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penname-artist · 2 years

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You all are NOT READY for these notes. I JUST finished watching the ENTIRE Cars on the Road series (before 9:00 at that) and my guys. There is SO MUCH to talk about. This is just what I was able to think up and react to during my binge here, I will probably come back with much more detailed look throughs at a later date. But here is my reactions, raw and unedited! SPOILERS WARNING Y'ALL (and I apologize now that I need to post this on mobile so I don't have my "keep scrolling" bar BUT I WILL EDIT IT ON PC AS SOON AS I POST THIS so you guys don't have to see the spoilers yet if you do not want to. Anyways!)

-"I love Mater, but that is a LOT of Mater

-That explains Mack then! So he's there but Maters just like "no we gotta do it the old fashioned way!"

-Lightnings instant love of dinosaurs is so incredible, this precious bean

-I fucking adore that Lightning watches National Geographic, that's fucking amazing

-If you look in the dinosaur building to the top left you can see CARS HAVE CANONICALLY EVOLVED FROM SUBMARINES!?!?

-Lights Out immediately feels like my favorite and it is SO clear that this is a take on Haunted Mansion AND I LOVE IT

-I also find it interesting that 99% of the fandom says that cars/planes have a sort of sleeping mat like a mattress at night, yet in the hotel there is a complete lack of all comfort style, even just carpet or a rug. It's just a headboard mounted to the wall. A *little* bit anticlimactic BUT I will let it slide because at least it was there and the headboard thing was cute.

-The fact that Mater is initially scared and then Lightning happens to be the one who is up all night is just perfect

-RACECAR SPELLED BACKWARDS IS RACECAR HAHA WE SCARED YOU HEHEHE (I love this so much)

-THE EIGHT POINT TURN OF DEATH! (I love how this motel just fucking forgets that cars need to be able to turn around, making this such an inconvenience on McQueens part)

-ANTIFREEZE OH MY GOD

-The animation of the dance/spin sequence was stellar, 10/10 please don't hurt yourselves animators!

-I feel so bad for and relate so much with Lightning leaving the hotel. I get horrible sleep at hotels, cannot actually sleep worth a wink.

-Randy, you poltergeist, be nice to the cars of today's century!

-Salt Fever just started and holy shit were they singing songs together!? That's incredible XD

-I am so in love with their casual banter, it's so cute to see and I'm so glad that McQueen is finally given the ability to RELAX and not be straining for some personal goal.

-The way that Lightning's eyes fucking bulge as this l o n g c a r comes past them is awesome. Like. Yeah. Yeah that's their full length. Take that as you will.

-OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD WOULD MARU COME DOWN TO VISIT THIS SPEED TRACK!? DOES HE KNOW THE MECHANICS, ARE THEY FRIENDS? REALATIVES? RIVALS? AHHH THE POSSIBILITIES ARE E N D L E S S

-oh my God. OH my GOD. they actually did a whole scene of Mater reaching a sort of afterlife (well more of a limbo) and we have a winged car. And his concern for breaking the news to Lightning! Ahhh!

-"Do yOu kNOw WhAt a sEYoNce is?"

-HOW DID- BUT HE- HIS- H O W ? HIS D O O R!?!? HE OPENED HIS OWN DOOR AND JUST WENT BACK INTO HIS HEAD!?!? H E L P!?!?

-Leave the whole field hanging man, I like it. Just book it and run!

-"Mostly avoided...MOSTLY."

-Wayne County family campground. Wayne, hmm. I need to use that...

-Again. I feel Lightning's road trip pains. I too have family members who drag random strangers from the campground to hang out with us, and am then usually very disappointed and/or antisocial.

-I'm sorry issat, is that- is that some relative of Miles Axlerod? Help? Is that- i-is-?

-"thanks I'll just be going" "I said we would go" "I'm sorry w h a t?"

-hahahaha Lightning just trying to get rid of Bigfoot like it's a cat, "go away! Shoo!" Yeah that'll work man

-Man that's gotta hurt though. Also how in the fuck did him crashing into a fallen tree not damage even his PAINT in the slightest??

-Ivy is already precious and I am claiming her.

-Lightning trying to weasel out of the scenario and then Mater shows up, and in his mind you know he's thinking "God damn it Mater"

-OH MY GOD YES THE LIIIIIIGHTS AHAHA LOOK AT THAT ANIMATION MMM MOTHERFUCKER THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUUUUL

-Lightning alien, light- Lightnalien?? Lightnalien McQuextraterrestrial???

-I agree Mater. Cooooold.

-THIS REMIX IS AWESOME AND I WANT THE WHOLE SOUNDTRACK

-Submarine wash. Yes. I accept your perilous mission.

-I can never skip the theme my guys. I cannot. It's not possible. I love it too much.

-Lightning absolutely had it RIGHT UP UNTIL the appearance of the circus. Oh my God I cannot wait to see the story behind this one.

-Car makeup interests me, ngl. How does it work exactly? Is it more temporary than getting a paint job? Exactly how OFTEN is it used instead of paint jobs for those who want a fresh look but not a permanent one, how is- okay okay you know what Apollo is going to be the one delving into that area because I need answers

-She said babe. I- I- I am just gonna- *ahem*...LESBIAN CARS H O L Y S H I T HOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLY-

-Exposure therapy things. Oh my God. Does Lightning do therapy already? Ohmygodohmygodohmygod aaaaaa the headcanons, aaaaaa the open possibilities! Aaaaaaaa my brain! It's not even 8 AM!

-Aww Ivy found a new place to stay! That's really sweet. And it really fits as well. I like it.

-T r u c k s (seriously though this one hits home because my grandfather and a good friend of mine are truckers and I've been out there to see them before)

-HERE WE GO BOYS

-THE LYRICS MMMM

-HAHAHA I totally vibe with Lightning, "they never have my name!" (OH MY GOD WAIT DOES HE MEAN LIGHTNING OR MONTGOMERY OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD)

-Lightning humming the song in the end was so cute

-Not a *whole* lot of notes on this episode BUT I LOVED IT. The animation and the music was fucking amazing.

-Rustville!

-IN A MOVIE!?!? BABY YOU'RE IN THREE!

-S P I D E R C A R AAAAAAAAAAHHH

-Bella sounds really cool! And possibly pushy. But cool! (*I was right*)

-"that's technical, it comes out of a computer!...somehow" this. This feels like they're very faintly denting the fourth wall here. Help? H-help?

-Okay maybe the spotlight in a film isn't for you Lightning, and that's okay. XD

-I honestly love the dress up with the two, like Mater is kinda trying to cheer Lightning up. It's touching.

-The way that Mater describes Lightning as "being good at everything" actually really makes me wonder whether Lightning grew up a gifted kid and had those really high expectations pushed onto him. It's no wonder he's so wound up all the time when something doesn't work out for him the way he expected it to. This could be a really neat place to dive into on headcanons.

-I really like that Lightning apologized about being a jerk even though it was for a very small thing. You can tell he's grown a lot and is working on himself.

-Ivy is back! Dadgum how'd she catch up with them already? Also fucking love how the story script changed so instantaneously XD

-Maters president speech reminds me of Cars 2, in his tone I think?

-Oh my God they're arguing, ahh the best part about a road trip, am I right?

-"your breath smells like a carpet fire" damn that's a new one! *Writes down for later*

-"I got this" WELL SHIT Y'ALL GUESS WE'RE FUCKED

-For the record I know nothing about Mad Max so I am not picking up any of their references, BUT, I love the tribal theme and the breakneck wasteland aesthetics

-Shovelbeard. Need I say more!?

-I like how they are so okay with all of this because they're more just angry with one another, and then they're like "hey wait where's everyone else?"

-Oop guess we gotta join em then! TO WAR!!!

-Lightning made a very good call asking what they're fighting for. The guy answering gave him a REALLY bad answer of "I don't even know" and now we are totally fucked!

-Lightning made another right choice and HE APOLOGIZED FIRST. THIS IS GROUNDBREAKING.

-Oh good, everybody made up! Yes Lightning, buy them a whole stores worth of sippy coolers. Get the fandom some as well, we need them.

-HERE WE GO FOLKS, THE FINAL EPISODE!

-Aw poor Mater backfiring with anxiety. I know the feeling all too well, I'll get really fidgety

-HOLY M A N S I O N! :O

-HE GREW UP HERE!?!?!?!?!? W H A T !?!?!?!?

-CRUUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!

-So Cruz's cousin is the guy marrying Mater's sister! How interesting! I love it!

W-wow that's his sister, she looks nothing like- OOOOHHHH THEY ARE SIBLINGS ALRIGHT

-MATO! TO-MA-TO WITHOUT THE TO, OH MY GOD

-HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT THATS WHY MATER HAS BEEN PUSHING HIMSELF THIS ENTIRE TRIP TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING BECAUSE HE'S ALWAYS BEEN PUT LAST OH MY G O D

-1 2 3 ROCK! 1 2 3 ROCK! (*Okay but how does rock paper scissors even exist to them then*)

-"Did I MENTION I dabble in FAMILY THERAPY?" God bless you, Ramirez. God bless you.

-Oh my God though Cruz how many things do you do, you're about to fuck your own canon over. I HOPE ALL THESE THINGS STAY CONSISTENT, YA HEAR???

-oh my God Mater is gonna make me cry man

-may headset DIED, RIGHT AS I FINISHED IT WHAT THE FUCK

-oh my God Mateo and Mato stuck in the tire maze was hilarious

FINAL THOUGHTS!

-I will say that I AM a little disappointed that we did NOT see any reappearances from any characters outside of the Radiator Springs gang and Cruz. OR PLANES. But, I am very certain that both with their pushing and nudging and our screaming and waving of dollar bills, we will get a second season to give the team a chance to give us SOMETHING of these guys. My hope is that they finally actually go up north into Minnesota and see Dusty. Or, they stop at an air race! I would be totally cool with that! We would all be TOTALLY cool with that! Also for the sake of all of us: we NEED to have reappearances of the other characters from the other films. We need them. Desperately. We are being robbed of reunions with our old favorites

-Some old patterns they did in Cars 3 did kinda stick, such as the brushing over of Sally and Lightning's relationship, as well as the whole happenings of Cars 2, but it was less forcefully forgotten than Cars 3 was because at least here, they had the road trip chaos happening to kind of match for Cars 2's spontaneous spy plot. Truly though, could we get Finn and Holley back? Like PLEASE???

-Those negatives aside, I LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF IT. They took great care to flesh out both of their personalities and likes+dislikes, even some old traumas that we learned about for the very first time. It's so refreshing to see these two in the combination of settings just being buddies. Mater is helpful and understanding, McQueen is relaxing and trying to do the right thing, and both are trying to make sure they're each having a good time. The fact that Lightning apologizes for his mistakes multiple times is really really touching, and as someone who can strongly relate to Lightning's struggles, I can say that this is the kind of positive growth I needed to see in a television series. Even arrogant people can turn around and learn to be kinder and more open-minded about the world. It's possible and it's wonderful. Fucking thank you Pixar, this is the one character of your collection who hits closest to home and I am so glad to see he is growing and changing for the better, too.

-The ANIMATION is jaw-dropping. From the look and feel of the characters to the tiny details in the worldbuilding, as small as wrench bouquets on the hotel wallpaper. It was so interesting and so unique and welcomed. I need to comb through it again and see just all the car details that they added into the series. I also have absolutely no problem with them reusing background characters and making them with previously seen models, because the quality of animation and lighting and effects makes up for them a hundred MILLION percent. They really did not have to go above and beyond for the look of this series BUT THEY DID, and I give them my heartiest applause and kudos to every person who had a hand in this passion project. This team is goddamn phenomenal.

-I will absolutely be turning back to this series a LOT for inspiration and motivation. I'm very tempted to draw and write more Cars content since I am known to be much more Planes oriented, and I'm excited to see where that interest goes from here! I haven't got many headcanons for the Cars cast, so this is a clean slate for me! I'm really eager to see what I can do with it.

Alright, I'm going to go ahead and get ready for the rest of my day now, I have a dental appointment to be at. I will be back with more things very very soon! I hope you enjoyed this REALLY long ass post. Til the morrow!

#disney cars on the road #pixar cars on the road #disney pixar cars #pixar cars #lightning mcqueen #mater #tow mater #lightning and mater #thoughts #review

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enemies-to-lovers-bracket · 11 months

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What are the new current submissions?

Right now this is the list. But i might have to remove some IF we end up going over 64 (unless we get so much we can make the bracket even bigger)

Akko and Diana (Little Witch Academia)

C!Wilbur and c!Quackity (Dsmp)

Alex Claremon and Prince Henry (Red, White and Royal Blue)

Keefe Sencen, Tam Song, and fitz vacker (Keepers of the Lost City)

Catra and Adora (She-ra and the Princesses of Power)

Sun Wukong and Macaque (Lego Monkey Kid)

The Oncler x The Lorax (the Lorax)

Gilgamesh and Enkidu (Sumerian mythology)

Jude Duarte and Cardan Greenbriar (The Folk of the Air trilogy)

Shadow and Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)

DJ Octavio and Cap'n Cuttlefish (Splatoon)

Lace and Hornet (Hollowknight: Silksong)

Rey and Kylo Ren (Star Wars)

Sam Winchester and Gabriel (Supernatural)

Han Solo and Leia Organa (Star Wars)

Dazai Osamu and Chuuya Nakahara (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Luz and Amity (the Owl House)

Zuko and Sokka (Avatar the Legend of Aang)

L x Light (Death Note)

Janai and Amaya (the Dragon Prince)

Ballister Boldheart and Ambrosius Goldenloin (Nimona)

Daniela Vargas and Carmen Santos (We Set the Dark on Fire)

Akira Kurusu and Goro Akechi (Persona 5)

Tim Te Maro and Elliott Parker (Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues)

Red and Blue (This Is How You Lose the Time War)

Kyoko Sakura and Sayaka Miki (Madoka Magica)

Victoria and Camille (Reinaeiry)

Andrew Minyard and Neil Josten (All for the game)

Sniper and Spy (Team Fortress 2)

BLUE Soldier and RED Demoman (Team Fortress 2)

Lightning McQueen and Jackson Storm (Cars)

Arthur Kirkland and Alfred F jones (Hetalia)

Fluttershy and Discord (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)

Red and Green (Pokemon)

Kaito and Stacy (Zenkaiger)

Spike and Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Pat and Pran (Bad Buddy)

Ankh and Eiji (Kamen Reider 000)

Ren and Shinji (Kamen Reider Ryuki)

Kairi and Keiichiro (Lupinranger VS Patranger)

Sound and Win (My School President)

Tarou and Sonoi (Avataro Sentai Donbrothers)

Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang (the Untamed)

The Conductor and DJ Grooves (a Hat in Time)

Vegas and Pete (Kinnporche: the Series)

Keith and Lance (Voltron)

Sean and White (Not Me: the Series)

Ringo and Easy (Unter Uns)

Porsche Kittisawat and Kinn Theerapanyakul (Kinnporche) Jae Young and Sang Woo (Semantic Error) Akk and Aye (the Eclipse) I don't know a lot of these ships, so if someone would let me know if there aren't any weird incest or paedophilia ships or smth, it would be appreciated lol!

#not a poll #bracket #tournament #enemies to lovers

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mesillusionssousecstasy · 1 year

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The Chiffon Trenches by André Leon Talley

This book was great, but it could have been excellent with more stories, history and pictures regarding the fashion world. Not to be rude, but sometimes André complained at bit much about being a black man in fashion (activism should have been another book subject). He had such an incredible life, he met such incredible and inspiring people and honestly, if he wasn't gay he wouldn't have been as successful as he was (even truer with this sentence, page 48, "All the principals were gay, something that was understood and never discussed. In this world, there were no victims, only highoctane egos.").

What a life. What an era. For example, page 34, 70, 77, 79, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 99, 113, 114, 127, 131, 132, 133, 134, 151, 152, 161, 162, 205, 207, 212, 228, 229, 249, 262,

I wanted more history about fashion, more history about designer, why omitting so many important ones like McQueen (even being cruel about him at page 148, he was a genius (the most beautiful masterpiece come from darkness it is well known); page 123, John Galliano wasn't the unique visionary of this era), Pucci, Valentino, Thierry Mugler, Paco Rabanne, Lanvin, ...

Why hasn't he even written a bit in French? Strange after so many French studies and living in Paris... (example at page 268)

And he should have done a book with all his photo shooting publications. It would have been a must! Because honestly, too often does he mentioned outfits or interiors without any picture to show us (shame): page 58, 59, 126, 194, 195, 214, 236, 240, 241, 248, 254, 255,

Also, one question arises: To which point is it true? (Why lie about Karl and Baptiste at page 187)?

About Andy Warhol on page 21: "With Andy, anyone could be anyone and everyone was equal - a drag queen or an heiress. At the Factory, if you were interesting, you were "in". And while he could be seen out and about at night, Andy also went to church every morning to thank God for his life, his money, and his mother." & "When Andy was in a good mood, he created small, signed pieces of art for his staff. A silkscreen print from one of his series, or a small painting, like a candy heart in lace on Valentine's Day. It was a quite generous perk.

About Karl Lagerfeld : - Page 25: "Fashion's fun and you can't really take it too seriously. Frivolity must be an integral form." - Page 53: "When I was four, I asked my mother for a valet for my birthday. I wanted my clothes prepared so I could wear anything I wanted at any time of day. At ten, I was always in hats, high collars, and neckties. I never played with other children. I read books and did drawings night and day." - Page 77: "In 1982, Karl Lagerfeld announced he was taking over as creative director of CHANEL. Paris was abuzz with the news, a beehive of intrigue and envy. Vogue wrote at the time that it was the talk of Paris; Karl Lagerfeld who was not French, going to the top of the fashion hill at CHANEL was in fact momentous. Alicia Drake said in her book The Beautiful Fall that Karl's ascension "was a black day at the house of Saint Laurent, (I don't remember this sentence btw)." - Page 100: That's one way of the story. - Page 102: So surprising that everyone is criticizing Karl when he had enough of support them financially (he even gave a house to Princess Caroline de Monaco). - Page 108: Karl's relationship with death and mourning. - Page 113: Who is Karl's dry-cleaning? The name. - Page 114: Karl's life. - Page 115: "And I suffered in exile for a season but learned a valuable lesson: Never trust anyone close to Kaiser Karl." - Page 153 & 156: Karl and his precious gifts. - Page 162: What a generous man. - Page 163: Incredible story with André, Anna et Karl. - Page 173: Karl's regime. - Page 178: "Karl Lagerfeld did not go to Yves Saint Laurent's funeral. He sent flowers to the church, a huge arrangement of white roses, with a handwritten note: "In memory of our better days, of our youth." - Page 187: lying about Karl and Baptiste. - Page 188: Karl being tired of people abusing him. - Page 191: The last interaction between Karl and André. - Page 234: About Karl's death, "Anna Wintour called me from London. "I thought he would live forever." (Me too). - Page 235: "In my Southern Baptist culture, people visit the graves of loved ones. One summer, I faxed Karl that I had been to the grave of my father, who is buried in Roxboro, North Carolina. Amanda Harlech told me later that Karl told her, "Apparently André's spending his time running around North Carolina, visiting graves of his relatives." (Hilarious). - Page 236: "Perhaps Karl thought contemplating death was a waste of time. Truly, there was no one with a more robust schedule in all of fashion than Karl Lagerfeld. He ran three of the biggest fashion brands in the world simultaneously for decades: CHANEL, Fendi and his eponymous Lagerfeld label. And still he took on various anonymous freelance work. While other designers were driven to drink and madness and sometimes suicide by the pressures of one fashion house, Karl made it all seem so easy." (How did he do it btw). --> The book has been published after Karl's death and no word about Virginie Viard (page 235).

About John Fairchild: - Page 31: "I am the boss, and don't you ever forget it." & "I don't give a damn about clothes, I care about the people who wear them." - Page 69: "Mr. Fairchild, this genius who could make or destroy a company or a person with his brilliant sense of wordsmithing."

About Paris on page 51: "Paris offered great characters and subtle intrigues, promiscuity, drugs, scandals - a whole different world from where I had grown up. In Paris, I was always seated on the front row at the couture and ready-to-wear catwalk shows."

About Anna Wintour: - Page 85: "Anna's position as creative director was vague enough to give her both total control of the magazine and zero control, depending on whom you asked." - Page 92: "Each of these women had a strong, independent personality. By naming all three fashion directors, Anna gave each equal billing on the masthead, and each could do her own thing. It was a brilliant move, politically. The equality of their roles also reflected the fact that at Anna Wintour's Vogue, there was no hierarchy. There was Anna Wintour, and there was everyone else." - Page 93-94: The Devil Wears Prada has been confirmed that it is untrue. - Page 95: Does Anna Wintour in a way got André to get closer to Karl at the beginning? - Page 98: She is amazing in the picture. - Page 145: Why he gave his story to W and not Anna, "I had to take it to Mr. Fairchild because I knew he would read it seriously and publish it respectfully." - Page 216: Her and André about the podcast for the Met. - Page 219: "I wonder, when she goes home alone at night, is she miserable? Does she feel alone? Perhaps she doesn't allow herself to feel these things, as she clearly is a person who does not dwell on the past." (Because she doesn't have time for it). - Page 222: "Like any ruthless individual, she maintains her sangfroid at all times. She is always dashing in and out, and I do believe she is immune to anyone other than the powerful and famous people who populate the pages of Vogue." (I don't think he must take it personally).

Incredible story about Gloria von Thurn und Taxis (page 89-90).

The true about Pierre Bergé is not even a surprise (page 97).

About John Galliano: - Page 123-124: His beginning. - Page 130: "Galliano understood me and I got him. I knew his wavelength, where his inspirations came about. I'd been accused of sleeping with all the designers, but the truth is that I embrace their dreams, step inside their dreams, and become part of their dreams. I bonded with Galliano on a human level. He is a genius, a visionary, a poet. A mad poet, like Rimbaud, or Verlaine, or Baudelaire."

About Diana Vreeland: - Second picture: "At a party, when you don't feel as if you have the room at your attention, just find a seat, or a corner. Sit quietly and calmly, occupy your personal space, and people will notice you. And if the world, or party, doesn't come to you, well then it's not meant to be." - Page 207: the mention of Madame Grès.

About Gabriel Chanel: - Page 158-159: "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."

About Tom Ford: - Page 212: His entire black garden in London (love it).

About Lee Radziwill: - Page 230: "X-rays showed Lee had broken her hip. She was immediately operated on and had a hip replacement. When she saw the replacement X-rays, she said, "I have a beautiful Brancusi sculpture inside me."

About Naomi Campbell: - Page 240: She and her friends don't need vista - Page 243: "Being in her entourage is like being in a film; she's larger than life, like Elizabeth Taylor." - Page 245: "If Naomi were music, she would be Saint-Saën's "The Swan," from his suite The Carnival of the Animals, or she would be Scott Joplin's "Gladiolus Rag." She has majestic drama on a professional runway, and her personal life is itself reminiscent of "Triumphal March" from the second act of Verdi's Aida. If she were a poem, it would be "Correspondences" by Baudelaire." - Page 246: "Naomi threw me a look that, if it were a poison dart, would have been a fatal blow." (Le naturel revient au galop) - Page 247: Doesn't know what mean "Éclatante!", shameful.

About Carolina Herrera: - "I always selected the dress I knew no one else would think of buying."

I like his view on love at page 63, 109 ("Sex was not on my radar. Success was."), Incredible picture at page 76, 98, fifth picture, !

Now I understand why there is a Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl (is it related to the Bass family? Anne Bass, page 89

André didn't tell us how Jacques got Aids (page 106), his debauchery.

I don't agree with those sentences: - At page 129: "CHANEL was the great designer but Dior was the name people associated with Paris couture." - At page 225: "Jackie the celebrity had stolen Ari Onassis from Lee." (Not Lee, but from Maria Calas).

I have only heard about "Le Palace", not at all "Club 7".

What about his father, because André always talks about his mother, but almost never about his father (page 198).

I'm sad to discover that I have missed the Oscar de la Renta exhibition in Paris at the Mona Bismarck Center (page 202).

I don't understand why he cut the 2019 Met Gala with Marc Jacobs' wedding (page 240 & 255ss)?

The real moral of the story is at page 257, "The real elegance took a train out of town a long time ago" by Anne Bass. She is so right. And the end of the golden age at page 263, 264, 265 about Condé Nast.

The Epilogue wasn't necessary.

Be aware, the book is a slow read, and it's mostly focus about Karl and Anna (at least for him to criticize them)

Some good quotes: - p. 4: "When I would get upset, my uncle Lewis used to say to me, "Just keep on getting up. Get up every day and just keep going." - p. 5: "I dreamed of meeting Naomi Sims and Pat Cleveland, and living a life like the ones I saw in the pages of Vogue, where bad things never happened." (Story of my life) - p. 6: "While I knew she loved me, I don't think she liked me." - p. 19: "His manerisms, his dandyisms, his snobbism were toxic to my budget but auspicious for my aspirations." (Love it) - p. 52: "We all had a certain way of being and we came together as units, little cliques of ego, glamour, and power. I was fully a part of this machine." - p. 55: "Betty Catroux loved me and accepted me for who I was, not for what I did. That was rare in fashion circles." - p. 61: "We were all on top of the world at this wedding. We felt free and there weren't even any drugs - well, at least not with any of my close friends. Maybe there was too much fine champagne." (Nice one) - p. 67: "She had opened my eyes to a reality I so badly wanted to deny." - p. 92-93: "One was expected to behave a certain way when representing Vogue. I played it cool and I behaved in an aloof, distant, somewhat disdainful manner, the way people usually conduct themselves on the front row. It's rare that you see a major editor emote." - p. 105: "My mother loved clothes, though I am not sure that she ever fully loved me." (Terrible) - p. 144: "Fashion is not an industry that lives in the past, but rather carries its past along, like a shadow, wherever it goes." - p. 196: "She, like Mrs. Vreeland, just took to her bed and waited to leave the world, with her own sense of the world internalized." - p. 199: "I do not fear death, as it was always present in my Baptist upbringing: Prepare yourself for death. We all have to die one day." - p. 203: "A person's words and deeds can make an indelible impression upon the soul. You can make a person feel loved through the simplest things in life. It's not the extravagant gifts that count. It's the thought, the gesture behind it." - p. 218: "I understand; nothing lasts forever." - p. 227: "Whatever time each of us had with her should be remembered as nothing less than a privilege." - p. 268: "When I am overwhelmed with feelings of emptiness and deep sadness, when the day begins and ebbs into dark blues, I have life-enhancing stratagems to make the day a better one."

Bonsoir.

#quote #quotation #quotes #citation #livre #book #book lover #bibliophile #book therapy #book addict #book community #book worm #andré leon talley #the chiffon trenches #anna wintour #karl lagerfeld

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jayjamjary · 3 months

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9&13

If this is for the question list you forgot to put down a character for #13 (Unpopular opinion about XXX character) but for 9, (Most disliked characters) without a specific series to pick from that one's really hard to answer.

I said in the last ask I got that I really dislike Raye Penber from Death Note (Naomi deserves better).

In jojos there's a lot of characters I don't like but mostly because they're intentionally written to be disliked like characters who are creepy towards children or bigoted. Yellow Temperance, Steven Steel, Midler, Yuya Fungami, Polpo, Thunder McQueen, Sports Maxx, and the Boom Boom family all kinda suck though.

Genshin (which I know i really never talk about on here but whatever) I dislike Yoimiya (her quest bit where you help make fireworks or whatever took so damn long because she just kept talking to random people I will never forgive her), Nahida (though I haven't finished the Sumeru quests yet so maybe my opinion will change), Kirara, Baizhu, and Rosaria.

In HxH I hate Hisoka and probably some other people that I don’t remember. In JJK I hate Toji. In ROTTMNT I hate Todd. In Saiki K I hate that purple guy. And uh yeah.

I hope you enjoyed my diss list. I really hope this is what you were asking for. Sorry if not and feel free to send another ask.

The thing this is for:

#i did my best to pull every checter i dislike out of my brain. i reall hope this is what you wanted #asks #anon

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dameronology · 3 years

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love in the time of p.t.a meetings {marcus moreno} - 2/5

summary: your kid has taken a liking to marcus moreno - and frankly, so have you {series masterlist}

warnings: swearing, mentions of divorce & very brief mentions of his wife’s death

i don’t normally update series this quickly but this was originally one imagine that reached about 11k words lmao so it’s all written, just being split up. i’ve also decided it’s gonna be 5 parts instead of 3, cos i reread the ending and realised i was not done by a longshot. enjoy!

- jazz

Mondays. You hated ‘em.

Everything just seemed so...amplified. The peace and relaxation of the weekend was over and everyone had to go back on the grind. The traffic always seemed worst, the clock seemed to tick backwards and you just wanted to be at home, in bed. After an incident involving the dog, a toaster and a small pan fire, you were already running twenty minutes late and you knew in your soul that your child’s shoes weren’t on the right feet. That, and also he was wearing a Chewbacca onesie to school. It had been a compromise. As in, he was refusing to go to school unless you let him wear the damn thing. It was a compromise. You’d lost.

On the bright side, the past weekend had been the best you’d had in a long time. Jack had spent all of Saturday afternoon at the Heroics headquarters and he was so worn out, he’d slept through all of Sunday. Marcus Moreno must have a been a fucking wizard, because you’d been trying to tire the kid out for five years. You made a mental note to do something in return, though you sensed there was nothing on God’s green earth that could possibly amount to babysitting the world’s most exhausting child for six hours. You were allowed to say that, because Jack was your world’s most exhausting child and you wouldn’t have changed him for anything.

‘New week, huh buddy?’ You glanced at Jack in your rear view mirror. He was sat on his booster seat, legs dangling back and forth and a power ranger action figure in his hand. ‘A fresh start.’

‘Can we listen to the song from Cars?’ Jack ignored your comment.

‘You gotta try and behave yourself this week. You’ve seen what happens to people who do follow the rules, right? They get to go work at the Heroics-’

‘- I wanna listen to the song from Cars!’

You wanted to have a deep conversation. Jack wanted to listen to Life Is A Highway. That was...actually, it was exactly how you’d expected that to go. It wasn’t that off of the time you were trying to explain your divorce to him and he’d interrupted you to demand that you put Toy Story on.

‘Sure thing, kid.’ You rolled your eyes, reaching across to hand him on your phone. ‘D’you know how to spell it-’

Your sentence was cut off by the sound of guitars blaring from the speakers. At least he could work out Spotify.

By some miracle, you managed to make it the school with a few minutes to spare. Because most people had dropped their kids off earlier (see: on time), the lot was pretty empty. That meant you could once again dump your car without regard for the painted white lines -- who had time to park properly on a Monday morning? That was for people who had their shit together.

Leaping out the car, you almost cursed when you tripped over your heels. You didn’t have to wear them, but since you’d started working in a managerial role at your office, you figured it made you look a little more professional. And what was the harm in being a few inches taller? It made you feel powerful.

‘C’mon, J.’ You pulled open the back door, helping Jack leap out the car.

‘You know, I’m starting to think you can’t park your car at all.’

‘Marcus!’ Jack practically flew out the car, his tiny body suddenly jolting with excitement.

‘Morning, buddy.’ He replied; he then moved his brown eyes to gaze at you, offering a smile. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey, how you doing?’ You greeted him. ‘I don’t normally see you here in the mornings.’

‘Yeah, I normally drop Missy off at the front but it was one of those mornings, you know? She was taking a little more convincing than usual to go in.’

‘My kid is in a Wookiee onesie and backwards Thomas the Tank Engine shoes and you have the audacity to ask me if I know those mornings? I am those mornings.’ You replied.

Marcus chuckled. ‘I think it’s a look. I especially like the Lightning McQueen sunglasses.’

‘Do you have a super suit?’ Jack asked. ‘Can I try it on?’

‘C’mon, Jack. You’ve already managed to get a tour of the HQ.’ You ruffled his hair. ‘And we gotta get going to school.’

‘But I wanna ask more questions.’ He muttered. ‘I have over a hundred.’

‘Don’t I know it.’ You murmured under your breath. ‘But school is more important.’

‘I don’t wanna go anymore.’

‘I let you wear the onesie. That was our agreement, remember?’

‘All good superheroes have to get an education.’ Marcus reasoned. ‘And if you go in, maybe I can show you my suit at some point?’

'Okay!’ Jack grinned. He wrapped his arms around your waist in a quick hug, before peering up at you with a toothy smile. ‘See ya later!’

He turned on his heel and ripped his backpack from your hand, suddenly speeding up the path and towards school. Had...had that just happened? For once in your life, had you not had to wrench him from the car and wrestle him through the school gates? Move aside, Harry Potter, because Marcus Moreno was the new wizard in town. You might have been a little jealous that he was so good with your son but at the same time, it made you like him even more. He was the first parent at the school that had leant into Jack’s wild tendencies. And, whilst you tried not to think too much about it, even his own dad had struggled to do that. It made your heart warm a little.

‘You are seriously my favourite person.’ You chimed, leaning back against your car.

‘Kids with character are way more fun than kids who are well-behaved.’ Marcus replied.

‘I spent forty-five minutes scraping string cheese out the USB port of my computer yesterday, but sure.’

He chuckled. ‘No, I’m serious. I don’t encourage Missy to misbehave but she does get herself into some situations. I choose to see it as a testament to her intelligence rather than disobedience.’

‘I refuse to believe for a second that Missy ever misbehaves.’ You shot back back. ‘She seems so well-behaved.’

‘What you see in the parking lot is not a reflection of our whole lives.’ He reminded you.

‘Right, because despite appearances, I’m actually a very put together parent.’ You snorted. ‘But I get what you mean.’

‘I gotta get to work now, but it was good to see you.’ Marcus pulled his car keys out his pocket. ‘I was serious about that suit thing, by the way. He saw my katanas on Saturday.’

‘Katanas?’ You spluttered. ‘My kid managed to start a fire last week out of nothing and you want to give him katanas?!’

‘Maybe I can show you how to use them.’ He flashed you a smile. ‘And then you can pass on the knowledge.’

‘That’s probably an even worse idea.’ You shook your head with a laugh, pulling open your car door. ‘I’ll see you around.’

‘You as well. Have a good day, pretty lady.’

Did you stop thinking about your exchange at any point during the day? Absolutely not. In fact, you’d already written an email to the local deed poll office to change your legal name to Pretty Lady.

No, but in all seriousness, you’d been a little giddy about it. Had he been flirting? That didn’t seem like a long shot. You got on well, you’d hung out a bit over the weekend and not to toot your own horn, but you were by no means bad looking. Tired and a little frazzled, sometimes? Yeah. But anyone would have been lucky to have you and you were doing a better job at recognising that, especially since your divorce.

You were almost ecstatic when it got to 4PM and you hadn’t received a single call from Jack’s teachers. That meant that he had behaved, and what Marcus had said had worked. Because you worked past his finishing time, he usually went to the after-school club till you could come to collect him - it had been a lifesaver, especially since you couldn’t always leave early. He usually came home with some kind of weird arts and crafts. Last week, it had been an unidentifiable item made of dried macaroni and glitter. He’d placed it pridefully on the old fireplace in your lounge.

After saying goodbye to your co-workers, you headed out the building. Your office was right in the city centre and not too far out from the school. It was a nice place to be; your lunch hour, when you could head out to a street cart and eat your food in the local park, was usually the highlight of your day. It was when you could exist just as you. When you were at work, you were in charge on your entire department. When you were home, you were a parent 24/7. That time to yourself was vital.

As you were heading to your car, your phone began to ring. Your heart almost jumped out your chest when you saw Marcus’ name - he hadn’t called you before, only texted to sort out the previous weekend’s plans with Jack. You quickly organised yourself (he couldn’t see you, dumb ass) and cleared your throat.

‘Hey, everything alright?’ You brightly greeted him.

‘Hey! Are you out of work now?’

‘Yeah, I’m literally just leaving. What’s up?’

‘Look, I hate to do this but I’ve had an emergency at work - superhero related, you don’t wanna know - and I’m not gonna be out for hours.’ Marcus sounded stressed. Yeah, I feel that you thought. ‘Would you be able to pick up Missy and possibly have her for a few hours? If not, that’s totally-’

‘- I’d be glad too!’ You interrupted him. ‘I owe you one anyways for the weekend. And this morning, actually.’

‘You don’t owe me anything.’ He sounded surprised that you’d even imply it. ‘But I will definitely owe you for having Missy.’

‘Hey, it’s cool!’ You insisted. ‘Do you want me to drop her off at yours later?’

‘I can come and collect her if you text me your address?’

‘Perfect.’ You smiled. ‘I’ll see you later then?’

‘You’re a lifesaver.’ Marcus said. ‘I’ll text Missy to let her know to find your car instead of mine. I would ask for your plate number, but your car is...’

‘...bright red, covered in dents and hard to miss?’ You finished his sentence.

‘Exactly.’

You’d been in the same situation before; pulled between work and parenting, with Jack stuck at school and an important meeting that felt like it was never ending. It was hard to get a sitter on such short notice - or afford one, sometimes - and it was just another one of the million, stressful situations that single parenting could get you into. If you could help Marcus even a little bit, of course you were going to. You knew he’d do the same for you. Heck, he had done the same for you.

Jack and Missy were both chatty on the way home. Given that she was a little older than him, her conversational skills were strikingly better. It was nice to ask someone about their day and not get where are my Cheetos? as an answer. From what you gathered, she hated science class, enjoyed gym, and her favourite subject was lunch. That didn’t come as a surprise to you - her dad was a literal superhero and probably encouraged physical activity.

(You’d seen his arms, okay? They were more than enough to go on. I digress).

The only thing that made you wish you’d had a little more notice on having her for the evening was the state of your apartment. The place wasn’t bad; you’d lived there for the better part of eight years, and it was crammed with soft furniture and millions of blankets, as well as photos of you and Jack and his questionable art projects. It was just that you hadn’t done the dishes that morning, there was a mountain of shoes by the door and the pancakes from the previous night were still stuck on the roof.

Missy barely blinked an eye; the minute she saw your dog, she’d abandoned her bag and was playing with him.

‘Hey buddy!’ She grinned. ‘What’s he called?’

‘That’s Oppy.’ You replied, hanging your jacket up. She didn’t need to know that it was short for Optimus Prime. No guesses on whose idea that had been.

‘He’s so cute!’ Missy continued. ‘I’ve been asking dad for a dog for ages but he won’t budge.’

For some reason, that surprised you a little. Marcus might have been the leader of a super-hero team and a public figure, but you could tell he would do anything for his daughter. You knew because it was the same for you with Jack. He might have ruled your whole life but you would have hung the damn stars in the sky for him if he asked

‘They’re a lot of work.’ You reasoned. ‘I have to wake up every morning at 6AM to make sure he gets a walk. Then there’s the matter of-’

‘- mum! Optimus Prime pooped in the bathroom!’

‘The matter of that.’ You murmured under your breath.

The rest of the evening went pretty smoothly. You fed the kids some leftover takeaway and between the dog and Netflix, they were easily entertained. Jack seemed to take a liking to Missy, which was good because it meant he wanted to sit with her the entire time instead of bouncing off the walls. She had the same patience as her dad, especially when he asked her a million questions about superheroes. It took her twenty minutes to convince him that Batman wasn’t her uncle, and a further fifteen to make him believe that she hadn’t met Captain America.

Jack had asked you a few times about whether or not he would get siblings. Of course, it would be different to any interactions with Missy because he would have been the oldest, but it did get you thinking. You were finally in a place where you were moving past your former relationship and healing from the wounds. Time wasn’t much of an issue either - you’d had Jack when you were young and barely out of college. You couldn’t possibly imagine having any more kids right now, not when it was just the two of you, but in the future? You’d never rule out meeting somebody new. If anything, you were hopeful. Your first relationship had been your only one, and it had ended badly. You wanted to experience love for what it actually was, and not what you thought it was supposed to be.

Not long after 7PM, there was a knock on your door. By that point, both Missy and Jack had passed out on the sofa with Star Wars playing quietly in the background. It had been her idea to watch it - she had good taste. Marcus had clearly done a good job.

‘Hey!’ You greeted him as you pulled open the front door. ‘Come in quick, it’s fucking freezing out there.’

‘Thank you.’ Marcus came inside, dusting a few snow flakes out his hair. ‘Seriously, I can’t say it enough-’

‘- it’s fine!’ You shook your head, offering him a smile. ‘Missy’s been great. She’s really chatty and it was nice to have a coherent conversation with someone that isn’t about Paw Patrol. But was everything at the office okay?’

He was quiet for a minute. ‘Yeah. We uh, we lost someone. A hero.’

‘Shit, man. I’m sorry.’ Your voice fell quiet. ‘You wanna come in? You look like you could probably take a moment.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course! Missy and Jack are both asleep on the couch anyways.’ You pointed through to the living room. Marcus leant over to have a look, smiling slightly at the sight.

‘Thank you. I’d appreciate that.’

He took a seat at the kitchen counter. Your old bar stools were a little old and wobbly, but Marcus didn’t seem to notice. If anything, he admired the place. It was cluttered as hell and filled with useless, old items - cook books you didn’t use, random magnets, assorted toys - but it was nice. His house always felt a little cold and clinical. He’d moved a lot over the course of Missy’s life and now that he was retired from the field, he’d sworn to her that their current house was going to be permanent. Whether or not it felt like home was another question entirely.

‘I would offer you a drink but all I have is..’ you paused, opening the fridge. ‘Nesquik, vodka or apple juice.’

‘You know what? A Nesquik doesn’t sound too bad.’

‘I like your thinking, Moreno.’

After quickly fixing up the two drinks, you slid into the seat beside him and handed him one. You had never in a million years imagined a situation where Marcus Moreno would be in your kitchen drinking chocolate milk, but here we were. It had clearly been a long day for him and you had enough of those to last a lifetime, so you knew how it felt. Coming home after a day that had beat your ass into the ground and having to put on a brave face for your kids was difficult at best.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ You gently asked.

‘Yeah, I’ll be okay - it just always fucks me up a bit.’ Marcus murmured quietly. ‘Hits a little too close to home.’

He wasn’t an idiot. He knew that you knew what had happened to his wife. You knew why he’d retired, and why he and Missy had moved away from their original city six years ago.

‘Sorry, that was too deep-’

‘- it wasn’t!’ You quickly cut him off. ‘I’ve had random women come up to me at pick up time and say they’re sorry to hear about my divorce. People I don’t even know. So really, after that, nothing is too much.’

He smiled slightly. ‘They always say they’re sorry but why would you bring up a subject if you have to apologise for it?’

‘Exactly!’ You replied. ‘Especially when I’ve moved on. It’s been a year.’

‘It’s the same with me. Missy and I miss her everyday but we don’t mope about it. We just...we look back with fondness on the good memories we have. You can’t move forward if you’re stuck in the past, no matter how much it sucks.’

‘That’s...that’s wise.’ You blinked in surprise. ‘S’pose that means I should take down the dartboard I have with my ex’s face on.’

‘From what I’ve heard, he seems like he should have more than a dart board.’ Marcus snorted - then he froze. ‘Wait, not that I’ve heard stuff, I mean...I don’t listen-’

‘- Marcus!’ You whacked his arm. ‘It’s fine. One of the other kid’s mums started telling me about the terrible divorce someone was going through but she realised she was gossiping to the one who was going through it.’

‘I don’t know how much of what I’ve been told is true, but it sounds like it was bad.’ His hand hovered over where yours was rested on the counter.

‘The rumours pretty much get the gist of it.’ You replied. ‘But we were talking about your thing, so I don’t wanna take away from that.’

‘Hey, it’s okay.’ He finally moved his hand, fingers gently curling underneath yours to intertwine them. ‘If even half of the whispers are true, he sounds like an asshole. You and Jack both deserve better than that.’

Whatever people had said, it had sort of covered the gist of it. You’d married too young and had a kid too young - your ex had been a terrible husband and an even worst husband. He’d chastised Jack for being...well, being Jack. He’d stay out late with his friends, spend money on things neither of you needed and tried to make you take the blame for it all. After giving him a few too many chances, you’d finally reached breaking point and kicked him out. Filing for divorce and taking on being a single parent was single-handedly the hardest and bravest thing you’d ever had to do. In a way, you were glad you’d done it when Jack was still so young - he didn’t really understand any of it, even when you’d try to explain it in child friendly terms.

‘I think people judge me for it a little sometimes.’ You confessed. ‘They see me struggling but they know I made the choice to separate from him, like I brought it all on myself.’

‘That’s bullshit.’ Marcus plainly stated. ‘Parenthood isn’t a dependent thing based on whether or not you’re still married to the other parent. It’s unconditional and permanent.’

‘I should tell him that, but I also don’t want him back in our lives.’

‘I know it’s none of my business, but he doesn’t deserve Jack. He’s one of the best and brightest kids I’ve ever met.’

‘Thank you. I’m glad he doesn’t seem like a complete lunatic.’

‘He doesn’t deserve you either.’ Marcus continued. ‘Again, I might be out of place saying this but you are...you’re amazing. I was a wreck when I was suddenly on my own and you’re still holding everything together and working your ass off.’

‘You’ve noticed?’ You quirked an eyebrow.

‘Yeah, in passing.’ He admitted. ‘I remember I once saw you carrying three separate science projects at once and then Carol made a passing comment that you were on your own and...I just kinda admired you from afar.’

‘You, Marcus Moreno, admired me?’ You blinked at him in disbelief. ‘I find that hard to believe.’

‘I wish I’d had my shit together half as much as you did when I lost Missy’s mum.’

‘But the difference is you didn’t have a choice in your situation. I chose to boot his dad out-’

‘- you gotta stop discrediting yourself.’ He shook his head. ‘And stop blaming yourself. You did what was right for your kid and that is the most admirable thing of all.’

‘You really think so?’

‘I know so.’

The conversation slowly drizzled away, leaving you two to just look at each other. It was hard to tear yourself away from his brown eyes - there was a lot going on behind them. Fear, pain, anguish, admiration. He was one of the most mind-blowingly impressive people you’d ever met; single dad, superhero, electric car owner. He probably didn’t have a mortgage too and that was kinda hot. You were none of those things and yet, here he was, with you, managing to connect on a level that you never had with anyone. Both of your situations were tough, but they’d brought you together.

Marcus Moreno was pretty fucking fearless (came with the job, you figured), and he wasn’t afraid to make the first move. He slowly inched his head forward and in return, you gravitated towards him. Your lips met halfway in a soft kiss, his hands moving to firmly hold your waist as he pulled you closer.

You almost stumbled out your chair with the movement, but his grip on your hips meant you didn’t slip. Instead, he placed you up on the counter, standing up as he did. It took you a moment to adjust to the position, but with your legs resting on either side of his, you could reach forward and lean on him. You had one hand tangled in his hair and the other on the back of his neck - you’d surprised yourself with that. It had been months since you’d kissed anyone, but you weren’t as rusty as you thought.

‘Oh my god, is the superhero gonna be my new dad?!’

Marcus suddenly jumped backwards at the sound of Jack’s voice. He was stood in the doorway, post-nap hair covered by a lopsided Chewbacca hood. His eyes were like dinner plates, even though he was grinning from ear to ear.

‘Uh...’ you glanced between him and Marcus. ‘We were just...we were...’

‘I had something in my eye.’

‘He had something in his eye.’ You quickly agreed. ‘But now it’s out, so Marcus is gonna go home.’

He knew you didn’t mean it rudely - it was more of a desperation thing. The longer he stayed, the more questions Jack would come out with. Missy could have overheard too and that would have been twice as much to explain. So really, the sooner he got out, the better.

‘Yeah. I’ll uh, I’ll grab Missy.’ Marcus said, scratching the back of his head. ‘Thank you again for looking after her.’

‘You don’t need to keep thanking me.’ You shot back.

He disappeared into the living room for a moment, reemerging with a sleeping Missy in his arms a moment later. Your eyes met again, and he gave you a soft smile.

‘I’ll call you.’

‘Yeah, sure.’ You nodded. ‘See you, Marcus.’

True to character, the next hour was spent being pelted with questions from your over-curious son. He didn’t shut up once when you were bathing him and he got even louder when you were reading him his best time story. On the bright side, you’d managed to get him to change out of his slightly manky Wookiee onesie and into a clean Buzz Lightyear one. Normally, you would have argued that he couldn’t live in pyjamas, but if it kept him quiet? It was a price you were willing to pay.

‘Night, kiddo.’ You pressed a kiss to his forehead, switching on his nightlight. ‘Remember our deal, yeah? If I buy you a Happy Meal tomorrow, you won’t mention what you saw to any of your friends?’

‘You said library was bad.’

‘No, it’s bribery.’ You corrected him. ‘And do as I say, not as I do.’

‘Sounds bad, but okay.’ He sleepily murmured. ‘Night.’

‘Night.’ You stood up, flicking out his bedroom lights.

‘Wait, mum!’ Jack suddenly sat up, as though he’d remembered something. ‘You never said no.’

‘No to what, buddy?’

‘When I asked if the superhero was my new dad.’

Well, fuck.

taglist: @naivara-duneimith @1-2-3-4-5metalfingers @likeshootingstarsinthenightsky @lyanna-the-giantsbane @phoenixhalliwell @crazycookiecrumbles @bitchin-beskar @comphersjost {message me to be added!}

#marcus moreno x reader #marcus moreno imagine #marcus moreno x you #marcus moreno x y/n #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character headcanons #pedro pascal characters x reader

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1962dude420-blog · 3 years

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Today we remember the passing of James Garner who Died: July 19, 2014 in Los Angeles, California

Garner was born James Scott Bumgarner on April 7, 1928 in Denver, Oklahoma (now a part of Norman, Oklahoma). His parents were Weldon Warren Bumgarner, a widower, and Mildred Scott (Meek), who died five years after his birth. His older brothers were Jack Garner (1926–2011) and Charles Bumgarner (1924-1984), a school administrator. His family was Methodist. After their mother's death, Garner and his brothers were sent to live with relatives. Garner was reunited with his family in 1934, when Weldon remarried.

Garner's father remarried several times. Garner came to hate one of his stepmothers, Wilma, who beat all three boys (especially him). He said that his stepmother also punished him by forcing him to wear a dress in public. When he was 14 years old, he fought with her, knocking her down and choking her to keep her from killing him in retaliation. She left the family and never returned. His brother Jack later commented, "She was a damn no-good woman". Garner's last stepmother was Grace, whom he said he loved and called "Mama Grace", and felt that she was more of a mother to him than anyone else had been.

After the war, Garner joined his father in Los Angeles and enrolled at Hollywood High School, where he was voted the most popular student. A high school gym teacher recommended him for a job modeling Jantzen bathing suits. It paid well ($25 an hour), but in his first interview for the Archives of American Television, he said he hated modeling; he soon quit and returned to Norman. He played football and basketball at Norman High School, and competed on the track and golf teams. However, he dropped out in his senior year. In a 1976 Good Housekeeping magazine interview, he admitted, "I was a terrible student and I never actually graduated from high school, but I got my diploma in the Army."

Shortly after his father's marriage to Wilma broke up, his father moved to Los Angeles, leaving Garner and his brothers in Norman. After working at several jobs he disliked, Garner worked as a merchant mariner in the United States Merchant Marine at age 16 near the end of World War II. He liked the work and his shipmates, but he suffered from chronic seasickness.

Garner enlisted in the California Army National Guard, serving his first 7 months in California. He then went to Korea for 14 months, as a rifleman in the 5th Regimental Combat Team during the Korean War, then part of the 24th Infantry Division. He was wounded twice, first in the face and hand by shrapnel from a mortar round, and the second time in the buttocks from friendly fire from U.S. fighter jets as he dived into a foxhole. Garner received the Purple Heart in Korea for the first wound. He qualified for a second Purple Heart (eligibility requirement: "As the result of friendly fire while actively engaging the enemy"), but he did not actually receive it until 1983, 32 years after the event.

In 1954, Paul Gregory, a friend whom Garner had met while attending Hollywood High School, persuaded Garner to take a nonspeaking role in the Broadway production of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, where he was able to study Henry Fonda night after night. During the week of Garner's death, TCM broadcast most of his movies, introduced by Robert Osborne, who said that Fonda's gentle, sincere persona rubbed off on Garner, greatly to Garner's benefit.

Garner subsequently moved to television commercials and eventually to television roles. In 1955, Garner was considered for the lead role in the Western series Cheyenne, but that role went to Clint Walker because the casting director could not reach Garner in time (according to Garner's autobiography). Garner wound up playing an Army officer in the 1955 Cheyenne pilot titled "Mountain Fortress." His first film appearances were in The Girl He Left Behind and Toward the Unknown in 1956.

In 1957, he had a supporting role in the TV anthology series episode on Conflict entitled "Man from 1997," portraying Maureen (Gloria Talbott)'s brother "Red"; the show stars Jacques Sernas as Johnny Vlakos and Charlie Ruggles as elderly Mr. Boyne, a librarian from 1997, and involved a 1997 Almanac that was mistakenly left in the past by Boyne and found by Johnny in a bookstore. The series' producer Roy Huggins noted in his Archive of American Television interview that he subsequently cast Garner as the lead in Maverick due to his comedic facial expressions while playing scenes in "Man from 1997" that were not originally written to be comical. He changed his last name from Bumgarner to Garner after the studio had credited him as "James Garner" without permission. He then legally changed it upon the birth of his first child, when he decided she had too many names.

Nominated for 15 Emmy Awards during his television career, Garner received the award in 1977 as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (The Rockford Files) and in 1987 as executive producer of Promise. For his contribution to the film and television industry, Garner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1990, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was also inducted into the Television Hall of Fame that same year. In February 2005, he received the Screen Actors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role that year, for The Notebook. When Morgan Freeman won that prize for his work in Million Dollar Baby, Freeman led the audience in a sing-along of the original Maverick theme song, written by David Buttolph and Paul Francis Webster.

Garner was a strong Democratic Party supporter. From 1982, Garner gave at least $29,000 to Federal campaigns, of which over $24,000 was to Democratic Party candidates, including Dennis Kucinich (for Congress in 2002), Dick Gephardt, John Kerry, Barbara Boxer, and various Democratic committees and groups.

On August 28, 1963, Garner was one of several celebrities to join Martin Luther King Jr. in the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom". In his autobiography, Garner recalled sitting in the third row listening to King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

For his role in the 1985 CBS miniseries Space, the character's party affiliation was changed from Republican as in the book to reflect Garner's personal views. Garner said, "My wife would leave me if I played a Republican."

There was an effort by California Democratic party leaders, led by state Senator Herschel Rosenthal, to persuade Garner to seek the Democratic nomination for Governor of California in the 1990 election. However, future United States Senator and former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein received the nomination instead, losing to Republican Pete Wilson in the election

Garner was married to Lois Josephine Fleischman Clarke, whom he met at a party in 1956. They married 14 days later on August 17, 1956. "We went to dinner every night for 14 nights. I was just absolutely nuts about her. I spent $77 on our honeymoon, and it about broke me." According to Garner, "Marriage is like the Army; everyone complains, but you'd be surprised at the large number of people who re-enlist." His wife was Jewish.

When Garner and Clarke married, her daughter Kim from a previous marriage was seven years old and recovering from polio. Garner had one daughter with Lois: Greta "Gigi" Garner. In an interview in Good Housekeeping with Garner, his wife, and two daughters, conducted at their home, and published in March 1976, Gigi's age was given as 18 and Kim's as 27.

In 1970, Garner and his wife briefly lived separately for three months. In late 1979, Garner again separated from his wife (around the time The Rockford Files stopped filming), splitting his time between living in Canada and "a rented house in the Valley". The two resumed living together in September 1981, and remained married for the rest of his life. Garner said that the separations were not caused by marital problems, instead stating that he simply needed to spend time alone in order to recover from the stress of acting. Garner died less than a month before their 58th wedding anniversary.

Garner's knees became a chronic problem during the filming of The Rockford Files in the 1970s, with "six or seven knee operations during that time". In 2000, he underwent knee replacement surgery for both of them.

On April 22, 1988, Garner had quintuple bypass heart surgery. Though he recovered rapidly, he was advised to stop smoking. Garner quit smoking 17 years later.

Garner underwent surgery on May 11, 2008, following a severe stroke he had suffered two days earlier. His prognosis was reported to be "very positive". Garner was a private and introverted man, according to family and friends, On July 19, 2014, police and rescue personnel were summoned to Garner's Los Angeles-area home, where they found the actor dead at the age of 86. He had suffered a "massive" heart attack caused by coronary artery disease. He had been in poor health since his stroke in 2008.

Longtime friends Tom Selleck (who worked with Garner on The Rockford Files), Sally Field (who worked with Garner in Murphy's Romance) and Clint Eastwood (who guest-starred with Garner on Maverick and starred in Space Cowboys) reflected on his death. Selleck said, "Jim was a mentor to me and a friend, and I will miss him." Field said, "My heart just broke. There are few people on this planet I have adored as much as Jimmy Garner. I cherish every moment I spent with him and relive them over and over in my head. He was a diamond." Eastwood said, "Garner opened the door for people like Steve McQueen and myself."

#July 19 #2014 #R.I.P.#James Garner #Hollywood Legend #James Rockford #Rockford Files

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booksandwords · 3 years

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Instinct by Sherrilyn McQueen

Series: Chronicles of Nick, #6 Read time: 2 Days Rating: 5/5

The quote: You were kind to me and I don’t believe in repaying kindness with cruelty. — Xevikan Daraxerxes

God Xev breaks my heart. A whole lot of the support cast in CoN are heartbreaking but there is something else about Xevikan that is just something else. He is pain, PTSD and power. “To give you an inkling, Gautier, I was the only ancient god born who could kill a Chthonian.”, look he is terrifying powerful and I adore him. I love Caleb I do but his inability to listen to Xev's side of the Liliana disaster makes me want to cry, slap him and then say 'what would Liliana say to you now'. Xev is tortured by that moment and we see it, I want to see more of it because there is trauma there that needs to understood. His reaction to Aeron says a lot. Oh and I'm so pleased with how we've met Aeron, I knew of him but not his story. Though there is something truly musing about seeing Xev as an Egyptian Mau nicknamed Mr. Fuzzy Boots., of course, Xev hates the name. Nick and Xev have one of the best relationships in the series. Nick is the only person who sees Xev. I know that was an unusual start, I needed to get it out of my system.

While Illusion helps the readers understand Kody and her parentage and family, Instinct deals as best as it can with Calebs. But Caleb's family is, at best, complicated. And this entire book is essentially done with Caleb absent due to the monster of the week. That monster of the week was someone I had not even thought of. I'm not sure entirely where this fits in. At times it feels like it follows on almost immediately from Illusion, at times it feels like some time has passed. But there is one line I found interesting "He’d only known it existed for less than two years." between Infinity and the end of Instinct is less than two years, and there is a year-long gap in there somewhere. There is a lot to digest coming out of this. All the characters in play, the changes in the world in dynamic and the new pieces of lore to deal with. The plot boils down to Nick working with his allies to save Cherise and Caleb and deciding whom he can trust. CoN books seem to have simplistic plots but the plot is not the point of them, they are character and lore driven. And the plot does well to display the characters in different lights. It gives some idea of where this might be going and Ambrose's shocking appearance was not a good sign. I really enjoyed this it moves at a good pace and doesn't try to do anything too smart. But I really wish there were family trees for some of these characters somewhere. That conversation between Xev and Mennie gets complicated fast even knowing the players. That said the ignorance is in line with Nick's knowledge base so it does fit.

All right have a dump of notes because otherwise, this review becomes obscenely long.

The six generals of the ušumgallu. Grim, Bane and Laguerre who live permanently earthside. The others who had to be called, Xevikan, Livia and Yrre.

The six primal gods. Those of the light; Razer, Cam and Verlyn. Those of the dark; Noir, Azure and Braith. Braith is complicated, while she aligns to the dark she is more grey. Two of the primary gods are missing; Razer and Braith. Verlyn was captured.

It wasn’t easy being Death. Made it hard to make friends. Harder still to keep them. No one was ever really happy to see you. Being around anyone tended to make them nervous and jumpy. Really sucked most days." — Being is Grim's head is something different. That is where we spend the prologue.

Braith got screwed by her siblings. I don't blame her from hiding from them for such a long time.

Zeitjägers. That's Germanic and German is a constructive language. Zeit is time. Jäger is hunter. Zeitjägers are entirely Sherri's creation as far as I can tell. But German is an interesting choice linguistically.

“Believe it or not, he can be quite charming when he’s not psychotic. And Hekate has always had a thing for bad boys.” — This about Noir. This is right after we meet Dagon, their son.

“That was you what done that with Zeus and them Arcadians and gots into all that trouble? Ooo, I remember that. That was so bad for you, but so nice for you to do! You the Simi’s hero.” — mine too Simi queen, mine too. Long story short Dagon helped Lycaon create the Were-hunters. I didn't know we knew him. And with his parentage, I'm not surprised he's willing to rebel.

Oh Noir, how did you get that body? And can please gtfo so we can have it back?

I knew Aeron was going to be important but I didn't understand why.

“But be warned with that lineup, Malachai, you have chosen one of the most powerful groups ever assembled. Together, they could wield enough power to one day kill you.” — Damn Nick that is a smart play. It's an insurance policy. Also good choices, they are all super intelligent in their own fields too.

As an aside. I can't remember another character like Liliana. A character with a shattering impact who is never met. She feels like more than Caleb's wife at times, she feels like an anchor for him. As Nick points out other characters in Sherri's verses have this but we spend substantial time with them in flashbacks. That is not the case with Liliana.

Am I the only one reading this series that feels like there is a book missing? When did Nick find out about Mennie/Ma'at, Nashira, his brother, Monakribos (well his name), in some ways even the names of the 6 source? These aren't just important to Nick, they are important to US. While I do read the Dark-Hunter novels as well and am aware of some of the surrounding lore the primary intended audience of the CoN series would not be. The DH novels are aimed at adults and contain content as such, the CoN novels are aimed at those in their teens.

I want to add this too... this is what an Egyptian Mau looks like.

And when you know Xev has an attitude (for a reason) this is perfect.

#instinct #chronicles of nick #sherrilyn mcqueen #sherrilyn kenyon #book review #read 2021 #ktreviews #younglings

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everyfortressfalls · 1 year

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Idk why but this image popped into my head so I had to draw it.

#death note mcqueen series #i feel the need for speed #vroom vroom motherfuckers #my first drawing of near and it’s THIS bullshit #should have put some toys on the bed #i did this instead of homework #death note #near death note #nate river #death note fanart #death note shitpost #shitpost #near #procreate

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tcm · 4 years

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In Conversation with Eva Marie Saint and Norman Lloyd by Susan King

Anybody who has attended the TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL in Hollywood knows what a magical experience the event is for fans of vintage movies. There’s such good will, love and friendship there that it’s hard to choose what the favorite event is at the Festival, which would have celebrated its 11th edition this April until Covid-19 cancelled the four days of classic films.

One of the most popular presentations are the “Live From” events, which features some of the greatest actors and filmmakers from the Golden Age of Hollywood in conversation with the late, great TCM host Robert Osborne and now with Ben Mankiewicz, the channel’s primary host. These interviews have played on TCM over the years. And a select few, including interviews with Oscar-winners Luise Rainer, Eva Marie Saint, Faye Dunaway and such legends as Norman Lloyd and Peter O’Toole, will be featured during the TCM Classic Film Festival: Special Home Edition.

As a movie writer for 26 years at the L.A. Times. I’ve had the good fortune of interviewing many of these legends. Here are some memories of my conversations with two of my favorites, Eva Marie Saint and Norman Lloyd.

Eva Marie Saint

I have lost count of how many times I have interviewed Eva Marie Saint, now 95, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as Edie, the girlfriend of Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), in Elia Kazan’s 1954 Academy Award-winning masterpiece ON THE WATERFRONT.

But I remember the first time.

I was at the now defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner when I was assigned to talk to her in 1986 about director Garry Marshall’s NOTHING IN COMMON, which stars Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason in his final film. Saint had long been a favorite of mine. I was a huge fan of ON THE WATERFRONT and admired her performances in 1957’s RAINTREE COUNTY opposite Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 romantic thriller NORTH BY NORTHWEST opposite Cary Grant and Otto Preminger’s 1960 epic EXODUS, where Saint was romanced by Paul Newman. I had also seen her on stage in 1979 in Los Angeles opposite Henry Fonda in the hit comedy First Monday in October.

From the moment she opened the door of the Westwood townhome she shared with her late director husband Jeffrey Hayden, I felt an immediate bond with her. Not only did we both hail from the same hometown, East Orange, N.J., Saint was down-to-earth, friendly and smart as a whip. And she’s always been frank and funny.

The last time I interviewed her in person in 2014, Saint talked about doing live TV in the late 1940s and 1950s. “My God, terrible things happened,” she said with a laugh, including exposing more than her talent on the soap opera One Man’s Family. Saint was doing a scene in a small pool opposite the actor who was playing her brother. At one point, she recalled, “someone was doing something offstage. You learn not to look away from what you are doing because you can be distracted.” But she finally looked, only to see a man off camera pulling his shirt up and down. “I looked down and saw my boobies were showing coast to coast,” Saint said, laughing. “I just kept in the scene and slid under the water. What could I do? It was live television. To this day, all of these years later, someone will say to me ‘Miss Saint, you were doing One Man’s Family…’ and I’ll say, ‘I remember.’”

Saint was married to Hayden for 65 years until his death at 90 in late 2016. And he was as exceptional a person as Saint, sweet and friendly. I asked her how the two met. Saint was a young actress and model in New York in the late 1940s, and Hayden was working in radio at NBC. “He saw me on the subway from the back, and he liked the way I walked,” Saint said with a smile. Hayden also noticed a big black book she was carrying that was her modeling portfolio. “The book I was carrying said ‘Eva Marie Saint’ in gold letters,” she noted. “He thought ‘I like the name.’”

They were fated to meet. Not long after seeing her on the subway, Hayden saw her again at Radio City talking with actor Arnold Stang, who also happened to be the only actor that Hayden knew. “So, he could go over to Arnold and Arnold would say ‘Hi Jeff, do you know Eva Marie?’”

The married in 1951, had two children and grandchildren.

My heart skipped a beat when she talked about how strong their marriage was after six decades. Saint noted she had been “thinking about life and I guess I was a little low. I said ‘Jeffrey, what in today’s world inspires you?’ He put his head up and said ‘You.’”

Norman Lloyd

Norman Lloyd, who is still going strong at 105, is one of the most accomplished actors/producers/directors. Beginning as child actor in the 1920s, he starred on Broadway as a member of Orson Welles’ legendary Mercury Theatre in the late 1930s.

He’s appeared in countless movies, including as the evil villain who falls from the Statue of Liberty in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1942 classic thriller SABOTEUR, as well as Jean Renoir’s 1945 THE SOUTHERNER and Charlie Chaplin’s 1952 LIMELIGHT. And TV audiences may know him as the kindly Dr. Auschlander on NBC’s acclaimed medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1982-88.

Lloyd also had one of the strongest marriages in Hollywood. He and his wife Peggy, who died in 2011, were married for 75 years. Having interviewed him several times, I can attest that he is a terrific storyteller and the sweetest of peas.

When I chatted with him at his cozy Brentwood home in 2014, he was still playing tennis twice a week and regaling me with stories about Hitchcock (Hitchcock, Renoir and Chaplin were among his best friends.) In fact, Hitchcock saved his career in the 1950s. Lloyd had discovered jobs hard to find because of the Hollywood Blacklist. Though he was not officially blacklisted, his liberal leanings and friendship with those who had been blacklisted hurt his career.

That didn’t stop Hitchcock from hiring him to be an associate producer on his classic anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1957. CBS told the Master of Suspense that there was a “problem” with Lloyd. Hitch persisted. “He said three words: ‘I want him,’” Lloyd recalled.

The Tiffany network, not wanting to upset one of the biggest directors in the world, immediately greenlit Lloyd, who initially worked with producer Joan Harrison, eventually became the executive producer of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour which ran until 1965. Lloyd also directed episodes of the series, including the devilishly fun 1960 installment “Man from the South,” starring Peter Lorre, Steve McQueen and the King of Cool’s then-wife Neile Adams.

Hitchcock and Lloyd reunited in the late 1970s for THE SHORT NIGHT, a thriller Hitch was hoping to make after 1976’s FAMILY PLOT. “Hitch, by the way, was not at his physical best,” Lloyd recalled. “He was really getting old and had difficulty walking. We were working on the script one day and he says to me, ‘You know, Norm. We are not going to make the picture.’”

Lloyd asked him what he meant by the statement. “He said to me a classic line: ‘Because it’s not necessary.’ When he died, the Directors Guild asked me to write a tribute to him, which I did. That’s what I ended it with.“

#Eva Marie Saint #Norman Lloyd #TCM #Turner Classic Movies #TCMFF #Film festival #blacklist #alfred hitchcock #old hollywood #Susan King

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steve-smackdown · 10 months

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Round 2 Matchups!

Round 1 was a lot of fun! Some unexpected sweeps happened (looking at Steve Cobs, i thought the OSC wanted his ass dead) and that’s always exciting. Here are the next round’s matchups, under the cut:

Bracket 1:

The Steve Convention (Phineas and Ferb) VS. Stefan Karl Stefansson (Real Life)

Steve Cobs (Inanimate Insanity) VS. Steve “Patch” Johnson (Days of our Lives)

Steven Grant (Marvel) VS. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (WWE)

Steven (Wii Sports Club) VS. Stéphanie (Wii Sports Resort)

Bracket 2:

Steve McQueen (House MD) VS. Steve the Vehicon (Transformers)

Steven Stevenson (Dayshift at Freddy’s) VS. Pizza Steve (Uncle Grandpa)

Steven Taylor (Doctor Who) VS. Steve (Me, You, and Steve by Garfunkel and Oates)

Steven Universe (Steven Universe) VS. Stephanie Brown (DC Comics)

Bracket 3:

Steve Burnside (Resident Evil) VS. Steve Urkel (Family Matters)

Steel Vengeance [aka SteVe] (Cedar Point) VS. Steven (Papa Louie)

Eh! Steve! (Homestar Runner) VS. Steve the Red Pikmin (Chuggaconroy)

Steven von Namtzen (Lord John) VS. Stephen Strange (Marvel)

Bracket 4:

The Steve Army (Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series) VS. Stevie Nicks (Real Life)

Steve Hale (Full House) VS. Ninja Steve (WarioWare: Gold)

Stephen King (Real Life) VS. Steeve (Deep Rock Galactic)

Steve McCroskey (Airplane!) VS. Steven Armstrong (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance)

Bracket 5:

Steve (Bigtop Burger) VS. Steve (Minecraft)

Steve Harrington (Stranger Things) VS. Steven Carter (Torchwood)

Steve (Blue’s Clues) VS. Steven Franklin (Babylon 5)

Steve Randle (The Outsiders) VS. Steve (hi, i’m steve) & Stefon Meyers (Saturday Night Live)

Bracket 6:

Steven Stone (Pokémon) VS. Steve Irwin (Real Life)

Stephen Hawking (Real Life) VS. Stevie Wonder (Real Life)

Stephano (The Tempest) VS. Stephen Gevanni (Death Note)

Stephen Sondheim (The Unsleeping City) VS. Steph (Pride)

#steve smackdown #the matchups

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hms-chill · 4 years

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RWRB Study Guide, Chapter 8

Hi y’all! I’m going through Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue and defining/explaining references! Feel free to follow along, or block the tag #rwrbStudyGuide if you’re not interested!

James I (203): James I/VI (First of England, Sixth of Scotland) is known for both translating the Bible and being just... so, so incredibly gay. The book mentions that he promoted a dumb jock to gentleman of the bedchamber, but it leaves out that 13-year-old James would just make out with dudes in public, and that the dumb jock (George Villers) was James’s third serious adult relationship. His friends introduced him to George because his last boyfriend was bad for the kingdom.

George Eliot (205): Mary Anne Evans wrote under the pen name George Eliot to escape the stereotype that women could only write romances. She wrote seven novels, of which Middlemarch is the most famous, known for their realism and psychological insight.

Daniel Defoe (205): A pioneer of the English novel, Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe as well as a series of divisive political pamphlets and tracts.

Jonathan Swift (205): Irish political writer most famous for A Modest Proposal, a satirical piece that suggests cannibalism of infants as a more humane response to the British treatment of Ireland than letting them grow to starve in adulthood.

Dickens... “woman who languishes away in a crumbling mansion wearing her wedding gown” (205): Charles Dickens wrote stories concerned with the lower classes. This quote in particular refers to Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, who was left at the altar and refused to take off her wedding dress or even put away the food set out for the wedding.

Sense and Sensibility (205): This is probably Austen’s second most popular novel (after Pride and Prejudice); it follows the four Dashwood women in their move to a new home following the death of Mr. Dashwood. Like most of Austen’s novels, the opinionated narrator follows the women through a series of romantic mishaps, culminating in a happy ending.

Green American Money (206): Fun fact, British money is blue and orange and purple and all sorts of fun colors! It also all looks different, because (at least in Scotland) four banks are allowed to print pound notes, so there are four different designs all in circulation.

Sean Hannity (206): A conservative American political commentator.

Harvard rowing (206): Rowing is like... the bougiest of sports.

Pleiad (206): In Greek mythology, the pleiades were the daughters of the titan Atlas who became stars following his entrapment under the earth. They are remembered for their beauty and loyalty. Myths of the missing pleiad explain why only six of the seven stars are visible to the naked eye. According to some sources, the missing pleiad is Merope, who was shamed out of the sky for her relationship with a mortal.

Minute Maid Park (206): The baseball stadium associated with the Houston Astros baseball team; it seats just over 41,000.

Politico (207): An American political opinion news source.

Drop-kick Murphys (208): An American Celtic punk band. (listen here and here)

The Klan (209): The Ku Klux Klan, an incredibly racist organization that has been responsible for the lynching of thousands of people of color.

Kim Nam-June (210): Kim Nam-Joon, known as RM or Rap Monster, is the leader and rapper of the K-pop group BTS.

Milwaukee (211): The largest city in and main cultural center of Wisconsin, which is a “swing state”, meaning that it could go either way politically in a national election.

Seth Meyers (211): An American talk show host and comedian whose creatively titled show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, is liberal-leaning. He hosts celebrities and often chats about politics or the news.

Clear Crystal Quartz (211): Apparently the most “iconic” crystal, it is believed to be able to help with clarity and the achievement of goals.

Wimbledon (213): The oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious.

Royal Box (213): The royal box at Wimbledon is a section of the best seats, reserved for royalty and specially invited celebrity/politically powerful guests.

David Beckham (213): A former professional soccer player and current fashion icon known for being hot and wearing nice suits.

McQueen (214): Alexander McQueen was an openly gay British fashion designer who rose from a lower class background to become one of the most famous designers in the world. Though he died in 2010, his brand continues to be known for unconventional fashion shows and theatrical imagery.

Dashikis (215): A colorful, ornate piece of clothing somewhere between a shirt and a tunic originally from West Africa.

Orangery (218): A very large greenhouse or conservatory designed for growing orange trees.

Woman at her Toilet (218): This painting shows a woman in her bedroom putting on her socks with a little dog next to her; you can see it here.

Baroque bed* (218): Baroque art was designed to show off a monarch’s power; it is incredibly extravagant (Versailles is pretty much the iconic Baroque thing; you can see more about it here).

The Killers (219): An American rock band formed in the early 2000s and known for having donated over $1 million to charity (they did “Mr. Brightside”). (listen here and here). According to McQuinston’s twitter, the song Henry plays is “When You Were Young”, which you can listen to here.

Dred Scott (219): In the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford case, the US supreme court ruled that the constitution did not extend to or protect Black folks.

Nina Simone (219): An American singer/songwriter/political activist whose music spanned a variety of genres and whose activism focused largely on the civil rights movement and was largely influenced by her “friend” Lorraine Hansberry, a Black lesbian playwright. (You know Hozier’s “Nina Cried Power”? She’s Nina) (listen here and here)

Otis Redding (219): Considered one of the greatest singers in American pop music and was one of the foundational soul artists in the US. (listen here and here)

Brahms (219): A German composer known for sticking to more classical forms of music while his contemporaries often leaned toward more dramatic or opulent styles. (listen here and here)

Wagner** (219): A German composer who wrote both the music and the librettos for his operas; his works tend to be very complex, and he has been credited with beginning modern music. (listen here and here)

Romantic (219): Artistically, the Romantic movement was a direct response to industrialization that called for a return to and celebration of nature. Queerness was very much a part of this movement, as it was seen as a return to or celebration of one’s natural state (think Byron).

War of the Romantics (219): A music history term used to describe the split between conservative composers like Brahms who wanted to stick with the Baroque, opulent styles of the past century and radical progressive composers like Liszt, who favored newer styles that blended music with narrative and morals.

Liszt (219): A Hungarian composer known for a diverse body of work and his position as the leader of the radical progressive group in the War of the Romantics. (listen here and here)

Alexander Scriabin (219): Russian composer known for his atonal or dissonant music. (listen to the piece Henry mentions here)

Elton John’s “Your Song” (219): A song written before Elton John came out, but with his queerness in mind. In a 2013 interview, John referred to it as “a perfect song”, and that the lyrics (written by Bernie Taupin) got even better as he got older and sang it more. (listen here)

Consecrated (220): made holy.

DNC (221): The Democratic national conference, when members of the Democratic (liberal) party get together to prepare for a presidential race.

College Republicans of Vanderbilt University (221): Vanderbilt University is a private (and therefore more expensive) school in Nashville, Tennessee. Its location in the South and its price tag would both mark it as being more conservative.

Cage match (221): A type of wrestling match that takes place inside a steel cage; the most common way of winning is by escaping the cage, usually by climbing over the top.

Paul Ryan (222): A conservative retired politician and former Speaker of the House.

The Second Amendment (222): The second amendment grants Americans the right to bear arms (have guns).

Salon (222): An American news and opinion website with a politically liberal editorial stance.

Air Force One (222): the president’s plane

“My Canadian girlfriend” (223): A running joke that someone (often a high schooler) whose partner goes to another school or lives somewhere else is made up.

Five Guys (225): Five Guys Burger and Fries is a popular fast food burger chain across the US.

Vampire Weekend (225): An American indie rock band.

The general (226): the general election in November, when Americans would vote for their president

Plainclothes (226): out of uniform

The Beekman (226): A very fancy hotel in Lower Manhattan, near the Brooklyn Bridge.

NATO (233): the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries.

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*every time I read this, I flinch just a little bit. Baroque architecture is just... so much, and the concept of a Baroque bed when beds/bedrooms are supposed to be simple to help you rest... It’s just so much and I hate it with all of my being. I’m sorry if you like Baroque furniture, but especially for Henry, who dreams of a simple life where he can just write and be anonymous... It’s a big yikes.

** Literally no one asked, but his stuff is just... it’s so boring? Like I’m sure it’s great to fall asleep to or calm down to, but I tried to listen to it while I wrote this and I just couldn’t. Liszt is better, but he’s no Mozart. Also? Mozart wrote BOPS. ONLY. “The Birdcatcher’s Song” slaps and no one can change my mind on that.

----

If there’s anything I missed or that you’d like more on, please let me know! And if you’d like to/are able, please consider buying me a ko-fi? I know not everyone can, and that’s fine, but these things take a lot of time/work and I’d really appreciate it!

—–-

Chapter 1 // Chapter 7 // Chapter 9

#rwrb study guide #English Major Brain™#English Major Brain™️#rwrb #red white and royal blue #rwrb analysis #analysis #red white and royal blue analysis #henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry fox mountchristen windsor x alex claremont diaz #alex claremont diaz #FirstPrince #june claremont diaz #bea fox mountchristen windsor #pez okonjo #nora holleran

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tlbodine · 5 years

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1950s Horror: Threats From Beyond the Stars

Today we rounded out the 1950s with two very different types of space invasions.

First up was Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) directed by Don Siegel. I’d never actually seen the original, having grown up with the excellent remake from 1978 -- a film which we may visit when that time comes. But for now, we’re talking about the OG.

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The film follows a small-town doctor who becomes increasingly concerned about a series of strange occurrences. First, there are patients calling frantically to schedule appointments they never show up to. Then there is the apparent mass hysteria with people believing their family members have been replaced by look-alike impostors. Except, well...they weren’t so crazy after all.

The core concepts of this story are terrifying. An alien lifeform that can flawlessly steal your identity and your life? A slow-moving invasion that can sweep through a town without anyone noticing? Genuinely horrifying stuff, and given the time period, it’s not too hard to see echoes of the Red Scare. Your neighbors may not be pod people...but they might be Communists! There’s another equally chilling theme, too: Conformity as a loss of self, and a fate worth than death. In a way, the story manages to be simultaneously anti-Communist and anti-McCarthyism

A couple notes:

The story was actually based on a novel by Jack Finney, which I had no idea about. I might have to hunt that down!

As with so many films of this time period, the forced cheerful ending was the result of executive meddling. The planned end -- the main character turning to the camera and screaming “They’re here, They’re here! You’re next!” in a fourth-wall-breaking warning -- was deemed too bleak (the scene does still appear in the film), so a more optimistic ending was tacked on, along with a framing narrative that the filmmaker despised.

Honestly, the whole concept of the pod people is one that I really enjoy and which I am both fascinated and horrified by, and I want to write a whole post about that theme -- so keep an eye out for that soon.

But first, let’s talk about....The Blob!

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Directed by Irvin Yeaworth, this 1958 indie film became a well-known cult classic. It’s the first leading role for Steve McQueen (who would go on to be both a cultural icon and the best-paid actor in Hollywood, presumably thanks to much better acting than was on display in this movie). It’s also the first movie in color we’ve watched in this whole film series.

And it’s a good thing it’s in color, because otherwise how could we enjoy the oozing, shimmering, disgusting blobbiness of...THE BLOB!

This movie is ludicrous, but in kind of a fun way. The basic idea is that a meteor lands, bursts open to leak out some kind of living goo (a type of amoeba, presumably?) that latches on to the first thing it touches (an old guy who lives in the woods) and swiftly consumes him. It grows in size and power, slowly and ominously, uh, oozing through the town...and for Reasons(tm) it’s up to a group of spunky teenage greasers to save the day.

After being hit with acid, shot, and electrocuted -- to no avail -- it’s finally discovered that the blob can be rendered dormant (if not killed) by the cold. So the FBI comes to scoop it up and take it to the far north, where, as the main character helpfully points out, the thing has been stopped “As long as the Arctic stays cold.”

I don’t know if there is any way the filmmakers could possibly have known how funny/terrifying that line would turn out to be in 2019.

Anyway. The Blob was made to be a fun, cheap movie for teenagers to watch at the drive-in while canoodling, which may be why the pacing is so laboriously slow (leave more time for necking without missing anything important). A few fun facts:

The film was shot primarily in Phoenixville, Pa., which still hosts an annual Blob-fest celebrating it.

The titular blob is made primarily of silicone and food coloring (with more food color added as the movie goes on and the blob absorbs more people), and it still survives IRL -- it lives in a 5-gallon bucket.

Steve McQueen was offered a choice between $2500 and 10% of the film’s profits. He went for the $2500, thinking the movie wouldn’t be a success, and was probably flabbergasted when it went on to net about $4mil at the box office.

Amusingly enough, at least one film critic has interpreted the story as being about the Red Scare: “According to Jeff Sharlet in his book The Family, The Blob was "about the creeping horrors of communism" only defeated "by freezing it — the Cold War writ small and literal".[24] Rudy Nelson, one of the scriptwriters for the film, has denied many of Sharlet's assertions, saying "What on earth can Sharlet say about the movie that will fill 23 pages—especially when what he thinks he knows is all wrong"?[25]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blob

What we do know is that the very best part of the blog is its magnificent title sequence and theme song, which deserves a place on every Halloween playlist right beside The Monster Mash:

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#horror movies #science fiction #1950s horror #horror by the decade #horror through the ages #film history #invasion of the body snatchers #the blob

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