#breaking out the panels for srs moments

[megaclan]

Part Thirteen

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Uh oh!

Muffled speech translation: I'm getting water for the girls </3

[jaina-lyn]

2183// One month after The Battle of the Citadel

Alchera//Amada System//Omega Nebula//Milky Way//

2185//A dream//early hours of a day cycle aboard the Normandy SR-2//captain's quarters

"Mayday! Mayday! I repeat. This is Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy. The SSV Normandy was destroyed by an unknown enemy. Emergency evacuation required. Please respond." Please respond.

————————

Please respond. She had never been one for pleas. And her air supply is dwindling, hissing gently and ever so steadily out of a ruptured tube in her neck, the sound of it growing fainter by the second.

Why does it take so long? Her limbs had started to go cold, then slowly turn numb. She can't feel her fingers or toes. Her headaches have ceased, too. She is dizzy. Lightheaded. Not that it matters now. Just a habit. Keep track of your physical state.

Shepard has stopped fighting the inevitable now. Struggling. Screaming. Begging for help. Just floats in silence. The static crackling has subsided. Her comms are probably dead. Or maybe she's gone deaf from the explosion. She doesn't know and she doesn't care. She doesn't need to hear anything. Not anymore.

Her entire crew has been wiped out. There's no way they made it out in time.

She hears Joker stubbornly declare "No! I won't abandon the Normandy! I can still save her!" only for her to order him to abandon ship. That she was lost. Nothing they could do. Cling to that slim chance of survival, right? They've faced worse odds, didn't they?

Liara's initial refusal to evacuate. "I'm not leaving either!" She's gone now, too. At least it was quick. Clean. Almost surgical.

Her surprised crew is thrown around like toys upon impact, crashing into walls and screens. Scrambling for survival gear, calling for friends and comrades. Their run for the escape shuttles is futile. Fires everywhere. She hopes that Liara made it onto one of those. That her crew didn't feel hopeless for that last moment. The thought isn't much of a comfort.

Most weren't as lucky.

Stepping over Pressly's corpse in the CIC, he was wedged beneath a broken panel. The hull is ripped of. Sudden and complete silence. What little air drifts in with her opening the door, is sucked into space with what rubble is left. The only sound is her own breathing inside her helmet. Controlled, determined. Joker is behind the emergency seal on the other side. She doesn't check on Pressly.

Her mag-boots glue her to the metal floor. One step. Breathe in. Another step. Breathe out. The tight knot in her stomach pit turns into a rock. She couldn't save them. Again. Just like back then. On Akuze. This time, she pays.

The ringing doesn't stop. Neither do their screams. Joker's desperate voice echoing "Commander… Shepard!", when she is blasted off structure after shoving him into the remaining evac shuttle. There's no way he survived the Normandy being ripped apart. That his shuttle took off in time.

————————

She floats in darkness. Her eyes are either blinded by the flashes of Normandy's destruction or her visor had darkened to shield her vision. Not that she needed to see. Frozen corpses, debris and an endless galaxy of stars is all there is to see, anyway. The vacuum probably killed most of the fires by now, too. She'd join them soon.

Bright flames, flashing lights, shrilling sirens. Explosions. She doesn't need to close her eyes to see them burned against the insides of her eyelids. Forlorn faces looking to her for guidance. She has failed them. Lost them all. The legendary Commander Shepard. Just one woman, after all.

Either her rapidly dwindling air supply or parts of the frigate's wreckage will make short work of her any moment now. Again, she didn't care. This is how she's meant to go. Some seemingly routine assignment that doesn't go to plan. She's had enough of those. One was bound to outmatch her eventually.

Her tears have run dry with her hopeless pleas. No static crackling breaks through the ringing in her ears. No silver lining on the horizon.

Just ever fainter hissing and endless black remain. Mere moments left. Her breaths are shallow now. She couldn't move if she tried. She suspects that she won't be alive long enough to feel her body crash onto Alchera's surface. If that is the way she is drifting.

————————

Her broken air supply finally stops hissing. Took long enough. Shepard sighs and closes her eyes again. Starts to count down. Like she did in training.

Six. She doesn't get in another breath. And with the air goes the warmth inside her suit. At least she isn't able to feel most of her body already.

Five. Her lungs start burning. She wheezes. One last rush of adrenaline-fueled defiance.

Four. She tries to clutch her throat, but fails.

Three. She started seeing stars before her eyes, at last.

Two. Her muscles start loosening up again.

One. She feels herself loosing consciousness, falling into the black.

It's alright, she tells herself. It's alright.

…

[tulipe-rose]

The reason I chose drowning as the suicide method attempted by Kyōka in the swap au is rooted to how I view Dazai's condition during the flashback with Mōri, specifically this one panel. ↓

Let's break it down:

He doesn't seem to have any major external injuries from his suicide attempt, or any bloody clothing for that matter, so that rules out jumping off, or any form of physical self harm.

He seems to be wearing something reminiscent of a middle school uniform without the jacket, so it looks like he did it either on his way home, during school hours, or he ran away with them on.

He's using a respiratory mask, which means he's having a hard time breathing from either drowning, or suffocation by hanging. (I'm not too sure on the latter option though, because if that's the case, how did Mōri find him? Did Dazai hang himself to a tree?/srs (he would))

Overdosing is also a plausible idea, but Dazai would've rathered for it to be painless, and overdosing is far from that. Drowning seems the most plausible to me; they do live in a Port City after all.

His hair seems decent by his standards, and his bandages are still intact, which is why I'm still slightly iffy on fully believing it was a drowning.

He's buckled down to the bed to either prevent any violent reactions the moment he regains consciousness, or to secure him until his cooperation is guaranteed.

I gave Kyōka the idea to drown herself in my au since it was the quickest, most efficient, and easiest way to get demon snow to die, while killing herself as well; her success in case Mōri never appeared is still debatable due to demon snow's strength, conviction, and final order from her former master. I also tried to reference Dazai's thought process a little while keeping Kyōka's individuality as well.

More posts on this au→

1st post

2nd post

[usafphantom2]

When his SR-71 pitched up and slammed into a KC-135Q tanker at 26,000 feet, Blackbird RSO Maj. Mortimer J. Jarvis knew it was time to go. The pilot, Lt. Col. Buddy Brown, ejected from the damaged SR-71 and Mortimer was right behind him.

While doing research on Buddy Brown I found this article on The X-Hunters website. I was living at Beale when this happened and I remember hearing about Colonel Brown breaking both of his legs, he recovered and went on to have a fantastic career in the Air Force. Today October 14, 2023, Habu’s family is all saddened to hear that Mort’s wife Arlene Jarvis passed away they had been married for 70 years❤️

On Jun. 17, 1970, Lt. Col. Buddy L. Brown and Maj. Mortimer J. Jarvis of the 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron were scheduled for a crew training flight. The crew was also to test a newly installed defensive avionics system (DEF F) over the range at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida.

Two KC-135Q tankers took off first and proceeded to the BUSY PALACE refueling track near Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Brown and Jarvis entered the cockpit of the SR-71 and prepared for takeoff. Engine start and run-up were completed without incident. Using call sign ASPEN 33, they took off from Beale AFB, California, and proceeded to BUSY PALACE.

ASPEN 33 accomplished climb, acceleration, and high-Mach cruise, followed by a descent into the BUSY PALACE refueling track. Brown hooked up with the first KC-135Q, OSSAL 59, without incident. After transferring 35,000 pounds of fuel, Brown disconnected, and maneuvered to hook up with OSSAL 73, near El Paso, Texas. Contact with the second tanker was smooth and effective. Three minutes later, following transfer of 16,000 pounds of fuel, the SR-71 suddenly dropped four to six feet. As Brown attempted to stabilize the aircraft, it pitched up and struck the tanker. The crew of OSSAL 73 heard and felt the collision. The boomer, CMSgt. Eckley watched in horror as the aircraft pitched upward with such rapidity that he had no time to take action or call for a breakaway. The black shape of the SR-71 briefly filled the boomer’s window, the tanker shuddered with the impact, and the stricken spyplane dropped away.

The Blackbird’s canopy glass fractured, causing Brown to lose all outside references. Also, his control panel had broken loose from it mounts and he was unable to control the airplane. Brown called Jarvis over the intercom to order him to eject, but Jarvis never heard him. Jarvis saw the flash as Brown bailed out, and the PILOT EJECTED light on his instrument panel. Jarvis then ejected, and both crewmembers parachuted to safety.

Eckley reported the collision to the flight crew over the tanker’s intercom. Maj. Roland and Capt. Messenger checked their flight controls and determined that the KC-135 was still airworthy. They then reported the accident to Albuquerque Air Traffic Control Center and told them to initiate recovery procedures for the downed SR-71 crew. Moments earlier, when his SR-71 pitched up and slammed into a KC-135Q tanker at 26,000 feet, Jarvis knew it was time to go. The pilot, Lt. Col. Buddy Brown, ejected from the damaged SR-71 and Jarvis was right behind him.

It was June 1970 and the crew was high above the desert landscape near El Paso, Texas, testing out new equipment in the aircraft.

With both crew members safely on the ground, the 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron airmen, out of Beale Air Force Base, were rescued by a helicopter from Fort Bliss.

The Yuba City resident ( Mort Jarvis )continued flying as a navigator in the SR-71 for another three years and found satisfaction in the intelligence being gathered whether it was mapping radar sites or taking photographs.

He retired as a Lt. Colonel in 1973 after 20 years in the Air Force. Happy to report that Mort Jarvis is living in California. Buddy Brown passed away several years ago. All of the Air Force officers that ejected from the SR-71 survived.

Linda Sheffield Miller

@Habubrats71 via X

[kouxbe]

drama casting audition: scene three word count: 618

it's not like kou had any intention on auditioning for the drama in the first place. things had just somehow ended up this way – he'd spoken to joomi and somehow, whilst listening to his friend complain about being pushed to audition; kou finds himself here, in this very situation.

( "sure," he'd said when joomi had brought up auditioning. "it's not like anything will happen." which, kou had in that moment, truly believed. that nothing could possibly come out of this ).

he stands in front of the staff, lines already prepared. kou had never really thought of himself as an actor; though in truth kou had never really thought of himself as well – a-to-be-celebrity of sorts. yet, here he was now, in sr media, training to be exactly that.

if anything, he's thankful though, that sr had practically drilled him when it came to acting. it's not that it's second nature to him, but acting isn't something that kou is completely unfamiliar with. the memorisation of lines too aren't as difficult.

he faces them with his usual stoic expression, and bows. "hello, my name is sato kou," he greets.

there isn't much that goes through his mind, kou simply takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment. he thinks back to all the workshops sr media had sent him for, all the training, the lines that he'd recited.

the character in this script is particularly hurt, his heart is broken - a break up with someone he was in love. kou taps into that.

the staff says the female lead's lines and kou stares at her, eyebrows furrowing and his eyes slowly filling up with tears as he listens to her read out the words.

"dalmi, please," his voice breaks, just like the character's from the script. the voice of a man who's pleading for his lover to stay, to not leave him - for a second chance; a voice full of desperation as he clasps tightly onto the imaginary hand that is slowly slipping away.

the staff continues the lines, and kou has to hold back his tears ( well, not his tears, but the character's currently holding back his tears, and kou is simply trying to reenact the same ). he plays with his breathing, feels the character's desperation as he says the next lines, "are you breaking up with me?"

he's had his fair share of relationships but kou has never been one to hold onto something that's already come to it's end - but it isn't a question he's unfamiliar with asking, though that was simply because kou was a man that needed clarity.

the scene continues, heavy and dripping with emotion, as kou's character begins to break down - a pathetic man calling out, yearning for his lover to stay. he's read the synopsis of the drama he's acting out, and it isn't exactly far-fetched to call his current character a liar.

"it's my birthday today."

"i know."

"did you come just to tell me this?" still, it isn't lost on him, the situation in the scene, the tragedy between two people that are in love with each other, his voice is slightly more stable, but it still it shakes. he takes in a deep breath, prepares himself to say his last few lines.

"from the beginning... was this your plan from the beginning?" he asks, and the staff replies. the scene doesn't end there though, kou stares at the panel of staff, and silently, he cries, his voice shaking as he does so - as though his character has given up on everything, as though he's lost everything he's held on to.

a few seconds pass, and kou bows, wiping the tears from his face. "thank you."

[meggannn]

i saw another "Garrus accepts Shepard in ME2 when they come back, why can't Ashley/Kaidan" post the other day and was gonna reply, then i realized my response was less about discussion and more about info-dumping/being right, so i decided to just make my own post. so here is the long explanation of why I don't and never will hold it against Kaidan/Ash for reacting as they did on Horizon just so I can point to it for later

I'm not gonna go too far into Garrus’s POV to Shepard's resurrection, just the VS's (Virmire Survivor's). I want to add crucial context for the VS's Horizon POV that is rarely mentioned in these sorts of comparisons, which is: TIM has been spreading rumors about Shepard being alive and with Cerberus that the VS is fully aware of by the time Shepard's boots hit Horizon. if you accept the comics as canon, then TIM's actually been seeding those rumors since before Shepard even woke up on the operating table. (see this panel in which one of TIM's Citadel operatives gets caught pre-ME2 trying to steal classified info about Shepard. TIM is pointedly not too bothered about it.) when you talk to Anderson and the Council at the Citadel, they both already know you're with Cerberus. how? you certainly didn't tell them. it was TIM, and he confirms this himself as well after Horizon. (Joker also says "[Horizon] was probably a set-up" if you talk to him after the mission.)

so the VS hears these rumors pre-Horizon. Kaidan says he asked about Shepard, and Anderson stonewalled him. by the time they're posted on Horizon, Kaidan/Ash have been hearing "Shepard's with Cerberus" for weeks, possibly months. if you’re the VS, you probably don’t want to believe someone you trusted to lead you into hell, maybe even trusted enough to break fraternization regulations with, would 1) lie to you about being dead, and 2) work with a terrorist organization. but then they get there and find out not only are they fucking alive and didn't contact you (not knowing they COULDN'T contact you because THEY were also stonewalled by Anderson); not only that, they're now trying to recruit you to said terrorist organization. they’d be questioning everything they thought they knew about their old CO.

the VS meeting Shep on Horizon after Shep saves the colony is not a "holy shit, you're alive!" moment like it was for Garrus's rescue. it's a "fuck, you're alive, and you have a Cerberus crew with you just like I hoped you wouldn't" moment. a "the rumors were true, I just didn't want to believe them because that means you're either a traitor or compromised" moment.

imagine after Anderson dies at the end of ME3, he suddenly shows up in ME5 going “Hey Shepard I’m back, also come join my team in my mysterious quest, let’s talk it out together in this private room over here and you’ll see my reasoning.” do you think I’m an idiot, Leviathan? we-as-Shepard saw Anderson die ourselves—like the VS was on the SR-1 when it crashed. the player would be 100% in the right to think the real Anderson was dead and this was a mangled copy of his corpse the Leviathan or some new fucking thing was puppeting from afar.

for Garrus, who was just told "Shepard's dead" after the fact but didn't see the crash, Shepard being alive is an unexpected miracle he doesn't want to think twice about. (Garrus was drowning on Omega, but Shepard arose from the dead just to save his life; Shepard knows what to do; Shepard can save him from his fuck-ups. Garrus is finally free from the burden of being a poor leader and can fall back on following someone else; everything is right again in his world if Shepard's at the helm.)

but for the VS, some small part of them may even be hoping the rumors aren't true, that Shepard's NOT alive, because if they are, it means Shep lied to them, or isn't who they thought they were.

then, for the VS to be told on Horizon “you’re overreacting, of course working with Cerberus is the only logical conclusion here!” honestly? sounds like radicalization.

“I was dead for two years!” = of course you were, that was Cerberus brainwashing time, baby. Shepard, how do you really know what happened those two years? was it really just "reconstruction"? maybe the real Shepard IS dead. (especially after the Citadel DLC confirms Cerberus did make a Shepard clone, we know the VS actually has a point.)

“fine, but then why doesn’t Shepard just explain stuff better?” this is less into characterization (because Shep is a player character and people can headcanon their Shep's rhetorical skills differently) and imo gets more into what the narrative is telling us. I see this criticism of Bioware's writing on Horizon (and I can't believe I'm defending Bioware writing) but I personally like that the player isn’t given decent, successful counterarguments in this situation. because let’s face it, the VS’s concerns are valid, and nothing Shepard can say or do on Horizon really can placate any of them. sometimes you just get outplayed; sometimes fights or arguments are just unwinnable even when people are trying their best.

would a persuasion check have helped? maybe, but that's not the point. it goes against our RPG brain where we're often wired to think every path is open to us with the right attitude or enough red/blue points. the Horizon reunion is two hurt people who are upset at each other, not realizing/acknowledging they've been put in an inconsolable scenario. they're both victims of stonewalling, one by Anderson and another by TIM. the Horizon convo was never going to be a “victory: squadmate acquired” scene because the deck was stacked against Shepard + the VS before they both even set foot on the colony. Shepard never got a chance to control their return narrative: Cerberus controls their team, their ship, who knows what, who they recruit, and when. TIM also knew that the VS was stationed on Horizon, as he confirms in the post-mission talk. the VS reunion was always going to be a car crash. and that works out great for TIM—Shepard is cut off from former Alliance allies, painting Cerberus as their only path forward to beating the Collectors.

but even if, for RPG purposes, Shepard had been able to reach out to the VS first… it’s still completely valid of them to question the situation lol. Liara had a hand in it so she ofc she wasn’t surprised at the return; Wrex adopts a typical krogan attitude of “you’re not dead? well that’s weird, but I’m a thousand years old, I’ve seen weirder.” there’s a reason Garrus accepts Shepard returning so readily and Tali/Ash/Kaidan take time: they’ve got healthier coping mechanisms and better support systems. Garrus cut himself off from his friends and family and is living out a Spectre fantasy on Omega. they others have moved on; Garrus hasn’t. he’s desperate for Shepard to come back, and why wouldn’t he be? Shepard was there when he felt like a hero for the first time in his life. if Shepard's back, he can be a hero again. but for the VS, Shepard returning means something is awfully, awfully wrong.

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 013: The War on... (ASM 93-99) P1

MASTERPOST

In this set of issues, Harry fights his addictions (to male muscles and to drugs), MJ is a floozy (good for her), and Peter doesn't have much luck (as usual).

Depicted above: Harry being confused because his beard girlfriend is seducing his crush, while Harry himself is being seduced by another dude.

Right off the bat, I'm very sad because what the heck! The last time we saw Spidey and the Prowler interact, there wasn't any bad blood between them, far from it. Ooooh, I don't like this...

Just look at John Romita Sr.'s stunning artwork. It's not just that these panels look out of a romance story; they embody how soapy the magazine has become after Romita's takeover. I'm not surprised people were receptive to it; it offers a remarkable counterpart to the action moments. The melodrama is gripping, and both sides feed each other, similarly (if not exactly) to the spy/romance TV show "Chuck" from 2007.

Seriously though, look how handsome Peter is. Look how pulpous Gwen is. Look at their expressiveness, at their attractive features, at their posture. It's excellent artwork. Even when the stories are lackluster, the art rarely disappoints. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

So anyway, Peter's about to use the big guns to keep Gwen here, which. *sigh* We all know what happens to her. It feels reminiscent of TASM2. I'm bittersweet.

Peter remembers he is Spidey, and recognizes he has no right to ask Gwen to stay.

By the way, I love his outfit. It's *very* different to what we've seen before. I'm not sure it really actually works, but I sure love it.

Turns out the reason the Prowler is an antagonist in this issue is that he has a hard time trusting Spidey after hearing about Captain Stacy's death. Another way the action and the melodrama influence each other! I'll accept it. I'm actually happy to know Hobie has an opinion on this.

And since Romita knows how to retain customers, he gives us some fanservice. Hell yeah. For what's worth, I still haven't seen any lady in such a getup in these comics yet. It's not the only way to show appealing stuff, of course, but it's still significant that in a magazine like Spider-Man, which seems to be aimed at boys first (if you forget Romita's arrival), you see more of the gents. Obviously, I'm simplifying this whole thing, but I had to mention it.

This batch of issues might be in two parts (or more!) since I'm spending so many screenshots gasping in admiration of the art.

Even as though the Prowler tries to kill him, Spidey helps him break his fall by telling him to use his claws. And of course, he calls him Hobie. He undresses him (to hide his secret identity, naturally) and drops him at the nearest hospital.

Spidey goes to Gwen's to try and tell her the truth --he's absolutely determined-- but he's informed she's en route for the airport. Oof. TASM2 flashbacks once again. She's even heading for Britain too! For a different reason (family in London/studies at Oxford).

But contrary to your typical rom-com, Peter doesn't arrive in time to catch Gwen. Reality ensued.

What a great issue! I absolutely loved it.

Not to sound like a broken record, but he can get it.

The first seven pages of the issue are a recap of Peter's origin story, which combined with the uninspired cover really gives off the impression the plot idea was paper-thin. At least the art is nice!

Betty is also reintroduced, but more importantly, Peter is wearing the exact same shirt as last issue's -- but different pants.

By page 15, the plot finally starts and Peter stops dwelling on the past because May's been kidnapped by the Beetle. About the most fun thing about this fight is that they crash into a public swimming pool. Audacious way to give me fanservice. I'll take it!

I have to assume Betty being reintroduced is a way to fuel a new love triangle. Oh well. Isn't she married to Ned Leeds? Is he going to be back too? I'd love that.

In the next issue, Spidey goes to London! He's wearing again his yellow jacket/blue pants combo that I adore so that's a good sign. Robbie proves he's the best character by telling Peter to go "work" for the Bugle in London.

Gwen is absolutely depressed when she notices that Spidey has been hunting her across continents. She just can't seem to get rid of him!

Anyway, Spidey finds the people he has to save in Big Ben. You know. A clock tower. Oof.

On page 19, Peter finally thinks about the question I had from the beginning: was he really expecting to be able to speak to Gwen, with everybody knowing Spidey's in London too?

YES.

If you remember, he's been aware that Peter's Spidey for. like. maybe two years? He had amnesia, but the last time we saw him was a while ago and he wasn't amnesiac anymore. But it appears Spectacular Spider-Man #2 took place after that since Norman obviously doesn't know who Peter is.

Everybody goes to see some shows, and May and Anna are going to see Hair. I really need to watch it hahaha, it's been on my list for a small while.

A man tries jumping off a building but Spidey saves him, and a cop kisses the man. A boy asks about it but his mom is quick to reassure him that homosexuality does not exist. It is P U R E L Y P R O F E S S I O N A L (you know, like Robbie and Stacy's interest in Spidey).

These panels dangerously sound like a kids' after special, but I appreciate the attempt. To think Peter would deal with this much more closely in a few years...

(Edit after finishing the batch: OOPS. Harry's drug problem was not a novelty in 1973.)

MJ's once again trying to make Harry jealous --and succeeding, confusing both men.

By then, Randy's totally integrated to the group (which is lovely) and he decides to call out Norman for not doing anything on the War on Drugs, which is definitely a big theme here (with the Green Goblin's persona being even compared to drugs).

MJ also makes a dick joke and good for her.

Harry tries to shoo away his homosexuality ("she's so great, right dad? huh? are you proud of me yet?") and Peter does his best concerned face.

The issue ends with MJ getting a standing ovation, the Green Goblin back and his memories fully restored. Oof. How's that war on drugs going, Pete?

In this post's last ish (#97!), Harry has been having a really hard time dealing with his buried sexuality, no thanks to Peter, who keeps hanging around, wearing not much.

Peter can't help being a condescending asshole, naturally, it's part of his character after all, but I wish he used other words in his head for Harry. It also reeks of the writers not having quite enough knowledge to handle the subject appropriately. But oh well. it was mid-1971. I suppose it comes from a good place. I just can't help but imagine Peter would try and convince me not to take ADHD meds because ~I'd get addicted to them~.

Let's just say: the writers are trying.

Hilariously enough, it looks like Harry's really trying to get *Peter* out of his mind.

Talking about Peter, his outfits have recently gotten quite... Bohemian. Not that I necessarily dislike it, but this is intriguing.

When Harry gets back home, Peter thinks for a moment that it's the Goblin. Ha. Ha. Ha.

It's very sad to see Harry's fall (not that he ever was really high), and what must happen happens.

That's a nice cliffhanger to end this post on. I'm also getting tired, and I'm not sure I can put many more pictures here.

See you soon, all two of you who read my posts!

[purpleturtle9000]

introducing teen casey sr is so much fun honestly

When Leonardo comes down the hallway, he sees three things: his brothers, two mutants, and Cassandra Jones.

"You're all cowards for not fighting me!" she yowls.

"Why would we want to fight you?" Leo demands, flinging his arms out in exasperation.

"Someone," Leonardo demands, raising his voice above the alarms and shouting, "better explain what two mutants are doing here!"

There's quiet for a moment from the teens, and then Cass throws a knife at the alarm panel. It sparks, warbles, and falls blissfully silent. Donnie whines, but they all ignore him.

Cass clears her throat, and steeples her fingers in front of her.

"My crime dads were mutated in the invasion, and I don't like them that way. So I'm bullying Donnie into fixing them AND I WILL CONTINUE BREAKING YOUR THINGS UNTIL YOU DO IT."

"Oh, cool, you've got two?" Leo asks. "Are they gay?"

"As opposed to straight crime dads?" Donnie mutters, rolling his eyes.

"Straight dads could co-parent!" Mikey insists. "Like Dad and Draxum."

"Mikey, honey, neither one of them are straight," Leonardo says gently. He gets a confused noise in return and swears he remembers Mikey being more observant than this.

"All of this fascinating talk of parenting aside, bullying is a fair reaction to Donnie," Leo decides, and promptly yelps in pain when Donnie throws something at him.

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?" Cass screams.

Mikey pops into his shell with a squeak, and Leonardo just barely catches him in time to keep him from crashing to the floor.

"Guys, we talked about scaring Mikey."

"Your family rules don't apply to me, turtle," Cass hisses at him.

Well, she's certainly just like he remembers. His notsalgia is overriden by vague annoyance at all the yelling that's happened recently.

"Also, I'm moving in," Cass continues, much more calmly, "because you idiots let an alien eat part of my apartment."

"That's not really our fault," Leo says, and Leonardo puts a hand over his mouth, because yes it is.

[timptoe]

Here at the End of Everything, Ch. 3

Part three of my “fix my brain by writing about Joker” fic took me six months to write. I decided it made sense that Joker’d have to be the Normandy’s XO during ME3, especially since he’s the one who makes the decision to leave Shepard behind at the end of the game. And boy...did Joker NOT want me to make him XO. *slaps Joker’s side* This bad boy can fit in so much unresolved angst and trauma about the consequences of decision making in no-win scenarios, I tell you what. First part’s below, rest is up on AO3.

Chapter 3: Learned from Them

We are not alone in the dark with our demons and we have made mistakes but we’ve learned from them - Oh Hellos, “I Have Made Mistakes”

——

Sol System, Earth, SSV Normandy SR-2 Forty-three minutes before Hackett’s order

He swears he can feel the mass effect fields kick in.

He can’t, of course. The fields that compensate for the friction of entering an atmosphere create no vibrations, no drag. There’s no appreciable change to the ship at all other than the indicator that lights up on one of his open panels. It’s impossible to feel the fields working. They wouldn’t be doing their job if he could.

But Joker’s a spacer, and spacers know in their bones when their ships cross that boundary from the peaceful emptiness of interstellar space to the chaos of a gravity well’s atmosphere.

“Vega, ETA, 90 seconds! Are they out yet?”

Though he’s never crossed into an atmosphere quite this chaotic.

“Almost! Esteban, grab that corner and…”

The Normandy dives through the atmosphere, the fires and smoke on the ground obscured briefly by the entry fireball around the ship, as her pilot listens to the ground crew dig through rubble to find his girlfriend. Just her body, just her chassis, not her, she’s okay.

He’s almost convinced himself of that. Not quite, but almost.

He swoops around a piece of falling debris, trying to keep a measured tone. “You’re almost out of time, Vega.”

A grunt, then more shouting. “No shit, Joker! Blowing up the tunnel was our last distraction, the bulk of the horde we carved away from Hammer’s approach will be here any minute.”

“No, I mean you’re almost out of time because we—“

“Dammit! EDI, can you read me?”

Joker stops abruptly, heart beating faster for a moment as Shepard’s voice breaks through on the priority comm line. Gunfire and screams are audible in the background.

The screams aren’t human.

“Yes, Commander.” EDI responds without missing a beat, like she’s been listening the whole time. Which, Joker reasons, she probably has—perks of having a literal computer for a brain—so the audio feed in the cockpit must be for his benefit, not hers.

“Shit, standby, Vega,” Joker says, feeding Shepard’s audio one-way into Vega’s comm so he’s in the loop.

“Any suggestions?” Joker can hear the angry urgency in Shepard’s voice, even if he doesn’t understand what’s happening—but the last thing he’s going to do is interrupt. Instead, he quickly pulls up Alpha Team’s location. Shepard, Vakarian, and Alenko are pinned down about half a click from a Reaper destroyer—the destroyer guarding the beam, Joker realizes. Their three transponders are the only blips of Alliance blue in a sea of red hostiles swarming the streets around them.

Not good.

“I may be able to use the Normandy’s systems to enhance the missiles’ targeting capabilities,” EDI says to Shepard. Joker’s eyes widen slightly as he realizes that if Shepard’s talking missiles, the rest of Hammer’s failed.

The only sound through Shepard’s comm for a moment is yelling and live fire, before he spits out, “Excellent!”

“I’ll need you to open a link to the Normandy from the missile systems,” EDI informs Shepard.

“On it,” he responds, the priority comm channel closing abruptly.

“EDI?” Joker snaps.

A haptic panel springs into existence to his left in response, showing the current status of the ship’s targeting systems. The words ACQUIRING SIGNAL blink patiently across the bottom. “The energy from the Reapers’ beam seems to be interfering with the guidance systems of the ground-based Thanix missiles. Commander Shepard is attempting to—“

“Yeah, yeah, I figured that out,” Joker responds, dodging a high-flying harvester as the maze of London’s burning streets becomes visible out the window. “How long?”

“Calculations are—“

The indicator on the targeting panel abruptly changes to SIGNAL ACQUIRED, and EDI breaks off to respond to Shepard instead. “That’s it. I’ll let you know when I’ve adapted the targeting systems.”

Shepard doesn’t respond.

The calibration monitor focuses on a spot between the beam and Shepard’s location, a progress bar reading 1% and ticking slowly upwards. Too slowly. “How long?” Joker repeats.

“Uncertain. The lower we go in Earth’s atmosphere, the longer it will take to calibrate the guidance trajectories due to surface interference and loss of line-of-sight from altitude.”

“So we can’t—“ Joker swears and hits his armrest. Fucking hell. “Vega, did you get all that?”

“Yeah, I think I got the gist,” Vega responds roughly. “You want us to hold here?”

Joker looks at the two haptic panels tracking the two teams. Shepard’s three blue dots are about to get swallowed in a sea of red. Vega’s team of six have a halo of clear streets around them, but Vega’s right—a horde of red dots are only blocks away on the north and east.

And one of those blue dots is my girlfriend’s broken body.

He takes a deep breath and makes his decision, pulling the ship back up, wondering if he’s about to add five more names to his list. “Hang tight, Vega. We’ll be there as soon as we can.” He maps out a holding pattern high over the city. The progress bar on the targeting system begins ticking up faster.

“Acknowledged.” Vega’s voice is even. Carefully so.

Dammit.

This is why he didn’t want to be XO.

Read the rest on AO3.

[one-boring-person]

Wait a minute.

I just realized we never expanded upon SR almost falling and breaking their neck😂😂😭

( and i may try and write some stuff for them later. given its storming tornado city again here so. Wish me luck that i dont get tornado death😂)

Oof good luck, dude, hope it doesn't get too rough, but I look forward to reading anything you do write!💛 and oops😂 I'd totally forgotten about that!

Maybe I should expand a little...

The dull scent of rain still lingers in the air as the two ranchers continue on with their work, doing their best to avoid the most slippery parts of the construction and ground, feet still skidding a few times, whenever they forget to pay attention. Sunlight peeks out from behind the clouds, illuminating the patches of land they're working on in pale glows, a chill still settled into the air after the heavy onslaught of stormy weather an hour before.

John has to bite back a curse as his hand slips on the beam of wood he's sawing through, the tool jumping from the gouge he's created and onto his hand, lightly scratching away a small patch of skin. The pain is insignificant, but it's enough to make him pause for a moment, starting to rethink the sensibility of working in conditions like this, knowing that whilst the timber he's using down here is slippery, the roof SR is working on is treacherous. Frowning, he casts them a look, only just able to see the silhouette of their Stetson through the glare of the sun, the veteran somewhat concerned by the precariousness of the position. Rubbing his hand, he repostions himself at his work and keeps half an eye on his friend, aware of the danger they could be in if they make one wrong move.

Up on the roof, SR carefully steps this way and that, admiring their handiwork, the cleaner tiles far outnumbering the panels of the older work, the Barn's previous wood darker and more stained than the newer stuff. A triumphant smile works its way onto their face, and they place down their hammer, stretching out carefully as they observe the surroundings from the view they have, watching momentarily as Leo and Bandit mess about in the field below, the two horses clearly enjoying each other's company.

As they do so, however, a sharp screech snaps their attention to the sky again, where a distant bird wheels around in the air. Instinctively, SR goes to watch the bird, only to be blinded by the harsh glare of the sun, the blinding light making them step backwards hastily, shielding their eyes. In their hurried retreat, their foot catches on a slick tile, sliding out from under them, their heart flying to their mouth as their body putches backwards. A hoarse scream of panic escapes from their lips, before they find themselves dropping fast, body heavy as it falls through nothing.

Hearing the cry, John glances over, his breath catching as he sees the body falling to the ground, a painfully familiar pang of urgency flaring up in his chest before his military instincts take over, the veteran racing over to the barn. Vaguely, hears the thud of their body hitting the floor, his jaw set as he finally reaches their fallen figure, adrenaline coursing through him. Thankfully, they landed in a stray pile of hay, which somewhat cushioned the impact, leaving them outwardly unharmed. Testing their pulse, John breathes a sigh of relief as he finds one still going strong: fast, but strong.

Pulling their body into his arms, John picks them up and cradles them against his chest, feeling over their body lightly, checking for injury. Two broken ribs, a fractured arm and what is likely a very bruised torso. As he touches the painful areas, SR groans, shifting in his grip, curling into his form. His heart melts slightly, and he holds them tighter, bringing them over to a chair on the newly fixed veranda, where he sits down with them, holding them against his body, thanking whatever God is out there that they weren't seriously injured.

Later that night, John wakes suddenly, drenched in sweat as images of SR's falling body flash through his mind's eye.

(What's your take on it?😂)

[jocazep]

In the Whole Wide Train | Chapter 8

Pairing: Curtis Everett x Reader (Jo, OFC), slight Edgar x Reader

Warnings: Major spoilers for SNOWPIERCER, dystopian society and its countless problems, mentions of forced abortions, language, violence, deaths, slow burn, eventual smut

Synopsis: Having grown up in the Front Sections of the Snowpiercer, you venture down the train when a rare opportunity presents itself, but the excursion quickly changes flavor when you arrive in the Tail Section.

Taglist: Now closed

Series Masterlist

Chapter Eight - Catching Fire

The sight of the black soldiers, for lack of a better word, stunned the revolters into a eerie silence.

Before you could react, Curtis pulled you and Yuna behind him, his hand finding yours and clutching it. He could hear his own heart beating. Not only that, he could hear your heart beating as he stepped in front of you.

You looked back, and the revolters were all tense like never before. Everyone had the same look in their eyes. A look of fear, excitement, staring into the unknown.

This is it. This is the big one. This is where some of you die.

“Jo, take Yuna.” Curtis turned to you, whispering urgently as the soldiers lined up.

“Let me help, I can fight--” you started to say, but there was no arguing with Curtis. He cupped your face with his free hand, and stopped your protest with a quick but deep kiss, a soldier-going-off-to-war kind of kiss.

“Take care of Yuna and Tanya for me.”

“Just ’til you’re done with this. Then they’re your responsibility again.”

“Deal.” Curtis gave your hand another squeeze before he let you go.

You took Yuna and led her to the back, pushing past revolter men assembling around Curtis.

You came across Edgar, who probably saw your kiss with Curtis, and was now probably fidgeting in his boots out of fear. But he put on a weak smile at you, and said, “It’s all right, Jo. It’s all right.”

No it won’t be, you thought. But you force yourself to nod and went on.

Behind you, Edgar joined Curtis at the head of the revolters, and they started walking up towards the black soldiers. The sunshine came in through the windows, even stronger than Curtis remembered as it bounced off from the snow outside.

One soldier passed up a fresh tail of fish to the leader, who pierced it with his hatchet. The stark red blood dripped down from the fish, tainting the cold metal.

Curtis and Edgar watched this bizarre ritual, half marveling at the fish--which they hadn’t seen in almost 18 years, half preparing themselves for the battle up ahead.

“Be careful.“ Curtis said to Edgar, his eyes never breaking from the leader of the soldiers.

“Yeah, you too.” Edgar answered back.

In the back of the Protein Section, you stood on the steps of the cauldron ladder and watched the fish being passed down the seemingly endless rows of soldiers.

“What’s happening?” Gilliam asked from beneath you.

There were no words to describe the palpable tension on both sides. “It’s starting” was all you could say.

No sooner had you said the words than the two sides finally clashed. The disorienting yells from men, the sickening sound of metal cutting through flesh, the deadly thud of bodies falling onto the floor flooded the space.

You strained to pick out Curtis and Edgar in the writhing mass of blood and violence, watching as Curtis cut through soldier after soldier, splattering blood on the windows as he pushed forward. The sound of chaos faded away, and all you could see was Curtis. Your stomach turning each time he came across a foe, your breath returning each time he overcame one.

Curtis was also lost in the rhythm of violence, his early days of chaos returning to him, when all of a sudden--he stepped on the sacrificial fish, and fell on his back.

An axe came crashing down, and in that split second, his entire life threatened to flash in front of his eyes. His 17 fuzzy years on Earth, his 17 hellish years on the train. But then your voice and Edgar’s broke through the mist: “Just ’til you’re done with this...”, “Yeah, you too...”

And Curtis jolted into action--he rolled onto his side as the axe hissed on its way down, narrowly missed the back of his neck. Before he could get back up, Edgar came crashing into the assailant, knocking the latter on the ground. Curtis lost no time--thwack, thwack--he buried the hatchet into the soldier twice as red hot blood sputtered into his face. No time to process. He pushed on with Edgar.

“We’re pushing forward.” You shouted down to Gilliam and Grey, when all of a sudden--

A blaring horn resonated across the two sections. You saw three train conductors beyond all the onslaught.

“Upcoming, Yekaterina Bridge!”

Here comes. Yekaterina Bridge, and the long tunnel afterwards. They need a torch. You clambered off the steps, and found Namgoong, pushing past the men, pulling Yuna behind him.

“Namgoong, I need your matches.“ You said in your broken Korean.

"What?” Namgoong kept moving. The revolters had made decent progress along the section, so you quickly found yourself crossing the threshold.

You grabbed Yuna’s arm and yanked, forcing Namgoong to stop. “Matches, now.”

Whatever he was trying to do, he must be in a hurry. As you forced him into an impasse, the soldiers were counting down from 10 to welcome the “new year“. And you could see the anxiety mounting in Namgoong’s eyes with each number counted.

“Fine, take it.” He chucked you the matchbook, and threw in a few other Korean words along--which you were sure were quite advanced expletives.

You let go of Yuna, and turned back towards the Protein Section. Behind you, you could hear the soldiers chanting “Happy New Year”.

“Grey!” you yelled, “Catch!”

The book of matches flew through the air as Grey ran up, and closed his fingers around it. He looked up at you, somewhat perplexed.

“Get a stick, wrap some cloth around it--”

“IMPAAAAAAAACT!”

The snowpiercer rammed through an ice block on the railroad. The momentum sent you flying forward, right into the heart of the  fight.

But nobody was concerned about fighting anymore. Breaths were held, eyes were closed as everyone crouched low and prayed for the train to stay on the rails. Well, everyone except Namgoong and Yuna.

As you recovered from your fall, you saw the father and daughter stumbling towards a window, pressing their foreheads against the glass, looking for something below the mind-bogglingly high bridge.

Up front, Edgar also noticed. “Hey, Nam, what are you doing man! What are you doing! He’s high as a fucking kite.”

You looked towards the sound, and found Curtis and Edgar. They were seated close to the soldiers that moments ago were fighting them, but now all were hanging on for dear life.

You took this in, your father’s words resonating in your head again. What did he call it? The last sanctuary of humanity.

At that moment, it felt like one. However twisted, however artificially controlled, however problematic. This train was keeping everyone on it alive. If the train falls, everybody falls, front-sections, tail-sections, revolters, soldiers, even the great Wilford.

Two more gut-wrenching ice blockades later, the train finally roared onto solid ground again, as the conductor announced through his megaphone, “Safe passage!”

And just like that, the fighting resumed. Curtis grabbed a hatchet lying nearby, and parried a blow from the soldier sitting next to him. You followed suit as more men got to their feet, picking up a small axe to defend yourself.

That’s when you heard it. A voice you didn’t know you had missed.

“Happy Yekaterina Bridge, you filthy ingrates.”

It was Mason.

Curtis had heard all of Mason’s platitudes before, and had learned how to block them out. But this time, Mason said something else, something he’d never heard before, something that rocked him to his core.

“Precisely 78.4% of you shall die.”

What did it mean? Of course he understood the words literally, and the sheer arrogance behind it. But why would Mason say this? Why 78.4%? That sounded like an awfully calculated number, didn’t it?

Curtis felt his rage bubbling up as his mind raced with the horrible underlying truth behind Mason’s words, and without really understanding what he was doing, he raised the hatchet in his hand and threw it at Mason--

Clang! The Icing hammer stopped the hatchet from ever coming close to Mason--and holding the hammer was Franco Sr. accompanied by his younger brother Franco Jr. as usual.

You took your eyes from Curtis and Mason to outside the window--the tunnel should be coming up. One by one, the lights above your head started switching off, like a foreboding countdown of sorts.  Then came the rustling sound of the black soldiers putting on night vision head gears. You start retreated towards the Protein Block section--

“Grey! How’s the torch coming?!”

You ran back into the dimly lit section, almost stumbling over Tanya as your eyes taking a moment to adjust. Curtis’s voice came from up ahead as darkness devoured the fighting section, “Everybody back!“

There were already a couple of impromptu torches made, as Grey and Tanya struggled to make more.

“Gimme one and light it.“ You couldn’t afford to waste time. Every second spent in the dark meant more revolters dying. With fidgeting hands you took up a torch, and Tanya struck the last remaining match in Namgoong’s matchbook.

For a moment the life and death of the revolt hung on a small metallic match. “Please catch, please catch, please catch...” you prayed with shallow breaths.

And then--the warmth of a burning flame engulfed you. Grey lost no time, grafting the fire to his torch and running into the darkness.

“Everyone grab a torch and light it with mine!” You held up your torch by the gate connecting the two sections, lighting each torch as revolters came running through one by one.

Before long, the section was lit a bright orange with the torches. And the revolters fought back. You ran into the section as well, looking for Namgoong and Yuna to make sure they were safe.

You found Yuna huddled in a nook, the metal panel originally concealing her knocked askew during the fight.

“Stay here, it’ll be all right.“ You tried to comfort her amidst the blood-curdling screams, and placed the panel back. It was only when you stood back up that you realized Franco Jr. had been watching you. Your hand tightened around the wooden handles of the torch.

A flicker of recognition showed on Franco Jr.’s face. As you pondered whether to fight him, another soldier came charging towards you, and Franco Jr. pushed you out of the way, and decked the soldier across the face.

Losing your balance, you staggered and fell on top of the slowly building pile of bodies. As Franco Jr. walked towards you, he extended a hand--

Wham! Edgar landed a slash across the back of Franco Jr. “You get off of her!“

“No!” was all you could get out before Franco Jr. made quick work of Edgar and had him in a chokehold, holding a long knife close to Edgar’s ribcage.

Up front, Curtis fought on, and with Grey coming to his aid, was quickly gaining the upper hand. Grey took the train conductor hostage, but Mason was unmoved. So he was the first of the front-sectioners to die. Then Grey took on Franco Sr. and when Mason tried to run, he managed to throw a blade at her, piercing her right leg.

Curtis was just about to hunt her down when he heard someone calling his name--

He turned to see you lying at the feet of Franco Jr., Edgar held in a chokehold.

He looked back at Mason--a female conductor was helping her limp towards the gate to the Water Section.

He looked back at you one more time. Franco Jr. yelled across the room, “Surrender!” Curtis couldn’t hear it, but he got the message loud and clear.

He had to choose. The life of his best friend. Or the biggest bargaining chip for the revolt.

He never thought it would be him making this choice. He never thought he would be making any choice. He was no leader. But nevertheless, here he was.

Your heart broke for him as you watched Curtis close his eyes, forming a determination. And your heart broke again for Edgar as he watched Curtis turn and give chase after Mason, as he made his own decision in turn and fought back against Franco Jr.

You tried to stop the suited mobster, pushing and pulling at him, but he shoved you off your feet, and foregoing whatever courtesy he had before, held you down with his foot on your chest. Brandishing his blade, he grabbed Edgar’s throat, turning him towards you.

The moment was scorched into your memory. Edgar held at knife point, you thrashing beneath Franco Jr.’s step. As your eyes met his fear-stricken eyes, you mouthed to Edgar the same words as before.

“It’s all right. It’s all right.”

The moment lasted a lifetime, and then your eyes blinked as the cold glint of metal flashed, and your cry was drowned in the sea of violence.

Taglist: @torntaltos @emmalbg @ajosieface 

[papermoonloveslucy]

JOHNNY CARSON

October 23, 1925

John William Carson was a television host, comedian, writer, and producer best known as the host of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” (1962–1992). He was born in Corning, Iowa, and moved to Nebraska at age 8. Carson joined the Navy in 1943. He attended the University of Nebraska and studied journalism but with a keen interest in comedy writing. 

His first on camera credit was an afternoon television show called “The Squirrel’s Nest” in 1949 in Omaha. Carson also wrote the program. 

Carson’s first brush with Lucille Ball came in February 1961 as a panelist (along with Betsy Palmer, Harry Morgan, and Bess Myerson) on “I’ve Got a Secret”. Guest Lucille Ball was then starring on Broadway in the musical Wildcat. Moore tells Lucy that her secret will be to get the panel to imitate her based on words that appear on the screen. During Carson’s turn, the word is “ROMANTIC” and then “TIPSY.”  

In May 1962, Carson is host of the 14th Annual Emmy Awards, at which Lucille Ball is a presenter. 

They would also be host and presenter for the 23rd Annual Emmy Awards in 1971. Lucille Ball is not nominated for “Here’s Lucy”, despite the fact that there were only three nominees in her category. Gale Gordon lost to Edward Asner (”The Mary Tyler Moore Show”) and the writers were nominated for “Lucy Meets the Burtons” but lost to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Lucy attended the Awards with her husband Gary, her daughter Lucie, and her then son-in-law Phil Vandervoort.

At the 36th Annual Emmy Awards in 1980, Lucille Ball was again a presenter, but this time Carson was a nominee, not the host. The hosting duties were taken by Tom Sellek. 

A few weeks later, Carson and Ball are on hand at the 14th Anniversary of “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Lucille Ball makes a cameo appearances riding atop an elephant!  

In “Jack Benny’s Carnival Nights” (March 1968), Benny’s all-star cast includes Johnny Carson as a carnival barker introducing Luscious Lucille (Lucille Ball), the red-headed bombshell.  

Barker: “The girl who made Little Egypt surrender to the Israelis, Luscious Lucille is the most fantastic dancing girl in all history. When Lucille made her first appearance, Gypsy Rose Lee retired, Lily St. Cyr burst her bubble, and Sally Rand grabbed her fans and flew back to Capistrano.”

Later in the special, Carson plays Jack Benny’s son, Jackie, an aspiring TV comic. Lucy played Jackie’s worn-out mother, Agnes. 

In July 1968 Lucille Ball made her first appearance on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” having already been a guest on the show hosted by Jack Paar. She was there to promote her new show, “Here’s Lucy.” 

She returned to the guest chair in August 1969, and November 1969, where she brought rehearsal footage of Carson on “Here’s Lucy.”  

“Lucy and Johnny Carson” (HL S2;E11) aired on December 1, 1969.  

Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon play themselves as Lucy Carter goes to see “The Tonight Show”.  In fact, the episode was not shot at the set of the “Tonight Show,” but one replicated by “Here’s Lucy” on their soundstage at Paramount. 

Lucy Carter is picked to play Stump the Band, a staple audience interaction sequence of “The Tonight Show.” Lucy sings “Snoops the Lawyer” a song she says she learned from her father.  

Speaking of parents, sitting just across the aisle from Lucy is her real-life mother, Dede Ball. Carson even directs some of his lines toward her. 

After the show, Harry and Lucy see Johnny and Ed at the Brown Derby restaurant. The Brown Derby scene is very similar to the Brown Derby scene in “Hollywood at Last!” (ILL S4;E16) aka “L.A. at Last!”.  

In “Lucy and Johnny Carson,” Lucy jumps up when she sees Gregory Peck and causes the waiter to spill a tray of drinks on Carson. 

In “Hollywood at Last!” Lucy jumps up when she sees Gregory Peck and causes the waiter to spill a tray of cream pies on William Holden.  

The episode opens with a spoof of the TV series “Mission: Impossible” (1966-73), which was a Desilu / Paramount series.

In 1970, Lucille Ball made two more appearances on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”: in February and November. 

In between, in September 1970, Carson, Ball and other stars helped Dean Martin kick off the sixth season of “The Dean Martin Show.”

Lucile Ball made several more appearances on “The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson” throughout the 1970s:

1971 ~ May and August

1973 ~ November

1974 ~ March (with surprise guest Desi Arnaz Sr.)

1975 ~ December

1977 ~ April and November

1980 ~ February

In 1976, Carson was happy to participate in "CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years” recalling his time on her show in a segment titled “Being Upstaged.”

In 1978, Carson and Ball did two tribute shows: “A Tribute To Mr. Television Milton Berle” and “Happy Birthday, Bob!” a celebration of Bob Hope’s 75th birthday at the Kennedy Center. 

On May 6, 1979, Johnny Carson received an award from the Friars Club during a testimonial dinner at Waldorf-Astoria and friends such as Lucille Ball was accompanied by her husband Gary Morton and daughter Lucie Arnaz.

In 1980, Lucille Ball made the momentous decision to break with CBS and sign a contract with NBC. The event was publicized by a fact meets fiction special titled “Lucy Moves To NBC” in which the NBC stars welcome Ball to the Peacock Network. Carson played himself. Lucy’s Secretary announces Carson’s entrance into her office just as Ed McMahon did on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”: “Heeeeeere’s Johnny!” Carson comes in with the “Tonight Show” theme music playing. Breaking the fourth wall, he cuts off the studio audiences’ applause with a sweeping gesture and they instantly fall silent, just as he did on his talk show. Carson delivers some one-liners about his favorite target, Burbank. There is also some innuendo about Johnny Carson’s work schedule at NBC. In 1980,after more than a year of speculation, Carson finally re-negotiated his contract with the network for a shorter work week, only doing one hour a night, four nights a week. Perhaps not so coincidentally, the evening this special aired, Johnny’s guest was Bob Hope, who will be the next NBC star through Lucy’s office door.

Although Lucy’s tenure at NBC yielded very little, she did join Bob Hope on numerous specials, including “Bob Hope Buys NBC?” in May 1985. Ball and Carson both have cameos in the tongue-in-cheek program.

As years went on, Ball and Carson were often part of tribute shows for other celebrities:

“AFI Achievement Award: A Tribute to Billy Wilder” ~ March 6, 1986

“America’s Tribute to Bob Hope” ~ March 5, 1988

“AFI Life Achievement Award: A Salute to Jack Lemmon” ~ March 10, 1988

Their final appearance on screen together was for “The Fifth Annual Television Academy Hall of Fame” on January 23, 1989, just a few months before Ball’s death. She inducted her friend Red Buttons into the Hall of Fame. Both Lucy and Johnny were former honorees.  

Johnny Carson was married four times - twice to his second wife Joanna. He had three children. He died in 2005, age 79, of emphysema.  He will forever be known as “The King of Late Night”.��

Carson received six Emmy Awards, the Television Academy's 1980 Governor's Award, and a 1985 Peabody Award. He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987. Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992 and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1993.

[aion-rsa]

Watchmen Episode 9 Easter Eggs Explained

https://ift.tt/2YSXMq4

The big finale of HBO's Watchmen comes together in episode 9! Here's all the references to the book we were able to catch.

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This article contains Watchmen spoilers.

Watchmen episode 9 “See How They Fly” wraps it all up. And you’d think that after nine time-hopping episodes they might be ready to wrap up all of their homages and references to the original book. You would be wrong. 

But not everything comes from the book. The episode’s title, “See how they fly” is a lyric from The Beatles’ psychedelic masterpiece “I Am The Walrus” which features the sinister/joyful (and Watchmen-relevant) refrain of “I am the eggman.” Now, with that out of the way, let’s get down to business.

LADY TRIEU

- We’re once again back on Nov. 1, 1985...this time to witness the conception of Lady Trieu. Her mother, Bian (who in the future Lady Trieu will clone and raise as her daughter) was one of Veidt’s Vietnamese employees who kept his fortress of solitude, Karnak, running. The verse she recites is apparently from folklore about a Lady Trieu who lived during the third century. 

Incidentally, this is the most we’ve seen of the inner workings of Karnak, including in the book, where we only saw TWO employees. Does this mean he murdered ALL of these people, too? That is dark as fuck.

read more: Complete Watchmen Timeline Explained

- Lady Trieu is sperm sample 2346. That’s 23 x 2. It could very well be a reference to the “23 enigma,” an almost cult-like belief in the significance of the number 23. It was popularized by counterculture icons like William S. Burroughs and Robert Anton Wilson. 

- The fact that Bian crowns her insemination with “Fuck you, Ozymandias” is interesting. Is Veidt, like Dr. Manhattan, a symbol of American imperialism in Vietnam? Pretty likely, right?

- In 2008, when Lady Trieu confronts Adrian Veidt and refers to him as “the smartest man in the world” she’s using the nickname that had been given to Ozymandias by the press. Trieu is, of course, “the smartest woman in the world.”

ADRIAN VEIDT

- This is the filming of the “confession/congratulations” video that Wade Tillman was shown by Joe Keene back in episode 5. It will be presented to Robert Redford on the day he is inaugurated as President on January 21, 1993. You can see the giant squid in the tank behind Veidt while he is recording the message to President Redford, by the way.

- “Untie knot” is the password prompt on Veidt’s old computer. “Untie knot” refers to the Gordian Knot, which Alexander the Great famously solved with his sword. The password is “Rameses II” just like in the book. 

- That’s a portrait of Alexander the Great in Veidt’s office, but as of yet I’ve been unable to identify it.

- We learn in this episode that Veidt has “never given himself to a woman.” The fact that he specifically mentions women and not men could possibly echo Rorschach’s observation about him in the book, that Veidt is “possibly homosexual.”  

- Based on the five year timeline laid out by Lady Trieu here, it would appear that Veidt spelled out “Save me Daughter” on the surface of Europa with the corpses of his servants in 2013.

read more: Watchmen Finale Explained

- Veidt’s line about achieving “everything” having “started from nothing” is a quote from the book, during the chapter when he is recounting his own origin story.

- Veidt catches the bullet from the Game Warden as he did in the comic when Laurie tried shooting him in Karnak.

- Veidt’s philosophy that “masks make men true” seems to echo Oscar Wilde’s “give a man a mask and he will tell you the truth” aphorism. This is refuted later in the episode by Will Reeves who feels quite the opposite about masks.

- “Palestine has become a widow for Egypt.” Veidt is quoting the Merneptah Stele, an ancient inscription detailing the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah’s victories. He ends with “the end is nigh,” which is generally Biblical in nature, but refers in this context specifically to the sign that Rorschach, in his identity of Walter Kovacs, used to carry around in the book.

DOCTOR MANHATTAN

- Joe Keene’s high-waisted undies are a mirror of the ones Dr. Manhattan wore through chunks of his career, before he decided to abandon clothing entirely.

- Lady Trieu refers to Dr. Manhattan as “the big blue cheese.” This is a surprisingly playful reference to Shazam, whose enemy Dr. Sivana routinely calls him a “big red cheese.” Incidentally, Lady Trieu does have a tendency to dress like the Sivana of the comics, who favors all white outfits.

- The 7th Kavalry discovered the existence of Dr. Manhattan on the White Night because Cal teleported “Mike” to Gila Flats, which was the place where Jon Osterman became Dr. Manhattan.

- Laurie refers once again to the thermodynamic miracle, a term taught to her by Jon the day that she discovered that her father was in fact Edward Blake.

- Jon has remained somewhat disoriented since he was “returned” by Angela. Throughout, we see him slipping into the past, specifically into moments from the book. 

- “Janey, are you cold? I can raise the temperature” refers to a Christmas in 1959, the first Jon spent as Dr. Manhattan, when he was still with his first love, Janey Slater. Her “chill” was because she was getting a little scared of Jon and his increasingly distant humanity.

- “There is no situation in Afghanistan requiring my attention,” comes from the final moments of Jon’s talk show appearance in October of 1985, moments before he left Earth for Mars.

LOOKING GLASS

- “Mirror Guy? “It’s Looking Glass” has become the best ongoing joke of this entire series. And as it turns out, Laurie and Wade have more in common than they thought. Wade has a tendency to puke after experiencing Dr. Manhattan’s teleportation, a trait he shares with Laurie.

RORSCHACH

When Angela is interrogating a member of the 7th Kavalry, she starts breaking his fingers, before threatening to move on to other parts of his anatomy. That was a favorite technique of Rorschach to extract information.

HOODED JUSTICE

Will Reeves uses some comic book speak by referring to the Tulsa Race Massacre as “my origin story.” He also says “before my world ended,” both an allusion to the Tulsa/Krypton parallels we have tracked elsewhere in these guides and the way Batman is fond of referring to the night his parents died. Both are appropriate.

NITE OWL

Nite Owl’s old ship, ARCHIE (hence Veidt’s “it’s been a hoot”) is still in Karnak after freezing up shortly after transporting Dan and Rorschach there to confront Veidt on Nov. 1, 1985. Wade would indeed know how to fly it since Dan later licensed his technology to police departments under the umbrella of a company called Merlincorps.

Incidentally, while Dan was only ever alluded to throughout this season, if we do indeed get a Watchmen season 2, then we have to figure he’ll show up to testify at Veidt’s trial.

We wrote more about Nite Owl here.

ANGELA ABAR

Is Angela now a godlike being who can walk on water after consuming that mysterious egg? Well, during their first meeting 10 years ago, Dr. Manhattan did tell her that he could “theoretically” transmit his powers into organic material for someone else to consume. And he DID want her to see him walking on water. But it looks like we may never know for sure.

read more: The Unanswered Questions of the Watchmen Finale

But that ambiguous ending is meant to mirror the final panel of the book, where it was unclear whether the bumbling intern at the offices of the New Frontiersman would reach for Rorschach’s Journal from “the crank pile” for possible publication.

MISCELLANEOUS STUFF

- “As if some cowboy actor could ever become president.” It worked for Ronald Reagan!

- When Lady Trieu tells Adrian Veidt that he “stopped the clock” she’s referring to the Doomsday Clock, which was at one minute to midnight before the squid massacre prevented World War III.

- We once again get Johann Strauss' "The Blue Danube Waltz" on Europa, this time as Lady Trieu's spacecraft lands. The 2001: A Space Odyssey parallels are real, considering that film dealt with a mysterious Monolith appearing on the surface of Europa.

- At the newsstand, there’s a headline that says “Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings Drag On” for John Grisham. This has become something of a running joke on the show since episode 3.

- There’s also a New Frontiersman headline that says “Four Wounded in Saigon Burning” indicating that unrest in Vietnam continues.

- The gentleman in the wheelchair who turns up is Senator Joe Keene, Sr. the man who outlawed masked vigilantes in the first place in the book.

Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.

Read and download the Den of Geek Lost in Space Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Books

Mike Cecchini

Dec 15, 2019

Watchmen

HBO

from Books https://ift.tt/2LYQT1z

[jasoncromey]

New Post has been published on DUI, Appeals & Criminal Lawyer, Jason Cromey, Esq.

New Post has been published on https://gulfcoastcriminaldefense.com/pensacolacriminallawyerblog/will-florida-create-a-reckless-driving-program-for-1st-time-dui-offenders

Will Florida Create a “Reckless Driving Program” For 1st Time DUI Offenders?

Being charged with DUI is a life-changing moment for many of those people that find themselves in court facing the charge. The “oh no, what have I done” thoughts start the minute you see the officer’s lights on behind your car.  You think about where you have been, how many drinks did you actually have, what did you eat, how long had it been since you had your last drink? Next thing you know, the officer is at your window. With every fiber of your being you are thinking “maybe he’s just going to give me a speeding ticket.” Unfortunately, he smells the odor of alcohol and thinks that your eyes are bloodshot. He asks, “have you been drinking this evening?” Oh no, here we go. Do I do the field sobriety exercises? Do I have to do them? Will I lose my license if I don’t? I don’t think I’m that bad off, I think I can pass these. Well, like the vast majority of people who to the field sobriety exercises, you don’t pass them and you find yourself in the back of a police car. Time to head to the jail. Now what – do I do a breath test, or not? Can I say no? How much is .08, really? You blow into the machine and the results are .12. You spend another six hours in the drunk tank at the jail and finally, the nightmare is over…for the time being.

So, what’s going to happen to you?

You’ve never been in trouble before, and you wonder if you’re going to get cut a break. Well, that all depends on where in Florida you live. Currently, there are no statewide diversion programs for first time DUI offenders that get the charges reduced. In certain counties, like Palm Beach for example, the elected State Attorney has created a first-offender reckless driving program. However, if you live in the First Judicial Circuit (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton), your elected State Attorney takes a firm stance on DUI charges, even for first-time offenders, and offers no such programs. Many of my clients understand that they may have done something wrong, that they made a mistake, and are not looking to get out of the situation without any consequences. Instead, all many of them hope for are a reduction in the charge from DUI to Reckless Driving. There are many reasons why this change can make a big difference. First, you will not get a DUI permanently on your records, which is important for several reasons: if you get a second DUI you may be looking at mandatory jail time, with a DUI conviction you may well not be eligible to travel into countries like Canada, and you may not loose a job that requires you to drive a company car. Secondly, your license will not be revoked, your car will not need to be impounded, and you fines and court costs will be reduced. A third benefit to a reduction in the charge is that you will not be required to buy SR-22 insurance, which will save you tons of money. Oftentimes an experienced DUI lawyer will be able to get your DUI charge in the First Circuit reduced but be sure that it is not without a fight!

Currently, if convicted of a first-time DUI, the best you will be looking at is what is called “minimum firsts.” The Florida legislature has created a set of mandatory conditions of a DUI sentence which include an adjudication of guilt (which means it can never be sealed or expunged), probation, DUI school, a substance abuse evaluation and recommended treatment, 10 day impound of your vehicle, a 6 to 12 month driver’s license revocation, 50 hours of community service work, plus hefty fines and court costs. BUT – things may be changing. This year, HB 1145, sponsored by Rep. Thad Altman from Indialantic, FL, has been approved by a house panel for vote. HB 1145 (and its companion bill SB 1396) would create a statewide diversion program for first time DUI offenders. The idea behind the bill is that each judicial circuit would institute a uniform statewide diversionary program where DUI offenders would get a reduced charge of reckless driving if they complete a series of requirements, such as a substance abuse evaluation, completion of recommended treatment, community service work, and possibly the use of an ignition interlock device in their car for a few months. If you complete the requirements then you get to enter a plea to reckless driving instead of DUI and, importantly, you would also receive a withhold of adjudication so that you would be eligible to have your arrest expunged from your record in due time.

What’s next?

There are some attorneys and law makers in Florida that do not agree that a uniform statewide program needs to be created because there are already programs like this working well in their parts of Florida. However, as a resident and attorney in the First Judicial Circuit, I do not expect that our elected officials will, without a mandate from the legislature, ever create a diversionary program for first time DUI offenders. Whether the diversion program is created or not, it is still incredibly important to contact a veteran DUI lawyer to review your case and guide you through the process.

Call us for a free DUI consultation at (850) 378-3001

[hastybooks]

OMG that was amazing & perfect & I want moooore. Is Gally on the Habs/does he get super nosy abt Alex's life? I imagine Alex refuses to ever tell him anything but when he shows up dressed in clothes that clearly aren't his own (because "like you would ever pick out anything that nice yourself") it takes 5 seconds for Gally to be like "sooo you got LAID down there, huh?" Alex doesn't answer of course, but his blush gives him away. Gally gets the story out of him eventually tho & is *impressed*

[god-hunter]

Secret Empire #6

...Spencer made a bold move on this one.  Not what I was expecting at all, considering the cover and the hinting set ups of last issue.  On the reread, I still can’t believe that ending...  But Hey.  I guess that’s what this Event is all about.  Bleak, dismal times.

I have a vague idea on how this is all gonna go down now, and I won’t give it away here.  All I’ll say is, damn...  Looks like we really do need that Cosmic Cube after all...

[SPOILERS]

Alright.  Here I’ll hold nothing back.

First thing’s first.  Mysterious Rogers:

We start in that forest we’ve been seeing him in.  He’s tied up with another rando, who’s got a screwed up large eye.  He’s probably insignificant, as he's done away with rather quickly by the Red Skull.  Then he tells Rogers that he’s next.

[But last we checked, he said he could get him out of here.  I guess he meant through death?]

The big reveal a little later is that apparently they’re in Hell.  [I don’t know... how that works.  I started to think this was maybe a subconscious brain thing..?  But I really have no idea.  As Hydra Cap is obviously walking and talking on the real physical plane just fine.]  ...Is this supposed to be an embodiment of his conscience that’s struggling to be free or something??  I just don’t know.  Skull’s interactions with him are interesting though.

New York:

We get some more insight on how much keeping the City alight is taking it’s toll on Dagger.  Night Nurse is with her and she gives her something to help, but Cloak is worried that whatever it is, it isn’t working anymore.

Meanwhile, we get to see Stephen Strange use some sweet magic as he walks through a Library and converses with an alien known as the Librarian(?)  [This must be an old-school reference].  When they greet one-another, he mentions that, “I thought you were too good for us lowly collectors... years ago...”

Anyway, Strange goes to him to learn a big light spell that will get them out of this darkness.  [Hmm..  Don’t know how I feel about that.]

Meanwhile, Daredevil intercepts Fisk and some goons only to find that he was actually helping people with crates of goods.  He asks Kingpin what his game is, and Wilson holds nothing back.  Once all of this is over, the people will remember what he did for them and they’ll trust him to Lead the City.

[Hmm.  Mayor Fisk anyone?]

Maryland:

Nadia quits the Underground Red Room team.  Miles tries to talk her out of it.  Viv and Joaquin (the new Falcon) say that this situation isn’t so black and white, and that they should sort of stay the course and see what happens.

Then, Miles spends a long time trying to talk to Black Widow, who in my opinion shouldn’t even give him the time of day.  But she listens to him as he sort of asks, whys he keeps them in the dark, and that she’s gotta be rooting for the Cosmic Cube hunters a little bit.  Right??

He also asked about that old man they rescued and she told him that was none of her concern.  [I’m tellin you, that’s Nick Fury Sr.  But that’s just me.]

The Mount:

The attack begins.  Thor goes in and yells “FORGIVE ME!!!”, which was kind of cool to see, while Cap narrates all sorts of shit about how the Underground had this coming.

We find that he’s talking to Bruce Banner the whole time, who was our reveal at the end of the last issue.  And what Bruce responds to that is golden.

But first...  inside the secret compound, there is internal strife within.  Tony A.I absolutely figures out that it was Bobbi who let them know that they were here. There is a short dispute with Pietro as well, as Bobbi tried to pin the suspicion on him to cover her ass.  [He did constantly disappear on their missions to look for his sister.]  Tony A.I isn’t so iron clad though, himself, as Raz reveals that he’s been holding out on them as well.

So... with our heroes coming to a distrusting rift once again, we go back to Cap who is basically filling in Banner about where they stand and what he needs Hulk to do.

But Banner says, ‘FUCK NO!’ In way more words.

I loved his stance on everything.  The complete outsider, completely called out Cap for being a fucking Fascist sellout.  “Maybe that became fashionable while I was out. But last I checked, you’re the evil fascist totalitarian bad guys...”

He admitted to having anger and resentment toward his peers.  But he said he’d handle that in his own way, with strong words.  But he’d never Hulk out on them.  “I’m still an Avenger, dammit. And if that’s a problem?  Then you can just go ahead and put me back in whatever box you pulled me out of. Because honestly-- it’s been a very long time since I slept that well.”

[Whoa!!  That was amazing.]

,,,The infighting at the Mount stops when the Hulk is HYPNOTIZED and breaks through their fortified barriers.

...and I would’ve loved this issue, had it ended there.  But it didn’t.

We see some sweet panels of Hulk rampaging, and Clint falling to his knees, defeated.  He’s ready to accept death here, but the Thing steps up and tries to fight the Hulk.  “--IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME!”

He gets laid out rather quickly though.

Bobbi saves Clint (and I guess she’s not a complete traitor after all.)  This was almost touching.  They don’t really interact much lately, but you need to remember that that’s his ex-wife.  Anyway, she basically sobers him up and Clint acts like a Hero again.  He shakes it off and directs the civilians among his compound to safety.

Meanwhile, Raz - the new Giant Man talks to Rayshaun.  And reveals that he apparently has a team of Android Avenger duplicates of Steve Rogers, Jane Foster Thor, Clint and Miles...  [This... did not do it for me.]

More action panels go by, and we actually get a really nice moment from Odinson, who stands before Clint, Bobbi and Tiger, who are protecting a bunch of citizens.

He just grits his teeth and says, “Go.”  Allowing Clint to let the people evacuate safely.

[This gives me a lot of hope for what’s to come.]

Sam Wilson and Bobbi get in a jet, and I guess they leave.

Then we get a lot of focus on an Iron Man and Cap rematch.

And it’s really cool and climactic to see.  It’s Civil War fuckin’ III up in here.  We find that the Tony A.I can somehow feel pain.

And somehow Cap is able to kill Tony with his shield, as he goes for a final beheading blow.

But instead, Elisa intervenes and teleports Steve out of there.

“Goodbye, Son.”

She says as the whole place blows up in a Nuclear explosion.

...What the Hell just happened!!!?

On the last page, there’s news that Natasha hears over the radio.

“Breaking News out of Nevada as Hydra troops launched a major surprise attack against Underground Forces, with reports that the subversives’ secret base has been destroyed.  No word on survivors.”

She pours a drink and cries.

Then she tells all of the teenagers to wake up with a stone cold face.

“Hydra has won.  Our friends are all dead.  Tomorrow we kill Captain America.”

-To Be Continued!-

What.  The.  Fuuuuuuuuck!!!!!????

That ending shocked and upset me so much.

But I guess I got used to it now.

...The only small hope I have is that Odinson cooperated with them.  Now I’m hoping that Hydra can collapse from within.  And that Sam Wilson and Bobbi escaped at least...

I don’t know.  There’s still a lot going on, but SO many major players have just been laid out.  And it’s really pretty fucked up.

Until Secret Empire #7, which is apparently coming out tomorrow!?