#mechanic school philadelphia

[pttedu]

Explore common challenges in auto repairing faced by technicians. From mechanic cars to electrical woes, discover how experts navigate complexities for reliable fixes.

[conflictofthemind]

Montauk, The Project Rainbow, and Experiments in Time

It’s fairly common knowledge that Stranger Things is based on Montauk. The unfortunate part is that Montauk has been attributed to another ‘vaguely MK-ULTRA mind control related side project’ and not the big narrative that it is, with details incredibly close to plot points in Stranger Things that resulted in an attempted lawsuit years back. Montauk does not just set the general ‘spooky scientific experiments on kids’ tone for ST - it is the backbone of the whole lore. 

‘The Montauk Project’ Book / Conspiracy explained simply is that the US government unofficially experimented on humans with ‘great psychic ability’ to allow their psychic brain waves to interact with the normal electromagnetic waves of our world. The end goal being manifesting thoughts into reality, and opening up wormholes in time. This would give the military great advantage and potentially control over the outcomes of war. It then turns out the whole narrative of Montauk occurs within a time loop from 1943-1983, when the disappearance of a ship called the USS Eldridge opened up a wormhole which was connected with by a research subject in 1983. The time loop is self-causing - the entire reason the Montauk experiments take place are to further study the events that occurred on this ship, but part of the reason the ship disappears is because of the Montauk Project. Due to all of the other time travel references within the series - trust, we will get into those - this leads me to believe it’s very unlikely there isn’t time travel / a time loop involved. Here I hope to posit the basic information about Montauk/The Philadelphia Project, how the powers work within ST, Will’s clear involvement in all of it, and the time travel element. 

Ahahaha why does that look like a bowl-cut…

Let’s put this out of the way first: the idea that Montauk/Philadelphia is the direct inspiration for the show is not based on flimsy grounds. The original series the Duffers planned to make was going to be an actual retelling of Duncan Cameron’s (think El and Henry - main research subject of Montauk) story. This was later changed to become the story we know today with the characters we know today, although with different names and the title remaining Montauk. Some of the characters had names from Montauk too… like Mr. Clarke being Mr. Nichols. I’ll save that for a later post. The entire design of HNL is based off of the ‘Camp Hero’ / Montauk lab with the iconic banana-shaped radar disk. El’s Void ability comes from the ‘Seeing Eye’ power Duncan has in Montauk, where focusing on a personal item belonging to a person lets him see into their mind. The research subjects’ power is amplified by white noise and a sensory deprivation chamber - again, seen with El. 

The Rainbow Ship and the Electromagnetic Connection:

The Electromagnetic Spectrum is usually mentioned at least a little in every season. Joyce’s magnets falling off, El needing the radio, etc. Lights are another focus, with the kids in the Rainbow Room being tested on how they can manipulate lightbulbs, and the emphasis on lights flickering whenever powerful forces are being used or the Upside Down is interfering with Hawkins. I expect them to really start pushing it in Season 5, and we can already see evidence of this (below: the WSQK Squawk Van). They’re at a radio station, the Middle School kids are learning about light from Scott Clarke most likely, and you can see the abundance of rainbows everywhere. It’s my opinion that rainbows and light are the mechanism in which these gates open, and also when at high enough power, how time can become warped. ‘Project Rainbow’ is another title basically interchangeable with the USS Eldridge and Philadelphia Project. This was because “the mechanism involved was the generation of an incredibly intense magnetic field around the ship, which would cause refraction or bending of light or radar waves around the ship”. However as we remember, this had the unintended effect of teleporting the ship across space-time. In the ST Universe, this results in the Eldridge being teleported to Dimension X temporarily (without a gate being opened).

The eagle shoots out beams of a rainbow which are meant to represent the radio waves being broadcast. 

It’s a commonly asked question as to how Will ‘blinked’ out of that shed without a gate, considering only El was able to open them at that time. The close-up on the lightbulb is the last shot we see before he just vanishes. It’s not just powers interfering with the surrounding electricity; this bending of light is what took him to the UD. But when this happens, it doesn’t result in a gate. I also believe this will end up being the mechanism for the eventual time-travel plot we’ll be seeing. Again in Montauk, there is a ‘time-tunnel’ made between the Eldridge and 1983 Montauk that was caused by the disappearance. My original post investigating this was me hypothesizing that being able to bend light to travel faster than it could result in temporary anomalies that allow one to time travel. 

Anyway, back to the rainbows. Rainbows are one of the most common recurring symbols in Stranger Things. The Rainbow Room exists of course, and there’s a deliberate costuming choice, especially in later seasons with the brighter atmosphere, to have characters wearing rainbow patterned items. Holly’s room is full of rainbows, and there are multiple rainbow props scattered around other locations (Mike’s basement, Erica’s room, etc). Scott Clarke (seriously what is up with him) is introduced in Season 1 doing a lesson on ROYGBIV. The BTS pictures of S5 Hawkins Middle School have him teaching yet another lesson on the visible light spectrum. And space for some reason. This brings us back to the Rainbow Ship.  Now we know the USS Eldridge is a marine ship, not a spaceship. But for the characters who seem to have some connection to it, it is represented as one regardless.

Will drew something representing the USS Eldridge (which it is mentioned was not from a movie i.e. he came up with it using his own memory and mind). The main fixture of Henry’s playground, where a ‘significant’ memory took place also features this representation of the Eldridge. I suspect there might also be a larger reason it took the form of a spaceship, but for now, consider that the ST Universe’s version of aliens are the Demogorgons. And outer space is Dimension X. The ship ‘flew’ to ‘outer space’ (D-X) and encountered ‘aliens’. In Montauk, that is kind of what happens. It’s more metaphorical in Stranger Things. The comic book Henry is obsessed with in TFS is seemingly changed from the real life Captain Midnight who was an airplane pilot, to be an astronaut. I think there is some kind of “alien abduction” theme with both Henry and Will being suddenly transported to another dimension that is alien in itself. Even when the lab scientists enter the UD in the first few seasons, they use hazmat suits that are deliberately similar looking to spacesuits. Stranger Things is a story about UFOs and aliens that also isn’t exactly about UFOs and aliens. 

And then, I’ll mention the weirdest part of this all - Will knows about the Eldridge somehow. And he knew about it before he was ever kidnapped and attached to the hive-mind. 

This is either possible because 1) he was in fact involved in research projects at HNL, and maybe the Project Indigo before the age of 8 like the original “rainbowshipgate” suggests. Or 2), there is an element messing with time in this situation, just like in the original Montauk book series. Montauk is literally named ‘Experiments in Time’. They’ve nabbed Linda Hamilton from Terminator (a movie about time travel) for this final season. They’re referencing a Wrinkle in Time with the Episode 6 title and Holly plot. Then we have everything else involving Henry’s clock theming that hasn’t exactly explained itself yet. Thinking time travel is a far-fetched idea at this point is a bit ridiculous. 

It really depends on how crazy they go with the whole concept. One of the other main characters from Montauk I haven’t mentioned yet is Al Bielek. Al Bielek was the original “whistleblower” who came forward with his story after supposedly recovering his repressed memories of the events. He claims to have been on the crew of the USS Eldridge in a previous life as Edward Cameron, Duncan Cameron’s brother. When he was sent forward in time he ended up staying in 1983 whereas Duncan Cameron was effectively sent back to where he came. Very confusing. But the story is, the man’s a time traveler. 

I do wonder if Al Bielek is loosely the inspiration for Will’s part in the story. Will who has seemingly repressed memories of many points in his life and has been suggested to be a time traveler many times. His name appears on the grandfather clock. He wears Marty McFly’s outfit in the first season. He has knowledge of an event that happened in 1943. He has lines about “seeing into the future” and Mike calls him a time-traveler in the VR Game where the writing staff had access to scripts and a writer from the show. The Upside Down is stuck on “the day of Will’s disappearance” (in the Duffers’ words), though that one probably has a slightly simpler explanation. 

The exact mechanics of how that would work are unclear. Right now, as young as an eight year old Will needs to have the knowledge of the Eldridge - so this isn’t something he will only end up connecting with this season. My theory is that there is a time loop involved, and Will’s actions in the future of Season 5 have him interfere in some way with the 1943 Philadelphia Project / Project Rainbow. The time loop is cyclical and self-causing. Our Will Byers already has a past iteration in yet another timeline where he already went back and tried to interfere with the past (and likely died trying in 1943). Then he is reborn again in 1971, and awakes a very small portion of his past memories of the previous loops. If that doesn’t make sense, I created this handy-but-ugly flowchart to help you out: 

Basically there is no beginning, since the future causes the past and vice versa (a bootstrap paradox). Every Will would then have memories of a past self(selves). The time loop also gets more complicated than this. Did Henry create the mindflayer? It’s presented like that within the show, but let me remind you that shows with heavy mystery elements can and will purposely deceive you. In the First Shadow, Mr. Newby is attacked by the Mindflayer and produces a drawing of the entity - it’s purposely not shown to the audience, but considering the Mindflayer was supposedly just a black mass then why is that? And regardless, in order to have Henry become possessed by it, the Mindflayer was definitely not created by him in 1979. A few have written up theories about this already, I’ll link to my friend's two posts on this element of the time loop.  

I don't have anything else super definitive yet. But I believe wholeheartedly that this is the right direction to search in and I hope we can put more attention on the subject. All of this makes sense, from the military connections they keep pushing in the show, the time travel hints we have been getting, the origin story of Brenner (whose dad died aboard the ship) and the Rainbow Room, everything ties back to the Eldridge events being incredibly incredibly important going forward.

Here's a link where you can read through Montauk Experiments in Time for free.

[coraclavia]

You know what I really liked - and still do - about Cold Case?

It's a TV show that celebrates life, history, and the unique culture of a city other than Los Angeles or New York.

Don't get me wrong, there are excellent shows about LA and NYC. But everything starts to look the same. Everyone lives in urban apartments, everyone has public transit, school playgrounds are totally paved, everyone shops at bodegas, etc. TV makes the continental United States look totally homogenous.

Cold Case wasn't about influencers and effortlessly glamorous college students in a coastal city. It told stories of dock workers. Mill workers. Janitors. Stay-at-home moms. Mechanics. Blue collar families trying to get by, all in the specific backdrop of Philadelphia throughout its history, including economic downturns. And they did a reasonably good job making it look like the actual city.

Was it a perfect show? Nah. But it's a compelling one that tells good stories about a city with tremendous history and culture. It told stories other shows didn't tell.

Much love to Cold Case, Longmire, due South, Fargo, and any other show that showcases a unique place and the people who call it home.

[wexhappyxfew]

WOMEN OF SILVER BULLETS

the OCs of B-17, Silver Bullets (featured in MOTA-verse writings) and various masters of the air adjacent writings

all these OCs will be featured in various one-shots and prompts in the coming months. can be found under tags with all their names or #mota writings or #silver bullets. please enjoy!

ANNIE BRADSHAW

-> replacement 1st lieutenant and pilot for Silver Bullets, fresh in from Fort Des Moines, trying to patch up the holes in a crew suffering from the loss of their beloved captain birdie faulkner. hailing from mankato, minnesota, she is a wonderfully receptive listener and stoic presence - but don't go overstepping it with her crew. makes it her very mission that the women of Silver Bullets and captain birdie faulkner are remembered. can play a tune on a trumpet (if warranted).

FRANCIS MONTEZ

-> copilot of Silver Bullets grieving a loss she is taking harder than she thought, wrapped in sorrow and guilt that she tries her best to hide. a good-hearted californian, she wrangles with this new era of her life with the help of replacement pilot, annie bradshaw, and steps up in more ways than one. carries a cigarette pack around like it's strapped to her very being. will give you a nickname that she'll call you any chance she gets.

BESSIE CARLISLE

-> navigator for Silver Bullets, with the brightest smile the sun's ever seen from the skies (says her boyfriend). hailed all the way from queens, new york with the intention to get her hands working on the mechanic floor of a factory and got a gig flying planes instead. got placed in navigation one day and ever since then, has made it her duty to make sure every mission goes right down to the degree.

CARRIE ACHTERBERG

-> german-american bombardier on Silver Bullets making sure the enemy pays in any way they can for the costly damage of a horrid war (enter: norden bombsight). grew up in brooklyn, new york, had some run-ins with bessie carlisle and the two became thick as thieves when working on planes. blowing the enemy to shreds seemed to be the cherry on top.

MARJORIE ‘MARGIE’ HARLOWE

-> flight engineer on Silver Bullets who grew up in a large family with at least four dogs all named after flowers, on the shores of lake michigan, wanting to go to school for physics ever since she felt herself get the knack for mathematics. only up until then, did she find herself on a plane with her cousin (who nearly crashed it) that she then got herself in line for flying in B-17s and looking to the skies above (and calculating vectors from the ground).

PAULINA STAGLIANO

-> italian-american radio operator for Silver Bullets, who came in from philadelphia, pennsylvania with radio operator experience in the WAC before getting the call for a job with captain birdie faulkner, and finding herself up in B-17s on the regular. she's passionate, a loyal friend and if you talk bad about the phillies -it's on sight (usually has sports arguments with kennedy farley - they keep bickering to a minimum).

VIVIAN RATCLIFF

-> hailing from fort collins, colorado, viv ratcliff comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience as a gunner on Silver Bullets, with a father who was in the army and her boyfriend in the navy. 'calm, cool, collected' are the best words to take her in as, usually found collecting flowers after missions for the boys who didn't get a chance to make it home. keeps a tally of german fighters that go down on the wooden pole beside her cot.

KENNEDY FARLEY

-> irish-american gunner on Silver Bullets, opposite viv ratcliff, coming in from boston, massachusetts, raging red sox fan with a family of brothers going on to military or sports (much of the same). close friends with margie harlowe because she 'softens her up a bit', and always willing to stick around for a drinking game or two. passionate friend (margie told you so).

JUDY RYBINSKI

-> polish-american farm girl and turret ball gunner for Silver Bullets from hot springs, north carolina, growing up near the french broad creek, summers spent on the river, catching fish and milking goats for her families business. went hunting with dad a few times, and grew up with her older brothers going off to the military or college and wanted a hand at it all. captain faulkner was her opening (and the person she needs most now).

MARIANNE SALINGER

-> french-american aspiring painter from rochester, new york, now a tail gunner for Silver Bullets. thought she was signing up to paint planes, but ended up finding a knack for guns on turrets and credits captain faulkner for her 'in' on flying. has a pet cat that roams the base as he wishes (he's named frank, after her one true love, frank sinatra), usually getting into trouble by pissing off a husky named meatball.

[catholic-character-tournament]

Catholic Character Tournament

Current Bracket

All polls here (tagged #cct polls)

Round 5 (16 nominees) is Wednesday July 5 12 PST

Character Submission List:

(Note, not in the order in the bracket. They were randomized for the bracket) (crossed out means dead-dead)

*707/Luciel Choi (Mystic Messenger)

*Abuela Alma Madrigal (Encanto)

*Akane Kurashiki (Zero Escape)

*Amon from (Tokyo Ghoul)

*Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series)

*Asia Argento (High School DxD)

Aslan from (Chronicles of Narnia)

*Aymeric de Borel (Final Fantasy 14)

*Aziraphale (Good Omens) (Disqualified) The Volturi

*Belizabeth Brassica (Dimension 20's A Crown of Candy)

*Bishop Raphaniel Charlock (Dimension 20 - the Ravening War)

*Blake Langermann (Outlast 2)

*Brother Cellanus (The Completely Unerotic Adventures of Brother Cellanus)

*Caesar Zeppeli (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

*Carlos Reyes (911 Lone Star)

*Carrie White (Carrie)

*Catherine of Aragon (SIX: the Musical)

*CC (Code Geass)

*Chrollo Lucilfer (Hunter x Hunter)

*Chuck E. Cheese

*Claude Frollo(The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

*Crowley (Good Omens) (Disqualified) Vanessa Ives replacement (Penny Dreadful)

Dana Scully (the X files)

Doomguy  (Doom)

*Double (Skullgirls)

Doug Jones (The VelociPastor)

*Dracule Mihawk (One Piece)

*Duo Maxwell (Gundam Wing)

*Eddie Brock (Venom)

*Emilio Santoz from The Sparrow

Enrico Pucci (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)

*Farnese de Vandimion (Berserk)

*Father Alexander Anderson (Hellsing)

*Father Brown (Father Brown)

Father John Mulcahy (MASH)

Father Paul (Midnight Mass)

*Felicia Hardy/Black Cat (Spiderman)

Firestar (Warrior Cats)

*Flayn (Fire Emblem Three Houses)

*Frank Castle (Marvel)

Friar Tuck (Robin Hood)

*Gabriel (Ultrakill)

*Galahad (The Mechanisms)

*Gerard (Unholyverse)

Gloria Maria Ramirez Delgado-Pritchett (Modern Family)

Harrowhark Nonagesimus (The Locked Tomb)

*Helena Bertinlli (DC comics)

Hell boy (HellBoy)

Homura Akemi (Madoka Magica)

*Hot Pants (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)

*Ibara Shiozaki (My Hero Academia)

*Inori Yamabuki/Cure Pine (Fresh Precure)

Jason Todd (DC Comics)

*Javert (Les Miserables)

Jean Valjean (Les Misérables)

*Jeanne d'Arc (Alter) (Fate/Grand Order)

*Jesus (Jesus Christ Superstar) 

*John "Soap" MacTavish (Call of Duty)

*John Gaius (The Locked Tomb)

*John Ward (FAITH)

*Johnathan (Shin Megami Tensei IV)

*Junk Rat (Overwatch)

*Justin Law (Soul eater)

*Kawabuchi Sentarou (Kids on the Slope)

Kaworu Nagisa (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

*Kirei Kotomine (Fate franchise)

Knuckes the Echidna (Sonic)

*Kristen Applebees (Dimension 20's Fantasy High)

*Kuroe (Magia Record)

Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler (X-Men)

*Ky Kiske (Guilty Gear)

*Kyoko Sakura (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

*Lady Rhea (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

*Leliana (Dragon Age)

*Leon (8:11)

*Lestat de Lioncourt (The Vampire Chronicles)

*Libra (Fire Emblem: Awakening)

*Link (The Legend of Zelda)

*Louis de Pointe du Lac (Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Chronicles)

*Luis Serra Navarro (Resident Evil)

Mac McDonald (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia)

Maddie Fitzpatrick (Suite Life of Zack and Cody)

*Marcy Park (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee)

*Mark Heathcliff (The Mandela Catalogue)

Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Marvel)

*Mello (Death Note)

*Mercedes (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

*Michael Carpenter (Dresden Files)

*Michael Corleone (The Godfather)

Miles Morales/Spider-Man

*Nate Ford (Leverage)

Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Trigun)

*Nico di Angelo (Percy Jackson)

*Ocean O'Connell Rosenberg (Ride the Cyclone)

*Pastry Cookie (Cookie Run Kingdom)

*Patton Sanders (Sanders Sides (Web Series))

Pope Pinion IV (Cars)

Puss in Boots (Shrek)

Quasimodo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Remy LeBeau/Gambit (X-Men)

*Rin Okumura (Blue Exorcist)

*RoboCop (RoboCop)

Ronan Lynch (The Raven Cycle)

*Ryker (Roleslaying With Roman)

*Saint Citrina Rocks (Dimension 20's A Crown of Candy)

*Sasuke (Naruto)

*SCP-166 (Just a Teenage Gaia) 

*Seeley Booth (Bones)

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic)

*Shiro Fujimoto (Blue Exorcist)

Simon Belmont (Castlevania)

*Sir Keradin Deeproot (Dimension 20's A Crown of Candy)

*Sister Mary (The Young Pope)

Sister Michael (Derry Girls)

*Steve Rogers/Captain America (Marvel)

*Tammy Edwards (Legoland by Jacob Richmond) 

*Tatsumi Kazehaya (Ensemble Stars)

*Temenos Mistral (Octopath Traveler 2)

The Derry Girls (Derry Girls)

*The Penitent One (Blasphemous)

*Tobias Schneien (Ghost Eyes)

*Valeria Garaz (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 reboot)

*Valery Michailov (Goncharov - 1973)

*Vector the Crocodile (Sonic the Hedgehog)

*Vito Corleone (The Godfather)

*Wesley Hailoh (Rhyme and Reason)

*William Murdoch (Murdoch Mysteries)

*Zakuro Fujiwara (Tokyo Mew Mew)

[sjmattson]

“I love you!”

What does that mean?

A groom before he recites the wedding vows to the bride “I love you!”

A teenage girl screams at the lead singer of a famous boy band: “I love you!”

A Philadelphia Eagles super-fan cheers at the referee for calling a questionable pass interference call against the Steelers: “I love you!”

A man blows on a dice before he rolls it on a craps table and whispers to them: “I love you!”

A five year old child embraces their favorite teddy bear and exclaims: “I love you!”

A hung-over college student sips a straight black mug off coffee and grumbles into the cup: “I love you!”

A prostitute suggestively calls to a passerby: “I love you!”

A toddler embraces their their pet dog and fawns “I love you!”

A high school football linebacker holds up a piece of pizza at a team dinner and yells this before he devours it in one huge bite: “I love you!”

A spouse utters the routine phrase as their partner leaves for work and walks out the door: “I love you!”

A drunkard longingly holds a flask of vodka and boast at it before talking their next big swig: “love you!”

A mom tucks her child into bed at night: “I love you!”

A child scribbles their signature on a Christmas card to their grandparents: “I love you!”

A cocky salesman psyches themselves up for a potential sale up by going into the bathroom, staring themselves directly in the mirror, and declaring: “I love you!”

A toddler recites the words from their fictional picture book of a bear talking to a donkey: “I love you!”

A rockstar screams an introduction to a sold-out arena of screaming fans: “I love you!”

A teacher finds a discarded Vanetine’s Day snack that is wrapped in plastic packets that read: “I love you!”

A mechanic pats on the hood of the car before eagerly turning the key in the ignition to see if he repaired engine and prays: “I love you!”

A desperate taxi-driver prays before scratching off the batch of lottery tickets: “I love you!”

“I love you!”: A phrase with an array of different meanings.

Context matters.

When Bible verses are referenced as “truth” and “fact” and “biblical,” remember that context and interpretation matter.

And to determine what the most accurate and truthful interpretation is, we must use the life and words and actions of Jesus as our ultimate guide. Jesus is the way. Follow Jesus. Jesus is the context that matters most.

[bearcreekhq]

MEET NICK

Full Name → Nicolás “Nick” Allen Duval

Age → 32

Birthday → December 24, 1991

Order & Type → second, solo

Gender & Pronouns → cis man, he/him

Sexuality → bisexual

Occupation → lawyer, senior associate & co-owner at Duval Law

THEIR STORY

Being obviously half-Mexican in small town Pennsylvania was one thing, but add in private schools, cotillion classes, and society events, and it was no wonder the whispers stayed with Nick all the way through high school – always “Nick,” never “Nicolás,” the Spanish spelling and pronunciation already enough to raise eyebrows. He struggled with anxiety and had trouble focusing, but he stubbornly refused to let his parents down, to bring their family under even more scrutiny. He learned to cope: breathing exercises, spreadsheets, carefully controlled study conditions, and a smile so bright no one would ever look too closely. It could have made him run, leaving Bearcreek permanently for the big city, but Nick decided he’d rather change the rules himself. A thousand tiny microaggressions from people who should have been his friends and peers lit a fire in him, and Nick decided the best use of his privilege was to fight back. He got into NYU early acceptance, and promptly majored in International Studies with a minor in Spanish, with an eye toward the LSATs and law school. A civil rights lawyer with the right education, right resources, and the right attitude could fight back against the system, and leave it better than when he started. Along with law school came a shiny new ADHD diagnosis – something which should have been obvious, but apparently went unnoticed until the pressures of an L1 course load threatened the careful coping mechanisms he’d developed over the years. Once he had a name for what he was dealing with and the proper medication and support structure, he doubled down, graduating law school with a contingent offer from a prestigious firm in Philadelphia and passing the bar on his first try. He cut his teeth on civil litigation, immigration and custody lawsuits, and worked his way up from junior associate to lead counsel. The pace was grueling, however, and Nick ended up back in Bearcreek just to avoid burnout, finally in a position to make a difference — he just had to figure out what that looked like. A call from an old friend gave Nick the opportunity he’d been looking for — the chance to make waves, and rebuild a formerly influential Bearcreek law firm into something that could make a difference. His name isn’t above the door yet, but if he can help salvage the client base and tarnished reputation, maybe he’ll be in a position to negotiate — and really shake things up, when push comes to shove. Due to his upbringing, Nick is stubborn, passionate, and knows how to turn on the charm — but he’s also a little bit goofy, with a dry, offbeat sense of humor and a tendency to tease the people he’s closest to. He’s wildly intelligent, something he inherited from his mother, but with some very specific blind spots that make him a bit oblivious at times: namely, he’s terrible at self-care, has a crippling coffee addiction, and occasionally gets so focused on what’s right in front of him that he misses social cues (Jury’s still out on whether his quirks are annoying or endearing.)

[blazedrawsstuff]

Redrew (and slightly redesigned) my girl again! Bio under the "read more"

Full Name Blaze Marie Thorburn

Aliases/Nicknames "Blazie" (Nickname)

Relatives Ezra Thorburn (Mother, deceased) Johnny "John" Thorburn (Father) Ember Thorburn (Older Sister)

Relationships Kenji Sakubara (Senpai) (Boyfriend) Jacob Fairest (Boyfriend) (Friend) Amber Dearest (Girlfriend) (Friend) Dusk Evans (Friend)

(More to be added in the future, maybe)

Affiliation None/Unknown

Occupation Pharmacy Technician (Main Job) Freelance Artist/Animator (Side Job)

Orientation Asexual Biromantic (Male Preference)

Voiceclaim

Luci Christian (Chidori Kaname from Full Metal Panic)

Biographical Information

Age 18

Place of Birth Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Date of Death N/A

Physical Description

Species Fire Demon

Gender Female

Height 5'8

Weight 61.2 kg (134.9 lbs)

Eye Color Brown (Human form) White (Demon form)

Hair Color Brown (Human form) Fire (Demon form)

Personality

Blaze is kind, caring, fun-loving, and passionate. She values her friends and close ones greatly and is more than willing to sacrifice life and limb to keep them safe and happy. If you need someone loyal and headstrong to protect you, she’s your gal!

Unfortunately, like all flames, warm as she can be, she can also be quite volatile. Blaze can quickly become aggressive and irritable when put under stress or otherwise ticked off. She’s also not above getting physical (though thankfully never towards her loved ones, certainly not towards Kenji). 

She also has the mouth of a sailor. The only time she doesn’t swear (outside of “damn” or “hell”) is if she’s around kids.

To say this rage comes from a place of insecurity and hostility would be an understatement. Her unfortunate upbringing thanks to her heritage and powers made her rather dependent on the praise, approval, and affection of others and develop this aggression as a defense/coping mechanism.

This ties into her desire; To be loved and accepted despite her flaws and despite her demonic blood. To have someone who will have her back just as much as she has theirs. Which Kenji does and then some, as such, Blaze loves Kenji dearly, and if need be, she will fight tooth and nail to make sure he is safe and happy.

Biography

Early Life Blaze was born to two fire demons: Ezra and Johnny Thorburn, two years after her sister was born. The family's life was pretty normal, aside from having to hide their demon identities. However, an incident happened when Blaze was 8 years old where they failed to do this, causing Ezra to be exorcised by priests, essentially erasing her from existence. Blaze and her family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (where I imagine FNF takes place in) to get away from the demon-hunts  happening in their home  of Phoenix, Arizona that resulted from the incident. Blaze was bullied in school before the move (and even a bit after), causing her to develop a low self esteem.

Blaze didn't have any friends in school, she shunned humanity and stayed away from social interaction out of fear of future harassment and possible death. After getting enough money from her pharmacy tech job, she moved out of her home into an apartment. 

"Friday Night Funkin: Inferno"* One day, Blaze snaps. It's not exactly known what caused her to snap, but it was probably due to the repressed feelings of anger towards humanity. In her demon form, she set forth to burn down the entire city, which she did succeed in setting ablaze an entire city block. In was in her rampage she met Boyfriend and Girlfriend, who, naturally, challenged her to a rap battle. Blaze was hesitant, but agreed, saying she'll have fun "entertaining your attempt to stop me". 

After "Inferno" Blaze, having lost some of her energy, reverts to her half-demon stage of her form (the human form, but having demon features like tail, white eyes, hands and feet and horns). But still determined to defeat Boyfriend, she continues with "Embers". 

After "Embers", Blaze reverts to her human form and cries, having successfully been talked (or rather "rapped') down from attacking further. After the fire dies down and she explains why she attacked the city. After being forgiven, she and Boyfriend sing "Cinders" as a symbol of their newfound friendship. 

After FNF Inferno Fortunately Blaze was not caught, but she still volunteered to fix the city after her attack. After which, her life pretty much went back to normal, but now with two new friends. Boyfriend and Girlfriend decided to give her a gift that would help her feel less lonely, so they gave her GF's copy of "Dating Simulator". After a bit of tinkering getting the game to work on her laptop, she was able to meet and converse with the now-self-aware Senpai (he became self aware after Week 6). Blaze later released Senpai from the game (cause, again, demon powers) and that's how they officially started dating. 

Abilities

Human Form Blaze can switch between her human and her true demon form on the fly. 

Partial Transformation Blaze can transform parts of her body into their demon form counterparts and vice versa, as shown by her "halfway form" in Embers. 

Pyrokinesis In her demon form, she can control, create, and manipulate fire, as she is a fire demon.

Immortality Naturally, as a demon, she is immortal to aging. While she can still be killed, aging is not a concern for her. 

Supernatural Strength Even in human form, Blaze can pick up things triple times her weight. And her demon form can carry things even heavier than that.

Flight  In her demon form, Blaze can fly at fast speeds like a rocket. 

Lava and Fire Immunity As a fire demon, Blaze cannot be harmed by lava or fire in her demon form.

Songs

Inferno Embers Cinders

[thenationaltreasuregazette]

Does Ben Gates have Ph.D?

It depends who you ask.

The textual evidence in the first National Treasure movie suggests no. (Or at least doesn’t present direct evidence for yes.)

As we discussed in the Navy article, the first film lists Ben’s education as follows:

degree in American history from Georgetown

degree in mechanical engineering at MIT

Navy ROTC, Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center

Like I argue there, my instinctual reaction is that the degrees are read in order of acquisition. That’s just the most common way to read them, especially when you’re constructing the history of a person, be that on a resume or an FBI profile.

That would suggest that American history a bachelor’s degree and mechanical engineering is a masters.

But wait there's more! Text, drafts, titles, and headcanons below!

As I point out:

There’s also the difference between a bachelor’s and masters’ degree to consider. The higher you get in higher ed, the more specific you get. A bachelor’s in American history would give Ben the greatest breadth of study, and the freedom to explore any and all topics he was interested in. A masters’ degree in the same field would ask him to zero in on a topic, perhaps more than he’d want to. Likewise, I think that depth over breadth would benefit him in his engineering degree. That way he could focus in on the areas most relevant to him and treasure hunting.

It’s also plausible to read this list in reverse order. That would suggest Ben got a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (perhaps in an attempt to get Patrick off his back by making it appear he was not directly pursuing treasure hunting?) and then master’s or doctorate in American history.

While this is completely possible, I don’t consider it as likely based on the way it’s presented in the movie. The inclusion of the Navy stuff last makes it sound like Ben is progressively narrowing his field of study as he hones in on his Charlotte-was-a-ship theory. He starts with a broad foundation in American history, then proceeds on to the more specialized technical skills once he realizes the ship is lost/sunk and he’ll need them.

I also think it squares with Ben’s personality and interests. I just

don’t see Ben putting off the history degree. It’s his real passion, and there’s always the risk that he wouldn’t get to go back for a second degree for any number of reasons.

That said, the 2003 script does make it clear that in that version Ben does have a Ph.D in history.

When the treasure hunt seems to be at a Declaration of Independence-induced halt early on, Ian says

IAN You have your PhD in History. Maybe you can teach high school history.

The National Treasure Wiki lists Ben’s education history as:

Ben went on to receive a Bachelors degree in archeology and cryptology at the University of Philadelphia, a Masters degree in mechanical engineering degree from MIT and a Doctorate in American History from Georgetown University. While in Georgetown, Ben also enlisted in the US Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps for the next four years and received official certification from their Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center before continuing the six generation family tradition of treasure hunting. 

But I don’t see a source for this, so take it as you will.

Ben having a degree in archeology and cryptology seems important for the FBI to mention in their profile of him. Also if he went to the University of Philadelphia that seems relevant to the Philadelphia foot chase? But it’s Ian and crew who seem to be familiar with the streets. Ben doesn’t try to lead them anywhere tricky or clever that would suggest he’s familiar with the area. Even Abigail and Riley go to the more Philadelphia-specific location of Reading Terminal Market than Ben, who seems to be running toward any random place he might be able to hide or escape.

Titles

There’s also the matter of how he’s addressed.

In the first film, the only time anyone calls Ben by a title is when he’s being arresting him in Philadelphia.

SADUSKY Hello, Mr Gates. AGENT JOHNSON Mr Gates, face your father's car and put your hands behind your back, please.

The rest of the time he’s simply “Ben” to his friends and “Gates” to his enemies.

Now, not everyone with a Ph.D uses the title “Dr.” Not using it would fit with Ben’s personality as both a pretty humble person (he doesn’t flaunt his other degrees either) and someone on the outs with the academic community. More on that later.

However, I don’t know that that’s the case based on how other people are titled in the film.

Abigail is always “Dr. Chase.”

Her assistant, Ben, Agent Johnson, and Ian all refer to her as “Dr. Chase” at various points throughout the movie.

Ben obviously starts calling her “Abigail” as they get to know each other better, but even when he’s listing his requests to Sadusky at the end, he refers to her by title. And damn right. Respect her.

Maybe Abigail simply uses the title—as a result of her job, personal preference, or both—and Ben doesn’t. It does seem like the kind of thing that would come up both to her and in general to establish Ben’s credibility though.

There’s also the potential to ready Sadusky’s line as knowing Ben has a Ph.D but choosing to be disrespectful. As in:

SADUSKY Hello. Mr. Gates (derogatory)

This, I think, is the least likely option, though, because Peter Sadusky is unfailingly polite, even regarding the people he’s pursuing.

For example, he also always calls Ian "Mr. Howe." In the surveillance van near the Intrepid he says

SADUSKY If that's not Mr Howe, I want to know who it is.

And when he’s arresting Ian in Boston he says

SADUSKY You're under arrest, Mr Howe.

So my reading is that Sadusky always uses someone appropriate title. If he knows Ben has a Ph.D, I think he’d refer to him as “Dr. Gates” because he has no reason to know if Ben prefers not to use the title.

Book of Secrets

There is one time where Ben is referred to as “Dr.” on screen, and that’s in Book of Secrets.

When Abigail meets Mitch at the restaurant, she receives a call from Ben, finishes decoding the “Laboulaye Lady” clue, and hangs up because she can tell Mitch is overhearing. Regarding the call, Mitch then asks

MITCH Dr. Gates?

There are four possible readings of this line that I can think of.

Ben does have a Ph.D, it just wasn’t mentioned in the first movie for whatever reason

Ben does not have a Ph.D, but Mitch incorrectly assumes he does

Ben does not have a Ph.D, but Mitch is attempting to flatter Abigail by flattering her (ex) boyfriend*

*Is this a good strategy? No. Do I find it a plausible character action? Sure.

And finally there’s my preferred reading

Ben did not have a Ph.D during the events of National Treasure, but was awarded an honorary doctorate after finding the Templar treasure.

Why does he need one?

Ben is clearly piecing together a custom-built treasure hunting resume. It’s logical to me why he would want to start out studying history then pivot to more specific technical and engineering disciplines once he realized he would need those skills. I’m not sold on why he would go back for his doctorate.

A Ph.D is an incredibly specialized degree. Ben would be spending years writing a thesis on a single topic.

If that topic is the Templar treasure, Ben would have a nearly impossible time defending his thesis. We know that his surname alone is well-known enough in the historical community that Abigail knows about his family’s reputation just from hearing his name. Ben would be subjecting himself to years of derision, skepticism, and humiliation on a thesis he is not able to defend because we know he has yet to convince anyone but Ian and Riley of the existence of the treasure.

Or the topic is not the Templar treasure, in which case, what is he doing there? He’s spending years of his life studying a thing that he does not want to be studying. Maybe he thinks he can do his treasure hunting on the side, but graduate school is a black hole like no other.*

There’s the classes, papers, research, readings, not to mention that he’d probably be expected to teach as well. He’d might also need a part-time job to make ends meet, because while most Ph.D programs provide a stipend, it’s usually barely enough to live on and definitely not enough to fund treasure hunting on the side. Given the way Patrick frames the family's finances, I don't get the impression that Ben's big on saving up.

*I have a less intensive graduate degree in a less intensive field, and I could barely keep my head above water doing the literal thing I was there to do. I cannot fathom attempting to run another massive project on the side.

That’s not to say, however, that Ben didn’t attend a Ph.D program at some point though.

Headcanon time

First of all, I think the story is funnier the more Ben is just “some guy.”

Similar to how I think that “retired Naval officer Ben Gates” changes the flavor of the story for the worse, I think “rogue historian Ben Gates” changes the flavor, if not for the worse than simply for the less interesting.

My personal reading of the situation is this:

Ben gets his bachelor’s in American history, develops his Charlotte-is-as-ship theory while in school, then proceeds directly into the engineering degree + Navy ROTC because he’s discovered that the Charlotte wrecked and knows he’ll need to salvage her. (When he goes to MIT Patrick’s like, thank god he’s finally doing something sensible. When he learns Ben’s doing salvage diving he’s like, well fuck.)

After school Ben salvage dives to pay the bills, and treasure hunts in his spare time. At some point either the money or his free time takes enough of a hit that Ben needs to make a change. Thus, he starts applying to Ph.D programs. And/or he needs particular resources or expertise at this point and additional study is the best way to get them.

He stays in the program for a few years, but not being able to truly pursue the treasure grates on him. Constantly being told—directly or not—that you’re stupid for what you’re interested in or for the way you want to pursue the subject absolutely sucks. (See also: my time in academia.) The derision and the strain on his treasure hunting time ware down on him until the program isn’t worth it anymore. He got what he came for, so he leaves. Ben briefly wonders if finishing with a non-treasure thesis would finally make Patrick proud of him, but decides against it.

It’s during these next years that he refines his theory, discovers critical information needed to realize that the Charlotte never actually sunk, but went adrift in the Arctic circle, recruits Ian to finance the search now that he as a tangible plan, and pulls in Riley to do the computer modeling that Ben can’t do on his own.

After he finds the treasure, his undergraduate alma matter Georgetown awards Ben an honorary doctorate. Patrick, Abigail, and Riley attend the ceremony. They’re all very proud. Ben gets unexpectedly emotional, at least on the inside. He hadn’t realized before that moment that this actually was something he wanted, and that he’d actually felt pretty torn between academic study—which he does excel at and enjoy—and treasure hunting.

Conclusion

So, there you go.

Does Ben have a Ph.D?

Only if you want him to.

[pttedu]

Providing an understanding of an automotive mechanic salary in the U.S.. Read more to know about the factors that might affect the salary and possible career routes.

[pttiedu]

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[adamwatchesmovies]

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

It would be difficult to find a revenge action film more preposterous than Law Abiding Citizen. This picture has a grudge against common sense and intelligent thought. As such, you often have difficulty predicting where it will go next. It isn’t that it’s clever or full of unexpected twists; it’s that the directions it chooses are so obvious you think “There’s no way this is where it’s going”. That mindset will cause your brain to start connecting dots that were never meant to be connected. To its credit, the story - as ridiculous as it may be - is engaging as it plays out but you would never be able to defend this film as "good".

During a home invasion, Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is forced to watch as his wife and daughter are violently murdered. Afterward, Clyde is outraged when prosecuting attorney Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) informs him that Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte) is about to receive a reduced sentence for testifying against his less violent accomplice, Rupert Ames (Josh Stewart). Embittered by this betrayal of justice, Clyde spends the next ten years plotting his revenge against the men who took his family away, and the system that didn’t punish them adequately.

The vigilante Death Wish genre is taken to an extreme with Law Abiding Citizen. Though the film isn’t as gory as anything we might see in any of the “Saw” films, the horror franchise’s influence is unmissable. Clyde is a galaxy brain genius, the kind that’s playing 4D chess while you’re playing checkers. He’s got robots rigged to assassinate his targets, can somehow coordinate a half-dozen operations from within a prison cell and uses a voice synthesizer to lure his prey into torture dungeons. He's amassed a fortune and the mechanical know-how that ensures the police are powerless to do anything but play by his rules.

It’s difficult to tell who we're supposed to cheer for. The home invasion - which happens about 15 seconds after we’re introduced to Clyde’s wife and daughter - is the kind of crime paranoid delusionals would have nightmares about but could never happen in real life. There isn’t an ounce of humanity in Clarence Darby because we’re supposed to cheer as he gets tortured to death. Nick clearly doesn’t care about anything but his conviction record (which should be easy in this case, one look at Clarence and any jury would sentence him to the gas chamber) so you won't shed any tears if he gets turned into chunky salsa either. Yet at some point, the film decides Clyde is “going too far”. He turns into the villain and we're suddenly supposed to be on Nick's team. You think it’s a deliberate reversal, or maybe all part of Clyde’s bigger plan. Maybe he knows what he's doing is wrong so he’s setting himself up to die to complete his masterpiece Seven-style. It’ll all be worth it because he’s building “a better system” through Nick or something. No, that’s just you being smarter than the movie and thinking you see patterns where there are none.

The film's broad and ridiculous characters perfectly match the absurdity of Clyde’s intricate revenge plot. When the movie lays all of its cards on the table and tells you how he managed everything… it doesn’t make any more sense than before. Even if he could keep track of every lawyer, judge and police officer in Philadelphia (which can’t be that big of a city if we’re to believe this film) the amount of things that could’ve gone wrong, that go wrong but shouldn’t, that don’t go wrong but should will have you picking chunks of your brain from the ceiling.

Despite (or maybe because of) the unconvincing performances (people underreact to what’s going on constantly) and sloppy writing, Law Abiding Citizen maintains an energy that prevents it from ever being boring. At one point, we’re told that Philadelphia is paralyzed by fear. Parents are scared to bring their kids to school, everyone’s paranoid about who’s going to be next, etc. Why? Clyde might be a madman but everyone should know EXACTLY who he’s going to go after next. He’s only after people he feels wronged him ten years ago. Unless you were the judge, the attorneys present, part of the law firm or one of the officers who botched the evidence retrieval (don’t they always in these kinds of movies?) he wouldn’t lay a finger on you.

Wacky morals, combined with a sloppy story make Law Abiding Citizen into a film that has the potential to be “so bad it’s good” if you’re in the right mood. I got some chuckles but nothing to write home about, so I’ll just call it bad. (December 3, 2021)

[thetavolution]

Because I'm obsessed, I thought about what would happen if a BG3 and The Bonneville Game crossover ever happened. I know what my Bonneville characters would be doing in BG3, but what would the companions be doing in The Bonneville Game?

The Bonneville Game takes place in the fictional small, isolated town of Bonneville, Pennsylvania. It's a horror comedy about three hapless podcasters who play a demon summoning game they found on the Internet. Afterward, all hell breaks loose.

Bonneville is important because it's where the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest.

Wyllyam "Wyll" Ravengard He's originally from Salisbury, England. He's fresh out of school and ready to see the world. He got his degree in International Relations from Durham University. His father is Mayor Ulder Ravengard of London and Ulder wants his son to follow in his footsteps. Wyll is a lot less confident in what his future should be.

Wyll arrives in Bonneville as part of his traveling the world. He just wants to figure out his life for himself. He ends up getting a job as a 911 dispatcher, which is how he finds out there's something rotten in the state of Pennsylvania. Over time, he'd eventually find himself working as a Nonprofit Program Coordinator for something like Human Rights Watch. Odds are, even if he settles down in Bonneville, he'd continue to travel in hopes of saving the world.

Due to his heroic nature, he decides to stay to help when he discovers demons are running wild. If he were in the Bonneville world, Minty would 100% fall in love with him. Do you know how ridiculously cute this ship would be?

Gale Dekarios He's originally from London, England and he's well educated. He'd end up teaching at the Community College of Bonneville as a favor to an old friend, but he'd fall in love with the town. He'd want the students to have a good education, especially since he'd see a lot of bright kids trapped in poverty. He'd be an Associate Professor in the English department and an accomplished author in his own right.

He'd have a lot of papers and articles published. He'd have a book or two under his name. He studied at Cambridge and, in the past, he taught at Oxford and Glasgow University. After he meets Minty, Laura, and Ingrid, he becomes a valuable researcher to the team. Any time they don't know the history or lore of something, he's there to assist.

He did have an affair with a professor when he was a university student. (This is in lieu of him having a goddess as a lover.) It did mess him up for a while. If he existed in this universe, I'd bring in Tessa as his wife. He'd already be married by the time he's introduced to the story. He married an American which is why he was in the States to begin with.

Karlach Cliffgate She'd be connected to Bex's past, but I can't say how just yet. She'd come to Bonneville when Bex helps get her a job. She's from Chilham, Kent, a small village, which is about 18 minutes from Canterbury. She was an only child to Phillip "Pluck" and Caerlack Cliffgate, who have passed. She'd be down to help out the leads when shit hits the fan.

She'd eventually go back to school to get an Associate Degree in Cyber Security with Gale's help. He's the one that helps her get her paperwork in order and guides her in her coursework.

In this universe, instead of a mechanical heart, she has PoTS (Postural tachycardia syndrome). Karlach becomes a huge fan of both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia Flyers. She also loves the England woman's national football team, the Lionesses, and the England women's national rugby union team, the Red Roses.

Lae'zel Klier Lae'zel grew up in Southport, England, but her parents are German immigrants. Lae'zel is an only child and her parents have high expectations for her. It's difficult for her to live up to them and she constantly pushes herself past her limits. She also was never taught how to properly process emotions. I would definitely love a universe where she and Laura fall in love. (It'd be either Lae'zel and Laura or Karlach and Laura.)

Due to pressure from her parents, she joined the Royal Air Force and she would eventually be stationed at the Edwards Air Force Base in Lancaster, California. She was a RAF Regiment Officer and she very much believed in everything she was doing.

She planned on staying for her entire career in the RAF, but things would change after coming to Bonneville. She'd be invited while on leave by a fellow officer and end up in the thick of things. (Meaning, a demon was released in the town by the time she got there.) She'd come back after her service ended to stay and figure out a new life there. She'd also have her beliefs challenged and realize she doesn't want the future her parents picked for her. It may seem out of left field, but she'd eventually open her own plant nursery, Crèche Klier.

I didn't know how to approach a surname for her, so I found a name that was kind of like K'lirr. I'm very proud of that ridiculous plant nursery name.

Shadowheart Sharman (Real Name: Jenevelle Hallowleaf) Shadowheart grew up in London. What she doesn't know is that she was kidnapped from her home and raised by her kidnappers. This girl is Lifetime movie material.

When she was 15, her "parents" moved the family to Bonneville to avoid detection. They were nervous Shadowheart's real parents would find them if they stayed in the UK. They felt safer in Bonneville because it's a small, relatively unknown town.

You'd think kidnappers trying to keep a low profile would name her anything but Shadowheart and yet.... She was teased for it growing up, but she's become fond of it over time. Her "parents" were incredibly abusive to her, but they would do it in the name of religion.

Her world is turned upside down when she discovers her "parents" actually kidnapped her. She deconstructs everything she's ever learned over time and she also comes out as bi. She would eventually become a veterinary technician and settle down with a partner. (If your Tav would be a perfect fit for her in this world, I'd love to know!)

Her kidnappers' surname is a play on Shar's name.

Astarion Ancunín He's originally from a well-to-do family in London. He was sheltered growing up and by 17, he planned to attend law school. He wanted to focus on practicing criminal law. He was in his first year of university when he met an older man named Cazador. Astarion would become entangled in an abusive relationship with him. His parents would try to pull him out of it, but it only seemed to push Astarion closer to Cazador.

Astarion dropped out of school and cut off contact from his family and friends. He was abused for years by Cazador and felt helpless to do anything about it. Cazador has some secrets he holds over Astarion's head to "keep him in line."

Cazador would be the reason they come to Bonneville. He would hope he could take advantage of the fact the veil between the living and dead is at its thinnest in Bonneville. This would lead to Astarion finally finding himself and breaking free of Cazador's control. They would still have to kill Cazador, especially since he'd become a big bad.

Once he was on his own, Astarion would get back into law as a legal receptionist before studying to be a paralegal. He's not totally confident he wants to be a lawyer anymore, but he may get back into it one day. He just wants to focus on getting better first.

Bex would fall for this guy.

Halsin Silverbough He's from Shaftesbury, UK. He's a Pediatrician in this universe and very happy with his job. Bonneville has always had just one pediatrician in town. When the previous one was about to retire, he reached out to Halsin to take his place. Halsin agreed to be a temporary stand-in until they found someone else. I think we all know how the whole "temporary" thing went. Halsin now lives in Bonneville permanently.

Everyone knows and loves him. He still whittles and reads in his off-time. He's known for his love of honey and ducks. He's also the guy everyone approaches if they need an extra set of hands on a project or help on the farm. He's down to earth and well-adjusted.

He refuses to drive. He bikes or takes public transport everywhere. No one knows how he does it. He lives right next door to his office which helps immensely. Naturally, he'd want to help our heroes once he finds out a demon has been released in Bonneville. He might even feel responsible for one of the local legends terrorizing the town later on down the line.

Romance wise, I was torn between Ingrid or having be poly with Bex and Astarion. Or maybe it's a poly situation with all four of them.

Jaheira Harper Jaheira is from Warsaw, Poland. She's a widow and her late husband was Khalid Harper. She's traveled all over the world as a foreign aid worker. She only comes to Bonneville when her adopted daughter, Rion, moves there with her partner. When Jaheira finds out something sinister is happening in Bonneville, she can't bring herself to leave. At least, not until everything is dealt with.

Minsc Kamenev and Boo He's originally from Sviyazhsk, Russia. He once competed in the Olympics for archery and he now is an archery instructor in Bonneville. No one knows how he got to Bonneville or why he even came, but everyone loves him. He also has a little pet hamster named Boo who seems to be unusually smart for a rodent. Boo may even have some kind of tie to the veil.

If my research is correct, his surname alludes to "stone." I picked it as a nod to the fact Minsc is known as "the Stone Lord."

Minthara Baenre Minthara is a Major in the British Armed Forces and hails from Manchester, England. She grew up in a wealthy military family. They were dysfunctional as Hell. Minthara dislikes her parents and her siblings. She visits home every holiday season, but only to terrorize her family. She'd be trying to figure out what is going on in Bonneville and how to use it to her advantage.

Enver Gortash I don't have much for him yet. (I also have to be mindful of spoilers, too.) He'd arrive in Bonneville after hearing about the veil. I do like the idea of him being a low level politician from Liverpool who is slowly climbing up the ranks. He hopes Bonneville will be the key to getting the power he craves.

Tessa Chastain Dekarios I'd bring over my Tav, Tessa as Gale's wife. She might get an original story of her own someday, but right now she only exists as a BG3 Tav. She'd be an author with a troubled past. Her father is a known criminal and Tessa was a troubled teen. She turned things around in her 20s and would go on to publish a book at 25.

Gale would be a fan of her work. They would meet at a book signing and the rest would be history. He wouldn't go in with the intent to "woo" her. In fact, Tessa would make the first move. Things would just fall into place for them. Tessa would be an American who hails from Philadelphia.

[lboogie1906]

Le Sony’r Ra, or Sun Ra (May 22, 1914 - May 3, 1993) jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, and cosmic philosopher remains an influential and controversial figure in jazz history. He is remembered for his Astro Black Mythology which incorporated aspects of ancient Egyptian philosophy and science fiction, as well as his contributions to avant-garde jazz and afrofuturism.

He was born as Herman Poole Blount in Birmingham. Composing original music and poetry by age twelve, he played in several bands before receiving a scholarship to Alabama State Agricultural and Mechanical Institute for Negroes, he quit school, claiming to have had a visionary experience in which he traveled to the planet Saturn and was told to stop attending college. He assembled a band for rehearsal purposes only. He went by the name Sonny Blount. He was a conscientious objector and was briefly imprisoned during WWII.

He played piano for various musicians and singers, among them Fletcher Henderson, Gene Ammons, and Billie Holiday. He became interested in outer space and ancient Egyptian mythology, reading voraciously and developing his philosophy that incorporated science fiction, ancient Egypt, and music. He legally changed his name to Le Sony’r Ra.

After forming the Space Trio with Pat Patrick and Tommy Hunter in 1952, He assembled a larger band that he named the Solar Arkestra. Under his direction, the Arkestra began as a hard-bop big band but was soon incorporating free improvisation and experimenting with primitive electric keyboards. He demanded precision and discipline in his musicians. He and the Arkestra moved to New York City and settled in Philadelphia. He recorded at least 1,000 compositions on over 120 albums, many for his company, El Saturn Research, which he co-founded.

He and the Arkestra embarked on numerous tours, including visits to the West Coast, the UK, Europe, and Egypt. He was appointed as a lecturer at UC Berkeley, teaching a course entitled The Black Man in the Cosmos. He and the Arkestra filmed the movie version of the album Space is the Place. He and his Arkestra continued to rehearse and tour throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[ravenheartxvi]

Background info and inspiration for my modern au Anidala fic. Part 1

So, I had a lot of inspiration and mental ideas that contribute to the plot and world building behind my Modern-Au Anakin and Padme fic that I thought I’d share here since a lot of the details might not make it into the fic itself. 

Yes, I was originally inspired to write my fic after reading another fic. And while some drama and controversy occurred after the posting of my first chapter, which was resolved privately, I refuse to provoke any more drama by rehashing a resolved issue. So I won't be getting into that in this post beyond this brief acknowledgement. You see, I couldn’t help but think about how x would be different if y happened. What if this and what if that and from my subsequent what if’s another story formed in my mind that I just had to write. My writing habits are pretty nonlinear, so I often have sections for future chapters written ahead of the current chapter. I had a few important scenes already written before I published the first chapter. I also put a lot of research and plot development into my writing, some of which doesn't always make it into the final product.

So I developed a backstory, where Anakin and Padme were childhood best friends. They grew up next door to each other and had a nasty fight at the end of their senior year of high school. Their friendship was broken and they hadn’t spoken nor seen each other for ten years before they met up in LA. Padme needed a way to get home and Anakin was driving. Yes, very similar to the aforementioned fic. However, as the road trip from LA and Philadelphia lasted four chapters, it is not the bulk of my story but the inciting incident. I titled my fic It All Started With A Road Trip because the events of that road trip sets off the entire plot of the story. I’m considering my fic to be somewhere around twenty chapters but I cannot be completely sure. 

Anakin is an Air Force Vet with an advanced degree in mechanical engineering from MIT. He primarily works on projects for the United States Military, complete with military contracts. Some of his projects are more privately funded though and those are his passion projects. He was raised by a single mother and as of the start of the story, he still does not know who his father is/was. This comes up in the story. I have a reveal planned for later in the story that stirs a lot of emotional turmoil. 

Qui-Gon Jinn was a police detective who helped Shmi out and the two became close friends until his death. Qui-Gon had acted as a major male influence for Anakin while also raising his son, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan wasn’t Qui-Gon’s natural son. Qui-Gon had married Obi-Wan’s mother and raised Obi-Wan as his own since Obi-Wan was really young. Obi-Wan’s mother died when Obi-Wan was just a boy and Qui-Gon was all he had until Shmi joined the picture. This is why Obi-Wan does not share Qui-Gon’s name. This father/son detail was partially inspired by my father’s father/son relationship with my little brother. While there is no genetic relation between my father and my little brother, my father had raised my little brother from birth and is his father in all ways but name and blood. This is the dynamic that I see between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan is eight years older than Anakin but ever since Qui-Gon and Shmi became close friends, Obi-Wan and Anakin too became close. Obi-Wan immediately took to looking out for little three year old Anakin like a big brother. They behaved like brothers long before Qui-Gon died when Anakin was nine. Obi-Wan was only seventeen when he was orphaned, Shmi stepped in to take Obi-Wan in, officially adopting the seventeen-year old. So when Anakin and Obi-Wan refer to themselves as brothers, they are, despite not being blood related. Qui-Gon was proactive enough to make plans for Obi-Wan in the inevitable case that he could die, especially after the death of Obi-Wan’s mother, so that Obi-Wan was financially prepared enough to be able to pay for and attend Princeton University and go to Law School. 

When Anakin was thirteen, Shmi adopted an orphaned eight years old girl, Ahsoka Tano-Skywalker. I picture Ahsoka being cast by a young Rosario Dawson. Ahoska often alternates her hair between white and blue or her natural color. She has blue eyes and is biracial. However, she was dropped off at a fire station anonymously as an infant and bounced around foster homes until being adopted by Shmi. Ahsoka’s ancestry is unknown and it’s not one-hundred percent clear what her racial profile is, though she is mostly considered a woman of color. Ahsoka also has a few tribal tattoos, including a few on her face. Anakin was the one to take her to get her first tattoo. I haven’t decided on whether or not Ahsoka has any piercings but if she does, it would most likely be a nose ring. I envisioned Ashoka as being bisexual and thorougholy enjoying the single life. She is not likely to settle down any time soon, nor is she looking to having any kids. Ahsoka, in my vision, works as a mechanic, a skill that she learned from Anakin. When she isn’t working, she is volunteering at the local youth center where she works with a bunch of at risk teen girls as a mentor. Ahsoka also participates in MMA fighting tournaments. Ahsoka's personal style is more punk rock than anything else. Ahsoka is closest to Anakin and will have his back rather aggressively, much to his appreciation and sometimes exasperation. The relationship between Anakin and Ahsoka is very loosely inspired by my relationship with my big brother, whom I’ve always loved and worshiped. Never experienced the typical sibling rivalry with my big brother. He’s always had my back and can tell me off when I’m wrong and I’ll literally fight anyone who says one wrong word about him let alone anyone who hurts him. 

Anakin is a tinkerer. From a young age, he was taking things apart in order to figure out how they worked. If it was an appliance or an electronic device, he had it apart. Shmi got fed up with Anakin essentially destroying the house by doing this. So, in order not to dissuade his natural inclinations, she took him to a junkyard to find projects for him to tinker with so that he would stop taking apart their appliances. This is how he got his hands on a junked up shell of a 1965 Shelby GT350R Mustang. Padme refers to it as an old junker. But Anakin restored this classic mustang and drove it for years. This was initially my homage to Anakin’s pod-racer in the Phantom Menace.

 I also took inspiration for Anakin’s childhood tinkering from my big brother. My big brother was notorious for taking things apart and is a literal genius when it comes to electronics etc. Yes, one year for Christmas, I got a remote controlled Barbie car. Big bro took it upon himself to show me how to work it, decided he could “improve it” and well, I never got to play with that car the way that it was supposed to be played with. Big bro once built and programmed a computer from scratch. When we remodeled our family house, not only did big bro do a huge chunk of the work, but he did all the rewiring in the house, cursing the electricians who built the house due the sheer amount of fire hazards he found in every room. He now works in IT for our local school system and teaches a program on the subject for at risk teens through the school system. This program is constantly at risk of being cancelled by higher ups in the county. Due to big bro, I have never once needed the aid of Geek Squad. There are a number of skills which I learned from big bro. So it was only natural for me to write Anakin as passing along a number of skills to Ahsoka. Like my big bro, Anakin is mostly self taught on a number of skills. 

Anakin, in this story, drives a 2019 Mustang Bullitt. I have a partiality towards the Mustang. I will one day drive my own, I swear it. I may not know much about cars, not like Anakin does. I have to do a lot of research in order to write Anakin as a car guy. However, due to my personal bias towards the Mustang, I’ve made Anakin favor the Mustang. I picked the 2019 Mustang Bullitt for Anakin because after reviewing several different Mustangs, this one just had Anakin written all over it. I’m going to include this video for view and once you view it, I hope you understand why I gave Anakin this particular car. 

I chose not to include any of the Amidalas(Padme’s handmaidens) in my fic as a group of Padme’s friends. I chose to include Teckla because before she was written to be a handmaiden for Padme during the Clone Wars, Teckla worked at the Varykino Estate where Padme’s family would vacation and where Anakin and Padme were married. We even see Teckla in AOTC serving dinner to Anakin and Padme when Anakin first uses the term ‘Aggressive Negotiations’. Thus, I think Teckla had a more personal link to Padme than that of an official handmaiden. It’s possible that Teckla knew Padme before she became Queen Amidala. So Teckla became one of Padme’s friends from high school. 

With regards to the clones from the GAR as characters in this fic. I’ve included them as men that Anakin served with while in the Air Force. Some of the Clone’s names are more nicknames. They are not related to each other and have different races and backgrounds. 

Keep an eye out for mentions or cameos of other Star Wars characters peppered in the story. I’ve mentioned a General Windu in chapter two. This would be my modern-au equivalent of Mace Windu. He is a high ranking military leader, with whom Anakin works with regularly. I’m not sure if we’ll ever see him or if he will just remain as a mention. Rush Clovis was mentioned in chapter one. He was the high school quarterback when Anakin and Padme were in high school and a general d-bag. Rush Clovis often liked to target and antagonize Anakin for fun. Typical asshole jock that we see in most media. Rush Clovis had an interest in Padme that equals the interest that Gaston had in Bell from Beauty and the Beast. Only, Rush Clovis had no intention of marrying her. Consider him more of an amalgamation of Gaston and Biff Tannon from Back to the Future. The mention of Jamilla Quinn from chapter one was a version of Queen Jamilla from AOTC. In this modern au, Jamilla Quinn was an antagonistic rival for Padme when they were kids. Think Libby Chessman vs Sabrina Spellaman or Paris Geller(the early seasons) vs Rory Gilmore. Or maybe the more well known, Regina George of my modern-au. We’ll never actually see these characters in action, they only get mentioned as part of the history between Anakin and Padme. 

I’ve set the story in Philadelphia because I am most familiar with the city. My family originates from Philadelphia and a huge chunk of my family still resides there. I've spent a lot of vacations road-tripping with family across the country to Philly since I was three. I most recently drove up to Philly last year to bury my grandparents ashes in the family plot. It was a beautiful, intimate ceremony with just family and the US Marines came out to give tribute to my grandfather, who was a Marines Vet. I’ve always loved taking a road trip with my family. I have fond memories of being crammed in an old 80’s/90’s Buick with at least six people, cramming six or seven people in a two bed hotel room and finally making it up to visit family. While I enjoy flying, if I had to choose to travel by plane or road trip it, I would choose to road trip with at least one other person hands down. So I’ve incorporated some of my personal experience in the first four chapters. These include jamming out to playlists, having some arguments, teasing banter, pulling off at multiple rest stops, including the aforementioned truck stop in chapter three. Unlike my sister, who claims to get motion sickness when trying to read in a car, I have always been an avid reader and can read under any condition. As a passenger, I often find myself pulling out a book or electronic device to read from. I often have a variety of reading material to choose from for any form of travel that rivals Rory Gilmore’s daily reading habits. I gave Padme that little quirk as well, since she is not driving at all and would need something to occupy herself with when there is a lull in their interactions. Anakin does not allow anyone to drive his car and Padme is terrible at driving stick, despite Anakin’s best efforts to teach her. 

 I’ve done my best to flesh out my knowledge of Philly as the setting for this story. The layout of Anakin’s house is based on my aunt’s house(a house I’ve spent a lot of time in throughout my life) with minor differences. Expect to see a number of references exclusive to the city of brotherly love. I share my family's firm belief that you cannot get a decent cheesesteak outside of Philly(provolone is the only cheese that belongs on a cheesesteak, if you put that yellow shit on a cheesesteak, you are an animal). I prefer soft pretzels from the Philadelphia Pretzel Factory over Auntie Ann’s hands down. Each trip to Philly includes a trip to the pretzel factory for a huge bag of soft pretzels, which is then brought home for a special treat. Tastykake beats Little Debbie and Hostess like a boss. There was a huge cheer amongst my family when Tastykake became available in local stores. There is absolutely nothing like buttercake from Stocks Bakery and I have been trying for years to replicate the recipe with no luck. I came close once but lost the recipe before I could perfect it. Although I am not a fan of American football, I cheer at the chance of the Eagles going against the Tampa Bay Bucs, hoping for a win for Philly. I mention a trip to the Betsy Ross House in an upcoming chapter because for a long time one of my ancestors had her photo on display there. It’s a little self-indulgent cameo. Anakin is not a football fan but he does enjoy hockey and cheers on the Philadelphia Flyers. He also participated in boxing from a young age. Boxing is a sport that a number of my ancestors were pretty proficient in. I have an ancestor who got in the ring with a famous boxer in the early 1900's and knocked that famous boxer out.

Chapter 4 of my modern au anidala fic is now available.