#silver-russell syndrome

[concerningwolves]

Hi! I really like your blog and you have some much appreciated writing opinions to me. Apologies if this is not an allowed question but would you have any suggestions on what to keep in mind when writing a character with Russell Silver Syndrome? I have been doing my research but unfortunately as with many conditions most things I can find are based towards parents of children with and not adults who have it. Sorry if this is disruptive,Thank you for your lovely blog

oh man this question makes me so happy anon you have no idea. RSS/SRS representation!! Yes!!!

Writing a Character with Russell-Silver Syndrome/Silver-Russell Syndrome

Russell-Silver syndrome (RSS) is a rare condition associated with poor growth both before and after birth. Signs and symptoms vary and may include low birth weight, short stature, characteristic facial features, large head in relation to body size, body asymmetry, and feeding difficulties. Other features may include poor appetite, clinodactyly (curved finger), digestive system abnormalities, delayed development, and/or learning disabilities. The genetic causes of RSS are complex and relate to certain genes that control growth. — information on RSS from rarediseases.info.nih.gov

What this this answer will cover:

My experience with RSS and various thoughts on living with it

RSS in adults (+ adult characters)

Things to remember when writing any disabled character

Resources

My experiences with RSS and various thoughts about living with it

Russell-Silver syndrome has felt like a non-issue to me for a long time, but I'm realising now that that was only because so little was known about it. There was no molecular test when I was born so my diagnosis was purely clinical, (using "a checklist", as my dad always told me). Still, I've grown up under this... not quite a shadow, but definitely a pervasive awareness, that I had this rare disorder. It made every meeting with a new health professional that much more exhausting, because nobody ever knew what it was (and this is still a problem I have when explaining my health history to new doctors today). Either me or my parents would end up teaching doctors, and for a long time, we were working with outdated information because very little was available to us. Since I first got access to the internet in about year two at school, I've repeatedly sat down and searched for Russell-Silver Syndrome – and I've watched as, over the course of those last seventeen years or so, increasing amounts of information have appeared.

The increase in information is wonderful! It gives me hope! But growing up with this sense that there was something strange wrong with me was deeply alienating. I have a lot of grief about it.

What you say about not being able to find many sources for adults with the condition also raises a very important point: RSS literature focuses very heavily on symptoms in infants and children because that's when the condition is most "obvious" and/or when it has the most noticeable impact on a person's life. In other words, most information is written up to help parents cope with the extra needs that RSS kids have because of their condition. Infancy is also treated as a sort of golden period for clinical diagnosis, because individuals with RSS will usually lose the more obvious physical traits as they age.

Although RSS has a firm diagnostic criteria, it can look quite different between individuals. (I'd actually say it's fairly similar to autism in that respect). The term used for this is phenotype:

... a phenotype is all the physical characteristics and abnormalities found in an individual patient that are attributed specifically to RSS. Some individuals with RSS have many traits, thus a severe phenotype, while others have very few traits, thus a mild phenotype. → from the MAGIC Foundation's RSS page

I was an extremely ill baby. A lot of the medical problems I faced were linked to RSS, but I don't remember this on account of being, y'know, a baby. So, if you'd asked baby me for my opinion and if baby me were somehow able to answer and comprehend, I'd have said I had a severe phenotype. Now that I'm in my early twenties, I'm more inclined to say I have a mild phenotype – but as I'll explain, I'm no longer sure how true that is.

[Russell-Silver Syndrome in adults, basic disabled character guidelines, and resources below the cut]

Russell-Silver Syndrome in Adults (+ adult characters)

You can see in my childhood photographs the RSS-typical "triangular" face caused by a too-small jaw and large forehead, and slight facial asymmetry. I was chronically underweight until I got urgently referred to a dietician in like 2018, and my parents had an absolute nightmare of a time with feeding and making sure I ate enough when I was younger. I was still ordering toddler or child portions at restaurants well into into my early teen years because my appetite was so limited. I was also quite delayed in walking, speaking, and in development of motor skills, which are again typical of the condition.

Most of these traits don't affect me any more. The facial asymmetry and face shape are basically unnoticeable. I had surgery to remove four teeth, which fixed the overcrowding caused by the small jaw, and braces sorted out the rest. The dietician helped me learn how to make foods that were calorie-dense so I could get the nutrition I needed in smaller portions, and I'm now a good weight.m(The only part of the infant criteria that noticeably still affects my day-to-day life is the lack of appetite stuff, actually). I grew taller than the doctors expected me to, although I'm on the short-to-average end. I still have issues with balance and spatial awareness, but it's manageable. I've been in and out of physiotherapy and podiatry since I started walking. So, no, most of the RSS traits so common in infancy don't affect me now – but I'm still living with the condition, and it's taken a hell of a lot of treatment to get to where I am now. I honestly didn't realise how much until I started writing this answer!

Interestingly, the end of the MAGIC Foundation's RSS page has some information on RSS into adulthood, prefaced by this sentence: "Many people with Russell-Silver Syndrome (RSS) believe that once they reach their final adult height, their “RSS issues” are over." Other anecdotal evidence from other sources says the same thing. I would have once been inclined to agree, but my latest bout of reading up on RSS has taught me some interesting things. For example, there's overlap between autism and RSS! Or at least, according to the silverrussellsyndrome.org: "Some evidence indicates that there may be neurodevelopmental differences between the different genetic causes of SRS". Other sites state more explicitly that there's a link between RSS and Austism Spectrum Disorder, and research seems to still be ongoing, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

When I went to a chiropractor, he pointed out an issue with my jaw muscles and placement (? Couldn't quite hear what he said about that), and said this could be at least a partial cause for my chronic migraine. I explained about the RSS small jaw thing, and he nodded and said that made sense. Anecdotal evidence also now shows that many adults with RSS experience functional problems with muscles and their skeleton, including back pain – which sure goes a long way to explain the near-constant pain I get, as well as the fibromyalgia. Once again, research on this is ongoing.

There are also some health risks that adults with RSS are more likely to face. These include metabolic syndrome, hypertension, testicular cancer and gynaecological issues. It's stressed that not everyone with RSS will develop these; but some are more common and should be monitored for, as in the case of testicular cancer risk in RSS individuals whose testes didn't descend properly.

Your takeaway from this is that RSS in adult characters would be represented differently from the way it's described in children. Because the phenotype varies so much from person to person, my experiences are absolutely not universal. There may be people out there who've retained the asymmetry, for example, or those for whom the digestive/appetite issues are an even bigger problem. It would be so nice to see an adult character with RSS though, because it's not a condition that you outgrow – it's one where the condition seems to grow with you.

Things to remember when writing any disabled character

People are people: don't just think about the disability! We're more than that. Make sure your character has what any strong character should have (regardless of identity) – quirks, desires, motivation(s), some kind of conflict that affects the plot, their connection to other characters, etc.

Do your research: might feel slightly counter-intuitive to the first point, but it is important you know what you're writing about. I.e., does your character take medication or undergo treatment? Do they use accessibility aids of any kind? What accommodations do they need in day-to-day life? How does their disability impact said day-to-day life?

Reasonable limitations: it's okay to have a disabled character be, y'know, disabled. Sometimes they need help, or sometimes they'll need to assert boundaries or ask for accommodations. Sometimes they simply can't do something because they aren't able to. These are facts of a disabled existence. The crucial thing is to avoid framing the character consistently like a burden or a hindrance.

Inclusive worldbuilding: most relevant in SFF genres, but basically, if you're taking the time to do any degree of worldbuilding (be that a "real"-world urban fantasy environment or an entire invented continent with dragons), consider where disabled people fit in. Abled authors rarely, if ever, have to consider their place in the real world, so they rarely consider accommodations and accessibility features in their fantastical worlds. It's important to consider these things if you want to have well-rounded representation for disabled characters.

Listen to disabled voices: Ask disabled people, read/watch/listen to media created by disabled people, and remember that no one disability is a monolith. There may be a lot of nuance and debate within communities, but you can do your best by listening to the consensus and keeping an open-minded, good faith mindset.

This list ↑ is very much a TL;DR set of guidelines, but it's a good place to start. You'll find more information in the resources section below.

Resources:

In reference to your question, you might find my answer to this ask about including little-known conditions in fiction useful.

You'll find more discussions and guides in my disabled characters tag, my disabilities tag and my sensitivity & representation tag, as well as links to other resources.

The MAGIC Foundation – they have more in-site resources for RSS linked at the very bottom of the page

Silver Russell Syndrome Organisation – whole website dedicated to providing information about RSS

Diagnosis and Management of Silver–Russell Syndrome: First International Consensus Statement – This is a 2017 international consensus of research on RSS, condensed and simplified for general audiences. The original consensus is geared entirely towards medical professionals for treatment and research of the condition.

If anyone who has RSS wants to weigh in, please do!!

[greenwoodgeneticcenter]

RSS Methylation-Specific MLPA is a molecular test used to detect copy number variants or methylation abnormalities associated with Russell-Silver syndrome (RSS). Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and postnatal growth deficiency are primary features of Russell-Silver syndrome. Individuals with RSS also commonly have developmental delay and characteristic triangular facies. These patients will not usually attain normal height or weight as adults. RSS is casued by alterations in methylation at 11p15.5 as well as by uniparental disomy of chromosome 7.

[cripplecharacters]

Navigation: Helpful Posts

[large text: Navigation: Helpful Posts]

Complication of posts from CrippleCharacters, as well as other blogs providing advice on writing disabled characters!

This post covers the general topics - for posts on specific disabilities, please see part two.

Last update: 15/06/2024

Character Making Basics and Ideas

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- How to Start Doing Research When Writing a Disabled Character - Disabilities that are Common but Have no Representation - Facial Differences that Would Be Cool to Actually See Represented - How to Do Historical Research - Our "Disabled Character Ideas" Tag - Our "Character Inspo" Tag

How to Describe XYZ?

[large text: How to Describe XYZ?]

- Blindness Tropes: the "Blank Look" - Describing Characters with Facial Differences as Pretty - Difference between Fetishization and Being Seen as Beautiful - First Description: when to mention the Facial Difference - How Often Should You Mention Mobility Aids? - Dialogue and Speech Disorders - Sign Language in Dialogue - Words for Residual Limbs (stumps) - Describing a Limp - Words to Use instead of "Walk" for Wheelchair Users - How to not Describe Facial Differences as "Scary"

How to Draw XYZ?

[large text: How to Draw XYZ?]

- Tips for Drawing Characters with Facial Differences - Annoying Tropes in Art Re:Facial Differences - Drawing Blind Characters - Drawing Amputees - How to Draw (and not draw) Characters with Vitiligo - Drawing Cane Users - Decorating Wheelchairs

General

[large text: General]

- Writing a Newly Disabled Character - Writing a Visibly Different Character - The Accident - Including Disabled Communities - Disabled Characters in Historical Fiction - Coming up with Fictional Disabilities - Tokenism Discussion - Disability and Superpowers - Curing and "Fixing" Disabled Characters - Is It Realistic to Have Multiple Disabled Characters? - "Jaws Effect": how media affect the real world - Worldbuilding with Accessibility in Mind - How to Let Readers Figure Out the Character's Disability - Does the Disability Need to Have a "Purpose"? - Including Ableism in the Story - Casual Representation vs Fetishization (with albinism as an example) - Including Body Horror without doing an Ableism

General Tropes

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- "Super-Crip": Magic and Disability - Abled Characters Pretending to be Disabled - I Did a Trope but It's Too Late - What You Should Do - made with the mask trope in mind, but could be applied more widely - Magical Cure - made with blindness in mind - Including Healing Magic without Disability Erasure - Why is the Cure Trope Bad? - How to Do a Scary Disability Reveal without being Ableist? - Disabled Character Recovering, but without Disability Erasure - Killing off a Disabled Character without Doing an Ableism - Writing a Disabled Villain without Doing an Ableism - What is Fetishization of Disability, and what Isn't - Not All Sign Language Users are Mute and American

Mobility Aids

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- General Overview - Overview, but with More Options - not writing advice, educational - More Detailed Look at Crutches and Canes - Magic Mobility Aids - Tips on Writing Wheelchair Users - Writing a New Cane User - "But Mobility Aids Wouldn't Exist in my Fantasy World" - Basic Information on Service Animals - Should My Non-Modern Wheelchair User use XYZ instead of a Wheelchair? - Accessible Wizarding for Wheelchair Users - Fidgeting with Wheelchairs - Pet Peeves for Cane User Characters

Other

[large text: Other]

- Writing Characters with Tourette's Syndrome - Introduction to Writing Characters with Speech Disorders - Writing Little People (characters with dwarfism) - Dwarfism and Fantasy Stories - Stereotypes around Characters with Dwarfism - Writing and Drawing Burn Survivors: basics and resources - Caring for a Burn Scar: the everyday things - On Chemical Burns - Writing Characters with ASPD - Writing a Character with Russel-Silver Syndrome - Complex Dissociative Disorders Terminology: A Basic Primer - What to Consider when Writing about Pollution-induced Disability

Making Your Content Accessible to Disabled Readers

[large text: Making Your Content Accessible to Disabled Readers]

- Why add alt text? - Image Descriptions Tutorial - Writing Image Descriptions for People Who Can't Write Them - "But how do blind people even use alt text" - How to Tag Your Posts (Tumblr) - ScreenReaders and Color Text (Tumblr) - FanFiction Accessibility

Recommended Blogs/Sources

[large text: Recommended Blogs/Sources]

- @blindbeta - @cy-cyborg - @a-little-revolution - @mimzy-writing-online - @writingdrugs - @vitiligo-is-not-a-trend - Fantastic website for any historical needs

[msc-ddv-ss]

Character Request Sheet:

The list of all the characters I will write/take requests for:

Walt Disney Animated Movies:

Mickey Mouse and Friends:

Mickey Mouse

Donald Duck

Goofy

Minnie Mouse

Daisy Duck

Pluto

Pete

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs:

Snow White

The Evil Queen

The Seven Dwarfs

Pinocchio:

Pinocchio

Jiminy Cricket

Dumbo:

Dumbo

Timothy Q. Mouse

Bambi:

Bambi

Thumper

Flower

The Three Caballeros:

Panchito Pistoles

Jose Carioca

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad:

Ichabod Crane

Mr. Toad

Cinderella:

Cinderella

Prince Charming

The Fairy Godmother

Alice in Wonderland:

Alice

The Mad Hatter

The Queen of Hearts

The Cheshire Cat

Peter Pan:

Peter Pan

Captain Hook

Tinkerbell

Wendy / John / Michael

Lady and the Tramp:

Lady

Tramp (Butch)

Sleeping Beauty:

Aurora

Prince Philip

Fauna / Flora / Merryweather

Maleficent

101 Dalmations:

Pongo

Perdita

Cruella De Vil

The Sword and The Stone:

Merlin

Wart (Arthur)

Madam Mim

The Jungle Book:

Baloo

Mowgli

Bagheera

King Louie

Shere Khan

The Aristocats:

Thomas O’Malley

Duchess

Marie / Toulouse / Berlioz

Robin Hood:

Robin Hood

Maid Marian

Little John

Prince John

Winnie the Pooh:

Winnie the Pooh

Christopher Robin

Tigger

Piglet

Eeyore

Rabbit

Kanga / Roo

Owl

The Rescuers:

Bernard

Miss Bianca

The Fox and The Hound:

Tod

Copper

The Black Cauldron:

Taran

Eilonwy

Fflewddur Fflam

Gurgi

The Horned King

The Great Mouse Detective:

Basil of Baker Street

Professor Ratigan

Oliver & Company:

Oliver

Dodger

Bill Cykes

The Little Mermaid:

Ariel

Prince Eric

Ursula

King Triton

Sebastian

Flounder

Beauty and The Beast:

Belle

The Beast

Gaston

Lumiere

Cogsworth

Aladdin:

Aladdin

Jasmine

The Genie

Jafar

The Nightmare Before Christmas:

Jack Skellington

Sally

Oogie Boogie

The Lion King:

Simba

Nala

Scar

Timon / Pumba

Rafiki

A Goofy Movie:

Goofy

Max Goof

Roxanne

Pocahontas:

Pocahontas

John Smith

Governor Ratcliffe

The Hunchback of Notre Dame:

Quasimodo

Esmeralda

Captain Phoebus

Claude Frollo

Hercules:

Hercules

Megara

Hades

Phil

Mulan:

Fa Mulan

Li Shang

Mushu

Shan Yu

Tarzan:

Tarzan

Jane

Clayton

The Emperor's New Groove:

Emperor Kuzco

Pacha

Yzma

Kronk

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Milo Thatch

Princess Kida

Commander Rourke

Helga Sinclair

Lilo & Stitch:

Stitch

Lilo Pelekai

Nani Pelekai

Jumba

Pleakley

Treasure Planet: (Please Gameloft, I'm begging you...)

Jim Hawkins

John Silver

Captain Amelia

Dr. Delbert Doppler

Brother Bear:

Kenai

Koda

Home on the Range:

Maggie

Mrs. Calloway

Grace

Alameda Slim

Chicken Little:

Chicken Little

Buck Cluck

Meet the Robinsons:

Lewis

Wilbur Robinson

The Bowler Hat Guy

Bolt:

Bolt

Mittens

Rhino

The Princess and The Frog:

Tiana

Prince Naveen

Dr. Facilier

Louis

Mama Odie

Tangled:

Rapunzel

Flynn Rider / Eugene Fitzherbert

Mother Gothel

Wreck-It Ralph:

Wreck-It Ralph

Vanellope Von Schweetz

Fix It Felix

Sergeant Calhoun

King Candy / Turbo

Frozen:

Anna

Elsa

Kristoff

Olaf

Hans

Big Hero 6:

Hiro Hamada

Baymax

Gogo

Wasabi

Honey Lemon

Fred

Zootopia:

Judy Hopps

Nick Wilde

Chief Bogo

Moana:

Moana

Maui

Raya and the Last Dragon:

Raya

Sisu

Namaari

Encanto:

Mirabel Madrigal

The Madrigal Family

Strange World:

Searcher Clade

Ethan Clade

Meridian Clade

Jaeger Clade

Splat

Wish:

Asha

Valentino

King Magnifico

Live Action Movies:

Pirates of the Caribbean:

Captain Jack Sparrow

Will Turner

Elizabeth Swann

Hector Barbossa

Davy Jones

Enchanted:

Giselle

Robert Phillip

Prince Edward

Hocus Pocus:

Mary Sanderson

Sarah Sanderson

Winfred Sanderson

Pixar Movies:

Toy Story:

Woody

Buzz

Jessie

Bo Peep

Monsters Inc.:

James P. Sullivan

Mike Wazowski

Celia Mae

Randall Boggs

Boo

Finding Nemo:

Marlin

Nemo

Dory

Bruce

Hank

The Incredibles:

Mr Incredible

Elastigirl

Dash

Violet

Jack-Jack

Frozone

Syndrome

Edna Mode

Cars:

Lightning McQueen

Ratatouille:

Remy

Wall-E:

Wall-E

EVE

Up:

Carl Fredrickson

Russel

Dug

Kevin

Charles Muntz

Brave:

Merida

Coco:

Miguel Rivera

Hector Rivera

Mama Imelda Rivera

Ernesto De La Cruz

Onward:

Ian Lightfoot

Barley Lightfoot

Soul:

Joe Gardner

22

Luca:

Luca

Alberto

Giulia

Turning Red:

Meilin “Mei” Lee

Elemental:

Ember

Wade

Disney Television Animation Shows:

DuckTales:

Scrooge McDuck

Louie / Dewey / Huey Duck

Launchpad McQuack

Webby Vanderquack

Bentina Beakley

Phineas and Ferb:

Phineas Flynn

Ferb Fletcher

Candace Flynn

Perry the Platypus

Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz

Gravity Falls:

Dipper Pines

Mabel Pines

Grunkle Stan

Soos Ramirez

Wendy Corduroy

Bill Cipher

Amphibia:

Anne Boonchuy

Sprig Plantar

Polly Plantar

Hop Pop Plantar

Sasha Waybright

Marcy Wu

Owl House:

Luz Noceda

Edalyn Clawthorne

King Clawthorne

Amity Blight

Gus Porter

Willow Park

Hunter 

Hooty

(The list will be updated whenever any new films release, new characters release in Dreamlight Valley, and when I feel comfortable writing for some of the other shows)

[desos-records]

Chapter 4: The Best Weapons in the World

First | Prev / Next

Ghost possession doesn't happen often, but fatality rates are high. Even if an agent does survive, there are the aftereffects to worry about.

After surviving a possession, Lucy Carlyle struggles with recovery, delving ever deeper into the memories of Visitors and, in the process, stumbling into the world of blackmarket Sources.

Meanwhile, George Karim races to learn the truth behind ghost possession in order to protect Lucy and save future agents.

And Anthony Lockwood must face his own past with the London underworld if he wants to save his friends and himself.

-

George believed that the libraries of England would ultimately be what solved the Problem. After the great tech purges in the early days—no iron and silver could be spared, especially not for something as useless to psychic defense as a computer—libraries across the country began creating massive archives of anything that might reference a death, a haunting, or agent reports. 

And, more importantly, they shared those archives with each other, creating a great network of information available to everyone from the lords of London, Fittes and Rotwell, to the very smallest of village agencies. All in the hopes of helping agents close cases quickly and safely.

Librarians, historians, and other researchers were the only adults that could be trusted in his experience.

However, not all agents shared that position or appreciated the resources available to them, e.g. Lucy and Lockwood.

"You have to tell me what it was like," George insisted, case files and newspapers spread across the dark wood of the large library table they'd commandeered. He'd managed to secure his favorite one, situated halfway between the library's small coffee shop and the microfiche, looking over the railing down into the lower floors, and not too close to one of the ever-freezing air vents. "You haven't given me anything to go on."

Lucy scowled—she did that a lot, but he thought the frequency had skyrocketed in the last twelve hours since her possession by Annabel Ward. He wondered if emotional dysregulation might be a symptom of Psychic Dissociation Syndrome.

"What'd'you think?" she snapped. "I felt her dying, George. I heard her neck break. It was horrible." She held tight to her thermos of tea like she needed it to stay upright.

"Okay." He bent over his file to make a note, adjusted his glasses. "So your Hearing was strongest?"

"What does that matter?"

Without looking or pausing in his writing, George grabbed one of his case files and hauled it open, pushing it towards Lucy. She eased up her death grip on the plasm-stained thermos to hold down one of the pages as she looked over it.

"Of the twenty recorded cases, ten agents were Listeners, eight had strong Touch, and two had Sight," George said. "Of the survivors, Simon Rose and Evelyn Lawrence were gifted Listeners and the third, Bennie Russell, had some of the strongest Touch on record. In their accounts, they describe all their psychic Senses being impacted, but their primary Sense is what trapped them, so to speak." He finally looked up. "And don't change the subject."

Lucy made a sort of frustrated hawking sound like she was about to spit at him. "I don't know how to say it any better. I felt her dying. All of it. I—" She stopped, crossing her arms then rubbing at them like she was cold. When she spoke again, she sounded tired and hoarse. "I was dying," she said.

"You mean you felt like you were dying?"

"That's what I said." Her mouth twisted into a shape he associated with a particularly nasty swear word, but she stopped, took a deep breath, and rallied with the best of them. "So what if I'm a Listener?"

"Listeners—" He pointed at Lucy. "—and agents with Touch—" He pointed to himself. "—are more susceptible to possession. I believe it's because we actually take on the sensory memories of Visitors instead of just Seeing into the past." He gestured towards the nearby stacks where Lockwood had vanished some while ago. "That's so what."

"Did you pull this all together in the last twenty-four hours or have you always had this brick lying around?" Lucy gestured sharply at the case file and smiled in that wry, worrying way she did when she knew she had a Visitor trapped.

"I'm a researcher, Lucy. You have your Talent, Lockwood has his sword, I have this." He adjusted his glasses, matching her smile with a level, unimpressed gaze. "My theory is that strong Talent is what draws the Visitors in and why they latch onto a particular agent. They know, on some level, that we can connect with them. I believe that, in the case of possession, a strong Sense overrides an agent's living senses until they can't tell the difference anymore."

Lucy's face cleared and her smile dropped. "Oh."

"Oh?"

"Well, I've always felt like… I mean, ever since I was little I always ran into Visitors more than anyone. My sisters always said I heard them even as a baby, that we always had more hanging around outside the windows at night than anyone." Her expression suddenly turned sharp as broken glass and she looked away, staring down at the table. "You should see the iron wards on the house. Cost Mum a fortune."

From living with Lockwood, George knew when to sit with a person lost in their past and when to pull them out of it. He thought Lucy needed the former just then, so he said nothing.

"And on jobs," she continued, "Visitors, they always seemed to… I thought I was just being scared, but ghosts always seemed to know where I was and would go after me first. It's why my team—" She cut herself off, frowning hard, tapping her nails angrily against her thermos. "It ought to've gotten me killed by now, that's all."

George picked up his pen. "You don't happen to be the youngest of seven, do you, Lucy?" he asked.

Lucy rolled her eyes to high heaven and back. "Is it that seventh daughter of a seventh daughter rubbish you're after? I got that enough growing up, I don't need it from you too."

"There's evidence even the oldest superstitions still hold true—mostly anecdotal, of course, but think of salt and iron. People have used them to ward off spirits and ghosts long before the Problem."

"Oh, so I have strong Talent 'cause of my Mum, do I? Marissa Fittes wasn't the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. And she had a stronger Talent than anyone."

He shrugged. "We still don't know what dictates Talent, how sensitive it will be, which Sense will be strongest. It's just as likely as anything else."

Lucy slouched back in her seat and crossed her arms. "Right."

"Your experience could give us a clue to understanding possession—why it happens to some agents while some are just ghost-touched, why some survive and others don't, how to defend against it. This could save lives one day."

She blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Or it was a weird fluke that could've gotten us all killed."

"Weird flukes are just misunderstood phenomena."

"There's a good epitaph there."

"I'm serious, Lucy. Have you had any lingering side effects since last night?"

"I'm not your mangy skull, George. I won't be experimented on."

"It's impossible for a skull to be mangy. It doesn't have skin."

Lucy let out a small roar like an irritated tiger cub and pushed to her feet, shaking the table. "You're impossible."

"Have you two found anything?" Lockwood emerged finally from the stacks, magazines under his arm.

"Nothing important," George said.

Lucy opened her mouth to snap at him.

"Come on now, Luce," Lockwood said, his hand hovering against her lower back, not quite touching but close enough you might mistake the difference. He was smiling his I find Lucy Carlyle charming smile—not as wide or bright as others, but it reached his eyes like nothing else. "Let's save the fighting for the ghosts, shall we? Focus on solving the case," he said.

She huffed, but sat back down. George rolled his eyes.

Were it not for the high likelihood they might run off and cause more property damage, he would've left them both at home. Lucy seemed in no condition to focus on anything, too overwhelmed by what he strongly suspected were possession side effects. And Lockwood had no patience for research even on a good day, much less when he had the option to focus on Lucy instead.

Absolutely useless, the pair of them. It was all up to him.

[healingtouchhospital]

Understanding the Silver-Russell Syndrome in Children and Growth Challen...

[darklight-owl]

so his name is dexter (i’m gonna change his name but idk what to) and he’s like 15-16 ish. probably from the whitest state. probably from like oklahoma 💀. but he moves around a lot bc of his dad’s job and he currently lives in like.. florida. hes a bit of a twinkie (the thing me and my friends call a boy who is straight, has straight crushes, and will probably marry a woman but ACTS SO GAY ITS SO FUNNY) THIS MAN IS SUCH A ZESTFEST. he plays the piano really well (mf has arachnodactyly too). anthropology nerd. loves anthropology so much and infodumps about it as much as i infodump about my ocs. hes also super nice so!!!! dog person. actually puppy coded. i feel like he would be secretly good at something weird like skiing or like???? archery. HE WENT TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL FOR 7 YEARS SO ARCHERY WOULD FIT SO GOOD. anyway. hes also jewish and religious bc wtf. i can NOT see an anthropology nerd not being enthusiastic about following their religion bc like??? even if that religion is atheism theyd still be into it.

hes also like abnormally tall . i mean not actually abnormally because his grandparents on both sides are polish and the average height for a grown man in poland is 5’10” and dexter is around there so like. but he seems tall bc i would be short compared him. he also has a twin sister named hannah whos the opposite of him in every way, like shes artistic and social and hes just… not basically. i feel like hannah would have a really pretty haircut but anyway.

dexter’s bestie westie is this chinese girl named miu with a genetic condition (russell silver syndrome) that makes her very short (and prone to indigestion) but its whatever bc i love my height difference pairings. him and miu are in like all the same classes and they probably have the strangest inside jokes like i bet dexter would point to the sidewalk and giggle and then theyd giggle theyre so weird.

i have so much lore of him its not even funny. i love him so much i planned out his entire life 🫶🏻

also i made slander of my ocs that imma post soon 🙀

WOAHH that's a lot

He's so silly teehee <3 would befriend him tbh he seems so nice ✨️✨️

[docrotten]

THE INCUBUS (1981) – Episode 236 – Decades Of Horror 1980s

“Thank you. I have work to do. And you have your work to do. I don’t like to be berated by Hank! Or anyone.”  It seems that Hank’s at it again. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they get down and dirty with The Incubus (1981).

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 236 – The Incubus (1981)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror 1980s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which now includes video episodes of DoH 1980s! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://wickedhorrortv.com/

A small town’s doctor takes matters into his own hands after a series of gruesome and bizarre rape crimes perplex the clueless authorities.

  Director: John Hough

Writers: Ray Russell (novel by), George Franklin (screenplay)

Cinematography by: Albert J. Dunk (director of photography)

Selected Cast:

John Cassavetes as Sam Cordell

John Ireland as Hank Walden

Kerrie Keane as Laura Kincaid

Helen Hughes as Agatha Galen

Erin Noble as Jenny Cordell (as Erin Flannery)

Duncan McIntosh as Tim Galen

Harvey Atkin as Joe Prescott

Harry Ditson as Lt. Drivas

Mitch Martin as Mandy Pullman

Matt Birman as Roy Seeley

Beverly Cooper as Pru Keaton (as Beverley Cooper)

Brian Young as Charlie Prescott

Barbara Franklin as Mrs. Pullman

Wes Lee as Mr. Pullman

Neil Dainard as Ernie Barnes

Jennifer Leak as Deena Ferrin

Denise Fergusson as Carolyn Davies

Jack Van Evera as Matt Davies

Helene Udy as Sally Harper (as Helen Udy)

Lisa Bunting as Anita Barnes

Michelle Davros as Jane Barnes (as Michele Davros)

Jefferson Mappin as Clem

James Bearden as Lacey

Alan Bridle as Interrogator

Jude Beny as Witch

Jeremy Hole as Torturer #1

Brian Montague as Swimmer

Dirk McLean as The Incubus

For this episode, the Grue-Crew follows actor John Cassavetes to Wisconsin to battle the shapeshifting slasher in the Canadian gem, The Incubus. The film is directed by John Hough, the director behind the Hammer film Twins of Evil (1971), the horror classic The Legend of Hell House (1973), a pair of Disney “Witch Mountain” films, and the car chase cult favorite Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974). Part Supernatural, part slasher, part Satanism, part mystery, this adaptation of Ray Russell’s 1976 novel of the same name provides plenty for the Grue-Crew to sink their teeth into. 

At the time of this writing, The Incubus is available to stream with ads from Tubi and Pluto TV, as well as from multiple PPV sources. The film is available on physical media as a Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome. 

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Jeff, will be Poison for the Fairies (1986), directed by Carlos Enrique Toboada and winner of four Silver Ariel Awards as well as the Golden Ariel for Best Picture and five other nominations.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

Check out this episode!

[storybrookeofold]

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Sisu

[concerningwolves]

I've been doing a lot of voice recording and speech practise today, and it's really got me thinking about what it actually means to have a speech impediment.

So, because of my russel-silver syndrome, my jaw isn't quite shaped right. I've had a lot of overcrowding with my teeth and although that's been fixed now, I still can't always get my mouth into the right shapes to make sounds. My "r" goes soft and my "w" sounds like an r, for example; I also get too much saliva going on when I speak and I'm often in danger of biting my tongue, which makes my s and sh sounds go slushy. (Incidentally, "slushy" is a nightmare word to say).

But the thing is, people who know me often say that they don't notice my speech impediment. I don't know if this is because they think they're being kind, or if they've just gotten used to it so they can parse my speech automatically, or some combination thereof. I've had people tell me that I sound "wonderfully clear for a deaf person", that my voice is "cute", and that "oh, your speech impediment is actually mild. I barely notice it!".

Lately, I've begun to consider that speech impediments aren't thought of as something someone has. They're thought of as something that other people experience. People tell me that mine is mild because they barely notice it, but you know what? I notice! I notice all the time! And I don't mean this in a self-conscious way, either (although I have certainly been self-conscious for a long time). What I mean when I say that I notice my speech impediment is, it's always there, constantly, when I speak. I can never stop thinking about it. Every time I have a conversation, I have to consider how I'm shaping words and whether I'm speaking clearly enough to be understood. It is exhausting. When I listen back to my own voice, I can really hear where I've started to get tired from speaking as the quality of my pronunciation goes way downhill. Sometimes, I reach a point where I'm so tired from the mental effort that I just. stop speaking. I simply can't do it anymore. I've had to scrap several recordings because this happened.

So.. doesn't this count as a speech disability, then? Because it is something that disables me. It hinders my speech! It wears me out! And no amount of being told that "it's actually not at all noticeable :)" is ever going to change that.

[tabloidtoc]

National Examiner, March 22

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson -- his journey from thief to superstar

Page 2: These stars wheely like to bike -- Hugh Jackman, Eva Longoria, Matthew McConaughey, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, Russell Crowe, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Page 3: Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, Al Roker, Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith, Matt Damon, Justin Theroux, Ethan Hawke

Page 4: Jennifer Aniston's roles and costumes

Page 6: Susan Sarandon is 74 and single now and she admits she likes to date younger men because they have more inquisitive minds than older guys

Page 7: Golden Age of Glamour -- the shocking beauty tips, tricks and secrets of Hollywood's most stunning stars -- Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Crawford

Page 8: Listen to Granny -- older media influencers are getting into the act on social media, with women in their 80s and 90s earning huge followings and lots of money on Instagram -- while some are all about their head-turning styles, others go with decorating or fitness to create their granfulencer brands

Page 9: Go ahead and binge that new TV show because it's good for your mental health -- new research shows the lack of social connection we're all feeling now because of COVID-19 restrictions can be filled, at least to some degree, by watching TV, reading books and listening to music

Page 10: Lucia DeClerck has some advice for living a long life, and she knows what she's talking about because she's 105 years old -- not only did Lucia live through the 1918 Spanish Flu, she's the oldest person in her nursing home and she just beat COVID-19 -- how does she do it? Gin-soaked golden raisins

Page 11: 8 ways to prevent back pain

Page 12: Stars Still Strong and Sexy As They Hit Milestone Notorious 90 -- Marla Gibbs, Gavin MacLeod, Angie Dickinson, Barbara Eden

Page 13: William Shatner, Olympia Dukakis, Dan Rather, Rita Moreno, Willie Mays, James Earl Jones

Page 14: Dear Tony, America's Top Psychic Healer -- all marriages need care and attention to flourish

Page 15: There are nicer, more medically accurate ways to describe it, but "dead butt syndrome" says it all, that feeling of numbness or achiness from sitting too long -- it is no joke to the many people who experience the discomfort of DBS, otherwise known as lower cross syndrome, gluteal amnesia, or gluteus medius tendinosis -- people who sit at their desk all day for work are particularly prone to this syndrome, where muscle tightness in the hip flexors and weakness in the gluteus medius muscles in the buttock combine to create hip and lower-back pain, leading to numbness -- luckily there are simple remedies you can try to alleviate symptoms and even reverse the syndrome

Page 16: Princess Diana: little girl lost -- Diana's brother Charles Spencer reveals truth about heartbreaking childhood

Page 18: There are about 100 prepaid food receipts fluttering on the wall of Ruma's Deli in Missouri and if you're hungry and your pockets are empty, you can grab one, bring it to the counter and get a free meal, no strings attached

Page 19: Pixel the cat is so creepy-looking even a professional exorcist crossed himself and ran -- Alyson Kalhagen's cat has giant googly eyes, a Halloween pumpkin smile and oversized bat ears and he's also fond of making funny faces but the two-year-old has racked up a fan base online, where more than 12,000 followers find Pixel's peculiarities precious

Page 20: Cover Story -- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is huge in every way -- the muscle-bound ex-wrestler has starred in dozens of blockbuster films, has tons of projects in the works, millions of bucks and a brand new show about his childhood but he hasn't always been on top of the game -- the dynamo has gone through so many tough times and bad decisions they would sink a lesser man but he's an open book about all of them and how he fought to get to the top every step of the way

Page 22: After a long break to raise her children, Michelle Pfeiffer is on the silver screen again and looking better than ever -- the 62-year-old is in a new film called French Exit, in which she plays a tragic widow who packs up and moves to Paris with her son -- the actress says to return and thrive in an industry formerly known as being obsessed with youth is a gift -- although her husband David E. Kelley has been behind dozens of hits like The Undoing and Big Little Lies, Michelle doesn't want to work with him because she's seen a lot of couples where they seem to have a great marriage, and then they work together and next year they're filing for divorce -- next up, Michelle will play Betty Ford in the upcoming series The First Lady

Page 24: A Texas grocery delivery driver got more than just shelter from the storm when her car became stuck in a customer's driveway -- the people who lived there took her in for five days and made her feel like part of the family

Page 26: Deep Focus -- stunning underwater pix from an unseen world

Page 32: Pet Projects -- family portraits get everyone into the picture -- photographer Tasha Hall creates "farmaly" photos, which include each and every one of the household where they've got two feet, four feet, paws, claws, hooves or wings

Page 34: While everyone loves a comfortable, cozy mattress, having a really good becomes more important with age because a bad one may leave you with aches, pains and posture imbalances but the problem is that these specialty mattresses are very expensive -- fortunately, Medicare may cover up to 80 percent of the cost if you go about this purchase the right way and you'll then be responsible for the remaining 20 percent, as well as any deductible

Page 40: Psychic Self-Defense -- many people are born with a psyche that is naturally sensitive -- there has been a modern-day rise in occultism and practicing psychics and the way of the world at this time had made many more people seek help -- this has produced a far greater awareness of the need to protect and defend ourselves when working in a magical or psychic context -- we are all constantly being bombarded with psychic vibrations, not all of them good

Page 42: 20 Things You Never Knew About Tiger Woods

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Jenny McCarthy is in high spirits as she preps to tape a new episode of The Masked Singer in L.A. (picture), Goldie Hawn works out in L.A. (picture), Jane Fonda has given up on getting hitched -- she has three failed marriages and being single means she can watch whatever she wants on TV, Kelly Clarkson admits that since her marriage soured she no longer considers marriage a fairy-tale thing and she can't imagine being married again, Charlize Theron admits she hasn't made the grade when it comes to homeschooling her kids Jackson and August, Patrick Schwarzenegger is looking to follow in the footsteps of his dad Arnold Schwarzenegger but says his dad hasn't offered any pointers when it comes to a career in showbiz, Bindi Irwin is close to welcoming her little wildlife warrior with husband Chandler Powell and her 17-year-old brother Robert Irwin has some opinions about his sister's ever-expanding figure saying she's massive

Page 45: Duchess Kate and Prince William hold video calls with folks shielding at home during the pandemic to discuss the positive impact of the COVID-19 vaccine (picture), Chrissy Teigen goes shopping with daughter Luna (picture), Mary-Kate Olsen finalized her divorce from French banker Olivier Sarkozy and she was spotted in NYC having dinner with businessman John Cooper, Gordon Ramsay is steamed after being diagnosed with arthritis, Jessie J has a new boyfriend with dancer and choreographer Max Pham Nguyen, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin dropped a bombshell -- they've welcomed their sixth child via surrogate

Page 46: We all get a bit snippy at times, but if you tend to fly into a rage, it's not good for your health or friendships -- here are some simple anger-management techniques you can do any time

Page 47: Curious Earthlings have always been hungry for movies about the moon and its mysteries -- Cat-Women of the Moon, A Trip to the Moon, The Right Stuff, First Man, Gravity, Apollo 13, Hidden Figures

[cripplecharacters]

Hi, I am writing and drawing a comic and have a character with russell-silver syndrome, one of which her related symptoms is kyphosis. I have found various accommodations that she can use in the story and am pretty pleased with her writing. However, it is very hard for me to find reference images for how to draw kyphosis , even if i search up using the not-ideal and bad term ‘hunchback’. If there is any advice you have or people in your audience who know where to find reference images or resources, that is appreciated. Sorry if phrasing is peculiar

Hi!

I don't have RSS, but I have hyperkyphosis!

A lot of the medical drawings that come up on Google are kinda oversimplified but accurate! I can try listing some things that would be great to include;

The head goes far forward. Try drawing her neck on an angle rather than straight.

If it goes really forward, she could have some degree of underbite (like I do).

There will be a hump on her upper back, it will start right after her neck ends. It could go through the rest of her back and make it seem round as a whole, or just be a visible bump under the neck.

Her shoulders will go inward and look much rounder than usual. Don't give her a very square-y frame there.

She will look shorter. How much will depend on the severity of her kyphosis, but she will.

If her kyphosis isn't very severe, she would be able to "straighten" her back and not show most of the above (other than the hump itself). Most of us can't keep this up for long, I for example start to feel pain and other issues comically quickly, so I rarely bother. But if you ever want her to get slightly taller to maybe reach for something, she would probably be able to.

Remember that this is a chronic pain condition. I readjust how I sit, crack my neck, stretch, and do weird neck movements a lot to mitigate it at least a bit. Some of these mannerisms could be nice to include!

I'm not familiar with any visual tutorials for drawing kyphosis, but if any followers could help out, it would be great!

Thanks for your ask!

mod Sasza

[aion-rsa]

Best Romantic Movies on Netflix

https://ift.tt/3a6cb9I

Romance movies are not that different from horror movies. Both are incredibly hard to pull off, are heavily watched during a cold time of year, and hopefully end with every character covered in blood.

With that in mind we present to you a list of the best romantic movies on Netflix. Because romance deserves it, damn it. Virtually every song ever written is a love song but poor romance can’t get a fair shake at the movies. Whether it be a rom-com or just a straight-up soul-enlightening/crushing romance, our list of the best romantic movies on Netflix will get you back in touch with your cold, dead heart.

Set It Up

Set It Up is Netflix’s most accomplished original romantic comedy yet.

Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell star as overworked assistants Harper and Charlie. Harper is an assistant to Kirsten (Lucy Liu) the woman behind a sports media empire. Charlie works for finance maven Rick (Taye Diggs). Harper and Charlie realize that their respective workloads might lesson if their bosses were more focused on their love life and less focused on work. So they…set them up.

Set It Up is a fun, novel high-concept romance movie positively filled with chemistry on all sides.

Outside In

We embrace every kind of love on our list of the best romance movies. Sometimes that includes some questionable, and some would say “icky” kind of love. So…Outside In is a teacher-student romance. But don’t panic! It’s ok.

Jay Duplas stars as Chris, a man who was wrongly imprisoned at age 18 and who is relased at age 38. When Chris is released, he immediately meets up with his old high school teacher, Carol (Edie Falco), who was his penpal when he was in prison. He wastes little time before he declares his love for her.

Despite its subject matter, Outside In is a mature, well-handled exploration of love and what it means to love someone for themselves as opposed to what they do for us.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

With a name as long as The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, the movie better be good to justify how many times we poor cultural commenters must type it out. Thankfully Guernsey is quite good!

Based on a book by the same name, Guernsey is a historical love story set in 1946. Lily James stars as British writer Juliet Ashton. Juliet begins exchanging letters with residents of the islands of Guernsey, which was under German occupation in WWII (so like two years before the movie starts). While there she meets the dashing Dawsey Adams (Michael Huisman) and romance begins to blossom.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an excellent, watchable classical romance

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Oh hey! Another Netflix original with a long title based on a book. Like the Potato Peel Pie Society, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is another effortlessly enjoyable romantic romp – this time of the teen variety.

Lara Jean Song Covey (Laura Condor) experiences every young person’s nightmare when private love letters to five boys she has or has had crushes on suddenly and mysteriously become public. But fear not. This is a romance movie, not a horror movie. So this sudden reveal has to go well for Lara Jean, right? RIGHT?!?

To All the Boys P.S. I Still Love You

The To All the Boys team returns for a sequel that teaches kids the harsh lesson that there’s no such thing as happily ever after! OK, so that’s a bit harsh, but To All the Boys P.S. I Still Love You does bring back its characters for another round of romantic angst.

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Movies

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You Review

By Delia Harrington

Movies

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Review: A Pleasurable Netflix Rom-Com

By Delia Harrington

Lara Jean (Lana Condor) is now officially Peter’s (Noah Centineo) girlfriend. But before they can relax and enjoy their lives together, an old flame of Lara Jean enters the frame. That’s right, John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher) is here and he wants to steal your girl, Noah Centineo.

The Danish Girl

2015’s The Danish Girl tells the story of a kind of love nearly unprecedented for its early 20th century time. Eddie Redmayne stars as artist Lili Elbe, who was born Einar Wegener and is believed to be one of the first individuals to receive sexual reassignment surgery. The film follows Lili’s journey and her love with wife Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander).

When Gerda asks her husband to stand in for a female subject in her painting, Einar does so and quickly comes to terms with the gender identity he’s been suppressing. The newly confirmed Lili and Gerda navigate this new dimension of their relationship and Lili continues her work as a subject for Gerda’s now very much in demand paintings. 

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Beauty and the Beast

2017’s live-action version of Beauty and the Beast isn’t the best depiction of the classic fairy tale ever but that’s ok. It doesn’t have to be. All Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast really needed to be was a fun little dip into nostalgia with sumptuous visuals and a believable romance. On that front, everything goes according to plan.

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Movies

Emma Watson on Beauty and the Beast: ‘I’m Very Grateful That This Character Exists’

By Don Kaye

TV

Beauty and the Beast Disney+ Prequel Series Set with Luke Evans and Josh Gad

By Joseph Baxter

Emma Watson stars as Belle and Dan Stevens is her beast. Belle heads off from her small French town to the Beast’s castle to rescue her father. What follows is Stockholm Syndrome: The Movie. But sexier. Beauty and the Beast really does look good and Watson and Stevens have just enough chemistry to make this a worthwhile romantic experience.

50 First Dates

50 First Dates has a somewhat disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score. Ignore that. It’s probably partially due to many critics’ distaste for at least one of the actors in the above screengrab. Not that they can be blamed. The presence of Adam Sandler or Rob Schneider in any comedy is rarely a good sign. In 50 First Dates‘, however, it’s not an issue at all. 

50 First Dates is a legitimately funny and romantic romantic comedy. Drew Barrymore stars as Lucy Whitmore, a woman with short-term memory loss. Due to a car accident, every day she wakes up believing it is October 13, 2002. Sandler’s character Henry Roth meets her in Hawaii and the two must overcome this bizarre condition to establish a lasting relationship.

Carol

Todd Haynes, director of Carol and Far From Heaven knows longing. And if there’s an element that makes for an excellent romantic movie experience its longing. That desperate sense is baked into nearly every frame of Carol. Based on a 1950s romance novel, Carol is the story of a young photographer (Rooney Mara) and an older woman going through a divorce (Cate Blanchette) undertaking a forbidden affair.

Forbidden because, you know, ’50s. And that’s where the longing comes in. Nothing is more romantic or sexier than a forbidden romance. Carol channels that romantic energy into something mature, fascinating and heartbreaking.

Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is all about how generally terrible it is to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan. OK, fine – it’s only a little bit about that. This star-studded 2012 film from David O. Russell is more about the challenges in finding love when one isn’t sure they even love themselves.

Bradley Cooper stars as Pat Solitano Jr., a young man with bipolar disorder living with his parents after being released from a psychiatric hospital. Pat is determined to win back his ex-wife and to that end enlists the help of young widower Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence). The two become closer as they train for an upcoming dance competition and share their respective damages with one another.

Silver Linings Playbook works because Lawrence and Cooper have a real crackling chemistry. And they both just happen to be devastatingly, almost supernaturally attractive.

Runaway Bride

From stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts to director Garry Marshall to conspicuous usage of enormous cell phones – Runaway Bride is an intensely ’90s film. And to the rightly organized mind, that just makes it the platonic ideal of a low-stress romantic comedy.

Roberts stars as Maggie Carpenter, an alluring young woman who has made a habit of leaving multiple fiancé’s at the altar. Gere is Ike Graham, a New York columnist seeking to tell the definitive story of this “runaway bride.” Runaway Bride is a charming experience that will make you think long and hard about how you really like your eggs prepared.

Loving

It feels reductive to call Loving a “romance” movie, as its more of a historical exploration of the very real, very tragic legacy of American racism. At its center, however, the film is about love.

Loving tells the story of Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred Loving (Ruth Negga), a mixed-race Virginia couple challenging their state’s law against interracial marriage in the Supreme Court. The details of the Lovings struggle for basic human rights are astonishing. Edgerton and Negga’s empathetic performances make sure the film never loses sight of the humanity at play amid all the legal drama.

Always Be My Maybe

Everyone always talks about “the one who got away”, but what about “the one who was always kind of around”? 2019’s Always Be My Maybe tells of one such story.

Ali Wong (who wrote the film) stars as Sasha Tran and Randall Park stars as Marcus Kim. Marcus and Sasha grew up next door to each other and also embarked on a brief, ill-fated relationship in their teenage years. When Sasha returns to San Francisco to open a restaurant, she discovers that romantic energy remains between her and Marcus. But is that enough to spark love in the busy, chaotic adult world?

Always Be My Maybe has a lot to say about family and growth. It also features a truly winning performance from Keanu Reeves playing…Keanu Reeves.

The Kissing Booth

There’s an interesting dynamic at play in teenage romantic comedies. Oftentimes, the worse they are, the more watchable (and rewatchable) they become. The Kissing Booth is a prime example. Based on a book by the same name from Beth Reekles, The Kissing Booth isn’t exactly celebrated for its realistic portrayal of American teenagers.

Thanks to charming lead performances from Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and Joel Courtney, however, that doesn’t really matter. The Kissing Booth is all about how one girl’s first kiss turns into an emotional minefield of teen angst. That alone is enough to support 105 minutes of pure high school drama…and two sequels!

The post Best Romantic Movies on Netflix appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/38Fd7ho

[ao3-spideypool]

The Order of the Silver Spider

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2UEJ323

by MsCaptainWinchester (rons_pigwidgeon)

When Wade Wilson signed his loyalty to Queen Shiklah, he did it for the money. That he'd thought he was in love with her was secondary. But as the years passed, and Wade began to understand that Shiklah didn't return that love, his eyes began to wander. Prince Peter was supposed to be a distraction, a momentary dalliance to fill the time. But it was difficult for someone to be a fling if you can't get them out of your head. What was meant to last a night turns into something much deeper. Soon, Wade must question what's more important to him: loyalty to his word or loyalty to his heart.

Prince Peter of Spider was barely holding things together. With his wife murdered, his kingdom's future was put into question for the first time in centuries. As the pressure mounts to find a new spouse and produce the heir that will assure his kingdom's future and treaty negotiations between his tiny principality and King Anthony heat up, Peter welcomes the distraction of Captain Wilson. But Peter finds himself still distracted even months later, and must quickly face that he is in love. Can he find a way to secure happiness with another ruler's consort, or will he be forced to marry out of duty and never truly know love again?

Words: 33854, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Deadpool - All Media Types, Spider-Man - All Media Types

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Peter Parker, Wade Wilson, Shiklah (Marvel), Anna Maria Marconi, Sajani Jaffrey, Ned Leeds, Michael Morbius, Tony Stark, Shuri (Marvel), Betty Brant, Mary Jane Watson, Bobby Drake, May Parker (Spider-Man)

Relationships: Peter Parker/Wade Wilson, Shiklah/Wade Wilson, Shiklah/Dracula, Shiklah (Marvel)/Jack Russell, Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy (previous)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Modern Royalty, Powered AU, Political Alliances, Open Relationships, One Night Stand Turned to Love, Love Letters, Widower Peter Parker, Consort Wade Wilson, Prince Peter Parker, Semi-Public Sex, Roof Sex, Library Sex (private library), Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Riding, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Stockholm Syndrome (reference to it but not on screen)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2UEJ323

[gtbaze]

Cute Baby-Faced Little Lady with a Tiny Voice Cries out, Says She is an Adult and Not a Kid, Video Causes Stir (WATCH)

Cute Baby-Faced Little Lady with a Tiny Voice Cries out, Says She is an Adult and Not a Kid, Video Causes Stir (WATCH)

A small-sized female TikTok content creator has stated that she is not a kid but an adult. The TikToker with the handle @itzamealiaa has a small stature which is cutely not helped by her tiny voice and baby-like face and this has led many to conclude she is not of age. In a recent video on the platform, the bold and courageous lady revealed she has the Russell-Silver syndrome (RSS) disorder which…

[honeyfawn]

i am in extreme pain due to my migraines caused by my blood clot and russel silver syndrome and my psoriasis and hip dysplasia are intense as of late. i just got approved for work from home position at my work because i got it out of a medical emergency because i kept fainting at work due to my blood clot that is located behind my right eye. if anyone wants to help me out until my insurance app gets approved by maybe purchasing some medical items off of my wishlist that will help relieve some of my pain until i can get a primary care doctorthat would be awesome

http://a.co/9NJ99S4