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dankusner · 2 months

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twice in a blue moon the local papers...

BOOK SMART

Jennie Reeves has been a teacher, a mother and a Park Cities socialite. With ‘Once in the Blue Moon,’ she’s become a serious writer

The coolest book event I ever attended was in a strip mall at the very non-rock-star hour of 5:30 p.m.

This was Wednesday, March 6, and I arrived fashionably late to find attendees spilling onto the sidewalk of Interabang Books.

Near the entryway, bartenders handed out AIX rosé and Rambler seltzer.

I spotted Ben Fountain, my vote for Dallas’ best writer, and Kendra Greene, my vote for Dallas’ most underrated writer.

I suddenly wished I’d worn heels.

Once in the Blue Moon is not the child of a sleek New York publishing house.

It’s a slim and stately novel put out by hometown heroes Deep Vellum, the literary version of a trendy indie label run by Will Evans.

I ran into Evans in the sci-fi section of the bookstore. “It feels like a real party!” he hollered over the din.

Book events this packed usually mean one of two things: A YouTube celebrity, or a Hollywood one.

Rusty old scribes don’t bring the crowds anymore, but this night was different.

Interabang sold out of Once in the Blue Moon so fast Evans had to retrieve more copies. By evening’s end, they’d sold 300.

“Jennie told me this is how it would go,” he said, smiling.

Jennie is Virginia Miller Reeves, once a little girl in Oklahoma so dirt-poor she had to borrow a pencil at school, later a Park Cities socialite, kindergarten teacher, local preservationist and now published author.

The literary world toasts its young talent, but literature itself demands time, not to mention wisdom.

Toni Morrison was 40 when her career got cracking.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose Little House books captured the American frontier, was 65.

Blue Moon owes a debt of gratitude to Wilder’s deceptively simple and profound Little House books, but as far as oldest debut novelist?

Reeves beats Wilder by 15-plus years.

“I’ve been working on this for over a decade,” Reeves told the audience, standing at a signing table near the back.

She was undoubtedly the belle of this ball, in her signature red glasses and red lipstick, paired with a vintage Stetson, her lucky hat.

I once asked Reeves her age, and she locked eyes with me and said, “Eighty-plus.”

Reeves was past 70 when she began unfolding a story about growing up in the shadow of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era that emptied out Oklahoma so thoroughly that families like the Joads from The Grapes of Wrath fled to California.

But Reeves’ family stuck around.

They worked the ravaged land, one reason her father disappeared in the drink for a spell. Blue Moon was his bar of choice.

“This is a book about ordinary people who lived in a very extraordinary time,” Reeves continued, though the crowd was noisy, and she kept it short. “A story of resilience and redemption.” Everyone clapped.

When I first heard about Blue Moon , I had visions of Mad Men ’s dashing blowhard Roger Sterling dictating his autobiography, Sterling’s Gold , a send-up of vanity projects that can consume men (and it’s usually men) in their twilight years.

Blue Moon is at once more modest and more ambitious.

I was hooked by the opening line: “I learned the alphabet by the dim light of an oil lamp in a kitchen heated by a woodstove burning sweet cedar.”

The narrator reminded me of the young Mary Karr in Liar’s Club (with less cussing), though Reeves was aiming toward Steinbeck’s

The Red Pony , a 1933 episodic novella about life on a California ranch.

Back then, good books came with illustrations. Mark Twain, Washington Irving, Arthur Conan Doyle — their stories had pictures.

Why the publishing world dropped this custom I can’t fathom; “more words, fewer visuals” doesn’t strike me as a selling point.

But Reeves bucked the trend, as she did others, enlisting Corsicana artist Kyle Hobratschk to etch portraits for each chapter.

A rocking chair, the soulful eye of a cow, a fat plume of cotton.

The pair met in 2015 through Reeves’ daughter Lucy Wrubel, a dynamo in her own right. (Wrubel is a DJ, and on the night of the Interabang event, she’d returned from a gig with Keith Urban, who’d given her his guitar.)

Nine years ago, Wrubel hired Hobratschk, then in his early 20s, to etch a portrait of the family’s beloved home on Alice Circle in the Park Cities as a Christmas gift for her parents.

The historic house was draped in ivy with a voluptuous garden. I’d seen a picture, and it looked like the English countryside.

Reeves and her husband, Stuart, who spent 35 years working with Ross Perot, had become empty nesters, and they were downsizing to a place in Caruth Court, where museum-worthy paintings shared space with comfy furniture.

The new owners on Alice Circle, however, didn’t share their reverence for the property.

They tore down a 100-year-old section of the home and gutted the treescape and gardens.

The etching from Hobratschk was a way to hold onto the place as it changed.

The duo’s collaboration evolved naturally.

To hear Reeves tell it, Hobratschk asked her to read from the manuscript she’d been working on, and to hear Hobratschk tell it, he never asked. No matter: The manuscript was read.

“She has such a good voice,” said Hobratschk, now a distinguished 31. “I’m so glad she’s doing the audiobook.”

Hobratschk is the man behind the 100 West artist and writers residency in Corsicana’s charming downtown square. He spent much of his childhood in Saudi Arabia, where his mechanical engineer father made submersible pumps. But he recognized the story Reeves had written.

“My dad’s family are cotton farmers from the Panhandle,” he said. “I know that flatness and the red dirt.” His copper-plate etchings are done by hand, which didn’t sound impressive until I saw one at the signing table, a miniature portrait of a man in a wagon. I ran my fingers across the tiny hatch marks, like braille for Lilliputians. “I use a magnifying glass,” Hobratschk explained.

Reeves wrote her book in longhand, too. “Like Toni Morrison,” I pointed out to her, though she added, “and Cormac McCarthy.” The manuscript got the attention of a New York publisher, but it was taking too long, and they never understood the etchings (weren’t pictures for children’s books?), so the pair reached out to Will Evans, a friend of Hobratschk’s.

“Kyle is one of the most visionary people I’ve met since moving to Dallas,” Evans told me, quite the compliment from one of the most visionary people I’ve met since moving back to Dallas. The two met in 2013 at a reading for Polish poet Wisława Szymborska, which makes me wonder what Dallas those two inhabit.

This city is a rootless place. We ripped up cotton fields and built a shopping mall (a very good one), but a lack of cohesive identity, and a hunger to belong to history haunts this town in a way you don’t feel in a city like New York, though that place is also rootless in its own way. The rugged individualism Grapes of Wrath captured is the American story. We move. We reinvent. But Blue Moon is a reminder that whatever soil we grew in never leaves us.

It’s also a reminder that however broken the world feels right now, it was broken before. Literature is the lesson of how we move through it.

Reeves and Hobratschk cut a dashing figure at the signing table, where people lined up with the book in their hands.

“We’ve been working on this together for eight years,” Reeves told a woman as she swiveled her fountain pen across a mostly blank page. “Can you imagine how young Kyle was then?” She slid the book across the table for him to sign, and he didn’t miss a beat.

“I could barely order a drink at the bar,” he cracked. Big laugh.

An 80-something firecracker who was young at heart and a 31-year-old artist with an old soul. They were an odd couple; they were the perfect match.

Wow.

Two days after news broke that Dallas (Deep Vellum) publisher Will Evans is about to be knighted by France for his contribution to French literature, The New York Times has a piece lauding him for his role in making Dallas, "home to one of the most dynamic, international literary scenes in the country."

Us? Really? Wasn't The Dallas Morning News openly sneering at this idea just a few years ago? And now it's happening?

You know, there's a point at which the city stops in its tracks, turns around, looks hard at reality and says, you know what, this city's future is not in the hands of real estate developers and new convention centers.

The people with the vision and action that will create a great future here are the Will Evanses, who see something in the city that was invisible to the old guard. Literature? Who knew? Some of them have been here all along. It's Angela Hunt, who told us that the Trinity River can become the greatest urban rewilding project on earth (and spawn riparian real estate the old guard could only dream of). It's John Tatum, who has told us from the beginning that rail -- a vast sprawling financial black hole so far -- can be reconfigured to create a new way of life in the city's core. It's Alan Cohen, telling us that all of our doubt and mistrust of local government (and hence, community) can be resolved with software. They're all here. It's all here. We just have to stop. Turn around. And listen. That listening, though. Always the hard nut.

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readingforsanity · 9 months

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The Four Winds | Kristin Hannah | Published 2021 | *SPOILERS*

Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli - like so many of her neighbors - must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras - The Great Depression.

Elsa Walcott is a fairly well-to do young lady, in a good family, living near the Texas Panhandle. Already 25 years old, she is considered a spinster despite her young age. But the year is in the 1920s, and typically women would have become married and mothers by that age.

On a whim, she meets Rafe Martinelli, a young 18-year-old Italian boy whose parents emmigrated to the United States to give Rafe a better life. But, the two of them begin a whirlwind love affair, and Elsa becomes pregnant with Rafe’s child. The day before he was meant to leave for college and a new life, Elsa’s father drops her off on the Martinelli farm and tells Rafe’s parents, Rose and Tony, that Elsa is their problem now.

Despite their better judgement, they welcome Elsa in and 9 months later, Elsa welcomes a daughter, whom she names Loreda. The story then fast forwards 13 years later. Elsa is still married to Rafe, living on the family farm. Elsa is 12 years old, and they have a son named Anthony, they call him Ant. There was a third son, who was stillborn and is buried in the family cemetery beside Rose and Tony’s three deceased children, all girls.

Rafe is still a dreamer, also putting these thoughts into Loreda’s head. Loreda and Elsa don’t get along, like many teenage girls with their mothers. Elsa is a no-nonsense woman now, but despite all of that, her love for her family is fierce. But, soon, Texas is hit with a massive drought, and their land begins to die around them. Rafe can’t take anymore of this, even though Elsa was going to agree to leave for California in search of a new life, but after spending the night drinking, Rafe left in the middle of the night without word of where he was going or when he’d be back.

Along with the drought, the family begins having to deal with the dust storms, effectively living right in the middle of the dust bowl. When Ant becomes sick with what they’ve dubbed dust pneumonia, Elsa knows that in order to save her children, she will have to move on. On Black Sunday, the day that a massive dust storm blew into the town, blowing black topsoil all over the towns and across states, even as far as Washington, DC., Elsa knows the time is now.

Grabbing Ant from the makeshift hospital in town, the three of them begin moving toward a better life in California. Taking with them as much as they can, they enter over the border of California, and see lush green all around them for the first time in years. Unfortunately, Californians are not as welcoming as Elsa thought. They find a migrant worker camp, and settle in and despite wanting to move on, it is the only place they can afford.

They find as much work as they can, even Loreda having to take off school during the cotton picking season in order to help make money. But when a massive storm causes flooding in the camp, they are saved by communist volunteers and taken to a hotel in order to stay. On advice from Jack, the leader of the communist party near them, they go to the Welty worker camp, and are offered a cabin to stay in, for $6 rent per month.

Elsa, grateful for the opportunity to be given work first since she lives in the camp, realizes that the owner is allowing them to live on credit only, not accepting any cash and won’t allow the Martinelli’s to follow the crops across the state in search for work as they would have to give up their shelter.

Elsa is massively in debt with the owner of the camp, but when cotton picking season begins, they are given work, though they begin working well under minimum wage. Elsa begins working with Jack, whom she also has fallen in love with, and the family begins fighting for fair wages for the workers, and they begin using their right to peaceful protests, though this ultimately leads to Elsa being shot after trying to step up for the workers.

Though the hopsital in town refuses to work on the immigrants, Jack tells the nurse that she needs a doctor now, or there will be trouble. Elsa can feel her body shutting down, as they were unable to remove the bullet. Elsa dies, and Jack takes Ant and Loreda back home to Texas, along with Elsa’s body where she can buried on the land that she loved for so long.

Several years later, Loreda is now 18 years old and returning to California, to go to college as the first Martinelli to do so. She knows that her mother loved her, and though it is hard to be without her, she now is living her life with her mother in mind, who had found her voice too late in life, and that cost her her life.

Discussion Questions

1. “Hope is a coin I carry...There were times in my journey when it felt as if that penny and the hope it represented were the only things that kept me going.” What is the significance of the fact that it is an American penny? In what ways does hope anchor us in the moment, and in what ways does it push us forward? Do you or your family have any keepsakes that represent your family’s hope for the future? When the going gets tough, we hold onto hope that everything will work out. For the Martinelli’s, it was a coin that gave them the hope. For others, it is something else that they hold onto, whatever brings them the comfort they need in order to move forward.

2. “But we women of the Great Plains worked from sunup to sundown, too, toiled on wheat farms until wew ere as dry and baked as the land we loved.” The stories of women have largely gone undocumented throughout history, and this era is no different. It is changing, slowly, and women’s courage and determination and victories are being brought to light. How are women’s stories different? Why do you think they’ve gone unreported for so long? Do you think sharing these stories will make a difference to future generations? It’s true that despite working just as long and just as hard as men, women were not recognized as being particularly hard workers during this time, and even today. Women were too afraid to step up for themselves during this time, as is evident in Elsa’s character - she was beaten down too much over her entire existence in the world that she couldn’t stand up for the things she truly believed in.

3. Life was very different for unmarried young women in earlier generations. Expectations for their future were sharply defined. How is Elsa shaped by these expectations and her failure to meet them? Do you think it would have been the same for her in New York City? Did you feel compressed by expectation when you were growing up? Do you think these societal mores were designed to keep women “in their place”? How difficult is it to defy both family and society in a small town? I firmly believe that there is someone out there for everyone, and this is true for Elsa. Elsa was beaten down by her family, and then by her husband 30+ years, that Elsa didn’t realize that she was an attractive person. Other people saw it all the time, but she never truly believed in what they saw. Would her life have been different elsewhere? Absolutely. New York City was the city of dreams for many people, even back then.

4. “She’d wished she’d never read The Age of Innocence. What good came from all this unexpressed longing? She would never fall in love, never have a child of her own.” Literature is, quite honestly, the opening of a door. Through that door, Elsa saw whole other lives, other futures. What books influenced you when you were growing up? Did any novel and/or character change your perception of either yourself or the world? Did you identify with Elsa and her journey throughout this book? In what way? I don’t think any books truly changed me in ways that The Age of Innocence changed Elsa. However, the majority of Kristin Hannah’s books have given me a new perspective, as most of them have a female character that does’t believe in her own self worth, and I don’t believe in mine a lot of the time.

5. “She had to believe there was grit in her, even if it had never been tested or revealed.” This sentence highlights Elsa’s essentially hopeful nature, even though she doesn’t believe in herself. Her family and her world have pared her down to inconsequence. Does this idea resonate with you? Have you seen it at work in other people? In yourself? I have seen it - I have seen people overcome some of the worst situations you can imagine.

6. In 1920s America, there was significant prejudice against Italians; we see that prejudice in Elsa’s own family. What does Rafe represent to Elsa on the night they meet? Is it simply sex and loneliness? Or do you think there’s something deeper involved? Another small defiance against her parents’ small-mindedness? What does it say about Elsa that she went with Rafe so willingly? I think in the beginning, Elsa was simply attracted to the attention that Rafe was giving her. I think it was the same for Rafe. Italians weren’t widely accepted, and though he had another woman on the back burner, Elsa was the first woman he had been with, as was Rafe the first man for her. But, she was able to grow to love Rafe, but I also think it had to do with her own insecurities. She settled for Rafe in the long run when she didn’t need to.

7. “My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family. We plant, we tend, we harvest. I make wine from grape cuttings that I brought here from Sicily, and the wine I make reminds me of my family. It binds us, one to another, as it has for generations. Now it will bind you to us.” How are people connected to the land that they occupy? What about the land they farm? Describe that unique and complicated connection. Land is something that many of the settlers coming to America have - it is the first thing that they would purchase, and from there, they built their lives around the land they occupy.

8. Motherhood changes Elsa in almost every way. What does she learn by becoming a mother? What does she learn about motherhood from Rose? How does motherhood strengthen a women? How does it weaken her? How does Elsa remain “herself” after giving birth? How does she change? That she has a love for her daughter coming from her that she has never once experienced before. Elsa loves her children deeply, without condition, unlike her own family. Rose ultimately became the mother that she never had, but truly deserved in her life.

9. Few things can break a woman’s heart like motherhood. “Elsa grieved daily for the loss of that closeness with her firstborn. At first she’d tried to scale the walls of her daughter’s adolescence, irrtational anger; she’d volleyed back with words of love, but Loreda’s continuing, thriving impatience with Elsa had done worse than grind her down. It had resurrected all the insecurities of childhood.” If you’re a parent, did this passage resonate with you? Why? Absolutely. Motherhood challenges every ounce of patience you have in your body, and for me, that wasn’t a whole lot to begin with. I love my children wholeheartedly, and again without conditions. I would do anything for them, including laying my life on the line in order to save theirs. There is nothing I wouldn’t do. But, I am the other to two girls - my oldest is 6 and my youngest is 2. My 6 year old fully believes that she is a grown woman, and she tests me daily. We are still learning and growing together, because I do not have this motherhood thing figured out. Her challenging boundaries has ground me down so much that sometimes I act out at her without intending to. I would never lay a hand on my child, though, so I use my words which I think is almost worst.

10. The adolescent years can be especially difficult on mothers and daughters. Did you dislike Loreda during these years? Did you understrand her? I don’t dislike Loreda. She is a child, and believes that she knows everything there is to know about life when she does not. Loreda was learning, just like everyone else. Her father is partially to blame for the life that Loreda was living, the dreaming she was doing.

11. “Tony and Rose were the kind of people who expected life to be hard and had become tougher to survive...They might have come off the coat as Anthony and Rosalba, but hard work and the land had turned them into Tony and Rose. Americans. They would die of thirst and hunger before they’d give it up.” Do you think this attitude is a common thread in those who across generations have come to chase the “America Dream?” Why is land so important to that dream? How does one “become American”? Learning the American way was how you became American. For many immigrants during that time, many of them changed their last names to something more American sounding, as it gave them better chances in order to thrive in the country.

12. There is a strong thread running through this novel about man’s connection to the land. During the Dust Bowl, while many families went west in search of work and a better life, most of them stayed behind on their parched farms. Why do you think that is? They believed that things would get better. They spent years loving the land, working on the land, and I understand it being difficult to give it up. It was something they worked hard for, that they earned through that hard work, that nobody wants to truly give it up.

13. What bonds Loreda and her father? What dreams do they share? Do they intend to exclude Elsa, whom they perceive as just a workhorse? Or is she partially to blame for her being ostracized? How does her lack of self-esteem color her relationships with her husband and eldest child? Loreda and Rafe were both dreamers. Rafe never wanted a life on the farm, and his indiscretions with Elsa kept him from moving on.

14. What do you think about Rafe? Was he as trapped by his family’s expectations as Elsa had been by her own? Did you expect him to leave? I didn’t expect him to leave. His parents made sure that he stuck by Elsa after what happened, and ensured that they took Elsa in as their own. But I do think he was as trapped by his parents hopes and dreams for him, as Elsa was by her own families, just in different ways.

15. How would you describe the Texas landscape the author paints? With its dust storms and earth dry and zigzag cracked, is it like any you’ve known? I’ve only been to one part of Texas, which was El Paso. It was sticky hot and unpleasant when I went. It was mountainous, but not in the lush green moutnains you would think. It was truly a desert, so that was what I had imagined when I thought of the area they lived in, which was roughly abot 6 hours away.

16. “Even if they didn’t speak of their love, or share their feelings in long, heartfelt conversations, the bond was there. Sturdy. They’d sewn their lives together in the silent way of women unused to conversation. Day after day, they worked together, prayed together, held their growing family together through the hardships of farm life.” Do you share a similar bond with the women in your life - either as a mother, a daughter, or a daughter-in-law? With your friends? Why do you think female bonding is so important to women? I think at one time I did, but unfortunately, I don’t really have any true ties to any women in my life. Of course, I do have my mother, grandmother and my older sister. Yes, I’m tied to them, and I’d do anything for them. So, in a sense, yes I do with them. But with friends? After having children, a lot of my friends stopped inviting me to do things because I wasn’t as available as I was prior to having children, so I’ve grown used to just being around the family I was born into, and the family that I created.

17. Why does Rafe leave and what is he chasing out west? Do you have sympathy for how broken he felt by the poverty and hardship? Should Elsa have agreed to go with him? How does Elsa aim to fill his void, and why does she believe she loves him even after the abandonment? I do feel like he felt that there was nothing he could do, other than to move on. Rafe was a wayward man, stuck in a place for far too long. However, I don’t have sympathy for him as a man abandoning his family when everyone was struggling, not just him.

18. Why does the Martinelli family stay under such brutal conditions - the heat, the dust storms, the lack of food, and the dying livestock? Does it reveal anything about the grit that literally fills their bodies? What choices do they have, and what might you have done during the drought? Were you surprised that Elsa set off without her in-laws? Would you have had the courage to do the same? They held onto hope.

19. How have the Dust Bowl and “going west” been treated by the American imagination? What has been glamorized, and what grittiness has been leftout or effectively captured? Elsa compares them to the early pioneers in their covered wagons. Is that an accurate comparison? California was considered the land of milk and honey, and the government in California wanted people to come there to work, but they didn’t expect ALL of the migrant workers that they got, thousands of people per day.

20. Life in California is not at all what the migrants expected, what advertisements had led them to believe. The locals treat them badly, are afraid of them. Why is that? How does the treatment of migrants in California during the Great Depression mirror the treatment of immigrants today? How is the same? How is it different? Because California is filled with terrible people, even now. It was already a well-off state, so anyone who came from anything less than them were dirty, diseased, etc.

21. How do Elsa and her family remain unbroken even while enduring crippling poverty, food and shelter insecurity, and living in a town that is hostile to them? Would they have fared better in Texas? Unbroken? That family was so broken the entire time they were in California. Elsa had to worry about feeding her family, giving them shelter and then eventually finding herself in debt thanks to the Welty farm.

22. What do Jack and the Communist union organizers offer the migrant workers, and Loreda in particular? Why is it a risk to associate with them and what is Elsa’s hesitation? They gave Loreda the hope that she had been holding onto since her father put it into her head. Jack represented the need that there should be a better life for the people that came into the state to work, to give to their families. They believed in the real American dream, and got others to believe in it as well.

23. In the 1930s, communism and socialism were on the rise, partially in response to the grinding poverty, joblessness, and despair. The Communists claimed that “communism is the new Americanism”. Can you understand why people believed in that? What do we know now that people didn’t know then? How do you think these perceptions have changed over time. Absolutely. Everything about the party was about giving hope to other people.

24. Discuss the shift in thinking that happens between generations - the freedoms longed for and the sacrifices require. The Great Generation was shaped by the Great Depression and World War II. They willingly sacrificed for each other and did what they could to help. How is the modern world different? How do we face our own dark times? Everyone is all about themselves nowadays. The generation I just read about is absoltuely the greatest generation there ever was. Although, we are also living in a time when poverty is high - the cost of living, groceries and everything is so high now that many people are finding themselves homeless.

25. How does the Great Depression setting of The Four Winds compare to America during the pandemic? What lessons of resilience and healing might be embedded in this story? How might others’ struggles inspire us? Do you have any family stories from the Depression? My grandmother was born at the tailend of the Depression, in 1938, so there isn’t any stories. If there were, it would come from people who have been long gone. My grandmother, at this point, is the oldest living member of her family, as her parents and her siblings have been deceased for several years now.

26. They say that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. During the COVID-19, Americans were faced with many of the same challenges of the Great Depression. Did we learn from previous generations? What differences can you see in the two difficult times? What similarities? How do you think future generations will judge the America of today? Absolutely not. Nobody quite understands the hardships. There is a divide of people who believe the pandemic was created by the government to deal with the massive population, while others became hermits because they believed the pandemic was the end of times. I think this is the same.

27. “Courage is fear you ignore.” Discuss this. How do Elsa’s and Loreda’s actions embody this idea? Fighting for any kind of social equality or radical change often requires great personal sacrifice. Courage and fear are absolutely one in the same. It is possible to be courgeous and fearsome at the same time.

28. Fighting for any kind of social equality or radical change often requires great personal sacrifice. How does Elsa represent the courage it takes to stand up and make trouble and be counted? Elsa knew how dangerous it would be when she decided to stand up for her people. And she paid the price with her life in the end.

29. Why was it so important for Loreda to get her mother back to Texas, even if at such a high cost? How did she finally come to understand her mother and her choices through a new lens? Texas was home, in a way that California never would have been. It was where the people who truly loved her awaited their eventual return, and though life was hard there, life was worse in California, and she wanted her children to go back to the family.

30. Did you find the end of Elsa’s and her family’s journey satisfying? Where do you think Ant and Loreda ended up? How do you see Loreda’s life being like her mother’s? How will it be different? I didn’t find Elsa’s end satisfying. She deserved to live, to use the voice that she found too late, especially after everything she went through with Rafe. We never did find out what happened to him, and I would love a small follow-up story on him to find out what he was up to while his wife and children struggled. In the end, I hope he never made it to California, or anywhere out West and struggled in his own life and paid for what he had done. But, Elsa’s death I think was necessary for Loreda to see exactly what Elsa spent years fighting for. She wanted Loreda to have the life that she never got to have. And in the end, I think she will. She was returning to California, to the land of promise, in order to create that new life for herself.

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hackandgrow · 2 years

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Think Outside The Money Box To Create Wealth

I believe that if you follow good sound financial principles, you think outside the box and you can survive if you hack and grow rich, like is the title of our show Bart, you can get wealthy while everybody else is struggling to just get by. And this happens in every economy. You look at the turn of the century, you look at the 1930s, the dust bowl, we had a lot of repeats of what's happening now. If I was, in fact I was looking at some footage of the 1930s, of the great depression and the depression era and you watch those videos and the crazy thing is that a lot of that stuff is coming back like, people moving out of their houses into these tiny homes like because it was boho chic, but yet you save money.

That's happening now. There's a whole tiny house movement. You see people living out of their cars and these encampments that happened during the great depression. And then you see people like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos and all these people that we talk about with this enormous wealth and then there's a whole another group of people that are creating mega wealth. I know a lot of the guys that you and I know and and have hung out with have companies that are valued in the billions with a B. If you remember, like in the 1990s, nothing sold for a billion. I mean no company, certainly no tech company sold in the billions for it with a B. No startup tech company. Of course, the giants were probably had that valuation, but now it's like there's unicorns everywhere. There's so many companies that have sold for a billion or more, even wacky little companies where you're like oh, that sold for a billion and there's a huge amount of wealth being created. So ultimately I think you have to make a choice on where you want to be when hits the fan.

Okay that was fun. If you liked what you saw make sure to subscribe and like below. Make sure to leave us a comment and join the community.

#MakeMoneyEasy #MakeMoneyRightNow #AmazonFBAApp #StartingAnAmazonBusiness #AmazonSellerConsultant #EcommerceExpert #AmazonFBAMentor

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cshistfic · 3 years

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Get-To-Know-Me: @searchingwardrobes

We’re excited to introduce the authors and artists who will have signed up for this event! Stay tuned in September, and make sure to give them lots of love.

Tumblr/Ao3 handle: @searchingwardrobes/searchingwardrobes

How long have you been involved in fandom? Five years! I can scarcely believe it!

What draws you to this event? I come from a family of history buffs, and historical romance is one of my favorite genres.

Do you have a favorite historical period to learn or read about? It sounds so cheesy to say I read a lot of regency era books and westerns, but I do. I also am really interested in the 40s and 50s. The fashions of that era are so fun! On a more serious note, reading of the lives of ordinary people who survived Europe in World War II are really inspiring though sad. I used to read a lot of Holocaust books, but I got to the point where it was too much. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom is one of my all time favorite books, though. (I know that isn't fiction, but it's a great book!)

Why do you like historical fics? I think it's so fun to imagine Captain Swan in a different era. How would they fit into that different social setting, yet still retain their unique personalities? I think it's easier with Killian because he already is so old-fashioned, but with Emma it challenges me as a writer. How would her personality come across in a time where women weren't supposed to act like the Emma Swan we all know and love? When I read a fic that does it well, it's so fascinating, and I've read a lot of great ones!

What is the inspiration behind your story? My original inspiration was the "sexy ice man" picture that was making the rounds on Tumblr a few months ago. I put Killian (the sexy ice man, naturally) and Emma (the dissatisfied housewife) in the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression in Oklahoma.

Do you have a sneak preview or summary you’d like to share?

The sun rose hot and fast over the Oklahoma panhandle, baking the barren ground with its scorching heat. Despite the heavy curtains and the whirring of the electric fan by the bed, Emma woke up flushed and sticky. The Oklahoma sun accomplished what the man who shared her bed never could.

Neal groaned as he rolled out of bed. Every night, Emma inched farther and farther away from him. Instead of asking why, he simply took advantage, sprawling out in the empty space, loud snores quickly falling from his open mouth.

Emma’s leg slipped from beneath the covers, and she relished the air from the fan. It only lasted a moment, however, and then she was hot again. Neal ignored her as he went about his morning routine: washing his face, shaving, then slapping on some aftershave before getting dressed in the only suit he had left. She used to ask where he was going, now she no longer bothered.

“Love you,” he said as he adjusted his tie. He brushed a dry kiss across her lips, then grabbed his suit coat.

“Love you too,” she lied, just like every other day.

A sexy ice man sounds just the ticket in this summer heat. What a great prompt, @searchingwardrobes!

Her fic will be dropping on Thursday, September 23rd.

#cshistfic #get to know me #searchingwardrobes

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modernday-jay · 2 years

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Oh oh I have ideas! The 1930 are (imo) very cool. The New Deal helped to fund the creation of murals and sculptures all around the country - so you could do an artist AU around that. The 1930s also saw a huge rise in unions and labor movements so there's A LOT you can do there - they could be in the same union, competing unions, one of them could be a union busting FBI agent, whatever. The dust bowl was also a big part of the 30s- you could do something where one of them has to leave their farm in the dust belt to move to California to get work. Also like, if you do want to lean into the great depression aspect of it there was lots of funky stuff going on with soup lines and how that impacted families and their food (really recommended the book A Square Meal by Jane Ziegelman for this one). Anyways I'm sure you were mostly joking, but I love 1930's history and I think you could do a lot with VB in this era!

hold the phonesssss, these are some great ideas! i’ll be honest with you, the 30s is one of those decades that i don’t have all that much interest in but now i’ll be sure to do some more research! especially now that i’ve got somewhere to hop off from.

i do like an artist type au 👀 but i might make something like that for the 50s/60s/70s (tbh really i gotta map all this stuff out first) soooo i might have to lean into the depression stuff and work something out from there

#IDKKK i just wanna try and keep it light because the 40s might be the sad one #i’ll think about it some more and research #because like… im really tempted to make this an actual thing now #asks!

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ohmaker · 3 years

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Favorite Books of 2020:

Rereads:

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

I would hate to be a translator, especially a Japanese translator where there are genres that give off vibes just based off what characters writers decide to use. This is an iyashi novel (a fascinating genre to research), and I think the “healing” feeling intended in the original Japanese really comes through. The main character, Mikage, has become an orphan after the passing of her grandmother setting her into a deep depression. She is taken in my her friend Yoichi and his trans mom, Eriko, and the three grow to have a deep bond and suffer more tragic losses. For a book written during the time that it was, this was a shockingly progressive book in terms of how it treat its trans character in that it allowed her to have her own personal life and firmly stated that she was a woman no matter what and (spoiler) that she gets a heroic death and avenges herself.

cw: transphobia, transphobic violence, death (its a heavy theme in this book), suicidal ideation

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle

A book that suffered from mismarketing so bad that people don’t understand what it’s about. Like, I love the cover, it’s super cool, but that is not the vibe of the book; this is literary fiction, not horror. This is about a group of people, spanning various years, all tied to each other in various way, and the book looks into a point of their lives that is outwardly ordinary but inwardly tumultuous and life changing. This is not a super exciting adventure - it is an introspective, lightly philosophical, character study, which is not for everyone but it is certainly it for me.

cw: cults, violence, car crashes

Whose Names Are Unknown by Sanora Babb

If we lived in a just world, Sanora Babb’s work would be far more extensive and she would have the same cultural recognition as John Steinbeck, as he not only used her notes to write Grapes of Wrath but her work is also far more accurate than his. She was the Dust Bowl era writer after all, as she grew up in poverty as well living with the people she wrote about for the FSA (which became her detailed notes for this book). Apparently the reason that Steinbeck’s novel was as inaccurate as it was, was due to him reading a portion of her notes and then not finishing it because it was too much for him (like that was real peoples lives, I don’t know what he expected). When she tried to first publish it, Steinbeck’s novel had already been released and was such a huge hit that her publisher shelved her book. Published a year before her death and based on the families she worked with for the FSA and her own personal life marred by poverty, this book follows the Dunne family as they struggle to survive along with other farmers who are greatly affected during the Great Depression. This book, while focusing on a white family, acknowledges the black, Mexican, and Filipino workers and organizers that fought for unions and unionizing in the U.S. for farming and fishing. Did I mention that she was a big ol’ commie and got blacklisted during the HUAC hearings?

cw: racism, classism, violence, starvation, this is set during the Great Depression so prepare yourself for that

So Far From God by Ana Castillo

This is a comfort read for me which I know sounds insane, like Freud would love to talk to me and diagnose me with penis envy right now. This is a Chicanx literature classic, and while I don’t think it’s the hardest book to understand you must understand the following to get this book: basic feminism, xicanisma (a very specific form of feminism), basic Mexican Catholicism (yes, it does have to be Mexican Catholicism, the white version doesn’t cut it), Chicanx issues, enough Spanish to understand the metaphors (names of people and places are a big one), what magical realism is, Mexican American specific Spanish and folklore. This magical realist novel follows Sophia and her four daughters as they live their lives in their town of Tome, New Mexico.

cw: death, intense sexual assault, violence against women, sexism, homophobia, racism, classism

Fiction:

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

This is a character study, which I love, that focuses on the life of the unnamed main character who decides with the help of her psychiatrist to take enough medication so that she can sleep for an entire year. And as this is an Ottessa Moshfegh book, she is an awful person.

cw: suicidal thought, self harm through medication, death mention, eating disorders

Mary B by Katherine J. Chen

This is a Pride and Prejudice retelling that most Austenites will hate, I am not one of them. This follows Mary Bennet as she retells the events of Pride and Prejudice from her point of view and tells us what happened after the events of novel. This really changes the events of the original and is subversive in how Mary finds happiness in a way the Jane Austen couldn’t do during her lifetime, like Chen really has her own reading of the characters. There is also a chunk of the book dedicated to Lydia which really hits, Lydia-centric retelling of Pride and Prejudice when?

cw: cheating, death

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Sayaka Murata has one of the best translators, it must be said. Her characteristic emotionally flat, almost scientific and disturbing, style of writing is perfectly captured. (Here’s a good sample of what to expect in her work.) This book follows Keiko Furukura who doesn’t fit in anywhere until she finds her purpose working at a convenience store where she can successfully pretend to be normal. Her happiness is threatened when the people close to her start pressuring her to marry and start a proper career.

cw: sexism, men

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

If you are a hard sci-fi fan, then this is not for you. I, personally, am hot and love to have fun and really weird, intense relationships. The first book in a series, this is basically “what if aliens were revealed during the Bush administration and some random college dropout was in the middle of it.”

cw: violence, death

An Unnatural Vice by K. J. Charles

I read a lot of romance novels for fun as I do a lot of research and sometimes I need something nice and light to read. This was my favorite one I read in all of 2020. It is the second book in a three part series (the best one of all three in my opinion), a enemies to lovers romance that I, an asexual who hates sex in practice but is okay with it in concept, endorse.

cw: violence, death (trust me, it’s not a heavy book)

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow

Another Pride and Prejudice retelling centering Mary Bennet, this one focusing on the longer term effects her childhood and her mother in particular had on her. This would be more palatable to Austenite purists.

cw: abuse

The Virgin Suicides by Jefferey Eugenides

I get it now, I really do. Eugenides prose is so good that I was swept into the story. This centers on the lives of the five Lisbon sisters and their eventual deaths from the viewpoint of the neighborhood boys who were obsessed with them (though they are basically irrelevant to the actual book).

cw: suicide, abuse

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

I was shocked to learn after reading this that it was a debut novel, this read like the late work of a seasoned writer in the best way possible. It follows Lakshmi who escapes an abusive marriage to Jaipur during the 1950s, eventually becoming the highest requested henna artists for wealthy women. As her dreams of a truly independent life seem to be in reach, her husband returns into her life with a sister Lakshmi never knew she had, threatening the world she has created for herself. The last thing I wrote for my notes on this book was family: found, so if that sounds like something you would love then pick it up.

cw: discussion on past abuse

The Poppy War Series by R. F. Kuang

This is one of the best series that I have ever read and I will never pick it up again, this is an endorsement of the books. But being real, I would highly recommend spacing these book out if you read them cause they really grind you down - it’s grimdark. This series follows it’s main character, Rin, as she goes to the elite military school, the Sinegard, and the effects and inevitable consequences of war and her personal actions.

cw: this is a grimdark series about war - all of the warnings possible

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

This was the most joyous discovery for me last year, I love this book so much. Focusing on the lives and friendships of the members of the ‘89 Danvers High field hockey team who turn to witchcraft so that they can go to state championships, this book is about lifelong friendships and supporting one another.

cw: discussion of sexual assault, sexism, racism

Non-fiction:

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty

One of the best memoirs I’ve ever read, Caitlin Doughty recounts her time working in a crematory, her personal experiences with death, and how death has impacted her life all the while demystifying and questioning how we currently talk about and deal with death.

cw: death (naturally)

Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes Hollywood by Karina Longworth

This is one of the best non-fiction books about Hollywood out there, it’s one the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read. It is obvious that Karina Longworth loves her work and has done extensive research to give the most accurate version of events from the information still available. While Howard Hughes is in this book and his antics and crimes are documented, this is really about the women who were in his life for varying periods of time, their experience with him and with Hollywood. She fact checks and corrects common misunderstandings about the women in this book and, of course, Howard Hughes. An extremely relevant book men in positions of power use that power to dominate and control women with little to no consequences.

cw: this goes into detail the crimes Hughes committed against women so there’s stalking, abuse, racism, and a whole lot of other things that did happen in real life

Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and Word War II by Robert Matzen

This book is the best book documenting Audrey Hepburn’s life during World War II and her family history. It is a very frank look at an extremely traumatizing life that doesn’t turn that life into spectacle and a book that I think would change most peoples views on Hepburn.

cw: it’s set during WWII and she was in the thick of it in Netherlands, it also goes into her lifelong struggles with an eating disorder due to famine during the war

Honorable Mentions: these were book I read for a class

Decade of Betrayal: Mexican Repatriation in the 1930s by Francisco E. Balderrama and Raymond Rodriguez

This was something I reread as a refresher for an essay on the Mexican American experience during the 1930s. I’m pretty sure that this is the book that brought up the fact that this happened outside of very specific academic settings. I often talk about (in my real life) major events that have largely impacted the way Mexicans and Mexican Americans are treated in America to this day. The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the aftermath of the Mexican-American war, the 60s, the 90s and the aftermath of Rodney King that affected not only the black community but the Latino/immigrant community as well, the Obama administration then immediately followed by the openly as bad Trump administration, and, of course, the 1930s were all huge turning points. A little known event during the Great Depression despite how huge it was at the time and the effects it still has on immigration to this day, when the Depression hit Mexican immigrants were scapegoated as laws forbidding employment of Mexicans were accompanied by the loud cry to “get rid of the Mexicans.” What followed the mass hysteria was illegal repatriation drive where over one million Mexicans and their children were, once again, illegally shipped to Mexico. I own the revised edition and it includes transcripts of actual document made during the time these events were happening.

Major Problems in Mexican American History by Zaragosa Vargas

This was used as a textbook for one of my classes, but if you want a very good overview of major events in Mexican/Mexican American history starting from the precolonial period to 2000, this is the book for you. This is a combination of primary sources and analytical essays. At times this was, for me at least, a very upsetting read, but a very necessary one. It’s good that you are uncomfortable reading this because these were the real lives of people and real things people thought and said, and the dehumanization and systemic grinding down of a group of people, of my ancestors, should be upsetting and talked about no matter what. Sorry to get all emotional on tumblr dot com.

#books #🦋

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luulapants · 4 years

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By the wonderful @twothumbsandnostakeincanon, this is a wonderfully unusual AU set in the Dust Bowl era, featuring Survival-Mode Stiles with all of the closed-off angstness that implies, plus Peter being his normal pushy, snarky self.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Peter Hale, Derek Hale Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - 1930s, Great Depression, Dust Bowl, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire (Teen Wolf), Orphan Stiles Stilinski, actually former orphan he's an adult now, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Outdoor Sex, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Magical Realism, Based on my goddamn tumblr tags, Period-Typical Homophobia Summary:

Town to town, train to train, tent to tent.

By 1932, the dust had begun to blow and the jobs were gone.

Anonymity was a byproduct of looking for work, which made it both necessary and convenient.

Stiles had enough secrets of his own to know to look the other way when he saw something that shouldn’t be possible.

The ghost of a tail giving enough balance to disembark a moving train.

Near silent Latin whispered on the edge of a tent encampment.

A flash of burning eyes.

He had more than enough to worry about without adding the oddities of others, and besides- having unusually sharp teeth certainly didn’t make a man worse than the ones running from the wife and kids they couldn’t feed.

So Stiles kept his observations to himself. He kept his everything to himself.

Until he met a man. One with eyes so blue they seemed to glow- and then they did.

Stiles tried to look away, but for the first time he was stopped.

“Don’t be like that sweetheart. Aren’t you curious?”

#fic recommendation #steter #teen wolf

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maswartz · 4 years

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Power Rangers Fossil Spirits

(Logo by @masterpikachu6)

Many millennia ago in a golden land a race of humanoid animals lived side by side with the dinosaurs. They lived in peace, this peace was shattered by the arrival of an alien being. It was called DeVoid and it attacked all life on Earth. Its army was made from its very cells, the monsters called Amerms (amoeba + germs) laid waste to the land. However one of the beings (a bird-man) and a small group of dinosaurs managed to fight DeVoid and force him into the ice where he was frozen. However the battle took its toll on the warrior and so the being named Talon was forced to remain in the golden land sustained by the power of the dinosaurs or he would perish. Over the following eons small groups of DeVoid monsters would rise forcing Talon to recruit the bravest and strongest people to fight them. These chosen few would have to prove their worth by battling one of the very dinosaurs that defeated DeVoid. Those who did so were granted the power to fight the enemy, however some would perish, one was captured by the enemy, and the rest were gravely wounded. Talon would place the wounded within amber in the Golden Land so they could heal. Many recent changes (including climate change) have allowed more and more of DeVoid to defrost and attack the world. Talon has no choice but to use the power of the Golden Land itself to heal the five wounded warriors so they can fight DeVoid once more. They are the Power Rangers Fossil Spirits!

“DINO BURST!” “HEAR OUR ROAR!” *roll call* “WITH THE POWER OF THE DINOSAURS! POWER RANGERS FOSSIL SPIRITS!”

Red Fossil Ranger- “The Fanged Warrior”- Daisuke Himura Age: 24 Personality/Bio: Daisuke was born in Japan during the Sengoku era and raised as a samurai alongside a female warrior named Hikari. Daisuke and Hikari gained the favor of the Shogun at the time and became his personal bodyguards. When Talon approached the Shogun asking for warriors to help fight DeVoid there was no better choice than the two samurai. In order to become the Red Fossil Ranger Daisuke had to first battle the Rex Fossil Zord to earn its favor. However one day during a battle Daisuke took a hit for Hikari and was gravely wounded. Talon was able to stablize him within amber but he would remain in suspension for many years until Talon finally healed him to fight the DeVoid in the modern day. Daisuke is very headstrong and excitable, and is always the first to run into battle. As the DeVoid army grows stronger Talon seeks help from the Fossil Zords and they send a small egg. The egg hatches revealing a tiny version of the Rex Fossil Zord the Rangers dub TinyRex. TinyRex allows Daisuke to call upon the TyrannoSpirit Battilizer. This gives him the ability to use Fosels in a similar way to the Fossil Megazord, as well as increase his strength and agility. Face Claim: Daniel Henney

Black Fossil Ranger- “The Sharpshooting Warrior”- Geoff Rizzo Age: 28 Personality/Bio: Born in Italy centuries ago Geoff sailed the seas as a pirate seeking fortune and taking what he wanted at any cost. During a treasure hunt he stumbled upon the forces of DeVoid and barely escaped with his life when Talon appeared to Geoff, saving his life, and offered him the chance to become the Black Fossil Ranger. Geoff battled against the Para Fossil Zord and was accepted as the Black Fossil Ranger. During a battle against the forces of DeVoid Geoff was wounded and Talon was forced to place him in amber to save his life. Many years later he would be fully healed and once more fights the DeVoid. He often overestimates his skills with the ladies but his skill at shooting is not to be underestimated. Face Claim: Gabriel Garko

Blue Fossil Ranger- “The Shielded Warrior”- Tarak Zaman Age: 35 Personality/Bio: Tarak originally hails from India but was living in London when the Blitz happened. Barely escaping the bombs with his life Tarak discovered a group of DeVoid monsters attempting to capitalize on the chaos. Talon found the man and brought him to the Stego Fossil Zord to battle it for the chance at becoming the Blue Fossil Ranger. Tarak more than proved his worth to his new Zord. During a battle Tarak was gravely wounded and Talon was forced to place him in amber to heal. Now that DeVoid has returned his healing is finished and he joins the others in fight. Tarak, still a comedian at heart, never misses the chance to break out a bad pun or two to lighten a tense or bad mood. Face Claim: Kal Penn

Green Fossil Ranger- “The Bladed Warrior”- Ernesto Gabriel Reyes Cruz Age: 18 Personality/Bio: Ernesto was a member of the conquistadors however he only joined for the chance to explore new lands. When he witnessed his fellow conquistadors slaughter the innocent natives he tried to stop them and was branded a traitor. Imprisoned and awaiting execution, the forces of DeVoid attacked the camp and Talon appeared to him freeing him from his cell and explained that if he battled and defeated the Raptor Fossil Zord, he would earn the chance to become the Green Fossil Ranger. Ernesto accepted and defeated the Raptor Fossil Zord, becoming the Green Fossil Ranger. During a battle Ernesto was gravely wounded and Talon was forced to place him within amber to save his life. Many years later his wounds had healed and he joins the rest of the Rangers in battling the DeVoid once more. Face Claim: Ryan Guzman

Pink Fossil Ranger- “The Horned Warrior”- Alice Kayode Age: 21 Personality/Bio: Alice grew up in the dust bowl during the great depression and had to see misery wherever she went. One day she witnessed the DeVoid attack taking advantage of the sorrow and anger. Talon appeared, offering her the chance to become the Pink Fossil Ranger by defeating the Tricera Fossil Zord and proving her worth. Alice took Talon’s offer and was able to earn the respect of the Tricera Fossil Zord, becoming the Pink Fossil Ranger. During a battle she was seriously wounded and Talon was forced to place her within amber to keep her alive. Many years later she was restored along with four others to fight the DeVoid in modern times. Face Claim: Zoe Robins

Gold Fossil Ranger- “The Winged Warrior”- Hikari Miyamoto Age: 27 Personality/Bio: Hikari is a young woman who was raised during the Sengoku period of Japan. She proved herself, and her abilities, to the Shogun and was trained in the arts of the samurai. She was raised alongside a man named Daisuke and the two were like siblings. When the DeVoid Army rose up and attacked, Talon came to the Shogun for help in defeating it. The Shogun recommeneded Daisuke and Hikari, Talon sensed the bravery and strength within the two and offered them the chance at becoming the Red and Gold Fossil Rangers. As with the other Rangers, Hikari needed to prove herself in battle against the Ptera Fossil Zord in order to earn the right to be its Ranger. She used her skills she honed as a samurai to prove herself to the Ptera Fossil Zord and became the Gold Fossil Ranger. Unfortunately, during a battle Daisuke was gravely wounded taking a blow for her in a fit of rage, Hikari attacked them and was captured by the living armor Ograge, and was used as a life source. In the modern day, she was eventually freed by the Fossil Rangers and now fights alongside them in their battles against the DeVoid Army. She was overjoyed to see that Daisuke had survived his wounds and fights by his side once more. Face Claim: Brenda Song

Cyan Fossil Ranger- “The Steel Warrior”- Sir Richard Age: Appears to be mid to late 40s Personality/Bio: A knight in the late Middle Ages Sir Richard protected the innocent from the Amerms and encountered Talon on the battle field, mistaking him for a demon he almost attacked before Talon explained the situation, Talon then gave him the chance to fight the Ankylo Fossil Zord and become the Cyan Ranger, tragically Sir Richard fell in battle. However his spirit returned and rested in the cavern of Ankylo and he came back to grant the modern team use of the Ankylo Zord. Face Claim: Robert Baldwin

Grey Fossil Ranger- “The Balanced Warrior”- Wei Age: Appears to be early 30s Personality/Bio: A monk in the Ming Dynasty Wei fought back against the Amerms and came across Talon. Talon gave the young monk the chance to fight the Pachy Fossil Zord and become the Grey Ranger. Tragically he fell in battle however his spirit returned and meditated behind a waterfall alongside his zord until the modern team needed his aid. Face Claim: Joe Cheng

Purple Fossil Ranger- “The Aquatic Warrior”- Veronica Rosecroft Age: 27 Personality/Bio: In the early 1900s a young Australian woman named Veronica found herself surrounded by a group of Amerms however she outsmarted and outfought the fiends and Talon found her and gave her the chance to fight the Pleso Fossil Zord. As the Purple Ranger she fought well but was mortally wounded in battle. Her spirit returned to grant her descendant Violet the Pleso Zord. Face Claim: Margot Robbie

Silver Fossil Ranger- “The Shining Warrior”- Mahpiya Age: Appeares to be mid 30s Personality/Bio: The son of a settler (one of the few who thought of the natives as equals) and a Native American, Mahpiya belonged to both worlds and yet was welcomed in neither. When the DeVoid attacked once more he used his shooting skills to save the lives of both natives and settlers. His skill and bravery impressed Talon enough to earn the chance to fight the Brachio Fossil Zord and become the Silver Fossil Ranger. Sadly he fell in battle protecting the innocent but his spirit returned and assisted the modern team in battle and gave them the Brachio Zord. Face Claim: Jay Tavare Fosels (Fossil + Cell) these devices are what contain the power of the Fossil Zords. The living Rangers use their Fossil Blasters (Hikari uses her gauntlet) to activate their power and morph while the spirits can tap into the power directly. Fossilzers- The personal weapons of the team Dino Weapons- The unique weapons the modern team wield Rex Fang- An armored glove that can chomp enemies Para Shot- A powerful blaster Stego Shield- A sturdy spiked shield Raptor Claw- A triple bladed weapon Tricera Drill- A sharp drill These five unite to form the Fossil Spear Hikari uses her Raiden Blade in battle After the Spirit Rangers pass on their powers Talon creates a new set of Dino Weapons Ankylo Hammer- A spiked mace Pacha Punchers- Armored gauntlets Plesio Pump- A hydro pump that sprays intense jets of water Brachio Tomahawk- A twin bladed ax Talon himself wields his Ancient Saber and the Boomerblade These five can combine to form the Fossil Canon (Plesio Pump as the barrel, Pacha Punchers as the grip, Brachio Tomahawk as the handle/trigger, Anklyo Hammer as the ammo, Boomerblade as the viewfinder) Many other dinosaurs aided Talon in his battle but they fell during the final battle and so granted Talon their powers in Fosels. DinoBike- Two brothers who form the cycles for the team DinoClaw- A claw/drill combo weapon Styra- Overwhelms the target with love Allo- Creates an immense flame Seismo- Allows the user to stretch their limbs Ovira- Creates a gas cloud Iguano- Stuns the enemy with tickling Ammono- Induces vertigo and nausea in the target Arch- Increases gravity in a small area Fuku- Causes the target to inflate Futaba- Clones the target Fossil Zords- The ten dinosaurs that fought alongside Talon against DeVoid were remade as zords. When Rex, Stego, and Tricera unite they form the Fossil Megazord when Rex, Para, and Raptor unite they form the SharpShot Fossil Megazord Ptera can form the Lightning Fossil Megazord on its own and with Para and Raptor forms the SharpShot Lightning Megazord When Rex, Stego, Tricera, and Ptera unite they form the Thunder Fossil Megazord When Rex, Ankylo and Tricera unite they form the Steel Fossil Megazord When Rex, Ankylo and Pachy unite they form the Balanced Fossil Megazord Pleso can form the Pleso Megazord on its own When Pleso, Rex, and Pachy unite they form the Pleso Rex Megazord Brachio on its own forms the Brachio Megazord and when united with the others forms the Fossil Ultrazord DeVoid An alien being that travels from world to world laying waste and destroying all life. However after its defeat at the hands of the dinosaurs it was frozen for millenia. Its minions and army have revived many times over the eons and each time they do they try and gather human emotions to defrost the heart of DeVoid. Each time so far they were stopped but only due to the sacrifice of a ranger. Chaon- The leader of the army in DeVoids absence, a great and wicked mage his plans can span centuries Ograge- The Demon of Anger- The minion in charge of collecting the anger of humanity. For centuries Hikari was trapped within his armor in a plan to gain control of the Petra Zord. However with the aid of the modern team she escaped leaving him weaker and enraged. Misquire- The Knight of Sorrow- In charge of collecting humanity’s tears Despite his armor Misquire prefers to let others fight for him. Happrincess- The Queen of Joy- She is in charge of collecting the smiles of humanity, her song serves as a booster to the DeVoid army.

Luckrechaun- A strange being who stands by Happrincess’s side and carries a container of water infused with DeVoid’s power to restore and enlarge fallen monsters Eventually Chaon realizes they need to counter act the bravery of the Rangers and so creates a new warrior Firous- The warrior of burning hatred- Powered by the hatred of evil Firous proved to be a challenge to the rangers however it was Ograge who absorbed Firous into the armor to double his power.

Many years ago A nomadic warrior found and battled the Spino Fossil Zord, he forced it to accept him as his partner and became the Navy Ranger, however in time he called himself a different name Dino Conqueror- “The Fierce Warrior”- Real name unknown Age: 40 (actually really ancient) Personality/Bio: DC was a former Roman gladiator and is an extremely bloodthirsty man. He found and enslaved the Spino Fossil Zord, becoming the Navy Fossil Ranger by force, rather than by choice. He used Spino’s power to find the Archae Fossil Zord and the Dilo Fossil Zord and subjugated them as well. Talon personally stepped in to fight DC and eventually sealed him away. Talon was forced to seal the Spino, Archae, and Dilo Fossil Zords away as well, after they became savage beasts, feeding off of DC’s cruelty. Their savagery was a stark contrast from their once peaceful and noble lives. In the modern era, DeVoid has unsealed DC and his savage trio of Fossil Zords and they travel the world in search of Talon, seeking their revenge. Face Claim: Steve Coogan Conqueror Spirit Megazord when Spino, Archae, and Dilo combine they form this megazord, using Dilo’s acid and shield and Archae’s claws it is a force to beware of. Resting places for the Fossil Zords Rex- On a tropical island near a volcano Para- In the ruins of a German castle Stego- The ice of Siberia Raptor- A bamboo forest in China Tricera- A cave in the wall of the Grand Canyon Ptrera- A thunderstorm cloud Ankylo- A cavern beneath Britain Pachy- Behind a waterfall Pleso- A cave near the great barrier reef Brachio- Within a mountain in the western US Spino- A cave in Greenland Archae- Within the amazon jungle Dilo- Below the sands of Egypt When a Fossil Ranger dies in battle their spirit is bound to their Fossil Zord. However this can be broken. The Orange and White Fossil Rangers found this out when Dino Conqueror defeated them in battle and stole their Fosels breaking the bond and forcing them to move to the other side. Orange- Archae- The Clawed Warrior White- Dilo- The Venomous Warrior As the battle against the DeVoid drags on Talon completes the purification of the three Fossil Zords tainted by DC and uses their power to become the true Navy Fossil Ranger

Navy Fossil Ranger- “The Ancient Warrior”- Talon- The true form of the Navy Fossil Ranger has navy wings in the back and a nobler appearance. With this power Talon can once more fight at his full power Voice: Keith David In time the Rangers realize they need an edge to end this eons long war once and for all. It is decided that the fallen Rangers need to pass their powers onto the living.

Cyan Fossil Ranger II- "The Steel Warrior”- Roxane “Roxy” Clemmonts Age: 18 Personality/Bio: A princess at a medieval themed fair she met Sir Richard when he came across the fair and wanted to relive the “good old days”. When the DeVoid attacked she impressed him with her bravery and strength. Face Claim: China Anne McClain

Grey Fossil Ranger II- “The Balanced Warrior”- Lee Anderson Age: 22 Personality/Bio: A martial arts instructor it first appeared that he had lost sight of the true purpose of martial arts nearly earning him Wei’s wrath however when a DeVoid attack threatened his students he leaped into action to defend them earning Wei’s respect. Face Claim: Dominick Mozee

Purple Fossil Ranger- II “The Aquatic Warrior”- Violet Smithers Age: 27 Personality/Bio: Violet had heard about her ancestor many times growing up and never thought that she could live up to her. A marine biologist she feels out of place on the battle field. Face Claim: Margot Robbie

Silver Fossil Ranger II- “The Shining Warrior”- Christina Latimer Age: 27 Personality/Bio: A young woman of the same tribe as Mahpiya she was inspired by the legends of the shining warrior to train her body mind and heart. This gained the originals respect. Face Claim: Shannon Baker Morphers- Fosels + Fossil Blasters/Gauntlet Morphing Call- Dino Burst! Morphing- An image of the dinosaur appears glowing their ranger color forming the suit. Power Rangers Biotec Spirits The Biotec Buster Rangers arrive and join forces with the Fossil Rangers when it is revealed that members of Millennius’s forces made back ups of themselves. They have allied themselves with DeVoid to create an army of cybernetic dinosaurs (built around fossils and fueled by Neo-En) to use against the Rangers. Both teams must fight this threat. Power Rangers: Dino Rangers Unite! A meteor crashes on Earth carrying a great evil. The purified Zedd and Rita inform the MMPR Rangers (original five) of this threat while Haley tracked its arrival and informs the Dino Thunder Rangers (including Tommy). Meanwhile Talon informs the Fossil Spirit Rangers of the grave threat. The three teams unite to fight against this great evil. The final battle involves all the dinosaur zords (ALL of them) fighting together.against the monster spawned by the evil. (Bios by @dream-chef-flavors and @rosegrl18) Power Rangers Biotec Busters <—————Powerverse————> Power Rangers Rail Warriors

#power rangers #super sentai #power rangers fossil spirits #zyuden sentai kyoryuger

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no-nipplesonlybunnies · 4 years

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This is a photo of Germans carrying a very large wheelbarrow full of cash during the period slightly before the second world war.

Between the first world war, the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu epidemic, and very poor management of the financial markets the crash of '29 destroyed the world economy. Millions were forced from their homes, millions around the world starved to death as the supply chain was so deeply disrupted that even the little food available was often rotting in the fields because the farmers could not get it to markets.

The early 1930's in the United States saw the dust bowl era and the Great Depression come together to cause poverty and starvation here in the most wealthy nation in the world. People left the midwestern farming states and went to California, Oregon, Washington, and even Alaska to start over and try to survive, some did well, most did not, many died in abject poverty.

Now for those few who have followed me over from my previous tumblr, m2gmt, you'll will be asking yourself "what does this have to do with bunnies and nipples, or the lack thereof? " and I'm going to answer that question now.

If you are a young girl reading this you don't have the understanding of just how bad the Great Depression was, your grandparents weren't alive then, very likely your great grandparents were not either, mine were, they went through it trying to raise a family. Thankfully they were farmers, able to feed their own families with the food the grew, the animals they raised, and they made it through with only minor suffering. Many were not so fortunate, many died who should have lived had it not been for the economic and social distress of the period.

Those of you under 25, my main target audience right now, have the idea that the government is your savior, and you are so wrong as to be ludicrous in your assumptions. Government cannot save you, the government has no money it did not forcibly take from those who earned it. I don't want to hear a fucking word about how "everyone has to pay their fair share" you haven't earned a fair share of my money, nor have I earned a fair share of yours, or more to the point the fair share is exactly ZERO! Almost none of you would steal from another person, you know it is wrong, and you are good girls and not thieves, hiring the government to do it for you is the same as stealing it yourself, but here comes the bigger issue. Soon, very soon, the way the state governors are shutting down the economy in order to "flatten the curve" is going to mean there will be no money for governments to steal and give to you. In fact with over 15% of the normal GDP for 2020 already having been spent on the stimulus and corruption package passed by congress, we are already fucked, and the longer the economy stays shut down, the worse this will be, and it is just a matter of time before the stock markets all crash and burn. Currently the only thing keeping that from happening is the United States president, Donald Trump, and the left is trying as hard as it can to remove him. We aren't going to argue politics either, I am older and far more intelligent than you, and I know exactly what I'm talking about.

I listened to my grandmother and great grandmother telling stories from the depression, and my uncles and great aunt as well. The stories were often sad, but humorous, and told of a time when people did whatever was needed in order to survive. The girls looked for a strong man, a man who was not polished and wealthy, those men had girls already, but who could keep them safe and feed them. Some girls turned tricks for food, fucking strangers for milk and bread so their brothers and sisters could eat. Mothers who had lost their husbands in the Great War, WWI, often got with men who had sex with them and their daughter in order to have a home and food. Things were done and winked at because the situation was just that bad.

Right now, today, some of you are worried about your next meal, and with good reason, because you aren't sure where it will come from, and rightfully so. Many of you are soon going to lose your housing, some may already have done so, and still more will be in the same situation in a matter of weeks, no one is exempt.

It is about to get really interesting, and most of you have no clue as to how bad it will be. The boys your age are utterly useless on the best of days, now they are an absolute liability to you. The skinny jeans, manbun soy boys are incapable of taking care of you, and even though you may think you can take care of yourself, you can't. You will need a very different sort of man.

Me, I've seen battle on four continents before I was 21, speak multiple languages, can repair a diesel engine, kill and butcher cattle and game, routinely catch crab and fish, and even without a single dollar I can take care of a girl if I choose to. I'm one of the absolute most violent and dangerous men you'll ever meet, and yet I'm polite, well educated, and well read. I'm not Rambo or James Bond, but I'm no soy boy, and I damned sure don't have a man bun, those boys are, justifiably, terrified of me and those like me, we are the apex predators of the world, no bunnies unless you are talking about this kind.

(Yeah, I like Catshit 1, sue me)

So, what is this post about?

It's about you girls making the choice to be with a man who, in exchange for your sexual slavery to him, will take care of you during the coming instability and economic disaster. If you want to know more send me a PM and we can chat.

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valueofpower-blog · 5 years

Photo

How does cap view the concept of the "american dream" now that he's in the 21st century? did he ever believe in it?

The eras in which he grew up were rough ones; The Great Depression, The Dust Bowl, going into WWII, etc. At those times he saw the American Dream as helping your family survive (1930s) and helping your country continue to be a free nation (1940s). It wasn’t about having a lot, it was about keeping food on the table and a roof over the heads of those you loved and keeping your fellow American safe.

Now, from what he’s seen of this century, the American Dream seems to be going out and getting what you want at any cost. School or no school, money or no money, rejection or acceptance, people work their butts of to get where they want to be in life. And he can respect hard work, but he also sees how many people use each other to gain status and how that can tear friends and families apart.

So, to him, this new American Dream is strange. In his eyes, he likes the dreams of the 30s and 40s better; he doesn’t feel the need to step on anyone else to make himself look better and he doesn’t feel the need to throw his status in everyone’s face, he simply wants to protect his country, his fellow Americans (no matter where they’ve come from), and, most importantly, the people he loves and cares for.

#headcanon #posting this here since it's from my archived Steve #you're not a queue without an alpha

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mspowerverse · 5 years

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Power Rangers Fossil Spirits

(Logo by @masterpikachu6)

"DINO BURST!" "HEAR OUR ROAR!" *roll call* "WITH THE POWER OF THE DINOSAURS! POWER RANGERS FOSSIL SPIRITS!”

Pink Fossil Ranger- “The Horned Warrior”- Alice Kayode Age: 21 Personality/Bio: Alice grew up in the dust bowl during the great depression and had to see misery wherever she went. One day she witnessed the DeVoid attack taking advantage of the sorrow and anger. Talon appeared, offering her the chance to become the Pink Fossil Ranger by defeating the Tricera Fossil Zord and proving her worth. Alice took Talon's offer and was able to earn the respect of the Tricera Fossil Zord, becoming the Pink Fossil Ranger. During a battle she was seriously wounded and Talon was forced to place her within amber to keep her alive. Many years later she was restored along with four others to fight the DeVoid in modern times. Face Claim: Zoe Robins

Many years ago A nomadic warrior found and battled the Spino Fossil Zord, he forced it to accept him as his partner and became the Navy Ranger, however in time he called himself a different name Dino Conqueror- “The Fierce Warrior”- Real name unknown Age: 40 (actually really ancient) Personality/Bio: DC was a former Roman gladiator and is an extremely bloodthirsty man. He found and enslaved the Spino Fossil Zord, becoming the Navy Fossil Ranger by force, rather than by choice. He used Spino's power to find the Archae Fossil Zord and the Dilo Fossil Zord and subjugated them as well. Talon personally stepped in to fight DC and eventually sealed him away. Talon was forced to seal the Spino, Archae, and Dilo Fossil Zords away as well, after they became savage beasts, feeding off of DC's cruelty. Their savagery was a stark contrast from their once peaceful and noble lives. In the modern era, DeVoid has unsealed DC and his savage trio of Fossil Zords and they travel the world in search of Talon, seeking their revenge. Face Claim: Steve Coogan Conqueror Spirit Megazord when Spino, Archae, and Dilo combine they form this megazord, using Dilo’s acid and shield and Archae’s claws it is a force to beware of. Resting places for the Fossil Zords Rex- On a tropical island near a volcano Para- In the ruins of a German castle Stego- The ice of Siberia Raptor- A bamboo forest in China Tricera- A cave in the wall of the Grand Canyon Ptrera- A thunderstorm cloud Ankylo- A cavern beneath Britain Pachy- Behind a waterfall Pleso- A cave near the great barrier reef Brachio- Within a mountain in the western US Spino- A cave in Greenland Archae- Within the amazon jungle Dilo- Below the sands of Egypt When a Fossil Ranger dies in battle their spirit is bound to their Fossil Zord. However this can be broken. The Orange and White Fossil Rangers found this out when Dino Conqueror defeated them in battle and stole their Fosels breaking the bond and forcing them to move to the other side. Orange- Archae- The Clawed Warrior White- Dilo- The Venomous Warrior As the battle against the DeVoid drags on Talon completes the purification of the three Fossil Zords tainted by DC and uses their power to become the true Navy Fossil Ranger

Navy Fossil Ranger- “The Ancient Warrior”- Talon- The true form of the Navy Fossil Ranger has navy wings in the back and a nobler appearance. With this power Talon can once more fight at his full power In time the Rangers realize they need an edge to end this eons long war once and for all. It is decided that the fallen Rangers need to pass their powers onto the living.

Cyan Fossil Ranger II- "The Steel Warrior"- Roxane "Roxy" Clemmonts Age: 18 Personality/Bio: A princess at a medieval themed fair she met Sir Richard when he came across the fair and wanted to relive the “good old days”. When the DeVoid attacked she impressed him with her bravery and strength. Face Claim: China Anne McClain

Grey Fossil Ranger II- "The Balanced Warrior"- Lee Anderson Age: 22 Personality/Bio: A martial arts instructor it first appeared that he had lost sight of the true purpose of martial arts nearly earning him Wei’s wrath however when a DeVoid attack threatened his students he leaped into action to defend them earning Wei’s respect. Face Claim: Dominick Mozee

Silver Fossil Ranger II- "The Shining Warrior"- Christina Latimer Age: 27 Personality/Bio: A young woman of the same tribe as Mahpiya she was inspired by the legends of the shining warrior to train her body mind and heart. This gained the originals respect. Face Claim: Shannon Baker

Morphers- Fosels + Fossil Blasters/Gauntlet Morphing Call- Dino Burst! Morphing- An image of the dinosaur appears glowing their ranger color forming the suit.

Power Rangers Biotec Spirits The Biotec Buster Rangers arrive and join forces with the Fossil Rangers when it is revealed that members of Millennius's forces made back ups of themselves. They have allied themselves with DeVoid to create an army of cybernetic dinosaurs (built around fossils and fueled by Neo-En) to use against the Rangers. Both teams must fight this threat.

Power Rangers: Dino Rangers Unite! A meteor crashes on Earth carrying a great evil. The purified Zedd and Rita inform the MMPR Rangers (original five) of this threat while Haley tracked its arrival and informs the Dino Thunder Rangers (including Tommy). Meanwhile Talon informs the Fossil Spirit Rangers of the grave threat. The three teams unite to fight against this great evil. The final battle involves all the dinosaur zords (ALL of them) fighting together.against the monster spawned by the evil.

(Bios by @dream-chef-flavors and @rosegrl18)

Power Rangers Biotec Busters <---------------Powerverse------------>

Power Rangers Rail Warriors

#power rangers #super sentai

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