#Finally a new picture of M.B.!

[hischierdevils]

Forget Me | M.B.

note: I had a dream about barzy & nico getting in a fight on the ice and I thought Forget Me by Lewis Capaldi would be perfect for it

summary: you and mat have a toxic relationship and he gets upset when he sees you’ve moved on with nico

warnings: mat being a toxic douchebag, hockey fight

wc: 1.7K

Forget Series

You told your friends you want me dead

And said that I did everything wrong

And you're not wrong

Well I'll take all the vitriol

But not the thought of you moving on

Your relationship with Mat had ended the same way it began: messy. What started as a drunken one night stand had turned into hooking up and then feelings got involved. Mat was the first one to say I love you. Granted, he was inside you at the time but you were too lust filled to see the red flag.

Days after his confession, Mat told you he wanted to see you exclusively. The catch? The two of you had to remain a secret. With you working for the Devils and him being an Islander, he didn’t want to deal with the push back.

“So you don’t want me to go on dates or sleep with anyone else but I'm not allowed to tell people I have a boyfriend?” You were laying next to him in bed, where most of your conversations seemed to take place.

“Yes, I want you to say you have a boyfriend.” He told you as he ran his hand along your bare collarbone. “Just don’t say who it is if they ask.”

You rolled your eyes as you moved to lay on your back. “Everyone is going to ask, Mathew.”

“It’s none of their business.” He reached for you again, but you pushed his hand away.

“And will you be telling people you have a girlfriend?” You looked up at him, waiting for his response.

“It’s not forever.” He turned onto his side to face you. “We’ll go public eventually but it’s so new. I want to keep it just for us right now.” His answer placated you and you allowed him to pull you on top of him.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later, when you were staring at a picture of Mat in a bar in Texas with another woman in his lap, that you realized he never answered your question. He called, and insisted that nothing happened. She threw herself at him and the picture was taken before he could distance himself from the situation.

He said he loved you. You believed him.

Things were okay when you were both in the New York area, but soon the hockey season picked up. It seemed like one of you was always traveling with your respected organization. Your relationship had centered on the physical activities the two of you did together and without sex, the relationship broke down.

Mat had stopped texting as much as he used to. You stopped going out of your way to figure out what time zone he was in and when you could call. You were tired of avoiding your friends' questions about your mysterious boyfriend so you broke down and told them. Mat didn’t like that. He gave you the silent treatment until he was back in town. Back in your bed.

The final blow came when your birthday passed without so much as a text from him. He was in Ottawa and you were somewhere on the west coast. You had your phone in your hand all day, half present in every conversation. The Devils players had surprised you with a cake and posted a picture on instagram.

Mat liked it the next day. You had already blocked him. The relationship was over before the season finished.

'Cause I'm not ready

To find out you know how to forget me

I'd rather hear how much you regret me

And pray to God that you never met me

Than forget me

Five months later, Mat was scrolling on instagram when a post from the New Jersey Devils captain came across his feed. He was going to scroll past it, not knowing Nico personally, when he spotted a familiar hand in the photo.

The post was multiple pictures, Nico summarizing his summer before heading back to start the new season, and Mat frantically scrolled through them. The last picture caused him to hold his breath. You were smiling happily up at Nico as the two of you sat on a beach.

He stared at the picture longer than he should, wondering when the hell you moved on. Two months prior, your friends were still berating him for how badly he treated you. He regretted it and if he could go back in time he would have done things differently but you still had him blocked on everything so he couldn’t contact you. He knew that if you were still complaining to your friends that meant you were still thinking of him.

He thought he still had you.

Now he was staring at a picture of you looking at another man the way you used to look at him. Surely Nico had to be a rebound. You couldn’t have possibly moved on from him already. Mat stalked Nico’s entire instagram, including tagged photos, looking for a glimpse into your relationship. He didn’t find anything so he convinced himself it was nothing.

The season began, and the Islanders were playing the Devils in their last game before a trip to Florida. As soon as he hit the ice for warm ups, he was searching for you. It didn’t take him long to spot you over by the devils bench on the other side of the glass taking pictures.

He can’t help but smile. It’s been so long since he’s seen you and you’re practically glowing. His euphoria is short lived as he watches Nico skate over to you, placing one gloved hand against the glass. He hates the way your face lights up, the way you eagerly bring a hand up to Nico’s on the other side of the glass. He’s fuming as he watches Nico skate away from you with a grin on his face.

He’s reminded of all the things he could have had right after the national anthem when he catches your eye. It’s chaos as the teams get situated on the bench but you finally look up from your camera, sensing his eyes on you. He’s not sure what reaction he’s hoping for but pure indifference isn’t it. You look away from him as if you couldn’t care less that he was feet from you and blow a kiss to Nico who’s headed out for the face-off.

Oh I hate to know I made you cry

But love to know I cross your mind

Even after all it'd still wreck me

To find out you'd know how to forget me

Mat doesn’t find himself out on the ice with Nico until the second period. As they skate up to the circle, Mat grins. “So how do I taste?”

“What are you talking about?” Nico looks at him confused as the ref tries to get their attention.

Mat bites his lip. You had to have told him, right? Mat knew how hard it was for you after the break up. Your friends were constantly mentioning how miserable you were in an attempt to make him feel bad. Nico had to know that Mat was first in your heart.

The ref blows the whistle and Mat’s so distracted Nico wins the puck and skates right by him, passing the puck to his winger. Mat chases after him, trapping him in the corner as Nico tries to get the puck out.

“What the fuck man?” Nico doesn’t understand why Mat is being so physical as he shoves his face into the glass.

“Tell y/n she’s welcome in my bed anytime.” Mat says as he gets the puck and starts to skate away.

He's abruptly cross-checked from behind and goes flying to the ice. “What the fuck did you just say about my girlfriend?” Nico’s leaning over Mat, waiting for him to get up.

Mat grins as he gets to his feet, looking over in your direction before turning his attention back to Nico. “She’s pretty good at riding dick isn’t she?”

Realization dawns on Nico’s face as the refs start to skate over and break up the two of them. “You’re the ex that treated her like shit? Guess I should thank-” Mat’s gloves are off and he’s swinging before Nico can finish.

What pisses Mat off the most is that you never even told Nico his name. You’d moved on and forgotten him. Nico throws his gloves, gripping Mat’s jersey as he tries to defend himself. The refs break it up before one of them goes down, but they both skate away with a bloody lip.

Days ache and nights are gray

My heart is still your place babe

Guess I still feel the same

Know you can't stand my face

Some scars you can't erase babe

Once Mat is home after the game, he lays in bed and opens instagram. Nico has posted a picture of you wearing his jersey at the game tonight.

Thankful to all of the guys that came before me and didn’t know how to treat you right. I love having you in my corner.

Mat rolls his eyes at the caption but as he starts to scroll away, he notices your name in the comments. I love you so much <3

You unblocked him. Does that mean…

He’s calling you before he can tell himself it's a bad idea. He’s surprised when it rings instead of going straight to voicemail.

“Why are you calling me?” Is your greeting. His heart aches from hearing your voice.

“I’m sorry.” He blurts out.

“For hitting my boyfriend or for treating me like shit?” Your voice is completely devoid of emotion.

The word boyfriend slices through him. “So it’s serious?”

“It’s not a secret, yeah.” You sigh. “Why do you care?”

“I miss you and I'm sorry. If you’d give me another chance I’d do it right.”

“I love him, Mat.” You really know how to cut a man down with just your words.

“Does he remind you of me?” Mat’s grasping desperately at anything that will keep you talking. He needs to know if you still think about him. “You traded one thirteen for another.”

“He’s nothing like you, thank god. I’ll never allow another man to treat me the way you did.” Your voice waivers for a moment and he hopes you’re reflecting on the good times you had together. “Don’t call me again.”

[night-tracker]

Some recent summer albums I’ve been listening to. Some forgotten classics that I discovered many summers ago… Definitely an odd eclectic mix of styles. But all of them definitely go great with being stoned on a hot murky summer day.

1. Faith No More - Angel Dust - I actually listened to this album for the first time a month ago! I only had The Real Thing when I was a young teenager, and I must have skipped over Angel Dust. For me it was lost in the sea of hundreds of other 90s grunge and alt-metal bands coming out at that time. However, The Real Thing was a perfect summer album for the hot suburban thriving concrete jungle of Dallas / Plano in the early 90s. And now finally discovering Angel Dust years later has been absolutely mind blowing like a 90s time capsule surprise that my high school self left my “Mid Life Crisis” much older self! It’s a perfect continuation of The Real Thing. Angel Dust is definitely a perfect 90s album ahead of it’s time!

2. Sausage - Riddles are Abound Tonight - I was a massive Primus fan growing up and this Les Claypool side project was a fun album that came out summer of 94. Just a cool chill album that is like Primus with a more stripped down garage sound. This album was a treat for me who had been listening to Pork Soda on repeat for a year. Happy times with my new girlfriend that summer riding in the blue Buick.

3. Laibach - M.B. Dec. 21 1984 - A somewhat obscure and bizarre live recording of Laibach in 1984. A very dark, raw, and brutal ambient sound from them on this recording, but very cool. It was the first Laibach album I ever bought and it was during the first summer I was dating my Slovenian girlfriend. It was a magical and wild summer with this odd and curious sexy new girl… The music sounds like some kind of Nazi Chainsaw Massacre ritual. It definitely seemed out of place for summertime love but somehow it fit my newfound curiosity and obsession with this unusual new girl. So it became a soundtrack album for that summer. For me the sounds bang into a mixture of hot concrete and metal, and sexual drive on late steamy summer nights.

4. Wasted Youth - Regan’s In - I recently heard Dave Lombardo recommend them saying that early Slayer would listen to this type of stuff. Interesting Pushead artwork too! Good ol west coast skater punk like Black Flag, Circle Jerks, ect. is perfect for hot summer days, stoned, bored, watching old movies, convenient store junk food, comic shops, skating and biking, being frustrated with the heat…

5. Wild Style - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - I discovered this film and soundtrack many years ago. I have always been into east coast grindhouse theaters and NYC history, and basic east coast sleaze in general… and this album captures that grimy hazy street feeling. This album is fantastic early east coast hip hop. I love the instrumental drum and bass sample tracks the most and what I listen to the most. I only watched the movie a couple times extremely baked, so it’s blurry, but I’ve enjoyed the soundtrack much more. I go back to this album at least once or twice a year.

[hostess-of-horror]

A little doodle of M.B. and M.J.! Consider it a gift for B.B. (sleepy-heads-blog)!

M.J. belongs to @sleepy-heads-blog

[cactiem]

coming back to you // m.b

Pairing: Marcus Baker x OC

Requested: Nope

Summary: How does Victoria Lexington know Marcus Baker?

GIF Not Mine

Everyone knows everything about everyone in Welsbury. That’s what is part of the charm. Deep in the roots of the picture-perfect town are secrets and lies, feeding its residents. Maybe that’s what brought Georgia to this quaint town. She was intrigued by the flawless front the town presented, a place where nothing could go wrong. It did go wrong though. One fateful summer afternoon, Caroline Lexington was found dead in her home leaving a giant hole in the Lexington home and one in the town she put all her a time and effort in to.

No one had heard from Victoria Lexington after her mom’s funeral. She just disappeared off the face of the planet without telling anyone. Her classmates just thought that she moved away or something after the traumatic year she had but the stares and whispers said otherwise. Her hair was straight, and lips painted a deep red, hips swinging as she walked down the hallway with everyone’s eyes on her. Nothing had changed. It was like the whole summer didn’t exist.

“Who’s that?” Ginny asked, intrigued by the presence Victoria had.

“That is Victoria Lexington.” Abby said as if it was obvious.

Seeing Ginny’s puzzled look, Max couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You’re so cute.” Ginny just gave her a deadpanned look before she continued. “Her family like owns this town and her mom died at the start of the summer so we’re all waiting for a breakdown to happen.”

Ginny looked at the brunette taking in her appearance as the rest of MANG fell into conversation. She didn’t look like she just lost her mom. Her red lips were pursed as she rummaged through her locker, aware of all the attention that was on her and loving every bit of it. Victoria was well put together. Ginny knew everyone handled loss in their own way, but something didn’t sit well with her, she just couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

There was one thing that was getting on Victoria’s nerves as she went through her first day back at school and that was everyone asking her if she was okay. Was she okay? She didn’t know. Nothing was ever black and white. There were many levels to being okay and right now Victoria was okay enough. That didn’t stop her from plastering on a fake smile and thanking everyone for their forced condolences as if they cared. They didn’t. The only person who really cared about her was Marcus and she fucked that up. He saw at her lowest and Victoria couldn’t allow that. After all Lexington’s don’t cry in front of people.

She heard her mom’s voice clear as day, feel her claws digging into her jaw as she gripped it forcing Victoria to look up at her mom. “If you cry at any inconvenience then you’ll never stop crying. Crying is a weakness and Lexington’s aren’t weak.” Deep breath in. “You’ve gotten fat. Please don’t make me alter this dress so close to the gala.” Deep breath out. “This is all your fault. He’s dead because of you.” Deep breath in. “You stupid ungrateful bitch!” Deep breath out.

“Hey, its okay.” Victoria heard Marcus’s familiar voice and felt his hands clasp hers to stop her from hurting herself any further. She opened her eyes to a concerned brown pair looking back at her. He cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears she didn’t even know fell. Victoria quickly brushed him off, stepping away from him and wiping away her own tears.

“I’m fine.” She said, her smile forced.

“Tori, you don’t have to lie to me. I won’t judge.” Marcus slowly walked back over to her, making sure it was okay.

“I know I should feel sad today but I-I don’t. Does that make me a bad person?”

“There’s no wrong or right way on how you should be feeling.” Marcus said and Victoria such collapsed into his arms, gripping his lapels of his jacket as she cried, letting everything out.

At least when she got home, Victoria could count on some sense of normalcy. Her dad in his office doing work leaving the house to herself. That’s at least what she was hoping when she walked through the big oak front doors. Instead, a woman’s laugh could be heard from the kitchen along with her dad’s. Victoria slowly walked into the room, observing what was happening. “Hey, sweetie.” Her dad greeted, happier than he has been in a while. “This is Georgia from the mayor’s office. She’s helping with the business.”

“You must be Ginny’s mom, right?” Victoria said after a moment, looking the blonde women over.

“I am. Are you two friends?” She asked, her smile growing even bigger and her southern drawl thick.

“Great friends.” The brunette returned the smile, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the island before going upstairs, a plan hatching in her head.

Looking in the mirror, Victoria finished touching up her hair, her hand knocking over her drink all over Ginny who had just come over to wash her hands. “I am so sorry!” She gasped, feigning shock. “Here let me help you.” She quickly grabbed paper towels to try and help Ginny even though her efforts were pointless knowing the top will stain.

“Thanks.” She mumbled taking the towels to try and salvage her top.

Victoria leaned against the side, looking over Ginny with a sly grin. “If I was you I’d keep my hands to yourself.” Ginny gave the girl an incredulous look as she made her way to the door. “Same goes for your mom.”

Ginny was speechless, standing alone in the bathroom. She couldn’t believe what had happened, well she could but still. Her friends told her not to retaliate knowing that Victoria will make her life a living hell. What they didn’t know though was that Ginny also had a mean sting in her and never pulls her punches. She was a woman on a mission and made a beeline for Victoria after the final bell rang. That was why her friends followed her and Marcus hung around to see what was going to go.

“Can I help you?” She asked, already bored of the conversation that hadn’t started yet.

“You owe me a new top.” Ginny simply said, her arms crossed to help seem more intimidating.

“I told you it was an accident.” Victoria said innocently.

“Oh, please, you and I both know you did this on purpose.” She scoffed. “Why did you this?”

“Because, as classy as ever your mom has already got her claws into a new man, a recently widowed one at that.”

“You mean your dad, right?” Ginny asked before continuing not waiting for an answer because she already knew. “Because let’s not forget why he is a widow in the first place. You killed her, right? Your mom?”

“Ginny.” Victoria heard Marcus warn her, but she held her hand up.

“No, I wanna hear what she has to say.” She clenched her jaw trying to hide the tears that were threatening to fall.

“You killed your mom because you had enough of all the shit she put you through since your brother’s death which, was also your fault.” The silence that had fallen onto the group was suffocating. Everyone was waiting to see Victoria’s reaction, expecting her to breakdown or something. She didn’t though, the many years of hiding her emotions coming handy.

“You’ve what, been here five minutes and you think you know everything? Well, you don’t so how about you keep that pretty mouth of yours shut and run along unless you want me to destroy you and everything your mom built.” Victoria warned, walking away from the stunned crowd.

Her chest rose and her eyes burned from the tears she was holding back. Victoria ended up in the nearest bathroom, not caring if it was the boy’s or not. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the sink hard, trying to calm herself down. “What Ginny said isn’t true, you know that, right?” Victoria should’ve known that Marcus would have followed her. She continued to ignore him, staring down at the floor. “Hey, look at me.” He said, gently lift her chin up so she could see him.

“Why are you being nice to me? I pushed you away, remember? I treated you like shit.” Victoria said.

“Because even though you did that I still find my way back to you just like you find your way back to me.” Marcus leaned down, his lips ghosting hers. The same electric feeling coming back from their first kiss.

A/N: if you have any requests for Marcus please send them in

Tag List: @mayaslifeinabox @princess-of-the-fandoms @live--aloud @les-bio-lie @ivvitm1109 @seninjakitey @dontdowhatisayandnobodygetshurt @genius2050 @tiannawashere

[as999blog-blog]

Blog Post #1: The Impact of Globalization on Worldwide Web [YouTube] and My information database

Nowadays, as an individual who enjoys the unprecedented fast development of technology and telecommunication, I feel so lucky. I can grab information immediately from the websites whenever I want to. All kinds of videos (news, funny videos, movies, TV shows, etc.) on YouTube have made me globalized. The following picture of the videos that showed up on my top YouTube page stands out for me right away!

A couple of decades ago, the world was still using a transmitter to transfer news or information back and forth between people or countries. What makes it so fast and convenient today at delivering the news or messages to people? My answer would be globalization. In my opinion, one of the key characteristics of globalization is the technology innovation on those webs.

In class, we’ve discussed what makes us globalized, and a symbol that represents us being globalized in daily life. Some students’ answers are the food they are eating, the clothes they are wearing, etc. My answer is YouTube videos. You may wonder why that is. YouTube videos have given me knowledge and awareness about what’s happening every day, every hour, and even every minute around the world; especially through live news. For instance, last year the US President Donald Trump announced that he will negotiate a new trade agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico. There was an update almost every 24 hours and constantly notifying me, of course I was paying close attention to it during that period. Finally, the US, Canada, and Mexico signed the new trade agreement called “USMCA”. We are “forced” to give away part of our dairy market to the US, which created a lot of debate for people during that time. Without this video-sharing website, people around the world wouldn’t have that many debates during the trade negotiation period and I probably wouldn’t have paid that much attention to it either. 

I saw a pretty interesting fact in the textbook that explains what happens in an “Internet Minute” on YouTube, “every internet minute, there are 2.78 million video views and 300 hours of video uploaded” (Steger, 2017, p.19). Knowing what’s happening around the world is remarkably essential for the people who are interested in economics or politics, such as me. I would say we won’t be able to see and know the information shared by people without the technological innovation on the web (those video sharing websites) by participating in Globalization. Without this innovation, we probably will not have the videos or articles such as “The Speech to the Canadian Parliament” by Barack Obama as one of our teaching materials for this course. 

Up until here, I’d like to say thank you to Globalization! Thanks for letting us learn and know how diverse this world is in a fast and convenient way!

APA Work Citation:

Steger, M.B. (2017) Globalization: A Very Short Introduction -- Chapter 2. New York, NY: Oxford University.

[frosted-echoes]

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Apps

A new photo sharing service could be great for photography, but is it ultimately better than the ones that already exist?

Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash

The new photo sharing app, Glass, has been getting a lot of attention. One particular corner of the internet where it has received significant buzz is the Micro.blog community. The attention is both surprising and not surprising. It's not surprising because that community tends to be very tech literate and have a great curiosity for new apps and platforms, such as social networks, email tools, blogging services or note taking apps. A well made app like Glass with a community that already seems to be passionate is bound to be a topic of discussion on the M.b. network of federated blogs. The enthusiasm is also expected because Micro.blog has quite a few very talented photographers that use the service.

What is surprising, though, is that Micro.blog already has a vibrant photo sharing community and an app that specifically supports it. People are already engaged in photo sharing and discussions that grow around that activity on Micro.blog.

In fact, Glass has adopted many of the same design principles that power Micro.blog. You might even call it "opinionated software." Matt Birchtree lists some of the elements of Glass in his post on the app, and I've pulled out the ones that match Micro.blog.

If you do want to find someone to follow, there is a whole other tab with a list of suggested accounts. These appear to be accounts the app makers like, not ones based on who you already follow.

There are basically no metrics in the app. You don't know how many people liked a photo, how many followers people have, and you can't even see how many followers you have! In short, this is not a popularity contest.

You can't even like a photo in the first place. The only interaction is to leave a comment. This makes it harder to show appreciation for the shots you like, but it also makes it feel more engaging since you find yourself trying to think of something to say to people. Why did you like it? Do you have a question about the gear used? It's very clever.

There are also no hashtags. This is actually something I hope they add in some form later, since finding types of photographers is always nice. Let's just lock it down maybe so we don't get 30 hashtags in every post like you have to do on Instagram.'

It almost seems like the plot of a movie where the protagonist searches for love, only to realize that they had it the whole time in someone who was already their best friend. It will be interesting to see how the Glass community grows and if it offers additional value to the folks already using Micro.blog.

I've included some samples of photos shared on Micro.blog, so that you can get a sense of the kind of exceptional output on the service.

Got my hair cut from a sweet, wise, bubbly lady called Yvonne. I’m sure we’ve all had confusing experiences in hairdressers. This time it was wonderfully smooth and fun. Spending time getting pampered was lovely too. Looking forward to finding my feminine side once more.

Holly Honeychurch https://blog.hollyhoneychurch.com/2021/08/19/got-my-haircut.html

You can’t go to Seattle and not shoot the Space Needle. Shot this from our hotel terrace few streets down one evening. I love that you can zoom in and see people on the deck.

Pratik https://photos.pratikmhatre.com/2021/08/19/you-cant-go.html

I had quite the hills are alive vibe even while shooting this picture.

Pratik https://photos.pratikmhatre.com/2021/08/13/i-had-quite.html

Sk8er Boy

Gabz/mL https://gabz.org/2021/08/18/sker-boy.html

With liberty and justice for all. Looking out from Upstairs at Caroline. 🍸

Manton Reece https://www.manton.org/2021/08/04/with-liberty-and.html

Picking some music for the final stretch…

Day Two is done, Day Three is the one still missing.

maique madeira https://micro.maiquemadeira.com/2021/08/17/picking-some-music.html

[feytale]

What is going on at Walt Disney Pictures? (Nothing good)

Summary: Sean Bailey was a writer producer for ABC Studios that somehow made his way from producing Tron Legacy to becoming the President of Walt Disney Pictures (the division of Disney that does all the live action stuff). When you look at the numbers, Sean Bailey has NEVER made a successful film while at Disney that wasn’t a Disney Remake or Re Imagining. His whole formula for a successful film is getting an A List Actor, throwing the budget at the CGI department, and finding a writer who frankly isn’t very good. For remakes this works fine. You have the story already laid out and proven. For newer films like John Carter of Mars or Nutcracker and the Four Realms, it’s shown to be his downfall. How a man who makes flop after flop yet continues to run a a division of Disney is honestly baffling. Continue reading if you want to hear me talk more in depth about why its troubling. 

Let's talk about Disney's live action original films because I think there's a problem that needs to be addressed. What’s the problem? Unless the movie is an established Disney property, the movie is ALWAYS a flop. Now there's no list that proved my point, so I had to go out and do some research and as I guessed... I was right. Now let's rewind for a second.

For those of you who don't know, Disney has Six Major Studios that each have their own president: Marvel Studios has Kevin Feige, Lucasfilm has Kathleen Kennedy, Disney tv has Gary Marsh, Pixar has Pete Doctor, Disney Animation has Edwin Catmull and Walt Disney Pictures (Live Action) has Sean Bailey. Now all of those men and women have put in their years before they got to where they are... except Sean Bailey.

Now let me list off some important facts: Marvel Studios made over 4 billion dollars in 2018 alone. Star Wars Episode 7, 8 and 9 will be the highest grossing trilogy of all time with an estimated gross of nearly 4.5 billion dollars. Pixar continues to break records with Incredibles 2 and Wreck it Ralph 2. Disney Animation has the highest grossing animated movie of all time with Frozen and has won multiple best animation awards. Disney Tv has the most watched kids show in history with Andi Mack. And Disney Pictures has... flopped with EVERY SINGLE NON DISNEY PROPERTY MOVIE FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS.

Now let's go back to 2005 when Disney released the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (I know right? I didn't know Disney made that either). First movie made 745m on a budget of 180m. Great... until Prince Caspian made 419m on a 225m budget. Then the Dawn Treader came out and made 415m on a 155m budget. Some of you might not think thats a big deal, but you have to remember that studios make that total gross. Nearly half of it goes to the theaters and around 50m goes to advertising, so when you look at something like 419m on a 225m budget, its more likely disney made around 200m, meaning they lost money. So... Narnia Franchise is dead. Where to next?

The Pirates of the Caribbean was a powerhouse trilogy followed by two hilariously poorly performing sequels that sparked the series to be remade. Not to point fingers but I’m looking at you Johnny Depp. Another franchise dead and waiting to be rebooted. What next? Well, Disney tried to make new franchises (Spoiler... it didn't work)

Bedtime Stories starring Adam Sandler. Flop. Race to Witch Mountain. Flop. Prince of Persia. The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Tron Legacy. John Carter of Mars. Oz the Great and Powerful. The Lone Ranger. Tomorrowland. Alice Through the Looking Glass. The BFG. A Wrinkle in Time. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Flop flop flop flop flop flooooooooop! 

Now, there have been successful films but none of them were franchise starters. Beauty and the Beast? Solo film. Pete's Dragon? Solo. Jungle Book solo* (Rumor is they're making a sequel so...) Maleficent* (Also eventually making a sequel).

So what gives? Why is Disney Pictures utterly incapable of creating their own quality films? Once you exclude Pirates of the Caribbean, they have failed ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the time in creating a franchise or successful film. Now what happens when you can't create a franchise? You go back to remaking classics. Without the Disney remakes or re imagines, Disney Pictures would be a dead studio.

Look at the next few years of Disney: Mary Poppins, Dumbo, Aladdin, Lion King, Mulan, Maleficent 2, Jungle Book 2, Jungle Cruise, Artemis Fowl. You have a series of remakes of classics and then Disney STILL trying to start a franchise with Artemis Fowl... which is of course going to flop because it looks like every other generic movie they’ve made except just like Nutcracker and Wrinkle in Time, Artemis Fowl doesn’t have an A list actor to save it. 

Let's look at the head of Disney Pictures: Sean Bailey. A nobody film maker who went from working on tv shows to somehow suddenly becoming the president of Walt Disney Pictures. I mean look at his wikipedia page and imdb page. There's nothing there. This dude is running one of Disney's biggest studios and he doesn't even have any information on him. It's honestly baffling how he went from being a nobody to the president of Disney Pictures. There's no reasoning for it. He produced a few films and then somehow became Disney Pictures president.

How could someone like Sean Bailey rise to such a powerful position? Well, it turns out it was his idea to do live-action films of old classics... or so that's the story. You see there's something I also noticed (I want it to be one hundred percent known the following is just assumptions from myself). Sean Bailey wasn't alone. Joe Roth was doing the whole "buy the rights and make the movies" decades before Sean was doing it. And so I looked deeper into it. Joe Roth has had over 3 production companies each with the same goal of buying rights and making movies. He was largely unsuccessful until he was finally brought on by Sean Bailey to make Alice in Wonderland.

Alice in Wonderland was their idea and had it bombed, they'ed likely have been fired. But Alice in Wonderland was an explosive success and so the formula was born. Get an A-List actor. Throw the entire budget at the CGI division. Forget about story telling and the audiences will come... It worked for most of their films and so the duo of Joe and Sean went onto create more and more films following this idea. Oz? Maleficent? Snow White and the Huntsman? Alice 2? All them. The two of them figured out a formula, sold it to Disney, and somehow got lucky enough to be the big dogs off the backs of better men. But they've run out of ideas and all their original films are flops so... back to remaking Disney films.

Once Artemis Fowl flops, which it will, don't expect to ever see another movie from Disney Pictures that isn't based on their properties. The man in charge Sean Bailey can't hire a good writer to save his life and falls back on "ooh cgi so pretty" every single time. He's a joke so bad even Goofy would disapprove and as long as he is in charge, we will NEVER get a good film from a new and original IP. 

~M.B. Torres

[jenmedsbookreviews]

  Man. Where to even begin this week. Well. I will start by saying my reading achievements were next to none. Not quite none. But near enough. Work has been very demanding, I have been very tired and my heart just was not in it. No reflection on the books, more a reflection on my weary and rapidly ageing bones and brain telling me to take a break. In fact I am writing this post in stages as I know where my head is currently at so it if makes no sense come the end … well nowt new there really but this time there is an excuse at least 🙂

So, anyway. Aside from being generally ancient (turned 42 this past week don’t you know) I was preoccupied with something else. Lordy 42. Do you remember being a kid and thinking that people in their forties were ancient? Well I’ll let you into a secret – when you finally reach your forties you bloody feel it too. Just kidding. Age is just a number. Like my chest, mine is just larger than some, that’s all. But back to my point (wandering mind comes with age too…) I was away from home from Thursday until Sunday this week because I took the plunge, packed my backbone in a small holdall and made my way to Harrogate for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Festival.

It’s an interesting festival, very different in tone to Crimefest, geared very much to a social atmosphere but encouraging and enticing readers with a healthy and steady supply of books. I say healthy with my tongue in my cheek (not easy to do without biting said tongue – don’t believe me try it), as carrying around the dang things all day has knackered my shoulder but hey ho. 

As book hauls go, this week was mega. It was also rather big in terms of meeting people. I met a whole host of bloggers this weekend who I’m not going to try and name for fear of missing someone and causing great upset, but it was a pleasure to meet you all either finally or again (and you super lovely ones already know who you are 😉 ). I also met quite a few authors that I admire, including Robert Byrndza and the lovely Jan, Caroline Mitchell and Mel Sherratt, Graham Smith, Sarah Wray, Claire Seeber and also got to meet Keshini Naidoo (yes – a small Bookouture bias in this post I think).

It was also lovely to catch up with Kim Nash, Karen Sullivan, Steph Broadribb, Amanda Jennings, Lucy V Hay, Amer Anwar, Felicia Yap, Patricia Gibney, Bernie Steadman and Fiona Cummins again, and to get to say hi to Paul Burston as I absolutely loved his book The Black Path. I even remembered to take pictures of some of them (but not many as I suck at that). Oh yes, and it was nice to see Rod Reynolds again even if he did show Jo and Emma the terrible selfie he took at Crimefest (terrible because I was in it). And lovely to finally meet Graeme Cumming and have a catch up chat with Gabriela Harding in the quiet times. I’m just hoping I haven’t missed anyone and if I have I’m sorry and I do love you too. (Well at least like and admire – love is such a strong word 😉 ).

Have to give credit to Abbie Osborne for the selfies as I would totally not take those 😀

As well as generally milling about I did attend a couple of panels, though not as many as I perhaps would have liked so I’ll try better next time. The Friday night panel chaired by Sarah Millican and featuring Lee Child, Mark Billingham and Val McDermid was hilarious as you would expect. And I totally agree with Sarah Hilary’s shout out for Chris Whitaker as a totally brilliant writing talent. I also went to a blogger/author event organised by Orion where we met Mari Hannah, Emma Kavanagh, Stephanie Marland (aka Steph Broadribb, aka Crime Thriller Girl) and Lara Dearman, a forensics talk in which I learned many important things to include in ‘Killer’, and a quick start talk on writing crime fiction with Isabel Ashdown and Sam Eades.

And I had two lovely evenings out, firstly with Abigail Osborne, Leah and Jill of Jills Book Cafe, and then with Tracy Fenton and the guy and gals from TBC. Thanks for the company all.

And then there were the books… So. Many. Books.

I got the following:

The Devils Claw by Lara Dearman (Kindle pre order 7/9/17);

My Little Eye by Stephanie Marland (Kindle pre order 2/11/17) Happy dance moment :D;

The Wrong Child by Barry Gornell (Kindle pre order 2/11/17);

The Lost by Mari Hannah (Kindle preorder 2/3/18);

Murder at the Mill by M.B. Shaw (Kindle pre order 30/11/17);

Shadow Man by Margaret Kirk (Kindle pre order 2/11/17);

Beautiful Liars by Isabel Ashdown (Kindle pre order 19/4/18);

I Found You by Lisa Jewell;

The Seagull by Ann Cleeves (Kindle pre order 7/9/17) – The only book I actually purchased all weekend.

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo;

If I Die Before I Wake by Emily Koch (Kindle pre order 11/1/18);

Give Me The Child by Mel McGrath;

Eyes Like Mine by Sheena Kamal;

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell (Kindle pre order 5/10/17);

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent (Kindle pre order 29/8/17);

The Mountain by Luca D’Andrea;

The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes (Kindle pre order 14/9/17);

The Collector by Fiona Cummins; (soooooooooooo excited about this one and so new there are no Amazon links yet!!! :D) If you don’t know why I’m excited and haven’t yet read Rattle (and if not why not?) then you can order it here and get yourself ready for next year. Did I mention I love that book? I do. I was so excited I may have actually started reading this in bed instead of the books I should have been reading. Oops. (Sorry – not sorry). All the eeeeeeeeeks and squeeeeeeeeals.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (pre order January 2018);

Consent by Leo Benedictus (pre order 1/2/18);

Perfect Remains by Helen Fields;

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughn (Kindle pre order 11/1/18);

Strange Magic by Syd Moore

So all in all a great book haul of a weekend. And I visited Betty’s and treated myself to a belated birthday cake. Go me.

Now the weekend wasn’t without it’s down moments too but least said, soonest mended so lets move on.

Now as if all that wasn’t brilliant enough, before I left for Harrogate I received some absolutely stonkingly fantabulous book post from the wonderful Louise Ross (LJ Ross). Now I knew I’d be getting the signed book as I won it in a charity auction, as well as the chance to be a named character. But I wasn’t expecting to receive a DCI Ryan series mug as well. I actually collect mugs as well as books so this couldn’t have been a better gift for me and will take pride of place in the collection.

And, totally not book related but my new cushions and mugs turned up. How fab are these?

The McMoos by Jennifer Hogwood – You totally need to check out the website.

Just the one book order this week (just as well) which was Bad Sister by Sam Carrington. It’s due out on 5th October and I can’t wait to get my mitts on a copy.

Just the one Netgalley this week too (just as well) which was The Good Sister by Jess Ryder. It’s due for release on 16th August.

I see a theme here. Kind of reminiscent of my life. I have one of each. I’ll let them fight over which is which 😉

I also received an ARC of I Know A Secret by Tess Gerritsen, the brand new Rizzoli and Isles novel which is due out on 10th August.

Now I am hoping that all of these exciting things I’ve been rambling about above will distract you from my reading tally which stands at the grand total of 2. Lorraine at The Book Review Cafe will be laughing at me this week given her mammoth reading achievements and rightly so. If only I’d saved the bloody Mr Men books… When I say reading tally it was one read, one listen as I only completed one book and then listened to an audio on the way too and from Harrogate. Failed blogger I am then (this is not news but now we have evidence).

Books I have read

Red Is The Colour by Mark L. Fowler

A GRIPPING NEW POLICE THRILLER Bullying. Corruption. Murder.

It is the summer of 2002. The corpse of a 15 year old boy, who has been missing for thirty years, is discovered in Stoke-on-Trent. The city is on the cusp of change and Chief Superintendent Berkins wants the case solved quickly. 

DCI Jim Tyler has arrived from London under a cloud, moving to Staffordshire to escape his past. He is teamed up with DS Danny Mills to investigate the case, but there is tension between the detectives.

When the dead boy’s sister comes forward, describing a bright, solitary child, she points a finger at the school bullies, which puts important careers at stake.

Then one of the bullies is found brutally murdered and when Tyler and Mills dig deeper they start to suspect a cover-up.

What is the connection between the death of a schoolboy in 1972 and this latest killing? 

With the pressure building, and the past catching up with DCI Tyler, will he and DS Mills be able to put aside their differences in order to catch a cold-blooded killer?

I’m reviewing this for the blog tour next Monday but I have to be honest and say that this was a really well observed look at childhood bullying an the people who were involved, both directly and indirectly. With a thirty year old victim it is a tough ask for newly transferred DCI Jim Tyler to bring the killer to justice in this new police procedural from Mark L. Fowler and Bloodhound Books. It is released tomorrow, 25th July, and you can buy a copy here.

…

  You Don’t Know Me by Imran Mahmood

It’s easy to judge between right and wrong – isn’t it?

Not until you hear a convincing truth.

Now it’s up to you to decide…

An unnamed defendant stands accused of murder. Just before the Closing Speeches, the young man sacks his lawyer, and decides to give his own defence speech.

He tells us that his barrister told him to leave some things out. Sometimes, the truth can be too difficult to explain, or believe. But he thinks that if he’s going to go down for life, he might as well go down telling the truth.

There are eight pieces of evidence against him. As he talks us through them one by one, his life is in our hands. We, the reader – member of the jury – must keep an open mind till we hear the end of his story. His defence raises many questions… but at the end of the speeches, only one matters:

Did he do it?

Oh my life. What an intriguing novel. Taking courtroom drama to brand new heights this is a story which will not only challenge your idea of right and wrong but also the whole idea of how courtroom dramas should be. Set as a series of court transcripts and told in the defendants voice the author takes you on a journey and you as reader are set to act as jury. I listened to the Audio book of this and I have to say it was absolutely perfect in this format. My review will follow but you can order a copy of the book here.

…

That is all. Thankfully I was fully prepared on the blogging front so I had posts everyday.

#BlogTour Guest Post: Dying Art by Malcolm Hollingdrake

#Booklove: Katherine Sunderland

#BlogTour Review: The Other Twin by Lucy V Hay

Review: Blind Justice by M.A. Comley

#BlogTour Review: Her Deadly Secret by Chris Curran

#BookLove: Jane Cable

#GuestReview: Another You by Jane Cable

…

The week ahead is a bit of a mixture. I start with a review, then some #Booklove with Helena Fairfax, followed by blog tours for The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond, and then The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan with a very special Author Q&A in between, rounding out the week with more #Booklove with Jack Steele and another blog tour, this time The Lost Wife by Anna Mansell.

Hope you have a brilliant week all. I’m reading all day today before going back to work and some more training tomorrow. Boo hiss to that one but someone has to do it. Going to Chester Zoo on Saturday so think of all the animal/nature pics I can share with you next week. You can’t wait can you? Hope they still have the Pudu’s and the Kimodo Dragon. I love them!!!

See you next Monday.

JL

P.S. since penning this post Sunday evening I have been online and preordered three books from Goldsboro (it’s now Sunday bedtime). We’ll just ignore those, pretend I ordered them after midnight and I’ll fill you all in next week 😂

Rewind, recap: weekly update w/e 23/07/17 Man. Where to even begin this week. Well. I will start by saying my reading achievements were next to none.