#Danny was in the background spying at his daughter

[redrobin-detective]

Delayed Mourning

Going Angst Day 5: Death

_________________________________________

It was 3pm when there was a knock on Maddie Fenton’s door. She huffed and set down the meal she’d been working on. Of course the one day she had time to pre-plan a nice meal from her family was the day she’d get interrupted. 

“Yes? May I help you?” Maddie asked, opening the door. She had expected a salesman. Possibly even a neighbor coming to complain, again, about the noise or the smells that came from Fentonworks. Instead she found a small woman who couldn’t have been much taller than 5 ft with dark brown hair tied up in a tight bun. She was wearing a sharp white shirt and suit jacket with a matching white skirt.

“Mrs. Fenton, hello,” the woman gave a polite little head nod. “I’m from the the Government Institute of Interdimensional Warfare though I hear the locals like to call us the Guys in White.” She said with a knowing smiling, “of course, as you know, it’s not only the guys who are interested in ghosts. May I come in?”

“Oh yes, hello,” Maddie blinked, opening the door to let the agent in. The petite woman stepped inside, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. Her small frame, her oversized glasses and soft nature seemed so at odds with the meatheads Maddie usually found in the GIW. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Perhaps,” the agent demurred. “It’s more there was something I wanted to inform you of. If you’re not too busy, may we sit down and talk? Your husband and children are not home.” Maddie thought that last statement was a bit odd, framed as a statement of fact rather than an inquiry but moved on. 

“Yes, Jack’s out of town visiting a relative and my kids won’t be back for a little while,” Maddie said. “Let me just finish putting this roast together, I’m almost done. Can I get you anything? Water? Tea?”

“No, thank you,” The woman said quietly. “And please, continue while you’re doing. Let me give you a little bit of background.” The agent adjusted her large glasses with her tiny hands. “Let me introduce myself, you may call me Agent S. I work primarily out of Washington for the Institute but sometimes I am deployed on site for... special cases. And, as I’m sure you’re aware, your town is very special.”

“Now, as you may have noticed, I am not particularly built like the normal Institute agents you have probably come across. That is because I do not work in the field but behind the scene in Investigations. My job is study the history and happenings of hauntings and spectral entities.”

“Oh that sounds fascinating,” Maddie beamed as she finished with her final preps and put the roast in the over. She looked over her shoulder at Agent S while she washed her hands. “Jack and I dabble a bit in history and folklore but we’re more versed in the hard sciences of ghosts.”

“Yes, I’ve read some of your papers, you and your husband truly are the frontrunners in the field,” Agent S nodded. Maddie preened at the praise and sat down, delighted to have a sophisticated conversation with someone in her field who she wasn’t married to. If more of those GIW agents were like Agent S then Maddie would get along a lot better with them. “So, Maddie, may I call you Maddie? What date and time did your portal start working?”

“It was August 28th,” Maddie said proudly. “It didn’t work at first when we first plugged it in. I’m afraid I don’t have an exact time it started up as we weren’t here. Jack was convinced one of the electrical conduction pieces wasn’t fully connected and was preventing ectoplasmic distribution. We ended up driving 4 hours to Springfield and back for some specialty parts only to find the portal working when we returned.”

“I can help you there,” Agent S said with a soft smile reaching into her white briefcase and pulling out several thick folders. She laid them out gently on the table and Maddie was unnerved by some of the information: schematics of Fentonworks, past and present financial records, transcripts of public statements. Her shoulders tensed when she saw Jazz and Danny’s names on some of the files. “Toll camera captured your vehicle on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway at exactly 1:26pm on August 28th. We can confirm you and your husband’s vehicle traveled to Springfield and back via video feeds and credit card statements at 10:45pm that same day and were therefore out of the city all day.”

Maddie suddenly felt very trapped by the woman’s sharp grey eyes as she plucked a piece of paper and pressed it towards Maddie. 

“At 3:18pm, the majority of the residential power in town went out for a period of 2 and a half hours. The cause was determined to be from a massive power surge that blew out the transformer. You may recall being blamed for this outage given your history with previous outages but the news that you were out of town settled that argument. However, I was not convinced.” She pulled out another piece of paper and Maddie bristled to see it was a Casper High attendance sheet.

“Your daughter, Jasmine was at her final summer cram session which ran from 2pm until 5pm. I spoke to her tutors and she never left the whole time and, in fact, stayed late to help a fellow student work through her study materials. But what about your son?” Agent S asked with with a curious smile but her eyes belied the fact that she had her own answers. 

“How dare you spy on my family, on my children,” Maddie hissed, crumpling one of the papers in her fist. “Get out of my house, I will sue the pants off of your organization for this invasion of privacy! Get out!”

“Now Maddie, don’t you want to know how your son started up your Portal?” Agent S asked coyly, that drew Maddie up short. Danny? No, he couldn’t have possibly. He had no interest in their work, in fact, now that she thought about it, Danny had been sick that day. Agent S pulled out a set of blueprints for the Fenton Portal. Some small component inside the Portal was circled.

“You left at approximately 1pm and your daughter presumably left not long after. Phone records indicate Daniel called both Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson. Your neighbor, Mrs. Benson, saw them coming into your house not long after but before the 3pm power outage which I was able to triangulate did in fact originate from your home.” Agent S tapped the circled part of the inner portal mechanisms. “Now did you happen to push the on button in the Portal before plugging it in?”

“On button?” Maddie asked with a dry mouth, overwhelmed by the amount of information being thrown her way. All she could think about was how Danny hadn’t seemed sick when they’d left that afternoon but had looked awful when they returned. Would he have really gone downstairs and messed with the Portal? Had he gotten hurt? Been contaminated down there? Images of Vlad’s sickly visage after his accident flowed through her head. She should have paid more attention but she’d been so excited about the Portal working...

“It’s right here in the blueprints you submitted to the patent office, buried under dozens of other hardware bits. Its small, such a little thing compared to all the moving parts required to open up a dimensional portal. Daniel was a bright boy, his middle school records prove it. A bright mind, friends to impress, no parents around to chastise him... I think you can see where I’m going with this.”

“No, no,” Maddie said, burying her hands in her hair. “No, I’m not. You’re saying -what? - that my teenage son turned on the Portal when we were gone? No, my Danny wouldn’t lie to me about that... Why wouldn’t he say anything?”

“I don’t blame him for not mentioned in because, if my hunch is correct, he was inside the Portal when it turned on, killing him instantly,” Agent S said with a carefully neutral face. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I’m afraid this haunting has gone on long enough.”

“My child is alive!” Maddie screeched, standing up in her chair. “Danny is alive and healthy and he is not a ghost!”

“I will admit the evidence of how he died is circumstantial but the fact that Danny Fenton is deceased is not.” Maddie fell back into her chair as he legs gave out underneath her. 

She watched the agent put paper after paper in front of her and detailed all sorts of data about her son that Maddie, who lived in the same house as him, had missed. Unusually high ectosignatures picked up by GIW (and their own) detectors, Danny being spotted in some form before most ghost attacks, faked signatures of hers getting him out of nurses’ visits. Maddie barely felt alive herself as she stared at a red light camera photo of her baby sitting atop a light post late, late at night. His eyes were a toxic green color.

“I know this must be distressing as a mother but your child never left that basement, never attended high school and will never achieve his dream of working for NASA.” Agent S said with carefully measured sympathy as she gathered up her papers and put them back in her case. “But you are a brilliant scientist, unlike your husband, you should be able to look past your emotions and see that your child is gone and the ghost he left behind is dangerous.”

“My husband?” Maddie asked blankly, running a finger down Danny’s unnatural photograph.

“I approached Jack two days ago, mistakenly believing he would be the most understanding of you both. He refused to believe the evidence and was, in fact, going to warn your son’s ghost that we planned on taking him. He is safe but he presently being held at one of our facilities until the capture is complete.” Maddie should feel outraged at her husband’s kidnapping but all she could think about was the fact that her son was dead, dead, dead, killed by her own invention over a year ago and she never noticed. How could she not have noticed?

“Daniel’s ghost is extraordinary, not only able to pass as human so accurately for so long but immensely powerful. We need to make sure he doesn’t harm anyone else. Think of his friends who are probably being forced to aid him and keep his death quiet. Think of your husband, your daughter, living in the same house as a dangerous ghost.” Agent S dropped some of her professionalism and plucked the photo of Danny out of Maddie’s hands and replaced it with her own tiny hand. 

“I know this is impossible thing to ask but I must do it anyway, will you help me capture what remains of Danny? There is a chance with his charade exposed, he will be able to move on and so will you. You have been wronged, Maddie. You have been denied the right to process and grieve your child by his own ghost. But a delayed mourning is better than none. Danny’s death is a tragedy but please don’t let it become someone else’s.”

“Maybe he’s not-” Maddie’s breath hitched, “he’s never shown any signs of aggression. Jasmine spoke of benevolent spirits... maybe-” Agent S sighed roughly and retracted her hand to grab another photo from her case. Maddie was surprised when she held up a picture of Phantom. 

“Ignore the glow,” Agent S instructed. “Change his white hair to black, his green eyes to blue. Think of how often Phantom is spotted in your neighborhood, around Casper High. Remember how he always has his hands on your technology,” the agent frowned. “Think of how he grins when he sees you, like he knows something you don’t. Like it all just a big joke you’re not a part of.” Maddie felt like she’d been slapped.

“Your son is dead,” Agent S said more forcefully, throwing the picture of Phantom next to the spooky one of Danny. “And his ghost has taken his place, taunting you, stealing energy from your family, from the portal that killed him. Phantom’s power is increasing too rapidly and soon we won’t be able to contain him. It’s why I was brought in to identify his haunt so that he could be stopped before anyone else died.”

“I will state this plainly, I am giving you the chance to participate in putting your child to rest but you are not required for this operation. If you refuse, you will be confined with your husband until Phantom is taken down. Do not let this monster with your son’s face trick you any more. So I ask again, Maddie Fenton, will you help us stop Phantom from making a mockery of your son’s memory?”

XxX

“Mom! Jazz! I’m home!” Danny announced, kicking off his shoes and grabbing a paper out of his backpack as he walked into the kitchen with a grin. “And I have a present! Jazz’s tutoring paid off, look at this A I got on my history test! Well A- but a solid A-!” 

“Oh... that’s great,” Mom muttered quietly. She was sitting at the kitchen table, not cooking or tinkering with some gadget. Just sitting there quietly, twiddling her thumbs and not looking at him.

“Is everyone okay?” Danny asked, dropping his bag on the floor and walking over to his mother. “I saw Jazz at school but is Dad okay?”

“No, everything is not okay,” she said turning and looking at him with tear-filled eyes. “Someone died, someone I love dearly and I’m not ready to let them go,” she sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “But they've been gone for a long time, even if I’m just hearing about it now. I’m upset but it’s better to know and be grieve than to go on in ignorance, living a lie.”

Danny was about to ask who had died when something was jammed into his neck and he was shocked within an inch of his half life. His body spasmed to escape but his mother was gripping his arm to hold him in place. He transformed unconsciously but that only made it worse. He fell to the floor, ectoplasm leaking off his form as he could barely hold himself together.

“Mom,” he croaked, reaching for her despite everything. She stomped on his hand which was practically goo from such a vicious, destabilizing ectoplasmic shock.

“Don’t you ever call me that,” she hissed through angry tears. “I didn’t want to believe it but the proof is right in front of me you horrible, selfish ghost.” She kicked him in the side and half of him ended up on her boot. “How dare you, how dare you impersonate my son! How dare you string me along all this time, make me look like a fool who had to told that her own child was dead! I bet you just laughed and laughed at our stupid, human ignorance of what your were!”

“‘lease,” he begged through the ectoplasm in his mouth. “I’m still your....”

“My son is dead and he has been for a while,” Mom said, throwing the ecto-taser away from her. Danny vaguely heard the door being kicked in and in his rapidly diminishing vision, he saw black boots and white suits. “With you gone, I can finally come to terms with it and not be tormented by an inadequate replacement.” She turned her back to him. “Get that filth out of my house, I never want to see it again.”

“Of course,” a quiet feminine voice said as his goopy arms were restrained with ghost proof cuffs. “I know this is hard, Maddie but you made the right choice for your family and Danny’s memory. Jack will returned to you within the hour. I spoke to my superiors, for your cooperation, the Institute will take care of declaring Danny dead as well as covering costs for your boy to be laid to rest, the first step in moving on.”

“No, the first step will be removing that duplicitous monster from my home. It’s stolen enough of my baby’s life. Now please leave, I have - I have a funeral to plan.”

[danphanwritingprompts]

Friday, February 8th : AU

Let’s keep this train rolling!

Estrelas by Shimegami-chan

AU where Danny lives in Sam's grandma's attic. Is DxS

Why do I love it? Takes a deep breath. Just screams for ten minutes straight. One of my absolute favorite AU phics EVER. It's so well written, so well paced and just packed with great ideas. So many good plot developments, characterization, themes. It's just....so good. It dives into Sam’s relationship with her parents and, to my knowledge, was one of the first to explore a concept I won’t say to avoid spoilers.

The Warden’s Daughter by fruit1oop

Slight AU where Walker has a daughter, who is tasked with going undercover to get some dirt on Phantom and convince him to turn himself in.

Why do I love it? Dolly is just one of the absolute best DP OCs I’ve ever come across, and I will fight anybody who says she’s a bad character (in that she’s poorly developed, and I mean it, meet me behind Denny’s and we’ll throw down, Dolly is my NIECE). She has so much character and is cocooned in amazing worldbuilding and background that gives so much more life and depth to the GZPD. I absolutely love the plot and the way the author writes. I also have the slight privilege of being a somewhat beta of this amazing fic, and it’s been a joy to read. The author’s also a major sweetie.

Lilacs by BlueMyst19

It's basically an AU centered around Princess Sam needing to find a husband. It's a major DxS fic.

Why do I love it? Well written. Fantastically paced, it's got some cute as hell moments. It’s one of those that’s kind of hard to pinpoint what exactly it is I love about it. It may be the good pacing and story telling, but I think it just has this spark of creativity that was hard to find around the time it was first published.

Tainted Snow by ElphieBLW

It's an AU about where Jack died and Maddie married Vlad, and they move to Amity Park. Has TW for parental abuse themes (Vlad, not Maddie).

Why do I love it? I remember this being written and being so fucking hyped about it. It's a very interesting AU, and it's just such a treasure. I go back and re-read it regularly, and it just holds up so well. It’s main focus is on the idea of Danny, having spent so much of his life being abused by Vlad, and moving so much finding a true home and friendship in Amity Park.

Masters' Weapon by Secret Spy Guy

AU where Phantom was designed by Axion Labs for Vlad. Maddie is forced to be in charge of him.

Why do I love it? Hnnnnn it's so good guys. This was one of the fanfictions I most clearly remember eagerly waiting emails for to see if it's updated. Unfortunately, the author's seemed to retired, but this fanfiction just has such a BEAUTIFUL idea. It's such a good idea, and it's so wonderfully executed with the right amount of hurt and comfort intertwined in a concoction of hopeful misery. It’s got delicious plot developments and twists.

Stray by Secret Spy Guy

Jack and Maddie are arctic researchers who find Danny, who's basically supposed to be a last known member of an ice dweller race.

Why do I love it? It's a great idea and concept executed brilliantly, Brent. It's a story that just captures such a unique concept and idea. This fanfiction is old, and one of the first I've seen that took Danny's ice powers and built such a cool AU around it.

[healthbetold]

‘Physical’ explores ’emotional truth’ of eating disorders

She plays an aerobics instructor on Apple TV + Physical, but don’t expect Rose Byrne to lead your next workout class.

“Absolutely not,” jokes Byrne about her athletic abilities. “I think maybe when I was filming, but it’s been many months since we quit and I’m just normal lazy again. I’m basically lazy, I think that’s really the problem.”

“Lazy” is not a word to describe Sheila (Byrne), the disaffected Type A housewife at the center of “Physical” (streaming on Friday). Set in 1980s San Diego, the half-hour dramedy follows Sheila Rubin, who juggles raising her young daughter and helps her husband, Danny (Rory Scovel), a former professor, campaign for the State Assembly. But one day while walking through the mall, she passes an aerobics studio and soon asks for a job as a teacher, hoping to use her dance background.

The show was created by Annie Weisman (Fox’s “Almost Family”), who wanted to explore how women use fitness as a tool to strengthen their personality.

“It was precisely during this time that you really saw how this transition took place between the last traces of idealism of the 1960s and the Reagan era,” says Weisman. The idea “has its roots in women like my mother who felt that the women’s political movement (liberation) had failed and they were finding new ways to feel strong. One of them was through fitness and physical strength.”

With her daughter in tow, Sheila (Rose Byrne) prepares to shoot an exercise demo on the beach in Physical on Apple TV +.Courtesy Apple TV +

The first season of 10 episodes is an endless parade of garish jerseys, curled hair and 80s needle drops from Depeche Mode to Stevie Nicks. Equally crucial is Sheila’s devastating internal monologue as she bullies herself for her weight and appearance. (“Do you think you can pull it off? The disco sex kitten look your age?” She says in one of her less explicit voice-overs.) It’s part of her secret battle with an eating disorder when she binge – eats and flushes food in moments of extreme anxiety or frustration.

The narrative is “deeply uncomfortable, raw and honest,” says Byrne, 41. “Of course Sheila is an extreme example – she’s fighting this disease – but for me it’s also about being a woman. What you think. Then there is this idea of ​​appearances. On the surface, Sheila looks amazing together: she has a family and she is privileged in many ways. “But inside there are uncertainties” about what we all live with. The human condition, if you will. ”

Weisman drew from her own struggles with body image and an eating disorder and wanted to convey the “emotional truth” of this experience.

First celebrity crush: Rose Byrne

Actress Rose Byrne names the Australian she “adored” in her youth. (February 12th)

AP

“The disease is really good at getting you to hide it from the world,” she says. “There was such a distance between what people thought of me and what I felt about myself and what was happening inside of me. So we’re really trying not to just focus on how on this show she is developing physically but also on how she starts her feelings) and knock on that voice. First she applies it against herself and is really self-bullying, and then it becomes something powerful that they turn outward and onto the Let go of the world. ”

“Physical” is set in the early years of VHS tapes, so Sheila tries to monetize her newfound passion by making exercise videos. Weisman took inspiration from fitness superstars Kathy Smith, Denise Austin, and of course Jane Fonda, who started an aerobics empire in the 1980s with their series of best-selling exercise videos.

Sheila (Rose Byrne, left) and Danny (Rory Scovel) struggle to make ends meet after losing his college teaching job.Courtesy Apple TV +

“There’s an obvious reference to Jane Fonda and Thomas Hayden,” says Scovel, a social activist and Fonda’s second husband. “I’ve thought a lot about him and who he was as a person, but I didn’t want to try too hard to be him.”

One of the most lighthearted scenes of the season shows Sheila trying to film a test video on a windy beach, kicking sand in the face and pounding the air when not trying to tease her daughter. For the bumpy moment, Byrne, whose breakout role was Glenn Closes’ protégé in the FX right-wing drama “Damages”, fell back on her comedy past in “Spy” and “Bridesmaids”.

“The test video was funny because it’s her first try and she isn’t getting it right,” says Byrne. “We wanted to make it as chaotic and full of small fires as possible. I’m always looking for the jokes, so any opportunity to do a bit of physical comedy like this is fun. ”

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Published 12:40 UTC June 18, 2021 Updated June 18, 2021 at 12:41 PM UTC

The post ‘Physical’ explores ’emotional truth’ of eating disorders first appeared on Health be Told.

source https://healthbetold.com/physical-explores-emotional-truth-of-eating-disorders/

[aion-rsa]

Line of Duty: Could Jo Davidson End Tommy Hunter’s Legacy For Good?

https://ift.tt/3v2bnKQ

Warning: contains spoilers for Line of Duty series one to six.

Considering that Tommy Hunter has only appeared on screen in four of Line of Duty’s 36 episodes – once in real time, once in a video clip, once in flashback, and once as an unrecognisable bandage-wrapped burns victim – the character casts a long shadow over the police thriller. Whatever and whoever AC-12 has investigated over the years, Tommy’s organised crime group and corrupt officers have been somewhere in the mix, wearing balaclavas, slitting throats and making a mockery of the law. 

Though he died in the series two opener, Tommy’s legacy endures. You might call him the show’s root antagonist, the daddy of the baddies. Trace the death of almost any guest star, from Tony Gates to Lindsay Denton to Danny Waldron to John Corbett, and, as the man who groomed Dot ‘The Caddy’ Cottan and Ryan Pilkington, it all leads back to Tommy. 

Jo Davidson’s Family DNA Revelation

Series six’s guest star, we learned in episode five, literally leads back to Tommy. DNA analysis shows that Acting Superintendent Joanne Davidson is not only Tommy Hunter’s daughter (a fan theory held since Kelly Macdonald was announced as joining the cast on account of her shared Glaswegian background with Brian McCardie, the actor who played Tommy) but as a product of incestuous abuse, she’s also his niece. In his teens, we assume that Tommy raped his sister, resulting in Jo’s birth. 

Jo Davidson is currently leading the investigation into the murder of Gail Vella, a journalist shot dead by Tommy’s former OCG unit to stop her from revealing long-standing connections between organised crime and corrupt police officers. Specifically, Vella was looking into the officers who suppressed the investigation of the racist murder of Lawrence Christopher in 2003, and covered up the 1998 murder of a social worker reporting child sex abuse claims from Sands View children’s home. The link between those two cases is DCI Marcus Thurwell, a character we’ve yet to meet but who will be played by James Nesbitt. 

Under duress, Davidson has been disrupting the Vella investigation on behalf of the OCG. While it’s clear to viewers that she’s been forced into corruption and is deeply unhappy about what she’s been doing, what hasn’t been clear until now is what hold the OCG has over her. Now, it seems likely that Jo’s being blackmailed over her familial link to Tommy Hunter. Let’s say Jo grew up not knowing who her biological father was, but the OCG (perhaps via Tommy’s son Darren, or – if he’s H – DCI Marcus Thurwell) knew. They told Davidson, threatening to make the scandal public, which forced her to do their bidding to keep it secret. It’s one possible scenario.

Tony Gates, Jackie Laverty and AC-12 vs Evil

Even without the incestuous abuse angle, having Tommy Hunter as a father is nothing any decent person could boast about. What little we saw of him in series one and two showed him to be a villain of the highest order. Cruel, arrogant and conscienceless, the character doesn’t have a single redeeming feature. If Line of Duty can be read as a moral battle, with AC-12 representing the human struggle to do good, then Tommy Hunter represents pure evil. He may not be the hypocrite that corrupt police officers are, but he’s a sort of devil in this show. 

The first few times we encountered Tommy, it was as an anonymous voice on the phone. In series one, Tommy’s goons had killed DCI Tony Gates’ lover Jackie Laverty, a property developer who laundered money for his unit, and were threatening to frame him for her murder. Using a 12-year-old Ryan Pilkington as a phone thief and go-between, Tommy blackmailed Gates into covering up the gang’s drug murders at Greek Lane, mischaracterising them as terrorism-related. Tommy’s unit dealt drugs on the impoverished Borogrove Estate, laundering their money through a series of fake businesses.

Even on the phone, Tommy was a nasty piece of work. He laughed at Gates’ torment and his cruelty showed no limits. He had Jackie killed, Gates beaten up, killed Gates’ dog, threatened his children, almost had Steve Arnott’s fingers amputated… When Gates finally tracked him down and arrested him, he succeeded in getting him to confess to having ordered the Greek Lane murders but thanks to Tommy’s corrupt officers (including DS Dot Cottan, ACC Hilton and very likely CI Philip Osborne), the evidence Gates had gathered was never used and Tommy wasn’t charged. He gave evidence backing up the false terrorism claim, and claimed immunity from prosecution.

Carly Kirk, Lindsay Denton and the Ambush

In series two, Tommy’s villainy only grew with the story of 15-year-old Carly Kirk. Despite supposedly being in witness protection and living under the new identity of Alex Campbell, Tommy was still running his OCG unit behind the scenes. He had refused to leave the local area, citing health reasons, still drove a car registered to him, and continued to deal drugs, launder money and blackmail and bribe police officers. One such was his witness protection officer DS Jayne Akers, whom Tommy paid to turn a blind eye to his criminal activity. 

That activity included the sexual exploitation of underage girls groomed by corrupt Vice officers Manish Prasad and Jeremy Cole. Tommy’s gang pimped out girls including Carly Kirk, a child in foster care whom Tommy used in his plan to blackmail DCI Mike Dryden. Prasad arranged for Dryden to have sex with Carly in his car, where he would be photographed for blackmail material. When Dryden spotted his ex-lover Lindsay Denton spying on him with the girl, he threw Carly out and drove away. Denton then witnessed Prasad and Tommy Hunter arrive, when Tommy savagely beat Carly and dragged her away by her hair. 

Read more

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At some point in witness protection, Tommy became worried that his immunity deal would be reneged on, and started threatening to expose the corrupt officers working for him, from The Caddy, to Manish and Cole and “the two-faced bastard” at the top (ACC Hilton, CI Philip Osborne or following the recent retcon, perhaps DCI Marcus Thurwell). That led Dot Cottan to arrange his murder, using Jayne Akers to recruit Lindsay Denton into diverting the convoy transporting him so he could be killed. Tommy suffered full-body burns in the ambush and was later murdered by Jeremy Cole in hospital, dying aged 48.

Sands View and Danny Waldron

After his death, Tommy’s villainy grew even further. Ronan Murphy was part of a child sexual abuse ring at Sands View children’s home, where DS Danny Waldron had grown up. Murphy and his uncle Linus were among Tommy Hunter’s closest associates. When Waldron encountered Murphy on an op, he killed him in revenge and crossed his name off a list of 17 childhood abusers he had identified. On that list was Tommy Hunter’s name, crossed out, proving that his OCG unit hadn’t only operated the child sex abuse ring, but he was also one of the paedophiles who’d committed the abuse. (Which makes you wonder about Tommy’s treatment of Dot Cottan and Ryan Pilkington, both of whom he’d recruited for the gang in their early teens. Were they also victims of Tommy’s sexual abuse?)

In series six, Tommy’s family story took on yet another horrid layer with the revelation that Tommy had a son, Darren Hunter, who was one of a gang of racist white youths who’d attacked black architect Lawrence Christopher, leading to his death in police custody in 2003. Darren Hunter and his collaborators were never charged with the murder, thanks to Tommy’s relationships with corrupt officers. The SIO on the Lawrence Christopher case was Marcus Thurwell, who’d also led the cover-up into the OCG murder of Oliver Stephens-Lloyd, the social worker who’d pursued the Sands View victims’ allegations of sexual abuse.

Could Jo Turn Good Cop?

So that’s Jo Davidson’s father: an incestuous rapist, paedophile, violent pimp, sex trafficker, drug baron and racist who ordered murders and torture while bribing and blackmailing his way through Central Police to keep him in business. Putting to one side the senior officers who appeased him, Tommy’s the worst of the worst. Dead or not, he more or less is the OCG, Line of Duty’s perennial baddies. A poster boy for criminal evil.

Which leaves series six in a fascinating dramatic position. The product of one of Tommy’s many, many crimes is Jo Davidson. If Line of Duty is drawing to a close, there would be poetic justice in Jo being the one to finally unveil Tommy’s bent coppers and bring his former OCG unit down. If, in the remaining two episodes, Jo were to turn and work with Kate and AC-12, then Tommy Hunter the symbol, Tommy Hunter the devil, could be ultimately vanquished by an instrument of his own making…

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Line of Duty continues on Sunday the 25th of April at 9pm on BBC One.

The post Line of Duty: Could Jo Davidson End Tommy Hunter’s Legacy For Good? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3x8WKqQ

[themuller13]

Some thoughts on ‘Against’

Spoilers under the cut.

The first paragraph is a bit on my experience with theatre productions to explain about my background (or lack thereof). The tl;dr version: I’m aware, I’m sitting in a glass house. Please, don’t throw any stones.

Tagging @a-forger-and-a-point-man and @beaubete - please be aware of the spoiler-alert!

Reading the first impressions and reviews on Christopher Shinn’s play ‘Against’ made me rather nervous. I must confess, I bought the tickets because Ben Whishaw was playing the lead. I have very little experience with theatre plays. The last time I was watching a play—Arsenic and Old Lace— was on the local stage in my little hometown in Denmark. One of the actors is a friend of mine and had gotten the part mostly as a ‘thank you’ for some other work he had done for the theatre. That was one year ago. Before then, it was Cumberbatch’s Hamlet at the Barbican in 2015. A play, I wasn’t too enthusiastic about, to put it mildly. Too commercialised, too much scenography, too little acting. On the other hand, I have been on the stage every year over the past 11 years, playing with a small amateur theatre group—the last time with a play I wrote, because my daughter and her friend wanted to play with us and you can’t find many plays featuring two teenage girls solving a murder case. It was fun. And the idea was to make the audience laugh and have a good time. So, nothing remotely as thought provoking or artistically demanding as a play in London. On top of that, I am not a native English speaker, which means that dialogue and cultural implications can happily be misunderstood by me.

Well, then. Against. First of all, why has nobody mentioned the watch? It is the featured in the very first posts on Against—but I haven’t encountered one review which mentions its implications. The initial school shooting done by Tom is in part explained by Tom’s former best friend Tim (Fehinti Balogun)—the watch being one of the main issues. The story about the watch is first told to Luke by Tim, explaining why he wanted to ‘be cool’ and needed to dump his best friend at the beginning of a new school year. One reason was that Tom had the exact same watch as Tim. Another reason was a ‘vision’ which told Tim to get away from Tom. At no point in the play does Tim show any kind of remorse. He is just interested in explaining his part in the breakdown of Tim and subsequent shoot-out. The watch returns a few scenes later, when Tom’s mother (Naomi Wirthner) visits Luke and tells Tom’s side of the story, finishing with giving Luke Tom’s watch, since she believes it was ‘a bit of good left in him’. Another point is the watch is broken until Luke touches it and it starts working again. Luke puts on the watch and keeps it on till he begins to falter in his beliefs. We see Sheila (Amanda Hale), his partner and lover, at the end of the play finding the watch in her pocket—and starting to cry.

At the time Luke unquestioningly takes the watch, he still believes to be able to change discourse, to change the people, to change the world. What happens during his quest is the realisation how ambiguous violence is. ‘Go where there is violence’ seems easy enough, until people explain how violence can take many shapes and forms. Even Luke’s website represents violence to the people who aren’t heard, who don’t have a voice. One person’s account of violence becomes another person’s violation. Luke wants to understand the very nature of violence and by doing so is conducting a violation of the people he tries to understand and speak with.

Contrary to other characters in the play, most notably the creative writing professor (Kevin Harvey, who also plays Luke’s other alter ego, Jon—the owner of Equator), Luke tries to listen and understand once people start talking to him. There are two scenes, which I think are kind of key scenes: the first one, where Luke is invited to discuss his vision with the professor. Sitting opposite each other they are each other’s opposites; Luke with black hair and a dark t-shirt, the professor with white hair and a white t-shirt. The professor wants Luke to answer questions regarding the violation of sex-workers by Luke’s website’s focus on negative stories about sex-workers. Luke tries to think and reflect on the questions before he answers—ending with the professor refusing to talk with Luke, because he won’t give the answers the professor wants to hear… if he even wants answers. In later scenes we watch the professor talk over his distressed student Anna (Emma D’Arcy), not listening to her real troubles, instead trying to turn everything into his agenda. Funny enough, this reminded me very much of the comment section of the Guardian’s review of Against. At least one of the commenters seems to have made it his mission in life to counter each and every even remotely positive comment regarding ‘Against’ with a dismissal and negative one.

The other scene is Jon trying to explain how to make money by using relational shopping and other niceties, while Luke tries to explain about his new insights. Jon is continuously interrupted by his mobile, always something more important than listening to Luke, and then he has to leave Luke and Sheila. Luke’s idea about listening to people, make them talk to each other, is here turned into it’s capitalistic counterpoint. Relationships created and used to create additional sales.   The theme is reiterated throughout the very last part of the play.

All in all, the people start out hostile to Luke’s action, simply not understanding them or being antagonised by the consequences of his ideas like the many journalists being around whenever Luke is meeting someone or staying somewhere. Since he perseveres, people begin to respond actively, trying to ‘use’ Luke for their own agenda. At the same time, Luke’s reaction to people changes. His attention becomes a commodity—he turns people away because he can’t speak to each and everyone; or how his lack of attention creates the vicious circle of violation through neglect or through one-sided negativity.

When Luke retreats to his mother’s home, he becomes a kind of saint for some people. At the same time, Luke still tries to figure out his own stance on violence and realise what kind of violence he himself had committed throughout his life. Again, realisation is only part of the problem, because through denying himself to love Sheila, he violates their relationship.

Luke seems to have found a way out of the dilemma in the end. Only to be shot by a desperate truck driver (Gavin Spokes) who clearly sees Luke’s ideas as a new way of exploiting the ‘little man’.

As my partner said: “In the end, nothing has changed. And yet, something is different. There is hope.”

I bought the tickets because of Ben Whishaw, but I don’t see this as a Whishaw play. It’s not solely build around his role, which works more like a catalyst, than the actual protagonist. And as for the discussion of him being cute… this is not the geeky Q from MI6 or the flamboyant Danny Holt from London Spy. Luke is a succesful entrepreneur who has been ruthless enough to become a billionaire. His visions don’t make him vulnerable or humble. He is very well aware that he needs to ‘look humble’ but what he attempts—to change the world—is anything but. We get to know about his former competitions with Jon, which Luke won. As cute as Whishaw may look in the promotion video for ‘Against’—he is nothing like that as Luke.

As for the reviews and negative comments: Against tries to mediate a lot of themes, though the fulcrum being violence and violation, during the almost three hours it takes. I for one was very happy to have a few touchpoints here and there, anticipating part of the action, making it easier to follow and understand what was happening on the stage.

I felt the play was wrapped up perfectly, leaving a lot to think about—and watching it together with my partner and my oldest son, both absolutely not theatregoers or Whishaw fans, proved very interesting. They have pointed out some of the things above and we’re still discussing it at this point.

I’m really looking forward to reading the script and watch the play once more in September.

[iris-sistibly]

4R’s: Encantadia Season 2 (April 12, 2017 mid week-ender episode review)

Episode 193

Recap:

Haliyah, goddess of two moons

Just as Cassiopeia hoped for, a beautiful goddess descended from the moon. Her enchanting voice immediately caught the attention of Cassiopeia, from the way she looks, Cassiopeia already knew that she was a goddess, and she’s none other than Haliyah. But when the latter saw her, she immediately went back to her home. Cassiopeia pleaded and tried to summon Haliyah back but failed, Cassiopeia heard another voice and told her she won’t be able to talk to Haliyah because she is elusive, she doesn’t like getting in touch with other creatures which is why she chose to live in the moon. Cassiopeia wondered who that was, not long after, a strange creature emerged from the stream.

Why, why love?

Alena was angry at what Memfes did with the Adamyans and immediately searched for him. Memfes appeared and made a deal once again with the sang’gre, marry him in exchange for the Adamyan’s freedom, once again, Alena refused his proposal and fought him instead. Because of her anger, Alena unleashed the power of the water gem and accidentally hurt Memfes, Alena realized what she did and became worried about him. Turns out, Memfes was actually fine and was unaffected, the chief of the Gunikars vowed to make Alena fall for him.

Ariana has been training non-stop in Lireo. Ybrahim has been watching her every move, and it reminded him so much of how Amihan fights back then. Manik came and told him how proud he is for having a beautiful wife-to-be, something which surprised Ybrahim. Manik explained that Ariana was betrothed to him as part of following their tribe’s customs, Manik knew Ybrahim feels something towards Ariana and low-key stated to stay away from his woman.

The thief in Etheria

Pirena and Deshna went to Etheria, the younger Hathor warned Pirena not to make her a bait once again. Hitano came and found the sisters, he also found out what the two had been up to. Pirena and Deshna wanted to make it to Etheria without anyone noticing and came up with a plan to make Hitano a bait to trick the Etherian soldiers, Hitano agreed, but only in one condition, if the sisters does not make it back right away, he’ll follow them. The three proceeded with their plan. Hitano made the soldiers run after him while Pirena and Deshna sneaked inside. Pirena and Deshna already made it inside and fought the soldiers guarding Avria’s room, not long after, Asval and Andora came and called their queen to tell her that there was an intruder in Etheria—Hitano. Avria reminded Hitano about the deal Etheria made with Lireo, Hitano bluffed that he was just strolling around Etheria which Asval refused to believe and even accused him of being a spy. Andora suggested to punish him or kill him (which was impossible since Hitano is an ivtre) but Avria did not allow that and set him free instead, after all she made a deal with Danaya and she still has the water gem to obtain.

Hitano went back to Lireo and informed Danaya about what Pirena and Deshna has been up to, and through the help of Imaw’s cane they found out that Pirena wanted to obtain Etheria’s golden hourglass which has the power to turn back time, Danaya already knew Pirena wanted to go back to the time when Cassiopeia’s island was under attack to save Mira. But it wasn’t the time for Pirena to do such thing for it will ruin their plans and the temporary ceasefire will be voided.

The sisters went to Avria’s room where the golden hourglass was but Pirena got disappointed to find out that the hourglass was no longer there. Avria sensed that there is another intruder in Lireo and immediately ordered her soldiers to search the entire palace. Avria went back to her room and found out that the hourglass has been stolen and suspected that it could be the diwatas to committed the crime.

Pirena went back to the camp and was very frustrated, all of her hopes to save Mira has vanished. Deshna calmed her sister down and thought that Avria might have placed the hourglass somewhere else, desperate, Pirena went back to Etheria and confronted Avria. Pirena demanded for the hourglass and warned Avria of how their meeting will end up if Avria does not give her what she wants. Danaya came and stopped Pirena from whatever she was trying to do and apologized to Avria, Danaya took Pirena away. Another misunderstanding emerged between the eldest and the youngest daughter of Mine-a, Danaya reminded her that her decision to back out from the war was for the safety of everyone and told Pirena to stop being selfish. Pirena resented that idea, for all she ever wanted was to regain what she lost. Until now, she hasn’t accepted her daughter and Lira’s deaths and will do everything to get them back. Danaya and Pirena engaged in battle, Avria who has been watching them through her staff was fascinated at how the sisters were trying to kill each other, but still wondered who stole the hourglass.

In the woods, Hagorn was all alone, carrying something. Etheria’s most powerful tool, apparently he was the one who stole it for his own purposes.

Rave/s:

💛 I.love.Danaya’s blue and gold warrior costume! Reminds me so much of Amihan and Danaya’s sisterly moments together, is this a sign that Danaya will ultimately be chosen as the air gem’s keeper? What do you guys think?

❤ Danny and Piry are fighting again, although Danaya has a point, Pirena’s side is also understandable. She’s a mother, and she’ll do anything to bring her daughter and niece back. That aside, I love the pain and tension between Glai and Shai (Sanya), both queens owned the scene. Also special shoutout to Pirena and Deshna! More sisterly moments please.

💀 Hm…so if Hagorn is the one who stole the golden hourglass, I’m pretty sure he’ll make a deal with Pirena before letting her get a hold of it, surrender Hathoria most probably, or I don’t know, Hagorn seemed to be less of a greedy bastard lately and is more focused at eliminating Etheria, it’s hard to tell from his emotionless face.

💎 Guys, I think Avria has already summoned Odessa, Andora, and maybe Animus back from the past before the hourglass was stolen? Nevertheless, I’m excited to see Juvila, kind of curious about Odessa but she’s a bitch so…whatever, and Avisala to bathalumang Haliya! I’m familiar with Valeen but I wasn’t expecting that she’s gonna play the character, well, it’s not that I am that excited for the big reveal, actually I am no longer excited for some new cast member reveal because this tactic to win the audiences is so overused. The only thing that I want to see is Juvila, Raquim and Mine-a’s return along with Lira and Mira (hopefully).

Rant/s:

🤔 Don’t you guys think that Ybrahim is hanging out in Lireo way too much? I would understand if Lira was still there, like I haven’t really seen him doing some kingly stuff, like dude, I know you lost your beloved and your daughter but you have a kingdom to look after, I want to see more of Ybrahim as a king and a leader in action rather than a love sick man. I think this arc is getting way more Lireo-centric. I miss seeing Sapiro and I haven’t really seen Hathoria’s interior in Hara Pirena’s reign and I want to see that.

🙄 STIFF. STIFF. STIFF. Is how I would describe Arra in her training scene, she’s making it so obvious that the routine is choreographed, very unnatural, I’m not a martial artist and she’s not as well but she can always get away with the struggle with GOOD ACTING, understandably Kylie is effortless because she has been doing martial arts since childhood, but there are so many cast members who have no background in martial arts but they can still make people believe that they are excellent fighters, and she had lesser time to train but like I said, she would have pulled it off with acting.  Unfortunately she can’t even make her acting natural so why expect right? Her face was so blank, it lacks the determination, her eyes doesn’t scream passion, she lacks fire, her body language doesn’t tell people how badass she has become, but rather she’s letting everyone know that either sword fighting is not her cup of tea, or she’s just playing around. Honestly I would rather go for a Manik-Ybrahim bromance than this love triangle that only involves two actors.

Best performer/s for this episode: Glaiza de Castro 🔥 Sanya Lopez 🍃

Rating: 8 out of 10💎s

Mid-week thoughts:

Overall this week has been exciting but not EXCITING, exciting. I think this whole getting Haliyah’s attention will be prolonged to give way for new characters which is kind of annoying, and I guess the whole plot of the season 2 will revolve around Emre getting Devas back. It’s annoying how these so-called guardians have yet to prove themselves, if you ask me Lira and Mira are the only ones who deserve the title, what’s the whole point of letting the three others live yet they haven’t done anything to be of help? At least Deshna is doing something, but right now, I feel like Muyak, Pao Pao and the most useless of all useless Ariana are just mere scene fillers, this arc failed to emphasize the story of the new guardians and just like book 1, this second season is still more on the sisters’ stories rather than a transition from the four daughters of Mine-a as saviors of Encantadia…or Amihan rather to “passing the responsibilities” to the seven chosen. Narrative-wise I think that the seven guardian’s plot was just a mere arc filler.

Have a blessed Holy Week and enjoy the long weekend! E correi diu mga bes! As always, thank you so much for the love 😘

Overall best performer/s for this week: Gabbi Garcia 🌊 Sanya Lopez 🍃

Overall rating: 8 out of 10💎s

Photo credits: From Twitter: @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia 2016-2017 official twitter acct) @gmanetwork (GMA Network); official website: gmanetwork.com @GMADrama (GMA Drama)

From Facebook: Encantadia 2016; official website: encantadia.com.ph

Video credits: GMA Network via YouTube & dailymotion

[tanmath3-blog]

Influenced by Stephen King and Rod Serling, Sean Seebach has written three books: A Looking in View, Autumn Dark and Our Monsters Are Real: The Pig Man. When Sean isn’t writing or managing a wonderful barbecue joint with amazing people, he enjoys reading, cooking, and listening to rock n’ roll. He currently lives in Ohio with his wife, daughter, and son.

  Please help me welcome Sean Seebach to Roadie Notes……..

  1. How old were you when you first wrote your first story? I was probably in elementary school. I created a comic book with some “cool dude” who just did “cool things”. Cool things being riding a skateboard and hitting home runs, things like that. The first story was one called Blue Collar Diesel which I later named The Lake Shimmers. It’s terrible. I wrote that when I was 34. So I took the title Blue Collar Diesel and wrote a novella that better suited the title. It’s in my collection A Looking In View.

2. How many books have you written? I have written three books: Our Monster Are Real: The Pig Man, Autumn Dark, and A Looking In View.

3. Anything you won’t write about? Probably not. I tend to stick to what is called Quiet Horror. Nothing too graphic or obscene. That’s not really by choice. The story is the boss. I just try to transcribe what’s happening in my head the best I can.

4. Tell me about you. Age (if you don’t mind answering), married, kids, do you have another job etc… I was born in Lancaster, PA in 1980, moved to Columbus, OH around ’82. It wasn’t the best part of town, so I wasn’t allowed to leave the yard. At the time it was a bummer. Later on I realized being confined to just the front and back yard forced me to use my imagination. I could do (and be) whatever I wanted: a spy, a ninja, a jungle warrior, whatever. Then in 1988 I moved to Lithopolis, Ohio, population around 600 people. There, I could explore the woods and creeks, ride my bike, and go to The Wagnalls Memorial Library, which still stands and became the cornerstone for my development as a reader. I did my first book signing there in May of this year. It was surreal. I am married to a wonderful wife who supports me in every aspect of life. We have a baby girl and a son who just turned 2. I work as a restaurant manager by day/night, depending on my work schedule. Next to writing, cooking and working with fun people is one of my favorite things to do. I’m a very fortunate man.

5. What’s your favorite book you have written? I should probably say Autumn Dark. That book has gotten the best response from readers. But, in truth, because The Pig Man was the first it will always be special to me. I love the story, but it isn’t written as well as the others. Which to me is a good thing because it shows that I’m improving.

6. Who or what inspired you to write? I don’t really know who or what inspired me to write. I think it chose me. I had a desire to write in my mid-20’s but I didn’t have the courage to do it. I thought you were either hand-picked by God or were chosen by teachers at a young age. Maybe it was writer, director, screen writer, producer, and occasional actor Brian Koppelman. I found him on Twitter shortly after I gave up drinking three years ago. He had posted a series of Vines on his account. Vine was a service that featured 6 second video loops. Brian was giving people permission to create in the videos he made. I looked him up, saw his credentials (Rounders, Ocean’s 13, Solitary Man, among many others) and thought “Now, here’s someone who’s done amazing things and is telling people to go out and do it!” There are many videos and books out there that will say you must be some sort of special intellectual to be an artist. Those people are wrong and most are full of themselves, are bitter, and most haven’t accomplished much. Brian had. Following him then led me to The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I was fortunate enough to have support in the beginning. Stephen King tweeted that he had a new story called A Death in The New Yorker and asked folks to comment on it. It was on their site and free to read. I thought, “Oh boy, who has the balls to critique it?” So I scrolled through the Twitter comments. There I found someone shamelessly self-promoting herself with a story she wrote called Alive. I read it and loved it. That person was Meagan Smith who then wrote as M.J. Pack. I reached out to her and we became fast friends. Shortly after she was hired on at Thought Catalog, an online publishing magazine. She asked to read my stuff. I sent her a cannibalistic story called The Best I Ever Had. She liked it and wanted to publish it. That gave me the confidence to crank out more stories. I’ve been writing regularly ever since. I owe her a great deal. She was kind of enough to write the Foreword for Autumn Dark which I’m very proud of. I’d like to collaborate with her one day. She’s a fierce talent. Also, during that time, author Tom Callahan befriended me. I reached out to him after reading his wonderful story called The Soldier, The Dancer, and All That Glitters from Dark City Lights, an anthology put together by the great American crime fiction author Lawrence Block. Tom and I emailed back and forth a lot. He read my stuff and encouraged me to write, write, write! He gave me advice and recommended a slew of books about writing to read. I owe him a great deal. And I continue to find support to this day. Author Lincoln Cole and I have become close over the years and he’s helped me in many ways. From creating a website to building a mailing list to formatting my books for self-publishing to finding cover artist (and author) M.N. Arzu to promotional tactics. He’s a good man and I also owe him a great deal. Just recently I did an interview with author Armand Rosamilia , also owner of Project Entertainment Network, for the Armcast Podcast. I also was invited in a flash fiction contest along with authors Stephen Kozeniewski, Gabino Iglesias, and Justin Bienvenue. Three big names in the horror community. Book reviewer David Spell has been in my corner since day one and I had the fortunate opportunity to meet him in Naperville, IL during Stephen and Owen King’s tour stop for Sleeping Beauties. And, now, this interview. Thank you, Becky! I’d also like to mention that since I’ve begun listening (and advertising) on The Horror Show with Brian Keene, a podcast dedicated to the genre, I’ve met all kinds of great people: readers and authors alike. It’s opened the door to many authors I was ignorant to before. It’s also highly entertaining. But none of this would be happening without the support of my wife. She’s my first reader, my Annie Wilkes, and I still like to make her laugh and cringe, and when I do, I know I have something worth publishing.

7. What do you like to do for fun? Watch movies. This year has been great for them. IT, Gerald’s Game, The Dark Tower, Baby Driver, 68 Kill. I’m really looking forward to seeing I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday by writer/director Mike Lombardo. The World Premiere is happening in Columbus, OH on October 20th at 2p.m. at Nightmares Film Festival. I also recently went on a hike with a close friend. No internet, no social media. Just us and nature. It was awesome to not only spend time with him, but to also disconnect from the world for a few hours. It’s something we’ll be doing regularly, weather permitting. I run on a regular basis. It keeps the head clear and helps me cope with stress. I also like to cook, try new recipes, and eat. All with balance. Dessert is okay if it’s not for breakfast. Sometimes. The most fun I truly have is building blanket forts, going to the park, and reading to my son. He likes flip books and monsters and dinosaurs. We read Harold and The Purple Crayon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Little Blue Truck… Watching him develop has been the ultimate high for me. I recently bought a stack of books off Mike Lombardo. YA horror, Goosebumps, Eerie Indiana, that sort of thing, for my kids when they get older. Maybe they’ll dig them like I did.

8. Any traditions you do when you finish a book? I go to Starbucks inside of the Barnes and Noble in the town over from me and get a piece of Red Velvet Cheesecake (they sell Cheesecake Factory cheesecake) and a coffee. Then I daydream that thousands of people will rejoice in being so entertained by something I created! Then I get nervous and think my writing is garbage then I publish it anyway and buy ad space on the Horror Show.

9. Where do you write? Quite or music? I write in my office in our basement at a desk. I used to write everywhere but I found in approaching writing like a part-time job its best for me to have a designated place to work. Like, I’m clocking in for the day! Time to go downstairs and get busy. I do write to music. I have a writing playlist on Spotify with four composers: Chad Lawson (who creates music for the Lore podcast), Lena Natalia, Danny Elfman, and most recently, Jon Hopkins. Most of it is classical. I get too distracted when I write to music with lyrics. There’s a Twin Peaks playlist on Spotify that I sometimes put on as well.

10. Anything you would change about your writing? The only thing I would change about my writing is improving it. Early next year I’ll be attending the Borderlands Press Writer’s Bootcamp in Maryland. I’m also reading How To Write Short by Roy Peter Clark. Once I’m finished with The Dark Tower Series, I’m going to start reading all the authors I’ve discovered from The Horror Show. One, for entertainment and, two, I think it’s good to read books by authors from different backgrounds. It gives the mind a new perspective on the world and offers a different voice, a different way to tell a story.

11. What is your dream? Famous writer? From a writing perspective, my dream is to become a full-time writer. As Brian Keene describes it, the main source of income. Now that I’m 37, the dream is to live long days upon the Earth (Dark Tower reference) with my wife and for us to raise our children to be loving, caring, responsible adults who follow their passion. Famous writer? No. Keep the fame. But I’ll gladly accept huge royalty checks!

12. Where do you live? A small town in Ohio. Surprise!

13. Pets? One dog, Chloe. She’s a German Shepherd. We took her in after my mother-in-law passed on. She’s great with the kids and patient with us.

14. What’s your favorite thing about writing? There’s a moment when I transcend into a story. The more I write, the more that happens. I’ll go back and polish what I wrote the previous day, sometimes not remembering certain lines that I had written. Sometimes I find myself next to the characters, oblivious to my surroundings. Sounds crazy (maybe it is) but it’s true. Writing makes me feel alive, as cliché as that sounds. It enriches my life. Also, one of the most rewarding things about it is when someone reaches out to tell you much they appreciated something you’ve created. That’s special. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s very touching.

15. What is coming next for you? A book called An American Monster. I won’t get into details because it’s not finished. I’m superstitious and if you’ve read anything I’ve ever wrote then you’ll know that I need all the luck I can get.

  You can connect with Sean Seebach here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sean-Seebach/e/B01CUT2JMK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seanAseebach/

Website: https://www.amazon.com/Sean-Seebach/e/B01CUT2JMK/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1507564303&sr=8-1

Twitter: @seebach_sean

  Some of Sean Seebach’s books:

  For more on the people I’ve mentioned, here are links to their work: Meagan Smith (M. J. Pack) https://www.amazon.com/M.J.-Pack/e/B00O5APGTQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1507563809&sr=8-1 Tom Callahan https://www.amazon.com/Dark-City-Lights-York-Stories-ebook/dp/B00USBMIMY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507563913&sr=8-1&keywords=dark+city+lights Brian Koppelman (no link. Just watch Billions on Showtime!) Lincoln Cole https://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Cole/e/B00AUIOU3A/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1507564263&sr=8-2-ent M.N. Arzu https://www.amazon.com/M.-N.-Arzu/e/B013C7XY6O/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1507563985&sr=1-2-ent Armand Rosamilia https://www.amazon.com/Armand-Rosamilia/e/B004S48J6G/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1507564017&sr=1-2-ent Stephen Kozeniewski https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Kozeniewski/e/B00FFLC5Y8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1507564054&sr=1-2-ent Gabino Iglesias https://www.amazon.com/Gabino-Iglesias/e/B00AEBI0T8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1507564085&sr=1-2-ent Justin Bienvenue https://www.amazon.com/Justin-Bienvenue/e/B072F3QYGW/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1507564119&sr=1-2-ent David Spell https://thescaryreviews.com/ Sean Seebach https://www.amazon.com/Sean-Seebach/e/B01CUT2JMK/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1507564303&sr=8-1 Getting personal with Sean Seebach Influenced by Stephen King and Rod Serling, Sean Seebach has written three books: A Looking in View, Autumn Dark and Our Monsters Are Real: The Pig Man.

[houstonlocalus-blog]

T1: Trainspotting, Part 1

Trainspotting was a Euro phenomenon ready to invade America – it smelt like teen spirit but as we all know they who smelt it dealt it.

Trainspotting was a zeitgeist phenom when it premiered in 1996. Flash forward a generation later and the sequel T2: Trainspotting opens locally this weekend. Free Press Houston spoke to director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Shallow Grave) about his newest film. In an effort to merge the past with the present this interview is presented in two parts: the first part is an interview with Boyle and screenwriter John Hodge that was conducted at the now defunct Italian restaurant Mia Bella on Lexington right before the American release in 1996 by your humble scribe. The second part, which will be posted before the end of the week, was conducted by phone in 2017.

Trainspotters have their own clubs, compare notes, and even feel a chill up and down their spine if they should spy, say, a rare steam-driven train. Kind of like Americans on vacation on the interstate, counting cars, dividing them by make and model. The Boy Scouts give away merit badges for that shit.

Trainspotting has become something of a European sensation. The book by Irvine Welsh started the branch of a literary movement. The book spawned a hit play. And now, the movie, directed by Danny Boyle, who impressed audiences with his audacious debut Shallow Grave, makes it to domestic screens after becoming the second-highest grossing native film in England (after the decidedly less daring Four Weddings and A Funeral). Dealing with a gut level portrayal of heroin addiction the film actually has been embraced by real conservatives as their kind of anti-drug film.

The American release, well mapped out by Miramax, as well as a totally involving CD soundtrack that covers the gamut of classic punk to alt rock to techno, house and rave, will not make or break the phenomenon that is Trainspotting. What audiences will discover is an energetic film with a momentum that becomes a nervous energy, staying with you throughout the film.

Hodge and Boyle sat down with me to compare notes, and as the interview progressed it became obvious we’d seen the same great film. “We work very closely together,” said Hodge who adapted the first draft by hand. “We work as equals,” Boyle added. “It’s easier if you’re not tightly bound, so we stay loose,” Boyle said, referring to his editor, camera crew, art designer, costume designer and lead actor, Ewan McGregor. Where Shallow Grave had a plot driven narrative, Trainspotting relies on character arc and vignette-like episodes. “Unlike the book, the film isn’t a kaleidoscope of characters,” Boyle said.

At one point the film had an Altman-esque Short Cuts script that contained interactions by several characters leading to development of and comment on the story. Subsequent cuts before principal photography, and after in the editing room, led to the story of squalid heroin addiction and redemption as seen mainly through the eyes of Mark Renton (McGregor) with his droogs Spud, Sick Boy, Diane and Begbie providing solid counterpoint. Boyle promises that the eventual video release will include cut-sequences, including one in which Sick Boy recites the entire filmography of post-Bond Sean Connery.

Producer Andrew Macdonald is the grandson of writer-producer Emeric Pressburger, associate with Michael Powell on some of Britain’s finest films. Macdonald pushed Boyle to have a stills photographer on set every day. “‘It doesn’t matter if Danny likes him or not, he’s going to be there and take pictures of each scene,’” Boyle said, quoting Macdonald. “Of course, now I’m so grateful. You turn up in Germany and you’ve got these amazing photographs on the brochure. It looks like the way Seven was marketed in Britain: atmospheric, fascinating, textured, something that draws people into the experience of the film.”

With Macdonald’s producer acumen, Hodge’s medical background, and Boyle’s directorial finesse, it’s easy to see why the trio was sitting pretty on the recent sale of domestic rights to their next film A Life Less Ordinary. The story of a man who kidnaps his employer’s daughter (Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz have been signed), A Life Less Ordinary was hotly sought by Polygram, Fox Searchlight, and Miramax. Certainly the trio remembered who brought them to the disco yet managed to please all concerned. Polygram gets certain Euro rights, Fox gets domestic rights, and Miramax has the guys gladly waltzing across the U.S. promoting Trainspotting. A Life Less Ordinary ending up at Fox is also a way of saying thanks to the studio for letting Macdonald and Boyle out of the deal to produce and direct Alien Resurrection. (At one point after the domestic release of Trainspotting, Boyle was attached to the fourth Alien sequel.) “I think that’s entirely reasonable if you take $30 million off some guy you can’t just expect him to fuck himself. You expect the guy to say ‘I don’t want that in my film,’” Boyle said about working for a big studio.

The budget for the Alien 4 franchiser is actually in the $65 to $90 million range, but studio topper Tom Rothman saw Boyle as the person to give the film a new spin. “Despite the fact that the script is a very, very good script – which is one of the things that attracted us to it – we sort of naïvely thought we’d get John involved at some stage and keep our working method intact,” Boyle said. “Directing a film that big is the opposite of the way we work. You have to storyboard a film like that completely before you begin. And the process of working with the actors becomes of minimal importance compared to the other ingredients.

“Partly, we didn’t feel qualified to do it. I can never imagine how someone like Spielberg can entirely storyboard a film beforehand, and completely work off the storyboard, and yet the film is spontaneous and energetic. Certainly for me, the inspiration comes as late as possible.”

Big question: how will American audiences react to Trainspotting’s blatant bathroom humor? Hodge and Boyle laugh if only because many of the sounds from Renton’s encounter with the dirtiest toilet in Scotland came from their encounter with Dumb and Dumber. The English haven’t cornered the market on scatological humor. Boyle explains that junkies “are obsessed with bodily functions; how your body functions, how it doesn’t, how drugs affect your fluids, where you find veins.” While the people in Trainspotting are objectively repulsive, repugnant human beings, Boyle notes, “Your relation with them in cinematic terms is quite seductive.” Boyle had Ewan watch Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange, and Michael Caine in Alfie, also the guys in Goodfellas.

Trainspotting was lensed in Glasgow even though the action’s set in Edinburgh. The first reel of dialogue was re-looped in part to please the distributor’s fear of people not understanding the thick accents, but mostly to re-mix the music closer to the front of the mix. Yeah, well, even British movie-goers have a hard time understanding the accents, Boyle assures. Perhaps, not oddly enough, the more you listen to Trainspotting the more your brain unscrambles the words.

T1: Trainspotting, Part 1 this is a repost