#What Price Gloria?

[lilac-landscapes]

Whoever costumed Quantum Leap “What Price Gloria?” is my bestie. I love every single one of these

All images from @quantumscreencaps

[brigittespuck]

[dykebeckett]

hey remember how al couldn't fuck his girlfriend because he was too in love with sam and then he admitted he was in love with sam and was able to fuck his girlfriend better than before. remember that.

[cotton-glass]

that one woman in what price gloria who Knew

[ziggysgender]

something about al calavicci suddenly deciding to become homophobic for one (1) episode and the exact one (1) time he happens to throw on a rainbow colored shirt

[choicescreen]

@alavicci said: somebody’s feeling better.

the birdcage. 

she knows, by now, that this is just how al acts -- but it still flutters something small and warm in verbena’s chest that threatens a tightly reined-in composure. 

“ mm. and someone’s better at the mushy stuff than he thought. guess my intervention worked, somewhere. “ the flicker of a wink softens and strips any bite from the words, makes it plenty clear she doesn’t mean it -- though something goading rests in the corner of her smile’s sharper curve. 

she crosses her legs, sets aside her wine glass. now, back to business. her face grows concerned, soft about the edges. therapist-concerned. colleague-concerned. friend-concerned. “ al, if there’s anything you want to talk about ... about sam, about -- anything he sees, or anything you see, when you’re out there with him, i’m always here. you know that? “ 

[hotvintagepoll]

At the end of the Dracula poll, will you explain how each of the cast influences the final tone of/ any minor plot changes to the movie?

oh I’m happy to do that right now!

-Jimmy Stewart grounds the movie and is a terrific pick for Jonathan because his career was full of stories of ordinary men set into slowly unraveling, reality-challenging environments that irrevocably change their characters and push them past their limits—there are sketches of what Jonathan goes through already present in It’s A Wonderful Life, Rear Window, even the Thin Man sequel he was in. Jimmy brings the tone of boy next door, Capra-esque hometown normalcy that slowly gets turned upside down as he meets…

-Gloria Holden as the Count! who is pure gothic horror but laced with psychological complexity, wants and needs that push beyond the typical Universal horror aesthetic. She’s a perfect transition into the fantasy side of the story because she can meet Jimmy in his reality world….but chooses not to.

-the brides can’t possibly meet Jimmy in reality! They’re Betty, Lauren and Marilyn! They’re ethereal next level bombshells and the first sign this movie might trend a little camp. I expect their scene to dip into dream sequence imagery, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Vincente Minelli is brought in just to stage their entrance.

-I am hugely embarrassed to say I have not seen enough of Setsuko Hara’s work to tell you how her Mina impacts the tone, though I suspect she brings a quiet, steady, subtle quality that contrasts with Judy Garland’s mannered but sincere Lucy. There is absolutely an unnecessary talent show scene early on that gets Lucy singing in front of a crowd of adoring concertgoers.

-Toshiro Mifune needs no introduction. His Quincey is blindingly sexy and always finds the good lighting in every shot.

-Vincent Price’s Seward and Veidt’s Renfield up the, ahh, bisexual undercurrents of their scenes together into new dimensions. I fear again the movie tips a little into camp here.

-Sidney Poitier’s Holmwood brings us back to grounded reality; his performance is rooted in calm, subtle realism, with only the occasional explosions into grand emotional sweeps. This balances him really well with Judy’s Lucy, where she brings a flighty magical transparency and he brings the depth, intelligence, and calm.

-Mary Philbin suddenly tips the movie into silent film territory and goes a bit avante-garde as the agonized mother. It would be nice to have a shot here where Jonathan realizes, in some way, that he is suddenly soundless as pipe organ music ramps up over the scene and he’s left voiceless: he can only speak again when it’s too late to save her, and the movie switches back to talkie mode.

We haven’t cast some other players yet but this is what I’m seeing so far from the electorate’s choices :D

[sci-fi-gifs]

QUANTUM LEAP 2.04 What Price Gloria? - October 16, 1961

[avaleigh16]

*Everyone is standing around the broken coffee maker*

Ghost: So.Who broke it? I'm not mad, I just wanna know.

Everyone:

Soap: ...I did.I broke it.

Ghost: No.No you didn't. Y/n?

Y/n: Don't look at me. Look at Alejandro.

Alejandro: What?!I didn't break it.

Y/n: Huh, that's weird. How'd you even know it was broken?

Alejandro: Because it's sitting right in front of us and it's broken.

Y/n: Suspicious.

Alejandro: No, it's not!

Gaz: If it matters, probably not, but Price was the last one to use it.

Price: Liar! I don't even drink that crap!

Gaz: Oh really? Then what were you doing by the coffee cart earlier?

Price: I use the wooden stirrers to push back my cuticles.Everyone knows that, Gaz!

Soap: Okay let's not fight. I broke it. Let me pay for it, Ghost.

Ghost: No! Who broke it!?

Everyone:

Gaz: Ghost...Y/n's been awfully quiet.

Y/n: REALLY?!

* Everyone starts arguing*

Ghost, being interviewed: I broke it.I burned my hand so I punched it.

Ghost: I predict 10 minutes from now they'll be at each other's throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick.

Ghost:

Ghost: Good.It was getting a little chummy around here.

Ghost: Soap, let's go!

Soap: Oh, yeah, about telling Mom and Dad, I was thinking about writing maybe a letter.

Ghost: Okay, you know what? That's it, you had your chance.

Soap: What-?

Ghost: Mom, Dad, Soap smoked pot in college.

Soap: You are such a tattletale!

Soap: Mom, Dad, you remember that time you walked into my room and smelled marijuana? Well, I told you it was Alejandro who was smoking the pot but... It was me. I'm sorry.

Ghost: And Dad, you know that mailman that you got fired? He didn't steal your Playboy's, Soap did.

Soap: Yeah, well, hurricane Gloria didn't break the porch swing Ghost did.

Ghost: Soap hasn't worked for a year!

Soap: Ghost and Alejandro are living together!

Ghost: Soap married Y/n in Vegas and got divorced AGAIN!

Price: I love Jacques Cousteau!

Y/n:: I wasn't supposed to put beef in the trifle!

Gaz:: I wanna gooo!!

[udretlnea]

The Divine City: Some Slices of Life

Part 1 \ Part 2 (here) \ Part 3 \ Part 4

"We seal our fate with the choices we take, but don't give a second thought to the chances we take"

Gloria Estefan

At precisely 7 am it spilled into the room from the window. It crawled onto the floor and up the bed until it hit the eyes of its occupant. With a soft sigh, her eyes flutter open. Then she frowns at the growing sunlight as if it had interrupted a perfect dream.

Muttering to herself, she slides out of bed without a second thought. A quick glance at the clock tells her she’s got ten minutes before the servants wake up. 

She huffs. May as well get ready. A quick snack should suffice for now. I can eat properly at lunch.

Her morning routine was simple: Wash face, change out of sleepwear and into something plain (that reminds her: she needs to do shopping), and brush her hair a dozen times.

With that out of the way, she makes for the kitchen. It is blissfully empty save for her. 

She grabs an apple before grabbing a pitcher of water and an empty cup. Breakfast is a quiet affair as she sits down in the middle of an empty table; she doesn’t bat an eye to the empty chairs on either side. Her mindless chewing fills the silence. 

As she finishes her apple, a door opens. Without turning her head, she already knows who it is.

“Lady Cecilia. You’re earlier than usual,” says a mature, refined female voice.

Cecilia nods at the statement. “I have an awful lot to do today. With Volksfest coming up, I imagine my classmates are up to something so I figured I’d give them a hand.”

She turns her head to look at the person’s expression. Said person is a tall woman with slightly dark red hair, yellow eyes, and fair skin. The maid uniform she wore went to her calves mid-way. 

The woman hums with a thoughtful expression. “I see. Will you be back in time for dinner?”

Probably, though if I’m right Rickard is going to try to get me to stay. I’ll say no of course. Is what she thinks. Instead she says, “Sure,” and gets up to clean her things. 

Cecilia walks past the maid only to pause. The teen faces “Wait, Emery, before I forget I wanted to say that-no, ask you…is there anything you need while I’m out?”

Is there anything you want me to buy for you and the others? Is what she wanted to say, but the maid already replies.

“Well, now that you mention it, we’re already expecting festivities soon so some wine, cheese, and grapes would be needed.” Cecilia nods.

Screw it. While I’m here I may as well ask. If I don’t I’ll regret it. She opens her mouth-

“As for gifts, well, nothing comes to mind. Though I suppose it wouldn’t hurt if I desired an accessory for the neck,” finishes Emery.

-and it hangs open. Cecilia looks at the redhead bemusedly. The latter’s lips curl upwards in what Cecilia perceives as amusement. 

After three seconds of stunned silence the teen finds her voice again. “I see. Is there-is there a particular item you had in mind?”

Emery smirks. “You may try the lower end of the commerce district. Look out for a place called Timeless Treasures.”

“Timeless Treasures. Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.” The two said farewell to each other. As she went back to her room, Cecilia couldn’t help but think about how Emery knew what was on her mind.

That woman can be scarily perceptive at times. She shuddered as she slung a light coat over a plain green dress. I wonder if she has a super dark past she’s running from like in those light novels. 

“Now there’s a fun thought,” she muttered as she exited her room.

///////////

The skies were clear save for the single stray cloud, but with it being August temperatures were cooling down. Cecilia silently thanked Her Grace she didn’t have to walk through humid and hot air.

Depending on where you went in the commerce district, you could either find the low-quality items sold at twice their price or “one-of-a-kind” merch that was special and thus was marked at an exorbitant fee. Cecilia was familiar with this game, however, and thanks to her folks training her to haggle she was prepared to play.

Thus, thirty minutes later she had two bottles of fine vintage, several blocks of cheese, fresh grapes, and some knick-knacks. She carried them both in bags in either hand.

She had to ask around where Timeless Treasures was. Apparently it was near the southwest edge of the middle section. 

As she made her way there, Cecilia walked through the streets almost in a trance. She barely acknowledged the decorations or the festive aura around her. Her head was locked straight ahead like she was dead set on getting to her destination.

CRASH

A loud commotion drew her attention to her left. Cecilia turned her head to find a trio of students cornering another student. Inside of her, some small ugly part recognizes what’s happening. She doesn’t even need to get close enough to hear what they’re saying.

“Think you’re worthy to stand on the same ground as us?”

“I bet you don’t even know basic etiquette.”

“What’s a country rat even to do here? Shouldn’t you be picking weeds?”

To his credit, the student doesn’t flinch. “I’m middle class-”

He doesn’t get to finish when Bully 1 punches him in the gut. The air knocked out of his lungs. Bully 2 sneers. “Did we say you could speak, trash?”

They laugh mockingly and start name-calling him. From a distance, Cecilia watches this. She feels frozen to the spot and far away. It’s as if she can see herself in third-person.

A small part of her whispers in her ear. You can stop them before it gets worse.

She could. She can! Cecilia takes a step, ready to shout at these punks-

Do not.

When another voice stops her. Suddenly, it’s as if she’s seized by fear. Anxiety roils in her gut, making her hide on the side. Cecilia is holding her breath.

If you intervene, those students will remember your face. Come school they’ll gossip and in five minutes you’ll be an outcast. That’s more trouble for you and everyone back home, ignoring your parents. Just keep your head down and walk away. Cecilia clenches her fist. 

We can’t walk away from injustice! the smaller voice protests.

Your actions have consequences. Consider them carefully.

The conversation lasted for ten seconds, but it felt like an hour. Then she shuts her eyes, tilts her head down and walks away.

Cecilia put on a flat look. She was already pushing the incident to the depths of her mind to be forgotten.

///////////

Timeless Treasures was in between a cafe and a hat store. Cecilia was near-tired at this point, but she powered through. It took a long walk, but she took solace in the fact she can go back home soon.

Cecilia reached a hand out for the door, only for it to open. She watched as a farm boy walked out carrying a wrapped gift.

The teen stared at the teen as he walked away. She should’ve just ignored it and went through the door. She should’ve asked the storekeeper for a necklace. She should’ve just taken her spoils back home. 

And yet her curiosity demanded to be sated. Cecilia mentally cursed herself before following the teen.

It took her longer than she imagined thanks to the morning rush starting. She nearly lost him twice. Cecilia counted herself lucky when she spotted him breaking away to another street. From there, she saw him turn into another alley. When she rounded the corner she caught the sight of his foot before he disappeared through a hole in the wall.

Cecilia carefully made her way, stepping lightly so as not to alert him. Once close enough she examined the exit with a scrutinizing eye.

…Is this an old tunnel? I figured these would be sealed up by now. She observed. It wasn’t faring well nor was it in an ideal condition, but the fact it still stood told her what she needed. This is how that commoner’s been entering the city, eh? I’m surprised he hasn’t been caught yet!

And then a feeling of fear flared within her. She wasn’t afraid for herself, but rather the boy. She remembers what happened earlier today and she feels bitter. Somehow she finds the resolve to do what she could’ve done before right now. 

Cecilia turns back around, already retracing her steps. In her mind, she thinks of one person she knows who can help her pull this off.

For now, she’ll prepare for tomorrow.

//////////////////////////////////

A/N:

Taglist: @yuriisclumsy

Social Hierarchy in the Divine City for context!

Questions, comments, and critiques are more than welcome! Let me know how I can improve anything at all (Please.)!

I wanted to write Cecilia not as a snooty, arrogant brat, but as a bored young teen who hasn’t found her motivation in life yet. And that affects her confidence in DOING things like stopping bullying. She’s not terrible, but she isn’t good when she isn’t proactive in solving problems in general.

As the sole child of wealthy parents who go on frequent business trips, I desired to write her as somewhat independent. She COULD have just gotten servants to go out, but she wouldn't waste any opportunity to keep herself busy. Of course, she knows this conflicts with the general image of the upper class so she's prepared to lie her way out.

Man, social hierarchies are complicated to live in.

//////////////////////////////////

P-34: Hm. Lady Cecilia seems almost disappointed in herself at that moment.

"Sir": That's definitely regret.

P-34: And classism is...terrible. Just generally terrible. Besides, where are her parents?

"Sir": It's implied they're not at home. And Cecilia thinks of them in the present, which means they're not dead. So no 'dead parents' trope in effect here.

P-34: Oh good! That whole trope is getting rather cliche if ya ask me. It's nice for some variety now and then.

"Sir": Mm. It's a good thing Emery and the servants are there. Granted they're not actual parents, but the details are boring.

P-34: I wonder if she actually cares for Henry or simply wants him to stay out for his own good.

"Sir": Yes...a good question for next time.

P-34: Hmm...well then, who's after her?

"Sir": *shuffles paper* Oh, a blacksmith apprentice. Makes sense. A big city and national guard means someone needs to be making weapons. As for who's learning HOW to, well...hmhm. This'll be a first to write. Best to give it my all!

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Could you do Barbie x GN!Mechanic!Human!Reader HCS please?

-Greek myth anon 📜

After Barbie got settled into the human world, one of the first things she had to do was relearn how to drive.

Unfortunately she can't just float into her pink car and magically start it anymore.

But she got the hang of her new ride pretty quickly...

Until she heard the brakes grinding together and saw the dreaded "check engine" light on her dashboard while driving on the highway.

She pulled over to call Gloria in a panic, opening the hood and staring at the engine, not seeing what's wrong.

"I-It just told me to check the engine, but everything looks fine! Is it going to explode?? And my brakes are making this weird noise...oh my god are they going to fail when I need them most-??"

"No, no, honey. Just breathe. You're gonna be fine. All you need is an oil change and brake fluid."

"....I need what?"

It takes a while for Gloria to explain, but eventually Barbie's on her way to the local auto repair shop to get this "oil change" and "brake fluid" that her car desperately needed.

You were one of the mechanics there, and you helped her out, seeing that she was new to this and extremely confused about the process.

Fortunately you don't like taking advantage of customers who know next to nothing about their vehicles. You've heard one too many teenagers getting ripped off and overcharged for unnecessary repairs on their first car.

You explain to Barbie (who was listed as "Barbra") how you're going to fix her car, how long it should take, the prices, etc. and she listens to every word (even if some of the jargon confuses her).

Even so, she's anxiously waiting in the lobby until you call her name and say she's all set.

The bill's pretty hefty but she has a credit card at the ready, so it's no problem for her at all (and you gave her a discount as a first-time customer).

She thanks you repeatedly as she leaves, promising to put in a good word for you with the shop's owner.

You're honestly flattered and hope to see her again.

As long as she doesn't intentionally make her car break down just so you can repair it

[brigittespuck]

"time has packaged my best friend inside a goddess of love" JUST ADMIT YOU WANT TO FUCK HIM!!!!!!!

[todaysleap]

Today is October 16 and today's leap is:

What Price Gloria? (S2, E4) October 16, 1961

[br1ghtestlight]

Even when Gayle is at her worst at least she tries to be a good aunt to Linda’s kids unlike Al and Gloria who barely interacts with them.

my true opinion is that gayle actually loves being an aunt and her nieces and nephew are like some of her favorite people ever. Now she's not GOOD at being an aunt but nobody can argue she doesn't love the hell out of those kids!!!

i genuinely believe she likes them and enjoys spending time with them and she'll try to find a (reasonably-priced) gift for their birthdays and christmas that's related to their interests even if it's like a horse keychain or something. when she brought them gifts when she was visiting she got gene a gumball from the store!!! bcuz she knows he loves candy!!!! That's aunt behaviour right there

tina is probably her favorite just because tina is a lot more willing to go along w/ her bullshit and bcuz they both have the same anxious tendancies but she loves all three of them <3

this is my personal favorite gayle moment. it feels like such a natural look into their lives and relationship to each other even when gayle isn't the actual Focus of the episode she still calls and talks to them. "hey aunt-g what's up :)"

[starrycassi]

Captain Gloria

Or my way of making Ambrosius both a momma's boy and a neglected child. Because it's funny.

I hope you all know that Ambrosius mother in my mind is Captain Gloria, a 6ft tall aromantic pansexual TANK of a woman who got married only to have her child and keeps her husband (retired ex knight or whatever. Literally useless man) in a nice little house while she continues to live in the Goldenloin mansion raising Ambrosius (he visited his dad once in a while! The man in just too fucking tired of everything to care)

She didn't take a maternity leave with her pregnancy until they practically forced her to because she was COMMITED to her work. Like, don't sleep don't leave kinda committed, and Ambrosius may have taken one too many hits to the head when he was still in the womb so. She sees him more as a duty/pet/price than as an actual child and definitely has a really toxic and fucked up way of raising him but she loves him more than anything else in this world. Almost. She didn't really care about the thing with Ballister (mainly because she never really had a relationship that went past the physical aspect so she didn't really get what the fuck her son was going on about) but thought that it was kinda funny and he would probably grow out of it and become more focused in actual important stuff (being the best knight, for example!) buuuut she would've let them get married (in secret, clearly) because she knew what it felt like to despise what was expected of your love life.

The only good thing to ever come from her marriage was Ambrosius. Even if he was more of a demand than an actual want, she loved him.

She was born only to be the Captain, she lived only to be the Captain and she died in duty. Her son was born for the same purposes, raised for the same purposes, but managed to have a different life.

She probably would've been proud.

[incorrectbarbie]

[at work]

Barbie: "PDP." Does anyone know what this means? 

Aaron: They're going to be doing drug testing? 

Gloria: It stands for "peak demand pricing." And yes.