The Beatles recreate Paul McCartney’s ‘collapse’, as reported in newspapers, including the Daily Mail. Plymouth, 13th November 1963 - part 3 (part 1, part 2, part 4, part 5) (x)

The boomerang and the forest fire.

This story is for my Australian friends 🪃🍺

Buddy Brown was a U-2 pilot notorious for flying over Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962. Later, as an SR 71 pilot, he took the first SR to Okinawa In 1968.

In 1963, he had the opportunity to fly the U-2 over Australia for a few months ..they were doing air sampling missions

Buddy loved Australia from his personal memoirs. I will repeat his story about the boomerang.

During my Australian tour, I remember buying a boomerang unknown to anybody and practicing throwing it for about two weeks. I really got proficient at throwing yet and could throw the boomerang in a fairly confined space making it fly a large circle so that I would catch it when I return to me . However I had a motive.

Aussie’s really like their beer, and their beer is the BEST BEER I have ever had. They also like to make a little bets at the bar, the loser of course would buy the next round of beer. One evening at the bar I made a couple of comments about throwing a boomerang and I didn’t think it was that hard. Finally one Aussie suggested that I show them how I could throw a boomerang. Bets were made about the ‘Yank” Buddy Brown who said he could throw a boomer in the park. The bet was if the ‘Yank” lost the Yank would buy the beer for the remainder of the night. However if the Aussies lost they would buy the beer for the remainder of the night. The bet was on!

I was handed a boomerang with a brisk arm movement flick of that boomer slightly down towards the ground. The boomerang left my hand started flying down slightly then started a slight climbing turn continuing to circle to the left climbing to 25 feet above ground before starting a dissent still circling back to me where I caught it between both of my hands.

There was dead, I mean, dead silence for a second or two, and then everybody started cheering.

They couldn’t believe a Yank could’ve done that with a boomer. I enjoyed the evening as the Aussies bought the beer…. they said you broke the code Mate!

A few days later the Australians were looking for volunteers to help fight the forest fire 50 miles north of Melbourne. This was in November 1963. I asked my commander if I could volunteer because I had a few days off from flying and I had experience in forestry service as a kid. I had been in the forest line for two days and my eyes were very irritated. I saw this hospital tent I walked over to the tent and ask if one of the sisters (nurses in Australia are called sisters) if they would bath my eyes. One of the sisters walked over to me and yelled to the whole tent ‘’HEY this is the Yank The U-2 pilot that’s been all over the news who has been helping us fight our forest fires”’. You can never imagine the service I received.

The Australian people are really friendly, and I think they genuinely like Americans. Australia is really not that much different from the US the climate is just about the same, only reversed, the food is about the same. I really enjoyed the Australian tour.

Written by Buddy Brown paraphrased by Linda Sheffield

@Habubrats71 via X

Break the Cycle: A CoD Zombies Story Part 1

This was originally posted on my Wattpad around a month ago but I decided to put it here since more people see my work here. I am in no way good at writing but I tried my best. To summarize what this is without too many spoilers for what this is, it's a What if scenario where Primis Richtofen stops the cycle by ending Ultimis Richtofens grand scheme. Anyway, please enjoy.

Soviet Codmadrome, Russia.

November 1963

After a tiring life or death battle at the Der Riese facility and an accidental stop at an abandoned theater used by group 935 to try control the undead, the Ultimis crew had finally made it to the Russian Codmadrome, Aka. Ascension. It was a calm but frigid night and the bitter touch of the crisp night air could be felt by everyone within the Codmadrome. At this time the undead seemed to have halted their vicious attack upon the crew, it being unknown if they had simply not found the crews location yet or if Samantha was feeling merciful that evening and was allowing the crew to rest. Anyhow, they collectively agreed that it would be best if they took it in turns to be on night watch.

It was the early hours of the morning when Tank Dempsey came off his watch, having to spend it with the last person he wished to see, the insane Dr Richtofen. He couldn't remember how the two met, knowing that they must've met previously as the German was the one who awoke him from his cryogenic slumber. He didn't know why, but upon meeting the doctor after being awoken he felt a great sense of loathing and hatred towards him, as if alarm bells were ringing in his head telling the Marine that this man was dangerous and not to be trusted, however what choice did he have but to follow him? He couldn't remember much of his own past so he followed the maniac in hopes to find the truth behind this madness.

It was on this crisp morning where Dempsey crept down to where the soft red hue of the Juggernog machine glowed, almost inviting him to come and sit next to it. He closed his weary eyes as the angelic voice of the woman, who he had named 'Jugger-girl', began to sing the familiar jingle, his gruff and tired voice singing along with it.

"When you need some help to get by, something to make you feel strong. Reach for Juggernog tonight, sugar seduction delight. When you need to feel big and strong, reach for Juggernog nog ton-"

The American halted his tired singing as a strong blue night glowed from the floor below. He questioned what it was at first before his interest took hold and lead him down stairs, only to be met with a strange sight. The blue light was a gateway into what he could only perceive as another dimension, however the strange part was the man standing infront of him. He was a well kept man, dressed in a shirt and a waistcoat. His slick black hair was brushed to the side and his facial features were angular and sharp, all these qualities tied neatly together with a mustache and pale blue eyes. Dempsey eyed the man up and down, trying to figure out who this man is. He seemed so familiar yet the marine couldn't put his finger on it.

"Ze baffled look doesn't suit jou mein dear marine." The man spoke in a thick German accent.

"Dear? You know me?" He asked in a puzzled tone.

"Vell, not in zhis timeline." He responded.

"Timeline?" He was even more confused now. "Is this another one of the little girls tricks?"

"Nein. Mein name is Edvard Richtofen, however I am not from jour timeline. Jou see, I am here seeking jour help." The German, who claimed to be Richtofen, spoke.

"Richtofen? Yeah right, the guys a freak, why would you wanna impersonate him?" The American asked with a chuckle.

The man just chuckled with him.

"Oh, I am Dr Edvard Richtofen, however I am from ein different time, 1918 to be exact."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Vell I don't have time to." He paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to say what he wanted to say next.

"Jou see... All of zhis, ze undead, Samantha, mein otherself, it's all one big time loop.. a cycle per say." He finally said.

"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there buddy, a cycle? Have you gone mad?"

"A guy appears out of ein portal to another dimension und jou've been fighting ze undead for ein vhile now yet being told zhat all zhis is ein time loop is ze only thing mad about all zhis?"

"I suppose you have a point.."

"I need jour help Dempsheh, jou see ze doctor is planning something, something evil. I must to stop him from succeeding however I cannot interfere vith zhis timeline directly unless I vant to make zhis loop even vorse. However, jou can-" the man was cut off by the portal beginning to fade.

"Scheisse... Out of time." He looked at the Marine. "I vill visit again und explain zhis madness very soon, but in ze meantime, bevare ze doctor, he is evil incarnate."

The man turned and walked through the portal before the American could get in another word, leaving him there even more perplexed than ever.

"W-wait erm, 'Richtofen?' come on come back, I have more questions!" The American called out, but was met with the groggy voice of an older German.

"It vould be nice to get some sleep vithout ein DUMMKOPF screaming mein name und vaking me up Dempsheh!"

"Alright alright, don't get your panties in a fucking twist..." Tank called back. "Fucking kraut..." He mumbled to himself as he returned to the Juggernog machine. He decided to call it a night and go to sleep, however the strange encounter he had kept gnawing at his mind, keeping the possibility sleep just out of reach. Was what he was told true? What was Richtofen planning? He had so many questions in his mind left unanswered. However, if he knew anything, he knew it was wise to beware the doctor...

TIMELINE POST!

Right. I haven't said when this blog takes place in the mess that is the Team Fortress 2 canon, which... is kinda important.

SO! Timeline and lore post! This will be copy and pasted into a page link on the side and I'll add a link to the pinned post for mobile users.

To start, I'm being precise with a timeline and canon that... aren't. I know that. But I like lore and worldbuilding, so it's what I'm going with and doing. Without further ado, below the cut is the general breakdown for this blog's Team Fortress 2 specific timeline, with more being revealed as the blog progresses!

So this blog is starting in the early spring of 1965, it's been about 6 months or so since Assassin was hired, as she and Retriever were hired on later than the others. That being said, here's the timeline for my blog specifically up to this point, having taken into account dialogue from Scout and Medic in the comics-

1959; Team Fortress Classic Mercs Resign/Retire. The war is continued by various fringe teams (I'm pulling from the comics, Marcus/TFC Heavy states "We spent six months hunting down her best. Echelon, Citadel, Team Vanguard for God's sake." So we know there were other teams under Administrator)

1960; As the other teams continue the war, Administrator scopes out her next best team. Best meaning entertaining. She finds, through word of the other teams, the 9 Mercs we know and love

1961-'62, specifically into the late winter/very early spring of '62; The new Team Fortress (2!) mercenaries were contacted, contracted, and brought to their main base of operations, namely in Teufort (sidenote, this is about 4 years before Pauling will be hired, so they go through other people for weapons, supplies, communications, etc)

September of 1963; Retriever, having decided to quit his life as a treasure/bounty hunter, packs himself and Wally up and brings his family's HMR Space tech for holding supplies to Teufort and applies to join the team. He gets along well and is welcomed into his new role as a supply runner and base defender (more on how his game mechanics would work in another post, another day!)

November of 1964; Similarly, having heard of Team Fortress (2!) from other teams she had worked with, and wanting a team where she could simultaneously blend in but not have to worry about being kicked out or betrayed (we'll unlock that as time goes on, hehe~), Assassin applies for the team and is brought on with the role of melee based, offensive support (quick kills, I've thought more on her mechanics, admittedly, but I'll tell them in a later post too!)

Spring (roughly mid-April) of 1965; Where this blog is starting now! This is just a rough thing and while this initial post won't be updated, with time the page that copies it will. Here is where we start our story and meet our characters, with the cast growing over time. Pauling is not yet here, Expiration Date has not yet taken place, and everyone is still warming up to the newbies (some much faster than others), but the team is mostly cohesive and gets... along... to a degreee. They're working on it..!

So! Send asks, interact, feel free to start threads, I've been roleplaying on this site for an actual decade! There's much, much more story to learn, but I won't give it all out so easy~

October was Horror Movie Month for me, so here’s 9 of my favorite horror movies that I watched for the first time this year in October!

Below are my star ratings for each film and some of my thoughts on them. Have a great month of November!

Nope (2022) dir. Jordan Peele - ★ ★ ★ ½ I saw this in theaters with a buddy and, while I did enjoy it, it didn’t click with me as much as Peele’s other films have. I’m not the biggest fan of alien movies and westerns, so perhaps the core concept of this just wasn’t ever going to appeal to me as strongly. That being said, the idea of this is really interesting and the cast is great, so if you’re interested in it at all I would definitely recommend it. Over time I have come to appreciate it more, especially after reading fans’ thoughts and analysis of it, but it still remains my lowest rated Peele film.

The Lighthouse (2019) dir. Robert Eggers - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ This movie is gorgeous to look at and the acting talent on display is phenomenal! I really enjoyed the atmosphere throughout this one.

Us (2019) dir. Jordan Peele - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ See, when I say that Nope is my least favorite Peele movie, it should be noted that that is hardly an insult as every other film I’ve seen from Peele has been fantastic. Us is on par with Get Out, to me, and by that I mean that I absolutely love both movies and would struggle to determine which one is my favorite. I love the concept of this movie and Lupita Nyong’o puts on a great performance.

Lamb (2021) dir. Valdimar Jóhannsson - ★ ★ ★ ½ This film is a lot different from the other movies on this list as I’d hardly even consider this a horror. Honestly, most of this is just two people farming while raising a child together- the child in question just happens to have a lamb head, which some people might find scary but I just thought was downright adorable. I can understand why some folks wouldn’t like a slow-paced film like this but I honestly really loved it.

The Birds (1963) dir. Alfred Hitchcock - ★ ★ ★ ★ This film ended up being a lot slower than I expected it to be, which ultimately worked in its favor as it really took its time setting up its characters and atmosphere, but still made it a bit difficult to stick with at times. I did ultimately enjoy this, however, but it isn’t quite on the same level as some of Hitchcock’s other films that I really love.

The Phantom Carriage (1921) dir. Victor Sjöström - ★ ★ ★ ★ This is a must-see for anyone interest in old-fashioned effects, because they look fantastic in this. Watching early 1900s horror classics always astounds me because of how timeless so many of them continue to be. I have some issues with how this film is paced but it is genuinely quite creepy with some great film making techniques on display.

Vampyr (1932) dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer - ★ ★ ★ ★ This is the definition of a “style over substance” film. The story in this isn’t the most unique and honestly is sort of incomprehensible at times, but the cinematography and general atmosphere of this film are wonderfully eerie. This is a great film to watch if you’re ever in the mood to just marvel at some creepy scenery. Also, as a side note, it probably has my favorite poster of any of the movies on this list.

Häxan (1922) dir. Benjamin Christensen - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ By far my favorite film of the month as well as a new addition to my Best Movies Ever list. This movie blends horror and documentary style film making together perfectly- it ends up being very informative while and quite mystifying throughout. The costumes and sets here are amazing, not even just for the 1920s but for films in general. I also really appreciate how sympathetic this movie is towards mentally ill women in its ending! Seriously, if you watch any film on this list, make sure it’s this one because it is beyond fantastic.

Deep Blue Sea (1999) dir. Renny Harlin - ★ ★ ★ ½ This film has become pretty infamous for a certain scene involving Samuel L. Jackson, but I genuinely found this to be an absolute blast of a movie. I love the vibrant lighting and set designs and had a lot of fun with the action scenes. This is the type of film that I’d show someone to determine whether we can be friends or not; obviously you don’t have to love it, but if you can’t get any enjoyment out of a film like this then we’re probably not compatible.

Wow, That Was Long. And I’m Gay.

“Eric got publicity for a certain amount of time by slagging me off. But that’s just how it was. No one wants to hear you are best buddies.” - Alan Price, 2008. (https://safc.blog/house-of-the-rising-sunderland-fan/)

“These two fascinate me to no end, what the heck? Like, how did they even function around one another? They hated each other so much. (Wrong, 2020!Connie 😐)

Like, everytime I feel I can get a grip on their dynamic, I fail because they were absolutely polar opposites yet attempted to work with each other not only as a band, but as composers, with tensions arising because of pride on both of their parts. Alan was jealous of Eric and Eric was confused by Alan and it shows. What the heck, gay little monkeys.” - Me, November 23rd, 2020.

Wow, so we’ve reached the end. 30,000 words, I wrote about these two… and I’m so, so glad that I did.

Now, I guess the million-dollars-that-Michael-Jefferies-stole question is: why did I do this? And I’m not just referring to spending a month of my life writing this all out, but spending nearly two years of my life combing through the minimal recorded footage of them that exists, the handful of biographies, and an intense amount of obscure magazine scans (many of which, I purchased myself) to compile information about them?

Well, I think it can all be traced back to that expression Alan makes in Dont Look Back, after Bob had asked him if he left the Animals. Anything revolving around Alan all comes back to that expression, for me.

Because that’s an expression that suggests something far deeper than dissatisfaction with how his band was functioning and a distaste for traveling. It was an expression of regret, of fear, of loss, of confusion. Many things could have caused this expression that flashed across his face, and I immediately recognized that as another person. Someone was the root of his uncertainty about this decision, and I wanted to know who.

And once I found out who that was, and how many misconceptions seem to be shared about their relationship, I knew I wanted to learn more.

You see (and, as I mentioned way at the beginning), even I fell into the trap of thinking Alan and Eric’s relationship was nothing but homoerotic pettiness for their entire professional careers together. Frustrated that they couldn’t songwrite together like their contemporaries, Alan jealous of Eric’s abilities and being moody in general, Eric confused about Alan’s attitude and world view, and both constantly forced together, be it because they were in the same social sphere or for arbitrary reunions. I found them compelling, sure, but in more of a meme-esque way. Like, “Look at these guys in their early-20’s acting divorced even before their band breaks up.” - even more hilarious for me after my time observing McLennon for a while and just how affectionate things between “those two particular members of the band” could be. They wouldn’t be the only duo in 60’s bands to be behaving like this, of course… but it was just so hysterical.

However, that’s just with the context of Sean Egan’s biography about the Animals and some miscellaneous documentaries/articles about them fueling me. This was before all of those magazine articles, those seemingly lost pieces of footage of Alan saying they had “common souls” and Eric saying they had a “delicate relationship”, those photographs of them on Ready, Steady, Go!, and those little sprinklings of information here and there. I found most of it steadily, back in late-2020 and early-2021, putting together a somewhat more affectionate picture. Then I met tealightwhimsy in late-2021 and she found the scan archive in early-2022, and the floodgates opened. No, I don’t see Alan Price and Eric Burdon as perpetually divorced, from 1963 to 1983, before actually divorcing from 1983 onwards.

I see Alan Price and Eric Burdon as two, genuine friends, sharing a bond with one another, in music and in each other, that they didn’t have with anyone else. They contrasted, yet also complemented one another in personality and energy. While they could only function effectively with the other in specific circumstances where they weren’t pressured by other people - due to their individual stubbornness, Eric’s headstrong nature, and Alan’s moods - when they did get together on their own time, they blossomed. And they always did. Even now, when Eric is thoroughly salty and refuses to speak to Alan and Alan is fully aware of the bridges he’s burned… they still hold an immense amount of respect for each other. In a different universe where things turned out a little better and Alan wasn’t so stingy with the royalties and his recounting of the story, there’s no doubt that their friendship would’ve persisted to this day, much like Eric and Hilton’s had. We don’t live in that universe, but that doesn’t mean we have to ignore the friendship that was so clearly there.

I understand that some folks, be they classic rock fandom-dwellers or musical boomers, may find their relationship unsalvageable for many reasons, and that’s completely okay. Some people can’t get over what Alan did in general, so of course, their relationship is already tainted right out of the gate. I’m not saying they’re perfect, or the most healthy relationship in the world; they’re entirely imperfect, which is what I love about them. They’re unabashedly human, especially with one another. Of course, I have my immense Alan Price Bias that makes it easier to look past that one unequivocally, objectively terrible thing he did to see the nicer moments he had with the Animals and Eric, but it’s also pretty easy to adopt this mindset once you learn a bit more about his psyche. They were never rivals, and they were never enemies… even now.

Tying back to that quote I started with at the beginning of this section, Alan’s “No one wants to hear that you are best buddies” speaks volumes here, because he’s completely right, at least about a certain point in time. I observed this in the Beatles/McLennon fandom a while back as well: interesting how so many think-pieces written by folks from basically the break-up of the Beatles in 1970 to the early 2000’s leaned so antagonistic, especially between John and Paul (but also all of them, if we’re being honest), despite all four of them saying time and time again that they still cared about each other. It wasn’t until the rise of prominent online fandoms in the late-2000’s and 2010’s that there emerged vocal groups of fans that wanted to learn and document all of the more affectionate moments between all of them, even during their own “divorce arc” in the 70’s.

And it’s interesting that a lot of this digging done by fandoms is spearheaded by young, LGBT+ folks, both to find hints of homoeroticism as well as paint a less antagonistic picture than the… ah, mostly cishet men had been writing about for 30 years, pitting the four (but particularly John and Paul) against each other like action figures.

There’s no doubt about it: drama sells, rivalry sells, even back then. Funnily enough, Alan and Eric and the rest of the Animals weren’t nearly antagonistic enough with each other for this to be marketed upon, even post-’83. They were too tired and mellow to say much of anything besides passing jabs at one another, yet reads of them are still skewed so negatively. People think Alan Price and Eric Burdon hated each other since day one, even though Eric dressed up as a bear on live television for Alan to help him promote a song. Because it’s a lot easier to consume regurgitated, half-hearted information circulated since the 90’s about all of them hating one another. It doesn’t force you to confront heteronormativity or toxic masculinity, in other words. 😐

Anyway, that’s why I’m thankful that there’s been a shift - be it thanks to renewed fandom or culture as a whole - towards more positivity in research and wanting to look for the more pleasant, affectionate moments between all of these rock bands. Sure, for a lot of us, this is fueled by a lot of us being flaming homosexuals looking for flaming homosexual moments in the music history we enjoy for validation, but we also… just want some good vibes.

It’s the reason I’ve hyper-fixated on the original Animals so specifically. Alan in particular, and of course his relationship with Eric, but all of them. It’s unmarked territory, populated by earnest 60+ folks on Facebook, with just three biased biographies, two autobiographies from a band member, and a few dozen bad-faith-in-good-faith articles that don’t have the full picture to show for it. It’s a niche, in other words, and a niche that I absolutely love - one I can forge my own path within, and a path other folks can also explore if they so choose. I’m not trying to change the world or anything… but I do try to be lighthearted and fun with my art and writings like this to reflect this relative lack of antagonism early on, so folks of all ages can appreciate the Animals, and Alan and Eric, as a unit. And it makes me so incredibly happy that, already, I’ve touched people’s lives and helped them learn, through the legitimate stuff and the silly, gay, speculative stuff.

With all of that being said, thank you so much for reading. Be it just a few parts, or the entire thing - the fact that you read me gushing about and awkwardly quoting Alan Price and Eric Burdon for who knows how long truly means so much to me, and I appreciate it. I don’t want to get too sappy and personal, but these two (and the Animals as a whole) have been an immense source of comfort and respite for me over the past two years - I honestly don’t know where I’d be without them, or if I’d even be alive. I’m so thankful for them - their contributions to music and music history as a whole. And Alan and Eric… I’m thankful that, through their imperfections and troubles, they found each other, time and time again.

Feel free to message or send me asks if you have any questions, about these two or the Animals in general! And, of course, questions can regard speculation or headcanon as well! I love talking about them… even with 30.000 words already out there. Also, I draw the Animals (especially Alan and Eric) a lot so… look forward to more silly stuff.

Anyway, time for another Dr. Pepper as I watch Alan Price and Eric Burdon - Live at Newcastle City Hall 1982 (ARCHIVE MASTER TAPE) for the 437th time. Comfort, I tell you!

– Connie

All Sections | Thanks for reading; I love Alan Price and Eric Burdon

my west side story next gens (part one)

(i’m getting into writing,,, lol pls be nice to me anyways)

Elizabeth “Birdie” Lorton

Riff and Grazi’s daughter

Born September 13th, 1957

She/her bisexual

Emma Watson face claim

insecure + awkward

Dating Cricket (more on him later)

Grazi’s pride and joy.

Oliver “Cricket” Moller

The oldest child of Diesel and Mamie

Born soon after Birdie (november maybe?)

Brother to Tulip and Reed

He/they heterosexual

Rupert Grint face claim

An absolute adorable idiot

Birdie’s boyfriend

Died after being drafted into the Vietnam War (in 1974) when he was seventeen

Carolyn “Tulip” Moller

Middle child of Diesel and Mamie

Younger sister to Cricket and twin to Reed

Born November 16th, 1958

She/her pansexual

Bonnie Wright face claim

Stereotypical mean girl

In a dysfunctional relationship with Melody

Catherine “Reed” Moller

The youngest of Diesel and Mamie’s children

Younger sister to Cricket and twin to Tulip

Born November 16th, 1958

She/they lesbian

Bonnie Wright face claim

Tough and resilient. Very sarcastic but not in a mean way? She is genuinely sweet but can be very closed off at times.

Single and not looking

Kathleen “Glimmer” Walsh

Daughter to Baby John and Tessie

Born June 25th, 1959

She/they/it Bisexual

Evanna Lynch face claim

manic pixie dream girl vibes

Single but looking

Melody Kowalski

Skink and Sorella’s youngest child

Twin sister of Elodie

Born 1958

She/her lesbian

Julia Stiles face claim

She’s pretty laid back and inattentive. Is probably on drugs, let’s be honest with ourselves. Is not the best person to be around

Dating Tulip but it’s a rough situation

Elodie Kowalski

Skink and Sorella’s oldest

Twin sister of Melody

Born 1958

All pronouns, unlabeled sexuality

Larisa Oleynik face claim

Actual the sweetest person in the entire world. They are protective and gentle and loving and a ball of sunshine

Single and not looking but also not against a relationship?

Sofia Gutierrez

Flaco and Tati’s only daughter

Born June 28th, 1962

She/her bisexual

Martina Cariddi face claim

Flirty and charming. Very clingy and affectionate. Major attachment issues.

Formerly dated Penny

when she was only sixteen, she became addicted to drugs. specifically heroin. this only got worse, but her parents would never kick her out. never. when she was seventeen, she fell in love with the daughter of sweden and little moly, who was named penelope. although she went by penny. the two were cautious about pursuing a relationship but eventually went for it. sofia got hiv from an infected needle when she was nineteen. after this, penny broke up with her. she was scared and didn’t want to watch her die. sofia tragically died only a few months later.

Penelope “Penny” Burke

Only child of Little Moly and Sweden

Born 1962

She/he/it unlabeled

Kizzy Edgell face claim

Has commitment problems. Wants so badly to be supportive but she really struggles. Sarcastic and slightly mean, but also very insecure

Formerly dated Sofia

Him and Sofia started dating when they were seventeen. But when Sofia became sick when they were nineteen, Penny broke up with her. He didn’t want to watch his girlfriend die so he left. Once Sofia died, he instantly regret it. Hasn’t been able to move on since.

Mia Albandoz

Pili and Braulio’s daughter

Born January 9th, 1963

She/her lesbian

Camila Mendes face claim

Just a cute little lady!! Is very funny and immature, she cannot be serious for five seconds. Band nerd

Dating Laura Bates (daughter of Big Deal and Natalie). They are very in love.

Okay so that’s it!! Let me know if you guys like them lmao. I love them all, no matter how problematic some of them are

This Month In History - November

It has been quite a month for pop culture anniversaries and here are a few I'm celebrating:

Nov. 3, 1978: Diff'rent Strokes premieres

In Nov. 1978, one of my favorite sitcoms of the 70s/80s premiered. Here is my piece I wrote in 2018. Happy 45 DS!

Nov. 3, 1978: Outlandos d'Amour released

In Nov. 1978 (on the same exact day as Diff'rent Strokes' premiere), the debut album from The Police was released. I wouldn't call this my favorite Police album, but it is a very impressive debut of a band announcing themselves. Earlier this year, I saw guitarist Andy Summers and bassist / singer Sting in separate concerts and both did songs off of this album. It's still an incredible collection of songs from the U.K. trio equally influenced by reggae and punk and loads of other genres. The album kicks off with "Next to You" (just try not to air drum to it) and it doesn't lose steam. Happy 45 Od'A!

Nov. 3, 1998: Mutations released

In Nov. 1998, Beck's beginning of "Sad Beck" was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2018. Happy 25th Mutations!

Nov. 4, 1998: Gods and Monsters opens

In Nov. 1998 one of the best movies about a filmmaker was released. Sir Ian McKellen plays James Whale, the director of Frankenstein, in his last days and the friendship he forms with his gardener (Brendan Fraser). Both actors are at the top of their game and it showed the power of cinema and friendship. Fraser finally won an Oscar for The Whale, but this was one of his strongest performances. Happy 25 G&M!

Nov. 10, 1978: Give 'Em Enough Rope released

In Nov. 1978, the second album from The Clash was released. I named it my #4 Clash Album in my ranking of their albums. Here is my piece I wrote in 2018. Happy 45 GEER!

Nov. 18, 1983: A Christmas Story opens

In Nov. 1983, one of my favorite holiday movies was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2018. Happy 40th ACS!

Nov. 22, 1963: With The Beatles released

Nov. 22, 1968: The White Album released

What are the chances that The Beatles released 2 classic albums on the same exact day 5 years apart! Here is my piece I wrote about With The Beatles and The White Album in 2018. Happy 60th WTB! Also - here is my album review of the 50th anniversary edition of The White Album from 2018. Happy 55th White Album!

Nov. 26, 2008: Milk opens

In Nov. 2008, Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk biopic was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2018. Happy 15 Milk!

The 13 Greatest Winter Fragrances Available On The Market Right Now

Please keep in mind that there are a number of full-size options out there for some fragrances, with some worth variations. Please visit the Sephora page for full particulars. “If you’re unsure what fragrance to present someone, or even discovering a new scent for yourself, our Fragrance Finder Quiz on Sephora.com is an efficient way to discover new products,” Solares provides. I need not run you through the notes on this one as a result of the scent is fairly literal. Take the best way brandy smells, then elevate that, and you have got it. The shopping information said that the red is sturdy and the pink denims may be colored. In view of the character I don’t care about, I bought red. I can’t see any traces of soiled damage, and it's frequently used. However, this flight plan was altered in March 1963. Vostok 5 would now carry a male cosmonaut, Valery Bykovsky, flying alongside a lady aboard Vostok 6, both to be launched in June 1963. If you purchase a reproduction bag tote and want to buy a multi-functional bag, but additionally want to look good, please select this, it is strongly recommended. Replica Valentino Bags, a model that is crazy about faculty, has a great high quality, sturdy and good again. This bag was purchased in Hawaii final June within the college graduation season. At that time, a number of colors had been very like, and there were cherry blossoms. When I bought it, I tangled the color for a long time. Introducing considered one of Sephora’s bestselling fragrances and one everyone is getting their palms on — Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium. Not only is the packaging enchanting however its heat and rich scent — which is infused with coffee! The center provides you juniper and black pepper, with a base of three totally different sorts of cedar. It has all of the woody depth you search for in a cologne known as Hero. I’ve been sporting all of it day, and it kept putting me as a wealthy, dark floral. But all that is to say, they turned the normal cologne on its head with this one. The following month she introduced a silver cup, which went to the group from the Soviet Union who gained gold in all 5 boat classes, at the ladies's 1963 European Rowing Championships held in Khimki close to Moscow. By February 1964, Tereshkova was pregnant when she visited Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom who was also pregnant at the time. Except for a few-months break that year, Tereshkova went on a continuous and exhausting world tour, returning to her public duties only two months after the delivery of her daughter. If you are acquainted with brandy, you will know it's a candy, fragrant brown liquor that smells like a sweet fragrance all on its own. There are many variations of brandy, like blackberry, peach, vanilla, and apple. This addition of the fruit makes it even sweeter, straightforward to sip on, and nice to include in a cocktail. And apparently, it is the perfect base for a scent. wikipedia handbags It smells like the heat of the sun on your skin at nightfall. At the time I noticed this bag, I favored the complete leather of this bag, and it was very cute! It appears to be just a plain plaid, however a better look reveals that it has no apparent stitching, but as a substitute makes use of capitonné’s craft and glued it with rivets to create this very full padding impact. Valentina married cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev on three November 1963 at the Moscow Wedding Palace with Khrushchev presiding on the marriage ceremony celebration along with high authorities and space programme leaders. The marriage was inspired by the Soviet space authorities as a "fairy-tale message to the nation". General Kamanin, head of the house program, described it as "in all probability helpful for politics and science". 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John Lennon’s smiles from The Beatles' appearance with Gay Byrne and Ken Dodd, Granada Television Studios, 25th November 1963 (x)

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Just like women’s clothes, we update a lot of new kinds each season. How can we get a style versatile and sensible massive bag this year? For instance, this model, with a simple shape and a big capability purse, with rivet ornament, style sense immediately went. And this one could be very suitable for OL, take you as a powerful girl within the gas field. Our Valentino pretend purses are classier copies of the unique version with the identical luxurious really feel, texture and look of natural and wealthy leather-based. They match like a glove in all of your outing ventures perfectly, be it for normal use or for special evenings and, night outs. At the time I noticed this bag, I liked the complete leather of this bag, and it was very cute! It seems to be just a plain plaid, however a closer look reveals that it has no obvious stitching, however instead makes use of capitonné’s craft and stuck it with rivets to create this very full padding effect. 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The following month she introduced a silver cup, which went to the group from the Soviet Union who won gold in all five boat courses, at the ladies's 1963 European Rowing Championships held in Khimki close to Moscow. By February 1964, Tereshkova was pregnant when she visited Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom who was also pregnant on the time. Except for a few-months break that year, Tereshkova went on a continuous and exhausting world tour, returning to her public duties only two months after the start of her daughter. The 6.5cm Rockstuds I got from Annie had been stunning, well-made, and looked very close to authentic. However, a few of the 10cm Rockstuds newer members have obtained from her are so obviously pretend in comparison with those I acquired that it pains me to see that individuals paid $140 for them. In the time since I first wrote this publish, Annie has often sold OBVIOUSLY faux 10 cm Rockstuds, a few of which have been bought by members here and right here. 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Much thicker than the genuine, and looks slightly shorter than Annie’s and KP’s. Someone acquainted with Valentinos would immediately be in a position to tell it’s pretend. The shopping guide said that the pink is durable and the pink jeans could also be coloured. In view of the character I don’t care about, I bought purple. I can’t see any traces of soiled damage, and it's frequently used. However, this flight plan was altered in March 1963. wikipedia handbags Vostok 5 would now carry a male cosmonaut, Valery Bykovsky, flying alongside a lady aboard Vostok 6, both to be launched in June 1963. The International Women of the Year affiliation named her as the "greatest girl achiever of the 20th century". Tereshkova was a torchbearer of the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay in Saint Petersburg and the 2014 Winter Olympics torch relay in Sochi. https://skel.io/valentino-replica.html On 18 September 2016, Tereshkova was re-elected to the seventh State Duma. 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Hello! Would you be able to tell me what happens in brokeback mountain? Im unable to watch it anywhere (or look it up) but I've heard about before! Is it a sad movie?

Yes very quite sad

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING for everyone else lol

Also warning for homophobic violence

essentially it’s 1963 and these two dudes Jack and Ennis do a job together over summer on Brokeback mountain, one night after getting drunk they hook up and they keep having their little affair until the summer is over when they go their separate ways bc Ennis has to get married

It’s like four years before they see each other again, Ennis has a wife and a couple kids but is more than happy to keep his thing with Jack going and they continue this affair for several years going on semifrequent week-long trips (I think once a month?) back up to the mountain, Jack also gets married and has a kid between these meetings

Later on in their relationship things get tense because Jack has always wanted the two of them to get a place together, even though Ennis is divorced at this point he can’t just give up working cause he’s gotta support his kids still, so they leave off on a bit of a sour note bc Ennis has a job that won’t let them meet again til November (I don’t remember what month it was at the time of the convo but I’m assuming it’s a long time)

after a bit Ennis goes to pick up the next postcard he usually gets from Jack, but the postcard has a big ol red DECEASED stamp on it. Ennis calls Jack’s wife to find out what happened, she tells him that a tire blew up in his face and he drowned in his own blood, but the scene shows that he was actually brutally beat to death by several men, very similar to a story Ennis told Jack around the time they first met: when Ennis was young there were two local men that lived together and one was a victim of a gruesome hate crime

The rest of the film is Ennis coping with his loss and overall it is a very tragic ending to a love story, I’m not sure if I would classify this as a bury your gays trope bc shit like this was not uncommon for the time period and it goes to show how difficult or even impossible it was to be openly queer back then, especially in rural areas. Either way it fucking stings after the fact!

this is the extent of my summarizing skills so if you still wanna know more I can find a more detailed synopsis and paste it here, or I can slide u the website I watched it on, whatever’s best for your situation

Anchor - Part 7

Five Hargreeves x Reader

Masterlist with the other parts

See part one for important notes

A/N: First of all, thanks for 730 followers, you guys are the sweetest ♥

So here, new part yay. I think the beginning is kinda shitty, because I was in lack of ideas, but I guess the rest is good enough. If you wanna be added to the tag list, let me know. ♥

"Do we really need to keep him tied up?" Y/N asked as she looked at Elliott, who was tied up to one of his chairs.

"Yes" Five simply responded as he intently watched the footage that Elliott developed, it was just a video from an old couple, Y/N couldn't really tell why it was so important. The room was dark, the only light illuminating them being from the projector.

Y/N sighed "I'm sorry Elliott" she mumbled to the man. "Humm, that color suits him" she said, bracing herself on the back of Lila's chair and looking down at the woman painting Elliott's nails.

"Yup" Lila smiled.

As the footage went on, the people on it said the date. November 22, 1963. And that was six days from their current date. After Y/N heard that, she started to pay attention to the film. Not long after, shots could be heard from the film, apparently, the president was being murdered. And as Five turned back the film and stopped it, much to their surprise, Five and Diego recognized their father. The man was just standing there, with his black umbrella on a sunny day.

Y/N tensed a little upon seeing his image on the projector. So he was here then. She only knew him from what Klaus had told her, but he didn't seem like a good person at all, not to his kids at least.

Five started to pace around the room, nervously scratching his head. He and Diego started to discuss about their father, if he was or was not involved in the assassination of the president. And seeing as they didn't have much involvement in all of it, Y/N and Lila stayed out of the conversation.

"Are you from the weird family too?" Lila asked the girl.

"No, I'm just a friend... That got involved in all of it" Y/N smiled at her.

_________

After a couple of minutes, Five and Diego made their way to leave the room. Seeing that, Y/N quickly made her way to them.

"It's okay to leave him like this?" Diego asked as they walked, referring to Elliott.

"Yeah, he's fine. What about the girl?" Five asked back, his hands on his pockets.

Diego looked back as Y/N reached them, and when he didn't see Lila, he went to find her. Leaving Y/N and Five alone to wait for him.

"Hey, where are you two going?" The girl asked.

Five let out a sigh, he moved from feet to feet, his eyes not looking at Y/N. He didn't feel much comfortable around her anymore, because he felt like he shouldn't be around her at all. "Pay a visit to dad, try to at least"

"Okay then, I'm coming with" Y/N happily said.

This made Five look at her. Why must she confuse me like this? Does she think she has to help? Five thought to himself. After last night, he presumed she wouldn't want anything to do with him anymore. He presumed that all he was to her now was... A killer. And the fact that she wasn't totally wrong made him sad, this was one of the few things he knew after all. "No. You don't have to"

"But I want to, Five. I wanna help" Y/N said as a matter of fact, as she looked at him.

Maybe if Five wasn't so insecure, he would have known that nothing had changed. That her opinion on him didn't change just because he confirmed he was an assassin. But his mind was clouded. And now the only thing he could think about is that she was being like this out of obligation. That it wasn't real, because now she was probably scared of him. And it hurt him because he wanted it to be real.

Five gulped and opened his mouth to answer, but Diego arrived and suddenly the boy had nothing more to say. And so the three made their way to Reginald's Company.

_________

It didn't take long for them to arrive, the company was a huge white building. But it looked empty, abandoned even. It was already dark outside, the only sounds being from the crickets and the rustling leaves. The only lights being from the weak light poles of the empty street. So hopefully they were the only ones there.

Five, Y/N and Diego exited the car, making their way to the front doors. The place had grass around the front with a stone path leading to the entrance.

"D.S. Umbrella, this is it" Diego said as he looked at the building.

Noticing that Five had stopped walking, Y/N looked back at him. The boy had his hands on his pockets, but he looked nervous.

"You alright?" The girl asked with a gentle voice.

"Yeah, fine... Just..." Five answered, his tone made it seem like he didn't really pay attention to her question. But he started walking again.

"How long has it been since you've seen the old man, Five?" Diego asked as he crouched down in front of the door, trying to unlock it.

Five glanced at Y/N for a second before he leaned beside the door and answered Diego's question. "Forty-five years".

"Wow" Y/N's voice was barely audible, but Five heard it. The girl furrowed her brows, thinking about the new information. She knew Five had been lost for some time, but she had no idea it had been that long.

Noticing the tension between his brother and Y/N, Diego broke the silence. "So Y/N, how long have you been here?"

Y/N blinked at his question, bringing her focus back to them. "Um- three months"

"You were here longer than me" Diego mumbled to himself, stopping his work at the door for a moment and turning towards Y/N. "Did you hold up alright?"

"Yeah, for the most part" Y/N sighed, fidgeting with her hands. "I found work at a pet shop, kept me distracted"

Diego gave her a kind smile "good"

"Five told me about you" Y/N chuckled a little. "If you were out for a little longer, maybe we would have found each other"

Diego laughed as well "yeah it would have been nice to have a friendly face around" and with a small smile, he turned his attention back to the door.

Five watched their interaction silently. It wasn't often he saw Diego being so... Gentle? Y/N seemed to have such an easy way when interacting with people, even with his siblings. He found himself wishing he could talk with them that easily as well. And with her. Lowering his head, Five pursed his lips and looked inside the building. Teleporting in, he easily unlocked the door.

"Right" Diego scoffed. "Gotta remember that"

"Are we just gonna break in like that?" Y/N asked as the brothers made their way inside. She took slow steps behind them, looking around.

"Of course" Diego looked over his shoulder at her with a smile on his face.

Five turned on one of the table lamps, but not a second after, it was off again. The three of them furrowed their brows, that was odd. Y/N patted one of the armchairs and her hand came out full of dust. Abandoned indeed.

"Guess dad wasn't much of a home decor" Diego wondered. That was an understatement.

"Feels more like a front" Five's voice was serious as he analyzed the place.

"For what?" Y/N asked, walking closer to the brothers.

"I don't know"

Diego looked between them. "Well, I'll take the left. You two go right. Yell if you uh... Get in trouble" and so he made his way to the left door.

Five let out a sigh. He held the right door open and took a quick glance up towards Y/N. "Let's go"

Walking in, Y/N saw herself in a gray corridor full of doors on both sides. Five was walking close behind her, in case something were to happen.

Y/N tried to open one of the doors, but it was locked. But Five was luckier with his try. Turning on the lamp inside the room, they could see what was supposed to be a living room. But instead of real people, there were mannequins sitting on the couch. It all seemed like it hadn't been touched for a long time.

"What is all this? It's all... Fake" Y/N said as she braced herself on the threshold. She couldn't deny she was nervous, the whole place felt... Sinister in a way.

Five was standing right beside her, their shoulders almost touching. And he was doing his best to keep focused and not let the tension take over his body because now was not the time. "I don't know"

Eventually, they found more rooms, and all of them seemed to be staged to look like rooms from a normal house. They were all decorated with mannequins in places where people should be. Some of the rooms even had cameras on it. A literal stage, Y/N thought.

Right now Five and Y/N were inside of what was supposed to be a dining room, the place was full of dust. Long forgotten.

"Your father is a strange man Five. What is he doing here? Why are the rooms like this?" The girl said as she took some steps backward, looking at all the fake decorations.

Not looking where she was going to, Y/N eventually bumped into Five. She quickly turned around to look at him, an apology already on the way. But when she turned, she wasn't expecting him to be so close. Their noses brushed ever so slightly with her movement, a blush coming up to both of their faces not a second after.

Y/N quickly took a step back and blinked a couple of times, trying to focus her mind, her mouth opened and closed a few times in search of words. But Five beat her to it, barely.

"W-why don't you just go and check another room instead of bothering me with all these questions?" The boy hissed, his voice way harsher than he intended to. It was the tension speaking, the sudden closeness made him panic.

Y/N gulped and looked down, taken aback by his rudeness. "Sure" she muttered and made her way outside.

Once she was nowhere to be seen, Five let out a long sigh and ran his hands through his hair. "Shit"

Y/N entered an office, or what was supposed to be one at least. The desk was full of dust, which she blew away and sneezed in the process.

Rummaging through all the papers that were there, she found something about an invitation to a gala at the Mexican Consulate. Running her fingers through the neat typography Y/N figured that this might have some value, so she put the paper in her pocket.

Not long after, she heard a loud noise of glass shattering and then Five calling out for Diego. Y/N quickly made her way back to where the boy was, scared he might have been hurt or something.

Pushing the door open, Y/N saw the shattered window and Five sitting on the ground, with a hand on his neck.

"Jesus Five, I leave you alone for one goddamn minute..." the girl walked to Five and crouched down beside him. The boy let out a small grunt of pain, Y/N carefully removed his hand from his neck and saw four scratches. They weren't so deep, thankfully. "What the hell happened?"

Five averted his eyes from her. The touch of her hand on his made him feel uneasy. "It was Pogo"

"Pogo? The chimpanzee?" Y/N asked with a confused expression.

"Yeah" Five sighed. He felt kinda stupid for thinking that Pogo would have any other reaction. After all, he didn't know Five, not yet.

They both looked around the building for Diego but they couldn't find him anywhere. Eventually, Five said they should head back to Elliott's place, Diego would probably find his own way back anyway.

When they exited the building, Y/N's skin was hit with the cold air of the night, making her shiver a little. But nonetheless, she stopped to look up at the sky before entering the car. A small smile tugging at her lips. The sky was mostly free of clouds and due to the poor illumination of the street, most stars were visible. It was beautiful.

Five opened the driver's seat door, but when he saw that Y/N hadn't followed, he looked back to where they came from. He furrowed his brows when he saw her just standing there, looking up. "What are you doing?"

"The stars... They are still the same..." The girl finally looked down at him, and slowly walked in his direction. Her voice, her eyes, she looked so... Serene. Five tightened his grip on the car door.

"Still the same from our timeline. I used to look at the sky almost every night on the first nights that I spent here. It was... Comforting, in a way" Y/N confessed to him in the calmest voice he had ever heard. Five even felt the tension leave his own shoulders, just slightly.

Upon entering the car again, Y/N started to search in the glove compartment for something to clean up Five's scratches. She found a clean cloth and damped it with the water from the water bottle they had in there. Then she turned to Five, who was already sitting in the driver's seat.

"Turn around" Y/N said to him, holding the cloth in her hand.

Five looked at her, then down at her hand. "That's not necessary" His voice was serious.

"You have no idea where his hands were, I doubt you want an infection in there, so we have to at least clean it. Turn around" Y/N said more sternly, demanding even.

Five clenched his teeth and pursed his lips, suddenly feeling his palms start to sweat, and his heartbeat starts to quicken. But he complied and turned around to Y/N's direction.

Y/N gently brought the wet cloth to his neck, making Five hiss a little when it made contact with the open wounds. He refused to look at her, looking anywhere but at her direction. And Y/N didn't fail to notice that, or his tension, or his behavior for the entire day. The girl let out a soft sigh.

"Five" she whispered to him and lowered her hand from his neck, trying to sound as gentle as possible, her eyes looking at him with an unreadable expression. Sometimes he really looked like a wild cat. "Can you look at me?"

Five made an annoyed face but finally looked up at her. He was more nervous than annoyed, to be honest. He was feeling so much, why did she have to make him feel so much? Feelings that he didn't even understand completely. He wanted them to just go away, but at the same time... He didn't.

"You've been... Different since this morning. Did something happen? Did I do something to upset you? If I did, I-I'm sorry" Y/N said as she looked deep into his bright eyes. Intensely searching his face for some kind of clue to what he was thinking, he was hard to read.

Five just looked at her for a couple of seconds. He looked at the way her brows were furrowed just slightly in concern. At how her mouth was just a tad open, ready to say her next words. And at how her eyes looked at him with such... Care. Has someone ever looked at him like that? He couldn't remember. It all felt so real. Could it be? Oh, he wanted it, so much.

But then a thought came to Five's mind. Even if it was, there was no way that he deserved someone like her, not after everything he's done. That reality hit him like a bullet in the chest, and a shaky breath escaped him, making his lip quiver. Y/N probably noticed, and Five kicked himself mentally yet again. But before she could say anything, he did.

"No. But this is not your problem to fix"

"But I want to, Five. I'm stuck here just as much as you are" Y/N said incredulously. "I don't care what you did in the past, I'm your friend now, I wanna help you Five. I wanna help you fix all of this, but you have to let me" she said with as much conviction as she could muster, trying to finally make him understand that they were a team now.

Five gulped when he heard her words, he averted his gaze and looked forward. His hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. Does that mean that she doesn't mind that I was an assassin then? Five couldn't know for sure, but he really hoped that was it.

"Why do you care so much?" Five's voice was incredibly small as he asked that. His gaze was no longer so serious, he looked genuinely curious, lost.

Y/N slightly shook her head at his question. Has no one ever showed him a slight bit of kindness, for him to be like this? Five looked like he honestly had no idea that someone outside of his family could care about him. And it made Y/N sad to think of what he had probably been through to be like this, what kind of things he had missed. "Because I like you guys. We're together in this now"

"Alright then" Five said to her in a low tone, not trusting his voice to speak any louder.

Y/N let out a huff of breath and looked forward as well. Five was definitely a hard person to crack, but she was almost sure this harsh exterior was just a facade. More times than one now, she sometimes would catch a glimpse of the real him. That look in his eyes that sometimes escaped him. Lost and sad, almost begging for help. And she was more than willing to help, if only he'd let her. But if he wasn't going to let her in now, Y/N wanted to make sure to let him know that she was there. She would be there if he ever needs someone.

As none of them said anything else, Five turned on the car engine and drove them back to Elliott's.

The way back was spent in silence, both Y/N and Five lost in their own thoughts. When they finally arrived, the place was partially dark, the only lamps that were turned on didn't really do a good job of illuminating the place.

Diego was laid down on the couch, with Lila taking care of a wound he had in his abdomen.

"Huh, he isn't dead" Five said, unamused. His hands in his pockets while he looked at his brother. Y/N looked at him with an incredulous look.

"Disappointed?" Lila asked.

"Oh to see you? Always" Five gave the woman a malicious smirk.

Y/N just rolled her eyes at them and made her way to Diego, placing a careful hand on his shoulder. "Hey Diego, you alright?"

"Just fine" the man mumbled, half unconscious.

Y/N smiled and walked to stand beside Five again, until she spotted Elliott, still tied up to his chair. Her mouth opened in shock. "Oh my god, Elliott" she hurried beside him and started to undo the ropes in his hands. "I am so sorry for that".

Five chuckled at the scene. Making his way to the kitchen counter to prepare himself a cup of coffee. But before he could pour it, Y/N appeared beside him and grabbed the coffee pot from his hand, putting it down.

"I don't think that's wise" she raised her brow at him.

He looked at her ready to say some snarky comment, but she beat him to it.

"It's very late, Five. You'll be of no use for anyone if you are exhausted tomorrow" Y/N said as a matter of fact, with a small knowing smile on her face. "Try to get some rest"

Five huffed but put his mug down. Slowly but surely he was starting to feel himself become more comfortable in Y/N's presence again. He felt himself a little lighter, and it felt nice.

Y/N's smile grew and she put a hand on Five's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Goodnight Five"

Five felt his cheeks heat up, he just nodded at her and said "goodnight". His mouth formed a thin line as he saw Y/N leave the kitchen.

"Someone has a crush" Lila sang in a low voice once Y/N was gone.

Five gave her a deadly stare "shut up".

***

Thank you for reading ♥ the next part should be out soon. And if you have any idea about how this story should progress or anything you would like to see in it, please send me an ask or message and I’d be happy to include it. All opinions and feedback are appreciated ♥

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50 Years Later: The Still Sweet Legacy of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Image source: https://people.com/food/gene-wilder-death-willy-wonka-pure-imagination/

I first watched Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory during the summer of 2001, when I was four years old. Sometime after the end credits rolled, I waddled into our little English garden and decided to have a nibble of one of the buttercups poking through in the grass. You will be unsurprised to discover that it tasted acrid and bitter and that I promptly screwed up my face and spat it out again. ‘But— but- -’ little four-year-old me thought, ‘—but in Willy Wonka’s garden the yellow butter-tea-cups are edible and filled with a breakfast brew! The toadstools and mushrooms ooze sweet white cream! And the trees don’t sprout boring old fruit, but giant jellified gummy bears!' According to my four-year old logic, in Wonka’s edible garden these synaesthetic saccharine delights could exist and so in our garden they could too. So was the bittersweet belief that ‘Anything is possible’ the film inspired - bittersweet because, of course, it's not true. Today marks the 50-year anniversary of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, which premiered in the United States on this day in 1971. Time reveals a legacy that is more sweet than sour.

The 1971 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1964 book ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ has an origins story that reads like a saccharine fairytale, complete with the requisite obstacles. Once upon a time, the story of Charlie Bucket and his lucky visit to a chocolate factory found its way into the hands of a 12-year-old girl called Madeline Stuart, the daughter of a Hollywood filmmaker, Mel Stuart. Madeline approached her father and asked him to make a film out of the story. In Stuart’s memory, his daughter’s innocent plea went something like this: ’Daddy... I want you to make this into a movie!’ A self-confessed chocoholic, Stuart said yes. And the rest was history? Not just yet...

The early 1970’s wasn’t Hollywood’s happiest hour. Low attendance and a struggling national economy meant that the U.S film industry was in a state of near-collapse and financing the movie was no easy feat; studios were cash-strapped. It was a stroke of sweet luck that the producer of the film, Mel Stuart’s friend David Wrober, had a connection to the Quaker Oats Company who, by happy chance, were looking for a way to break into the chocolate industry. In an unprecedented move in Hollywood, Quaker Oats agreed to finance the film on account of the fact that it would allow them to launch a ‘Wonka’ bar. A convenient if imperfect marriage was formed between the food company and the producers. A Happily Ever After? Still not yet...

There were active forces that didn’t want the candy man to make the leap from page to silver screen. Having long been vocal about Hollywood and its poor representation of black people, the NAACP objected to the adaptation because of the colonial overtones of the Ooompa Loompas in Dahl’s story (described as “a tribe of miniature pygmies” who were imported from Africa); they didn’t want additional attention being brought to the novel. The NAACP eventually suggested that “The solution is to make the Oompa-Loompas white and to make the film under a different title.” Mel Stuart agreed. The title was changed to ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’, a change that would also benefit the marketing of the Quaker Oat Company’s ��Wonka’ bar. After Stuart consulted with some black actor friends, it also was decided that the elf-like characters would be carrot orange with grass-green hair. Whether this amounted to ‘whitewashing’ or not is a matter for the individual to decide but changing the skin colour was the only way to adapt the book without making more significant changes to Dahl’s story. After all, it was the man himself penning the screenplay.

Image source: https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/search-perfect-willy-wonka

Dahl’s screenplay - bloated and too close an adaption of the book, was eventually revised by newbie screenwriter David Seltzer, but the fantastical elements of the author’s story remained largely intact: chocolate rooms with chocolate waterfalls and rivers, fizzy-lifting stations that send Charlie Bucket and his grandfather floating to the ceiling, and elevators that fly straight into the sky. Harper Goff, famed for his work on the 1945 Disney film ‘20,000 Leagues under the Sea’, was tasked with bringing Dahl’s demanding vision to life in the art department. Then there were difficulties in casting too, and a cross-country search took place for the Oompa Loompas and the lucky ticket-winning children (lamentably, only white actors were cast). With scouting and sketching underway, producers had the formidable challenge of finding somewhere to shoot the movie. After considering the Guinness Factory in Ireland and – wait for it - a national monument in Spain, producers settled on the Munich Gas works and Bavarian Film Studios in Germany as the central filming locations. It was cheaper than America and the location’s foreignness to British and American audiences would work in the favour of creating a ‘Neverland’ story.

Tinged with sweetness and sourness, pre-production on Wonka came to a close in late August 1970 and principal photography began. For the adults on set, budgetary problems were an ongoing source of stress and the unusual marriage between Hollywood and the food industry was one of the main causes. Unlike Paramount or Universal, who might have expected the film to go over budget, Quaker Oats viewed the film as one long advertisement for their new bar and were unsurprisingly less sympathetic when the weather was bad and shooting had to be delayed or when something went wrong on set and more money had to be poured in (or, in the case of the chocolate waterfall, a specially sourced anti-foaming solution). The kids also had their tribulations (and were only renumerated £60 per week for their hard labour). Stuart was a tough director. So tough, in fact, that the child actors used to joke that they deserved Oscars for their roles (or for putting up with Stuart). He treated the young actors as adults and perhaps that’s one reason why the performances are so strong. But Stuart reflected that overall, it was like ‘one big slumber party’ for the child actors. Stories from the set include Paris Themmen, who played Mike Teevee, releasing bees from underneath a bell jar in Wonka’s chewing gum machine. Denise Nickerson (playing Violet Beauregarde) and Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt) fought over Peter Ostroff, who played Charlie Bucket, and took turns being his ‘girlfriend’ day-by-day. After lunch breaks, Ostroff and Gene Wilder, who played Wonka himself, would walk back to set together sharing a chocolate bar. There was an excitable atmosphere on set and, filmed without storyboards or pre-production rehearsals, it translated into authenticity in the final film.

Image source: https://www.thedelite.com/willy-wonka-and-chocolate-factory-movie-facts-you-never-knew/

Filming came to a bittersweet end in November 1970, cast members said their teary goodbyes, and then seven months later, Willy Wonka premiered in the United States. While time has judged differently, the contemporary reception to the film was, at best, lukewarm. From a $2.9 million dollar budget, the film only made $4 million in theatres and ranked as #53 in the box office. There were a number of reasons for this. Several reviewers panned the movie; a critic from the New York Times called it ‘tedious and stagy with little sparkle and precious little humor’. The fun and spectacle of Willy Wonka didn’t sit well with an anxious and cynical audience. In the Vietnam era, The French Connection, The Omega Man, and A Clockwork Orange were in, and optimism and fun were out. The film also had to contend with the declining weekly movie attendance across the U.S, which reached an all-time low of 14 million in 1971 (from 44 million in 1963). On top of this, Dahl didn’t exactly enthuse about the final product. Finally - and this is what the director attributed primary responsibility to: a lacklustre marketing effort on behalf of Paramount Pictures.

But box-office results aren’t everything. Like sherbet - sour at first and then Oh so sweet, Willy Wonka has gone on to gain a mass following of fans and gained the all-desirable ‘cult’ film status. The phenomenon happened over time. Six years after the film appeared on cinema screens, it was sold to Warner Brothers and became one of their best-selling video cassettes. Then, periodic screenings on cable and network television over the following decades meant that it gained an even wider following and stayed within Western cultural consciousness. The never-ending references to Willy Wonka in popular culture - from The Simpsons to Austin Powers to Marilyn Manson’s music videos, is testament to this. The same could be said about the upcoming Willy Wonka origins story, whether it turns out to be a good film or not. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory currently stands as the second most watched film of 1971 on Letterboxd (the Goodreads of film).

Re-watching the film in 2021, it seems almost inevitable that the film has found new and wide- ranging audiences and there’s one main reason for it: a stellar and totally captivating performance from Gene Wilder. The director attributed the film’s longevity to the fact that ‘it was made for adults; it was not made for children’ and it was Wilder himself that brought the grown-up fun. Wilder’s Wonka is sarcastic and witty, ensuring that the final film ended up as a ‘story for children’ only as much as After Eights are for post-dinner treats and Yorkie bars are just for boys. Wilder created a more nuanced and entrancing character out of Wonka than what is portrayed in the book - a Wonka who is dishonest but trustworthy, sarcastic but still empathetic, indifferent but deeply caring, and aloof but charming. Sure, the sets seem slightly dated (the chocolate room in particular) but watching Gene Wilder sing ‘Pure Imagination’ is so wholly captivating that one almost doesn’t notice the set’s limitations. Creating, let alone portraying, such an enigmatic version of Wonka is a tall order, but Wilder made it looks effortless. As evidence of his skill as an actor, Willy Wonka shows Charlie little interest until the very end of the film and then within minutes conveys a parental love to the boy that seems entirely believable. Wilder’s tantalising hot then cold, sugary then sour, sweet then salty performance sustains the whole film.

From the outset, it seemed like the Wilder-Wonka synergy was made to be. Wilder was a relative newcomer to Hollywood in 1970, making his feature film debut in the 1967 film Bonnie & Clyde, but when he walked into the casting room at the Plaza Hotel in New York, Mel Stuart knew he was the man straight away – ‘That’s Willy Wonka!’ he said. Wilder himself immediately seemed to have an intuitive understanding of how to bring the character to life, agreeing to take on the role on one condition: he said to Stuart, “I would like to come out [of the factory] with a cane and be crippled because no one will know from that time on whether I’m lying or telling the truth.’’ Like a magician, Wilder’s Wonka was going to draw you in and keep you in the palm of his hand. To the child actors on set, the Wilder-Wonka symbiosis was very much real. Julia Winter recalled that between takes the kids would crawl all over Wilder yelling, ‘It’s my turn to sit on his lap!’. In turn, Wilder would tell them jokes and stories; he ‘never got cross’. I remember feeling the same captivation as a child watching the film: I wanted to spend time with Wonka. It was only some adults who missed the magic trick. Dahl criticised Wilder’s performance as ‘pretentious’ and insufficiently ‘gay’. Wilder himself recalled hearing talk of mothers saying that the film was ‘cruel to the children’, but he understood that ‘maybe some mothers felt that way, but the children didn’t feel that way...there are limits and they want to know the limits’. The continuing classic status of the film is evidence that the kids (and Wilder) were right. The Wilder-Wonka magic has survived 50 years without souring. The only bittersweetness in watching the actor sing and twirl across the screen is knowing he is no longer with us.

Image source: https://cometoverhollywood.com/2016/08/29/musical-monday-willy-wonka-the-chocolate-factory-1971/

If Gene Wilder carried the film, then what about the story itself? The plot is simple, heart- warming, and doesn’t deserve close scrutiny. Willy Wonka really is a ‘show’, the story is secondary to the individual charisma of Wilder and the spectacle of the image and music. We don’t know if Charlie will be happy or sad once he’s inherited Wonka’s factory. We also don’t know what happens to the rest of the children after they’ve been punished. But who cares? The audience is taken to a joyful fun park where you want to eat everything on screen and play with all the gizmos and gadgets, and where the music is so catchy that you can’t get it out of your head for days and weeks after.

Select ideologues have (and will) taken issue with the story, discarding it as gauche capitalist propaganda. One Marxist criticism of the story even gained enough traction that the director took notice in later years. The parts seem to be there: a businessman running a competition by hiding five golden tickets in his candy bars, competition from other candy makers, the Wonka-Oompa Loompa relationship, and a ‘Rags to riches’ story for Charlie. But one might ask if this is an unnecessary and selective reading. The parts for an alternative vision are equally apparent: from the wild and uncontrolled creativity and experimentation inside the factory to the joy found within the chocolate work itself, and from the relentless drive forward ‘You have to go forward if you want to go back’ to the end picture of the elevator shooting through a glass ceiling and into the skies. If a critic really wanted to make the comparison, such images would sit more easily in Soviet Russia than capitalist America. Wonka might have a capitalist wrapper but take a bite and look closely inside and its ideological filling is incoherent (it is, after all, entertainment). One could imagine how the film might be set in a collectivist community rather than a ‘capitalist’ factory, but it would have made for a worse film. It is the sense of unease that runs throughout the film that has made it timeless, whether its Wonka’s frustration with August Gloop for polluting his pure chocolate river, his fear over someone leaking the secret recipe for the ever-lasting gobstopper, his nightmares in the tunnel sequence, or his anxiety over finding a worthy heir for the factory, which finally manifests as a misjudged outburst at Charlie. It’s the fraught relationship between abundance and greed that makes for such compelling watching. Anyway, as the screenwriter stated in an interview, the film is ‘...not the function of sitting down and intellectualising... it’s the function of scotch tape, cardboard, let’s put on a show!’ Why spoil the fun and examine the parts individually when the sum of the parts is a universal message people need to hear now as much as they did in 1971? Reward honesty and integrity, not greed.

A moral message delivered in an almost subversive tone is another reason for why the film feels timeless. Instead of adults dragging tired and bored children around, the adults in this film are at the mercy of their kids and Wonka. Young viewers can marvel at the gluttony of August Gloop, the smart-mouthed Violet Beauregarde, the wanton bad behaviour of Veruca Salt, and Mike Teevee’s devotion to cable. It’s escapism at its best to watch other kids do what you can’t do: speak back to parents and yell and scream. It’s equally as tantalising when the naughty children are punished in fantastical ways. Augustus, drinking from the chocolate river, falls in and then gets sucked up a chocolate chute. Violet chews forbidden gum and then blows up into a blueberry the size of a small horse. Veruca falls down a garbage chute. And Mike finds himself sucked into a television. Best of all, the parents are equally guilty of bad-behaviour as the kids - and, boy, do they pay for it. Wonka might be a film for children and adults, but you can guess who’s going to really have the best time. It is little Charlie, after all, who wins Wonka’s factory at the end of the day.

In the scene where Willy Wonka drinks from a yellow flower-shaped cup and then eats the cup, the cup itself was made of wax. Gene Wilder had to chew the wax pieces until the end of the take, at which point he spat them out. Adults that once watched the film as children now know that flowers in the garden aren’t edible. Our eyes can pick up the small imperfections in the film - the sweets that look plastic and chocolate river that looks like exactly what it was - ‘dirty, stinky water’. But through a child’s eyes - even coming to the film half a century after its release, the film really can be a ‘world of pure imagination’. In another fifty years, will children still wander into the garden, pick up a buttercup, and bite into it with all the belief in the word that it’ll taste like sweet, white chocolate? As long as parents continue to show children the film, they will - and what a marvellous legacy for a film to have. Fifty years on, it’s safe to say that Willy Wonka has had a sweet and indelible impact on our sadly mostly inedible world.

Sources for post: 

Mel Stuart, Josh Young, ‘Pure Imagination: The Making of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’, 2001. 

Julia Dawn Cole, ‘I Want It Now! a Memoir of Life on the Set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’, 2011. 

Pure Imagination: The Story (Making) of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yyev_3S_Y4

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Saturn in Aquarius: 2020-2023

Beginning on March 21, Saturn entered the revolutionary sign of Aquarius for a brief month and a half preview and will retrograde back into Capricorn until the end of September. On December 17, it will re-enter Aquarius until March of 2023. Saturn is known as the planet of limitations, boundaries, responsibilities and hard lessons, and up until now has been making its way through the restrictive and authoritarian sign of Capricorn since the beginning of 2018. Though Saturn is the ruler of earthy Capricorn and identifies well with that controlling energy, it doesn’t always do its best work in this sign. Traditionally, Saturn also rules the airy free-flowing sign of Aquarius and tends to be very comfortable in this sign, despite how different they may seem. When Saturn enters this humanitarian sign, it evolves into a higher version of itself, capable of bringing much needed equality and change into the world. How do we know this? Well, let’s take a look at the last few Saturn transits through Aquarius – from 1991 to 1994, and before that, from 1962 to 1964.

Let’s begin with Saturn’s transit through futuristic Aquarius back in 1962. Right off the bat, as Saturn entered the sign, the first automated (unmanned) subway train in New York City began running. Aquarius rules technology and automation, so this stood out to me as a very modern Aquarian development already. Also in 1962, Spacewar! was developed and released as the first computer game, featuring two spaceships fighting it out. Each spaceship was controlled by a player, meaning it was not only the first computer game, but also the first multi-player game for computers. Fitting, as Aquarius rules groups as well as spaceships and technology.

In the early 1990s, there were also some major technological advancements, specifically related to the internet and computers. In 1991, at the beginning of Saturn’s transit through Aquarius, Apple released the PowerBook, the first modern laptop computer, which was a huge development in the computer world and has influenced our modern computers significantly in their portability and design. The WorldWide Web was technically invented in 1989, while Saturn was transiting Capricorn, and it was exclusively meant for information-sharing between scientists in institutions around the world at that time. However, in April of 1993, after Saturn had entered Aquarius, CERN made the “www” software public, accessible to anyone with a computer. This is significant because Aquarius represents freedom and equality, and though it was still mainly the upper class that could afford computers at the time, this movement away from intellectual elitism essentially opened the internet up for free public use like we have today. In 1992, ViolaWWW was released, and was the first web browser to become popularized by users. It was also the recommended browser by CERN until it was replaced by Mosaic in 1993, the first web browser to display images with text rather than in a new window.

In the upcoming transit of Saturn through Aquarius, we can expect to see even more advanced technology developments. Many people are expecting Artificial Intelligence to really take off in the coming years, as well as 5G technology and space travel on a grander scale. Smart devices and appliances are becoming more readily available and more advanced.

The future of technology was on the minds of many in the early 1960s, reflected in ABC’s first color animated TV series, The Jetsons, premiering in September of 1962. Not only does Aquarius rule color television and cartoons, but the futuristic utopian vision held by The Jetsons is also very Aquarian in nature. Television also welcomed the eccentric and beloved Addams family in 1964 with ABC’s premiere of The Addams Family. This television classic questioned social norms of the time, specifically the values of the traditional mid-century American family, which were quite conservative at the time. This series became a symbol of the counterculture in television, a typically Aquarian concept. Another incredibly popular futuristic TV show that technically started during Saturn’s transit through Aquarius, Star Trek began filming in November of 1964, during the last couple months of Saturn’s journey through this sign. Star Trek is also notable for this transit due to the fact that it was one of the first television shows to give women, especially black women, prominent and respected roles. The character Lt. Uhura, the ship’s communications officer, was played by Nichelle Nichols, a black actress. At that time, black women typically only appeared in television as servants and maids, so this was a revolutionary change not only in television but in the civil rights movement as well. In fact, when Nichelle Nichols considered quitting the show to pursue a career on Broadway, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. met with Nichelle, convincing her to stay on the show as a part of history.

Television in the early 1990s during Saturn’s next transit through Aquarius was just as influential on culture as the television of the early 1960s. One of the first TV shows that comes to mind when I think of the 90s in television is the classic sitcom Friends. Though this show technically didn’t air until Saturn had moved into Pisces in 1994, the concept of the show resonates very closely with Aquarian themes. For one, the name “Friends” is representative of Aquarius, the sign of friendship and camaraderie. David Crane and Marta Kauffman, the show’s creators, began developing Friends in late 1993 under the early title of Insomnia Cafe, as Saturn made its way through the last 10 degrees of Aquarius. Though it initially had mixed reviews, Friends grew to become one of the most popular and beloved television shows of its time. Another well-loved show of the early 90s, though aimed more towards a younger audience, Bill Nye the Science Guy first aired in 1993, and embraced the forward-thinking Aquarian scientist archetype. Science in general is ruled by Aquarius, sign of innovation and discovery, and this show was designed to teach children about the realities of science and observation. One TV show I thought I should mention here as well is The Real World, which first aired on MTV in 1992, and is credited as being the birth of the “reality TV” genre of television, though it was edited quite often in favor of certain situations and reactions that didn’t quite reflect reality. It received a lot of criticism as well for not ever casting an Asian man in nearly 30 years on television. Reality TV is also very much a Saturn in Aquarius concept, as Saturn rules realism, and Aquarius rules television in general.

Aquarius is also the ruler of cartoons, as I touched on earlier, so it’s only fitting that I discuss a few cartoons of the early 90s. The trend of “cartoons for adults” was beginning to take off around this time, after The Simpsons paved the way in 1989 with its adult humor and hidden messages about adult life. One of the more “mature” cartoons that comes to mind when thinking of Saturn’s transit through Aquarius in the early 1990s is The Ren & Stimpy Show. This show first aired in 1991, and was quite grotesque in its animation style, featuring detailed animated close-ups with which other shows later followed suit. It was especially adored among college students due to its bizarre animation style and dark yet quirky humor. Another “adult cartoon” that began while Saturn was making its way through Aquarius is Beavis and Butt-Head, which first aired in 1993. This cartoon had mixed reviews and stirred up a lot of controversy with its seemingly idiotic social criticism, but became a staple of early 90s adult television nonetheless. The social criticism in this show is representative of Saturn in Aquarius as well, as Saturn portrays a harsh, critical nature, and Aquarius is a sign of society and social groups. Rocko’s Modern Life was yet another cartoon series that was aimed for young adults rather than children, and achieved moderate success after its initial release in 1993. This show was known for highlighting adult situations through cartoon animation- combining the adult responsibilities and themes of Saturn with the off-beat cartoony Aquarian personality. One last cartoon I’d like to mention in this segment of adult cartoons is Animaniacs, which first aired in 1993, and quickly became a hit with both children under age 11 and adults over 25. The large following among adults even led to one of the earliest Internet fandom cultures, another Aquarian concept.

Television in the coming years will likely circle around again to some of these rebellious Aquarian ideas, and it’s likely that TV will become even more entwined with the Internet over the next few years, as online streaming is more common these days than watching cable TV.

Saturn’s movement through Aquarius was a big part of the civil rights movement of the early 60s as well. The sign of Aquarius is a sign of freedom, equal human rights, and disrupting the status quo, which essentially were a few of the main goals of the movement. In fact, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a 10th house Aquarius Mercury, which is why we remember him best for his “I have a dream” speech, which he delivered August 28, 1963 in Washington D.C. for the 200,000+ people who gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington. During the time he was writing and revising this speech, Saturn was transiting his Mercury in Aquarius as well. Later in 1963, on October 22, roughly 200,000 students stayed out of school in Chicago to protest segregation of African-American students in schools. This was a major peak of an ongoing battle to desegregate schools across America, again acting out the Aquarian values of equality and social justice.

In the early 1990s, this theme re-emerged through the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. A video went public in 1991 of five white Los Angeles police officers severely beating Mr. Rodney King after pulling him over for speeding. The riots began on April 29, 1992 after a trial jury acquitted four of the officers, enraging thousands of Southern Californians who took to the streets in anger. By the end of the riots, in early May, sixty-three people had been killed and thousands more were injured or had been arrested. The 1992 Rodney King riots went on to inspire the folk song “Like a King” from Ben Harper’s debut 1994 album Welcome to the Cruel World, which was released just after Saturn transited into Pisces; therefore, the songs were written and recorded while Saturn was in Aquarius.

In the coming transit of Saturn through Aquarius, we can expect to see another revolutionary movement, particularly watching the Black Lives Matter movement, because the hashtag was born while Saturn was in Scorpio, meaning Saturn in Aquarius will be coming up on a Saturn square for the birth chart of the movement.

Furthermore in music, there were a few major developments in the early 1960s while Saturn was in Aquarius that stood out to me. First, in the early to mid 60s, Joan Baez was beginning to make a name for herself in folk music during the American folk revival. Then in 1962, Peter, Paul & Mary released their debut album, which reached #1 on the US album charts. During the same year, Bob Dylan released his self-titled debut album of cover songs, and later went on to release his first original album The Times They Are a-Changin’ in 1964, towards the end of Saturn’s journey through Aquarius. These politically-charged folk artists all peaked with the folk revival during Saturn’s transit through Aquarius, which makes sense, as folk music is Aquarian in its nature, typically discussing issues of politics, inequality and other “radical” ideas of change. In fact, these artists also all performed “We Shall Overcome” at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington in 1963.

Another emerging group that stood out to me from this Aquarian transit was The Beatles. This incredibly successful rock group released their first couple of songs, “Please Please Me” and “Ask Me Why,” in January of 1963. By the next month, their single “Please Please Me” was topping the British rock charts. The Beatles released their debut studio album, Please Please Me, in March 1963, and by May had landed on the top of the UK album charts, staying there for 30 weeks, only to be replaced by their second studio album, With The Beatles. By October of 1963, the media began using the term “Beatlemania” to describe the frenzied behavior exhibited by Beatles fans across the globe. Many of their live performances were accompanied by the sounds of screaming fans and general hysteria. Fanatics, by the way, are also ruled by Aquarius. In February of 1964, The Beatles made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, drawing a record 73.7 million viewers. The crazed audience clearly depicts the “Beatlemania” phenomenon in full swing. But how do The Beatles relate to Saturn’s transit through Aquarius? First off, The Beatles were one of the first mainstream groups to market to the younger generation of teenagers rather than to their parents. This was a big shift in the music industry, as typically it was the older audience with all the spending power, whereas now, young teenage girls were a powerful force in the music market. Though their earlier songs avoided heavier social topics, it became obvious later in their career that The Beatles were a huge part of the birth of counterculture and anti-establishment ideas. In 1964, when the band was informed that a venue they were scheduled to perform at in Florida in the US was segregated, they refused to play unless the audience was integrated. Many more conservative countries refused to allow The Beatles to perform at all, in fear that their progressive counterculture ideas would “infect” their younger population. Even the United States attempted to ban all British acts in 1965, as they saw their emerging rock ‘n’ roll culture as “dangerous” to the youth of the nation. The Beatles were also highly progressive in their music style, and incorporated many new and unusual recording techniques into their albums. This ongoing theme of progressive thinking and “peace and love” apparent in the music of The Beatles is very in line with the nature of Aquarius.

Later, in the early 1990s, grunge bands were the new emerging music trend. A number of grunge rock bands all released major hit albums around the same time: right around Saturn’s transit through rebellious Aquarius. In 1991, Pearl Jam released their debut album Ten, followed by Nirvana releasing their second album Nevermind, and then Soundgarden with Badmotorfinger– all within a span of two months! All three albums were incredibly successful, and resonated strongly with the Aquarian counterculture and anti-establishment ideas brought out by the earlier generation in the early 1960s. Then in 1992, Alice in Chains released their second studio album, Dirt, which is considered by many to be their best work. Also released in 1992, Stone Temple Pilots debuted with their first studio album, Core, which received mixed reviews, though it went on to win a Grammy in 1994 for Best Hard Rock Performance. Nirvana received a lot of attention and success in the early 90s as well, and Kurt Cobain was dubbed “the voice of a generation” by many. Similar to The Beatles influence on counterculture, Kurt Cobain’s darker lyrical content touched many listeners’ hearts on a deeper level than the earlier hair metal had been able to.

In the next few years in music, we’re likely to see younger emerging artists, similar to Billie Eilish, who has an Aquarius Moon, taking over the scene with some revolutionary new ideas and social commentary in their lyrics.

Though Aquarius is a masculine sign, I’ve also noticed a pattern with emerging feminist movements during these transits due to the focus on equal human rights. The second wave of feminism began picking up speed around 1963, when two major works of feminist writing were published: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Both works were largely critical of the typical role of a female as a domestic housekeeper/mother figure in 1960s society. These works encouraged women to pursue careers that they felt passionately about for the first time. Also in 1963, journalist Gloria Steinem became a prominent figure in feminist culture after going undercover as a Playboy Bunny and revealing the poor treatment and underpayment of the waitresses at the Playboy Club.

In the early 1990s, during Saturn’s next transit through Aquarius, the third wave of feminism began to emerge. While second-wave feminism dealt primarily with issues surrounding equal opportunities for [predominantly white] women in the workplace, this third wave of feminism dealt with issues regarding intersectional feminism, violence against women and reproductive/sexual freedom. A trend of reclaiming “derogatory” female terms (for example: bitch, slut, whore) began largely with the Riot grrrl movement in punk music, popularized by female-constructed bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, as a way of expressing feminine identity on their own terms.

Feminine power is already on the rise again, with Uranus having moved into feminine Taurus a couple years ago and still having several more years to go on that transit. Women in power will do great things with that power, and more women will come to be in power over the next few years with Saturn in this sign. Whether it be individual political power, or power in numbers, women around the world will come together and rise to power from now until 2023. Another trend I expect to see play out while Saturn transits Aquarius these next few years as well is that of gender revolution. With the gender roles of the past melting away, a revolution is roaring around the corner, and gender queer/LGBTQ+ identifying people will likely score a few big victories in the upcoming Aquarian transit.

Another theme I noticed through Saturn’s transit of Aquarius in the early 1960s was a theme of national independence and freedom. In August of 1962, the colony of Jamaica became independent, freeing Jamaicans from the United Kingdom after 300 years of British rule. In October that same year, Uganda also became independent from the UK. Then, in 1963, Kenya declared independence from the UK as well. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic and Zanzibar both experienced major revolutions during this time frame in search of freedom. This trend continued in the early 90s, with many countries, including Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia and Estonia, all declaring their independence from the USSR in 1991.

It’s likely that we will see many more uprisings and movements towards independence, including the United States’ Pluto return in 2022/2023, which is expected to be a revolutionary moment for the history of the country.

These are the kinds of themes we are likely to see re-emerging until March 2023, while Saturn roams through free-spirited Aquarius. Technological innovations are going to be increasingly involved with our lives, as the internet of things develops further. Television will trend towards witty humor and social criticism, as it did the previous few times Saturn was in Aquarius. Civil rights movements will be center-stage, writing more groundbreaking history into our textbooks, while the future leans towards figures who are genderqueer, females, diverse, and/or of color, rather than in favor of the cis-gender/heterosexual white male. Mainstream music will take on its own social commentary within the industry. Independence of the individual as well as the nation will be stressed in the coming years. Saturn feels confident in this sign, and we should too, moving forward into Saturn’s “Age of Aquarius” with hope for a better future.