#characters: matriarchs of the four pillars

[t00nyah]

t00nyah's Rain World AUs and OCs archive

so. i want to make navigating my ideas easier and encourage people learning more stuff about them! so this post here is meant to serve this purpose

Alternative Universes

i try my best to tag my aus with #rain world au

>1// HLL Apprentice AU AU, where Hunter finds a slugpup on their way to ascend and decides to bring it to safety first, ending up succumbing to the rot and not making it to the Depths. the pup, known as the Apprentice, ends up staying by their side and growing up in grief, waiting for it to let them move on to set on their own journey.

tag: #rw hll apprentice au

>2// Arti's Scavpup AU AU, where Artificer doesn't condone violence towards children because of their own pain, so something in them makes them save a scavenger pup from a vulture. as a bonus i decided to connect it with the idea of green pup surviving i had.

tag: #arti's scavpup au

>3// Moon Clinic AU a shitpost AU where Ruffles and Moon organize a clinic in Moon's remains to help those in need! lots of uncovered lore proceeded to sprout in my head then. in this AU, Gourmand, Rivulet and Watcher are clinic workers, while others are connected less directly, like Invenot, who just keeps getting in trouble so much that they always end up there!

tag: #moon clinic rw au

this AU has an ask blog dedicated to it! you can try to learn more lore through questions! :3

>4// Last resort explosive AU AU where Artificer's slugpups, Blast and Grenade, survive the Toll incident after being tossed away by their mother, losing her in process and being forced to survive on their own.

tag: #last resort explosive au

>5// Citizen Artificer AU i never posted anything about this AU, but in this AU Arti decides to retire and resides in Metropolis, ending up communicating with Five Pebbles in times of need. just a silly little au. there's also a version of it where Grenade lives and finds their mother, ending up living there with her.

tag: #citizen arti au (not used)

>6// 4siblings AU AU where Survivor/Pebble takes care of their four very young siblings: Flower(Monk), Night(Watcher) and Dragonfly(Hunter). they acknowledge that Dragonfly has an unknown sickness. in this AU Moon still gets revived, but a different slugcat was made for this purpose: Sofanthiel, or Inv, who ends up being the unluckiest slugcat.

tag: #4siblings au

>7// The Dragon Slayer now, this is not exactly an AU (nor OC), but it's a fanon interpretation of a canon character...yep! it's my take on the third sibling! in my interpretation they ended up losing parents to lizards and becoming an enemy to the scaly kind...taking a rather different path than their younger sibling.

tag: #rw dragon slayer

Original Characters

this section is dedicated to my rain world ocs, which is, uh, quite a lot! i usually tag them as #rain world oc

there is a post with most of my characters, but this post is meant to have all of them and info about them! usually there's more info about them in posts linked with their names! (while writing i've realized some ocs have...very little lore i have vocalized on tumblr, so this ended up very, very long. i would appreciate it if you gave it all a read though! i explained a lot of unexplained lore here)

>1// The Friend(they/it) and Poppy(she/they/it) my slugcat sona! they went from being a lost pup named Firecracker to a slugcat who found joy in bonds with living creatures, giving themself name the Friend. one day they end up creating a daughter, Poppy, who made them realize they lacked slugcat company throughout their journey, which made them set on a new one - a journey that concludes with them finding new friends and establishing their own colony, taking an inside name the Matriarch (which isn't used as often as just Friend)

tags: #the friend rw oc #my puppy #poppy pup rw oc

>2// Eclipse of Sunrise(she/her), Eleven Stars Bringing Dawn(it/they), Celestial Magnificence(she/her), Three Pillars bathing in Sunshine(she/it), the Timejumper(they/it) further to the west(there's a map in the end of this post), an iterator called Celestial Magnificence resides. her superstructure was tied to beautiful Gardens, a system of ecosystems fabricated by the Ancients. a lot of unique flora and fauna could be found there, and quite some was dependant on light. then, mostly out of malice, another superstructure was built...practically on top of it all. with sunlight blocked, Celestial Gardens had to adapt and, to some extent, ended up mixing up and falling apart, straying from their initial structures. lime lizards were a huge part of the Gardens, and their light source being blocked made some stray in search of sunlight, while some became way more hostile after being in darkness for too long.

Three Pillars bathing in Sunshine is a lizard that made its way to upper part of CM's can and was ADORED by her when she accidentally ended up in her puppet room. Sunny ends up a messenger although lime lizards are not the best at climbing, making it challenging for her to reach for the main recipient - Eclipse of Sunrise.

unlike her creators, Eclipse of Sunrise was always fond of Celestial Magnificence. having knowledge of what she was like in her prime time, before she herself was built, makes EOS extremely bitter about not being able to witness her in her full glory. she is the whole reason the shade was thrown onto CM and the least she could do was create a strong bond with her.

Eleven Stars Bringing Dawn is a slugcat created by EOS for this entire purpose! it usually just chills on top of Eclipse. its special coat stores and produces light in the dark environment, making it slightly easier to go through the pitch black areas under its iterator's can.

The Timejumper is a slugcat with a supernatural ability to return to their previous cycle to benefit in current one, which proves itself useful in the unstable environment some of the Gardens have turned into.

tags: #eclipse of sunrise rw #eleven stars bringing dawn rw #celestial magnificence rw #sunny rw oc #the timejumper rw oc

>3// Lizard pack (White(they/it), Pink(they/it), Green(they/it), Blue(they/it)) Lizard pack is a small group of slugcats who descend from lineages of rapidly evolving slugcats to confuse predators with their camouflage! they are the first ones to get more lizard-like features. White acts as their pack's leader, being the oldest and most responsible one. Green is the chill guy of the group who sometimes seems to be inside their head. Pink is very curious about hunting techniques. Blue really likes trying to climb like real blue lizards do, being a goofball all the time.

tag: #lizard pack rw ocs

>4// The Anemone/Fifteen Anemones blooming in White Snows/The Reincarnated/The Alienated(they/she/it) phew...okay. Anemone is my main rain world oc. they have a lot going on with them.

they were initially an Ancient, bound by karma and confused about others' desire to ascend. the fear of being left behind forced them to try to ascend despite the stories of those who were left as echoes of the past. and, to their surprise, nothing that terrifying happened, except they did not escape the great cycle, no. they were reincarnated into a small slugcat, forced to survive with knowledge the world would not let them go away.

at first, they had a decent memory of their knowledge and even could recreate their craft as a small critter. but as time went on, as they tried ascending again and failed every time, their memories become foggier. in the Blizzard era, they cannot even remember who kept them bound for so long.

tag: #rw oc anemone

>5// Good Things Happen(they/them), Twenty Curses, Silver Bells(they/she/it/he), the Pursuer(he/they/it), Lantern(she/they/it), Coal(he/they/it) Good Things Happen is my silly iterator sona! i can't really say much about their personality, they're just a silly goober. they are tied to the Blooming Terrarium, a relatively small facility where they keep creatures they like. Twenty Curses, Silver Bells is a slugcat who had Rot developing in them ever since they were a pup, but they never ended up dying to it, mostly co-existing. Bells is GTH's favourite thing ever though! The Pursuer is a carnivorous slugcat that took features of centipedes in development. They are the oldest one in the Blooming Terrarium. Lantern is a young slugcat who chose to befriend the threat and share brain cells with a blue lizard! they are now inseparable! Coal was actually initially levzee's sona's slugpup from 'adopt a slugpup' event, but Good Things Happen now takes care of him. maybe one day they'll reunite, maybe not.

tags: #good things happen rw oc #twenty curses silver bells rw oc #the pursuer rw oc #lantern rw oc #coal rw oc

>6// Grasshopper(she/her), Leap(she/her) and Collector(he/him) a Scavenger tribe that went a long way from Metropolis after the tragedy struck their kind. they developed a special pearl language which is not their main meaning of communiation, but it definitely takes a very special place in their extremely local culture.

Grasshopper is seen by other scavengers as a very reliable friend! she is the only one to witness Artificer's slaughter unfold right before her eyes. she still wonders why the crimson raging slugcat only shot a glance at her and never enacted her rage onto her. Leap and Collector are siblings that were a little too young to remember what exactly happened that day, but they are very aware of the tragedy as they were taken outside the city because of it and Grasshopper doesn't let them forget what brought them to wilderness.

tags: #rw oc grasshopper #rw oc leap #rw oc collector

>7// Murk(he/him) while i don't use him that often, i love my lizard boy!

the Tenuous one, or Murk, is a white lizard whose camouflaging abilities never developed, which led to him adapting to it by becoming more aggressive and even quicker to catch prey.

tag: #murk rw oc

>8// Flashdrive(they/she/it) my rivsona! based on a personality quiz result.

Flashdrive is a slugcat made with a goal to store Five Pebbles' consciousness and transport it to a more suitable vessel or simply new can. they are a very silly slugcat and Pebbles' certainly doesn't appreciate this unwanted help after so many cycles of trying to solve the issues himself and giving up on it. Flashdrive and their iterator do not care though! she's committed to the goal. well, except for some times where their own desires overtake them, such as when they met a crimson slugcat named Beehive and fell for her immediately...

tags: #flashdrive scugsona #rivsona

>9// Frail Personal Savior(he/they) FPS is simply a joke character to complement my friend's oc named Alt+F4!

tag: #frail personal savior rw oc

>10// The Chatter (they/it) The Chatter is a parrot - subspecies of vulture - who developed empathy to its prey and now goes through mental struggle...and spontaniously transports slugpups between regions.

tag: #the chatter rw oc

>11// The Empath(she/he/they/it), The Colorist(she/they/it) and The Courageous One(he/it) those three are my addition to mushroom's #Scugshroom colony - Lion's Mane and Blood Tooth fungi based slugcats. the linked post explains them pretty well!

tags: #the empath rw oc #the colorist rw oc #strawberry rw oc

>12// Abyss(she/it) my white lizard plushie! she's just a baby, recently learned camouflaging, likes vibeogamez and write fanfiction of her favourite slugcats (psst it's monk and survivor and her otp is artihunter where she writes only fix-it where hunter doesn't have rot and arti's pups are alive)

tag: #abyss rw oc

>13// Neuron(he/they/it) and Siren(she/they/he/it) [WIP lore] slugpups sent by an iterator to help their kind reach enlightenment and ascend, known as 'the Prophets' in colonies and as 'the solution in testing' in some private iterators' conversation logs. of course they get babied by slugcats, since they ARE babies.

tags: #neuron pup rw oc #siren pup rw oc

that's it for now! thank you so much for reading this far! i really appreciate it :]

feel free to ask anything in my inbox or dms if you're interested

[deadwaterrp]

Founding Families

We all know how Winston Whittaker first laid stake on Deadwater back in 1850, but Rome wasn’t built overnight and it sure as hell wasn’t built by one white man. While the old trading post drew some pioneers to Deadwater, it was the small established community as a whole that ultimately triggered a boom. In addition to Whittaker, three settlers specifically helped Deadwater grow and expand faster than any of them could have ever dreamed. Perhaps because each of them had everything to lose if Deadwater didn’t pan out. Once the town was officially established and settled into, each of these men served as town council members and continued to contribute tremendously to the community. Today the descendants and families of the Founding Four make up the pillars of our town and are celebrated on Founders’ Day every February. Continue reading to find out more about each family and check our site when we open for their ongoing subplots! Character Creation Note: These families are prominent members of Deadwater. As such, we highly encourage creating characters connected to, related to or direct descendants of the family. However, please first read over family information thoroughly before diving in and flag down either Stormy or Hemlock to go over any ideas you may have. Be aware of the ethnic makeup of the families as well. While marriage, adoption and all that will absolutely result in mixed and blended families, it is mandatory that their ethnicities be respected in some measure (Estradas: Mexican American/Latino, Kings: African American, Ngais: Chinese Americans, Whittakers: European Americans).

The Estradas

Hard work and unwavering commitment to both family and community has been the doctrine for the Estradas for well over a century. To most of Deadwater they are known as the ranchers, or cattle farmers, but what people don’t understand is how much love they have for not only what they do, but for every single animal under their care. Perhaps this care is part of the reason why they are the only livestock farmers who have been able to sustain their business in all of Deadwater and its surrounding areas. They are a tight-knit clan, maybe to a point of overbearing at times. You can bet any news among the Estradas gets passed around fast. And while they tend to keep to themselves, the generosity they extend to outsiders or strangers lost in the desert is unmatched. That is, of course, as long as you show your humility and respect. Try to bite them? The Wilds will bite back for them.

The Kings

Locals might know of the King family because of the hospital named after the founding patriarch Walker J. King. Mr. Walker King, along with his wife’s influence, was responsible for getting the hospital built in the first place and his family has claimed ownership ever since. Although this is their most recognized family legacy, the Kings have had their hands in several projects throughout Deadwater history. The first school house, for example, was also overseen by them and later transformed into our current grade school through their push. They also championed the proposal and construction of both the Heritage Park Museum and the Lowlands Community Center. Beloved for their important contributions, the Kings could be considered the darlings of Deadwater. Led by their current matriarch, the Kings of the modern era have continued to charm and enchant Deadwater with their warmth and hospitality.

The Ngais

From construction, to real estate, to property development, the Ngais have come a long way since the early settler days. It’s clear that the family takes pride in their long history of achievements in Deadwater. Who in the family wouldn’t be proud when much of your town’s early housing construction can be attributed to “Thomas” Ngai? In more contemporary times, it was Ngai Enterprises’ foresight and dedication to the town that brought the most luxurious hotel in Deadwater back to life, and then had the balls to build an entire theme park around it. Without the Ngai family’s foresight and unyielding ambition, Deadwater would not be the prosperous desert town it is today. On principle, the family is quiet about their glowing reputation for the most part, but that’s because they let their work do the talking for them.

The Whittakers

Everyone who has lived in Deadwater for a while will know of a Whittaker direct descendant. There’s a good number of them in town, after all, and it’s difficult not to notice the name. With a hand in almost everything, if only by virtue of their money and reputation, the Whittakers like to consider themselves as the backbone of Deadwater. In reality they are simply good at piggybacking off the talents of their peers. Many are quite jaded, having heard too many times the tale of their forefather. But for every bastard and extended cousin, there's a fame grubbing housewife touting her husband's "pure" lineage while preparing her children to be the next figurehead in the community, hosting lavish parties and supporting charities for local causes. There is more rivalry between the Whittaker families than there is love. Yet at the end of the day, the town is their heritage and you'll be hard pressed to find a single one of them who would willingly leave their home.

[lepetitmonstre3]

I don’t draw so here’s my take on White Diamond's possible design and personality.

Ragyo Kiryuin (Kill La Kill) + 1952′s Russian Snow Queen

Rebecca Sugar is very open about taking inspiration from previous works. Both designs are of course based on a nearly white palette, with Ragyo incorporating a rainbow accent which could fit into White Diamond’s look given that clear diamonds reflect a full spectrum of colors. Both designs have a crown/hair style that is as gravity defying as the look in White Diamond’s mural. Both are dark spins on a maternal character that embody the uncaring hand of natural selection; The Snow Queen embodying a traditional idea of nature while Ragyo expands her Darwinism to a galactic scale like we might be able to expect from White Diamond.

[lepetitmonstre]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Steven Universe (Cartoon) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), The Cluster (Steven Universe)

Summary: Her most formidable weapon.

[endlessly-cursed]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒔

The pillars of the Dubois family are those whose own influence and children made the Dubois who they are today. So far there are four main pillars that maintained the Dubois standing today.

The first one is Charlotte Dubois neé MacMillan, in the 1810s, during an equally tumultuous age for England who, by wisdom and strength of character, would set an example of a Dubois matriarch. She made important alliances with fellow magical and muggle matriarchs alike, raised her children the same with no distinction between the firstborn or sex. She raised her sons to persevere the line and be soldiers, and her daughters to be strong leaders of the household and protect the line from collapsing and to never forget where they came from.

A century later, Blanche would oppose her father's oppressive ruling of the house and her marriage to the wealthy and upstanding Astors was an act of sly rebellion. She raised her sons to be proud, astute and upstanding and her only daughter Melissa to be confident, intelligent and to know her worth no matter what and always stand up for what's right, even if it meant opposing Blanche herself.

Jude set the example of the modern matriarch of the Dubois for generation to come by proving capable of raising a son without a man while being a career woman, making an impact in her society, giving love and marriage a second chance and being strong, independent, wise and knowing your history and make the most of it.

Elodie set in stone the modern Dubois matriarch by opposing one of the most powerful and feared wizards of all time openly and unapologetically, using her wiles, cunning, strength of character and connections from the past to set an example of resistance and resilience across England and most of the world, making it see that it was possible to oppose such a feared man, all while raising her son all on her own and defying her superiors.

From the Lineage Challenge created by @kathrynalicemc . Tagging @cursebreakerfarrier since she's family!! 💙💛

[xophelias]

complete application under the cut ; 

CHARACTER DETAILS | Ophelia Greengrass, genderfluid (she/they), pureblood

WHAT DREW YOU IN | I was immediately drawn to the matriarchal nature of the Greengrass family—I think that’s super cool and I love the idea of Ophelia being pushed towards this leadership role all her life in a very traditionalist sense but with our usual concept of gender roles reversed. I also love playing ambitious and sometimes morally ambiguous characters, and I feel like Ophelia falls directly into the gray area of having certain lines she wouldn’t cross but also having those lines be at way different places than someone with a stricter sense of morals.

OCCUPATION AND SOCIAL STATUS | Following in the footsteps of her mother, Ophelia put her considerable wit to work in the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable. The Greengrass family has long since been tangled up with the department, both because they are skilled researchers at the more extreme edges of magical ability and because they have been known to tout some of those abilities as well. Ophelia herself has the traits of a true Seer, though those visions usually come to her through cryptic prophetic dreams that she keeps carefully logged in a journal—these entries are the center of her work in the department, though, obviously, no one knows that. Coming from a well-respected family, no one questions Ophelia’s work anyway, trusting that good breeding applies to every part of her life, from her near perfect society ways to her meticulously kept home to her work, as well. People see her as she is: a threat with the power to make it come true.

AFFILIATION AND POSITION | Ophelia had never really cared for the fanaticism of those who followed You-Know-Who, though it seemed like the obvious place for her loyalties to lie, given her status and her family. However, raised to be a strong and level-headed empress over the territory that was their family and those who supported them, she didn’t like putting her trust in one man who, frankly, seemed unhinged. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named didn’t strike Ophelia as the most assured path to power, and she had long since learned that putting false idols on pedestals was a dangerous game. Having long been affiliated with the Black family, Ophelia, thanks to her extraordinary abilities and her cool and diplomatic nature, has become somewhat legendary for her ability to gather information where others would have overlooked it. She has maintained her connections on both sides of the war—she knew from the beginning that she was never going to pick one or the other, so she didn’t, and that has come in handy more than once.

FUTURE PLOTS |

1) Something that I would love to explore a little more with Ophelia is the tension she holds in maintaining friendships and relationships with people on multiple sides of the war while lying to all of them about her true beliefs. I would especially be interested in Ophelia being connected with a die-hard Order member and build up that friendship before exploring what happens when they finally find out where Ophelia’s loyalties really lie.

2) I think that something that Ophelia would be very keen on would be helping another young woman, probably younger than her, learn about the true leadership qualities and diplomatic sensibilities that her mother instilled in her. She’s probably disgusted by the male-ego-centric ways of the English pureblood families and she’s more than willing to help someone get out from under the thumb of that oppression.

3) Ophelia’s prophetic dreams have never been particularly clear, more often than not giving fragments that are easier to interpret once the event has already passed, but I think an interesting plot to dive into with her and maybe a few other characters once she has some established close friends is to have her have a pretty distinct prophetic dream, one that really unnerves her. Then, it could be fun unraveling the mystery and figuring out what it all means.

CHARACTER STUDY |

Ophelia twitched in her sleep. Back in the days when she and Cassius would pitch a tent on the grounds of their expansive manor under a warm Shanghai moon, he always said it was like a dog chasing after a rabbit in their dreams. He knew what it was a result of—her whole family did. Other than that, it was a safely guarded secret.

She was glad that it was just in her sleep for that very reason—those who wanted a glimpse into her power would have to earn her trust in order to learn of it. She’s registered on a Ministry list of prophets and Seers, but that list is tightly guarded by the Department of Mysteries. Her secret is safe, tucked into bed with her, guarded by moonlight.

In her dreams, she stepped through a street that ran with rivulets of blood, crimson liquid spilling through the cracks and looking like the ornate Japanese bowls that her mother kept on display in her study. For a moment, it looked like the cracks in the pavement were glowing gold, like ceramics repaired with precious metal, but she blinked once and the redness returned like a colored filter over her vision.

She knelt down, a gloved hand reaching out in front of her—not her hand, she noted, clad in a black leather glove and far larger than her own slender fingers—to dip into one of the many faults in the pavement and write a message out in red over the yellow stripe running down the middle of the road. DO NOT QUESTION—

Ophelia woke with a gasp, sucking in air as if she had just come up from under water. Her body pitched slightly against her bed, her back arching as she jolted into consciousness. It took her a few moments to orient herself, blinking once to bring the four posters of her bed into focus, blinking again to locate the door leading out into the expensive mansion that her parents had decorated in ornate—and, in Ophelia’s taste, gaudy—decorations from their travels across Asia.

She sat up slowly, waiting for the slight dizziness to pass before fully bringing herself upright. She surveyed her room: no rivers of blood. No pavement. No cryptic messages. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Slender fingers ran through her hair, pushing it back from her features as she remained where she was for a moment longer before casting off the heavy comforter and swinging her legs over the edge of the high bed to slip comfortably into the house shoes her mother insisted upon. The tile was not cheap, after all. She pulled aside the french doors leading out onto her private balcony—something that Ophelia had insisted upon, especially for occasions such as this one—and let the sharp chill of London in the fall prick her skin and bring her back to full awareness.

She ran through the dream once more in her head, approaching the images with more clarity now than she had in the moment. Blood did not always mean blood. Streets were metaphors. The only thing that she couldn’t wrap her head around was the writing. Don’t question what? It was especially troubling since Ophelia, a pillar of introspection most days, realized that questioning most everything was in her nature. She would have to rethink her strategies.

Perhaps this was a warning; even more suspiciously, it could be a threat. Whatever it was, it could wait until morning.

[theritualofourexistence]

Grandmom

When I talk about my family, there are a couple different things I find myself saying often.

First, my family is my most valuable gift. I am so, so grateful to be a part of the family I have, and they mean more to me than anything else in the world.

I’ve also been known to joke pretty casually that divorce runs in my family.

While I usually say that with a smile, it’s not inaccurate. My parents are divorced. My parents’ parents are divorced. Though I would never imply that divorce was easy or straightforward, it has brought some pretty incredible people into my life.

When I was born, I had three full sets of living grandparents and a set of living great-grandparents. On my dad’s side, I had Grammy (his mom) and Pap-Pap, Grandpa (his dad) and Nana, and Grandma and Poppy (his mother’s parents). Today, four of those six people are still living, which is something I treasure beyond words.

My mom’s mom passed away when my mom was only 19, so I never had the chance to meet her. My mom, though, speaks very candidly about knowing that Dotty is still around and has been with her (and all of us, really) during the most important moments in our lives. My mom’s dad, my Pop-Pop, married Irene after he and my mom’s mom divorced. By the time I was born, the drama of that divorce was long gone and my mom’s whole family had developed a very special sort of relationship with Irene, my Grandmom. Irene made this easy. I think loving was a very simple thing for her. Not that it wasn’t a sacrifice, just that it came very naturally.

My mom was sick around my birth so my first home on this whole earth was actually under my Grandmom’s roof.

My Pop-pop had his first major stroke when I was only a couple years old. I wish that I remembered him better when he was healthy, but most of my memories of him are of him in a wheelchair. He could be difficult (that’s putting it mildly), but my Grandmom cared for him through three major strokes and countless mini strokes, right up until he passed away at home in 2004. I remember saying goodbye to him. We didn’t have much of a relationship, but I was old enough to recognize the impact his passing had on my mom and her family. I think he was very, very lucky to find Irene. Really, I think the whole family was lucky that he did.

My Grandmom has been dealing with multiple medical issues including crippling arthritis for a lot of years now. She has never complained about this pain. In fact, I’m not sure I ever witnessed her complain at all. The last few years have been especially hard as she lost her driving privileges and her mobility began to decline. She didn’t like being stuck at home. That did not, however, stop her from continuing to mentor younger members of her church who were seeking spiritual grief counseling. Over Christmas she said that it was harder over the phone but that it was worth it. It made her feel like she was doing good work, that she had some value. I mention this specifically because it goes back to what I said about her ability to love. I don’t know that I would call this fierce. I would call it calm but strong. She managed to love everyone the same way, the same amount, with the same steady current of support.

On Monday, my Grandmom had a stroke.

She began to decline a few hours after reaching the hospital.

She passed away yesterday.

I know she is at peace. And for that I am so, so grateful. I will miss her… really, I already do.

It hasn’t been a secret that she has been ready to go for a while. Not in a morose way, but in a peaceful, acceptance-of-mortality way. Often, at family gatherings, when you asked how she was doing, she would say with a laugh, “Well, I’m still here and I still remember my name!”

I am grateful that my Grandmom didn’t spend more than a few hours unable to recall her name.

Because of this peace she had made with her eventual passing, I had the privilege of saying goodbye slowly, over a couple of years. I’m very grateful for that too.

She was a genuinely remarkable woman and she shared a deep, deep love with a family she didn’t have any responsibility to embrace. We certainly embraced her right back though.

She’s been the matriarch of the family for decades. For those of you who know my love of musicals, it’s funny, but she brings to mind a specific character from one of my favorite shows. I haven’t thought about this until her passing, really, but I find myself thinking about it a lot over the past few days.

I don’t have any claims on an abuela. That is not my story. But Abuela Claudia’s trademark song in “In the Heights” is “Paciencia y Fe.” Though my Grandmom and Abuela Claudia are more different than they are alike, if there is one person in my life who has demonstrated patience and faith, it’s my Grandmom.

It’s no secret that I run hot. A lot of people in my family do.

But my Grandmom was able to care so, so deeply in the most rhythmic, steady way. I’ve used that word “steady” a lot already, but I can’t seem to find a better way to say it. She was a pillar. Unshaking, constant.

For myself, a lot of my personal rhythm is sort of like learning how to drive stick. It’s jarring at times and there is jolting and horrible sounds and stopping and starting and stalling.

My Grandmom was never like that. If I’m learning stick, she was a train on a well-known track. She was the metal core of a building’s supports that takes the vibrations of an earthquake and disperses them safely and evenly. She was the strongest roots of a tree, the calm surface of a deep lake, she was the roof of the house in Glenolden that has been in my family longer than I have.

My family will miss her anchor in our lives. But we will be fine because of how she built us up.

When I was a kid, we would play with my uncle’s old Legos in her basement. She would always get our favorite treats, Yoo-hoo and crumb-top donuts and all the yummy things we didn’t get at home. She and I made our Christmas punch together every year. She iced my finger and put a band-aid on it when I was stung by a bee for the first time. Every Christmas she would leave us a special gift by our bedroom door, either pajamas or slippers to wear when we gathered as a family to open gifts on Christmas morning.

My Grandmom has been a part of every Christmas I’ve ever had.

She was very quick to laugh, even when her physical condition started to decline. It’s her laugh that I know I will remember most often and most easily. Her laugh, and of course, her love.

No one in my mom’s family would be who they are without her. That’s the sort of quiet, strong impact she had.  She wasn’t the star on the stage, she was the stage manager—making sure everything went off without a hitch. It seems like the right thing was never a hard thing for her to identify. Not that she didn’t have to make hard decisions, just that she always handled them with grace.

Even when she chided me for misbehaving, she did so in a way that never made me feel bad about myself. I never doubted her love or her pride in me, in our family.

She knew when to push and when to leave something be. She loved to play games, I remember a lot of rounds of Upwords, and she loved to watch the birds in the backyard. I remember quiet conversations at night at the small table in the kitchen with just the light on above the sink. I remember that she came out to the bar with me and my parents when my 21st birthday happened to fall on the eve of my brother’s high school graduation. I have never been a drinker and even that night I don’t think I finished my beer. But she could tell that I was feeling low because I had spent my birthday playing second fiddle and she did what she could to soothe that. I remember just sitting quietly with her, so many times in so many ways over so many years. Being around her was peaceful.

She lived to welcome so many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I truly just feel so fortunate that I got to be one joint on the web of people she knew and loved during her life. I share no genetic material with my Grandmom but that did not stop her from gluing my whole family together and very gently and carefully holding every piece in place until the glue set firm.

She may be gone but the glue remains, stronger than ever, fortified, eternal.

Thank you, Grandmom. You’ve played an instrumental role in giving me my greatest gift, my family. I wouldn’t be me without you. I’ll keep loving you from here, just like I know you’ll keep loving us from wherever you are now. It’s easy for me to imagine you blending into the bright force of light that is the love flowing in and around and through all of us. I will spend my life striving to have the impact on others that you have had on so, so many people. In a world where peace and love and strength are priceless currency, you were and will always be one of the biggest diamonds I’ve ever seen.

Once you’re done telling Pop-pop all about the Eagles winning the Superbowl, you’ll have to give him a kiss for me.

We miss you, but we’ll be okay down here. Thank you so much for everything you gave to us. It is such a blessing to know you’re now basking in the peace you so often provided for others here on Earth.

I love you, Grandmom.

[whoisleft-rp]

WIZENGAMOT SPECIAL ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCED

+ + +

The official story…

During the tragic events of New Year’s Eve, three Wizengamot members lost their lives at the hands of a senseless, baseless attack – an attack that is still under investigation, but not yielding many promising leads. Obviously, the lives of three impressive and powerful people were lost, and the entire Ministry leads the Wizarding world in mourning their colleagues, their friends, their leaders.

Seven candidates were up for election to the three newly-open Wizengamot seats. After months of campaigning, complaining and competing, three winners have been named:

#1. Elphias Doge - Despite his polling numbers being somewhat middling early on and his lack of the robust press coverage some of his fellow candidates saw, Doge was nevertheless seen as a safe, well-endorsed choice.

#2. Tara Norwood - The pureblood conservatives’ favorite choice by far, Tara ran one of the best-funded (and most controversial) election campaigns the Wizarding World has ever seen. In taking office, she has vowed to protect pureblood interests and the longtime pillars of magical society, including stronger restrictions on the Statute of Secrecy.

#3. Piper Moonfall - A Ministry of Magic official who has made several different departments her home over the years, Mrs. Moonfall ran a platform that centered on reform in the criminal justice system and stronger mental health services in the wizarding world.

As for the candidates who did not succeed, this time, in securing a nomination, news has trickled in about their plans.

In a hugely surprising turn of events, Piper Moonfall has decided to dedicate her time only to the Wizengamot. Rather than leave her previous position in the Improper Use of Magic Office as an Auror Department liaison vacant...she has made a public appointment of her predecessor. Young voter favorite and press phenomenon Olivia St. Culpo will now occupy Mrs. Moonfall’s previous post. This is a huge step up in the Ministry for her, and will allow her the power to begin enacting some of her promised policies through a platform other than the Wizengamot courts.

Tiberius Ogden will, of course, remain a part of his family business – and has announced the surprising release of a new line of whiskey products bearing his campaign’s tagline: “We mean business!”

Chilton Cloven will continue teaching night classes to magical adults, and will hold his current position teaching muggle schoolchildren in London until the day comes that he can afford to get his adult initiatives further off the ground.

Leland Talbot has stated that he intends to continue the retirement he took recently before launching his campaign...but eagle eyed citizens have seen him out to supper more than three times this month alone with Head Auror Alastor Moody. Another announcement from the Auror’s office is expected at some point in the future.

+ + + 

Behind the scenes...

For all intents and purposes, the election seemed completely on the up-and-up; every of-age member of British wizard society got to cast their votes, and the Ministry of Magic made sure to keep the process as transparent as possible during both the campaigning and results portions of the election.

From the very beginning of the process, however, other parties had their hands on the wheel.

Both the Death Eaters - including the many people loyal to them within the Ministry and elsewhere - and the Order of the Phoenix’s more powerful members have made sure to elect one cause-sympathetic candidate each. The Death Eaters were propping up Tara Norwood from the start, a witch with strong pureblood ties and a dedication to Lord Voldemort’s cause; meanwhile, the Order managed to get Albus Dumbledore’s trusted friend and ally Elphias Doge in the Wizengamot chair.

Death Eater characters will both know of, and could have been a part of, the Norwood placement; just as Order members will be aware of Doge’s.

Congratulations are in order to Mrs. Piper Moonfall, who was helped in an official capacity by neither underground organization. Good job bitch you a real one!

+ + + 

For OOC purposes, a refresher on each of the candidates is below the cut…

Elphias Doge

Slogan: Common decency, common sense

Background: A good friend of the Dumbledore family. Traveled the world after his graduation from Hogwarts. An outcast during his school days who learned how to embrace his silly side and has become very outspoken as a result, while still maintaining a cheerful demeanor. His career has been spent working at many nonprofit organizations. Talent for charms. Pureblood, but not of the Sacred 28 and definitely not highly regarded by the most classist factions of the pureblood community.

Appearance: Extremely elderly, but extremely energetic, too. Often wears a silly hat. Due to being a Dragonpox survivor in his childhood, his skin is pock-marked and greenish.

Main Platforms: Repealing the new werewolf suppression laws, especially because werewolves without aid can easily be radicalized by dangerous people; Building stronger connections with other ministries around the world to unite the global Wizarding community; Mandatory language courses instated at Hogwarts.

Publicly Endorsed By: Personal, longtime friend Albus Dumbledore, current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Tiberius Ogden

Slogan: We mean business!

Background: Has spent his entire life working for his family’s business, Ogden’s Old Firewhiskey. Never previously involved with government, but he has plenty of experienced advisers with him on the campaign trail.

Appearance: Middle-aged, with a fox-like face, a pointed grey beard, and a perpetual smirk.

Main Platforms: Wants to run the government more like a business; Believes in setting up new, stronger connections between government and private industry; Plans to work toward reorganizing the Ministry departments into something more streamlined, efficient and accountable to budgets and tight deadlines.

Publicly Endorsed By: Older brother Bob Ogden, Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol.

Olivia St. Culpo

Slogan: Equal society, happier world

Background: Rose to recognition - and a fair bit of infamy - as a lobbyist for goblin rights and centaur land reallocation. A halfblood witch with a dedicated younger group of supporters, she has been deemed a bit too “optimistic” or even “inexperienced” by some more wizened members of the Ministry.

Appearance: Late-twenties, with close-cropped brown curls - very hip - and a stylish collection of suits. She’s not your great-great-grandmother’s candidate, that’s for sure.

Main Platforms: Working on brokering a happier peace with and better lives for marginalized communities in the wizarding world; Stronger connections with other like-minded countries and their Ministries; Muggleborn protection and equality; Income disparity between members of the wizarding world.

Publicly Endorsed By: Celestina Warbeck, famous chanteuse.

Piper Moonfall

Slogan: Justice with dignity

Background: A Ministry of Magic official who has made several different departments her home over the years, Mrs. Moonfall has long been a recognizable face at the Ministry; her most recent, and potentially last, position being in the Improper Use of Magic Office. She has worked closely with the Aurors over the years, fighting for less severe jailing sentences for varying levels of offenses.

Appearance: Middle-aged, grey-streaked black hair that she wears long. Extremely tall and fairly serious looking, but with a well-known toothy smile; often seen at Ministry events with her longtime partner Alina on her arm.

Main Platforms: The abolition of Azkaban as an institution; Development and implementation of better criminal reform; Stronger mental health services in the wizarding world; The creation of more jailing facilities for varying levels of offenses

Publicly Endorsed By: Rosalina Prewett, former member of the Wizengamot and matriarch of the Prewett family.

Chilton Cloven

Slogan: Save our schools!

Background: A muggleborn currently teaching at a muggle school in London while also teaching night classes for magical adults, Mr. Cloven has been an outspoken member of the magical community ever since receiving his, as he calls it, “very unexpected” Hogwarts acceptance letter.

Appearance: Average-height with cropped red hair and freckles, a laid-back sort of charm about him.

Main Platforms: A focus on education, including reforms in the Hogwarts curriculum; Making Muggle Studies mandatory, as well as focusing more on Maths and English studies; Making school more accessible to muggleborns; Extra tutoring for muggleborns and halfblood students to help them start at the same level as many tutored pureblood students.

Publicly Endorsed By: Armando Dippet, former Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Leland Talbot

Slogan: Serving with excellence

Background: A longtime Ministry employee and recently retired Auror. Has seen combat firsthand and believes strongly in fast-moving criminal justice. During his three years of Auror training after Hogwarts, he was one of only four people who volunteered for an unpaid internship as a liaison to Azkaban prison.

Appearance: Hardened and haunted. Physically imposing, both height and fitness-wise. Possibly has not smiled in 10+ years.

Main Platforms: Stronger, mandatory Defense Against the Dark Arts training for all citizens; Less open communication with foreign Ministries, who may be spying or eager to spot a weak spot; Raising the bar of difficulty to become a certified Auror; Auror training that begins earlier for promising recruits, following OWLS rather than NEWTS.

Publicly Endorsed By: Alastor Moody, Head Auror.

Tara Norwood

Slogan: Honoring our past, protecting our future

Background: A longtime employee of the Department of Mysteries - as such, it is impossible to comment fully on what she has done for wizarding society as a whole, though it is no doubt impressive and prestigious. An outspoken member of her community outside of her Ministerial duties, coming from a well-respected pureblood family - known for their outpouring of Ravenclaw alumni and donations to charities dedicated to preserving the histories of many of the wizarding world’s oldest families.  

Appearance: Middle-aged with long dark hair, the aristocratic look of a member of an old family. Average height, but often seen a sharp pair of no-nonsense heels.

Main Platforms: Stronger restrictions on the Statute of Secrecy; Beginning a Ministry-regulated magical education earlier in life; Protecting historic magical institutions of government and societal traditions.

Publicly Endorsed By: The Malfoy family, as well as several other notable and conservative pureblood families.

[ugdigital]

[EXCLUSIVE] KIMBERLEY T. ZULKOWSKI: GRANDMA'S HOUSE

Kimberley Zulkowski is well on her way to becoming a powerful name in Hollywood film. Her name and brand is behind the film, Grandma’s House, which is currently being featured at the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival. Starring Loretta Devine, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Jordan Calloway, Paige Hurd, Coco Jones, Alex Thomas, Flex Alexander, and so many other powerful Hollywood figures, the films aims to pay tribute to the many grandmothers who assume the position of “mom” for their grandchildren, and their communities around them.

 Truly a story that will resonate with many, Grandma’s House is screening this week in Cleveland, Ohio for GCUFF’s annual event. 

   We had an opportunity to sit and talk with Kimberley about the film, and the mark she was hoping to make. Check out the story below!

  U.G. Digital Mag: Thank you so much for the opportunity. Your film immediately struck my attention. 

 Kimberley Zulkowski: You’re welcome, thank you. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: You have an amazing project here. Congratulations are in order for getting it to the festival. 

 Kimberley Zulkowski: Thank you. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: Is this your first time doing GCUFF?

  Kimberley Zulkowski: This was my first film, and it’s in memory of my grandmother who took me in at 14 out of foster care. It’s based on her life and the pillar she was in the community. During those times, the grandmothers really took care of children, and it’s very different now. You don’t have that dynamic anymore because the grandmothers are still dating like the daughters and grandchildren are dating. There’s no sense of morals and values, like cooking in the kitchen with grandma, peeling potatoes and making homemade food, and her teaching you. I felt like our generation this day and age needed a reminder. It’s also to honor those who go unnoticed and work so hard to care for their grandchildren as their own. It was a tribute to my grandmother, and grandmothers everywhere. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It’s an awesome story. Comedians make reference to this type fo story in their routines all the time, but it’s never been covered this way. My grandmother carried the same nurturing spirit. You have such an amazing cast involved, from Loretta Devine and Alex Thomas to Stephen Bishop and Wendy Raquel Robinson. How did you determine who you wanted?

 Kimberley Zulkowski: Well, for Ms. Loretta Devine, it was a given. I wrote this script with her in mind. Seeing the characters she’s played in her career, she’s been the grandmother for so many people. If there was anyone to bring my grandmother back to life on screen, it would be her. I reached out to her agent, letting them know this script was made for her to play this role. We were not interested in anyone else. She read the script and she could relate, saying it reminded of her own grandmother. She was all in. She has been amazing. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: That had to be a good feeling, not just reaching out to someone you’ve admired, but having that person even agree to do it. 

 Kimberley Zulkowski: Yes, and she’s been great. She came to the red carpet premiere we had in Milwaukee, and she’s just been amazing. Her heart is really in the project. For Wendy Raquel Robinson, I wanted her to bring out the many personalities that my aunts had. She represented multiple people with her situation, her recovery, and wanting her children to not struggle with relationships. I’ve seen what she has pulled off on television, and thought it would be an appropriate role for her. We approached her agent, and they went with it. Same thing with Alex Thomas and Jaszmin Lewis. The great thing with Alex is this was his first feature film. He did an amazing job. It was a different character for him to play. I was very pleased with his performance. Coco Jones was a big Disney star. Actually, I wasn’t sure who I wanted to play her, which was a portrayal of me. My children were saying “mom, you have to get Coco Jones”. She was interested. It was a matter of putting together a solid script where all the characters were just as important as the matriarch. They realized they would get adequate exposure. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It’s amazing. I look at all of the characters, and even the ones we didn’t mention and realize how big this will be. I almost missed Flex Alexander as well. What did you want to get out of this film?

 Kimberley Zulkowski: I wanted to take people down memory lane in a good way, and remind them of the individuals who took the time to take care of them. It gives them an opportunity to do it for someone else. You’ll see in the film that grandma Margie is everyone’s grandma, including foster kids. Her home is a safe haven, and she doesn’t judge you. You can make your mistakes, and when you fall, she’s there to pick you up. That still is not to be abused, because she may not always be there. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: This will open a lot of eyes. There’s a lot of people who think it’s easy to get to this point with a film, especially when there’s a lot of big names. Why was it important for you to connect with GCUFF?

 Kimberley Zulkowski: It’s still very difficult for us. We don’t have the distributors knocking down our doors, or the same platforms that our counters have when they make a film. There are very few black festivals. You want your film to be seen and shown, but you have yo go back to your people for it to happen. The urban film festival is our voice. I’m grateful for GCUFF because it’s a way for exposure that our films, sadly, will not get because it isn’t a studio film. There aren’t millions of dollars to advertise. It’s a work in progress, and a lot of people wish they could wake up and be a Tyler Perry, or have their own network like Oprah. It’s few and far between for us to have that platform. It’s still a white dominated industry. I don’t say that negatively, but it’s time for that tie to be split equally. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: I think it’s reality and you make many great points. This is definitely a way for people to see your product. We’ve had so many come and do this festival, big and small. It’s an amazing avenue. I would love for readers to know more about additional projects that you have in the works. 

 Kimberley Zulkowski: Absolutely. We just finished editing a project called 53206 Milwaukee. It’s extremely special and dear to me. It’s about the struggles we face in the inner city. 53206 is the worst zip code in Milwaukee. There are homicides here in the city every day, and people don’t know about it. You think Milwaukee, and you think dairy land. There’s a black population falling every day. We are a minority of less than 200,000, and we are being shot and killed everyday. A study came out showing it as the worst place for black people to live. It’s the most segregated city there is. We are ten times more likely to be shot and killed there than Chicago because of the population ratio. So, what I did was take the homicide stories within a year, and represent those stories, talk about those victims, and show the world what we’re going through in Milwaukee in the eyes of our youth. Three weeks ago, I buried a little boy who was ready to go fishing with his father. He was running in the house to tell him mother they were leaving. A shootout happened and he was shot In the head. Four months before that, we buried a nine year old little girl. Our children aren’t making it to teenagers, let alone adulthood. This film talks about what’s happening, but also represents all urban zip codes in the world where violence is increasing, and the victim’s voice s not being heard. One of the great things is I took all cast from the city of Milwaukee. I brought an acting coach down from L.A. who taught them how to act and do the scenes. They did an mazing job. You would never believe these individuals have never acted before. Only people who have been through it can tell a story the way that we told it in this film. We had extras show up while filming because the entire city was excited. Even two of those extras during the process of editing were killed. Melanie was 14, sitting in her kitchen. She was killed in a shootout. Clinton Washington was in one of our scenes, and he was killed two weeks after we did a picture wrap. It’s very real, and something we hold to show the world what’s going on in the urban inner city, and the talent that goes unnoticed. If someone took notice of that talent and grabbed hold of these children, the result would be a feature in Hollywood like what we made. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It’s amazing to hear that. I had no idea this was the way it was in Milwaukee. When do you see it becoming available to everyone?

 Kimberley Zulkowski: We just submitted it to Sundance, and now we are making it available to all other festivals. We literally just submitted to Sundance. Sadly, my producers feel like they have to accept the film; I err on the side of caution, and ask why would they? Perhaps they should, but how many of our films do we ever see there? I’m going with a plan B and making it available to all the other festivals.  

 U.G. Digital Mag: I look forward to seeing the full film. Are there any final words?

 Kimberley Zulkowski: I want to thank everyone involved with GCUFF. Without festivals like these, people like me would not have a platform. This is important and needed. I’m thankful to everyone, and grateful to be a part of it, and to the participants and viewers who will watch. I look forward to the feedback.

[douglassmiith]

Shows to Binge During the Pandemic That Arent Breaking Bad or Fleabag

If you feel like you’ve already seen everything, here are some under-the-radar TV options to tide you over as we weather coronavirus together.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Being informed about the spread of COVID-19 and its devastating effects on the global community is critical. But we can all acknowledge that staying attuned to the news every waking hour has only heightened our collective anxiety and sense of foreboding. One of the few salves for those fortunate enough to have reliable WiFi and access to cable and streaming services has been the chance to catch up with TV shows that had previously passed us by and might offer momentary respite from the coronavirus and its attendant confinement. 

But before one more website or well-meaning friend reads you the riot act for having never seen Breaking Bad or The Wire, or parrots the popular thinking that Fleabag is comedy manna (not that it isn’t), we thought we’d recommend a handful of superlative, binge-able series that have been relatively neglected by the culture at large. And while living through fictional characters’ everyday circumstances might seem like a counterintuitive way to cope with a very real period of isolation, the five shows below might actually offer some useful perspective. (Click through each show title for access to it via Netflix, Amazon or Hulu.)

This little-seen, under-marketed Sundance TV gem from creator/writer Ray McKinnon has earned its share of critical praise and some cult appreciation thanks to Netflix but remains inexplicably sidelined from most popular conversation about great modern dramas. The premise — small-town Georgia man Daniel Holden (Aden Young) gets exonerated after years on death row for the murder of his high school girlfriend and attempts to reassimilate into normal life — might sound moribund. But Rectify abounds with soulful insights on guilt, innocence, love and loss. The cast (also including Abigail Spencer, Clayne Crawford and J. Smith-Cameron, etc.) are terrific in service of characters charting a hyper-realistic course toward solace and redemption against extraordinary odds. 

Related: 18 Movies Every Entrepreneur Should Watch

Kudos to Starz for giving creator/writer Mike O’Malley’s groundbreaking dramedy four seasons to spread its wings. Survivor’s Remorse is nominally about pro-basketball star Cam Calloway (Jesse Usher) and his adaptation to life as an A-list celebrity, but it’s ultimately a dysfunctional-family sitcom with the outlaw spirit of Curb Your Enthusiasm and heart of Schitt’s Creek. That it never benefited from the latter’s groundswell of support is a shame, but it’s not too late to make good and — if nothing else — bear witness to Tichina Arnold’s (Martin, Everybody Hates Chris) career-best turn as the take-no-prisoners, wildly profane Calloway matriarch Cassie.

Nothing can prepare you for how weird this comedy/drama/mystery-thriller buddy series gets in a hurry. The broad strokes of Hap and Leonard are that it’s based on a series of novels by Joe R. Lansdale, set in the 1980s, features first-flight actors including Michael Kenneth Williams (speaking of The Wire), James Purefoy and Mad Men‘s Christina Hendricks. Purefoy is Hap, a conscientious Vietnam objector and smart aleck who literally pulls no punches. Leonard is his best friend, still scarred from having fought in the war and dealing with day-to-day life as an openly gay black man in East Texas. Over the course of three seasons, they find themselves in the crosshairs of lovestruck sadists, child killers and politically embedded Klansmen. They’re kind of like the Dukes of Hazzard, just far more tender with one another and up against much graver life-or-death odds. It’s not hard to see how this one was a hard sell, but trust us that it’s worth buying in.

You’d be forgiven for being out of the loop about creepypastas, which are basically internet-user-generated campfire stories that seeped into mainstream consciousness via forums like Reddit. (The infamous Slender Man tale is a frequently cited pillar.) But they also served as a bedrock for the SyFy network’s Channe Zero anthology series. Each of the four installments — from 2016’s initial Candle Cove to ’18’s concluding Dream Door — creates a Twilight Zone of its own somewhere between lucid dreams and waking strange, searching for closure to open wounds. It’s eerie, artful and the closest thing to what Nightmare on Elm Street auteur Wes Craven might have concocted for the 21st-century disaffected set.

Related: Netflix Finally Adds Top 10 Lists for Its Most Popular Content

We know there’s a lot on TV at any one time. Still, how exactly has this Dave Holstein-created weekly half-hour (currently airing on Showtime) that’s executive produced (and often directed) by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind visionary Michel Gondry and stars his muse, Jim Carrey, not caught fire? Carrey plays Jeff, who also happens to play a Mr. Rogers-like character named Mr. Pickles on public television. He’s good and he’s decent, but he’s also burdened by a personal tragedy, pining for his ex-wife Jill (the terrific Judy Greer) and dealing with his tyrannical father/boss Seb (a never-better Frank Langella), the sum total of which culminates in what could be described as personal awakening by way of total breakdown. Kidding is, as the title teases, very funny, but without the cringy-ness and ironic distance typical of modern cable comedies. Carrey is excellent, but the show is an ensemble feat and has only grown more confident in its, and Mr. Pickles’s, mission of bringing joy and jarring candor to the masses. 

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Shows to Binge During the Pandemic That Aren’t ‘Breaking Bad’ or ‘Fleabag’

If you feel like you’ve already seen everything, here are some under-the-radar TV options to tide you over as we weather coronavirus together.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Being informed about the spread of COVID-19 and its devastating effects on the global community is critical. But we can all acknowledge that staying attuned to the news every waking hour has only heightened our collective anxiety and sense of foreboding. One of the few salves for those fortunate enough to have reliable WiFi and access to cable and streaming services has been the chance to catch up with TV shows that had previously passed us by and might offer momentary respite from the coronavirus and its attendant confinement. 

But before one more website or well-meaning friend reads you the riot act for having never seen Breaking Bad or The Wire, or parrots the popular thinking that Fleabag is comedy manna (not that it isn’t), we thought we’d recommend a handful of superlative, binge-able series that have been relatively neglected by the culture at large. And while living through fictional characters’ everyday circumstances might seem like a counterintuitive way to cope with a very real period of isolation, the five shows below might actually offer some useful perspective. (Click through each show title for access to it via Netflix, Amazon or Hulu.)

This little-seen, under-marketed Sundance TV gem from creator/writer Ray McKinnon has earned its share of critical praise and some cult appreciation thanks to Netflix but remains inexplicably sidelined from most popular conversation about great modern dramas. The premise — small-town Georgia man Daniel Holden (Aden Young) gets exonerated after years on death row for the murder of his high school girlfriend and attempts to reassimilate into normal life — might sound moribund. But Rectify abounds with soulful insights on guilt, innocence, love and loss. The cast (also including Abigail Spencer, Clayne Crawford and J. Smith-Cameron, etc.) are terrific in service of characters charting a hyper-realistic course toward solace and redemption against extraordinary odds. 

Related: 18 Movies Every Entrepreneur Should Watch

Kudos to Starz for giving creator/writer Mike O’Malley’s groundbreaking dramedy four seasons to spread its wings. Survivor’s Remorse is nominally about pro-basketball star Cam Calloway (Jesse Usher) and his adaptation to life as an A-list celebrity, but it’s ultimately a dysfunctional-family sitcom with the outlaw spirit of Curb Your Enthusiasm and heart of Schitt’s Creek. That it never benefited from the latter’s groundswell of support is a shame, but it’s not too late to make good and — if nothing else — bear witness to Tichina Arnold’s (Martin, Everybody Hates Chris) career-best turn as the take-no-prisoners, wildly profane Calloway matriarch Cassie.

Nothing can prepare you for how weird this comedy/drama/mystery-thriller buddy series gets in a hurry. The broad strokes of Hap and Leonard are that it’s based on a series of novels by Joe R. Lansdale, set in the 1980s, features first-flight actors including Michael Kenneth Williams (speaking of The Wire), James Purefoy and Mad Men‘s Christina Hendricks. Purefoy is Hap, a conscientious Vietnam objector and smart aleck who literally pulls no punches. Leonard is his best friend, still scarred from having fought in the war and dealing with day-to-day life as an openly gay black man in East Texas. Over the course of three seasons, they find themselves in the crosshairs of lovestruck sadists, child killers and politically embedded Klansmen. They’re kind of like the Dukes of Hazzard, just far more tender with one another and up against much graver life-or-death odds. It’s not hard to see how this one was a hard sell, but trust us that it’s worth buying in.

You’d be forgiven for being out of the loop about creepypastas, which are basically internet-user-generated campfire stories that seeped into mainstream consciousness via forums like Reddit. (The infamous Slender Man tale is a frequently cited pillar.) But they also served as a bedrock for the SyFy network’s Channe Zero anthology series. Each of the four installments — from 2016’s initial Candle Cove to ’18’s concluding Dream Door — creates a Twilight Zone of its own somewhere between lucid dreams and waking strange, searching for closure to open wounds. It’s eerie, artful and the closest thing to what Nightmare on Elm Street auteur Wes Craven might have concocted for the 21st-century disaffected set.

Related: Netflix Finally Adds Top 10 Lists for Its Most Popular Content

We know there’s a lot on TV at any one time. Still, how exactly has this Dave Holstein-created weekly half-hour (currently airing on Showtime) that’s executive produced (and often directed) by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind visionary Michel Gondry and stars his muse, Jim Carrey, not caught fire? Carrey plays Jeff, who also happens to play a Mr. Rogers-like character named Mr. Pickles on public television. He’s good and he’s decent, but he’s also burdened by a personal tragedy, pining for his ex-wife Jill (the terrific Judy Greer) and dealing with his tyrannical father/boss Seb (a never-better Frank Langella), the sum total of which culminates in what could be described as personal awakening by way of total breakdown. Kidding is, as the title teases, very funny, but without the cringy-ness and ironic distance typical of modern cable comedies. Carrey is excellent, but the show is an ensemble feat and has only grown more confident in its, and Mr. Pickles’s, mission of bringing joy and jarring candor to the masses. 

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source http://www.scpie.org/shows-to-binge-during-the-pandemic-that-arent-breaking-bad-or-fleabag/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/03/shows-to-binge-during-pandemic-that.html

[riichardwilson]

Shows to Binge During the Pandemic That Aren’t ‘Breaking Bad’ or ‘Fleabag’

If you feel like you’ve already seen everything, here are some under-the-radar TV options to tide you over as we weather coronavirus together.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Being informed about the spread of COVID-19 and its devastating effects on the global community is critical. But we can all acknowledge that staying attuned to the news every waking hour has only heightened our collective anxiety and sense of foreboding. One of the few salves for those fortunate enough to have reliable WiFi and access to cable and streaming services has been the chance to catch up with TV shows that had previously passed us by and might offer momentary respite from the coronavirus and its attendant confinement. 

But before one more website or well-meaning friend reads you the riot act for having never seen Breaking Bad or The Wire, or parrots the popular thinking that Fleabag is comedy manna (not that it isn’t), we thought we’d recommend a handful of superlative, binge-able series that have been relatively neglected by the culture at large. And while living through fictional characters’ everyday circumstances might seem like a counterintuitive way to cope with a very real period of isolation, the five shows below might actually offer some useful perspective. (Click through each show title for access to it via Netflix, Amazon or Hulu.)

This little-seen, under-marketed Sundance TV gem from creator/writer Ray McKinnon has earned its share of critical praise and some cult appreciation thanks to Netflix but remains inexplicably sidelined from most popular conversation about great modern dramas. The premise — small-town Georgia man Daniel Holden (Aden Young) gets exonerated after years on death row for the murder of his high school girlfriend and attempts to reassimilate into normal life — might sound moribund. But Rectify abounds with soulful insights on guilt, innocence, love and loss. The cast (also including Abigail Spencer, Clayne Crawford and J. Smith-Cameron, etc.) are terrific in service of characters charting a hyper-realistic course toward solace and redemption against extraordinary odds. 

Related: 18 Movies Every Entrepreneur Should Watch

Kudos to Starz for giving creator/writer Mike O’Malley’s groundbreaking dramedy four seasons to spread its wings. Survivor’s Remorse is nominally about pro-basketball star Cam Calloway (Jesse Usher) and his adaptation to life as an A-list celebrity, but it’s ultimately a dysfunctional-family sitcom with the outlaw spirit of Curb Your Enthusiasm and heart of Schitt’s Creek. That it never benefited from the latter’s groundswell of support is a shame, but it’s not too late to make good and — if nothing else — bear witness to Tichina Arnold’s (Martin, Everybody Hates Chris) career-best turn as the take-no-prisoners, wildly profane Calloway matriarch Cassie.

Nothing can prepare you for how weird this comedy/drama/mystery-thriller buddy series gets in a hurry. The broad strokes of Hap and Leonard are that it’s based on a series of novels by Joe R. Lansdale, set in the 1980s, features first-flight actors including Michael Kenneth Williams (speaking of The Wire), James Purefoy and Mad Men‘s Christina Hendricks. Purefoy is Hap, a conscientious Vietnam objector and smart aleck who literally pulls no punches. Leonard is his best friend, still scarred from having fought in the war and dealing with day-to-day life as an openly gay black man in East Texas. Over the course of three seasons, they find themselves in the crosshairs of lovestruck sadists, child killers and politically embedded Klansmen. They’re kind of like the Dukes of Hazzard, just far more tender with one another and up against much graver life-or-death odds. It’s not hard to see how this one was a hard sell, but trust us that it’s worth buying in.

You’d be forgiven for being out of the loop about creepypastas, which are basically internet-user-generated campfire stories that seeped into mainstream consciousness via forums like Reddit. (The infamous Slender Man tale is a frequently cited pillar.) But they also served as a bedrock for the SyFy network’s Channe Zero anthology series. Each of the four installments — from 2016’s initial Candle Cove to ’18’s concluding Dream Door — creates a Twilight Zone of its own somewhere between lucid dreams and waking strange, searching for closure to open wounds. It’s eerie, artful and the closest thing to what Nightmare on Elm Street auteur Wes Craven might have concocted for the 21st-century disaffected set.

Related: Netflix Finally Adds Top 10 Lists for Its Most Popular Content

We know there’s a lot on TV at any one time. Still, how exactly has this Dave Holstein-created weekly half-hour (currently airing on Showtime) that’s executive produced (and often directed) by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind visionary Michel Gondry and stars his muse, Jim Carrey, not caught fire? Carrey plays Jeff, who also happens to play a Mr. Rogers-like character named Mr. Pickles on public television. He’s good and he’s decent, but he’s also burdened by a personal tragedy, pining for his ex-wife Jill (the terrific Judy Greer) and dealing with his tyrannical father/boss Seb (a never-better Frank Langella), the sum total of which culminates in what could be described as personal awakening by way of total breakdown. Kidding is, as the title teases, very funny, but without the cringy-ness and ironic distance typical of modern cable comedies. Carrey is excellent, but the show is an ensemble feat and has only grown more confident in its, and Mr. Pickles’s, mission of bringing joy and jarring candor to the masses. 

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source http://www.scpie.org/shows-to-binge-during-the-pandemic-that-arent-breaking-bad-or-fleabag/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/613310620687810560

[lepetitmonstre3]

seeing Yellow Diamond depicted with short, white hair under her helmet gives me life

[lepetitmonstre]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Steven Universe Rating: Mature Relationships: Blue Diamond/Yellow Diamond, Blue Diamond/Pink Diamond Characters: Blue Diamond, Pink Diamond, Yellow Diamond Additional Tags: Goretober, Kinktober, Cuckolding, Plants

Summary: While the lesser diamonds spend some quality time together Pink takes the opportunity to present to her mentors a pleasurable reason for preserving Earth’s organic life.

[scpie]

Shows to Binge During the Pandemic That Aren’t ‘Breaking Bad’ or ‘Fleabag’

If you feel like you’ve already seen everything, here are some under-the-radar TV options to tide you over as we weather coronavirus together.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Being informed about the spread of COVID-19 and its devastating effects on the global community is critical. But we can all acknowledge that staying attuned to the news every waking hour has only heightened our collective anxiety and sense of foreboding. One of the few salves for those fortunate enough to have reliable WiFi and access to cable and streaming services has been the chance to catch up with TV shows that had previously passed us by and might offer momentary respite from the coronavirus and its attendant confinement. 

But before one more website or well-meaning friend reads you the riot act for having never seen Breaking Bad or The Wire, or parrots the popular thinking that Fleabag is comedy manna (not that it isn’t), we thought we’d recommend a handful of superlative, binge-able series that have been relatively neglected by the culture at large. And while living through fictional characters’ everyday circumstances might seem like a counterintuitive way to cope with a very real period of isolation, the five shows below might actually offer some useful perspective. (Click through each show title for access to it via Netflix, Amazon or Hulu.)

This little-seen, under-marketed Sundance TV gem from creator/writer Ray McKinnon has earned its share of critical praise and some cult appreciation thanks to Netflix but remains inexplicably sidelined from most popular conversation about great modern dramas. The premise — small-town Georgia man Daniel Holden (Aden Young) gets exonerated after years on death row for the murder of his high school girlfriend and attempts to reassimilate into normal life — might sound moribund. But Rectify abounds with soulful insights on guilt, innocence, love and loss. The cast (also including Abigail Spencer, Clayne Crawford and J. Smith-Cameron, etc.) are terrific in service of characters charting a hyper-realistic course toward solace and redemption against extraordinary odds. 

Related: 18 Movies Every Entrepreneur Should Watch

Kudos to Starz for giving creator/writer Mike O’Malley’s groundbreaking dramedy four seasons to spread its wings. Survivor’s Remorse is nominally about pro-basketball star Cam Calloway (Jesse Usher) and his adaptation to life as an A-list celebrity, but it’s ultimately a dysfunctional-family sitcom with the outlaw spirit of Curb Your Enthusiasm and heart of Schitt’s Creek. That it never benefited from the latter’s groundswell of support is a shame, but it’s not too late to make good and — if nothing else — bear witness to Tichina Arnold’s (Martin, Everybody Hates Chris) career-best turn as the take-no-prisoners, wildly profane Calloway matriarch Cassie.

Nothing can prepare you for how weird this comedy/drama/mystery-thriller buddy series gets in a hurry. The broad strokes of Hap and Leonard are that it’s based on a series of novels by Joe R. Lansdale, set in the 1980s, features first-flight actors including Michael Kenneth Williams (speaking of The Wire), James Purefoy and Mad Men‘s Christina Hendricks. Purefoy is Hap, a conscientious Vietnam objector and smart aleck who literally pulls no punches. Leonard is his best friend, still scarred from having fought in the war and dealing with day-to-day life as an openly gay black man in East Texas. Over the course of three seasons, they find themselves in the crosshairs of lovestruck sadists, child killers and politically embedded Klansmen. They’re kind of like the Dukes of Hazzard, just far more tender with one another and up against much graver life-or-death odds. It’s not hard to see how this one was a hard sell, but trust us that it’s worth buying in.

You’d be forgiven for being out of the loop about creepypastas, which are basically internet-user-generated campfire stories that seeped into mainstream consciousness via forums like Reddit. (The infamous Slender Man tale is a frequently cited pillar.) But they also served as a bedrock for the SyFy network’s Channe Zero anthology series. Each of the four installments — from 2016’s initial Candle Cove to ’18’s concluding Dream Door — creates a Twilight Zone of its own somewhere between lucid dreams and waking strange, searching for closure to open wounds. It’s eerie, artful and the closest thing to what Nightmare on Elm Street auteur Wes Craven might have concocted for the 21st-century disaffected set.

Related: Netflix Finally Adds Top 10 Lists for Its Most Popular Content

We know there’s a lot on TV at any one time. Still, how exactly has this Dave Holstein-created weekly half-hour (currently airing on Showtime) that’s executive produced (and often directed) by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind visionary Michel Gondry and stars his muse, Jim Carrey, not caught fire? Carrey plays Jeff, who also happens to play a Mr. Rogers-like character named Mr. Pickles on public television. He’s good and he’s decent, but he’s also burdened by a personal tragedy, pining for his ex-wife Jill (the terrific Judy Greer) and dealing with his tyrannical father/boss Seb (a never-better Frank Langella), the sum total of which culminates in what could be described as personal awakening by way of total breakdown. Kidding is, as the title teases, very funny, but without the cringy-ness and ironic distance typical of modern cable comedies. Carrey is excellent, but the show is an ensemble feat and has only grown more confident in its, and Mr. Pickles’s, mission of bringing joy and jarring candor to the masses. 

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/shows-to-binge-during-the-pandemic-that-arent-breaking-bad-or-fleabag/

[lepetitmonstre3]

Whenever I hear predictions that Blue Diamond will turn to the crystal gems I'm reminded of the extended opening that may have foreshadowed Yellow Diamond being the one to change sides.

I can't wait for that ride.