#perfect timing of doing this event with wilson and make the thing go BOOM

[wilsons-journey]

Wilson, honey. What... why... how?! (Never let that girl close to fire and explosives)

[kj-1130]

Nothing For Me

Part 7

Main Masterlist

Part 6|Part 8

     You and MJ’s relationship continued to grow as time went on. 

     As she started her first year of high school, you worked on yourself, wanting to be good for her.

     Overtime, you learned how to process and deal with things better. You focused on yourself and your developing relationship with MJ and needless to say, things started to look up. 

     The ‘present but not really present father’ thing didn’t affect you as much as it did, but it was still there. It was one of the only things you hadn’t fully processed and to be honest, you didn’t think you ever could. 

     Your father is there, and has been aware of presence for almost a decade. And not once has he given you any type of consolation or love like a father should. You would think after Pepper was getting more involved in his life and forcing him to clean up (most of) his act, he would open his eyes and realize that a whole human being was living with him, waiting for him to realize that they were supposed to be relying on him; not an AI built in the comfort of their room. 

     But nope. Absolutely nothing changed. If anything, things got worse. 

     He was away more often, focusing on the Avengers. Or he was with Pepper, the new love of his life. 

     You tried not to linger on the situation often, knowing it would only lead to pain in your chest. So you just stuffed it in the back of your mind, hoping one day that the pain would just lessen all together. 

     About two months ago, you and MJ had decided to make things official after going on your first date. At first you talked about how fast the two of you were going, but Michelle simply said ‘we’ll be u-haul lesbians then.’ That was the end of the conversation. 

     Currently, you and your girlfriend were facetiming. You would’ve made the trek to her house but she was about to study and you both knew that you’d distract her. Plus the two of you were due for some time away from each other considering the fact that you’re at her place almost everyday. 

     “Okay, so I found this recipe the other day and I’m just now remembering it.”

     MJ looks at you confused, “Okay?” 

     You roll your eyes playfully.

     “I wanted to try it with you. After my ban from your place has been lifted.” 

     “It’s not a ban,” she chuckled.

     “Well, it sure as hell feels like one ba-”     “Mr. Stark has arrived with a guest,” M.I.A cut you off. 

     “Who is this guest?” 

     “Secretary of State, Thaddues Ross,” the AI replied, pulling up pictures of the man. 

     “Hey M, I’m gonna call you back.”

     “Yeah, yeah,” she nods, looking a little concerned. “Take all the time you need. Let me know if everything’s okay.”

     The two of you give your goodbyes and you ask M.I.A to pull up the live footage from the conference room.

     “Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an un-payable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives… but while a great a=many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word “vigilantes”, is what you first hear when you start watching. 

     Immediately your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

     “And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” Natasha asks.

     “How about ‘dangerous’?” he replies. “What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”

     The secretary activates a screen behind him which begins to play the previous battles the Avengers and SHIELD have fought in. 

     “New York.” 

     He clicks a button, footage of chitauri, shooting guns, and Hulk smashing plays. 

     “Washington D.C”

     A new video appears, showing the insight helicarriers firing at each other with chaos following. 

     “Sokovia.” 

     The frame changes, showcasing the terrified citizens that were on the flying piece of land. 

     “Lagos.” 

     “That’s enough,” Steve interrupts. 

     Ross nods in response and begins his speech again. 

     “For the past four years, you’ve operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That’s an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.”

     He places a thick document on the table and slides it across to Wanda. As the team slides the book to each other Ross starts talking. 

     “The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries… it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they’ll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.” 

     “The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place,” the Captain begins. “I feel we’ve done that.”

     “Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?” There was a momentary pause as the two men’s eyes met. “If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes… you can bet there’d be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is middle ground.”

     At this point, you’re walking out of your room after transfering the feed to your tablet and making your way to the elevator.

     “So, these are contingencies,” Rhodey states. 

     “Three days from now,” Secretary Ross begins. “The UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over.” 

     Natasha speaks up, “And if we don’t come to a decision you don’t like?”

     “Then you retire.” 

     The elevator stops and you look up seeing the Secretary walk in with someone behind him. You give him a subtle disgusted look before turning your attention back to the security footage.

     As the deathtrap descends, you can feel his eyes lingering on you. 

     “Can I help you?” 

     “You’re a little young to be an intern.” 

     “You’re a little old to be looking at me like that,” you shrug, swiping away from the video on your tablet as you feel him looking over your shoulder. 

     Ross gives an awkward chuckle and furrows his eyebrows. When you reach the bottom floor, he gets ready to step out and places a hand on your shoulder. 

     You look at him like he’s lost his mind. 

     “You seem like a good kid. Be sure to make good choices.” 

     Raising an eyebrow, you refrain from saying what you want to say. You lift your hand and gently take his off of you. 

     “Don’t touch me,” 

     Once he exits, you hear the chatting start back up.

     “Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor,” Rhodes told Sam. “Which is one more than you have. 

     “So let’s say we agree to this thing,” Wilson starts. “How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?”

     “117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you’re just like, ‘No that’s cool. We got it.” 

     “I have an equation,” Vision announces as you get back on the elevator. 

     “Oh this will clear it up,” Sam mutters. 

     “In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.“

     “Toaster oven’s got a point there,” you mumble, stepping back on the metal deathtrap. 

     Steve asks,“Are you saying it’s our fault?”

     “I’m saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict… breeds catastrophe. Oversight… oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.” 

     “Boom,” Rhodey says.                             

     You see Tony lying on the couch, quite relaxed, contradicting the tense atmosphere. 

     “Tony,” Nat starts. “You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal.”

     “It’s because he’s already made up his mind,” Steve explained. 

     “Boy, you know me so well,” Stark starts, getting up and rubbing the back of his head. “Actually I’m nursing an electromagnetic headache,” he pauses to grab a mug of coffee. “That’s what’s going on, Cap. It’s just pain. It’s discomfort. Who’s putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?”

     Tony puts his phone in a basket and taps the screen. An image is projected of a smiling young man. 

     “Oh, that’s Charles Spencer, by the way. He’s a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn’t go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia.”

     He pauses for a second as the team soaks in the information.

     “He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won’t know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass.

     “There’s no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I’m game. If we can’t accept limitations, if we’re boundary-less, we’re no better than the bad guys.”

     “Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don’t give up,” Steve rebuttals.

     “Who said we’re giving up?” 

     “We are if we’re not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame.”

     “I’m sorry. Steve,” Rhodey blurted. “That-that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we’re talking about. It’s not the World Security Council, it’s not SHIELD, it’s not HYDRA.”

      “No, but it’s run by people with agendas, and agendas change.”   

      “That’s good,” Tony starts. “That’s why I’m here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing.  

     “Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they don’t let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”

     “If we don’t do this now, it’s gonna be done to us later. That’s a fact. That won’t be pretty.”

     Wanda finally speaks up, “You’re saying they’ll come for me.”

     “We would protect you,” Vision promised. 

     “Maybe Tony’s right,” the redhead speaks. “If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off--”

     “Aren’t you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?” Sam interrupts. 

     “I’m just… I’m reading the terrain. We have made… some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back. 

     “Focus up,” Tony says. “I’m sorry, did I just mishear or did you agree with me?”

     “Oh, I want to take it back now.”

     “No, no, no. You can’t retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case-closed--I win.” 

     From what you see, Steve stands to leave abruptly. 

     You then walk out of the elevator, tablet still in hand with the footage up. The captain walks past you just as you turn the corner and spot the team. 

     “Someone’s upset,” you hum. 

     You walk past everyone towards the fridge and grab a water bottle. 

     “Anyway, that was very childish. And kinda stupid.” 

     Inquisitive looks are thrown your way and you hold up the tablet awkwardly as you plop down on a chair. 

     “I was watching you. I kinda do that a lot. It’s not as creepy as it sounds.” 

     You open the bottle and take a sip. 

     “What are you doing down here kid--”

     “Ahhh,” you interrupt. “Don’t call me a kid. I haven’t been a child for years.”

     “Just answer the question,” Tony snaps. 

     “I like to stay informed. No one tells me anything and while you think that these private meetings only affect you, it doesn’t. It affects me too. You may not remember I’m your child but several people do. And that puts me in danger. So yes, I listen to your conversations to make sure it’s nothing I need to worry about.” 

     An awkward silence washes over as you gulp down more water. 

     “Anyway, I was just riding up and down the elevator waiting for you guys to finish. That Ross dude is kinda creepy by the way. But you’re really considering signing that thing?” 

     “Not you too,” your father mutters. 

      You let out a laugh and everyone looks at you strangely. 

      “Is this funny to you?” Rhodey asks. 

      “Yes,” you stop laughing abruptly. “I find it hilarious that this is the same government that was ready to drop a nuke on the city during the Battle of New York not giving a damn about a single civilian that was still in the area. I find it hilarious that this is the same government that lets thousands of children and women of color go missing and not do a thing about it. It’s funny that this is the same government that let HYDRA, Red Room, AIM; all that shit grow right under their nose. It’s funny because this government is the same one that uses taxpayer money for dumb ass projects and unnecessary military funding instead of using it to fund shit that helps the civilians they claim they care so much about. I mean how can you not find this situation amusing?”

     “Look,” Tony attempts. 

     “I’m not finished,” you challenge, looking him dead in the eyes. “This government don’t give a damn about y’all, especially not the three of us,” you say, gesturing to yourself, Sam, and Rhodey. “We’d be booted out of this country before you could even blink if they ever got the chance and you know that.

     “I don’t know why y’all are so adamant on gaining the government’s trust when they don’t give a flying fuck about you or these goddamn civilians. All they care about is power. They don’t care how many civilians come up missing or die in some tragic accident. It doesn’t matter what happens. When they see someone becoming richer or smarter or more powerful than they are, they will do anything to shut that shit down. 

     “I don’t understand how you can’t see that. And maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s just me and my experience,” you pause, catching the gaze of every person in the room with hard eyes. You take a deep breath and try to calm down. “Sign it if you want to. Think about how many lives you’ll lose then.”

     You stand from your spot and walk into the open elevator, ready to get to the comfort of your bed. 

-

     It had been two days since the initial meeting and you were currently sitting on Michelle’s bed watching her read. 

     “You’re really pretty,” you muttered out of the blue.

     You saw your girlfriend’s cheeks develop a subtle red tint as she mumbled back a ‘thank you, and continued reading. You groan and gently pull the book out of her hands. 

     “Hey,” she quietly protests. 

     “Please,” you pout, holding your arms out as an invitation.

     MJ fondly rolls her eyes before lowering herself onto you. You hummed contently and squeezed her before planting a kiss on her cheek. 

     She surprised you by turning her head and giving you a lingering kiss. That one kiss soon turned into something more. 

     Michelle gently pushed you onto your back and straddled your hips. Bending down she kissed you once again, her lips gliding with yours. 

     This continued for a few minutes, taking small breaks in between to breathe. You don’t think you could ever get enough of her and hoped that she was feeling similarly.

     You kissed until your jaws hurt. The euphoric feeling still lingered as MJ rested her forehead against yours, trying to catch her breath. 

     “We should do that again sometime,” you mumbled. 

     Your girlfriend nodded in response, giving one more chaste kiss to your lips before dropping to your side. 

     “Tomorrow,” she said after glancing at the clock that read 10:47. 

     “Guess I’m spending the night then.” 

     “I have no problem with that.”

-

     The next day, you were awoken by beeping from your phone. Once you were fully aware of your surroundings you picked up the device and read the notifications that M.I.A sent through. Scanning through them, you sat up with urgency and played the video. 

     “A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna. More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda’s King T’Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Bares, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations.”

     Carefully removing Michelle’s arm from around your waist, you stand up and move to the corner of the room. You press the contact and hold the phone up to your ear. 

      “Nat what the fuck is going on?”

     You hear the woman sigh on the other side of the phone.     “Look, just… stay wherever you are.”

     “Yeah, okay, whatever. I want answers, Nat.”

     “(Y/n),” she says firmly. “Calm down and go back to whatever you were doing. Right now, this does not concern you and I would like it to stay that way. Do you understand me?”

     There was some silence, before you let out a forced chuckle. 

     “Okay, whatever. Bye.”

     “(Y/n) c’mo--”

     You disconnected the call and gently tossed the phone onto MJ’s desk.     “You sound stressed.” 

     Turning around to face the bed, you see Michelle sat up and leaning against the headboard. You nod slowly and crawl your way up towards her. 

     “I am.”

     You feel her hand take hold of your clenched ones and she rubs them, causing you to relax slightly. 

     “There was a um, bombing at the--the um… signing thing. And no one wants to tell me what’s going on, so,” you end the sentence, shrugging. 

     MJ’s head drops onto your shoulder and you let her cuddle close. 

     “They told me to stay where I was. So hopefully we can get something good out of that.” 

     There was no response and you thought she had fallen back asleep, but you were proven wrong when your girlfriend started getting up. 

     “C’mon,” she instructed, holding her hand out when she saw the look of confusion on your face. 

     Taking her hand, the two of you made your way to the kitchen. 

     She turned around and grabbed your shoulders. 

     “We are going to make some breakfast… or lunch whatever. And then we are going to binge watch until we can binge watch no longer. Alright?”

     You nod your head, chuckling and then got to work. 

-

     It had been days since you last heard from anyone. No updates from Natasha. M.I.A even told you there hasn’t even been a great deal of movement in the compound. Today you decided you would head back. 

     When you arrived it was quiet. As you walked down the halls you heard distant chatter and followed it. 

     Turning the corner, you were surprised at what you saw. 

     “What the hell happened?”

     The two men turned to look your way, but you were given no answers. 

     Tony had bruises on his face and he looked more tense than usual. Rhodey had some sort of tech on his legs. 

     “You fought them. You fought them all, didn’t you?” 

     Both men looked away and avoided your gaze. 

     “You didn’t even listen to what I said. This is what the government does. I tried to tell you, but you didn’t even fucking listen,” you ranted, your voice slightly raising.

     “Us breaking apart wasn’t the government. Most of this is on some guy th--”

     “Well the government allowed it to happen so I’d say it is their fault!” 

     You turned to your father with pleading eyes. 

     “Where are they, Tony?”

     “Kid, they’re criminals now, I don’t--”

     “Stop calling me that! I’m--I’m not some kid. I’m not your kid,” you let out a frustrated breath. “You--you couldn’t talk it out? Like mature adults? You just had to go assert your dominance somewhere--in what? An--an airport? Some vacant lot? You just had to fight. Do you not know how to communicate?” 

     You looked at the two men, shook your head, and brushed past them. 

     Just when things were alright.

-

     “(Y/n)?” 

     “What M.I.A?”

     You were currently laying in your bed trying to control the tears that were begging to fall from your eyes due to the amount of overwhelming shit you had been hit with. You talked with MJ for a little while and while it helped a bit, you honestly were still feeling like… well shit.

     “There’s a package for you.” 

     Furrowing your eyebrows, you head down to where the mail is usually placed, get the package with your name on it, and head back to your room. 

     Grabbing a pair of scissors, you cut the tape and open the box. Inside was a letter and a phone. 

     Hey sweetheart.

     It was Natasha’s handwriting.

     I’m sorry. I really am. We all are. I wish things wouldn’t have ended this way, but they did and we can’t really do anything about it now. 

     I listened to what you said. I listened and I tried my best to understand. I don’t think I ever wanted to sign the accords in the first place. The only reason I did so was so that we could stay together. So that I could stay with you. This team is the only family I’ve had in a long time. The fact that that stack of papers could end that scared me. 

     I just kept trying to convince myself that signing the Accords was the right thing to do; anything to keep this team together. Anything to keep everything from falling apart. 

     But the more I thought about it, I realized. You were right. Everything you said. This government doesn’t care. And if the government doesn’t care like they’re supposed to then we need to. People need the government, but they don’t have it. They do have us though. And they always will. 

     I love you. I didn’t say it enough and I don’t know when or if I’ll ever get to tell you that again. You are so precious to me and I’m sorry I couldn’t stay. If you ever need anything, you can always give me a call. 

     You wiped your eyes and gently picked up the phone. You held it in your hands for a moment before setting it down. You folded the letter back up neatly and placed both items in the top drawer of your nightstand. 

     You laid back down on your bed with less tears on your face. 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

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[plussizeappreciationfics]

Move on

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Bisexual!Plus size reader

Warning(s): smut, 18+ only, cussing

“O-Oh she’s already in your room?” you questioned perplexed while clinging onto your water bottle, the nasty emotions of jealousy and bitterness coursing through your body as Bucky gave you an awkward nod, his metal hand rubbing his other arm. His eyes quickly scanned you from head to toe and you knew that he was trying to read you, so in an instance you cleared your throat loudly and placed the bottle of water on the counter.

“Okay, have fun. Just don’t be too loud” you politely requested and forced a small smile, hating the way you were feeling. “Thanks and I will” the super soldier promised and then turned on his heel, leaving the kitchen area and going back to his room. Once he was out of sight, you clenched your eyes shut and let out a string of cuss words. You didn’t know that sharing your apartment with your now ex-boyfriend would be so unpleasant.

The two of you had broken up a few weeks ago due to the constant arguing, the love you once used to feel for one another had somehow vanished and instead had been replaced with pure dislike for one another. The break-up was a nasty one too: some disgusting words had been thrown in your faces and doors had been broken from being slammed so hard. You had planned on moving out, not caring that the apartment had been purchased by both of you. You just needed to heal from this emotionally traumatic event but fate had another plan for you: the pandemic happened.

Moving away was impossible so you were stuck with Bucky who currently was dealing with the breakup in his own (and stupid) way: sleeping with any woman he encountered when leaving the apartment. This really was the worst time for you because despite being heartbroken, you couldn’t just get over a four year relationship in a span of a few weeks. You still loved Bucky despite the way you had ended things with him. So, having to hear him fuck a stranger’s brain out on the daily wasn’t helping you at all.

“Oh shit” you hissed to yourself when noticing you had zoned out and had lost a few minutes. The jealousy and bitterness was now cooling down as you made your way to your own room, remembering that you had to prepare yourself for your date. 

Yes, that was correct.

You had downloaded a few dating apps as you couldn’t sit in the apartment 24/7 and mourn the failed relationship while Bucky was getting his dick wet every single day. After creating your profile, you had set your settings on women only. The few profiles you had looked at were very interesting and the women were super nice. 

There were no thirsty comments, no creepy attempts at getting some nudes out of you or stupid and cheesy pick up lines that would leave you cringing to the max. After days of meeting and talking to this pretty transgender woman named Lisa, you were actually excited to leave the haunted apartment and get to know her. You didn’t have any solid intentions for the date, you just wanted to get out and interact with someone.

So, with a soft sigh you started to pick out an outfit and get ready to take a shower.

~~~

“Oh fuck” you moaned when Lisa growled while leaving sensual kisses up and down your neck, her soft hands gently cupping the rolls on your stomach, her leg resting in between your spread ones and giving you just enough friction to leave you craving for more. You bit your lip when she let out a soft chuckle, loving how she had you like pudding in her hands. 

The date had gone very well, the chemistry in between you two was amazing and the good vibes just radiating off of you. Lisa had just gone through her own messy breakup and was relieved to have found someone who was able to relate to her. She was in awe of your beauty and unique personality and immediately had requested to take you out on a few more dates, to which you had happily agreed to. 

When she had walked you to the door to your apartment, she had leaned in and gently asked to kiss you. The second your lips had met each other, they melted into one and the next thing you knew, you were passionately kissing each other while making your way to your room. You were so wrapped into the exciting and lustful situation that you hadn’t even bothered to acknowledge Bucky leaving his room and shooting daggers at your date as he felt a pang of jealousy rush through his body.

“Can I take your shirt off?” Lisa gently asked to which you eagerly nodded your head before helping her remove your shirt. The hookup wasn’t planned but nonetheless, you were happy because you were in awe of this amazing woman. All you wanted to do was to feel her naked body against yours and bring the two of you to the all delicate climax.

“You’re so beautiful” she gushed when your bra had been thrown into a random corner of the room and your breasts were exposed to her greedy eyes. You smiled and removed her shirt before running your hands up and down her naked chest, your fingers teasing her hard nipples while the wetness gathered in your panties. 

Lisa squealed in surprise when you took control and rolled her on her back on the mattress, your thick legs resting on either side of her waist. You leaned down and pressed your lips against hers, your hand sliding down her stomach and into her pants. “Mhm…” you moaned once you felt her drenched sex against your hand, her wetness coating your fingers while you starting to softly rub her swollen clit.

“Yes!” Lisa moaned out and arched her back, giving you all the space to appreciate her smooth and elegant neck with your lips. You went straight to work and increased the movements of your hand, loving the pleasure you were giving your date. You grinded your hips against hers and let out a few moans as the material of your pants gave you the perfect amount of friction against your clit.

“[Y/N]!”

Bucky’s voice came booming from the other side of the door, his loud knocks echoed through your room seconds later while you quickly got off Lisa and made sure that her naked was covered before snatching your shirt from the floor and throwing it back on. “What?!” you yelled once you opened the door and met your angry ex-boyfriend. He was panting in fury while glaring at you, then at Lisa who was now underneath the covers and awkwardly staring back at him.

“I want you back. Tell your date to leave so that we can talk our issues through and stop acting like idiots”.

Your eyes fluttered in surprise as you stared dumbfoundedly at your ex. The nerve this man had to not only interrupt your evening, but to also have the audacity to suddenly claim to wanting you back. You stepped out of your room and closed the door and let out an angry chuckle before glaring at Bucky.

“Who the fuck do you think you are, telling me what to do?! We broke up because we are dysfunctional and not compatible. And you have some fucking nerves to rudely interrupt my date, acting all jealous and possessive while you’ve been busy fucking every SINGLE woman in the city!”.

Bucky hadn’t been prepared for this confrontation and shamefully stared down at his feet as he finally realized how much of an asshole he had been. The breakup had left him hurting too but the super soldier decided to choose the wrong coping mechanisms. Truth was that he still loved you and to witness that anyone could just swoop in and take you away from him had left him afraid and anxious.

“I’m packing my things and am moving in with a friend tomorrow morning. This shit show can’t continue. Goodbye”  you hissed before turning on your heel and entering your room again. You had expected Lisa to have gotten dressed and voiced her discomfort of the whole situation before asking to leave, so seeing her lying completely naked on the bed and waiting for you had you let out a pleased sigh.

“I know that you’re hurting. I am too. And I’m not expecting anything from you, but I want to help you forget about this whole mess for a while and after that I’ll help you pack your belongings. Is that okay?” Lisa explained, her eyes holding nothing but truth in them. “I’d love that” you smiled while slipping out of your clothes, appreciating the naked woman lying on your bed. She giggled when you joined her and immediately captured her lips in a sensual kiss while your hands roamed all over each other’s bodies. You didn’t know how things would work out once you’d move out, but you knew that you’d get over Bucky and heal from this.

Tag list: @jamesbarnesappreciationclubub  l @pleasantdreamqueen l @disneymarina l l @harleycativy  l @sparklemichele l @melaninmarvel l @amethyst09 l @the-force-of-imagines l @bossyboyd03 l @pebblesz892 l @stars8melanin l @brittyevans l @toc1985 l @janeyboo l @badassbaker l @winters-beauty l @cannonindeez  l @ilovefanfic86  l @adorablespecialsnowflakes l @brittanyovens l @kanupps06 l @jazmynejack l @thebookwormslytherin l @theunsweetenedtruth l @talannalew l @littlexmissxfandomxlover l @amethyst-dreams-and-candy-canes l @crimsonash330 l @booklover2929 l @aranelgrey l @panda-duuu l @thisismysecrethappyplace  l @titty-teetee l @honey-anon l @princess-evans-addict l @hp-hogwartsexpress l @malindacath  l @letsdisneythings l @scorpionchild81 l @shado-raven l @alisoncdariel l @plutoneu l  @queenoftheworldisdead l @briannab1234l @miyaeadys-blog l @thenamelesscorpse2185 l @hihellogoodbyebruh l @nackrosor l @nerdgurl1985 l @2darkskinbeauty l @bugngiz l @african-melanin-goddess l @barnes-wilson-love l @ktiz90 l @let-the-love-in l @forlornfortitude l @robinredboob l @hopefuloperaangelnerd l @kola95 l @partypoison00 l @alwaysadreamingoptimist l @reniescarlett l @g0thicdream l @mayasopinions l @captaintightpants58 l @leillee

-Emmanuelle 💋❤️

[keepingupwithlinmanuel]

In ‘Mary Poppins Returns,’ Lin-Manuel Miranda arrives as a movie-musical star

Lin-Manuel Miranda has already seen "Mary Poppins Returns" three times.

Usually, actors promoting projects around the globe are on duty before and after each screening for red-carpet photos and post-show chats. They might opt not to sit through their own film more than once. But at glitzy premieres and guild events for his new musical, Miranda often assumes his seat.

"Do people usually skip those?" he asked, shaking his head. "I worked too hard on this movie not to watch it."

Of course, Miranda is no stranger to hard work. The 38-year-old theater composer spent five years practically perfecting the Tony-, Grammy- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway behemoth "Hamilton," and starred in the three-hour production seven times per week.

But "Mary Poppins Returns," Disney's movie-musical sequel to the beloved 1964 Julie Andrews classic opening Wednesday, is Miranda's first major film role. The movie opens and closes with its leading man, bicycling wide-eyed through 1930s London. He sings with a broad Cockney accent, he raps a nursery rhyme, he dances with hand-drawn animated animals. He leads an eight-minute, tongue-twisting number that, because of its numerous elements — tap! torches! BMX parkour! — required 50 dancers and two weeks to shoot across multiple locations.

...

Miranda and Van Dyke, who makes a joyful cameo in the new film, have more in common than their characters. "He went from 'Bye Bye Birdie' to 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' which was 32 episodes a year, and he filmed 'Mary Poppins' ... on the summer break," he explained. "I'm not close to busy, compared to Dick Van Dyke when he was making the first film. [On set], we connected on that level a lot."

Miranda is, in fact, quite busy. Ever since "Hamilton," the hip-hop phenomenon about America's founding fathers, went from the hot ticket off-Broadway to the Must-See Thing not just in New York City but in pop culture at large, Miranda himself became just as coveted throughout Hollywood, at a moment of renewed fascination with musicals.

He composed original songs for Disney's animated hit "Moana," and is set to write the music of Disney's eventual live-action "Little Mermaid." He’s working on the film, TV and potential stage adaptation of the "The Kingkiller Chronicle" fantasy novels. He's an executive producer of FX's upcoming limited series about Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, starring Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams; and he's part of the cast of the BBC's much-anticipated series "His Dark Materials," with James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson and "Logan" breakout Dafne Keen.

Two movie-musicals written with Quiara Alegría Hudes — Warner Bros.’ adaptation of his first Broadway show "In the Heights" and Sony’s animated adventure “Vivo” — will be released in 2020. And he'll make his feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Jonathan Larson's autobiographical work "Tick, Tick … Boom!"

With so many musical-related projects ahead, Miranda used the large-scale "Mary Poppins Returns" production — which included eight weeks of rehearsal, on-location shoots at multiple London landmarks and eight elaborate soundstages at Shepperton Studios — as an immersive workshop in translating his favorite art form to the screen.

"It was film school for me," he recalled. "When a camera is making your face 50-feet tall on a screen, it's harder to suddenly break into song and have the audience buy it, right? Rob knows how to make that transition from speech into song, which we accept more willingly in the theater because we know we're walking into a musical. If you buy a ticket to 'Phantom of the Opera,' you're like, 'If they don't sing I'm gonna be pissed.'"

Miranda is encouraged by the numerous directors who are dabbling in the space, including Jon M. Chu, the "Crazy Rich Asians" director who is helming the "In the Heights" adaptation.

"The ambitions in some of the musical numbers of [Chu’s] 'Step Up' films — I would put them next to some musical numbers from the Golden Era." he said. "I'm really excited to see what he does with Latin music and what he does in our neighborhood. Watching him direct will be my second year of film school."

...

Amid all his upcoming commitments, Miranda will still make time to see "Mary Poppins Returns" at least once more, at a private screening in New York with his family and friends.

"Well, the 10-month-old [Francisco] is never going to remember it, but the 4-year-old [Sebastian] is gonna like it," he said of his sons. "[Sebastian] saw me film this at a time when he was just starting to make memories, so it's so weirdly seminal in his brain. And to him, Emily Blunt is his friend, the delightful lady who does a spot-on Peppa Pig impression on set. I'm very curious about what his reaction is gonna be."

[the-record-columns]

July 24, 2019: Columns

‘Finders Keepers?’

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

In the news recently there was a survey reported on in which wallets were left where people could find them — some with money, some with no money, but all with a name and a way to contact the person who "lost" the wallet. 

The statistics were interesting, noting that more folks tried to find the owner of the wallets with money in them as opposed those who were broke.

Go figure.

Then, in the past week or so an armored car on an interstate in the Atlanta area had a side door swing open and $175,000 fell out, making a blizzard of currency.  At least 50 cars stooped to help themselves, many posting their finds on social media.

Big mistake there.

The cops are using those posts to track down the money — it is a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on how much you find, if you know who it belongs to. 

All this brings me to "Moose" Robinson. 

I know no other name than Moose, a ragged sort of character who lived in Wilkes for many years.  One fateful day in the early 60’s, I was drinking a Cherry Coke at the counter of the Brame Drug Store and Moose was there as well.  For whatever reason, as we talked he said he had some advice for me — to always look down at my feet as I walked, because there was no telling what I might find, and he smiled. "Listen to old Moose," he said, "...you will be glad you did."

He was right.

It may seem silly, but lo nearly 60 years later, I still do what Moose said, and, when I notice a piece of treasure — even a penny — I always look to the sky and say, "Thank you Moose."

Sometimes I even say it out loud.

Which brings me to a story. 

In the 1970’s, I worked in advertising for Paul Cashion at WWWC Radio, when it was a little Top 40 station that could be heard almost to Cricket. In those days there was a big Easter Sunrise Service at Mount Lawn Cemetery and we carried it live on the radio. The narrator spoke in hushed tones as he read the script of everything that was going on in front of a huge crowd each year.

Those of is who worked on the event would meet at the then Holiday Inn on 268 in Wilkesboro where they who had 24-hour room service, and would let us in at about 2 a.m. and fix us a big breakfast. There were five of us to meet there and I was the last one in. They were all standing on a rug which said Holiday Inn on it as I came in.

By this time in the mid 1970’s, I had been heeding Moose Robinson’s advice faithfully for over 15 years, and, as I glanced down walking in, I saw what I thought was money folded up.  I leaned down and palmed the money and asked if anyone had lost any money.  Lo and behold, they had all lost money — at that very moment — one had lost a 5, one a 10, one a 20, and the big loser lost a 100 dollar bill.

Yeah, right.

I turned my back to them and realized that I was holding four neatly folded 100 dollar bills so new they stuck together.  I told my cohorts that they were out of luck and walked over to the front desk where the man on duty told me just to give it to him and he would put it in their vault until someone asked for it.  I didn't tell him how much I had found either, and gave him my phone number if someone reported losing some cash.

But what to do now. On Monday, I locked the cash in a file cabinet at the radio station and waited for the Holiday Inn to call.  I figured no one could lose that much cash and not be retracing their steps. Thirty days went by with me looking at the money about every day, but no call.

Unsure of what to do, when I ran in to the Wilkesboro Police Chief Delbert Wilson in the post office one morning, I buttonholed him and told him my story, and asked him what I should do.  He didn't bat an eye and said that after 30 days if no one had come forward, I should just take my kids to the beach and enjoy it.

I took his advice, and, as I paid the room rent at the old Blockade Runner Motel near the Cherry Grove Pier in North Myrtle Beach, I took a moment to look up to the sky and once again say a hearty, "Thank you, Moose!"

Note:  Finding $400 in 1975 is like finding nearly $2,000 today.

No kidding.

To the moon and back, from North Carolina

By HEATHER DEAN

Record Reporter

Apollo 11’s 50th anniversary was last week any many a fascinating science fact have been shared.

But did you know that a small town about 35 minutes from where I’m sitting at my desk was integral in the mission? The special nylon material of the U.S. flags that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted on the Moon in1969, was woven at Burlington Mills in Rhodhiss, N.C.

Rhodhiss gets its interesting moniker from John M. Rhodes and George B. Hiss who partnered and built a cotton mill in Caldwell County in 1902 called Rhodhiss Manufacturing Company.

Then they constructed the village of Rhodhiss, which included a horseshoe-shaped dam, electric generator, and mill, general store, and worker houses with Rhodhiss incorporating as a town in 1903.

Workers were offered comfortable housing, some health care, schooling and credit at the company store. A two-room school house was built soon after.  Within the next decade, the Town of Rhodhiss would expand into Burke County, courtesy of a new steel bridge that spans the Catawba River, cementing North  Carolina’s place in the boom that made our state the textile capital of the world. The small town has a total area of 1.3 square miles, including the river, has only one traffic light, a cautionary flashing yellow light, not a stop light. As of the last census there is only one police officer for the 366 people, (112 families) that reside in the town. It was the perfect place to make a flag representing small town American ingenuity, I would say.

Of course there were some naysayers and critics as these things often go.

Being an employee at a mill that made flag fabric, one tends to focus on the job at hand, not about the next plant the material would end up in. For goodness sakes, they were a supplier to hundreds of companies and agencies, including NASA. It wasn’t until a few weeks after the moon landing that a company memo was put up in the weaving room about the part they played in history. Even then, there were some Burlington Mills employees who thought the moon landing was staged, but that didn’t stop them from partaking of the celebratory steak dinner with all the trimmings for every employee.  

According to Rhodhiss Town Historian Sherrie Sigmon, the flag material wasn’t the only item prepared for NASA in the plant. In a magazine article, she wrote that Burlington Mills contracted with NASA and the military for bulletproof vests during Vietnam, and material for the nose cones and heat shields on the U.S. Navy’s Polaris and Trident missiles as well as NASA’s Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecrafts.

Burlington Mills closed in the early 80’s.  

In 1995, a NASA administrator presented the town with a plaque and a small North Carolina flag that had been flown to the moon and back on Apollo 16, a thank-you for the mill’s many contributions to the space program.

Rhodhiss’ first town seal has an image of an Apollo astronaut standing next to an American flag. Town leaders ordered green signs to place at the town limits that include this picture, along with the words: “U.S. Moon Flags Woven Here.”  

Though there is still some historical question about the nylon material coming from this particular plant, the good people of Rhodhiss are not dismayed and even added a little extra to their towns celebration last week, with fireworks beginning approximately the same time that Aldrin posted the flag. These citizens are pretty sure about where the facts of history lie — after all, a National Space Agency simply doesn’t end up in a one- square mile town by accident…

  True Christians support Israel

By EARL COX

Special to The Record

The influence of Evangelical Christians - those who regard the Bible as the ultimate guide for life and stalwartly regard their Messiah as the way, truth and life - is declining. Why it is falling is complex, but boils down to accommodating the current culture resulting in confusion concerning matters of faith. Coupled with the rising population of the post-modern generation in an increasingly hedonistic culture, immoral secular education, embracing the faulty concept that there are no absolute rights or wrongs, a lack of respect for authority, a high degree of self-absorption, and the list goes on, leads to the conclusion that society's downward slide toward apostate thinking is practically inexorable.

An internet search today for articles that have “Evangelical” in the search engine is shocking due to the malice the public media has for Evangelicals. Even more jaw-dropping are insinuations of contempt toward Evangelicals from those proclaiming themselves to be Christians.   

Such adversity is disheartening because of what it means for both Christianity-at-large, and Evangelical Christianity in particular, and their respective stance regarding Israel and the Jews. Evangelicals are considered pro-Israel whereas many others who claim to be Christians embrace anti-Israel policies and attitudes including anti-Semitism and BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions). 

The Evangelical church has largely repented of the sins and atrocities of Christian history as it relates to hatred of the Jews having come to realize that Christians have not replaced the Jews. The modern witness and revelation that God stills loves His Chosen people, the Jews, and the Holy Land He speaks so much about in the Bible, is undeniable to those who are Evangelical. In contrast, many mainstream denominations hold anti-Semitic views and Millennial churches often have no opinion about why Israel and the Jews matter nor do they understand their importance to God as plainly expressed in His Word. This all stems from the liberal education being taught at many theological seminaries.

The post-modern church totters on its understanding of Jewish-Christian relations including the Jewish connection to land of Israel, and it is certainly not Evangelical in practice. Some mega church pastors are minimizing Hebrew scripture from the pulpit in an attempt to make a case for a more modern, accepting Christianity within their church walls. Such tactics may bring in people and improve attendance, but they are left bereft of the fuller teaching of ethics and morals for life, and judgement awaits those who oppose instructions as taught by our Creator who is the God of Israel.

It’s no wonder that churches, and even whole denominations, support boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns against the apple of God’s eye (Israel) and harbor anti-Semitic attitudes and practices, though many would deny it.

Such teaching about Israel and the Jews is compounded by a failure to understand the history of both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for example. This is where post-modern thought in the 21st century manifests a major defect, i.e., forgetting that history begins before a person is born. Such forgetfulness and omission results in poor judgement.

Judging by media double-standards and hypocrisy, this will not bode well in the future for Israel and Jews. The non-Evangelical will be less sympathetic to Israel and her people. Regardless of Israel being the sole democracy with freedoms unheard of in the other countries in the Middle East, the self-interests of modernity versus Israel is ambiguous at present.

Today, Evangelical Christians are a tour d'force, influential in the defense of Israel and the Jewish people. They understand God’s love for the Jewish people and the land of Israel. They understand modern history as well as they do ancient history. These are the people who support Israel by visiting the Holy Land by the millions each year. They prayerfully support the Israeli government just as they support their own government. Evangelicals have contributed millions of dollars to help support the return of Jews from all over the world to their ancient homeland. New arrivals are helped in a variety of practical ways by Evangelicals as they integrate into Israeli culture and society.

Because of the sincere and enthusiastic support from Evangelicals toward Israel and her people, an unbreakable bond has been formed.  We must be sure that no one breaks it. 

The Watermelon People

By CARL WHITE

Life in the Carolinas

You never know for sure what’s going to happen when it comes to an outdoor summer festival in the Carolinas.

It might be clear, it might rain, it might be hot, or it might be hotter, you may have long lines, you might have shorter lines. However, if it’s been going for many years and at approximately the same time every year you have a good idea about what’s going to happen.  

Not so long ago I traveled to Pageland, S.C., about producing a segment on the long running Pageland Watermelon Festival.

I met with Tim Griffin, the festival director and Sherri Honeycutt, a committee chair. They are, as are all the other committee chairs and members, volunteers.

The festival has been going for 68 years. For the most part it is a year-long planning process with only a short break just after the festival ends each year. I’m sure everyone needs a break.

My original thoughts were to produce a standard six-minute segment on the festival which would include about a half-day visit. The show had visited the festival for a segment about eight years ago so I had a reasonable idea of what would be happening.

As our conversation progressed, I begin to hear a much bigger story developing. It was more than a festival; it was about a community working together for the benefit of their hometown. A celebration of heritage, agriculture, beauty queens, entertainment and yes, the humble watermelon.

The decision was made to work toward the develop of a special that will highlight the people of Pageland and others who have chosen to be part of this massive project, now and over the past 68 years.

The decision was also made for Life In The Carolinas to go Live for the Parade. This task would require a great deal of support including fiber installation to handle our data streaming requirements. Sandhill Telephone was able to step in and make this happen — once again demonstrating community support.

The 2019 festival would have a few new things and a few older traditions added back to the festival lineup. The watermelon relay race was brought back and would proceed the highly anticipated Watermelon Festival Parade.

A new “dance-off” was added at noon on Saturday, shortly after the parade. Two music stages would feature almost nonstop entertainment on both Friday and Saturday until the festival ended.

The week before the big festival, the plans called for the selection of the official Watermelon Festival Beauty Queens, an airplane fly-in, a golf tournament, and a Sunday Gospel singing. All being administered by volunteers and secured by approximately 50 members of the Pageland Police Department and Chesterfield County Sherriff’s Department.

Tim is the president of the Pageland Chamber of Commerce; he lives in Pageland and has long been a tireless promoter of the good in Pageland. It was Tim who contacted our TV show several years ago about visiting Pageland.

Sherri is the Clerk of Count in Pageland; she is not a resident, but she loves where she works. She said it’s because of the people.

Pageland is a special place and like the Watermelon there is debate as to what it is. Is it a fruit or a vegetable? It really depends on who you ask.

Is Pageland a good place to visit because of the Watermelon Festival, or is the Watermelon Festival a great event to visit because of the people of Pageland?

From my observations it’s the people. So, visit the festival for sure, but then plan your travels to visit Pageland at other times. Slow down and visit with the merchants and maybe catch a movie at the historic Ball Theatre.

Take a little time and get to know the colorful people in this little Southern town with a few hidden treasures worth looking for.

It’s worth the effort, because I think they have figured out a few things along the way, but they will be the first to let you know they are still working on it.

I’ll let you know when we finish the special, I know there will be lots more to share.

By the way, the 2019 Pageland Watermelon Festival was a big success and we had a great time.

See you at the Watermelon Stand.

Carl White is the Executive Producer and Host of the award-winning syndicated TV show Carl White’s Life In The Carolinas. The weekly show is now in its 10th year of syndication and can be seen in the Charlotte market on WJZY Fox 46 Saturday’s at noon and My 12. The show also streams on Amazon Prime. For more information visit www.lifeinthecarolinas.com. You can email Carl at Carl@lifeinthecarolinas.com

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 1 April 2019

Quick Bits:

Amazing Spider-Man #18.HU is Gibbon’s tale from Nick Spencer, Ken Lashley, Erick Arciniega, and Joe Caramagna. It’s a gut punch, a kick in the teeth, a few tosses against a tree, and then an attempt to turn you into a porcupine via arrows. While it does do a good job of telling Gibbon’s tale and attempting to make you care about him, it’s not a pleasant comic. It’s kicking the crap out of a z-list character to make you feel “the stakes” and this is really starting to feel cheap. Maiming and killing characters to up the gravity of a story, especially ones we’ve not see for some time, it’s not fun. It’s not shocking. And I’m tired of it. Which is somewhat sad, because this is some of the best art I’ve seen from Ken Lashley for a while. He seems to be channelling bits of Jack Kirby and Keith Giffen into his normal style and it looks really damn good.

| Published by Marvel

Amber Blake #1 is another partnership with Glénat in France, this one a fairly moody crime story from Jade Lagardère, Butch Guice, Christa Miesner, and Robbie Robbins. It’s a fairly dark beginning, delving into sexual assault and human trafficking, but interesting. The art from Guice is incredible.

| Published by IDW

Avengers: No Road Home #8 breaks out some art from Carlo Barberi as we head towards the home stretch of this series. Very nice character moments for Hawkeye, Hercules, and Conan this issue, though the build up of seemingly insurmountable odds from Nyx is adding some incredible tension.

| Published by Marvel

Bronze Age Boogie #1 launches Ahoy’s second wave of series and it’s awesome. The lead story is a bizarre mix of Doom Patrol-esque superheroes, Planet of the Apes alternate realities, and a teenager from nearly 4000 years ago fighting in a world of wizards and zombies. It’s glorious madness from Stuart Moore, Alberto Ponticelli, Giulia Brusco, and Rob Steen with so many ideas you can barely keep up. Rounding out this issue is the usual prose pieces and a wonderful back-up comic of Major Ursa, an astronaut bear, from Tyrone Finch, Mauricet, Lee Loughridge, and Steen that elevates the entire package even further.

| Published by Ahoy

Champions #4 unleashes Kaldera on the team looking to get revenge on Sam, while Miles and Kamala have a confrontation about what happened in Dubai. Lots of wonderful emotion in this one, beautifully depicted by Steven Cummings and Marcio Menyz. Also, Kaldera wanting to eat everyone is just weird.

| Published by Marvel

Conan the Barbarian #5 is another great issue from Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar, Matthew Wilson, and Travis Lanham. This one taps into Conan’s life as a thief and a pirate while unleashing eldritch horrors from stealing the wrong idol. Great tentacle beasts and a wonderful feeling of dread throughout the story as Conan fights to survive adrift at sea.

| Published by Marvel

Dead Kings #4 gives us some more dark humour as Maria and Sasha get closer to launching the rescue attempt on the prison, while Gena plans a little revolt of his own. Great artwork from Matthew Dow Smith and Lauren Affe.

| Published by AfterShock

Deathstroke #42 continues the “Terminus Agenda” crossover with Teen Titans as Slade looses the bonds of his prison in Robin’s underground supervillain jail, then hangs about and seemingly attempts to needle Damian as their attempt to take down another villain goes awry. This story is odd, but entertaining. Christopher Priest, Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, Norm Rapmund, Jeromy Cox, and Willie Schubert are doing something interesting here.

| Published by DC Comics

Die #5 gives us the conclusion to the first arc and it’s pretty dark. Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles make us question here whether or not our heroes actually are “good” as they systematically start to take apart some of Sol’s toys in order to try to get home. Also, there are some horrifying hints at worse things waiting.

| Published by Image

Giant Days #49 sees Esther go back home for Easter break to try to write her dissertation. And fight a vampire with the 11-year old sister of one of her friends. Wonderful bit of how time changes you from John Allison, Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar, and Jim Campbell.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box

The Girl in the Bay #3 chronicles a bit of Hugh’s side of the story to his monstrous clay-like hallucination buddy, as Kathy continues to try to make sense of her double existence and the older version of her’s death. There’s definitely something else at play here as JM DeMatteis, Corin Howell, James Devlin, and Clem Robins keep building this mystery.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

The Green Lantern #6 is relatively muted compared to previous issues, but still has an incredible impact as Hal goes through seemingly the last of the Blackstars’ tests and is granted an audience with Mu, from Grant Morrison, Liam Sharp, Steve Oliff, and Steve Wands. Mu here definitely seems to be insane, which is chilling for someone trying to control everything. There are some very interesting twists throughout, including another form of sacrifice from Hal, leading him to a strange place and a very old character who should give a hint as to where they are now.

| Published by DC Comics

Immortal Hulk #16 is another incredible issue from Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit. This team really seems to be able to do no wrong and each subsequent issue is another masterpiece in horror, weaving together an impressive amount of Hulk history in a compelling and enticing way. Along with a very interesting development for Betty.

| Published by Marvel

Impossible Incorporated #5 concludes what has been an excellent all-ages series from JM DeMatteis, Max Cavallaro, and Gabrielle Gomez. This final issue leans heavy into quantum reality and divinity experiencing itself through permutation and self-reflection.

| Published by IDW

Justice League #21 is another interesting chapter in “The Sixth Dimension” from Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sánchez, and Tom Napolitano. This issue it become explicitly clear as to how it progresses the broader arc started in Metal as the stakes seem to be raised again. Stunning art from Jimenez and Sánchez.

| Published by DC Comics

Lodger #4 gets a little messy as the Laphams deliver the penultimate chapter of this series, inching closer to Ricky’s final confrontation with Dante. The disparate threads of the past, present, and Dante’s travelogues converge to a very strange perfect storm.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Marvel Team-Up #1 is an entertaining debut from Eve L. Ewing, Joey Vasquez, Felipe Sobreiro, and Clayton Cowles. This first issue teams up Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel presenting both sides to their day as they attend a speech from a noted ESU alumnus who has created a mind transfer device. Those things always go well. There’s some interesting contrast between wanting to be young again and wanting to be older faster.

| Published by Marvel

Oberon #3 continues to twist the tale as Oberon is confounded a bit by what Bonnie isn’t, from Ryan Parrott, Miloš Slavković, and Charles Pritchett. It seems as though nothing is as it seems in this story which leads to some intriguing surprises.

| Published by AfterShock

The Punisher #10 has some great incidental humour as Frank continues to cut a swath across a country of villains in “War in Bagalia”. Very entertaining work again from Matthew Rosenberg, Szymon Kudranski, Antonio Fabela, and Cory Petit.

| Published by Marvel

Red Sonja #3 is another excellent part of the story from Mark Russell, Mirko Colak, Bob Q, Dearbhla Kelly, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. This one hits hard on the value of mercenaries and what actually breeds loyalty.

| Published by Dynamite

Self/Made #5 takes off in yet another direction as Amala tracks down a scientist who has been searching for proof that ours is not the top level reality and is actually another simulation. It’s truly amazing as to how Mathew Groom, Eduardo Ferigato, Marcelo Costa, Mariana Calil, and Troy Peteri keep turning this story on a dime, with new revelations and new changes each issue without any of it feeling like a trick and delivering an engrossing narrative each time.

| Published by Image

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #7 focuses on some of the odd jobs that Gwen is getting through her website, pushes forward the problems she’s having with her headaches, and complicates her personal life a bit more. Seanan McGuire is very nicely developing Gwen’s character and relationships, all with some beautiful artwork from Takeshi Miyazawa and Ian Herring.

| Published by Marvel

Summit #14 concludes this arc with Val and co. attempting to rescue Fiona and JB from Agent Wald’s clutches. The team-up with Noble and further development of Jamila helps re-emphasize the broader shared universe of Catalyst Prime. Also, how far all of the astronauts involved in the Event have come. Gorgeous artwork from Marika Cresta and Bryan Valenza.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst

War of the Realms #1 begins the culmination of almost seven years worth of storytelling as Malekith’s forces finally invade Earth. This is epic. Jason Aaron, Russel Dauterman, Matthew Wilson, and Joe Sabino deliver on the massive promise of this story with a brilliant, beautiful, and surprising opening chapter that levels a huge threat at the world.

| Published by Marvel

Young Justice #4 goes into some of the politics and problems that Amethyst was having on Gemworld prior to the disparate youth of Young Justice arriving to the realm. Some nice character moments here from Brian Michael Bendis and really wonderful art from Patrick Gleason, John Timms, Alejandro Sánchez, and Alex Sinclair.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Other Highlights: Betty & Veronica #4, Black Hammer ‘45 #2, Captain America #9, Curse Words: Spring Has Sprung Special, The Dreaming #8, Eclipse #14, Female Furies #3, Gasolina #17, Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary Special, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #260, Giantkillers, Hack/Slash vs. Chaos #4, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Sirens #1, Lightstep #5, Magic: The Gathering - Chandra #2, Marvel Action: Black Panther #1, Mirror #10, Now #6, Night Moves #4, Paper Girls #27, Redlands #12, Section Zero #1, Six Million Dollar Man #2, Solo: A Star Wars Story #7, Star Wars #64, Vindication #3, The Witcher: Of Flesh & Flame #4, Ye

Recommended Collections: Animosity - Volume 4: Walled City, Paper Girls Deluxe Edition Hardcover - Volume 2, Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses - Volume 4, Transformers: Unicron, Unstoppable Wasp: GIRL Power, Witchblade - Volume 2

d. emerson eddy is one crow short a murder.

[duaneodavila]

Breaking Into Blockchain: An Interview With Cecily Mak

With the blockchain and crypto industries growing more and more every day, there is an increasing amount of exciting new positions for professionals interested in making a change. Cecily Mak, formerly Chief Business and Legal Officer at Flipboard, recently joined blockchain venture studio ConsenSys as a Venture Partner. Cecily shared insight on her new role and what inspired her to break into blockchain — and advice for professionals interested in doing the same.

What’s your new role?

I am now a Venture Partner at ConsenSys, a blockchain venture production studio building decentralized applications on Ethereum.

What did you do before?

I was the Chief Business and Legal Officer at Flipboard up until earlier this month. I held a range of roles at Flipboard over six years, including head of corporate operations, chief revenue officer, and general counsel. Before joining Flipboard in 2012, I was SVP & general counsel at Napster/Rhapsody, where over seven years I held a set of similarly diverse roles, rooted in licensing/legal and operations. I was at a law firm for three years before I started my in-house journey in 2004.

What inspired the change to ventures?

It was a very natural progression for me, as I have been gravitating towards venturing/advisory work in recent years. In addition to my full time executive and legal roles, I have served as an advisory board member/CEO coach to a range of start-ups for years. I love this work, as it is in the early chapters that a company shapes its mission, identity, values, and vision.  Being able to partner with the core team as this comes together is potent, fun work.  Further, while at Flipboard, I did most of the corporate development/investor relations work in partnership with the board, the CEO, and other key team members. When considering the next chapter in my career, a VC role was among the options at the very top of my list, as I am drawn to the blend of data-driven and high EQ-driven opportunity assessment. It was a blend of these two factors layered upon a deep fascination with the potential for blockchain technology that made this a very obvious fit.

Wow, blockchain and crypto! Why?

The internet has been a remarkable game changer for a range of industries, including communication, media, education, and banking. Blockchain technology, which is essentially distributed truth tracking, is positioned to level up a whole new set of industry segments including real estate, insurance, supply chain management (across an infinite number of sectors), and just about any other field where there is a need and appetite for higher integrity value exchange, accountability, transparency, and overall distribution of power. I am fascinated by the infinite range of possibilities to not only improve industry, but the human condition as a whole. I’ll also admit an appetite for challenge; I am happiest professionally when at my limits and learning in both substance and format. I could not have imagined a role change with a steeper learning curve in both operations and substance.

How did you get this new adventure?

The way we get anything worth getting in life: passion, conviction, focus, persistence, authentic communication, and trust in the process. When I met a business development lead at ConsenSys as a potential client and heard a bit about the company’s diverse offerings (Academy, Labs, Capital, and Solutions), I was intrigued. As I learned more about the unique culture (ConsenSys is a teal organization with a commitment to self-governance, accountability, and fulfillment/happiness for its team members) and incredible pace of growth, I was committed to exploring what sounded like a perfect role for me. It turns out, it was and still is.

What do you think has prepared you for this new transition?

Having worked in digital media for 15 years, I am very familiar with the thrill and pain of the intersections among old and new, analog and digital, known and opportunistic. I see similar themes as various projects, companies, and verticals onboard onto blockchain solutions. We are on a journey and I am looking forward to partnering internally and externally to help empower great decision making and make sure we are leveraging these innovations to the height of their potential. Further, I am a perpetual student and don’t expect to tire of new things to learn as the industry continues to evolve at the very fast “blockchain dog years” pace.

What’s your recommendation for professionals interested in working with blockchain or crypto? Where should they look?

I recommend self-educating first. Go deep. Find the best news sources/blogs/podcasts and dig in. See what interests you. What are you passionate about? The “internet” of the 1990s is “blockchain” of our era. I remember the moment in ~2000 when I realized there are no “internet companies,” though that was a heavily used term in the dot-com boom of the time. Just because an enterprise uses the internet to operate or offer a product or service does not make the company an “internet company.” It is time for us to face a similar realization regarding blockchain. There are not a lot of pure blockchain companies and projects, but there are countless companies, projects, and governments usingblockchain technology to enable their next level of innovation and overall capabilities. Once you’ve identified the thread that interests you the most, like any job hunt effort, tap your network. Meet people. Go to events. Ask questions. There is far more work now than there are competent people to do it, so it’s a great time to onboard.

How can professionals get ready for a position working with blockchain / crypto? What resources do you recommend?

I have found several topic-specific Medium channels very helpful. I also listened to almost every single Andreessen Horowitz podcast on crypto/blockchain in my early days. Read Coindesk.  Follow Coinbase, ConsenSys, Ripple, IBM Fabric, and other mainstream channels on Twitter and beyond. Ask around. There are new resources popping up every single day. By the time you are reading this, any specific suggestions will likely be gravely outdated. Oh, and have an open mind. You’ll encounter crypto-anarchists, genius engineers, and corporate loyalists in most circles, not to mention an entire universe of new terminology. Have fun.

It is always a difficult decision to make a career change, but Cecily Mak’s story shows that it can be worth it to follow your interests and take the leap into a new position or industry. With the blockchain and crypto industry truly booming, there is a wealth of new positions for passionate professionals who are willing to jump in and learn.

Olga V. Mack is a blockchain strategist, public speaker, and adjunct professor at Berkeley Law. She is Vice President of Strategy at Quantstamp, the first decentralized security auditing blockchain platform. Most recently, she served as General Counsel at ClearSlide and she has held legal and operational roles at Visa, Zoosk, Pacific Art League, Wilson Sonsini, and Yahoo. Olga founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to serve on the corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. You can email Olga at olga@olgamack.com or follow her on Twitter @olgavmack.

[buddyrabrahams]

15 biggest disappointments of NFL Week 10

Week 10 saw one of the NFL’s two remaining winless teams get a much-needed victory, plus a myriad of upsets or near-upsets, and some top performances. We also saw stars and teams struggle in unexpected fashion as the playoff race really begins to heat up.

Here are the 15 biggest disappointments from NFL Week 10.

Buffalo Bills’ defense

A once-promising Bills season is headed in the completely wrong direction. Buffalo has now lost two in a row following a 5-2 start, with Sunday’s home 47-10 loss to New Orleans being a particular embarrassment. The defense was simply not up to par against the revitalized New Orleans Saints, who ran all over Buffalo’s hapless defense. New Orleans put up 482 total yards, with 298 of those yards on the ground — a remarkable total for the Saints. They also rushed for six scores. Buffalo never had a chance with the way things went for the defense.

Broncos’ special teams

The Broncos have seen their offense struggle lately and, particularly last week against Philadelphia, their defense as well. Why not add the special teams to the equation? In the first half against New England alone on Sunday night, Isaiah McKenzie muffed a punt, which led to six points. They then allowed a 103-yard kick return for a touchdown. As if that weren’t enough, a blocked punt in the second quarter set up New England for another touchdown. Denver’s special teams hasn’t been good this year, but they were more or less directly responsible for New England’s first half performance. Stopping Tom Brady is already hard enough. Beating the Patriots after making so many special teams errors is nearly impossible.

Blake Bortles, QB, Jaguars

Jacksonville may have squeaked out an overtime win on Sunday, but Bortles certainly did everything he could to literally throw this one away. Bortles threw two key interceptions to San Diego’s Tre Boston late in the game, with the second one looking like it was going to result in a surprising home loss. Jacksonville won this game thanks to their defense as Bortles was given a lot of opportunities to pass — and reminded us that he has many, many limitations.

New York Giants

Will losing to the previously winless San Francisco 49ers be enough to get Ben McAdoo fired? It’s too soon to say, but if his fate isn’t sealed now, it certainly feels like it will be soon enough. The 1-8 Giants allowed Kyle Shanahan to earn his first win as San Francisco’s head coach. Steve Spagnuolo has little reason to hold his head high either after his defense gave up nearly 500 total yards to a team quarterbacked by C.J. Beathard. The Giants need a total and complete cleaning of house. The only question is how long they’ll take to get it started.

Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers

Allen was being defended by Jalen Ramsey, so we knew he had a tough task on Sunday. He didn’t really deliver. Allen was held completely in check as the Chargers faced off against the difficult Jacksonville defense, catching only four passes for a total of 48 yards. Allen started off the season with two 100-yard games in the first month, leading many to believe he was set to duplicate the success he enjoyed as a rookie. Since then, he hasn’t done much. The inability for Philip Rivers to connect with him regularly was definitely a reason that the Chargers couldn’t pull this one out.

Antonio Brown, WR, Steelers

Brown got his usual share of targets, but the catches did not follow in a 20-17 win over the Colts. He missed a couple big play opportunities — not necessarily any fault of his own — and had his second worst game of the season in terms of yardage (47 on three catches). He looked in line for a big day against the lowly Colts, but it wasn’t happening for him as he and Ben Roethlisberger did not seem to be in perfect sync. Don’t expect that to become a regular occurrence.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Redskins

It was one of those days for Cousins, who offers something for everyone. He went 26 of 45 for 327 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He gave something for his detractors to point to as evidence that he’s one of the game’s most overrated quarterbacks. His accuracy was shaky at times, his interception was not a good one, and he took advantage of some close rushing touchdowns. But on the whole, this was the kind of inconsistent performance that makes you doubt him for just a moment.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts

It’s boom or bust for Hilton, and this was a bust week for the Colts’ star receiver. Pittsburgh’s secondary was there for the taking — Indianapolis did put up 17 points — but Hilton was not a part of it. He had just two receptions for 23 yards. On the whole, Hilton’s season has been a letdown. Playing with Jacoby Brissett as his QB, Hilton has had far more mediocre games than he has had good ones. But to follow up a 175-yard, two-touchdown performance with just 23 yards? Woof.

Leonard Fournette, RB, Jaguars

Fournette hadn’t played in about a month, which surely had something to do with his disappointing performance on Sunday. That was little consolation to the Jaguars, who gave Fournette the ball 17 times and saw him gain just 33 yards. Jacksonville threw the ball a lot more than usual on Sunday, though it’s debatable whether that was cause or effect for Fournette’s slow day. Either way, he looked rusty, and the numbers bear that out.

DeShone Kizer — or Hue Jackson

As the team’s head coach, Jackson rightly took the fall for the horrendously botched clock management at the end of the first half in the Browns’ loss to the Detroit Lions. Even three points would have made it a 17-13 game and could have changed the feeling of things coming out of the locker room. In reality, the mistake was likely attributed to Kizer. There seemed to be extensive confusion throughout the Cleveland offense on the play in question — but whatever the case, the poor play call is going to be a talking point, like it or not.

Marvin Jones, WR, Lions

Jones had been on a three-week hot streak, but he crashed back to earth against the Cleveland Browns, which looked like it should have been a favorable matchup for him. Jones was targeted twice and caught one pass for 22 yards. Lions QB Matthew Stafford leaned heavily on Golden Tate and Kenny Golladay instead, costing Jones dearly. Those looking for a big day from him against Cleveland’s secondary came away quite disappointed.

Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys

Prescott looked a lot less convincing without Ezekiel Elliott, which was to be expected. One could argue that an even bigger reason for the second-year QB’s struggles was the injury that kept tackle Tyron Smith out of the game. Prescott was put under constant pressure by Atlanta’s front four and saw way too much of Adrian Clayborn, who had six sacks. Without those two key players, Prescott didn’t have much of a chance. He struggled mightily, completing only 20 passes for only 176 yards while losing two fumbles. One has to wonder if his ceiling is a little lower as long as Elliott is absent.

Terrelle Pryor, WR, Redskins

This has to be the low point for Pryor — or, at the very least, you’d hope so. In a game where Washington threw it 45 times, Pryor wasn’t targeted once. He only played 28 snaps. Pryor’s decision to sign just a one-year contract in hopes of cashing in big after a second good season in a row looks to have backfired spectacularly. Pryor has more or less become a non-factor in the Washington offense. Cousins barely targets him nowadays, and he’ll have to look long and hard at what happened to him this season.

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Bills

None of the Bills had good games on Sunday, but Taylor’s performance stood out for all the wrong reasons. Taylor attempted only 18 passes, completed nine of them, and tallied up 56 yards. Part of the explanation for the poor stats was the fact that coach Sean McDermott sat him early to protect him in a blowout loss to New Orleans, but his performance was bad enough that some were wondering if Nathan Peterman might get a look next week. He won’t, but Taylor’s performance inspired little confidence.

NFL concussion protocol

Perhaps the protocol worked as intended, but Sunday’s events certainly didn’t make it look like it did. First, there was Thomas Davis allegation about Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman’s concussion, which did the league no favors. Worse still was the sight of a groggy Jacoby Brissett barely missing any time after a hit to the head, forcing the Colts to go on the defensive after their loss. All of this came after the Seahawks may have violated protocol with Russell Wilson on Thursday night.

It’s clear that the league still has a long way to go on head injuries. Week 10 proved that.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2hmwi7v

[2traveldads-blog]

This post is sponsored by Kimberly-Clark

We’ve just returned from our first family trip to Disneyland with all four of us and it was incredible.  We were so fortunate to get to experience not just Disneyland and California Adventure, but then also the Cars 3 Premiere and an unforgettable Cars Land experience with the kids.  And we’ve learned a lot about taking a family Disneyland vacation so how to make it (nearly) stress-free.

Day packing for family Disneyland Vacation

Chris and I have spent countless hours in the Disney Parks since we used to live in Anaheim and I worked for the Disneyland Resort, but it’s a completely different ballgame with kids.  Instead of showing up with just our sunglasses we had to cart in supplies, like Kleenex® brand facial tissues and Huggies One & Done Wipes, to be sure we were staying clean and healthy in the Parks.  Easy-peasy though.

Here’s our list to make it super simple in Disneyland and California Adventure with kids:

1 spare outfit per kid

1 light jacket per person

Self-filtering water bottle

Stack of folded Viva towels – way better than napkins

Small snack bags (cheese & crackers)

2 apples per kid

Huggies One & Done wipes

Kleenex

Hand sanitizer

Boom.  All of this fits in one small backpack that’s easy to take with you on rides or hang from a stroller.  The combo of ready-to-go snacks and clean up supplies prevented all kinds of hangry breakdowns and stressed out messes.  

Travel tips for an easy journey to Disneyland

Just take our list above and add to it coloring supplies, a Kindle with your two favorite Disney movies (for us it’s Moana and Finding Dory), and you’re all set.  We’ve also learned that it’s okay to check our bags for flights.  Airlines have gotten worlds better with luggage handling so there is minimal risk and if you’ve got the branded credit card of your preferred airline, chances are you have no checked baggage fees.

Tip:  if you’re hesitant to bring your own car seat on your family Disneyland vacation, know that the airlines will check them for free and usually they’ll help you wrangle them following your flight.

Since we typically travel as 2 dads with 2 kids we always have a second backpack which we’re not shy about loading up with extra supplies.  We always start our trips with a full packet of Huggies One & Done Wipes, particularly as kids on a plane is a messy situation.  We used to have Pull-Ups at the ready, but we’ve since conquered potty training (yeah!!!) and now flying with kids is even easier.  The last thing that we’re sure to have in our plane packs headphones.  

Tip:  even the best, most engaging learning games on tablets have a lot of sounds that could drive passengers (or you) a bit nuts. Bring headphones your kids are familiar with so they’ll be comfortable using them on the plane.

First Impressions of our Disneyland experience with kids

It’s way different getting to Disneyland and anticipating your arrival when you’ve got little people involved.  We didn’t tell the kids we were going to Disneyland, let alone the Cars 3 Premiere, so when we got to the Grand Californian Hotel they thought we were just at another nice resort… and then the Guest Services cast member kneeled down and told the kids where we were.  Silence.  Then it was “Naht auh. Really?!”  It was perfect and then the energy level and excitement went up from there.

We enjoyed the Craftsman’s Club at the Grand Californian before we even went into the Parks, giving the kids their first experience with fireworks.  They pump the music into the Club so our experience was almost as good as being in the Hub of Disneyland for the show.  Following the fireworks we gave the kids a Huggies One & Done Wipes faux-bath and got them to sleep.  We were starting early the next day.

Tip:  if it’s in your budget and they have space available, see about getting Craftsman’s Club (Grand Californian) or E-Ticket Club (Disneyland Hotel) access when you’re doing your family Disneyland vacation. It was great for having meals and snacks between parks, as well as having cast members available for any questions and making special reservations for us.

Basics to exploring the Disney Parks

First off, let’s just say that if you’ve visited Disneyland without kids and then all of a sudden you are there with little people, your experience is going to be different.  It’s not just that you’re doling out Kleenex every five minutes, but you’re limited in the attractions you can do.  And just because your kids may be tall enough for a certain ride, it doesn’t mean that it’s right for them.

Tip:  download the Disneyland app prior to starting in the Parks to have access to height requirements and wait times for the different attractions.  You can also see where different characters are in the Parks making it easier for kids to spot familiar faces.

Another thing to keep in mind when you’re doing a family Disneyland vacation is that your kids don’t have the same memories you do or have the same priorities as you. While you might think it’s terribly important to wait for a certain ride or experience your kids may really want to do something else that you “know” isn’t as cool… so be prepared to shift your way of thinking and make the family Disneyland vacation about their first memories.

Tip:  kids dig spinning rides and adults know they’re tough on the equilibrium.  Suffer through one or two knowing that your kids will be to the moon about the fun and you’ll seem like the extra cool adult who’s willing to be adventurous.

The last big tip to make the most of your time in the Disney Parks is to pick the shows/parades that you really want to see and plan around them.  It was really important to us that the kids experience the Main Street Electrical Parade and the Pixar Play Parade.  We had help from the Guest Services cast members to get great seats for the Pixar Play Parade, but then for the Main Street Electrical Parade we plotted our dinner in a prime place to finish eating, busted out the Viva Paper Towels to clean up, and headed to Main Street in time for the parade to start.  It took some help and planning, but we did it and the kids loved it! The entertainment is half of a family Disneyland vacation.

The Main Event:  Cars 3 Premiere

FYI, there are no spoilers here… except on the backends of our favorite Cars friends.  We arrived at the Anaheim Convention Center for the Cars 3 Premiere and were greeted by Lightning McQueen and friends from afar and all the way onto the red carpet.  Once we had our credentials we got to walk the red carpet like pros, the kids stopping in all the right spots to check out the entertainment, to get airbrush tattoos at the Huggies clean up stations, take pics with the stars of Cars 3… They were the very definition of poise.  Also Oliver, our oldest, had a heyday stocking up on Kleenex and taking even more pictures and being even more cute and excited, doing every fun Cars 3 activity available all the way to the end of the red carpet.

Tip:  if you’re ever doing a red carpet event, be prepared with comfortable shoes, breath mints, and a quick introduction of who you are.  Unless of course you’re Kerry Washington and are capable of navigating the red carpet seamlessly, then just do your thing.

Being the one who writes most of our articles, I (Rob) got to hang out on the red carpet and meet all kinds of awesome people from Owen Wilson (Lightning McQueen) to Armie Hammer (Jackson Storm); others, like Kerry Washington, were super busy and I didn’t get to shake hands with.  

The best moment though was getting to chat and take a selfie with Jennifer Lewis (Flo) and sharing with her why she’s Oliver’s favorite car.  Quoting Oliver: “She’s my favorite because she’s the one with gas.”  We all got a kick out of it.

And the movie was really perfect.  Both kids and both dads loved it.  The characters, new and old, were spot on; the story was meaningful; and visually Cars 3 was worlds beyond the first two films.  And you know what? Being an adult watching a movie for kids is the best thing ever, especially when you see how much your kids enjoy and connect with it.

The afterparty:  tips for enjoying Cars Land with kids

Following the Cars 3 Premiere and all of the cool things happening on the red carpet we got to head to Cars Land in Disney’s California Adventure for a private event to celebrate the evening. Amazing bonus for our family Disneyland vacation!  Dinner at Flo’s was a must, particularly since the kids hadn’t been into Cars Land yet and were jaw-droppingly shocked when they discovered that Radiator Springs is a real place, and Flo IS their favorite.  Armed with our Huggies One & Done Wipes and Viva Paper Towels from the red carpet stations earlier, we got the kids fed and cleaned up and headed for the rides.

Tip: even when it’s not an afterparty Flo’s is our favorite dining in Disney’s California Adventure.  Their options are great and their allergen menu has more choices for the sensitive peeps (like in our family) so it makes dining easy and stress-free.

The first attraction we hit up was Radiator Springs Racers because you know, Lightning McQueen and all.  Since our youngest was too small, we waited at the exit for Papa and Bro and got to have a star-sighting party, including Larry the Cable Guy, half the cast of Glee, a few musicians and Olivia Pope.  I mean Kerry Washington.  It was smiles all around.

Tip: know your children’s’ honest heights before seeing if they will be tall enough for an attraction.  Sometimes being turned away can be heartbreaking for a little person, even if it’s for their safety.  Thank goodness for Kleenex when those crocodile tears come. 🙂

Second on the docket was Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters which we’ve decided is pretty much the most fun ride in Cars Land.  Both our kids loved it and we got to sing along and be crazy in our magnetically controlled cars.  Over the weekend this became our go-to attraction when we needed to bribe the kids to go along with us for something they weren’t totally sold on.  Genius, and so much fun!

Tip:  take a look at the awesome Piston Cup and Lightning McQueen memorabilia inside Luigi’s when you’re going through the queue. The attention to detail and fun saga that plays out in the display cases is really cool.

Finally, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree.  If you have enough adults to help your kids make the requirements to be able to ride one of the tractors, feel confident sitting it out and watching them have a blast (kids under 7 years old must be accompanied by somebody 14 or older).  Our little dudes LOVED Mater’s and this dad couldn’t deal with the slingshot action of the ride.  At night with the colorful backdrop of Cars Land, there’s a lot to take in and while it’s tractor-loads full of fun, it’s a bit more wild of a ride than you might expect.

Tip:  if you don’t have a bonus adult with you, be cool with doing rides with your littles that are outside of your comfort zone.  They’ll remember the fun they had with YOU.

There was more to our first family Disneyland vacation than our unforgettable first day and Cars 3 Premiere experience, but that first day really took the cake. Being prepared with our standard products like snacks and Huggies One & Done Wipes at the ready made the day a breeze from start to finish line.  Lightning McQueen is now the prime topic of 80% of conversations in our house and the question keeps coming up when we’ll get to do another family Disneyland vacation.  The kids and the dads had more fun than we could’ve dreamed and hopefully we’ll get to be a part of such an awesome event and family experience in the future!  Ka-chow!

A family Disneyland vacation & the unforgettable Cars 3 Premiere This post is sponsored by Kimberly-Clark We’ve just returned from our first family trip to Disneyland with all four of us and it was incredible.  

[trentteti]

The Logical Rose-ning Section: Your Recap of The Bachelorette

Rachel Lindsay is a practicing attorney who once took the LSAT. And you, dear reader, are an aspiring attorney who will soon take the LSAT. Rachel Lindsay is also an aspiring married person, serving as the bachelorette on this season of The Bachelorette, the love story these depraved times deserve. And you, dear reader, may also be an aspiring married person? Either way, you definitely have at least a few things in common with Rachel. So every Tuesday, we’re going to be tracking Rachel’s romantic journey on The Bachelorette, and see what we can learn about love, loss, and the LSAT. Welcome to the Logical Rose-ning Section.

We pick up in the Bachelorette Man-sion, with our dudes still reeling from last week’s premiere episode. And so are we, frankly. I mean, so many mans, so many potential futures for Rachel. We get a little recap of the first night’s action with Chris Harrison. Other than the usual parade of squared-jawed white dudes with job titles that include some combination of the words “Consultant,” “Tech,” “Finance,” and “Senior,” we got a more diverse line-up of contestants with more interesting back stories than is typical for this show.

We got Josiah, who after a tragic childhood and a juvenile criminal conviction as a teenager, became a prosecutor at the very same district attorney’s office that once charged him with a crime. There’s Kenny, a father of a ten year-old girl and professional wrestler with the amazing stage name Pretty Boy Pitbull Kenny King. And then there’s Lucas … who says “Whaboom” a lot. Like so much. Anyone who watched this episode has definitely heard that exclamation enough times for a lifetime, so we’re not going to repeat that here again (also, he’s probably trademarked its use, and we don’t want any legal trouble here. Again, there are a bunch of attorney contestants this year, so we’re willing to guess that this is season is a little more litigious season than most). Also, Rachel was warned by a contestant from Nick’s season of The Bachelor that DeMario is not to be trusted, a warning that clearly had no meaning or implications for the following episode of television.

Anyway, Chris Harrison, still the nominal host of this program, shows up to see what these guys are thinking about Rachel. And these veritable Romeos drop romantic bon mots like, “You look at Rachel, and you’re just like, struck” and “She’s not only beautiful, but she walks … she smells so extreme … she smells so good.”

This is all a pretext to introduce the very first group date of this season. The contestant with the most extreme Richard Spencer haircut ever reads the cards of the contestants that will go on the very first, very normal date where eight guys vie for the attention of one girl during a highly structured activity set-up by producers. Richard Spence-hair reads off the names Dean, Jack Stone the law student, Jonathan, Blake, Iggy, the aforementioned Pretty Boy Pitbull Kenny King, Fred, and Whablam guy. The card reads, “I’m looking for husband material – Rachel.”

Onto the first group date! Rachel throws a barbecue with a sad portable grill and, like, two burgers. Realizing that there is no food to eat, Rachel and the guys decide to play a little touch football, with Rachel playing the quarterback position. Rachel runs an up-tempo spread office akin to Chip Kelly. Looks like she wants to be Marcus Married-ota (sorry).

During this, Whablooey annoys everyone with his Whablooey-ing. He especially annoys aspiring drummer boy Blake, who apparently knows something about this guys past. Drummer boy Blake looks like he is going to do something really dumb like confront Rachel about the guy. Which would actually play into WhamBamThankYouMa’am’s favor. The contestants who make it their sole mission to take down another contestant never go further than a two-on-one date on this show. Just ask Taylor from last season of The Bachelor. So while Blake is playing checkers, Wattaburger is playing … well definitely not chess. Maybe he’s also just playing checkers, but he’s slightly better at checkers.

After football, these guys are put to the task of seeing who is the “most husband material.” We are introduced to a competition hosted by none other than Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. Kutcher is wearing a t-shirt with “Trophy Husband,” and they are described as “the most perfect couple in Hollywood.” Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson would like a word.

These guys are put into a relay race where they have to do dad tasks like change a diaper, strap on a Babybjörn, vacuum a carpet, de-clog a sink, and set a table. At each stage of the race, the contestant in last place will be eliminated. Kutcher describes the race as testing the contestants’ skills in “husbandry,” which doesn’t actually mean “the act of being a husband,” as Kutcher suggests. Unless crops and animals are your wife, I suppose.

Iggy, who is wearing a dope gold chain, is eliminated immediately, mostly for trying to care for the baby doll as if it were an actual sentient human being. He looks sad in the “dog house,” which is where they put the loser, not-fit-for-Rachel husbands. As these dummies are scrambling around treating the babies like a relay baton, I’m hoping Rachel pulls a King Solomon and gives the win to Iggy with the dope chain, for not treating the stand-in for their flesh and blood progeny like a maniac.

The race ends up as a two-man competition between Pretty Boy Pitbull Kenny King and Wham!Boom as the last two. Wampum is literally drowning the baby as he’s trying to de-clog the sink. As they’re sprinting to the end, Waikiki gives an illegal stiff arm to Pretty Boy Pitbull Kenny King, who, let’s reminds ourselves, is like twice the size of WaxOnWaxOff and is an honest-to-goodness professional wrestler (on an independent circuit, but still). Wahlberg, despite eventually winning the race, is not long for this world.

After the race, the contestants go to a creepy-looking vintage store in North Hollywood that looks the set of a B-52s video. Rachel is super not impressed by these dudes at this stage of the date. Wallabang reads a terrible poem. Fred, who was a child Rachel supervised at summer camp as a child, ties to convince her to stop seeing him as the bad little boy from summer camp. Maybe stop talking summer camp, dude. Jack Stone the law student has a v. creepy posture when talking to her, head cocked and leaned in, like a snake about to strike its prey. Rachel is, perhaps instinctively, repulsed. Iggy with the dope chain does not have a dope chain of questions, sweating profusely through questions like “So career-wise, what are the prospects?” Blake apparently used to live with Whack-a-Mole’s ex-girlfriend. Brings it up with Rachel. Rachel is literally ready to use a peremptory challenge to axe all of these guys, looks like she literally couldn’t care.

Somehow, Dean does the best. He was, as a reminder, the guy that said “I’m ready to go black, and never go back,” when introduced to Rachel. They go into depth on his use of this dated, problematic cliché. He gets the group date rose. Dean has a clean-cut white face, a slightly-past-its due-date haircut, a tasteful plaid button up, and will clearly say whatever the producers tell him to, as evidenced by his “go black” comment. He seems like a composite of every successful Bachelorette contestant ever. Until this is disconfirmed, I’m just going to assume he’s the first BachelorBot designed and manufactured by the producers for the inevitable event that the U.S. depletes its reserves of attractive, straight business consultants and software salesmen who are really into Crossfit and are eager to go on TV.

Meanwhile, Pretty Boy Pitbull Kenny King is awesome. In describing the bubbling feud between Blake and Whackadoodle, he gives a great definition of circular reasoning, and drops a little inside knowledge of some of Los Angeles’s worst tourist traps: “Listen, I’m a pro wrestler. I know all about white dudes acting crazy. But everybody is just talking around in circles. So if y’all want to get on the merry-go-round, take your ass to Santa Monica and get on the merry-go-round. You white dudes are kind of bugging right now.” Kenny, you’re great, but leave the explaining of logical fallacies to us, buddy. We don’t go into your workplace and tell you how to properly execute a diving double axe handle.

Afterwards, we have a kind of boring interlude with Rachel’s one-on-one date with Peter, who looks like a young Viggo Mortensen. Piggo Mortensen and Rachel, accompanied by Rachel’s dog Copper, take a private jet to Palm Springs. Copper is adorably wearing a cast on his front leg. They go to a Coachella pool party for dogs called Bark-fest. They discuss his parents’ impression of going on The Bachelorette, their gap teeth, and therapy. He gets the date rose, and will live to fight another Sentinel. They then watch fireworks with Copper, who is probably terrified.

Finally, we get to the second group date. The date card reads, simply, “Swish.” Will, Jamey, Diggy, Alex, Adam, Richard Spence-hair, Matt, Eric, Josiah, and DeMario. The show could have just been making up half of these people and I would have had no idea. They could have told me the second date was with Chet, Dirk, Hologram Chris Pine, D’Angelo from the “Brown Sugar” video, Tommy, and Deepak Chopra and I wouldn’t have batted an eye.

DeMario is the star of this date, which is set up with his quote, “You can either sink with the fishes, or swim to shore. We’re going to see who’s built Ford ToughTM.” DeMario. First of all, the date card says “Swish.” It literally could not be any more obvious you’re playing basketball. The only alternative date would be a group discussion of whether Kanye should have kept Swish as the title to The Life of Pablo and whether the original tracklist would have made for a more cohesive album. I don’t know where this water metaphor came from. Second, fishes don’t just sink. It’s not like they’re just born and then immediately drown and die and sink to the bottom of the ocean. That’s not how fishes work, DeMario. Third, a Ford truck would probably be very bad at swimming to shore, mostly because it is a vehicle made for land and has, as far we know, no person volition or autonomy. So that’s an inapt comparison.

The guys show up to play basketball in their best ath-leisure. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shows up to teach them the Skyhook. Some of the guys are laughably bad at basketball. Some of the guys are better. There seems to be an inversely proportional relationship between height of hair and basketball skills with these guys. DeMario can dunk. He drunks on Rachel, very disrespectfully.

They then play a real game to a “packed house,” which apparently refers to a high school gymnasium mostly filled with extras they found on Craigslist. The producers take Chris Harrison out of his mothball-strewn box to introduce the teams. DeMario’s game is a little like Boogie Cousins. He takes over the second half of the game to lead his team to victory. A group date rose is all but assured But after the game, a girl named Lexi shows up, completely unexpectedly and unplanned by any producers, surely. Lexi informs Rachel that DeMario was still dating Lexi up until literally hours before DeMario showed up to meet Rachel on the show. Rachel goes straight into attorney-mode and holds a deposition with DeMario and Lexi. DeMario, acting on advice of counsel, denies pretty much everything, claiming that he hadn’t initiated any contact with Lexi. Lexi starts going off, addressing the camera and swearing on the graves of her father and the (future … we hope) graves of the kittens sleeping on her bed that DeMario is lying. Rachel, ever the attorney, looks at the evidence. She sees messages on Lexi’s phone indicating that DeMario was still trying to get it, and promptly dismisses him from the show. Case closed!

After the game, the remaining contestants go to Clifton’s Cafeteria in Downtown Los Angeles. They hang out next to a big tree. Rachel, shaken from the DeMario experience, calls DeMario a “dirty, dirty dog.” The editors smash cut to a taxidermied fox, which is like, close enough I guess? The guys on this group date, on the whole, are much smoother than the losers on the first. Both Josiah and Eric get some kissy face time in. Josiah snags the group date rose.

Somehow, after two hours after Bachelorette-ing, we barely even have time for the rose ceremony. During the cocktail party, Bryan the Chiropractor, Iggy with the dope chain, Jamey the Anonymous, and Summer Camp Fred are getting in some one-on-one time when DeMario arrives, wanting to speak to Rachel one last time. Chris Harrison, again de-mothballed, asks Rachel if she wants to talk to him. Rachel, wearing a dress that looks like it has literal armor on it, feels bulletproof enough to address him. All the other guys talk about wanting to kick DeMario’s ass. TO BE CONTINUED …

What we learned about love

To find love, it’s better to spout a mildly offensive cliché based on your beloved’s race than it is to have a massively annoying catchphrase that’s not based on anything. Also, a love of dogs helps.

What we learned about loss

If you’re going to dunk on your future wife, you probably shouldn’t have a current bae who is willing to show your text messages on national television.

What we learned about the LSAT

Not very much! A cursory Google search into what score Rachel got on her LSAT didn’t reveal much. We will report back details in this progressing story as they become available.

The Logical Rose-ning Section: Your Recap of The Bachelorette was originally published on LSAT Blog

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 2 April 2018

Quick Bits:

All-New Wolverine #33 marks the beginning of the end with the first part of “Old Woman Laura”. It’s mostly set-up, easing us into this future. Playing against the usual dystopian futures, Tom Taylor instead opts for a more utopian world where the heroes actually won and things are going well.

| Published by Marvel

Amazing Spider-Man #798 is fairly explosive, both literally and figuratively. Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Marte Gracia make this entire issue look incredible, showcasing the first round in this Spider-Man/Green Goblin confrontation.

| Published by Marvel

Analog #1 is a blend of hard-boiled noir and an espionage thriller by Gerry Duggan, David O’Sullivan, and Jordie Bellaire. Duggan’s dialogue and narration keep it snapping along and the art from O’Sullivan and Bellaire is a perfect mix of shadow, light, and weird angles.

| Published by Image

Astonishing X-Men #10 should be purchased just on the back of ACO’s phenomenal layouts alone. Not one single uninteresting page visually in the entire book. ACO, David Lorenzo, and Rachelle Rosenberg do an incredible job here. Thankfully, Charles Soule’s script is no drawback either. Things are getting a bit more interesting as we head towards the finale.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers #687 takes a bit of a breather as the team collects itself following the battle with the Hulk. While they deal with the fallout of the discovery of Voyager’s truth, Jarvis and Banner have a bit of a heart to heart regarding the darker nature of heroism and the name of the team itself.

| Published by Marvel

Backways #4 lays it all out there, explaining some of the history of the Backways and the threat of the Outsider. Much of it was shown in bits and pieces in earlier issues, but Justin Jordan presents it here to allow for Anna to make a choice about Sylvia. It presents an interesting quandary about love and sacrifice.

| Published by AfterShock

Betrothed #2 continues the weirdness, with the teens tossed back to Earth, where they try to make some sense of what’s going on and naked dimensional travel. There’s some humour and further development of some of the intrigue going on between the worlds as the factions prepare for another war.

| Published by AfterShock

Black Bolt #12 is the epic conclusion to the series. Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward have managed to tell an amazing story over the course of this book, full of heroism and heart in the most unexpected of places, and this issue brings it all together for one final bow.

| Published by Marvel

Black Cloud #8 gets stranger, like a fluorescent nightmare. Great art from Greg Hinkle, Andy MacDonald, and Matt Wilson.

| Published by Image

Dejah Thoris #3 sees Dejah reunited with the green Martian she freed from her father’s prisons. For her survival and directions to the lost city she’s looking for, the green Martian offers her to play a game similar to live-action chess. It’s an interesting story development from Amy Chu and gives Pasquale Qualano another opportunity to deliver some action.

| Published by Dynamite

Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows #2 again hits Jeff Lemire’s strengths of turning the fantastic into a relatable family drama, expanding upon Doctor Star’s failure to support his family while he was off saving aliens. The art from Max Fiumara and Dave Stewart also remains top notch.

| Published by Dark Horse

Elsewhere #6 reunites Amelia and DB, while setting off their quest to find their way back home. The quest opens up for some fantastic fantastical artwork from Sumeyye Kesgin and Ron Riley.

| Published by Image

God Complex: Dogma #5 sees Seneca dealing with the augmentations that the gods gave him. It’s interesting to see science and technology as the stand-in here for magic and it continues to be a compelling way to tell this story from a modern perspective.

| Published by Image / Top Cow - Glitch

Incognegro: Renaissance #3 gives us a look into the life and situation of Bette Mignon, the actress who was at Gray’s party where Xavier was murdered.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Iron Fist #79 continues to mine past Iron Fist (and this issue Ghost Rider) stories as Ed Brisson sets up a fight tournament for Orson Randall to save his soul. Of course, as being part of the Damnation event, it turns out not as simple as the initial outlay. Damian Couceiro’s art (with colours from Andy Troy) is again wonderful.

| Published by Marvel

Isola #1 is a beautiful piece of work. The art from Karl Kerschl and Msassyk is drop-dead gorgeous, instantly transporting the reader into a lush, beautiful world. The story, from Brenden Fletcher and Kerschl, is equally up to snuff, presenting an interesting fable of a soldier protecting her queen, who has been cursed to wear the form of a tiger.

| Published by Image

Jazz Maynard #9 sends Jazz and Teo off to Iceland to find a supposedly mystical bauble that allows you to rule the world. As they find themselves unable to keep a low profile, we get more of Jazz’s history.

| Published by Lion Forge / Magnetic Collection

Koshchei the Deathless #4 takes a twist in the tale, revealing Koshchei’s love for a witch and then his attempt at the systematic destruction of the Baba Yaga. Mike Mignola’s story continues to be enthralling, with gorgeous artwork from Ben Stenbeck and Dave Stewart.

| Published by Dark Horse

Marvel Two-in-One #5 continues with Ben and Johnny in the universe where Doom became Galactus, joining with its heroes to try to stop Doom’s final push to devour everything. Valerio Schiti really steps up his game here, delivering some artwork that is among the best of his career.

| Published by Marvel

Mech Cadet Yu #8...in spaaaaace. Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa take the cadets and their mechs in to space to confront the Sharg mothership on its way to Earth. Things gets worse on land as the military continues to kill other robos to harvest their hearts to make man-made mechs.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

New Mutants: Dead Souls #2 is arguably better than the first issue, as we get the team in the furthest recesses of Russia battling a frost giant. Aside from just the structure of one-off issues being put together to make a broader narrative for the series, I also enjoy how Matthew Rosenberg is playing with traditional horror stories to do something different. Here we have the unspeakable ancient terror found in the ice, but with a Marvel twist. I still think it’s weird in relation to the X-world, but I can’t deny that it’s good. Also, the art from Adam Gorham (with colours by Michael Garland) just puts it over the top.

| Published by Marvel

Red Sonja #14 turns to the next chapter as Sonja and Wallace return to the land of the living only to discover that years have passed and Kulan Gath has ascended to supremacy over the seven cities. Like with the excursion into the dead realms, I expect that Amy Chu and Erik Burnham have some surprises up their sleeves for what’s coming.

| Published by Dynamite

Ringside #15 is a quiet goodbye to what has been an excellent series from Joe Keatinge, Nick Barber, and Simon Gough.

| Published by Image

Rogue & Gambit #4 sets up for the big finale as Rogue and Gambit battle their way through Lavish’s simulacra, absorbing the powers and memories that were stolen from them along the way. Kelly Thompson starts it off by the pair absorbing a memory from each other, giving them each a deeper understanding of the other’s perspective.

| Published by Marvel

Runaways #8 reveals the explicit plot link to the title of this arc as “Best Friends Forever” as Molly’s new friend offers her a Peter Pan solution. Rainbow Rowell also adds more depth to the idea of the Runaways as family, as Julie Power gives a different perspective. Also, Doom’s villainy. That just seems weird. Although he’s looking very stylish as designed by Kris Anka.

| Published by Marvel

Scales & Scoundrels #8 begins what I believe is a series of single-issue adventures for the time being as Luvander attempts to discover her own path. In any event, this is a perfect jumping-on point for new readers, as she stumbles across a band of mercenaries and questions change.

| Published by Image

Venomized #1 begins the third and, I believe, final chapter of Cullen Bunn’s infliction of symbiotes and poisons across the Marvel multiverse. In this first issue, we get a seeding of symbiotes amongst Marvel’s heroes, but no conversion to poisons yet. I’ll be interested to see how they get out of this mess, especially in regards to Jean Grey’s conversion during the Poison-X crossover. It’s also good to see Iban Coello back for this series.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Agent 47: Birth of the Hitman #5, Avengers: Back to Basics #3, Betty & Veronica: Vixens #5, Brilliant Trash #5, Demi-God #1, Giant Days #37, Green Hornet #2, Killer Instinct #6, Monstro Mechanica #5, Motor Crush #11, The Punisher #223, Sex Criminals #23, Spawn #284, Spider-Man #239, Star Wars #46, Thanos: The Infinity Siblings, Venom #164, The Wicked + The Divine #35, Xerxes #1

Recommended Collections: Birthright - Volume 6, Centipede - Volume 1: Game Over, Eternity, Head Lopper - Volume 2: Crimson Tower, Horizon - Volume 3, Noble - Volume 2: Never Events, Paper Girls - Volume 4, Redlands - Volume 1, Star Wars - Volume 7: Ashes of Jedha

d. emerson eddy is not your boogie man.