#James Conroy

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1919 – Official founding of ‘The Squad’, an IRA counter-intelligence and assassination squad.

The Squad was officially established at 46 Rutland Square on the 19 September 1919. Although at the time it had been in operation for two months and had already carried out two killings. Members were paid £4.10s per week. Officially the unit was a part of the Dublin Brigade under Dick McKee from Finglas, but they were separate from the Battalion structure and directly under the command of…

[smallcloisville]

This is random but I posted this cuz I am up for the idea!

[ultrameganicolaokay]

Batwoman #3 ‘The Many Arms of Death, Part 3: If I Had a Heart’ (2017) by Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV, Steve Epting and Jeromy Cox. Edited by Chris Conroy. Cover by Epting.

[smallville2k]

TV Show: Justice league

[d-criss-news]

tyvid5: someone tell high school tyler he just got a private viewing of a new Darren Criss musical 🫠 @ maybehappyending #maybehappyending #broadway #glee #ad

[ladyadaine]

Today in my life I have engaged homophobes in conversation in a comment section for the DC Pride 2024 comic.

So far, they have coined the phrase "homo-fascist snowflakes", told me to get back on my meds and stated that gay people have more rights than straight people.

Some fun quotes from the bigots:

"Here's a tissue, wipe the blood from your tongue."

This one's kinda fire, actually

"Are you ok upstairs, child? Skipped any meds recently?"

Unoriginal and inaccurate. I'm on way too much meds.

"Last time I checked, gays had more rights than the straights, and whole government spend more backwards to appease them, especially in the UK."

I guess someone doesn't pay attention to the news or knows how transphobic the legislation of their country is.

"Yeah, because that's is normal. When we read comics we want to see things that are fantastic wish fulfillment, not the writers personal politics or agendas."

Some context. They claimed that Tim Drake liking a guy introduces sexual content to a medium marketed to kids. I mentioned the constant sexualization of female characters and the multiples times that Batman has canonically fucked and that was their reply. Also, objectively funny that they think only comics with gay people in them are political (say hello to Captain America punching Hitler, everyone) and that they assume every comic book fan is straight.

"The problem is is that there are no actual artists or writers who are writing gay people in the stories, just activists who want to push their personal brand and politics at the expense of storytelling."

I directed them to the numerous amazing comic books with queer characters (Batwoman, Runaways, everything with Loki) and pointed out the multiple renowmed comic book writers who are queer (Grant Morrison, James Tynion IV, the usual roster) and, because this was about Robin, mentioned that the late and great Kevin Conroy was married to a man.

So far so good. Waiting on more replies to share. Wish me luck!

[tikay21]

🐺Prof. Dr. Jaxx Winter-Conroy

back - next You can find more information and context through the hashtags attached below. and a bit more under the cut ...

Jaxx Winter-Conroy is the oldest son of Saint and Jolene. His younger siblings are Cloud - Leroy and Joshua. He is probably the Sim I’ve played the most, maybe even more than his parents, if you count the time in Sims 3, where everything revolved around him since his birth and I really love this guy that much.

He was a rebellious teenager, highly intelligent, and bored at school, feeling undervalued and labeled. He didn’t have it easy, despite - or maybe because of - his father’s status.

(at this time i didn't document my GP with screenshots, so i've barely some - i'd redone some with their remake version here in S4 and catch up state of play in fast through GP) Back then, Jaxx was an outsider, but there was this girl from a good family, Athena Best (maybe some of you remember her - NPC from S3), who, much to her highly esteemed parents’ dismay, saw something in Jaxx.

They became friends, and that friendship grew into a deep love. She motivated him, and she was his reason to pull himself together. He managed to graduate respectably, leaving all doors open for him. Shortly after turning adult, he married Athena, and soon after, she became pregnant. But fate struck again - before their son was born, Athena was kidnapped (I had to cope with a save issue and she got lost :( - so I had to handle with this in a way).

Jaxx dropped everything and dedicated himself fully to finding her, but he failed.

Restless and driven by grief and loss, he traveled the world, started studying archaeology and went on several expeditions, collecting antiques, and explored the most remote corners of the globe. Eventually, he landed in Asia and spent a long time in a monastery, where he learned martial arts.

Finally, he returned home, founded a dojo, and began studying law. During his studies, he lived with two close friends in a rented house - James Beaufort and Tarik Bolton.

On campus, he met Sarah Mahony, who became pregnant with his child - unplanned.

After Jaxx graduated with flying colors, Sarah dropped out of university and moved with Jaxx to his parents’ estate in Brindleton Bay. Sarah was an unstable, rather childish person, and couldn’t handle the responsibility. Eventually, she left Jaxx and left little Damon with him.

But that wasn’t all… when a new member joined his father’s band 'Gravity', Jaxx felt in love with the young guitarist, Thia Winterfels, and the two quickly became a couple. She was his 2nd great love. Another wedding followed, and Jaxx and Thia had twins - Rahel and Hannah.

But fate struck once more, Thia died in a tragic accident with her horse. Jaxx threw himself into work and steadily climbed the ranks in reputation.

Today, he is simply the top attorney in my world. Meanwhile, there have been more women and children. Despite everything, he is a wonderful loving dad and does everything he can for his family. I hope he finds his inner peace one day.

Prof. rer. nat. archeology Dr. jur. Jaxx Winter-Conroy Sims made by me @tikay

Conroy - Family-Tree

[toappreciatelife]

Encounters with difference: "The Dead" by James Joyce — Part 2

A loving response

But then Gabriel’s self armor is pierced so deeply and the hole is so big, that he can no longer hide anymore. The floor where he thought he was standing exists no more. He has to let go of his self-centeredness and listen to a voice that for once is not the voice of his own thoughts, his “thought-tormented music”, but someone else’s. He has to acknowledge, maybe for the first time in his life, the radical difference of another person.

Just when he wanted Gretta to bend completely to his lustful desires, she responds in a way he could never have predicted. Just when he was hoping their thoughts to run together—or rather, her thoughts to follow his own—she tells him she is thinking of someone else, a certain Michael Furey, a boy she used to go out with in her distant past, when Gabriel didn’t even exist in her life.

And so it’s he who will have to stop and tune in to her particular sad mood; he who will have to follow her this time, asking questions and listening to her story, encouraging her to speak, despite the astonishment, despite the rage and terror that this confrontation with otherness awakens in him. Because the other is the ghostly presence of the delicate boy who regardless of being a simple worker in the gasworks and lacking all those characteristics that Gabriel finds superior (college education, cosmopolitism, aesthetic refinement) was capable of a depth of feeling and intimacy with Greta that Gabriel himself has never lived with her. But the other is also Gretta, his wife of many years, whom he doesn’t really know, with a density and a life he knew nothing of. She is a woman with a past now, and the past gives people a mysterious thickness; it opens behind them layers of unknown territories that are lost in the distance, impossible to conquer or exhaust. And the other is also a story that took place without him, a series of events and experiences that didn’t include him, from which he will never know the full depth, forcing him to acknowledge the existence of a history and a universe beyond his little self. Otherness is the unexpected appearance of a strange, dissonant music, like the piece Mary Jane played on the piano during the party but Gabriel—and the other young men—could not listen to.

But it is not easy for Gabriel and on two occasions he will try to hold on to his good old self again: when he looks at his image in a mirror, and when he thinks that Gretta has been comparing him with Michael Furey in her mind. Even when these thoughts and images portray him in a disadvantageous way and make him feel ashamed, they situate him again in the familiar circle of his own self and the worries about himself. Why does he think that she has been comparing him with the boy? Maybe the truth is that for a while she hasn’t been thinking of Gabriel at all, absorbed as she was in the intimate world of feelings and memories that the song The Lass of Aughrim awoke in her.

There is a time in life when we all have to reconcile with the fact that we are not the center of the universe, taking into account other perspectives, accepting in others an entire dimension of experience that will forever escape us. And these can be felt as narcissistic blows, which humanity as a whole also had to suffer when acknowledging, for example, that the earth was not the center of the universe, but one more planet lost among billions of other celestial bodies. And what deeper narcissistic wound is there than the certainty of death…? The return of Michael Furey from the distant past brings with it “the vast hosts of the dead”, followed by Gabriel’s awareness of the mortality of his own precarious self.

And so slowly, in the face of death, Gabriel will finally be able to let go of his ego and his sense of control; he will open up to Gretta and life. He, the man who couldn’t give a speech in a family gathering without calculating the effect of every word and practicing for hours in advance, will feel a sincere emotion take over him and lead him to act without thinking, just like Michael Furey acted without thinking when he risked his life that rainy night, guided by his heart.  

A kinder note that he had intended went into his voice.

He tried to keep up his tone of cold interrogation, but his voice when his spoke was humble and indifferent.

A new tenderness and an unexpected humbleness take over Gabriel as he listens to his wife and he instinctively, without thinking, caresses one of her hands, warm and moist. All the barriers he has built between them are lifted at last and his skin can touch her skin without protection, without the separation of an envelope or a glove or galoshes or aesthetics. The nakedness of one raw heart touches the nakedness of another heart, and both existences mingle as they listen attentively to the development of the story through Gretta’s voice. No more excuses, nowhere to escape in the dark intimacy of that room illuminated by the ghostly light of a street lamp, accompanied by the rising memories of all those who came before. Because intimacy is not the merging of two into one, but an opening to otherness and to the strange multiplicities that constitute another person, populated as they are by their own hosts of ghosts and landscapes. This is Gabriel’s epiphany, the revelation of his humble place in the universe, his shared mortality, the vanity of his ego, and therefore the possibility of a meaningful connection with another soul. This is the only conquest that is worth being “valorous” for and feeling proud of, overcoming the terror of real closeness and loving someone other than his self.

Generous tears filled Gabriel’s eyes. He had never felt like that towards any woman but he knew that such a feeling must be love.

This passage is full of ambiguity. It could refer to the paragraph that comes right before it, in which case Gabriel would still be thinking of Michael Furey and his passionate death. Or it could refer to the fact that he is crying abundantly, in which case he would be disclosing to himself that he is feeling love for the first time in his life, because crying and feeling like he is feeling now is precisely what love is. He just knows it, intuitively, no need to reason for that.

And loving Gretta entails encountering her difference, without denying it or covering it with his own projections anymore. It entails accepting her origins in west Ireland and the strangeness of her past. And it entails listening and looking at her as she is—aging and with a face no longer beautiful—not as he needs her to be. Whereas in the staircase scene Gabriel couldn’t see Gretta’s face and reduced her to a symbol, now his eyes linger on her face and hair while she sleeps and are able to appreciate them in their pure singularity, in everything that makes Gretta an utterly unique creature in the universe, a thisness, a haecceity, instead of a generic type or an ideal. Contrary to some platonic-rooted conceptions of love, I think this short story shows that when we truly love, we don’t love the conformity to an ideal but irreducible, inexpressible difference. Just as Gretta was haunted by irreducible and inexpressible aspects of Michael Furey—his delicacy, the particular song he used to sing, the expression of his eyes, of which she can’t say nothing adequate but repeat the same words again— Gabriel will be capable of a similar loving attention when he looks at Gretta’s face and the unique way in which she left her clothes on a chair.

His eyes moved to the chair over which she had thrown some of her clothes. A petticoat string dangled to the floor. One boot stood upright, its limp upper fallen down: the fellow lay upon it on the side.

And if love is an encounter with difference, it is also opening to it, letting the strange music that another person is affect and touch the core of one’s being with its unexpected novelty, until it transforms who we are. Love is contamination and becoming. And so throughout the story Gabriel moves from being someone locked in himself, impermeable like his galoshes, to someone porous who can integrate other voices and other landscapes in his own train of thoughts. If we compare Gabriel’s last reflections before falling asleep to his musings during the party, it is remarkable how his inner life has decentered, enriched and become polyphonic after the intimate conversation with Gretta, incorporating a comment that Mary Jane had made (“snow is general all over Ireland”) and many landscapes all over Ireland besides that fixed spot in the park with the phallic Wellington Monument.

To finish, I copy here an aphorism from The Gay Science by Nietzsche. In my opinion, it condenses beautifully what this short story is about and the movement that Gabriel Conroy has gone through:

"One must learn to love.— This is what happens to us in music: first one has to learn to hear a figure and melody at all, to detect and distinguish it, to isolate it and delimit it as a separate life; then it requires some exertion and good will to tolerate it in spite of its strangeness, to be patient with its appearance and expression, and kindhearted about its oddity:—finally there comes a moment when we are used to it, when we wait for it, when we sense that we should miss it if it were missing: and now it continues to compel and enchant us relentlessly until we have become its humble and enraptured lovers who desire nothing better from the world than it and only it.— But that is what happens to us not only in music: that is how we have learned to love all things that we now love. In the end we are always rewarded for our good will, our patience, fairmindedness, and gentleness with what is strange; gradually, it sheds its veil and turns out to be a new and indescribable beauty:—that is its thanks for our hospitality. Even those who love themselves will have learned it in this way: for there is no other way. Love, too, has to be learned."

[dorothy16]

tyvid5 someone tell high school tyler he just got a private viewing of a new Darren Criss musical 🫠 Maybe Happy Ending

[iminaworldofpureimagination]

its also insane to me i know it happens but every movie character i grew up with keeps passing away/ .. Ursula/Mrs. Potts/Iago/Mufasa/Batman/Harley all joining Genie in the great blue yander

[therealmrpositive]

The Wicker Man (2006)

In today's review, I find there is more to simple life than honey, and towering effigies. As I attempt a #positive review of the 2006 remake of the Wicker Man #NicolasCage #EllenBurstyn #KateBeahan #LeeleeSobieski #FrancesConroy #MollyParker #DianeDelano

The shroud of the woods can be synonymous with danger, mainly from the unknown wildlife, mistaking you for prey. Sometimes the fears can be man-made of course, as some seek solitude for their nefarious deeds, hidden away from prying eyes and the scrutiny of modern secular society. In 2006, after similar circumstances on the Scottish mainland, an American cop gets more than he bargained for in The…

[romancomicsblog]

Who should play Batman in the DCU?

This is a question that I think no one really wants to answer.

After the success of Matt Reeves The Batman, Michael Keatons return to the role, Kevin Conroy's Death, and Ben Affleck leaving it, I think it is safe to say people have had enough Batman, and enough good takes of the character.

Even so, Andy Muschetti is currently set to direct The DCU's Brave and the Bold, which will show a new Batman, now older and with his son, Damian Wayne.

Recently a popular fancast surfaced of John Krasinski for the role, to some fans love and some fans dismay.

Personally, I don't think he was suited for Reed or for Bruce. I can see him more as a Green Lantern. But this did get my wheels turning, hopefully to do better. And I got some picks. But first, we need to answer a few questions.

What live action versions are we pulling from?

We want to pull key elements from different versions, but there are so many iterations Jesus.

I am not going to go into all of them, I'll stick with 3. But know that I am a fan of most iterations of The Batman.

Ben Affleck

Love him or hate him, Ben Affleck's Batman was memorable. Personally he has a lot of things I want to incorporate into our DCU Batman. For one, he is our older Batman. Our actor should be similar aged to Ben.

He is also a complete unit. After being Batman for so long, he has had to make himself more of a unit in order to properly take out foes.

This is also the best voice, suit, and fighting style I've seen for a live action Batman. The voice modulator works wonders.

I think Ben had a presence that made it clear he was a leader of the team, if not Thee leader. I want our Bruce to feel the same.

Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson is a little weirdo. And I mean that in the best way.

This was the first time I think it was properly shown how uncomfortable it might be to be around such a presence as Batman. He is fear personified, and working with someone like that can and should be awkward.

Pattinson also took being Batman way too seriously, our Bruce should do the same. Batman's a religion to Bruce.

We need someone who can be a middle ground between these two as Batman.

Christian Bale

While those two perfected Batman, no one has done Bruce Wayne better than Bale.

Bale by far did the act of Bruce Wayne most convincingly. It is one of my favorite aspects of his films. We need someone who can pull off charming douchebag when needed, but slip back into dark loner.

Bale was also funny in a way Batman hasn't been in awhile. We need someone when comfortable be able to joke with Clark.

You can see why casting a Batman can be extremely difficult. Balancing all these characteristics are crucial to making it work.

What ethnicity is Bruce Wayne?

All iterations of Batman have been white.

Now, is there value in making him another ethnicity? Maybe. Making him a person of color could be part of why he doesn't trust the police and takes matters into his own hands. Perhaps maybe his parents being new money is why they are killed. Who is to say?

For now, I will say Batman can be any ethnicity.

Other Stipulations

The DCU Batman is confirmed to have a son, Damian Wayne. Assuming he has already raised Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and Jason Todd is already dead, this Batman has to be in their 50s. We're looking for an older actor.

George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson and Ben Affleck have all taken up the role, meaning we need a name. Someone who immediately you know, whether you like it or not. But we also need someone surprising.

We need someone who we can see doing this for awhile. At least 5-8 years. The DCU is just starting, so someone with longevity is a must.

He should probably be tall.

Finally, as always, someone not known for past superhero roles. Let's begin.

3. Jamie Dornan

Jamie Dornan may be the safest and most controversial choice for The Batman.

Like Pattinson before him, Dornan is known for playing the love interest in some pretty bad movies, but since has made a career for himself full of wins. Projects like Belfast, Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar and the Tourist proves Dornan has the acting chops for it.

He is a little younger than we would like, but he can play older, and looks a lot like a classic Bruce Wayne.

I have two main concerns for Dornan. One, would he be better off as a villain? In the DCU, he may make a fantastic Gotham City villain like Harvey Dent. But in the MCU, does he have the making of a fantastic Doctor Doom? I think so.

Finally, the character he plays in Fifty Shades of Grey is BASED on Edward Cullen, who was played by Robert Pattinson, our current Batman. The comparisons will be built in from the beginning, and we something fresh.

I think Dornan can kill it, but there's too much against him for him to be my main pick.

2. Bradley Cooper

Now I know what you're thinking, he's Rocket Raccoon!

Yes he is, but the Guardians movies are now finished. And unlike his teammates, Cooper doesn't really show his face when playing the character. In a way, he is oddly detached from Marvel.

He has also worked with James Gunn before, is currently producing Joker: Folie a Deux, and has an incredible career to back up him as a pick.

From American Sniper to Nightmare Alley to A Star is Born, Cooper consistently delivers. He can do suave, he can do loner, he can do troubled, and he can do comedy. I think he could be a spiritual successor to someone like Ben Affleck, and lead the Justice League in a way that feels natural.

He'd also be useful behind the camera, as he was the director of A Star is Born.

My biggest concern with Cooper is whether he would want to do it. One of the benefits of playing a raccoon is you get to work from a booth for maybe a few hours and you're done. This would be a commitment.

There also comes the question of whether Cooper is bigger than the role. We want people to be lost in the story, so finding an actor who convincingly be Batman is crucial. Cooper might be just a little too big for this.

Of my three, I think Cooper is the most likely to land the role, and that may be for the best.

1. Alexander Skarsgård

If we're looking for a surprising pick, with range, physicality, a name that is big but not bigger than the role, I give you: Alexander Skarsgård.

Known for roles in The Stand, Succession, The Northman and Infinity Pool, Skarsgård is one of those actors who is often forgotten but people are excited to see when he pops up.

He is a dramatic actor who can do funny, scary, and anything in between. He's played fantasy characters in The Stand, a billionaire asshole in Succession, and a warrior in The Northman, all praised. He has all the making of a great Batman.

He is classically handsome, and at 6'3, 46 years old, he is just in the age range we're looking for, and towers over most heroes.

He doesn't feel like any other Batman before him either, which will help us stay away from those comparison conversations.

I don't think there really is a perfect answer as to who should be the next Batman. But of all my options, Skarsgård makes the most sense. I could see him and David Corenswet leading the league for years to come.

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to support me, you can find my socials here!

[d-criss-news]

Via Tyler Conroy's Instagram Story (October 7th, 2024)

[hitchell-mope]

Good movie. I would probably watch it again.

[whats-in-a-sentence]

A relaxed-looking Westpac board in the 1991 annual report. But behind the scene there was mounting awareness of problems confronting the bank and, as 1992 got under way, directors were to face their toughest decisions: (top, from left) Rod Cameron, Ian (Jock) Harper, Frank Conroy, Sir Eric Neal, Sir Neil Currie, Bruce Reid, Warren Hogan; (bottom, from left) Sir Llewellyn Edwards, Peter Baillieu, Sir Harold Aston, Tony Walton, John Uhrig, James Scully.

"Westpac: The Bank That Broke the Bank" - Edna Carew

[evelyn1056]

More of The Leonels again. This time with the trio James-Conroy, Francis, and Stell

((Left to right in that order))

((this involves the same character of Goretober day 1))

There's not gonna be much Context BUT here's something: