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underthecitysky · 1 year

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Linda McCartney: a life through the lens

As a collection of Linda Eastman's best photographs - as chosen by her family - goes on display in a London gallery, her daughter Mary McCartney tells Roya Nikkhah that her mother's motto was always "Keep it simple"

By Roya Nikkhah and Royanikkhah

04 June 2011 • 9:00pm

Mary McCartney, who has curated an exhibition of her mother's photographic work: Photographs by Linda McCartney

In May 1968, Linda Eastman became the first female photographer to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine with a portrait of Eric Clapton. Less than a year later, she married one of the most famous men in the world to become Linda McCartney, and was thereafter known primarily as a Beatle’s wife.

“No one knew I was a photographer,” Linda once said. “When I married Paul, to [the fans] I was an American divorcee.”

McCartney died of breast cancer in 1998 aged 56, but her family are determined to ensure that her accomplishments as a photographer live on. For the last year, McCartney and his daughters Mary, a photographer, and Stella, a fashion designer, have sifted through Linda’s archive of more than 200,000 images, to collate Linda McCartney: A Life In Photographs, a book of some of her best work, accompanied by limited-edition prints.

The retrospective encapsulates her work as a leading music photographer, with iconic images of Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, the Rolling Stones and, of course, The Beatles. But while it covers studio sessions with the likes of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, it is also an intimate family album, with touching and many previously unseen pictures of the McCartneys raising their young children – Heather, Mary, Stella and James – at their farm in Scotland, on holiday in the Caribbean and at home in London.

Mary, who talks openly of her mother’s huge influence on her own career, is wandering around the cavernous white space of the Phillips de Pury gallery in London, where a selection of the prints are being hung, among them Linda’s famous photograph of a baby Mary peeking out from inside her father’s sheepskin jacket, which later illustrated the cover of his first solo album, McCartney, in 1970. “It looks so cosy, doesn’t it?” says Mary. “That’s how they’d go riding together – zip me in there and go for a little horse ride.”

Mary speaks movingly of her regret that her mother’s work wasn’t more widely recognised, so often overshadowed by the McCartney name. “She didn’t self-promote or do lots of interviews, she never blew her own trumpet, and so she was often pigeonholed as a celebrity who dabbled in photography, which isn’t how it was at all.

“People didn’t realise that it was through her photography career that Mum and Dad met and that she was a photographer way before she had a family with Dad. But she wasn’t that bothered about what other people thought about her, it’s more probably us, her kids, who got irritated.”

Linda’s break came in 1967, when she was the only photographer allowed on to a boat on the Hudson River in New York where the Rolling Stones were performing. The candid photographs of the band at work and at play paved the way for commissions from Rolling Stone and other leading glossy magazines.

“People know quite a lot of her Sixties work, but Stella, Dad and I were interested in showing a broader spectrum, as well as those iconic images,” says Mary. “When she got married, she stopped being a jobbing photographer doing all the bands in New York. When she moved to London, she carried on with a very similar style and eye, but her subject changed. She was still photographing the people around her, which were her family and friends.”

A previously unseen photograph of Twiggy shows the young model relaxing off-duty during a visit to Linda in London shortly after Mary was born in 1969. Another shows her young brother, larking around with McCartney in a bubble bath in 1983. “This one really shows her style,” says Mary. “Mum’s motto was always 'keep it simple’ which I stick to. She would never pose us all.

“With Dad and James in the bubble bath, she would just walk by and have thought visually that was quite strong and have taken the picture. She’d always have the camera on her so these are all like pictures she’d take as she was wandering through life.”

Mary moves towards a black-and-white picture taken at their farm in Scotland in 1982, showing Paul standing on a fence in his dressing gown, while Stella crouches on the ground and a young James, in his pyjamas, leaps off the family Land Rover. “This one is genius, but she won’t have set it up – it will have just been everybody there. That fence was really wobbly and we used to have a competition to see who could walk the longest along it before you fell off. It wasn’t very stable. I never, ever got all the way along.”

Mary remembers watching her mother at work; her subjects would barely register they were being captured on film. “She would have the camera with her but wouldn’t hold it up in your face for a long time, so she wouldn’t be clicking all around you – she’d chat with you, take a snap, put the camera down, so you didn’t have time to start posing and feeling self-conscious. She never intimidated people.”

Linda herself spoke of always trying to penetrate beneath the “veneer” of celebrity subjects like Jim Morrison, lead singer with The Doors, and her friend Jimi Hendrix. “People could confide in her, because she wasn’t a gossip,” says Mary. “Hendrix in particular became a bit disenchanted [with photographers] because they always wanted him to 'perform’ – be all rock and roll – but she was friends with him because she loved his playing, so he didn’t need to be like that with her.”

I wonder if Linda ever regretted relinquishing her successful career in New York after marrying Paul? “Talking to Mum, she had become a bit disenchanted with the music industry by that time,” says Mary. “She found that as the years went on, there were more lawyers and PRs around the record companies, who were more and obstructive.

“She was also being asked to get much more sensationalist pictures, which she wasn’t interested in doing. She told me people would try and get her to go to Andy Warhol’s Factory and take pictures of people shooting up, which wasn’t her style. It was enough to make her feel uncomfortable. She needed to be enjoying it to stay stimulated, so I think she’d got to a point where she’d done her bit.”

One of Mary’s favourite works in the gallery is Whisky and Milk, Scotland 1978, a black-and-white shot of an empty whisky bottle and a milk bottle side by side on the kitchen table. “I love that and it’s one of Stella’s favourites, too. It shows her quirky side and her sense of humour. She always thought that was quite entertaining, you know, the contrast of both bottles equally enjoyed by different age groups.

“This is one of my favourites too,” she says, moving over to Paul’s Feet, where McCartney grips a glass with his feet, toe-nails varnished in rainbow colours. “It kind of says a lot about Mum and Dad.”

Mary published From Where I Stand last year, a retrospective book accompanying an exhibition of her own work. While editing the book and show, she noted the similarity between some of her pictures and her mother’s. “I looked at some shots and thought, 'that was a picture Mum could have taken,’ but the difference between us is that she wouldn’t care about missing a shot, whereas if I see something and I haven’t got a camera, I can get quite stressed.

“She was very chilled, she’d say: 'It’s a soul camera moment’. Now, if I get annoyed that I’ve missed a shot, I try and think, 'Don’t worry, it’s on the soul camera’. I say it and don’t really mean it, whereas Mum could really let it go. She had everything captured in her soul camera.”

* Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs is at Phillips de Pury (Howick Place, London SW1, www.phillipsdepury.com) from June 7 to June 16. The book is published by TASCHEN and available for £44.99 at www.taschen.com

Mary McCartney, 6/4/11 - Telegraph (x)

#Mary McCartney #Linda McCartney #interview

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fantastickkay · 1 month

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Album Review of the Week: Paul Revere & the Raiders - Just Like Us! (1966)

Just Like Us! is the 4th album from Paul Revere and the Raiders, and their first after they starting appearing on television regularly - which had propelled their popularity among many similar groups. This album also features liner notes written by Dick Clark, host of Where the Action Is. This is during the height of the British invasion, so I wonder if the hyper-American image was used to set them apart! This is also their last album comprised of cover songs, they begin writing their own material with Midnight Ride, released later in the same year.

The album opens with Steppin' Out, which highlights their garage rock roots! Besides their image, garage rock and blues elements also set their sound apart from other groups of the time. This track is very gritty and picks up at the very end with some really fun energy.

Doggone gets a little more poppy with a bouncy instrumental and harmonies, while still retaining the grit.

Out of Sight leans more into the classic blues time signature in the verses, with some rock-y moments in between! With the additions within the blues beat, they inject some energy to get you moving!

Baby, Please Don't Go opens with a pulsating bass rhythm, I believe I hear an organ in there as well! There is a lot of different instruments going on, resulting in a cacophony that is a little hard to follow. I can sort of tell this is the point, but the vocals also sound hurried and not very good.

I Know devolves a bit more into the unorganized sound, this one is much more obvious in its humor - filled with tons of silly studio chatter! It seems like this was a trend of the time, The Righteous Brothers and The Monkees at least have one song like this in their discographies as well. Just a short little diddy to make the chicks laugh!

Night Train is a fun little instrumental! The journey through side one of this record is quite interesting, we weave through multiple genres in just a few songs and yet all of the songs braid together creating a decent linear evolution.

Just Like Me is the big hit off of this album, and it sounds like it! This is more the sound I think of when I picture music of the time in general and Paul Revere & the Raiders specifically. Interesting that the big hit begins side two and also kicks off some of the more obvious covers on this album.

For example, next we get a tepid rendition of Donovan's Catch the Wind. Even without listening, I can imagine they were talked into this by the record label but the vocals definitely sell that point! I don't blame them, but they do not sound enthused to be singing this song! It is also an incredible departure from the sounds we have been hearing so far.

Hopefully this next song was more fun for them to do. Their version of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction sounds quite cut and paste, but hey at least it is more in their style!

I'm Cryin' is a great song to begin and their version is lots of fun as well! Their vocals hold up quite well against Eric Burdon. I haven't been able to find anything about studio musicians being used, so at least we can (presumably) say they played their own instruments on these covers, which is good! Especially in this song, the tempo is quite fast and a lot is going on. Given the copy and paste nature of these covers, I would not be surprised if they had studio musicians for them, but hopefully they got to play their own!

New Orleans is another fantastic track! Their version does damper it a little bit, there could be more energy. Maybe it was recorded on the same day as Catch the Wind.

They dabble in surf rock for the last track, Action. I really like how their voices sound in the last line of the chorus, it has a minor chord vibe. The instrumentals are tons of fun!

Side one of this record is fantastic! Things waver a bit on side two, but it is still a solid album in the days when everyone covered everyone.

#album review #paul revere and the raiders #1966 #1960s #vinyl collection

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sandsofoneiros · 3 years

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Little Hawk.

Disclaimer: I have talked about this idea with two mutuals and decided to write it. However, it’s probably ooc for some of the character and my deepest apologies on that.

Also, there’s probably plenty of mistakes because I edited this at 3AM.

Mentions of children.

Slight pairing of Duke Leto and Lady Jessica.

I don’t believe there’s any warning needed other than babies growing up too fast. Let me know if there is.

Description: The one where little Paul takes his first steps.

Word count: 1191.

Any day now. Paul was going to take his first steps any day now, Leto knew it. He could feel it. The curly hair one-year-old had just celebrated his birthday and was still timid to take his first steps. Currently, Paul was using his father’s leg to pull up and stand on his wobbly legs. His tiny hands clutching his papa’s trouser tightly as he babbled to get his attention. A soft smile found its way on Leto’s face as gave Paul his attention.

“I don’t think that’s the way to negotiate, little hawk,” Leto spoke before gently placing his hand on Paul’s hair to move the curls out of his face. “You’re getting stronger.”

Pride showed on Leto’s face as he scooped up the tiny boy, who giggled in delight that he was finally getting what he wanted. Tiny fingers found their way to his beard, causing a chuckle to leave the Duke’s lips. The deep rumble from the Duke made the toddler giggle even more. Leto had figured it was getting close to nap time, as Paul still messed with his facial hair. Paul had done this since he was a newborn. His little fingers always seeking the wiry hairs of Leto’s beard to help lull him to sleep.

“Did you tire yourself out already?” Chuckling, Leto positioning Paul to lie more comfortably on his chest. His large hand gently rubbing the boy’s back to help coax him to sleep. These were the moments that Leto treasured the most and thought about his future. He couldn’t wait for Paul to walk, but after that, there would be no stopping the boy. It both excited him and saddened him. Paul was growing each day. Learning more and more, he was a quick learner. Leto wasn’t sure if he was ready for his little hawk to grow up…

Everyone had thought it was odd how hands-on the Duke was with raising Paul. He often would go to the nursery to soothe Paul until Jessica arrived. It had even caught her off guard when she walked into the room, watching him change the infant. However, she would always smile and thank him with a soft kiss on his cheek. She would watch the father and son play and simply smile proudly at the bond that was growing between them. Paul had everyone wrapped around his tiny finger the moment he was born. None more so than the Duke himself.

Father and son napped peacefully until Jessica had quietly entered his study. Her heartwarming at the sight of them. She didn’t want to take their son from his father, but Leto had a meeting to attend soon and didn’t want him rushing around to get prepared. Carefully, she lifted the baby from Leto’s chest, not expecting her beloved Duke to react so quickly. His hand on her wrist.

“Leto, it’s just me. You have a meeting soon. I was going to take him back to the nursery to finish his nap.” She whispered, trying not to wake the little one. Her hand gently resting on her lover’s cheek. Her thumb brushing over his cheekbone.

“Forgive me..” Leaning into her touch, the Duke allowed himself to enjoy a private moment with her. This didn’t happen as often as he liked. “Is it bad if I would rather skip the meeting and enjoy a nap?”

“No, I think you deserve to have a good nap but you’re the one who insisted on this meeting.” She teased before kissing his forehead and lifting the sleeping boy from his chest. Paul nestling into her. His head buried into the crook of her neck.

“He’s going to walk soon. Any day, Jess. I can feel it. He just needs a little push.”

“Once he walks, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”

Both of them chuckled. With a parting kiss to the lips, Jessica left with their son to let the Duke prepare for his meeting.

Xxx

The meeting was dragging on as Leto listened to everyone’s concerns and what they thought would work best. His attention had been slipping throughout the whole thing and had switched to stand just so he wouldn’t fall asleep. The voice had become hushed when Lady Jessica had quietly strolled into the room holding their fussy son. His face was red with tear-stained cheeks. Leto wanted nothing more than to comfort the boy, but he couldn’t. He had to keep a strong appearance around his men. Men who had witnessed him multiple times, playing with his son, and even telling stories to the young lad. They would all just share a smile and pretend that they hadn’t seen too much.

Paul’s cries seemed to grow more and more while he wiggled in his mother’s grip. Jessica attempting to bounce him in her lap. It wasn’t working as she had hoped. She had hoped that seeing Leto would be enough to calm the boy, but it only made him more upset. He wanted to be with his father.

“Pa-pa!” His little hands were outstretched towards his father and Leto only glanced over. That only upset the little boy more and he wiggling more in Jessica’s grip. She had stood him up in front of her. Letting him hold her hands for support as he wobbled on his legs. Leto had nodded in her direction, given that had stopped the cries of Paul for the time being. Leto was still in his son’s sight. One of his chubby hands had let go of his mother’s as one foot took a step. The sight going unnoticed by everyone except for her. That’s when it clicked. The push that Paul needed to walk.

Another shaky step is taken, and Jessica stretched her hand out as far as she could. Leto wasn’t too far from them now. Her eyes light up with delight with each step. Knowing that Paul’s confidence was growing. The only thing was, she needed to get Leto’s attention.

“My Lord,” Jessica spoke loudly for him to hear. Knowing that it would catch him off guard and cause him to look over at her. However, his eyes wouldn’t be on her instead, it would be on the little one.

His head turned head and his dark eyes widened before bending down, arms wide open. The meeting could wait a moment. Paul was taking his first steps. Determination was on his son’s face. Pride was swelling in the Duke’s chest.

“That’s it. Just a few more steps, little hawk. That’s it, papa’s here.” Leto encouraged proudly. He had moved just a little closer before Paul had stumbled a little, but the Duke was there to scoop him into his arms.

The room erupted into applause as Paul wrapped one arm around his papa’s neck and the other in his beard. Giggling, as he buried his head into Leto’s chest.

No would say anything about the tears that seemed to have rolled down the Duke’s cheeks. Instead, everyone cheered for the little Atreides that had taken his first steps. Jessica and Leto both sharing a loving gaze at one another. Now that their little hawk had walked, it wouldn’t be long before he flew.

#Duke Leto and Lady Jessica #Dune #little dabble of baby Paul #queued up and ready to go #soft moments #babies growing up too fast

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perry-mason-della-street · 2 years

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A Perry Mason One Shot: Well Loved Baby

I could have made you wait 8-9 months for Baby Mason to come along, but I can't come up with enough stories to last that long. That and I really can't wait to bring the baby along. Baby is coming soon!

Dedicated to @goldenteadust and @nicoles-story-corner

___________________________________________

Della smiled and ran her hand over the railing of the new baby crib. Perry had just finished putting it together yesterday, and now the baby's room was almost complete.

There was a rocking chair with a quilt, handmade by Della's aunt Eleanora, hanging on the back of it. Della couldn't wait to rock the baby to sleep. There was a little end table with a lamp and a little porcelain mother duck and her little ducklings.

The antique dresser was full of little baby socks and diapers and booties and sweaters and more clothes than the baby could wear before outgrowing them all.

The walls were painted a pale yellow at Perry's insistence. He said that yellow was cheerful, and there could never be too much cheerfulness in such a dark world.

Della's friend, Linda, who dabbled in oil painting, had made a painting of a little boy playing in a mud puddle.

There was a well stocked toy box, full of toys that Perry and Della had picked out, and all of the toys that Paul was spoiling the unborn child with.

Della looked around the room at all of the things people had given them and sighed happily. She said to the baby:

"You are so very well loved!"

________________________________________

Stay tuned: baby's coming soon!!

#perry mason #della street #della mason #baby mason #fanfiction #my writing #a story #a coverlet of roses #anne b. mae #anne's ramblings #anne's story #one shot

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80s4life · 3 years

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Character/Movie List

Below is movies and TV shows I like personally and are lsited as a reference. If you don't see something you're interested in, it is not that I don't like it, it is because I most likely forgot it because I love so many movies/shows tbh. Just ask, and I'll answer! And, from the Rules and Regulations page, what I had meant by "mostly" is that I can dabble outside of the acting world and into actors/actresses themselves and/or singers, popstars, etc.

{Another side-note, I am not so much into shows, but mostly movies! Although, there are some exceptions that I love beyond belief!}

MOVIES

Back to the Future Series:

Biff Tannen

Griff Tannen (Maybe, he wasn't the best of the Tannen's imo)

Buford Tannen

Marty McFly

George McFly

Doc Brown

Lorraine Baines

Match

Titanic:

Rose DeWitt Bukater

Jack Dawson

Caledon Hockley

Brock Lovett

Rabrizio De Rossi

Thomas "Tommy" Ryan

Karate Kid Series {1/2/3}:

John Kreese

Mr. Miyagi

Johnny Lawrence

Daniel LaRusso

Tommy

Dutch

Bobby Brown (not so much; don't know him too well)

Ali Mills

Lucille LaRusso

Chozen

Kumiko

Terry Silver (duh lmao)

Mike Barnes (also duh)

Jessica Andrews

Stand By Me:

Vern Tessio

Billy Tessio

Gordie LaChance

Chris Chambers

Eyeball Chambers

Ace Merrill

Teddy Duchamp

Goonies:

Brand

Mikey

Chunk

Mouth

Data

Andy

Stef

Jake Fratelli (he was kinda hot ngl)

Ferris Bueller's Day Off:

Ferris Bueller

Jeanie Bueller

Cameron Frye

Sloane Peterson

License to Drive:

Les Anderson

Dean

Mercedes Lane

Charles

Toy Soldiers:

Billy Tepper

Joey Trotta

Snuffy Bradberry

Ricardo Montoya

Hank Giles

Derek/Yogurt

Scream Movie Series {1/2}:

Billy Loomis

Stu Macher

Dwight "Dewey" Riley

Ghostface

Randy Meeks

Tatum Riley

Sidney Prescott

Gale Weathers

Cotton Weary

Derek Feldman

Mickey

Predator:

Dutch

Blain

Yautja

Escape Plan:

Emil Rottmayer/ "Victor Maheim"

Ray Breslin/ "Anthony Portos"

The Expendables:

Barney Ross

Lee Christmas

Toll Road

Tool

Gunnar Jensen

Bao Thao/ "Yin Yang"

Hale Caesar

Trench

Church

Divergent Movie Series {1/2/3}:

Divergent-

Beatrice "Tris" Prior

Caleb Prior

Peter

Tobias "Four" Eaton

Christina "Chris"

Eric Coulter

Will

Insurgent-

Marcus Eaton

Allegiant-

Matthew

Terminator Series:

T-100/"Uncle Bob"/Terminator

T-1000 "Austin"

John Connor

Sarah Connor

Grace

Dani Ramos

Dazed and Confused:

David Wooderson

Fred O'Bannion

Randall "Pink" Floyd

Ron Slater

Don Dawson

Mitch Kramer

Benny O'Donnell

Rocky Series:

Rocky Balboa

Apollo Creed

Captain Ivan Drago

Zombieland {1/2}:

Tallahassee

Columbus

Berkeley

Witchita

Little Rock

Madison

Lethal Weapon Movie Series {1/2/3/4}:

Martin Riggs

Roger Myrtaugh

Rianne Murtaugh

Leo Getz

Goodfellas:

Henry Hill

Jimmy Conway

Tommy DeVito

Karen Hill

Marvel:

Avengers Heroes-

Iron Man/Tony Stark

Thor

Ant-Man/Scott Lang

Hulk/Bruce Banner

Captain America/Steve Rogers

Hawkeye/ Clint Barton

Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff

Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff

Black Panther/T'Challa

Vision/Victor Shade

Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff

Mantis

Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange

Avengers Anti-Heroes/Antagonists:

Yondu Udonta

Loki Laufeyson

Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes

Whiplash

Thanos

Mysterio

Kaecilius

Ronan

Hela

Ultron

Wolverine/Deadpool:

Wolverine/Logan Howlett

Sabretooth/Victor Creed

Bolt/Chris Bradley

Gambit/Remy LeBeau

Cyclops/Scott Summers

(Younger!)Professor X

Deadpool/Wade Wilson

Cable/Nathan Summers

Colossus/Piotr "Peter" Nikolayevich Rasputin

Dopinger

Weasel

Negasonic Teenage Warhead/Ellie Phimister

DC Universe:

Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill)

Batman/Bruce Wayne (Affleck, Bale versions)

Aquaman/Arthur Curry

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince

Harley Quinn

Joker (Leto, Ledger, Phoenix versions)

Deadshot

Captain Boomerang

Enchantress

Rick Flagg

Bane (Tom Hardy)

TV Shows

Stranger Things:

Mike Wheeler

Nancy Wheeler

Will Byers

Joyce Byers

Johnathan Byers

Maxine "Max" Hargrove

Billy Hargrove

Dustin Henderson

Lucas Sinclair

Robin Buckley

Jim Hopper

Steve Harrington

Sex Education:

Erric Effiong

Aimee Gibbs

Adam Groff

Ola Nyman

Rahim

Otis Milburn

Maeve Wiley

Hannibal (Show):

Hannibal Lector

Will Graham

Dr. Alana Bloom

Jack Crawford

Abigail Hobbs

Orange Is the New Black (OITNB):

Piper Chapman

Nicky Nichols

Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren

Galina "Red" Reznikov

Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson

Dayanara "Daya" Diaz

Gloria Mendoza

Lorna Morello

Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett

Alex Vause

Joel Luschek

Big Boo

Maritza Ramos

Poussey Washington

Yoga Jones

Gina Murphy

Brook Soso

Sophia Burst

George "Pornstache" Mendez

Larry Bloom

Polly Harper

Stella Carlin

The Boys:

Billy Butcher

Starlight/Annie January

Hughie Campbell

Homelander

Kimiko Miyashiro

Queen Maeve/Maggie Shaw

Mother's Milk "M.M."

The Deep/Kevin Moskowitz

Frenchie

Stormfront

Becca Butcher

The Walking Dead (TWD):

Daryl Dixon

Merle Dixon

Rick Grimes

Carl Grimes

Lori Grimes

Maggie Greene

Beth Greene

Glenn Rhee

Negan Smith

Michonne Hawthorne

Carol Peletier

Shane Walsh

Paul "Jesus" Monroe

Eugene Porter

Sgt. Abraham Ford

Outer Banks (OBX):

Sarah Cameron

Rafe Cameron

Ward Cameron

John B

Topper

Pope

Kiara

Shameless:

Frank Gallagher

Fiona Gallagher

Lip Gallagher

Ian Gallagher

Debbie Gallagher

Carl Gallagher

Kevin Ball

Veronica Fisher

Mickey Milkovich

Mandy Milkovich

Svetlana

Jimmy "Steve" Lishman

Karen Jackson

Cobra Kai

Miguel Diaz

Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz

Robby Keene

Demetri

Carmen Diaz

John Kreese (baby version & old version)

Terry Silver (baby version & old version)

Tory Nichols

Samantha "Sam" LaRusso

...AND MANY MORE!

If there is something or someone you like not on this list, feel free to ask or direct message me! For movies like the DC Universe and Marvel, if there is multiple actors of that character and you want a certain one, please make sure that you add that detail!

Rules & Regulations

Masterlist

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goldemas1244 · 3 years

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Thinking about a Team Fortress 3 concept. Don't take this seriously, this is just senseless rambling (as always). Basic shitposting. Let's go.

So TF3 is just TF2's kids and future selves.

But their little Hellspawns are just THIS close to being so different yet so exactly like their papas.

Scout's daughter never actually met his mum, and his dad never lived long enough. So she lives with Granny and Grandpa. It's easy management (hereditarally speaking) and she becomes a Spy, talent, suit and all.

Soldier has settled down with Zhanna and a pack of raccoons. Despite them both being very wild, their little bonnie-giblet prefers the tamer parts of lifestyle, wildlife, and career. Of course, the crazy is still there (as is always). She ends up as a professional, chill Medic who owns a bunch of rats.

Pyro's little bap absolutely loves fire, having been trained to master it for years. So much so that they've dabbled with it in their everyday lives (setting fire to the house one too many times). Eventually, after an incident involving the discovery of machinery firepower, they grow up to be the next Engineer and the sentry shoots flaming oil balls.

Demoman lead a chiller life after the war and has now settled on a cool life in Switzerland (it's just a nice place to live is all). His son doesn't have to work as much as his father did and had a lot more time to pursue his interests, most of which included wildlife photography from afar. This fascination of zooming-in at last expired itself in the form of the Sniper.

Heavy and Medic got married. They have two babies. The one I'm currently talking about is that lovely little baboon. Growing up in that mid-sane household, combined with the natural instincts of monke, the little thing's grown up to be a great Scout.

Extra bullet! Once, Grandpa Spy told his granddaughter, "You see this? This is the exact embodiment of your father." The wheezes between them both was enough to give Grandpa Spy a non-lethal asthma attack.

Engineer's baby gal? Wants nothing to do with his sort of engineering and stress. Has an interest in chemical engineering instead. Becomes a Demoman.

The other one of Heavy and Medic's babies would be their own baby, purely genetical science. Perfect combination of them both. Well, until the [REDACTED] incident which almost turned his brain to mush, thus rendering him almost incapable of reaching their high statuses. Heavy and Medic have pushed that aside, however, and still love him for himself, flaws and all. And boy, their little egg is now a Soldier who's dating Engineer's little gal.

Extra bullet! Engineer isn't all too happy about being related to a baboon if this works out. But then again, we all have that ONE BABOON in the family, no?

Sniper's little sheila turned out to be a tubby little thing, thanks to his mum. Then again, he wasn't all too slim either after settling down with a lady of his own 😝. After physical torture for years and years (thanks to Grandpa's shopping trips), the lil' sheila's now able to lift even Sniper's old campervan. Soon, she'd join the team as the Heavy.

"But who's the Pyro?" you may ask. Well, look no further than Olivia Mann herself. Resigning from her post as CEO of Mann Co. (that job is now honourably given to Hale's own bucking bronco) out of pure boredom, she's joined the team for funsies and is actually pretty nice. Well at least we hope she is. But then again she's the Pyro so of course she isn't. Think Amelia Jane.

Hale's son now is the CEO of Mann Co. Instead of punching wildlife though, he's started rehabilitation campaigns and the like. Hale's secretly proud of him (but never really shows it because AUSTRALIAN CHEST HAIR).

Miss Pauling is now the Administrator. She does a bloody good job of it too, better than the oldie. She has a wife who took on her old job and three kids: Peter, Jeremy, and Elise. Peter in charge of RED, Jeremy in charge of BLU, and Elise in charge of background productions (like helping her moms or drooling over Hale's little crotch goblin).

As for teaming up concepts and a real plotline I have no idea. I'm just here for character building by the basics, nothing more.

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pinkpatiencecreepers · 4 years

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Izzy Stradlin & Johnny Thunders: An essay in the making lol

Okay, time for the conspiracy theories over here. Nah, just kidding but let's talk about the connections between Izzy Stradlin and Johnny Thunders. Here's my take:

I'm currently reading "Too Much Too Soon", the authorized biography of the New York Dolls by British journalist Nina Antonia, who was also close friends with Johnny. The thing is that I can't help but find a lot of similarities between Izzy and Johnny (of course, taking into consideration how much of an influence was Thunders in Izzy's life, not only on a musical level).

So, let's start analyzing some facts about Johnny's life and observations from the people who knew him. First, he didn't grow up with his dad, since the latter split when Johnny was just a baby and he was raised by his mom and his older sister.

From an early age, he developed an interest in fashion, rock music, and especially, in Keith Richards. So much, that he dyed his hair jet black and asked his sister to cut his hair in the same style as Keith’s. During his teenage years, Johnny made a reputation as a regular on the NY music scene of the late 60s and was praised for his unique appearance. He didn’t look like any of his peers and people often wondered where he got such rare and incredibly interesting pieces of clothing since they couldn’t be found at any of the local thrift shops. Turns out, he bought his clothes at the women’s department and customized them with the help of his mom and sister.

In terms of his personality, people described him as a quiet, shy, and reserved guy, except when he was on stage and you could see him jumping around and living his best life. Also, he started dabbling in drugs pretty much since puberty, beginning with pot, and then experimenting with LSD, quaaludes, coke, meth, etc., until getting to the ultimate killer: heroin.

Also, alongside with frontman of the NYD, David Johansen, Johnny was responsible for writing the most important songs of the band, as well as being praised as a songrwriter. Same as Keith Richards, he was keen on simple and precise compositions and focused mostly on bluesy sounds and nods to old school rock n’ roll with heavy influences from the greats Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, etc.

.....

Got all that? Okay, now let’s go with our Indiana boy.

At this point we have pretty much nailed down Izzy’s background and biography, right? We know that he was raised by his mom and his grandma Elizabeth back there in Lafayette. He has two younger brothers, Kevin and Joe. His dad split and left for Florida where he remarried and had two other kids.

Same thing, from a very early age he became interested in music, mainly thanks to his grandma, who was a drummer on a local jazz band. He was also greatly impacted by Don Kirschner’s tv show where lots of the most important musical acts from the 70s made appearances. He definitely saw the Dolls there and they became one of his favorites.

We still don’t know many details about his life as a teenager in boring Lafayette, except the little that he, Axl, or other close sources have shared. Izzy started smoking cigarettes and pot, firecrackers, and the usual soft drugs that all of us have taken during high school years at one time or another. We know that he liked skating, playing drums, and drawing, among other stuff.

Things start to get interesting when he gets to Los Angeles. Being Keith & Johnny MAJOR influences on him, he dyed his hair jet black and styled it the same way as Johnny in the early 70s. Long, straight, and looking like raven feathers. So, if you are a hardcore fan of the NYD and one afternoon you casually bump into Izzy down the Sunset Blvd in 1980, you’d highly lose your shit and think you’re seeing Johhny Thunders himself in front of you.

Also, like Johnny, Izzy didn’t start playing guitar. He was a drummer, then a bass player, and finally a guitarist. The difference in Johnny’s case is that he first played bass and then switched to guitar.

Now, concerning clothing, Izzy also brought attention for his curious looks, being one of the first people in Hollywood to wear creepers (according to Hollywood Rose founder and close friends with Izzy, Chris Weber). Same thing happened in New York to Johnny when he decided to subvert the local style by wearing chunky shoes and platforms. Not saying that he was the creator of the look (neither was Izzy), but they certainly inspired some people to do the same and express themselves through fashion. Izzy also used to customize his clothes, DIY some of them, make jewelry, thrift flips, etc.

On top of that, as a little tribute to his idol Johnny, Izzy embraced the color pink by wearing it in jackets that he spray-painted, socks, shirts, etc. Mix that with his ivory skin, dark hair, and facial features and you have another Mr. Thunders right there (And they DO look like they’re related... as well as Keith, Ronnie Wood, Sami Yaffa, Nasty Suicide, Tracii Guns, etc. On the fandom we call that breed of rockstar: “Emo Rat Boy” lol).

Another thing is that Izzy’s drug of choice was smack and as it also eventually happened to Johnny, it made him all doom and gloom, moody, and vanished the once happy and joyous spirit, both on stage and in real life.

Even in the dynamic between Axl and Izzy, you can see the same chemistry and looks of Johnny and David Johansen back in the day. Even the essence of the New York Dolls as a whole is visible during the formation days of GNR. Just look at Arthur Kane and Duff McKagan, and this is just a little example.

To finish this, around 1990-1991, Izzy is seen playing the same guitar model that Johnny is most known for, Gibson Les Paul Junior in yellow. And in the late 90s-early 2000s (I’m not exactly sure when) he made a cover of “Do You Love Me?”, really, but really inspired by Thunders.

And that’s all, folks. THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK.

PLEASE LIKE AND REBLOG IF YOU ENJOYED IT!

UPDATE: @roger-taylors-car please illustrate this with pictures. I can’t do it because my internet connection is SHIT. Thanks and excuse my French. Much love!!!

#izzy stradlin #johnny thunders #sweet izzy #guns n' roses #new york dolls

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katymacsupernatural · 5 years

Text

Demons and Spongecake

Dean Winchester x Reader

1500 Words

Written For: @spnfluffbingo2019, @spngenrebingo

Squares Filled: Game Show(Fluff), Case Fic(Genre)

Summary: Dean finds a hunt in England, near one of your favorite shows.

Warnings: None

You could hear Dean screaming your name before you stepped foot into the bunker. His voice was loud, full of excitement, and you wondered what could have possibly brought this on. “Coming!” You called out, your arms full of grocery bags, struggling to open the heavy iron door.

Dean met you on the other side, taking the bags from you, almost jumping up and down in excitement. “Sam found us a case!”

Raising an eyebrow, you continued down the staircase, knowing that Dean would continue to tell you about this case he was so excited about. He needed no encouragement. “It’s in England!”

That stopped you in your tracks. “England?”

He nodded, setting the bags down on the table before taking your shoulders and turning you to face him. “Y/N, you know that one baking show we’ve been watching?”

“The British Baking Show?”

“Yeah, that one!” He exclaimed. “Well there have been curious deaths surrounding it, and they’ve even considered shutting down the new season.”

Sitting on the edge of the table, your mind worked over the facts. “But Dean, what about the British Men of Letters? Why can’t they, or another hunter handle this one? That’s a long way to go, and…,”

“Tickets are bought, and everything is settled,” Sam announced, climbing the stairs, his bag already packed and placed on his shoulder. “Oh Y/N, perfect timing!”

“Wait,” you stuttered. “It’s all set up? But what about Dean’s fear of flying. And...and…,”

“All taken care of,” Sam answered smugly. “Dean’s got Dramamine, and you’ve got a spot as one of the contestants.”

You shook your head, not believing what you just heard. “I’m what?”

Dean patted your shoulder, picking up the duffle bags you hadn’t noticed. “Y/N, you’re a great baker! You’ll do great while Sam, Cas and I canvas the forest surrounding the area, along with the castle.”

13 hours later you were standing in London, turning in circles as you took everything in. Sam was trying to get the rental car while Dean tried to control his breathing. He had done great on the plane, cuddling next to you and sleeping most of the way, but the stress had taken a lot out of him.

“I’m driving,” he insisted, sliding in the left side of the car, grumbling when he realized the steering wheel was on the other side. You slid in back, while Sam and Dean changed places. The car was much shorter than Baby, both Sam and Dean’s heads almost touching the roof.

With Sam constantly reminding Dean which side of the road to drive on, Dean headed out of the crowded town, heading to Berkshire.

You watched out the window as picturesque scenery passed by your window. Green and so unlike Kansas, you couldn’t believe that you were visiting England. But your visit had you extremely nervous.

Sure, you enjoyed baking, but you had never considered yourself good enough to be on a show such as the Great British Baking Show. Just the thought of being in that tent with Paul and Pru critiquing your bakes had your stomach in knots.

“Human travel is tedious,” Cas muttered as he appeared in the seat next to you. “You have been traveling for hours.”

“Some of us aren’t born with wings,” Dean muttered. “But I would like to do something besides flying.”

Cas ignored Dean. “While you guys have been in air, I took the liberty of checking the area. Do we have any idea what we’re up against?”

Sam pulled out his notebook, shaking his head. “No idea. Three crew members have been found dead, with only this symbol carved into their wrist. No other injuries.”

“Looks demonic,” Cas said. “What are our plans?”

“We were able to get Y/N a spot on the show. Saying we were feds. She’ll be watching everyone in the tent, while we search the grounds. We only have this weekend to figure it out, otherwise, we’ll have to wait another week.”

You were going to be staying in the large manor house located behind the tent. Sam, Cas, and Dean would have a room in the local inn, only about five miles away. You had nervously gone through your notes, knowing you needed to have two recipes perfected and ready to go before tomorrow, along with the technical which you had no idea what it would be.

“Y/N, you okay?” Dean asked, coming around the car with your bag in his hand. “I know we just kind of threw you into this, but I know you’ll have no problem.”

“Dean, I’m not a baker!” You exclaimed. “I like dabbling in it, but these people are talented, and have time to practice.”

He took your shoulders in his hands. “Relax and have fun. You’re here because they think you’re undercover. Just enjoy the chance to be on your favorite show, and let us get this Monster out of the way.”

After a sleepless night, you made your way down the stairs, finding you weren’t the only one up and ready early in the morning. A buffet was set out off to the side, the other contestants munching on food. Taking a plate from the sideboard, you were piling bacon and eggs onto your plate when Dean waved at you from outside the window.

Sighing, you took a piece of bacon off the plate before setting it down. Leaving the rest of the contestants behind, you stepped out onto the nicely manicured lawn. “Dean, it was breakfast,” you complained, lifting your bacon to take a bite, but Dean took it from your hands.

“I know, and you can go back to it soon enough. But we know who the Demon is,” he explained, his mouth full of your bacon.

“Good. Did you take care of it?”

“Yep,” he answered proudly. “It was the Butler. Always the Butler,” he chuckled. “The Demon hated the show, and wanted to cause trouble.”

“So that’s it?” You asked, a little disappointed. “We came. We were here one night, and now we’re done. No competing, nothing.”

Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you are a contestant. And it is the morning of the show. Why don’t you go ahead with it? For today at least.”

After Dean pushed you back to the manor, you quickly shoved some eggs into your mouth before it was time to go. Nerves had your palms sweating, your stomach twisting as you walked down the path. The top of the white tents was in the distance, and you rubbed your hands together nervously.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” One of the other contestants asked you. “I’ve been wanting to be on this show for so long, I can’t believe it’s happening!”

Before you could answer, you were pulled to the side by the producer. “Listen, I know that the problem has been solved. But we want you to follow through with today at least. Then, we’ll come up with an excuse as to why you can’t come back. Okay?”

You took your place behind one of those light teal covered kitchen stations, tying your apron around your waist. As you took a deep breath, you could see Sam, Dean, and Cas off to the side, peeking through one of the windows.

Paul and Pru gave the instructions, leaving the tent and your first three-hour task was started. Your nerves slipped away, and you began baking, humming to yourself.

You mixed and poured, getting your sponges into the oven. Your apron was a mess, but you were enjoying yourself more than you thought you would.

It wasn’t until you had thirty minutes left that you began to worry. You had always thought people should plan better, but now that you were in their position, you knew how hard it was to keep everything on time. But you finished your dessert just as they sounded the end of the challenge, and you brushed your hands off, pleased with how it had turned out.

Paul and Pru both enjoyed it, but you still left the tent before the technical, knowing they would come up with an excuse as to why you couldn’t move on. Dean came over, pulling you into his arms. “You did it!” He exclaimed. “My girl was a famous baker!”

“Not exactly famous,” you insisted. “I just got a little lucky.”

“But they seemed to like it,” Sam answered, patting you on the shoulder. “And we got the Demon taken care of, so I think everything’s good to go!”

“Let’s go home,” you mumbled against Dean’s suit coat. “I enjoy baking in my old kitchen, for my three judges.”

“Food still tastes like molecules,” Cas argued, and you just rolled your eyes. But you were telling the truth. While you loved this show, you knew it wasn’t exactly for you. Baking pies and fixing homestyle meals for you and your hunters was your type of baking.

Dean/Jensen Tags: @acortez82 @acreativelydifferentlove @adoptdontshoppets @a-girl-who-loves-disney @akshi8278 @bebravekeeponfighting @brindz30 @cap-just-said-language @colette2537 @deansgirl215 @its-not-a-tulpa @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @just-another-winchester @karouwinchester @keikoraventeller @krys198478 @librarygeekery @misspygmypie @mlovesstories @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk @mrspeacem1nusone @nothinbuttrouble2 @ria132love @ruprecht0420 @sortaathief @superseejay721517 @squirrelnotsam @team-free-will-you-idjiot @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @torn-and-frayed @tricksterdean @wonderfulworldofwinchester @woodworthti666

Forever Tags: @aditimukul @alexwinchester23 @algud @amanda-teaches @andreaaalove @artisticpoet @atc74 @be-amaziing @camelotandastronauts @caswinchester2000 @chelsea072498 @closetspngirl @docharleythegeekqueen @emoryhemsworth @ericaprice2008 @esoltis280 @gh0stgurl @goldenolaf25 @growningupgeek @heyitscam99 @hobby27 @horsegirly99 @internationalmusicteacher @iwriteaboutdean @jayankles @jensen-gal @just-another-busyfangirl @karlee-fay-my-wayward-son @lifelovelaughangell123 @li-ssu @linki-locks11 @littleblue5mcdork @lowlyapprentice @maui137 @mogaruke @monkeymcpoopoo @musiclovinchic93 @nanie5 @percussiongirl2017 @plaid-lover-bay25 @roonyxx @ronja-uebrick @roxyspearing @samanthaharper2018 @samanddeanmyheroes @sandlee44 @shamelesslydean @simonsbluee @sillesworldofwriting @sgarrett49 @spnbaby-67 @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @spnwoman @superbadassnatural @thatcrazybookwormgeek @thewinchesterchronicles @vvinch3st3r @wecantgiggleitsafandom @whimsicalrobots @winchester-writes @zombiewerewolfqueen

#spnfluffbingo2019 #spngenrebingo #dean winchester x reader #supernatural x reader #supernatural reader insert #katy writes #spn fanfic #dean fanfic

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southboundhq · 5 years

Photo

MEET KITTY,

FULL NAME › Katherine “Kitty” Elizabeth Briar AGE › twenty two GENDER › Cis female (She/Her/Hers) FROM › Boot Hill, Arizona RESIDENCE › Villas Adobes community (Downtown) OCCUPATION › employee of the Painted Sky Boutique NOW PLAYING › You Don’t Own Me by Lesley Gore

BIOGRAPHY,

trigger/content warnings: adultery, substance abuse, alcohol abuse

Kitty was her mother’s last and most grand attempt to keep him. This was her final display of her true love and devotion, pulling out all of the stops, but it was still not enough. If there was one thing that a man hated the most it was when his mistress didn’t know when to give it up. Lorelai Briar was a pitiable creature; one who thought herself untouchable in the arms of a powerful man. He’d held her at night and forged promises of forever from temple kisses and extravagant gifts while he had his fill of her. Lorelai never imagined that he would discard her and return to his wife, but all flames of petty desire are doused by reality sooner or later. What use does a man with four children have for yet another child born of a fleeting affair? Lorelai was never meant to be anything more than a fun escape from the band of gold which shackled him to his wife’s doorstep. Love and children have no place in a formula so temporary, and so he decided that it was over. In the end, Lorelai held him tightly in her arms and whispered sweet words that were meant to sound delectable upon the eardrum, and he left all the same. It didn’t take Lorelai very long to realize what a terrible mistake she made by getting pregnant, but some mistakes are much too strong to remedy with a few crocodile tears. She lost him, and now she would be stuck with the memory of him everyday. Lorelai would lie awake at night, hands clutching her swollen stomach and praying that her daughter would be different than herself; than her father.

Lorelai tried to love her daughter. She held Kitty in her arms and rocked her like a loving mother should. She fed Kitty and did her best to provide for them two of them on her own. Blue eyes lined with a thicket of dark lashes would flutter like the wings of a monarch butterfly as Kitty looked up at her, but it did little to soften the disgust she felt whenever she thought about her father. In truth, his departure spoiled any good relations that Kitty might have had with her mother, and the chasm that stood between mother and daughter only deepened as the years went by. Everyday, Kitty would ask her mother to tell her about her father, and everyday her mother ignored her. “He was scum, Kitty. He ruined me, he ruined us. You should be thankful that you didn’t turn out like him.” Little did Lorelai know that Kitty had acquired all the worst parts of both adulterers even though she had only been exposed to one of them. She wore her father’s manipulative tendencies and her mother’s coquettish ways like a silk scarf, and naturally, it horrified her mother. There were no heart to heart conversations about boys, makeup, and school to be had between the two of them. From Lorelai’s affair spawned an even more dangerous entity than she hadn’t anticipated. Kitty was her mother’s most grand mistake, and seeing her face reminded her of that everyday.

When Kitty entered the ninth grade, Lorelai remarried. “This is the one,” she said, “This is the one we need.” Kitty broke out in a fit of laughter, causing her mother’s smile to melt into a scowl. There had never been a ‘we’ between them, only you and I like two spiders in a mason jar. This marriage was what Lorelai needed, not Kitty. It was just as sudden and ridiculous as her affair with Kitty’s father, and it showed that Kitty’s mother learned nothing from her past choices. Paul Edwards was everything that Lorelai had been looking for in a man; Tall, single and a bank account that would take years to empty. It wasn’t love that reflected in Lorelai’s green eyes, but twin dollar signs that grew larger by the day. Kitty hated the man with his toothy smile and the way he tried to insert himself into their already shattered dynamic. Within a blink of an eye, their little two bedroom house in Midtown turned into a four bedroom home in Villas Adobes. Kitty tolerated him largely due to the money he would give her in an attempt to buy her love. It turns out that love in the Edwards house looked a lot like diamond earrings. Paul and Lorelai’s whirlwind relationship led to another pregnancy, and finally Lorelai got it right. Now, she had the well-off husband and baby boy that she had been wanting for so long. The only problem was that there was little room for a Briar in the Edwards household.

Lorelai got her happily ever after, but Kitty still only knew half of herself. She once thought that she would drown in all of her questions about her father, but she started to ask less and less as she grew older. She could hear her mother’s words ringing in her ears, “You can’t miss something you never had, Kitty”. So, she took her mother’s words in stride and put him out of her mind. Much of Kitty’s adolescence was spent sneaking out of her house at night and sneaking back in just before the sun came up. Truthfully, all she had to do was walk right out of the front door since her mother and stepfather were so focused on themselves and her darling little brother, Wesley, to care about what Kitty was up to. It was then that Kitty discovered that she could get away with almost anything when her mother and stepfather’s eyes were permanently focused elsewhere.

It didn’t take long for her to meet other girls who were just as reckless as she was and would rather be anywhere else than stuck at home. They weren’t nice girls, and neither was she for that matter, but perpetual boredom was the common ground each of them could bond over. And so The five were formed, all daughters of difficult parents, constantly hungry for more of everything. They became her home away from home as they traveled the streets at night, leaving boys and girl alike spellbound with a single touch. Together, they chewed away at the town like powdery pink bubblegum and spat it back out through red lacquered lips. No party worth attending in little o’l Boothill was complete without Pretty Kitty and her circle of devils to get it started. Sunny afternoons were spent secretly chugging expensive bottles of champagne from her stepfather’s gilded cabinets while her more adventurous friends dabbled in little baggies of snow-white powder. Kitty, of course, sampled the drugs here and there whenever she really wanted to escape the made up paradise that her mother was trying to maintain.

It was only when Kitty graduated that she realized just how aimless she truly was. There were no bold dreams of leaving Boothill and going to college or becoming more than she already was. Sure, Boothill was about as exciting as watching paint dry but it was home. A regular C- student, she hadn’t given her studies any real attention. “Katherine has so much potential, Mrs. Edwards,” her teachers would say and her mother would proceed with feigning interest in her daughters education. “but she just doesn’t push herself. We’re worried that she isn’t being challenged enough”. Kitty did enough to get by and that’s how she liked it. Chances to sneak out with her friends to go to some party always took precedence over her studies, and neither her mother nor her stepfather bothered to hassle her about it. They did, however force her to start working. “You have to find something, Kitty. You don’t expect to live off of Paul for the rest of your life, do you?” Would bleeding Paul dry of his money truly be a bad thing? Wasn’t that exactly her what her mother was doing anyway? Nevertheless, the weekly allowances ended almost immediately and she found an open position at The Painted Sky Boutique. She’d spent almost all of her allowance there every week that it was only right that she fill out an application.

Four years after her graduation and much of Kitty’s life is still the same. Same circle of girls armed with fangs too sharp for human skin, same oblivious, perpetually uninvolved mother and stepfather, and the same wasted potential. Every paycheck earned from the boutique is still being used to fund her booze and drug filled weekends with the exception of a few dollars saved here and there to finally move out of her stepfather’s house. Whenever she passes her old teachers on the street or when they come into the boutique, they always give her that watered down look of disappointment. “Don’t give up hope, Katherine. This won’t always be your life.” She only smirks. It’s not the ideal life, but it’s hers. She has no use for their pity because she is not their failure, and she is not her mother’s mistake.

❝ when you are young, and beautiful, you can be very cruel. ❞

CENSUS,

FACECLAIM › Kristine Froseth AUTHOR › Jay

#kristine froseth #rp #rpg #town rp #new rp #bio rp #{ all. }#{ f. }#{ local. }#{ over twenty. }#{ jay. }#substance abuse tw #alcohol abuse tw

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thcosawycr · 5 years

Text

( PAUL JASON KLEIN, CIS MALE, HE/HIM ) Have you met THEODORE SAWYER yet? They’re the TWENTY-SEVEN year old MUSICIAN who has been living in Portland for NINE YEARS now. Word has it that they’re ADVENTUROUS, but can also be TACTLESS at times. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen them yet, just play WHERE IS MY MIND by THE PIXIES and you’ll be sure to get their attention.

it is i, caro, out here with my dumb boy theo. i will be making most of my gifs for this guy bcos he has 0 resources (ok i’m lying i already have a good handful made but ). but if u take away anything at all from this intro pls know regardless if i use the recent gifs of him with short or blond hair… he truly is long haired brunet paul ok this is the most vital information of this entire post. (i’m lying everything else is important too i guess).

my little drummer boy, theodore – fun fact he absolutely hates being called theodore so pls if you love the boy call him theo, teddy or even sawyer

he is the eldest of three. he has two younger sisters and he is the classic Protective older brother.

growing up was quite uneventful in the best of ways. theo had a pretty pleasant childhood. loving parents and a relatively healthy, happy family. he went through the normal awkward puberty phase, endured his share of teenage bullies, struggled his way through history & physics

while he was always quite close to both of his parents, his father and him bonded over their love of music at quite a young age. theo grew up knowing not to touch his dad’s vinyl as it was his sacred collection. still the boy would listen at any chance he got. hc theo layin in his basement floor listenin to all the oldies.the rolling stones stan right here u will hear beast of burden blastin from his room

he had his own bond over music with his mother as well. as a young child she taught him basics on the piano -- she wasn’t a teacher of any sort, but she taught him all she could until it was time to start taking lessons. piano lessons came first. he really wanted to jump right into guitar tbh, but he got looped into taking piano lessons. when he got to middle school you had to have a certain number of years in piano to take up percussion in his music class and guess who had those years of piano lessons under his belt !!! u guessed it theodore !!! this is where his love of the drums came !!!

this boy has a niche for instruments. it didn’t just stop with the piano and drums. theo got his guitar lessons, went through a harmonica phase, he’s dabbled with a bass. he can write a melody better than he can write a text. once it comes to lyrics he’s done for -- theo just isn’t very good with words.

he moved out to portland fresh at 18 -- it’s where he attend uni... many... years.. ago. he’s been in portland for 9 years! he met friends and pretty much decided to settle down here after graduation. he’s hoping the band will take off and he won’t actually need to settle anywhere ever -- theo is about that touring life

he’s in a band called the fugitives with his pals & roommates clark and jed!!

big computer nerd tbh this kid went to uni for computer science?? what?!? he graduated w a job offer to get into app developing, but didn’t take it bcos music was his priority

tbh theo is an irresponsible mess most of the time.

he sleeps through his alarms – literally will wake up late in the afternoon every day, is constantly late to everything. all his closest pals know if u want theo to be On Time you have to tell him to get there at least a half hour before he really needs to be. on many occasions in his adolescence he has been fired from his jobs because of missing shifts/calling out

maybe u could see this coming, but he’s pretty much a night owl. he’ll stay up into the wee hours of the morn dickin around and sleep the day away.

says “oh baby!”, “nah” and “sick” way too much

overall pretty loud and outgoing

is extremely flighty and unreliable when it comes to all things romantic. although it doesn’t FEEL like it to him, he’s actually pretty charming.

wanted connections: he needs other computer nerds, a neighbour he is probably constantly annoying bcos he’s being too loud, exes on bad terms because theo probably fucked it up a lot, exes on good terms that are actually friends, hook ups, maybe someone he can write music with because he’s shit a shit lyricist, someone that will talk conspiracies with him, but honestly i would be so excited for literally any connection pls come plot with me !!!!

#porthqintro

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marymccartneyphotos · 5 years

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A Life Through the Lens

The Telegraph- June 6, 2011

“No one knew I was a photographer,” Linda once said. “When I married Paul, to [the fans] I was an American divorcee.”

Mary speaks movingly of her regret that her mother’s work wasn’t more widely recognised, so often overshadowed by the McCartney name. “She didn’t self promote or do lots of interviews, she never blew her own trumpet, and so she was often pigeonholed as a celebrity who dabbled in photography, which isn’t how it was at all.

“People know quite a lot about her Sixties work, but Stella, Dad and I were interested in showing a broader spectrum, as well as those iconic images,” says Mary. “When she got married, she stopped being a jobbing photographer doing all the bands in New York. When she moved to London, she carried on with a very similar style and eye, but her subject changed. She was still photographing the people around her, which were her family and friends.”

A previously unseen photograph of Twiggy shows the young model relaxing off duty during a visit to Linda in London shortly after Mary was born in 1969. Another shows her young brother, larking around with McCartney in a bubble bath in 1983. “This one really shows her style,” says Mary. “Mum’s motto was always 'keep it simple’ which I stick to. She would never pose us all.

Mary moves towards a black-and-white picture taken at their farm in Scotland in 1982, showing Paul standing on a fence in his dressing gown, while Stella crouches on the ground and a young James, in his pyjamas, leaps off the family Land Rover. “This one is a genius, but she won’t have set it up – it will have just been everybody there. That fence was really wobbly and we used to have a competition to see who could walk the longest along it before you fell off. It wasn’t very stable. I never, ever got all the way along.”

#linda mccartney #Mary McCartney #Photography #article #Paul McCartney #Stella McCartney #james McCartney #jimi Hendrix

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southboundhqarchive · 6 years

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MEET KITTY,

FULL NAME › Katherine ‘Kitty’ Briar AGE › twenty two GENDER › Cis female (She/Her/Hers) FROM › Boot Hill, Arizona RESIDENCE › Villas Adobes community (Downtown) OCCUPATION › employee of the Painted Sky Boutique NOW PLAYING › Coconut Water by Milk & Bone

BIOGRAPHY,

trigger warnings: adultery, substance abuse, alcohol abuse

Kitty was her mother’s last and most grand attempt to keep him. This was her final display of her true love and devotion, pulling out all of the stops, but it was still not enough. If there was one thing that a man hated the most it was when his mistress didn’t know when to give it up. Caroline Briar was a pitiable creature; one who thought herself untouchable in the arms of a powerful man. She had hoped he would protect her and cater to her every need. Not once had she thought that he would discard her and return to his wife, but all flames are doused by reality sooner or later. What use does a man with four children have for yet another child born of a fleeting affair? Caroline was supposed to be a fun escape from the golden wedding band which shackled him to his wife’s doorstep. Love and children were never meant to be a part of that formula, and so he decided that it was over. In the end, Caroline held him tightly in her arms and whispered sweet words that were meant to sound delectable upon the eardrum, and he left all the same. It doesn’t take Caroline very long to realize what a terrible mistake she made by getting pregnant, but some mistakes are far too strong to remedy with a few crocodile tears. She had lost him, and now she would be stuck with the memory of him everyday. Caroline would lie awake at night, hands clutching her swollen stomach and praying that her daughter would be different than herself; than her father.

Caroline tried to love her daughter. She held Kitty in her arms and rocked her like a loving mother should. She fed Kitty and did her best to provide for them two of them on her own. Blue eyes lined with a thicket of ebony lashes would flutter like the wings of a monarch butterfly as Kitty looked up at her, but it did little to soften the disgust she felt whenever she thought about her father. In truth, his departure spoiled any good relations that Kitty might have had with her mother, and the chasm that stood between them only deepened as the years went by. Everyday, Kitty would ask her mother to tell her about her father, and everyday her mother ignored her. “He was scum, Kitty. He ruined me, he ruined us. You should be thankful that you didn’t turn out like him.” Little did Caroline know that Kitty had acquired all the worst parts of both of her parents even though she had only been exposed to one of them. She wore her father’s manipulative tendencies and her mother’s coquettish ways like a silk scarf, and it horrified her mother. There were no heart to heart conversations about boys, makeup, and school to be had between the two of them. From Caroline’s affair spawned an even more dangerous entity than she had anticipated. Kitty was her mother’s most grand mistake, and seeing her face reminded her of that everyday.

When Kitty entered the ninth grade, Caroline remarried. “This is the one,” she said, “This is the one we need.” Kitty broke out in a fit of laughter, causing her mother’s smile to melt into a scowl. There had never been a ‘we’ between the two of them. This marriage was what Caroline needed, not Kitty. It was just as sudden and ridiculous as her affair with Kitty’s father, and it showed that Kitty’s mother learned nothing from her past choices. Paul Edwards was everything that Caroline had been looking for in a man; Tall, single and a bank account with more money than he knew what to do with. Kitty could practically see the dollar signs reflecting in her mother’s eyes the moment that she met him at the altar. Kitty hated the man with his toothy smile and the way he tried to insert himself into their broken relationship. Within a blink of an eye, their little two bedroom house in Midtown turned into a four bedroom in Villas Adobes. Kitty tolerated him largely due to the money he would give her in an attempt to buy her love. Paul and Caroline’s whirlwind relationship led to another pregnancy, and finally Caroline got it right. Now, she had the well-off husband and baby girl that she had been wanting for so long. The only problem was that there was little room for a Briar in the Edwards household.

Caroline got her happily ever after, but Kitty only knew half of herself. She once thought that she would drown in all of her questions about her father, but she started to ask less and less as she grew older. She could hear her mother’s words ringing in her ears, “You can’t miss something you never had, Kitty”. So, she took her mother’s words in stride and put him out of her mind. Much of Kitty’s time was spent sneaking out of her house at night and sneaking back in before the sun came up. Truthfully, all she had to do was walk right out of the front door since her mother and step father were so focused on themselves and her darling little sister, Delilah, to care about what Kitty was up to. It was then that Kitty discovered that she could get away with almost anything when her mother and stepfather’s eyes were permanently focused elsewhere. Whenever Caroline did look at Kitty, she could only see the mistake she made all those years ago.

It didn’t take long for her to meet other girls who were just as reckless as she was and would rather be anywhere than stuck at home. They weren’t nice girls, and neither was she for that matter. And so The five were formed, all daughters of difficult parents, constantly hungry for more of everything. They became her home away from home as they traveled the streets at night, leaving boys and girl alike spellbound with a single touch. Together, they chewed away at the town like powdery pink bubblegum and spat it back out through red lacquered lips. No party worth attending in little o’l Boothill was complete without Pretty Kitty and her circle of friends to get it started. Sunny afternoons were spent secretly chugging expensive bottles of champagne from her stepfather’s cabinets while her more adventurous friends dabbled in little baggies of snow-white powder. Kitty, of course, sampled the drugs here and there whenever she really wanted to escape the made up paradise that her mother was trying to maintain.

It was only when Kitty graduated that she realized just how aimless she truly was. There were no bold dreams of leaving going to college or becoming more than she already was. Sure, Boothill was about as exciting as watching paint dry but it was home. A regular C- student, she hadn’t given her studies any real attention. “Katherine has so much potential, Mrs. Edwards,” her teachers would say and her mother would feign interest in her daughters education. “but she just doesn’t push herself.” Kitty did enough to get by and that’s how she liked it. Chances to sneak out with her friends to go to some party always took precedence over her studies, and neither her mother nor her stepfather bothered to hassle her about it. They did, however force her to start working. “You have to find something, Kitty. You don’t expect to live off of Paul for the rest of your life, do you?” Would bleeding Paul dry of his money truly be a bad thing? Wasn’t that exactly her what her mother was doing anyway? Nevertheless, the monthly allowances ended almost immediately and she found an open position at The Painted Sky Boutique. She’d spent almost all of her allowance there every month that it was only fitting that she fill out an application.

Four years after her graduation and much of Kitty’s life is still the same. Same circle of girls armed with fangs, same oblivious mother and stepfather, and the same wasted potential. Every paycheck earned from the boutique still being used to fund her booze and drug filled weekends with the exception of a few dollars saved here and there to finally move out of her stepfather’s house. Whenever she passes her old teachers on the street or when they come into the boutique, they always give her that watered down look of disappointment. “Good Luck, Katherine. This won’t always be your life.” She only smirks. It’s not the ideal life, but it’s hers. She has no use for their pity because she is not their failure, and she is not her mother’s mistake.

❝ there was about her a wildness that flashed in her eyes. she was spoiled and beautiful and easily bored. she was either fiercely excited or cool and detached. ❞

CENSUS,

FACECLAIM › Kristine Froseth AUTHOR › Jay

#kristine froseth #rp #rpg #town rp #semi appless rp #{ all. }#{ local. }#{ f. }#{ over twenty. }#{ jay. }#adultery tw #alcohol abuse tw #substance abuse tw

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angelofberlin2000 · 7 years

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Keanu Reeves Is Publishing Books That Are Beautiful, Socially Conscious, and Worth Your Time

X Artists’ Books is making its mark on L.A.

February 23, 2018 Catherine Womack Art, Books

Sex, drugs, books, runs, herbs, rhythmic breathing—High Winds tries them all, but still sleep eludes him.

High Winds is the title character in trans playwright and multimedia artist Sylvan Oswald’s loosely narrative, poetic art book. Sleeplessness is a theme throughout. In the book’s appendix, the author supplies an alphabetical list of more remedies for weary insomniacs, among them Ambien, Ativan, cannabis (Indica), ear plugs, eye masks, herbal tea, hypnosis, meditation, melatonin, and warm milk.

High Winds is a small, pastel-hued book with sunset-inspired geometric graphic designs by L.A.-based artist Jessica Fleischmann and pithy, all-caps text by Oswald. It is one of four books released last year by the new L.A.-based publisher X Artists’ Books (XAB). On Tuesday, February 27, Oswald will appear alongside XAB co-founders Alexandra Grant and Keanu Reeves at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever for a PEN USA event featuring readings, projections of artwork from the books, and a moderated conversation. (Sadly, the event is sold out.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZeFnZelLXH/

It’s not unusual for Hollywood celebrities like Reeves to dabble in off-screen passion projects. L.A. is peppered with movie star-backed restaurants, boutiques, and clothing lines.

“I do have a fairly entrepreneurial aspect,” Reeves says. “That first manifested itself with producing. So this to me feels a little like that.”

In addition to his production company, Company Films, the 53-year old actor also manufactures motorcycles. A custom-built, one-of-a-kind Arch motorcycle starts at $78,000.

The price point for XAB’s books is far more modest. The publisher’s available titles range in price from $25 to $60, and all four can be snagged for $130 with a subscription.

The tone of this project feels different, too; less turbo-charged masculinity and more subtle, socially conscious artistry. That sensibility comes in part from artist Alexandra Grant, XAB’s cofounder and Reeves’s longtime friend.

On a recent Friday afternoon in Hollywood, Reeves and Grant sat around a table of XAB books to talk about their new company. In conversation, the two friends share an easy rapport and speak in a comfortable shorthand fueled by inside jokes and knowing smiles.

It was, in fact, an inside joke among friends that led to their first literary collaboration seven years ago. Ode to Happiness is a tongue-in-cheek adult picture book with text by Reeves and illustrations by Grant. It reminds readers that things could always be worse as the miserable protagonist washes his hair with “regret shampoo” and dons “alone again silk pajamas.”

For Ode to Happiness and the pair’s second collaboration, Shadows, Grant and Reeves worked with the German publisher Steidl.

“We learned from that,” Reeves says. “Creatively, we wanted to work with other people and give them opportunity.”

“I have this memory of being at Steidl,” Grant adds. “And that world has a lot in common with the production world of film in that there’s a lot of waiting, waiting, waiting. But there was this moment there when Keanu, who is Canadian, said, ‘We’re going to show them some American can-do!’”

Grant laughs as Reeves repeats the line in a slow, exaggerated southern drawl.

“We really like ‘can-do,’” Grant continues. “Some people are the kind of dreamers who have a lot of ideas but don’t like to get things done. I think we both like to have the idea and get it into the world.”

And so XAB was born. (It launched officially during the summer of 2017). Grant explains that XAB’s goal was never to create exhibition catalogues or artists’ monographs. Instead, they were interested in publishing books featuring “unusual collaborations,” books that “don’t really have a place because they’re between genres.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZeFnZelLXH/

One of those in-between genre projects is The Words of Others, an English translation of Argentinian artist León Ferrari’s politically charged, cut-and-paste text from the 1960s. A mashup of newspaper headlines, excerpts from the Bible and quotes from Lyndon Johnson, Pope Paul VI, and Hitler, the book critiques the Vietnam war in graphic detail. Last fall, XAB participated in the cross-institutional Latin-American art event Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA with a performative reading of the text at REDCAT.

“Thematically we’re really interested in darkness and politics,” Grant says. “We’re also interested in marginal voices that are exciting, and in exploring the performative and experimental. I think a book can become a seed, a DNA for world-building.”

Like that live endurance reading of The Words of Others, XAB’s other titles have sparked events, performances and exhibitions. “Each book has gone on to stimulate real-world opportunities and possibilities for the artists in the same way that Shadows did for us as artists,” Grant says. She references that phenomenon as one of the reasons the duo likes to participate in events like next week’s PEN USA conversation: “To build real community, and also have an IRL experience.”

High Winds hits all those marks. Last fall, Oswald produced three performances derived from his book, complete with a live score by Jerome Ellis and projections of Fleishmann’s designs.

Reeves loves Oswald’s meandering, insomniac’s tale. “Quality,” he says, leaning forward as if to land a big pitch. (The actor is natural showman, a salesman, but a sincere one.) “High Winds is rock-and-roll, baby!”

#keanu reeves #alexandra grant #x artists books

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hooptrition · 3 years

Text

Patty Mills brings it back home

“Who would've thought?” The text message on her phone finished with four words that sent Rebecca Kelley wandering off down a memory trail that dated back to the year 2000.

As assistant coach for the Canberra Under 14 boys team in that year, she had been part of the team's season that culminated with a trip to Townsville in far north Queensland for the Australian Club Championships. And it was her mum Di, having been that team's manager, who was now texting the question that had to be asked, as the baby of that long forgotten team, Patty Mills, prepared to return home with the NBA Championship trophy.

In all the wonderful hoopla that accompanied Patty's return to Canberra, including the awarding of the Keys to the City, the story behind the story and the lessons it may hold still lies in wait, to hopefully be applied to and appreciated by following generations of youngsters and their parents.

Kelley, now a deputy director in Canberra's governmental machine and a mum to her own growing family, remembers a tiny youngster who was already moving to a different beat.

“He was the first kid I'd ever seen wearing headphones as he wandered around and naturally I had to ask him just what he was listening to. He gave me a listen and I have to say that the rap I heard from Eminem really wasn't my thing and in fact wasn't really something that most kids in Canberra were even aware existed at that time,” she explained.

Despite being the youngest and smallest and not having much of playing role at that national tournament, Patty was the central team motivator and energy creator for the group, revealing for the first time possibly the origins of his world famous towel waving antics years later in San Antonio for the Spurs.

“On the team bus he'd be standing up, singing and carrying on and more often than not would have the whole team standing up rapping and dancing along. Here was the baby of the team who wasn't playing much and yet he had a unique rapport with all the kids, on the bench he was constantly animated and vocal and at training he was going the whole time.

“You wouldn't have thought back then he was a kid going places. He was good but he wasn't outstanding, but who knew what was ahead?”

Kelley's last honest reflection is part of a larger question that has produced an incalculable amount of literature and theorising about just what is talent, whether it's mostly down to nature or nurture and what exactly are the things we should be looking for that might indicate a tiny 11 year-old might one day scale the basketball world?

By the next year Patty had started to blossom on the court and at an Under 14 tournament hosted by key regional rivals the Illawarra Hawks, he began a rivalry with Hawks star forward Daniel Jackson that would track all the way to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Australian Junior teams.

Brad Luhrs who has a been a seemingly constant figure over the past fifteen years in Canberra junior basketball was Patty's coach at that event for the first time.

“You could tell he was a clear standout at that level then,” Luhrs said, “as was Jackson for Illawarra, though he was way taller and bigger.”

“Patty was quick and he had great ball handling skills but if you'd asked me then, I would have thought the other kids would eventually catch up or that he'd slow down.”

Within a couple of years Patty was the point guard general for Canberra's Under 16 State team and had begun to draw the interest of national talent identification coaches who were part of the now disbanded Intensive Training Centre (ITC) across the country.

Naturally Patty had also attracted the attention of other sports, and as well as setting and still holding almost every junior record at Woden Little Athletics club, he dabbled in Australian Rules football alongside his basketball.

Jason Denley was Patty's coach for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) team that contested the Under 16 National Championships in 2003, Patty still being 14 at the time due to his very unGladwellian August birthdate.

“He was small, incredibly fast and utterly fearless and for a kid with such athletic talent and I was most surprised by his lack of ego,” Denley said. “He never complained to referees and somehow he seemed to be someone that his teammates and opponents both admired for the endless energy and passion he brought to every play.”

ESPN's Sports columnist Bill Simmons has long held a view that every successful franchise needs a team “Chemist” to keep everyone happy and connected and along those exact lines Patty was continuing to expand his role as the supreme on and off court motivator.

“There was a group in our large boys and girls ITC training sessions that Patty used to be one of the leaders of, and in the warm up stretching they would launch into singing that they had obviously choreographed some time before,” Luhrs remembered.

“Amazingly James Taylor's 'How sweet it is to be loved by you' is the one that sticks in my head and to hear 14 and 15 year old boys harmonising and chiming in at coordinated spots at the top of their voices might have been something other coaches wouldn't have tolerated. Somehow though that sort of comfortability as a group and self-confidence was their calling card and at the end of the day how can you not want that?”

An invitation to his first Australian Junior Camp followed soon after 2003's Under 16 Nationals and as that camp stretched across an age range from 14 to 17 Patty was once more the smallest and youngest fish in a pond that was becoming increasingly concentrated.

At the camp Patty was one of the two standouts guard prospects along with Victoria's Scott Pendlebury, who would famously eventually choose Australian rules football over basketball thus clearing the way for Patty to start on scholarship at the AIS.

Brian Goorjian was at that time the new Australian Boomers Head Coach following on from the team's disastrous qualifying loss to New Zealand that had scuttled 2002's World Championship plans and he was front and centre at that camp to see what the next generation had in store for the program.

“Within the first half hour of Goorjian arriving on the floor there was one kid that he used exclusively to demonstrate every defensive and offensive drill,” Denley recalled.

“Paaaatty get out here, delivered in a rolling Californian twang, was pretty much the chorus for the camp and despite being so young, Patty was clearly already some sort of leader by the dint of his sheer energy and joy for each task and endless clapping and hollering for anyone and anything he or the group came across.”

Interestingly, at the same time Goorjian was possibly signalling that even at that early stage Patty was going to be part of his national team plans (Patty would eventually find his way to the Beijing in 2008), an entirely different version of Aron Baynes to that which played a part in this year's Spurs triumph alongside Patty was lumbering through drills at the camp.

Shortly after that camp Patty moved in to the AIS on a full time basis but still maintained his role as the spiritual leader of the ACT junior teams he continued to play for at Junior National championships.

“My overriding memory is of his infectious energy, the talk and support that just never waned,” Luhrs recalled from his later time as ACT Under 18s Head Coach. “And this was with him as the star of the team and it was obvious that this wasn't just something he discovered when he was sitting on the bench. It was part of him.”

At the AIS Patty bought all his familiar calling cards into play as then Men's Assistant Coach Paul Gorris confirmed.

“You'd watch him play and he was super quick and talented but when you think back then about the idea of the NBA you never could have imagined it,” he said.

“I was lucky enough to also be coaching the ACT Under 20 team back then and the thing that sticks with me is just how humble he was around the group. He was our big ticket item, with everything run around him and all his team-mates knew that, yet he was always mindful of involving them. He was playing with his mates he'd been with since they were 11 or 12 and they were quite happy to defer to him as needed, but somehow he was able to keep things so that it was never about him.”

The all singing and dancing Patty was still very much in evidence in those team and Gorris' favourite memory of those teams inevitably gravitates back to the off-court feel of the group Patty inspired.

“Back the there was an unwritten rule that I'd drive the 12-seater van to the stadium for each game and everyone would sing along to whatever sort of weird music the team had selected to prepare with. Naturally it was Patty and his cousin, Luke Currie-Richardson, (now not surprisingly a dancer with the world famous Bangarra Indigenous company) who would be leading the chorus up the front of the van. Coming into Ballarat stadium with the whole bus rocking along in full voice is something I never grow tired of remembering.”

For an outsider looking in, the overriding question would have be to just how did this diminutive energiser bunny with super quicks, a solid skill package, a streaky shooting stroke (the recent improvement in which is story all of its own a certain Mr Engelland may be able to explain more fully) and seemingly unquenchable faith in the power of positive encouragement make it in arguably the world's single most challenging athletic league?

Rebecca Kelley recalled running into Patty on occasions around the AIS years after her involvement with the Under 14s.

“He was always one of those people you have touch points with and although my involvement with his basketball career was like a grain of sand on the beach, he's always remembered me and is always quick with the 'G'day Rebecca!' and a chat. I guess it's part of his personality, he's a nice guy and he's not just going to be a great athlete, he's going to be a leader in his own way like the Cathy Freeman of this generation.”

Gorris has been in regular touch with Patty since he first left for St Mary's College in 2007 and commented how much he hasn't changed despite the time away and the constant spotlight.

“He's matured and grown up a little bit from worldly experience but deep down it's still, the same Pat, still very much about the family, still very much about everyone else.” he said.

In the back end of 2011 during the NBA lockout Patty played nine games for the Melbourne Tigers before a forgettable stint in China and his rescue by the Spurs early in 2012. He was four or five in line on San Antonio's guard depth rotation then yet something about him and his approach to that situation or challenge separated him. To watch Greg Popovich's (San Antonio's Head Coach) grizzly visage turn sunny side up every time Patty and his side line support antics were mentioned in interviews during ensuing years is in itself truly amazing.

Is it possible that the natural talent of selflessness and never-ending positive energy is actually way more powerful and valuable than any analyst can put a finger on? Are the tendencies Patty displayed way back in 2000 as a 12 year-old in Townsville the sort of things talent identifiers should be more heavily factoring in?

Are team “Chemists” as Simmons like to call them, a species all to themselves that someone should be tracking or nurturing?

Fittingly Daniel Jackson, Patty's regional rival from those heady junior days has now migrated to Canberra as one of the centre-pieces of the city's semi-professional team, and trying to size up exactly how Patty has been able to do what he's done thus far, is maybe best left to him.

“I've known him since he was 12 and never heard anyone say anything but what a great guy he is...not that he's a nice enough guy or a good guy, but a great guy.” he offered, “and when that's the case there's no doubt it's easier to succeed as everyone in your team is in your corner and pulling for you to be good.”

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sleemo · 7 years

Text

Edge of Darkness

From the Marines to the Emmys to the most powerful cultural force in the galaxy, for ADAM DRIVER, finding his path has been a long, hard battle. Now, for STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, in a role he never imagined could be so complex, the brooding face of millennial angst faces his toughest fight yet. Spoiler alert!

—British GQ, December 2017

His face shrouded beneath a hood, Adam Driver strides toward me. Shoulders hunched, fists jammed into jean pockets, he lets out a low whisper, “Hi. I’m Adam.”

The mixed messages – simultaneously worrying he’ll be recognised and that he won’t – hang in the air awkwardly as Driver surveys our spot, a near-empty New York City café. Neither fear is well-founded; there is no flock of fans to notice him and yet there is no mistaking the actor, his grey hoodie notwithstanding.

“I try to disguise things, but it just doesn’t really work for me,” Driver says, shedding the sweatshirt. “I honestly just look the way I look and it’s difficult to blend in because I’m tall and I look strange. I shouldn’t put a judgment on it.”

Others have judged his appearance more favourably. Driver has been dubbed a “cure for the cookie-cutter leading man” and “a millennial sex symbol”. Which may or may not be a compliment. Although few phrases are as loaded as “unconventionally attractive”, it’s as if those two words were combined expressly to describe Driver. Exaggerated ears; hooded, slanted eyes; long nose with a boxer’s bridge; broad mouth and lips – his disparate features coalesce into a surprisingly appealing whole.

“I guess I never think about it like ‘I am a leading man’ or ‘I am a sex symbol.’ It’s strange to hear that stuff. I don’t think I could have imagined it,” says Driver. Yet, there was his visage on Gap billboard ads; in American Vogue with a black-horned ram slung across his shoulders; in a close-up at the Emmy Awards, where he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor three years in a row for his part in HBO’s Girls; and cast eternally in plastic as a Kylo Ren action figure for Star Wars: The Force Awakens – masked and unmasked versions available. (“Not bad,” he says of the likeness, “but my head and face are a lot bigger.”) Passers-by who once stopped him to ask, “How could you do that to Hannah?” in reference to the bad-boy behaviour of Driver’s character in Lena Dunham’s runaway-success television series, now ask, “How could you do that to Han Solo?”

“It’s a lot,” Driver says, “every part of my life. If we rewound to ten years ago, I would not have said that this is what my life would be.

“And now this music,” he waves his hands at the piano composition streaming through the café like pretentious Musack, “is making that sound so emotional. It isn’t helping, you know?”

Far from angry, the brooding face of millennial angst is smirking. At 33, Adam Driver’s signature intensity hasn’t wavered, but interest in being a tortured artist has. He’s aware of his tendencies – toward anxiety, analysis and absolutism – and is taking steps to temper them. Still, it’s a struggle, seeing good fortune as anything but a cause for self-flagellation.

If we did rewind ten years, we’d see why. Driver was a Gordian knot of clenched intensity. Enrolled at New York’s Juilliard performing arts school, he was so aggressive that his comments made fellow students cry. Every morning he would have six eggs for breakfast, then run five miles to the school from his home in Queens. He would eat a whole chicken for lunch and, during his day at the prestigious drama school, perform random feats, such as 1,000 push-ups.

“That must’ve been an obnoxious thing to be around,” he says, shaking his head. “I was trying to make it as extreme for myself as possible. Now it just makes me so tired and annoyed.”

I’ve met Driver in a peaceful, leafy corner of the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood that he and his wife, Joanne Tucker, call home. It’s a square precinct full of baby strollers that belies the borough’s hipster cred. “I like sleepy, quiet places,” Driver explains, “because my job is very loud.” Right now he’s savouring a respite from work, the first in a five-year sprint to stardom and even letting himself idle a little. Driver, who has made a career of ill-at-ease eccentricity, is starting to feel comfortable in his own skin.

He genuinely enjoyed himself on the set of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which will be released in cinemas this December. “The first one was all ‘You can’t fuck it up,’ you know? There was a lot more hanging out this time,” Driver says. “Then there are just practical things, like I have a lightsaber. That’s fun.”

Whatever the outcome of the larger battle between good and evil, the Resistance and the First Order, never underestimate the power of Driver’s light side. ”I had heard about Adam’s intensity before I worked with him, but he’s also really fun and funny,” says Rian Johnson, The Last Jedi’s director.

There was one emotionally charged scene that they shot over and over. “Every time the guy holding the clapper marked each take, Adam just starts trying to steal his shoe,” Johnson recalls. “It was hilarious. And then Adam goes straight into it with all the intensity of Kylo Ren. He just added a sense of play that made the process really click.”

Neither Johnson nor Driver can say what the scene was about or who else was in it. They are acutely aware of the cone of silence that surrounds the Star Wars films, suitably enough, like a force field. “There’s probably something in my contract, I don’t know – but it’s kind of unbelievable that no one has told me, ‘Don’t say anything,’” Driver explains. “It’s just implicitly understood.”

With plot points guarded like state secrets, even the tiniest perceived leak sets off an online feeding frenzy. Internet scribes grab at every quote, often misreading them. “You have to clarify truthful things you’ve said that people read these false things into,” Driver says. “It can be frustrating.”

After several years of sidestepping spoilers, Driver is practised at the art of obfuscation. His evasive manoeuvres are near perfect.

On whether he enjoyed acting opposite Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey: “That’s hard to answer. I mean, people assume that we’d spend time with each other. Maybe our characters see each other in the movie?”

On whether he had scenes with Carrie Fisher: “It’s hard to answer without being vague.”

On whether the lightsaber scar on his face, which came courtesy of Rey in The Force Awakens, was moved for the new film: “I noticed a lot of things.”

On whether Kylo Ren’s story has a happy ending: “Not saying yes or no. But continue.”

On whether Han Solo might have known Kylo Ren would kill him: “That’s interesting.”

On whether he appears with his mask off: “Yes, I can answer that. You’ll see it off in the new trailer, so I’m not giving anything away!”

Other times, Driver playfully embraces the absurdity of it all. “I can’t say anything, but what if I signal you,” he jokes. “If I just start sneezing uncontrollably…” He fakes a loud achoo and exclaims, “Bingo! Harrison Ford’s ghost returns!”

When I ask him about Kylo Ren’s mysterious order of Dark Side disciples, the Knights of Ren, he waxes whimsical. “We can talk about them. Peter, Paul, John… No, I was thinking of The Beatles. Except wait – there’s Peter. He was too ambitious on the tambourine. Now you know: the last Knight of Ren is Ringo Starr!”

On this particular mid-September day, the internet is abuzz with new speculation that Ridley’s character, Rey, is the daughter of Princess Leia (also Kylo Ren’s mother). This theory would take any romantic tension between her and Driver’s Kylo Ren into the realm of incest – territory that the first Star Wars trilogy explored with a kiss between Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker and Carrie Fisher’s Leia.

“Yeah, my uncle and my mum made out,” Driver says, with a laugh. “Which Mark still talks about. He’s like, ‘Luke kissed his sister. How could he do that?’ I guess he hasn’t seen Game Of Thrones, you know?”

The Last Jedi marks the final film in Fisher’s storied career. Like the rest of the cast, Driver was shaken by the actress’ death last December at age 60. “It’s hard to talk about it without saying generic things,” he says. “Like, ‘It’s shocking,’ but it was. Or ‘It’s incredibly sad,’ which it is. I mean, it is all of those things.”

Driver brightens as he recalls Fisher’s wit on display at Comic-Con before the release of The Force Awakens. “The whole cast was downstairs in a conference room, talking through what’s supposed to happen at this big event. She was like, ‘Just pretend you’re down to earth. People love that shit.’” Driver pauses for a moment then laughs. “So now I pretend I’m down to earth and you know what? People really do love that shit. They eat it up.”

The image of Driver that people have consumed is not so much down to earth as intense and uncompromising, the all-or-nothing avatar of millennial manhood named Adam Sackler, Driver’s character in Girls. Ever since Driver landed the part, originally a cameo called simply “Handsome Carpenter”, the notion he really was that id-driven artist has, like the life of another charismatic carpenter, been taken as gospel.

In the public consciousness, Driver’s backstory is as extreme as his alter ego’s: a Midwestern misfit enlists in the Marines after 9/11, then studies acting at Juilliard – and finds he’s an outlier in both worlds. The truth is both less and more dramatic.

Born in San Diego, California, Driver is the son of a preacher. When his parents divorced, Driver moved with his mother back to her native Mishawaka, Indiana, where she was soon remarried to a Baptist minister. As a teenager, Driver was a poor student who dabbled in pyromania, trainspotting and climbing radio towers. A fan of the film Fight Club, Driver started one with some friends. “Just seeing the angst, I thought it would be a good idea to emulate it.“

Acting offered Driver a way out of the tiny town he called a shithole. “I applied to Juilliard when I was graduating high school and didn’t get in, so I was like ‘Well, fuck it. I won’t go to college, then.’” Instead, he set off for Hollywood and what he thought would be overnight stardom. “I’d always heard the stories of people striking out and finding success,” he says. “Why not me?” The dream lasted as long as his hand-me-down 1990 Lincoln Town Car did. After it broke down outside Amarillo, Texas, the repairs cost Driver nearly all the money he’d saved. When he finally limped into Los Angeles, Driver spent two nights in youth hostels. The only agent he signed with was a real estate agency, which took him for the rest of his savings. Having landed neither an apartment nor an acting gig, Driver arrived back in Indiana a week after leaving.

Following the 11 September attacks, Driver did not, as some retellings suggest, march down to the recruiting station. Instead, he enlisted in the Marines several months later. “My stepfather pushed me into it a little bit, which was good – I was grateful for it,” Driver says. “It followed an argument where he was like, ‘You’re not doing anything!’ I’d gotten this brochure in the mail. He was like, ‘Why don’t you just join?’ I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to join the Marines.’ Then I thought about it more. I had this sense of patriotism and wanted to get involved. I also had no prospects. I was living in the back of my parents’ house, working as a telemarketer.”

From the start, Driver’s time in uniform had a profound effect on him and his worldview. “The patriotism, the idea of country, doesn’t go away necessarily, it just turns into something else,” he says, reverently. “Not a big, sweeping idea, but this group of people you’re serving with, and that becomes your world, and it becomes sacred.”

Going into the Marines, Driver had a seemingly straightforward goal: “I’m going to be a man.” But rather than reinforce clichéd concepts of masculinity, military service put the lie to them. “You have to put implicit trust in the people to your left and right, and when they demonstrate that they’re looking out for you, that their own safety is secondary to yours, then all that kind of guy shit goes away and there is no ego,” Driver says. “There is no posturing, no need to say how much of a man you are, whatever that even means. You prove it with your actions.”

When Driver was not allowed to deploy to the Middle East with his unit, after suffering a broken sternum in a mountain biking accident, he was despondent. Although he fought to stay on active duty, Driver ultimately received a medical discharge.

He decided to apply to Juilliard again and this time got in. The transition from the Marine Corps to a New York City drama programme was jarring. During Driver’s second year, in an effort to bridge his past and present vocations, he launched a non-profit called Arts In The Armed Forces with his then-girlfriend, now wife, Tucker. Driver was able to carry a discipline and teamwork into his studies, but it didn’t stop him from feeling he’d gone soft. “I was like, ‘What am I doing? I’m wearing pyjamas doing acting exercises where I’m giving birth to myself or being a plant or moving around in jelly,’” he says. “Then again, even now, I’m like, ‘What am I doing?’”

After a brief fallow period after graduating from Juilliard, Driver says he learned to hate everyone in the audition room. He didn’t like TV and almost skipped his audition for Girls entirely. Instead, he dazzled the show’s creator, Lena Dunham, and the one-episode part Driver had read for was expanded into a central one. In audition after audition, Driver made a similar impression on a series of noted directors. Even before Girls aired, Steven Spielberg cast him in Lincoln, in which he played a telegraph operator opposite Daniel Day-Lewis. “He was very nice to me,” Driver says of the legendary method actor. “He would still talk in character, but very nice.”

In particular, Driver’s unusual, instinctive style made him a favourite of indie filmmakers. He landed meaty roles in the Coen brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis and a series of films by writer-director Noah Baumbach: Frances Ha, While We’re Young and The Meyerowitz Stories (New And Selected). He played the lead in Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson and shared top billing in Steven Soderbergh’s heist comedy Logan Lucky. When Martin Scorsese was finally able to make his passion project, Silence, after two decades, he sought out Driver. Similarly, Driver recently wrapped shooting on The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, which Terry Gilliam had been trying to make for 17 years.

And yet nothing Driver had done remotely prepared him for Star Wars. He had grown up a fan of the original trilogy, but had little faith in outsized film franchises. “I’m leery of big movies – a lot of them sacrifice character for spectacle,” he says. “When they’re bad, it pisses me off – you can just tell it’s made by a bunch of executives somewhere.”

Despite his initial trepidation, the complicated nature of Kylo Ren put Driver’s concerns to rest. “It was all about story and character and playing someone who doesn’t have it all together. Making him as human as possible seemed dangerous and exciting to me.”

Driver was drawn to an idea that JJ Abrams, who wrote and directed The Force Awakens, had. The man behind the mask was not a man at all, but rather a young person struggling to come of age. “I remember the initial conversations about having things ‘skinned’,” Driver recalls, “peeling away layers to evolve into other people, and the person Kylo’s pretending to be on the outside is not who he is. He’s a vulnerable kid who doesn’t know where to put his energy, but when he puts his mask on, suddenly, he’s playing a role. JJ had that idea initially and I think Rian took it to the next level.”

Driver is on a roll now, discussing what excites him: character and narrative and cinematic influences. The original Star Wars was an homage to Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress, he says, and the link lives on in the new trilogy, in which concealed identities drive the narrative. Then he lets it slip. “You have, also, the hidden identity of this princess who’s hiding who she really is so she can survive and Kylo Ren and her hiding behind these artifices,” Driver says, apparently dropping a massive revelation about Rey’s royal origins.

Perhaps he’s unconcerned and Rey’s parentage is less dramatic than imagined by fans, who posited that her father is Luke then trumpeted that her mother is Leia. Or it could be that, in passionately holding forth, Driver is simply unaware he’s revealed anything, much less a major spoiler. In any case, he doesn’t skip a beat. “The things that made it personal to me,” Driver continues, “I’ll keep to myself, but I think everybody can relate to the idea of almost being betrayed.

“Wow, this music is killing me.”

As the café’s latest piano piece reaches its crescendo, I ask Driver if he tapped into his own experiences with his dad and stepfather and he reverts to evasive manoeuvres.

“I may leave that one. I have strong convictions about not talking about family, for many reasons,” Driver says. “It’s not as if the answers for Kylo are found in my relationships with my parents.”

In The Last Jedi, director Rian Johnson saw Driver go light years beyond his own experience. “Adam was always pushing the context of the character,” Johnson says. “He’s put in this unhealthy environment and goes through the worst of youth, the selfishness and volatility, he’s representing that side of adolescence.”

Of course, these days immaturity and insecurity are no strangers to power. “It makes complete sense how juvenile he can be,” Driver says of Ren, who prefers lightsabers over Twitter for his tantrums. “You can see that with our leadership and politics. You have world leaders who you imagine – or hope or pray – are living by kind of a higher code of ethics. But it really all comes down to them feeling wronged or unloved or wanting validation.”

Even more topical and even more touchy was the decision to play Kylo Ren like a radicalised extremist. “We talked about terrorism a lot,” Driver says of his early conversations with Abrams and Johnson about his character. “You have young and deeply committed people with one-sided education who think in absolutes. That is more dangerous than being evil. Kylo thinks what he is doing is entirely right, and that, in my mind, is the scariest part.”

The demagoguery drives him to the most famous film patricide in galactic history, as Kylo Ren kills Han Solo in the shocking denouement of The Force Awakens. “When I watched the premiere, I felt sick to my stomach,” Driver recalls. “The people behind me, when the scroll started, were like ‘Oh my god. Oh my god. It’s happening.’ Immediately, I thought I was going to puke. I was holding my wife’s hand, and she’s like, ‘You’re really cold. Are you OK?’ Because I just knew what was coming – I kill Harrison – and I didn’t know how this audience of 2,000 people was going to respond to it, you know?”

One person in the crowd who appreciated that scene was Han Solo himself. “We were sitting on this catwalk in between takes,” Driver recalls, “and Harrison was like, ‘Look what we get to do. Just look what we get to do.’ Meaning, look at how lucky we are that this is our job, you know? To see someone at that point in his career still get excited like that hit me. It’s like, ‘Oh, right. I need to take this in more.’”

As if on cue, a couple stop and introduce themselves. “I love everything you’ve ever done,” the wife says. “Everything.”

“Thanks a million. Yeah. Hi, I’m Adam.”

As fan encounters go, it is respectful and pleasant, but not even a whimper of what will soon follow come the release of The Last Jedi.

For all the ways in which he’s made peace with his success, Driver, who is almost pathologically private by nature, remains uncomfortable with notoriety. “I’m not in the world the same way I was before,” Driver says. “It’s completely changed my life. My anonymity is gone. But who I am as a person is the exact same. I think. Or, I hope.”

Soon after, we exit the café, as Driver is heading home for some quiet time. He stops in front of a bicycle locked to a fence. “It only looks bourgeois-hipster because of the saddle,” Driver says, adding that he’s only just added the leather Brooks seat. “I bought the bike for $200 back when I was at Juilliard,” Driver says. “Besides the seat, it’s the same crappy bike I’ve had for forever.”

Driver pulls his hoodie up over his head and as he starts pedalling off turns back to me. “Remember,” he says. “Pretend you’re down to earth. People love that shit. Right?”

The Last Jedi is out on 15 December.

#this is the ENTIRE THING #gah its so long #this took forever #adam driver #interview #gq #kylo ren #ben solo #star wars #the last jedi #the force awakens #long post

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ramon-balaguer · 3 years

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Do You Know my Jesus?

https://www.facebook.com/REBT.D/posts/4095564410487302

Do You Know my Jesus?

No seriously, My King & God, Do You Know Him, Jesus The Christ? Now, I’m Not talking about Jesus to cutting your grass, painting your home or replacing your roof… I certainly Not talking about the Jesus "exclamation mark" Christ the Bostonians often yell out to make a point. No, no, no… And I’m Not talking about the prophet or Messiah or messenger God sent to guide Israel for a short time and was eventually replaced by a “last” prophet named Mohammad who while high on opium in some cave got visions of Judaism and Christianity to create Islam…

I’m Not even talking about the man called Jesus the Mormons through the revelation after the Holy Bible Revelation according to Joseph Smith (the other “last” prophet) who while high on weed had a vision of an angel he called Moroni and wrote the Book of Mormon to create the church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints. Their Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and the one and only god the Father who was once a man like present day human beings, but who lived on another planet and sent his semen by his spirit to spiritually inseminated her and therefor Jesus inherited godly powers as His son. When I found out I wasn’t following the real Jesus, I was totally undone. I had long left Catholic private school I attended and Catholicism my family raised me in to run the streets and women as an atheist and eventually landed in the Mormon cult and subsequently dibbled and dabbled in Islam (Yes, they have a Jesus too, mentioned above as one of many prophets) having read and studied the Koran or Quran at least 5 times cover to cover while serving in the US Army.

The hard work of making Jesus fit my brain, answer when I called, and label me righteous was a full-time job that robbed me of peace. When I finally fell into the loving arms of the real Jesus, I began a genuine relationship with the Savior of the world—the One who died for me. He is everything He promised and so much more. Our culture presents us with so many versions of Jesus, letting us make Him in our own image, as oppose to us in His image and likeness. Maybe you’ve come to depend on a false Jesus and didn’t even realize it. If you are struggling to find peace, read about these false Jesuses with an open mind. Consider what Jesus said about Himself and test your beliefs against the Truth from Holy Scripture.

Here are 10 false versions of Jesus people keep falling for:

1. Mean Jesus Perhaps this image of Jesus comes from social media and the rants we see from devoted churchgoers. Maybe it is our constant news sources bickering over who is better or what is Right & Wrong. Or it could be you had a hellfire and brimstone pastor growing up, and this became your earliest depiction of Jesus. Mean and angry, full of wrath, ranting and raging about how Sin would destroy you (it will, if you remain in it and reject Jesus). But balance this image of Jesus with the story of the little children gathering to him, with His compassion for the Lazarus’ sisters, with His dealing of the woman at the well to forgive her and her to reject Sin and share The Good News. While Jesus called out Sin when He saw it, He was never cruel it except that one time with the Pharisees and Sadducees in His House of Praise, Prayer & Healing. Jesus, the Lamb, went to slaughter so that you would be free from His Wrath.

2. Political Jesus How would Jesus vote? Since there were no Democrats or Republicans in His day, we don’t know. What we do know is that He loved and would Never Vote against Himself or His Father. I other words, he would Not Vote for Satan and his followers or folks for killing babies or justifying illegal activities or any manner of Sin. But the apolitical Jesus took the side of those in need and that my friends is what we The Church should be doing and Not trying to depend on the government to do for US.

Today, we are all in need in one form or another, and we all need Him. As a believer in Jesus Christ, He is on your team. He is for you. He is for your redemption. He is for your Sanctification. He died for you while you still Sinned. Right or left, wrong or Right, He is for you. He is patient with us as we learn and grow and understands the frustrations that we face with both the Republican and the Democrats and especially the Sin Sick Socialist Lying Leftist Liberals. He walks with us through the valleys, and He delights in our newfound wisdom and growth.

3. Genie in a Bottle Jesus Your wish is not necessarily His command. That the Oprah Winfrey kinda Jesus. We’re often mystified when we clasp our hands tightly together and summon Jesus to answer our every request…and nothing happens. We become deflated by what we believe is unanswered prayer, allowing our faith to increase or decrease by what we perceive.

If you’re a parent, chances are you desire a good relationship with your child. But if your child asks for $10,000 and you say no, does that mean they stop believing or depending in you and the relationship is destroyed? Of course not. In the same way, you must consider what you are asking of Jesus. What are your expectations and motives? And are you still going to Believe in Him even when you don’t get your way?

4. I’ll Teach You Jesus. Imagine what your relationship with your child would look like if these were some of the requirements: You will meet me at 5:00 every morning, I don’t care if you didn’t sleep. Now tell me what you want. I may or may not give it to you. If you have been completely impossible to deal with, I might sprain your ankle or give you a brain tumor to teach you something. Laughable? Sure. But how many of us believe in this works-based and punishment-loving Jesus? He died while we still Sinned. He came to bind up the brokenhearted, not break our hearts and spirits to keep us in line.

5. You Look Like You Can Take It Jesus. “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Do I look like I can handle the Big C “cancer” or even the lil c “COVID19″ the left has left many in fear of or the lung disease doctors have given up on my brother-in-law is dying from and dealing with? Or the Black Lives Matter and Antifa domestic terrorists’ Stealing, Killing and Destroying Democrat ran cities the “leadership” there allows? Or bankruptcy, or a natural disaster, or the death of a child? Do I even look like I could handle an itchy rash or ingrown toe nail much less a combat related wound or Divorce?

Scripture teaches that we can’t handle anything apart from Jesus Christ. Far from doling out sickness or discomfort or tragedy, He promises to be with us in times of need, Not to mention at all times to Never Leave us nor forsake us. In our weakness, He shows Himself strong and makes us stronger by His Spirit.

6. I Couldn't Care Less Jesus. Sometimes we feel like He is nowhere to be found. We call, and there is no answer. This Jesus is not the Compassionate Christ who laid down His life for ours. Still, in times of heartache, it is hard to understand why He doesn’t answer. Or at least, we don’t know or understand His answers. He has shown me it is okay to question Him. My most favorite prayer in these seasons? “Lord, help my unbelief.” One of the shortest but most impactful and helpful prayers in The Holy Bible.

A relationship with Jesus is a journey. There will be ups and downs. He can take the heat—He proved that through the cross. It is okay to ask why. He always shows up, every time. He said in this life, your life, you will have troubles, but be of good cheer, He has overcome it ALL. Ask, Seek, and Knock. He will answer.

7. Church Jesus The Law is Holy and Good, but it doesn’t make me Holy and Good. No more than the full nice 2” clerical or ordained minister’s collar I wear from time to time. No matter how good a church and it’s teaching of the Word of God, it does not make me Holy. Paul reminds us, do not neglect the assembly (Hebrews 10:25). Yes, hold each other up, hold each other accountable, and by all means encourage one another. But if the pew is shaken, guess what shouldn’t be? You and Jesus. Your relationship with Jesus is separate and not dependent on the church (body of Believers congregating in a place), But The Church, You, Yes, You. No matter what unexpected challenges happen in “the church,” you and Jesus should still be on solid ground. He is the Solid Rock of our Faith, Salvation and ALL.

The church is made up of imperfect people, while Jesus is Perfect and Holy.

8. Rule-Play Jesus This Jesus and I have been super tight for many years. I obeyed all the rules. I even laminated a list and used color-coordinated markers to check off my accomplishments, believing they counted me worthy, while Not writing down my failures and Sin so as Not to remember them or the wretched man I am. Beloved, Salvation is the Cross plus nothing. The thief on the cross was asked only to Believe and that very hour he was Saved. There was really nothing left for him to do. He couldn’t attend a service, memorize Scripture, sing in the choir, take a meal to a neighbor, volunteer, or wash feet or the altar clothes. He was made Righteous because he said Yes to Jesus.

There was no other requirement to fulfill. Circumcision? No; Water Baptism by full or even partial immersion, pouring, sprinkling or even the mystical and unseen Fire Speaking in Tongues Baptism? Nope! There is nothing that can make the Perfected Work of the Cross anymore Perfect than the Perfect One our God, The Son and Lord Jesus The Christ. Your yes to Jesus counts you as Righteous. Toss out the rules of religiosity and bask in the refreshment of relationship. But stay connect and Sin Not so as Not to lose the salvation you gained as a Born Again Believer; or rather remain Not in Sin that His Grace may abound. God forbid.

So don't get it twisted, Jesus does have a Rule Book He Lives and Plays by, it's Called The Holy Bible or The Word or His Word... Because He Is The Word. Just remember, that all the Rules and Laws Given fall under His Two Greatest Commandments to Love Him with ALL your Heart, all your Soul and all your mind. And the second is like unto the first, You shall love your neighbor (Family and friends or everyone) as yourself.

9. Confused Jesus A couple years ago I went to a pastor and asked some questions about the Sermon on the Mount. The pastor laughed and said, “Yes, ours is not to understand. Ours is just to obey. Jesus was a confusing guy.” I lived with this, heavy on my heart. It would be two more years before I heard a sermon by another pastor and was undone by the revelation that Jesus was not confusing, except to unbelieving hearts and minds.

My Jesus fulfilled the Law and set us free from this heavy burden of condemnation. Jesus did died to set me and yes, you free. There is nothing confusing about Him, this and His Word. Not Confusing, No Contradictions and No Controversies. We walk free from condemnation in the grip of grace.

10. If/Then Jesus This is the most elusive and deceptive Jesus. If I do such and such, then Christ will do what I expect. But Jesus cannot be manipulated, and our works do not make Him move; our Faith does. Our good deeds do not make Him love us more and our bad deeds less. In fact, NOTHING can separate us All Sinners and Saints alike from His Love (Don’t get that confused with our ability to lose His Salvation and therefor Separate or Sever ourselves from Him). Again and most Importantly, nothing can separate us from the LOVE of JESUS.

The belief that “If I do or do not do, then Jesus will or won’t do” is a Jesus of colossal works. This Jesus keeps us in bondage to busyness and striving that keeps us apart from the good nature of my Jesus Who just simply Loves. He Is Love. He Loved perfectly so that we might be together for eternity. That was all. Simply Jesus.

Was there even a twinge or flutter in your spirit? One that said, “Oh, that is the Jesus I have been serving?” I know as I came to a place of Knowing, Understanding and Loving the real Jesus, my God, I saw pieces of the false Jesuses falling away and more of His natural and good character shining through to make me more like Him.

Will you pray this prayer with me?

Jesus, I said Yes to You. Thank You for Saving from this world and myself, the clutches of Death and the Devil. I Love You with ALL my heart, soul and mind; and live to Serve You. I want Only You First and Foremost in my Life, Heart, Soul, Mind and Spirit. The real You. All of You. You promised that if I seek I will find. Help me seek the Truth in ALL things and keep my eyes wholly fixated on the True and Holy You to Love and Serve You ALL the more and to love and serve fellow Believers and others all the more. Amen. 🥰🙏💘 #REBTD 😇

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