#what we&039;re reading

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 039: White Tiger (SSM 9-11)

MASTERPOST

This time, we've got...

Politics! As well as two mentions of a character I love, more POC, a new vigilante I love, and avant-garde arts and crafts... It might be the best batch in a while. Plus, Medusa's back!

Look. Before we begin, I have a theory. Harry's shrink is trying to know who Spider-Man is by uncovering Harry's memories, and HE's gonna be the new Green Goblin, not Harry.

Hmm. We shall see.

Anyway! ESU announces that night school is gonna be cancelled, regardless of how many protests there are. Spidey is understandably miffed.

An ethnic professor calls out the administration and states that hispanic and black students will be hit the hardest by this decision, as shown in previous panels. I like it! I like when Spidey gets political (more than usual). I enjoyed a similar arc in 1969.

The university COULD sell its Erskine Manuscript (Erskine being the man who invented the Captain America super soldier formula!), but the direction finds it too priceless for such an endeavor.

Once again, it hits very close to home. Gosh, it really hits. :(

It's funny because I was thinking about the Prowler hahaha. I doubt it's a coincidence.

Night falls, and as Peter goes to the university, strange men in green prepare to assault the place, as well as...

Well, I already like this character.

Peter can't do much about the White Tiger, and the latter encounters the green goons.

See, what I appreciate about WT's costume is that its complete whiteness makes for nice panels.

WT escapes with the manuscripts, and the chairman is very happy to see our new character is Hispanic. Great excuse to say heinous stuff! It's now state of emergency at ESU. (Getting France under Macron's regime flashbacks.)

Spidey goes to the Daily Globe (remember it subtly rose to prominence this run) and...!

Damn, a duel between one character I love and one I'm starting to really appreciate?! I have to read that!

Thanks to Spidey's investigation, he tracks down a detective, who gives him a recap of what happened in Dead Hands of Kung-Fu 20-31 and explains WT's identity. And the Prowler, still a vigilante, checked (with his fists) whether WT was a killer or a hero. I'm happy to see Hobie hasn't stopped! Or, sad But also happy.

WT gives the professor mentioned earlier, Vasquez, the manuscript, and Spidey arrives on the scene. They fight and tension rises on campus.

Can we smooch, sir?

See, I was thinking it was too easy, and it truly is, because in the France of 2023 AD, cops just don't ask anything. They see peaceful protests, they repress. How fun!

That makes sense. Peter does note the WT acts different!

Spidey and the true WT keep fighting, and suddenly, windows open and the neighborhood cheers for WT! Spidey is stumped... and a bit jealous. "You may have pulled one of the biggest boners of your life," Spidey thinks to himself. TMI, tiger! I mean. Oh, anyway...! They finally listen to reason and go back to ESU, but...

Oh, dear. That's almost vile. Too optimistic. Oh no, I really enjoyed this batch until then!

The detective arrives just in time to clear some things up as well (the fact that the WT had nothing to do with the green thugs).

Everything's well that ends well... and Medusa?! Hell yeah! The last time we saw her, she was pretty entertaining.

Fun times!

Anyway, if you're wondering if the comments about the issue are worth your time... no, they're not. They really aren't.

Anyway, for SSM #11, we get Chris Claremont of X-Men fame as a guest writer!

It starts in medias res, as Peter worries about kid who apparently saved him and MJ from being run over by a car. Hey, remember MJ? Remember how this magazine is called "Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man"? Remember we have other characters than Peter Parker? A whole ensemble cast, in fact. Where are they? What are they doing? Aaaargh!

So the kid absorbed a toxin, and Peter has to race against time to find the antidote.

Okay, first off, handsome Peter. Second: I thought Peter's sudden skin change was very audacious and avant-garde (ATSV anyone?) but... in the scans somewhere else, Peter's just fine. How peculiar! I kind of really love it though. This is art, folks.

I love how the lady at the front looks horribly depressed while Peter and MJ are enjoying themselves.

So Spidey tracks down the antidote, but someone already took it... Medusa!

They fight, Medusa escapes, but Spidey finds her again... on Coney Island, which means for the second time in this run, we get one of my favorite devices: an amusement park! I love amusement parks! Who doesn't? Hell yeah!

This is art. All of this.

Anyway, Spidey interrupts Medusa saving one of her acquaintances with the same serum, him and the Inhumans fight, then they decide they don't have to. The old, dying guy takes some of the serum, and Black Bolt helpfully flies away to give the remainder of the serum to the kid.

Everything's fine. Medusa namedrops Yon-Rogg (if you've seen Captain Marvel, you'll do "Ah!" too) and the matter is resolved.

This issue was fun, but I can't help but be tired when heroes fight against each other when it's very clear they could both talk for about two minutes and be done much more quickly.

Next time: Hitman's back in town! Yay...

[invvuu]

A WHISKER IN LOVE | a yang jungwon smau

SYNOPSIS. as one of the officers included in the school’s student council it is inevitable that the amount of work gets doubled on top of school related activities, but fear not as the white fluffy cat that usually appears near your favorite resting spot is here to save you from stress! however, this specific cat isn’t any ordinary cat at all, it just so happens that he is the very same shy boy who secretly has a crush on you at school, yang jungwon.

( TL;DR ) timid young lad accidentally reveals his fluffy self to his crush

PAIRING. cat!jungwon x fem stco secretary!reader

FEATURING. enhypen, jooyeon + jungsu from xdinary heroes, gaeul + yujin from ive, sakura + yunjin from le serrafim, and etc.

GENRE. social media au and written, high school au, he fell first she fell harder, mutual pining, fantasy, fluff, angst

WARNING/S. profanity, timestamps, sucky humor, jungwon being entirely in love, y/n wears glasses in some chapters, different warnings will be added to a specific chapter if needed

STATUS. (slow updates) SEPT. 06, 2023 —

TAGLIST. OPEN! (send ask, reply, or dm to join)

AUTHOR’S NOTE — so if you were one of the people who have seen this blog since the very beginning you may have remembered my first ever smau (yes, this one was originally posted before love ethan) that was discontinued barely 5 chapters in 💀 but after some consideration i decided to give awil a second chance with specific changes different from the initial smau and i did try making this a bit more story-oriented than just comedy so i hope it turns out well to you guys who decided to read awil when it comes out^^

PROFILES : one // two // three

001 — devoted secretary

002 — in too deep

003 — don’t lie jungwon (+written)

004 — i insist

005 — stalker behavior

006 — wait a minute…

007 — kdrama moment (+written)

008 — k i s s i n g !!!

009 — stop halt pause

010 — what time? (+written)

011 — /j or /srs

012 — what’s up nick wilde

013 — silenced 4ever

014 — can we talk? (written)

015 — four eyes

016 — dni if not y/nwon supporter

017 — shippers unite!

018 — a-a-re y-you s-s-s-ingle???

019 — i will shove this down ur throat

020 — you know what to do

021 — open the goddamn door

022 — slumber party! (+written)

023 — the truth

024 — stay folded

025 — tuna sandwich

026 — wazzup student council secretary

027 — stress reliever (written)

028 — boom boom

029 — oh em gee

030 — slide into her dms

031 — i’m going to do it

032 — hey, y/n? (written)

033 — popsicles

034 — sleep deprived

035 — emergency meeting

036 — on read

037 — old mcdonald had a farm

038 — look what i got

039 — listen to me

040 — who cares anymore?

041 — school festival (written)

042 — man up

043 — knock knock (written)

044 — something’s fishy

045 — surprise…?

046 — NUMBER ONE COUPLE

chapter names are subject to change

© invvuu do not copy, translate, nor plagiarize any of my content on various platforms (wattpad, youtube, twitter, tumblr, etc.)

[lauriciamatuska]

Shadow of the Fox | Blogging from Lands Uncharted Yumeko is a kitsune. Okay, technically she’s only half-kitsune, but even that’s more than enough to get her into trouble.

[orangerful]

what I'm reading Wednesday

what I'm reading Wednesday #books #reading

book cover: Switch by A.S. King I finished the new A.S. King book on Sunday. She is one of my favorite authors, hands down, I’ve loved almost every book and even the ones that I struggled with, there were still things about them that stuck with me. Switch isn’t my favorite book by her, but it was still solid. I couldn’t put it down and I read it in just a little over a week, which for me is…

[oldfirehousebooks]

What We're Reading

What We’re Reading

As Booksellers, we’re always reading. And one of our favorite things to do is talk about what we’re reading! So check out a few of the titles we’re loving right now.   Melanie: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones Grab a copy! I picked this up on the recommendation from another bookseller. It’s the story of a young German girl and her experiences with the Goblin King. It’s dark, a little twisted, and a…

[cjjasp]

We’re With the Band, a novel by Johanna Flynn #amreading

We’re With the Band, a novel by Johanna Flynn #amreading

Today I’m reviewing We’re With the Band, a new novel by the award-winning author Johanna Flynn. This book is a departure from the serious tone of her debut novel, Hidden Pictures, taking a hilarious look at renaissance fairs, bands and groupies, and the cultural importance of Ireland’s historical treasures. But first, the blurb: We’re With the Band, a novel by Johanna Flynn Publisher: ‎ Palatine…

[gold-pavilion]

KAWORU 2015 (Nagisa Kaworu photo collection) book translation

Reuploaded due to lost post on a lost blog! 

The book is divided in 3 parts: one with illustrations, another following Kaworu's time with Shinji in 3.0 and a last one with products of him. I'll only share the pages with text + their translation.

Proceed below the cut.

First, the translation of the silver label outside.

Part 1 begins here.

004 

Nagisa Kaworu, 

The soul that awoke on the surface of the moon. 

The child contrived by fate. 

you can (not) redo. 

Thus, he will become the trigger for the beginning.

006 

That lance of yours, called your red gaze.

014-015 

The gentle moments I must have seen one day, 

even if they don’t come to me now.

018 

As you glanced through the glasses, 

what were you thinking about?

020-021 

You in winter, you in fall, 

you in summer and you in spring. 

I want to meet all of you.

026 

Our duet, 

played with our hearts melting together.

029 

To become the hope of the lilin… 

If it’s with you, I thought that we could do it.

Part 1 ends and Part 2 begins now. You’ll find the main narration beyond here isn't Kaworu’s, but Shinji’s perspective of him.

033 

I really was born to meet you.

038-039 

At that time the clouds parted, and there the red earth appeared. 

As I broke down, the red-eyed you said to me: 

”There is no unforgivable sin”...

040-041 

Your pale fingers danced magnificently on the piano keys. 

Mine, too, were led by them. 

Just like bubbles in sparkling water, 

Our sound spilled, 

bounded 

and shone.

046-047 

You said “even if your soul disappears, your wishes and curses remain in this world”. 

At that time, I… unable to do anything, I… 

didn’t understand what you were telling me.

050-051 

We laid together, looking at the starry sky. 

You said it felt comfortable, and gently smiled.

053 

Welcome back, Ikari Shinji-kun. I’ve been waiting for you. 

This is where part 2 ends. Past this there was nothing of note to translate, so it's done.

My main notes about this book, beyond how beautiful and aesthetically composed and worth buying it is, are that 1. Shinji has such a fine narrative voice!! and 2. the order of elements in part 2 is super interesting. It reads like a stream of thought, not a chronology of facts, making a lovely effect by placing the shock of the Impact and losing Kaworu, THEN the memory of the stargazing night, THEN a mysterious allusion to meeting again. 

I hope I've done justice to the texts, thanks for reading (or re-reading)!

[thezolblade]

Jon: “I wish I could talk it through with Martin, or Tim, or Sasha…But we never really did that, did we?”

I’ve been meaning to pull together some meta ever since hearing that line. As understandable as it is that Jon would regret the times he failed to communicate, as true as it is that he’s often fallen down there (and it’s fun seeing the fandom screaming over that on an ongoing basis)... I’d say he was too hard on himself by saying ‘never’, since there were times when he tried to communicate to the best of his ability. More than that, there are lines that give me the impression he’s always highly valued shared knowledge - that as well as being driven by a deep desire to know, he also wants to help other people know more, and gets frustrated when they don’t want to share knowledge with him or others.

Some quotes here, and interpretation below, of times when he tried to go beyond the ‘archive the closed cases’ job description that was supposedly expected of him, pursuing his priorities in the expectation that people would help - when he still expected that other people would help as a common sense assumption - or discussed events with the assistants beyond the bounds of what he was officially asking them to do for the job, etc. (Mostly s1 bc this is taking more evenings than i expected just from looking through the transcripts and a lot of episodes don’t have them yet):

MAG 001 - Anglerfish

ARCHIVIST: When an investigation has gone as far as it can, it is transferred to the Archives. [...] it seems as though little of the actual investigations have been stored in the Archives, so the only thing in most of the files are the statements themselves. [...] I plan to digitise the files as much as possible and record audio versions, though some will have to be on tape recorder as my attempts to get them on my laptop have met with... significant audio distortions. Alongside this Tim, Sasha and, yes, I suppose, Martin will be doing some supplementary investigation to see what details may be missing from what we have.

MAG 002 - Do Not Open

ARCHIVIST: When the Institute first investigated, it doesn’t look like they were able to find a single piece of evidence to support the existence of this scratched coffin, and to be honest I didn’t think it was worth wasting anyone’s time over now, nearly twenty years later. That said, I did mention it to Tim yesterday, and apparently he did some digging of his own.

MAG 004 - Pageturner

ARCHIVIST:  So it doesn’t appear that we have any concrete leads to go on. Still, I will be bringing this up with Elias and recommending that the search for any other missed books from the Leitner library be made this Institute’s highest priority. Jurgen Leitner has done the world enough harm and we must pursue all available avenues to ensure that he does no more.

MAG 006 - Squirm

ARCHIVIST: I can’t find any evidence that my predecessor took follow-up action on this statement, so I’ve taken the step of reporting Mr Hodge’s to the ECDC. We were unable to locate him to request a follow-up interview and if he has had intercourse with one of Prentiss’ victims, then they’ll need to deal with him sooner rather than later. I just hope it’s not too late already.

MAG 011 - Dreamer

ARCHIVIST: I’m not... entirely sure whether to bring this up with Elias or not. When he hired me, he was vague on the point of what happened to my predecessor, Gertrude Robinson. [...] I had Tim look into it, as I don’t entirely trust the others not to have written it as a practical joke and slipped it into the archives. [...] Still, I might have a word with Rosie, to make sure I get a copy of any new statements as soon as they’re made, not just once the researchers are done with them. She seemed very open to idea of recording them, so I’m hopeful she’ll be willing to do this too.

MAG 017- The Boneturner’s Tale

ARCHIVIST: I've barely scratched the surface of the archives and have already uncovered evidence of two separate surviving books from Jurgen Leitner's library. Until he mentioned that, I was tempted to dismiss much of it out of hand, but as it stands now I believe every word. I've seen what Leitner's work can do, and this news, even 17 years out of date, is still very concerning to me. I'm going to have a discussion with Elias as to what we can do to address the issue. I know he'll just give me the old “record and study, not interfere or contain” speech again, but I at least need to make him aware of it.

MAG 020 - Desecrated Host

ARCHIVIST: This all leads me to believe that there may have been a second person there that night, although from talking with the police, I get the impression that there is little appetite for re-opening the case, considering how successful the initial prosecution was.

MAG 022 - Colony

ARCHIVIST: In which case there's a room in the Archives I use to sleep when working late. I suggest you stay there for now. I'll talk to Elias about whether we can get extra security, but the Archives have enough locks for now. [...] Well, in that time I have received several text messages from your phone, saying you were ill with stomach problems. The last one said that you thought it “might be a parasite”, though my calls trying to follow up were never answered. [...] I just received another text message. From you. “Keep him. We have had our fun. He will want to see it when the Archivist’s crimson fate arrives.”

MARTIN: What does that mean?

ARCHIVIST: It means I ask Elias to hire some extra security. I should probably warn Sasha and Tim as well.

MAG 024 - Strange Music

When discussing this case, Tim said it reminded him of some articles he'd read on travelling circuses in Russia and Poland during the early 20th century. On a whim, I hunted down a few of the volumes he mentioned in the Institute's library, and sure enough on page 43 of Gregory Petry's Freaks and Followers: Circuses in the 1940s, I found a reproduction of an old black-and-white photograph.

MAG 026 - A Distortion

SASHA: Well, I’m sure you know I was sceptical about how dangerous this Jane Prentiss was when you first suggested Martin stay in the archive. [...] You were having some argument with Tim about... um, oh, who’s that architect he’s obsessed with?

ARCHIVIST: Robert Smirke. [...] ARCHIVIST: Sasha has taken a few days off to recuperate, and I’m having a word with Elias about getting some extra CO2 fire extinguishers for the Archive.

MAG 033 - Boatswain’s Call

TIM: Um, look I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure... it’s not a big deal, I just think it might be worth re-recording these statements.

ARCHIVIST: No. I don’t have time. I still have a mountain of haphazard statements to get through, not to mention that I need to keep this wretched tape recorder on hand just in case I encounter one of the files too stubborn to work on anything else. And when I do, I have to actually read the damn thing, which is...

TIM (BACKGROUND): Oh, woah, woah... woah!

ARCHIVIST: Fine. It’s fine. I just haven’t been sleeping much these last few months, what with all this... worm business. Which reminds me, if you do see Elias, tell him thanks for the extra extinguishers. [...] ARCHIVIST: In addition to such business ventures, the Lukas family also provides funding to several academic and research organisations, including the Magnus Institute. Much as I want to dig further into this, especially given certain parallels with case 0161301, Elias gets very twitchy when we look into anything that might conceivably have funding repercussions. [...] Maybe I’ll mention it to Elias. Just in case.

MAG 035 - Old Passages

ARCHIVIST: You should have seen Tim’s face when I told him. Architecture is one of his specialist areas, and he has always talked of Smirke as one that fascinates him. How did he phrase it? “A master of subtle stability.” From a professional standpoint, it also interests him that Smirke’s buildings have higher percentages of reported paranormal sightings than any other architect of similar profile.

MAG 036 - Taken Ill

TIM: Er, what is it?

ARCHIVIST: A lighter. An old Zippo.

TIM: You smoke?

ARCHIVIST: No. And I don’t allow ignition sources in my archive!

TIM: Okay. Is there anything unusual about it?

ARCHIVIST: Not really. Just a sort of spider web design on the front. Doesn’t mean anything to me. You?

TIM: Ah no. No.

ARCHIVIST: Well... show it to the others, see what they think.

MAG 039 - Infestation

ARCHIVIST: I got it!

[PULLS TAPE RECORDER FROM THE MORASS OF WORMS] [...]

SASHA: Why record it?

ARCHIVIST: What?

SASHA: Before, in the office. It, it was stupid going for the tape recorder like that, and then when you dropped it out there— [...]

ARCHIVIST: I just... I don’t want to become a mystery. I refuse to become another goddamn mystery. [...] Every real statement just leads... deeper into something I don’t even know the shape of yet. And to top it all, I still don’t know what happened to Gertrude. Officially she’s still missing, but Elias is no help and the police were pretty clear that the wait to call her dead is just a formality. If I die, wormfood or... something else, whatever, I’m going to make damn sure the same doesn’t happen to me. Whoever takes over from me is going to know exactly what happened. [...]

ARCHIVIST: Of course, I believe. Of course I do. Have you ever taken a look at the stuff we have in Artefact storage? That’s enough to convince anyone. But, but even before that... Why do you think I started working here? It’s not exactly glamorous. I have... I’ve always believed in the supernatural. Within reason. I mean. I still think most of the statements down here aren’t real. Of the hundreds I’ve recorded, we’ve had maybe... thirty, forty that are... that go on tape. Now those, I believe, at least for the most part.

MARTIN: Then why do you—

ARCHIVIST: Because I’m scared, Martin! Because when I record these statements it feels... it feels like I’m being watched. I... I lose myself a bit. And then when I come back, it’s like... like if I admit there may be any truth to it, whatever’s watching will... know somehow. The scepticism, feigning ignorance. It just felt safer.

MARTIN: Well... It wasn’t.

ARCHIVIST: No. No, it wasn’t.

[...]

ARCHIVIST: I mean at the Archive in general. Why haven’t you quit?

MARTIN: Are you giving me my review now?

ARCHIVIST: No... We’re clearly doing a whole heart-to-heart thing and, truth be told, the question’s been bothering me. You’ve been living in the Archives for four months, constant threat of... this. Sleeping with a fire extinguisher and a corkscrew. Even you must be aware that that’s not normal for an archiving job? Why are you still here?

MARTIN: [Considering] Don’t really know. I just am. It didn’t feel right to just leave. I’ve typed up a few resignation letters, but I just couldn’t bring myself to hand them in. I’m trapped here. It’s like I can’t... move on and the more I struggle, the more I’m stuck.

Martin...You’re not, uh... You didn’t die here, did you?

MARTIN: What? What? N-No... what?!

ARCHIVIST: No, I just... No, just the way you phrased that...

MARTIN: Made you think I was a ghost?

ARCHIVIST: No... it’s—

MARTIN: No, no... it’s just that whatever web these statements have caught you in, well, I’m there too. We all are, I think.

MAG041 - Too Deep

Why do I still feel like I’m being watched? I’d just about convinced myself it was Prentiss, watching me in secret while she filled the walls with her writhing hordes, but no. She is dead and gone, and still whenever I talk into this... damn thing, I feel this... I’m being watched. I know I am. [...] my primary focus must be on who killed Gertrude Robinson, and I do not believe for a moment that it was a wall-moving spectre from the depths of the earth. No, far more likely it’s one of my colleagues. Elias is a prime suspect, but it could have been any of them. [...] I can make two tapes from each recording. One containing the main statement and notes, which will be stored in the archive, and the other containing the statement, notes, and... this supplement, which will chronicle my own investigations. These tapes will be hidden. If you’re hearing this, I assume you’re my replacement, following my death or disappearance, and have received instructions on where to find them. [...] This level of paranoia is new to me, but I’m learning fast. Trust can get you killed.

...So, reading back over season 1 was interesting. Jon was asked to organise an archive of statements that were no longer under investigation by the institute. (Leading a team of four ex-researchers, himself included, who were used to working on open investigations. He was told that the institute’s mission statement was to study but not to ‘interfere or contain’, to the point where he got sick of Elias giving him that speech.)

He believed every statement that we heard him record, and he had all 3 assistants take part in re-opening an investigation into each of them through all available lines of enquiry (instead of devoting more resource to getting the existing material filed in a sensible system asap).

Wherever there was a chance it would do some good, he reported his findings to the authorities, and pushed to see if the Institute or the police would go further on the basis of his information.

He discussed the cases with his assistants thoroughly enough to know their areas of personal interest in the supernatural, and when they got into trouble, he immediately offered them as much protection as he could and went to Elias for help, prompting some of the others to express skepticism about the threats that he was clearly taking seriously, maybe excessively so...?

And yet because he felt watched by something supernatural, and convinced himself that it was Jane Prentiss somehow, he lied constantly by feigning skepticism even while following every lead and pushing everyone else to do the same. It’s a wonder anyone was fooled tbh, and it backfired by discouraging Martin and Sasha from confiding in him until they were in deep trouble. It also made his complaint about lack of sleep look relatively grumpy/petty to Tim, since he didn’t quite admit the full scale of the problem with nightmares and the exhaustion that the statements magically caused.

When Elias was feigning a normal level of ignorance in ep 39 he told Sasha: “You know how those two are... John puts on a good show, but sometimes I swear he’s worse than Martin.” And in ep 40 he told Jon: “I... know I have often seemed dismissive of your concerns before, and in fact I was getting ready to raise the issue of Martin’s continuing to live in the Institute’s basement”. If Elias was faking something like the rest of the Institute staff’s attitude (to things he wouldn’t admit to knowing all about)... then people really did doubt Jon’s skeptic act, feeling that he was always complaining about supernatural threats and going overboard in trying to protect people.

That changed in season 2, when he came to believe that one of his colleagues had murdered Gertrude, and stopped trusting all of them. When he was worried that his own death might be imminent, in the midst of Prentiss’ attack and in the paranoid aftermath, one of his main concerns was communicating with his successor through the tapes.

He doesn’t want his fate to be a mystery to those he leaves behind. Considering how much danger he puts himself in, diving into a pile of worms for the recorder, and later stating that he’d rather die exploring the tunnels than leave the Institute’s secrets buried, he’s more interested in getting information out to other people than in surviving.

Mid-season 2, when he gets scared, he talks about taking a break from his investigations until he can get more help from the police, especially as he thinks he’s trying to track down a human murderer. That remaining trust in authority doesn’t lead him to him collaborating with Basira to the extent he’d hoped, since she eventually makes it clear she wants nothing more to do with him, and he discovers that not!Sasha is a supernatural threat that the police couldn’t help with anyway.

The start of season 3 sees him reflecting that he didn’t turn to his assistants for help because he didn’t want to get them killed, and once he makes it back to the archives, he tries to overcome his recent trust issues and more long-standing hero complex by involving the others in his plans again - though they take care not to let those plans show up on tape, since they’re plotting against Elias by that point. When Jon asks everyone to record their thoughts before the unknowing in Testament, he’s trying to get them all communicating - with themselves, each other, and anyone who follows in their footsteps.

So far in season 4, he’s been more ready than ever to collaborate, but the others are mostly refusing to talk to him. His first instinct when he uncovers immediately relevant information is to go tell Basira, and he heeds her advice when he asks whether they can tell Melanie. (Which was unfair on Melanie, but at least you can see why he’d fear for his life after she threatened to attack him on sight if he ever tried to talk to her again.) He tried to tell Martin what had been going on instead of trying to compel information from him, and apparently hasn’t had much chance to speak to anyone else, or to leave the building.

He has the power to compel other people to see truths that they wouldn’t have recognised on their own; he only had to ask Tim what he was holding for Tim to see the detonator. And he may compare himself to Gertrude for losing assistants, but he talked to Sasha and Tim about the threats they were facing at the time, to the best of his knowledge. If Gertrude seems to have fought her battles by deliberately misleading people so that she could sacrifice them, and by taking out ‘loose ends’ to keep herself from being incriminated...

Well, I think Jon’s on his way to distinguishing himself from his predecessor through good communication, despite the massive stumbling blocks of his paranoid phase and isolation. (And through his extreme protectiveness towards individual people, compared to her way of prioritising the big picture.) He’s always wanted to get the truth out in the open, despite sometimes holding back out of fear that he won’t be believed, or he’ll get himself or others killed. Some of his most uncharismatic moments have been his attempts to tell people the truth when his knowledge was too patchy to convince them, and he wasn’t tactful enough to try to bring them on-side with diplomacy instead of facts and theories. As his powers grow, one of his most effective abilities might be to help his allies see the truth, so that they can join forces by choice.

E.g. maybe he’ll eventually find out what Peter’s up to from Martin - or maybe he’ll ask about something that he didn’t even realise was part of the plan, granting Martin an insight into something that neither of them knew beforehand.

[Edit: Wrote the above post in the mid-s4 hiatus and, uh. He sure did try to collaborate on a lot of stuff, but. Also fucked up pretty thoroughly, so. The s4 thoughts feel a bit over-optimistic in retrospect. Leaving it strikethrough rather than deleted though.]

[leedear]

What we’re reading

Z and I started our regular visits to the library these past couple of months. Since his friends are into ‘Paw Patrol, Super Wings, Ninja Turtle’, I had to find books that those storylines so Z won’t feel so left out in school. He absolutely loves them. He talks about these characters so often, it’s hilarious to hear him speak. Besides those books, we’ve also picked up books on ‘How to be a big…

[identybeautynet]

7 Beauty Tips I Learned From Taraji P. Henson in Under 10 Minutes

7 Beauty Tips I Learned From Taraji P. Henson in Under 10 Minutes You probably know Taraji P. Henson as the veteran actress lauded for her stellar performances portraying the boundary-shattering mathematician Katherine Johnson in Hidden Figures or the fictional, renegade matriarch Cookie Lyon in Fox's Empire. Her acting chops are undisputed—that's just a fact. But if you follow Henson on social media or pay attention to her red carpet appearances, you may have noticed another strength of hers: She's seriously adventurous when it comes to her hair. A self-proclaimed hair chameleon, Henson cycles through braids, bobs, curls, and more vibrant hair colors than just about anyone in Hollywood without ever skipping a beat. She makes it looks easy, but as she told Who What Wear in a recent exclusive interview, this wasn't always the case. "When I moved to Hollywood, I had to start wearing weaves because Hollywood hadn't embraced Black women's natural hair yet," she explained. "But, you know, you just don't put a weave in your hair and say, 'that's it'. Sometimes a weave is way more work than a natural because you're washing two different hairs; you're washing the weave hair and you have to get down underneath all of that and tend to your own scalp and hair. " And what happened when she couldn't find products that met this need? She created a haircare line, TPH by Taraji, based on formulations she'd been creating for herself in her kitchen. 7 Beauty Tips I Learned "I didn't see anything out there that catered to this to my needs, so like Black people do when we've been deprived or we don't have something, we create it," she said. A year and some change into the journey and Henson is a full-fledged beauty maven. She recently added a new extension to her product line, which was informed by a call from her customers for moisturizing styling products. But outside of her own line, Henson has a whole host of hair and beauty tips she swears by for keeping herself looking and feeling her best as she embarks into a brand new decade, her 50s. Keep scrolling to see the seven genius tips we learned from her in under 10 minutes. 1. Moisturized Hair Is Happy Hair 7 Beauty Tips I Learned "I love healthy hair. I've always been about healthy hair and scalp since I was a little," Henson told us. She recalls sitting in her aunt's garage as a kid scratching her cousin's scalp and even getting her first relaxer sitting around the kitchen table at her grandmother's house. But since transitioning to natural hair (she was way ahead of the curve—a hairstylist on the set of her 2001 film Baby Boy encouraged her to go natural), she's learned the importance of adequate moisture. "My hair is always lacking in moisture. I have to have moisture; I gotta have it," she says od her 4c hair type that's prone to dryness and intense shrinkage. The new offerings are infused with natural ingredients like coconut oil, mango seed butter, and pequi oil for soft, smooth strands. Shop the new TPH by Taraji Intense Moisture Collection: 7 Beauty Tips I Learned TPH by Taraji Mask on Conditioning Mask ($18) 7 Beauty Tips I Learned Target Tph Twist and Set Twisting Creme - 8oz ($17) 7 Beauty Tips I Learned TPH by Taraji Curls 4 Days Curl Creme ($17) 2. Scalp Care Is a Pillar of Healthy Hair 7 Beauty Tips I Learned Above all else, Henson knows that scalp care is just as, if not more important, than anything you put in the lengths of your hair. That's why her brand launched with a set of products specifically made for the scalp."TPH by Taraji is literally based on a healthy scalp," she said. "I was in the kitchen; I created that! Baby, nothing goes in a jar or on the shelf until it goes through this Virgo's roots," she laughed. Shop the new TPH by Taraji Scalp Collection: TPH by Taraji Mint Condition Tingling Scalp Conditioner ($12) TPH by Taraji Master Cleanse Scalp Treatment Wash ($15) 3. Don't Be Afraid to Experiment With At-Home Beauty Treatments No one is exempt from the, not even Hollywood's biggest stars. And with the increased time spent at home over the last year, Henson picked up some new beauty skills. "Call me crazy, but I like to do passion twists on myself. I do, I really enjoy it; it's therapeutic," she said. "I have my music I pour a little wine and I take my time. " And if you're wondering where Henson picked up this skill, you might be surprised to hear that she taught herself by watching YouTube videos! "I've been learning how to do nails, cut hair, all of it," she said. We stan a resourceful queen. 4. ...Even DIY Hair Color! When it comes to her ever-changing hair color, Henson admits that she's not afraid of an at-home dye job. "Since I've been natural, I can play in color. You know how many times I took my hair out playing in color because I had a perm in my hair? And who knew just I had to grow the perm out," she says. "The damaging process, or where you can go wrong is bleaching your hair. I can do my own. I wouldn't do anybody else's since I'm not a technician, but if I were someone else, I would just say go get your hair professionally lifted." She told us her favorite at-home hair dye is the semi-permanent offering by Adore that fades away after a few washes. "It's like Kool-Aid; it rinses out, you put it back in, and that's how I'm able to play with so many different colors." Shop Taraji's go-to hair dye: Brand: Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color #064 Ruby Red ($6) Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color #112 Indigo Blue 4 Ounce ($6) Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color #140 Neon Pink ($6) Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color #039 Orange Blaze ($6) Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color #114 Violet Gem ($6) 5. Aging Looks a Little Different for Everyone If there's one recurring lesson we keep coming across in recent years, it's that aging is a process looks a little different for everyone. A newly minted 50-year-old, Henson has had her fair share of aging surprises, including some unexpected changes to her hair. "I feel like my hair getting thicker," she said. "My mother's the same way. A lot of her sisters are losing their hair and her hair is getting thicker. Yeah, I'm honored and blessed. I'm not complaining. 6. Laughter Keeps You Young OK, so Henson didn't exactly say this, but she certainly demonstrated it. We've seen her comedic timing in action on the big screen, but her demeanor during our chat was just as fun. She cracked jokes and wasn't afraid to let out a bellowing laugh when something really tickled her. There are probably plastic surgeons out there might who would argue that laughing causes lines in the skin, but if you ask us, a joyful spirit is a key to stopping the clock. Be happy, dang it! 7. Re-Frame Your Most Tedious Beauty Chores as Self-Care Sessions Henson knows better than anyone just how much of a task wash day can be for Black women. But her goal in life and via her haircare brand is to switch-up the narrative around wash day. "It's a process, but what I want to do and what I hope is to change the narrative and not make it about beinga chore. I want it to be about self-care," she told us. "You know, you go to a salon for a facial, and they've got 10 things they put on your face before they tapped you on the back and say go. And you feel so good. We need to do the same thing for our hair; treat our hair the same way we treat everything else. That's what I'm hoping for because for me, I look forward to wash day! I put my music on, I have my essential oils I put in my diffuser, and while I'm under the dryer with my hair mask on I have do paraffin wax with little heated booties and I enjoy it." Now, that sounds like an absolute dream. Shop at-home spa day essentials: Vitruvi Porcelain Essential Oil Diffuser ($119) Vitruvi Eucalyptus Essential Oil ($13) Revlon Moisturizing Paraffin Bath ($37) Terra-Warm Warming Foot Pillow Booties ($18) Conair 1875 Watt Pro Style Bonnet Ionic Hair Dryer ($40) This article originally appeared on Who What Wear . beauty tips : 7 Beauty Tips I Learned  Read the full article

[orangerful]

What I'm Reading Wednesday

What I'm Reading Wednesday #books #reading #blog

Whoops, forgot to post this week but I finished a book recently and wanted to share. I don’t know why I am just hearing about Binti now – every single person I’ve gone to tell about it after I finished it had heard of the series and raved about the author! Oh well, better late than never! I’ve already requested the next two in the series along with her stand-alone novel. And let me just say, I…

[oldfirehousebooks]

What We're Reading

What We’re Reading

As Booksellers, we’re always reading. And one of our favorite things to do is talk about what we’re reading! So check out a few of the titles we’re loving right now.   Melanie Grab a copy! I never watched much of The Daily Show, aside from short clips I would see on my friends’ Facebook pages, but once I picked up this book I wanted to go back and watch the show from the start. Chris Smith does…

[healthpeak02-blog]

Chuck's Daily Check In - 04.05.2019

The Bulls went through practice as they prepare for Saturday’s home game against Philadelphia.

The play of Walter Lemon Jr. and JaKarr Sampson have re-energized the “Baby Bulls” over the past week. The two G-League signees have produced in their brief stint with the team adding offensive versatility. Lemon is averaging 19 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists in three games in a Bulls uniform. His two free throws with less than two seconds remaining carried the Bulls to a road win over Washington on Wednesday.

Lemon Jr. told Bulls.com, “I can’t even explain what I’m feeling. It’s been a ride. Humbled and grateful to be here. When most guys get called up they might not get the opportunity to play, but the fact Coach is trusting me to play & close out a game is a huge blessing.”

Meantime, JaKarr Sampson in two games is averaging 20 points and 8 rebounds per game, shooting 66% from the floor.

Before arriving in Chicago via the G-League, Sampson had stops with Philadelphia, Denver and Sacramento. Sampson’s 22 points and seven rebounds against the Wizards helped the Bulls end a five game slide.

“It definitely feels good to break the losing streak. We just need to keep playing defense, finish strong, play the right way and play together. We’re competing for spots." Sampson tells Bulls.com

Milwaukee 128, Philadelphia 122. The Bucks claimed home court advantage throughout the playoffs picking up win #59. The 76ers have lost five of their last seven. The game of the night in the NBA and it had the feel of a playoff affair and more. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid were on center stage and did not disappoint. The Bucks defense was superb down the stretch. Giannis was fabulous with 45 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks. Embiid: 34-13-13 - 3 blocks. Jimmy Butler missed the game with a back issue. Milwaukee’s Eric Bledsoe was tossed after he got in to it with Embiid. The 76ers bench,a major concern to begin with, lost James Ennis III for two weeks with a quad contusion.

Golden State 108, Los Angeles Lakers 90. The Warriors own the best record in the West at 54-24 and have a two game lead on Denver. DeMarcus Cousins with a 21-10 game.

Sacramento 117, Cavaliers 104. Buddy Hield drilled five-three pointers. He needs six more three point field goals to break Damian Lillard’s NBA record for most in a player’s first three seasons. Lillard made 599.

Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out to:cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls. Always a pleasure!

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/chucks-daily-check-04052019

[jasmineseer-blog]

NO MATTER WHAT, WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT- TWIN FLAME READING

NO MATTER WHAT, WE’RE GOING TO MAKE IT- TWIN FLAME READING

WARRIOR FOR LOVE

The Twins Are Joining Forces, Towards A Higher Vision Through A Mutually Beneficial Investment. The Feminine Is Shy To Believe, But The Masculine Will Show Her That He’s Here to Stay. This Venture is About Cultivating Faith in Their Relationship & Achieving Stability. Walking The Walk Towards What is Most Authentic To Both. Eachother…

Full Reading 1 Hour, 26 Minutes

>>>WATCH…

[leedear]

What we’re reading

We’ve started our library dates again! Reading to Zion at 3 years old is a lot more fun. He can look for his own books now, pick whichever ones he wants and even requests for topics that he likes. He’s in to vehicles, crocodiles, dinosaurs. This was a random book he picked and I thought it was super interesting. Lumpito is based on a true story. About a little dog who chose his owner. It’s an…

[identybeautynet]

7 Beauty Tips I Learned From Taraji P. Henson in Under 10 Minutes

7 Beauty Tips I Learned From Taraji P. Henson in Under 10 Minutes You probably know Taraji P. Henson as the veteran actress lauded for her stellar performances portraying the boundary-shattering mathematician Katherine Johnson in Hidden Figures or the fictional, renegade matriarch Cookie Lyon in Fox's Empire. Her acting chops are undisputed—that's just a fact. But if you follow Henson on social media or pay attention to her red carpet appearances, you may have noticed another strength of hers: She's seriously adventurous when it comes to her hair. A self-proclaimed hair chameleon, Henson cycles through braids, bobs, curls, and more vibrant hair colors than just about anyone in Hollywood without ever skipping a beat. She makes it looks easy, but as she told Who What Wear in a recent exclusive interview, this wasn't always the case. "When I moved to Hollywood, I had to start wearing weaves because Hollywood hadn't embraced Black women's natural hair yet," she explained. "But, you know, you just don't put a weave in your hair and say, 'that's it'. Sometimes a weave is way more work than a natural because you're washing two different hairs; you're washing the weave hair and you have to get down underneath all of that and tend to your own scalp and hair. " And what happened when she couldn't find products that met this need? She created a haircare line, TPH by Taraji, based on formulations she'd been creating for herself in her kitchen. 7 Beauty Tips I Learned "I didn't see anything out there that catered to this to my needs, so like Black people do when we've been deprived or we don't have something, we create it," she said. A year and some change into the journey and Henson is a full-fledged beauty maven. She recently added a new extension to her product line, which was informed by a call from her customers for moisturizing styling products. But outside of her own line, Henson has a whole host of hair and beauty tips she swears by for keeping herself looking and feeling her best as she embarks into a brand new decade, her 50s. Keep scrolling to see the seven genius tips we learned from her in under 10 minutes. 1. Moisturized Hair Is Happy Hair 7 Beauty Tips I Learned "I love healthy hair. I've always been about healthy hair and scalp since I was a little," Henson told us. She recalls sitting in her aunt's garage as a kid scratching her cousin's scalp and even getting her first relaxer sitting around the kitchen table at her grandmother's house. But since transitioning to natural hair (she was way ahead of the curve—a hairstylist on the set of her 2001 film Baby Boy encouraged her to go natural), she's learned the importance of adequate moisture. "My hair is always lacking in moisture. I have to have moisture; I gotta have it," she says od her 4c hair type that's prone to dryness and intense shrinkage. The new offerings are infused with natural ingredients like coconut oil, mango seed butter, and pequi oil for soft, smooth strands. Shop the new TPH by Taraji Intense Moisture Collection: 7 Beauty Tips I Learned TPH by Taraji Mask on Conditioning Mask ($18) 7 Beauty Tips I Learned Target Tph Twist and Set Twisting Creme - 8oz ($17) 7 Beauty Tips I Learned TPH by Taraji Curls 4 Days Curl Creme ($17) 2. Scalp Care Is a Pillar of Healthy Hair 7 Beauty Tips I Learned Above all else, Henson knows that scalp care is just as, if not more important, than anything you put in the lengths of your hair. That's why her brand launched with a set of products specifically made for the scalp."TPH by Taraji is literally based on a healthy scalp," she said. "I was in the kitchen; I created that! Baby, nothing goes in a jar or on the shelf until it goes through this Virgo's roots," she laughed. Shop the new TPH by Taraji Scalp Collection: TPH by Taraji Mint Condition Tingling Scalp Conditioner ($12) TPH by Taraji Master Cleanse Scalp Treatment Wash ($15) 3. Don't Be Afraid to Experiment With At-Home Beauty Treatments No one is exempt from the, not even Hollywood's biggest stars. And with the increased time spent at home over the last year, Henson picked up some new beauty skills. "Call me crazy, but I like to do passion twists on myself. I do, I really enjoy it; it's therapeutic," she said. "I have my music I pour a little wine and I take my time. " And if you're wondering where Henson picked up this skill, you might be surprised to hear that she taught herself by watching YouTube videos! "I've been learning how to do nails, cut hair, all of it," she said. We stan a resourceful queen. 4. ...Even DIY Hair Color! When it comes to her ever-changing hair color, Henson admits that she's not afraid of an at-home dye job. "Since I've been natural, I can play in color. You know how many times I took my hair out playing in color because I had a perm in my hair? And who knew just I had to grow the perm out," she says. "The damaging process, or where you can go wrong is bleaching your hair. I can do my own. I wouldn't do anybody else's since I'm not a technician, but if I were someone else, I would just say go get your hair professionally lifted." She told us her favorite at-home hair dye is the semi-permanent offering by Adore that fades away after a few washes. "It's like Kool-Aid; it rinses out, you put it back in, and that's how I'm able to play with so many different colors." Shop Taraji's go-to hair dye: Brand: Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color #064 Ruby Red ($6) Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color #112 Indigo Blue 4 Ounce ($6) Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color #140 Neon Pink ($6) Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color #039 Orange Blaze ($6) Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color #114 Violet Gem ($6) 5. Aging Looks a Little Different for Everyone If there's one recurring lesson we keep coming across in recent years, it's that aging is a process looks a little different for everyone. A newly minted 50-year-old, Henson has had her fair share of aging surprises, including some unexpected changes to her hair. "I feel like my hair getting thicker," she said. "My mother's the same way. A lot of her sisters are losing their hair and her hair is getting thicker. Yeah, I'm honored and blessed. I'm not complaining. 6. Laughter Keeps You Young OK, so Henson didn't exactly say this, but she certainly demonstrated it. We've seen her comedic timing in action on the big screen, but her demeanor during our chat was just as fun. She cracked jokes and wasn't afraid to let out a bellowing laugh when something really tickled her. There are probably plastic surgeons out there might who would argue that laughing causes lines in the skin, but if you ask us, a joyful spirit is a key to stopping the clock. Be happy, dang it! 7. Re-Frame Your Most Tedious Beauty Chores as Self-Care Sessions Henson knows better than anyone just how much of a task wash day can be for Black women. But her goal in life and via her haircare brand is to switch-up the narrative around wash day. "It's a process, but what I want to do and what I hope is to change the narrative and not make it about beinga chore. I want it to be about self-care," she told us. "You know, you go to a salon for a facial, and they've got 10 things they put on your face before they tapped you on the back and say go. And you feel so good. We need to do the same thing for our hair; treat our hair the same way we treat everything else. That's what I'm hoping for because for me, I look forward to wash day! I put my music on, I have my essential oils I put in my diffuser, and while I'm under the dryer with my hair mask on I have do paraffin wax with little heated booties and I enjoy it." Now, that sounds like an absolute dream. Shop at-home spa day essentials: Vitruvi Porcelain Essential Oil Diffuser ($119) Vitruvi Eucalyptus Essential Oil ($13) Revlon Moisturizing Paraffin Bath ($37) Terra-Warm Warming Foot Pillow Booties ($18) Conair 1875 Watt Pro Style Bonnet Ionic Hair Dryer ($40) This article originally appeared on Who What Wear . beauty tips : 7 Beauty Tips I Learned  Read the full article