#stephen's queen has returned from the war

[fibula-rasa]

Cosplay the Classics: Elizabeth Montgomery in “Two”

“Two” first aired on 15 September 1961 and is the first episode of the third season of The Twilight Zone. Sadly, “Two” is the only episode that features Elizabeth Montgomery.

Montgomery was nearly ten years into her professional career in 1961. She had already carved out a solid resume in television, appearing prolifically on anthology and episodic shows and occasionally stretched her legs on the New York stage. Samantha Stephens was still three years away when Montgomery took her voyage through The Twilight Zone.

In its five seasons, The Twilight Zone was a crossroads of up-and-coming and well-established performers. “Two” paired the rising star Montgomery with Charles Bronson, who had a decade more acting experience in TV and film than Montgomery. Though Bronson was the more established star, “Two” is Montgomery’s showcase.

Read on below the jump!

“Two” relies on minimal dialogue throughout and notably Montgomery only has a single line spoken. The role relies almost entirely on Montgomery’s action/reaction, expression, and styling. The episode begins on Montgomery as The Woman wandering an abandoned city. The first nine minutes of the episode pass with no dialogue, with context given by visual elements and Serling’s opening narration. The entire episode takes place on a small section of city street (at the old Hal Roach studios, conveniently already in disrepair). 

We learn through newspapers and magazines that this city is in The Man’s homeland, invaded by The Woman’s nation’s army. Signs of the city’s long five-year abandonment are everywhere, including full skeletons left where they fell. (The macabre element of skeletons is used sparingly across the Twilight Zone and usually in circumstances less grounded in reality than “Two,” such as “Long Live Walter Jameson” and “Queen of the Nile.”) As The Man mulls over his first encounter with The Woman a dove flies up behind him as a symbol of his genuine desire for peace. Through a variety of posters and advertisements, we learn that The Man’s homeland had a culture heavily invested in war.

Collage of the war-related paraphernalia in “Two”

All of that is solid storytelling, but Montgomery’s acting adds an extra something. When The Woman first encounters The Man, Montgomery performs hair-trigger reactivity. Despite The Woman’s dire situation—a stranded foreigner in a decimated country with seemingly no chance to ever return home—her reluctance to trust The Man is significant. Pairing Montgomery’s wordless portrayal of these responses with the jingoistic quality of The Man’s homeland and the notable length of time that the city has been abandoned makes me feel that her feelings might not be a simple holdover of wartime hostility on her part but potentially extended trauma. Perhaps The Woman had previous awful experiences with other straggling remnants of The Man’s military, who may not have been as ready as The Man to give up wartime attitudes in spite of the war clearly being over.

The Woman is understandably acting like a cornered animal. As the episode progresses, The Man tries to be as calculated as possible in communicating to The Woman that he doesn’t want a fight through his actions, turning his back to her, and not retaliating the third time she launches an attack on him. Montgomery, in turn, does a great job of drawing out the cornered animal characterization—alternating between curiosity, hope, mistrust, and open hostility. Montgomery’s characterization gives the role the added dimension that saves the episode from feeling too much like an overly simple fable.

Unfortunately, it’s in executing the fabular aspect of the story where “Two” falters. The opening narration by Serling specifies: 

“It’s been five years since a human being walked these streets. This is the first day of the sixth year as man used to measure time.  “The time: perhaps a hundred years from now, or sooner, or perhaps it’s already happened two-million years ago. The place: The signposts are in English so that we may read them more easily, but the place is The Twilight Zone.”

It’s established here that the location is meant to be a stand-in for any city in any country, and that the use of English is merely a storytelling convenience. So, even though “Two” is intended as a Cold-War era anti-war statement, they are intentionally distancing the fiction from the contemporary real-world conflict. To create further distance from a contemporary place/time, they establish that the rifles are laser guns.

But, then, that one line that Montgomery speaks in “Two,” seventeen minutes in, is “Prekrasny” or “прекрасны,” a Russian word for beautiful or pretty. This pretty much grinds to a halt the concept that this is a cautionary fable and not a vision of a dark future where the Soviet Union and the United States moved to open warfare. While I’ll admit that the conventions used to establish “Two” as a fable are cheeky and a little on the corny side, the episode itself would have been stronger without the suggestion that The Woman is Russian.

I’m not sure who made the call to use a Russian word. I wonder if perhaps Serling wrote his introduction and he had a different read on the story than its writer, Montgomery Pittman. Maybe Pittman intended “Two” to be more of a dark premonition with a twist of optimism and Serling thought of it more as a fable and the two approaches hampered each other in the final product? This is pure speculation on my part of course, but it’s a black mark on what I think could have been an even better episode than it is.

Regardless, I think “Two” is a strong episode and a fine example of a Serling-esque story written by someone brought on to lighten the load of Serling, who worked himself to the bone on Twilight Zone. I also appreciate Pittman’s confidence to rely so heavily on visual storytelling techniques, taking into account that the high quality at which we watch the show now does not reflect the quality home viewers would have had in 1961. It reflects both Serling and the producers belief that viewers would be fully engaged in watching the show as it aired rather than just passively having it on in the family room while unwinding after dinner. 

Elizabeth Montgomery’s performance heightens the whole affair considerably. That’s no shade on Charles Bronson, in fact I think the monologuing he’s given could have come off as unbearably hokey if delivered by a lesser actor.

If you can believe it, this is my very first time cosplaying The Twilight Zone! (Though I did play Rod Serling in a set of sketches in high school. I was as weird as a teenager as I am an adult, okay?) If you didn’t already know, I run another blog called Twilight Zone in Close-ups, examining the powerful use of close-up shots on the show by testing out how much of each episode’s story can be communicated solely by its close-up shots.

☕ Buy me a coffee! ☕

[typingtess]

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch:   “A Long Time Coming”

The basics:  Morgan Miller moves on to Los Angeles as part of the Simon Williams project.

Written by:  R. Scott Gemmill wrote/cowrote “The Only Easy Day”, “Brimstone”, “Breach”, “LD50”, “Found”, “Borderline”, “Absolution”, “Archangel”, “Tin Soldiers”, “Impostors”, “Cyberthreat”, “Honor”, “The Watchers” and both sides of the NCIS Los: Angeles/Hawaii Five-0 “Touch of Death” episodes, “Recruit”, “Free Ride”, “Wanted”, “Ravens and The Swans”, “Impact”, “War Cries”, both ends of the “Deep Trouble” season five finale/season six premiere, “Inelegant Heart”, “Praesidium”, “Traitor”, “Active Measures” (season seven premiere), “Blame It On Rio”, “Internal Affairs”, “Matryoshka” part one,  "Talion" (season seven finale), “High Value Target”/”Belly of the Beast” (season eight premieres), “The Queen’s Gambit”, “Under Siege”, “Unleashed” (season eight finale), “Party Crashers” (season nine’s premiere), “This Is What We Do” (episode 200), “Các Tù Nhân”, “Goodbye Vietnam”, “Ninguna Salida” (the season nine finale), “Hit List”, “Asesinos”, “Till Death Do Us Part”, “Choke Point”, “The Guardian”, “Hail Mary”, “Kill Beale Vol. 1”, “Alsiyadun”, “Fortune Favors the Brave”, “The Bear” (season 12 premiere), “Angry Karen”, “Love Kills”, “Russia, Russia, Russia”, “The Noble Maidens”, “A Tale of Two Igors” (season 12 finale), "Subject 17" (season 13 premiere), "All The Little Things", “MWD”, “Work and Family” and “Game of Drones” (season 14 premiere).    

Directed by:  Dennis Smith directed “Fame”, “Standoff”, “Rocket Man”, “Cyberthreat”, “Exit Strategy”, “Patriot Acts”, “Out of the Past” part one, “The Livelong Day”, Between the Lines”, “Deep Trouble” part two, “Black Budget", “Black Wind”, “Blame it On Rio”, “Defectors”, “Matryoshka” part one, “Granger, O”, “The Queen’s Gambit”, “Hot Water”, “From Havana With Love”, “Plain Sight”, the lighthearted “Monster”, “Superhuman”, “One of Us”, “Smokescreen” part one, “Decoy”, “Mother” (episode 250), “Alsiyadun”, “The Bear”, “Angry Karen”, “Signs of Change”, “Fukushu” and “Dead Stick”.

Smith directed 63 episodes of NCIS so far, the most by any director.

Guest stars of note:  Crossing over from parts one and two are Gary Cole as NCIS Special Agent Alden Parker, Wilmer Valderrama as NCIS Special Agent Nicholas "Nick" Torres and Vanessa Lachey as NCIS Special Agent Jane Tennant.  Joining in on the fun is Yasmine Al-Bustami as NCIS Agent Lucy Tara.  Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier returns from “Flesh and Blood” as NCIS Reserve Agent Shyla Dahr, Lesley Boone is back from “Come Together”, the season 13 finale, as Nina Barnes.  Maya Stojan finishes up the crossover as Morgan Miller, Jose Pablo Cantillo as Pierce and Stephen Mendel as Jimmy McCann

Our heroes:   Finally get to be part of a big crossover!

What important things did we learn about: Callen:  Wouldn’t mind doing this all again. Sam:   Swimming his way to the boat shed. Kensi:  Driving Fatima back to the office so Fatima has proper time to beat herself up over Rountree’s kidnapping. Deeks:  Promises Fatima they will find Rountree. Fatima:  Not going home until Rountree is found. Rountree:  Dean Rossmore, personal trainer. Kilbride:  Hunting.

What not so important things did we learn about: Callen:  Crazy cat lady who doesn’t know their place smells. 1.0. Sam:  Crazy cat lady who doesn’t know their place smells 2.0. Kensi:  A rare showing as not the episode’s best sniper. Deeks:  Gluten allergy. Fatima:  Fan of hot yoga. Rountree:  Not a fan of rooms full of sweaty, smelly people. Kilbride:  Last of the original Simon Williams.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange?   Rountree mentions that Hetty has a number of real estate holdings.  Callen guarantees Hetty knew about the Simon Williams project and was proven right.  She provides the Kilbride look-a-like. 

Who's down with OTP:  Lovely scene outside between the armory and firing range between Kensi and Deeks and Deeks’s red truck was murdered.

Who's down with BrOTP:  Fatima was truly worried about Rountree.

Fashion review:   Callen wore a blue and white button down shirt while Sam back to his long-sleeve black tee.  Kensi wore a wine-colored tee with cap sleeves.  Deeks had on a slate-blue long-sleeve tee.  Fatima wore a white long-sleeve turtleneck under a black cami.  Rountree wore a long-sleeve athletic tee.  Admiral Kilbride wore a desert camo sniper suit before returning to the office in a khaki leisure suit.  While at the airplane graveyard, everyone had on light colored gear.

Music:   None.  This was a missed opportunity for all three episodes.  There should have been celebratory music for The Professor’s retirement, local music in both Hawai’i and Los Angeles. 

Any notable cut scene:  No.  There was a behind the scenes look at the three-episodes as “A Killer Crossover”.  NCIS writer/executive producer Steven Binder said they always knew they’d do a three-show crossover.  The writers room at NCIS: Hawai’i came up with the idea of a “Dread Pirate Roberts” of assassins and some other foundational ideas.  Working with the two other programs, they built the outline where things would start and finish.  Binder said it was written out of order so the writers met on Zoom so that everyone that the right feel for their show but also kept the three episodes on track.

Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer) thought it would be the best crossover of any of the NCISs because all three show runners were working together.  The storyline moved seamlessly through the three episodes.  The goal was to have the audience sit and watch for three-hours straight. 

Matt Bosack, NCIS: Hawai’i executive producer, spoke about the challenge of the logistics but fortunately, everyone really wanted things to work.  Binder said the programs’ shooting schedules were impacted because sending actors to Hawai’i meant they weren’t necessarily available for the episode before or the episode after the crossover.  R. Scott Gemmill of NCIS: Los Angeles said the easy part was shooting with NCIS since they were just “up the road” but COVID played a part of the filming too because of some Hawai’i protocols.  Noah Mills (Jesse Boone) and Gary Cole (Alden Parker) discussed how it was complicated this all was.

NCIS writer Christopher Waild, who wrote part one, really wanted the scenes familiar to NCIS where there are jurisdictional disputes or conversations in the hallways but they are with familiar characters from other programs.

Vanessa Lachey (Jane Tennant) said it was “really cool” to see the “Orange Room” of the main NCIS set.  Some of the partitions are duct taped together to keep the signature look of “the mothership”.  Wilmer Valderrama (Nick Torres) was excited to show off “the mothership” – the icon set.  They were also proud of their food/craft services and the great breakfast that can be ordered.

LL Cool J (Sam Hanna) spoke about “The Professor” and how the fans could see how all the teams interact.  Valderrama said the shows have a runway to explore the other programs.  He also thought it was fun because a few of the cast members know each other off set.

NCIS: Los Angeles shot first, NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i were sort of staggered with some overlapping days. 

Dietzen spoke about the episodes featuring the team leader for all three shows including the NCISverse’s first female leader.  Vanessa Lachey was also the captain of her Hawai’i set.  Hawai’i is a main character of the program – a big backdrop according to Jason Antoon (Ernie Malik) and Tori Anderson (Kate Whistler).  They go on location more than most programs to showcase the area and the culture.

Alex Tarrant (Kai Holman) thought the crossover was a nice experience for the Hawai’i crew.  Exciting to see other actors.  Gary Cole found the other sets comfortable places because everyone spends so much time on the set.

Yasmine Al-Bustami (Lucy Tara) and Medalion Rahimi (Fatima Namazi) spoke about the different styles on the set but how much everything was the same – it all felt like family.  They are cousins coming back for a family reunion.

Chris O’Donnell (G. Callen) and Vanessa Lachey spoke about Los Angeles being a spinoff and how New Orleans and Hawai’i all came from the NCIS.  There is a way to contrast how things are done in Washington, Los Angeles and Hawai’i.  It brings a different energy to the shows – brings it up.

R. Scott Gemmill thought he had the easiest part because it was the wrap-up and knew how he had to write around Callen and Sam being gone around the episodes.  The airplane graveyard was a cool place to shoot according to Gemmill but the airplane were creaky and made all sorts of noise. 

Rahimi liked the different feel from the actors.  Al-Bustami was excited to work with the other universe and show them off to the fans.  The crossover was a nod to the fans of the show to see Parker work with Ernie in Hawai’i. 

Quote:   Hetty:  “Sounds like you've gotten yourselves in a bit of a pickle.  I warned Hollace his Simon Williams days would come back to bite him in the ass.  You are all quite capable, and far be it for me to tell you what to do, but you might want to contact an old friend, Gwen Johns, and inquire about the availability of Jimmy McCann….Good luck.  Oh, and Alden?  Don't think for a moment I've forgotten about the $600 you still owe me.”

Anything else:  A person walks into the armory takes out quite a bit of gear.  They also leave the group photo of the Simon Williams behind.

Kensi walks into Ops asking about Kilbride.  Nobody can get him on the phone/texted/etc. according to Shyla.  Fatima and Rountree are on their way to his home to check.  He was last seen several hours ago in the building but there is no record of him leaving. 

Fatima and Rountree are going into Kilbride’s home and chatting.  She’d rather be at the beach or taking a hot yoga class, Rountree isn’t a fan of hot yoga.  Fatima sees him as a Zumba guy.

Back in the office, Jane and Nick are giving Shyla the business about not knowing where Kilbride is, especially since she’s his assistant.  Callen and Sam are not thrilled with the way Jane and Nick are pressing Shyla.  So Jane and Nick start pressing Callen and Sam on Kilbride’s location.  As the head of OSP, Kilbride must be available 24/7.  Sam explains that Kilbride is not “much of a team player.”  Callen looks around the empty office building and asks about the staff.  Nick tells him all non-essential personnel were sent home.  Nick doesn’t have the authority to do that but an arriving Alden Parker explains that Jane as the SAC of the Hawai’i office has jurisdiction over all NCIS offices in the Pacific Rim. 

With the Admiral not answering his door, Fatima picks the lock reluctantly.  “Better you than me,” Rountree remarks.  Once house, Fatima has the code to turn off the burglar alarm but can’t remember is Shyla sent it to her as a text or in an e-mail.  With the alarm off, Rountree is still worried.  He doesn’t think the Admiral likes him and breaking into Kilbride’s house and looking around – not a way to win friends.  The house is immaculate.  Kilbride is not there.

Jane explains to Callen, Sam, Shyla, Nick and Parker that Kilbride is the only survivor of the original Simon Williams program.  He was supposed to testify in front of Congress about the program but now Kilbride’s gone.  Callen notes it would be a lot easier to find Kilbride if Jane didn’t send all the NCIS staffers home.  Nick notes he’s there to help.  So is the Hawai’i office’s Lucy Tara, who is going through the Admiral’s files in Kilbride’s office.  Thinking the office location has been compromised, sending everyone home is for the staff’s protection. 

Callen wants Shyla to call Sabatino to see what he knows about Simon Williams project and Morgan Miller.  When asked if Sabino is trustworthy, Callen and Sam kinda sorta almost think he is.  Sabatino's CIA past comes up, as does Callen’s.  That’s news to Jane.  Callen is suddenly eyed as being suspicious – could he be a Simon Williams?  “You don’t want to go there,” Sam tells Nick.  Callen tells the group he heard of Simon Williams while at the CIA but thought it was an urban myth.  Everyone is welcome to look at his past as long as they look at Jane’s.  Callen isn’t the only ex-CIA in the building.  “They had a great health plan,” Jane explains.

With Callen and Jane not knowing about Simon Williams, the plan is to find Kilbride, take out the bad guys.  Callen thinks Kilbride ghosted NCIS for their own safety – he knows who is coming for him. 

Fatima and Rountree are surprised by Kilbride’s home – no laptop, no TV.  There is nothing personal about the house.  Rountree wonders if Kilbride even lives there.  He’s heard that Hetty has houses all over the place, maybe Kilbride does as well.  Fatima thinks Shyla would know where a second home would be.  A tear gas canister goes off near the kitchen where Fatima is with a heavily armed man making his way into the house.  Fatima goes into the living room, jumping behind a short bookcase to avoid being shot.  If this is a rental, Kilbride is so not getting his deposit back.

Rountree takes out a second gunman as Fatima hides by the couch.  A third gunman behind Rountree something it him – much bigger than a bullet – knocking him to the ground.  The smoke alarm is ringing, Fatima is coughing and Rountree is gone.  Only his weapon is left behind.

Going through Kilbride’s office, Lucy tells Parker that all she can find is some nice cigars and scotch.  Shayla enters the office with the news of the attack on Fatima and the kidnapping of Rountree.

Kensi and Deeks arrive at Kilbride’s.  Upset and sitting the back of an ambulance, Fatima tells the two that Rountree was abducted by “tac’d up” gunmen with gas masks.  Her eyes are swollen and red.  Deeks asks if Rountree was injured.  An emotional Fatima does not know but there is no blood.  She wishes the kidnappers took her instead.  Kensi and Deeks put a fast end to that conversation.  Kensi offers to have Deeks drive Fatima home.  That’s a hard no for Fatima – she’s in this as long as Rountree is missing.  She’s coughing and upset.  Kensi gives Fatima the oxygen mask and tells her just to breathe for ten-minutes to clear out her lungs.  When then ten-minutes are up, she should call Shyla and recount everything she can about the attack.  Deeks promises Fatima they are going to find Rountree.  Kensi does not look thrilled with that promise.

In Ops, Parker asks Shyla about Rountree.  His phone is dead and there is no video footage of vehicles driving away from Kilbride’s home.  Sabatino came through, however.  Morgan Miller was close to another CIA Agent named David Ellis.  While with the CIA, both had ID’s from the Department of Agriculture.  Parker wants Shyla to put out an APB on Miller (one has been issued already?  What are we doing people?).  He also wants Shyla and Lucy to dig up dirt on David Ellis.  Asking if Sabatino knew about Simon Williams – he didn’t – Parker wants Shyla to call the head of the CIA.  They need to cooperate or all the Simon Williams death and destruction will be on the news.  What if the head of the CIA won’t take her call, Shyla asks.  Then the SecNav and the head of ODNI need to contacted.  “It’s time to rattle some cages.”  Shyla starts to rattle.

Going through what’s left of Kilbride’s home, Sam finds military grade tear gas cannister and shells.  He wonders who in Los Angeles could secure that level of equipment – Nina Barnes.  And she knows Kilbride.  So if she isn’t arming the bad guys, she may be hiding Kilbride.  As Callen texts Kensi and Deeks to talk to Nina Barnes, Sam finds a bean bag projectile.  The kidnappers wanted Rountree alive, figuring he may know where Kilbride is.  Callen doesn’t think Kilbride is hiding, he thinks Kilbride is hunting.  Sam is worried that Rountree is going to be tortured for Kilbride’s location – information Rountree does not have.

Sweaty with a hood over his head, Rountree is sitting in an abandoned airplane.  Removing the hood, Miller asks “Where is your boss?”  Rountree tries to sell being unemployed but that gets him punched.  Miller brings up Rountree’s employment history.  He says he’s Dean Rossmore, a personal trainer.  That gets him punched again.  Miller asks for Kilbride’s location.  When Rountree replies “who”, he gets punched again with the warning that Miller can do this all day.  Rountree would like to see her try, which gets him hit with the back of her hand.  Rountree now teases she hits like a girl.  She punches him really hard.

Back in the office, Nick thinks the people who grabbed Rountree used Simon Williams-style tactics.  Jane thinks whoever has Rountree wants to trade him for Kilbride.  Except they don’t have Kilbride.  Parker asks Callen and Sam who Kilbride trusts in the office.  Sam doesn’t think Kilbride trusts anyone, inside or outside of the office.  No family, no friends.  Col. Ladd’s name comes up but Ladd hasn’t heard from the Admiral.  Sam is sure Kilbride would not put Ladd in danger.  Callen brings up Kilbride’s estranged son.  There are safety concerns for the son.

Lucy joins the group.  While looking for David Ellis, she found a page on the Dark Web that the Admiral visited.  “Dead Sector” has a list of assassination targets where all transactions will be done in crypto.  On one Dead Sector page is Kilbride, Callen, Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Parker, Nick, Jane and Lucy.  It is 10-bitcoins ($200,000) for almost everyone – Kilbride is going for 15 ($300K).  It is a Craigslist for killers.  Parker wants the site shut down.

Rountree is still cracking-wise, which has Miller remarking that he is tougher than “your partner.”   Denying he has a partner, Miller talks about the “cutie” in the hijab – “I mean she was cute when we grabbed her.”  Rountree talks about needing to use the bathroom, “unless you want this to get really, really awkward for all of us.”  Miller promises things will all be over long before that.  Rountree doesn’t think Miller wants to end things – this is how she “gets her kink on.”  He’s not one to judge however.  Besides, “my mama gave out way worse whuppings than this.”  David Ellis puts plastic over Rountree face to suffocate him.

At Kilbride’s, Fatima is yelling at someone in Ops about traffic cams as Kensi arrives.  Fatima wants to know if Kensi has any Ring cam footage from Kilbride’s neighbors.  With it being the middle of the workday, nobody is really home but Kensi left notes at all the neighbors.  Fatima is asking for satellite footage – maybe one was passing by during the attack.  Kensi wants Fatima to calm down and go home.  She’s not doing herself or Rountree any good.  Fatima is not going home but Kensi is taking her back to Ops – “you can beat yourself up on the ride over.”

Nick startles Deeks, who is sitting in his truck.  Deeks is pretty sure he was doing tai chi.  Nick is filling in for Kensi, who is taking care of Fatima, and wants an update.  Deeks is watching Nina Barnes’s bakery – no major weaponry comes through LA without Barnes’s knowledge.  Nick wonders why she hasn’t been arrested.  With Nina “retired” and helpful on some cases, she gets a little pass with her shared history with Kilbride.  Nick wonders if that history is sexual.  Deeks flips out – that’s a vision he can’t get out of his head.  Nick apologizes, he heard Deeks was the sensitive one.  Deeks disagrees – Sam is the sensitive one – all strong on the outside but gooey on the inside, like a hot pocket.  Deeks seems himself more as a street dog, a lone wolf.   Nick understands, it explains the lack of grooming.  A blue van drives past Deeks and Nick.

Inside the bakery, Deeks, after introducing Nick from “fancy pants Washington”, asks about Kilbride.  Nina asks who wants to know and Deeks brings up that he wants to know.  She can’t sure because of doctor/client privilege.  Nick asks who is the doctor and Nina is – a PhD in military history.  Now it is time for Nina to ask questions – like if Nick is single.  “It’s complicated.”  Deeks wants to know what is going on.  He asks Nina to focus and she does – on cinnamon buns (Nick) and what makes him such a special agent. 

Looking through Hetty’s office, Callen guarantees that Hetty knew about the Simon Williams project.  She may but Sam can’t find any proof in her office.  Callen gets an encrypted e-mail from an anonymous sender about Mr. Simon Williams.  Sam thinks it may be from Rountree’s kidnappers but without a password, Callen can’t open the encrypted e-mail.  Sam gets an anonymous text that says “Leviticus 28”.  Callen wonders what that could mean.  Sam explains that Leviticus has 27 chapters in the Bible – it is probably the password.  Callen worries that it could also be the way to trigger a cyber-attack on NCIS when entered.

Back at the bakery, Deeks asks Nina about Simon Williams but she doesn’t recognize the name until Nick mentions the CIA.  She remembers him as a Carlos the Jackal type.  Deeks thinks more Dread Pirate Roberts (good comparison).  Nobody recognizes “The Princess Bride”.  Nick explains the Simon Williams project to Nina and Nina just loves Nick’s accent.  She promises to show him a great time in Los Angeles when Deeks jumps in.  Someone is trying to kill Kilbride, they kidnapped an NCIS agent who is being tortured, Deeks needs her help.  Nina thinks Kilbride will be fine, she just got him an Accuracy International L115A3 sniper rifle.  Deeks wonders why Kilbride asked for a sniper rifle.  Nina brings up the CIA killers – “aren’t you supposed to be a detective?”  Deeks explains he was a detective, now he is an investigator.  Nick is surprise Deeks is not a Special Agent.  Nina is worried things turned awkward.  Deeks asks about how Kilbride contacted her.  Kilbride left a message on her answering machine and picked up the gun the next day.  She threw in a dozen red velvet cupcakes, which Deeks noted he brought to the office.  Nina asked if Deeks liked the cupcakes but he as a gluten allergy.  “Of course,” Nick sighs.

In Ops, Shyla tells Callen, Sam and Parker the Mr. Simon Williams e-mail to Callen from Anon307@zoupmail.com bounced around the world before making its way to Callen’s in-box.  The last place it was seen was a server proxy in Khartoum.  Kilbride could have sent it.  Opening the e-mail, it is an audio file.  It doesn’t have the best sound but it seems Hetty warned Kilbride that his Simon Williams days “would come back to bite him in the ass.”  She thinks the team is quite capable but if they need help, she’d contact Gwyn Johns about the availability of Jimmy McCann.  Oh, and Parker still owes her $600 for the Monaco fiasco.  Callen is pissed that it is Hetty.  Parker assures everyone he doesn’t owe Hetty a dime.  Jane just wants to know how Hetty knows what’s going on.  “Behold the many mysteries of Hetty,” says Sam.  Parker calls Hetty a witch, which angers Callen.

Gwen Johns in Los Angeles is a casting director.  Sam explains that Hetty was a costumer in Hollywood as a cover for her CIA work.  Jimmy McCann is an actor who looks exactly like Kilbride.

Nick needs a ride from Deeks – NCIS only allows one rental car for two agents.  As they walk to Deeks’s truck, the blue van returns, with guns a blazing.   Deeks and Nick are fine – even return fire and shooting one of the men in the van.  Deeks’s truck, however, is a mess.  The low-tech assassination attempt is not a Simon Williams project.  It is a few guys looking for the Dark Web bounty.  “Welcome to Hollywood,” Deeks tells Nick, who is calling them an Uber.

After another near Rountree suffocation, Miller tells her henchman to bring “the hijabi” in.  Miller is going to kill Fatima in front of him.  Rountree gives up the boat shed as Kilbride’s location.  Smiling, Miller notes that torture does work.  Though if Kilbride isn’t in the boatshed, she would killed Rountree’s “girlfriend” in front of him.  Rountree explains that Fatima isn’t his girlfriend.  Miller thinks that’s a shame – Fatima was kind of cute before all this.  Rountree demands to see her but Miller promises things aren’t pretty.

Deeks arrives at the armory and gets a big hug from Kensi.  He’s fine, the truck isn’t.  Kensi doesn’t care about the truck but as good Americans, Deeks thinks they should.  Both are worried about how to explain this to Rosa.  There is no handbook for this conversation.  Deeks asks about Fatima, who is still freaking out.  Deeks thinks they’ve earned a family vacation after all this – maybe Winnipeg.  He doesn’t really want to go to Winnipeg, just likes saying it.

In Ops, Callen and Sam explain to Jane and Parker that they will set-up Jimmy McCann in the boat shed.  Morgan Miller’s Simon Williams group will show up and grab him.  If the CIA knows about the main office, they would know about the boat shed.  Let that work in their favor right now.  Jane says it is one thing for the Kilbride look-a-like to walk into the boat shed but if team Simon Williams see Callen and Sam join him, what’s the point.  Callen says they aren’t going to see them walk into the boat shed.  Parker mentions a tunnel into the boat shed and Callen almost agrees – “something like that.”

Lucy joins Fatima in the armory.  Fatima is in no mood to talk, she’s just getting geared up.  Lucy is told to take whatever she needs.  The bad guys have no chance against the combined NCIS forces Lucy tries to assure Fatima.

Kensi and Deeks are staking out the boat shed with Fatima and Lucy in a separate vehicle.  Parker is running things from Ops with Shyla, warning that these are not the typical criminals – Fatima and Rountree learned that the hard way.  Deeks says this should be fine – it isn’t like they all aren’t wanted by killers looking for a bounty.  “Oh wait, we are.” 

Callen, Sam, Jane and Nick use the trap door to get into the boatshed.  Jane complains about the dirty water, Nick just about the smell.  When Sam notes that the Potomac isn’t any cleaner, Nick tells Sam he doesn’t swim in the Potomac either.  Jane and Nick take the second floor, Callen and Sam will be watching from boat shed’s main floor.  Jane wonders if it smells as bad up on the second floor.  Callen and Sam look confused until Jane realizes they are like the “crazy old cat lady who doesn’t realize their own house smells.” 

International Almost Kilbride walks into the boat shed.  Sam asks how many times has he been a double for the Admiral.  Couple of times in DC, one in Turkey, a few times in Venezuela.  Jane and Nick take Jimmy to the second floor. 

Two dark, large SUVs pull up outside of the boat shed.  Two, two-man teams “loaded for bear with body armor” make their way to the front door.  They shoot their way in.  Nick yells “federal agents” and we’ve done this for almost 1,000 episodes at this point.  All hell breaks loose.  Callen, Sam, Jane and Nick take care of three of the men while a fourth goes back to one of the SUVs.  Deeks is in that SUV, waiting.

Taking off their ski masks, the three dead men are not Morgan Miller.  Neither is the guy by the SUV – that’s David Ellis.  Miller still has Rountree.

In Interrogation, Ellis is told he is looking at hard time.  If Ellis turns over Morgan Miller, he could be helping himself.  Watching Callen, Sam and Ellis from the main room TV, Fatima wants to know how long they are going to wait for Ellis to talk.  She walks past Jane and Nick to break into interrogation.  She grabs Ellis and wants to know where Rountree is.  Sam peels her off Ellis before passing Fatima to Jane.  Jane offers to make Fatima some tea – tea Fatima wants to use to scald Ellis.

Tracking the dead men’s cellphone, Lucy can’t pinpoint where they call came from.  Kensi and Deeks are looking through the SUVs.  The SUVs are clean.  Kensi is sending over the GPS info from the SUVs.  Cross-referencing the different locations with the cellphone locations, Lucy finds a place in the Mojave.  Nick carelessly mentions it would be a good place to dump a body.  That earns him a glare from Fatima. 

One of the cellphones starts ringing.  Nick brings it in to Ellis, who won’t answer it.  Callen suggest bringing in Fatima to help Ellis cooperate.  In Ops, Shyla traces the call – it is coming from an airplane boneyard in the Mojave.  Parker wants a transport helicopter bringing the team to the boneyard.  He also wants Shyla to have local law enforcement to circle the location to keep the bad guys from running.  With Edwards Air Force Base 20-miles away, Parker wants Shyla to ask the base commander for some wheels.

In the plane, Morgan tells a henchman says that Ellis missed his first check in and none of the other gunmen are answering their phones.  She is worried that the Admiral is not a soft target.  If Miller and her henchman in the plane don’t hear from Ellis in 15-minutes – the next check-in – they’re pulling out with Rountree as insurance.

Plane henchman goes outside and tells other henchmen to pay attention.  He notices there are dune buggies coming near the plane.  They could just be joyriders.  Miller wants to move. 

Fatima takes out one henchman with Lucy’s help.  Kensi and Deeks order one henchman to drop his weapon.  He obeys.  Nick’s henchman gets into some hand to hand combat.  Jane takes the guy out with the butt of her rifle.  Nick assures Jane he was in control. 

Miller takes Rountree out of the plane with her indoor henchman leading the way.  Callen and Sam try to stop them but Miller and company open fire.  Miller uses Rountree as a shield.  Callen and Sam take out the henchman, Miller is shot from a distance. 

Fatima runs to Rountree, who talks about his five knuckle facial and jet leg.  She hugs him and he hugs her back, thanking Fatima.

Sam, Callen, Kensi, Deeks, Jane, Lucy and Nick are looking at each other, wondering who shot Miller – who is very dead.  Complaining about the team taking their “sweet time”, Kilbride pops up in desert camo.  Kensi wants to know how Kilbride knew how to go to the boneyard.  He was following the team.  Deeks makes a comment about teamwork and Kilbride thinks that’s what he’s seen.

Kilbride find Parker in his office.  With Miller dead, the Simon Williams program is done.  Kilbride owes Parker a big thank you for working with his team.  Kilbride is fine with going to Washington if Parker wants to run OSP.  Parker is fine in DC and thinks that LA is growing on Kilbride.  “Why must you hurt me?” the Admiral asks.  Parker leaves and the Admiral checks on his now pilfered cigar supplies.  “That son of a bitch.”

Fatima thanks Lucy for her help.  Lucy tells Fatima, Kensi and Deeks that if they are ever in Hawai’i… and Deeks is thinking of transfer papers.  Rountree is fine – beat up but sore. 

Sam thanks Jane and Nick for everything – maybe they should do this again.  “Hard pass” from Nick with Jane nodding her agreement. 

What head canon can be formed from here:  The wrap-up here was much better than part two.  Again, the two Melina Devlins with the “good guy” one kidnapping Sam, Jane and Jimmy just seemed like both an excuse to get the Washington and Los Angeles staffers to Hawai’i and a way to waste time on the way to episode three. 

As for this episode, it was interesting to see the frantic Fatima.  Her usual demeanor is quite calm, easing tension with jokes and teasing before comforting to her co-workers who are upset.  Liked Kensi going from being that comforting co-worker while Fatima was in the back of the ambulance to offering some tough love when Fatima started to spiral at Kilbride’s home. 

Nina Barnes could have been the female Arkady – always a hilarious delight when she was on the screen. 

Nick’s existential crisis in part one over maybe “The Professor” thinking he could be a Simon Williams was completely missing here. 

Forgot that Hetty knew about the Simon Williams project – of course she would know.

The airplane graveyard was a great, unique to Los Angeles location.  All three programs really featured locations that were unique to their programs.  It was the old school NCIS sets with the bullpen, autopsy and lab in Washington, the beauty of Hawai’i and this arid place just outside of LA full of airplanes – the way to go from Washington to Hawai’i to Los Angeles and them back to either Washington to Hawai’i – really worked.

Found the end sort of sad in my TV viewing ways.  Callen and Sam joked about doing this all again but it was the final season for the Los Angeles team and the Hawai’i team was finished one season later.

Good start, so-so middle, good wrap-up.  Glad they got to do this once.

Episode number:   This is episode 10 of season 14 though it was filmed 9th (matching up those three-show schedules had to be difficult).  It is the 312th episode overall.

[geekcavepodcast]

“Fall of X” Era Ushers in New Comic Book Series and Ties into Several Titles

In July 2023 the X-Men will hold the Hellfire Gala, which will kick off a new era that will become known as the “Fall of X,” where everything that mutantkind has accomplished on Krakoa threatens to be destroyed. The Fall of X saga will tie into several titles and create a few new ones.

X-Men will continue with the 25th issue from writer Gerry Duggan and artist Stefano Caselli. As with other Hellfire Galas, the team will get shaken up. Kate Pryde, aka Kitty, Sprite, Ariel, Red Queen, and Captain Kate, will join the team under the name ShadowKat.

X-Men #25, featuring a main cover by Joshua Cassara and a design variant cover by Peach Momoko, goes on sale on August 2, 2023.

Iceman gets his own solo series as Earth’s protector from writer Steve Orlando and artist Vincenzo Carratù. Bobby Drake will get a new base of operations, new uses for his abilities, new enemies, and a new purpose, “but a dark side effect of his new mission could cause it all to shatter… After the events of this year’s can’t-miss Hellfire Gala, Bobby Drake, AKA Iceman, sets his sights on heroic deeds like never before. But as a new situation develops that links Iceman to his Antarctic ice palace, he’ll have to be slicker than ever to accomplish his mission before Orchis knows what hit them!” (Marvel Comics)

Astonishing Iceman #1, featuring a cover by Jesús Saiz, goes on sale on August 2, 2023.

Wolverine and Ghost Rider are on a collision course in the four-part epic from writer Benjamin Percy and artist Geoff Shaw’s Ghost Rider / Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance. “A demonic serial killer is murdering innocent mutants. But what is it about this deadly new villain that forces our two heroes to team up? And what buried secret does he share with Wolverine and Ghost Rider’s never-before-seen very first meeting in the past?” (Marvel Comics)

Ghost Rider / Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance Alpha #1, featuring a cover by Ryan Stegman, goes on sale on August 9, 2023. The story continues in the pages of Ghost Rider #17, Wolverine #36, and Ghost Rider / Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance Omega.

Uncanny Avengers, from writer Gerry Duggan and artist Javier Garrón, will see the return of the Avengers’ Unity Squad. The new team will include Captain America, Rogue, Deadpool, Quicksilver, Psylocke, and Penance. The team will be tasked with solving the mystery of the murderous Captain Krakoa and stopping his army of killers from starting a new world war.

Uncanny Avengers #1, featuring a cover by Javier Garrón, goes on sale on August 16, 2023.

Writer Steve Foxe and artist Jonas Scharf’s new Dark X-Men series will band together a new twisted team under Madelyne Pryor consisting of Pryor, Havok, Archangel, Gambit, Zazael, Zero, Albert, and Emplate. “This deadly group will band together to fill the void left by the X-Men, and are seemingly the perfect team to combat the harsh conditions of FALL OF X. Their hearts are in the right place but under the unpredictable leadership of the Goblin Queen and operating out of New York’s new Limbo Embassy, will this team’s dark ways turn the tide for mutantkind or make things far worse?” (Marvel Comics)

Dark X-Men #1, featuring a cover by Stephen Segovia, goes on sale on August 16, 2023.

X-Force continues from writer Benjamin Percy and penciler Robert Gill. The team will have a new leader - Colossus - who will lead them to a place that Marvel Comics assures us readers will never expect.

X-Force #43, featuring a cover by Daniel Acuña, goes on sale on August 23, 2023.

The Invincible Iron Man, from writer Gerry Duggan and artist Juan Frigeri, will see Tony Stark playing a key role in the Fall of X. With Feilong in control of Stark Unlimited and using it to build Stark Sentinels, Tony proposes an alliance with Emma Frost. 

The Invincible Iron Man #9, featuring a cover by Kael Ngu, goes on sale on August 23, 2023.

The Fall of X will also send ripples through the Ten Realms. Realm of X, from writer Torunn Grønbekk and artist Diógenes Neves will find a group of mutants stranded in Vanaheim. “And what's even more confusing, the locals seem to believe that they hold the key to fulfilling a prophecy that can either raise the realm to riches—or cause it to fall to ruin. With Magik's powers malfunctioning and a mysterious figure amassing power on the outskirts of the realm, these X-Men are going to going to have to band together if they want to stay alive long enough to find their way home!” (Marvel Comics) If Magik, Dani Moonstar, Marrow, Dust, Curse, and Typhoid Mary can overcome their differences they may just rise as the legendary heroes of the Tem Realms. Or their presences could just escalate the conflict and warps all of mutantkind’s destiny forever. No pressure.

Realm of X #1, featuring a cover by Stephanie Hans, goes on sale on August 23, 2023.

(Images via Marvel Comics - “Fall of X” Promotional Image by Bryan Hitch and colorists Alex Sinclair, X-Men #25 Cover by Joshua Cassara, Astonishing Iceman #1 Cover by Jesús Saiz, Wolverine #36 Cover by Ryan Stegman, Uncanny Avengers #1 Cover by Javier Garrón, Dark X-Men #1 Cover by Stephen Segovia, X-Force #43 Cover by Daniel Acuña, The Invincible Iron Man #9 Cover by Kael Ngu, and Realm of X #1 Cover by Stephanie Hans)

[supervengerslock]

meag’s Masterlist

(A/N): My x Reader fics are always fem reader!

Stephen Strange x Reader

Hey, Stephen Series masterlist

-Timeline of the Hey, Stephen series

Savior of the Future series masterlist

Summary: The battle for earth has been won. But it cost earth’s best defender, your older brother, Tony Stark. One desperate plea to the cosmos sends you back to 2016 with all your memories and one objective: stop Thanos.

Anakin Skywalker

Dear Reader Series masterlist

Summary: It's been ten years since Anakin fell to the dark side. You and your brother, Obi-Wan encounter him on a mission.

Child of the Force (Anakin x OC)

Synopsis: Darkness rises, and light to meet it. Anakin Skywalker was not the only child made of the force. Elora Pavan was born to the maiden queen of an outer rim planet, a child of prophecy. She was discovered by Qui Gon Jin and his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi six years before Anakin Skywalker would be discovered on Tatooine. The true child of the prophecy remained a mystery, and only Qui Gon knew the truth.

Din Djarin

Hiraeth: (Din Djarin x OC)

Summary: hiraeth: (noun)

A homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was.

Robb Stark

Into the Lion’s Den series masterlist (Robb Stark x Trueborn Baratheon!Reader

Summary: As the princess of the realm, you are betrothed to the future warden of the north. What will happen when the truth about your siblings’ parentage is revealed? Will you be able to play the game of thrones?

The Great War (Robb Stark x Baratheon!OFC, Jon Snow x Handmaid!OFC)

Summary: My hand was the one you reached for, all throughout the great war..

Jon Snow

Winter Rose series masterlist (King in the North!Jon Snow x Tyrell!Reader)

Summary: After the disaster in the Sept of Baelor, your grandmother sends you, now the Lady of Highgarden, to the North to keep you safe from Cersei and to forge an alliance with the new King in the North.

The Great War (Robb Stark x Baratheon!OFC, Jon Snow x Handmaid!OFC)

Summary: My hand was the one you reached for, all throughout the great war..

Jaime Lannister

Labryinth series masterlist(Knight!Jaime Lannister x Stark!Reader)

Summary: The King and Tywin Lannister arrange a betrothal between the eldest daughter of the warden of the north and Ser Jaime Lannister, the heir to Casterly Rock to quell the rumors of Cersei and Jaime’s affair.

The Last Great Targaryen Dynasty (Jaime Lannister x Targaryen!Reader)

Summary: As the only living child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell, you were raised in Dorne as a child of House Martell, hoping to one day retake your throne. During a visit to King’s Landing for the wedding of Joeffrey Baratheon, you meet the man who smuggled you out of the Red Keep and spared your life that day, the man everyone called Kingslayer—Ser Jaime Lannister

[salty-ironstrange-shipper]

Hi! Do you know any ironstrange fic where they are fae or magical creatures? Thanks, love ya.

A Crown of Thorn and Shadows | Mature | 58,465 words | Complete

Anthony Stark, King of Blood and Darkness, ruler of the Unseelie court, did not expect to find Prince Stephen Strange of the Seelie chained up in his torture chamber, cold iron being driven into his hands. Stephen Strange, a Seelie healer, never dreamed of finding himself in the court of nightmares, being cared for by the king that the Seelie called a monster. They must work together to find the traitors in two Faerie courts that have not spoken in over six hundred years and reclaim Stephen's memories before the courts descend into war once more.

The Bride | Mature | 15,721 words | Complete

A large black hand with claws was raised in his direction, taking the veil gently and lifting it to expose Tony’s face, and giving Tony the chance to see the creature’s face in return. In front of him, there was a man… well, not a man exactly. The face was a man, and the body seemed human… at least kind of human. Were those feathers real or was it just a very weird cloak.

Dreamt by the Stars | Mature | 5,783 words | Complete

Tony didn't dare look at it. He still didn't know what the thing wanted from him. His father, Howard, had traded him to the monster in exchange for peace, to stop the raids on their mines and towns and castles. It was a smart choice, Tony knew. The only way to ensure the safety of their people. Knowing that did not stop his resentment, or his fear. He told himself the beast wouldn't kill him. If it wanted blood and death, it did not need to make deals. But if you listened to stories, there were worse things than death that a dragon could do.

The Sorcerer of Ephemeral Colours | Teen | 130,241 words | Complete

For centuries, the sorcerers of the Sanctum have been the first line of defence for the Kings and Queens of Veston. Stephen, after becoming a Master of Time, wants nothing more than to join his fellow sorcerers in their task and pledge his life to the study of the Mystic Arts. Imagine his surprise when he gets assigned to protect the wilful prince Anthony, instead. Dark secrets start to unravel and Mastery of Time will not be enough to save the kingdom, let alone Tony. While Tony has to overcome his own difficulties, Stephen must Master all six Aspects in order to do what he was always meant to do – no matter what both he and Tony might lose in the process. Magic always requires a sacrifice, after all.

you can't force a love to grow | Teen | 29,013 words | Complete

The people of Midgard say the drought is a final curse wrought by the Red Skull as he and his men were driven from the land into the churning winter sea. King Fury of Midgard believes in no such curses, but his people are starving and riotous and he is desperate. He puts out a call for aid to the other kingdoms. The desert only howls its answer, the messenger to Asgard is turned away at the border, but the messenger to the mountain kingdom of Kamar-Taj returns - shaken and babbling of ghosts and demons - carrying a scroll. Kamar-Taj will open a route of trade, but in exchange, they want a bride for their prince. King Fury, childless, puts out a call to his noble houses. Lord Howard Stark of the Southern Mines senses an opportunity for advancement and offers up his son, Anthony, who fits the specifications listed in the terms. Anthony would argue. Wants to fight and scream and flee. He’d dreamed of a love marriage like his mother always spoke of. The King paints a kind picture of duty and dignity: this marriage will save his people from starvation. His father threatens to throw him to the desert's mercy. There's no point in arguing. His heart probably won't last long anyway.

[foreverpraying]

On the 30th of May is the Feast Day of the Transfer of the Relics of King Saint Stephen of Hungary

The Holy Right Hand is a Hungarian national and catholic relic, said to be the naturally mummified right hand of Stephen I, first king of Hungary, also called Saint Stephen.

Saint Stephen (in Hungarian Szent István) was born around 970-975 in Esztergom. He was a member of the Árpád dynasty, born a pagan but baptized a Christian. In 996, he married Gisela of Bavaria, sister of the future Holy Roman Emperor Henry II. After the death of his father, the Grand Prince Géza, Stephen fought an insurrection led by his cousin, Koppány, who claimed the throne in accordance with the rules of succession of Árpád. After defeating Koppány, Stephen was crowned as (first) King of Hungary with a crown received from Pope Sylvester II.

His coronation, which took place around 1021 years ago on Christmas Day in the year 1000, marked Hungary's entry into the family of European Christian nations. Stephen made the Church the main pillar of his authority, sending missionaries throughout his kingdom, founding bishoprics and abbeys, and mandating the building of churches. He died in 1038 and became the patron saint of Hungary.

The king's right hand, naturally mummified, is one of the most importantrelics Hungarian nationals, discovered during the opening of his stone tomb on August 20, 1083 in Székesfehérvár. (The identifying mark of the right hand was the king's ring, which adorned the hand). Therelic had a few adventures in his time. During the Turkish occupation, it ended up in Ragusa (today: Dubrovnik, Croatia), where it was guarded by Dominican friars, attracting increasing numbers of pilgrims to the city.

Source of picture: https://relics.es

Queen Maria Theresa (1717-1780), late successor to Saint Stephen on the Hungarian throne, negotiated the return of the Holy Right Hand in 1771, offering in return the historic city of Ragusa its protection against the threat of Russian invasion. In her charter decree, she specified how the relic, the mummified hand of Saint Stephen, was to be respected throughout the country.

During World War II, the Holy Right Hand was concealed - along with the Coronation Jewels - near Salzburg, Austria. The relic returned to Hungary in 1945, and it has been on display in St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest since 1987.

Source: https://relics.es/en/blogs/relics/la-sainte-main-droite-detienne-ier-roi-de-hongrie

[scotianostra]

Happy 75th Birthday the Scottish writer. Poet and Playwright Liz Lochhead

Born Elizabeth Anne Lochhead in Motherwell, Lanarkshire on 26th December 1947; her parents , John Lochhead and Margaret Forrest, had both served in the army during the war and married in 1944. Her father was a local government clerk. In 1952 the family moved into a new council house in the mining village of Newarthill, where her sister was born in 1957.

The primary school in Newarthill is vividly conjured in Lochhead’s poem ‘A Protestant Girlhood’. She moved on to Dalziel High School in Motherwell, and by the time she was 15 had decided to go to art school, although teachers were encouraging her to study English at university.

She wrote her first poem, ‘The Visit’, after she entered the Glasgow School of Art in 1965, and attended an informal creative writing group there run by Stephen Mulrine. After graduating from GSA in 1970, she went a few times to the extra-mural writers’ workshop run by Philip Hobsbaum, who had a gift for identifying and encouraging talent. In 1971 she won a Radio Scotland poetry competition, in 1972 she read with Norman MacCaig at a poetry festival in Edinburgh, and her first collection, Memo for Spring, was published in 1972 by Gordon Wright. She met Alasdair Gray, Jim Kelman and Tom Leonard in this period, and later in the decade Tom McGrath and Alan Spence; in this group of talented young Scottish writers, she stands out as a rare female presence and this has been enabling and inspiring for the generation that followed.

Lochhead earned her living at this time by teaching art in secondary schools in Bristol, Glasgow and Cumbernauld. In 1978 her second collection, Islands, was published and she wrote and performed in Sugar and Spite at the Traverse, Edinburgh. She was awarded the first Scottish/Canadian Writers’ Exchange Fellowship the same year, and went to Toronto, then lived in the USA after the fellowship ended, and over the next couple of years returned to New York for lengthy periods.

The 1980s was an immensely productive decade in both work for the theatre and poetry; Lochhead also married the architect Tom Logan in 1986, and they made their home in Glasgow. Notable successes included her adaptation of Molière’s Tartuffe for the Lyceum and Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off, performed by Communicado. These two plays derive much of their energy from  the way Lochhead uses Scots, admiringly characterised by Robert Crawford in Identifying Poets as  ‘a diction of kaleidoscopic pace and liveliness, a Scots which manages to bring Tartuffe in touch with Holy Willie while preserving an alertness to the polyphonies of [her] contemporary Scottish homeland’ .

The elements of voice and performance are vital to both genres, but Lochhead considers them to be quite different, and marked this visually by publishing Dreaming Frankenstein & Collected Poems (1984) with a white cover, while her monologues and performance pieces True Confessions and New Clichés (1985) had a black cover.  While she allowed, in a 1992 interview for Verse, that ‘certain speeches in, say, Mary Queen of Scots…, felt like writing poems to me while I was doing them’, there was nevertheless a basic distinction to be made:

A play is something that doesn’t exist when you have written it. It only exists when it begins to be performed. Whereas a poem is something that even before you’ve tightened it up properly, once you’ve got it finished, even if it’s lying under the bed, there it is: it’s a thing. So I think that’s what satisfies me the most about poetry, that it is not for anything whatsoever and that you don’t really do it to order.

This was before her laureateships, which inevitably involve poems commissioned for occasions, but the distinction probably stands as such poems often involve a degree of performance.

Lochhead’s sixth collection, The Colour of Black and White – poems 1984-2003, includes ‘Kidspoem/Bairnsang’, which has become one of her signature poems and a touchstone for the decade. It is cleverly but also appealingly bilingual, perfect for illustrating to those who don’t know Scots how the language marches beside English; and for those who do know Scots, it serves as a reminder of its riches and legitimacy in the public sphere. Many generations had Scots bred out of them at school, and that this is changing is in no small part driven by Scotland’s writers. Moreover, Lochhead articulates more than her generation’s worth of weary anger over the literature accepted into the canon: ‘the way it had to be said / was as if you were posh, grown-up, male, English and dead.’

While the blurb for this collection quotes The Scotsman as saying ‘Her pulse [is] the racing, faltering pulse of a nation obsessed with identity and self-analysis. For 25 years, Lochhead has been the distinctive female voice of Scotland. Gallus, inquisitive, accusing and playful. Angry and tender by turns’ – this description is of limited truth. Her voice is not always that of a woman, or always that of a Scot. Following her friend Edwin Morgan, first as Poet Laureate of Glasgow (2005) and then as Scots Makar (2011-16), she strove to be confined by neither her gender nor her nationality, and went on to be awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2015.

Nevertheless, the female voices that Lochhead has deployed in her monologues and many of her poems undoubtedly draw on a Scottish oral tradition that is subverted by the music-hall, and takes pleasure in a distinctive West of Scotland tradition of gossipy storytelling and humour.  If the latter has been – on stage at least – a predominantly male preserve, she has been instrumental in making space for women. Lochhead has spoken of the difficulty for female poets in particular of the long shadow cast by Hugh MacDiarmid, and of the liberation provided by American examples – again typical of many West of Scotland writers’ experience. In Lochhead’s case, this was not only the lure of William Carlos Williams and Robert Creeley, but also of the sophisticated lyrics of Broadway, to which she pays affectionate homage in ‘Ira and George’. The poem is dedicated to her friend and co-performer Michael Marra, and reminds us that Lochhead’s love of music and the visual arts is an essential part of her work.

The radio as much as the theatre has been an impetus to creation for Lochhead, and it is her ability to speak with conversational intimacy within a public space that is one of the hallmarks of her work. The sound of her own voice is immediately engaging. Her relish of a whole variety of language registers and rhythms, her sensuality and humour, her loving descriptions – ‘the decency of good coats roundshouldered’ – and her outspokenness have made Lochhead an enormously popular poet.

View of Scotland/Love Poem

Down on her hands and knees at ten at night on Hogmanay, my mother still giving it elbowgrease jiffywaxing the vinolay. (This is too ordinary to be nostalgia.) On the kitchen table a newly opened tin of sockeye salmon. Though we do not expect anyone, the slab of black bun, petticoat-tails fanned out on bone china. ‘Last year it was very quiet…’

Mum’s got her rollers in with waveset and her well-pressed good dress slack across the candlewick upstairs. Nearly half-ten already and her not shifted! If we’re to even hope to prosper this midnight must find us how we would like to be. A new view of Scotland with a dangling calendar is propped under last year’s, ready to take its place.

Darling, it’s thirty years since anybody was able to trick me, December thirty-first, into ‘looking into a mirror to see a lassie wi as minny heids as days in the year’ – and two already since, familiar strangers at a party, we did not know that we were the happiness we wished each other when the Bells went, did we?

All over the city off-licenses pull down their shutters, people make for where they want to be to bring the new year in. In highrises and tenements sunburst clocks tick on dusted mantelshelves. Everyone puts on their best spread of plenty (for to even hope to prosper this midnight must find us how we would like to be). So there’s a bottle of sickly liqueur among the booze in the alcove, golden crusts on steak pies like quilts on a double bed. And this is where we live. There is no time like the present for a kiss.

[sweetestpopcorn]

Hiiii! Do you also think maybe Daemon and Rhaenyra were based off of Richard III rumored relationship with Elizabeth of York? Age difference is the same along with maligned uncle vs first born daughter beloved by the kingdom, GRRM does mix and match a lot, while the Dance is clearly the Anarchy and thr WOTFK is War of the Roses I can’t help notice the similarities

Hi there!

No, I absolutely do not think there is anything in common between Richard III and Elizabeth and Daemon and Rhaenyra. The Dance is based on the Civil War between Queen Matilda/Maud and her cousin Stephen, not on the Wars of the Roses. That would be the current ASOIAF timeline.

But to elaborate on this, at the time they were alive there was no evidence of any romance going on between Richard III and Elizabeth of York. The only evidence that we have presently comes from a letter some centuries later in which apparently Elizabeth expressed a desire to wed her uncle Richard, but there is suspicion and some evidence that the contents of the letters were changed.

What we do know was that actually Richard III was looking into an alliance with Portugal. He wanted to marry his niece Elizabeth with the future Manuel of Portugal and in turn wanted to marry Princess Joana of Portugal himself.

It has been suggested that any rumour of him wanting to marry Elizabeth was actually made up by his enemies to make him look bad and tarnish his reputation. After his wife Anne died, he even sent Elizabeth away from court and to Sheriff Hutton castle while he negotiated this alliance with Portugal.

Elizabeth later went on to marry Henry VII uniting the two fighting Houses of York and Lancaster.

Here's a very good article on the whole Richard III and Elizabeth of York thing:

Comparing them now to Daemon and Rhaenyra, Daemon was never king or heir, only ever prince. Rhaenyra was enamoured with him since she was a child, but later the two were parted for roughly 7 years. Around this time, Rhaenyra was named heir (when she was 8 years of age) and Daemon was away conquering the Stepstones. She was set on becoming the queen one day and he got further and further from that possibility with every new kid Alicent gave Viserys.

Daemon returns to court around the time Rhaenyra is 14 going on 15 and by both sources of Fire and Blood the two of them engage in a romantic affair, displaying every behaviour of two people who are interested in each other with Daemon doing everything plus to court Rhaenyra. The thing the two sources differ on is:

- how far their physical affair went (i.e., Septon Eustace says all the way and points Ser Arryk Cargyll as the person who discovered it seeing them abed; Mushroom maintains bases 1, 2, and 3 and names himself as the person who told the king what was going on);

-what Rhaenyra's feelings were on the matter (i.e., Septon Eustace says she loved Daemon and wanted to marry him; Mushroom says she wanted Criston and was using Daemon but Daemon was getting to bases 1, 2, and 3 to get her to be given to him in marriage -> during the Dance though, Mushroom describes Daemon as "Rhaenyra's beloved consort" *rolling my eyes*);

Then Daemon get's sent away (again) and two years go by. Rhaenyra eventually marries Laenor, he marries Laena, the two meet again, Laena dies, Rhaenyra comforts Daemon, Laenor dies, Daemon comforts Rhaenyra, she get's pregnant and they marry, fast forward she's Queen and he's her Prince Consort.

I see nothing in common between them and Elizabeth and Richard besides them being uncle and niece.

I know Emma Frost and Philippa Gregory (big sigh) have tried to push a very different narrative but the thing is there is just no evidence for what they suggest. I think they would be quite good in asoiaf adaptations though since clearly they like incest.

The closest characters in history I know to Daemon and Rhaenyra would actually be two portuguese queens named Maria I and Maria II. Maria I married her uncle Pedro and had quite a happy marriage with him. She was said to have lost her mind due to grief from losing a lot of children and her husband.

This is them:

Then we have Maria II. She was the daughter of King Pedro IV, and Pedro had quite the ambitious brother named Prince Miguel. Miguel always wanted to be king, and he was quite ruthless. Pedro eventually betrothed Maria II to Miguel (while Maria was still a child). They came to Portugal and Pedro stayed in Brazil. Once in Portugal Miguel gave a big old "F_ck you" to Pedro and decided to take the crown for himself and started a civil war with his brother. He never did marry Maria II though.

There is actually a very good Brazilian soap opera called "Quinto dos Infernos" that covers this time period. I think you can find it on Youtube but unless you can speak Portuguese I don't think you will understand it XD funny enough though Pedro was the ladies' man, not his brother Miguel.

This was the actor playing King Pedro (you're welcome everyone XD and yes there are so many hot Brazilian actors, y'all don't know what you're missing out on XD)

His brother Miguel:

Boy would George have a field day with Portuguese history... our first king went to war against his mother... and her lover 😂 King Alfonso IV almost went to war with his father and then his son Pedro went to war with him. #familydrama

But yeah... nothing in common from where I am standing.

All the best to you and follow me for more photos of the actor that played Pedro IV X'D

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.21

537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the Vivarium, by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas and Peranius. 630 – Emperor Heraclius returns the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem. 717 – Battle of Vincy between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid. 1152 – Annulment of the marriage of King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. 1180 – Emperor Antoku accedes to the throne of Japan. 1556 – On the day of his execution in Oxford, former archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer deviates from the scripted sermon by renouncing the recantations he has made and adds, "And as for the pope, I refuse him, as Christ's enemy, and Antichrist with all his false doctrine." 1788 – A fire in New Orleans leaves most of the town in ruins. 1800 – With the church leadership driven out of Rome during an armed conflict, Pius VII is crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché. 1801 – The Battle of Alexandria is fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis near Alexandria in Egypt. 1804 – Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law. 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: Austrian forces repel French troops in the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube. 1821 – Greek War of Independence: Greek revolutionaries seize Kalavryta. 1844 – The Baháʼí calendar begins. This is the first day of the first year of the Baháʼí calendar. It is annually celebrated by members of the Baháʼí Faith as the Baháʼí New Year or Náw-Rúz. 1861 – Alexander Stephens gives the Cornerstone Speech. 1871 – Otto von Bismarck is appointed as the first Chancellor of the German Empire. 1871 – Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone. 1918 – World War I: The first phase of the German Spring Offensive, Operation Michael, begins. 1919 – The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia. 1921 – The New Economic Policy is implemented by the Bolshevik Party in response to the economic failure as a result of war communism. 1925 – The Butler Act prohibits the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee. 1925 – Syngman Rhee is removed from office after being impeached as the President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. 1928 – Charles Lindbergh is presented with the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight. 1935 – Shah of Iran Reza Shah Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran. 1937 – Ponce massacre: Nineteen unarmed civilians in Ponce, Puerto Rico are gunned down by police in a terrorist attack ordered by the US-appointed Governor, Blanton C. Winship. 1943 – Wehrmacht officer Rudolf von Gersdorff plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler by using a suicide bomb, but the plan falls through; von Gersdorff is able to defuse the bomb in time and avoid suspicion. 1945 – World War II: British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma. 1945 – World War II: Operation Carthage: Royal Air Force planes bomb Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. They also accidentally hit a school, killing 125 civilians. 1945 – World War II: Bulgaria and the Soviet Union successfully complete their defense of the north bank of the Drava River as the Battle of the Transdanubian Hills concludes. 1946 – The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, making him the first African American player in professional American football since 1933. 1952 – Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio. 1960 – Apartheid: Sharpeville massacre, South Africa: Police open fire on a group of black South African demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180. 1963 – Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary (in California) closes. 1965 – Ranger program: NASA launches Ranger 9, the last in a series of unmanned lunar space probes. 1965 – Martin Luther King Jr. leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. 1968 – Battle of Karameh in Jordan between the Israel Defense Forces and the combined forces of the Jordanian Armed Forces and PLO. 1970 – The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by Joseph Alioto, Mayor of San Francisco. 1970 – San Diego Comic-Con, the largest pop and culture festival in the world, hosts its inaugural event. 1980 – Cold War: U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet–Afghan War. 1983 – The first cases of the 1983 West Bank fainting epidemic begin; Israelis and Palestinians accuse each other of poison gas, but the cause is later determined mostly to be psychosomatic. 1986 – Debi Thomas became the first African American to win the World Figure Skating Championships 1989 – Transbrasil Flight 801 crashes into a slum near São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, killing 25 people. 1990 – Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule. 1994 – The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change enters into force. 1999 – Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon. 2000 – Pope John Paul II makes his first ever pontifical visit to Israel. 2006 – The social media site Twitter is founded. 2019 – The 2019 Xiangshui chemical plant explosion occurs, killing at least 47 people and injuring 640 others. 2022 – China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 crashes in Guangxi, China, killing 132 people.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Angela Lansbury, the irrepressible three-time Oscar nominee and five-time Tony Award winner who solved 12 seasons’ worth of crimes as the novelist/amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher on CBS’ Murder, She Wrote, has died. She was 96.

Lansbury, who received an Emmy nomination for best actress in a drama series for each and every season of Murder, She Wrote — yet never won — died in her sleep at 1:30 a.m. (Tuesday) at her home in Los Angeles, her family announced.

She was five days shy of her birthday.

Lansbury went 0-for-18 in career Emmy noms but did get some love from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who gave her an honorary Oscar in 2013 for her career as “an entertainment icon who has created some of cinema’s most memorable characters, inspiring generations of actors.”

The London-born Lansbury, then 19, received a best supporting actress Oscar nom for her very first film role, as the young maid Nancy in the home of Charles Boyer and his new bride Ingrid Bergman in George Cukor’s Gaslight (1944).

For her third movie, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), she received another nom for playing the lovely singer whose heart is broken by the hedonistic title character.

(Her mother, West End actress Moyna MacGill, played a duchess in the film.)

Lansbury then took a turn toward evil and was rewarded with her final Oscar nom for portraying Laurence Harvey’s manipulative mother in the Cold War classic The Manchurian Candidate (1962).

The actress often played characters much older than herself, and in this case, Harvey was just a few years younger than Lansbury.

Her charismatic performance as the eccentric title character in a 1966 production of Mame vaulted her to Broadway superstardom and resulted in the first of her four Tonys for best actress in a musical.

She followed with wins for playing “the madwoman of Chaillot” in 1969’s Dear World, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman; for starring as the ultimate stage mother Rose in a 1974 revival of Gypsy; for dazzling as the off-the-wall Mrs. Lovett in the original 1979 production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd; and, in 2009, for portraying the clairvoyant Madame Arcati in a revival of the Noël Coward farce Blithe Spirit.

She was still on the road in Blithe Spirit as she approached her 90th birthday, and in December 2018, she was back on the big screen, as the Balloon Lady, in Mary Poppins Returns.

In June, she received yet another Tony, this one for lifetime achievement.

In the early 1980s, Lansbury was not interested in headlining a TV series when she was approached by Columbo creators Richard Levinson and William Link to star in Murder, She Wrote.

The pair earlier had created Ellery Queen, another show about a crime-solving writer, and former All in the Family star Jean Stapleton had already turned them down.

“I couldn’t imagine I would ever want to do television,” Lansbury said in a 1985 interview with The New York Times.

“But the year 1983 rolled around and Broadway was not forthcoming, so I took a part in a miniseries, Gertrude Whitney in Little Gloria, Happy at Last [a dramatization of Gloria Vanderbilt‘s childhood].

“And then [there was] a slew of roles in miniseries, and I began to sense that the television audience was very receptive to me, and I decided I should stop flirting and shut the door or say to my agents, ‘I’m ready to think series.'”

Then 59, Lansbury signed on as the widowed Jessica, a retired English teacher, mystery writer and amateur detective who enjoyed riding her bicycle (she didn’t drive) in the cozy coastal town of Cabot Cove, Maine.

Late in the series, Jessica spent time teaching criminology at a Manhattan university.

Universal Television’s Murder, She Wrote ran from 1984-1996 (plus four telefilms) and was a huge ratings hit on Sunday nights following 60 Minutes.

Both CBS shows appealed to intelligent, older viewers, and Lansbury was the rare woman in the history of television to carry her own series.

The show went 0 for 3 in the Emmy race for outstanding drama series and won just twice in 41 tries overall, according to IMDb.

“Nobody in this town watches Murder, She Wrote,” Lansbury, referring to the TV industry, said in 1991. “Only the public watches.”

The show was ranked in the top 13 in the Nielsen ratings (and as high as No. 4) on Sundays in its first 11 seasons but plummeted to No. 58 when CBS moved it to Thursdays in 1995-96 against NBC’s then-powerful lineup.

The series finale, quite appropriately, was titled “Death by Demographics.”

“What appealed to me about Jessica Fletcher,” she said, “is that I could do what I do best and [play someone I have had] little chance to play — a sincere, down-to-earth woman.

Mostly, I’ve played very spectacular bitches. Jessica has extreme sincerity, compassion, extraordinary intuition. I’m not like her. My imagination runs riot. I’m not a pragmatist. Jessica is.”

During the course of 12 seasons, Jessica solved some 300 murders — and still had time to write more than 30 books!

Angela Brigid Lansbury was born on 16 October 1925 in London to a timber-merchant father and an actress mother, a star of the English stage.

She participated in school plays at Hampstead School for Girls and studied for a year at drama school, passing with honors at the Royal Academy of Music.

With the outbreak of World War II, she, her mother and her younger twin brothers, Bruce and Edgar, moved to the U.S.

(Her father had died when she was 9; her half-sister stayed behind and married actor Peter Ustinov in 1940.)

The blue-eyed Lansbury attended the Feagin School of Dramatic Art in New York City and graduated in 1942.

Although still in her mid-teens, she auditioned for nightclub appearances.

Her songs and imitations of comic actress Beatrice Lillie won her an offer from the Samovar Club in Montreal. She fibbed about her age and got a six-week engagement.

Her mother, who had wound up in Hollywood at the end of the war, brought her daughter to California.

The 18-year-old was signed by MGM and given the role in Gaslight. She then appeared in National Velvet (1944) with Elizabeth Taylor but spent much of the next several years stuck in small parts at the studio.

“I ended up playing some of the most ridiculous roles at MGM,” she said.

But Lansbury found a home in the theater. She made her Broadway debut in 1957 in the farce Hotel Paradiso, and her first musical came with the 1964 Sondheim production Anyone Can Whistle.

On the big screen, Lansbury also was memorable as Elvis Presley’s mom in Blue Hawaii (1961), as a cold-hearted parent in The World of Henry Orient (1964), as the English witch Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and as the teapot Mrs. Potts in the animated Beauty and the Beast (1991).

Warming up for her Murder, She Wrote stint, Lansbury starred in two Agatha Christie projects: as a novelist in Death on the Nile (1978) and as the spinster sleuth Miss Marple in The Mirror Crack’d (1980).

When she was 19, she wed actor Richard Cromwell, then 37, but the marriage lasted less than a year. She later discovered he was gay.

In 1949, she wed British agent and producer Peter Shaw, and they were together until his death in 2003. They had two children, Anthony and Deirdre.

In 1971, after her house burned to the ground in Malibu, the family moved to a farmhouse in Cork, Ireland, and stayed there for a decade. She said that saved her kids from succumbing to drugs.

Her brothers also went on to show business careers, with Edgar working as an art director and producer, and Bruce, who died in February 2017, serving as a producer on Murder, She Wrote; The Wild Wild West; Wonder Woman; and other shows.

In addition to Edgar, Anthony and Deirdre, survivors include another son, David; grandchildren Peter, Katherine and Ian; and five great-grandchildren.

A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.

Duane Byrge contributed to this report.

[pastedpast]

Downstairs in Lending at Manchester Central Library.

Info re. Elfrida acc. to the blurb on the Sherborne Historical Society website: (I haven't got round to reading it yet!)

Contrary to popular belief, Anglo-Saxon England had queens, with the tenth century Elfrida being the most powerful and notorious of them all. She was the first woman to be crowned queen of England, sharing her husband King Edgar's imperial coronation at Bath in 973. The couple made a love match, with claims that they plotted the death of her first husband to ensure that she was free. Edgar divorced his second wife, a former nun, after conducting an adulterous affair with Elfrida, leading to an enmity between the two women that lasted until their deaths. During her marriage, Elfrida claimed to be the king's only legitimate wife, but she failed to secure the succession for her son, Ethelred. Elfrida plotted against her stepson, King Edward the Martyr, before arranging his murder at Corfe Castle, where she lived with her son. She then ruled England on behalf of her young son for six years before he expelled her from court. Elfrida was eventually able to return to court but, since he proved himself unable to counter the Viking attacks, she may have come to regret winning the crown for Ethelred the Unready. Wife, mother, murderer, ruler, crowned queen. The life of Queen Elfrida was filled with drama as she rose to become the most powerful woman in Anglo-Saxon England. Dr Elizabeth Norton is a British historian, specializing in the Queens of England. She has degrees from Cambridge and Oxford Universities and King’s College London. She has written a number of books, including ‘Elfrida, the First Crowned Queen of England’ and ‘England’s Queens, The Biography’. She makes regular television appearances and has previously taught at King’s College London.

Elfrida and Matilda of Flanders were queen consorts i.e. they had achieved the status of queen by virtue of being married to a king, and were not queens ruling in their own right with political and military powers; the first queen regnant was Mary I.

Of course, there was Jane before Mary, but her queenship was revoked after a mere nine days, and also the Empress Matilda (aka Maude) who was the rightful heir to the throne when her father, Henry I, died in 1135. However, Matilda's cousin, Stephen of Blois, formed a coup and raced to Winchester to be crowned first. Much fighting ensued between the two factions for years, in a period of civil war known as 'The Anarchy', (1138 - 1153). Not entirely sure what happened; acc. to Britannia online, she was elected "Lady of the English” by a clerical council at Winchester in April, she entered London in June; but her arrogance and tactless demands for money provoked the citizens to chase her away to Oxford before she could be crowned queen." She returned to Normandy, and her son was to become King Henry II upon Stephen's death in 1154.

[denimbex1986]

'Whether it's stealing scenes or commanding the frame, actress Emily Blunt proves time and time again that she can do it all. Drama, comedy, singing, dancing, or even narrating the heck out of a documentary, she makes it look easy. By all accounts, Blunt positively shines alongside a ridiculously talented ensemble of actors in Christopher Nolan's upcoming historical biography, Oppenheimer, playing biologist and botanist Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, wife of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), aka the "father of the atomic bomb."

In Blunt's 20 years of making films, large swaths of her resume include some very choice sci-fi, fantasy, and genre films. Obviously, SYFY WIRE lives in that genre lane, so we've long admired her taste and commitment to participating in some truly memorable genre projects. And we love that Blunt consistently returns to genre projects amongst her meaty dramatic roles and more light-hearted comedies. As such, with Oppenheimer opening wide this weekend, SYFY WIRE presents our favorite Blunt genre films.

Emily Blunt's Best Roles in Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Other Genre Films

The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)

The sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) pits Blunt's Princess Freya against Charlize Theron's Queen Ravenna, and that match-up is gold in our eyes. Essentially, the sisters aren't great at coping when dire things go down, so these messed up sisters wreak a lot of havoc in the kingdom. Per usual, Theron and Blunt pull out all the stops playing broken queens of magic, and the movie works best when they're in the frame, together or apart.

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Blunt and her Oppenheimer castmate Matt Damon worked together before in this under-the-radar, sci-fi gem. Blunt plays the mysterious Elise Sellas, who keeps popping up in the life of Brooklyn Congressman David Norris. The story has a lot of fun twists, turns, and themes explored regarding destiny. But their flirty chemistry is another big reason to watch.

Jungle Cruise (2021)

On the other hand, the chemistry between Blunt's Dr. Lily Houghton and The Rock's Frank Wolff in Jungle Cruise is barely tepid at best. However, Blunt returning to action-heroine mode is always a good time. Houghton's extremely competent character (and Blunt, the actress) look like their having the most fun throughout the movie.

Into the Woods (2014)

Not a lot of folks were aware that Blunt has a top-notch voice until she got to show it off beautifully playing the Baker's Wife in this adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's stage musical. She's paired with James Corden's Baker, and together they play out one of the best arcs in this cautionary tale about dreams coming true in a haunting way.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Who could imagine anyone filling the spit-spot shoes of Julia Andrews as Mary Poppins? Most audiences couldn't contemplate someone being a worthy recast of Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins Returns, but then Blunt's name was announced, and everyone shut up because she just nailed it. Equal parts austere and loving, Blunt is maybe the only actress today who could so ably run with the baton given by the legendary Andrews.

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

Blunt returns to play ultra protective, post-apocalyptic mom, Evelyn Abbott, in A Quiet Place Part II. She's just as great in this sequel, but there's less for her to play outside of the major action beats. However, if you want to get a taste of her on-screen chemistry with her Oppenheimer hubby, Cillian Murphy, there's plenty to appreciate here as Evelyn and Emmett thrown down.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Much like Linda Hamilton became a bad-ass, sci-fi legend after playing Sarah Connor in Terminator 2, so too did Blunt after playing Rita Vrataski in Edge of Tomorrow. The sci-fi, time travel twister features Blunt stealing scene after scene from blockbuster poster boy, Tom Cruise. She's intense, mercurial, frightening, and heroic, and she kicks the action star's butt for half of the movie. You have to have some chops to sell that, and she does.

Looper (2012)

Poker Face creator Rian Johnson's complex time travel film, Looper, stars a trio of fantastic performances from Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Blunt. It's a high-concept story that remains incredibly grounded because of those performances. And Blunt still manages to standout, especially for her shattering performance as the very protective mother, Sara.

A Quiet Place (2018)

In the fantastic sci-fi, horror thriller, A Quiet Place, Blunt plays matriarch and feral mom, Evelyn Abbott. Married to Lee (John Krasinski), the couple have two kids, with another one on the way. A lovely life, except they now exist in the nightmare reality of trying to survive aliens who have landed and wiped out huge swaths of the population. Sonically-tuned to even the most subtle of noises, the aliens force the Abbotts to exist in silence. Blunt is amazing as the terrified mom, and executes the harrowing scenario of giving birth in utter silence with chilling perfection.

Check out another amazing performance by Blunt when Oppenheimer arrives exclusively in theaters everywhere this Friday, July 21. Get tickets now!'

[strangcrdoctor]

Martha walked up to him from behind and looped her arms around his middle. "Hey there, stranger."

"Well well, look what the were-cats dragged in." He folded his hands over her arms, brushing his thumbs reverently over her skin. The energy she radiated could light up a room, or warm the coldest heart, which he felt personally victim to, given how easily her presence could brighten his life.

"What brings you to these parts?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her. "It must be something other than little old me."

[raineydays411]

And the adventure begins

Bruce Banner x daughter!reader 

A/n: yay! Another part out! Finally lol. Now time to work on my Loki fic and ignore this one for two weeks lol💀 jk I’m trying to keep up y’all I promise. Anyway hope you like it💕💕

Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that you think about it, maybe you shouldn’t have skipped school today. Maybe then you wouldn’t be in this situation. 

....On another planet. Watching Thor be forced to fight some old dudes “Champion”, whatever that means.

Let’s go back to the beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nerves filled your body as you walked to school. You had an audition in the school play today and you were determined to get the part. Tony had offered to take you to school today but you decided to walk as it would give you extra time to learn your lines. As you pushed through the busy streets, occasionally bumping into a random pedestrian, you heard some girls whispering.

“Oh my god is that..”

“Yes! oh my go, he's so handsome”

“Ask him for a selfie”

“No you go ask hm”

At first you rolled your eyes, thinking it was just some youtuber or Tik tok star, you kept walking, eyes down re-reading your script. Then you heard the girls speak again. 

“Thanks Thor, I’m sorry Jane dumped you.” 

Hearing the name, your head swiveled up. You scanned the crowd looking for the blonde man, at first missing him as he wasn’t in his usual outfit of a cape and battle armour. But then you saw him, in a hoodie and some jeans. Picking up the pace, you jog toward the god not noticing the darker clothed man next to him.

“....it was a mutual dumping”

“I didn’t know the renaissance fair was in town” you say, a small smirk making its way on your face at the quip. 

Both Thor and ...Loki?! Turn around in surprise at the sudden voice behind them. Only to see you looking up at them with a arched brow. 

“Lady Y/n! How wonderful it is to see you” Thor boomed as he brought you into a bone crushing hug. Over his shoulder you could see Loki roll his eyes. 

“Honestly, had I known this trip would consist of young woman flocking to you, I would have allowed your hammer to kill me.”

Thor ignored his brother as he put you down. “My how you’ve grown.”

You smile and say, “Well the last time you saw me I was twelve.” Then you eye Loki with distrust. “Um Thor, why’d you bring brother dearest back to New York?” 

Loki looks at you with distaste, “ Who is this child, and why is she conversing with us?”

“Brother” Thor warns and then turns to you, “ Lady Y/n, we are searching for our father, it seems as if my brother” Thor harshly pats Loki on the shoulder, “ Has misplaced him.” 

You look at Loki and then look at the building that has been demolished

, “ Woah, I didn’t know Gods put their parents in nursing homes” You say “ If you want we can go back to the Tower and try to track him down”  

Thor smiles at the suggestion, “ A wonderful idea, tell me, how have my comrades been in my absence?” 

You cringe at the thought of explaining the events of the so called “Civil war”. Then notice a ring of sparks forming around Loki. 

“Uhh Thor” You say as you nod your head

“What’s this..wha.what are you doing?” He asks in alarm. Loki looks confused as the sparks get larger and more erratic.

“ This isn’t me” Loki says in confusion. Then suddenly the ground opens up beneath him and he falls through with an alarmed “Oh!” only leaving behind a business card. You and Thor look at each other, confusion written on both of your faces. 

“Loki” Thor whispers as he nudges the card with his umbrella. You look at him with concern and think to yourself

“Does..does he think the cards Loki?” 

You bend down to pick up the business card and read it out loud. 

“177a Bleeker St” you look at Thor and ask,” Do you know anyone from there?” 

“ No” He says, ‘ i don’t even know where that is.” 

You sigh, looking down at your script and making a decision. “ Well, lets go find your brother.” 

And with that, you turn around and start walking to your destination.

“Oh well, school can wait”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and Thor find yourselves in front of two big black doors. You stand near Thor as he raises his hand to knock. Suddenly, before his hand is able to touch the door, you find yourselves inside the building. 

“What the fuck?” you mutter to yourself as you look around.

“Thor Odinson” a deep voice says. You look up to see a floating figure in the shadows coming towards you both. Thor pushes you behind him as he holds him umbrella threateningly. If you weren’t in potential danger, you would have laughed at the sight. The figure floated into the light and you saw it was a man. 

He was wearing a cloak and some weird robes with yellow gloves. He was relatively handsome, salt and pepper hair that was slicked back, high cheek bones and a goatee. He wasn’t horrible to look at. His deep, baritone voice was soothing.

“God of Thunder” He said looking at Thor. He glanced at the umbrella. “ You can put down the umbrella.” Then his gaze turned to you. 

“Y/n Banner. I wasn’t expecting you here” He said eyes narrowing at you,” Shouldn’t you be in school?”

You chuckled nervously, “ Eh, how can I abandon a friend in need?” 

The man smiles and looks back at Thor and suddenly your in a different room. Looking around in awe you hear Thor start talking.

“So..Earth has wizards now” He says, picking up a dagger from a display on a table, then dropping all of them trying to put them back. You try to hold back a laugh, feeling embarrassed for the god. 

You might have failed though because Thor looked at you with an unimpressed glance. You giggle out loud this time, as you watch him struggle with the knives. Everytime he managed to put one back, another fell. 

“The preferred term is Master of the Mystic arts...” Clank! another knife falls. The man looks very unimpressed, at your giggling and Thor's clumsiness.” You can leave that now.” 

At those words Thor leaves the knifes, trying to regaine his cool, he leans against the table. 

“Alright wizard, who are you and why should I care?” 

“Thor! That’s rude!”  

Ignoring you, their conversation continues, 

“My name is Dr. Stephen Strange and I have some questions for you.”  He says as he eyes you and Thor. “Have a seat”  

Within a second you’re in another room in the building...or least you think it is. The wind blows your hair back as you are suddenly dropped into a chair. You can see Thor look around startled and confused at the sudden setting change. You’re sure your face mirrored his as well.

“Tea?” Dr. Strange asks nonchalantly, a cup of tea appearing in your hands. You look at it in awe, not used to this level of magic, or magic at all. Thor on the other hand looked unimpressed with the cup.

“I don’t drink tea.” He says examining the cup that looked small in his hands. 

“Well what do you drink?”

“Not tea.” Thor says shaking his head. You roll you eyes as you go for a sip of tea, but before you can a large pitcher of beer was in its place. You look up at the two men with a raised eyebrow. 

“I hate to be a bother, but I do drink tea” 

Strange looked at you in amusement as he returns the beer to tea. 

“Jesus made water into wine, you make beer into tea. Interesting..” You say as you sip your tea. It was perfectly brewed of course. Dr. Strange smiled at the comparison

“Well its not exactly like that” Then he turned to Thor, “ So, I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from the realms that may be a threat to this world. Your adopted brother Loki is one of those beings.” 

You scoff and roll your eyes and mutter, “Yeah no kidding.” Then you finish the last sips of tea, as you bring it down, the glass is already refilled

Thor looks up from his glass that he basically chugged,”Thats a worthy inclusion” His beer is refilled as well. He looks at it in astonishment.

“Then why bring him here?” Strange asks leaning forward.

“We’re looking for my father.” 

“So..if I were to tell you where Odin was..all parties concerned would return to Asgard” He then looks at you, “ or upper Manhattan.” 

“Promptly” “Try and keep me away from this place.” 

“Great then I’ll help you...and get to that later” 

You smirk at the doctor, knowing that it’s basically impossible to squash your curiosity once you get started. Then you realized something.

“Wait, if you knew where Odin is, why didn't you tell anyone?”

“Well he was very adamant he was not to be disturbed,” He turned to Thor, “Your father had chosen to remain in exile. Also you don’t have a phone.” 

“Hmm, no I don’t have a..a phone but you could’ve sent an electronic letter. It’s called an email.”

“Thor you don’t have a computer.”

“What for?” 

You lock eyes with Dr. Strange and share a look. 

“Uh huh well, my father is no longer in exile, so if you can tell me where he is, the quicker I can take him home.” Thor then takes a sip of his beer.

“Okay, hes in Norway.” Suddenly your on your feet again standing an a library of some sort. You’re a bit unbalance and catch yourself on the self. Strange is muttering to himself as he looks through a book. Then again, you’re in another room with a shelf. Nearly falling over you cling onto Thor, but he’s in no better shape than you, beer spilling everywhere. 

“Oh we don’t need that” Boom, in another room, this time you do fall and Thor breaks another shelf. He places the glass on a table, shaking the spilled beer of his person. 

“Can you stop doing that?” He asked irritated 

“Please” you add in, looking up from your place on the ground. 

You’re on your feet in a blink of an eye, feeling dizzy at the continuous movement. 

“Can I..I need a piece of your hair.” Strange says looking at Thor. 

“Let me tell you something, my hair is not to be --OW” 

You smile sweetly as you pass the yanked out hair to the Strange. “ Here you go Dr. Wizard.”  He makes a face at the nickname but takes the hair with a nod of thanks. Thor looks at you in betrayal. 

“Don’t be such a drama queen” You say rolling your eyes.  You then walk away from the duo, examining books and artifact that were in the room. You were too caught up in looking at all the cool stuff you didn’t pay attention to the rest of the conversation. Suddenly you were in the front room again. You managed to stay on your feet as Thor tumbled down the stairs. You watched in amazement as Dr. Strange did some hand movements and created a shape in sparks. 

“Could’ve just walked.” Thor muttered as he brushed the dust and wrinkles out off of his clothes. 

“He’s waiting for you.” Then Dr. Strange turned to you,” Would you like to go home Ms. Banner?” 

You looked at him with consideration,” Um Mister Strange, do you think you can help me find my dad?” 

“I’ll see what I can do.” Then he turned to Thor,” Don’t forget your umbrella.

“Oh right.” Thor sticks his arm out like he’s summoning his hammer. You look at him confused. Then you here several bangs and crashes, as if something is being thrown around the rooms. 

“ohhh thats where your hammer went” 

Dr. Strange looks at Thor unimpressed again.

“Sssorry” The umbrella lands in his hands and he brushes the glass off the hammer.” I suppose I need my brother back”

“Oh right”

The a portal appears a few feet off the ground, in comes Loki screaming as he falls and hits the ground. 

He flips his hair back as he catches his breath, “ I have been falling..FOR THIRTY MINUTES” 

You snicker as you go to help the god of mischief up,” Come on reindeer games, lets get you up” 

He doesn’t decline your help but he doesn’t thank you either. You turn to see Thor and Strange shake hands.

“Handle me?!” “Oh boy” “ Who are you?”

“Loki..”

“You think you’re a sorcerer? Don’t think for one minute--”

“Alright bye bye” The portal then is thrown to them as Loki charges with two daggers. 

It’s silent in the room as you whislte,” Well he’s very catty.”

Strange laughs as he nods,” Come on kid lets find your dad.”

You’re then taken back to the library and you give him a piece of your hair. 

“You have had quite the adventure today.” Dr. Strange says as he looks through the books again.

“Ehh, when you live with the Avengers stuff like this is an everyday thing.”

“I could imagine” He says smiling at you. “ Well..it seems like your father is off world”

“Off world?” You question,”why would he be...?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Then a bag appeared in front of you. 

“I have a feeling you won’t stop searching until you find your father.” He nods to the bag. “ Everything you need to survive in Sakkarr is in there, I trust you know how to use knives?” 

“Yeah, Bucky taught me.”

“Perfect, now you must try to get on the grandmasters good side, that’ll give you the resources you need to find your father. Don’t get caught by scavenger or scrapper , you’ll either get eaten or sold into slavery.”

“Slavery?” you ask with an eyebrow raised.

“Sakkarr is known to be the ‘dump’ of the universe. It’s filled with people you must be weary of. The main entertainment are these gladiator type fights the Grandmaster puts on.” He thinks for a bit the conjures up a portal. He pulls a amulet out of it then hands it to you. “If you find your father, or need a quick escape, rub this amule three times t and I’ll make a portal for you to come back home” 

You nod, nervous to go on your personal mission. You look up at Dr.strange and hug him. “ Thanks Dr.Wizard.”

He pats your back uncomfortably,” It’s Stephen.” 

You let go of him and smile,”Well, beam me up Scotty” 

He rolls his eyes and creates a portal, you take a deep breath and look at him. He sends you a reassuring smile and you’re filled with determination. Then you step through.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You step through it to see...the steps to some weird looking palace. You look around to see an even weirder looking city. It looks like its built out of scraps of metal or parts. You walk up the steps and into the palace. You look around, astonished at the amount of people?? 

Beings. So many different kinds of aliens. All different colors and shapes. It was like a Star Wars movie. Then you see a familiar face. 

“Loki??” 

He looks up at you in confusion, you speed towards him, happy to see a familiar face. Even if it is Thor's evil brother.

“Ah Thor's child friend. This doesn’t seem like your type of setting.”

“I’m looking for my father, Stephen says he’s here.” 

He scoffs, looking around the room. “It seems everyone is looking for their fathers.” 

“What are you doing here? I thought you were in Norway with Thor and your dad” 

“Well it seems that father dearest has been hiding a secret daughter. Who appeared after my father died. And is destined to destroy Asgard.”

“Well shit” you blurt out. “Are..are you okay?”

Loki looks at you like you’re a puzzle. 

“What.”

“Well..” you start nervously, “it sounds like a traumatic experience, so..are you okay?”

He’s quiet for a few minutes, just staring at you. Suddenly he turns around. “We must see the grandmaster. He’s the only one who can guarantee your protection, and I’m sure you would prefer not to be slaughtered brutally in the competition.”

He walks ahead of you, and you stare after him wondering what just happened. Then after he noticed you’re not following him he turns and says

“Well, come on. I haven’t got all day.”

“Oh right.” You catch up to him and walk by his side. Looking around in wonder.

“Why are you looking around like that?” Loki asks as he makes his way through a crowd of...pink women. They had their hair in very intricate styles and weird metallic unitards. They eyed you as you passed by them.

“I feel like I’m in a Star Wars movie.” You pass by a man, he looked almost reptilian. He had pale yellow skin with green slits as his eyes. He looks like he was gambling or something.

“I don’t know what that is. Why would stars commence in battle? It makes no sense.” Loki scoffs as he turns to look at you. You laugh at his misunderstanding.

“I just..never seen..” you trail off not knowing how to explain. Luckily, Loki seems to get what you were says.

“ I can see this is a bit of a change for you. But..you have seen people from other planets before.”

“ yeah..it’s just a lot to take in.” You smile at Loki, “ I’ll be fine, don’t worry. I can freak out about it after I meet the Grandmaster.”

He nods his head and starts walking again, but this time he’s closer to you. Finally, you reach a large room. It’s filled with guards all wearing different colored armor. They part as Loki walks through them, confident with long strides. You follow him, shrinking under their gaze. Loki leans down to whisper to you

“ when you meet the grandmaster, do not be too meak . And do not mention anything about your father till I tell you. Actually, just follow my lead.”

You look up at him and before you say anything, a large woman appears in the room. She looks normal to you. Stocky, a stern face with white markings. A slicked back bun. She’s wearing yellow armor with black accents. She’s holding a large staff with an orb attached to the end.

“ Didn’t the Grandmaster just see you” she says to Loki, glaring at him. Loki smiles charmingly and says

“Oh yes, but it appears that I have found a...friend.. of mine. She, like I, has arrived here on Sakkarr by accident and is hoping to meet with the Grandmaster.”

Then Loki nudges you in front of him, and into the view of the woman. She looks at you with distaste.

“ Poor child is skin and bones. She’s puny.”

You look in offense, but before you can say anything Loki spoke for you.

“Yes, and that’s why I have decided to take her under my wing.”

“ Can she not speak for herself? You expect the Grandmaster to—“ “ Easy Topaz”

“Loki! How wonderful to see you again, even though it’s been about twenty minutes”

A voice cut through the air. Suddenly everyone in the room stood up straight. Topaz immediately stopped talking and turned. A man came in on a floating throne. He was wearing red, blue, and gold robes. He had a blue line down his chin and blue under eye liner. He...he looked like..

“Jeff Goldblum?”

Loki looked at you like you were insane and the Grandmaster and Topaz just looked confused.

“What did she call me?” He whispered to Topaz, she looked at him in equal bafflement. She then tries to hand him the staff.

“ Why are you handing me the melty stick?! She had a slip of a tounge! That’s not a capital offense”

“What is wrong with you?” “I’m sorry! It just slipped out!” “ Do you want to die” “To be fair, that was the biggest compliment I could have given him. Jeff Goldblum is basically a god of cinema.”

Topaz looked at the Grandmaster, “ apparently this..Jeff.. is a god from her world.”

“Hm, child.”

You and Loki stop your whisper arugument and turn to the Grandmaster.

“Come forward.”

You look at Loki in fear and step up to the floating throne.

“Hm” The man says as he examines you. You suddenly feel self conscious about what you’re wearing. A Jurassic park shirt (ironically) with a turtleneck under, some plaid pants and converse. To be fair you weren’t expecting to end up on a different planet.

“I don’t know what Jurassic park is, but look there’s a big lizard on her shirt” he says to Topaz, “ you like lizards?” He asks you. Your eyes widened at the question not expecting it.

“Oh I think I’ve embarrassed her, it’s okay if you like them. I don’t personally like them, they’re all scales and fast and blegh” the Grandmaster rambles then Topaz chimes in

“ and they can grow back limbs”

“Yes! That’s disgusting”

“ I’m sorry, it’s not a lizard, it’s a dinosaur ” you explain. “ it’s from a movie, it has Jeff Goldblum...”

You trail off as they stare at you.

“ Go on, you keep mentioning this Jeff Goldblum, I’d like to hear more about him.”

So there you were, explaining all the different movies Jeff Goldblum was in. From the Fly to Jurassic Park. Everyone seemed...intrested. The Grandmaster somehow got it in his head that you were this great storyteller. So now you were on his good side, just like Loki.

“ Storyteller, I welcome you to Sakkarr! I have never met a child with such interesting stories!” He turns to Topaz, “ Aren’t they entertaining?! So adventurous!”

“ I think they’re weird.” “ Oh don’t be such a buzzkill”

“ I thank you Grandmaster, for being so gracious with my...ward” Loki says, “I assure you that I will keep her out of trouble.”

“ Yes yes, now go, if she is going to stay here, she’ll need to fit in. Topaz, see if you can find a tailor for the child, she’ll need a change of clothes. You as well Loki”

She nods and gestures for you both to follow her. As you walk through the futuristic castle, you are completely in awe. Even though you live with Tony, this is a different kind of technology. Topaz gives you both a tour. She mentions the fights and the arena, but you don’t pay too much attention. Finally you make it to the tailor. After being fussed over and much debating, you finally come to an agreement.

You end up with a sort of body armor. With a black catsuit made out of a leather like material, there were pieces of armor covering your legs, hips, torso, shoulders and arms. Blue fabric was wrapped around your waist, draping down the front and under the armor there. There was also fabric wrapped around your upper arm and shoulders preventing the straps from rubbing against your skin. Finally, to top it all off, a long blue cape drape down your shoulders. You felt awesome. You took the daggers Stephen gave you out of the bag and attached them to your hips. And the amulet around your neck.

“What do you think?” You asked Loki. He looked at you for a bit.

“Your daggers should be attached to your thighs, that way the hilts are at your fingertips and not your shoulders.” He squints for a bit, “ that cape looks ridiculous.”

“Fuck off man I look awesome.”

Loki just laughs and goes to put his outfit on. “ Such foul language for a child.” Then he comes out fully dressed. With a yellow cape.

“ oh? My cape was ridiculous?”

“Hush.”

You smile, and a silence falls between you both. You sigh and look down, playing with the end of your cape. Loki looks at you, examines your face, then looks away.

“ Why...why did you ask if I was alright?” He questions, “when you first saw me..?”

You looked at him your face scrunched in a puzzled expression, “ because.”

“Because what?” Loki asks, not understanding where your coming from.

“ I don’t know, because like I said, something that traumatic must’ve been shitty. I know I wouldn’t be okay.”

“I do not understand you. Why care about someone you never met? Nevertheless someone like me?”

“Someone like you?” Now you were really confused. What does he mean by that?

“No midgardian would trust me. Especially after...” He stops, hinting about the attack of New York. “ I am not... not a good person. Nor a good influence. Not for a child.”

“That’s bullshit.”

Your words seem to startle him.

“I beg your pardon?”

“ That’s. Bullshit.” You stand to face him.

“Loki, I’ve known you for about six hours. And in that time, you managed to help me gain favor of a ruler, enough for him to give me a room to stay in and new clothes. You also helped me when you could’ve just left me alone. From what I’ve seen, you’re pretty chill.”

“Chill?” He asks quirking an eyebrow.

“A good person.”

He stops and looks at you, “ you think I’m a good person? Even though I nearly destroyed your planet?”

“ Sure. We all make mistakes.”

He stares at you for a while. Smiles briefly and then gets up from where he was leaning.

“ You, my dear, are one odd child.” He walks out of the room. “Come along, I must get you to your room. It’s late and I am certain you e had a long day.”

You follow him to your room, turns out someone was paying attention to the tour. He leads you to your temporary room, shows you how to open the door and lock it, then makes sure your settled.

“Well, it’s time for me to retire. Good night child.”

When he doesn’t get a response he turns around, he sees you’ve fallen asleep on the bed. He chuckles at the sound of you muttering in your sleep.

“ An odd child indeed.”

Then he covers you, turns out the lights and shuts the door. Leaving you to go to his room.

( he promptly freaks out over how quickly he’s grown fond of you.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: @ella-ivanov​

[salty-ironstrange-shipper]

Hi! I was wondering if you know any fic like "crown of thorns and shadows"? Thanks❤

OK I wasn't sure if this meant I knew the fic "A Crown of Thorn and Shadows" or if I knew fics like that one, so I just did both.

(tbh all I did was search "fantasy" in my ironstrange bookmarks, so these recommendations are probably not 100% accurate to like this fic, but hopefully you'll find something you enjoy_

"A Crown of Thorn and Shadows" - "Anthony Stark, King of Blood and Darkness, ruler of the Unseelie court, did not expect to find Prince Stephen Strange of the Seelie chained up in his torture chamber, cold iron being driven into his hands. Stephen Strange, a Seelie healer, never dreamed of finding himself in the court of nightmares, being cared for by the king that the Seelie called a monster. They must work together to find the traitors in two Faerie courts that have not spoken in over six hundred years and reclaim Stephen's memories before the courts descend into war once more." 58,465 words. Mature.

"The Bride" - "A large black hand with claws was raised in his direction, taking the veil gently and lifting it to expose Tony’s face, and giving Tony the chance to see the creature’s face in return. In front of him, there was a man… well, not a man exactly. The face was a man, and the body seemed human… at least kind of human. Were those feathers real or was it just a very weird cloak? (Based on The Bride AU by TD269)" 15,721 words. Mature.

"Strange Seas" - "Defeating the Mandarin had come at the cost of the Ancient One’s life, and while Stephen Strange was trying to save her, the Mandarin’s ten rings of power slipped away in search of new bearers. Now he and his faithful (if dour) companion, Wong, must try to recover them before a new Mandarin can emerge to terrorize the world. Stephen is prepared for fell magics and formidable warriors -- but Tony Stark catches him entirely unawares. Tony Stark was sailing to London to take possession of his father’s offices and factories there when his ship was beset by pirates. Now he’s a prisoner with a magical and semi-sentient artifact buried in his chest, tasked with the impossible and his life on the line. The appearance of a pair of sorcerers seeking the ring that keeps him alive is the very last thing he needs." 74,990 words. Explicit.

"The Sorcerer of Ephemeral Colours" - "For centuries, the sorcerers of the Sanctum have been the first line of defence for the Kings and Queens of Veston. Stephen, after becoming a Master of Time, wants nothing more than to join his fellow sorcerers in their task and pledge his life to the study of the Mystic Arts. Imagine his surprise when he gets assigned to protect the wilful prince Anthony, instead. Dark secrets start to unravel and Mastery of Time will not be enough to save the kingdom, let alone Tony. While Tony has to overcome his own difficulties, Stephen must Master all six Aspects in order to do what he was always meant to do – no matter what both he and Tony might lose in the process. Magic always requires a sacrifice, after all." 130,241 words. Teen and Up.

"you can't force a love to grow" - "The people of Midgard say the drought is a final curse wrought by the Red Skull as he and his men were driven from the land into the churning winter sea. King Fury of Midgard believes in no such curses, but his people are starving and riotous and he is desperate. He puts out a call for aid to the other kingdoms. The desert only howls its answer, the messenger to Asgard is turned away at the border, but the messenger to the mountain kingdom of Kamar-Taj returns - shaken and babbling of ghosts and demons - carrying a scroll. Kamar-Taj will open a route of trade, but in exchange, they want a bride for their prince. King Fury, childless, puts out a call to his noble houses. Lord Howard Stark of the Southern Mines senses an opportunity for advancement and offers up his son, Anthony, who fits the specifications listed in the terms. Anthony would argue. Wants to fight and scream and flee. He’d dreamed of a love marriage like his mother always spoke of. The King paints a kind picture of duty and dignity: this marriage will save his people from starvation. His father threatens to throw him to the desert's mercy. There's no point in arguing. His heart probably won't last long anyway." 29,013 words. Teen and Up.

[fancoloredglasses]

Blackadder (British history as told by Rowan Atkinson)

[All images are owned by the BBC. Please don’t sue me]

Blackadder is a British (sit down) historical (sit down!) sitcom (SIT! DOWN!) following the line of descendants of a member of the Royal family (not entirely sure how. In four seasons we’ve only seen or heard of him sleep or become romantically involved with two people: a woman who masqueraded as a man and a man who masqueraded as a woman...now I wonder about his tastes) that all have the same name (and are played by the same actor...much like the descendants of pretty much everyone else)

Each season (or “series” as the Brits call them) is set in a different time period (plus at least 3 one-shot specials, though I’ll only briefly discuss them) so let’s dive into them.

Season 1, simply called “The Black Adder”, is set at the end of the Middle Ages (1485, to be precise) and follows the youngest son of the current King...

...Richard IV (So Mr. Blessed, we meet again!), Prince Edmund.

(Thanks to BBC Studios)

(no clue why he (well, Baldrick)  gave himself that moniker), played by Rowan Atkinson, a lying, sniveling, back-stabbing weasel who would do anything to get the throne ahead of his older brother Harry. Assisting Edmund in his quest are his two friends minions, Baldrick (who would continue as Edmund’s servant/aide in every incarnation) and Percy (both are featured in the clip above. No wonder he never reached the throne!)

For someone assisting such an important person as Prince Edmund, you’d think that Baldrick would invest in a bath now and then (his descendants’ hygiene doesn’t get any better)

King Richard doesn’t think very much of his youngest, often referring to him as “Edgar” and slowly stripping from him his land and title until...well, let’s just say that Edmund does eventually become King (for about 30 seconds) to end the first season. That brings us to Elizabethan era (circa 1558) and...

(Thanks to wikipedia)

This time Prince Edmund the Black Adder has morphed into...

...Lord Edmund Blackadder, trusted advisor to Mad Queen Bess herself...

...Elizabeth I, who seemed to constantly changing her moods and delighting in threatening her closest advisors with execution. Baldrick has returned as Edmund’s manservant, but Percy has been elevated to the Queen’s court (and for whatever reason believes Edmund is his best friend) Also in the court is...

Lord Melchett, the Queen’s spiritual advisor and rival for her favor, played by Stephen Fry. The two were bitter rivals until being forced to work together (of course, afterward they returned to their feud) after being captured by...

...Prince Ludwig of Germany, played by Hugh Laurie.

(Thanks to House Wiki)

Yes, that Hugh Laurie. The producers were apparently impressed enough that Laurie returned in future seasons. Speaking of...

The third season is set during the late 18th to early 19th century, where King George III was unfit to rule, so in his place was...

...the Prince Regent George, played by High Laurie in the first non-descendant returning role. George was pretty much an idiot.

Fortunately (?) for him, once again a Blackadder has weaseled his way into an advisory role...

...along with Baldrick (who had somehow been elected to the House of Commons and appointed to the House of Lords in a single episode!) Sadly, Percy and Melchett do not return this season.

And finally we have...

Set near the end of World War I, this time Captain Edmund Blackadder is the CO of an army platoon in the trenches on the front...

...and will do anything to get away from it! In the trenches with Blackadder are...

...his batman Pvt. Baldrick and...

...his second in command Lt. George Colthurst St. Barleigh (or just George, as no one used his last (or any other) name in the series) in yet another non-descendant role for Hugh Laurie. Their commanding officer, firmly behind them (over thirty miles behind them to be precise, far out of firing range) is...

...General Melchett, who is barking mad (just like every other authority figure in the series...but in this case he pretty much admitted it:)

[Apologies, but I couldn’t find the appropriate clip online, so here’s the script...]

BLACKADDER: I was wondering, after being tortured by the most vicious sadists of the German army, I might be allowed a week’s leave to recuperate, sir?

MELCHETT: Excellent idea! Your commanding officer would have to be stark raving mad to refuse you.

BLACKADDER: Well...you are my commanding officer.

MELCHETT: Well...

BLACKADDER: Can I have a week’s leave to recuperate, sir?

MELCHETT: Certainly not!

BLACKADDER: Thank you, sir.

But Melchett is not alone. Serving as his secretary (and smug in his safety away from the front) is...

...Capt. Darling (played by Tim McInnerny, who previously played Percy. While not even implied, I like to think he’s Percy’s descendant who managed to brown nose his way into a posh assignment)

I should also note (sorry for the spoiler) that in all but one of the series, each Blackadder doesn’t survive his particular series. In this series, I can honestly say he goes out with a bang.

(Thanks to BBC Comedy Greats)

As I mentioned at the start of this review, in addition to the 4 series of Blackadder, there were 3 specials, the first was done to support the British charity Comic Relief...

Blackadder: the Cavalier Years takes place during the British Civil War (1648) in which Blackadder (and Baldrick) are royalists desperately trying to hide King Charles (played by Stephen Fry) from Oliver Cromwell. Blackadder’s plan hinged on one thing: Baldrick being able to follow simple instructions

The king is doomed!

The second, Blackadder’s Christmas Carol was done for the holiday season and takes place in Victorian times and spoofs a certain novel by Charles Dickens. It tells of the kindest and most generous man in all of London...

...Ebenezer Blackadder. That is until he’s visited by the Ghost of Christmas...

...played by Rubeus Hagrid himself, Robbie Coltraine. The Ghost shows Blackadder the wickedness of his ancestors (using the casts of Blackadder 2 and Blackadder the Third in scenes filmed for the special) that unfortunately shows Blackadder that being evil is profitable.

Finally we have...

This special (which takes place (more or less) in modern times) shows what happens when a Blackadder gets hold of a time machine. Once again, old casts are assembled for scenes filmed for the special, in addition to an era never before seen...

(Thanks to Kristoupha Coook)

...the Roman era (and yes, Stephen Fry rather enjoyed parading around in his underwear) 

As always, if anyone would like to see an episode reviewed, please let me know.