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thekimspoblog · 3 months

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FotD 1:

@joshgoodman: Thinking of some ideas currently; I've had this one circling my head. Somehow kim and Jim find themselves camping out like the kettlemans did (without the stolen money) to avoid being found by (insert threat here). Iris and fille are around 8 and 6 respectively

Me: That'd be cute! Fighting with trying to set up the tent, Kim would probably do most of it; Jimmy's threatening to slip a disk. Fille keeps asking what the hell we're actually doing out here. Iris tells her not to ask stupid questions.

"Iris, don't call your sister stupid"

"I'm not! I said her question was! There's a difference!"

Did they bring any food?

Me: In my timeline, one of the main tragic things is how this life weighs on Kim's sanity. She never really got over the trauma of the cartel following her back in '04, that's when the sheepdog dreams started; that's when she started believing in God, simply because she felt like someone or something was watching her and plotting against her at all times. Especially after Jimmy dies, paranoia really starts to consume her. She becomes a powerful mob boss nearing the end of her life, but no amount of security measures bring her peace of mind. Once Jimmy's out of the picture, things start to get a little Howard Hughes.

But yeah, even while he's around, he is sometimes worried she's getting neurotic, but it's not like he can't empathize; he never stopped looking over his shoulder either. Out here in the woods, every rustle in the grass could be a mountain lion or worse.

Him: They brought enough food for a week, but then they'd have to catch and cook their own. Which Jimmy might have an issue with. I think a mountain lion would be the least of their worries, it can be scared away; a cartel member with a gun/intent to hurt kim/her family isn't as easily scared away.

Me: Why do you think Jimmy would have a problem? Just not very good at hunting/fishing?

Kim considered taking a gun, but they both decided it would create more problems than it would solve. Even if Fille or Iris don't play with it, firing off a wild shot into the bushes could be a really bad idea; they're hiding from the law on fraud/extortion/other non violent charges. If she accidentally shot a cop who was coming to arrest them, now they're both back to looking at life. Not losing custody is always the top priority.

Even killing a "Made" man/woman would just incite retaliation. If the mafia kills them, best to just pray they'll spare the kids. Starting a shoot out would just be loud and dangerous.

I guess if they really believed the kids were in danger, they would have to give them up and leave them with someone, but thankfully it's never come to that.

Him: Based off of Jimmy's character, I'd think he'd have a terrible time hunting and fishing, yea. Also, he might have an issue with killing the animal he's able to retrieve.

I think kim would settle for a bow? Not sure if she has an archery background; iris would LOVE that. Fille could care less. But who would they leave them with, is the question? Mike is dead, so is dawson. The church is questionable

Me: I don't think Jimmy would have a problem killing an animal. He might be squeamish, but he was never a pacifist or vegetarian.

Highly doubt they would have thought to bring archery supplies. If they run out of food, they should just head back into town.

And when all else fails, they always have the option to call a social worker themselves. They REALLY don't want to do that, they've been trying to keep the kids safe off the grid. But nothing is worth endangering their lives. Even Fille would be unhappy in that arrangement.

Pretty sure "My parents only abandoned me because they're traveling con artists. But they promised they were coming back once the mob boss is dead" is foster home for "please beat me up for telling such outrageous lies".

Iris would look out for Fille, but who's looking out for poor Iris? In the eyes of any conformist parent or teacher, Iris would be labeled a troubled child with behavioral issues. Even if their foster parents accepted their queerness, and that's a big if, nobody's going to listen to their indoctrination about the reasons shoplifting is a public good. Probably end up getting put on Ritalin or some shit.

Still, as long as Iris knew where they came from, why they feel this way all the time,they could at least try to fit in. In the timeline where Iris was born in 2005 and Kim gave them up out of guilt for what happened to Howard, Iris's life was terrible; just grew up confused and angry. Tarzan might not know what a human is, but he would still know he wasn't an ape. Kim saw these futures; even aborting them would be less cruel than leaving them to be raised by someone else. Iris needed their parents; they were the only ones who understood, the only ones who could shape this overgrown hedge of wild energy into a countercultural topiary. No matter what other childhood trauma they absorbed, the worst thing you could ever do is leave them without direction or purpose.

Him: Squeamish, that's the word I was looking for. But if it comes to survival, what wouldn't he do for his family?

Him: I wonder if the social worker would be an option? Kim wouldn't want to put the kids through that, they would find the best option one way or another.

Ah yes, Ritalin. Or as I like to call it, the zombie drug. That shit doesn't work and fuck any doctor who puts kids on it

Me: No matter what happens, at least Iris and Fille have eachother. It's not that Fille can't feel that Wexler-McGill blood in their veins; Fille is different from Iris by choice, not nature. But as the youngest in the family, as the last one always in pool when it comes to mischief, she can see how recklessness never leads to anything good.

Fille is better at pretending to be a "good kid" but she'd still feel deeply alone without her big sibling.

If she was left alone, Fille would probably be a troublemaker too. She's only such a square and a goody-goody because that's the only way she could have rebelled in a family of rebels.

Him: Ah, so fille chooses to be a goody two shoes because that's not what people expect when they see that family.

I don't think they would be apart for long, even separated by the foster care system if it came to that. Those two would always find a way back to each other

Me: Main problem is Jimmy and Kim don't want to admit failure a first time, because CPS is going to be breathing down their neck from then onward. For some reason, as long as the kids are biologically yours, most bizarre parenting choices are accepted as long as the government hasn't already labeled you a bad mother.

When Love Quinn was brought back by Dolores, the thing she wanted most was to see Henry again. But Dante and Lansing are good dads, and showing up in Henry's life now would just upset and confuse him. Admitting that she deserved to lose custody of her son was the hardest thing she's had to do, but it's for the best to just move on, try to be better moving forward.

Him: Do Love and Henry ever reunite? Or are those days behind them?

Me: Probably when Henry is older.

Iris probably would ask for archery lessons after reading the Hunger Games. Iris was always outdoorsy, but this probably is just a phase.

Him: What kind of phase would fille go through, if you had to guess?

Me: Well both siblings do have an interest in music. Iris learned to play the guitar from Jimmy; Fille would probably go ahead and find herself a piano teacher.

Him: I feel like iris would also take an interest in drums, maybe?

Me: Sounds about right.

I mean Jimmy and Kim want to encourage their hobbies. This is what the money is for.

Him: Iris would take an interest in archery, drums, and guitar while fille does piano, and maybe...swimming?

Me: Yes Fille loves the ocean. Probably cus of that goldfish soul.

Him: Ooh! Kayaking!

Me: I think Iris would be more into motor boats

Him: Boats are fun. Maybe they could take a vacation to the great lakes/some type of beach.

FotD 2:

Me: I guess yesterday I was also thinking about them making a big score, and then taking the kids shopping for new clothes. The kids complain, but it's still fun dressing them up like little dolls.

Him: I didn't think iris would go for that? Maybe fille

Me: Well Iris has always loved dress up, but plain clothes shopping is always a little boring for kids.

Me: Kim saying "Try this one on. It's a little bit big but you'll grow into it... hmm no; that's actually too big, you'll be tripping and face planting all over"

Me: But yes, those two love shopping for the family. I mean Jimmy and Kim have been eachothers gay best friend stereotypes since all the way back to law school, but the last time they actually spent a substantial amount of money like this was a few years ago at Babies-R-Us. Since leaving the church, it's mostly been consignment shops. Nothing fancy that wasn't secondhand.

Which is why they want to get each of the four of them a new outfit that will last for next few years

Him: I don't think jim + kim would contribute to chains if they didn't have to. Always choosing places like goodwill over walmart

Me: Nah they'd still go somewhere nice. Kim's love for shiny things outweighs her communist sympathies.

She wants to pretend she's not materialistic, but low-maintenance bitches don't drink thousand dollar tequila or wear real gold.

I mean Goodwill is fine and all, but this is Prada man! She's only human!

Honestly Kim's hypocrisy with how she identifies with class I think is a really interesting facet of her personality.

This is why wealth redistribution campaigns always fail: first of all, in order to adequately navigate the upper class, the revolutionary already typically needs a middle class education or better. And second, even if an army does manage to steal from the rich, the leader finds it hard to actually give those winnings to the poor instead of just pocketing it. Kim hates rich people... except for herself; that person is a lucid and benevolent matriarch who DESERVES to be managing the money!

#FotD #mcwexler parenthood au #slippin kimmy

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brokenfoxproductions · 7 months

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Just a PSA that veganism is included in "active eating disorders" whenever I say "no active eating disorder/pro-ED accounts" on my dni.

Fun facts about why I'm anti-vegan.

60% of vegans fit the diagnostic criteria for an ED based on their own admission and self-repoeting. It's probably closer to 90%, based on studies that were based on behavior rather than self reports.

Veganism is a leading cause of malnutrition in the developed world and is responsible for many child deaths and failure to thrive cases in the US.

Babies of vegan mothers are twice as likely to be miscarried or stillborn compared to averages, and babies born to vegans are more likely to develop failure to thrive, malnutrition, or to die before their first birthday.

Vegans are more likely than any other group to develop heart failure, pancreatic cancer, and dementia in the US simply due to malnutrition or specific nutrients lacking in their diet.

I personally have watched someone die due to complications with veganism. She was only 43. Her vegan diet caused her to develop severe anemia that caused her to have a brain bleed. She was in a coma for several weeks before being taken off life support. Her organs could not be donated because she was so malnourished and sick from being vegan.

I have personally spent months in the hospital and now have a permanent heart condition from my attempts at being vegan when I was younger.

Veganism isn't actually good for the environment, the large amounts of factory farms and cartel labor cause both environmental damage, extinctions of wildlife, and human death.

More species have gone extinct due to vegan farming than there are species of farm animals, including specific varieties of cows and chickens as species. (Most of those extinctions are species of songbirds, insects, and spiders.)

"Vegan leather" is literally plastic and is destroying the ocean. Real leather is biodegradable.

Vegans are often really ableist, racist, and some are even labeled as terrorists (like PETA).

Unlike vegetarianism, veganism isn't historically found in any religion, culture, or race. The few cultures that do participate in it nowadays, like some parts of India, have extremely high death rates and are more due to colonization or starvation than any "tradition". (I have a friend that grew up in India and his recollection is "if you don't die from cholera, you're going to starve to death as a vegan.")

So remember, give your vegan friend a chicken nugget. You are saving their life.

#vegans dni #veganism #veganism is an eating disorder #ed #eating disorder

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cryo-lily · 7 months

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BOLD the FACTS

Thanks to @imperial-topaz2003 & @thelealinhypehouse for the tags!

Doing this for Issie (Isadola) because No I haven't forgotten about her after.... a certain recent game release lol.

PERSONAL

Isadola's life has been a complicated one since the day she was born. Originally born to an exiled & former Sith Lord and a former/rouge Imperial Cipher Agent. Isadola only knew and was raised by her mother before her father (the rouge Cipher Agent) eventually learned of her existence and attempted to kill both her & her mother. Shortly after her mother's death she was found and taken in by the Jedi Order, where she went on to earn the title of Barsen'thor. Later leaving the Jedi Order to go on to help form and lead the Alliance as Commander. Slowly finding the happy life & family that was taken from her.

Financial: wealthy*/ moderate/ poor / in poverty

Born & raised poor during the first few years of her life before being taken in by the Jedi Order. *Later amassing significant wealth throughout her journeys.

Medical: fit / moderate/ sickly / disabled / disadvantaged/ non-applicable

A natural acrobat, and very fast. She may not be the strongest, but very few are able to catch her, let alone pin her down in or out of combat.

Class or Caste: upper/ middle/ working / unsure / other

Regardless of it's in her early life or currently, Isadola doesn't really care for her status be labeled as such, given how it's needlessly complicated things all her life.

Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other

Not really tied to any specific discipline, but still got a very significant education from her time with the Jedi where she has a very sharp mind you'd want in any intelligent conversation. Even if it's a topic out of her depth, Issie is a very quick learner.

Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / yes, but charges were dismissed

Issie, is not a saint. There are some lines she will not cross, but for what crimes she has committed both during her time as a Jedi and after leaving the order, She has yet to be caught. She has even helped found her own Cartel that low-key starting to rival the Hutts. For her and her family's own safety she hasn't admitted to being one of Eridium Cartel's Founders that the Hutt Cartel has placed a significant bounty on. Tho the Alliance spy network has their hands constantly full keeping that fact under wraps.

FAMILY

In the Beginning it was very complicated, Born to a loving Mother that died protecting her against a Father that wants her dead for simply existing outside of his sphere of control. To later having the loving family life that was taken from her decades ago.

Children: had a child or children* / has no children / wants children

Post-Darth Nul plot, Isadola has the first of her 3 biological daughters with her wife Lana. Not long after having their first daughter, Kelsa, They go on to adopt an orphaned stowaway force-sensitive Chiss girl, Orla, that showed up on Odessen one day after she quickly stole their hearts.

Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s)*/ has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased

Issie is the only child of her mother, Tilera, and her father, Donovan. *Though she does have some half-siblings through her father, like her relationship with him, she is not close to them, by any means.

Affiliation: orphaned / abandoned / adopted / disowned* / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable

Raised by her Mother for 5-ish years before being orphaned, Disowned by her Father almost since her birth (If he knew about her sooner), Donovan would sooner have her killed then having a progeny outside his sphere of control.

TRAITS & TENDENCIES

♦ extroverted/ introverted /in-between*

Issie is mostly a shy girl, unless you know her then those walls she's built up crumble so fast. Or she's just drunk/high off her ass.

♦ disorganized /organized / in-between

If things are disorganized, something is wrong with Issie and you should be concerned.

♦ close-minded / open-minded / in-between

99% of the time Issie tries to be open-minded, unless it's something that's against her personal moral code then not so much, though she tries to always keep an open mind.

♦ calm / anxious / in-between / highly contextual

Isadola under the calm exterior she's built up, is just a mess of emotions. Issie is one bad day away from losing the stoic exterior she's built up over the years.

♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in-between

Very situational, With Issie you can never really know unless you drop her in specific situations.

♦ cautious / reckless / in-between / highly contextual

Again, very situational. When it's a moment that requires thought or is very delicate she is very cautious. In combat, Issie can be VERY reckless, just ask Lana.

♦ patient / impatient / in-between

Very much depends on her mood on how patient Isadola can be.

♦ outspoken / reserved / in-between / highly contextual

Depends on the situation, But Isadola is very much both. Can be very outspoken most times, but she also knows when to hold her tongue.

♦ leader / follower / in-between

A natural leader but hates the labels that comes with it, but also able to take orders from those she respects.

♦ empathetic / vicious bastard / in-between

Issie is very much both, just depends on the situation on which side you'll see. Issie is very empathetic (Even has the Force Empathy ability), but if you push her too far that side of her can switch off a little too quickly for comfort.

♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in-between

Despite her tragic beginnings, and her life up to recent events Isadola always tries to look on the bright side of things. If she doesn't she might fall down a dark hole she might never recover from.

♦ traditional / modern / in-between

Isadola & Tradition are 2 things that don't mix. Like full stop.

♦ hard-working / lazy / in-between

Issie needs to be reminded a lot it's okay for her to take a break a lot of times and that galaxy won't fall apart if she doesn't keep working. Though she is 100% a hypocrite when she tries to remind Lana of the same.

♦ cultured / uncultured / in-between / unknown

Issie is just Issie. She is a lot of things.

♦ loyal / disloyal / in-between / unknown

Loyal, to a fault. She will die for those closest to her against anything.

♦ faithful / unfaithful / in-between / unknown

Sure, her mind wanders sometimes, but at the end of the day, once she's committed to someone she's theirs till one or both of them drops dead.

BELIEFS

Raised by the Jedi sure, But she doesn't have blind faith in the Force.

Faith: monotheist / polytheist /atheist/ agnostic?*

*Sure Issie has seen all that the Force is capable of but she doesn't believe it is the end all be all of everything.

Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking

Issie has seen a few, even has a connection with the dead, but hasn't had enough experience to form any strong opinions on them. (At least in her main Jedi path, Her Sith Inquisitor AU on the other hand...)

Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking

"There is no Death, There is only the Force" Something that has been drilled into her by the Jedi since she was young, She doesn't quite believe in the words, even if repeating the words has given her some comfort from time to time.

Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking

She'd like to believe so, in her mind, Life is wasteful just to end. She'd like to believe there's more to do, more to learn after one life is done.

Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

I mean, even though Isadola sees herself as Human, She is constantly reminded she's not so... it'd be weird if she didn't believe.

Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious

Isadola's life has been too complicated to be even remotely religious. Plus she has seen first hand how far such devotion can go. So not her style.

Philosophical: yes / no / highly contextual

Issie is a Philosophical nerd deep down. She has to catch herself sometimes for not sounding too philosophical.

SEXUALITY & ROMANCE

Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual/ bisexual / asexual / pansexual

Issie is a straight as a boomerang. Girl has like few brain cells around most women.

Sex: sex-repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable/ naive and clueless

Girl has problems keeping her hands to herself around her wife. Much to Lana's ire sometime when she's working.

Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / naive and clueless / romance suspicious

Issie is a hopeless romantic deep down.

Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious

Isadola has had a number of encounters over the years before she met her wife.

Potential Sexual Partners: male/ female / agender / other / none / all

Isadola is a not so innocent Lesbean.

Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

See Above.

ABILITIES

Smart, Quick witted, and combat talented, just like her Mama.

Combat Skills: excellent/ good / moderate / poor/ none

Very talented with dual sabers, just like her Mother.

Literacy Skills: excellent/ good / moderate / poor / none

She found alot of comfort in books and writings when she was younger before she found some real friends.

Artistic Skills: excellent* / good / moderate/ poor / none

Isadola is an excellent singer if you can get her to do so. She's a pretty good Artifice crafter though when she wants to kill sometime.

Technical Skills: excellent/ good / moderate / poor / none

Issie is pretty good at most technical skills when she needs to be, but if something needs fixing or Slicing, she knows to leave the task to one of her more capable friends.

HABITS

Issie won't admit it but she is very much a closeted party animal. She has alot of steam to blow off from her life so far.

Drinking Alcohol: never/ special occasions / rarely / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic/ former borderline alcoholic turned sober

Her go to way to turn off her brain after a stressful day.

Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker

Not her go to, but won't shy away from it if offered to her.

Recreational Drugs: tried some / never /special occasions / sometimes/ frequently / addict Former addict

Eridium Cartel party nights are lit. Issie only indulges if the party is really REALLY wild. Which is most times whenever her Eridium fam throws a party.

Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed / frequently / to excess

Issie is usually pretty healthy. Only rarely after a taking some serious injuries does she need to take some, if any.

Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / rarely / sometimes / frequently / binge eater

Again, Issie is usually pretty healthy, and eats like it too. It's a point of pride for her to be able to maintain her fast, acrobatic abilities.

Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic

Lana manages the credits for a reason, is all I'll say. Issie like shiny things a bit too much.

Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gamble

When the nightlife event starts, it would be a rare moment not to see Issie in the casino. She hangs around her smuggler buddy, Taskar, a bit too much where his luck has rubbed off on her.

No pressure tags for @girlstandstill @magicallulu7 @serenofroses

#swtor #swtor oc #oc: Isadola Ardeen #jedi consular #bold the facts

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randomstuffngl · 11 months

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if i was in charge of resetting the dcu :

my first film would be a Superman origin story titled smallville, where we deal with teen Clark( 14/15 yrfreshman)ft lana lang coming into his powers and wondering who he is and why he has these powers. The villain would be Mr. Mxyzptlk who is finding amusement from torturing teen Clark who is so confused. This is strictly a coming of age movie for Clark and family friendly. The end credit scene would be Clark getting his suit and going to stop a car chase that somehow made it to smallville. Post credits we see Alfred calling for bruce (13yrs)while brucey finds the cave filled with bats

Next film: Justice Society WW2

Characters: Doctor Fate(surprise character), hour-man, doctor mid nite, Wildcat, black canary,hawkman flash(jay garrick), Wonder Woman and Steve( he doesn’t die)

obv punching hitler is a scene, we get Easter eggs of wayne enterprises helping the war effort, creation of Argus by u.s gov in the end, the plot is basically getting the spear of destiny away from Hitler before he can change reality and take over the world; that’s basically the jist of it. Post credit: hawkman runs into shayera who hasn’t realized who she is yet, but when they make eye contact she sees a flash of a memory

Third film: Black Canary and Green Arrow

told threw the lens of Dinah(mostly centered around her), takes place when she’s in her 20’s, she trains with Ted grant( wildcat, who’s mantle has been passed down in the family), Dinah is seen busting drug and ppl trafficking, while she is kicking bad guy asses and arrow comes thru, enter Oliver who is newer than her in the hero business trying to help her, he assumes she’s a damsel in distress and immediately is like” toxic man?”, main villain: some mob/crime lord/cartel guy, she realizes that after spending some time with Oliver he’s a himbo…. They go out on a date, and she gets an anonymous text asking to meet. End credit we see brucie in a bat suit with trunks(he’s trying things out), asking her these things and then hands her a file with WW and asks if she know where she is(we see the file under it labeled; the Superman), before he leaves he’s like watch ur man and we will be in touch.

Ur more than welcome to add feedback, i was just super bored and was thinking of things that could possibly happen with the dceu reset but also have some similarity with the comics. Cause let’s be honest most ppl who watch these films at least want some sort of comic accuracy.James Gunn hire me lol

#dc universe #dc comics #dc #superman #clark kent #dinah lance #oliver queen #wonder woman #dceu films #justice society of america

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ewweird · 10 months

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Thoughts on 'WONKA' Official Trailer #1

The official trailer for the prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, titled "WONKA," was released on July 12th.

I was thrilled because I had been eagerly anticipating it, reading comments from people who attended the preview screening and articles about it. After watching it, I exclaimed, "Bravo! Bravo! Amazing, yeah!" while clapping and shedding tears, only to realize that the window was open. It's been hot lately, as the air conditioning is broken.

Based on an interview article before the trailer was released, it mentioned that Timothy Chalamet got a stomachache from drinking too much chocolate. So, I had been thinking that this prequel would depict "Wonka's experiences in his youth, such as getting covered in chocolate, changing colors, inflating, and shrinking," which would later connect to the original story.

However, my expectations were off after watching the actual trailer. It seems like the story will revolve around "adults interfering with young Wonka, causing their bodies to inflate and float in the air."

One of the security guards shown in the trailer appeared slim at first but seemed to have inflated within two weeks. In the 1971 version, Violet Beauregarde wore a belt around her stomach, and similarly, one of the security guards also had a belt, so maybe the belt will pop off later.

I discovered from this trailer that some of the people involved in the Harry Potter films are also part of the production. The first thing that came to mind was the scene in the third film, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," where Aunt Marge swells up like a balloon and flies away. So, I'm curious if something similar will happen with the characters inflating in this movie.

The trailer featured a composition of the "Chocolate Cartel," peering through the window, with Wonka and a girl inside the tank(?) of the Slugworth company's chocolate. It seems like this will eventually lead to Wonka becoming the one peering through the window, as depicted in the original story.

By the way, it seems that the prequel will give the three companies of the Chocolate Cartel their own original characterization. The scene where Slugworth, Prodnose, and Fickelgruber make their first appearance shows their beautifully designed logos on the window, evoking an atmosphere similar to a luxury chocolate shop. The lines "A good chocolate should be simple" and "Wheres thir, it's just… Weird" indicate the values that appreciate simple chocolate and label Wonka's creations as "weird." This highlights the unpleasant position of the cartel, representing the powerful side that seeks to crush young people who create new values that compete with their own. It seems like they are characterized as "unpleasant wealthy people," a common theme in Roald Dahl's stories.

In the original story, Slugworth, Prodnose, and Fickelgruber steal the recipe for Wonka's confectionery, the world's greatest chocolate factory, by sending spies. It would be interesting if their characters, with the inclusion of "WONKA" character settings, become individuals who are willing to sacrifice a luxury chocolate brand just to steal Wonka's "weird" confections.

Looking at Wonka's mother's attire, it reminds me of Charlie's mother in the 1971 version. Perhaps they intended to portray her as someone who went through some hardships while raising Wonka.

When I see the line "We are the Music-Makers, We are the Dreamers of Dreams," spoken by Wonka in the 1971 version, I think it could be interpreted as a lesson from his mother. But that could be me getting it wrong; it's just my speculation.

I wonder what role the priest, played by Rowan Atkinson, will have. He was being chased by giraffes, and when I think of giraffes, I'm reminded of Roald Dahl's "The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me." Also, giraffes appeared in the recent Netflix movie "Matilda the Musical." Could it be that including giraffes has become a norm in Roald Dahl's films, or is there some other significance? "The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me" featured giraffes, pelicans, and monkeys, so maybe monkeys will appear in the "WONKA" movie, and perhaps even squirrels.

Speaking of squirrels, I think of Veruca Salt. In the end, she ended up covered in garbage. Although it's not exactly the same, something black resembling coal was flowing out of the car in the trailer. Maybe there's a connection there…?

Regarding those colorful balloons, I wonder if they represent the shape of the "Everlasting Gobstopper" rather than the colors of the "lickable wallpaper." I'm also curious about the character of the girl who accompanies Wonka. There are many intriguing elements.

He seems to be a magician, inventor, chocolate maker, and a very talented artist. I'm really looking forward to watching this wonderful movie.

#wonka #wonka trailer #wonka 2023 #wonka movie #willy wonka

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venomous-ragno · 1 year

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CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: Septic

"I prefer saving lives over taking them. But go on, keep testing me."

Civilian name:

Giulietta Viviana Kreutzer (formerly Di Traglia)

Codename:

Septic

Birthdate:

[REDACTED]

Age:

Presumably 28 - 33

Nationality:

German || Italian

Alliance:

KSK || Task Force 141

Height:

167cm || 5"5'

Weight:

58kg || 128lbs

Background:

A bastard child born to an affair whose discovery would shake national and international news alike, Giulietta grew up as a secret everyone knew of but no one dare aknowledge. A life doomed to the shadows, where the pretty faces and high words of those cast in the light revealed their true nature.

Giulietta learned to adapt to survive: Trust is a luxury and secrets a necessity, the better you become at playing the ruthless games of the elite, the higher your chances of survival. One look at the wrong person was all it took to invoke someone's wrath.

The death of her mother came sudden, but to no one's surprise. Her very existence was proof to the scandal that was Giulietta's birth, an impure stain on the white silk that was her family's reputation.

Growing up, Giulietta had witnessed many a death at the hand of, supposedly, natural causes. Heart attacks, falling asleep behind the wheel or simply having a fatal allergic reaction were all common excuses to mask the real cause of death: Poison.

The weapon of the powerless, as they say.

The public didn't bat an eye when an old man long past his prime died to a bad cold. Magazines wrote some articles about condolences, someone new took over the family, and celebrities attended a funeral to wipe fake tears off their cheeks; anything for the reporters who'd move on to talk about the weather and whatever sports was on that evening.

Giulietta Viviana Di Traglia celebrated her 17th birthday on a plane, leaving Italy and her name behind.

Giulietta Kreutzer enlisted in the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, and begun studying medicine as well as organic chemistry. She aced her studies and rose up the ranks, labeled as a prodigy by peers and superiors alike; little did they know the kind of education she'd enjoyed in Italy. The young doctor soon received an offer to join the KSK's medical staff.

Whatever scattered pieces of her past remained she brushed off like a leaf on her shoulder on the day of her acceptance ceremony.

During one of many deployments to warzones, Septic came into contact with captain Price, and later, Gaz. German troops assissted British ones during a ground breaking weapon bust on a cartel dealing with explosives. The cartel detonated a bomb on site; shrapnel hit friends and foes alike. The underground structure partially collapsed, thus cutting the trio off from the rest of their squad. Some metal shelling had buried itself into Septic's flesh, and the doctor knew she was knocking on death's door. A split second decision was all it took for her to bark at Price for cover while Gaz kept pressure on her legs - to keep them from thrashing. What little morphine was left after the explosion did nothing to ease the excruciating pain of performing emergency surgery on herself.

Price and Septic found themselves with a newfound respect and trust in each other. Price invited her to join his task force 141, to which she replied to give it some thought, but her answer is pending to this day.

Psychological report:

Beneath stern words and curt commands lay a deeply empathetic and caring soul. Giulietta roughened her edges as to prevent the world from cutting wounds ever so deep, yet she will always mourn a comrade's death like her own. Some may call her ambitions too big, too dreamy and too heroic when she wishes nothing more than to save and protect lives.

Giulietta is a woman marked by a strong sense of duty and morality: What others call shackles, she calls it her motivation to keep pushing where everyone else gave up. Always to the limits of her own capacity and further beyond; whatever it takes to move forward.

No sacrifice is too big; not even her own body and mind are an exclusion. Where there's a will there's a way, and Giulietta is strong willed, if not frustratingly stubborn at times.

Even more so when it's her reputation on her line - she has endured too much and come too far to allow insults to her capabilities. Proud and perfectionist in equal measure, Giulietta will prove she's deserving of her place at the top.

Training:

• 12th regiment of the German armed forces

• Medical regiment of the German special forces

• Joint training exercises with the SAS, GSG9, GIGN and GROM

• PhD in medicine and organic chemistry

• Advanced training in field medicine

Relevant experience:

• Travelled with "Ärzte ohne Grenzen" (doctors without borders) to provide medical aid in third world countries and war zones

• Assisted during operation Red Atlantic

• Deployed in [REDACTED]

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americantvseries · 1 year

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"Deadly Class" - The Best Teen Drama Of All Time That No One Has Heard Of

“The only way I can Identify with anyone is through a similar painful experience”

Unusual and definitely different than most of the teenage dramas out there that various streaming platforms or TV channels have to offer, "Deadly Class" is a story about growing up and facing the challenges of the world that teenagers are just exposed to but in a very unconventional way. Adapted from a hit series comic book created by Rick Remmender & Wes Craig, distributed BySyfy, and produced by the Russo brothers, of the same title, reveals the struggles and challenges that young people have to face before entering adult life. Even if the storyline is set way 36 years back that does not mean that any young viewer cannot relate to the story himself, in fact, quite the opposite.

The story follows a young, homeless youth named Marcus Lopez Arguello wandering through the streets of San Francisco in 1987, due to the fire that swallowed the boy's home that he may have been accountable for. Reality is not pleasant for Marcus, he is in the constant run from law enforcement and is exposed to the dangers of the streets that have become his new "home". In the running sequence, he is rescued by young yakuza leader Saya in a very badass and stylish way. It is later revealed that Saya was operating not from her goodwill but because she was assigned to do it by Master Lin, who is giving Marcus a chance to attend King's Dominion, a private (and secret) school that is training future generations of assassins such as yakuza, Sat Vatos (which is a Mexican drug cartel, LA street gangs and even Dixie Mob filled with young, indoctrinated white supremacists. Even though Marcus may not be someone whose reputation suggests that he is, he decides to join for obtaining the necessary skills to accomplish his ultimate goal which is...The assassination of Ronald Reagan. Why a teenager is involved in politics to this extent that he is willing to kill a leader and most important figure in his country you may ask? Well, he blames the president for the death of his parents which was caused by the declining financial support for the mental healthcare system in the U.S., because the government decided that rockets and military equipment were important.

Reagans Youth

Even though the show is labeled as a teenage drama and some aspects can serve satiric purposes. It does a very good job in critique and undermining political decisions that have been made by Reagan. "Deadly Class" is showing different kinds of teenagers, not the ones that are thinking only about relationships or the worst tragedy for them is breaking u with someone, but those who are aware of their surroundings, those who develop some tendencies (often nihilistic) in a response to what is happening around them. King's Dominion can serve as a metaphor for life in some sense, because as Marcus once stated: "I have found a reason to live in a place surrounded by death". The quote is referring directly to a place where kids are being trained in mastering the deadly arts Marcus still perceived reality beyond the school as something that is lethal in every way.

Race

The Cast consists of characters of various races. Representation is a very important factor especially if someone portrays it in a way that actually focuses on struggles and what it means to be a person of a other race than white. The struggle that comes with being a person of color in a world surrounded by white people is shown in the context of gangs operating in King's Dominion. Characters such as Willie, who is an afro American teenager and leader of the LA gang which is an organization containing only black people, portray a struggle that also comes with his race and position rather than only teenage angst and being "misunderstood". He has to wear a mask of this strong and cold-blooded leader when he is definitely different on the inside and even at some point labels himself as a "pacifist" (ironic, isn't it?). The whole idea of racism and white supremacism is being tackled through the existence of the "Dixie Mob" in the school, which shows that racism is not only a thing that people brought up in the 1955s are practicing but people from the younger generation also develop those sick tendencies, which is showing that the problem has not been resolved and is still expanding. The show also consists of moments where the characters share something associated with their cultures such as myths, legends, or beliefs (Saya introduced Marcus to the belief about the red string which connects soulmates). The show does not contain "Token Characters" and is trying to explore the issues that come with race which are still relevant to this day.

POP Culture And Other References

The show's setting is something that is very important and writers are going out of their way to throw as many of those defining tropes as possible. The eighties nostalgia was something very popular when Deadly Class came out, thanks to the hit Netflix series "Stranger Things", but rather than focusing mostly on toys, clothes, and artifacts (toys, etc.) Deadly Class focuses on music and subculture. The show is filled with deep and sometimes heated discussions between the characters about the bands and artists that were important at that time. The show has a very punk aesthetic and even if Marcus's favorite band is "The Smiths", the soundtrack consists of songs that are way more dirty and loud than mentioned romantics. What is great about this show is its self-awareness. Writers are definitely passionate about the times and figures that were taking a huge part in developing the culture. Henry Rollins (yes actual Henry Rollins), from the punk band Black Flag makes a cameo in the series and is given an actual role rather than a brief 5-second line. What is the best, Rollins is not the only punk figure that makes an appearance. There is a whole club sequence where "The Adolescents" give a concert. The amount of love for the eighties and its contribution to music and pop culture is honest and genuine, there is no way to deny that.

The Animated Sequences

I wanted to briefly mention the original approach from the writers of the show which is, using cartoon interludes in a style of an ACTUAL COMIC. Thanks to Rick Remender (author and one of the showrunners), the show is still keeping its comic book spirit. Those animated sequences serve as a retrospective tool, which fits in very well with "Deadly Classe"s mood and setting.

Movie References And One Of The Best Scenes In The History Of Television

At one point in the story, the main characters are going on a drug-fueled trip to Las Vegas. Due to some poor misunderstanding, Marcus took a lot more tabs of acid than he should have and is having a psychedelic trip in a car to the point of his destination which is one of the casinos. The whole sequence is filled with beautiful effects and amazing visuals. The animators did a great job in portraying what may be considered an "acid trip", filling the sequence with more animation but in various and different styles. Quiet and peaceful guitar playing in the background, while Marcus is experiencing and exploring deep aspects of his mind, is something that can make the viewer almost think that he experiences it with Marcus himself. The Whole Vegas trip trope with the use of psychedelics is a reference to one of the most iconic movies of all time, "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas". Even though the LSD effects are presented as something appealing and worth experiencing, the show later introduces the viewer to side effects and how dangerous the drug can be. Everything comes with a price is a lesson that most people were introduced to but Marcus is realizing it just now, which also gives the "trip" symbolic meaning, which is stepping into maturity and the responsibilities that come with it.

Wasted potential

Despite the great writing, outstanding performances by the cast, and huge budget from the Russo brothers, the show was canceled after airing only one season. Poor marketing and the platform that was not as known as other competitors killed the show. It is a great loss since it is one of the best comic book-to-screen adaptations while being very faithful to its source material. "Deadly Class" fought to be moved to another streaming service but it ultimately failed which buried the show for good. I am still wondering why something so deep and existential yet graphic and genuinely funny could not find its place to save itself from the ultimate demise. I just don't understand it. Luckily enough the comic book series that recently put out its final volume is available if the viewer is dissatisfied and wants to know what is expecting the characters after the season finale. The show made me grab the series and I fell in love with it even more. I am glad that this was not the ultimate end of Deadly Class, but by reading and experiencing more of the story I would love to see it on the screen. The plot twists and grotesque characters could be something that many people would love and realize how original and important this piece of media actually was, but companies would rather invest in mindless and bland shows which do not have anything else to offer but conventionally attractive people. Disappointing.

#Spotify

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adamwatchesmovies · 2 years

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Sabotage (2014)

Arnold Schwarzenegger (a personal favorite of mine) hasn’t lost it. Too nasty to be fun, Sabotage is not a good film, but it’s not because of him. The problem is that none of the characters contain even a shred of likability.

John “Breacher” Wharton (Schwarzenegger) leads a DEA team that's gotten greedy. While raiding a cartel warehouse, they steal $10 million and hide it in the sewers below, masking their crime with an explosion that destroys the vault. When the money disappears, Breacher, James “Monster” Murray (Sam Worthington), his wife Lizzy (Mireille Enos), Joe “Grinder” Philips (Joe Manganiello), Julius “Sugar” Edmonds (Terrence Howard), Eddie “Neck” Jordan (Josh Holloway), Tom “Pyro” Roberts (Max Martini), and Bryce “Tripod” McNeely (Kevin Vance) no longer know who they can trust.

You could cheer for a group of corrupt officers if they were enjoyable to watch, but these people aren’t. They joke around and throw some good-natured insults at each other, but they don’t seem like friends. When a traitor shows up in their midst, it doesn’t feel like a betrayal because you never feel that this unit was a well-oiled machine. With each passing scene, they differentiate themselves less and less from the bad guys they stole from and you stop caring. Arnold’s Breacher isn’t quite as detestable as the rest. Instead, he’s given a lame backstory about his wife and son being violently tortured to death. GrEaT. Even this I could’ve looked past, but the film is needlessly bloody, and not in a good way. When you consider the ending (which to give credit where credit is due I didn’t see coming), I doubt some of this would make sense on a re-watch. I don’t want to give it away, but there are some Saw level kills here that no one in real life could’ve done. I know there’s a reason for the deaths to be as bloody as they are, but the red herring is so ineffectual I can’t imagine anyone being fooled by it.

Aside from Breacher - whom you begin to dislike more and more as the film progresses for ineffectually leading a team of no-good thugs - the one character you might sort of like is Olivia Williams as Caroline Brentwood, a police detective investigating the murders. I guess she’s ok, but the writing just makes this movie as appealing as the sludge at the bottom of a garbage can. Combine that with an unconvincing romantic subplot and there’s just nothing to like. The action scenes aren’t impressive and the last one we get feels completely unnecessary. There’s just something about Sabotage (what does that title have to do with anything?) that leaves you feeling gross.

Even for Schwarzenegger fans, Sabotage is a hard sell. Its lead never gets to show off his charisma, the plot isn’t particularly memorable, and none of the characters are enjoyable on any level. There’s hardly anything to like but at least it moves quickly. Since it doesn’t actually generate any rage, I’ll just label it as bad and forgettable. (On DVD, August 2, 2017)

#Sabotage #movies #films #Movie Reviews #Film Reviews #David Ayer #Skip Woods #arnold schwarzenegger #Sam Worthington #Olivia Williams #Joe Manganiello #Harold Perrineau #Martin Donovan #Max Martini #Josh Holloway #Mireille Enos #Terrence Howard #2014 movies #2014 films

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ledarth · 4 days

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Le Puppy...

Judith Fero.

────────────── · · · ♡

❝ Why does it take a survivor to live? I don't want an existence sprinkled with great memorable moments, I want a good one. I'll make a good one. And I accept that it will be sprinkled with bad, heartbreaking memorable moments. That's how it should be anyways. ❞

Age:: 24 years old.

Height:: 169 cm.

Born in Benin. Raised in the South of France. Studying for her PhD in the U.S.A.

Polyglot:: Goun, French, English, Spanish and Archaic & Post-Cicero Latin.

Alignment:: Neutral Good.

Sexuality:: She cares little for gender but does need for a connection to form before any sort of sexual desire arises.

Hobbies:: Strong Swimmer since youth, Books were her home once so Literature holds a special place in her heart, Photography and Cinema she is newer to but she has been delving into it earnestly.

Trained in:: Kajukenbo, Nikkyu currently (brown belt with two stripes).

Specie :: Varies on the verse.

The Vampire Diaries/The Originals: Currently mortal. (But an unaware werewolf who hasn't killed anyone yet thus not triggered the curse. This way she can still be turned by a vampire if before the curse is triggered, probably killing the potential gene in the process)

Teen Wolf: Mortal. Substitute Teacher at Beacon Hills High.

Shadowhunters: Mundane-yet-Sighted in the employ of the Paris Institute formerly but now transferred to the New York Institute as a Intelligence Analyst so fully trained to protect herself.

MCU: Interning as an Intelligence Analyst for S.A.B.E.R, somehow, following a M.A Thesis labeled: "Towards a communal grand strategy and foreign policy vision to approach extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional threats." that Bruce Banner actually read and heavily critiqued which led to some interesting Twitter Exchanges. The subject of her current thesis being: "Exolinguistics as a tool of diplomacy and understanding extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional history and customs." Perhaps leading towards a typology of the currently known extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional nations/people/populations.

DC(CU, Series and) Comics: Mostly Broke Gothamite though currently writing for the international politics section of the Gotham Globe. Currently living in downtown Gotham and relatively near crime alley. (Former member of We Are Robin depending on the timeline.)

The Blacklist: She's an Intelligence Analyst newly transferred to the task force who happens to be related to a number through his daughter with whom she went to college with in London. Number 171: Yusuf Idowu, known as Ijapa (The Turtle in Yoruba). Head of one of the biggest drug cartel in Nigeria, moving mostly cocaine with growing importance in Europe, especially Southern Italy and the the Netherlands. He is stopping by the U.S.A as a neutral ground between him and some head of a Central American drug trafficking syndicate to hopefully begin a partnership. Ijapa's choice to increase foreign partnerships comes from a growing interest in establishing a certain hegemony in Nigeria, thus controlling the flow of drug in the Gulf of Guinea.

To Be Added.

Personality:: Not particularly eye catching, Judith carries a rather cold aura. She will deny having a resting bitch face but will admit that smiling doesn't come naturally to her. It's more so brought out of her, by people, by events. She makes herself irremarkable à la Clark Kent, camouflaging in what some would call 'basic' pieces of clothing and an inherent discretion. It's not that she can't make herself noticed if she so wills, no, she likes making herself a wallflower, quiet, forgettable. It allows her to leisurely observe others, she notices but only states so if she has a reason to. It makes her seem trustworthy to others too, capable of keeping secrets, of compartmentalising when it comes to her own emotions. Panic though, does silence her, takes away her voice and freezes her body for so very important seconds before she can get it back together. When interacting with others, she tends to be introverted though perfectly adequate in social settings, even drawing people to her, rarely out of her features but her achievements, her poise, her discourse, do stand out. She will happily entertain a heated conversation or trade barbs but has little interest in polite niceties and small talk at the coffee machine, rather quiet on the job. She consumes alcohol for the experience in terms of flavor, not particularly seeking the buzz and having a pretty good tolerance born out of downing a good chunk of shots in undergrad. Patient, she is able to enjoy the process of things, no matter how long and drawn out, no matter how frustrating on the moment. Curious, she is eager to learn, to pull things apart and get in there to figure it out but also to peek, to peep, to keep an open hear. She likes to have the in, to know what is happening in the room where it happens but pays little more than passing interest to what she believes is just gossip.

Backstory:: To Be Written.

#oc #original character #roleplay muse #roleplay #roleplay character #tvd oc #the originals oc #mcu oc #dc oc rp #the blacklist oc #shadowhunters oc #teen wolf oc

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meanwhileinstasiville · 1 year

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Dear,

Motorola: Someone named “Thomas” has the county looking for them, probably for wellness check purposes despite being part of Chicago L and decked out in army gear. Thing is, the county guy stopped in the same lot as I walked by that had previously been occupied by “weighmaster” rigs and other “all fonts of authority” someone can think of, as far as a service vehicle label can go. For religious promotion purposes in the greek style that fear doesn’t cost any money and gets things done. Which, as expressed this way, amounts to an immediate “what if Larry Flynt when the other way?” airline bound death threat. The postscript to this, is that you got your arm broken at a service by being anonymously dogpiled, maybe due to congregation recrimination (because they call it that where your social class meets). Resentment is important too, because my ankle has a gunshot wound scar that, at first glance, looks like someone thought I was “Achilles”. And a vacuum cast traditional field dressing for a gunshot wound, administered at the crash site, before a proper X-ray could be conducted. One man’s resentment is another man’s recrimination.

“Roku” (coob, beast, et al): I told a story about your start on the road of mmo addiction, and I kept it to the poopsocking as much as I could. I hope you’re not mad because I know you met your wife that way, and that it ended up having a bless the broken road happy ending.

Spiral: I know you were with Rickochet, and that doesn’t make a lot of sense given the trajectory of your life. Given the people he knows, and the kind of interest some of them had in him, I’m also sort of surprised you got ahead of everyone else in “making a man out of him”. As you are a doctor of forestry, I had also hoped to get some idea of what your Big Idea was (since all PhDs are required to have one, and someone I grew up with settled on “saving the world by feeding it”), but have since been paywalled off from those works. And somehow you are a Forestry Doctor of Teaching English in Germany, now. So you can understand why I would be confused.

Rickochet: See? Sometimes living next to your parents isn’t all bad. A grandfather was a sort of surrogate mother and father when I was little, which sounds weird, but seems to have also worked out all right. Saying I’m headed toward (or was?) making a same mistake twice, suggests that you know more of what women think of you though you pretend not to (and I posted your Pet Boys song song here). Don’t worry about it. I told you everything you needed to know as a journalist specializing in allegations; Cats Don’t Dance. “Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires?” (because people assume a broadcast addresses them specifically, and them alone, and that’s a dumb way to treat people) and also “I don’t worry when my girlfriend is on her period...” and the kind of person who talks like that who can occasionally be a role model.

Azurus: Sex work is sort of at odds with undercover work, and I wonder if there’s an answer to setting up something like a fake drug buy (with real drugs) in order to get at the bad guys for the government, and then pocketing the money anyway, if it happens to be the wrong bad guys. Seeing Garfunkel and Oates referenced here from ~13 years ago, reminded me of you and that, *at least someone* noticed that kanye west was like the band rush. Even though he went on quoting hitler for years and years after. “Today’s Tom Sawyer” being an ubermensch song. Or even limelight. But that didn’t get remade by MSI with so much whining that it managed to take the sting out of the hook in the song.

Tennessee: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Tune_Pig If you try to set this up with me, then I know something about who your dad is, and it’s not who you think.

Necro: The cartel locally has tried to dress me like you from younger days in period clothing, to force a circumstantial case that I’m “samurai murderer man” on the FBI (don’t ask), and failing that, that I’m somehow your brother, in keeping with the “we’re looking for a 400lb man, and it’s you” circumstantiality that the government is being subjected to. (because I once faced down a SWAT team on the way to lunch, with weapons out, on a bad case of mistaken identity “100lbs heavier, and ten years older” they said, behind assault rifles).

(Thanks for introducing me to the Bonkers cartoon, motorola)

D9885: Am hoping that the BLM and some of the other movements don’t cause you too much trouble; I hope you got promoted to a point where that doesn’t quite reach. Serpico might be a good movie to watch, if you haven’t seen it yet, since it sort of covers that story you told me about the reported “back room goings on” that turned out to be the chief and mayor and some city council people, and cost a good guy his job. Serpico is a good primer because there’s supposed to be a smart limit on your line of work, and I know your nickname in math class was “gauss”, and seems like the fbi would take someone like that, but who knows.

Bijou: You had me at trying to lecture me about what Boheme was about.

Mcfuego: Did your love of the letter “s” ever give way to the dragon greed of “$$$”?

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plutofromafar · 2 years

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the weight of the world

Summary: Five years after the Snap, the remaining Avengers are starting to see some hope.

Warnings: none

5 years since the Snap

[natasha's pov]

I'm on a conference call with Carol, Rocket, Nebula, Rhodey, and Okoye when Stefaniya walks into the room and slides a plate across my desk.

"Hey, Kotova!" Carol calls out.

"Hi, Carol! Hi, everyone," Stefaniya waves. Everyone talks over each other, saying a hello.

"You are looking better, Stef," Okoye smiles.

"Thank you, you all look great. I miss seeing your faces in person, though. But I'll leave you to it now."

As the group says goodbye, Stefaniya kisses my forehead and slips out of the room. I look down at my plate. It's a peanut butter sandwich cut diagonally with a Rice Krispie treat on the side. A note, along with a small drawing of a cat with a smiley face is scrawled on the shiny label: "You're my hero." I smile to myself, taking a bite of the sandwich.

"Alright, keep going, Rocket," I nod to him.

"We boarded that highly-suspected warship Danvers pinged. It was an infectious garbage scow," Rocket updates through the light projection. "So thanks for the hot tip."

"Well, you were closer," Carol shrugs.

"Yeah. And now we smell like garbage."

"You're a raccoon," Carol shrugs.

"You get a reading on those tremors?" I ask Okoye.

"'Twas a mild subduction under the African plate."

"Do we have a visual? How are we handling it?"

"Nat. It's an earthquake under the ocean. We handle it by not handling it," Okoye spoke gently. I nearly roll my eyes at my own cluelessness, but move on to Carol instead.

"Carol, are we seeing you here next month?"

"Not likely."

"What? You gonna get another haircut?" Rocket points out Carol's new short pixie hair.

"Listen, fur face," Carol says without missing a beat, "I'm covering a lot of territory. The things that are happening on Earth are happening everywhere. On thousands of planets."

"All right, all right. That's a good point."

"So, you might not see me for a long time," Carol says to me.

"All right. Uh, well... The channel's always active. So, if anything goes sideways... anyone's making trouble where they shouldn't... goes through me."

They mumble an "okay."

"All right."

They all step back, their light projections disappearing.

"Good luck," Carol nods to Rhodey before leaving.

I sit back into my chair, sighing softly. Yardstick hops up onto my desk and I stroke under her chin. I look up to Rhodey— er, Rhodey's light projection.

"Where are you?"

"Mexico. The, uh, Federales found a room full of bodies. Looks like a bunch of cartel guys... never even had a chance to get their guns off."

"It's probably a rival gang," I say hopefully.

"Except it isn't. It's definitely Barton. What he's done here... what he's been doing for the last few years..." Rhodey's voice quiets as he speaks. "I mean, the scene that he left... I gotta tell you, there's a part of me that doesn't even wanna find him."

I stare down at my hands in my lap, breathing deeply. I reach out to grab a slice of my sandwich.

"Will you find out where he's going next?"

"Nat?"

"Please?"

Rhodey nods, beginning to turn around. "Okay."

With that, he disappears.

I toss my sandwich back onto the plate, bringing my hands to my face. I breathe out shakily, feeling another presence in the room. I look over to Stefaniya, whose head is peeking out from behind the wall.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Uh-- I wasn't... I just overheard from the other room..." she stammers.

"Stef, it's okay."

Stefaniya sighs and walks over, sitting down on my lap. Her fingers trail through my outgrown hair, my natural red roots fading into the blonde that I dyed after the Sokovian Accords.

"It's all my fault."

Stefaniya cocks her head in question. "Why do you say that?"

"I should've been there for him. Maybe if I had gotten to him sooner, he wouldn't have spiraled down this path."

"Nat..." Stefaniya places her cold hands on both sides of my face. "Stop it. Stop blaming yourself for everything that happens."

"But what if it is my fault?"

"Everyone makes mistakes, Tasha. You and I know that better than anyone. You..." she sighs. "You try to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. I can't tell if that's because it's your natural instinct to protect everyone or if it's because you feel like you have to as an Avenger, but you don't have to. This is what the others are for. You do not carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, darling," she softly says the pet name in Russian.

"I do not carry the weight of the world on my shoulders," I repeat.

"That's right. So give yourself a break. Or at least try to relieve that headache of yours." She circles her thumbs on either sides of my head. I close my eyes, breathing out in relief.

"I love you, Natasha. You are, and will always, be my hero."

I smile gratefully, leaning in for a soft kiss. I catch a glimpse of Steve standing in the doorway, looking off to the side.

"Hey, Steve."

Steve turns back around, facing me and Stefaniya, who doesn't move off of my lap.

"Hi, Nat. Stef. Sorry for just walking in, I didn't..."

"It's okay, Steve," Stefaniya assures. "This is your home, too."

Steve walks closer, taking note of the drying tear stains on my cheeks. "You know, I'd offer to cook you two dinner, but you seem pretty miserable already."

"You here to do your laundry?" I ask.

"And to see my friends. And you too, Yardstick," he scratches behind the cat's ears.

"Clearly, your friends are fine," I say as I draw patterns on Stefaniya's palm with my finger.

"You know, I saw a pod of whales when I was coming over the bridge."

"In the Hudson?" Stefaniya lifts an eyebrow.

"There's fewer ships... cleaner water."

"You know, if you're about to tell me to look on the bright side... Um... I'll make Stefaniya hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich."

"Ooh, Steve, I really want to do that. Go ahead, give us your best Schmaptain Schmerica speech."

Steve chuckles, confusion evident in his voice. "'Schmaptain Schmerica'?"

I shrug. "I don't know where she picked that up. She started saying it a few weeks ago."

"Hmm. Well, sorry, no speech."

He sits down across the table and Stefaniya excuses herself, exchanging goodbyes with Steve. She gives me a kiss and goes out the east door leading to the bedrooms. I slide the plate of peanut butter sandwich slices closer to him.

"You know, I keep telling everyone they should move on... and grow. Some do. But not us."

"If I move on, who does this? Try to keep us all together?"

"Maybe it doesn't need to be done."

I shake my head, tears blurring my vision. "I used to have nothing. And then I got this. This job. Two families. Stefaniya. And I was better because of it. And even though most of them are gone... I'm still trying to be better."

"I think we both need to get a life. Outside of work, that is."

"You first," I smile.

Stefaniya rushes back into the room. "Hey, guys? I just looked out my window and there's someone outside."

On cue, my screen dings and I swipe right, pulling up the security feed of the front gate.

"Oh, hi, hi!" A familiar man's voice emits over the speaker. "Uh, is anyone home? This is uh, Scott Lang. We met a few years ago at the airport... in Germany?"

Steve stands up, watching the feed in shock.

"I was the guy that got really big. I had a mask on. You wouldn't recognize me. Ant-Man? I know you know that."

"Didn't he blip away?" Steve asks.

"Apparently not," Sefaniya replies, already pressing a button on the screen to open the gate.

A few minutes later, Scott is pacing across the floor muttering to himself. Stefaniya, Steve, and I are standing in front of him, giving each other concerned glances.

"Scott," Steve finally says firmly. Scott looks up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He presses his fingers to his eyelids. "Have any of you guys ever studied quantum physics?"

"Only to make conversation." "Only to flirt with Natasha." Stefaniya and I say in unison.

"What?" Steve asks Stefaniya.

"The quantum theory of entanglement. You know what I mean, right, Scott?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's nice, I gotta try that. All right, so... five years ago, right before... Thanos... I was in a place called the quantum realm. The quantum realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she's my, um... She was my..."

I cock an eyebrow.

"She was supposed to pull me out," Scott finalizes. "And then Thanos happened... and I got stuck in there."

Stefaniya nods. "I'm sorry, that must have been a very long five years."

"Yeah, but that's just it. It wasn't. For me, it was five hours. See, the rules of the quantum realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is unpredictable. Is that anybody's Rice Krispie Treat?" he points to the plate on my desk. "I'm starving."

"Scott," Steve says. Scott takes a reads the note on the wrapper.

"Aw, 'You're my hero.' That's cute. Love the cat. Who drew it?"

Stefaniya raises her hand, smiling. Scott rips the wrapper carefully and takes a bite.

"Scott. What are you talking about?" Steve asks again.

"So... what I'm saying, is... time works differently in the quantum realm. The only problem is right now, we don't have a way to navigate it. But what if we did?" Scott talks over a mouthful of cereal and marshmallow. "I can't stop thinking about it. What if we could somehow control the chaos... and we could navigate it? What if there was a way that we could enter the quantum realm at a certain point in time... but then exit the quantum realm at another point in time? Like... like before Thanos."

Steve puts up his hand. "Wait. Are you talking about a time machine?"

"No. No, of course not. No, not a time machine. This is more like a..." Scott gestures with his hand, then sighs in defeat. "Yeah. Like a time machine. I know, it's crazy. It's crazy. But I can't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be... some way... It's crazy."

"Scott," I interrupt. "I get emails from a raccoon... so nothing sounds crazy anymore."

Stefaniya snorts and covers her mouth, making herself giggle even harder. I smile to her.

"So, who do we talk to about this?" Scott asks.

"I think I know someone."

A/N: First chapter of 'Endgame'! There will be 13 chapters, I think, then an epilogue. Enjoy :)

Next chapter

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanov #black widow #black widow fanfiction #yelena belova #natasha romanov x fem!oc #marvel #marvel fanfiction #natasha romanoff fanfiction #sapphic natasha romanoff #aroace yelena belova #avengers: endgame

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hendersonjgeruiz · 2 years

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<h1>Mike Ehrmantraut Higher Name Saul Gifs</h1>

That momentum carried into the third season, where you had Gus Fring and the Cousins rampaging through New Mexico, Skyler seducing her boss, and Hank Schrader unravelling from stress. There was a lot occurring and at no point did you ever really feel confused or bored by it. We're now three episodes into the third season of Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul.

Mike begrudgingly agrees to help them execute a plan to break into Albuquerque PD's parking zone and use a large magnet to destroy Gus's laptop, which accommodates the video proof, through an exterior wall.

A nurse handling his registration says that his social safety quantity is incorrect, inflicting the hair on the again of Gene’s neck to face up.

His money is taken and as a last ditch effort Mike asks Saul to get his money he stashed in an airport automotive.

You take into consideration the belongings you did as a child that you just remorse or the hurt that you may have inflicted on someone.

He subsequently grew to become an officer on the Philadelphia police force. Mike had one son, Matt, who also turned a police officer. In an prolonged flashback in the Better Call Saul episode "Five-O", Mike is revealed as a crooked cop who took bribes. Matt was approached by different corrupt officers and asked Mike for advice; Mike suggested Matt that not taking the money would label him a whistleblower, and endanger his life and family, so Matt took it. Matt's associate and one other officer killed Matt because his hesitation brought on them to assume he might flip them in. Stacey and Kaylee left Philadelphia for Albuquerque after Matt's funeral. Mike recognized the officers who killed Matt and arranged an identical ambush to kill both of them, after which he left for Albuquerque, permitting him to see Stacey and Kaylee.

A gang with whom Mike had a earlier altercation beats and stabs him. After an uneasy assembly with Don Eladio, Nacho has to wait until 3 AM and unlock a gate located on Lalo’s ranch. When he walks outside in the middle of the evening to complete the deed, Lalo is waiting in front of the gate, holding court docket around the hearth. The rigidity erupts when Nacho makes use of a sneaky decoy to distract Lalo and open the gate. He walks out of the property trusting that the skilled killers will do their job, but Salamancas aren’t so easy to dispatch. The time spent with Gene is one of the best part of the season premiere. Almost each season begins with a Gene examine-in, but season 4 begins with a second that almost scares Jimmy into abandoning his life in Omaha and starting over once more.

Plus, everyone knows Mike’s a badass — he’s a skilled sharpshooter and effective enforcer for the cartel. You threaten a cop with that, you make him dangerous, and that is what I told him. But if you go to the I.A., should you even seem like you're going. You let some issues slide and also you look the other way. You bust a drug dealer that has additional cash than you may ever earn in a lifetime. Mike is someone who would not deliver his emotions to the desk that simply and there aren't many individuals he has come to take care of within the Albuquerque drug game.

As a outcome, Mike exhibits some resentment towards cops he encounters in his everyday life. After an evening of ingesting, Mike is about upon by a street gang and breaks the chief's arm before strolling away. Mike is stabbed during a second altercation with the gang, which he sought out of guilt for Werner's dying.

Along the way in which down his slippery slope, he permits what’s human and feeling in him to be gradually snuffed out. And his story is a warning—as tempting as it's to cut off all emotion and become the perfect, environment friendly machine—that is the street to darkness. Even though he does bad things, he feels like a great man—as a result of he has a code of honor. He takes responsibility and holds himself to high requirements and this enables him to retain some integrity, some decency, in a world of needed evils. Yet if we glance truthfully at his actions, the answer to the question “is Mike a great man? That code of his allows him to murder, to serve unhealthy men, and to participate in violent, damaging crime.

Mike secretly points police to Lalo's car and its ties to the homicide of Fred the money wire clerk, which causes Lalo's arrest. Gus needs Lalo released, so Mike provides Jimmy particulars in regards to the work he did to investigate to Lalo. Jimmy uses the data to accuse police of witness tampering, enabling him to win Lalo's launch on bail. Mike spends time with Kaylee and tells Stacey he's over the current events that angered him. Mike finds his moves have been tracked by Gus Fring, the owner of the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant chain, which is a part of the cartel's drug trafficking chain. Gus meets with Mike and explains that he does not need Hector dead until Gus decides the time is true.

It’s just not practical or useful to endure on a regular basis. But Better Call Saul appears to be telling us that this is the wrong selection. Don’t minimize off from your grief and your rage and your misery. Because what this story illustrates is whenever you shut off that faucet, you lose one thing of great value—and you never get it back. So, in his thoughts, his fondness for this man and his need to assist him are irrelevant.

Throughout its tenure on AMC, Better Call Saul has evolved from merely a Breaking Bad prequel into its own layered exploration of morality on par with the story of Walter White. At the center of the tale is Jimmy McGill , the real man who takes on the seedy criminal lawyer persona of Saul Goodman. Audiences have been first launched to Goodman in Breaking Bad Season 2 when he stepped in to help Walter White launder drug money and turn into his authorized liaison. I guess I shouldn’t be shocked I have to tell you this.

And, when he’s called out on being insincere, the solution he finds isn’t to be extra sincere—it’s to turn into a better, extra convincing liar. The most tragic part of Mike’s story is that he has good intentions however bad strategies. He keeps pursuing money as a method to make amends for Matt’s death and saves all his fortune for Stacey and Kaylee. But as a result of incomes revenue in such harmful ways, his plans backfire. bubblehead com has gone through some powerful occasions and he want to assume that he deserved it. After Matt's unlucky death, Mike didn't know what to do, so he gave into alcoholism earlier than falling into depression.

Mike removes all traces of the medication and supplies Jesse advice that allows him to avoid incriminating himself when talking to police after Mike leaves. When Jesse later goes missing Mike tracks him down and drives Walt to the placement. Conflict between the Salamancas and Gus' organization leads to Hector Salamanca struggling a stroke, and Gus discreetly pays for his recovery to the purpose the place he recovers his psychological colleges and might move his right index finger.

Better Call Saul Season 5 could have a special two-night time premiere on Sunday, February 23, with the second episode airing on Monday, February 24, in its regular timeslot at 9 p.m. “Working with Dean and Michael again was a highlight of the season,” Gould stated during the panel attended by Inverse. The stakes have been exponentially raised going into Season 5. The death of Jimmy's brother Chuck appears to have given him the license to delve further into the criminal underworld he is been dipping his toes in over the previous four seasons. As Jimmy further embraces his Saul alter-ego once the sequence returns to AMC on February 23, one has to marvel what different Breaking Bad faces could seem. Each 12 months, as new episodes arrive, followers regularly speculate on which Breaking Bad faces, if any, will resurface. The Better Call Saul story begins practically six years prior to the rise of Heisenberg, giving room to additional explore the lives of Breaking Bad legends like Gustavo Fring , Hector Salamanca , and Mike Ehrmantraut .

Furthermore, one episode prior, Jimmy threatens to burn down Chuck's residence in an try to destroy taped evidence Chuck possess of Jimmy admitting to wrongdoing. "Better Call Saul" Season 1 Episode 6, tilted "Five-O," reveals a defining moment from Mike's life that theoretically continues to form him even in "Breaking Bad" — the dying of his son Matty. The episode details how, whereas Matty attempted to approach his police job with a sense of righteousness, he was unwittingly implicated in a unclean money scheme and killed by his coworkers, who feared he might make their wrongdoing public.

He presents to help the drug lord out if he helps him launder the money. Mike makes an essential level because it's how evil one's actions are that decide whether they're good or bad, not their legality. He figures that somebody like Pryce is only cash-hungry with a thirst for journey and that is why he does what he does. Since he at all times retains his word and by no means considers harming anybody, he still qualifies pretty much as good. The movies function a mix of live-action footage of Banks portraying Mike in offering coaching to new security staff of Madrigal and animated segments. The DEA identifies Mike's connection to Gus, however he removes evidence from his residence and hides getaway cash in a "go bag" at the airport, so a police search of his house turns up nothing. The police determine the lawyer Mike has been utilizing to make the payments to Gus's former workers, then find the money he has been saving for Stacey and Kaylee.

#bobblehead

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arrowflier · 3 years

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Small Talk

Seeing all the personal question and answer things on my dash has inspired this little speedwrite of Ian and Mickey trying to do normal date small talk after they get out of prison.

“The fuck do you mean, you wanna get to know me?” Mickey scoffs when Ian brings it up, pausing in his task of throwing clothes haphazardly into their shared dresser. “You’ve been fuckin’ me since we were kids, I just lived out of your damn pocket in prison for almost a year, what the hell do you think you don’t know yet?”

Ian just rolls his eyes and leans against the doorjamb, having expected Mickey to say something along those lines. But Debbie had been talking about her dates a lot, lately, and it had gotten him thinking. She kept spouting off facts about her new girlfriend like everyone should care, and the details had been getting progressively more intimate. Not sexy intimate--he could do without knowing some of the things she shared, but that wasn’t what he meant. No, it was all personal intimate, like her favorite color, or her favorite song, or how she got the little scar on her arm from a dog bite when she was younger.

Mickey was probably right; they knew just about everything important about each other by now. But Ian wanted to know the less important things, too.

“Come on, Mick,” he resorts to pleading. “Just one regular date, like a normal couple.”

“We’re not a normal couple,” Mickey retorts without even turning around to face him, and Ian sighs.

“Really, Mickey?” he asks forlornly. He might be playing it up just a bit, but Mickey doesn’t need to know that.

“What?” Mickey sounds surprised, and finally glances back over his shoulder. “We’ve never been normal, man. That really botherin’ you right now?”

Ian shrugs, folding his arms. He doesn’t meet Mickey’s eyes. “I guess not,” he says lowly, letting his lips tug into a small pout. “Was just thinking it would be nice, you know.” He shrugs again. “Get out a little. Talk to you.”

“We talk all the time, jesus,” Mickey practically whines, and Ian knows he won when the dresser drawer is slammed closed a second later. “Fuckin fine, then, let’s go.”

He wasn’t expecting that, though, and his arms drop uselessly to his side as Mickey pushed past him through the doorway.

“Wait, right now?” he tries to confirm, and Mickey waves dismissively over his shoulder as he makes it to the top of the stairs.

“You waitin’ for an invitation?” Mickey asks. “Now or never, man.” He trots down the stairs, calling back up to Ian, “I ain’t holdin’ your fuckin’ hand though!”

Huh. Ian thinks. That actually went better than expected. Grabbing his jacket from the foot of their bed, he hurries to follow.

---

They find a restaurant without a waitlist, and are led to a quiet booth toward the back by a host that smiles at Ian entirely too much. Ian ignores the man’s attempts to chat, and tries not to smile too hard when Mickey pointedly holds his hand out over the table.

He takes it immediately, smoothing his thumb over tattooed knuckles, and doesn’t hear anything else their host says.

The man leaves quickly, but Mickey doesn’t reclaim his hand. “What’re you lookin’ at?” he asks Ian gruffly, and Ian tried to temper the elation he knows must show on his face.

“Nothing,” he says simply. Then, “You,” he adds.

Mickey snorts, looks away before settling his gaze on their clasped hands. “That’s fucking gay, man,” he says, and Ian just raises an eyebrow until Mickey gives in and laughs lightly.

A waiter comes by with their drinks--Mickey must have ordered when Ian wasn’t paying attention, because there’s a coffee in front of him he hadn’t even known he wanted--and after Mickey takes a swig of his own cheap beer, he finally pulls his hand out of Ian’s hold.

“Alright,” he says casually. “What do you wanna know?” He sounds at ease, but gives himself away by peeling at the condensation-wet label of his bottled beer with his freed hand.

“What’s your favorite color?” Ian asks, and Mickey looks startled, then exasperated.

“Really, firecrotch?” he askes wryly. Ian just grins at him, blowing on his coffee. Mickey rolls his eyes. “Black,” he answers.

“Bullshit,” Ian claims immediately.

“The fuck, man?” Mickey laughs. “Why you askin’ stupid questions if you don’t wanna hear my answers?”

“I just want real answers, Mick,” Ian tells him. “And there is no way in hell that your favorite color is black.”

“Fine,” Mickey huffs. “Red. You happy now?”

Ian is.

“And not for the reason you’re thinkin’, Gallagher, so don’t even go there,” Mickey adds, pointing a finger at him. “Red like blood, alright? Not red like your damn alien hair.” He gestures at the offending feature before letting his hand drop to the table, where it fiddles with his wrapped napkin.

“Do aliens even have hair?” Ian wonders aloud, and Mickey glares at him.

“That one of your dumb questions?” he asks.

They’re interrupted before Ian can answer by their waiter, and Ian randomly points to something on the menu rather than admit he hadn’t even looked yet. Mickey glances down to see what he’s ordering, and raises his eyebrows.

“Nah,” he tells the waiter. “Ignore that. He’ll have the same as me.”

Ian shrugs. He didn’t know what he had picked anyway, and Mickey wasn’t going to steer him wrong on food. Not when it determined what Ian would be feeling up to later that night.

“Next question, Gallagher,” Mickey prompts when their alone again.

“What’s your favorite song?” Ian asks.

“Enter Sandman,” Mickey tries, then relents when Ian just looks at him expectantly. “Livin’ on a prayer, jeez, gonna let me keep any of my street cred tonight?”

“What cred?” Ian asks with a shit-eating grin. “You snitched on cartel to shack up with your boyfriend, Mickey. I hate to break it to you, but your credibility is already ruined.”

“Shut up, fucker,” Mickey says, but he’s grinning now too.

“Alright, just one more,” Ian says. “One more and then we’ll just eat, I promise.”

Mickey nods. “Shoot.”

“How did you get that scar on your leg?” Ian asks.

Mickey looks confused. “Uh,” he starts, “you mean the one from when your pedophile boyfriend shot me?”

Ian leans over the table, hisses “Keep your voice down, Mickey, what the fuck?” when he sees a woman at the next booth over look at them, startled.

“And no,” he adds at a normal volume, leaning back again. “The one above that.”

Mickey just raises his brows. “You mean the one where you’re geriatric viagroid boyfriend dug a bullet out of my ass?”

Ian groans when the woman’s friend looks over at them too. “Mickey, shut up,” he begs, looking around to see if they had garnered any more attention. “You’re gonna get us kicked out.”

“Oh, not that one then, okay,” Mickey says, pretending to think. “Well there’s the one where I sat on the shiv when you left it out on the bed...”

“Oh my god, Mickey.” Ian puts his head in his hands.

“Not that when either? Huh.” Ian peeks through his fingers to see Mickey grinning, tongue in the corner of his mouth.

“Think you might have to show me which one you mean then.” He waggles his eyebrows in that way that shouldn’t be as sexy as it is, and Ian forgets that he’s in the middle of being embarrassed.

Their waiter shows up then, and starts to put down their plates.

“Actually,” Ian says before he can get anything onto the table. “Can we get that to go?” He doesn’t take his eyes off Mickey. “I just remembered something we have to do.”

Mickey’s grin widens as the flustered waiter backs away with a promise of coming back with boxes. “We gonna play show and tell, then?” he asks.

“Got a better way to learn about each other?” Ian responds. “And if you thought I was picky about your answers before,” he adds as he pushes out his chair, “it’s about to get a lot worse.”

Their waiter barely catches them with their food and the bill before they can get out the door.

#daily speedwrite #gallavich #ian gallagher #mickey milkovich #fanfic #not a normal couple #date night

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autumnleaves1991-blog · 3 years

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Day 19: Rules Change - Javier Pena

Day 19: Rules Change- Javier Pena

November Writing Challenge Masterlist

Day 18: Her Husband - Marcus Pike

“You do understand that by getting yourself into this situation...we are going to have to send you back stateside?”

You nod.

“Do you have anything you would like to say before we finish today? After this meeting you will need to go to your apartment and pack your bags, your flight leaves out of Columbia at 9 AM.” The ambassador glared at you from his high back leather chair.

“No...I have nothing to say to you. Only this, I don’t regret a damn thing.”

“You’re excused. Now get out of my office and go pack your bags.” He dismisses you with a wave of his hand and promptly ignores you.

You slam the door behind you on the way out and walk over towards your desk. You can feel the eyes of your co-workers on you as you pack your small box of personal belongings from your desk. You reach toward your cactus plant on the corner of your desk and it falls to the ground, shattering.

“Fuck,” you bend down to begin picking it up when a pair of dark sun-kissed skin move into your line of sight, you look up at Javier Pena, your boss.

“Thank you,” you whisper. Picking up the remaining shards and placing them in the trash. You notice he has a small white paper cup in his hands and he carefully places the cactus in the cup.

His arm grips your elbow gently, pulling you to your feet. You feel braver with him near and you take a moment to look into his eyes. A storm of emotion is boiling in them and it takes your breath away, “this is fucked up,” he whispers harshly, “I should be the one sent home, not you. I’m your boss...I’m supposed to protect you.”

You chuckle darkly, “well maybe if we both used protection we wouldn’t be in this situation,” you rest your hand over your slightly protruding belly, “I have to go pack...will you come over tonight?”

He hands you the plant and you place it gently in the box. “Do you really have to ask?” he whispers. You go to lift the box before it is quickly removed from your hands.

“Daniel...I can lift a damn box,” Van Ness smiles at you before shrugging.

“I can also lift a box, isn’t that funny? Let’s go, mama, time to get you home.”

You cringe, avoiding the eye contact of the office gossips. Only a select few knew why you were leaving and those that didn’t could guess. It was the watercooler gossip of the week. Javier Pena had knocked up one of the Embassy secretaries. She was being fired and sent home in disgrace while Pena stayed in Columbia to take down the Cali cartel.

You didn’t blame Javier though. He wanted to leave with you and threatened to quit. But after the chance to take down Escobar was ripped away from him you knew he had to finish the work with Cali. It had caused many an argument between you but it was a fight he wasn’t going to win. Your one concession to Javi was that you were going to Texas to live with his father.

You had no family left of your own and when you both sat down and called his father he was ecstatic about becoming a grandpa. Your shook from your thoughts when Daniel nudges you toward the door and Javier’s hand slips from your elbow watching you leave.

At your apartment, you’re surprised to find Chris Fiestl there and packing your books into boxes with the label already written out. Tears spring to your eyes and you reach out for both of them as they engulf you in hugs, “Don’t cry y/n, you don’t wanna upset the baby.” Daniel reaches forward and gently rubs your stomach.

“I’m just really happy to have such good friends,” you tell them both pulling away to wipe at your eyes. Daniel and Chris came around the same time you did and you instantly clicked. The three of you would go out drinking and dancing.

When you started sleeping with Javi, the boys were there for you as you navigated the waters from casual hookup to a full-blown relationship.

“I’m really going to miss you guys,” you hug them both tightly. From behind you the door unlocks and Javier comes in. Seeing you all embracing he sighs before walking to the small kitchen for a drink.

The boys give you one final hug before they go, letting you and Javier be alone. You walk to the kitchen and see Javi nursing a whiskey and cooking some dinner. He wasn’t the greatest cook but since you found out you were pregnant and got sick at random smells he’s taken over cooking for you both. You hug him from behind and he leans back onto your shoulder, kissing your cheek. Putting down the spatula he turns and holds you tight.

“I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want to be away from you...I love you so fucking much,” he nuzzles your neck placing soft open mouth kisses.

You pull away and scratch your nails through his scalp he groans at the feeling. “It’s not forever, just until you put those Cali bastards away. Then you can come home to your dads and we can raise our daughter and have a life together.”

“...Daughter?” his voice is hoarse as he looks at you with glassy eyes.

You can only nod, your own filled with unshed tears. “I found out a few days ago at that last appointment. We’re gonna have a baby girl Javi.”

He drops to his knees before your belly and lifts your shift. His hands rough and calloused trace patterns over the small bump. He kisses your stomach lightly “I love you mija, I will always be there for you,” he gazes up at you, “for your both.”

5 Years Later

“You have got to be kidding me! That’s a BULLSHIT CALL!”

“JAVIER!” you shoot up from your lawn chair and pull your husband back down, “SIT THE HELL DOWN! You are embarrassing us!”

Your father in law is cracking up beside you in his own chair, watching his granddaughter run unsteadily across the field.

“But baby, she was clear and he called her foul! That’s my little girl out there and you better believe I will kick any honky white ass referee who tries to stop her!” Javier shoots up from his chair again pacing.

You snort watching the man who helped take down Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel down get mad at a children’s soccer game. But that was Javier as a father.

After that night he promised he would always be there for her he meant it. Every doctor appointment, hair cut, toddler tumble class, story time at the library, and recently soccer game he was there. His office walls covered in her artwork and always wearing a bracelet she made him at preschool out of macaroni and string; like it came from Tiffany’s.

“Honey you need to calm down, she is doing great! Those are just the rules of the game, the ref didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Rules change baby, and that guy needs to change his damn rules so he doesn’t foul my daughter,” Javi huffs and you rise pulling him towards you for a kiss.

“She is so lucky to have you as a daddy Javi. We all are…” you rest his hand over your stomach and his eyes nearly fall out of his head.

“Baby?...”

You nod and he shouts before kissing you. The whistle blows and your daughter who is the spitting image of her father comes running up. Javi picks her up, blowing raspberries against her cheek as she giggles, pulling you both into a tight hug. Despite the rocky start, you wouldn’t change your family for the world.

#Pedro Pascal #November writing challenge #Narcos #Javier pena x reader #javier peña

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years

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Quantifying copyright reversion

At its outset, American copyright provided for 14 years of exclusivity, renewable for another 14 years by the author, but — crucially — not by the publisher. This was a shrewd move by the US Framers, because it meant the publisher had to convince the author to file paperwork.

Most authors have very little bargaining leverage at the outset of their publishing deals, and even when the author’s prior accomplishments afford them some bargaining power, a new book is, by definition, an unknown quantity, and the fair price for it is debatable.

Then (as now), the majority of works are no longer commercially viable after 14 years. But for authors of the minority of works that thrive over long terms, renewal is an opportunity to reopen publisher negotiations from a position of strength.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1436186

The author could say, “When I sold you this book, neither of us could say how it would fare, so you paid me a modest sum. 14 years later, it is earning for you, and if you wish to continue to enjoy exclusive rights to it, I demand that you share that bounty with me.”

If the publisher demurred, the author could simply walk away from the negotiations. The book’s copyright would not renew, other printers could produce their own editions at or near the marginal cost. The publisher would lose all, the author would be no worse off.

Some form of renewal endured in US copyright for many years, and even after it was abolished, US copyright retained a measure intended to address creators’ unbalanced negotiating power with their investors (studios, labels, publishers, etc): Reversion.

Essentially, US copyright lets creators to claim back their rights after 35 years (depending on the work’s age), even if their contracts are for longer terms. This right can’t be contracted away, either: a clause that says “I won’t ever revert my rights” is not enforceable.

Reversion could allow creators to renegotiate their deals, but it has other benefits. For scholarly authors — who must sign away all rights, for free, to publish in journals that charge fortunes for access — it’s a chance to get those works into the public domain.

For authors, it’s a partial answer to the conundrum of ebooks and print-on-demand, which have made contractual reversion obsolete (publishers historically gave your rights back when the book was out of print, but ebooks and PoDs are never out of print).

And for creators who were tricked into signing away their rights, it’s a chance to get them back.

But for all that, reversion is woefully rare, because the process is so complex, uncertain and obscure.

For years, the Authors Alliance has provided tools for creators seeking to revert their works, but even with this assistance, the process is daunting.

https://www.authorsalliance.org/resources/rights-reversion-portal/

Efforts to improve the system have been hampered by a huge data-void. The US Copyright Office’s databases are woefully and infamously clunky, incomplete, out-of-date and under-resourced.

This is a crisis for all creators — if we want to sell our works, then having clear records of our claims on them is essential, first, so buyers can find us, and second, so we can prove that we have the right to sell.

The rights reversion data void hampers international efforts to improve copyright for creators, as in South Africa, where US entertainment cartels exploited the gap to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt in a bid to prevent South African authors from winning reversion rights.

Which is why “U.S. Copyright Termination Notices 1977–2020: Introducing New Datasets,” published today, represents such a milestone. A group of Australian scholars present the first ever comprehensive data on US copyright reversions.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3880708

The authors — Joshua Yuvaraj, Rebecca Giblin, Daniel Russo-Batterham, Genevieve Grant — scraped all Copyright Office data pertaining to reversion, painstakingly processed it, and published it. Here’s the data:

https://melbourne.figshare.com/articles/dataset/_/14880330

and here’s the codebooks:

https://melbourne.figshare.com/articles/online_resource/_/14881941

The paper is up on SSRN today, and has been accepted for publication in the prestigious Journal of Empirical Legal Studies. It’s an eye-popping read, and it reveals the truly dismal state — and vital necessity — of reversion.

Few creators have managed to revert but the ones that have are fascinating. Stephen King is a leading reverter, as are George RR Martin, Nora Roberts and David Eddings. — successful authors who are able to claim back their works and seek new deals based on their track records.

A single YA author — Francine Pascal_ — accounts for nearly all the YA reversions, thanks to her reclaiming of all 305 of her Sweet Valley High novels (in kids’ books, Ann Martin attains another high-water mark for reverting the Baby-Sitters Club books).

But the most fascinating entry is funk titan George Clinton, who pursued his former manager Nene Montes for years, claiming he’d forged Clinton’s signature and defrauded him to steal the rights to most of Clinton’s prodigious and profitable catalog.

https://celebrityaccess.com/caarchive/george-clinton-regains-possession-of-funkadelic-masters/

Thanks to reversion, Clinton was able to finally settle all question of title without expensive litigation — he simply reverted 1,413 works.

These are just the preliminary findings from this landmark, open-access dataset. Other researchers are encouraged to mine it further.

For policy-makers and creators’ advocates, this data finally puts a sound evidentially footing beneath the debate over reversion. US reversion does help creators, but it is badly hamstrung by needless complexity and poor record-keeping.

Improving reversion — simplifying it, or even making it automatic at 25 years — is a no-brainer if you want to improve creators’ share of the bounty of their most successful works.

Not coincidentally, Giblin (one of the authors) and I collaborated on THE SHAKEDOWN, a forthcoming book on how copyright, labor, contracting, and antitrust reforms could actually improve the creators’ share of the profits from their labor.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/03/19/the-shakedown/#monopsony

Image: Shakespeare Documented https://shakespearedocumented.folger.edu/file/liber-c-folio-161-recto

#pluralistic

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