#Jane started her transition with 14

[whywouldisayprinter]

T4T beams your antiheroes pew pew pew

[bethanydelleman]

sorry if this is a stupid question, but I was starting to write a story taking place in the regency era, and wanted to do a sort of cliche governess marries the widowed father of her charge. But I wasn't sure how old I should make the girl. My understanding was that a governess would only be needed until the girl debuted which could be as early as 15. as of now, I made the girl 14, as, due to her father being over protective he wouldn't allow her to debut until she was older anyways, but I wasn't sure how common it was to get a governess that would only be there for a few years. the governess is sort of desperate for a job, so even if its a bad deal, its okay. I also wasn't sure if the girls hadn't debuted if they could go to parties, or if she didn't debut she would still be considered a child and not allowed (including smaller family/friends get togethers). For this last one I'm trying to remember how the youngest sister is treated in sense and sensibility, but cannot recall.

Thirdly, I was curious how odd it would be for a governess to teach horseback riding. From what I was able to understand, it wasn't improper for ladies to learn sidesaddle, but I wasn't sure who would teach them, or how common it was.

sorry to use you as like, a focused google search, but I was having a heck of a time finding anything about the specifics of governesses. Usually it was all vague terms like "Until the daughters came of age"

Happy to help! Keep in mind that most of my help comes from novels from the time period.

If this is set in the Regency, not all girls "came out" at 15, it depended on a number of factors including if they had elder sisters. Jane Austen's heroines are never out before 17, Catherine Morland and Marianne Dashwood being the two youngest. It also depended on a girl's maturity, as everyone thinks the immature Lydia Bennet should not be out (she is 15). I believe Maria and Julia Bertram (Mansfield Park) aren't out until they are 20 and 19 respectively, and Maria says she'll learn from her governess until 17.

As for how long you would employ a governess, in Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë, Agnes is hired by a family with pretty old girls, the eldest being 16 and very near to coming out and the younger 14, but the family both wants and keeps a governess. This was similar to what happened in Anne's real life, by the way. Agnes is not dismissed from that position even after the elder sister marries, she leaves because her father is dying.

Also, if the father is widowed, he might keep the governess for longer if he could afford it. Miss Taylor, Emma's governess in Emma stayed until Emma was 21 and only left because she married. As Emma was the only daughter at home, Miss Taylor transitioned into being her companion and would probably have served as a sort of chaperone despite being unmarried. Men and women did a lot of activities separately, so having a paid "friend" around for your daughter wouldn't be unusual.

As for gatherings, it's likely that daughters are attending small gatherings once they are mature enough to be quiet. Margaret Dashwood is invited to dine at the park, she is 13, in Sense & Sensibility, but she is not invited to London, which would involve large parties. Fanny Price dines at the parsonage in Mansfield Park, which would count as a close friend, but Mary Crawford remains unsure if she is "out". Even the young Middleton children come out after dessert to greet the guests in Sense & Sensibility, though some of the company dislikes this suggesting it's either not common or the children were expected to behave better (they are 8 and under).

I know nothing about who taught horse riding to women. The only lessons in Jane Austen are an uncle for his niece (Fanny Price) and a guy teaching the girl he's attracted to (Edmund Bertram/Mary Crawford). Fanny muses that Mary's brother could have taught her.

Last consideration, I would consider the skills of your governess. If one is being hired for an older girl, she would need more advanced accomplishments. Can she play, draw, and do fancy work? Does she have good references? Is she old enough that it isn't crazy for her to be in charge of a teenager? (Like is she at least 20?)

Here is what Agnes's employer wants:

For the girls she seemed anxious only to render them as superficially attractive and showily accomplished as they could possibly be made, without present trouble or discomfort to themselves; and I was to act accordingly—to study and strive to amuse and oblige, instruct, refine, and polish, with the least possible exertion on their part, and no exercise of authority on mine. With regard to the two boys, it was much the same; only instead of accomplishments, I was to get the greatest possible quantity of Latin grammar and Valpy’s Delectus into their heads, in order to fit them for school—the greatest possible quantity at least without trouble to themselves. John might be a “little high-spirited,” and Charles might be a little “nervous and tedious—”

Agnes Grey, Ch 7

[onisiondrama]

What's wild is that Lucas seemingly only went along with Greg's desire to pursue Sarah because he a) caved into Greg constantly pushing him and after Greg threatened their marriage if he didn't go through with it, and b) according to Sarah Lucas said Greg would be more comfortable with him transitioning if Greg could bring in other women into their marriage. However, Lucas has turned down plenty of women that Greg has brought in to be poly with and frequently had Greg threatened to divorce, and you'd think that Lucas could list enough reasons why pursuing Sarah would be morally and potentially legally wrong (I.e. Being her legal guardian, knowing her since she was 14, how she had become part of their family). In my opinion Lucas had grown apathetic trying to resist Greg's demands and chose to sacrifice Sarah's wellbeing to keep Greg happy and to further his own transition. Lucas could have said no to save Sarah (and clearly did multiple times), but eventually gave up and chose to deliberately lead Sarah on. It was incredibly manipulative of him and shows he clearly has an awareness of Greg's intentions.

We’ll never know what Lucas actually thinks, but from texts and the things he’s said publicly, he is either fooling himself or trying to fool the world that Greg/James never intends to get into these relationships for himself. James only wants to make Lucas happy and jumps in when Lucas finally gives the ok. If Lucas starts to think otherwise, that’s just his jealousy getting in the way. When James’ attempts at bringing in a third don’t make it past the trying to convince Lucas phase, the potential third becomes a home-wrecker and they bond over publicly and privately shitting on her.

The way Lucas publicly speaks about their relationship with Billie has chanced so drastically over the years. I think it shows how deep his denial about James true intentions has gotten. From James pushed her onto him to if only his own jealousy wouldn’t get in the way to wow why do all these homewreckers keep trying to break up my marriage?

Now from the recent claim from James that Lucas was diagnosed by a professional of PTSD from being assaulted by Sarah, I think if Lucas is spending the money to go to a therapist and that’s the conclusion the therapist came up with from their sessions, it must be what Lucas fully believes- or wants to believe. (If this information from James is to be trusted of course. He does claim it’s all documented.)

Edit: forgot I wanted to add that Lucas initially got James’ attention by scheming for months on end and lying. Waiting for the right times when Janes was upset to tweet the right things he would want to hear. This was during 2 public relationships James had. Then lying about his age. I think it’s reasonable to think it might not take a lot of convincing Lucas that others scheme and lie in a similar manor.

[lindsayrps]

nell howard development

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: eleanor jane howard NICKNAME(S): nell, mostly, or some variation thereof. she's heard el and lea, though. PREFERRED NAME(S): nell BIRTH DATE: october 6 AGE: twenty five GENDER: cis female PRONOUNS: she/hers ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: heteroromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: heterosexual NATIONALITY: american ETHNICITY: white CURRENT LOCATION: dependent on work placement. LIVING CONDITIONS: again, dependent on work placement so varies. sometimes airbnb, sometimes extended stay hotels.

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: eden, new york HOMETOWN: eden, new york SOCIAL CLASS: middle EDUCATION LEVEL: bachelor's of science in nursing + registered nurse FATHER: john howard MOTHER: caroline howard SIBLING(S): robert "robbie" howard (14) + thomas howard (deceased) BIRTH ORDER: thomas, nell, robbie CHILDREN: none yet PET(S): her boyfriend's cat, harry. none OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: none PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: no lol. she's dated some, wouldn't necessarily consider many, if any, of them relationships of any great importance. ARRESTS?: none PRISON TIME?: none

OCCUPATION & INCOME

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME: travel nurse SECONARY SOURCE OF INCOME: none CONTENT WITH THIEIR JOB (OR LACK THEREOF)?: mostly, just wants to transition from travel to a permanent position somewhere. PAST JOB(S): waitress, retail cashier SPENDING HABITS: fairly frugal. it's got to fit in her suitcase otherwise she can't bring it with her when she leaves.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: she's not struggling to lift marginally heavy things but she's no body builder either SPEED: decent INTELLIGENCE: average in general, slightly higher when it comes to medically related things ACCURACY: slightly above average AGILITY: decent STAMINA: thanks to extensive hospital shifts: she's good TEAMWORK: exceptionally high but she's never not worked well with other people TALENTS: problem solving, researching, caring for others SHORTCOMINGS: too sensitive, has a hard time delegating tasks, not super trusting, holds herself back from things she wants (specifically relationships) due to perceived pitfalls/not wanting to get hurt LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: english, spanish, fumbling her way through duolingo's french course DRIVE?: yes but doesn't JUMP START A CAR?: no CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: no RIDE A BICYCLE?: yes SWIM?: yes PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: violin from her youth v but christ alive don't make her do it PLAY CHESS?: yes BRAID HAIR?: yes TIE A TIE?: yes PICK A LOCK?: no

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACE CLAIM: lucy boynton EYE COLOR: green HAIR COLOR: blonde GLASSES/CONTACTS?: yes, mostly wears contacts but if she doesn't have to be at work, she'll wear her glasses. DOMINANT HAND: right HEIGHT: 5'4 BUILD: average, maybe on the skinnier side EXERCISE HABITS: mostly walking everywhere, not super fond of the gym / gym bros SKIN TONE: pale, even TATTOOS: thomas' initials on the side of her wrist PIERCINGS: ears MARKS/SCARS: half inch vertical scar on the outside of her right foot from when she stepped on a wide, upright metal comb NOTABLE FEATURES: big bambi eyes USUAL EXPRESSION: happy CLOTHING STYLE: casual and comfortable. oversized tshirts (that may or may not be hers), hoodies, shorts, sundresses, anything floral or with a pattern, layers, mismatched items (shorts + hoodie, jeans + tank top), converse, docs, sneakers JEWELRY: minimal and dainty, nothing too terribly dangly. earrings, necklace, a ring ALLERGIES: none DIET: everything in moderation. if you think she's going to deprive herself of pasta you're mistaken. PHYSICAL AILMENTS: none

PSYCHOLOGY

ENNEGRAM TYPE: type 2: the helper MORAL ALIGNMENT: lawful good TEMPERAMENT: sanguine ELEMENT: water MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: anxiety SOCIABILITY: highly sociable. what's the opposite of black cat girlfriend? that's nell. EMOTIONAL STABILITY: fairly stable, has her moments though, usually when she's overwhelmed. OBSESSION(S): none COMPULSION(S): none PHOBIA(S): none ADDICTION(S): none DRUG USE: no ALCOHOL USE: socially but not a lot PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: no

MANNERISMS

SPEECH STYLE: formal at work, casual otherwise. ACCENT: comparatively, probably, but she would say she doesn't have one. QUIRKS: none that stand out HOBBIES: crochet, crosswords, nature walks, baking, reading NERVOUS TICKS: chews on her lip or nails DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: feeling loved/valued in friendships/relationships, protecting herself/her loved ones, taking care of others. FEARS: first and foremost: something happening to robbie, and then the usuals: failure, rejection, loneliness. being in a plane crash. POSITIVE TRAITS: sociable, caring, adventurous, optimistic, reliable NEGATIVE TRAITS: sensitive, guarded, self-critical SENSE OF HUMOR: fairly light DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: not going to punctuate every other word with a cuss but when it's necessary, sure.

FAVOURITES

ACTIVITY: anything she can do with friends ANIMAL: tie between cats and dogs BEVERAGE: coffee BOOK: the mill on the floss COLOR: phthalo green FOOD: cinnamon buns FLOWER: hydrangeas GEM: alexandrite HOLIDAY: halloween (yes it counts) MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: walking/subway MOVIE: titanic MUSICAL ARTIST: noah kahan SCENERY: she'll take anything, she likes it all. SCENT: elliot 😋 SPORT: not super big on sports but she'll adopt whichever one her friends like most SPORTS TEAM: see above TELEVISION SHOW: ted lasso WEATHER: man tie between summer and fall VACATION DESTINATION: anywhere away from work

ATTITUDES

GREATEST DREAM: just having complete ownership over her life and being happy with the decisions she's made GREATEST FEAR: losing robbie, not even, like, permanently but in general. MOST AT EASE WHEN: around elliot / her friends. LEAST AT EASE WHEN: around her parents. in some twisted way she supposes she still loves them because they're her parents but man alive she's been LC since she was 18 and it's the best thing she's ever done. the only reason she's not NC is her brother. WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN: losing robbie, anything happening to her friends/elliot, losing her job BIGGEST REGRET: not fighting to take robbie with her when she could. BIGGEST SECRET: doesn't really fuck with secrets if you know her so, yanno. TOP PRIORITIES: her people, her job, being happy and content with her life

[phantom-le6]

Ramble of the month March 2025: Poirot fan-cast Part 3 of 4

First off, apologies to any readers who have been following my episode reviews of Gotham; rest assured these will be back as soon as I can get fresh submissions to literary agencies done for my autism book.  In the meantime, I am still keeping the monthly rambles alive, and this month we’re carrying on with my Poirot film fan-cast.  As with part 2, here’s a quick bullet-point summary of the points raised in my part 1 ramble so any new-comers can get caught up;

Agatha Christie wrote 66 novels and 14 short story collections, most of which centred on either former Belgian policeman-turned-private detective Hercule Poirot or elderly English spinster sleuth Jane Marple.

Within in this run of literature, Poirot had 33 novels to Miss Marple’s 14, most of which remain un-adapted to film while British TV and radio have done better.

The Poirot fan-cast is based on the run of BBC radio dramatizations featuring John Moffat as the voice of Poirot; discounting those radio drama using other voice actors and those too short to make a decent film, this creates a 24-film run.

By starting with a first film release in 1980 and making a film every other year, this hypothetical film series would take until 2026 to complete and could include a single actor to play Poirot throughout, while also including other actors in key recurring roles.

Our initial key long-term actors are Brian Cox as Poirot, Anthony Head as Hastings and John Hurt as Inspector Japp.

So far, the run of films has been as follows;

1980: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

1982: The Murder on the Links

1984: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

1986: Peril at End House

1988: Lord Edgeware Dies

1990: Murder on the Orient Express

1992: Three Act Tragedy

1994: Death in the Clouds

1996: The ABC Murders

1998: Murder in Mesopotamia

2000: Cards on the Table

2002: Dumb Witness

Now before we get into the films of round three, a couple of quick reminders.  Firstly, I’m not specifying directors like I did in my alternate MCU and DCEU fan-casts, and the films have two dates; the first for production and the second for setting.  Second, as of Dumb Witness, we’ve now concluded appearances in our films by Hastings and are in transition from inter-war Poirot to post-war Poirot, who will have new regular supporting characters.  So, onto films 13 through to 18 in this fan-cast…

Death on the Nile (2004/1934)

Hercule Poirot = Brian Cox

Colonel Race = Bernard Hill

Linnet Doyle = Samantha Morton

Simon Doyle = Matthew Macfadyen

Jacqueline de Bellefort = Keeley Hawes

Salome Otterbourne = Joanna David

Rosalie Otterbourne = Emilia Fox

Mrs Allerton = Helen Mirren

Tim Allerton = Joseph Fiennes

Andrew Pennington = David Ogden Stiers

Marie Van Schuyler = Raquel Welch

Cornelia Robson = Katie Holmes

Miss Bowers = Diane Lane

Mr Ferguson = John Simm

Signor Richetti = Sergio Castellitto

Louise Bourget = Audrey Tautou

James Fanthorp = David Tennant

Dr Besner = Sebastian Koch

Joanna Southwood = Samantha Spiro

Jules = Christian Clavier

Sterndale Rockford = Andrew Robinson

Death on the Nile gets us back to Poirot travelling abroad after a two-film break handling cases in England, and as a result the cast gets a little more varied, especially since I’m not cutting or combining characters like most film and TV adaptations.  Plot-wise, this one is a slow burn to the murder, as newlywed couple Linnet and Simon Doyle are stalked on their honeymoon in Egypt by Simon’s jilted ex-fiancé Jacqueline de Bellefort.  However, when Mrs Doyle is shot in her cabin while on a river cruise up the Nile, Jacqueline has a solid alibi.  Two further murders follow as Poirot investigates, aided by his old friend Colonel Race.

Aside from Poirot, Colonel Race is the only returning character, leaving everyone else to be freshly cast.  There is a good mix of well-known names included as we combine a mostly British and American cast with a few actors of other nationalities to best match the characters Christie originally wrote.  A few examples include an aged Raquel Welch opposite Katie Holmes and Diane Lane in the Van Schyler party, Doctor Who actors David Tennant and John Simm (Simm having played Whovian villain The Master opposite Tennant’s Doctor), and David Ogden Stiers of M*A*S*H fame.  Fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and of Die Hard will also be pleased to spot Andrew Robinson making an appearance.

Appointment with Death (2006/1935)

Hercule Poirot = Brian Cox

Colonel Carbury = Tim Curry

Mrs Boynton = Louise Fletcher

Ginevra Boynton = Kate Hudson

Raymond Boyton = Casey Affleck

Carol Boyton = Sasha Alexandra

Lennox Boyton = Ben Affleck

Nadine Boyton = Leslie Bibb

Jefferson Cope = Hugh Jackman

Dr Gerard = Andy Serkis

Dr Sarah King = Honeysuckle Weeks

Lady Westholme = Harriet Walter

Miss Amabel Pierce = Sophie Thompson

Another film set in Poirot’s travels abroad, this one takes place in the nations we now know as Israel and Jordan, but as the film will be set in the 1930’s like the book it’s based on, these means we’re looking at the region strictly as it was at that time.  Regardless, past geo-politics is mere backdrop to the main plot, which revolves around the various people in Poirot’s hotel when he overhears someone discussing the murder of a woman from his room.  The likeliest target seems to be the overbearing and ruthless matriarch of the Boynton family, and when indeed Mrs Boynton is discovered dead during an expedition to the ancient city of Petra, it falls on Poirot to investigate all concerned.  Unlike the previous film, the cast of characters doesn’t vary much from a smaller, simpler mix of Brits and Americans, so the cast of actors doesn’t vary as much either.  However, this makes it no less excellent a cast, with the likes of Andy Serkis, Hugh Jackman and the Affleck brothers being included, not to mention Tim Curry (notable for films such as Clue, Muppet Treasure Island and The Hunt for Red October, among many others).  Also featured is Louise Fletcher, who is best known for her roles in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Sad Cypress (2008/1936)

Hercule Poirot = Brian Cox

Elinor Carlisle = Lena Headey

Dr Peter Lord = Paul Bettany

Mary Gerrard = Lucy Davis

Roderick Welman = Jude Law

Mrs Laura Welman = Diana Rigg

Nurse Hopkins = Jenny Agutter

Nurse O’Brien = Brenda Fricker

Mrs Bishop = Brenda Blethyn

Mr Seddon = Patrick Stewart

Bob Gerard = Timothy West

Horlick = William Moseley

Ted Bigland = Andrew Scarborough

Mr Justice Beddingfield = Jim Carter

Sir Edwin Bulmer = Bill Nighy

Sir Samuel Atterbury = Colin Baker

Dr Garcia = Paul McGann

Inspector Brill = Timothy Spall

Alfred Wargrave = Robert Glenister

James Arthur Littledale = Nicholas Lyndhurst

Amelia Mary Sedley = Miranda Harcourt

Sad Cypress is a little unusual among Poirot mysteries, and for two key reasons.  Firstly, Poirot comes in relatively late in the story, and second, he’s commissioned to try and see if any evidence exists that can exonerate the accused.  The story begins with an anonymous letter to the niece and nephew-in-law of Laura Welman, a wealthy heiress bed-ridden after a recent stroke.  When Elinor Carlisle (the niece) and her fiancé Roderick Welman (the nephew-in-law) visit just in case, Roderick falls for Mary Gerard, the daughter of the local lodge-keeper.  This begins a chain of events culminating in Mary being poisoned, Elinor being arrested and local physician Dr Lord, who is attracted to Elinor, imploring Poirot for help.

Now for those who know the novels wondering why the film run skips over Hercule Poirot’s Christmas to get to Sad Cypress, it’s mainly because it’s one of the BBC radio dramas that didn’t use John Moffatt as Poirot, so it’s discounted because we’re basing these films on the novels that were adapted to radio plays using Moffatt.  It also helps reduce the number of stories that need to be covered by films before we hit World War 2 in the timeline.  Casting-wise, we’re going predominantly English here, but plenty of names are on the cast that American/international marques would respect, including Patrick Stewart, Jude Law, Lena Headey and Paul Bettany.

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (2010/1937)

Hercule Poirot = Brian Cox

Inspector Japp = John Hurt

Mr Henry Morley = Ben Miller

Miss Georgina Morley = Poppy Miller

Gladys Nevill = Rosamund Pike

Alistair Blunt = Simon Chandler

Mrs Julia Olivera = Christine Baranski

Miss Jane Olivera = Reese Witherspoon

Howard Raikes = Tobey Maguire

Mr Amberiotis = Stelios Mainas

Mr Reginald Barnes = Michael Palin

Mabelle Sainsbury Seale = Dawn French

Frank Carter = Dominic Cooper

Mr Reilly = Liam Cunningham

Alfred Biggs = Eddie Redmayne

Agnes Fletcher = Charlie Brooks

Helen Montressor = Moira Brooker

Mr Selby = Stephen Moyer

Mrs Merton = Pauline Quirke

George = Robert Lindsay

In this film, we get the final appearance of Inspector Japp and the second of two inter-war appearances for Poirot’s valet George (the first having been in Dumb Witness).  In this film, Poirot is called to aid Japp when Poirot’s dentist, Mr Morley, is found dead.  The initial cause appears to be suicide, but there’s no apparent motive and high-profile financier Alistair Blunt’s presence as a patient complicates matters.  Soon it seems as if the crime may be political, but Poirot is not fully convinced.  Now this film is mostly British actors and set in England, but owing to Blunt having married into an American family, we get a few American characters to add US acting weight to the film’s US and international box office.  Most notable in this small group are probably Tobey Maguire of Spider-Man fame and Reese Witherspoon.  However, fans of The Big Bang Theory, Cruel Intentions and a few other things will doubtless recognise Christine Baranski into the bargain.

Evil Under The Sun (2012/1938)

Hercule Poirot = Brian Cox

Colonel Weston = John Challis

Inspector Colgate = Neil Morrissey

Captain Kenneth Marshall = Ray Stevenson

Arlena Marshall/Stewart = Rachel Weisz

Linda Marshall = Georgie Henley

Patrick Redfern = Michael Fassbender

Christine Redfern = Keira Knightley

Rosamund Darnley = Minnie Driver

Emily Brewster = Geraldine Chaplin

Carrie Gardener = Michelle Pfeiffer

Odell Gardener = Kelsey Grammer

Horace Blatt = Dominic Keating

Rev. Stephen Lane = Stephen Merchant

Gladys = Michelle Ryan

Mrs Castle = Tamsin Greig

Sergeant Phillips = Andrew Garfield

Dr Neasden = Mark Rylance

Evil Under The Sun combines the elements of a classic Poirot holiday adventure with an English setting in a way that I hope Branagh’s film run might do at some point, though I doubt he’ll stick to the source material as much as I would.  Regardless, the premise of the story runs thus; while on holiday at the Jolly Roger, a hotel on an island off the coast of Devon, Poirot learns that two of the guests, famous actress Arlena Marshall (stage name Arlena Stewart) and her “admirer” Patrick Redfern, are having an affair.  Worse still, they appear to be doing so under the noses of Arlena’s husband and step-daughter and Patrick’s wife.  Poirot fears disaster, and is proven right when Arlena is found strangled in a deserted cove.

In this film, the cast is predominantly British, though we do get a little American inclusion due to a couple of American hotel guests, played by Kelsey Grammer and Michelle Pfieffer.  Much of the UK cast also has major international recognition here, especially among a multitude of sci-fi and fantasy fandoms, including the Fox X-Verse, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and by way of Dominic Keating, we also have a main cast member from Star Trek: Enterprise included.

Five Litte Pigs (2014/early 1939/1924)

Hercule Poirot = Brian Cox

Carla Lemarchant/Caroline Crale Jr. = Lily James

Amyas Crale = Tim Roth

Caroline Crale Sr. = Catherine Zeta-Jones

Sir Montague Depleach = Alan Rickman

Caleb Jonathan = Patrick Malahide

Phillip Blake = Martin Kemp

Meredith Blake = Gary Kemp

Elsa Greer = Emily Atack

Miss Cecilia Williams = Olivia Coleman

Angela Blake = Hayley Atwell

Young Angela = Charlotte Spencer

For the last film in this round, we’re not only looking at the last of our films set prior to World War 2, but we’re also dealing with something of a rarity for Poirot, namely the investigation of a cold case.  In Five Little Pigs, Poirot is approached by Carla Lemarchant, whose mother was tried and convicted of murdering her father, a famous painter who was having an affair with a younger woman he was painting a portrait of.  Carla has just been given a letter her mother wrote to her from prison shortly before her death claiming her innocence; the only claim of its kind, since by all records, Caroline Crale never made any other claims of innocence and appeared guilty.  Poirot gathers the accounts of five people who were present for the murder; two brothers, the father’s model, the governess and her pupil, Caroline’s then-teenage half-sister, and from these the truth begins to emerge.

Due to the cold case aspect, the film alternates between Poirot’s present-day investigation and the events at the time of the murder, with many characters from both eras being cast young and then aged up via make-up and/or special effects.  The sole exception to this is the character of Angela Blake, where the age dynamics involved require two actresses.  The cast is all-British this time round, and much like the cast I’ve put together for Evil Under The Sun, much of the cast has international recognition.  Obvious stand-outs in that respect include Alan Rickman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tim Roth, Hayley Atwell and Olivia Coleman. So, that’s most of the films in this Poirot fan-cast covered, with only six films set in/after World War 2 left to go, specifically Taken At The Flood, Mrs McGinty’s Dead, After The Funeral, Dead Man’s Folly, Hallowe’en Party and Elephants Can Remember.  However, these will be a little way off yet as next month will be Autism Awareness, and in May I plan to do the first half of my Miss Marple fan-cast.  Anyway, next time, ta-ta for now.

[rockergiirl]

i have like so many distinct eras of music in my life

like birth until about 8 years old it was my mum and dad listening to classics on gold fm here in melbourne so not a lot of music from the time but i got some through pure cultural osmosis

9 until like 14 was pop radio so i'm fairly familiar with the music from then

at 15 literally one day i was like "people have favourite bands, i should get a favourite band" so i started listening to uhm imagine dragons as well as some other stuff like hearing classic fall out boy again and panic at the disco songs i vaguely remember sometimes hearing, finally curating my music

like mid 2016 i discovered miracle of sound (because of dan bull) and i instantly fell in love with his music so was listening to him along with patd and fob while playing overwatch and dota 2, as well as discovering mastodon with their newly released album at the time emperor of sand through miracle of sound recommending them and listening to steambreather

christmas 2016 ninja sex party released the music video for their cover of wish you were here originally by pink floyd and it was one of the most beautiful things i'd heard, so much so it was the first song i learned on guitar (although my playing of it was really butchered) and i started listening to pink floyd. i'd of course heard of them before, but when i tried listening to dark side of the moon and the wall i always found them creepy. during one of the classes for my IT course i put on 'the wall' (we basically were just given work sheets to go through with the teachers just there to keep watch) and had these really vivid images of a movie playing in my head and couldn't get enough of it

2017 james rolfe/cinemassacre (yes i still watched avgn) released a video about judas priest and iron maiden, i'd heard of them vaguely but thought a video about them would be a good way to listen to them. judas priest i really appreciate and still listen to, but iron maiden i fell in love with instantly

2018 i learned of ghost hearing about their song rats from the channel 'riffs beards & gear' since i had been getting into guitar, and i immediately fell in love with ghost, as well as beartooth's album disease which i liked although i was like "this would probably speak to me more if i was depressed" (she doesn't know chat)

fast forward to 2019 and i'd heard of gojira in metal circles, now i listened to magma one night to help me sleep and it became like my album for remembering uni in person

christmas break 2019-2020 people were doing their decade recap things on twitter, one games journalist i knew from the podquisition podcast with james stephanie sterling and miracle of sound (gavin dunne) was laura kate dale, being a trans woman her recap was about her transition, and she mentioned one of her favourite musicians being laura jane grace, also a trans woman. i, the very cis man, checked out laura jane grace and the devouring mothers (because that was the band that came up searching 'laura jane grace') because i always wanted to listen to more women in rock and metal and loved the album bought to rot

jump cut to the first week back at uni, i've discovered against me! as laura jane grace's primary band and am listening to their album ocean waves, i'm heading home on the final day of the week and as i'm leaving the train station the song 'the ocean' comes on, with the second verse starting with "and if i could have chosen, i would have been born a woman" with me being like 'omg same'

cut a few months later i am trapped inside in the covid pandemic, i'm having gender difficulties, listening to moon tooth and against me pretty much every waking minute, in fact it was moon tooth's song 'musketeers' that funnily enough cracked my egg, with the chorus 'first he came for our sisters, then he came for our brothers' and me saying to myself 'i identify more with the sisters line than the brothers line' and then immediately realising that is not very cis man of me to think

after uni i was in a kinda weird sorta-job (i got paid at least) but my main memories of the time were me trying to get my hands on hormones, i distinctly remember leaving the headspace office putting on against me!'s album white crosses, disappointed headspace would not be able to prescribe me hrt

in my 'work music' era, albums and bands i will probably forever correlate with working at my first job, such as listening to unleash the archer's albums apex and abyss pretty much daily for like 6 months, slipknot, pierce the veil, and unto others

now in my 'desperately wanting to make my own music' era listening to my chemical romance and tool, wishing i had enough inspiration and creativity to make music i'm proud of

[toughgirlchallenges]

Jane Kanizay: Climbing Mt. Everest, Advocating for Consent, and Building Resilience in the Death Zone—A Mother’s Journey of Strength, Survival, and Purpose.

Jane Kanizay is an adventurer, educator, activist, speaker, artist and mother of four who on 14 May 2022 successfully climbed Mt. Everest with her 19-year-old daughter. Jane enjoys sharing the highs and lows of her Everest experience and the journey of resilience required to take on such an immense challenge as a survivor.

Jane climbed with the message of @teachusconsent to campaign for holistic consent education in school education curriculum and to advocate for the prevention of violence against women.

To have a message to take to the summit provided additional strength on the days Jane had reached her physical or emotional limits.

High altitude mountaineering is one of the deadliest sports in the world. Jane successfully summited mountains above 6000m plus an 8000m summit of Cho Oyu, Tibet, to prepare her for the extreme environment of Everest, considered to be in the ‘death zone’ above 8000m where oxygen content is only 34% compared with sea level.

Listening to Jane on the Tough Girl Podcast offers a rare insight into the mental and physical fortitude it takes to summit Everest, but also the deeper purpose behind her journey. 

Through her incredible story, Jane not only inspires adventurers but also advocates for change, sharing how carrying a message of consent and empowerment gave her the strength to push through her limits. 

Her story will resonate with anyone looking to overcome challenges, build resilience, and find purpose in their own lives.

  Don't miss out on the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, released every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of strong women.

 By supporting the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon, you can make a difference in increasing the representation of female role models in the media, particularly in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Your contribution helps empower and inspire others. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast to be a part of this important movement. 

Thank you for your invaluable support!

  Show notes

Who is Jane

Mother of four, living with one child

Mountain climbing with her eldest daughter, Gabby

Being motivated by Gabby's dream to climb

Completing several trips to the Himalayas

Reaching Everest's summit together on 14 May 2022

Becoming the second mother-daughter pair to summit Everest

Growing up in an athletic family

Having siblings achieving high levels in sports

Discussing her childhood experiences with athletics

Her belief in ordinary people achieving extraordinary things

The importance of family support in sports and life

Starting running marathons at 33 after having four children

Transitioning from marathon running to trekking and climbing in her late 40s

Remembering her 40s as an empowering period, winning races in her age group

When Gabby's interest in climbing started

The mother-daughter duo's plans evolved into larger climbing goals over time

Gabby reflecting on her experience, appreciating the timing of climbing at age 19

Climbing experience which fostered a unique friendship

They relate differently outside of typical family roles

Maintaining their bond while balancing parenting responsibilities

Initially planned to finance their climbs through a mortgage and potential scholarships

Selling their house and funding the majority of the trip

Adapting to unexpected financial changes

Gabby's focus on balancing her love for climbing while pursuing an income in the industry

Jane's reflections on the dynamics among her children regarding climbing adventures

How she has navigated potential feelings of jealousy among her children

Sharing her experience of climbing Everest with Gabby

The dynamic of being both mother and climbing partner

How they communicated effectively at base camp

Gabby often acted as a mentor, helping Jane to regain confidence during tough moments

A pivotal moment at Camp Four where she doubted her strength to continue

Getting encouraged by Gabby to persevere

Reflecting on precious time spent with her children

Prioritising family over personal ambitions

Societal concerns about young climbers tackling high peaks

Jane's internal struggles regarding the ethics of taking Gabby on such a dangerous expedition

Engaging with other young adventurers and parents

The meticulous preparation and strategy leading up to their summit attempt

The challenging conditions they encountered

The summit push filled with historical significance and personal reflections

Jane leading the ascent, following in the footsteps of climbing legends

A heartwarming moment for Jane spotting Gabby approaching the summit

The "Teach Us Consent" campaign

Jane's desire for her sons to be good allies and her daughters to be safe

The pyramid of abuse

Advocating for calling out disrespectful behaviour

Creating a safer environment for women

Experiencing vision problems while descending

Hallucinating due to altitude sickness

Dealing with laryngitis and media attention after her climb

Building a supportive network among women

Final words of wisdom

  Social Media

Website: janekanizay.com 

Instagram: @jane_kaniz 

  Check out this episode!

[socaprince]

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION WITH RADIO LEGEND JAI - SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

Saturday September 14th 2024

9pm - 12am on CHIN Radio 100.7fm

Caribbean Connection - Merchant Rack Me Rack Me - Rootsman Maxi Dub - Bally She Wants Me To Sing In She Party - Scrunter Tension - The Mighty Shadow Tell Me Why - Baron

Dancefloor - Baron

Wassy (Dr. Jay Plate) - Full Blown

Blind - Hey Choppi

Junction - Coutain x Tano Tack Back - Kes x Tano Calypso - V'ghn Walk And Wine - Invader

Get On Radical - The Mighty Duke This Party Is It - Tambu Miss Mary/Jane/Royal Jail/Benwood Dick/Sa Sa Yea - The Mighty Sparrow Fix It Up - Carl & Carol Jacobs Fix It Up <-> In The Center Transition (Marxman) In The Center (Dr. Jay Plate) - GBM Nutron x Farmer Nappy Old & Grey - Patrice Roberts

Long Live Soca - Voice Mr. Cape - Roy Cape & The Kaiso All Stars Mash Up (Riddim Master Edit) - Blaxx

Ego Jam - GBM Nutron

Kaiso - Viking Ding Dong Impossible - Problem Child x Patrice Roberts The Menu - Teddyson John  Fete Woman and Alcohol (F.W.A) - Terron Ah Love It Here - Ricardo Drue DNA (DJ Kevin Festival Edit) - Mical Teja

DNA (Dr. Jay Plate) - Mical Teja  Savannah Grass (Jester VIP Edit) - Kes The Band Trouble In The Morning - V'ghn Trinidad Sweet - Voice x V'ghn Welcome To Carnival - V'ghn Finally (Dr. Jay Plate) - V'ghn Heart of Carnival - V'ghn Feeling Nice - Adam O Brain Freeze - Leadpipe x Jus Jay Everytime - Nadia Batson Life After Fete - Kerwin Du Bois Formula - Kes Cyah Hear Yuh (Dr. Jay Plate) - Patrice Roberts Penthouse (Dr. Jay Plate) - Voice Engine Room (Dr. Jay Plate) - Olatunji Search Party (Dr. Jay Plate) Best Ride - Coopa Dan x Dj Spider Like It - Mr Blood x Dj Spider I Like That - GBM Nutron Love Handles - Shaquille GFG Bye Bye - Miguel Maestre BYE x2 - Saddis x Jus Jay Starta Pack - Tionne Hernandez Pampalam - Faith Callender Road Friends - Nessa Preppy x Skinny Fabulous Carnival Contract - Bunji Garlin Horn - Marlo Benn Fi Go Bequia - OG Park

Headways - Speilberg

Start D Party - Imran Nerdy

Rum Bucket (QT 2Hype Edit) - Preedy x King Bubba x Lavaman

Stagga Dance - Lil Natty x Thunda x Muddy

Carnival Jumbie - Problem Jumbie

Sound Check - Mad Skull x Wetty Beatz Up & Up - Teddyson John Anxiety - Patrice Roberts Soca Therapy (Platta x BRose Supreme Road Mix) - Lil Rick & King Bubba Miracle - Kes x Tano Someone Else (Radio Edit) - Littleboy x Quan x Trilla G Explore (Radio Edit) - V'ghn x Travis World Addicted - Jab King x Travis World Not From Here - Lavaman x Travis World Jab Jab Festival - Pumpa x Travis World Mas 473 - Soca ET

Baka Dance - Skull Dawg Start - Dat-C DQ x Skinny Fabulous

All House Is Road - Bunji Garlin Vikings Coming - Bunji Gariln Hard Fete (DJ SHY "Hands Up" Edit) - Bunji Garlin Entering GreenzLand - Bunji Garlin Good Oil - Tallpree

Bag Ah Sugar - Terra D Governor

All The Wine - Jab King

Wet Her Down - Slatta

In The Water - Suhrawh x Chow Minister

Something In De Water - Nailah Blackman

Wet It Up - Zeek Wet x 3 - Zeek x Shatta

Take Ah Bathe - Iwer George Showers - Skinny Fabulous Spirit - Erphaan Alves Last One Standing - Ricardo Drue x D.w.O Work It - Tian Winter Round and Rosie - Nailah Blackman Instruction Time - The Fatha x Klassik Frescobar x Wildfire Flat Bottom (Radio Edit) - DJ Taffy x Freddy Situationship (Radio Edit) - Nice Document We - Shal Marshall x Kerwin Du Bois Do What You Want - Skinny Fabulous x Asa Bantan x Mr Killa Energy - DJ Cheem x Tallpree Toot - Temptress

Carnival - Ghaza

Follow Dr. Jay @socaprince​ and @socatherapy

“Like” Dr. Jay on http://facebook.com/DrJayOnline

[mirandamckenni1]

Liked on YouTube: why america is addicted to cars || https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3yXSD2O95E || Start watching Know Brainers today: https://youtu.be/BvSG7NgM9HE Why does public transit in America suck? When most other economic powerhouse nations have consistent and broad-reaching public transit, the United States (and Canada) are lagging behind. In this video, Sabrina explores how America got addicted to cars and why they can't quit (even when people know that public transit is better). CHECK OUT RMTRANSIT https://youtu.be/U3qeYRI34C8 WATCH OUR VIDEO ABOUT WHEELS https://youtu.be/gBqV0OpTo0o SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://ift.tt/kpQNA4E SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER https://ift.tt/uMRWnYz SOCIAL MEDIA Sabrina Twitter: https://twitter.com/nerdyandquirky Instagram: https://ift.tt/TqIXA45 Melissa Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehlizfern Instagram: https://ift.tt/RlZsCbm Taha Twitter: https://twitter.com/khanstopme Instagram: https://ift.tt/ydQFzuI CREDITS Produced by Sabrina Cruz Video Editing by Joe Trickey Motion Design by Sabrina Cruz Sound Design by Joe Trickey Special Thanks to Reece Martin @RMTransit , Laine Johnson, Megan Rojek, Jade C, Melissa Fernandes, Taha Khan, Jarrett Walker MUSIC Epidemic Sound. Get started today using our affiliate link. https://ift.tt/YG4NAuK RECOMMENDATIONS Fighting Traffic by Peter D. Norton Human Transit by Jarrett Walker Better Buses Better Cities by Steven Higashide The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs TIMESTAMPS 00:00 do i love public transit or do i just suck at driving 00:34 thank you to the people who make this possible 01:11 maybe cars are a good thing 01:47 sike 01:50 the benefit of public transit 02:39 kachow (derogatory) 02:42 why america abandoned public transit 04:32 i dont usually wear shoes indoors, i just dont trust yall 04:45 mini metro rpg | how to make a transit system 07:30 top 10 anime battle: bus vs train 08:06 why public transit keeps failing 08:50 WHY AREN'T YALL USING THE TRAIN 09:43 i guess its time for a research montage 09:55 rEseArcH mOnTaGe 10:01 local woman who watched the good place, once 10:27 guess who can legally drive 10:42 explaining the experiment 11:25 vote by enGAGING WITH THE ALGORITHM 11:29 can we still call it an experiment if there is a prize 11:52 just some zoomers on the train 12:03 the experiment begins 12:42 elite rgb streaming gamer set up o7 12:48 the experiment rubric 13:00 we all got lost | criteria 1 - understanding 14:50 u dont think we'd ignore NYC for an america public transit video 15:00 why you keep getting lost on the subway 16:00 don't get run-over challenge (level America) | criteria 2 - comfort 16:30 remember that Sabrina got to her first stop at 4pm 16:40 lovers to enemies AU, melissa and parking 17:34 sabrina's joker origin story 18:04 the benefits of walking | criteria 3 - freedom 18:48 ottawa transit's toxic trait | criteria 4 - reliability 19:10 THE GREEN SCREEN IS BACK, BAYBEE 21:11 dropping public transit like a flakey friend from the gc 21:54 race to the finish line | criteria 5 - time use 23:22 remember sabrina got to her first stop AT 4PM 23:34 a two-dimensional tier list 23:53 why don't people take public transit 24:10 why people keep using cars 24:22 okay but pls use public transit when you can 25:15 u might even win a trophy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to the joke under the fold! Here's a silly little pun for ya: In an effort to improve public transit, a city implemented "green" fuel sources. It made all the buses run on thyme. Leave a comment with the word GREEN to let me know you were here ;-)

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Since people might not know these things about Jane Austen…

Jane Austen was born in 1775. Her family were gentry but never especially well off, 200-500 pounds per year when the typical family of their class earned 1000-5000. This only grew worse after her father died in 1805, after which Jane, her sister, and her mother were almost entirely supported by her brothers. They didn’t even have a permanent home again until 1809.

She actually started writing very early. The Juvenilia is a collection of stories she wrote as a child and carefully preserved in a set of bound notebooks. The earliest stories date to 1987, when she was about 11 or 12.

She wrote her first novel in 1790 at age 14, Love and Freindship, and the next year The History of England, which I actually have a copy of. Both of these were satires/parodies, written for her family, though by this age she was already thinking about becoming a professional writer.

At 18 she started writing Lady Susan, which more-or-less marks her transition to mature novels (or epistolary novellas in this case), though it’s still considered one of the Juvenilia. This one she finished in 1795, at age 20.

In the winter of 1795, she had a brief but apparently quite intense romance with a man named Tom Lefroy. She wrote about him in several letters to her sister, but marriage would have been impossible for financial reasons. Their romance lasted less than 2 months, and she never saw him again.

About the same time, she started a novel (Elinor and Marianne) that would eventually become Sense and Sensibility. It was closely followed by First Impressions (later Pride and Prejudice) and Susan (Northanger Abbey).

In 1797, her father attempted to have First Impressions published, but it was rejected and returned.

In 1802, Jane was briefly (VERY briefly) engaged to an old friend named Harris Bigg-Wither, who had the wealth and land to ensure her family lived comfortably indefinitely. She broke off the engagement the next day.

In 1803, she sold Susan for 10 pounds to a publisher who… never did anything with it. In 1809 she wrote demanding he publish it or return it, but he did not. Her brother helped her buy it back in 1816, also for 10 pounds.

Her four novels were all published anonymously between 1811 (S & S) and 1815 (Emma). She is identified on them as “A Lady” or as “The Author of Sense and Sensibility.”

Two more novels (Northanger Abbey and Persuasion) were published after her death in 1816. They included a biographic note/eulogy by her brother, who identified her by name.

The Clerkenwell Diamond Robbery was so hushed up I can’t even find a reference to it online. 😔 Or perhaps she was just so good, they still haven’t realized the diamonds are missing??

Anyway, I’m sure we can ALL get some interesting fanfic from this…

Jane Austen began her novel writing in 1795, which implies that she was already a writer and trying to be published before masterminding the Clerkenwell Diamond Robbery of 1810, and somehow Crowley was still not aware of this fact.

[nogitsunbaemoved]

I posted 7,084 times in 2022

That's 7,084 more posts than 2021!

326 posts created (5%)

6,758 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ickypuppi3

@every-dayiwakeup

@billiammayfield

@deedoop

@junkyardcamaro

I tagged 1,296 of my posts in 2022

#mungrove - 121 posts

#billy hargrove - 71 posts

#harringrove - 57 posts

#skz - 56 posts

#harringroveson - 55 posts

#hellcheer - 17 posts

#abuse tw - 14 posts

#actual sunshine of my life - 13 posts

#👀👀👀👀 - 13 posts

#yes - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#billy watched him go didn’t say anything else pulled the list out of his back pocket and saw the word sugar in susan’s messy handwriting.

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hopper took Billy in after Neil was arrested.

It was a nightmare, getting a call from El, who was trying so hard to be calm, and all Hopper could hear in the background was Max screaming, crying, telling someone to “please wake up, please!”

Walking into the Hargrove house to see El holding Max, them both huddled next to a crumpled body on the floor, bloody and barely breathing.

Hopper didn’t know Billy that well, but he knew what he was seeing. He crouched down and rolled Billy over, asked El what the hell happened, and when the only response he got was Max whispering “Neil,” he knew.

He called an ambulance, got Billy to the hospital, and promptly waited for Neil Hargrove to get back from wherever the fuck he went after almost beating his son to death.

That was three years ago. Billy had been 16, scared, angry, wild. After he was released from the hospital Hopper had offered, mostly because Jane had that look in her eyes that said she knew more than she said, and surprisingly the teen boy had said yes.

So he moved in, his trashy band posters in his new tiny bedroom, more ashtrays added to the ones Hopper already had, and now Hopper had to not only deal with El wanting sleepovers and new clothes and trips to the mall, but also Billy blaring his music and rolling home at 3 am.

It wasn’t an easy transition, but they made it work. Billy would flinch every time Hopper so much as moved in his direction, would scream and shout at him, would knock over shit just to get a reaction, but he never did.

Then, one day, kind of similar to when the first autumn wind blows in, things had seemed to have changed.

El and Max were best friends. Billy didn’t mind driving them places. He stopped flinching when Hopper looked at him. Started talking more. Started bringing his own friends over.

Hopper had to reinstate the 3-inch rule whenever Steve Harrington came into the picture.

Three years, and he became part of Hopper’s little family, which by then had grown to include Joyce and her boys, and also, since Billy had taken a shining to him, Steve, who didn’t have much for parents, either.

Three years, and then Billy was 19 and leaving, back to California, to the sun and waves that he always talked about. Steve was already in the car, waiting, and Billy stood in front of Hopper, leaning his weight from foot to foot.

“Thanks,” he had said, blushing and looking down at his feet. He didn’t hug, still, and that was fine, Hopper knew.

He didn’t know if he would ever hear from the boy again, hoped he would, but the bittersweet tears sprang to his eyes as he watched the Camaro zoom away, because Billy was gone.

Two weeks later, Hopper was making breakfast with Joyce for the kids, when the phone rang. He groaned, already thinking of the bullshit work had for him now, and picked it up.

“Hey, Dad… we made it.”

1,722 notes - Posted September 18, 2022

#4

Billy is dead. He’s dead and gone and Steve and Max are going insane, actually, because Steve will trip over a crack in the sidewalk and hear manic laughter, Max will be listening to music and hears what she thinks is “this is a terrible fucking song, shitbird” in her headphones over the song, Steve keeps waking up at night to the smell of cigarette smoke, Max keeps hearing an engine rev in the distance.

Finally one of them breaks and just screams “Billy you piece of shit, you’re dead!” and all the lightbulbs in the room smash, they hear the Camaro roaring in their ears, and someone is screaming so loudly the walls shake.

Billy isn’t quite dead and gone, yet.

1,989 notes - Posted August 20, 2022

#3

Billy gives Steve a mixtape and Steve thinks it’s going to be dirty metal songs about sex and drugs and driving too fast. He fondly rolls his eyes at Billy, who’s just smiling, wicked lips upturned and tongue sweeping his bottom lip.

“You trying to turn me on to your trashy music?”

Billy leans in, gives him a kiss, cotton candy sweet and melting on Steve’s tongue.

“See you tomorrow, Pretty Boy?”

“Of course, weirdo.”

Billy walks to his car, rolling out of the quarry and leaving dust in his wake. Steve scoffs and gets in the Beamer. Didn’t really look at tape in his hands before shoving it into the tape deck. Expects his speakers to explode with heavy metal.

Instead.

Instead he hears Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix. Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd.

Finally, he hears Going to California by Led Zeppelin, and he doesn’t realize he hasn’t driven home, hasn’t left the quarry, is sitting in his car and crying and realizing he’s so, achingly so, in love.

The tape pops out, and Steve finally looks at it, teary eyed, and lets out a laugh, because written on the front, there in Billy’s perfect handwriting, is a question Steve knew Billy wouldn’t ask him with words. So he asked him with music instead.

“California?”

2,231 notes - Posted August 10, 2022

#2

“Billy you can’t just punch Vecna in the face.”

“I’m gonna clock that motherfucker.”

“We have a plan!”

2,291 notes - Posted July 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Billy and Eddie after fucking Steve

2,456 notes - Posted July 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[pynkhues]

The Center & Circumference Fic Masterpost

Okay, SO! I did a survey, and it turned out a lot of you wanted a masterpost for C&C which I was pretty excited by! It’s given me the opportunity to really revisit the series as I’ve gone to slot the instalments into order, and actually do some important admin that I’ve been wanting to do anyway, like correct Ben’s name.

The masterpost of original characters in the ‘verse is still coming, but I figured I’d get this big gal up since we’re back in hiatus land and I’ve already had a flood of C&C prompts again, haha (plus still a ton I’m trying to get to from the last hiatus). 

For people who aren’t familiar with it, The Center & Circumference is a domestic Beth x Rio fic series. It’s a canon divergence from 2.11 and is basically about Beth and Rio learning how to blend a household, navigate crime while having a million (well, five) kids between them. It’s already close to 200k in total (which - - what???) but you can read it in handy, mostly self-contained instalments!

To make it easier, I’ve included relationships, the characters that feature, and the age of the kids during each part below. I’ve also bolded the central relationships + characters of each part, to hopefully make it easier to sift through if you’re looking for something in particular. I’ll also be updating this post as I update the series, so hopefully that’s a help too!

Also a quick note - I subscribe to the fanon that Demon + Mick are the same person, haha, so please take that into account. 

Anyway! It’s below the cut for your timelines. 

1. I Could Be Your Welcome (50k, explicit).

(Beth x Rio. Annie + Beth + Ruby. Beth + Kenny. Beth + Dean. Beth + Marcus. Rio + Kenny. Rio + Jane.

Beth Boland, Rio, Dean Boland, Annie Marks, Ruby Hill, Lisa [OC], Kenny Boland [11], Danny Boland [8], Emma Boland [7], Marcus [6], Jane Boland [6], Demon, Cal [OC], Stan Hill, Sara Hill, Ben Marks [14]

Beth and Rio buy a house together. Shenanigans and hopelessness ensue.

2. See You in the Light (ongoing, explicit).

(Beth x Rio. Rio + Carmen [OC]. Rio + Aida [OC]. Rio + Laura [OC]. Rio + Annie.

Rio, Carmen [OC], Aida [OC], Matt [OC], Rio’s mother [OC], Raf [10] [OC], David [7] [OC], Annie Marks, Beth Boland, Gretchen Zorada, Laura).

Direct continuation on from I Could Be Your Welcome. Beth and Rio pick a school, Beth meets the family, the kids settle into the new house, and they throw a housewarming (it’s a disaster).

3. Cold Out There (but it’s warm in bed) (1k, teen+)

(Beth x Rio.

Beth Boland, Rio)

Beth and Rio neck in bed. That’s it. That’s the plot.

4. Here’s to You (3k, teen+)

(Beth x Rio.

Beth Boland, Rio, Asmita and Lauren (PTA moms from 2.10 and 2.13), Annie Marks, Jane Boland [6], Marcus [6])

After Beth’s kids finish up the school year at their old elementary, ready to transition to Glenvale, Beth’s old PTA group throws her a leaving party.

5. Tiny Dancer (1k, general)

(Rio + Emma. Jane + Marcus. Beth x Rio.

Rio, Emma Boland [7], Kenny Boland [12], Jane Boland [6], Marcus [6])

Jane and Marcus break one of Emma’s favourite things, and Rio can’t fix it, but maybe he fixes something else in the process.

6. Darkness on the Edge of Town (5k, teen+)

(Beth x Rio. Rio + Danny. Rio + Danny + Kenny + Marcus. Beth + Emma + Jane. Beth + Annie.

Beth Boland, Kenny Boland [12], Danny Boland [8], Rio, Annie Marks, Ben Marks [15], Marcus [6], Jane Boland [6], Emma Boland [7], Cal [OC]. Mentions of Carmen [OC], Aida [OC] and Demon.)

Beth’s plagued with memories when they get locked in the house during a blackout.

7. Two Hands (6k, teen+)

(Rio + Jane. Rio + Demon. Beth x Rio.

Rio, Demon / Mick, Vinny [OC], Marta [OC], Diego [OC], Beth Boland, Marcus [6], Jane Boland [6]. Mentions of Carmen [OC] and Aida [OC].)

After handling a rotten egg, Rio gets home exhausted to a Jane who won’t go to sleep.

8. Imagine Me and You (6k, explicit)

(Beth x Rio. Ruby x Stan. Beth + Stan. Annie + Beth + Ruby.

Beth Boland, Rio, Stan Hill, Ruby Hill, Sara Hill [15], Harry Hill [6], Jane Boland [6], Marcus [7], Kenny Boland [12], Annie Marks)

Beth tries to take Rio on a date.

9. Give You All I’ve Got to Give (8k, teen+)

(Beth x Rio. Rio + Marcus. Jane + Marcus. Rio + Emma. Beth + Danny.

Beth Boland, Emma Boland [8], Jane Boland [6], Rio, Marcus [6], Danny Boland [8], Kenny Boland [12], mentions of: Sara Hill [14], Harry Hill [7] and Ben Marks [15], mentions of Carmen, Raf and David)

Beth and Rio have different ideas on how to shop for the start of the new school year.

10.  Heartwood (3k, teen+)

(Beth + Jane. Jane + Marcus. Beth x Rio. Rio + Jane. Rio + Marcus. Beth + Marcus.

Beth Boland, Jane Boland [6], Marcus [7], Rio, Mr. Nichols [OC]. Mentions of Annie and Ben Marks [14], Danny [8] and Emma Boland [7]).

Jane and Marcus work on their family trees and try to work out what their mom and dad are to the other.

11. Graveyard Smash (4k, explicit)

(Beth x Rio. Beth + Annie.

Beth Boland, Annie Marks, Rio, Ben Marks [15], Kenny Boland [12], Danny Boland [8], Emma Boland [7], Marcus [6], Jane Boland [6])

Beth makes Halloween costumes, Annie takes the kids trick or treating, and Beth and Rio get…interrupted.

12. Break this Spell (2k, teen+)

(Beth x Rio

Beth Boland, Rio, mentions of Dean Boland, Laura and Marcus, Ruby Hill and Annie Marks)

Beth and Rio try to light a fire. Brief talk of work, but otherwise shameless fluff.

13.  Friar’s Lantern (13k, explicit)

(Beth x Rio. Beth + Laura. Beth + Marcus. Beth + Annie. Annie + Marcus.

Beth Boland, Nora [OC], Gwen [OC], Rio, Marcus [7], Laura [OC], Annie Marks, mentions of Aida [OC], Carmen [OC], Rio’s mother [OC], Cygnus [OC])

Rio asks Beth to take Marcus unexpectedly, right before he disappears. Beth takes care of Marcus, while grappling with her relationship with Rio in the process.

14. Some Assembly Required (1k, general)

(Beth x Rio.

Beth Boland, Rio, mentions of Dean, Kenny [12] and Danny Boland [8])

Beth and Rio try to make Danny a desk.

15. Louder Now, Help Me Out (3k, teen+)

(Annie + Beth + Ruby. Beth x Rio. Beth + the kids. Rio + the kids.

Beth Boland, Annie Marks, Ruby Hill, Marcus, Jane Boland, Emma Boland, Rio)

Marcus, Jane and Emma have an important question for Beth. Chaos ensues.

16.  Keep My Glass Full (7k, explicit)

(Beth x Rio. Beth + Gretchen. Rio + Gretchen.

Beth Boland, Rio, Gretchen Zorada, Caroline [OC])

Gretchen and her wife host a fancy party at the house Rio’s legal fees bought them, and Beth and Rio take the opportunity to dress up and mess around

17. Call Me Maybe (1k, teen+)

(Beth x Rio. Jane + Marcus.

Beth Boland, Rio, Mr. Nichols [OC], Jane Boland [6], Marcus [7])  

Jane and Marcus’ teacher may or may not have a crush.

18.  Fever Dreams (1k, general)

(Beth + Annie. Beth x Rio. Rio + the kids

Beth Boland, Annie Marks, Rio, Danny Boland [9], Emma Boland [8], Marcus [7], Jane Boland [7]. Mentions of: Dean + Kenny Boland [13].)

Dean ruins everyone’s day, Rio tries to salvage it, only to get everyone sick in the process.

19.  Sugar (3k, general)

(Beth x Rio.

Rio, Beth Boland, PTA mom’s, Mr. Hollander [OC]. Mentions of Carmen)

Beth has an altercation with another mother at the school.

20.  Petite ouverture (4k, general)

(Rio + Emma. Beth x Rio.

Rio, Beth Boland, Emma Boland [8], Jane Boland [7], Marcus [7], Danny Boland [9], Kenny Boland [13]. Mentions of Rio’s family)

Everything goes pear-shaped at Emma and Jane’s ballet recital.

21.  Animalia (23k, teen+)

(Rio + Danny. Beth x Rio. Rio + Carmen [OC].

Rio, Beth Boland, Danny Boland [9/10], Kenny Boland [13], Emma Boland [8], Marcus [7], Jane Boland [7], Carmen [OC], Demon / Mick, Kane [OC]. Mentions of Aida [OC], Cygnus [OC])

Danny breaks his arm and Rio fucks up in more ways than one.

22.  Afterglow (1k, explicit)

(Beth x Rio. 

Beth Boland, Rio.)

A job goes well, and Beth and Rio are very, very hungover.

23.  Party Popper (14k)

(Beth x Rio. Beth + Kenny. Beth + Annie. Beth + Dean. Ruby x Stan. Annie + Nancy.

Beth Boland, Rio, Ruby Hill, Stan Hill, Annie Marks, Nancy, Carmen [OC], Aida [OC], Ben Marks [17], Sara Hill [17], Kenny Boland [15], Raf [14] [OC], Danny [12], David [11] [OC], Emma Boland [11], Marcus [10] Harry Hill [10], Jane [9], Dakota [4]

Kenny’s fifteenth birthday party brings out everyone’s best and worst selves

24. Stick to the Rivers (4k, explicit)

(Beth + Kenny. Beth x Rio. Beth + Dean. Rio + the kids. 

Beth Boland, Kenny Boland [15], Rio. Mentions of: Annie Marks, Ruby Hill, Dean Boland, Ben Marks, Danny Boland [12], Emma Boland [11], Jane Boland [9]).

Dean messes up with the kids, Beth and Kenny have a conversation, and Beth and Rio take a bath.

25. Stupid Cupid (23k, explicit)

(Beth x Rio. Beth + Emma. Rio + Emma. Beth + Annie.

Beth Boland, Rio, Emma Boland [11], Annie Marks, Kenny Boland [15], Danny Boland [12], Marcus [10], Jane Boland [10]). 

It’s Valentine’s day! Emma has a crush, Beth and Rio chaperone a dance, make a bet, and experiment with role play. 

(Forever thank yous to @foxmagpie​ for the banners!)

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, April 19

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover

Page 2: Michael Douglas' short-term memory loss and frail frame have wife Catherine Zeta-Jones fearing for her older husband's well-being -- Michael once declared he'd beaten oral cancer, but harsh chemotherapy and radiation treatments have left him a shell of his former self and he has even admitted to suffering memory problems -- he was also affected by the 2020 death of his father Kirk Douglas and he hasn't been the same since his dad died -- this is a guy who cheated death with a horrific cancer ordeal, and he's had other medical issues over the years and some serious domestic dramas that have taken their toll -- Catherine always knew that their age difference would mean her taking care of him one day but she didn't expect it to be so soon

Page 3: Reese Witherspoon has ditched her wedding ring during recent outings, sparking rumors her marriage to Jim Toth is on the ropes but she feels their relationship isn't down for the count and refuses to give up the fight to keep their family together but they may not make it -- the desire to make things work is still there on both sides and they've been able to pull it all together all these years, even with personalities as different as theirs mainly for the sake of their family and they got on each other's nerves while cooped up together during the pandemic, but they don't bicker in public and that's one thing they have going for them

Page 4: Ryan Seacrest creeped out his pals when he gushed over Maria Menounos when she sat in for Kelly Ripa on Live recently -- Ryan thinks Maria is the smartest, most talented and beautiful woman to walk the planet and he can't help but swoon over her but Ryan understands Maria is happily married to TV writer and producer Keven Underago and he'd never cross the line and he doesn't want to date Maria, but he makes no secret he'd be dancing on air to have someone like her, which is kind of creepy, but he can't help it -- Ryan would never make moves on someone else's girl, but he does try to imitate her husband Keven's qualities like how funny and creative and sensible he is and Ryan adores Kelly and thinks she's great but he wouldn't mind if she takes more time off just so he can gaze at Maria

* Miley Cyrus' recent boozy night out with party pals, including British punk rocker Yungblud, has loved ones fearing she's slipping back into dangerous territory -- she was spotted at Hollywood's famous Rainbow Bar & Grill, drinking shots and beer chasers, just months after she admitted to her struggles with addiction and after fellow addiction-challenged singer Demi Lovato announced she was California sober, claiming she was safely able to drink in moderation, Miley didn't see any reason why she couldn't do the same -- her family and sober friends are deeply concerned for Miley's well-being and are begging her to stop drinking now

Page 5: Newly robust Celine Dion has her health back on track following a dangerous few years where she looked like a walking skeleton -- she has beefed up her wraith-like frame by making healthier choices during lockdown -- she went through a rough time of transition after husband Rene Angelil's death and lost a lot of weight, but lockdown has given her a chance to rest and focus on taking care of herself and now she looks 15 to 20 pounds heavier and seems in good spirits and is looking forward to rebooting her Courage World Tour when the pandemic ends

Page 6: Fitness fanatic Tim McGraw is a changed man since he kicked the bottle in 2008, but he's now hooked on working out and sculpting the perfect bod and he's publicly admitted exercise is what gets him flying high but his quest to get ripped to the max is now a 24/7 obsession and he spends hours in the gym and he's already flexing a muscular body most men would die for, but he doesn't want to stop until he's an Adonis and he works out twice or three times a day and packs his diet with energy-boosting smoothies and veggie juices and some might say he's going overboard with the workouts, but Tim craves those feel-good endorphins and he considers his workouts to be fun -- he loves the way he looks and thinks he can do better and he does spend a lot of time in front of the mirror admiring himself and tends to wear tight T-shirts that show off his pecs and six-pack abs, and wife Faith Hill loves the results -- a lot of people say he's traded one addiction for another

Page 7: Nearly six years after their bitter divorce, Miranda Lambert has finally extended an olive branch to ex-husband Blake Shelton, but she's still pretty envious over his professional success with fiancee Gwen Stefani -- last year, Blake and Gwen took home the collaborative video prize at the Country Music Television Awards for their duet Nobody but You, and also scored a Top Ten hit with their single Happy Anywhere and it makes Miranda jealous to see Blake making hay on the charts with Gwen but their success also made Miranda recall Over You, her hit collaboration with Blake, which won Song of the Year at the 2012 Country Music Association Awards and during a recent interview, Miranda affectionately blew kisses toward the camera as she recounted how her ballad with Blake was inspired by his grief over the loss of his older brother; still, Miranda also harbors a competitive streak and said she's angling to transform herself and husband Brendan McLoughlin into entertainment movers and shakers just like Blake and Gwen -- Miranda plans to enroll Brendan in acting school and Miranda wants them to act together and they are looking for scripts to make a television movie and even planning to launch a production company in Nashville and Miranda recognizes the musical chemistry Blake and Gwen share, and she believes she and Brendan can match that success on-screen -- meanwhile, as Blake and Gwen prepare to wed, Miranda is finally in a place where she can wish them well and Miranda carried a lot of animosity toward Blake and Gwen, especially since she suspected they started something before she and Blake split up, but she's very happy with Brendan so maybe all that pain she and Blake went through in ending their marriage was for the best

* Reba McEntire is reaching out to save her friend and former daughter-in-law Kelly Clarkson from suffering through a divorce that eerily mirrors Reba's own breakup -- Kelly split from husband and manager Brandon Blackstock in June 2020, and the divorce battle has them fighting over custody of their two kids as well as Brandon suing her for $1.4 million in unpaid commissions, but Reba has seen this before: Brandon's dad, Narvel Blackstock, dumped her in 2015 after 26 years of marriage, and despite initially agreeing to continue as her manager, dumped her as a client weeks later and Reba knows all too well how petty and conniving Narvel and Brandon can be, and her heart goes out to Kelly -- Kelly admits to Reba there are times when she just wants to run away and hide and Reba tells her to run away to me and it means the world to Kelly to have Reba in her corner -- Narvel and son Brandon head Starstruck Entertainment and are adamant that Kelly owes them big bucks for helping her land both her talk show and a coaching spot on The Voice, but with Reba's help, Kelly is fighting back and Reba learned the hard way the pitfalls of mixing business with family life and she's trying to help Kelly because she hates to see another woman suffer at the hands of a Blackstock

Page 8: Sicko Jeffrey Epstein has been accused of a horrific new litany of abuse by a woman who claims he forced her into unwanted genital surgery, raped her in front of her child and threatened to feed her to alligators -- the woman, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, is suing the late pervert's estate, claiming he and his alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell, groomed her for their sordid pleasure -- in the suit, she claims Epstein drove her to pick up her 8-year-old son and took them to a lake, where he threatened to feed her to alligators, as had happened to other girls in the past, if she dared to squeal on him -- at the time, the woman said she was 26, but she looked much younger and Epstein told her to say she was 17 and he also arranged for a man with a Russian accent to perform an unnecessary vaginal surgery to pass her off as a virgin to a client and this violent and illegal procedure was botched, leaving her mutilated, in pain, disabled, and permanently sexually dysfunctional

Page 9: Ghislaine Maxwell has been slapped with yet another sex trafficking charge and it's got her former pal Prince Andrew sweating bullets -- the new indictment details how Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam reportedly groomed a 14-year-old for him, but crucially for Andrew, it expands the time frame of Ghislaine's alleged crimes from 1994 to 2004, a span that includes her meeting the British royal in 1999 and then introducing him to Epstein and that time frame also includes the period in which "sex slave" Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she slept with Andrew three times, charges he's denied -- the new charge also opens the floodgates on other celebrities, politicians and high-profile figures who were in Epstein's orbit at the time and the new indictment widens the pool for Ghislaine and her defense attorneys because who wouldn't want to bring down all of these fat cats and who wouldn't be that desperate?

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Rumer Willis got to the root of her gardening needs in L.A., Michael B. Jordan and Chante Adams got cozy as they shared a snack while shooting Journal for Jordan in NYC's Central Park, Heidi Klum in L.A., Mario Lopez tossed the ceremonial first dice roll at the opening of the Mohegan Sun Casino in Las Vegas, Christopher Meloni shot his onscreen spouse's funeral scene for Law & Order: Organized Crime

Page 11: Tony Bennett has a secret weapon in his fight against Alzheimer's disease: his close pal and collaborator Lady Gaga -- Susan Crow Benedetto, 54, the wife of the 94-year-old singing legend, has enlisted Gaga to help keep Tony's faculties sharp as he struggles with advancing dementia because Gaga's telephone calls have always helped cheer Tony up and keep him focused and they laugh together, reminisce and sometimes sing and it always puts a smile on Tony's face and it's great therapy -- when asked whether Tony still recognizes the pop star, Susan joked that Gaga is hard to forget -- Gaga has also played a critical role in keeping the aging crooner active and creative by working with him and they plan to release their second album of duets this spring as a follow-up to their 2014 smash hit Cheek to Cheek

* Worried friends feared ailing rock god Ozzy Osbourne is coming unstrung while wife Sharon Osbourne's career goes into a death spiral -- Ozzy has been plagued by crippling illnesses over the years, including Parkinson's disease, and has to walk with the aid of a cane and now he's at wit's end and pushing himself into a danger zone as his wife fights tooth and nail after leaving The Talk amid a racism scandal and Ozzy's been under a great deal of distress over Sharon's problems over at The Talk and he worries and fusses over her and can't focus on anything else and it's left many in his circle very concerned for his health which is fragile enough already -- the bashing Sharon received during the scandal has the aging rocker concerned she may never work again and he'll have to be the breadwinner

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- five years after Angelina Jolie filed for divorce, she's still battling Brad Pitt over custody of their five youngest kids, now she's filed new court documents claiming she has proof of domestic violence against Brad and accusations like these would kill anyone else's career, but not in this case: Hollywood is 100 percent behind Brad and the sense in the industry is Angelina has weaponized the kids against Brad but Brad is very well respected in Hollywood, and most people find these new allegations hard to believe and if anything, Angie is only hurting the children and herself

* Real Housewives stars featured in the upcoming spinoff are cashing in and Bravo will pay Luann de Lesseps, Teresa Giudice and the others a sweet $200,000 for one week's work in Turks and Caicos and that's more than double what the ladies usually get for filming, plus they get a free trip to a tropical island

* American Idol could be on the chopping block because in just seven weeks the show has lost 2 million viewers and it's simple math: Idol cannot survive with its current budget and ABC has two options which are cancel the show or cut costs, which would mean hiring cheaper judges and a cheaper host to replace Ryan Seacrest and both options are being explored

* Britney Spears' beau, personal trainer Sam Asghari, shows off his toned abs in L.A. (picture)

Page 13: Palace insiders fear Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's vendetta against the British monarchy will take a shocking new turn: they'll bankroll a lurid movie about Princess Diana's death and the conspiracy theories that suggest the royal family was involved -- the rights to the movie script are owned by Hollywood producer Ben Browning, who was just hired by Harry and Meghan to run their film company Archewell Productions -- the controversial movie centers on Princess Diana's lover Dodi Fayed's father, former Harrods' boss Mohamed Al-Fayed, investigating his son's death and his belief that Dodi and Diana were murdered because she was pregnant and planning to marry, and The Firm did not want a Muslim in the royal family

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Alabama Shakes drummer Steve Johnson has been busted on charges of willful torture and abuse of a child and was also charged with cruelly beating or otherwise maltreating a child under the age of 18 -- his arrest came just a year after he was slapped with a one-year suspended sentence and two years' probation after pleading guilty to menacing his ex-wife Whitney Lee, who called him mentally unstable -- Johnson helped the Shakes score three Grammys in 2016 for their album Sound & Color but the band has been on hiatus since singer Brittany Howard started a solo career in 2018 and Steve was lost after that; he went from playing in front of 50,000 people to playing in bars again -- even if the Shakes reunite, it's highly unlikely Steve would be invited back -- Steve remains in county jail awaiting his court date and his attorneys said Mr. Johnson maintains his innocence

* Danny Masterson and his lawyers believe they are victims of anti-Scientology bias and cannot get a fair trial in his Los Angeles rape case -- celebrity attorney Tom Mesereau, who successfully defended Michael Jackson against child molestation charges two decades ago, claimed his client has been treated unfairly because of his ties to the church, and that the police or district attorney's office leaked damaging details of the case -- Danny and his lawyers feel persecuted and that everybody in Hollywood who isn't a Scientologist is after them -- LAPD Robbery and Homicide Division Capt. Jonathan Tippet said his organization is keeping a tight lid on all information surrounding the case to ensure Masterson gets a fair trial

Page 16: Mormon church officials are being accused of corporate greed for using members' charitable donations to secretly create a $100 billion tax-free fund -- James Huntsman, the son of a prominent Mormon family, is suing the church for fraud, claiming donations solicited to finance charity work were actually used to fill church coffers -- the church boasts at least 15 million members worldwide, including celebrities like Gladys Knight, Donny and Marie Osmond, Katherine Heigl, Julianne Hough, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams and Aaron Eckhart and many could have tithed money that ended up in the tax-free fund

Page 17: Jen Shah of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was recently fingered by the feds as the bogus businesswoman behind a multi-state fraud scheme dating back to 2012 -- the Bravo blowhard, known for her extravagant parties, designer outfits and extensive entourage, and her first assistant Stuart Smith were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering -- the U.S. Justice Department alleged the Park City resident and Smith of Lehi generated and sold lead lists of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam, and claimed the greedy creeps defrauded hundreds of victims -- the terrible twosome targeted older adults and computer illiterate folks by using both telemarketing and in-person sales teams to peddle nonexistent online services and then fight the refund efforts of wronged consumers -- if convicted, Shah and Smith each face up to 50 years behind bars

Page 18: American Life

Page 20: L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva triggered a cover-up scandal when he revealed his investigators determined why Tiger Woods drove off a California cliff, then refused to explain what happened, citing the golf legend's privacy -- Villanueva said the black box in the Genesis SUV that Tiger was driving when he flew off a suburban L.A. highway in the early morning helped determine the cause

* Hollywood Hookups -- Bethenny Frankel and Paul Bernon engaged, Melissa and Joe Gorga appear to have reached the finale of their marriage, Fernanda Flores and professional boxes Noel Mikaelian dating

Page 21: Britney Spears said she broke into tears after seeing bits of the new documentary about how she has been in the grips of a conservatorship for years, saying she was embarrassed by the light they put her in and she cried for two weeks and still cries sometimes

* Generous Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke put a happy face on job seekers in Malibu when he handed out fistfuls of cash -- Dick was spotted withdrawing bills from a bank before driving to the Malibu Community Labor Exchange, a nonprofit that helps unemployed locals find day jobs and he stayed in his car as he handed out money to masked folks who were lined up to look for work

Page 22: The late Aretha Franklin left behind a royal mess of paperwork, including a newly discovered fourth will that has thrown her $80 million estate into fresh turmoil -- the eight-page document, titled The Will of Aretha Franklin, was apparently drawn up not long before her death in 2018, and was recently found among the files of the singer's onetime attorney Henry Grix along with the paperwork describing the terms of a trust but both items are stamped draft and neither has Aretha's signature but Michigan law changed seven years ago, and it made the admissibility of a document like this more flexible -- currently there's a bitter beef among Aretha's four adult sons over how their mother's assets should be divided

Page 23: The battle over Prince's $300 million fortune rages on, and the late pop star's siblings, and legal heirs, fear there won't be anything left after lawyers, accountants, administrators and the IRS take their cut -- five years after he died from a fatal fentanyl overdose without leaving a will, an avalanche of deals and court hearings have left his massive cash stash in limbo -- sadly Prince's distrust of lawyers and other professionals now means that millions will be spent paying those same people to try to sort out the mess he left behind and this could go on for a decade

Page 26: Weird Body Language -- stars cope with bizarre deformities -- Denzel Washington, Steven Tyler, Ashton Kutcher, Matthew Perry

Page 27: Lily Allen, Mark Wahlberg, Karolina Kurkova, Scar Service -- Tina Fey, Padma Lakshmi, Joaquin Phoenix

Page 32: Health Watch

* Ask the Vet -- Watch out for xylitol

Page 34: Just months after John Travolta's beloved wife, Kelly Preston, passed, the actor has been shattered by another death in the family -- his nephew Sam Travolta's badly decomposed body was found in his Wisconsin apartment last September, weeks after he died from a suspected heart attack -- John has suffered through so much loss and Sam's death was another huge blow but he's strong and has a deep faith in Scientology and the church brings him solace and comfort

Page 36: Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran has stepped up to get a tenant in one of her buildings back on his feet -- Barbara and building co-owner Alex Rodriguez came under fire after Ryo Nagaoka's possessions were reportedly tossed while he was hospitalized with COVID-19 and when Ryo got home he found only his piano and pet tortoise in his cleaned-out crib -- emptying Ryo's apartment was necessary because it had become a health hazard and had a biocleaning crew scrub it -- Barbara donated $12,000 to a GoFundMe page for him, while A-Rod has seemingly not yet contributed anything and Barbara also said the building's management company has renovated Ryo's apartment

Page 38: Beloved game show host Peter Marshall made a miraculous recovery from COVID-19 to celebrate with friends at his 95th birthday party -- Peter was in and out of the hospital for ten weeks and he was at death's door and doctors didn't give him much of a chance but Peter beat the odds to enjoy a Zoom party attended online by Leslie Uggams, Loni Anderson, Sandy Duncan, Ruta Lee, Karen Valentine, Rich Little, JoAnne Worley, Jack Jones and more

* Accused sex freak Armie Hammer's career is in the crapper and he's beginning to believe that's where it will stay -- the kink king was fired from the thriller Billion Dollar Spy amid sexual assault allegations and the release of social media messages claiming he has dark fetishes including cannibalism -- Armie has already gotten to boot from the movie Shotgun Wedding and the series The Offer, and more trouble may be on the horizon: Armie was accused of sexual assault by a woman called Effie, who alleged the actor violently raped her and Armie's attorneys issued a statement denying the claims, saying Effie's own correspondence with Mr. Hammer undermines and refutes her outrageous allegations -- Armie has been keeping a low profile at a Caribbean resort, but fears his entire career is in trouble

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Carrie Underwood

[iatheia]

EDA reviews part 2 - books 10-18

Previous part here

10) Legacy of the Daleks - A very enjoyable read, even though it doesn’t mesh well with Big Finish continuity. I have a few headcanons on how to rectify that, though... The meeting between the Eight and Delgado’s Master left me grinning ear to ear, the way Eight was posturing, wholly aware of the way the Master ticks. I’m not sure I liked Susan quite as much, though - nor was she that fundamental to the story, spending most of the time off screen, but being somewhat unlikeable when she was there. Her final confrontation with the Master was a bit much... Similarly, it was hard to accept Master not recognizing her. That said, the rest of it was a fun romp, and Eight’s thoughts towards the end were particularly poignant, 9/10

11) Dreamstone Moon - Starting right off the bat with an author self insert, and have him being both the source of the conflict and the one to ultimately save the day, kind of - it’s a bold choice.... It’s been said before, but Doctor’s companions really should unionize huh? Eight’s in particular. It really is quite striking that the situation with Sam is pretty much the exact same one as it will be with Charlie - thinking that the Doctor is dead, abandoned, alone, without any network of support. And I’m finally about to have context for that post, so, cheers, I guess. That said, Sam and the Doctor are very much representative of the “quit telling everyone I’m dead - sometimes I can still hear his voice” meme. I’ve lost count how many times Sam decided that the Doctor’s dead within five minutes of seeing him very much alive. (Ok, no, I jest, but it’s a good book, throughly enjoyable from the beginning to end, 10/10)

12) Seeing I - I, uh, really struggle to follow Sam’s logic in the beginning here. I don’t really understand how she ended up in the place she did, after the last novel. Because, she wasn’t alone, she wasn’t abandoned, she was in a company of people, who, uh, cared about her might be putting it a bit too strongly, but who at least could vouch for her. So this disconnect is a bit odd. And, as good as this novel is, as good as the character work in here is, I have a slight disconnect with the rest of it, too. There is too big of a gulf with where the story begun and where it ended - there are too many things going on, too many plots introduced and then unceremoniously dropped. It’s like... Revolution of the Daleks inside of Kerblam, with Nightmare in Silver thrown in with half a dozen other themes from other episodes. When you have the doctor in the machine and the psychologist guy go from primary antagonists to the supporting cast we’re supposed to root for, there is something mildly dissatisfying about it, thematically speaking. Overall, the story in its entirety is less than a sum of its parts. Breaking it into pieces, though, there is a lot of exciting stuff there. 9/10

13) Placebo Effect - Controversial opinion time - I don’t care for Ark in Space. I think it’s a pretty forgettable episode. So any time I encounter any reference to the wirrrn, my reaction is “wait, who?”. And even though I like Leisure Hive well enough, I dare you to find anyone who has been clamoring for the return of Foamasi. This rather made me immediately apprehensive, straight from the preface. In general, there was too much continuity. Stacy & Ssard, really? How deep do you need to be to appreciate their appearance? They are so utterly unnecessary, too, they disappear less than a quarter of the way into the novel, they aren’t even there for set up, they are there for a set up of a set up. If you are actually a person who knew who they were, and wanted to see more of them, I can’t imagine this being all that satisfying. It’s a rather abrupt transition from the previous ark. I dare even say, aggressive, to the degree you have Sam going from “she is afraid to be even in the same room with him, lest she kills him with her soaked through panties” to “she is absolutely delighted when he imparts onto her his grandfatherly wisdom”. Then again, any time either Eight or Sam opened their mouth, I didn’t see Eight or Sam. I saw Four and Sarah Jane. It’s not well written, either. It’s very clunky. The dialogues in particular are obnoxious. Stacy’s and Sam’s conversation, and later on dogmatic discussion between Sam and the priests gave me full on psychic damage. I mostly skimmed beyond that, can’t say there was much to catch the eye. 2/10

14) Vanderdeken's Children - This book is aiming to be a masterpiece, but it’ll just have to settle for being good enough. It does have some interesting twists and turns in here, even though most of them are pretty predictable and expected from the set up. The last couple of chapters, the ending overall, are quite decent (even though all the ebook versions I was able to find cut off the last couple of pages, argh!), but the middle is very middling, with mostly uninspiring secondary characters that are ever so slowly being positioned on the chess board. 7/10

15) The Scarlet Empress - Where to begin... It’s a series of mostly unrelated short stories in a trench coat pretending to be a novel. It’s set up in a middle of a road trip, unrelated not just to each other, but also the measly bit of plot that was given to us? I found it’s quite difficult to engage with the story overall, or follow it, really. It tries to be more character driven than plot driven, which is an admirable aim, and some of the character stuff they have in here is nice, except... Outside of may be bits of chapter 1, I couldn’t really hear Doctor’s voice - any version of him, let alone Eight. Sam fares a bit better, but, at the end of the day... It doesn’t really feel like Doctor Who story. The pacing is completely off, as is the structure, and it was quite nonsensical and whimsical, more akin to Alice in Wonderland than Doctor Who. Not bad in and of itself, just, hard for me to appreciate as a part of this marathon. A note on Iris. I haven’t yet listened to her stand-alone adventures, but I generally enjoy whenever she shows up in Big Finish. Here, though, she was rather lacking Katy Manning’s charm and personality. And, I feel, if you didn’t have any existing fondness for the character before, this novel isn’t going to give you much to care about her. Except, *checks notes*, this was one of her first major outings? Not really a good start. Oh, and prior to this she was in a few short stories, by the same writer. Well, that checks out. 6/10

16) The Janus Conjunction - I really liked this one. Not much to say beyond it, but, very well written, very easy read, practically in a single breath. Excellent characterization for both Doctor and Sam, just a right degree of joyful, determined, adventurous, death defying, mad, delirious, and codependent, almost moreso than any other I’ve read so far. Rather dark, though, I can feel it resonating in the pit of my stomach, and it gets inside your head. 10/10

17) Beltempest - What did the Doctor do to deserve this character assassination??? It’s not without redeeming bits (looks like “I’m not a man” quote comes from here, big yay), but, in large part, is barely a pale shadow of a character I like. Especially in the beginning - he think that Sam might have died and he is ok with this??? After the Dreamstone Moon??? And he is incredibly obnoxious? And Sam was barely herself, even before being... uh, possessed? for plot related reasons. I can’t describe how much disconnect I have with the protagonists here, or with any characters in the rest of the book, for that matter, and how much the dialogue made me roll my eyes. And, ah, the technobabble. I generally try not to overthink the physics of most things in fiction, because, as a certified space scientist, otherwise I’d be here all day, but there comes a point where it crosses the line. After everything else, to read the words “newly born main sequence star” with my own two eyes is just too much. I’m a good person, I do not deserve this nonsense... The first half of the book left me rather put off. The second part left me feeling absolutely flat. No emotions, either positive or negative. And, uh, there was a post going around on tumblr along the lines of “the worst you can do to the character is having them mention a certain food, because the fandom will turn it into an obsession” - it’s rather the same here with Eight and books & classical music. I am rather starting to loose count of the number of times they are trying to emulate the scene with the ending of the movie, where he is lounging about and reading, or specifically mentioning Pucchini. To be fair, it’s not just this novel, but it definitely starting to take me out of it. 5/10

18) The Face-Eater - I’m generally a bit wary of cold opens in the books, because some tend to ramble a bit, with the characters I don’t already know and love, so it’s often is a chore to muster enthusiasm to care about them. This one, though, despite all that, starts very effectively, in a way that made me immediately sit up straight. Very snappish, in a style of noir novels. Too bad it doesn’t quite sustain that energy throughout it. The plot is... interesting, I guess. Characterization is decent, for the most part - although some moments, especially early on gave me a pause, it more than makes up for it in other places. 7/10

Overall impressions so far: Much better than the first set of 9, which often were too deeply rooted in nostalgia to try to offer anything unique. And, I guess, with more writers having a chance to read each others works, the characterization is a bit more consistent (not for every writer, mind, but, in general). How long does it take for them to write a novel of this length, I wonder? A book a month is a rather grueling pace for the series - how far in advance do they start? How many other books come out during that time? 

Sam in particular incrementally found her footing (though, there is a bit of a lag from novel to novel). Instead of imagining literally any other companion, there were certain novels that really helped me to grasp her character. Though, hmm... being Doctor’s companion is not a safe job by any stretch of imagination, but this girl has really been through a wringer. I’m rather struggling to think of any other companion that has been put through so much (non-lethal) battering. There comes a point when one just wants to just to let her have some good time. And, uh, there was a horrible thought that occurred to me, and went to look up how she will depart the TARDIS in the end, and... well, I have a feeling that sometime afterwards I will not like what will happen.

Also, there is this trend of separating her and the Doctor, for a prolonged period of time, them having no idea where to find each other, without any contact, just, stumbling onto one another eventually. It’s a way for writers to have them cover more narrative ground, and you certainly don’t want them attached by the hip, but when they spend less than 20 pages a book in each other’s company, that’s, uh... not a trend I particularly care for.

Well, onto the next batch where we meet Fitz, and say good bye to Sam.

Next part here

[speaknowslut13]

Evermore First Impressions

Well, well, well, we meet again.  I was so wordy last time around, I’m going to try to contain myself this time.  No promises.  Let’s just dive right in, shall we?

1. Willow (the music video)

So overall I thought this was cute.  It was interesting that it picked up right where cardigan left off.  But what really piqued my interest was the gold, glowing string that I tied right back to Invisible String.  Clever, Ms. Swift.  Clever.I also deduced that the scene where Taylor is locked in the clear box was her metaphor for fame.  She’s untouchable by the person she wants but she can’t escape to be with them.  Tragic. 

On my second run through, I bravely decided to point out that the reflection in the water of her and her lover is interesting.  Why?  Because I associated his face with Joe Alwyn’s features.  Obviously, the actor playing opposite is NOT Mr. Alwyn but I found it interesting that the man cast had similar features to him.  I also think Witchcraft Taylor is an interesting sub plot to this three minute movie.  I want to note that the lyrics “begging for you to take my hand, wreck my plans, that’s my man” seem vaguely familiar and I can’t place why.

This, being Evermore, is a thing now and I’m trying to process it. 

2. Champagne Problems

Taylor had already alluded to this song as being “not bubbly” so I go into this album with trepidation.  Folklore has made me wary, even without Taylor’s hints. I am immediately struck by this beautiful piano.  The background for the lyric video is a champagne glass with a ring in it and since I’ve already read the album prologue I know whats coming.  My take away from this was that the song though pretty was traditionally sad.  I love how she managed to drop yet another poetic ‘Fuck’.  Honestly, Taylor is a great storyteller and is in her truest form as one.  So far the sounds are similar to Folklore with just a touch of difference to separate the two albums.

3. Gold Rush

The story of daydreamed love set to the background of gold silk background.  The visual, as well as the composition is ethereal much like the lyrics.  I feel that there is meaning deeper to this particular song, but its too deep for a first listen.

4. ‘Tis the Damn Season

I was curious about this one when I saw it on the track listing.  It couldn’t possibly be a holiday song, so what could it be?  The wintry scenery is equally confusing.  But once I start listening I immediately piece it to the story of Dorothea, the girl who comes back from LA for the holidays.  Its a pretty story about reconnecting with people lost in transition to adulthood.  But what I’m really marveling at so far is the arrangements of the songs. They work with the story lines really well. 

5.  Tolerate It

I saw the clouds and vivid Folklore flashbacks started.  I was right to be wary. I don’t want to talk about it.

6. No body No Crime (Feat. Haim)

She had mentioned earlier in the evening that she borrowed a best friend’s name for the character of this song.  I wondered who?  I was delighted to hear she named the woman “Este” for two reasons: one, she sings this with the very same Haim sisters, and two, I now know how to properly pronounce her name.  I loved the subtle country flavor with the overtly country plot.  Very nice.  This was a really good one.  I loved it.  I also would like to note that...there’s nothing like a mad woman, now is there?

7. Happiness

Yet another one Taylor hinted at during her Q and A.  I know that this one is misleading.  I had one take away.  It was beautiful but sad, so very sad. 

8.  Dorothea

A reply to ‘Tis the Damn Season from the other party’s perspective.  Once again though, its wistfully sad and I am still in emotional turmoil from that track 5.  I have nothing to say but that it had a really pretty sound. 

9. Coney Island (feat. The National)

This arrangement really sounded experimental to me.  I had no thoughts about this track other than one: Is this the broken hearts club that I have some how stumbled upon? Most of these are so sad. This one struck me as about a dead spouse but I’m just not sure. (Jane the Virgin Vibes)

10. Ivy

This one is cute.  However, I felt that this particular affair song romanticizes affairs more than Illicit Affairs did and I don’t know how to feel about that.  Its beautiful though.  I noticed that Ivy and Illicit Affairs could be related and from perspectives in different timing. Ivy before Illicit Affairs.

11. Cowboy Like Me

I loved this background for this one. But also that country blues sound.  Its the twang of the guitar for me. Its once again, more subtle than overt but clearer in this one than others.  Its a sweet song.  Nice to not be wallowing right now.

12. Long Story Short

Mostly, thus far, the songs have seemed to take on Taylor’s fictional abilities.  However this one seemed to call upon her autobiographical talents.  I really liked this one.  “Long Story Short, I survived” is a line I want tattooed on my face.  Dramatic? Why yes, I am!

13. Marjorie

The picture of her grandma gave me the idea that she didn’t just borrow the name of her late grandmother but wrote a song about her.  And yes, this is the second song I’ve cried to on this album.  It was a really pretty song.

14. Closure

This was another arrangement that caught my attention.  And I noted that the feeling of seeing someone’s name and feeling pain was familiar.  This one, could be a story.  Taylor Swift if a talented story teller after all, but this one felt pointed. Very pointed.  I liked it though.

15. Evermore (feat. Bon Iver)

This song-- was a journey.  A damn journey.  That time signature switch up in the middle only to return to the calm, slower tempo was fire.  It was a more hopeful feeling than Hoax.  That only makes me wary of the last two bonus tracks. 

Honestly, the album was good.  I think it’ll grow on me.  So that is Evermore.  A wistful, sad album with happier notes thrown in.  As for track five, I’m not ready to...wait for it...tolerate it yet.  I’m cheesy, what can I say?

What did ya’ll think? 

Love, Lauren

[greenhatsinthesky]

lockdown film no. 22 - Submarine (2010) dir. Richard Ayoade

14/04/2020

- the only things Id seen Oliver and Jordana in prior to this were the story of tracy beaker and the Sarah Jane adventures and ballet shoes respectively so this was quite a change of pace

- normally I find voiceovers really cringey but this one is just so absurd and leads us so far into Olivers psyche that it was pretty fascinating. My problem with voiceovers generally is that they’re normally used as the laziest possible way to spoon feed exposition to the audience instead of finding interesting ways to tell us stuff, but that doesn’t happen here that much, and even when we are just being told facts, its done in a way that reflects on Olivers character so its entirely worthwhile given that the whole thing is basically a character study

- i really enjoyed the way that he observed people and how the cinematography allowed us to experience stuff with him, like in the scene where he’s talking about Jordana’s flaws and we see a tiny bit of her eczema on her neck as he’s looking at her 

- the way that he was talking about team building and character development and challenging the bourgeoisie over a scene where he and some other kids are tormenting another kid is just something else

- “i don’t know them yet, but they seem like terrible human beings” 

- “i wish life could be like American soap operas. then, when everything’s got dramatic, you could just fade the picture down and pick things up again later.” *picture fades to black, we pick things up at a later scene*

- GENIUS

- his internal monologue is class and how it fits with what we see on screen Im amazed

- its kind of comical how desperate he is to find out what kind of person he is - the bit where he talks about how he had a hat phase and listened exclusively to French crooners isn’t necessarily relatable on that level but the essence of it is, they just exaggerate it slightly for comedic purposes but somehow don’t lose the feeling of the thing

- “my body is being replaced by a shell. my internal organs are made of stone. ive been dead for years” “right”

- is this what’s its like to be an only child

- my gOD his parents were awkward

- one of the first montages was incredible - it had a love song playing and Oliver and jordana were doing stuff that was romantic to them but absolutely not in a conventional way: she was holding lit matches up to his leg hair to burn it, they were sat in a shitty bath tub by a railway track, they were putting lit sparklers in a little paper boat, looking at each other through those weird kaleidoscope things etc, but it was filmed in such a genuinely loving and poetic way that even though they were doing some really weird stuff it felt really cute and that they just liked being around each other and looking at each other in new ways and I really liked that 

- “the super 8 footage of memory” is possibly my favourite concept to ever exist (that section made me wish I was in love)

- the fucking balloons ??? Yes sir that is how you seduce a lady put red balloons in the room you hope to woo her in

- “thanks for living up a fucking hill.”

- sorry but jordana’s lil nose scrunch after Oliver kisses her on the cheek after they didn’t have sex for the first time was just precious 

- THE ULTRASOUND SEQUENCE FUUUUUCK

- the drawing of Olivers mum that she found in the drawer looked oddly like idina menzel

- there was a bit which made me very interested in the indifference that people show towards their partners when they ask them stuff that they’d change about them. I think there was a woman on tv and the mum was like o husband of mine what do you think of my hair and the husband was like well I think its nice regardless of length and as long as you like it I don’t mind and she was like so you wouldn’t care if I shaved my head and he was like no as long as you’re happy and this really pissed her off for some reason because it seemed like he didn’t care. But like if he said you cannot have your hair like this or I swear to fuck I will throw some serious hands then that’d be pretty dire so I don’t know what the vibe is with this 

- the transition from the hospital to suddenly he was on a bridge was really cool like he put on a hat and he was just there

- ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE YOU DUMBASS

- the whole thing was very red and I liked that. Im sure there’s some deeper meaning to the colour palette but I haven’t got there yet

- i am in love with the bed in the sea. In. Love. 

- he jumps in a pool then emerges out of a bathtub, fully clothed, only to be held down by himself

- the last scene is shot beautifully, the sky is gorgeous and I loved how they started off with really snappy banter dialogue and then it just petered out to him copying her and them smiling at each other

- piledriver waltz is a tune

- there’s someone is the cast credited as “woman who looks nothing like jordana” and those people are my favourite