#'christy' series (1994)

[kopykunoichi]

Summary: A stifling summer day gets a little warmer for Christy when she has a mishap with a pile of piping hot laundry. It feels like it gets even hotter when Doctor MacNeill tends to her scalded hands. What is it about him that distracts and confounds her every time they're close to each other?

[darsynia]

To bring you back to us:

Christy and Neil - pick one (i couldn't choose)?

10 ...desperately

12 ...in grief.

26 ...as an apology

Please and thank you!

Sneaky sneaky, I like it! I touched on all three, but the grief is wrapped up before the kiss. I'd been struggling feeling like my icky holidays had nuked my ability to write on my longfic of these two, and this did help me feel better about that!

TERMS OF SURRENDER

Pairing: Christy Huddleston/Neil MacNeil Length: 2,358 Rating: General audiences Summary: (set during 'Green Apples,' in a universe that mixes the book and the series)

Neil thinks about the loss of his wife and child as he listens to the harmonica's gently hopeful tune of healing. He decides it's finally time to let go of the past and fight for the kind of future his feelings for Christy promise.

Terms of Surrender

The sound of a harmonica was one of the things Neil had missed in Scotland. It hadn’t occurred to him to bring one, but even if he’d had the funds, there wasn’t anywhere to play it that didn’t feel awkward and out of place. Truthfully, he had felt awkward and out of place, but his time spent quietly observing and learning at home had been quite useful abroad. Neil had integrated well, so well that he’d come home more Scots than Cove.

That thought made him think of Christy. As an outsider, her approach had been wildly different from his; where he’d stepped back and sought a niche, she’d charged ahead to forge her own. He couldn’t help but admire her spirit. Neil had come home changed, but Christy had changed his home. Without permission and without vitriol she’d gently but firmly established herself in Cutter Gap as someone with a heart twice as big as her stature, cheerfully taking the good with the bad. If he’d known then what he knew now, he’d have held himself back, been more… guarded around her.

As with so many of the important things in his life, Neil had realized this too late.

That realization was made all the more complicated on a day such as this, as they fought back a disease that threatened to take the lives of children he’d helped bring into the world. There was only so far a man could push away thoughts of the lives he couldn’t save, to say nothing of the apologies he’d held back until he was out of time.

That old familiar guilt struck a discordant chord with the mournful harmonica, enough to force a rueful chuckle from his lips. After all, he owed an apology to Christy, and this time he didn’t have the luxury of locking himself away until his reflection looked different enough to forget the needful.

Neil stood slowly, loath to disturb the delicate tableau of hopeful survival going on in the quarantine room. He remembered seeing Christy step out of the building looking distressed, but given his contribution to that expression, he’d focused intently on his notes in hopes that she’d avoid disturbing him.

Margaret would have called him a coward. “Apologize or don’t, Mac, but don’t pretend you’re taking the high road!”

His late wife’s admonition spurred Neil to walk around the schoolhouse, his steps curving him away from some hard truths and toward others. She’d hated the darkness of the mountains and loathed the quiet that seeped into a person’s bones to linger there. In a sense, loving him had dimmed Margaret’s fiercely fragile light until she’d run out of energy to fight off the disease that killed her. There was no making peace with that. 

He shut his eyes and tipped his head into the light breeze to clear his mind. When he opened them again, Neil saw the dim outline of a figure ahead of him, along the treeline where they’d been collecting firewood. It was Christy. The lanterns leading to the outhouse were just bright enough to see that her fists were clenched at her sides, and her head was tipped back, just as he’d just done.

“There’s solitary, and then there’s lonely. You can be lonely without being alone.”

Those words had haunted him since his wife had said them less than a month before her death. They’d sliced like a scalpel those first months, festered like a wound that refused to heal by a year’s time, before finally burrowing down to ache like a mended bone before a storm. Tonight was the first time he’d seen them as anything but hurtful; his wife had been many things (selfish, sensual, miserable, mesmerizing), but she had always been insightful. How had it taken him this long to realize what she’d really meant? That they could have been solitary together. That Margaret hadn’t needed to be lonely, if he’d been able to teach her how to share his solitude.

Neil stood in the silent shadow of the schoolhouse, his thoughts whipping around like a willow in a windstorm. There was a very clear reason why he was thinking of Margaret right now, and the truth of that scared him. It was the last clammy fear before the fever broke, the surge of adrenaline before closing a wound. He was letting her go, making space.

The thought was as presumptuous as it was intimidating.

“The apology, Mac. Don’t be an ass.”

Neil walked toward Christy slowly, shoring up his mental fortifications for the coming conflict.

“Battling it out with your god, are you?”

Christy shot him a look that he couldn’t discern in the half-light. “No need to poke fun, but yes. I don’t need to part the Red Sea, just pray hard enough for God to pass over this building without taking anyone.”

“Now who’s poking fun?” Neil said. He moved to stand beside her, both facing the fathomless expanse of forest. “I’ve always thought that story was particularly unfair; punishing the children for the sins of the fathers.”

“That’s not too different from feuding, don’t you think?” There was a tightness in her voice that was entirely his fault, top to bottom.

“Maybe I should walk away and start over,” he said, shoving at a small branch with his foot. “I’d come over here to apologize.”

Her silence lasted long enough for him to look over. Christy’s body language was armed for war, but her words were more shield than sword.

“You couldn’t have known about my sister. I’m a stranger, and it looked like I put your patients in danger.”

“You’re hardly a stranger, Christy. Despite my temper, I know you’ve only ever done your best to keep them safe, educated, and happy,” he countered. “I was wrong to shout at you.”

“You--” she broke off, arms dropping to her sides. 

“What? Did I just deprive you of a fight? I’m sure we can find something else,” Neil teased lightly. He opened his mouth to elaborate, but Christy jumped in to interrupt.

“Don’t! Let me savor the moment.”

The amusement in her voice cut straight through to the depths of his heart, as though his years of defenses and baggage were insubstantial in the face of her warmth. 

Christy turned to walk back toward the schoolhouse, and it was in the shock of those feelings that Neil caught her as she pitched sideways toward him, hissing in surprised pain. Immediately he set her hand on his shoulder and knelt down, finding her boot tangled in the ends of the branch he’d nudged earlier. That realization had him swearing under his breath.

“Is it bad? My ankle doesn’t feel--” Christy cut herself off, her voice pinched with fear.

“I was reacting to the culprit, not your injury. I’d tried to kick that branch out of the way. You’ll be fine after a few minutes, it’s just a wrong step.”

“So you swept me off my feet?” she whispered, finishing the sentence just as he straightened back up. The action slid her hand from his shoulder down to his chest-- and they stood with her words hovering between them like a heated breath in the deepest winter.

The lamplight lit her stress-mussed hair in soft gold, edging her features as if she were in an illuminated manuscript. Christy’s eyes were wide as she stared at her hand on his chest, perhaps as shocked as he was that she hadn’t pulled back. Just at that moment, a curl slipped free, and before he realized what he was doing, Neil tucked the soft lock behind her ear in an unmistakable caress.

The sound of her sucked-in breath shot adrenaline straight to his heart.

“I should--” she started, eyes still fixed on their point of contact. With the barest stroke of her thumb, she finally lifted her hand. “I should go. Will you promise to get some rest? I’ll take the first watch.”

The blood rushing in his ears spoke of the many things unresolved between them, and Neil reached out to stop her with a clumsy hand. “Wait--”

Christy pressed her eyes shut, her lip caught in her teeth. He longed to see the nuances of her expression-- was she annoyed but hiding it well? Blushing? Fearful?

“Hold still for a spell, let your ankle rest?” he offered. He didn’t move his hand, and she didn’t move away to dislodge it. For once, he didn’t hear the derisive tones of his conscience mocking those choices. Christy was hesitating, so he added, “I haven’t properly apologized.”

This prompted her to open her eyes and look at him. Whatever she saw there made her sway just slightly in his direction.

Maybe it was the stillness of the night, the hope of healing, the exhaustion from fighting so many things with so much of his strength, or perhaps it was the lightness of his finally untethered heart, but whatever the true reason was, Neil succumbed.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to see you for who you truly are, Christy. Your heart is bright enough to light the whole Cove, and I’m grateful to be touched by it.” He released her arm and turned his hand to brush the backs of his fingers against her cheek, then moved to walk away before he ruined both of their reputations.

Christy stopped him, not with words, but with an action that meant so much more: with surprising strength, she caught his hand, pressing his palm to her cheek. Then she did speak, and he was lost.

“You’re the coal that keeps us burning, Neil.”

The distant sound of the harmonica faded in the space between her action and his stuttering heart. Would John Spencer tuck the instrument into his pocket and make his way to the outhouse? Had he been interrupted by one of the children crying out for their help?

Stepping close, Neil set his other hand on her cheek and said, “I owe you more than an apology, Christy, even more so for this.” Dipping his head, he kissed her, meaning for it to be brief, a promise, not an end unto itself. He was foolish, forgetting her determination to never yield when she could persuade instead. Her hand moved up into his hair, burning a surer path than any bullet meant to stop his brain from functioning.

Despite every passing second marking the time between now and disaster if he didn’t pull back, Neil deepened the kiss, his arm banding around her waist to lift her up, ever so slightly. Then, with the reluctance of a victor forced to leave the spoils of war behind, he stepped away. His whole body buzzed with anxiety and pleasure, but he knew he’d overstepped badly.

“Forgive me, I-- I’ve held that back for quite some time,” he admitted. “When you brought me dinner, I must confess--”

“Oh! Please believe me, I had no idea, or I would never have presumed to take advantage like that.” Christy interrupted, her voice thick with regret. “Fairlight suggested the way to persuade you was through good cooked food. I suppose I failed there, as well!”

Neil took her hand and clasped it with both of his. “Your campaign for Dan Scott had me at your feet. When I realized that was all you’d come for, I was ready to send him to the devil, and the Mission too. The truth is, I’ve fallen for you, Christy. Hopelessly so.”

She lifted their joined hands to her lips. “I’d barely let myself think of such things, but when I dream… you’re always there, smiling at me, quarreling with me, teaching me--”

“Reality is hardly ever that idyllic,” he cautioned. Neil dislodged his hand from hers out of propriety, but inwardly his defenses were being dismantled, one uncertainty at a time.

“Only you would consider arguing with me idyllic!”

“Any time spent with you is a dream, I’ll freely admit that.” He grinned, adding, “If ye wish to prove it’s real, we can go on until I win an argument. Shouldn’t take too long.”

“You are insufferable,” Christy grumbled.

“Would it make it worse if I told you how lovely you look when you’re cross with me? It was all I could do not to--

“If you say something about sweeping me off my feet, Neil MacNeil, I’ll--” She stopped short, clearly realizing that he’d prompted exactly the kind of cross reaction he enjoyed.

“Do I need to?” Neil started, but a bobbing lantern light near the schoolhouse caught his attention. Thinking quickly, he moved to pick up some of the cut wood and branches near where they’d been standing, nodding to Christy to do the same. By the time Fairlight made it around the corner, the two of them were almost to the outhouse.

“Doc find you screamin’ at the sky, then?”

“Bargaining, more like,” Neil said. “I think it ended on a truce?” He turned toward her, selfishly needing to see her indignation.

Once again, she bested him.

“Victory,” Christy asserted. “I had a talk with God, and he sent me a sign of healing.”

Neil angled his arms so that a small log fell off, allowing him to hide his expression as he picked it back up. Thankfully, the two women had resumed their walk back to the front of the schoolhouse by the time he stood up. Healing! Her innocent audacity took his breath away, as always. There was a lot of rebuilding to be done, all of it in the harsh light of day, but he was intensely grateful for that temporary bubble of solitude they’d been able to find in each other.

The thought had occurred before the significance dawned on him, and Neil stopped short, stunned.

Healing. It was something he’d fought to achieve for others his entire life yet somehow was gifted without warning or design, in the middle of the night during quarantine, no less! This new beginning was fitting, he supposed, and like all beginnings, there would be a lot of adjusting to be done for both of them. 

They’d be able to do it together.

[claudia1829things]

Favorite Costume Movie and Television Productions Set During CHRISTMAS

Below is a list of my favorite costume movie and television productions set during the Christmas holidays. The list is in chronological order:

FAVORITE COSTUME MOVIE AND TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS SET DURING CHRISTMAS

1. "Three Godfathers" (1936) - Richard Boleslawski directed this seventh movie adaptation of Peter B. Kyne's 1913 novel about three bank robbers who become godfathers to a newborn child of a dying mother, after robbing a bank in 19th century Arizona. The movie starred Chester Morris, Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan.

2. "The Lion in the Winter" (1968) - Peter O'Toole and Oscar winner Katherine Hepburn starred in this movie adaptation of James Goldman's 1966 Broadway play about the personal and political conflicts of Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their children and guests during Christmas 1183. Directed by Anthony Harvey, the movie co-starred Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton, John Castle and Nigel Terry.

3. "A Christmas Story" (1983) - Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley starred in this acclaimed adaptation of Jean Shepherd's 1966 book, "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash". Bob Clark directed.

4. "A Christmas Carol" (1984) - George C. Scott starred as Ebenezer Scrooge in this television adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella. The television movie was directed by Clive Donner.

5. "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" (1994-1995) - David Suchet starred as Hercule Poirot in this television adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1938 novel in which the Belgian detective investigates the murder of a multi-millionaire during the Christmas holiday. Directed by Edward Bennett, Philip Jackson co-starred.

6. "Nero Wolfe - (1.07) "Christmas Party" (2001) - Maury Chaykin and Timothy Hutton starred in this adaptation of Rex Stout's 1957 novella, "The Christmas-Party Murder", about detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin's investigation of wealthy furniture designer's murder at a Christmas party. Holly Dale directed.

7. "4.50 From Paddington aka What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw" (2004) - Geraldine McEwan starred in this television adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1957 novel about Miss Jane Marple's investigation of a murder briefly witnessed by an old friend aboard a train. Directed by Andy Wilson, the television movie co-starred John Hannah, Pam Ferris and David Warner.

8. "The Last Tycoon - (1.06) "A Brady-American Christmas" (2017) - This holiday episode was featured in the television adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1941 unfinished novel about 1930s Hollywood. Created by Billy Ray, the television series starred Matt Bomer, Lily Collins and Kelsey Grammer.

9. "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (2017) - Dan Stevens starred as Charles Dickens in this movie adaption of Les Standiford's 2008 book about the author's creation of his 1843 novella, "A Christmas Carol". The movie was directed by Bharat Nalluri.

10. "Victoria" - (2.09) "Comfort and Joy" - This holiday episode aired as finale for Season Two of the ITV series, "VICTORIA", which re-counted Queen Victoria's early years on the throne, between 1837 and 1851. Created by Daisy Goodwin, the series starred Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

[magicalgirlagency]

Someone PLEASE ask me about Barbie trivia; I am SO normal about her and her brand, I promise.

EDIT: The beast has been unleashed.

Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Meanwhile in real life, the doll was named after Ruth Handler's daughter, Barbara (while Ken was named after Kenneth);

Ruth was Mattel's co-founder, alongside her husband Elliot and their friend Harold "Matt" Matson (the company's name is a junction of the names Matt and Elliot). Of course, the Barbie brand is the most profitable one;

The doll was based on another doll, Bild Lilli, from Germany. It was originally intended for adults, but it became mostly popular with children. When Mattel acquired Lili's rights after a legal fight, the german doll's productions ceased in favor of Barbie;

According to Mattel, Barbie has had over 200 careers, recently including more STEM fields. Each career is created to give the child an option to explore new things and motivate them in pursuing a future passion;

There were several controversies about Barbie's body. Not because of her impossibly curvy silhouette, but also because of her mature looks. Many parents would be unhappy about the fact that the doll had breasts and such;

Other controversy would be the Teen Talk Barbie doll, a toy that would say superficial and vapid "dumb-blonde" phrases such as "Math class is tough!". The Simpsons had an episode referencing this fiasco (Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy, in 1994);

As an addendum, there was a group known as the Barbie Liberation Organization, which its members have secretly modified Barbie dolls' voice boxes into G.I. Joe dolls;

Barbie debuted in 1959, while her boyfriend Ken debuted in 1961. As much as we love to riff on him being Barbie's Trophy Husband/Himbo, he's also got the extensive list of careers, ranging from Olympic Athlete to Doctor;

Barbie has a cousin named Francie, who was marketed as "her modern cousin". She had a "colored" variant, which would later prompt the creation of Christie, the first black doll ever created to not be a derivate of a white doll. Francie also had other two friends, named Casey and Becky;

Speaking of black dolls, there is another one named Brooklyn. Actually, that's her nickname, as her real name is Barbie. She's nicknamed after her birthplace, Brooklyn, NY, to make things less confusing;

Midge was introduced in 1963, and had less makeup than Barbie, after the doll was considered "sexually intimidating", and would be often be discontinued and brought back constantly. Her Happy Family series was the most controversial, as it was the target of many accusations of promoting teen pregnancy;

Midge's boyfriend/husband, Allan, was initially marketed as Ken's best friend in the 60's, but he was also discontinued after rumors of two of them being boyfriends began to spread;

MyScene (unironically, my favourite Barbie doll line) was created to compete with MGA's Bratz, and had many controversies surrounding it that have led into another legal fight, which have caused the Bratz line to be temporarily discontinued;

There was an attempt in a virtual world à la Club Penguin called BarbieGirls.com, and while it was ambitious for its time period (it had a customizable MP3 player!), it has suffered several issues such as a lack of diversity and discrepancies and inaccessibilities per country;

Another addendum to this story, is that there is an actual group of people working on ressurrecting BarbieGirls (known as BarbieGirls Rewritten), making it more diverse and with less microtransactions;

The BCU (Barbie Cinematic Universe) so far has 42 movies, starting with Barbie in The Nutcracker in 2001. Fairytopia was the first movie to not be based on an existent storyline, and spawned its own trilogy (Fairytopia ➡️ Mermadia ➡️ Magic of the Rainbow);

[walkawaytall]

For the soft asks list, how about #2 and #14?

Ty!

2. what’s your feel-good movie?

Oh, gosh, I feel like I have a few of these. I watch The Muppets' Christmas Carol throughout the year because it's familiar, I love it, and it's funny and has a nice ending. But I will also stick on the 1997 version of The Parent Trap for similar reasons. So probably one of those?

14. favorite feel-good show?

Christy (1994). Do I suggest this show? No, it's terrible. The book it was based on is very good, but the show abandons most of the book plot points after the pilot. It stars some shockingly famous people considering how bad the show is. And even if I wanted to suggest it, it's never streaming anywhere and the DVDs appear to be out of print. I bought the series (there's really only one season's worth of episodes, but I believe it was a mid-season replacement? So it technically has two short seasons?) back in 2008 so I have the DVDs, but I don't expect anyone else to have them. This show is only a feel-good show because it has good memories attached to it for me. Back in 2008/2009, I was living with my parents and dealing with some tumultuous family stuff and would often spend the weekend at my friend Connie's. Connie leads a very calm life on purpose and her apartment was such a refuge for me during that time. We spent a part of every Saturday watching her Christy DVDs while we ate lunch and it became a comfort show for me. I laugh about how poorly made and dramatic the show is, but I do still love it.

Also Better Off Ted, which is an underrated comedy that only got like one-and-a-half seasons. My username is actually a reference to this show.

Thanks for asking!

Soft asks to get to know people

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You, 1 Of The Greatest Irish Actors Of The Century Since Pierce Brosnan

Born On June 7th, 1952

He was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, the son of cook Katherine "Kitty" Neeson (née Brown) and primary school caretaker Bernard "Barney" Neeson. Raised Catholic, he was named Liam after a local priest. The third of four siblings, he has three sisters, Elizabeth, Bernadette, and Rosaleen.[citation needed] He attended St Patrick's College, Ballymena from 1963 to 1967, and later recalled that his love of drama began there.

He is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed seventh on The Irish Times list of Ireland's 50 Greatest Film Actors. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000.

In 1976, Neeson joined the Lyric Players' Theatre in Belfast for two years. His early film roles include Excalibur (1981), The Bounty (1984), The Mission (1986), The Dead Pool (1988), and Husbands and Wives (1992). He rose to prominence portraying Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's holocaust drama Schindler's List (1993) for which he earned an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination. He followed by starring in Nell (1994), Rob Roy (1995), Michael Collins (1996), and Les Misérables (1998). He took blockbuster roles portraying Qui-Gon Jinn in George Lucas' space opera Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins (2005) and Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy (2005–2010). He also starred in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002), the romantic comedy Love Actually (2003), and the drama Kinsey (2004).

Beginning in 2009, Neeson cemented himself as an action star with the action thriller series Taken (2008–2014), The A-Team (2010), The Grey (2011), Wrath of the Titans (2012), and A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014). He is known for his collaborations in the genre with director Jaume Collet-Serra, and starred in four of his films: Unknown (2011), Non-Stop (2013), Run All Night (2015), and The Commuter (2018). He also starred in Martin Scorsese's religious epic Silence (2016), the fantasy drama A Monster Calls (2016), Steve McQueen's heist drama Widows (2018), the Coen brothers' western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and the romantic drama Ordinary Love (2019).

Neeson is also known for his work on stage. He made his Broadway debut in 1993 with his performance as Matt Burke in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. He then starred as Oscar Wilde in David Hare's The Judas Kiss in 1998. He received his second Tony Award nomination for his performance in the 2002 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.

Please Wish This Legendary Distinguished Irish 🇮🇪 Actor A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

You Know Him & Of Course You Love Him.

The 1 & The Only

MR. LIAM NEESON 🇮🇪

AKA IRISH BAD@$$ OF MANY BIG ICONIC MOVIES 🎥 IN CINEMA

HAPPY 71ST BIRTHDAY 🎂 MR. NEESON #LiamNeeson #Quigonjinn #RasAlGhul #Zeus

[justforbooks]

Nicholas Evans, who has died aged 72 after a heart attack, was the unlikely author of the bestselling novel The Horse Whisperer (1995), which became a Robert Redford film. Unlikely because the book, set in Montana, was a first novel by a British television producer, and landmark because the book sold for a record price at auction, and justified its sale price.

Evans had previously left a successful position as number two to Melvyn Bragg on the South Bank Show, where he produced many of the flagship programmes of the television arts series, including profiles of Patricia Highsmith, John Le Carré, Laurence Olivier, Francis Bacon and, most crucially, the film director David Lean, who became a friend and wondered why Evans was making a film about him, and not something he wanted to do for himself.

Evans then co-produced and wrote a TV film, Murder By the Book (1987), about Agatha Christie and her character Hercule Poirot, played by Peggy Ashcroft and Ian Holm. He wrote three screenplay adaptations, but by 1993 a film project had fallen through and he found himself £65,000 in debt and diagnosed with a stomach melanoma.

Evans had begun writing a novel based on a story that he had been told by a Devon blacksmith, who used the term “horse whisperer” to describe someone with a gift for communicating with horses. Evans had gone to the US, to meet men who did this, thinking the story needed a western setting. “If you set a book in postwar or contemporary Britain, something shrinks,” he said. “It becomes parochial.”

He gave the manuscript of the book, half-finished with an outline of the remainder, to his friend the agent Caradoc King, who took it to the 1994 Frankfurt book fair, where it instigated a bidding war.

Dell bought the US rights for $3.15m, Bantam got UK rights for $537,000 and translation deals in Germany and Italy netted another million dollars. The film rights went to Robert Redford for another $3m because Evans saw Redford in the role of his hero, Tom Booker.

While this was happening, his melanoma was removed by surgery and his local bank manager, who had been demanding repayment of his overdraft, called and invited him to lunch.

The novel got mixed reviews, especially in the US. Virtually no critic could resist mentioning Evans’ advances; many also drew comparison with Robert James Waller’s The Bridges of Madison County. Evans himself acknowledged the influences of Cormac McCarthy, Ernest Hemingway and Jack London. The New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani called it “a sappy romance novel, gussied up with some sentimental claptrap about the emotional life of animals and lots of Walleresque hooey about men and women”.

But it shot to the top of the New York Times’ bestseller list, ranked No15 for the year despite being released in the autumn, and remains one of the bestselling novels of all time. Redford’s 1998 film, which starred the 14-year-old Scarlett Johansson as Grace, the teenager injured along with her prize horse, and Kristin Scott Thomas as her mother, who seeks out Redford’s Booker, and has an affair with him, did well but was not a huge hit.

Evans was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, the son of Anthony, the sales director of a motor engineering company, and Eileen (nee Whitehouse). He was head boy at Bromsgrove school, and after a year teaching in Senegal for Voluntary Service Overseas, went to St Edmund Hall, Oxford to study law, where he met Jenny Lyon, his future wife, in their first week.

After taking a first-class degree, he started work as a journalist for the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle. In 1975, he started at London Weekend Television, first on Weekend World and then the London Programme, the broadcaster’s top current affairs show, before joining the South Bank Show as executive producer from 1982 to 1984.

After Murder By the Book, he adapted screenplays for the TV movies Acts of Betrayal (1988), about the IRA, and Secret Weapon (1990), the story of Mordechai Vanunu, the nuclear bomb whistleblower kidnapped by the Israelis and imprisoned for treason, and for the Julie Walters film Just Like a Woman (1992), based on Monica Jay’s novel about a transvestite’s romance with his landlady.

His second novel, The Loop (1998), brought a wolf biologist, Helen Ross, from Cape Cod into Yellowstone Park to cope with the reintroduction of wolves; pursued by a local lothario, she instead romances his 18-year-old son and cures his stutter. It sold 5m copies.

He followed this up with The Smoke Jumper (2001), whose titular protagonist is in love with his best friend’s wife, and who exiles himself as a war photographer. Next came The Divide (2005), about a wealthy New York couple who holiday in Montana, where the body of their eco-terrorist daughter is discovered frozen in the mountain ice.

Evans and Jenny divorced in 1998. He then married the singer-songwriter Charlotte Gordon Cumming. In 2008, while on a visit to Gordon Cumming’s brother’s estate in Scotland, Evans picked mushrooms for a family lunch. What he thought were ceps were instead highly poisonous webcaps. Evans, Gordon Cumming and her brother were all placed on kidney dialysis. Three years later, Evans’s heart began to suffer under the strain of dialysis, and his daughter Lauren provided him with a kidney; Gordon Cumming later received one donated from a friend.

At the time of the poisoning, Evans had almost finished his fifth novel, The Brave (2009), about a family’s hidden secrets.

When he began writing again, thinking for the second time he needed to finish writing before he died, he said the book changed direction. “I found new empathy with the characters ... it became more emotional,” he said. Gordon Cumming released an album of songs tied to the novel, and they campaigned together for kidney care and organ transplants.

The couple lived in a 14th-century manor house in Devon once owned by the film director Robert Bolt.

Evans is survived by Charlotte, their children, Finlay and Lauren, a son, Max, from his first marriage, and by Harry, his son from a relationship with the television producer Jane Hewland.

🔔 Nicholas Benbow Evans, writer and television producer, born 26 July 1950; died 9 August 2022

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[fulcrvm]

got tagged by @3-inch-jam ! thanks for the tag james hehe :3

Rules: Make a new post and copy the text from this post and fill out the questions with your answers. Then tag five or more people you want to get to know better. Have fun!!!

1. Favorite color(s): any warm colors... reds and oranges especially as of late

2. Currently reading: I'm listening to (or, trying to) Agatha Christie's The Coming of Mr Quin, and I'm reading Hellboy Vol.1 (Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil) for the first time :)

3. Last song you listened to: various tracks from the Pacific Rim OST, but before that was New Body Rhumba by LCD Soundsystem, Nothing by Depeche Mode, Sound of Muzak by Porcupine Tree, and Lust for a Vampyre by I Monster.

4. Last thing you watched: Rewatched Interview with the Vampire (1994) with some friends to introduce them to the TV series haha, but I've also been bingewatching a lot of Trixie and Katya's Unhhhh as background noise

5. In school? Yep! My dream art college babeyyy

6. Thing you’re looking forward to: a solid night of sleep perhaps, if i'm lucky. zine stuff! and travel next month :]

7. Thing you’re working on right now: uuhnggghjfgd project for school hahaha

8. Can you cook or bake? Not really :( Maybe with a good set of instructions though

9. Piece of media you’d recommend to anyone: hmm Jacob Collier released a new live album recently, of improvised song covers from some of his recent shows! It's super fun and he never fails to amaze.

Tags: (No pressure tags!) @jet-bradley , @mickstopher-mouse , @portalpanda , @akwardtractor , @yourstruly2095 / @r1nzler , and anyone else who sees this :0

[ljones41]

Favorite Television Series

Below is a list of my favorite television series (in chronological order).  I only listed my favorite shows . . . no television movies, miniseries or specials:

FAVORITE TELEVISION SERIES

“Leave It to Beaver” (1957-1963) - This surprisingly witty comedy sitcom was about the adventures of an inquisitive and often naïve boy and his adventures at home, school, and around his suburban neighborhood.  Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow, Hugh Beaumont and Barbara Billingsley starred. 

“The Dick Van Dyke Show” (1961-1966) - Another witty sitcom that centered on the work and home life of a television comedy writer named Rob Petrie.  Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore starred.

“Hawaii Five-O” (1968-1980) - Jack Lord starred in this first-rate crime drama about a special police task force for the Hawaii State Police.

“The Mod Squad” (1968-1973) - This crime drama was about three young undercome police detectives for the Los Angeles Police Department.  Michael Cole, Clarence Williams III, Peggy Lipton and Tige Andrews starred.

   “Remington Steele” (1982-1987) - Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan starrred in this elegant mystery drama about a female private detective partnered with a former thief who assumes the role of a fictitious detective in her business.

“Agatha Christie’s Poirot” (1989-2013) - David Suchet had starred in this long running series that featured episodes and television movies based on the novels and short stories of mystery writer, Agatha Christie.  Suchet portrayed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.

“Homefront” (1991-1993) - Kyle Chandler and Tammy Lauren starred in this superb period drama about a small Ohio town in the years following the end of World War II.

“Babylon 5″ (1993-1998) - J. Michael Straczynski created this award-winning space opera about the human military staff and alien diplomats stationed on a space station in the 23rd century.  Bruce Boxleitner, Mira Furlan and Michael O’Hare starred.

“Friends” (1994-2004) - This award-winning sitcom centered around six friends in their 20s and 30s who live in Manhattan.  Jennifer Anniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer starred.

“Star Trek Voyager” (1995-2001) - Kate Mulgrew starred as Star Trek series about the adventures of the Starfleet vessel U.S.S. Voyager and its crew’s attempts to return home to the Alpha Quadrant after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

“Lost” (2004-2010) - Damon Lindelof, J.J. Abrams and Jeffrey Lieber created this superb and original science-fiction/fantasy drama about the survivors of a commercial jet airliner that crashed on a mysterious island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean.

“How I Met Your Mother” (2005-2014) - This award-winning sitcom featured a father’s recount to his children of the journey he and his four best friends had taken, leading up to him meeting their mother.  Josh Radnor, Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders and Neil Patrick Harris starred.

“Eureka” (2006-2012) - This entertaining science-fiction series told the story of a U.S. Marshal, who becomes the sheriff of a small town in Oregon that serves as the home of scientific geniuses, who work for an advanced research facility called Global Dynamics.  Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Joe Morton starred.

  “Jericho” (2006-2008) - Skeet Ulrich and Lennie James starred in this excellent post-apocalyptic action drama about the residents of a fictional Kansas town in the aftermath of a nuclear attack on 23 major cities in the United States.

“Modern Family” (2009-2020) - Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd created this funny and award-winning family sitcom about the lives of three diverse family set-ups in suburban Los Angeles, linked by patriarch Jay Pritchett.

“Game of Thrones” (2011-2019) - David Benioff and D. B. Weiss created this adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy saga, “A Song of Ice and Fire”, a series of novels set in the fictional lands of Westeros and Essos.  Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harrington starred.

“New Girl” (2011-2018) - This excellent sitcom centered around an offbeat young woman who moves into a Los Angeles apartment loft with three single men.  Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamone Morris, Hannah Simone and Damon Wayans, Jr. starred. 

“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (2013-2020) - Clark Gregg starred in this sci-fi action series about a team of operatives for S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division), a peacekeeping and spy agency in a world of superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

“Black Sails” (2014-2017) - Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine created this superb adventure-historical series that served as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel “Treasure Island”.  Toby Stephens, Hannah New and Luke Arnold starred.

“The Flash” (2014-present) - Grant Gustin starred as D.C. Comics superhero the Flash aka Barry Allen in this comic-book hero action drama.

“Mercy Street” (2016-2017) - Lisa Q. Wolfinger created this excellent period medical drama about the Union hospital, Mansion House Hospital, in 1862 Alexandria, Virginia.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Josh Radnor and Hannah Green starred.

[kopykunoichi]

This is the perfect song for them. Kudos to elainebelyeu for this one!

[z2z-gaming-and-random-art-ai]

Console Fighting Games of 2002 - Tekken 4

Tekken 4 is the fourth mainline entry in the Tekken series of fighting games and the sixth overall following 1999s Tekken Tag Tournament and Tekken Card Challenge.

Tekken 4 features a roster of 23, with 17 returning fighters from previous games and 6 new fighters, one being Violet an alter ego of Lee Chaolan and another being Combot. 

This robot can mimic other fighters' move-sets. Additionally, Tekken 4 sees the introduction of Craig Marduk, Miharu Hirano, best friend of Ling Xiaoyu, Steve Fox and a student of Eddy Gordo in Christie Monteiro.

Developed and published by Namco, Tekken 4 was released first in arcades in 2001 with a console port to the PlayStation 2 following in 2002, with releases in Japan, North America and across Europe. 

A platinum release of the game would also follow in 2003, while the game reached platinum qualifying sales numbers Tekken 4 overall along with the previously released Tekken Tag Tournament were massively down on the first three Tekken games. 

1. Intro 00:00 

2. Games Intro 00:15 

3. Gameplay 02:18 

4. Outro 22:34 

Twitter (Gaming & AI Art)

https://twitter.com/zero2zedGaming

Instagram (AI Art)

https://www.instagram.com/random_art_ai/

For more fighting game videos check out the playlists below

Console Fighting Games of 1993

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CFcKSo9Eglrv2NFDHAqNDRi

Console Fighting Games of 1994

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CF-R5w4NujQcYo8cCcOMHYv

Console Fighting Games of 1995

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CEUiZn8FlwHoMcwoOzUqchX

Console Fighting Games of 1996

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CF0j9K_v7UqS3dxjwh6XIIM

Console Fighting Games of 1997

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CFm1r27Q5PvbO_4CjYYsj4-

Console Fighting Games of 1998

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CHG7kROLoO-HAXmmzib8cd4

Console Fighting Games of 1999

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CH1CPUcsBRyu5VpFnhqj4Kv

Console Fighting Games of 2000

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CFeqy-o99iichpNC_2TAs2w

Console Fighting Games of 2001

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CEZIx8SjucuQMt0zBP_wzwS

Console Fighting Games of 2002

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CH1zIfh7MMdVHyj51B2gaValist=PLFJOZYl1h1CH1zIfh7MMdVHyj51B2gaVa

[legion1227]

Tekken 4: Game Review

With Tekken 8 dropping recently, let's look back at Tekken's legacy and one of its more forgotten entries.

When the first Tekken game was released in arcades and home consoles in 1994-95, who knew it would kick off one of the biggest fighting game franchises in the world. Upon Tekken's critical and commercial success, the game would help revolutionize 3D fighting mechanics, helping the fighting series stick out amongst its contemporaries like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. From there, Tekken would further cement itself as one of the best with its sequels, Tekken 2 and 3. Tekken 2 improved on virtually every aspect possible of its predecessor. It refined its visual style, supplied an excellent soundtrack, and added new characters like Jun Kazama, who wouldn't return for a mainline game until the latest entry, Tekken 8. And Tekken 3 managed to do everything Tekken 2 did but to higher levels. A true breakthrough for its time, genre, and series… very few fighting game competitors could match the heights it reached.

Tekken continued to astound with even more sequels and some spinoffs! 2005's Tekken 5 enhanced the gameplay, and the updated version, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, expanded the online experience. 2015's Tekken 7 utilized the power of 8th-generation consoles to make the battles and cutscenes in the story mode more gorgeous than ever. Tekken Tag Tournament 1 and 2 changed the formula by adding two fighters you can pick and switch out during fights, allowing players to fickle around with numerous combinations of teams to figure out what works best. The only dark horses of the Tekken franchise seem to be Tekken 6, with one of the weakest stories and overpowered final bosses in the series, and Tekken 4, the topic for today.

First released in arcades in 2001, then home consoles in 2002, Tekken 4 was not as well received as its predecessors or some of its sequels. What separated Tekken 4 from other entries was its dark, gritty tone in presentation and story. While the other games feature fantastical fighting stages like ancient temples or within a volcano, Tekken 4 leans more realistic with urban settings like a shopping mall or parking garage. Adding to the realism was the introduction of walled stages. In the previous entries, your character and opponent could wander endlessly without anything stopping you, but Tekken 4 introduced layouts and interactable scenery.

Tekken 4 is notable for bringing back multiple established characters like Kazuya, Heihachi, and Jin Kazama, among others, but even more so for its six new characters. These include Christie Monteiro, a friend of Eddy Gordo, also introduced in Tekken 3, who has a similar play style to him, Combot, a robot who can mimic other characters' fighting styles, Craig Marduk, a jacked Vale Tudo fighter, Miharu, a friend of Ling Xiaoyu who was also introduced in Tekken 3, boxer Steve Fox, and Tekken original Lee Choalan's alter-ego, Violet.

With new and old characters alike, the story is set. Two years after the events of Tekken 3, Heihachi Mishima and his team of scientists captured samples of blood and tissue from Ogre, the monster his grandson Jin Kazama killed years ago. The scientists and Heihachi wanted to splice Ogre's specimen with Heihachi's genome, hoping to make him immortal. Unfortunately for him, the experiment fails since Heihachi lacks the Devil Gene. Heihachi then concocts a plan to lure out Jin and Kazuya Mishima, the two harborers of the Devil Gene, by announcing the King of the Iron Fist Tournament 4. The plot works as Jin and Kazuya are successfully lured and ambushed by Heihachi's Tekken forces. Intersectional fights occur aplenty, as Heihachi fights his son, Kazuya, and his grandson, Jin, and even Jin and Kazuya battle each other. Ultimately, Heihachi fails to bring his plan to fruition despite all the familial infighting. Elsewhere, the rest of the Tekken cast are involved in their own endeavors, either comedic or dramatic. All characters' stories follow a similar format: you select your desired character, a gritty, sketchy art style appears which shows still images with text over as a narrator details what's happening with that exact character, you fight several opponents before facing final boss Heihachi only to receive more sketchy art without narration, and a final CG minute long ending sequence to show what happens with your selected character.

Through this style of storytelling, you get the full story between Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin. With the other characters, you get entertaining sequences such as Steve Fox discovering Nina is his mother or Kuma the bear signing legal documents. Tekken's arcade storytelling was always one of the most engaging aspects of the franchise, and it's no different in this entry. It's actually one of the few ways Tekken 4 surpasses a superior game like Tekken 7, which lacked compelling single-player-focused stories on certain characters.

But while Tekken 4 doesn't lack too much in story, it does somewhat in gameplay. Where Tekken 5 or 7 has fast-paced action during fights, Tekken 4 feels much slower. Movements with each character feel more sluggish and clunky than its successors. As a 3D fighter, it's not a great sign if trying to sidestep, crouching, or even jumping, feeling a tad difficult to pull off.

I also want to note that Tekken 4 had a beat-em-up mode titled Tekken Force. Tekken Force was first a minigame introduced in Tekken 3 before reappearing in this iteration, where you control any character and fight through numerous soldiers in a few given stages before fighting a boss. It's a fun side mode different enough from the other modes in the game that's worth dabbling in a bit.

"Worth dabbling in a bit" is also how I would describe Tekken 4 as a whole. Going through each individual's story campaign was an entertaining romp. Every fighting game should have character endings akin to this. The Tekken Force mode is also fun for a small bit. The gameplay is only lacking in comparison to other games in the franchise, but on its own, it can still make for pleasant casual play amongst friends. It's a shame this 20+-year-old game is locked to the PS2, but if you can somehow get your hands on a version of the game, I recommend playing for at least a little bit to see how Tekken 8 has come such a long way.

3.5/5. It's one of the weaker Tekken entries, but it's still a decent fighting game.

[teachingmycattoread]

Things We’ve Yelled About This Episode #3.0

“When shall we three meet again?” Act I Scene 1, Macbeth, William Shakespeare.

Pong (game)

Jane Austen

Garth Nix

Brandon Sanderson

Discworld (Terry Pratchett)

Terry Pratchett

Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Mansfield Park, Jane Austen

Emma, Jane Austen

Sanditon, Jane Austen

Emma (2020)

“How very dare”, The Catherine Tate Show (2004-2007)

The Old Kingdom (Garth Nix)

Terciel and Elinor, Garth Nix

Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case, Garth Nix

The Keys to the Kingdom series, Garth Nix

Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday, Garth Nix

Tamora Pierce

Supernatural (2005-2020)

The Empty (fandom wiki)

Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gailman

Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett

Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett

Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett

Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett

A Gothmog:

A Wook:

Tower of Babel (wiki)

Sam Vimes, Lady Sybil; Discworld characters

Benoit Blanc (fictional detective - see Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022))

Dorothy L Sayers

Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie

Death on the Nile (2022)

William Shakespeare

Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare

Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare

Hamlet, William Shakespeare

The Lion King (1994)

Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

David Tennant (imdb)

The Raven Tower, Ann Leckie

Ancillary series, Ann Leckie

Small Gods, Terry Pratchett

Blorbo from my shows (meme)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984-1985)

Jeremy Brett (imdb)

Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Leverage (2008-2012)

Leverage Season 5 Episode 9:The Run Down Job

Alec Hardison (Leverage character)

Sherlock (2010-2017)

Sherlock Season 2 Episode 2: The Hounds of Baskerville

Elementary (2012-2019)

Elementary, Season 2 Episode 18: The Hound of the Cancer Cells

Alanna the Lioness, Tamora Pierce

Jeeves and Wooster, P. G. Wodehouse

Ask Jeeves

Yahoo

Google

*hacker voice* I’m in (meme)

Press f in the chat (wiki)

Clippy (wiki)

Matt Berry (imdb)

Ben Kearns, voice actor on twitter who does Matt Berry impressions (example)

Map Men on the pronunciation of British placenames (youtube)

Howl’s Moving Castle, Dianna Wynne Jones

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

The Four Branches of the Mabinogi (wiki)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (wiki)

Green Knight (2021)

Dev Patel (imdb)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Merlin (2008-2012)

“Are you aware that your wife is a troll, sire?” Merlin Season 2 Episodes 5 & 6: Beauty and the Beast (youtube)

Charlie Hunnam (imdb)

Jude Law (imdb)

Pacific Rim (2013)

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Vortigern (wiki)

Eric Bana (imdb)

Guy Ritchie (imdb)

Gildas (wiki)

Ambrosius Aurelianus (wiki)

Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir

Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss (meme)

The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson

Temeraire series, Naomi Novik

Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer

Uzumaki, Junji Ito

Wheel of Time (2021 - ?)

Stormlight Archive, Brandon Sanderson

Man makes plans and God laughs (Yiddish proverb) 

The Twitter Fiasco (wiki)

King Chaz, aka King Charles III of England, aka. Parasite in Chief in his Idiot Hat

The Crown estate vs. Twitter (BBC article)

Whispers Underground, Ben Aaronovitch

Rivers of London series, Ben Aaronovitch

Next Time on Teaching My Cat To Read

The Inimitable Jeeves, P. G. Wodehouse

[whitepolaris]

The Curse of the Green Man

Artist Peter Ledger, the man behind the face of his unique tombstone found in Oakhill Cemetery in Oakhurst, was born in Australia in 1945 and grew to fame as a graphic artist, creating imaginative hand-painted and airbrushed illustrations. In the late 1970s, he won awards for his advertising posters and album cover art, and during his stint at Marvel Comics, he created the series “Warriors of the Shadow Realm.” He later worked in Hollywood on storyboards and designs that have become coveted collectors’ items. In 1983, he moved to California with his American wife, Christy Marx, also an artist, and they eventually made their home in Oakhurst. On November 18, 1994, while driving home from Monterey, Ledger was hit by a tractor-trailer and died on impact. 

His son, Julian who works in the film industry doing special effects, created Peter Ledger’s one-of-a-kind bronze headstone; to cast the form of his head, Julian used a real life mask his father had made in the 1980s. Julian also meticulously sculpted a poem Ledger himself wrote in 1991 with the intent of it being used as his epitaph, along with various symbols that were meaningful to him: clouds (he was an amateur pilot with a love of flying), an eagle logo (Ledger designed it), Greek and Spartan helmets (which often featured in his artwork), grape vines (he had a passion for food and wine), and Celtic knot work (among other mediums, Ledger also worked with leather). 

According to a Web site posted by Ledger’s widow, Christy Marx (www.christymarx.com/ledger/memorial.htm), an interesting story-”The Curse of the Green Man”-goes along with this exceptional headstone, which took two years to create. While the tombstone was still a work in progress, Marx placed a sculpture of a mythic Celtic character called the Green Man, which Ledger had purchased, on his grave site to mark it. This Green Man was subsequently stolen, angering Marx, who took out the following ad in the Personals section of the local newspaper: 

To the person or persons whole stole the head of the Green Man from my husband’s grave. My husband was an artist. He painted this Green Man with his own hands to look like aged bronze. I placed it on his grave as a temporary marker and you took it. 

Only the lowest form of scum would desecrate a grave. If you have any shred of decency, you will return the Green Man to Oakhill Cemetery where he belongs. If you do not, you are thrice-cursed. Cursed once for defiling the dead, cursed again as a thief, and finally the Curse of the Green Man is upon you which will bring you misfortunate, bad luck and misery for the rest of your days. 

Return what you have stolen or never know peace again. 

Marx notes that a Fresno TV station saw the ad and featured her story on the local news-and the very next day, the Green Man had been returned to its rightful place. 

Ironically, the bronze face of Peter has now returned to an eerie shade of patina green, due to the oxidation-we assume. 

[tailsrevane]

2022 in review, part 5: novel first reads

my top ten favorite first reads of this year! more or less! idk it’s harder for me to rank books than other kinds of media sometimes, i feel like. i did my best.

1. wolfsong by t.j. klune (2015)

i already wrote a very long review of this so i’m not gonna rehash it here, but yeah this is a gay werewolf book with a very unique/artistic writing style and i’m pretty sure the main character is literally otherkin. (they don’t use the word “otherkin” but his experiences line up so well it’s kind of scary.) obviously i’m a fan.

2. wolf-speaker by tamora pierce (1994)

omfg i need to get back to this series i love tamora pierce’s writing style so much. i keep alternating between kicking myself that i didn’t read these as a kid & celebrating the fact that i get to read them all now. but, yeah, i need to get back to this series. and her stuff in general.

3. any way the wind blows by rainbow rowell (2021)

this is far & away the best book of the simon snow series. it’s just such a godsdamned satisfying ending.

i mean, okay, i do find it a little off-putting that i’m meant to believe that penny is heterosexual, but we can’t win ‘em all. but also we get to see her rules lawyer a fucking demon??? and be a stone cold badass in the process? so i can’t really complain about how that went.

the writing of simon & baz’s intimacy with each other was fucking sublime. it was so heartful & honest, i just ached for them.

i’m a little disappointed that this was such a definitive ending because i could’ve kept following these characters for like a dozen more books, but honestly it was such a perfect ending it’s kind of hard to argue with it.

4. birth of the firebringer by meredith ann pierce (1985)

yeah i can’t imagine what i found appealing about the unicorn book with narration from what feels like an awfully authentic animal headspace whose culture is SUPER pagan and where the main perils are 1) vore, 2) mind control, 3) literally a tornado. just truly drawing a blank here.

5. wayward son by rainbow rowell (2019)

i’m so glad the harry potter books never did an american roadtrip because holy shit it would have been insufferable. this, on the other hand, is brilliant.

everyone at ren fairs is apparently actually a witch or supernatural creature? vampires run las vegas? techbros are trying to contract vampirism for incredibly dumb reasons? yes, yes, yes. perfect.

6. star trek: discovery: dead endless by dave galanter (2019)

we gays are so powerful, you guys. i mean, the fucking butterfly effect of the awful season 1 of discovery unironically employing the bury your gays trope resulting in us ending up with this profic au where culber’s ghost finds his way onto a discovery commanded by a michael burnham who never mutineed and has family dinners with fleet captain georgiou & surrogate sibling saru, and he just immediately starts making out with au stamets who starts working on bending the laws of physics to the will of his multiverse gay love story.

sometimes profic is just fanfic with resources & a stamp of legitimacy, and when it is it’s glorious.

7. star trek: discovery: fear itself by james swallow (2018)

the discovery novels are shockingly good. like, this one is so action packed while also being such a great character study of saru. it honestly surpasses what the show was doing contemporaneously. i’d really like to see more comics or novels set on the shenzhou.

8. murder on the orient express by agatha christie (1934)

this was almost certainly hindered by the fact that i had seen so many adaptations of it by the time i read it that i felt like i had already read it, but i nevertheless enjoyed it quite a bit and am eager to read more mystery novels (and christie novels specifically.)

9. lunatic fringe by allison moon (2011)

patient worldbuilding, imperfect but well-meaning characters having mostly (mostly) good-faith conflicts over strategy, and L E S B I A N   W E R E W O L V E S. yeah, that’ll work.

10. blood and chocolate by annette curtis klause (1997)

this book’s picture is in the dictionary under “problematic fave,” but this really is delightful if you can get past all the ways in which it’s awful. and i can, clearly.

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To The Most Distinguished Actors Of Our Time Now

He Is The Son Of A Legendary Actor Of The 1940s & The Stepson Of A Legendary Music Artist / Actress Of The 1940's

He was born on February 12, 1968, in Santa Monica, California, the son of a wildlife activist who was a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, and  A Legendary Actor was raised on a ranch in Templeton, California, with little exposure to his father's acting career. His parents divorced in 1984, when he was 16 years old.

He started his career in TV films and guest roles on TV shows before landing a more notable role as Brandon Walsh in the Richard Donner-directed film The Goonies (1985). He was considered for the role of Tom Hanson in the series 21 Jump Street; he and Johnny Depp were the finalists for the role, and the two became close and remained friends. The role ultimately went to Depp. He guest-starred in an episode of the show in its first season.

He played a small role in the 1994 movie Roadflower. He has implied that he turned away from film acting for years after the premiere of his second film, Thrashin', where he witnessed what he called "horrendous" acting on his part. For several years, he appeared in stage roles in Rochester, New York, often alongside mentor and friend Anthony Zerbe. One of His more prominent roles early in his career was that of "Wild Bill" Hickok in the ABC western TV series The Young Riders, which lasted three seasons (1989–92).[full citation needed] Two other TV series he was involved in include the Aaron Spelling production Winnetka Road (1994) and Mister Sterling (2003), both of which were cancelled after a few episodes.

Later on in 2008 He starred in another Oliver Stone film, W., a biopic about key events in the life of President George W. Bush.

Stone pursued an initially hesitant Him for the role. He said of his decision to cast Him in the leading role

Since Then He Has Starred In Numerous Other Films & Has Become A Household Name in The Acting Industry

Starring In Very Well Know Movies 🎥 We All Know & Love

From MILK, To Men In Black 3

From OldBoy, To DC COMICS'S & Warner Bros Pictures, Jonah Hex  Based on The Anti-Hero Comicbook Character Of The Same Name

& Later on in Later 2000's

After Not Being Picked To Play Batman in 2014 for the 2016's Batman V Superman Dawn Of Justice.

In 2014, He Was Casted In The Biggest Role He Has Ever Had To Date

When He Was Picked To Be The Greatest Supervillian In The MCU aka The Marvel Cinematic Universe

He would become The Greatest Villian in The History Of Marvel Comics & Marvel Studios

The Infamous & Mad Titan Of The Planet Titan

THANOS

For Many Years He Has Played This Role To Perfection & Many Others As Well Over The Years

He is the Son Of The Legendary Actor, James Brolin

& The Stepson Of The Legendary Music Artists / Actress / Director,  Barbara Streisand

Please Give A Big Round Of Applause & Birthday Wishes To This Very Talented Actor 👏 🙏 🙌

You Know Him & You Just Gotta Love Him

The 1  &  The Only

MR. JOSH JAMES BROLIN 

Happy 55th Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You Mr. Brolin & here's to many more