so I could do a bit of vocals and drum at the same time. It was hilarious.

(Paul McCartney, interview with Robert L. Doerschuk for Drum!Magazine, 2005)

“Sometimes after a lunchtime session in the Cavern, we would spend the afternoon in the Mandolin Club in Toxteth. Paul was showing Pete the drum pattern that he wanted on a particular song. Pete tried to do it but he didn’t get it. He did argue quite a bit with Pete, and Paul was a frustrated drummer, which is unusual as so many drummers are frustrated front-liners. He always made for the drums on jam sessions at the Blue Angel – Gerry Marsden would be singing and Wally Shepherd would be playing guitar.”

(Ritchie Galvin in Best of the Beatles: The sacking of Pete Best by Spencer Leigh, 2015)

Q: When Ringo joined the band, that must have interrupted your emerging career on drums. A: Yeah, I was completely redundant. We loved Ringo so much. He was our favorite drummer in Liverpool, and when he joined the band, it was an explosion: Every song sounded new and fresh. He could pass what we felt was the true test for drummers, which was to be able to play “What’d I Say” — the cymbal work and the toms.

(Paul McCartney, interview with Robert L. Doerschuk for Drum!Magazine, 2005)

We did do a few little bits and pieces together before we all went our separate ways. John and I and Yoko did ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’. He enlisted me for that because he knew it was a great way to make a record. ‘We’ll go round to Abbey Road Studios. Who lives near there? Paul. Who’s going to drum on this record? Paul. Who can play bass? Paul. And who’ll do it if I ask him nicely? Paul.’ He wasn’t at all sheepish about asking. He probably said something like, ‘Oh, I’ve got this song I want to record. Would you come round?’ And I probably said, ‘Yeah, why not?’

(Paul McCartney, The Lyrics, 2021, about Dear Friend)

Steve Miller happened to be there recording, late at night, and he just breezed in. ‘Hey, what’s happening, man? Can I use the studio?’ ‘Yeah!’ I said. ‘Can I drum for you? I just had a fucking unholy argument with the guys there.’ I explained it to him, took ten minutes to get it off my chest. So I did a track, he and I stayed that night and did a track of his called My Dark Hour. I thrashed everything out on the drums. There’s a surfeit of aggressive drum fills, that’s all I can say about that. We stayed up until late. I played bass, guitar and drums and sang backing vocals. It’s actually a pretty good track. It was a very strange time in my life and I swear I got my first grey hairs that month. I saw them appearing. I looked in the mirror, I thought, I can see you. You’re all coming now. Welcome.

(Paul McCartney in Many Years From Now by Barry Miles, 1997)

I really had to ask myself, “Do I want to give up music, or keep going?” I got a four-track Studer recording machine, like the Beatles used for Sgt. Pepper, put it in the corner of the living-room at my house in London and tried a very simple technique of just plugging directly into the back, not going through a mixing desk. It’s a cool way to record because it’s pure. If, say, I was doing a drum track, I’d play the drums, record it with one microphone, listen to it back, move the mike a little if there wasn’t enough hi-hat or cymbal, and then re-record. Then I’d add bass by plugging the mike into track two and overdubbing while listening to track one through headphones. I’d do that with all with four tracks. It was very hands-on, primitive way of working. <…> It was funky, and still sounds good to me.

(Paul McCartney, “Wingspan” documentary, 2001)

We did not see Ringo until the next night when he arrived at the session. He walked in and went straight to his drums…fiddled with them, then fiddled with them some more. “Somebody did something to my snare drum,” he said irritably. “Paul was here last night. He played them,” explained John. “He’s always fucking around with me things!” It sounded as though Ringo were back in Liverpool and all of them were still teenagers and nothing in their lives had changed. I realized then, that no matter what might happen among them, this was the way they would always relate to each other.

(May Pang, Loving John, 1983)

(Krla Beat, pic by lisamarie-vee)

So, I got into my studio in Scotland and started working, doing the drum track. I normally start with the drums. I sometimes use drum machines, but I like to redo it with real drums. I enjoy drumming. Then I put some bass on it. I was just doing an experimental thing. I was messing around and experimenting. Slowing down tapes, or speeding them up.

(Paul McCartney, The Lyrics, 2021, about Coming Up)

Paul and I were in England, having dinner together [along with our wives]. I told him I was making an EP, and I said, “Why don’t you write me a song?” He wrote the song [Feeling the Sunlight] and put bass on it, he put piano, he put the drums on — and I had to take the drums off. [Laughs.]

(Ringo Starr, interview with Rob Tannenbaum for AARP, Nov 2023)

George was the first one to make a solo album [Wonderwall Music], and I was the drummer. John started the Plastic Ono Band, and I was the drummer. Paul likes to play drums himself, or I would’ve been on his albums too.

(Ringo Starr, interview with Rob Tannenbaum for AARP, Nov 2023)

Q: As strong as you are on bass, keyboards, guitar, and as a singer and writer, is it frustrating to play your drum parts at a more limited level? A: That never intimidates me, though it probably should. I just have so much enthusiasm when I do things that I don’t even consider it. I’m lucky, because some people would wrack themselves with doubt, but when I came to this project I was like, “Man, let’s just have a bit of fun!” It didn’t occur to me that I was some idiot jumping on the kit. I know that a lot of drummers can play rings around me, but as long as I keep it simple and don’t get too flash, I can play with a steady, swampy feel, and that’ll do the job.

(Paul McCartney, interview with Robert L. Doerschuk for Drum!Magazine, 2005)

@i-am-the-oyster, I hope you will enjoy :)

+ this

[thegikitiki]

Living Room Decor, 1961

[gasgasdaily]

We've been discussing on rallies too much these few times on the page thus today, we're switching it up abit and we'll talk about the car that spawned a class of its own and also the car that shaped Ford itself, the Ford Mustangs.

Pics from left to right, top to bottom in zigzag pattern: 1964 & 1/2 Mustang, original '67 Steve Mcqueen used Mustang Fastback for the movie "Bullit" being displayed at a museum, '68 GT350, '69 Boss 302, '85 SVO "Foxbody", '90 SVT Cobra "Foxbody", '02 "New Edge" "Terminator" Cobra SVT, '07 Mustang GT, '15 Mustang GT, '23 Dark Horse

During the height of the muscle car prowess of the early 60s, woman rights were also becoming ever more relaxing and thus to capitalize on the market, Ford in 1961 had decided to build a car where a female driver can also have fun with a smaller sports car rather than driving a big barge and praying it performs to be sporty. By 1962, the rolling prototype with an engine was made and it was named the "Mustang I". There was various differences on how the name came about as some had said that it was named that as a homage to the legendary WWII USAAF P-51 Mustang or it was named after the Mustang horse. Regardless, the prototype was a success and the car would be slated to be produced in 1985.

Ford would produce the vehicle in 1964 as the 1st gen and it would comprise alot of parts from the already existing Falcons and Fairlanes. However, due to some.. Oddities, Ford would name the car as the "64 & 1/2" model. Regardless, the car was initially just issued with to be sold with an inline-6 engine but would soon stuff the V8 engine into the chassis. With the 289ci 4.7L V8, the top-of-the-line Mustang GT could do 210hp and it drives better than the Fairlane and Falcons due to its shorter length and way lighter weight. To sweeten the pot for buyers, in 1965 and with the collab between Ford and Shelby, Shelby would be the 1st outside dealers and companies to gain access to the Mustang and modified it and sell it as their own modified vehicle thru Ford dealers and it became the GT350. Shelby would take the base 289ci engine and fettle with it to produce approx 280hp. Car would be a massive success as it sold just about 1 million models in just a span of 3 years.

In 1966, Ford decided to improve the design of the car and instead of making two different coupe styles, they'll make only one coupe style and the "Fastback" model became the standard following on. By making the restyle wider, it could fit bigger engines now also which also improve stability even more. Ford would initially roll out the model with the 289ci still but Ford would also push the newer 302ci 4.9L V8 model engine in 1968 for the middle models. With the 289ci, it made approx 210hp and with the 302ci, it made approx 230hp. However, Shelby once again was not done with it so he started to modify it again and this time, under Shelby's fettling has 3 models starting with the GT350 line, the GT500 line and the "GT350 Hertz" edition. The GT350 originally had the modified 289ci and under Shelby's hands, it made 305hp. To sell the point that Ford made a great car for racing, they oddly tried to sell it to Hertz Rental and worked out a deal to sell some Shelby-made GT350s as fleet car to Hertz for people to rent and "have fun with". Hertz indeed ordered over a 1,000 GT350s and it became a special vehicle where customers would indeed rent the car and use it for SCCA events or even in grassroot drag racing events. Carroll Shelby however, wasn't done and he still wanted to have his fun so by 1967, he decided to toss in the 427ci 7L "big block Ford" V8 into the Mustang chassis and it became a ripper and calling it the GT500. Shelby sold about 2500 just for the '67 GT500 alone. He still wasn't done yet and the following year, he yet again upgraded the Mustang and it has the 428 "Cobra Jet" engine in it and despite Ford reporting it to be only about 355hp, people have reported the '68 GT500KR to be at 420hp at least.

1969 would follow the same design cues of the '67 model but now, Ford had inkling to break off with Shelby thus trying to go their own way, they decided to launch 3 different models for their sports models being the Mach 1, Boss 302 and Boss 429. With the Mach 1 being the base of the model's sports lineup, it came with the 351ci 5.7L V8 making 290hp and it was rapid of itself. Chevrolet would build the Camaro to fight with the Mustang in the pony car segment and Chevy with their better small block V8, it performed way better on the tracks and thus, to test out better engines, the "BOSS" variants were made to homologate these engines for racing, especially the SCCA Trans-Am series. Thus, with the 302, Ford used a modified 289ci "HiPo" engine, bore it out to 4.9L and with better heads, made it produce 295hp and reved higher than before. To beat Chevy's big block and also Dodge's 440 Magnum, Ford would once again improve their 427ci big block into a 429ci variant for NASCAR racing and yet again, they stuffed that into the Mustang and turned it to the Boss 429. With the 429ci V8, the Boss 429 made approx 370hp and it was the fastest of the entire line. Shelby would also make a few GT350s with the 1969 model but it wouldn't last long as it was made only for a year as Shelby and Ford had a fallout in 1970 and broke ties. The '69 model was made from 1969-1973 and approx another 2 million or so was made in total and sold.

(Can't place anymore pics due to the cap rate. Sorry)

In the mid-1970s, there's a problem worldwide. The oil crisis of 1973 was felt by all nations due to the Middle East fuel producing league, OPEC's plays. OPEC placed an embargo on all nations that supported Israel due to the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War and America was hit the worst due to all of their cars having massive V8s. Ford was also trying to push the Mustang to be smaller as by 1971, the Mustang was getting bigger and fatter thus ruining handling despite the increase in horsepower and luxury and with that, sales starting to drop drastically and for the 2nd gen, Lee Ioccoca, the new Ford boss of 1970 decided to downscale the chassis and use the Ford Pinto and Maverick chassis as a stepup. With the fuel crisis hitting in 1973, Ford had to downscale all their engines also and with that, Ford called it the Mustang II. This time to beat the fuel crisis, the inline-6 didn't become the base engine anymore but instead, the Pinto's 2.3L inline-4 engine became the base engine for the base model. Ford would offer the V8 option also but the 302ci V8 was the only option but this time, the V8 was seriously throttled to just 145hp. Despite journalists and reviewers raving about the car, people in the later years would hate on it massively due to the woeful performance and the incoming foreign imports were better than the Mustang II in performance. Despite all that, Ford sold over 1 million of the Mustang II that was made from 1974-1978.

In 1977, the Mustang II was losing out sales to the foreign imports like the Datsun Fairlady Z and to claw back sales, Ford decided to claw back sales by dumping the fugly design of the Mustang II and instead redesign everything to be as contemporary as they can that followed foreign import styles and would use the base of the Ford Fairmont. Soon by 1978, the design was done and was to start production in 1979 as the 3rd gen Mustang now being nicknamed "Foxbody". The initial Foxbody came with multiple engine options too such as the 2.3L inline-4, couple of V6s and a new 255ci 4.2L V8 as the fuel crisis still hasn't recovered much yet. Even with the V8 at this point, the 255ci only made approx 150hp at max which isn't good but with the better chassis now, the car was still a hit and immediately, it made a name for itself. 1983 saw the improved Foxbody and finally, the 302ci V8 came back into the lineup and the power was rated at 175hp. Ford, wanting a full performance model after the fuel crisis now and also with Shelby gone for almost a decade, they had to set up their own race development branch and they decided to call it the "Special Vehicle Operations", SVO for short and the Foxbody Mustang would be the first target. Instead of using the 302ci V8, SVO would take the 2.3L inline-4, turbocharge it and stuff it into the car which makes 205hp and the car model would be called the "Mustang SVO". The SVO would be made from 1984-1986. Despite the strong start and selling over 100,000 models per year, Ford had calculated that it wasn't enough and had planned to replace it with the new Mazda-derived Ford Probe and kill the Mustang but the Probe was soo shit that people clamoured for more Mustang. Ford would continue to produce the Foxbody and with the 90s coming in, it would see its 3rd facelift for the 1987 model. The 302ci V8 engine would be back in the lineup as the only V8 option and now, its labelled as a "5.0" despite being only 4.9L but regardless of the scam, power figures were back to pre-fuel crisis level at 205hp. To continue the previous legacy of the SVO, the SVO team, now renamed to the "Special Vehicles Team", SVT, would once again tinker on the facelifted Foxbody but this time using the 302ci V8 as their base engine to work with and from the unit, they managed to squeeze out 30 more hp to a total figure of 235hp and from there, they named it as the "SVT Cobra". The SVT Cobra also came with uprated suspension, sway bars that made it extremely potent on the race tracks and the streets. In total, 4993 SVT Cobras would be made by SVT and the 3rd facelift Foxbody would be made from 1987-1993. In total, 2.5million Foxbody Mustangs were made.

With the 90s now in full swing, Ford also decided to upgrade and redesign their Mustang and from the Foxbody base, they wrapped the underpinnings with a modern bodyshell instead of the 80s angular design and called it the SN95. Car started production in 1993 with the 3.8L V6 as the base model which produced 145hp. The subsequent GT model would have the 302ci V8 which produced 215hp. 1996 would see a shift in engine as Ford pushed out the modular SOHC V8 starting with the 4.6L. It made 215hp at the start of its introduction and in 1998, it saw an increase of hp to 225hp. SVT could also fettle with the car and with the 1994-1996 model, it used the 302ci V8 and SVT pushed the engine to 240hp and retained the Cobra name. For the 1996-1998 model, SVT took the base 4.6L V8 and installed another cam on it and in return bumped the power up to 305hp. For 1999, Ford updated the SN95 to a sleeker look and Ford would recode it to the SN99 and nickname it the "New Edge" following their design concept name. Both the V6 and SOHC V8 would see power increases at 190 and 260hp respectively. The '99 SVT Cobra also saw a power upgrade with their DOHC V8 now producing 320hp as claimed but there was a problem... When customers bought the '99 SVT Cobra, they felt the car to be slightly off from the figures Ford gave and upon their own private testing, they found that the SVT Cobra only made 285hp, a stark contrast of what was claimed by Ford thus after many people complaining about the same issue, Ford halted sales of the '99 SVT Cobra for abit and fixed the issue for it to be resold in 2001 again. By 2003, Ford had decided to release a new design for the Mustang and to send off the SN99, SVT sent the SN99 off with a bang and this time, they changed the base block of the DOHC modular V8 from an aluminium block to iron block and slap a supercharger on it which now made 390hp and to intimidate Chevy and GM in particular, SVT would also nickname it the "Terminator". 2004 would see the final kill off for the SN99 platform with the Cobra R where the styling was ever for aggressive and have a wing as stock option but power output stays the same with the base Cobra. In total, Ford made 1.56 million 4th gen Mustangs from 1994-2003.

Ford made the 5th gen Mustang starting from 2005 and Ford codenamed it the S197. To complement the car, Ford would change its engine lineups also with the base V6 changing to a newer 4L version that produces 220hp and for the GT version, the modular SOHC V8 would be retained but now pushing 300hp. With Shelby now working with Ford again in 2005, Shelby started to modify the Mustang again but this time, there isn't a GT350 version but straight up started with the GT500. Production of the GT500 started in 2007 and it used the same engine from the SVT Cobra but this time, Shelby managed to maximize its power and pushed the engine to 500hp. Not only was this generation the start of the massive power coming from the Mustangs, its also one of the few models in America that kicked off the "new retro" look which would soon kick off the other companies to follow the same movement like the 5th gen Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger. Ford would remodel the S197 into the II variant with a newer look in 2010 and for the 1st year of the facelift, the 4L V6 was still being used but by 2011, Ford swapped it to the Duratec 3.7L V6 which made 305hp. The GT stayed the same as the 4.6L "Termi" V8 was used but power was yet again increased to 315hp. Same as the base model, the GT model also saw a new engine change and this time, its a whole new V8 based on the Ford Modular V8 platform, this time with a 5L DOHC V8 nicknamed as the "Coyote" and with that unit, it would produce 415hp. Ford would also roll out a refreshed Boss 302 with the S197-II as its base and as a limited model. With the same Coyote V8 used, Ford bumped the power up to 444hp. Shelby would also take a few of the S197 and turn it into the Shelby GT500 with a 5.4L V8 coupled to a supercharger making 540hp. In 2013, Shelby once again upped the ante and swapped the engine again and this time using a 5.8L "Trinity" V8 with a supercharger still and this time making over 650hp, the fastest production muscle car of that time. In total, the S197 sold over 1.1 million units total with a production run from 2005-2014.

By 2015, Ford would roll out the 6th gen Mustang with the codename S550 and this time, it has a sleeker design and also, new chassis comes new ideas. For the basic model, Ford would this time introduce their new 2.3L Ecoboost inline-4 turbo engine for the Mustang which makes 310hp, a middle pack V6 model still using the Cyclone unit which made 300hp and the GT which used the Coyote V8 unit making 435hp. However, the V6 would be discontinued in 2018 during the facelift year and the Ecoboost became the only base model left. The GT would also see a power increase from the 2018 facelift model at 460hp. Shelby once again turned heads with the Mustang that now instead of making the Shelby GT product line as a pure upgrade of the Mustang GT, Shelby decided to make the Mustang into a track machine and did that they did. Shelby, instead of using a typical rocker arm V8, bought a V8 from a Ferrari California to test it and figure out how powerful it was. Upon liking the flat-plane crank V8, they decided to ask Ford for assistance to build such engine and Ford took the challenge and by 2014 made a 5.2L flat-plane crank V8 nicknamed as the "Voodoo" engine which essentially was a redesigned Coyote 5L V8 which produced 525hp. Shelby would then stuff the Voodoo V8 into the chassis and made it into the GT350 with heavily tuned suspension and racing brakes in 2015. Whilst the GT350 kept all the luxuries, Shelby would soon release a GT350R variant which was more track-prepped the very same year. In 2019, Shelby once again decided that 525hp wasn't enough so they slapped a supercharger to the Voodoo V8 which now makes 760hp and then yet again slapped it into the GT350 chassis and called it the GT500. Ford would produce the gen 6 from 2015-2023 and sold over 820,000 models in total which includes worldwide sales, being the 1st Mustang to see RWD support straight from the factory.

2023 would see Ford rolling out the current and 7th gen Mustang, the S650. With the new model, the engines also saw power bumps with the Ecoboost seeing power increase to 315hp and the Coyote V8 increased to 480hp. Ford would also release a new version, the Dark Horse which is basically an upgraded Mustang GT and with that comes with yet again a power bump to this time, 500hp. Ford would also use this chassis for racing and it performed well in GT3 form which gave Ford an idea. To celebrate their success, Ford took the 5.2L "Predator" V8 (the engine used in the previous GT500) and stuffed it into the Dark Horse chassis, upped the power to 820hp, stuck big and strong aeropacks on the car and calls it the GTD and sell it to the public as a GT3 race car for the streets. Ford would also cheekily take the GTD to the Nurburgring and run the circuit to beat out a time of 6:57 thus being the only American company to ever break the 7min mark.

Ford not only made bank with the Mustang, it also changed and revolutionized American motoring and also created a new class for others to catch up.

[moonyaugust]

how i see regulus black

terrifying man

born on january 1st, 1961

pureblood

slytherin seeker (until sixth year)

aroace

patronus: black cat

of the black family

brother of sirius black (two years older), and cousin of bellatrix (ten years older), andromeda (eight years older), and narcissa (six years older)

has the typical sharp black features and gray eyes, but was born with two-toned hair/streaks of white in his black hair, which is a matter of shame for his family (who prize uniformity and undying loyalty to the family in all matters)

becomes the heir to the house of black after sirius leaves/is disowned

was betrothed to pandora rosier, but pandora became an "unsuitable match" and the prospect was dropped by fourth year. once regulus became heir, he theoretically would have had more control over his betrothal but the focus was on the death eater cause before his marriage

basically dropped out of hogwarts during seventh year, feeling it wasn't worth it

fluent in english, french, greek, and latin like the rest of his family, but also knows arabic, italian, and spanish (mostly so he can eavesdrop on sirius and james at hogwarts)

he's a gifted potioneer, relegated to the background of death eater activities initially, which he resents

autistic, speaks in a monotone, bored voice, is extremely deliberate in his words and actions, and refuses eye contact unless he is in control of the situation. the way his mind works makes him difficult to be understood by legilimens

his middle name is arcturus (a family name), is also technically regulus the second

writes shitty poetry in french

resented sirius and walburga for their closeness when he was young. he and his dad were very similar and got along great when reg was little, but as he got older he distanced himself, viewing his father as weak and submissive to voldemort's reign rather than upholding black family pride

death eater, but believes from a young age that he is a more suitable leader than voldemort, because of his blood status and intelligence. he plays the little boy and devoted follower role to hide his true motivations

hates muggles, but actually isn't awful towards house-elves like most wizards. he cares for kreacher and is furious when voldemort tries to damage "his property"

keeps extensive notes on everything, has a spelled trunk with hundreds of leather bound notebooks

insomniac, especially near the end of his life. he also has disordered eating patterns that began when he was a child

nearly drowned at age seven in the lake behind the black manor in france. since then, he has harboured a secret fear of open water and a belief in his immortality

best classes were potions and magical theory

for a time, he was friends with evan rosier and barty crouch jr, but by fourth year regulus had distanced himself from everyone and evan had fallen in with snape's gang, leaving barty alone. regulus doesn't really believe in friends; instead they're more so connections for the future. as long as people respect and/or fear him, he's good

grew up learning various instruments, but the piano was always his favourite

credit to dellaray, fancast is mark eydelsteyn

for more regulus, check out my fic valkyrie!

[nitrateglow]

Favorite films discovered in 2024

This year, I focused more on rewatching films I hadn't seen in a long time rather than racking up new titles. However, I still encountered plenty of new faves, many of them movies that have been on my watchlist for years. Here are the top twenty.

But first, some interesting patterns in this year's list...

Most represented decade: 1960s

Earliest film represented: 1932

Newest film represented: 1999

Creatives who show up more than once: Robert Mulligan, Walter Matthau, Boris Karloff

The Window (dir. Ted Tetzlaff, 1949)

A young boy (Bobby Driscoll) living in a squalid NYC apartment building witnesses his neighbors (Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman) committing a murder. Unfortunately, the kid's penchant for tall tales prevent anyone from believing him-- except for the killers, eager to alleviate themselves of an inconvenient witness.

Precious few thrillers earn the moniker “Hitchcockian” as well as this intense little gem from RKO. The Hitchcock vibes make sense when you consider Hitchcock’s cinematographer from Notorious was in the director’s chair and the source material was written by Cornell Woolrich, also responsible for the short story behind Rear Window. Augmented by on-location photography of New York City and a grimy, desolate sense of urban decay, The Window is both a great suspense yarn and classic film noir. Despite having a kid for a lead character, the film pulls no punches: both its small-time crook villains and the city setting feel palpably dangerous.

My Neighbors the Yamadas (dir. Isao Takahata, 1999)

The Yamadas, an average middle-class Japanese family, navigate the perils of sharing a television set, a kid going missing during a shopping trip, awkward wedding speeches, and other misadventures.

Between the original Studio Ghibli directorial duo of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Miyazaki will always be the more popular filmmaker, but I think Takahata’s films are more intellectually and emotionally rewarding. This is not meant as a hit on Miyazaki’s undeniable greatness, but Takahata’s movies are far more challenging. That being said, My Neighbors the Yamadas is a lighter entry in his filmography, a slice of life comedy about the eponymous family and their shenanigans in modern Japan. However, beneath the whimsical humor runs an undercurrent of melancholy, an awareness of the transience of life in both its lovely and absurd moments. To date, it gets my vote for the most underrated Ghibli film.

A New Leaf (dir. Elaine May, 1971)

After squandering his ample inheritance, a middle-aged New York layabout (Walter Matthau) decides to marry an eccentric botanist (Elaine May) for her money then murder her ASAP.

Elaine May only directed a few films, but the two I’ve seen—this and the long-maligned Ishtar—were a lot of fun. A New Leaf is the better film though, far more focused and consistently funny. I don't usually belly laugh when watching a movie at home alone, but I did several times here. Even just thinking about some of the things that happen in this film can make me start laughing again. I understand the existing version was not May’s preferred cut and she felt it was butchered by the studio. Even so, this is a great movie regardless of that and one I really want to rewatch soon.

Cash on Demand (dir. Quentin Lawrence, 1961)

Uptight, unpleasant bank manager Harry Fordyce (Peter Cushing) is the boss from hell to his employees, but to criminal extraordinaire Gore Hepburn (Andre Morrel), he's the key to a successful heist. Posing as an insurance representative to get access to Fordyce's office, Hepburn tells the manager he's holding his wife and child, whose lives will be forfeit if he doesn't help him relieve the bank of ninety thousand pounds.

Ho, ho, ho, guess who's got a new Christmas classic to enjoy every year? Cash on Demand is not only a strangely enervating riff on A Christmas Carol's basic set-up (a miserable man is spiritually redeemed through an encounter with ghosts-- or in this case, bank robbers), but it's one of the best, tightest one-location thrillers I have ever seen. I genuinely had no idea where the story was going and found myself in absolute agony as the noose grew tighter around our protagonist's neck. It's a testament to both the writing and Peter Cushing's detailed, very human performance that this film is the emotionally powerful piece of work that it is, and not just a fun, clockwork heist yarn.

Letter from an Unknown Woman (dir. Max Ophuls, 1948)

While trying to evade a duel, an aging playboy (Louis Jordan) receives a letter from a dying woman (Joan Fontaine) who claims he was the love of her life. The letter recounts the details of their love affair, which was the centerpiece of this woman's life and only a mere erotic interlude in his.

The best way to describe this movie is lush romantic melodrama married to a bitter, emotionally brutal tale of a life wasted. The movie is heartbreaking but beautifully shot and performed. I’m not always the biggest fan of Fontaine, but she is fantastic here. Also, I need to watch more Max Ophuls.

Sudden Fear (dir. David Miller, 1952)

A middle-aged playwright (Joan Crawford) thinks she’s found love with a would-be matinee idol (Jack Palance)—instead she realizes she’s being targeted by her new hubby, who only wants her wealth. But he mistakes her emotional vulnerability for a lack of discernment—and a lack of desire to get even.

I like my women-in-peril thrillers when they feature clever heroines driven to survive whatever nightmare their antagonists throw at them and Sudden Fear is amazing in this regard. I know everyone loves Joan Crawford best in Mildred Pierce, but I was floored by her performance here, especially in the dialogue-free scenes. There are campy moments (which I adore), but the story is emotionally compelling and I not only wanted Joan's character to survive, but to thrive post-shitty marriage.

Thieves Like Us (dir. Robert Altman, 1974)

Young lovers Bowie (Keith Carradine) and Keechie (Shelley Duvall) yearn for a white picket fence, a quiet porch, and a case of Cokes (probably because that's all they drink in this film). Too bad Bowie is an escaped convict tied up with bank robbers. Too bad it's the Great Depression. At least there's plenty Coke. Want a Coke?

Most films set in the past do not as painstakingly recreate bygone worlds as strongly as Thieves Like Us. Set in Depression era Mississippi, this film captures the harsh, bleak reality and romantic, consumerist fantasies of its star-cross’d leads, played with sensuous naivete by Keith Carradine and the late, great Shelley Duvall. This is more than just yet another Bonnie and Clyde riff—it’s a tragedy about the elusive American Dream, with snippets of radio music, programs, and ads acting as a Greek chorus in a truly inspired touch. Robert Altman can be an acquired taste, but this is easily my favorite of his films to date.

Targets (dir. Peter Bogdanovich, 1968)

The paths of an aging horror star (Boris Karloff) and a psychotic mass shooter (Tim O'Kelly) cross at a drive-in theater.

Targets was not what I expected: it's a threeway character study between the disheartened horror star, the psychotic shooter, and 1960s America itself. To be honest, you could remake this movie now with a former ‘80s slasher star making the same musings and it would still seem credible—but then of course, you wouldn’t have Karloff in one of the best performances of his career. Targets is rendered even more chilling by its docudrama style. The violence shown isn’t sensationalistic, but presented in clinical detail, making it feel more authentic. Gorier films haven’t frightened me as much as this slow-burn character study.

Losing Ground (dir. Kathleen Collins, 1982)

Despite finding pleasure in research and theory, philosophy professor Sara Rogers (Seret Scott) envies the escatic nature of her painter husband, Victor (Bill Gunn). Their difference in temperaments and Victor's adulterous straying also strain the marriage. However, once Sara takes a job performing a sensuous, emotional role in a student film to get in touch with her own artistic side, Victor grows suspicious and jealous in turn.

Losing Ground was sold to me as a film about a crumbling marriage, but it's more than that. It might be more accurate to call it a portrait of self-discovery, a woman extending beyond her comfort zone to live more fully. I found myself strongly relating to Sara-- like her, I have a creative side I've often been timid to share, being more comfortable with the mind than the body. Being an independent film, it eschews the Hollywood histrionics and melodrama that would normally accompany this subject matter and it's paced perfectly at 90 minutes. Though filmed in the early '80s, the film only played the film festival circuit and never enjoyed a proper theatrical release. Only in 2015 was it rediscovered and then released on home video. The director Kathleen Collins died young, but this film stands a testament to her passion and talent.

Cactus Flower (dir. Gene Saks, 1969)

A middle-aged dentist (Walter Matthau) who poses as a married man to fend off romantic commitment decides to buckle down and wed his much younger girlfriend (Goldie Hawn, looking like a mod Tinker Bell). However, when she insists on speaking with his made-up wife, he recruits his no-nonsense nurse (Ingrid Bergman) into the charade.

Cactus Flower is what I often call a transitional film: released in the late ‘60s, it has one foot in the classical style of Old Hollywood and another in the more liberated counterculture that was shooting out hits like Easy Rider and The Graduate. Directed with unexciting competence by Gene Saks, Cactus Flower’s success largely comes from Ingrid Bergman, Goldie Hawn, and Jack Weston. Bergman I could watch in anything, so I’m biased perhaps, but she walks the fine line between funny and touching as the lonely woman who finds emotional liberation through her roleplaying. The scene where she gets groovy on the dance floor is a highlight of her entire screen career and no, I AM NOT KIDDING.

The Black Room (dir. Roy William Neill, 1935)

Two aristocratic brothers (both Boris Karloff) are at odds over the love of a young woman (Marian Marsh) and an ancient prophecy forecasting the end of their bloodline.

Boris Karloff dives into a double role in this deliciously gothic melodrama. Columbia pulled out all the stops for this one: it drips with sumptuous set design and expressionistic lighting. I was particularly taken by this film’s slightly tongue-in-cheek approach to a more 18th century mode of gothic terror. It goes for full-blooded melodrama with its innocent maidens, secret dungeons, lecherous villain, and ancient curses. It’s as close to a 1930s Castle of Otranto adaptation as we’ve got and by God, I'm grateful for its existence.

Freud: The Secret Passion (dir. John Huston, 1962)

In the late 1880s, young psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (Montgomery Clift) probes into the inner lives of his "hysterical" patients to discover the roots of their mental illnesses. However, these journeys into the subconscious worlds of others bring him into uncomfortable contact with his own demons.

Listening to a podcast episode on John Houston’s Key Largo led me to works of his I hadn’t heard of, such as Freud. I was initially skeptical it could be good. Biopics are my least favorite genre, but this film isn’t so much a biopic as a psychological drama in which Freud is the protagonist and some of his ideas are illustrated through his interactions with the other characters. Instead of wasting time being some melodrama ABOUT Freud the man (the route most biopics go regarding their subjects), it’s about his theories and philosophy, which is a far more interesting approach. The result is a probing, intellectual work. I’m not sure how close Montgomery Clift’s characterization is to the real Freud, but the real star of the show is Houston’s direction, a resurrection of German expressionist aesthetics blended with stark realism.

Paris is Burning (dir. Jennie Livingston, 1990)

This documentary covers 1980s NYC ball culture, where Black and Latino members of the LGBT+ community vogue and perform.

Documentaries are not usually my thing, but Paris is Burning was a longtime resident of my watchlist and I am glad I finally got around to seeing it. It has a time capsule quality, capturing a long-vanished 1980s New York City and the LGBT+ community living there at the time. Obviously, there is a lot of meditation on gender identity, sexuality, and the importance of community in a world hostile to your very existence, but I was also interested by the film's presentation of the materialism and consumption of the Reagan era.

Candyman (dir. Bernard Rose, 1992)

A graduate student (Virginia Madsen) studying urban myths unwittingly summons the Candyman (Tony Todd), the hook-handed ghost of a Black painter who was lynched decades ago.

I expected fun slasher nonsense and instead got a gorgeous, unsettling, modern gothic masterpiece that only occasionally dips its toes into schlock. Candyman is ethereal in all the right ways despite being suffused with despairing urban gloom. I was not surprised to find the script was adapted from a Clive Barker story—like Barker’s The Hellbound Heart (adapted into the Hellraiser films), Candyman is chilling yet eerily beautiful. The moment I finished watching it, I knew this was one I would be itching to revisit. There’s just so much going on regarding race, class, and memory in America. Also, Tony Todd’s voice is a damn treasure.

Merrily We Go to Hell (dir. Dorothy Arzner, 1932)

An alcoholic playwright (Frederic March) and his long-suffering wife (Sylvia Sidney) decide to have an open marriage. It doesn't work out well for either of them.

Merrily We Go to Hell is a sneaky piece of work. Reading the synopsis, one expects the usual salacious pre-code melodrama. The first scenes even resemble your usual romantic comedy, with our central couple having a meet-cute. The actual movie is much more complicated. It's about a married couple thinking love is enough to make their union work despite the husband's alcoholism. However, this idea proves erroneous and attempts to numb the pain through hedonism and extramarital vengeance just pour gasoline on the fire. The emotional honesty here is astonishing and even the "happy ending" isn't so uncomplicated when you think about it. So far, this is my favorite film of director Dorothy Arzner.

Up the Down Staircase (dir. Robert Mulligan, 1967)

An idealistic young teacher (Sandy Dennis) gets her first position at an inner-city high school. However, she finds her enthusiasm worn down by the school system's bureaucracy and the many psychological troubles of her students and fellow faculty.

Ever since I watched Four Seasons a few years ago, I’ve been intrigued by Sandy Dennis. No matter the role, I find her eccentric yet vulnerable screen presence compelling. Up the Down Staircase was Dennis’ first starring vehicle and an unsentimental look at the teaching profession. Having worked as a teacher and in similar jobs in the past, I related strongly to the main character’s compassion fatigue and her frustrated desire to help make her community a better place. While not a cheery film, it is ultimately an optimistic one, even if that optimism is cautious. And of course, Dennis is damn great as always, whetting my appetite for more of her work.

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (dir. Sydney Pollack, 1969)

In the thick of the Great Depression, a group of desperate contestants sign up for a grueling dance marathon with a hefty cash prize. Greed, sexual exploitation, health problems, and crushing despair eventually complicate the exhibition.

This movie is so bleak you’ll be just as exhausted as the characters by the tragic finish. I know that doesn’t sound like much of a recommendation, but this is powerful stuff. It does what a great tragedy should do: make you emphasize with the characters and go out into the world more empathetic toward the people around you and more critical of a society in which such awful conditions could be permitted. And like Targets, it’s depressing that this movie’s themes remain relevant to American culture.

Flash Gordon (dir. Frederick Stephani and Ray Taylor, 1936)

A himbo polo player (Buster Crabbe), a middle-aged scientist in hot pants (Frank Shannon), and an ingenue in a blonde wig (Jean Rogers) must save the Earth from a galactic emperor.

Yes, I’m counting a film serial as a single unit on this list. In this corny, breathless saga can be found the seeds of so many modern blockbuster spectacles. The old school space opera aesthetic is always a joy and I love seeing what George Lucas borrowed from the comic book plot and fantastic images for his Star Wars films. Also, the serial is surprisingly horny for a product released after the death knell of the pre-code era, so that’s fascinating too. I watched the episodes, one a night, usually before a feature film, to recreate at least in part the conditions in which old serials were viewed. I highly recommend that approach if you're interested in watching these kind of films-- NEVER binge them.

Silkwood (dir. Mike Nichols, 1983)

Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep), a union activist and metallurgy worker at a plutonium processing plant, discovers both she and many of her co-workers have been contaminated with high levels of radiation due to blatant safety violations. Rather than remedy the problem, her employers are determined to keep her quiet, but Karen refuses to back down.

Meryl Streep's performance in Silkwood finally showed me what all the hype around her is about. What an astonishing, natural performance-- I forgot I was watching an actor every moment. As for the overall film, it's one of the stronger docudramas out there (as this film was based on a true story). It isn't just a preachy message piece and it allows Silkwood to be both a heroic figure and a flesh and blood human being with flaws like anyone. The domestic drama involving her lover (Kurt Russell) and lesbian roommate (Cher, who also gives an incredible performance) is almost as compelling as the main story. Though released in the early '80s, it feels like a late manifestation of the paranoia thriller genre of the decade before.

Love with the Proper Stranger (dir. Robert Mulligan, 1963)

When a one-night stand with a jazz musician (Steve McQueen) leaves her pregnant and at risk of upsetting her very Catholic family, an innocent sales clerk (Natalie Wood) tracks down her lover and demands he help her get an abortion.

Love with the Proper Stranger is such a unique piece of work that I can forgive the elements that dissatisfy me (like the ending). Wood and McQueen's romance starts out acidic and slowly becomes tender over the course of their bizarre misadventure, and the film itself shifts through several moods. Sometimes it feels like an urban drama, other times a romantic comedy. But it somehow holds together, perhaps because of the chemistry between the lead actors.

What were your favorite film discoveries in 2024?