#not saying Simon was perfect either! This is about Marcus! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

retrieve-the-kraken · 2 years

Text

Young Royals season 2 play-by-play analysis

This is where the season gets so fucking good I couldn’t even think properly, so this is where the “analysis” gets completely derailed and it’s just me going “AAAAHHH HNNNNGG OOOOOHH EEEEEEEEH SQUEEEEE” and just losing my shit over every single moment. The drama, the jealousy, the bottled up feelings, the tears, that kiss…

It was also so difficult to pick the gifs that I would be able to include in this post, because there were SO. MANY. MOMENTS. Thank you to all the people who constantly gif all these moments, for all the time and effort and quality (if there’s anything better than watching the kiss is watching every single part of the kiss on a loop, like I’m literally hypnotized).

EPISODE 4

“I don’t think Henry will snitch.” Oh Wille, you don’t know how gossipy boys are…

I hate that the girls are not only talking about Felice, but they’re not being discreet at all. Absolute bitches. Simon turns to look at Felice and smile. Is she the only person that Simon is friendly with in the choir? Poor Felice… (And how did he not hear the girls gossiping, if they’re being absolute bitches and talking way too loud?)

The first time Skott’s “Evergreen” plays and you realize that it’s about Sargust… uuuuurgh… and it never gets better… (the only thing that I will say about their relationship at this point, is that their first time together was very sweet and all about consent and protection, and I appreciate that, but… uuuuurgh, Sargust…)

Sara hearing about the rumours about Stella and Fredrika, and learning that Stella did not care at all. Stella, it feels to me, is being more and more open and rebellious, like if she gets found out because she said something then so be it, but not so about her feelings for Fredrika.

I like the girls’ way of being supportive, making fun of Felice in a harmless way, ensuring her that it’s not a big deal.

“But you should know that Felice only makes out with members of the royal family.” It’s like some sort of foreshadowing, now that Sara is technically with August and August is technically next in line for the throne.

“We should respect each other’s privacy!” Yes, Wille!

“So nobody was in your room yesterday?” FUCK YOU VINCENT, HE JUST FUCKING SAID… Fuck Vincent and his need to put people on the spot all the fucking time.

I hate that Wilhelm is so visibly uncomfortable, I hate that he’s obviously not wanting to share any more information because Simon is right there, I hate that Simon is obviously also uncomfortable and blindsided, and YET the boys just keep pushing the fucking subject. Toxic masculinity sheep mentality, dear god…

Simon didn’t end things with Marcus, and he knows that Wilhelm saw them kissing and probably felt horrible. Yet when he finds out that Wilhelm might have been with Felice, his first response is to seek out Marcus again… Poor boy doesn’t know what to do with his feelings.

“You wanna show me off to everyone there?” No, dumbass, just one person. Either Marcus is so dense that he really thinks he’s convinced Simon to want to be with him, or he’s so toxic that he thinks he’s already achieved it. Meanwhile Simon is still trying to convince himself that he can have a thing with Marcus, whatever it might be, a serious thing, a rebound, anything.

The burnball scene… still fucking gold. The seething look on Simon’s face, still so perfect. The force is strong with this one. Such a jealous, petty boy. I know I said that I wanted jealous Wille, which turned out to be exactly as I expected, a sad mopey mess; but I never expected jealous Simon, and I certainly didn’t expect this level of anger. Like Homer Simpson says “jealousy is when you worry someone will take what you have, envy is when you want what someone else has”. Whichever Simon might be feeling right now (pretty sure it’s jealousy, because he has not, as we have seen this whole season, been able to completely let go of Wille), I hope we get possessive Simon in the future. And I know it will be DE.LI.CIOUS…

(I want protective Wille and possessive Simon next season, pretty please.)

“You kinda have double standards.” Yes Wille, you tell him.

Simon’s little shrug when Wille asks if he and Marcus are official. Of course you don’t know, you’ve been gaslit into thinking you shouldn’t end things so quickly.

Fuck, Wille’s face when Simon admits that he can’t accept his family… it breaks me every time. He blurted it out, because he’s angry and jealous and confused, and he really means it, but as soon as he realized how much that revelation hurt Wille, he’s full of regret. There’s a horrible chasm between them, and Simon hates it. Star-crossed lovers…

The make up scene between Wille and Felice, oufff, makes me feel so much better. Poor Felice.

“Can you tell Simon that? That it can be a good thing?”

“Feels like I’m going to die… I have to let him go…” Poor baby. “Fun” fact: did you know that love is a form of chemical addiction, the main chemical being oxytocin, and that the sudden cutting off of the supply can give you withdrawal symptoms? That is why people feel physically ill when they’re heartbroken, it literally feels like their heart is breaking. Heartbreak also causes stress, which can have a real impact on a person’s physical health, and it can lead to depression, which increases a person’s sensitivity to pain and decreases their immunity. That’s why when Wille says he feels like he’s going to die, he’s so physically and mentally ill that it really feels like he’s dying. But letting go of Simon would be the beginning of his recovery, which would eventually happen… You can heal from a broken heart, but how long it takes depends on how deep or how long that love lasted. Meanwhile Simon is not entirely in physical pain, because he’s too busy trying and failing to distract himself/replace Wille with Marcus (placebo effect?) and also he has the advantage of having stolen Wille’s sweater to get a hit of oxytocin every once in a while (more on that in the next analysis). But Wille has it a little bit more rough. And the fact that Simon and Wille weren’t together for very long before they broke up, means that their love for each other was so deep and meaningful that it lead to profound heartbreak in no time at all.

That whole conversation with Nils. Nils is thinking about Wilhelm hooking up, whilst Wille wants something like what he had with Simon. Then Nils saying “one of us” again. Nils, just admit you want to bang him… Nils wants to take Wille to Verbier and present him with lousy options and for Wille to hopefully seek out the only person he actually knows over there… “Come on Wille, I got so many guys for you, so just pick me— I mean, pick one!”

(Would Wille have gone to Verbier if he hadn’t gotten back together with Simon at the end? Maybe, but he would’ve ended up in a room all by himself, crying over Simon).

Stella’s poem is so pretty and so sad… Then she immediately suggests to forego getting dates and for the girls to just go together to the ball. Sweetheart…

August’s face when he hears ‘military education’ and ‘next ten years’. Hmmm, not so into being next in line anymore, are you?

Sara just keeps hoarding secrets. The video, her relationship with August, and now August being the backup (and his use of ADHD meds even though he doesn’t have ADHD). She knows that going to the ball with August means that Felice and Simon will find out about them, and she knows they won’t be happy about it.

“Wille and I are just friends, and thank god for that, right? Dating someone in the royal family seems to suck ass.” Sara internalizing that information.

Wilhelm crying as he puts on the costume and makeup… my heart. I love Edvin’s explanation of it, how Wille is transforming into the image of the prince, even though he doesn’t want it, but he feels like he has no choice. This is after Simon told him that he can’t accept his role, this is after Nils told him basically that being out is a mess and that he should try to get with someone who is discreet. Poor baby is just so, so helpless.

Damn you August, being all sweet and romantic and making me feel bad about you… (Someone pointed out that the subtitles in english basically say that Sara tells him that she can’t go with him tonight, but what she really texts in Swedish is “we can’t be together anymore” or something along those lines… so she basically breaks up with him… over text. Even when it’s August, that’s got to hurt.)

Simon, what are you listening to whilst you stare intently at your fish?

By the way, this is the second time that Marcus just walks into Simon’s room uninvited. Asshole. He thinks he’s so smooth.

Never ever ever getting over Simon’s mischievous little look before saying “they don’t have names.” I need that on a t-shirt.

Felice looking FIYAH in her outfit and her natural hair. Love that she wanted to stand out but also feel like herself. More of this, please.

Is it me or did Wille take off the makeup? He doesn’t look particularly white-faced, like other people at the party.

Another secret for Sara’s hoard pile: Stella being in love with Fredrika. Poor Stella.

Simon going to the party with Marcus specifically to make Wille jealous. Meanwhile Wille is psyching himself to get over Simon, even if he’s miserable.

Marcus being like ‘you can stay at my place tonight, if you want’, and Simon automatically responding ‘okay’ because he’s not really paying attention, or he’s just going with it, he can say no later. And Marcus trying to get his attention by kissing him. Marcus, just give up, dude. You’re not it. You never were, never will be.

Alexander, who dislikes August so much for the way he treated him when he was prefect, and then for (as far as he knows) blaming the drug thing on him, rubbing it in that Felice and Wille are supposed to be together. Alexander you’re better than that.

But August telling Alexander the truth is one of the few moments in which August is honest, but for the wrong reasons. Just August being August, really. Stirring up shit (all because he’s miffed that Sara went to the ball without him). (Well, after learning that she actually broke up with him over text, I realize now that he’s a little bit more than just miffed.)

Wille psyching himself to be nice to Marcus, be all polite and show Simon that everything is cool, that they can just both move on… it’s so painful to watch, probably as painful as it was for him.

Simon asking “what was that? It seemed weird,” and then being unable to look at Wille, he’s acknowledging that he doesn’t like it, Wille being nice to Marcus, Wille acting like it’s no big deal, Wille being willing to move on too. He’s acknowledging that it feels weird to be strangers from now on. Simon being weirded out, like that’s it? No jealousy, no seething, nothing…? Baby, it’s what you wanted, or thought you wanted… There’s an ongoing debate about whether Simon wanted Wille to fight for him or not, like that’s why he’s so disconcerted when Wille is so polite. But he comes to learn that Wille is not like that, and that Wille is ready to put Simon’s wants before his own. And if that means letting him go, then so be it.

Meanwhile Simon’s facial expression, as it’s been pointed out, screams “shit fuck that did not go according to plan”. And Omar acts it out masterfully. (You can hear his brain short-circuiting, you can see the color draining from his face, you can feel the cold shiver going down his head and neck and back. “You don’t love me anymore”. Warning! Danger! Abort! Abort!)

His little smile and attempt at nonchalance, trying to pretend that everything is fine… but he’s literally hyperventillating. You can almost hear his heart thumping in his chest.

And baby Wille rushing out because he’s about to burst into tears… because he’s physically in pain… he can’t breathe, his legs don’t work properly… my heart…

August complaining that Sara seems like she only wanted to sleep with him. Self-worth issues, self-image issues… Sara saying that she doesn’t want things between them to end up like Simon and Wilhelm. “I’m not like Wilhelm, okay?” (Yes, you’re right about that, you are not like Wilhelm, Wilhelm would never.) But he doesn’t know what she’s actually referring to. She means that maybe being with someone from the royal family is too messy, and she would end up heartbroken, but he probably thinks she means something else. To him Wilhelm is the problem, because he’s not committed to his role as Crown Prince, he doesn’t want it enough, and August wants it so bad. What could possibly go wrong with that? What could Sara possibly be afraid of? He doesn’t get it. He also doesn’t understand that Wille is in love with Simon, he probably thinks that Wille is only mad about the video because it was a betrayal, because it outed him to the world, but Wille is also mad that this ruined his relationship with Simon too.

“Are you nervous?” “What?” Simon snapping defensively because he thinks Marcus is referring to what Simon is actually nervous about, that he’s seen through him.

“I’m just going to check something with the choir,” he lied dishonestly with his lying face. But if he had said he was going outside to get some fresh air or something, Marcus would have offered to come with him. Clever.

“I’m just trying to move on,” sounds like he’s saying it as much for himself as for Wille, like he’s trying to convince himself. He wants Wille to tell him “no, please, don’t move on”, but Wille is still set on letting him go, even though it makes him physically ill.

Why did he step into Wille’s space? Because it’s like magnetism, he can’t help himself, he can’t keep away. He’s saying one thing and doing another, because he’s short-circuiting. “This whole thing between us got so messed up,” he says right in Wille’s face, he’s so conflicted. He shouldn’t want this, he shouldn’t be so desperate for it, this can’t work… but the heart wants what the heart wants.

That kiss… that kiss belongs in every list of the best kisses of all time. Enough has been said about the kiss, so, let’s just watch it eight(y) times in a row and then let’s continue.

(Just an additional thought, Wille needs to take a moment because he can’t believe what just happened. He can’t even feel his face. He can’t believe it worked, he thought he’d really lost Simon. It turns out it’s true: if you love someone, let them go, and if they come back they are yours. He can’t believe it happened in less than five minutes. This has been a real rollercoaster of emotions.)

And then Marcus knows. Marcus looks sad, but you know what? Fuck Marcus. Fuck him for not letting Simon go when Simon wanted it. (But then maybe this was the way that everything needed to happen, for Wille to come to this realization that if he really loved Simon he had to let him go. And maybe Simon had to continue thinking that he could power through until he felt something for Marcus for him to realize that it’s pointless, that he was lying to himself as well as everyone around him, that he only wanted Wille.)

Wille really trying not to smile like an idiot. Because he’s so happy to have been kissed by Simon again, because he has hope again, and because Simon is singing… it a bit like the first time he saw Simon, and Simon was singing, and Wilhelm smiled for the first time in so long…

And Simon can barely contain his love, his relief, his joy at that moment. It’s the little half-blink for me that kills me every time.He has to look down, because if he keeps looking at Wille his face will betray all those feelings. Also he’s so pretty‼

(This whole episode was all about Wille realizing that he needs to let Simon go, to put Simon’s feelings ahead of his own, even if it’s at the cost of his own happiness; and about Simon coming to terms with his true feelings, with realizing what he really wants, despite what everyone else tells him he should do or feel. And when those two things combined… magic and beauty).

This episode was brought to you by JEALOUSY ™.

#young royals #young royals season 2 #young royals s2 #young royals analysis #young royals thoughts #wilmon #wilmon endgame

73 notes · View notes

billfarrah · 2 years

Note

i am sorry your take about simon got blown way out of proportion. i agree with you 100%. you can say simon hurt someone + simon might have been a bit selfish + there might be some truth to what marcus said (key word SOME) without it being victim blaming. marcus did overstep simons boundaries and ignore him when he said he wanted to break up and it was super fucked up of him to bring up micke and also, simon did kiss wille when he arrived with marcus. that doesn’t mean simon is evil or that it’s his fault that marcus stepped across his boundaries or that he deserved to be treated that way (or that marcus did either. he’s only 16, he’s just figuring out what it means to date ppl and be respectful). there is alwayssss more nuance than “this person bad, this person good,” and also they are teenagers. things get messy especially when they are dealing with something as traumatic as…. literally everything they went through last season. i never took what you said as victim blaming. they are just a bunch of traumatized teens

Agreed. I'd also like to point out that Wille also made a lot of mistakes this season:

Not fully understanding or acknowledging that his actions hurt Simon and pleading with Simon that he's the only one he can talk to was definitely not a cool move

Telling Simon he doesn't get why he can just "not care" just because Simon is seeking space from him

Not defending Simon against the classist comments Nils makes about him in episode 3

Kissing Felice because he's heartbroken over Simon kissing Marcus

Being very ignorant and self-involved at times

Not telling Simon about August right away

Was Wille right for doing any of these things? NO. But I understand his character and motivations. He also grows in a lot of ways and a lot of these things change, but not all because he's still growing and is not perfect. The point is everyone's flaws and mistakes make sense given their circumstances and everyone goes through a character arc by the end of the season. They're all dealing with the weight of the world on their shoulders. They're all victims in some way and dealing with it in messy ways as any teenager would. They're all deeply human and that's what I love about this show and its characters.

#young royals

18 notes · View notes

gilly-bean · 2 years

Note

Okay I am the anon that just sent you an ask, I didn't mean to be rude and I think I was, I am sorry if I came across that way! I guess I just don't understand how some people disliking Simon's storyline this season for whatever reason equals them not wanting Simon to make mistakes.

Well you did get me with the narrative part I didn't know I was part of any narratives at all 👀 but all I can say is that at no point did I mean to imply that "let Simon make mistakes" is a response to the critique people have about wanting to see more family stuff in Simon storyline. I would have also loved to have seen more family stuff, I was just happy with what we got too. "Let Simon make mistakes" is a response to people having some pretty wild takes about the whole Marcus situation, meaning it's fine if Simon was a little bit of an asshole to him, it doesn't mean Marcus was in the right either, yes he is a complete dick and a little bit of an gaslighter but Simon wasn't perfect either but that's also okay and that's what I meant. Hope that clears that up.

#yr

0 notes

nextinline-if · 2 years

Note

well now i have to know the game recs

All four of you are lovely. How did you know I wanted to share??? So sweet of you ask ;D

Okay, but really <3 These are in no particular order and I doubt Tumblr will let me list them all, so here go just a few of my favorites. I have a lot of visual novel recs too but I refrained from adding ;D

The King's Hound, @the-kingshound- What's not to love? It lives rent-free in my head and I love Arthur and Yniol. <3

Novaturient, @kalorphic- uhm NOAH that's all I have to say about that. I always wanted to be a spy <3

Water to Blood, @veirsewrites - Arlo and Eddie <3 yes, I am a badass vampire nightclub owner!!

Crown of Exile, @ramonag-if - Prince Irus has me simping. That's my man OKAY??

Everything Is Blue, @everythingisblue-if- Aryn, why?? Why have you made it so hard for me to pick between the scrupulous brothers Simon and Lane? WHY. I CAN'T. SOMEONE HELP.

The Operative: Fires of Revolution, @theoperativeif- UHM excuse me. No one touches Ari. Ari is MINE. also, I love sci-fi.

Some Sword / Some Play - short smutty IF. That's all I'm going to say about that :) - on itch.io

Shepherds of Haven, @shepherds-of-haven- Blade, and Chase have me in a CHOKEHOLD.

When Life Gives You Lemons, @when-life-gives-you-lemonssss- everyone simping over MC? Yep, sounds like the perfect dream. Plus, I have a house with a pool and I can screw date my boss <3

Vendetta, @vendetta-if- Ash <3 like, I am here for vengeance and Ash.

A Court of Serpents, @acourtofserpents- yes, I am going to romance Prince Ryzan. Hate me and then love me <3 gotta love getting bullied - passionate!!

Defiled Hearts: The Barbarian, @defiledheartsblog- Marcus can destroy me any day. I love Ancient history so this setting is chef's kiss, too.

Mind Blind, @mindblindbard- I'm playing for most of the ROs. But Grayson? hot damn...I will eat his burnt chocolate chip cookies EVERY TIME.

The Abyssal, @theabyssal- Sol <3 I want to romance every version of Sol. Playing as Death and getting vengeance is so satisfying. The writing is sooooo freaking good.

Adoriel's Tears, @adoriels-tears-if - Sage :) the game's premise is so interesting and unique! Refreshing.

Unwilling Souls, @unwilling-souls-if- Crescent? Trying to kill me? Flirting with me? heyyyy how are you doing?? but also Xander!

Frostbite, @frostbite-if- this one isn't out yet BUT I'm 100% romancing Heidi. Alexis too <3 I am clumsy with no skill but my MC is going to be a great lil figure skater!!

Bacchanal, @bacchanal-if - this one isn't out yet either an adult game I can't wait to play <3 I'm looking at Fox, red flag Butterfly, red flag Edward for a love triangle and of course red flag Univinted Guest <3

So many more but these will do for now! Thanks for indulging me LMAO <3

And there are many, many more <3

#if recs #some of my favorite games #vi's recs #i love yall lol

558 notes · View notes

ahsokaismyqueen · 4 years

Text

Being Loved

Pairing - Marcus Moreno x Pregnant!Reader

Summary - When Marcus gets a text from his daughter saying that you’re acting weird, he rushes right over thinking that something’s wrong. When he gets to you though, it’s not exactly what he had pictured.

Word Count - 1.2k

Warnings - None! Pure fluff!

Being a superhero, it took a lot to rattle Marcus Moreno. He had handled alien invasions, labs creating dangerous chemicals, even saved a few cats from some trees. Whenever he did get nervous, it had something to do with either his daughter or now you.

So when he got a text message from his daughter that said you were acting funny, and that he should probably come home, his heart started racing with anxiety. Not only because he knows that Missy wouldn’t text him something like that if she didn’t mean it, but also because you are seven months pregnant with his baby.

He had never raced out of the Heroics building and to your house in such a short amount of time. Marcus was fairly sure he could have given Blinding Fast a run for his money. None of that mattered though, all that mattered was making sure that you were okay. When he opened the door, he found Missy waiting for him, her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping on the ground. “What took you so long?”

“Where is she? What’s going on? Is the baby coming?” He asked, the panic clear in his tone.

“Upstairs, I’m - uh - not sure, and I don’t think so?” Missy answered, calling after Marcus as he ran up the stairs and to your shared bedroom. He didn’t even bother to knock, using his powers to swing the door open, but what he found when he stood there stopped him in his tracks.

You were laying down on the bed, a tub of ice cream balanced on your belly which was covered in one of his t-shirts with tears streaming down your face. “Marcus?” You whimpered, obviously startled by how he had entered the room. “What are you - you’re not supposed to be -”

“Missy texted. What’s wrong cariño?” He asked, approaching you cautiously. Since your moods had been . . . well changing, he had learned that was the best way to do it.

You glanced back at the television and frowned, and Marcus was horrified to see the tears start up again. “He . . . why doesn’t he just tell her why he doesn’t want to be a father?! She’s his wife! She - she deserves to know.”

Stuck on bedrest, there hadn’t been much else for you to do other than to binge watch television shows, and as of right now, everyone had been talking about Bridgerton. You had no idea how much of an effect it would have on you. Watching Simon and Daphne struggle through her wanting to have children, and him not wanting to, made you question whether this was something that Marcus even wanted in the first place, or if you had pressured him into it.

Turning back to Marcus, you put a hand on the bottom of your belly, biting your bottom lip. “You . . . you want this baby, right? I didn’t . . . I didn’t make you -”

“What? No!” He said in disbelief, hurrying to your side and sitting next to you on the bed. His warm hand coming to rest on top of yours, giving it a squeeze. “Of course I want this baby! I’m so happy I’m having a child with you.”

“But . . . What if the baby has powers and Missy gets jealous? Or what if Missy gets jealous in the first place? I don’t want her to think I’m going to love her any less because of -” The words came tumbling out of your mouth so fast you were sure Marcus was struggling to keep up, but as soon as you had started voicing some of the fears you had been tucking away, you couldn’t stop.

“Sweetheart, sweetheart!” Marcus interrupted, shaking his head at you and giving you a soft smile. “I think it’s time I show you something.”

“But -” Your eyes flickered back to the television, but he took the remote and paused it. You frowned, and you frowned even more when he took the ice cream away, but you let him lift you into his arms without any complaint. Your arms wove around his neck at once, snuggling into him and closing your eyes as you breathed in the scent of his aftershave. You were so glad it was one of the few things that didn’t bother your stomach.

“Hey, Missy? You ready to show her?” Marcus called down the stairs, and Missy soon hurried up, a huge grin on her face as she did.

“It’s time?” She asked.

Marcus nodded, and let Missy lead the two of you to the door that you knew was going to be the nursery. It was a place you hadn’t been able to step in since you got put on bedrest because it was such an unfinished mess it stressed you out. “Guys I can’t look at paint swatches right -”

Missy opened the door and your breath was taken away. What had once been a disaster of storage and boxes of unfinished baby items was now a completed nursery. Marcus carried you over and put you down in what had to be the most comfortable cushioned rocking chair you had ever sat in.

“Okay!” Missy stood in the center of the room, clapping her hands together and ready to give the tour. “So over to this wall,” She waved dramatically to your left. “We have some shelving for storage, a clothing hamper, and a changing table because babies go through a lot of clothes, a lot of diapers, and you need all of those things right there.” She then turned to the next wall in the room. “Here we have more shelving for all the baby clothes you’re going to have, another chair so two people can be in here at the same time, and some pictures of all of us!”

As Missy spoke you glanced over at the pictures, a soft smile on your face as you looked at each one. They were some of your favorites. All of you had your own individual pictures, but there were also pictures of Missy and Marcus, Missy and Anita, you and Marcus, you and Missy, and then a picture of all of you.

Marcus, who sensed how emotional you were getting, placed a warm hand on your shoulder, giving it a squeeze as Missy continued showing you every aspect of the room.

“So?” She said when she was done, bringing her hands together and almost jumping up and down in excitement. “What do you think?”

Your voice was weak when you responded. “You guys did all of this?”

“Well, mostly Dad, but I did the painting, and he did let me help put some stuff together - oh no, you’re crying again. I’m sorry! We can change it if -”

“No!” You interrupted her, shaking your head back and forth. Missy’s clear excitement and Marcus’s hard work was only making you cry harder though. The fact that they cared so much about this new addition despite all the challenges it might bring had your chest constricting with affection for the two of them. “Come here,” you said to both of them, gesturing them towards you and pulling them both into as good of a hug as you could manage. “It’s perfect. It’s beautiful. It’s everything I could ever want.” You told them, hugging them so tight you’re not sure you weren’t hurting them.

When the three of you pulled away, Missy was smiling, and Marcus’s hand went back to your belly, rubbing it gently. “We love you, mi alma, and we love this baby too.” He told you, his soft, soothing words putting you more at ease than he would ever know.

He had reminded you, that no matter what, this baby was going to be loved by an amazing father, and an equally amazing sister.

#marcus moreno #marcus moreno x reader #marcus moreno x you #marcus moreno imagine #we can be heroes imagine

244 notes · View notes

betterbe-ravenclaw · 4 years

Text

A HPHM character profile - Naomi Kinnley

Naomi has been being developed for a good while now, and I know that my version of events will clash with that of others (over love interest, profession, interests, family etc) so I really hope that won't be a problem. It's taken a long time for me to post this because I'm extremely nervous but hopefully Naomi and I can fit into the community!

(This wonderful profile template is by @hogwartsmysterystory and made introducing Naomi so much easier than it could have been, so thank you!)

Also the artwork is by me. Still practicing humans.

Identity:

Name: Naomi Justine kinnley

Gender: Female

Age: 15 (in game currently, I guess her age technically changes with each scenario as necessary)

Date of Birth: 27th April 1973

Species: Human

Blood Status: Half-Blood

Sexuality: straight (or heterosexual, they both mean the same thing right?)

Ethnicity: English, Welsh, French

Nationality: English

Residence: The Kinnley Household, #.17 Turley Avenue, Norwich, Norfolk, England

MBPT: ISFP - the adventurer

The Mage:

1st wand: cedar, dragon heartstring core, slightly springy, 11 ½ inches

“...‘you will never fool the cedar carrier,’ and I agree: the cedar wand finds its perfect home where there is perspicacity and perception. I would go further than my father, however, in saying that I have never yet met the owner of a cedar wand whom I would care to cross, especially if harm is done to those of whom they are fond. The witch or wizard who is well-matched with cedar carries the potential to be a frightening adversary, which often comes as a shock to those who have thoughtlessly challenged them”

“As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner.”

2nd wand: willow, phoenix feather core, reasonably supple, 12 ¼ inch

“Willow is an uncommon wand wood with healing power, and I have noted that the ideal owner for a willow wand often has some (usually unwarranted) insecurity, however well they may try and hide it. While many confident customers insist on trying a willow wand (attracted by their handsome appearance and well-founded reputation for enabling advanced, non-verbal magic) my willow wands have consistently selected those of greatest potential, rather than those who feel they have little to learn...”

“This is the rarest core type. Phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than either unicorn or dragon cores to reveal this. They show the most initiative, sometimes acting of their own accord, a quality that many witches and wizards dislike.”

Animagus: N/A

Misc magical abilities: Apparition and Disapparition

Boggart form: missing a chance to save somebody special to her (usually Rowan, her brother or Murphy) because she was preoccupied with something novel and insignificant. Knowing she should have and could have been there and would have been able to help - but wasn’t. (Shows up as herself with her back to the incident, not noticing when her loved one calls out for help)

Riddikulus form: in being preoccupied with said novel activity, she misses her loved one(s) not being murdered, but instead making silly faces 0r acting clownish behind her back, a bit like in a pantomime.

Amortentia (their smell): home baked bread, a wildflower field, crisp new parchment, baled hay, plums from her grandparents’ orchard and vanilla.

Amortentia (what they smell): mown grass, cinnamon, old books, home baked cookies, polished leather, lavender laundry detergent and the sea.

Patronus: leopardess

Strong

Graceful

Quiet

Independent

Protective

Patronus memory: sitting at the attic window with her brother early on christmas morning as a child, drinking hot chocolate with those tiny muggle marshmallows and munching on their mother’s cookies that they weren't supposed to have until the afternoon. Talking and playing wizards chess, exploding snap and their dad's old Muggle board games, watching the sunrise and being together.

Mirror of erised:

during hogwarts - reliving her patronus memory every christmas as tradition goes. Still having Jacob shake her awake at ridiculous o’clock and take her upstairs to the window where he’d set up their blanket instead of waking up of her own accord and sitting alone until the sunrise.

As an adult - hosting dinner at the house she shares with her husband and children for all her close friends and family. All of them. Those who are gone would be there too for a night of good food and good company where the children would run around playing and Naomi would get a warm feeling of belonging in her heart.

specialized/favourite spell:

Pretego - she never wants anyone she loves to come to harm, especially after rowans passing.

Expecto Patronum - beautiful, peaceful and protective. Useful and stunning all at the same time. A thing of comfort and joy.

Avis - she’s calmed around animals and birds. Just for fun.

Ferula & episkey - similar to protego, to help those who come to harm and keep them from pain as much as possible.

Lumos - simple and useful. It was one of the first things she learnt at Hogwarts and feels nostalgic.

Appearance:

Faceclaim: Willa Holland (just imagine she has freckles.)

Game appearance:

Height: 5’6” (170.7cm)

Weight: 151lbs (68.5kg)

Physique: Slim

Eye colour: hazel, quite green in places

Hair colour: dark brown, looks ginger in the sun, loosely curly

Skin tone: medium, somewhere in between olive and pale.

Body modifications: she has one piercing in each earlobe that she got aged 10. She mainly just wears studs.

Scarring: nothing major, she has a few little scars from mundane accidents like cutting her knee on a rock but that's about it.

Inventory: wand, quill, ink, chapstick, hair ties, a hairbrush, prefect badge, scrap parchment, glasses, glasses case, half finished bag of sherbet lemons, unopened packet of every flavour beans and a leather notebook with unlimited pages for notes on everything

Fashion: Naomi likes to pair denim bottoms (jeans or shorts or sometimes a skirt if she's in the mood) with a t-shirt - she likes the ones with different coloured sleeves and also ones with words on the front. She'll also wear denim jackets and leggings and knitted sweaters and sometimes summer dresses and skirts. She mostly likes comfortable stuff. If it feels good on her body and she's comfortable in it she'll wear it.

Allegiances:

Hogwarts house: Ravenclaw

Affiliations / organisations: the circle of Khanna, the order of the phoenix, the ministry of magic, the department of magical law enforcement - auror division

Professions:

Age 11-18 : Hogwarts student

Age 18-21 : Trainee Auror, part of the ministry of magic's department of magical law enforcement Auror training programme

Age 21-25 : Junior Auror, department of magical law enforcement - Auror devison

Age 25 - 28 : unemployed, having taken a break from work to focus on the family after the war

Age 28 - 40 : Senior Auror, department of Magical law enforcement - Auror devison

Age 40 - 46 : Head Auror, department of Magical law enforcement - Auror devison

Age 46 - 48 : Assistant manager at Cathy's Bakes (her mother in law's bakery)

Age 48 - Retirement : manager at Cathy's Bakes

Hogwarts info:

Class proficiencies:

Astronomy - E

Charms - O

Defence against the dark arts - O

Flying - O

Herbology - A

History of magic - E

Potions - O

Transfiguration - O

Electives:

Care of Magical Creatures - O

Arithmancy - E

Divination - A

Quidditch: Chaser from 2nd year onwards

Extra curricular: Quidditch, Dueling Club, prefect

Favourite professors: Flitwick, McGonagall, Kettleburn

Least favourite professors: Binns, Trelawney, Rakepick

Relationships:

Brother: Jacob William Kinnley

born 5th October, 1964

Goes by J

Ravenclaw

About 8 years older than Naomi

Curly brown hair, green eyes, really tall, stubble

Kind-hearted, witty, humorous and strong, though short tempered and more reserved after his disappearance

Was always Naomi's favourite sibling Because he was similar to her and actually had time for her. They were very close growing up, pushing Naomi to try and find him. She wanted that back.

Misc siblings: Cynthia Eleanor Kinnley

Born 16th January 1968

Goes by Cindy

Gryffindor

About 5 years older than Naomi

Straight black hair, hazel eyes, tall, attractive

Outgoing, kind, reckless and charming. She and Naomi fought more and weren't as close as Naomi and Jacob.

Ran off to study magical creatures in Africa after Jacob's disappearance to escape her troubles.

Independent magizoologist, works with a small team on less explored species

Father: Anthony Kinnley

Born 7th March 1942

Muggleborn

Ravenclaw

Curly dark brown hair, green eyes, tall, stubble

Kind-hearted, protective, quiet, calm and stronger than he looks. Was able to keep himself together following Jacobs disappearance, if only for the sake of his wife and daughters.

Works for the ministry of magic, department of international magical cooperation

Mother: Eleanor Kinnley née Campbell

Born 18th May 1942

Pureblood

Hufflepuff

Straight black hair, hazel eyes, short, curvy, beautiful

Used to be jolly, humorous and charming, though is mentally unstable after Jacob disappeared. Depressed and not like she used to be, particularly around holidays.

Currently unemployed, hardly leaves the house. Previously a nurse at St. Mungo's hospital for magical maladies and injuries

Grandparents: Marigold Kinnley (née West), William Kinnley, Justine Campbell (née Bordeaux), Henry Campbelll (Deceased)

Misc family members: Simon Kinnley (Uncle), Timothy Kinnley (uncle), Flora Kinnley (née Brown, Aunt), Laura Peters (née Kinnley, Aunt), Robert Peters (Uncle), Geraldine Campbell (Great Aunt), Delia Peters (Cousin), Felicity Peters (Cousin), Liam Peters (cousin) , Marcus Kinnley (cousin), Cathleen McNully (Mother-in-law)

Love interest:

Barnaby Lee (Briefly - 4th year)

Attended the celestial ball together

Barnaby broke it off after a few weeks wanting to be just friends

Naomi had much the same feelings

Murphy McNully (Briefly -5th year)

Dated in secret for about a month and a half

Broke it off because they didn't see eye to eye in their relationship.

Ended with an argument

Charlie Weasley (Briefly - 5th year)

Flirted shameless for weeks

Went on about four dates before Naomi realised she didn't feel right with him and stopped the relationship before too much happened

Murphy McNully (5th year onwards - Spouse)

Got back together in undisclosed circumstances after Naomi and Charlie agreed to be just friends

Spent a year doing long distance after Murphy graduated (him being in the year above her)

Moved in together after Naomi graduated

Eventually Married before having five children.

Children:

Marigold Rowan McNully,

born 28th June, 1993

Goes by Goldie

Ravenclaw

Golden child

Lives up to her namesakes dream of becoming hogwarts' youngest ever professor (Transfiguration)

Cathleen Penelope McNully,

born 1st February, 1995

Likes to be called Kitty or Kit

Gryffindor

Bit of a troublemaker

Professional beater and quidditch star before taking over at the bakery for a 3rd generation

Anthony Jacob McNully,

born 2nd December 1998

Has the nickname Tony

Ravenclaw

Bisexual

Qualified healer working with underprivileged wizarding communities

Eleanor Nymphadora McNully,

born 13th August 2002

Everyone calls her Nelly

Hufflepuff

Daddy's girl through and through

Follows in her father's footsteps becoming a professional quidditch commentator

Henry Charles McNully,

born 30th April 2006

Ravenclaw

Bit of a mummy's boy

A surprise baby

An Auror like his mother

Best friends:

Rival: Merula Snyde, Erika Rath

(school) - Rowan Kahnna, Nymphadora Tonks, Tulip Karasu, Charlie Weasley, Skye Parkin, Penny Haywood, Murphy McNully.

Enemy: Patricia Rakepick

Dormmates: Rowan Kahnna, Tulip Karasu, Badeea Ali

Pets:

Toby

Chocolate brown cocker spaniel

Lives at her home with her parents

Miranda

Birman Cat

Accompanies Naomi to Hogwarts

Maurice

Black horse with a balze (white mark on face)

Lives at her grandparents farm

Closest canon friends: Rowan, Penny, Murphy, Skye, Charlie, Tonks, Tulip, Bill, Andre, Barnaby, Orion, Badeea

Closest MC friends:

Ravenna Glynn (@chronic-clinomania )

Calista Slater (@i-am-not-cursed )

Naomi's always willing to make new friends, even if it takes her a while to pluck up the courage to approach somebody. Maybe message me if you want your MC to be friends?

Background / history:

Pre-Hogwarts:

Naomi was born at 7:13am on the 27th of April 1973 (a week late) as the third and youngest child to Eleanor and Anthony Kinnley.

Her childhood is happy. She gets along with both parents and both siblings (though she and Cindy clash more than her and Jacob) and has a pretty normal home life - save for the magic part.

Jacob began attending Hogwarts when Naomi was only 3 years old, And Cynthia when she was 6, making for a good amount of quiet time which Naomi was very fond of.

As soon as Naomi was able to read and write fluently - about aged 6 - she would exchange letters with both her siblings. She and Jacob wrote to each other more often, as they were the closest of the siblings.

She attended a Muggle primary school like her siblings, though only ever made a couple of friends and wasn't too upset to lose contact with them when she left for hogwarts.

Though the first wizarding war was taking place throughout her childhood, Naomi's family had never been a large target or very involved in the war effort - her parents had decided to put safety above all else, therefore neglecting to join the order of the phoenix and keeping themselves to themselves as much as possible.

Naomi was 8, nearing 9, when Jacob went missing in 1981. Old enough to understand and make her own judgements of the situation. She was immediately distraught though found it hard to accept that her beloved big brother would just leave her and spent over a year writing to him to find out where he had gone, without a single reply. In the end, just before she left for Hogwarts, Naomi decided that she'd do whatever it took to find her brother, her stubbornness taking over.

In Hogwarts:

Of course, the events of Hogwarts mystery happen during this time, though other points include the following

After being sorted into Ravenclaw house, Naomi quickly becomes very close friends with Rowan Khanna. After their initial meeting in Diagon alley, Naomi feels comfortable enough to talk freely with the girl and by the time Christmas rolls around she can firmly say that Rowan is her best friend.

Naomi is obviously a competent and talented student in many areas. A lot of teachers take a shine to her as she's focused and a hard worker. Therefore, she's often asked to perform demonstrations and to assist other students.

In her second year, Naomi became the newest chaser on the Ravenclaw quidditch team. To this day, she is grateful to Penny for pushing her to try out because quidditch helped her become the person she is today and introduced her to some of her closest friends and, of course, her now-husband.

Naomi spends a lot of time at the quidditch pitch, In the quidditch stands, in the three broomsticks, by the black lake and, after accidentally stumbling upon it in her 6th year with Tonks, Tulip and Charlie, the room of requirement. After Christmas of 5th year, Naomi also spends a good amount of time in the kitchens, practicing her new hobby of baking.

She and her dorm-mates often stock up on sweets from honeydukes and chose a night to stay up talking and eating until the morning. At some point, they started inviting other girl friends into the dorm for the night (starting after tonks unsuccessfully tried to sneak in behind tulip.)

Post Hogwarts:

Having been unsure about what her career would be all throughout school, Naomi decided to join Tonks in the auror training programme. She deduces that this job would be a good fit for her, and ends up really enjoying it.

Murphy proposes to her 3 years after the initial start of their relationship

They're married not long after, with Penny as Maid of Honour and Orion as best man. Naomi had both her father and brother give her away.

She and Murphy end up living near his mother in a previously abandoned house just outside his home town. It's pretty secluded so they can practice magic without worrying.

By 1995, Naomi and Murphy had had their first two children - Marigold and Cathleen - just as the second wizarding war was beginning.

The second wizarding war:

Both Naomi and Murphy join the order of the phoenix, her auror training coming in handy and him being focused on strategies (what else?). She has many missions, including surveillance and combat.

In joining the order of the phoenix, Naomi gets a chance to meet the golden trio. Harry, Ron and Hermione immediately seem more than capable, and Naomi makes sure she takes the time to let them know she's willing to help them out however she can.

In early 1998, Naomi falls pregnant for a third time, though decides that she won't tell anyone until she has to, trying not to add stress to the already scary times.

During the battle of Hogwarts, Naomi had very close encounters with Bellatrix LeStrange and Augustus Rookwood - both of whom came rather close to finishing her off. Fortunately, her auror training, dueling club experience and protect-don't-harm nature came through, and she managed to stun both death eaters before they took her life.

Naomi was there to witness Tonks' death. That moment was haunting and still shows up in her nightmares from time to time. She was also in the vicinity when Fred Weasley was killed.

Throughout the entire war, Naomi did not use an unforgivable curse once - something she's proud of as she often wanted to murder those death eaters who took her friends.

Post second wizarding war:

Murphy and Naomi both Survive the war, and Naomi took a break from work after the war to recover from the trauma and focus on herself and her family.

When she finally goes back to work, she is able to get to know Harry Potter and Ron Weasley a lot better and they end up becoming good family friends (along with the rest of the weasley family.)

She remains an Auror until the age of 46 (become head auror during this time) before resigning and taking over from her mother in law at the bakery. It's a very much welcomed change of pace (although Naomi is always willing to lend a hand on the odd auror mission at the request of Harry.)

Naomi often invites a large gathering of friends and family over for celebrations - notable occasions include New year's, her children's birthdays and the anniversary of both Rowan's death and the battle of Hogwarts. There's always a lot of food (usually prepared with the help of Cathy and Molly Weasley) and good times.

Home life is wonderful, She and Murphy have a very happy marriage and spend their lives together with their children, and then later their grandchildren.

Personality:

Protective - Naomi is very keen on the defensive way of doing things. She doesn't like to cause harm to anybody unless she can't see any alternative way out of a situation. Along with this, although she is usually pretty quiet and reserved, Naomi will never stand by whilst somebody (especially a friend) is struggling or in trouble. It's one of the few circumstances where Naomi will actually put herself into the action voluntarily.

Creative - Naomi is good at thinking on the spot. She can come up with solutions to a problem when all other possible solutions fall through by thinking outside the box.

Loyal - Naomi hasn't always found it easy to make friends, she's shy and gets very nervous talking to new people, but once she's made friends with somebody Naomi is always going to be there. She's always willing to take on their problems and help in whatever way she can, and makes sure that her friends know how grateful she is to have them and that she's always there when they need her.

Empathetic - Naomi is very good at understanding the feelings of others and knowing exactly what to say to make people calm down and feel better. She can put herself in people's shoes and also acts as the peacekeeper in many arguments as she can .

Easily Stressed - Naomi is an overthinker, she starts to panic when things start to go wrong and gets very stressed. The smallest thing can make her frustrated or worried, and though she can usually hide these feelings in the day, they always come out at night or at any time if they're strong enough. She finds it very hard to let go and let bad things happen.

Stubborn - Naomi isn't likely to back down from many things without a fight. She doesn't like to be wrong, accept too much help or admit she's made a mistake, just as she hates to lose an argument. She always makes sure to be as calm and polite as possible if she has different feelings, but sometimes she can't help but raise her voice.

Naomi is also pretty patient, indecisive, quiet, a good listener, generous and naturally intelligent among other things.

Miscellaneous:

As a baby, Naomi has thick, long, curly hair and was rather chubby, though by the time she reached 7, her curls loosened and her baby fat was no longer a problem. She still had very long hair though.

She goes by Mia to her friends, and Nomi, love and Mia to Murphy. She's also the only person other than his mother who's allowed to call Murphy by his first name or Murph, and also calls him darling, McNully and button (the nickname button has a backstory that I may or may not disclose at some point. She only calls him that when she's teasing him though.)

She was very nearly a hatstall between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff - and she ended up dictating the final decision. Naomi knows she would have been fine in either house now, but at the time, Ravenclaw seemed like the only option because Rowan had just been sorted into it, and it had been the house of her brother.

Although Naomi has glasses, she can usually see just fine without them, and doesn't bother wearing them outside of class.

She's a fiddler a doodler and a nail biter. All happen when she's nervous and/or bored. She'll work her nails down as much as she can and will pick up and play around with just about anything. She's also very prone to drawing and writinh all over her wrists - lists, memos, ideas, harmless pictures of golden snitches and nifflers and Murphy.

Naomi can both ride and drive horses and enjoys it rather a lot. She learnt on her Muggle grandparents' farm where she spent most of her summer holidays as a child and Hogwarts student.

Naomi and Murphy's mother Cathleen, or Cathy, are very good friends. They get along incredibly well and Naomi now comes to Cathy more than her own mother for advice. They spend a lot of time discussing Murphy and other things - often baking in the meantime (Cathy introduced her to baking and Naomi even ends up taking over her bakery business.)

Naomi was one of the few people allowed to attend Tonks and Remus' Wedding, and likes to keep in touch with Teddy Lupin after his parents death (relatively easy as he's good friends with her son Anthony and her Daughter Eleanor.)

She can't decide if her favourite colour is Yellow or blue. They've been her top two since forever but she's never been quite sure which is better.

#hphm #hphm profile #character profile #my oc #naomi kinnley #hphm mc #daunting yet liberating #took forever #been sat in the drafts for too long

24 notes · View notes

bobdylanrevisited · 4 years

Text

Self Portrait

Released: 8 June 1970

Rating: 4/10

To quote Greil Marcus: ‘what is this shit?’ The album artwork doesn’t look like him, the record doesn’t sound like him. This is one of the most bizarre records ever released and a complete departure from the quality Dylan was known for. Critically decried for being far below the usual standard, Bob has since said the album was purposely bad, as he wanted to shake off the label of being the spokesperson for his generation and focused on covers instead. This may be Bob being a bit revisionist, but it is clear that the album was horrifically messed around with in postproduction, leading to many of its flaws. In 2013, The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (hereby referred to as BS10) was released with many of the original recordings before overdubs were added. This proved that there was an incredible album intended, but sadly it was, for lack of a better word, completely fucked up.

1) All The Tired Horses - What kind of album is this? The opening track is just three female voices repeating ‘all the wild horses in the sun, how am I s’posed to get any riding done’ for over 3 minutes with orchestral musical accompaniment. It’s hardly Subterranean Homesick Blues or Like A Rolling Stone is it? Dylan isn’t even on the fucking song, what a waste of time.

2) Alberta #1 - This traditional cover isn’t too bad, Bob’s singing and harmonica are nice and the song has a relaxed feel to it. However, as will become a common theme on the album, the backing harmonies and overdubbed instruments are confusing and irritating. You’ll hear me say this a lot, but the BS10 original version is far superior.

3) I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know - This mind-numbingly boring cover of Cecil Null’s song is something I wish I could forget.

4) Days Of 49 - Originally by Frank & Alan Lomax, this is one of the better songs on the album. Dylan seemingly loses his crooning voice and sounds more like his early folk days. However, the BS10 recording without the overdubs is one of my favourite ever Dylan covers. The rawness of that version is incredible and proves that Dylan didn’t need all these weird after effects, he was perfect and powerful with just his guitar.

5) Early Mornin’ Rain - Whilst this Gordon Lightfoot cover isn’t exactly exciting, it’s a perfectly acceptable version with some nice piano and bass. It’s not offensive, but it’s nothing to write home about either.

6) In Search Of Little Sadie - Much like the previous track, it’s an okay interpretation of a traditional tune. To be fair, Dylan’s voice sounds great once again, but it’s still just a standard cover of an average song. As expected, the BS10 original version with just Bob is far better.

7) Let It Be Me - Back to a crooning, confusing, country cover. Incredibly boring.

8) Little Sadie - See track 6, it’s exactly the same.

9) Woogie Boogie - Two minutes of boring boogie woogie piano? No thanks.

10) Belle Isle - Easily an album highlight. It’s a beautiful traditional song, which Bob sings brilliantly, and even the added orchestral backing is surprisingly nice. Yet, to return to my catchphrase, the BS10 without the overdubs is far, far superior.

11) Living The Blues - Written by Bob, this sounds like it could have been a filler track on ‘Nashville Skyline’. It’s an okay song, again not great by any means, just an average folky/country song.

12) Like a Rolling Stone - Recorded live with The Band at The Isle of Wight Festival 1969, this is a brilliant example of Dylan’s country reimagining of some of his most famous hits. I really like this version, the whole set is available as part of BS10, and it is essential listening in the evolution of Bob’s live performances with his older material.

13) Copper Kettle - I really hate this Alan Beddoe cover, as the backing arrangement is terrible and honestly it just sounds shit. What makes me hate this one even more is the BS10 recording. It’s gorgeous, both simple and effective with a brilliant performance by Bob. How this overdubbed monstrosity was chosen for this album is beyond me, maybe it’s true Bob made this album to put people off, as this song was transformed from a beautiful tune into a clustered nightmare.

14) Gotta Travel On - I actually don’t mind this one, it’s a classic folk song by Paul Clayton but with the Woodstock twist. I could do without the backing singers, but again Bob sings like his 1965 self, and the song’s instrumentation is happily upbeat.

15) Blue Moon - Bob’s take on this oft covered ballad is nothing interesting or new, other than the inclusion of a rather grating violin.

16) The Boxer - This Simon & Garfunkel cover is very weird, with Dylan duetting with himself. Whilst it’s one of S&Gs best songs, this track is underwhelming and unfortunately doesn’t work at all.

17) The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) - One of the best songs mysteriously omitted from The Basement Tapes by Robbie Robertson, much more on that later on, this was originally recorded by Bob & The Band in 1967, however Manfred Mann had huge success with the song in 1968. This live recording, again from the Isle of Wight Festival 1969, is the first official release of Bob singing the song and it’s a fantastic track. The Band sound brilliant, Bob is on top form, and the energy of the performance is infectious.

18) Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go) - Bob’s on autopilot with this Boudleaux Bryant cover. Uninspired and uninteresting.

19) Take A Message To Mary - Another cover, the original is by Felice Bryant, this track is incredibly average but it is at least better than the previous one. It just sums up most of the album, it doesn’t feel like the Dylan who spent years pushing boundaries.

20) It Hurts Me Too - Once again, an average cover of a traditional song, there’s literally nothing else to say about it.

21) Minstrel Boy - Again, a live version of a brilliant song left off the Basement Tapes, with the official recording not released for many years. I’ll explore it more when we get to the Basement Tapes, but this Isle of Wight performance is fantastic.

22) She Belongs To Me - The final live Isle of Wight track, again a countrified version of an electric song, again a surreal listen. Yet somehow it feels like it could have been written during this country period.

23) Wigwam - Another instrumental track, though Dylan does vocalise some ‘la la la’s’ over the top, this one is far more enjoyable. Composed by Bob, it’s clearly a precursor to his work on the Pat Garrett & Bill The Kid soundtrack. The horns remind me of the band Beirut (who are fucking amazing) and for some reason the tune inspires wonder in a way I can’t quite put into words. The BS10 original recording without the horns, which were added in a later session, is also great, though this is a rare instance where the meddled with version is better.

24) Alberta #2 - The album finishes with another version of track 2. My thoughts on it remain unchanged.

Verdict: There’s clearly an amazing album hidden in here. If the recordings from BS10 were used, I’d be giving the album an 8 or 9. Most of the outtakes from these sessions are also much better than the final tracks chosen for release. Instead it’s a mess of largely average covers, bad production, and live songs all mixed together to create an incredibly weird and disappointing listen, with only the occasional flash of the Bob we know and love. If he wanted to destroy the illusion of being some musical deity then he had accomplished it, though I do not regard this album to be an irredeemable train wreck, as many other reviewers do. Luckily for us, Bob’s redemption was only 4 months away.

#bob dylan #self portrait

1 note · View note

mashitandsmashit · 4 years

Text

America’s Got Talent: Season 15 - Online Auditions

Alright, let's talk about the online auditions...And I don't just mean the ones they actually showed in full on the show last week, I mean all of the ones that were available to watch before the season even began! You can find all the videos here (you can't miss them): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsNUxRA5hGXEAZI3Mk_D3JQ/videos

So let's get right to it, shall we...?

10: Erin McCarthy. I'm sure Terry got flashbacks to his Old Spice days (I know it was the other guy, but still...) I guess the horse was a pretty amusing touch, but this lady's so pitchy that I was getting a migraine! All that said, this was a HELL of a way to close out the auditions...

9: Chris & Syd. Well, the guy's a nice singer, and the dog...is good at howling...Otherwise, this is a silly gimmick, and won't likely make it past the Judge Cuts next week...That said, if they do, they're gonna be a real threat in this game, bringing in votes from both the Heartland and dog lovers...

8: Tommy Socks. It's funny how they showed this right after the dude juggling flaming axes and a chainsaw...and yet THIS is the most dangerous-looking act I've seen in these online auditions! Usually, a man his age shuffling around on a hard-tile floor in his socks is a LifeCall waiting to happen! And yet he not only remained on his socked feet, but proved to be very spry on them for his age! This act is a silly gimmick, and he won't make it past the next round, but he still has my respect!

7: Max Major. OH MY GOD! THE FINGER TRICK WORKED ON ME TOO! HOW DID HE DO THAT!? IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN SIMPLE PHYSICS, HE MUST BE A WIZARD! ...Or a demon, like Simon said...But seriously, this was nothing amazing...I guess the fact that he was able to do this through video chat was impressive enough, although I did just read a comment about an “invisible deck”, which does make it less impressive...Still, I'm curious enough to see what he can do on a live stage...

6: Lauren O'Brien. Impressionists are always fun, even if the novelty of them tends to wear out pretty quickly from round to round...But I enjoyed her, and her impression of Sofia is all the more amusing now that I've gotten to know her more throughout the auditions. (Silly accent aside, she is growing on me as a judge...)

5: Darius. I guess he won't give his last name...(Rucker?) Very likable personality, good song choice, and a very nice singing voice! I wouldn't quite call him my favorite singer of the season, but this was a nice audition...It's actually kind of a shame that we won't likely see him again...At least this season...But if nothing else, maybe I'll actually get a little respect for my miserable time working retail (even though I quit that job months before COVID even broke out...)

4: Alexis & The Puppy Pals. Well, she's not quite at Alexa Lauenburger's level yet, but she's on her way! None of the tricks were anything I haven't seen before, but they were very impressive considering the age of the trainer...How interesting that some of the best dog trainers to come on this show are little girls! All that said...The 80s called, they want their wardrobe back!

3: Aaron...Bonk? (Sorry, I can't see his name spelled out anywhere, only hear Terry pronounce it.) Silly little diagonal mohawk aside, I'm always a sucker for rebellious-looking people juggling chainsaws and flaming weaponry! I'd love to see him do this act on a stage, but since they didn't even show him in last week's quick compilation of online acts, we're probably not even going to see him again...Again, at least until he tries auditioning again for one of the coming years...

2: The Hurd Family. Clearly, the dad and the eldest son are the real talent, while the two younger siblings are just there to cute it up a bit...Some very strong dancing, but sadly they probably won't make it past Judge Cuts since they were given the montage treatment in the official episode...

1: Simon's pajamas. A brilliant spectacle! BRRRRAVO!

This was a fun little collection of talent, and the home-recorded nature of everything kinda added to the charm...The judges were also more entertaining while just casually kicking back at their houses...Like with “Saturday Night Live”, I hope it doesn't have to continue like this, but for now, it was different and enjoyable...(Unfortunately, the Judge Cuts will be more of the same, so I really do wonder how they're gonna handle the remainder of this season...)

Probably the only acts from this who will pass the Judge Cuts next week are Alexis and MAYBE Max (if he can pull off a good enough trick). Everyone else were either silly gimmicks who don't even have the quality of so-bad-it's-good, or weren't shown in full for the official episode last week...

But we'll just see...For now, let's move on to tonight's “Best Of” show...Here are the auditions they compiled for this episode...

1: W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew

2: Double Dragon

3: Brandon Leake

4: Brett Loudermilk

5: Cristina Rae

6: The Spyros Bros

7: Voices of Our City Choir

8: Alan Silva

9: Roberta Battaglia

10: Vincent Marcus

11: Archie Williams

The reason why I listed these acts is because all of them are most likely in the live shows already (not counting the Golden Buzzer acts that we KNOW are already there). The “Best Of” shows tend to be made up of acts that the judges and/or producers liked the most, and by the time they air, the live performers have already been selected weeks or even months ago...So you know they must have liked them enough if they're in this compilation...

Can't say I'm surprised by any of these choices...except maybe Double Dragon; They were a little under my radar...I mean, if it were up to me, this compilation would have included Malik DOPE, Noah Epps, Nolan Neal, Winston, Brothers Gage, Wesley Williams and Sheldon Riley...But Waffle and Spyros are probably my two favorite auditions this season overall, so whatever...

I guess these were pretty good auditions overall...A few boring episodes here and there, but there was still a handful of memorable acts...I'd LIKE to think they'll all make it next week, but we'll just wait and see...The format's going to make things VERY difficult, and we might not even see some of them compete again...

Even the Golden Buzzer choices had some decent variety for once! Only two of them were solo singers (one child, and one adult), and for the other spots we have a choir, a poet and a dance group...Waffle's still the only act that really excites me, but it's refreshing when it's not just four singers and a dance act...Plus, from a cynical business standpoint, the choices all make perfect sense...

As for which of them will win this season...Well, it's a VERY tough call...I'm still rooting for Waffle, and they DO have the right aspects to help them out...But so far, they're not quite raking in the same enthusiasm that other winners have...

Roberta has the most views BY FAR on Youtube...But does she really have the uniqueness or overwhelming hype that previous winners had? While I like her overall, I REALLY don't want her to win this season, because NOTHING about her is distinguishable compared to all previous winners...MAYBE the quality of her singing voice compared to other child singers, but even that is a tough comparison...

Otherwise, we've had child singers with much more unique gimmicks win in the past, she's not writing her own songs (yet), she doesn't have a unique genre...Hell, even in terms of which judge's Golden Buzzer she is, it's hard to root for her; It's only Sofia's first season, and she's basically filling in for Gab Union (whose GB won last season), who in turn filled in for Mel B (whose GB won two seasons before that). Come to think of it, aside from Howie's GB the season before THAT, the only judge who has SEEN their GB win each year was the female minority judge (seeing that NONE of the GB's won in Season 13...though it was probably MEANT to be Howie's again...)

Point being, if there's any season where Simon's GB is to win, it should be the one where he selects an act that has potential to be one of my favorites...I guess it wouldn't hurt to give Heidi a year either...Or hell, more seasons where the winner ISN'T a Golden Buzzer...(You never know...It could be Archie...)

Anyway, that's all I got for now...See you next week when we find out which lucky acts get to perform live...Or...well...as live as they can make it...(God, PLEASE don't make this our “new normal”!)

3 notes · View notes

pass-the-bechdel · 5 years

Text

Continuum full series review

How many episodes pass the Bechdel test?

73.81% (thirty-one out of forty-two).

What is the average percentage of female characters with names and lines for the full series?

32.75%

How many episodes have a cast that is at least 40% female?

Ten.

How many episodes have a cast that is at least 50% female?

One, episode 2.07, “Second Degree” (50%).

How many episodes have a cast that is less than 20% female?

One, episode 3.09, “Minute of Silence” (18.2%).

Positive Content Status:

The definition of unremarkable—it may not be making any egregious mistakes, but aside from its chief concern, it’s not saying anything of interest (average episode rating of 3.00).

Which season had the best representation statistics overall?

Season three not only had the best Bechdel scores, but the highest amount of female characters.

Which season had the worst representation statistics overall?

Season four. While it didn’t feature the episode with the least female characters—that would be season three—it features the least Bechdel passes and the least amount of female characters.

Overall Series Quality:

Worth watching. It won’t blow your mind, but it won’t waste your time, either.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) under the cut:

If a word describes Continuum, it’s “solid”. It’s a well-made show, one that understands the basic building blocks of well-made genre television and doesn’t attempt to upend them for the sake of upending them (except when it does). However, my enjoyment of the series is more intellectual than visceral, and creating a list of my top ten favorite episodes is nigh-impossible, since I don’t really feel that strongly about them as individual units.

So if the series is rarely great—if even its best rarely makes your heart race the way the best episodes of Nikita or Person of Interest do—then why do I still consider it exceptional and worth one’s time?

Reason number one: Kiera Cameron.

Television, over the past decade, has done a steady job of perfecting its female genre-show anti-heroes, which, unsurprisingly, has resulted in a fair amount of sameness. It is often enjoyable sameness, to be clear—Root and Shaw are fantastic characters, and I love them—but sameness all the same. These female characters do not care for the rules (except when they do—for example, they never look unattractive or unmade-up). They are loud. They are often hedonistic. There is a sense that characters have to be fun, even if they are A Lot. They are, in many ways, rebels. And to be clear, these stories are absolutely necessary; that we now have these characters is important. Yet, there are other ways to be, which are also equally compelling and equally feminist.

Kiera Cameron is not a rebel. All she ever wanted to be a comfortable drone (even as her instincts told her something was terribly wrong) and a mother. In another place, in another time, she’d be one of the Nazis who were allegedly “just doing [their] job,” which is not something one usually says of heroes. She is also decisive, quick-thinking, adaptable and manipulative, with a keen understanding of people. She likes operating under a clear leadership structure, but she can operate perfectly well—thrive, even—without it. Within forty-eight hours of being stranded in an entirely new world, she has integrated herself into its law enforcement apparatus and made a life for herself.

Kiera is, in the end, the best part of Continuum, because of the way the series allows her to be shaped by her contradictions. Credit must also be given to Rachel Nichols, who is one of the more underrated white actresses currently working on television. Continuum asks a lot of Kiera, and she allows her to be a lot of different things while still being recognizably Kiera.

A good protagonist deserves a good antagonist, and boy, does Liber8 deliver. The group may have an extremely silly name, but it is, like Kiera, something one doesn’t see every day: an enemy group with a point, and which arguably holds the moral high ground, even as it performs mass murder.

In a worse show, the various members of Liber8 would have been hypocrites. They would have either not believed in what they preached, or been more concerned with themselves than with the cause, or proved willing to abandon it for their survival. Alternatively, they would have been presented as all bark and no bite, more Robin Hood than Osama Bin Laden. And while all those things are true for one specific member of the group—Kellog—the fact that he exists at a remove both allows the series to explore that hypocrisy, while leaving Liber8 free to actually be something else.

Furthermore, I enjoy that Liber8 is smart. Mass murder is not the only thing they do. While I’m not sure I’d call Continuum a competence porn series the way something like Leverage is, there is something very satisfying about seeing Liber8 continuously switch up their tactics and be clever about how they approach their battle against corporate interests. Yes, they do mass murder, but they also do blackmail, corporate espionage, political assassination and political patronage, sabotage, whistleblowing, community-building, and public relations. They know that their cause will need funds, but don’t sell out in order to obtain them. It is very satisfying.

I’ve heard commentary on Continuum arguing that the series’ unwillingness to cast explicit judgment on Kiera is a weakness. In her own small way, she is complicit in the oppression of millions, and is willing to replicate oppressive power structures; shouldn’t the series have something to say about that? And yet, this...objectivity, I guess you could call it, is, I feel, one of the series’ chief strengths. It’s not that the series isn’t aware of what Kiera believes and has done; it’s just that the series trusts the audience to draw its own conclusions. Kiera can be heroic and have a fascist mindset. The members of Liber8 can be mass murderers who are also in the right. Dillon can be a cheerleader for the privatization of his police department, and still be sympathetic. A TV series can be a traditional police procedural at heart and admit that cops are scum 80% of the time. One doesn’t negate the other, and that the series goes as far as it does with its characters and concepts feels uncommonly audacious for the sort of show this is.

Another element that makes the series memorable is its commitment to its central conflict. Person of Interest may have been about the surveillance state and the increasing role of artificial intelligence, but most of its episodes were actually about Finch and company being super-heroes. The same could have been the case for Continuum—“police procedural” is a key part of its DNA—and the fact that it isn’t—that its anti-capitalist sensibilities are almost always there, and critical—helps make the series feel singular, and relevant. It’s not the first TV show to have something to say about a specific thing, but it’s easily the show most dedicated to saying it.

This, however, is a double-edged sword.

Simon Barry, Continuum’s creator, is a white dude. It shows. For all of the thought the show puts into the dangers of unchecked capitalism (or just capitalism, if you’d prefer), it puts very little, if any, into how oppression is shaped by prejudices or group identities. The future of Continuum may be terrible, we’re shown, and yet it never quite seems terrible enough, or weirdly uniformly terrible. That Jaworski, of all the Liber8 members, is the one who is most forcibly dehumanized by the corporate state rings very false. Having the majority of Liber8 consist of people of color isn’t enough—not when the series is claiming that 2077 is a direct reflection of 2012.

Similarly, while the show boasts more female characters than is the norm for shows like this, I can’t actually say it does much beside that. Going through the series, it’s hard not to notice that very few of the female characters have what I would consider a satisfying overall story. Betty is killed off after months of misery. Katherine is killed off before she can really have any sort of impact besides filling in a necessary storytelling role. Garza and Emily are in a sort of limbo by the time the series ends. Ann Saddler just disappears. Aside from Kiera, only Sonya is said to have a story with a beginning, middle, end, and like Betty’s, it ends with her death. While these are all fantastic characters, their stories are generally disappointing.

Part of the problem is, of course, that the show barely has time for deep dives into its characters’ psyches, given all the things on its plate. The show only has so much time to spend on character development, and its priority is breadth rather than depth. On the other hand, it’s hard not to notice that of the characters who do get consistent focus and character development (Kiera, Alec, Carlos, Dillon, Julian), only Kiera is a woman.

It’s also worth noting that while the show kills off fairly similar numbers of male and female characters—at least when speaking in absolute numbers—things look quite different when speaking in relative terms. It’s perhaps best seen with Liber8’s dwindling numbers: sure, you can kill off Jaworski, Chen, and Kagame, but you’ll still have Travis, Marcus, and Kellog. Kill off Sonya, on the other hand, and the hole she leaves becomes very hard to fill. The same rings true for the series as a whole, which is why its final season feels so bereft, when it comes to female representation.

Additionally, while it’s pleasing to see male and female characters used more or less in the same way (although it’s worth noting that this doesn’t actually result in a 50/50 gender ratio) it is less so when the series in turn makes an implicit argument that there is not a sexist element to institutionalized oppression. Scattered instances of potential subtext aside, the series has very little to say about sexism in the future, which again, rings quite false when so many of the characters are freedom fighters.

And yet…

Had the series been more traditional, it’s likely these issues would have felt fatal. Instead, they merely feel bothersome; they annoy instead of cripple. It either speaks to how satisfying Continuum generally is, or how dispassionate my enjoyment of the series is. In any case, Continuum does what it does so interestingly, it’s hard not to set all of these aside and just get swept away by it. It tried something different and did some very interesting things with it, and, as it turns out, that’s more than enough.

#Continuum #Female Representation #Bechdel Test #MimeParadox #full series review

6 notes · View notes

zalrb · 6 years

Text

OK! So.

The first thing I did for this post was look for gifs of romantic relationships between black people on relatively popular TV shows outside of 90s sitcoms

I’ll add all three of Issa’s love interests because Insecure, for the most part, navigates romance through black relationships

(and I do note the serious lack of dark skinned couples)

Compared to:

Now to the point, I high key wish there was as much investment in onscreen relationships between black people as there is regarding interracial, specifically wm/bw, romances and more critical thought as to why it’s so rare to see black love in television shows.

While it’s very much still progressive to see [...] leading women who unapologetically wear their Blackness onscreen, pairing them each with a Black man of similar or complementary virtues is apparently a no-no [...] It appears that the only place Black couples can be seen regularly on prime time is via reality TV. Shows like Bravo’s Real Housewives of Atlanta and VH1’s Love and Hip-Hop almost exclusively showcase Black men in relationships with Black women. The only problem is, nearly all of these relationships are based in gross disrespect, betrayal, dismissiveness, and even violence. And since these are real-life couples, it further promotes Black love and Black rage as different sides of the same coin.

Like I get the fact that fandoms are anti-black and that when white male characters are paired with black female characters, they go crazy because how dare a black woman sully a white fave and they’ll find every excuse to render the ship non-romantic or toxic or abusive or whatever else, I get that, but legit, it’s as if people fail to see the systemic anti-blackness in the fact that a well-written, earned love story between two black people is so rare to find in television in general (but teen television specifically) and most of the time if a black relationship is portrayed, it’s along the lines of:

Bonnie and Jamie share one kiss in 3x20 and then Jamie is just never heard from again and he was clearly a rebound after Jeremy and after Jamie, Bonnie and Jeremy reconcile and then it’s on to Enzo.

Or Edison and Olivia

where his purpose was basically to reveal to her how much she wants to be with Fitz.

Michaela and Aiden were engaged when the show started but it turns out he didn’t really love her and she didn’t really love him

she’s attracted to Caleb but oh wait, he’s a psychopathic murderer

A one night stand with Marcus that doesn’t lead anywhere.The framework here is basically Michaela has a idea of her “perfect black man” but the only relationship that actually fulfilled her that we had seen on the show is the one she had with Asher.

The erasure of black love is even in background details like how in The Good Place when you see the “soulmates”, it’s white couples or interracial

same in The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s either white couples or interracial couples

(and I didn’t even put gifs of all of the ww/bm relationships there are)

Another example of this is when it comes to the representation of LGBTQ relationships.

So often, gay lives in America are coded as white, and the forces that shape the lives of queer people of color – say, how immigration affects being Chicano and gay in Calfornia, or how police surveillance affects being black and gay in the New York – are ignored, as gay identity is usually swept up into whiteness.

For instance, in The Get Down we have a predominately black cast, a narrative that explores the rise of hip-hop and disco through the perspectives of black teens but when it comes to Dizzee exploring his sexuality, the show goes to a white space as if New York in the late ‘70s didn’t have a black gay scene. Even in Black Lightning, we see Anissa with another black woman for all of two seconds and then that relationship is shunted to the side in favour of an interracial one,

which is why Damon and Ricky in Pose were such a refreshing dynamic to see (as well as Chiron and Kevin Moonlight and Kena and Ziki in Rafiki but those are movies and I’m focusing specifically on television).

There is a dismissiveness or a refusal to look at the fact that the only way to see black characters in loving relationships or relationships that are meant to have substance is when they’re married to whiteness or non-blackness:

Added to that, I feel like there has been this unspoken yet spoken idea that for [cishet] black women to be desired and loved onscreen, the goal is to pair her with a white man.

To find a black woman as a love interest for a white man in which a stable and loving relationship follows is rare when relationships with white women are staple. A black woman paired with a lead white male in a giant franchise is almost non-existent in media. Uhura is breaking stereotypes and showing that black women are desirable, in which one is so desirable that the most popular and loved Star Trek character, Spock, falls in love with her.

Clearly the above section is from a tumblr post defending Uhura and Spock specifically but I think the ideas here permeate the way bw/wm relationships are viewed as being the Golden Standard for black female characters because she inhabits a role white women usually inhabit, because popular, typical white leading men are intrigued by her, there’s a form of validation there that I think we should unpack because I find this idea myopic because whiteness is still centered. I’m ready to move on to more Nakia and T’Challa, Ziki and Kena, Damon and Ricky relationships as being staple relationships, to seeing functional, romantic, lustful, healthy, playful nuanced black relationships onscreen.

And this isn’t a call to stop shipping interracial ships, I have quite a few myself, I love Ashburn and I love Micasher and Silvermadi and Sasil and Jesus and Lafayette and Alisha and Simon and Chris and Jal and Kevin and Raymond etc. I have breakdowns and “love letters” to a lot of these ships, but this has been bothering me for a while so I decided to just post about it.

69 notes · View notes

burning-up-ao3 · 6 years

Photo

20 Penguins Thoughts: The best trade-deadline approach is simple

February 12, 2019 8:13 AMBy Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Enough already.

Enough screwing around with Patric Hornqvist on the fourth line, splitting up the No. 1 power play or starting Casey DeSmith over Matt Murray against NHL heavyweights.

Enough with these wonky defense pairings and forget trying to swing some sort of trade, which may or may not be the 73rd move of the season for general manager Jim Rutherford.

Roll with the guys you got. Let them jell and build some chemistry.

The Penguins will return home with three of a possible six points on this three-game road trip, at least one fewer than they probably should have had.

But they’re lucky in the sense that Monday’s 4-1 victory over the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center should’ve delivered a key message: While the Penguins need work in certain areas, they do have enough key elements to compete. They just need to iron out a few wrinkles.

2. The only exception here, I suppose, is if Olli Maatta winds up missing a bunch of time … and boy does it look like that’s possible.

Watching postgame, it looked like coach Mike Sullivan knew something; he just didn’t want to say it. I wouldn’t be surprised to soon hear that Maatta has a separated shoulder, the only question, of course, being how severe?

If it’s bad, maybe Rutherford should grab a Mark Streit-type depth defenseman, but that should be it. Put Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang together, then see who works best alongside Justin Schultz. Shelter the remaining two with a metal roof.

3. Why didn’t Murray start Saturday in Tampa? Why didn’t Murray start Jan. 19 in Vegas?

Nothing against DeSmith, who’s a fine backup, but the Penguins literally chose Murray over Marc-Andre Fleury.

We can sit here and talk about DeSmith’s top-10 save percentage or debate the merits of showing Murray twice to Tampa in a 10-day span, but Murray is the proud owner of a pair of Stanley Cup rings. Per the Penguins decision-making, he’s the guy.

What his 50-save performance Monday told me was this: Here’s a guy who wants to be in the nets for big games, who thrives in them and who deserves to play every one of them the rest of the way.

4. The next time separating your top talent on the power play works, it’ll be the first.

I guess I understand why Sullivan did what he did for Monday’s game — putting Phil Kessel on what amounted to the second unit and using two defensemen with each group — but it didn’t work.

This power play runs through Kessel, although it’s unfortunate that path occasionally leads to odd-man rushes the other way. But using him less in favor of a third-pair defenseman (Marcus Pettersson) makes zero sense to me.

Figure out how to allow fewer short-handed goals or don’t. But removing Kessel shouldn’t be considered a viable solution here.

5. I can’t say I’m surprised that Evgeni Malkin will have a phone hearing Tuesday for high-sticking/slashing Philadelphia’s Michael Raffl.

It was dangerous, dirty and dumb, and it could turn out to be costly, if Malkin is suspended.

I just hope the NHL sticks with this precedent, where it’s seemingly addressing the act rather than the result. Far too often, that hasn’t been the case.

That said, Raffl punching Malkin in the back of the head was also dangerous, dirty and dumb. He should have gotten something. But whether Malkin missed his target — his explanation — you can’t let a stick-swinging incident like that go.

6. I don’t understand the decision to healthy scratch Teddy Blueger on Monday.

The rookie forward had two goals and three points in six games, plus a pretty solid fight in Tampa and plus-2 rating. I would’ve much rather seen Blueger stay in the lineup and either Dominik Simon or Tanner Pearson sit.

Blueger, by the way, has as many goals as those two combined over the past dozen games — of which Blueger, of course, has only played half.

I also don’t understand playing Patric Hornqvist just 9:10, which I believe is the lowest ice time for him in a game that he started and finished. Is he healthy? He certainly doesn’t look limited.

The effort with Hornqvist isn’t the issue, but he does need to be with people who create some of the trash that he’s so good at cleaning up. It’s a hard sell for me to be OK with him in the bottom-six.

7. To conclude this opening point, I don’t think the Penguins are a perfect team. They still have plenty to work on — role definition, depth scoring, defensive issues and the short-handed goals, to name a few.

But given their cap situation and what assets they would be dangling, I have a tough time seeing how one trade could be seen as the answer. Tell these guys that this is your team, now go work it out.

8. Moving on …

“I feel like if we keep playing that way, we’re going to get rewarded. We had some looks. I liked our line a lot.”

That was Derick Brassard after the Penguins’ 3-2 overtime win at Arizona on Jan. 18, talking about a line he centered with Pearson on the left and Simon on the right. By the next night, in Vegas, that line was history, separated as the Penguins faced a 3-1 deficit after the first period.

In talking to Brassard last week about why things didn’t work out in Pittsburgh, he brought up that succession of events as an example.

“Over the last year, you guys would ask me all the time, ‘Is it going to be good to have a few games and try to find some chemistry with your wingers?’ ” Brassard began.

“Me, Pearson and Simon in Phoenix, we had a strong game; we had a really good game as a line. The next game, it wasn’t clicking with [Sidney Crosby], [Jake Guentzel] and [Bryan Rust].

“Right away, you flip-flop Rusty and Dom. We just had a good game. We were thinking about that. It’s just the way it was.

“The lines were always switching. It felt like it was hard to get some timing and chemistry.”

9. Is that an excuse? Absolutely. Did Brassard make too many of them during our first one-on-one conversation last week? Yeah, probably.

But to his credit, Brassard did offer a few things I never thought about with the line switching.

“If Jake is set with Sid, that right side was switching all the time,” Brassard said of when things would dry up on the top line. “Sometimes it wasn’t working with Geno and Phil, and the left wing on that line was changing all the time.”

Brassard’s point, whether you agree or not, was that he wound up receiving the leftovers of whatever didn’t work with Crosby or Malkin.

10. Which, if you think about it, is exactly what should happen, right?

They’re the team’s highest-paid players, the big boys, the organization’s franchise centers … and Brassard doesn’t disagree.

“Sully was managing that right,” Brassard said. “He was just trying to get those two guys to always be producing and be on the top of their game. Like everyone knows, when those two guys are on, it’s hard to stop.”

Again, I see what Brassard is saying, but there comes a time when the player simply has to do what he’s being paid to do and that’s produce.

No matter the reason, Brassard wasn’t able to do that as much as he should have in Pittsburgh.

11. Funny anecdote from our second chat.

So Brassard did a scrum after Florida’s morning skate at BB&T Center. After the crowd dispersed, we chatted a little bit about the previous night’s interview and how the article came out. (Brassard said he doesn’t read but did receive some positive feedback on his end.)

After that, I said I had a couple more questions and wanted to ask him about why things never worked with Kessel.

“Oh, no,” Brassard said with a smile.

He never did answer the question. He pivoted to what I used above about the lines changing all the time.

12. We asked Rutherford a lot about Brassard, and he was always very honest with his answers.

In late December, Rutherford told me he thought Brassard “had more to offer” and it was close to decision time on whether or not he would remain the Penguins’ third-line center.

Last week I asked Brassard if he ever heard any of the GM’s criticism and whether he was OK with it.

Brassard said he had but that he didn’t have any problem with it because Rutherford said it to his face first.

“He has every right to criticize me,” Brassard said. “It’s his team. He’s the manager.”

I’ve tried to put myself in Brassard’s spot. I think I’d feel the exact same way … again, as long as Rutherford said it to me first.

13. One final nugget on the trade: Sullivan, not Rutherford, called Brassard and Sheahan to tell them they were traded.

Don’t know what to make of that. It’s honestly the first time I’ve heard such a thing mentioned; Brassard brought it up unprompted.

Hard to ascertain much more without context, but I do think it speaks to how involved Sullivan is in a lot of moves like this.

14. I spent some time in Florida chatting with Upper St. Clair native Vince Trocheck and J.T. Miller (Coraopolis) about the youth hockey teams they played on together along with Brandon Saad (Pine), Stephen Johns (Wampum) John Gibson (Whitehall) and others.

Miller had some fun with it last Saturday morning.

“There was this time,” Miller said, “when Vince had a turnover, and we lost to the Valley Junior Warriors. We were 12. Lost in overtime to Ottawa. It was the Bell Cup.

“Ask Vince about that.”

15. I didn’t, of course, since I had just come from South Florida and figured Trocheck probably didn’t need that text on the day of a game, but the insane amount of talent on those teams does amaze me.

“We didn’t know at the time,” Trocheck said, “but looking back, we had a pretty good squad.”

It was also small numbers-wise: just six forwards, four defensemen and a goalie, Miller said.

“We were, I think, fifth in the country,” Miller said. “We were really good. Plus, you never had to worry about ice time.”

16. Here’s something else Trocheck said that I really liked: They remain super competitive with each other.

Right now I think you could say Gibson is the best of the bunch, even though the Ducks are a mess. But not long ago Saad was a huge part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams, and last year Trocheck held the title with 31 goals and 75 points.

“We all grew up together,” Trocheck said. “We’re friends in the summer. We all hang out, work out together. It’s nice to see those guys doing well. But we’re definitely in a bit of a competition out there.”

17. This season has been a tough one for Trocheck, who broke his right ankle on a gruesome sequence back on Nov. 19. He returned on Jan. 18 and has five goals and 19 points in the 27 games that he’s played.

The injury was every bit as ugly as the one that Schultz endured, with Trocheck’s leg buckling underneath. But as nasty as I thought it was, Trocheck didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

“I’ve broken that leg before,” Trocheck said. “A little bit more severe this time. But I recovered from it. I’m just kind of looking forward now.”

18. One other leftover nugget from Florida: When Jared McCann was with the Panthers, he once shared a line with Jaromir Jagr.

McCann said that, without a doubt, it was one of the most intimidating things he’s done in the NHL.

“I was so nervous,” McCann said. “That was the main thing. He said to try and feed him the puck as much as possible. I tried to do that.

“Playing with a guy like that, it was incredible, something you’re going to be able to share with your kids.”

Man, I miss having Jagr in the NHL.

19. Stat of the week: 917

It’s too bad, huh? Had Crosby missed one more game in his career, Monday in Philly — when he had a goal and three points — would’ve been the night where he passed Mario Lemieux for the Penguins franchise mark.

So, so close.

20. Non-hockey thought of the week: Because colleague Matt Vensel covered Monday’s Flyers game, I spent Sunday visiting my mom in The Villages, Fla., and one of the things we did was go to the Orange Blossom Opry to see bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs.

If you are at all into that type of music or just enjoy terrific live performances, I can’t possibly recommend seeing Ricky Skaggs enough.

I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better musician/vocalist live, he was that good. Here’s a little clip. Hopefully it’s not too painful for anyone who dislikes this type of music:

Spending an extra day in Florida visiting my mom in The Villages. Seeing Ricky Skaggs, who is just incredible live:

See Jason Mackey's other Tweets

Twitter Ads info and privacy

Jason Mackey: [email protected] and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

First Published February 12, 2019 8:00 AM

#Jason Mackey #Pittsburgh Post Gazette #pittsburgh penguins #20 Penguins Thoughts

0 notes

whatsfilming · 7 years

Link

Richard Says Goodbye (Feature)

Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp is in town for his latest movie called Richard Says Goodbye. The movie was written by Wayne Roberts (Katie Says Goodbye) and is about a college professor who decides to live out the rest of his time on the edge following a diagnosis with a life threatening illness. Roberts also serves as director for the film.

According to Variety.com, Depp will be joined by Zoey Deutch, who portrayed Samantha in the film adaptation of the young adult novel Before I Fall; which also filmed in Vancouver. Johnny is no stranger to filming in Vancouver either. Last year, he was in the city for a brief period of filming for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Earlier in his career he spent a lot of time in Vancouver while filming the TV series 21 Jump Street.

Variety.com also revealed more of the cast including Danny Huston (Wonder Woman), Rosemarie DeWitt (La La Land), Devon Terrell (Barry) and Odessa Young (Looking For Grace).

Production kicked off Tuesday at a couple of locations in downtown Vancouver including The Blackbird Public House on Dunsmuir Street. They were be back in the area yesterday filming at The Butcher and Bullock on West Pender Street . Thank you to @drcru for finding and posting the filming notice. Today, the movie is filming at The Bimini Public House on West 4th Avenue; thank you @LammaSam for the info! If you’re interested in Richard Says Goodbye filming locations, keep an eye on our Current Filming Locations page where we post info as it comes available.

Thank you @lemon_buzz for breaking the news that Richard Says Goodbye would be coming to Vancouver to film.

Richard Says Goodbye is currently scheduled to continue filming in Vancouver and British Columbia until August 25th and it’s expected to be released in 2018.

The Exorcist – Season 2 (TV Series)

After filming its first season in Chicago, The Exorcist season 2 has relocated to Vancouver and area. The series is based on the 1973 classic horror film of the same name by William Peter Blatty.

During their Comic Con panel last weekend, the show runners revealed that The Exorcist Season 2 will be set in the Pacific Northwest, near Seattle specifically. This explains the show’s need for a change of scenery; after all, it seems there’s no better place to stand-in for the Seattle area.

In addition to a new setting for The Exorcist season 2, there will be a few new faces as well. Deadpool star Brianna Hildebrand, John Cho (Star Trek Into Darkness) and Zuleikha Robinson (Hidalgo) all joined the cast over the last few week. Alfonso Herrera, Kurt Egyiawan and Ben Daniels are expected to reprise their roles as Father Tomas Ortega, Father Bennett and Father Marcus Keane respectively.

The Exorcist season 2 is scheduled to continue filming in Vancouver and British Columbia until November 14th and premieres Friday, September 29th on Fox in the US and CTV in Canada.

Miss Christmas (TV Movie)

In Washington, DC, Holly Kuhn is known as ‘Miss Christmas’. She’s in charge of finding the perfect evergreen to become The National Tree for a Christmas festival held in the city. During this year’s pursuit, Holly finds herself drawn to a small town after receiving a letter from a boy claiming that he knew just where to find the tree she sought after.

When she arrives, Holly discovers there’s only one thing standing between her and the perfect tree: Sam, the boy’s uncle. Sam owns the land where the tree is standing. Despite Holly’s best intentions, the tree has sentimental value to Sam and he’s reluctant to let it go. Eventually, Holly begins to fall in love with Sam, and together they learn that this tree is just what they need to bring magic to the holidays.

There hasn’t been any official casting announcements so far, but we’ll update this article as more information becomes available.

Miss Christmas will continue filming in British Columbia until August 11th and will premiere during Hallmark’s annual Countdown to Christmas.

Also Starting This Week

The Crossing – Season 1 (TV Series) Cast: Steve Zahn, Sandrine Holt, Rob Campbell, Jay Karnes, Simone Kessell, Grant Harvey, Kelley Missal, Maddie Phillips, Marcuis W. Harris Filming until November 24th. For more details about The Crossing, check out our 2017 TV Pilot Season Roundup.

The Good Doctor – Season 1 (TV Series) Cast: Freddie Highmore, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chuku Modu, Hill Harper, Irene Keng, Richard Schiff, Beau Garrett Filming until December 15th. For more details about The Good Doctor, check out our 2017 TV Pilot Season Roundup.

The Arrangement – Season 2 (TV Series) Cast: Christine Evangelista, Josh Henderson, Michael Vartan Filming until November 3rd

Falling For Vermont (TV Movie) Cast: Benjamin Ayres, Larissa Albuquerque Filming until August 12th

Peared With a Kiss (TV Movie) Cast: Ryan Paevey, Lini Evans, Aaron Craven, Barry Levy, Lucia Frangione Filming until August 12th

Four Christmases and a Wedding (TV Movie) Filming until August 14th

For a full list of what’s filming in Vancouver and British Columbia right now, check out our In Production page.

Wrapping Up This Week

A Bramble House Christmas (TV Movie) with Autumn Reeser and David Haydn-Jones wraps up July 28th

Gourmet Detective 4: Eat, Drink and Be Buried (TV Movie) with Dylan Neal, Brooke Burns, Brittney Wilson, David Paetkau, Ali Skovbye, Gelsea Mae and Bruce Boxleitner wraps up July 28th

Travelers – Season 2 (TV Series) with Eric McCormack, Mackenzie Porter, Patrick Gilmore, Jared Paul Abrahamson, Nesta Marlee Cooper, Reilly Dolman, Enrico Colantoni, Stephen Lobo and Amanda Tapping wraps up July 28th

Signed, Sealed, Delivered 8 & 9 (TV Movie) with Eric Mabius, Kristin Booth, Crystal Lowe, Geoff Gustafson and Emilie Ullerup wraps up July 28th

If you see any of these productions, including Richard Says Goodbye or The Exorcist season 2 filming in Vancouver and British Columbia, be sure to let us know by tweeting us (@WhatsFilming) or via our Submit a Location page.

The post Richard Says Goodbye, The Exorcist Season 2 Plus 6 More Start Filming in Vancouver appeared first on What's Filming?.

#filming #hollywood north

0 notes